January 28, 1997

Crash claims life of ASU student
Chris Kinner
News Editor

An Appalachian State University freshman was killed early Sunday morning after being thrown from his vehicle in a single-car accident in Iredell County.

Jacques Griset Geitner, 18, was returning with two friends, also ASU students, from a weekend trip to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. The 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee he was operating ran off the left side of Interstate 40 as it was traveling westbound. The vehicle re-entered the highway before it once more ran off the road and rolled several times.

Geitner was thrown from the vehicle as it rolled, according to North Carolina Highway Patrolman C.W. Ashley. Geitner was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two passengers did not escape the accident unscathed. Freshman Jason Wayne Loftin, 19, of Conover suffered minor injuries and was treated in a Statesville hospital. Loftin's parents own the vehicle which Geitner had been driving.

Freshman Michael Patrick Cook, 18, also of Conover, received serious injuries. He is currently located at N.C. Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, where he remained in critical condition Monday.

According to an article published in Monday's Charlotte Observer, law enforcement officials found "an amount of controlled substance and malt beverages" at the accident scene.

The Office of Student Development is helping to preserve the memory of Getiner. A memorial book will be placed in the first floor of Plemmons Student Union. The book can be signed by any person who wishes to send their condolences to the Geitner family. After remaining for a week, the book and an accompanying flower arrangement will be sent to the family by the department.

The university has sent information about the funeral arrangements as well as directions via e-mail to all ASU students.

The funeral will take place Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Epiphany Episcopal Church in Newton.

Students who have been traumatized or otherwise adversely affected by this incident may seek help, counseling or advice from the university's Counseling and Psychological Services Center at 262-3180.

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Biology department receives funding
Beth Bliss
Staff Writer

The Appalachian State University biology department was recently chosen as one of nine institutions to receive funding from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in order to improve facilities for biotechnology education.

According to a press release from the Biotechnology Center, "The grants were awarded through the Center's Education Enhancement Grants Program, which strengthens biotechnology education and training at all educational levels by supporting curriculum design and first-year implementation, course design, development of instructional materials, purchase of equipment; faculty development and student recruitment."

Appalachian received $64,810 from the Center. According to Dr. Douglas Meikle, biology department chairperson, the grant will be used to purchase "sophisticated scientific equipment" to be used by students enrolled in biotechnology-related courses.

Equipment will be purchased for use in three classes: Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, a course that was added this semester, Meikle said.

According to Meikle, he received input in writing the grant from Dr. Mary Connell, Dr. Dru Henson and Dr. Mark Venable, faculty who teach the courses offered in biotechnology.

In addition to new equipment, funding will also be used to obtain sophisticated software to enhance equipment already used in biotechnology courses, Meikle said.

"This equipment (and) equipment we already have will allow students to do more sophisticated analyses of nucleic acids, proteins and lipids, as well as cell structure and function," Meikle said.

According to Meikle, the grant was issued to the biology department Jan. 15 and faculty are currently "shopping around" with various companies in order to find the most moderately priced equipment.

"The first challenge is (getting) bids on equipment," he said. "Half of the amount (of the grant) will go for one piece of equipment. It's all relatively expensive."

Meikle said the department hopes to have all of the equipment ordered within the next couple of months.

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Cabinet members keep SGA moving
Beth Bliss
Staff Writer

Note: This article is the first of two highlighting the duties of the SGA Cabinet.

Most students are probably familiar with the president and vice-president of Appalachian's Student Government Association. However, many students are unaware of the work put in by members of the SGA cabinet, a group of 12 students involved in a bulk of behind-the-scenes duties that contribute to the effectiveness of SGA and the improvement of the campus as a whole.

The SGA cabinet is composed of both an executive and a legislative branch. Positions included in the executive branch are chief of staff, treasurer, secretary, assistant secretary; public affairs chairperson, state affairs director and Mountaineer Escort director. Each cabinet member was chosen on the basis of an application and an interview process, and each has specific responsibilities within SGA.

Chief of Staff April Farwell, a senior communications disorders major from Atlanta, GA, is primarily responsible for maintaining organization within the SGA senate.

According to Farwell, the SGA chief of staff oversees senate elections each fall, and once senators have been elected the chief of staff assigns each senator to one of several committees within the university.

The SGA chief of staff also oversees the presidential and vice-presidential elections in the spring, Farwell said. "I also serve as a liaison between Kaye (Cranford, SGA president) and Todd (Poole, SGA vice-president)," she said. "If one of them needs an opinion, I'm there to help."

All financial transactions made through SGA are maintained by Treasurer Jewel Irish. Irish, a sophomore risk and insurance major from Charlotte, NC, said she is also responsible for seeing that SGA accounts are not overdrawn and for allotting money for travel expenses, programs, and various incidentals, such as decorations for Homecoming.

"I handle anything that deals with money through SGA, from supporting events to making travel possible," she said.

Senior Tina Ball assumed the position of SGA secretary this semester after serving as assistant secretary in the fall. In her new position, Ball is responsible for taking roll at senate meetings and overseeing senator attendance, recording and posting meeting minutes, and performing other various clerical duties.

Ball is assisted by sophomore Lindsay Phipps, a Political Science major from Fries, VA. As assistant secretary, Phipps is responsible for typing the weekly meeting agenda, maintaining files and recording minutes at meetings.

The primary duties of Public Affairs Chairperson Christy Barrick include planning Homecoming activities during the fall semester and working with representatives from various campus organizations through the Operation Outreach program.

