Catherine Quill - Business Affairs

In honor of the Appalachian State University versus the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) basketball game, Appalachian will be holding the Tarheel Smackdown 2000 pep rally/pre-party at Legends Friday, Nov. 17.

The event is sponsored by Appalachian Popular Programming Society (A.P.P.S.), 90.5 WASU, M-Prints and The Appalachian.

The doors open at 5 p.m. with appearances by Dr. Francis Borkowski, Yosef, the Appalachian cheerleaders, the ASU dance team and the pep band. The Harris Brothers will play and there is no cost to enter.

Door prizes include four tickets to the ASU vs. UNC basketball game, Appalachian merchandise, tickets to Appalachian Popular Programming Society events and tickets to other basketball games. Food will be available from Woodlands BBQ at an additional cost.

T-shirts will also be available for $8 at contact tables throughout the week and at the Legends pep rally while supplies last.

The event should be over by 6:45 p.m. in time for the game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.

For those without tickets, Legends will be showing the game.

The event is BYOB with a 6-pack limit.

Drew Brown, Films Chairperson of A.P.P.S. said, "It reminds me a lot of high school spirit week. It's something new; it's not the normal, everyday thing. It's Chapel Hill. If we could beat them, it would be awesome.

"It's going to be a really fun event before the game," said Liane Aquilino, secretary of A.P.P.S. "It's a great way to get pumped up."

Leslie Hitchcock, news director of WASU 90.5, a cosponsor of the event, said, "This is the biggest game we're going to have. It's important the students get involved, and it's important for them to show their support with other students."

Club aims to unite skateboarders

Group hopes to establish campus skate park

Catherine Quill - Business Affairs Beat

Andrew Luck, sophomore and avid skateboarder, summed up the objective for his newly hatched plan when he said, "I want to keep you guys out of trouble. I know it is tempting to skateboard on campus."

The unofficial Appalachian State University skateboarding club met on Monday for the first time to discuss the official formation of their club.

Luck organized the effort and advertised the meeting via posters put up around campus. Luck researched the steps the group must take to make the club an official campus organization and explained these steps to a group of almost 20 skateboarders and supporters on Monday night.

Luck said that his initial goal is simply to unite skateboarders for the promotion of their long-term goals. He hopes to be an official club by January at the latest.

Luck said that by becoming a university-supported organization, the club could gain access to university resources such as vans that would allow them to take road trips to skate parks.

Other goals for the club include fund-raisers, benefit concerts and generating a voice in student government, said Luck. Dan Friedman, assistant director of freshman seminar, has agreed to be the faculty advisor for the infant club.

"I want to work with the recreation director to get a skate park on or near campus or at least a designated area for skating," said Luck.

"If the school would just give us a little property somewhere out of the way we could build a park ourselves," said Luck.

Other people in attendance agreed that this would be an ideal situation. They felt confident that they could organize sponsors such as Lowe's Hardware by offering free publicity to the companies.

As the rule stands now, skateboarding is strictly prohibited on campus.

According to Officer Jason Church of the Appalachian State Police Department, a person caught skating on campus can suffer one of several punishments.

On the first offense, the officer will either log the offender's name and give them a verbal warning, or if they are given any hassle from the student, they may confiscate the skateboard.

On a second offense, more serious action will be taken, including definite apprehension of the skateboard and probably a citation for skateboarding.

If damage occurs on any university property, the person responsible will be charged with Damage to Property and will have to pay for the damages incurred, said Church, who represented the police department at Monday's meeting.

Luck said that he wanted a representative from the police department to attend so that they would know that the club is making a legitimate effort.

Representatives from Student Government Association (SGA) were also in attendance at the meeting.

Caleb Kirk and Chris Pierce, both skateboarders as well as SGA senators, said that they are currently trying to pass legislation within student government lifting the ban on skateboarding, or at least lifting certain restrictions. The two stressed the idea that pushing legislation required research and involvement, encouraging the supporters to get involved in the effort.

Church explained that the main concerns of the administration and the police department are the safety of the skaters themselves as well as pedestrians, and the issue of damage to university property.

Dena Light of the Office of Cultural Affairs said they needed to combat these concerns through their statement of need, which is part of the application process in becoming a university organization.

