 |
|
| March 7, 2000 |
|
In
our words...
Support our team at the Big Dance Laying the smack down on Super Tuesday Letters to the Editor Not everyone wants to read about sports Article did not mention no seatbelts NOW is not parcticing what they preach Community's reaction to alleged rape is unbelieveable In
Our Words...
There’s a reason for everything, including things that happen on the Appalachian State University campus. Even including things that happen in our traffic and parking office, contrary to popular belief. A certain physical phenomenon occurs after inclement weather. All of the ice that forms on our roads and parking lots melts during the day and fills in the cracks in the pavement. During the evening, the water freezes and makes the pavement crack even more. This forms potholes. These potholes are quite evident on Rivers Street and in the parking lots on campus. We have heard a lot of complaints as to why these potholes have not been filled, and we found out exactly why. We talked with Barry Sauls, the director of parking and traffic, and he gave us an explanation. And this explanation makes perfect sense. Despite the fact that it is not his decision when potholes get filled, if ever, Extra money that is designated for parking and traffic is being siphened into the pool for the new parking deck that will be on Rivers Street. We think that is a good use for this money. The physical plant staff assesses the repair needs on campus and makes their recommendations to Construction Management who, in turn, presents this information to the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs, Jane Helm. She decides which projects will be completed and which ones bite the dust before it even settles. She happens to be out of town right now, so we could not speak to her. But back to parking and the parking lots filled with potholes: the parking fund does not grow at the speed most savings funds do (for some reason). And the additional money they are getting is all going to the Parking Deck Fund. We think that’s a good use of money, because then we have a new place to park that will be the envy of Boone. But anyway, we’re looking out for
the students. Parking lots don’t get money to be repaved, so hold out for
bigger and better things; like a parking deck. Dealing with potholes now
means a pothole-free place to park in the coming years.
Support
our team at the Big Dance
When I heard on 90.5 FM that anyone wishing to could support our returning Southern Conference Tournament Champion men’s basketball team by meeting the bus at Varsity Gym, I was psyched. Finally we could act like a big name school. Thoughts of Franklin Street in Chapel Hill after a Tar Heel championship ran through my head. I couldn’t wait to go and join the masses to celebrate our team. Then I remembered. I go to Appalachian
State University. Granted, the last few games in Varsity Gym have drawn
large crowds, but the gym hasn’t exactly been overflowing with fans. I
began to think I might find a handful of Mountaineer Maniacs but no one
else. Indeed, when I went with a few friends
to wait for the bus to arrive, there were only about five people standing
outside Varsity Gym. We were told the bus would be an hour late.
People were chanting to the fight song and singing other tunes provided by the band. As we waited, more and more people arrived, adding to the frenzied atmosphere. When the bus finally arrived, the crowd let loose. Buzz gave a little speech and announced each player as he walked off the bus and into the darkened Varsity Gym. What followed were more speeches and congratulations and everyone in attendance finally leaving to celebrate on their own. Everyone kept talking about the Big Dance and how they couldn’t wait for Appalachian to start on their quest. Those of us in attendance got a glimpse of what Appalachian could be like. If students continue their support and allow themselves to get that excited about our team and teams in the future, we could have that big school atmosphere. One of the most important aspects of the success of the team as cited by Buzz and the team is the support of the fans. If Appalachian has any hope of being successful at any level of the NCAA Tournament and in the future, they need the help of those at home. Just knowing we were supporting them from home while they competed in the Southern Conference Championship had to be a boost for the team. Finding a crowd waiting when they arrived home added an exclamation point. We’re in support of Appalachian basketball as far as the team can take us. We celebrated our last home game in style as well as the return of the team. Support the team as they prepare
for the Big Dance. It’s up to everyone at ASU to make sure our championship
team goes out in style.
