February 11, 1997

Electrical fire damages house
Jay Konstantaras
Assistant News Editor

The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house at 231 W. King St. was temporarily closed Saturday morning after an electrical fire caused structural damage to the building.

According to Boone Fire Chief Reggie Hassler, the fire, caused by an overloaded electrical outlet, was called into the Boone Fire department around 6:38 a.m. Saturday.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene reported seeing smoke and flames coming from an internal wall, Hassler said. The fire was contained within 30 minutes and no one was injured.

Damages were estimated at $10,000, which includes $4,000 worth of possessions. The house has been temporarily shut down until repairs are made to restore structural integrity to the building's second floor.

According to Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity President Mike McKenzie, house residents Max Williams, Ben Miller and Brian Smith have been temporarily relocated to the Broyhill Inn. He also said the university has offered them housing until the house is repaired.

"We're letting them stay at the Broyhill while they make new living arrangements," said Jim Street, assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. "We've also offered to let them live in the dorms until their house is fixed."

Hassler said the house's smoke detectors, which were inspected about three weeks ago, helped prevent injury. "We inspected them about two to three weeks ago and they checked out," he said. "They may have saved their lives."

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Decision reached by Judicial Board
Renee Cagle
Managing Editor

A University Judicial Board, comprised of 10 members, has recommended that one male student be suspended from Appalachian and that four others be placed on probation for lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct in the case of an assault that occurred Jan. 19.

A first-year female student alleged that she had been sexually assaulted in a residence hall charged the men under the code of student conduct with lewd, indecent or obscene conduct and forcible or non-forcible sex offense.

The board found the five men guilty of lewd, indecent or obscene conduct but not guilty of forcible or non-forcible sex offenses.

A sixth male student charged in connection with the same incident was found innocent of alleged offenses.

According to the Code of Student Conduct defines forcible or non-forcible sex offenses as "any sexual act directed against another person, forcibly and/or against that person's will; or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent. Non-forcible sex offenses are acts of unlawful non-forcible sexual intercourse."

According to Lee McCaskey, director of Judicial Affairs, any act that the normal person would consider lewd, obscene or indecent falls under the general misconduct code.

In addition to the probation and suspension sanctions, the board recommended that the five men found guilty of code violations perform 25 hours of community service and receive counseling.

The board recommended one student be on probation through the spring 1998 semester and three through the fall 1997 semester. Students on probation are not allowed to represent the university in any official function or leadership position.

The students have four working days to file written appeals to Judicial Affairs.

The board deliberated for nine hours Sunday before deciding on its recommendations. delivered to Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski on Feb. 10.

The university is prohibited by the U.S. family Educational Rights and Privacy Act from disclosing the names of students subjected to administrative discipline.

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School violence drops
future teachers still worry
Del Holston
Staff Writer

Violence in North Carolina schools has dropped in six incidence categories according to the third annual North Carolina report on violence.

The six categories that have decreased in the past year are: assault resulting in serious injury (313 incidents, down from 569); possession of a firearm (206, down from 305); robbery (195, down from 325); sexual assault (190, down from 319); assault with a weapon (161 incidents, down from 241); and sexual offense (146, down from 168). The decrease in the incidents occurred mainly at the middle school level.

The three most frequently occurring acts continue to be possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon (other than a firearm) and assault on a school employee. These acts together account for 85 percent of all acts committed, up from 76 percent the previous year.

This report marks the first time that individual schools reported the number of incidents. Previously, each school district provided only system-wide numbers.

The change is due to the Governor's Task Force on School Violence and the Safe Schools Act, passed by the General Assembly in 1993. The law requires individual schools to contribute figures to the report.

The report is issued in an attempt to find a solution to the problems with violence in schools. The report shows educators how to improve the existing conditions of violence in the schools and how to better intervene directly with the problems of violence and crime. This should aid in the School Improvement Plan which is now required of every school.

"I think the school systems are safe from when I went there," said Peter Brown, a sophomore and future high school educator. "Yes, there are some crazy things that go on, but it isn't all violence."

Jennifer Hackenholt, a sophomore and future high school English teacher had a different opinion. "I felt safe when I went to high school, but not now. I look back and see how my high school has changed. There are just too many reports of violence, and it makes you think."

When asked if Hackenholt was worried about violence in her future school she said, "yes, but not as scared as I should be. It won't keep me from teaching, but it will be in the back of my mind."

Another prospective teacher, Louis Solomon, a junior and future high school history educator says that it depends on what schools you go to. He also said that the home life of students is a big factor in school violence.

"I'm worried about the problems kids bring from home," said Solomon. "The one thing that worries me most about violence in schools is that I am not allowed to defend myself without worrying about losing my job."