Church said that the sheer number of interested students alone should indicate a need to university officials.

The SAVE club is currently trying to promote skateboarding as an alternate form of transportation that is more economical and safe for the environment than private cars or public transportation.

Luck and Church agreed that this could be an interesting argument for the club to present in their efforts to combat anti-skateboarding sentiments.

Other arguments of the newly formed organization are that other groups of people are not being punished for damaging property in similar manners.

Bicyclists, for example, are allowed to ride on campus without restriction. Luck pointed out that trick bikes cause just as much -- if not more -- damage to property as skateboards, but they are not prohibited.

Light said, "I don't think skateboarding should be illegal on campus. You should not punish the person for skateboarding, but rather for damage of property if they happen to do damage."

Light used the example that if a person damaged a monument with a bat, they would not be punished for having the bat, but for causing the damage.

The group also argued that much of the damages done to campus property was not caused by Appalachian students. One example was given of the damage done to the veterans' memorial, leading to the ban on skateboarding.

A member of the group said that it is common knowledge among skateboarders on campus that the damage done to that monument was caused by Watauga High School students and was in no way related to Appalachian students.

"It is not fair that they are being punished for other people's past mistakes," said Light.

Church agreed that they, the students, should argue for a chance to prove themselves.

Luck said, "I want to go to the administration with the right attitude and support and say 'This is who I am and what I want to do. I know I'm not allowed to do it on campus, so how can I change your minds?'"

The next meeting of the unofficial skateboarding club will be Monday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m.

The meeting will be held in a yet to be announced room in Plemmons Student Union.

Interested students should look for posters around campus with the location of the next meeting or should contact Andrew Luck for more information.

Robyn Dailey Chancellor/Advancement Beat

Appalachian State University was run Tuesday by a freshman.

Jamie McConnell switched places with Chancellor Francis Borkowski for the "Chancellor for a Day" contest. She spent the day in meetings, on the phone, opening personal mail, and eating at the Broyhill Inn.

Borkowski, on the other hand, spent the day in classes, researching for a paper and a career, and eating lunch with students. At 9:30 a.m., the Appalachian Student Ambassadors held a switch ceremony where Borkowski handed McConnell his briefcase at the same time she handed him her backpack.

The chancellor showed up at Tradewinds Coffeehouse dressed in jeans, sneakers, a T-shirt, a ball cap and an Appalachian jacket. McConnell was dressed in business attire.

After the brief ceremony, Borkowski headed to Belk Library, while McConnell went to the administration building. This was the last time they saw each other until they switched back at 3:30 p.m.

The contest was sponsored by the Ambassadors and benefited the Hunger Coalition. Jamie was chosen through a lottery after donating 3 cans of food.

At the library, Borkowski did research on women in politics in the computer lab. The research is for a paper that McConnell, a political science major, will write. Throughout the day, students were able to come up and talk to the chancellor.

Borkowski said that it is "different in the response of people when I'm dressed as a student than when I'm dressed as a chancellor."

He said that it was good for him to sit and do research, go to classes, take notes and take place in discussions to allow him to see from the perspective of a student.

It is also good for the student to be chancellor to help them understand the issues that he faces, he said.

"I think that it really is a good day -- both of us learn a lot," said Borkowski.

After researching, he went to McConnell's English 1000 class and took notes for her. He then ate a salad at the food court with Ambassadors and other students.

After a quick stop at the post office to pick up McConnellÕs mail, Borkowski went to the Peer Career Center to do tests on finding a job. He said, "I really should have stayed in the profession that I was in, which was music teaching," because the results of the test pointed to that field.

After a freshman seminar class that he attended in McConnell's place, Borkowski went to the closing ceremony, also held in Tradewinds.

McConnell had meetings with some of the vice chancellors, ate lunch and toured at the Broyhill Inn, opened the chancellor's mail and talked to visitors and reporters.

"It's been fun. Everyone's been really nice," said McConnell.

She said that it was overwhelming at first, but that she was comfortable very quickly. "I called my mom," she said.

McConnell said that a lot of her questions were answered. McConnell said, "I had a wonderful day. I learned so much."

