Environmental, Construction Efforts Discussed at
UNC Asheville Board of Trustees Meeting

UNC Asheville has won national recognition for its environmental efforts related to land and grounds management, the UNCA Board of Trustees learned Wednesday at its regular quarterly meeting. In the National Wildlife Federation's report, "State of the Campus Environment: A National Report Card on Environmental Performance and Sustainability in Higher Education" published in January, UNCA was the only college or university in North Carolina and one of only 15 in the U.S. to be cited as a leader in Landscaping and Grounds Programs. In the past eight years, UNCA has implemented programs for habitat restoration, native landscaping, removal of invasive exotic species, integrated pest management, and provision of food and shelter to attract wildlife, according to Melissa Acker, UNCA landscape director.

The award reflects one of several environmental initiatives under way at UNCA. In preparation for the design and construction of the new, bond-funded science building, UNCA held a two-day environmental charette in October to identify strategies for incorporating sustainability into the building's design, according to Stephen Baxley, UNCA's facilities management and design director. Several hundred people, including faculty, staff, students, designers, contractors and concerned Asheville/Buncombe community leaders, donated their time to collaborate on establishing environmental goals and committed to Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

UNCA has also become a member of the Labs in the 21st Century, a pilot program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program challenges many of the engineering paradigms in laboratory design and promises to provide labs that are both more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

The Science Building Committee and O'Brien/Atkins, the project architects, have completed the programming portion of the design process and are moving on to schematic design. The Board of Trustees today approved the siting of the $22.2 million building, which will be located just below Tennent Garden, adjacent to Rhodes-Robinson Hall and the Ramsey Library. The site, which was one among five suggested by the architects and UNCA's Master Plan, was selected through a campuswide process and was endorsed by the Student Government Association, Baxley told the board.

In addition, work continues on the extension of the pedestrian greenway along W.T. Weaver Boulevard to Broadway. A joint project of the City of Asheville, the N.C. Department of Transportation and UNCA, the first portion of the greenway was completed over a year ago. In conjunction with the Greenway Project, UNCA and the Botanical Gardens are engaged in stormwater runoff mitigation projects funded by a grant from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund. UNCA is using its portion of the grant for three innovative projects that will create a storm water wetland and bioretention zones to catch and filter storm water as it flows from adjacent roads and parking areas. The resulting clean water will flow into area creeks and the South French Broad River.

In other business, the board voted to recommend increases in several student fees, following a recommendation from the Campus Fees Committee. The committee is composed of administrators, faculty and students. The recommended fee increases total $30.75 per semester for full-time students, a 4.73 percent increase. Many of the fee increases cover state-mandated salary increases for staff.

Recommended fees are as follows: Athletics, $223.50, up $13.50; Health Services, $65.75, up $2.75; Campus Commission (student organizations), $50.50, up $4; Cultural and Special Events, $20, up $2; Highsmith Student Center (operations and programming), $60.25, up $6; and Educational & Technology (computer and science labs), $55, up $2.50. Fees remaining at 2001-02 levels are Student Parking, $35; Student Recreation, $60.50; and Debt Service, $110.

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• Merianne Epstein, Public Information Director, 828/251-6676