Our Perspective......

Money more than safety?

Finally, the George M. Holmes Convocation center will be ready for use with the UNC-Chapel Hill vs. Appalachian menÕs basketball game on Nov. 17.

Because of delays in the Holmes Center's construction, the Franklin Graham High Country Festival, 2000 Fall Convocation and a men's exhibition basketball game all had to be moved in order for last-minute things to be completed.

But wait, it seems that not all these repairs are, or will be, completed. During the season-opening game versus UNC- Chapel Hill, specialty subcontractors will be on hand to fix anything that may go wrong with the Holmes Center. Not only is there potential for something to go wrong, but with a capacity crowd of 8,157 for the first event ever held in the Holmes Center, there is potential for danger.

Last-minute corrections such as fire and safety alarms originally pushed back the official opening an entire month. As of last Thursday, detail work and concrete repairs had to be checked off. Under the gun of finishing in time for the big opening game, what if corners were cut on fire alarm installation? That is the kind of repair that often goes unidentified until too late. What kind of pandemonium would ensue if that were the faulty item our specialty subcontractors had to face during the game?

Also, the issue of concrete repairs has us a little nervous. Why does it need repair when the Holmes Center has not ever seen an event? The Holmes Center, like most other modern arenas, uses concrete for one of its primary construction materials. It is the foundation, floor and what the seats are bolted to. When 8,157 fans, comprised of students, faculty and administrators, fill the stands along with countless media, two basketball teams and their support staffs, and general spectators and fans from UNC for the first-ever event, will concrete repairs be able to support them? It would take more than a few subcontractors to repair that on site.

A number of reasons could explain why the Holmes Center must open Nov. 17. One could be the importance of the event itself. If that were the case, Convocation should've been held there, since this is an academic institution, and those always place above athletics in stature.

Maybe the reason is coverage by the outside press and public knowledge. Going by that, the High Country Festival should have been held there. Far more outside attention will be paid to that than a basketball game, especially involving a multiple NCAA champion and regular top-25 team against another that has made the NCAA tournament twice (not to take anything away from our boys, but it is true).

What does the UNC-Chapel Hill vs. Appalachian State game have that the other events did not? Money. Except for 2,400 student tickets, Appalachian made $20 per person for a sold-out game, or 5757 seats. Normally those are $7 tickets, and rarely do our games sell-out, even in the smaller Varsity Gymnasium.

"Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong," said Director of Design and Construction Dr. Clyde Robbins. With that in mind, do we really want to be in that arena for whatever will go wrong? If these issues are still a question come game time, the university should move the game, refund some tickets, and take a hit in the wallet rather than keep the game where it is and jeopardize the safety of 8,157 people.

COMMENTARY

ASU parking situation: rehashed

Sarah Sparks

I held off as long as I could about this issue. I know it gets redundant, but I really thought that going in, I had a good argument. I am referring to the ever-popular campus parking issue. My concern, however, is not the usual student parking problem, but rather, the visitor parking problem.

Being a freshman, I must admit that I am naive in the ways of the parking gods at Appalachian State University, so I did what every intelligent freshman would do: I guessed. Unfortunately my guess was wrong and my guest's car was towed.

At first glance, this appears to be an open-and-shut case. The ignorant freshman parks the car in an illegal lot and suffers the consequences. Allow me to explain my concern. I parked my guest's car in a lot that I knew was closed on weekends (because I parked in the same lot back in February when I was up for an interview) because I figured we could leave the car there until Sunday morning when they opened the lot up for the Presbyterian church to use. Poor logic on my part.

Despite the fact that I was out of bed at the crack of dawn to move the car, I arrived at the lot to discover the tow truck had already moved it for me. I was truly distraught to discover that it was the Presbyterians themselves who called to have the car towed. I am Presbyterian! Whatever happened to sticking together?

Well, anyway, I got the car back for a mere $50 and parked it safely in the Whitener lot (where I should have put it to begin with), where it stayed without incident for the remainder of the afternoon.

The first incident was enough to upset me, but it took a second (very similar) incident to really call my attention to the issue. The next time this guest came to town, I strategically parked the car in the Whitener lot for the duration of the weekend. The problem this time came from the fact that the guest was staying in town until Monday afternoon. I had a dilemma as to where to park the car for Sunday night and Monday morning. I made a decision to park the car off campus at my sisterÕs apartment complex, because she assured me that it would not be towed for several reasons (mainly that no car had ever been towed from the lot, leading the residents to decide that a tow truck could not fit in the lot).

Needless to say, this was a bad idea and the residents were wrong. Tow trucks can fit into the lot and they will tow an unauthorized vehicle. You can only imagine the despaired look on my face at the discovery that the car was gone.

Thirty minutes and $60 later we had the car back and my guests were on their way, but I was still in Boone to contemplate the issue and allow it to fester. I realize that this incidence was not a direct result of campus traffic policy, but my uncertainties about parking on campus led me to risk parking in an unauthorized off-campus lot.

I decided to end my naive freshman ways and investigate the parking situation. I suppose I was looking to uncover a scandal involving parking policies (I was told, after all, that visitor parking passes could not be picked up on weekends after 5 p.m. on Friday), but I actually discovered quite the opposite.

As most people are aware, parking passes are not necessary for weekend parking. Visitors (and students alike) can park on campus from Friday evenings until Sunday evenings without threat of ticket or towing as long as they are parked legally between two white lines and not in a gated lot.

Legitimate lots include the Whitener and Stadium lots as long as they are not closed for events such as football games.

Weekday visitor parking is also available by obtaining a visitor pass from the University Parking and Traffic Department Office located in the gray trailor next to the steam plant on Rivers Street. The hours that visitor passes are available for purchase are 8 a.m. until midnight seven days a week.

Regular business hours in which permits and other traffic issues can be handled are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Now that I have this information regarding traffic regulations on campus, I feel somewhat ridiculous about paying $110 in towing fees. I must commend the traffic department for having such accessible hours to students and their visitors, but I also must express concern that students are not made aware of the regulations more clearly.

I am sure that the information is available in the student handbook somewhere, but the percentage of students that have actually read that information is probably very small.

The only recommendation that I can make is for the University Parking and Traffic Department to send out fliers or emails to students to make them aware of the traffic regulations on campus. They need to investigate a manner in which they can reach a large portion of the student body with this important information. This information can save a lot of heartache, and in my case, a lot of money. Sarah

Sparks is a Police Beat reporter. She can be reached at: theapp@appstate.edu.