The Appalachian
TheAppalachianOnline.com
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Vol. 86 No. 10
New SGA bill adds senate seats for UFOs by HANK SHELL News Editor
The Student Government Association (SGA) passed a bill Sept. 27 that will add 10 senate seats for members of selected university-funded organizations (UFOs). The bill, which passed 32 to seven with eight abstentions, was part of Student Body President Lauren Estes’ and Vice President Mattie Hardin’s platform during their 2011 campaign. “This is a step in the right direction because it kind of gives the ability for a member of a sorority or a member of a fraternity or APPS or whatever to actually
speak on behalf of that organization versus having to also speak on behalf of their residence hall or off campus,” Estes said. Estes said the idea was originally a suggestion from students, and was later added to the Estes/Hardin platform. “We actually heard it during campaign and everybody really, really loved it,” Estes said. Estes and Hardin approached off-campus senator Frances E. Ramos to write the legislation. “I support it because I see the need to unify the campus. I see the lack of communication and lack of representation among our students, our student body and the biggest
organizations on campus,” Ramos said. Ramos said the 10 organizations were chosen based on “what has the biggest amount of members, official members, what organizations impact the whole student body the most.” The bill would allow each named organization to elect its own representative. Though the bill was widely lauded in the Sept. 27 meeting, not all senators believe it is the right move. Off-campus senator Bobby Lee said he thinks the legislation will be ineffective because it targets the wrong groups. “These organizations – like NPHC, IFC, RHA, Ambassadors – the kind of people
that are involved in these groups, these are already the people that are the ones involved in SGA,” Lee said. Lee said he feels SGA is “targeting this at the wrong people.” “As many people as the organizations do represent, they already have representation in SGA. I’m thinking we should be trying to reach people that aren’t involved in SGA or don’t even care about it at all,” he said. The bill must pass the entire student body by referendum because it involves amending the SGA constitution. The referendum will most likely be administered on Appalnet, but that hasn’t been confirmed, and a date has not been set.
Homecoming blood drive meets goal by HANK SHELL
Students visit Turtle Island
News Editor
Intern News Reporter
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ppalachian State University’s 2011 Homecoming Blood Drive met its goal of 1,000 pints Wednesday. As of press time, blood donations were still being processed. The drive, one of the largest in the state, was held in Holmes Convocation Center and lasted from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., though registered donors and staff were there much later. More than 1,600 people registered for the event, said Kara L. Dudley, communications program manager for the Carolinas blood services region of the Red Cross. Dudley also said 22 additional staff members were sent to accommodate the large number of donors expected. Faculty, staff and student volunteers from a diverse range of organizations assisted with the drive. “It has been very chaotic but at the same time everything is running very smoothly,” said Angie L. Trickel, chair of the student blood drive committee, during the event. Trickel was busy passing out snacks to waiting donors, coordinating donations and helping other volunteers during the event. “Our volunteers have just really shown much more initiative than we’ve ever seen in the past, and they seem to care more, not just because they’re getting homecoming points but because they actually want to help make a difference,” she said. Trickel said organizers were already looking at ways to improve next year’s drive. “Occasionally throughout the day you see something that went wrong and you think ‘oh next year that’ll have to change,’ but we’ll have one more meeting after the drive where we will do a bunch of evaluation stuff to figure out what we’re going to change and what worked really well,” Trickel said. Dudley said currently, Red Cross blood levels are critically low “The need for blood doesn’t take any vacations or holidays. We need it every single day,” she said. For information on blood drives happening in your area, visit redcrossblood.org. FDA blood ban protest
Though many students participated in the blood drive, some were not able to for controversial reasons. An FDA ban, in place since 1977, prohibits men who have ever had sexual contact with another man from donating blood. “This ban is wrong nowadays because it prevents numerous amounts of people from giving blood that are perfectly healthy and perfectly capable of giving blood, and during the time where they constantly stress the importance of there being a lack of blood, I find it just ridiculous that an antiquated law is preventing perfectly healthy people from giving blood,” said Jonathan S. Green, a senior English secondary education major. During the drive, Green spoke to donors about the ban. He also had students sign postcards in protest of the ban. Green said he had gotten a positive response from those he had spoken to. “There have been a lot of people who didn’t even know about it and then there have been people who that I talked to that are just like ‘yea lets get rid of it,’” he said. People who want to help with the protest can come by the LGBT center and sign a postcard, Green said.
