Robyn Dailey - Chacellor Beat

Colleges and universities across western North Carolina, including Appalachian State University, are eagerly awaiting Nov. 7 and the vote for the higher education capital construction bond referendum.

Appalachian's administration is not the only one fighting for the bond to pass. Wilkes Community College and Western Carolina University are among nearby schools pushing for the bond.

Betty Jo Burcham, executive assistant to the president of Wilkes Community College (WCC), said that the school will get over $5 million if the bonds pass, compared to the $82.3 million sum Appalachian State University would be allotted if voters approved the bond.

WCC has branches in three counties -- Alleghany, Ashe and Wilkes -- and will be dividing the money between them, according to Burcham.

Burcham said that Wilkes will get improvements including a new technology center with computer technology and programs, advancements in the distance education programs, and new general-purpose classrooms.

Ashe will be expanding their labs and computer facilities and adding new classrooms in the business and the industries programs.

The campus in Alleghany County is being forced to relocate because of a lease expiration on the building. Alleghany officials are currently searching for another location according to Burcham.

Overall, Wilkes Community College will be undertaking many renovation projects such as classroom, lab and office updating, roof replacement, flood-proofing a flood-susceptible building, heating and air upgrades, and paving of streets and parking lots.

Burcham said, "We have asked the chambers of commerce, county commissioners, and boards of education in all three counties to pass a formal resolution promoting the bond."

The college has issued media covers and news releases to advocate the bond. The president of the community college has spoken to many people, including organizations such as the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club, said Burcham.

They set aside days for students to vote, placed yard signs in precinct areas, and continually post information in the student information bulletin, according to Burcham. She also said that the WCC Student Government Association president is very involved in promoting the bond.

The formal resolution of the board of trustees of Wilkes Community College stated, "Wilkes Community College strongly supports the higher education bond proposal because it will enable our system of higher education to better educate tomorrow's students and maintain North Carolina's place as the national leader in higher education learning and promoting."

This resolution was adopted on Oct. 12.

Burcham said, "I am a graduate of Wilkes Community College and have worked in the presidentÕs office for 27 and a half years, and I have seen the growth and impact that it has on the students in our community ... with our aging campuses, I see the need for repair and renovations to keep us up-to-date and on the cutting edge of technology."

Western Carolina University is also rallying for the money available from the bond.

Tammy Haskett, director of Alumni Affairs at Western Carolina, said, "It's important for all of us around the state to cooperate with one another and have a unified effort."

Western will be making many renovations and repairs with the $98 million that they will be getting if the bond passes, according to Haskett.

Renovations to the Catamounts' campus include classrooms, labs, galleries, studios, infrastructure improvements (steam, electrical, roads and parking), clinics, and offices.

They will also be building new housing and learning facilities, and purchasing land.

Haskett said that they have done extensive campaigning both with the students and the community to raise awareness and acquire votes for Nov. 7.

They hosted their annual fall festival, Mountain Heritage Day, and set up booths with clubs promoting the bond.

They are also taking students on a bus tour through various counties in western North Carolina and handing out fliers about the bond referendum, according to Haskett.

Information about the bond issue has been handed to people at football games, and booths have been set up to enable students to register to vote. Haskett said the student government association, alumni and the Western Network have all been very involved in supporting the bond.

She said the state fair will also have a booth set up that the University of North Carolina Council of Alumni is sponsoring with information on the bond.

Haskett said, "Well, I think all of us feel it's important. It means [additional] jobs [and] economic development to this region. Not to mention the fact [that] it will certainly help with the major influx of students coming into the universities. We can't accommodate them ... or we'd be very strapped at the least."

Malcolm Smith - Student Government Beat

The Student Government Association (SGA) conducted the annual screening of appointed cabinet members Oct. 2. The appointed officials of SGA President Ryan Bolick and Vice President Preston Powell's administration were interviewed by the rules committee, headed by Justin Farmer, chairperson.

The screening process is held every year for the student senate to approve the 10 positions assigned by Bolick and Powell. Bolick heads the executive branch of the cabinet, while Powell leads the legislative branch.

The screening took place in the Rhododendron Room in Plemmons Student Union. The cabinet members were screened individually on their accomplishments and their goals for the remainders of their terms.

Director of State Affairs Katherine Allen was confident in her seat in Cabinet and carried with her a detailed outline of her accomplishments so far this semester and future plans on her agenda. With voter registration increasing dramatically on campus and in Watauga County as a whole, Allen has worked diligently with several organizations to support the bond referendum.

