Legislature orders UNC System schools to help repay $500 million debt

Robyn Dailey - Chancellor/Advancement Beat

Over the next five months, Appalachian State University must give $1.3 million to the State of North Carolina to help with the stateÕs deficit.

"All the state agencies, with the exception of the university system, are preparing for a budget cut this year," said Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski.

While the 16-member University of North Carolina System will not undergo a budget cut or hiring freeze, there is an expectation, along with all other state agencies, to contribute funds towards the state debt that is estimated to reach as much as $500 million.

Within the last three weeks, the governor has taken action to reduce the deficit.

This huge debt is because of several factors, including the Hurricane Floyd disaster and the previous tax cut.

Borkowski said, "So you cut taxes, you increase the expenditure level, you have the hurricane hit you and all of a sudden you are looking at not enough money."

Because of the state's financial problems, the amount of funding that Appalachian State can expect to get next year does not look good, according to Borkowski.

"It is very difficult, when you get in the middle of the second semester, to cut a percent or a percent and a half out of the budget," said the chancellor.

The university system is fortunate in that it is allowed the flexibility to internally cut funds rather than have the state enact budget cuts, said Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Robert L. Shaffer.

"The challenge is that it comes at a time when only five months remain in the balance of the year," said Shaffer.

He said that the cut should not provide any strain on the students, because it is off the administrative budget rather than the academic budget.

"I don't think that you'll see much of an impact at all," Shaffer said.

North Carolina has not provided any information regarding the long-term stipulations of the budget cut.

Shaffer said, "It is somewhat unclear at this point whether this budget cut is a one year revision of state funds or whether this cut will become a permanent decrease in the state budget."

This deficit is not uncommon in the South. According to Shaffer, South Carolina and Tennessee are also having debt problems.

Appalachian's administration was informed of the budget cut about three weeks ago, but they are already taking measures to conserve money.

"It's better to try to address it immediately rather than wait to the end of the budget year," said Shaffer.

The University of North Carolina System is presenting four priorities for funding in the coming year, but with the deficit, they are unsure that they will all be met.

These include enrollment funding, student financial aid, faculty salaries, and technology and other teaching tools.

According to Shaffer, the only one of these priorities that are certain to be met is the enrollment funding.

"The others are very much in question," he said.

The university will not be able to provide salary increases for faculty and staff with state-funded money. All funding for raises will have to come from other places, such as private funding and tuition.

The proposed tuition increase will be helpful for the schoolÕs budget, according to Shaffer.

He said that the institution's primary concern is to find a way to revert the $1.3 million back to the state without creating detriment to Appalachian's quality and services.

Police departments to support Special Olympics

Sarah Sparks - Police Beat

"The Appalachian State University Police Department, the (Town of) Boone Police Department and the Watauga County Sheriff's Department are joining together to support the 2001 Special Olympics with a series of fund-raisers," said Major Larry Foster of the Appalachian State University Police Department.

The main attraction fund-raiser will be Polar Plunge on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. Plungers will pay $25 for an opportunity to jump into the cold waters of Duck Pond. Groups of five or more plungers can jump for only $20 a person ($100per group), with all proceeds going directly to the North Carolina Special Olympics.

Registration for the event will take place at Trivette Hall from 3:30-4:45 p.m. the day of the plunge.

Prizes will be given to the top fund-raiser, the top fundraising group, and the male and female participant with the most creative costume.

Not all prizes have been determined as of yet, but the top fund-raising group will receive a trophy, and a free pizza and chicken-wing dinner courtesy of Mike and Willy's, said Foster.

"We are also looking into a weekend getaway at Myrtle Beach for one of the prizes, but that has not been confirmed yet," said Foster.

Emergency medical services will be on hand in the event of an emergency during the plunge. Divers from the Boone Police Department will also be in the water during every plunge, said Foster.

A heated tent will be set up next to the pond for plungers to warm up in following their jump. They will also be given hot coffee and hot chocolate, said Foster."We are always safety conscious during an event like this."

