The Appalachian Online

Sewage line spills into campus creek
Grease buildup in lines cause thousands of gallons to leak Sunday

Grease buildup in sewer lines caused 3,500 to 4,000 gallons of sewage to spill into Kraut Creek Sunday.

Kraut Creek runs through the Appalachian State University campus parallel to Rivers Street. The spill occurred near the corner of Hardin and Rivers streets in Durham Park, Boone Public Utilities Director Rick L. Miller said.

“It was mostly clear water, so it should not affect the area much at all,” Miller said. Miller said the water must be classified as “sewage” since it came from a sewer line.

Miller said sewage spilled from a sewer manhole. The Public Utilities Department was contacted and was able to dislodge the sewer line, Miller said.

The site has been put on a preventive maintenance list, meaning Public Utilities will regularly use a “jetter” and chemicals to loosen grease buildup within the sewer line, he said.

Miller said the department hopes to purchase a vac truck, which could remove all grease from the lines.

Dr. Robert P. Creed is an aquatic biologist and a professor in Appalachian’s department of biology.

“For a stream of its size, [Kraut Creek] has a fairly undiverse fauna,” Creed said.

If the spill was mainly clear water, it would not likely affect aquatic life in the stream.

Spills of organic material such as sewage can be detrimental to aquatic organisms because they lower oxygen levels, he said.

Dr. Michael Windelspecht is a professor in the department of biology at Appalachian. Windelspecht studies water quality in the region.

Windelspecht said the spill would not likely have a significant effect on groundwater in the area.

Dr. Stanley R. Aeschleman has been named the new provost for Appalachian State University. He has served as interim provost since July 1.

“Well, I would assume that there are several people who could do this job,”
Aeschleman said. “You know, without being self-serving or self-grandizing, I think I do have the characteristics and skills to do a good job as the chief academic officer.”

Aeschleman said he considered his strengths to include a good understanding of academia, fairness in applying standards to personnel decisions and a way of analyzing problems objectively.

“My vision in the relatively short term, the next several years, will be to be the best comprehensive university in the United States,” he said. “That’s my goal. That’s our niche right now.”

Administrators and faculty members said Aeschleman’s appointment was gladly received.

The search committee was charged last semester with finding candidates only within the University of North Carolina system, Director for Institutional Research and Planning Dr. Bobby H. Sharp said.

Some faculty members were concerned with the fact that nationwide candidates were not being considered, Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Michael J. Moore said.

Faculty Senate member Martha A. Marking said she is concerned that there was not a national search, but added the result would probably have been the same, regardless of the search process.

“I really believe that he would have gotten the job if there would have been a national search,” Marking said.

Sharp said the committee felt they already had the right candidate and a national search wasn’t needed.

“The committee discussed the process, discussed it at length,” Sharp said. “[They] concluded that the pool of applicants we received two years ago resulted in a conclusion that we had the person with the best fit and the best qualifications right here, right now. So why go through a charade?”

Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Development Cindy A. Wallace said she thought the search could use whatever process seemed best, and added that the committee found the right person for the job.

“I really think it is a wonderful move for the institution. Not only did I think that we found the best person for the job, but he enjoys such amazing respect from different groups on campus, first and foremost the faculty, and I think they’ve demonstrated that.”

Wallace said Aeschleman’s appointment will also help to fill the empty slots for the dean positions at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Walker College of Business.

“It gives them the sense that he knows a number of things about the university that maybe an outside candidate might not know,” Moore said.

“He certainly has established a strong working relationship with the chancellor, who trusts him with the leadership of all of our academic programs.”

A 21-year-old Appalachian State University female student was allegedly raped Dec. 11 in a second-floor restroom of Hoey Residence Hall.

The suspect, 27-year-old freshman Amos Patrick Kelso, was arrested later that day and charged with four felonies, including first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree forcible sex offense and one count of assault by strangulation.

Kelso is confined at Watauga County Detention Center under a $200,000 secured bond, University Police Chief Gunther E. Doerr said. Kelso’s court date is scheduled for Jan. 19.

Kelso is a freshman communication major at Appalachian States and lived on the second floor of Hoey Hall.

“At this point in time, we’re waiting to see what we need to do to assist the [district attorney’s] office [with the investigation],” Doerr said.

According to a Dec. 13 University Police press release, Kelso allegedly raped his victim, forced anal intercourse and forced oral sex by strangling the victim around the neck.