"Katherine Allen and her committee have done wonders on the bond referendum," said Bolick. "[She has worked at] getting student support and getting students registered to vote."

Allen and her committee's work has garnered attention from the Winston-Salem Journal regarding the increase in voter registration in Watauga County.

"I've worked very hard," said Allen of the job she has done so far. "I've worked (harder) since I've had the position than (obtaining) the position of Director of State Affairs."

Patrick Berry, director of external affairs, has labored on behalf of the student body since this summer with the improved student discount card.

Now, with his sights set on a successful homecoming, Berry is excited about the upcoming festivities. In regards to homecoming, Berry said, "It's well under way. The work I've been working on since last June is finally coming to life. The committee is working great together."

Besides having his seat in cabinet approved, the political science major has aspirations of going to graduate school and possibly pursuing a career in politics.

"I believe [public officials] need to be directly in tune with what their constituents want. We see too much in federal government that their self-interest and special interest come into play. ... I think the special interest should be who they represent instead of who has the best ideas, who has the most money or who's your best friend."

The credentials of Justin Farmer, chair of the rules committee, are indicative of his ability to hold office. Farmer has been involved in the rules committee since being elected senator last year.

Eager to applaud his committee rather than himself, Farmer commends his staff for the work the rules committee did in accepting the current cabinet.

"I've just been proud, more so of my committee than myself, of how we handled the screening of all the cabinet members," Farmer said of his staff. "I just feel like I have a group of people who work together very well. ... As time goes on, the rules committee will serve as an example to the other senators to follow."

ASU News Bureau

The deadline for the John Foster West and Marian Coe scholarships in creative writing competition is Oct. 27 at noon in the department of English on the second floor of Sanford Hall at Appalachian State University.

Two $500 undergraduate scholarships for spring 2001 tuition will be awarded, one in poetry and one in fiction. The winner will be notified and results will be posted by Dec.6.

Applicants should submit a file folder or envelope with three collated, stapled copies each of either a short story or piece of creative non-fiction (memoir) or five poems.

Applicants may submit in both poetry and prose categories as long as applications are separate. Prose should be double spaced and poetry should be single spaced. Both should be stapled and numbered.

Applicants should write their name, campus box number, e-mail and telephone number on the first page of each entry.

The final judge of the competition is Joseph Bathanti, poet and fiction writer and writer-in-residence at Mitchell Community College in Statesville. He is the award-winning author of "Communion Partners," "Anson County," "The Feast of All Saints," "This Metal" (winner of the 1997 Oscar Arnold Young Award for best book of poems by a North Carolinian) and "East Liberty" (winner of the 2000-2001 Carolina novel Award).

For more information, contact Susan Weinberg at (828) 262-2871.

Catherine Quill - Chacellor Beat

A 16-year teaching veteran and 1983 alumna of Appalachian State University has been hired as a minority practitioner-in-residence in the Reich College of Education.

Kay Hampton, a teacher from Carroll Middle School in Wake County, will fill the one-year residency. At the middle school, she teaches science and physical education and coaches girls' basketball and volleyball.

Her job will be to better prepare future teachers for North Carolina's culturally diverse classrooms.

"Kay does extremely well here," said Dr. Michael Jacobson, chairperson of the department of curriculum and instruction.

"She's extremely helpful as far as enlightening our students to the needs of children of color and children in urban areas."

According to Jacobson, Hampton also teaches a course called Teachers, Schools, and Learners, which is an introductory class required for all education majors. She may also teach a health- education course in the spring.

In a press release, Hampton stated, "Appalachian has a wonderful teaching program, but it's like stepping into a puddle of cold water when you actually work [in the classroom]. You don't get the experience dealing with the diversity of students you will encounter."

The position is funded by a $50,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation as part of Appalachian's efforts to improve teacher preparedness and increase the likelihood that its graduates will remain in the teaching profession.

The foundation was founded in 1936 in order to serve the people of North Carolina. It focuses on developing new programs, giving attention to community economic development, the environment, pre-collegiate education, issues affecting minorities and issues affecting women.

Hampton earned a bachelor of science degree in physical education and taught at West Lee Middle School in Lee County from 1984 to 1998. She earned a master's degree in middle grades education from Appalachian State in 1987. Hampton has taught at Carroll Middle School for the past two years and is also a certified mentor for new teachers.

