Hayes fosters support at Boone DrugMentorship stressed at lecture series |
In the News... | |
Hayes fosters support at Boone Drug
Darin
Glass
Staff Writer
 |
Gubernatorial candidate Robin Hayes was at Boone Drug Monday to solicite votes. (Photo by Richard Thomas) |
Gubernatorial candidate Robin Hayes came to Boone Drug on Monday to let his stand be known.
Hayes shook hands with a smile and sat down around mostly Young Republicans and supporters. For about 30 minutes, he entertertained questions along with his wife, Barbara.
Hayes did not attack specific things that Governor Jim Hunt has done wrong, instead attacking everything he stands for.
"I have sat there and watched for too long," Hayes said. "I felt like sometimes going across the state to grab him by the ears and shake him," Hayes said about how he feels Hunt has done in office.
Hayes went on to focus on the corrupt nature of the government and politicans. He wants to return "common sense" back into government. He says he is not a career poilitician and is not looking for personal gain.
Hayes was very critical of education and pointed out that North Carolina was 48th in the country in education. He wants to change this embarrassing statistic.
"Hunt froze teacher’s salaries so they could not get paid for their hard work," Hayes said. He listed performance pay as an alternative for helping teachers get more money.
Hayes believes that hard work will qualify teachers for more money. He said he is willing to take away vacant positions to add more money into the economy. He also feels that this will stimulate growth by removing jobs which are not being filled.
Hayes hopes that he can get into office and change government for the better. "People want honest government that works for them. Jim Hunt has no truth behind what he is saying," said Hayes.
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Mentorship stressed at lecture series
Jay Konstantaras
Assistant News Editor
The values of experience, practice and judgment were highlighted by Dr. Harry A. Nurkin as he spoke at the Harlan E. Boyles Distinguished CEO Lecture series Monday.
Nurkin, who has been president and chief executive officer of Carolinas HealthCare System since 1983, addressed businesses and faculty on the value of experience, practice and judgment in the business world. Entitled "On the Training of Quarterbacks, Pilots, Surgeons and CEOs," he gave examples how these values can be applied to a wide array of professions, not just business.
"Surgeons gain experience, practice and judgment not in medical school, but during their residency," Nurkin said. "Their education provides them with the base knowledge, but they gain their most valuable experience during their residency."
"Airline passengers are more comfortable knowing their pilots have practice, experience and judgment," Nurkin said. "Quarterbacks learn these qualities on the field."
"He brought up an interesting point about how much you learn by doing," said senior Darin Griffith of Raleigh who attended the lecture.
"It’s interesting how education sort of takes a back seat to experience in some professions," said junior Denise Durrell of Asheville.
Nurkin also gave examples of three people who learned these qualities, and went on to apply them in other fields. One of his stories was about a quarterback who used the values he learned on the field to become a CEO of his own company.
Nurkin emphasized that a mentor can be extremely helpful in teaching the values needed to succeed in almost any career. "None of these individuals followed a traditional course, they were all discovered by a mentor," he said.
Another of his stories involved a surgeon who was encouraged by his mentor to participate in as many surgeries as possible and to never stop learning. "He later went on to develop one of the first heart bypass machines," Nurkin said.
"If you can ever find a mentor, learn as much as you can from that mentor," Nurkin said.
Throughout his speech, Nurkin urged listeners to never stop learning. "Learning is a lifelong experience. There are always values and lessons to be learned, no matter where you work," he said.
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Spangler says Bond Referendum
important
Special to The Appalachian
Voters in Watauga County and across the state are being reminded of two bond referendums appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Approval of the School Construction Bond Referendum will make $1.8 billion available for construction and renovation projects across the state.
Acceptance of a $950 million highway bond referendum will accelerate planned secondary road improvements, intrastate projects and urban loops.
Approval of both packages will provide substantial benefits to Watauga County. The Watauga County school system will receive a total of $3.858 million with passage ofthe school bond referendum. A total of $2.615 million would speed up secondary road improvement projects in the county.
Watauga County School Board Chairman James Deal is optimistic about the school bond passage. "The board’s top priority is to address the vocational education needs at Watauga High school by constructing three new classrooms and renovating the current vocational education classrooms. The state bond monies will allow us to complete some projects that we couldn’t complete with the 1992 local bond monies," he said.
Other goals, according to Deal, are to purchase computer hardware and address several small projects that the school system has been unable to undertake because of a lack of funding. More
He also addressed the impact the roads bond would have on Watauga County students. "Roads are really important to us in the school system. The secondary roads our buses travel are not as safe as they should be and have problems with bad weather."