The victim, who lives on the sixth floor of Hoey Hall, was taken to the emergency room, Doerr said. There were visible marks on her neck from strangulation, he said.

Doerr said he could not disclose the object used to strangle the victim.
The rape occurred between 5-5:30 a.m., Doerr said.

Circumstances that lead up to the event are still unclear, Doerr said.
Doerr said police were not sure about the relationship between Kelso and his victim or if they had been together at a party that night.

“Both the victim and the suspect probably consumed alcohol the night before, but I don’t know that alcohol was necessarily a factor,” Doerr said.

Kelso is from Gastonia. The suspect reportedly served in the United States Marine Corps before attending Appalachian, Doerr said.

Doerr said Kelso had DWI charges in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties in 1998 and 2001.

Lt. James P. Minton is the investigator in the case. Minton did not know Kelso’s status with the university. He has been referred to Judicial Affairs, Minton said.

Sophomore business management major C.J. Norman was in public speaking class with Kelso last semester.

“[Kelso] had a real good sense of humor ... he seemed like a real nice guy,” Norman said. Kelso had a radio background and did very well in the class, Norman said.

This was the second rape of an Appalachian student that occurred last semester. On Nov. 20, a 19-year-old Appalachian student was allegedly raped in her residence on Oak Street.

A 46-year-old Boone resident, Javier Soliz Rivera, faces second-degree charges in that case.

The Kelso case marks the only reported on-campus rape that occurred on the Appalachian campus in 2004, Doerr said. Three on-campus forcible sex offenses (assaults) occurred in 2004, he said.

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Jonathan Williams | The Appalachian
Hawksnest Golf & Ski Resport shut down its lifts Jan. 5 due to poor weather conditions on the slopes. Area ski resorts have been hit hard by the mild weather.

Local skiers left in mud

by Brad Norman
Associate Editor

A stretch of unusually warm January weather has left both avid skiers and local ski businesses out in the cold.

Temperatures soared to the mid-60s in early January and have not gone down since. The warm weather has made daily operations at local ski resorts very difficult.

Hawksnest Golf & Ski Resort was forced to shut down Jan. 5 due to its inability to manufacture snow.

“It’s been certainly spring-like, that’s for sure,” Hawksnest General Manager Lenny Cottom said regarding the warm weather. “You can only make snow at a certain temperature and if it’s not freezing, you can’t make any snow.”

Cottom anticipates re-opening Sunday in time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“We’re coming into a busy weekend, probably the busiest weekend of the year, and people aren’t sure about conditions,” Cottom said. “On Sunday [Hawksnest slopes should be] at least back to where they were before we closed.”

Although Hawksnest is the only local ski business to shut down, others have been impacted as well.

Beech Mountain has visible bare spots of grass and, as of Tuesday morning, had three of 15 slopes available and two of nine ski lifts running.

Sugar Mountain was also heavily affected. As of Tuesday morning, nine out of 20 slopes were available for use and four of eight ski lifts were in operation.

Sugar Mountain Marketing Director Kim Jochl said one reason Sugar remained open during the warm weather was because of the aggressive snowmaking approach they use.

“One reason we are so aggressive with snow making, even when we have a great base, [is for warm weather],” Jochl said. “There are strategies and ways for us to try to prepare for it.”

Jochl said she anticipates Sugar Mountain being ready to accommodate skiers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is typically one of the busiest ski weekends of the year.

“We do expect to be busy; we hope to be busy and we certainly are going to make the conditions the best that we can,” Jochl said. “Friday morning, as soon as the cold weather comes in, we’re going to start snowmaking around the clock. With 12 hours of consistent snow-making, we should have the mountain back in really nice shape, certainly by late Friday.”

Appalachian Ski Mountain fared better having six out of nine slopes open and all five lifts running Tuesday.

According to www.booneweather.com, the warm spell should end this weekend.

Dr. C. Ray Russell, who operates www.booneweather.com, projects a low of 20 degrees Friday and a low of 15 degrees Saturday.

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SGA cabinet restructures after resignations

by Anna Oakes
Senior Staff Writer

The Appalachian State University Student Government Association (SGA) Cabinet will undergo several changes this semester.

SGA Director of External Affairs Jud Watkins was asked to resign in late December, SGA Vice President Nick V. Albu said.

