Boone drunk
driving arrests climb during 2000
Sarah Sparks
Police Beat
The 2000 crime
reports recently released by the Appalachian State University and
Boone police departments indicated that the instances of DUI arrests
increased from the number reported in 1999.
The number
of DUI arrests made by the Appalachian Police Department increased
60 percent in 2000, while the Boone Police Department reported a
32 percent increase.
Both police
departments offered explanations for the seemingly drastic rise
in drunk driving charges.
Chief Gunther
Doerr of the Appalachian Police Department attributes the increase
in arrests to an increase in enforcement as well as an increase
in traffic.
Doerr said that
a newly opened establishment in Boone may potentially be adding
excessive traffic to Rivers Street, especially in the late hours
of the night and early hours of the morning. This factor increased
police interest in this area, leading to greater enforcement of
late-night traffic.
Captain Curtis
Main of the Boone Police Department also said that the town police
department has cracked down on drunk drivers, specifically because
of former Governor Hunt's Highway Safety Program.
"Hopefully
the increase in numbers is our doing as far as better enforcement
leading to more arrests rather than there being more drunk drivers
on the road," said Main.
Main also said
that the Boone Police Department has been setting up more check
points over the past year in an effort to reduce accidents and fatalities.
According to
the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD), the number
of underage youth involved in drunk driving accidents nationally
is alarmingly high.
An article published
by the NCADD reported that more 18-20 year-olds die in alcohol-related
crashes than any other age group, partially because "they are
inexperienced drinkers as well as drivers."
The Journal
of Primary Prevention reports that much of the underage drinking
and driving reported occurs as college students attempt to return
to on- or near-campus housing after going to a party or bar.
The Journal
said that "one in six college students who attend a bar or
party away from their campus residence place themselves at risk
for an alcohol-related traffic fatality by either driving while
impaired or riding with an impaired driver."
The report
indicates that males are more likely than females to become impaired
and then attempt to operate a motor vehicle.
The Journal
also determined that intoxicated students were almost twice as likely
to ride with another intoxicated driver rather than driving themselves.
An explanation
offered by the Journal is that the impaired students are concerned
about possible personal legal consequences.
According to
the Journal, prevention tactics that target only risky behaviors
and not alternate forms of transportation are seldom successful
in the reduction of drunk driving.
Colleges and
universities are encouraged to curb this trend of alcohol related
crashes by providing no-risk transportation for students on and
around campus, such as the AppalCART and 262-RIDE services provided
by Appalachian State University.
The Appalachian
and Boone police departments will continue to increase enforcement
of drunk driving arrests in an effort to get the message out that
such behavior will not be tolerated by the law.
Grant to
ease space limitations in library
Catherine
Quill Business Affairs Beat
A small room
on the second floor of the Belk Library with stacks of journals
waiting for their place on an overcrowded shelf -- and a shortage
of tables and chairs -- are some characteristics of the growing
W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection.
"We're
desperate for more space," said librarian Fred Hay.
But instead
of seeing the expanding collection as a problem, Hay views it more
as an opportunity, especially with Appalachian State University's
recent $400,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH).
Appalachian
now must match the grant 3-1 and raise $1.2 million from private
sources, funds and foundations. This money will be placed into an
endowment and ultimately produce a profit of $1.6 million.
The Center for
Appalachian Studies, the Appalachian Collection and the Appalachian
Cultural Museum will all benefit from the grant.
According to
Hay, the collection will use the money ($30,000 a year) to purchase
books and manuscripts in an effort to make more resources available
for the study of Appalachia.
"The Appalachian
region has been characterized in a lot of ways that aren't realistic,"
said Hay. "The area has been marginalized and the materials
for studying it aren't there."
Hay also added
that many resources relating to Appalachia are collectors' items,
only available through costly private collections that normal university
funds cannot afford.
"We're
beginning to conceptualize Appalachian culture in new ways. We need
resources, outreach programs and scholars to continue," said
Hay.
Patricia Beaver,
director of the Center for Appalachian Studies, also said the grant
will be beneficial in helping to change some incorrect notions associated
with the region.
According to
Beaver, there is now a "New Appalachian History," a revision
of stereotyping that distinguishes between the reality and the perception
of the area.
"Part
of what we're doing is documenting that reality," said Beaver.
"The other important thing that has been whitewashed in this
community is diversity."