At the closing ceremony, the five top donating organizations were recognized. These were: Student Government Association, Sigma Kappa Sorority, Circle K International, the Women's Center and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

At the ceremony, Borkowski said, "That's a hard job being a student. The day went very, very well."

"I suggest that next year the Ambassadors think seriously about switching for a month," Borkowski said.

ASU NEWS Bureau

Cassie Robinson dreams of owning an electric-powered car. She would like a solar-powered toaster, radio and television, too.

Chances are, the Appalachian State University senior will see those products become affordable and commonplace during her lifetime, according to her sustainable- transportation instructor, Jack Martin.

"Because of improvements in technology and dropping prices, solar-powered weed- trimmers, radios, all-terrain vehicles and other products will be mainstreamed in the next decade," said Martin, who already owns a solar lawn-mower, boat and bicycle.

"Solar energy has no pollution (and) makes no sound. We will never run out of it, its efficiency will only go up, its cost will only go down and it's safe. Why are we working on anything else?"

Martin has the 16 students in his class working on alternatives to gasoline combustion-engines. The class focuses on electric engines that can be recharged with a solar panel or by plugging them into an electrical outlet.

As part of the class, Robinson test drove two hybrid, electric cars and helped build two electric-powered bicycles using batteries, Ford fan-belt motors and a drive shaft.

"Bikes are practical for commuting, so it is a natural product for us to build," she said. "But the technology is the same as for an electric car, so we are learning the same technology, just on a smaller scale."

This is the first semester sustainable transportation has been taught at Appalachian. The class is taught as part of Appalachian's appropriate-technology program.

Martin first discovered alternative energy sources while working for the Peace Corps. He rode an ethanol motorcycle and helped build windmills while volunteering in Nepal.

Students tear apart and rebuild Martin's boat and bicycle to see how they work. Other students use building scraps and spare parts to build their own forms of alternative transportation

. "I found this axle and set of wheels in a neighbor's yard," said Alex Glenn, a junior from Davidson. "He gave it to me and now I'm building a solar-powered lawn tractor."

Halfway through the semester, Glenn had the frame built and rear wheels complete. He learned how to build his own solar-powered vehicle through helping Martin and the other students build a solar go-cart.

Students showed off much of their work during Appalachian's Homecoming parade, in which students rode electric bikes and scooters, a biodiesel tractor and the solar go-cart.

"Electric scooters are going to be on a lot of college students' wish lists," Martin said. "They can ride it up to seven miles to class, fold it up when they get there and recharge it at home for a cost of two cents. They are getting faster, cheaper and more powerful motors, too."

Electric bikes can be fully charged with a solar panel in about five hours. When the rider uses the pedals in addition to the battery, the bike can hit speeds up to 20 miles per hour for about an hour and a half.

"A typical solar vehicle needs three to six hours of charging, which sound ridiculous until you think how much time cars sit in parking lots," Martin said. "These are clean running engines and they are quiet, too."

Martin predicts more electric bikes on campus and solar recharging stations.

"Electric bikes are perfect for security officers because it gives them stealth and an extra boost of speed," Martin said. "Students will lead the way because they are open to new technology."

ASU NEWS Bureau

Appalachian State University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) members placed sixth among 30 teams in the Ranger Challenge Competition held recently at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Other competing schools included The Citadel, Wake Forest University, North Carolina State University and Campbell University. Teams competed in several events including a 10-kilometer run with full equipment and backpack, timed-ups and a two-mile run, rope bridge crossing over a 40-foot water obstacle, an obstacle course, an orienteering course and a written exam. The Ranger Challenge team prepares for the competition by exercising five days a week from 6-7 a.m. and practicing skills in the afternoon. The Ranger Challenge season begins with the school year and ends with a late October competition.

The following cadets participated in the ROTC Ranger Challenge Competition: senior Richie Cliff of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; senior Chuck Dyer of Elizabeth City; junior Richard Everhart of Reidsville; freshman Wilton Gleaton of Charleston, S.C.; freshman Michael Hargrave of Raleigh; senior Brett Medlin of Boone; junior Joshua Roberts of Waynesville; senior Adam Sexton of Fayetteville; junior David Stone of Morrisville; freshman Matthew White of Silva; and freshman Kayce Wohlman of Sullivan.

Call Capt. Dan Smith for more information at 262-2994.