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The Appalachian
TheAppalachianOnline.com
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Vol. 86 No. 04
22nd Annual Walk for Awareness by REBECCA HAMBLETON Intern News Reporter
A Margaret Cozens I The Appalachian
The ASU Gospel Choir performs an uplifting song for the crowd during Tuesday night's 22nd annual Walk For Awareness.
ppalachian State University’s 22nd annual Walk for Awareness successfully instilled its message in students on Tuesday night. For 22 years, Walk for Awareness has reminded students of the effects of violence, informed the community of ways to be safe and commemorated those who lost their lives. “Walk for Awareness is a time for ASU and the surrounding community to not only remember those who have suffered from violence in the past, but also to bring attention to the issue of violence in order to prevent it in the future,” said Lauren M. Estes, SGA president. “I was there to support all of those harmed by violence in one way or another, and to encourage my fellow students to take
Men’s head soccer coach dies by HANK SHELL News Editor
by JAKE AMBERG Sports Editor
a stand against it.” Although heavy rain prevented the Walk from taking its usual course across Sanford Mall and up to Duck Pond Field, the moment of silence, compassionate songs and moving speeches were no less effective. Denise M. Lovin, psychologist at the Counseling Center, said the message of Walk for Awareness was “to have the courage to take care of yourself.” Prior to the regularly scheduled event, two videos were shown in Belk Library and Information Commons. The first, called “Why Walk? A Survivor’s Story,” was a compilation of interviews with Appalachian faculty members explaining the program’s main goal of bringing the community together to take care of each other. The second film, “Captured,” which had previously aired on Oxygen, told the story of a former Appalachian student’s sexual abuse
and her astonishing escape. Afterward, students and faculty gathered in the Solarium to hear the Gospel Choir and the a cappella group “Ear Candy” perform, followed by speeches from Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, Dean of Students J.J. Brown, OASIS Representative Karen A. Bibb, Lauren M. Estes, Student Government Association Treasurer Glenn M. Steadman and the keynote speaker, Appalachian Baseball Coach Chris M. Pollard. Appalachian’s Office of the Dean of Students, Multicultural Student Development, Counseling and Psychological Services, Women’s Center, Appalachian Parents Association and University Highlands sponsored the event. Counseling and Psychological Services urge students who have been abused or know someone who has been abused to seek help at the Counseling Center.
Find out how the Mountaineers plan to bounce back from their 0-1 start on the Gameday Page
Appalachian State University’s men’s head soccer coach Shaun V. Pendleton, 49, was found dead in his Blowing Rock home Tuesday evening, according to an incident report from the Watauga County Sherriff ’s Office. “The entire Appalachian family is stunned and saddened by the loss of Coach Pendleton,” Director of athletics Charlie Cobb said in a press release from Appalachian Sports Information. “Our thoughts, prayers and concerns are with his wife, Jody, his friends and, especially, Coach Matt Nelson and the 27 special young men of our soccer program.” Men’s assistant soccer coach Matt Nelson found Pendleton at 6:27 p.m., according to the report. The incident was classified as an unattended death, and the Sheriff ’s Department has not yet confirmed the cause of death. Nelson played as goal keeper under Pendleton’s leadership while he attended Lynn University in Boco Raton, Fla. Pendleton was head coach of Lynn University’s men’s soccer team for 17 years, according to goasu.com. Nelson, who was entering his fourth season as an assistant coach, will act as head coach for the remainder of the season, said Paul Blascovich, Sports Information intern. “We are saddened by this loss within our community and the campus joins me in extending our deepest sympathy to those touched by Coach Pendleton’s death,” Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock said in the press release. “I know that our Appalachian family will join together to ensure that our studentathletes and athletics staff have the support needed during this difficult time.“ Dr. Dan Jones, director of counseling and psychology services, said that four staff members were with the team when they received the news of Pendleton’s death Tuesday evening. Pendleton, a native of Sheffield, England, was in his fourth season with the men’s soccer team. During his tenure at Appalachian, Pendleton amassed a 27-26-4 record, and saw his team finish second in the Southern Conference in 2008 and 2010. The men’s soccer team was scheduled to compete in the Davidson adidas Classic tournament this weekend in Davidson, N.C. A decision will be made Thursday to determine whether or not the team will participate, Blascovich said.
