Mountaineers use quarterback-by-committee in Homecoming rout of Wofford

Chris Boyce - Varsity Sports

If this was intended to be the break out performance in Southern Conference (SoCon) action for the Wofford College Terriers against host Appalachian State University, you couldn't tell.

In front of 17,647 ASU fans gathered at Kidd Brewer Stadium to celebrate Homecoming 2000 festivities, eighth-ranked Appalachian (5-2, 4-1) beat Wofford (4-3, 3-2) 42-16.

Wofford, whom many felt was the darkhorse contender of the conference and shared an equal in-conference record at 3-1 with Appalachian State, turned the ball over to the Mountaineers four times -- including a fumble that set up an Appalachian touchdown and a big point cushion.

Appalachian's carousel of quarterbacks continued Saturday with all three -- Joe Burchette, Daniel Jeremiah and David Reaves --seeing action and even tailback Karim Razaak on the list if needed.

Jeremiah engineered two Mountaineer touchdown drives before going down with an ankle sprain in the second quarter. And with Reaves unable to throw with a bruised shoulder, sophomore Burchette took the majority of the remaining snaps in the second quarter and second half.

The first half was filled with turnovers on both sides but it was Wofford's inability to hold onto the football that may have sent them to an early doom.

In Jeremiah's first start since Wake Forest University, the senior quarterback showed little sign of rust, leading the Mountaineers to a score with 6:42 left in the first highlighted by a 34-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Wilcox.

After a Jose White fumble at the ASU 30-yard line, the Terriers tied the score on a five-play, 30-yard drive culminated by a one-yard touchdown run by Wofford's Melvin Jones.

Appalachian answered with a three-yard touchdown pass from Jeremiah to John Pryor after an eight-play, 75-yard drive putting the Mountaineers ahead, 14-7.

Appalachian added to their lead after a critical Terrier fumbled punt return at their own 27-yard line was recovered by Mountaineer Sterling Hayward with nearly seven minutes remaining in the half.

On a four-play, 27-yard drive highlighted by a one-yard touchdown run by Appalachian's Jerry Beard, the Mountaineers took a commanding 21-7 lead going into halftime.

"Well you make that cushion," said Jerry Moore, ASU head football coach. "You build that cushion and that doesn't just accidentally happen. A lot of those fumbles we caused. I thought it was a very physical football game. There were a lot of people going down on both sides and a lot of bumps and bruises."

The second half did not fair much better for the Terriers.

Appalachian continued to dominate offensively. On the Mountaineers first drive of the half, they drove 52 yards in nine plays, highlighted by another one-yard touchdown run by Beard, giving ASU the 28-7 lead.

Beard finished the game with 82 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

"Every time he [Beard] gets his hands on the ball he runs with a purpose," said Moore. "He's a guy that's an inspirational runner. Beard brings a lot to our program because he's a hard-nosed, tough inside runner."

"I don't go into the game wishing for anything to happen, I just take it one play at a time," said Beard after the game. "I'm glad it turned out as well as it did."

After a Wofford field goal with 6:46 left in the third made the score 28-10 in favor of Appalachian, ASU special teams rose to the occasion.

In what might have been the biggest play of the game, junior Jimmy Watkins returned Wofford's kickoff 95 yards for the touchdown, putting ASU up 35-10 with six minutes left in the third quarter.

After another Wofford punt started off the fourth quarter, Appalachian compiled a six-play, 58-yard drive giving ASU the 42-10 lead. The drive was highlighted by a 40-yard reception from Burchette to Wilcox, which set up Burchette's two-yard touchdown pass to Joey Hoover.

After the game, defensive back Steve Kitchens was impressed with his team's performance.

"Our coaches did a good job showing us what their offense was gonna run this week and I thought we played hard," said Kitchens. "We got to the ball and made tackles which was something we didn't do very well last week. It made a difference."

"It's a great victory," said Daniel Wilcox. "Any victory's a great victory to me. I'm trying to win them all this year and I'm just happy the guys pulled together and we bonded tonight."

The win puts Appalachian in sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference with a 4-1 mark.

After the game, Wilcox commented on ASU's ability to wear down their opponent Saturday, much like Georgia Southern University had done to the Mountaineers the previous weekend.