Margaret Cozens I The Appalachian
Senior social studies education major Marc Gmuca relaxes as he begins to donate his blood at Wednesday's blood drive. The blood drive took place in Holmes Convocation Center and boasted high attendance among Appalachian State University students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Margaret Cozens I The Appalachian
Appalachian State University hosts its annual blood drive Wednesday in the Convocation Center. The drive lasted all day and welcomed student, faculty, staff and alumni donors throughout the day.
by ABBI PITTMAN
Thirty-five Appalachian State University students visited the Turtle Island Preserve open house Sept. 25 for a lesson in deliberate and natural living. The students are members of the Watauga Global Community (WGC), a residential learning community at Appalachian. Turtle Island is located in a remote valley in Triplett and is home to an old-fashioned rustic community founded by Appalachian alumnus Eustace Conway. Conway’s 1,000-acre preserve features an outdoor kitchen, stables, cabins, a henhouse and a blacksmithing building built by hand. It lacks hot water and electricity. Raised on a farm in Asheville, would-be junior building science major Chole Tipton said rustic living isn’t for everyone. Tipton is taking a year off school to work and learn at Turtle Island. She is nine weeks into a 14-month internship guided by Conway, learning skills like hunting, forestry, farming and animal husbandry. “I wanted to work,” Tipton said. “Before I finished my institutional education, I wanted an education I could fall back on.” Since 2003, David Huntley has taken his deliberate living seminar class to the Turtle Island open house after teaching “The Last American Man,” author Elizabeth Gilbert’s book about Conway’s life. Tipton first visited Turtle Island in 2009 with Huntley’s class and was immediately drawn to the lifestyle. During the preserve’s bi-annual open house, experts and Conway’s friends teach workshops on subjects like woodcarving, knife sharpening and basket weaving. Taylor “Jose” Garrido, a freshman biology major, attended a workshop in which a live rooster was slaughtered and gutted. Garrido said he has always striven for self-reliance and is considering volunteering at the preserve. “The only problem I had with Turtle Island was that I couldn’t stay forever,” he said. For more information on the Turtle Island Preserve, visit turtleislandpreserve.com.
Watauga Humane Society’s new facility opens doors by CATHERINE HAITHCOCK Intern News Reporter
After three years of planning, fundraising and construction, the Watauga Humane Society will open the doors to a brand new shelter Friday at 12:30 p.m. The newly constructed Irma Baker Lyons Adoption and Education Center received its certificate of occupancy Sept. 22, approximately two years after the start of construction. The new center is located off U.S. Hwy 421 at 312 Paws Way, an access road off Don Hayes Road. The old shelter was accessed by a low-water bridge crossing the New River, which would flood when the river went up, Board Liaison Bill Jolly said. “FEMA had condemned the area so we couldn’t remodel to prevent this from happening,” he said. “If the river got too high, we had to evacuate the kennels because they would flood,” said Brandee Jones, sophomore biology major and Humane Society volunteer. She said the renovations are “the
land and has the capacity to accommodate more animals than the old location – around 80 dogs and 100 cats, Shelter Manager Lynn Northup said. The facility will also house animals from Watauga County Animal Care and Control. The organization initially planned to raise funds for its own new facility but ultimately chose to donate the $400,000 it raised to the Humane Society, Rachel Jolly said. Upgrades to the Olivia Wilkes | The Appalachian facility include larger The Watauga Humane Society is moving to its new location at 312 Paws Way, kennels, more access beside the Humane Society dog park, and will open to the public Friday. to outdoor space, two communal cat rooms, a best thing about the new facility.” community will embrace this kitten room, separate grooming and “It won’t flood anymore, no facility because it belongs to them,” exam rooms and a surgical room. emergency take-outs, no more Acting President Rachel Jolly A new community room will be crumbling concrete. It will be easier said. “We are fortunate to live in used for meetings, dog training, to clean and more high-tech,” Jones an area that truly loves its animal volunteer training and educational said. companions.” sessions. “We hope that the entire The new shelter sits on 13 acres of Trails will eventually be built
on the surrounding land to allow community members to walk Humane Society dogs, Administrative Assistant Melinda Clement said. The Humane Society will continue to raise funds for the remaining $800,000 needed out of the $4 million facility campaign, Rachel Jolly said. Last Saturday, the society hosted its annual Dog Jog, a onemile race for dogs and owners, at the Watauga County Parks and Recreation Complex. Over 80 students and community members registered to participate in this year’s jog, including sophomore social work major Lindsay E. Royek. Royek adopted her dog, Roscoe, from the Humane Society last year. “It’s just nice to get involved,” Royek said. “It’s good to give back to where I got him from.” The new facility will be open from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 12:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday For more information, visit wataugahumanesociety.org.