BB&T grant gives leadership chances to business students by HANK SHELL News Editor
Students in the Walker College of Business will have more resources for leadership development thanks to a recent $1 million grant from BB&T. The grant, which will be paid over five years, will fund the new BB&T Student Leadership Center, an Appalachian State University press release said. Randy K. Edwards, Walker College dean, said the center would focus on “professional development,” and would help students in today’s difficult job market. “One of the things that BB&T talks about is, a leader is anyone that can make a positive change in someone’s life, and so that’s an important part of this program as well,” said Rob C. Hudspeth, director of development in Walker College. “It’s not just about developing business executives, it’s about developing, you know, a solid student, a solid person.” Some of the specific programs mentioned in the press release were one-on-one executive mentoring, co-curricular leadership training, an annual leadership conference and career assessment tools to help students find the right profession. Edwards said that the mentoring program is already being tested. He said he thought “students will really benefit” from the program, in which students learn from business leaders. “These self assessment tools, Meyers Briggs Type Indicators, allow students to understand their strengths and weaknesses and then be able to explore their professional and personal interests from that, and so I think that will be an important part as well,” Hudspeth said. Edwards said the programs did not mean any changes to classroom instruction but would be co-curricular. “They’re not demanding that we do certain things. In fact, when we met with the folks who announced this gift, they used the word flexibility a lot,” Edwards said. Negotiations for the grant began in 2009. “It took a couple of years, a lot of discussion back and forth, and BB&T has really been focused, since Kelly King became CEO, on leadership, on developing leaders,” Edwards said. King spoke at Farthing Auditorium in October of 2009 as part of the Harlan E. Boyles CEO Lecture Series. Though most of the plans are still in development, Edwards said the center would probably be located on the 2nd floor of Raley Hall.
Nathan Cullitan | The Appalachian
Virginia Tech tight end Randall Dunn completes a pass for a touchdown as Appalachian State defensive back Demetrius McCray fruitlessly rushes to defend the endzone. Virginia Tech brought a confident Appalachian to its knees with a 66-13 win.
SGA election begins senatorial election process by HANK SHELL News Editor
The Student Government Association (SGA) held an interesting meeting for prospective senators in Plemmons Student Union Sept. 6. The meeting was conducted by SGA cabinet members and included information about SGA’s role at Appalachian State University, what it’s like to be a senator and the election process. “I wasn’t sure how many people would come out because we had to change the room and all that kind of stuff, but I think we had a really successful turn out,” said Lauren M. Estes, SGA president and senior political science major. Senator intent-to-run forms were also distributed at the meeting. The forms are the first step to entering the senatorial election process, and were due Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. “I just took all of the forms for people who wanted to start petitioning in and start getting voted on to be a senator, and it’s a pretty hefty pile, so I’m pretty happy,” Estes said.
Alexander McCall | The Appalachian
Junior mathematics major Frances E. Ramos has been involved in SGA throughout her career at Appalachian, and hopes to be an off-campus representative on senate this year. “It really went well,” Ramos said of the meeting. “It’s very informative and I think it’s very encouraging, especially for freshman and new comers.” During the meeting, current cabinet members also intimated the reasons that they chose to participate in SGA. “I joined SGA because I wanted to make a difference on campus,” said Glenn M. Steadman, SGA treasurer
Sophomore history major Bethany Douglass (l) listens to sophomore psychology major Cameron Carswell while she talks about SGA.
and senior insurance and risk management major. “I was previously in two other organizations that were university funded and, you know, they made a big difference, but if you really want to make an impact on campus, SGA is where you want to go.” Estes encouraged students to get involved with SGA. “People should get involved in SGA because no matter what else you’re involved or what else you’re not involved in, it’s an opportunity for you to make a university that you want to be a part of,” she said. Voting for the senatorial election opens Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. on Appalnet.