"I think we beat up on them pretty bad. They're gonna remember that," said Wilcox.

"We knew it was gonna be a dogfight from the start, and I think the constant pounding just got to them eventually."

According to Beard, the win against Wofford is huge in terms of Appalachian's goal of a national championship.

"This is a great way to start it," said Beard. "I don't know about the nine-win streak but we're just trying to take every game one game at a time. If we win nine straight that'd be beautiful. If we don't and still win the national championship, that'd be even greater."

Up next for Appalachian will be a road battle against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Sarah Sparks - Police Beat

Students and faculty have expressed concern toward alcohol abuse on campus in the wake of the death of Philip Thompson, which may have been caused by alcohol poisoning.

Thompson, unlike many students on campus, was of age to drink. It is widely believed that many underage students partake in alcoholic beverages on a regular basis.

Dr. Denise Lovin, of the Appalachian Counseling Center, points out that, although there are underage students that do drink, statistics show that many people have a large misconception about alcohol abuse on campus.

According to statistics collected by the AWARE committee via the CORE alcohol and drug survey, most Appalachian students abide by university policies and regulations concerning alcohol and drug use. This statistic indicates that a majority of students respect the law and the campus rules and do not participate in underage drinking on a regular basis, said Dr. Lovin.

Many of the other statistics collected by the survey, which is scored at Southern Illinois University, also indicate that drinking is not as big a problem on campus as many people may believe that it is.

The survey also demonstrated that alcohol does not have a large impact on student academic performance. According to the CORE survey, most Appalachian students have not missed a class or performed poorly on a test or project because of alcohol use in the last year.

According to Dr. Lovin, another important statistical result from the survey said that most Appalachian students have not driven under the influence of alcohol use during the past year.

Mr. Dale Kirkley of the Appalachian Wellness Center said that regardless of the level of alcohol and drug use in a college campus, students almost always perceive it to be higher than it is in actuality. Kirkley said, "The most noticeable and extreme things are the ones that get talked about. People get together and share stories of substance abuse, so they think that they are the majority."

Dr. Lovin adds, "When a student goes to a party, he or she doesn't notice the group of friends sitting quietly in the corner having a conversation, but rather the drunk person vomiting and acting stupid." Dr. Lovin believes that incidences such as this one lead to a great misconception about alcohol use on campus.

Drs. Lovin and Kirkley are currently working together to plan the campus Alcohol Awareness Week. Kirkley said that he feels that their mission is to "tell students the reality of alcohol use on campus."

Kirkley said, "We know from the CORE survey that the majority of Appalachian students do not drink and if they do, they drink responsibly. We want students to realize that to be normal or 'cool' at App is to not use drugs and to drink in moderation or not at all." Dr. Lovin described this method of combating alcohol abuse as the "social norm approach", which has proven very effective on many college campuses around the country.

The social norm approach was recently described in an Oct. 3 New York Times article written by Kate Zernike. Zernike said, "Devotees call the campaigns 'social norms' marketing, and in the spirit of Madison Avenue, speak of moderation as a product, aiming to sell it to students in much the way The Gap sold Americans on wearing khakis: with sly but pervasive messages suggesting that everyone else is doing it, too."

Kirkley described three levels of their alcohol awareness plan. The first is to diminish misconceptions and, more importantly, to correct them.

The second level is to educate students about the dangers of irresponsible behavior involving alcohol and drug use.

The third level is to let people know that there is help available if alcohol and drug use becomes a problem.

"Although we have found that alcohol use is not as big a problem as many people expect, we are still concerned that there are students that need help with abuse issues that are not getting help," said Kirkley.

Kirkley added, "Students need to know that our campus has available resources such as drug and alcohol assistance, counseling centers, etc."

Kirkley and Dr. Lovin are planning a number of events for alcohol awareness week to help with their social norm approach.

One activity will involve designated students walking around and quizzing other students on campus alcohol statistics. Students that respond correctly will be rewarded, while students that respond incorrectly will have a brief lesson on alcohol abuse misconceptions.

Kirkley said, "We feel that if students realize that moderate drinking or no drinking is the norm, then it will take some of the pressure off of them to drink."