Watkins said he felt he could do more as an independent student advocate than as part of SGA.

“I think I can get a lot more work done working on my own and not specifically underneath anyone,” Watkins said.

Director of State and National Affairs Howard R. Schreiber resigned his position, effective Monday.

Schreiber resigned his positions for “various reasons,” he said. Schreiber will continue in his role as secretary of the Association of Student Governments (ASG), however.

ASG is a student body representing the 16 schools in the University of North Carolina system.

“I’m definitely going to stay very involved with [ASG],” Schreiber said.
Albu said he was disappointed Schreiber resigned.

“Howard was a fantastic asset to the organization – [he was] a hard-worker and dedicated,” Albu said.

Former Director of Student Affairs Matthew D. Whisenant resigned last semester for personal reasons. His position has been filled by freshman David C. Humphrey, a senator last semester.

“I felt that I could bring some energy into [the position],” Humphrey said.
Humphrey said his chief concern is the Faculty Senate’s recent motion to abolish the textbook rental program.

“The chief strength of [Appalachian] is the value it presents,” Humphrey said. “It’s a comprehensive university, but it’s affordable.”

Whisenant said he is confident with Humphrey’s selection.

“From what he’s exemplified so far ... I believe [Humphrey] will make an excellent director of student affairs,” Whisenant said.

Albu agreed with Whisenant.

“David is an extremely outgoing freshman,” Albu said.

“[During] his first semester as a senator he has shown not only a potential for growth but in everything that he did was always actively participating,” Albu said.

Albu said Humphrey has shown an interest in student affairs issues and will be a great asset to the SGA Cabinet.

The positions of director of state and national affairs and director of external affairs are still open. Applications are available in the SGA office on the second floor of Plemmons Student Union.

“It’ll be a big change for the semester – we’ll be adding three new cabinet members,” Albu said regarding the resignations. “As a cabinet we’re eager to get this semester rolling, so hopefully this will be a boost of energy.”

SGA will continue to recruit new members during the spring semester.

SGA currently has about 56 senators, Albu said. A full Senate is comprised of 75 members.

“That’s a very respectable number coming back into the spring semester,” Albu said.

Last semester’s Senate lost members due to graduations and resignations, he said.

For recruitment purposes, Albu sent a letter to every freshman or sophomore who made the Chancellor’s or Dean’s List fall semester.

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MLK celebration to include Chuck D
Rap group Public Enemy co-founder set as keynote speaker

by Jennifer Schneider
Staff Writer

The offices of Academic Affairs, Cultural Affairs and Multicultural Student Development will present a Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium.

“I want there to be a beautiful audience of people of every race and every ethnicity sitting in the audience,” Assistant Director of Multicultural Education Dejon J. Banks said. “I want it to be a small cornucopia of the U.S. in Farthing Auditorium that evening.”

The celebration is set up to remember and continue the strides of the Civil Rights movement.

“I want us to sing together, I want us to have memories together, I want us to laugh together and just realize that that is how it is supposed to be,” Banks said.

The night will start with a video of important scenes, buildings, landmarks and pictures that are associated with Martin Luther King Jr.

The video will be followed by performances from Appalachian State University’s Gospel Choir and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, a fraternity of which Martin Luther King Jr. was once a member.

“We are very excited about the event,” junior music education major and ASU Gospel Choir President Nakeidra C. Daniel said. “It brings unity to the community.”

This year the keynote speaker is Chuck D.

“A lot of people know him just as the co-founder of Public Enemy, but he has done so much more,” Banks said.

Chuck D has been a FOX News host, editor of the Red Herring Magazine, national spokesperson and an Elite-100 internet leader.

“A lot of times people call him and his genre of music the modern day CNN, to tell people what is going on in the world,” Banks said. “I think he will be something different for Appalachian’s campus, but I think he will be well received and that he does have a message to share with us.”

She said students have been requesting for him to speak at the MLK Commemoration for the past three years.

Banks wants the whole Boone population to get involved in the experience.

“It is not just an ASU thing,” Banks said. “The high schools, the grade schools, the places that we visit often, they support us every other day so we want them to know what we are doing and for them to be a part of it as well.”

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Greek Recruitment begins

by Clair Baxter
Staff Writer

“Tis the Season … To Go Greek!” was written across the top of flyers received by many new Appalachian State University Students over Winter Break.

