SGA did right thing

According to Section 484 of congressional amendments to the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, "any student who has been convicted of any offense ... involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance under this title."

Students who have not openly revealed such convictions on a college application and have not successfully completed a specified rehabilitation program cannot receive financial aid packages from such programs as Perkins Loans, Pell Grants, PLUS Loans and work-study loans.

The United States Congress obviously passed these amendments in 1998 not with the aim of denying someone the right to a higher education, but to ensure federal financial-aid dollars landed in the hands of students without any drug convictions.

Several members of the Appalachian State University Student Government Association (SGA) Senate decided to challenge the will of the U.S. Congress by introducing a resolution of support to repeal the section of the HEA in question.

The resolution was a suggestion supporting the idea of allowing convicted drug offenders to obtain federal financial aid. The bill does not challenge the University of North Carolina System bylaws -- in fact, the senators who wrote the resolution of support are challenging guidelines established by the federal government.

We commend the 24 senators who acted as a collective voice of reason and voted in opposition of the resolution.

While the members favoring the resolution contend that SGA would not be condoning drug use by approving the resolution to repeal the HEA, we strongly disagree.

The repeal of Section 484 in this case would not only condone drug use but would also fail to sufficiently punish convicted offenders who illegally used or possessed controlled substances.

Furthermore, passage of the resolution (which would not change any federal law no matter how much shouting accompanies opinions) would only bolster the already widely held stereotype across the South of Appalachian State being a stronghold for student drug activity.Aren't we already on "High Times" magazine's list of favorite schools?

Our elected federal officials establish laws to govern this nation. Removing a statute like Section 484 from the books essentially reduces the price one must pay for breaking laws.

We are not condoning that drug offenders be denied second chances. The current amendment provides for financial aid upon successful completion of a specific rehabilitation program.

We are also not of the opinion that anyone who smokes marijuana (among other things) is "bad" and that anyone who does not is "good."

But we do feel that documents such as the HEA are beneficial to society as a whole and repealing such statutes would be detrimental to a nation already in the midst of a moral decline.

Blue Ridge Cafe: love it or leave it?

Adam Bennett

The Gold Room and Blue Ridge Cafe are the same place, right? No.

Blue Ridge Cafe is, in fact, a different restaurant. The Gold Room, built in the late 1960s, was replaced in summer 2000 by Blue Ridge Cafe.

The newly renovated version of the Gold Room opened with a new, Southwestern menu and a lighter atmosphere geared toward increasing traffic.

However, food from lasagna to chicken -- with the exception of special orders -- has an unsettling taste of chili powder. Now that's Southwestern.

The employees are nice, friendly and efficient. It is a joy to walk into the establishment just because of the people. Every business should aim for happy employees like these.

The price, on the other hand, is a bit much for the quality of food. The special orders are prepared well and taste great. However, the time prepared should not take an hour, as it often does.

A Feb. 8 article in The Appalachian stated that Blue Ridge Cafe numbers have decreased since Park Place Cafe (more commonly referred to as Trivette) opened on the west side of campus in 1990.

Cascades Cafe, already downstairs from Blue Ridge Cafe, lures even more students from the upper eating facility.

The restaurant manager said that Blue Ridge Cafe is off the beaten path. But the number decreases from construction are not significant.

So why should the restaurant continue to occupy this space? Why not move Blue Ridge Cafe or get rid of it completely?

With the ongoing construction all over campus and the fact that the University Bookstore will be expanding to possibly include another coffee shop and a Burger King, will Plemmons Student Union have the need or customers for Blue Ridge Cafe?

The recent renovations to the Gold Room that made Blue Ridge Cafe what it is today were supposed to lure more students to the restaurant.

However, that has not happened, and renovations and possibly a new restaurant are in future plans for the Blue Ridge Cafe space.

How many student organizations could benefit from the extra office space that Blue Ridge Cafe is currently occupying?

If Blue Ridge Cafe is "off the beaten path," then why not give up that space for organizations on campus that could benefit from an office or larger space?

Could the specialty items currently created at Blue Ridge Cafe be purchased at other Food Services locations?

Blue Ridge Cafe is certainly valued for its proximity to this paper's office, as well as to Student Government Association, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, and Greek Councils offices.

But with more chili-covered food, less customers going into Blue Ridge Cafe and the number of Food Services locations possibly increasing throughout campus, would Blue Ridge Cafe -- with the exception of its friendly staff --be missed?

Despite shortfalls, ASU is a great place

Robin Burnworth

From the very first time I set foot on this campus, I totally fell in love with Boone and Appalachian State University. Having lived here for the majority of an academic year, my once-perfect vision of Appalachian State has taken a proverbial "fall from grace." I have not become cynical, mind you, but I have come to realize that not everything here is perfect.

There are many things here that I have heard both students and faculty complain about, including the weather, the parking, the learning and recreational facilities, and the perpetual state of construction we seem to be in. These things bother me at times, too, but what really gets to me is the policy regarding meal plans.

My personal disillusionment began last fall with a phone call from my dad regarding my meal plan for spring semester. I had explained to him that, as a freshman, I am required by university policy to have a minimum meal plan of $755. What he just could not understand was why I needed so much money added to my meal account when I still had $200 or $300 left of my $755 from fall semester. Honestly, I did not really understand either.

I would normally consider this predicament alone a logistical annoyance. However, I get upset when I take the time to think about just how much money I have left in my meal account that I have to "use or lose." I find it unfair that if we cannot use the full amount of money in our meal accounts, we simply lose it to the university. I will spare you the numbers of my personal situation, but let's just say that I am considering ways to spend my money on food enough that I might be able feed a small country.

I started to feel sorry for myself, so I did a little research of meal-plan offerings at other major University of North Carolina institutions, thinking I would prove just how unfair our system is. Having done so, I am inclined to say that we, by far, have the best meal plan offerings in the UNC System. However, being the best does not mean that we lack room for improvement.

Our meal program here is definitely on the right track as far as pricing and flexibility goes. Still, the program is lacking two parts, which if they were to be added, would make our system even better.

First, the $755 requirement for freshmen should be revised. I can understand requiring an average meal plan for first semester freshmen. It gives them a solid amount of money and time to get a feel for how much they will actually spend in a semester. However, I also think that it would be appropriate for freshmen to choose the lower meal plan for their second semester if they so please. By this point they know how things work and can guess how much money they will need for a semester.

Secondly, I believe that a refund at the end of the academic year should be instated. Appalachian Express accounts can now be refunded for amounts over $50. Why not implement the same policy with meal accounts, too? I realize the express account refunds are a fairly new idea, but I am pretty sure most students are receiving the idea well.

Meal plans aside, I still find ASU to be an awesome place. I have once again come to the conclusion that there will always be things in life that mar people, places and situations that would otherwise be perfect. Those imperfections are what give things character, or at the very least, emphasize to us the reasons why we really do love them.