Catherine Quill -Business Affairs Beat

The Music Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA) of Appalachian State University is seeking new members and provides students with the opportunity to incorporate classroom concepts into real world settings, according to President Casey Black.

Black, a junior majoring in music industry, said, "The club is mostly comprised of music industry majors, so the idea behind it is to learn things outside of the classroom."

Black pointed out that the club is open to anyone. "You don't have to be any specific major," he said.

MEISA, an international organization, was started at Appalachian State University in 1992, and Black said it currently has about 40 members.

Aside from participating in events such as Homecoming, MEISA stages shows, events and concerts throughout the year.

Events allow each member in MEISA to take an active role in the areas of promotion, auditioning, marketing and songwriting.

Group members also play the second Thursday of every month from 6-8 p.m. at Tradewinds in Plemmons Student Union.

MEISA members travel to different areas of the country to meet professionals working in the music industry business.

"We always go to an event in Nashville in February," said Black. This year, MEISA will also be traveling to the national conference in New Orleans on March 23. Two years ago, the national conference was held in Boone, so members participated in the planning of that event.

At these conferences, students participate in seminars and lectures and make connections with professionals who are hiring employees or interns.

Secretary Jesse Moorefield, a member for one year, said MEISA has been very beneficial to him as a music industry major.

"I've learned the importance of being involved in a network of students that are interested in one common thing but contribute their individual interests."

Moorefield also agreed that MEISA provides great connections for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the music industry field.

"It's a great way to meet people in the real world of the music industry," he said.

Moorefield added, "Basically, every semester we do a big event. Last year we did Battle of the Bands at Rafter's."

This year, the event will be a SongwriterÕs Showcase which will feature songwriters from around campus. The event is scheduled for Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. in Rosen Concert Hall.

"It not only gives us a chance to audition people, but everyone gets a job," said Moorefield. "It gives each committee a chance to facilitate their knowledge."

Moorefield encourages anyone interested in an area of the music industry to join and says the connections and experience the club provides can give members a start in their careers.

"We're always looking for new members," he said.

Members do not have to play any type of instrument.

Anyone intersted in joining can attend one of MEISA's weekly meetings in room 225 of Broyhill Music Center at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday or contact President Casey Black.

The initial membership fee is $25. Conference trips are extra expenses.

Appalachian State University's chapter of MEISA has a website which Moorefield said is a great place for resources. The address is www.acs.appstate.edu/orgs/meisa, and it also features local music news.

John T. Bennett - Associate Editor

When voters across North Carolina venture to the polls Nov. 7, much of the focus will be on the presidential and gubernatorial races, but the attention of the higher education community will be firmly fixed on another issue.

Along with those key leadership positions, voters will decide the fate of a $3.1 billion higher-education bond referendum.

If approved by voters, the bond package would generate $2.5 billion to be divided among the University of North Carolina system schools, with Appalachian State University slated to receive $82.3 million for 12 projects that were deemed immediate in nature by the UNC Capital Equity/Adequacy Study.

According to Appalachian State Director of Design and Construction Dr. Clyde Robbins, the study examined the overall conditions of all campus structures at each of the UNC system schools.

Each campus structure was judged using 28 criteria. Based on those findings, a final mathematical equation was developed, with higher scores representing those buildings most out-of-compliance with state codes.

Robbins added that Appalachian State officials used the results of the study to determine which buildings would be included last spring when each higher education institution petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly for construction funding.

NEW LIBRARY COMPLEX

Of the 12 projects that would be funded by Appalachian's $82.3 million share, the proposed Library/Information Commons would take the largest share, as $47.6 million would be allotted to the new state-of-the art facility.

According to the Appalachian State web site devoted to the Nov.7 bond referendum, "Such a facility will address current capacity and enrollment growth needs, including adequate space for the existing collections and the latest technology."

While the library/information commons complex would devour over half of the Appalachian funding pie, the $47.6 million sum will not be enough to complete all phases of the project.

As outlined in the Appalachian State University 10-Year Campus Master Plan, the site now occupied by Whitener Hall will be the home of the new complex, with the current departments housed in Whitener moving to a renovated Belk Library.