While Boone begins to battle the traditional winter season of freezing temperatures and constant snowfall, the Greek Recruitment process has begun its ‘season’ without delay.

Appalachian goes into its third year of a system called deferred Recruitment. The concept began in 2002 in order to ensure that incoming freshmen were fully acclimated to the school before they rushed for a fraternity or sorority.

“As students transition to college it is important for them to use their time to focus on classes, becoming adjusted to their new environment, and make decisions about what types of organizations they want to be involved with while at Appalachian,” according to the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

We believe that our students need to utilize their first semester to adjust to college without the time commitment of joining a Greek organization.”

“The only system of recruitment I have ever been exposed to is deferred recruitment,” Vice President of the Panhellenic Executive Council Allison R. Waller said.

For Appalachian, this is probably the most positive form of recruitment. It really works for the overall size and atmosphere for our school. I believe it has positively affected the number of sororities on campus because more sororities have been able to meet their total membership, or come closer to meeting it through formal recruitment.”

However, deferred Recruitment can be looked upon in a different light as well.

“One of the things that I have found interesting is that many fraternities and sororities are bothered by deferred recruitment,” Assistant Director of Organizational Leadership Education and Greek Life sponsor Aaron Bachenheimer said.

I often hear them stating the fact that no one scrutinizes early admission into other student lead organizations on campus; no one researches the impacts on college freshmen that register early on in the year with other college organizations like recreational sports.”

A minimum 2.25 cumulative grade-point-average and 12 completed semester hours are required in order to be eligible to join a Greek organization on campus.

Fraternity Recruitment will take place Jan. 19-28. Sorority Recruitment will be held Jan. 19-29. Both will end with a Bid Day, which is when students receive invitations to join.

“This year one of the big things has been use of online recruitment,” Bachenheimer said.

In the past, it has been mostly flyers and individual organization based, but this year hopefully our online site will help make the recruitment process earlier for students.”

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Avoiding computer hacking

by Amy Burnette
Intern Writer

The growing issue of hacking is becoming more prevalent among college students, including those who attend Appalachian State University.

Kyle E. Atchison, a freshman English major, has experienced immense difficulty with hacking in the last month.

"Someone was able to get past the firewall I have installed in my computer," Atchison said. "I have never had any problems with hacking before and this person was able to delete all the music files I had on my computer. Every time I would restart my computer, I would have to reinstall various programs, such as AIM and Internet Explorer."

"The strange thing is that I do not recall opening any suspicious files or downloads. I honestly thought my computer was at least somewhat hacker-proof. I didn't have to wipe the hard drive or anything; however, none of the files that were deleted from my computer were able to be restored."

Freshman Catherine R. Potter, an English major, was not as lucky as Atchison. Potter has experienced trouble with hacking in the past month.

"At first, my computer was operating very slowly and a tremendous amount of pop-up ads would be displayed on my computer screen all at once," Potter said. "One night, my computer began to make strange noises--it sounded as if something was eating my hard drive.

"Shortly after that, my computer shut down and every time I tried to restart it, it would say that files were missing and I could never get past that point. Eventually, I found out that whoever hacked into my computer set up an administrator password that I didn't know."

Tips to avoid being hacked

• install and regularly update anti-virus and firewall software
• download security updates
• avoid opening suspicious attachments and downloads
• avoid music downloading programs and file sharing
• install a spyware program

Source: ASU Tech Support

Ryan V. Marshall, an employee at Tech Support at Appalachian State, said most people have been hacked and do not know it.

"Catching hackers is hard," Marshall said. "Many students will bring their computers in and just think something is wrong with it without even realizing it has been hacked."

Marshall said to avoid problems such as the ones Atchison and Potter experienced, be sure to install and regularly update anti-virus and firewall software. Make sure to download security updates for your system and avoid opening suspicious attachments and downloads.

Appalachian does offer free anti-virus software for students to take advantage of.

Music downloading programs, such as Kazaa and iMesh, include Spyware in their programs. Spyware gathers information about your computing routines and delivers it to the maker of those programs.

There are programs available to remove Spyware from your computer.

Appalachian recommends the Spybot or Ad-Aware programs and encourages students to avoid file sharing.

For more information on how to avoid computer problems and being hacked, visit www.resnet.appstate.edu or call 262-TECH.

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