Laying
the smack down on Super Tuesday
Things are getting tighter in the political race for the highest office in the country as the most heroic of Tuesdays approaches. On the side of the elephants the tables were turned, then placed upright, knocked over again and placed upright one more time. The POW keeps surging back and beating the Snowman and vice versa. This is partially due to the fact that the Caged One (not Nicholas) keeps shining a spotlight on the Snowman so he melts just enough for us to see the silver spoons lodged in his mouth, and then the Snowman runs negative ads. On the side of the donkeys, nothing
is really happening or at least where Mr. Roboto is concerned, little movement
is taking place. In fact, I think he needs new batteries.
When I’ve struck up conversations with people about some of the candidates, people are asking me, “POW Who?” or “Didn’t that guy play basketball?” and “Who’s keys?” Now, it’s your job to find out who I’m talking about. If you don’t know who the Shooting Guard, the Ambassador or the POW are by now, you’ll remain clueless. Now, on to today, Tuesday. Today will make or break many candidates, and it doesn’t look good for the Basketball Guy and our Ambassador. The reanimated Al Bore will be the Democratic nominee next November, that’s just a fact we’ll have to deal with. But who will his opponent be? Will it be George “Wanna be like daddy” Bush or will it be John “Give ‘em Hell” McCain? Right now, it is anyone’s guess and it could be that way for a while longer. Now, good ol’ George got a lot of criticism from John McCain for visiting Bob Jones University. BJU, up until last Friday, had a policy against interracial dating. As a result of the political criticism and media attention, the university has dropped the policy. Who wins here? Definitely not Bush. The only people who will benefit from this change are John McCain and Al Bore. If George wins the Republican nomination, Gore will beat him on this issue. If McCain wins, Gore won’t have any ammunition on the issue. But that is only one issue. I spent most of the last week following the debates and here is what I have observed. First, Bill Bradley will not make it as a Democratic candidate. Although Bradley, like McCain, has a strong stand against special interests and soft money, there is one lingering problem ... both he and Gore agree way too much. I saw very little difference between the two men. A question would be asked, one candidate would answer and then the other would answer in agreement. I can’t honestly blame Democrats for choosing Gore, he’s basically the same guy (although a little shady on campaign finance reform) with seven years of being vice-president under his belt. As for the Republican debate in California last week, there was a great difference. Allan Keyes came off as a strong, passionate “Family Values” type of guy. Bush came off as a guy who would rather talk about education and be president. McCain, while appearing via satellite, was a little toned down, but still quite straight-forward. Often, both in the debates and in interviews, Bush has been evasive or he has tried to change the subject. Usually, he tries to shift the topic to education. Education is an important issue without a doubt, but a president cannot bring total reform to education just because it worked well in one state. That is the nation’s responsibility, not the president’s. If Bush wins the nomination and continues to change subjects, Gore will beat him. One thing I noted about Gore is that he, like McCain, will give you a straight answer when asked a question. Bush changed the topic on guns, negative ads and BJU. This tactic doesn’t work all the time. At least McCain will answer a question and stand by his position, whether people like it or not. Bush, like Clinton, waffles. Bush checks the political climate, then decides his position. After the BJU foul-up, he apologized to Catholics and altered his position, but only after all the criticism. Hindsight is always 20/20. Now, who wins and who fades out remains to be seen. I’d love to see it boil down to Gore versus McCain. That would be a memorable battle. But if the system stays as is, Bush will face Gore and lose. No matter what happens, I prefer to keep something Allan Keyes said in mind, “The people make the change.” No matter what candidate you are pulling for, don’t believe that they will change everything. A president will not ultimately decide the fate of the environment, education, guns or the moral values of this nation; the people will. It is up to us to take care of those issues, because no president will cure those ailments. Why we continue to believe and support
outlandish promises of returning our nation to its moral roots baffles
me. Whose moral values are we talking about? The Puritans? I hope not.
Are we talking about Jesus here? He never really chose to be involved in
politics, I think he had other plans, but politicians love to involve Jesus
anyway. It’s great PR.