The only aspects of the library complex project included in the Nov. 7 bond package are the costs of building the new facility.

Jane Helm, associate vice chancellor for business affairs, said the costs of demolishing Whitener Hall and the dual task of renovating Belk Library and bringing the building up to code are not part of the current bond issue.

"That's like phase two of [the library project]. We would hope to get those [funds] in a future appropriation or bond project," Helm said.

RANKIN SCIENCE

According to the UNC Equity/Adequacy Study, the academic structure on the Appalachian State campus in the deepest state of disrepair is the Rankin Science Building.

The study branded the building with a score of 0.9170, just a few hundredths of a point lower than the 0.9389 score tallied by Welborn Hall.

Of the buildings on the Appalachian list that would receive funds from the bond, the lowest score was recorded by the B.B. Dougherty Administration Building, which scored out at 0.0947.

The campus structure on the bond breakdown with the highest score was Rankin Science.

Due to its high score, Appalachian officials ruled the cafeteria unable to be salvaged, and plan to tear down the structure and replace it with a new state-of-the art dining hall in the near future.

Despite a comparable score, the Rankin Science Building will not meet the wrecking ball.

Instead of bringing down the facility, Helm said state construction officials have determined that the $11.2 million that would be allotted to a comprehensive renovation of the science-oriented facility will be sufficient to make the building code-compliant.

According to both Helm and Robbins, the funds that would be used to renovate Rankin Science would be used to replace mechanical systems, faulty windows and an overhaul of the building's fire alarm system.

Those renovations, however, will not begin until the Rankin Science annex is completed, a project that was approved by state officials three years ago.

Still in the planning stages last fall, the annex was delayed when the $5.8 million allotted for the project was redirected by the North Carolina General Assembly into the state's Hurricane Floyd relief fund. The $5.8-million sum was tacked on to the bond package with other UNC system projects that had been approved prior to being made a part of the hurricane aid package.

"We'll do the annex to Rankin Science first because we already have the design of that done. We need to complete that before we start the overall renovation of Rankin Science because we can move some of the [faculty] and classes to the new addition before we start the renovation," Helm said.

Sarah Sparks - Police Beat

The Boone Police Department was dispatched to 286 Faculty Street, Apartment 10, on Wednesday at 3:53 p.m., where they found the body of 21-year-old Philip Edward Thompson, a Charlotte native.

Thompson's roommate notified the police after he awoke to find Thompson's body, said Captain William Greene of the Boone Police Department.

An official autopsy is pending, but an initial autopsy at the Watauga Medical Center suggests that alcohol poisoning may have contributed to the cause of death. The results of the official autopsy, conducted by Dr. Brent Hall, medical examiner for Watauga County, will not be complete for approximately two months, said Greene.

Foul play is not suspected in the case, according to the Boone Police Department Investigations Division.

Thompson spent last Tuesday night with friends celebrating his 21st birthday. According to Greene, he returned home before his roommate, who came home to find Thompson in bed, presumably sleeping.

The roommate did not suspect anything out of the ordinary until the afternoon, when he was unable to wake Thompson.

Barbara Daye, dean of students and associate vice chancellor, said that Thompson had been enrolled at Appalachian State University until just prior to his death when he withdrew his enrollment from the university.

The investigation into the case is still pending and the exact cause of death will not be determined until the results of the official autopsy have been released, said Greene.

Malcolm Smith - Student Government

Appalachian State University is currently suffering from the worst labor shortage of students and temporary employment in its 101-year history. The shortage has resulted in the food court closing at 10 p.m. as opposed to last semester's 11 p.m. closing.

In a survey conducted by the department of student development, 62 percent of those polled prefer to work off campus, and an overwhelming majority is employed in the town of Boone.

This disparity has forced the food court to shorten its hours so the full-time employees and the handful of student employees can keep up with the demand of serving over 2600 patrons on any given day.

Dr. Gregory Blimling said that there are three factors contributing to the labor shortage of students.

"Half of our students receive adequate support from their parents." said Dr. Blimling. "The other factors are: the university pays less [than competing food chains in Boone] and food service is a less glamorous job, as opposed to administrative or sports-related jobs [on campus]."

Currently, Appalachian food services is paying the minimum $5.25 to student employees as opposed to the $6 average being paid by competing local establishments.

