Though UNC Asheville will be closed on January 21 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students won't be taking the day off. Instead students, faculty and staff will observe "A Day On, Not a Day Off." The campus community will head to Aston Park Towers and Altamont Apartments for a massive cleanup from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on January 21. Following the volunteer work, students, faculty and staff plan to join the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in downtown Asheville.

"One of the best ways we can honor Dr. King's life is to work toward the good goals he would have embraced, including volunteerism," said Bill Haggard, UNC Asheville Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. "Providing direct service to the local community teaches our students to engage fully with the world around them and I feel Dr. King would be pleased with that lesson."

Two additional events have been planned.

A screening of the noted television documentary "Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement" will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, in UNC Asheville's Highsmith University Union, room 104. A segment on "Two Societies: 1965-1968" from the 14-hour, award-winning series will be shown. Narrated by Julian Bond, the program features contemporary interviews and historical footage of the civil rights movement. The event is free and open to the public.

CANCELLED -- UNC Asheville students will read personal essays written on "What Would Martin Luther King Jr. Say about the Hip-Hop Culture of Today?" at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, in UNC Asheville's Laurel Forum, Karpen Hall. Essays will be judged by a panel of UNC Asheville faculty, who will award prizes for the best entries. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call UNC Asheville's Multicultural Student Programs Office at 828/232-5110.