In addition, Barrick, a sophomore marketing and hospitality management major from Raleigh, NC, said she has the added responsibility of writing to newspapers throughout the state to inform them of various incidents occurring on campus and what Appalachian and SGA are doing about such incidents.

State Affairs Director Michelle Lawrence serves as a delegate from Appalachian's SGA to the state Association of Student Governments. Lawrence, a junior history and political science major from Monroe, NC, attends a monthly meeting in Chapel Hill to discuss issues which may affect institutions within the University of North Carolina system. Lawrence described her position as "a liaison between (Appalachian) and the UNC system."

Jake Parker's position as Mountaineer Escort director will be unnecessary as of Jan. 31, when the Mountaineer Escort program is officially turned over to campus police. While Parker, a sophomore political science major from Chapel Hill, used to coordinate the program by finding volunteer drivers and advertising the service, he said he is now working as a "go-between" to insure the transition from SGA to campus security is a smooth one.

Each member of the executive branch of the SGA cabinet said their positions were accompanied by several pros and cons. The most commonly cited negative aspect was the time commitment involved in the position: as explained by Barrick, cabinet members are expected to serve 12 office hours per week and attend the weekly senate meeting, a cabinet meeting, and committee meetings when applicable.

Cabinet members also said it can be challenging to fairly represent everyone on campus and that, at times, it is difficult to spark student interest in SGA.

However, all members of the cabinet view their experiences with the group as positive ones. Members made note of the family-like relationship that exists between cabinet members.

"We've gotten really close," said Farwell. "This is one of the strongest cabinets I've seen. We have (many) different kinds of input."

Cabinet members also said being a part of this group has allowed them to meet many new people, from campus senators to university officials.

"The people I've met are unbelievable," said Lawrence. "The conversations I've had have helped me learn more about the university."

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Author, minster Dyson to celebrate Black History Month
Laurie Lyda
Staff Writer

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill commencement speaker Michael Eric Dyson will present a lecture on Wednesday, January 29th at 8 p.m. in Rosen Concert Hall.

Dyson, who is currently the director of the Institute of African- American Research at UNC-Chapel Hill, recently attracted nationwide attention for his controversial commencement address during December graduation exercises at UNC-CH.

The free lecture, which is open to the public, is presented in conjunctive celebration of Martin Luther King's Birthday and Black History Month. The lecture is co-sponsored by Appalachian's African-American Student Center and the annual Forum Lecture Series held by the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Dyson is one of the nation's most distinguished and visible public intellectuals. New Yorker Magazine says Dyson is becoming a prominent figure among a generation of black thinkers that are "the most dynamic force in the American scene since the fifties."

In regards to Dyson's writing, Time Magazine says that "in his prose, one hears the fervor of a Sunday sermon; in his ideas, one sees the analytic scrupulousness of a man who knows a thing or two about tenure committees."

Dyson has published two books, Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism, and From God to Gansta' Rap: Notes on Black Culture. His upcoming book is entitled Race Rules, and consists of essays on a broad spectrum of topics, from the O.J. Simpson trial to gender issues in the film Waiting to Exhale.

For more information about the lecture, call the Farthing Auditorium Box Office at 262-4046, or (800) 841-ARTS.

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In the News...

Tokyo String Quartet to Perform

The world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet will perform Thursday at 8 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center's Rosen Concert Hall.

Since their founding in 1969, they have earned praise for their technical command and dynamic performance style. The ensemble performs over 100 concerts each year across the United States, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, South America and the Far East.

Thursday's concert will feature Franz Schubert's "Quartet in B-Flat Major," Claude Debussy's "String Quartet in G Minor" and the "String Quartet in C Minor" by Johannes Brahms.

Tickets are $5 for students and $12 for all others. To obtain tickets or information, contact the Farthing Auditorium Box Office at 262-4046. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Creative Writing Scholarship

The English department is accepting submissions for the Truman Capote Scholarship in Creative Writing.

The competition is open to rising junior and senior English majors who exhibit talent in creative writing. The scholarship is for a full year's tuition and will be awarded on April 18 during Appalachian's Honors Day.

Interested students should submit two fiction or creative nonfiction stories, or five poems by 5 p.m. Feb. 6 to the English department office, second floor, Sanford Hall. All materials should be typed and include the author's name, address and phone number.

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Equity Manual Design Contest

Attention all artists: the Equity Office is sponsoring a design contest for its upcoming minority resource manual.

The contest is open to all students and involves designing a theme and cover for the manual. Preferred themes include diversity, multiculturalism, activism, empowerment, equity and ethnicity, but other ideas are also encouraged.

Entries must be submitted to the Equity Office, B-4, East Hall no later than March 9. The winner will receive a $50 award, as well as publicity from the Equity Office.

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Materials Sought for Festival

Photographs, posters, mementos and other items from travelers' international journeys are needed for Appalachian's International Festival Week, April 7-12.

Items are needed for displays in Plemmons Student Union and the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center. Loaned items will we used on wall and table displays and exhibited in locked display cases.

Festival organizer Roland Moy is also seeking musicians, dancers, and other entertainers who can volunteer to perform works of an "international flavor" at the Broyhill Inn.

For more information, call Moy in the political science/criminal justice department at 262-6350.

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Flutist Dev Sharone to Perform

Flutist Akal Dev Sharone and pianist Margaret Cornwell will present a concert in the recital hall of the Broyhill Music Center today at 8 p.m.

The concert is open to the public and is free of charge. For more information, call the music department at 262-3020.

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