There is no age limit for the plunge, but the police departments encourage plungers to be sensible about their capabilities. Participants under the age of 18 must have parental or guardian permission before they can jump.

Foster said,"We had around 60 plungers last year, so we hope to have that many or more this year." Foster, Appalachian Police Chief Guenther Doerr and Boone Police Chief Bill Post will all be participating in Polar Plunge.

Local law enforcement agencies will also participate in the Torch Run, another Special Olympics fund-raiser, sometime in May.

Over 400 North Carolina law enforcement agencies come together for this event to raise money by carrying a torch across the state.

The torch will end up in Raleigh for the Special Olympics games in June or July.

North Carolina Law Enforcement officers raised over $1,234,000 last year in the torch run, leading to high hopes for this year's fund-raising total, said Foster.

Anyone, not just law enforcement officers, that wants to participate in this event may do so by running alongside the officers or by contributing money. The Appalachian State University Police Department is holding a T-shirt and hat sale with all proceeds going to the fund-raising effort.

The shirts and hats, with the 2001 Torch Run Logo on them, are available for $13 each or $25 for both through the University Police Department.

The department is also offering a special incentive for purchasing both a hat and a shirt. Any student that purchases both will have their name put in a drawing for a 2001-2002 on-campus parking pass.

The departments will also hold two captain's choice golf tournaments in the coming months as fund-raising efforts for the Special Olympics.

The first tournament will take place at Hound Ears the first or second week in April. The second will be at Roan Valley Golf Course in Mountain City, Tenn., sometime in May or June.

More information will be available about these tournaments after the dates have been finalized. According to Foster, last year's tournaments raised over $4,000.

The departments are currently asking for donations from local businesses. Any donations are accepted, but there are set tiers for recognition of donations.

For example, a $250 donation will get the business/donor's name on the back of the 2001 Polar Plunge sweatshirt, their business logo/name on a hole during the golf tournament, a certificate and a letter of appreciation.

The local fund-raising effort is also supporting the North Carolina Special Olympics fund-raising project.

The N.C. Torch Run is raffling a 2001 PT Cruiser with the drawing to be held on June 1 at the final leg ceremony. The $10 tickets can be purchased through the University Police Department.

Anyone interested in supporting any of the fund-raising efforts of the local law enforcement can get more information by contacting Foster or Sgt. Stacy Sears of the University Police Department at 262-2150.

Officer Mike Foley of the Town of Boone Police Department can also answer question and can be reached at 262-4500, as well as Sheriff Red Lyons of the Watauga County Sheriff's Department at 264-3761.

Jason Hoyle - Clubs/Organizations Beat

A little forceful recruiting by the Student Government Association's (SGA) Academic Affairs Committee and some willing students volunteering themselves and their friends are just parts of the combined effort to make the 2001 SGA Date Auction a success.

The auction is a fundraising event for the Faculty Staff Appreciation Breakfast. "This breakfast is more or less a thank you to the wonderful faculty we have here at Appalachian and the great job they do," said SGA Secretary Katlin McGalliard.

"The SGA Date Auction has become a tradition within our organization and the money goes to the great cause of expressing to the faculty (members) students' appreciation for all they do," said SGA President Ryan Bolick.

The 3rd Annual Date Auction will be held in Grandfather Mountain Ballroom of Plemmons Student Union at 7:45 p.m. tonight.

On the auction block this evening will be some prominent school leaders. For those wishing to bid on campus leaders, SGA is offering President Ryan Bolick, Vice President Preston Powell, several cabinet members and some senators.

Chris Higginbotham, program director for WASU, and Gerald Witt, editor-in-chief of The Appalachian, will be auctioned as well. Several sororities are offering members to be auctioned, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Delta Zeta and Kappa Delta.

For the most part, bidders and their dates will provide their own date activities, but some dinners will be awarded to couples. Door prizes will be given away throughout the evening. Although the dates are entirely up to the couples, the auction is being held tonight with the intention that some dates will fall on Valentine's Day.