Some of the strategies used in curbing school violence are school check-in policies, crisis management systems, surveillance systems, educating students to combat disputes, and parent involvement.

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Enrollment remains stable
Beth Bliss
Staff Writer

Enrollment figures for the 1996 fall semester were described as "neutral" by Dr. Bobby H. Sharp, director of Institutional Research and Planning.

According to Sharp, institutions within the University of North Carolina system are given an approved total enrollment count by the UNC general administration each year.

"Decisions for ASU's enrollment are not entirely up to one person," Sharp said. "We don't have the latitude to say what (our enrollment) will be without approval of the general administration."

Sharp said enrollment is calculated by the total full time equivalency, or FTE, within an institution. A student carrying a full-time course load of at least 12 hours is considered FTE. Part-time students are included as a fraction of an FTE.

According to Sharp, funding is granted to schools within the system on the basis of their allowed average annual FTE.

Appalachian was granted funding for 10,960 FTE in the 1996-1997 academic term, Sharp said. After the fall semester, enrollment was slightly below this mark and adjustments had to be made for the spring semester, he said.

According to Sharp, such adjustments were necessary because schools can be penalized for being significantly under or over their allowed enrollments.

If a school has a low enrollment, Sharp said, the institution can be denied funds in the following academic year. Similarly, if the enrollment is high, an institution will not receive any additional funding from the state and can expect to accommodate excess students.

Because Appalachian was slightly below its target, more new freshmen and transfer students were admitted in the spring term, Sharp said.

This is not an uncommon practice, Sharp said. If a university such as Appalachian finds their enrollment to be over or under after the fall term, it can adjust its spring enrollment to compensate the difference.

According to Sharp, it is also not uncommon for a school to miss its target enrollment. Personnel in the departments of Institutional Research and Planning and Admissions must determine how many applications should be accepted each term to fill holes left in the student body by graduating seniors, students who have been asked to leave the university for academic or disciplinary reasons, and students who are leaving the university of their own free will.

Sharp described university enrollment as a type of pipeline. "Enrollment is like a fluid in the sense that new students flow in and old students flow out, for various reasons," he said.

Sharp estimated that Appalachian will be approximately 20 to 40 students over the allowed 10,960 after the spring semester, a fairly small amount considering the large numbers involved.

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In the News...

Celebrate Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, the African-American Student Center and the Office of Cultural Affairs will present "Black Man Rising," a play celebrating the strength, resourcefulness and resilience of the African American male Feb. 21.

Described as a "choreopoem" by creator J.H. Chapmyn, the play uses such vignettes as "Our Young Black Men are Dying" and "Nobody Seems to Care" to examine the foundation of power that has kept so many black men focused and alive.

The production, which is free and open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. in the Linville Falls Room of Plemmons Student Union. For more information, call the Farthing Auditorium box office at 262-4046 or (800) 841-ARTS outside of the Boone Area.

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Pilobus Dance Theater Performs

The Pilobus Dance Theater, internationally known for its mix of physicality and invention, will perform Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium.

The group consists of six acrobats who use their bodies to create physical structures that have been described as "closer to sculpture than dance."

Pilobus has received international acclaim, having toured the United States, Central and South America, Asia and Europe. They have been featured annually at the American Dance Festival and have performed two seasons on Broadway.

Tickets are $5 or children and students and $12 for all others. To obtain tickets or more information, call the Farthing Auditorium box office at 262-4046 or (800) 841-ARTS outside of the Boone Area.

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ASU Wind Ensemble in Concert

The Appalachian State University Wind Ensemble, featuring student trumpeter Franz Merrell, will perform Feb. 20 at the Broyhill Music Center's Rosen Concert Hall.

The concert will feature Malcolm Arnold's "Tam O'Shanter," Aleksander Arutyunyan's Armenian folk song-inspired "Concerto for Trumpet," Dana Wilson's "Dance of the New World," Ira Hearshen's tribute to John Phillip Sousa "The Thunderer," Aaron Copelend's "Hoedown" and Harry Alford's "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise."

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

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Sculpture at Smith Gallery

"Forms and Forces," an exhibit of metal sculptures by North Carolinian Maryrose Carroll will open Feb. 24 at the Catherine J. Smith Art Gallery in Farthing Auditorium.

Carroll's work has been displayed in galleries and catalogues across the United States and abroad for over 30 years. Inspired by nature and ancient writings, her sculptures examine the spiritual nature of material existence.

Included in the exhibit will be "Silver Apple," which shows the natural decay of an apple combined with biblical and mythical implications.

Once open, the exhibit can be seen from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the gallery's regular hours. For more information, contact Acting Director Hank T. Foreman at 262-3017 or via e-mail at foremanht@appstate.edu.

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