SEASON IN THE BOOKS
App State football wrapped up a 7-5 season in their first FBS campaign. Check out all of the numbers and specifics from a solid first season in the Sun Belt on page 9.
The Appalachian 12.04.14
Appalachian State University’s student news source since 1934
Vol. 89, No. 26
Counseling center faced with backup by Thomas Culkin News Reporter
This semester, the Appalachian State University Counseling Center has seen a sharp increase in patients, leading to a backup greater than most semesters. As of fall break, the counseling center had 17 more walk-ins looking for an assessment than they’d had at the same time last year. There was a 25 percent increase in the number of counseling sessions, with 191 more than there had been at the same time last semester. The center also had experienced a 32 percent increase in after-hours emergency phone calls. Dan Jones, the director of counseling and psychological services said as of Nov. 18, the counseling center had approximately 30 people on its waiting list who had yet to be seen. However, the length a student would have to wait varies depending on the severity of the student’s needs. “It would not just be some clear-cut answer as to how long the wait would be,” Jones said. “If you were suicidal, or homicidal, or you’d been raped – you’d be urgent. Those highest-level people would be seen within a few days.” Jones said despite the backup, everybody on the waiting list will have the chance to be seen at least once. The problem, Jones said, is that it’s difficult to see everyone as quickly as they’d like because they have to accommodate the students’ schedules as well as preference in therapists. One way the counseling center has been helping students get care quickly is by referring them to private practices, if possible. “Sometimes people come in [the counseling center] and we tell them it could take two weeks for us to get you to ongoing counseling, but we have a list of private providers in the community,” Jones said. “We tell them they can choose to wait two weeks to see a therapist here, or we can give you the name of a private therapist who might be able to see you within a few days.” The counseling center also holds group therapy sessions, which Jones said help alleviate the waiting list. “I think [group therapy sessions] do help the waiting list, because they allow you to see more students in a time-efficient way, but research supports the notion that group therapy is equal to the effects of individual therapy,” Jones said. The counseling center currently employs nine psychologists, one social worker who works as a referral coordinator, one post-doctoral fellow and three interns. “The university is being very generous in giving us staff, but the numbers of students coming to counseling centers tend to exceed the staff and resources in a lot of centers,” Jones said. “It’s a national trend.” However, Matt Dull, the vice chancellor of student development said the tuition committee approved a new counselor and a new case manager for the 20152016 school year. The counseling center and Psychological Services also hold suicide prevention training workshops. These workshops educate attendees on suicide statistics, what the warning signs are and what to do if you notice the warning signs in somebody.
I
n the 1970s, all of the fun for students in Boone was actually located in Blowing Rock. While the establishments surrounding the school were dry, a number of clubs, bars and dance halls just down the road attracted national recognition and regional attendance. Most notably was the live music at P.B. Scotts, one of seven popular bars at the time. Those bars closed in 1983, when the Town of Blowing Rock passed a new alcohol ordinance outlawing bars and limiting alcohol sales to package stores and full-service restaurants. This move was made partially to keep rowdy students out – and it worked. In the next year, over 700 students transferred to other universities. When the school tracked them down, they all had the same reason. “Over 90 percent said, ‘We love Appalachian, we love the faculty, the classes.’ They liked Boone, the change of seasons, all the reasons that people come here – but there wasn’t anything to do socially,” said David Robertson, director of special projects for Appalachian State University. Dino DiBernardi, assistant director of Complementary Education at the time, now the Student Development Center currently, recognized the importance of out-of-class learning, and saw an opportunity to create something new with the old Winn-Dixie property on campus that the university had recently purchased as storage. “Students who stay on campus and make a deep connection with the university do better academically and persist to graduation,” DiBernardi said. With some minor conversions, the site was reopened in 1985 as H’appy’s, a student nightclub open with live performances six days a week, which allowed for students to bring their own beer.
Current program advisor for student programs Randy Kelly came to Appalachian after booking shows at P.B. Scotts since 1976. He had relocated to Charlotte when Appalachian came asking about the types of acts that had attracted students to Blowing Rock before his business had been shut down. “I knew what every band was making, everywhere,” Kelly said. With his experience in the entertainment industry, he was able to get the same quality acts for much cheaper than they would usually charge for a university. “I am the only person in the country with my exact job,” Kelly said. “There is no other campus that has a 1,000 seat nightclub, run by students, that allows them to bring in their beer, and does regional and national acts every week. I’m it – I like that.” With Kelly’s industry connections, Robertson founded the Appalachian Popular Programming Society later that year, placing the decisions in the hands of students. In March of 1986, an unexpected move made H’appy’s more crucial than before, when the Town of Boone approved an ordinance allowing for the sale of beer, wine and spirits in the town. Students no longer had to make the trek to Blowing Rock to purchase their six-packs to tote to shows. “It was fun creating a new program,” DiBernardi said. “Student response was outstanding, we were packed every night.” He remembers turning faculty and staff away when the club reached capacity in its early days, reserving the space for students above all else. Once the 1 a.m. nights on top of his 8 a.m. job got to be too much, however, the student volunteers of APPS took on full control in staffing, advertising and brainstorming concerts. “Our role is to advise and support students in that process,” DiBernardi said. “When the university hired me, they asked me if I believed in working myself out of a job.” When money came around in 1988 in for carpeting over
SEE LEGENDS PAGE 7
Farmers market moves to King Street by Nicole Caporaso Senior News Reporter
The owners of Veggies, Fruit and More, have reopened their business, now at 362 W. King St., after being forced to out of their previous location earlier this year due to an impending chain restaurant addition to Boone. Allen Curtis and his wife Susan, whose business was formerly located on the extension of 105 next to Papa John’s, said the local produce shop chose their new spot in order to stay accessible to students – their target market. The store opened Nov. 17. “If I were not near the ASU students, I would not want go back in business,” Allen Curtis said. “I would’ve quit. The ASU students are my heart. Therefore, if students
SEE FRUIT & VEG PAGE 3
Sarah Weiffenbach
Veggies, Fruit and More owner Allen Curtis holds up a head of lettuce in his new store location on King Street. Allen Curtis and his wife Susan recently relocated from their 105 extension store.
Dance Marathon serves local non-profits for children Intern News Reporter
chian students. For many, the experience proves invaluable.
Every February for the past 11 years, Appalachian and the Community Together has hosted the Dance Marathon, a 15-hour event that fundraises money for local non-profit organizations. Last year, Dance Marathon raised a record-breaking $33,246.49. The proceeds were split evenly between Parent to Parent Family Support Network and Western Youth Network, both of which work with local children. As well as financially supporting P2P and WYN, Dance Marathon gives these families an opportunity to interact with each other and Appala-
Parent to Parent Family Support Network P2P is an organization that acts as a non-profit and provides information and support for families with children who have special needs. Special need, as defined by the P2P website, describes a child who has specialized medical, educational, and/or psychological care. In Watauga County, there are 775 children who fit this definition. This organization provides their services for eight counties in Western North Carolina – Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties.
by Clare McPherson
Dalton Kilby
Senior sociology major and Dance Marathon fundraising chair Melissa Lee sorts through props to prepare for Dance Marathon.
All of the services provided by P2P come at no cost to the families, therefore creating more costs for the organization itself. Last year, P2P received $16,623.24 from Dance Marathon. Karen Hayes, director and coordinator of P2P said without Dance Marathon, P2P would not survive financially. “It keeps our doors open,” Hayes said. “It’s a dream come true.” Hayes said Dance Marathon also assists them in other ways, such as providing an opportunity for the kids to break out of their shells and have fun. She said Appalachian stu-
SEE DANCE PAGE 3