April 17, 1997

Task force hears student concerns
Darin Glass
Staff Writer

A Task Force on Student Life meeting was held Tuesday afternoon in the Linville Falls room to enable students to voice their concerns.

The task force was charged by the chancellor on Feb. 24 to investigate these issues. There have been 30 issues brought up and four subcommittees are reviewing the issues.

The committee will come up with recommendations and submit them to the chancellor on May 1.

Not many students attended the meeting, but those who did voiced their concerns and asked many questions ranging from potential changes in the visitation policy to possible elimination of the Block Party.

White Hall Resident Student Association President Olivia Pleasants said, "We feel that taking away the Block Party will cause more problems in the long run. There will be partying in the streets and off campus (which) will filter into the Boone area."

Director of Housing Operations and task force member Brad Reid said, "Our minds have not been made up on any single issue at this point."

Reid also stressed that the student input is very vital to the decision making process.

On the issue of student rights, some students felt if visitation policies were tougher and drinking rights were revoked on campus, this would be infringing on their rights as a student.

If any changes occur affecting housing like having no alcohol, then there will be a notice to all students during the summer to inform them of the change or changes.

Reid said if changes do occur in housing, then students may be able to be released from their housing contract if they would not be happy living under the new conditions. All of these recommendations will be looked at during the Task Force sessions.

The task force members stressed that living on campus is a privilege and if the decision was made to eliminate alcohol on campus, it would not be violating student rights.

There are many other issues that the task force will tackle as well. The members will meet again on April 25 in a large meeting with all the members and discuss the issues in depth.

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Blimling honored by two groups
ASU News Bureau

Dr. Gregory S. Blimling, vice chancellor for student development at Appalachian State University, has received two professional honors.

He has been named a Senior Scholar by the American College Personnel Association and has been invited to participate in an educational policy round-table discussion at Oxford University in England this summer.

Blimling is one of 12 senior scholars selected by the ACPA, the largest national student affairs administration organization in the country. He will serve a six-year term. The first scholar to be selected from North Carolina, Blimling was recognized for outstanding scholarship and research in student development.

The scholars will meet with representatives of other national educational organizations in June to identify eight to 10 important trends in higher education impacting student affairs. They will prepare a series of recommendations for education administrators.

Blimling is one of 35 student development professionals in the world invited to the Oxford International Round Table this summer. This year's topic is residential colleges, one of his major interests. He has published numerous books and articles about residential learning centers and is editor of the Journal of College Student Development, an international publication with 8,000 subscribers.

The round table allows select, diverse leaders in education to discuss educational policy in a collegial atmosphere. Results of the deliberations will be published and distributed to international policy makers in higher education.

"This is quite an honor when you look at the caliber of people who have been involved in these programs," Blimling said.

Blimling has held his position at Appalachian since 1990. He is also a professor in the Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling and in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.

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Business center to promote industry
ASU News Bureau

Western North Carolina industries large and small are being encouraged to tap into the state's growing export markets, and Appalachian State University is playing a major role.

Paul Combs and Jean Pierre Courbois, both economics professors at ASU, have received $250,000 through Appalachian Regional Commission grants to help manufacturers explore and improve their export options and to establish the Appalachian International Business Center, part of the Broyhill Institute which Combs directs.

North Carolina's exports totaled $17.5 billion in 1996. The top grossing exports were industrial machinery and equipment, chemicals, transportation equipment, electronics, textile mill products, apparel and and agriculture.

But exporting isn't limited to big business or big-ticket items. Smaller industries, however, may need more assistance exploring their options and getting started. That is where the AIBC comes in.

"A lot of the smaller firms don't have knowledge of international markets or resources to devote to getting started in international trade," Combs said.

"We can help supply resources for those who can't afford to devote a lot of time and energy themselves."

Through the AIBC, business students and the professors can provide basic background research on a product's international market potential and help industries develop marketing plans, explore what markets to pursue, determine pricing, packaging and distribution of a product and if a product should be redesigned to meet foreign needs.

The center also refers businesses to state and federal agencies offering export assistance. Students and other center staff will help businesses use the Internet to learn about exporting and to communicate with others about the logistics of developing a foreign customer base.

"An important part of our original concept was using technology to help others learn about trade," Combs said. Few manufacturers, however, have access to the Internet, so AIBC staff will help businesses find a local Internet provider and train individuals to use the technology.

A web page, located at http://www.bibd.appstate.edu/aibc, provides links to online international business resources, an export tutorial, and information about import/export firms.

Additions will include a "bulletin board" where businesses can list international job opportunities, where those looking for international opportunities can post their resumes, and where AIBC members can participate in on-line discussions about export-related topics.

To further assist others in exploring world export opportunities, the AIBC has revived the N.C. World Trade Association Foothills Chapter and is providing administrative support to the organization.

Combs believes both the NCWTA chapter and website are valuable "vehicles for increasing awareness about trade."

The grant has also funded a satellite center at Western Carolina University which works with businesses in the western corner of the state.

"Our goal is to build western North Carolina's export capacity and in the process provide excellent educational experiences for our students," Combs said.

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In the News...

"Six Degrees of Separation"

The critically acclaimed John Guare play "Six Degrees of Separation" will be presented April 23-27 by the Department of Theater and Dance in collaboration with the Charlotte Repertory Theater.

The play, recommended for mature audiences only, follows the life of Paul, a gay black man who charms his way into the lives of Ouisa and Flan Kittredge.

The white, wealthy New Yorkers are easily conned and captivated by Paul, who claims to know their children at Harvard, speaks eloquently of his celebrity connections and insists his father is Sidney Poitier. Once they discover his deception and evict him, the couple learns of others who have been conned, and begin to investigate how Paul gained access to their lives.

Performances are 8 p.m. on April 23-26 and 2 p.m. on April 27 in Valborg Theater. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for all others and are available at the box office weekdays from 2-5 p.m.

For reservations or more information, call 262-3063.

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Walsh discusses education

"Higher Education in Cuba" will be the topic of a lecture by history professor Edward T. "Ned" Walsh Monday at 7 p.m. in the Alpine Lounge of Plemmons Student Union.

Walsh, a former chaplain at N.C. State University and other institutions, has been a visiting professor at the University of Matanzas, Cuba, during 1995 and 1996 teaching U.S. history, life and culture. Walsh is the first U.S. citizen Cuba's Ministry of Higher Education approved to be a visiting professor at the University of Matanzas.

The lecture is sponsored by the Appalachian Humanities Program, the center for Development of Social Responsibility and the Latin American Studies Program.

For more information, call Dr. Silvio Sirias at 262-2928.

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Cuban novelist discusses works

Cuban-American novelist and short story writer Virgil Suarez will read from his various works April 25 at 5 p.m. in the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center.

Suarez, a Cuban-born author and creative writing professor at Florida State University, will present excerpts from the novels "Latin Jazz," "The Cutter," "Havana Thursdays" and "Going Under."

The lecture is co-sponsored by the Appalachian Humanities program, the Visiting Writers Series, the World Literature Conference and La Tertulia, the university's Spanish Club.

For more information, contact Dr. Silvio Sirias at 262-2928.

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Guitar ensemble performs Friday

Members of the Appalachian Guitar Ensemble will perform a free concert of classical and contemporary works Friday at 8 p.m. in Rosen Concert Hall.

Directed by Dr. Douglas James, ensemble players will perform "Grand Overture" by Mauro Giuliani, "Entr'acte" by Jacques Ibert, "Orchestral Suite No. 2" by J.S. Bach, "Peg" by Fagen and Becker, "Unit 7" by Sam Jones and James' arrangement of "Three Celtic Tunes."

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