To help remedy the gap in capital and attract more student employment, Appalachian Food Services has approved a 15-percent bonus to students who are willing to work 8 p.m.-midnight on weekdays and weekends.

A major deterrent students cite for the low employment is the payroll cycle dispersed every month. Full-time, temporary and student employees of food services are paid on a monthly basis.

When asked about the probability of students being paid bi-weekly to help remedy the financial strain of college, Dr. Blimling said it was feasible, but it would be a "man power and administrative issue."

In order to pay students every two weeks, the payroll office would have to double their staff to print twice as many paychecks for student employees.

The labor shortage has undoubtedly affected the food court's core of full-time employees the hardest. Prior to the 10 p.m. closing, some full-time employees and students were not leaving the food court until after 2 a.m.

One full-time food-court employee believes the shortage is due to the pay cycle of students and the minimum wage students receive.

"I think the students should get paid more than minimum wage. Within a 15-20 minute walk, [students] can make more than $5.25 an hour."

The employee of a year and a half said the workload of the staff has doubled as a result of the shortage.

"ItÕs hectic because we have to do a lot of work in a short period of time ... sometimes you feel like you're going to go beside yourself trying to get it all done."

In effect to the labor shortage, Dr. Blimling has initiated research to determine if Appalachian students can pay student employees like other universities in the 16-member University of North Carolina system.

Robyn Dailey - Chancellor Beat

Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica and the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke Oct.17 at Farthing Auditorium in front of students, faculty members, and people from the community. He was the opening speaker for the 2000-2001 Forum Lecture Series.

After brief announcements, Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski presented Sanchez with an honorary doctorate degree from Appalachian State University.

Sanchez opened his lecture and said, "Well, after all, it isn't very hard to get a doctorate degree."

Sanchez's theme for the speech was about how to achieve worldwide peace. He used Costa Rica as an example of how to acquire and maintain peace and prosperity.

"At the dawn of this new century we need to take a new look at both principles and policies," said Sanchez.

His argument was that it will not be easy, but with a few steps we can begin to promote and improve human welfare.

Sanchez said that the world's three wealthiest people have more capital than the world's 43 poorest countries combined. He also said that more than 1.3 billion people live on an income of less than $1 a day, and almost 40,000 children die from malnutrition-- a day.

He feels that a fundamental shift in values is needed to make this new century one of peace. "Selfishness has bred indifference to the world's poverty-stricken communities." said Sanchez.

He believes that a universal effort is needed to improve the conditions of people in the world's poorest countries.

Democracy is more than universal suffrage and regular elections - it is a radical system of people working together to change things to improve their lives, said Sanchez.

He compared military security to "human security."

Costa Rica has not had a standing army since 1948, and they currently have the highest standard of living and education rate in Central America.

Sanchez advocated strong limits on weapon accessibility and more universal democracy. He believes that either low-budget military or no military at all will force countries to look more to the needs of the people.

"Human security is national security," said Sanchez.

He said that arms traders are making money while making the world more dangerous. He accredited much of domestic violence to the presence of military weapons remaining in the hands of ex-soldiers or in the black market.

Sanchez said that we need to increase budgets, contain military expenditure, increase education, and build and strengthen national infrastructure. He said that human suffering will decrease by enacting these policies.

Sanchez illustrated how foreign aid has dropped over the past ten years. He pointed out how the wealthiest countries, especially the United States, are giving comparatively little to destitute nations.

His argument is that foreign aid is not simply charity, but necessity, because the poor countries will keep exporting their people until they are able to sustain a stable infrastructure.

He said that it will also help reduce conflict by expanding human necessities such as sanitation, schools and roads.

"The true enemy of peace is poverty," said Sanchez. He believes that the best weapon to combat poverty, build up the world and guarantee democracy is an educated population.

Sanchez proposed heightened financial aid and reduced military expenditures to advance the world.

He is advocating to give $40 billion of the world's military expenses a year to poverty-stricken countries. He said that if we enacted that plan, in 10 years, basic human needs for every person in the world would be provided for.

Sanchez stressed human support rather than support of an institution.

"In short," said Sanchez, "we need more love."