Hampton will also conduct student and faculty development seminars, assist with curriculum development and serve as a resource for the university, local communities and school districts, according to Reich College of Education Dean Charles Duke in a press release.

Duke also said Hampton's experience in an urban classroom was an asset to her position.

"It's important to our students to have her as a role model because she can talk about large, urban school districts and the diversity of students they serve. This is something our area lacks."

Reich College of Education, with 2,000 students, is the second-largest teacher education program in the University of North Carolina system.

Sarah Sparks - Police Beat

A student was arrested just prior to Fall Break on four counts of first degree burglary and four counts of felony larceny.

The Appalachian State University freshman resident of Justice Hall, 19, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 9 following crimes that took place Saturday, Oct. 7, according to Sgt. Phil Minton of the Appalachian Police Department.

The student entered four separate rooms in Justice Hall during early morning hours on Saturday while the occupants of the rooms slept, said Minton.

The suspect stole various items from the students' rooms including a Playstation, nine video games, two compact discs, a watch, a calculator, a bank card, a phone card, and over $200.

The student was arrested on Monday when officers with a felony warrant for the suspect's arrest spotted his vehicle on Rivers Street.

Minton said the officers followed the suspect to a local restaurant where he was stopped and placed under arrest.

The arresting officers found a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the suspect's vehicle, adding to his charges, said Minton.

A small, concealable knife was found in the possession of the suspect as well. The knife qualified as an unauthorized weapon on campus, so the suspect will also face weapons charges.

According to Minton, the student was taken to Watauga County Law Enforcement Center where he was held on $60,000 bond. The student was trying to contact his parents to post bond prior to fall break.

The student will be tried on all counts of burglary, larceny, drug possession and weapons possession with which he has been charged.

The sentence that he will face will depend largely on the course of the trial, said Minton.

The student could face serious punishment if all counts go through, in which case the extent of the punishment will be the judge's discretion.

Catherine Quill - Chacellor Beat

The King Street Cafe, located next to Ferrara's Pizza on King Street, offers reasonable prices and a menu that accommodates "meat-eaters" and "veggie-eaters," according to co-owner Terrance Mungro.

The cafe has been in business for the last 10 months, but Mungro says business picked up this past summer.

According to Mungro, one of the reasons for the success is the restaurantÕs wide range of clientele, including downtown professionals, and Appalachian State University students and faculty.

"I think we get a good mix," said Mungro.

Prices range from $4.25 for the Breakfast Combo, to $7.25 for the Smoked Salmon Club or Lox Rocks.

Mungro said, "On good days, we're pretty flexible on our prices."

There is a wide variety of specialty sandwiches, croissant sandwiches, wraps and vegetarian entrees.

Mungro said the most ordered item is the Spicy Basil Chicken, but his favorite sandwich is the Hot Fajita Chicken.

He opened the King Street Cafe with Jewel Hull because of his "desire to be self-employed" and said their goal is to open several more restaurants.

Most of the business has been generated by word-of-mouth, according to Mungro.

"We're getting a lot of positive feedback," he said.

Mungro acknowledged the role the public has played in making his restaurant a success.

"We really are grateful for all the support we're getting. That means a lot to us."

He added that the recognition the restaurant has earned is more important to them than money.

The King Street Cafe is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

ASU News Bureau

A year after launching the largest fund-raising campaign in Appalachian State University history, university trustees have increased the campaign goal by 40 percent to $70 million -- to be raised before Dec. 31, 2001.

"Given Appalachian's strong and growing base of support, the 'Campaign for the Second Century' has the potential to take an already outstanding educational institution to an even higher level of performance," said Campaign Chairman John A. Allison IV, chairman and chief executive officer of BB&T.

"With the campaign surpassing its original $50 million goal more than a year ahead of schedule, we have an obligation to capitalize on the campaign's success and, in doing so, meet Appalachian's increasing needs for unrestricted endowment and other programs not funded by the state," he said.

According to university officials, approximately 28,000 donors have contributed more than $54 million thus far in campaign gifts and documented pledges, including 15 commitments of $1 million or more. The public phase of the five-year campaign was announced last October following a three-year "advance gifts" phase.

"As we move into the campaign's final year and more fully involve volunteers, the collective efforts of Appalachian alumni, parents and friends will determine the degree of the campaign's ultimate success," Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski said.

In addition to increasing Appalachian's academic and scholarship endowment, the campaign has targeted increased support for existing and new educational programs and faculty/staff professional development.