Letters
to the Editor
Not
everyone wants to read about sports
Sporting events on campus are easy to write about, but that doesn’t mean everyone wants to read them! Frankly, I’d rather see more articles on local cultural differences, more coverage of the arts and perhaps more articles about student life. Let’s see something really controversial or something that affects our lives as students. Even if The Appalachian is just a student paper, that doesn’t mean it has to cater to one type of person. Here’s a hint, not all students on campus care about, or even like sports! Jessica Lewis
Article
did not mention no seatbelts
According to the article in the same day’s issue of the Watauga Democrat, “none of the passengers was wearing seat belts.” The four students who were thrown from the car all sustained serious or fatal injuries while “one passenger who was not thrown (from the car) walked away from the wreck almost unscathed.” I teach Health Care Management in the College of Business. I happened to be discussing with the students on Feb. 28 aspects of primary prevention of disease, i.e, reducing the risk of illness by removing disease-causing agents. One of the ways of reducing risk is to always wear seat belts, so I used the example of the ASU students who were involved in the accident in the early a.m. hours on Feb. 24. The students in my class were unaware that the students involved in the accident were not wearing seat belts. I believe that you missed a unique, though unfortunate, opportunity to educate your fellow students through this example. Karen James, Ph.D.
NOW
is not parcticing what they preach
If the young woman was raped it wasn’t because she was at a fraternity party. Rape has nothing to do with a person’s physical surroundings. Rape occurs because that is reality. Our society is plagued with all sorts of crimes that happen everyday. In the United States, 1.3 women are raped every minute. That results in 78 rapes each hour, 1872 rapes each day, 56,160 rapes each month and 683,280 rapes each year. Rape is reality. Reality can not be solved by taking away an organization that contributes so much to this university. As a member of the Greek community, I am sick of always having to hear the negative aspects of Greek life. If this campus would spend half as much time focusing on the positive aspects of Greek organizations, then they would see that we do far more work for charity than any other organization on campus. Recommending that this organization pay for something that has not even been linked to them because a group of activists feels unsafe at parties that they have never attended is ludicrous. It only takes a little common sense to see that the reaction that has come from this accusation is completely ridiculous. If a rape did occur, than it is a terrible thing. But the chance of it happening again can not be prevented by doing away with this organization. Taking away Kappa Alpha’s charter is not solving a problem that has plagued our society for many years. Don’t be so quick to judge and point fingers at the Kappa Alpha and Sigma Nu fraternities unless you are willing to have yourself judged. If a rape did occur, any one could have been responsible and it could have happened anywhere, even at a NOW rally right here on campus. Kelli Raulerson
Community's
reaction to alleged rape is unbelieveable
To understand where I am going with this letter, think back to the “Sex and a Six Pack” program controversy. Although this happened a few months ago, I can’t help but refer to it to make my point. I was not actually in attendance but after I heard about it, I watched a video recording of the program. Scott Casey was the speaker of the evening (at the program which was facilitated by the counseling center). The program’s purpose was to educate the audience of ASU men and women about the legal implications of rape. Casey enlightened the audience that he prefers women to “dress mysteriously” (not scantily). He also mentioned that he makes sure to escort his petite wife if she has to walk at night. A whole audience remained captive and did not challenge Casey on these points, with one exception. One woman, a rape victim counselor, tried to speak out but was quickly quieted down. Please, the audience doesn’t want anyone to change their misconceptions about women’s rights! I can apply this type of sexist ideology to a current university news item. In fact, the comments that I’ve heard around campus concerning the alleged rape at the fraternity house reflect the popular sexist philosophy. Have you heard students ask, “Well, what was she wearing”, or, “Well, why was a 14-year-old at a fraternity party?” Such statements are irrelevant because rape is unacceptable in any circumstance. I’m writing this letter to present a challenge to university men and women in regard to “alleged” rapes. I especially challenge each and all of you fraternity men (“alleged” gentlemen and leaders) to combat rape. I challenge everyone to stop shifting blame and realize that rape (in general) is a social problem. So, we should all take responsibility to understand that comments like the ones that Casey made are counterproductive to rape prevention. Challenge your own beliefs and the belief systems of your friends. Instead of working together to cover the “alleged” rape up, work together to ensure that you communicate to your friends/community that rape is unacceptable! Leah Farrell
|