Romantically minded or not, every auctionee's worst fear is not meeting the minimum $3 bid. But even if some are sold for a discounted $2 or so, the money still goes to a good cause.

"I think that it is a lot of fun and it is for a good cause," said Bryan Boyer, a 2000 Date Auction participant, on why he's doing it again.

Cash and checks are accepted, but sorry, no plastic.

Travis Pierce - Academic Affairs Beat

Appalachian State University astronomer Dan Caton is among a small number of astronomers who have been awarded grant money to search our universe for new planets.

Caton has a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to go along with a unique theory about where undiscovered celestial bodies might be hiding. He is conducting his research from Appalachian's Dark Sky Observatory.

Caton is looking for what he calls "Trojan" planets. These are planets that are "hiding" in the orbits of binary star systems. Caton said his "idea came out of an introduction to astronomy lecture."

He was explaining how trojan asteroids are held in a triangular orbit with Jupiter and the sun and thought that the same could happen in a binary star system with a planet replacing the asteroid cluster.

After discovering a published error concerning the required proportions necessary for a binary system to support a planet, Caton came up with a target list of 19 systems.

Caton submitted his idea in a proposal to the National Science Foundation under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research category.

The grant helps pay Caton in addition to graduate and undergraduate research assistants. Caton emphasizes the importance of this funding because it allows for students to be compensated while taking part in serious scientific research.

Caton said that "involvement in real research is the single most important experience" for students of the sciences. It is important to get students involved in real science.

Appalachian physics student and senior graduate research assistant Kelly Kluttz concurs. "You can go to class, do the homework and take the exams, but you're not actually learning the science," said Kluttz.

"This is real," she said. "You don't learn anything until you actually do it. Especially dealing with all the trouble-shooting problems."

When asked about this particular project, she said that this is "an approach that no one has ever taken before."

Kluttz's job consists of collecting large amounts of data and then reducing that data. This involves taking lots of pictures and then cleaning up the images.

This data collection can make for long nights. Kluttz said that usually the research assistants will split a shift, but this past Saturday, she was expecting to be in the observatory from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Kluttz said this project is "great experience" and is good resume material. She also said that she hopes to one day do similar research of her own. She says her involvement in this research should open doors to help her accomplish future goals.

To learn more about Dan Caton's work on Trojan planets, you can access the Web site: (http://www.trojanplanets. appstate.edu/).

Catherine Quill - Business Affairs Beat

With miles of sidewalks and thousands of steps on the campus of Appalachian State University, personnel working with snow removal are certainly kept busy during the winter months.

"We're basically on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Jim Bryan, superintendent of landscape services.

Bryan explained that about 6 years ago, the campus developed a system of zone maintenance. The campus is split into different geographical zones, with three to five people working each zone. Workers are responsible for the upkeep of their zones, maintaining aspects such as roads, parking lots, steps and sidewalks.

During winter, three snow call-back teams with two people each are developed to assist in clearing the snow from vital areas such as fire lanes. These individuals are regular employees of the university's physical plant and volunteer for their positions.

"We've normally been taking care of streets, too," said Bryan. "This year, we've contracted with the Town of Boone. We wanted to contract to get more equipment."

The snow call-back teams work on a rotational system, with each team being on call for one week at a time.

"Everybody that works in this department is on call for bad weather. They can usually anticipate when they'll be called in," said Robert Minick, supervisor of landscape services.

Teams must continuously clear the snow for safe passageways, even during the most adverse of weather conditions.

Both supervisors said they like to limit their shifts to 12 hours, but sometimes the weather forces them to stay longer.

"There's a lot more to shoveling those steps and sidewalks than one could imagine," said Minick. "They're pretty dedicated."

Their dedication will eventually pay off. Minick explained that rather than being paid for overtime, workers are compensated for time off, providing them with more time for themselves during nicer weather.

But in Boone, warmer temperatures can feel like they are a long way off in February.

