Major traffic problems expected on Hardin Street

Expansion project expected to create traffic deadlock until completion

The expansion of Hardin Street near the east side of campus is expected to cause major traffic delays.

North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Project Engineer Frank Gioscio says that the contractor has already initiated work on the site. "For some reason, he's not started off too fast. He needs to be pursuing it heavily right now," Gioscio said.

The expansion affects Hardin Street from the corners of King and Rivers streets. The first step in the project involves filling in the holes where houses once stood and removing the asphalt in the parking lots of Hoey and Cannon residence halls.

Although people once resided in the houses along the project site, the state purchased them after the Right of Way Department negotiated a price with their owners. Minor delays have already occurred with flagmen stopping traffic, but Gioscio said, "I see major traffic tie-ups when work really starts going.

Traffic will also be more than likely backed up on Rivers Street." One problem occurring with the construction is vandalism of the equipment kept behind an orange safety fence near the site.

Windshields have been broken and traffic signs have been demolished. Such equipment is very costly to replace. Gioscio believes that the lines of communication between NCDOT and the university should be kept open. He encourages questions, comments and suggestions that could help the project. "This is going to be a difficult project just because of where it's at.

The last thing we want is anybody hurt," said Gioscio. Allison Kemp-Sullivan, construction manager with the department of design and construction, agrees. "The contractor has been very accommodating with the university,"

They've tried to minimize the impact on us, Kemp-Sullivan said." The parking lot of Cannon was kept open for students moving in, and the Hoey parking lot remained open longer than it had to be in order to alleviate some of the aggravation caused by a lack of available parking.

According to the project's main contractor, workers are limited as to when they can work, since the road can only be closed for 15 minutes at a time. Kemp-Sullivan does not foresee major delays caused by the expansion. She feels that people unfamiliar with Boone and students who living in the surrounding residence halls will be most affected.

"I think that five lanes of traffic are not conducive to pedestrian traffic," Kemp-Sullivan said. She also added that many brick crosswalks will be built and the speed limit for that section of Hardin Street will be lowered. The bid amount for the entire project was approximately $2.6 million and will be paid by the state.

The contract is broken up into 181 different line items involving different tasks. As each item is completed, the contractor will receive the set payment. The project is scheduled to be completed Sept. 15, 2001.

Professor overcomes physical ailments, racial discrimination

Ai Lin Loh Multi-Cultural Beat

A small woman sits at her desk, typing furiously. She looks up and smiles. After apologizing, she says in a singsong voice, "Please wait a minute, I have to make some copies."

Sitting down and looking around her cozy office, a saying catches one's eye. "Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you've been up to," says a small plaque. Dr. Constance Ulmer lives up to this saying.

When she was verbally abused, she would just smile, and people would be confused. "I always tell people I think that you have your ups and downs. You can always find good in people. If you just talk to people, you can learn a lot about yourself.

We need to dialogue," Ulmer said. Ulmer teaches in the college of education. She received her undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University, and her doctorate at the University of Texas, which she feels is her greatest achievement in life. As a child, Ulmer was always in the hospital.

This gave her insight and a different perspective on life . She read to other children and made sure they all had crayons and coloring books. This helped in her decision to become a teacher.

Dr. Alice Naylor, the director of the doctoral program for the college of education, met Ulmer at a conference in Missouri. Naylor called Ulmer when a position became available at ASU. "She's very sensitive to other people's needs and is a very caring person to students and colleagues," Naylor said.

Throughout her life, Ulmer has had to overcome the barriers of racial discrimination. She attended the University of Illinois, where programs were designed to force black students to fail. Minority students were required to take the hardest courses their first year, like chemistry, physics and calculus.

When she discovered how difficult it was to buck the system, she dropped out and enrolled at Central Michigan. She arranged her own schedule and did not see an advisor until her third year. She received her degree and was the first black to live in a white dorm. Ulmer used to sing professionally, until she had to earn a living.

She sang at several Billy Graham revivals and for Upward Bound. She also uses her talent in the classroom, integrating her teaching and singing. In her house, Ulmer has a studio where she sings and plays the guitar and synthesizer.

"She has a positive, joyful view of life, and she sings like a bird," Naylor said. Currently, Ulmer is working on a chapter about the role of women of color in higher education.

The book will contain chapters written by professors from all over the United States about the teaching of higher education. Dr. Claire Mamola, a professor in the curriculum and instruction department, said, "She adds a very important multicultural dimension to the community of practice in the college of education."

Dr. Ulmer was awarded the 2000 Trailblazer Award by the Appalachian Black Faculty and Staff Council, where she acted as both chair and treasurer. She is also a mentor for black students and was asked to be a sorority advisor. Ulmer works closely with the Chinese organization on campus as well. Every year, a Chinese New Year dinner is held at her house.

She also helps Dr. Zhiyuan Chen with the study abroad program in Mexico. "She is very generous in making her home available to students," said Mamola.

Her younger sister, LaValle, has always been a role model to her. "She always tried to help me when I was sick. She was always there. She would always try to help me as much as she could," said Ulmer.

In the future, Dr. Ulmer would like to become a writer. She also wants to sing professionally again.

At the end of every class she teaches, Ulmer says a parting statement: "My suggestion to you is not to go away, but when and if you do, by all means go away happy."

Senator defends action on bond vote

Higher education leaders in North Carolina face a grueling three-month battle that will have a dramatic impact on the future of the University of North Carolina System.