Both bond issues have been endorsed by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and the Watauga Committee of 100, among others.
"Passage of both bond referendums is extremely important for Watauga County," said Boone Mayor Velma Burnley. "Passage of the highway bond will speed up the scheduled improvements of secondary roads in Watauga County which are already included on the state’s transportation improvement plan. [and]...the state will actually save an estimated $93 million in inflationary costs associated with materials and labor costs.’
C.D. Spangler Jr., president of the University of North Carolina system, has also gone on record in support of these issues, particularly the statewide school bond. "Anything which strengthens the public schools will eventually strengthen the University," he wrote in a letter to chancellors across the state.
The bonds will be financed without a tax increase. Bonds will be repaid from existing state revenue sources. The monies will also be administered by the local school districts.
"Both the roads bond and school bond are very important to the whole community as far as economic development," said John Brubaker, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce president. "If we want to continue to prosper in the future, we must have good roads and good schools."
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Lecturer receives video fellowship
Laurie Lyda
Staff Writer
 |
Dr. Ballard |
Industrial use hemp, a cousin plant to marijuana, may soon have a place in the agricultural community if efforts to legalize the plant are successful.
Kevin Balling, a lecturer in Appalachian State University’s Department of Communication, recently received an $8,000 NC Arts Council Film and Video Artist Fellowship to complete two video projects, including one about the contoversial plant.
According to Balling, the first video is a structured documentary on the uses of hemp, which might be used in the campaign to legalize industrial use hemp. The video is close to 30 minutes long.
Balling said he began the hemp video out of concern to save family farms, rural economies and the environment. "Tobacco farmers are discouraged and they’re all open to a supplemental or alternative crop to tobacco," he said.
Despite its ability to be utilized as a replacement fiber for paper, wood, and cotton, the federal government declared hemp illegal in 1937 because of its similarity to marijuana.
According to Balling, hemp is considered the strongest fiber in the world, has 25,000 uses and requires no pesticides to grow.
In response to comparisons drawn between marijuana and hemp, Balling says hemp has very little THC, the chemical that creates the high marijuana induces, and getting high off hemp would be like "trying to get high on non-alcoholic beer."
Balling’s other video is entitled "Benediction" and chronicles six months of tending his garden, from prepping the ground, to the first snowfall. He describes it as a "video prayer." The audio includes spoken Latin prayers, Buddhist chants, insect whistles, and natural sounds of the garden.
"Benediction" was begun more than two years ago. Balling said the fellowship gives him more incentive and the necessary funds to complete the video. It will run 10 to 15 minutes.
Both videos will be distributed for public broadcast television, cable broadcast outlets, museums, and art competitions.
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Eastridge Halloween Extravaganza will be held today from 5-7 p.m. Children, grandchildren and friends of Appalachian faculty, staff and students are welcome to participate.
Come to the Eastridge residence hall community for an evening of costumes, games, spooks and safe trick or treating. The Eastridge community consists of Cannon, Hoey, Daughton, White and Lovill Halls.
For more information, call 262-2160.
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The new AppCard identification card is now being issued at Appalachian State University.
The AppCard features a photo of the card holder and serves as a meal card, activities card, library card and residence hall access card for students.
A joint project between Appalachian and BB&T, the new identification/debit card features a backdrop of a Watauga County mountain range and the Appalachian logo. The AppCard plus also features the BB&T logo. Magnetic strips on the back of the card contain information about the various services or accounts the cardholder is entitled to use.
Students can use the AppCard to purchase meals at any of the food services locations on campus, gain entry to sporting events, buy tickets for on-campus concerts, use the health and recreation centers, ride the AppalCart and check out books from the library.
Students who have the AppCard Plus will be able to access their accounts in Boone, or anywhere the HONOR system is used in the state. The card can also be used in eight other southeastern states.
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The Latin American Studies Committee invites you to view the Seven Days of the Dead altars in the Catherine Smith Gallery through Friday.
These altars have been erected by the departments of art, foreign languages and interdisciplinary studies. The Days of the Dead are celebrated the last week of October through Nov. 2 in many communities in Mexico. Altars are constructed to entice the souls in the house with items they favored when they were alive.
Some of the objects on the Appalachian altars will be folk art from Mexico.
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Former members of the Appalachian State University men’s Glee Club are invited to the organization’s 35th reunion April 18-19, 1997.
The reunion begins with rehearsals of the alumni and glee club April 18. Activities on April 19 include an afternoon picnic and an evening concert featuring the Men’s Glee Club and alumni.
For more information contact Dr. Phillip Paul, School of Music, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, or call the School of Music at 262-3020.
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