"We can get snow up to the middle of April. Everyone looks forward to spring," said Minick.

Minick added that this year's season started off on a chilly note.

"We had a lot of cold temperatures in December. We didn't get a lot of depth, but (the snow) stayed around."

Jim Bryan said the worst situation for the workers was the blizzard of 1993.

ÒWe had guys who basically got stuck here. We did all we could do. There was no way to keep up with it. It reminds us all how insignificant we are when Mother Nature decides to dump two feet of snow on us."

However, Bryan is very satisfied with the performance of the workers who are willing to make the campus safe for students, faculty and staff.

"We have a very good group of employees," he said.

Two such employees, David Walls and James Taylor, have worked with the university for three years and five years, respectively.

Walls said a snow call-back team member works about 12-18 hours a day during a heavy snow, with occasional weekend time.

"The main motivator is for compensation time," said Walls, who added, "(the on-call hours don't) affect us as much as you'd think."

Taylor agreed that he favored the extra time off to receiving overtime pay, and said the work is easier when students are on a break. "It cuts our workload in half," he said.

"After you've done it for a while, the newness wears off," added David Walls.

Although Walls and Taylor agreed that this year has yet to be too overwhelming, both said they will breathe a sigh of relief in March.

Students can fight, overcome ADD

Elizabeth Frye - Multicultural Beat

A college midterm can raise any student's anxiety level. If you suffer from a learning disability(LD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD), any cough, rustling paper, sound from an adjacent class or students leaving the classroom adds another distraction.

"They fret over all the wrong things," said Suzanne T. Wehner of learning disabled students. Wehner is coordinator of disabled student services based in Appalachian State University's Learning Assistance Program.

Wehner moved to Appalachian from the Avery County School System, where she taught for 18 years and was the director of the exceptional children's program for the past 5 years. She holds degrees from East Carolina University and Appalachian.

She explained the process many LD or ADD students might experience on exam day.

"You're sitting in the classroom and you have 50 minutes to take the exam. First, you look around to see who's there and who's not, then you look at the clock and see that five minutes have passed," she said. ÒYou look at the test and begin to worry about the test length. By the time you fret through and process what's on the test, another 15 minutes is lost. As you buckle down to begin the test, other students have finished and are leaving the room. The ADD student may believe itÕs now impossible to finish the test, even if they know the material."

But remove the distractions and the outcome changes. "It can make a major difference in passing or failing," Wehner said.

Wehner meets with students and reviews their documentation and testing data to determine eligibility. So far, 525 of Appalachian's 12,500 students have registered with her office. The vast majority of the students, 95 percent, are classified as learning disabled with attention deficit disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Four percent have physical disabilities or other health impairments. A few are hearing or visually impaired.

She and others in the Learning Assistance Program work with LD, ADD, and other disabled students to develop classroom and test-taking strategies. For instance, some students may qualify for alternative testing.

The student may need to take tests in a distraction-reduced environment with only a test monitor in the room. Students with documented disabilities may get extra time, as much as 50 percent, for test taking. So, for a one-hour test, the student would receive an hour and a half to complete the exam.

The burden for seeking such assistance, however, falls on the student, which differs from the process followed in the public schools.

"They have to advocate for themselves," Wehner said. "They must take copies of their disability services accommodations to their professors and let them know what classroom or testing arrangements have been approved."

The arrangements might include priority seating in the classroom, a note-taker, tape-recorded lectures, books on tape or an interpreter.

Lengthy reading assignments often overwhelm the dyslexic or visually impaired student. For them, textbooks on tape are valuable tools. If these are not available, or if a student does not qualify for the recorded material, a machine in Belk Library is available that can scan and "read" text.

"Given reasonable accommodations, time and a supportive environment, any disabled student admitted at Appalachian can successfully meet educational goals," Wehner said. The assistance available, however, is not unlimited.

"The goal is to level the academic playing field, not to give any student an unfair advantage," she said.