With judgment day on a $3.1 billion capital construction bond referendum looming on the horizon, education leaders are set to begin an ad campaign aimed at educating voters on the state of disrepair of campus structures at UNC system institutions and community colleges in North Carolina.

Educating voters on the situation at hand may prove to be a simpler task than reversing voter cynicism. In May, after spending countless hours and dollars taking an in-depth look at the disrepair on state-supported campuses, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a $3.1 billion referendum, rather than bringing the issue up for a formal legislative vote.

In doing so, the legislature has come into question from some voters who feel it is the job of elected representatives to make important decisions that will have such an immense impact on North Carolina's higher education system and economy. State Senator and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Betsy Cochrane defended her colleagues in the General Assembly by stating that the body acted in accordance to the North Carolina Constitution.

The document says that any bonds to be let in the state that affect the public should be approved by the voters. "A referendum is significantly important to bonds. The constitution says that people have a right to express their wills when bonds are let in the state of North Carolina," Cochrane said.

The senator added that she feels a referendum in this case was necessary because, if approved, the bonds will double the indebtedness of the state. Cochrane also said that to avoid a similar situation in the future, "we have got to learn to maintain the facilities we have." Elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1980, Cochrane served as Minority Leader for four years.

In 1988 she was elected to the state senate, since serving as both Minority Whip and Minority Leader. Running on a platform of spurring economic growth, improving education and a pledge to continue fighting for low taxes, Cochrane is hopeful voters will believe she has the political pedigree to be North Carolina's next lieutenant governor. "The lieutenant governor presides over the senate.

I have served in the senate so I don't need on-the-job training," Cochrane said. Pointing to her being credited as having the second-best voting record in support of business legislation in the Senate, and being named a "Taxpayer's Best Friend" for consistently voting in opposition of tax increases while voting in favor of tax cuts, the Republican candidate said she has the merit and experience to advise the governor on matters of public policy as a member of the Council of State.

"I hope that will help (voters) see that I could make wise decisions as a Council of State member trying to advise the governor," Cochrane said.

Faculty would benefit from tuition hike

Proposal aimed at boosting faculty pay

John T. Bennett Associate Editor

In an attempt to bolster the competitiveness of Appalachian State University in the realm of higher education, administrators plan to increase tuition $400 over the next two academic years.

The current tuition rate for an in-state student at Appalachian State is $982, an amount that would swell to $1,182 during the 2001-02 academic year, and peak at $1,382 the following year. "Our proposal is consistent with proposals made by Appalachian's peer institutions last year," said Vice Chancellor for Student Development Dr. Gregory Blimling.

Under the proposal, a majority of the funds generated by the increase would be earmarked for bringing faculty salaries at Appalachian State up to par with other institutions in the University of North Carolina System.

"We know that for a number of reasons our faculty salaries at least appear to be low in comparison with those at other institutions in the UNC System," said Appalachian State Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Wilber Ward.

The gap between salaries at Appalachian and other state-supported institutions grew wider last spring when the UNC System Board of Governors (BOG) approved tuition increase requests from five institutions, each planning to use a portion of the monies brought in from their respective increases to boost faculty wages.

Both Ward and Blimling underlined the importance of the proposal by pointing to the fact that the hike in tuition would generate funds that would allow Appalachian to remain competitive with its brethren institutions in the area of faculty salaries. "In order to recruit and retain high-quality faculty, we have to be able to offer reasonably competitive salaries," Ward said.

While the largest portion of the generated funds would go toward boosting faculty salaries, UNC system schools are required by the BOG's Hold Harmless Provision to increase the amount of need-based financial aid by offering tuition rebates to less-privileged students anytime a tuition increase is requested.

Blimling estimates that 35-40 percent of the Appalachian State student body would qualify for the rebate if the BOG approves the proposal. "Appalachian's philosophy has been to maximize the amount of money that goes back to students," Blimling said.

Along with increasing faculty salaries, and providing ample financial aid to needy students, administrators plan to use a portion of the dollars brought in by the increase to fund technology-infrastructure enhancements in academic buildings throughout the Appalachian campus.

The plan is in the early stages of development, as Chancellor Dr. Francis T. Borkowski and other administrators will be meeting with student leaders and faculty groups over the next few months as officials tweak the current incarnation of the plan into a final proposal.

"No final decisions have yet been made, but what the university is considering is taking the proposal for a $200 increase for the two years to the Board of Trustees meeting in December," Blimling said. If approved by the university trustees, the proposal would then move onto the docket of the BOG's annual spring session when the body would decide the fate of the increase request.

Last spring the BOG granted tuition increases for UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, East Carolina University, UNC-Wilmington, and UNC-Charlotte. In each institutional request, the schools included improving faculty salaries as part of their justification for tuition hikes.

In approving the tuition increase requests of those institutions, the BOG set off a whirlwind of controversy throughout the UNC System, leaving administrators at the 11 schools that did not petition the board for increases with the goal of boosting faculty salaries in a precarious position.

"It is hard for the Appalachian State University administration to explain why Appalachian isn't increasing tuition for the sake of increasing faculty salaries when other institutions are doing so very publicly," Ward said.

Both Ward and Blimling discounted the notion that this proposed tuition increase is merely a calculated attempt by the Appalachian State administration to keep pace with the five universities who received tuition hikes in the spring. "While that is a consideration, it is not a critical issue.

That we compete with those institutions for the same faculty members and the quality of the same academic programs, we disadvantage ourselves by not having the money," said Blimling.