The Center
for Appalachian Studies, which will receive about $30,000 a year,
will use the money to hire an assistant director, to fund visiting
scholars, to support a summer fellowship for high school teachers
and graduate students and to fund field courses.
"These
will help us fill our mission of working effectively with public
schools," said Beaver.
Beaver said
she is optimistic about their efforts to fulfill their part of the
commitment which is already underway.
"We're
fundraising now. Our first year is considered to have already started."
Charles Watkins,
director of the Appalachian Cultural Museum, said the museum plans
to use its $20,000 a year to help create special exhibits, aid with
research and to create a catalog for the exhibits, which will help
with scholarship and will allow students to receive publication
credit.
He said receiving
the grant is a great accomplishment for the university, since the
proposal was reviewed by other universities, libraries and museums.
Much of the
effort made to receive the grant can be traced back to Mary Reichel,
university librarian.
"When we
submitted this proposal in May of 2000, it was our third year,"
said Reichel.
Reichel also
believes the university plays an important role in helping to educate
students and community members about the importance of the Appalachian
region.
"To be
able to have a part in funding an endowment that will be here for
years to help us achieve goals we couldn't with state funding is
so exciting."
Exhibit spotlights
diverse collection of artists
Travis Pierce
Academic Affairs Beat
As
the new chair of the Appalachian State University Department of
Art, Laura Ives brings a unique perspective to her artwork, which
include such experiences as spending the past 12 years in India
and Botswana, Africa.
An example
of this unique perspective, "Celebration of Time," is
exhibited in the Catherine J. Smith Gallery in Farthing Auditorium.
She also has a piece titled "SANKALPA -- INTENTIONS" which
she invited the faculty of the art department to participate in.
The artwork covers the three-story windows surrounding the entrance
of Herbert Wey Hall.
Contained
within Ives' piece "SANKALPA -- INTENTIONS" is a collective
expression of the art faculty's desires and goals for the department
in the new millennium.
The piece
is composed of acetate sheets that cover the three story windows
at the entrance to the building and intended to be viewed from the
inside or from the outside. During the day, sunlight illuminates
the sheets which are seen from inside the lobby. At night, the exhibit
is seen from the outside through the lighting inside the building.
Sankalpa
is a Sanskrit word meaning "will." Ives is a strong believer
in the power of will and says that there is "great strength
in the power of intention."
There
is an explanation of the piece posted in Wey, in addition to a mission
statement for the department. Her intention is that by coming together,
the faculty can see what is best for the art department.
Each
faculty member was invited to write their own intentions or mission
statement for the piece. The explanation speaks of a "desire
for fulfillment of intention" from the art community. Several
faculty members included in their statements that they wished to
see students from all majors come to a greater appreciation of art,
not just art majors or minors.
This echoes
what Hank Foreman, gallery director, said the purpose of the exhibit
as a whole is: for the "students and community to see faculty
work."
The pieces,
along with others' works, are part of the annual exhibit in the
Smith Gallery intended to show off recent works by faculty and staff
members in the Department of Art.
In addition
to offering works by 28 members of the department staff, the show
also offers a variety of media, ranging from Edison Midgett's digital
imaging prints to Glenn Pfifer's welded-aluminum and copper sculpture.
One aspect
of the show that demonstrates the comtemporary aspect of the work
being done by faculty artists is the use of digital imaging. This
is a new medium that has been gaining acceptance over the past several
years. Examples of digital imaging range from Edison Midgett's Iris
GiClee prints to Laura Ives' digital paintings. Some of the faculty
participate in galleries both inside and outside of North Carolina.
This fits into Ives' intention for the department, which is to allow
faculty time to pursue creative and scholarly pursuits while still
providing adequate instruction to students.
She expressed
the desire to "create the best program in the arts for our
students," while also allowing faculty to be creative.
The exhibit
serves multiple functions for students in the art department. First,
it is a way for incoming students to see the work of those that
will be instructing them over the next few years.
Second,
the exhibit also helps older students to gauge their progress and
see how their art relates to the established art community. Third,
students may find out the directions that their instructors are
moving in and get to know what appeals to their personalities better
than in a classroom setting.
Foreman
emphasized the importance of having the students see the work the
faculty was doing. He said that many of the faculty members remain
producing artists while teaching. This is imortant for students
who hope to be producing artists themselves. Because many faculty
are producing artists, most of the pieces in the gallery will be
offered for sale.
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