Technician
january
11 2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Task force recommends $50k for N.C. sterilization victims
New perspective enriches two engineering courses Two N.C. State professors join forces to enrich their students’ education experience.
Governor’s Eugenics Task Force holds its final meeting on compensation for living victims. Mark Herring Features Editor
“A lot of students do great in my class,” Warren said. “They get good grades, participate, and end on a solid note, and then they don’t end up utilizing the knowledge.” In these revamped course arrangeJessie Halpern ments, Vila-Parrish will spend time Deputy News Editor in Warren’s class and comment on Both ENG 331, Communication the technical aspects of the English for Engineering and Technology, course, ensuring that the students’ and ISE 498, Industrial Engineer- work in communication will also be ing Senior Design Project, have technically accurate. Likewise, Warbeen established and well-attended ren will view the presentations in Vilacourses on campus for many years. Parrish’s class and give feedback on This semester, however, students students’ communicating skills. “I’ll enhance what she does, and enin each class will get to spend time being taught by someone new in an courage why students need commuattempt to enrich the communica- nications training while she enhances tion skills of engineering students. what I’m teaching and adds validity to Ana Vila-Parrish, director of the technical aspects I’m less qualified the Industrial and Systems En- to comment on,” said Warren. While both gineering courses are listed Fitts Departin the registry just ment, spends as they always have her time with been, students will engineering notice the addition seniors teachof another professor ing a capstone on their syllabi. design course. “I spent t i me In this course, working for DELL her students and did a lot of create projects global communicaa nd present tion. Students really t he m u s i ng need to be taught the skills they how to formally and have learned informally commuthroughout Sarah Egan Warren, assistant nicate in their fields. prev ious reprofessor and senior lecturer It’s something that quired courses, may not have been one of which being Sarah Egan Warren’s Com- cultivated,” Vila-Parrish said. Andrew Dale, senior in internationmunication for Engineering and al studies, says that the course sounds Technology class. “We were introduced by a mutual like a good idea. “It sounds really cool, the concept friend and both had an interest in enriching students’ educations by of cross training seems like it would providing them with better com- be useful in a lot of fields,” Dale said. As both courses just had their first munication skills,” Vila-Parish said. “We decided to swap time in class meetings, both Warren and Vieach other’s courses so that I could la-Parrish are excited and have high add to the technical aspect of her hopes. “What we do is not isolated,” WarEnglish class, and she could help with the communication part of ren said. “Each class a student takes applies to something, but a lot of times my engineering course.” Both Warren and Vila-Parrish that knowledge gets lost somewhere.” By integrating their knowledge in will be able to spend some time in each others’ classrooms and help each other’s courses, both professors students enrich their education ex- hope to set an important precedent perience by getting commentary in the teaching industry. While they are mindful of staying true to their from both professors. Warren, an assistant professor courses’ purpose, Warren and Vilaand senior lecturer in the English Parrish are focused on enriching their department, feels it is imperative classes and making sure students leave for students to reinforce the knowl- with skills they need. edge they receive in class.
“What we do is not isolated. Each class a student takes applies to something, but a lot of times that knowledge gets lost somewhere.”
Mark herring/Technician
Elaine Riddick (left) hugs Dr. Laura Gerald after the final Eugenics Task Force meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10. The North Carolina eugenics program sterilized 7,600 people until it was repealed in 1977. Riddick was sterilized when she was 14-years-old.
Peak of Eugenic PROGRAM IN N.C. JULY 1946 - JUNE 1968 graphic by Taylor Cashdan
The Eugenics Task Force met Tuesday to discuss its final recommendation for the General Assembly on monetary compensation for the estimated 1,500 to 2,000 surviving victims of forced sterilization between 1929 and 1974. The state legislature officially authorized the practice of sterilization in 1933 with the creation of the Eugenics Board of North Carolina, a branch of the Department of Human Resources. Until the abolishment of the board in 1977, an estimated 7,600 people were forcibly sterilized, many of them African American and women, according to Department of Administration records. The task force, comprised of five members, approved the recommendation of paying $50,000 in compensation to the living victims. This compensation increased from the last proposal of $20,000, but an independent group of victims and their families lobbied for $1 million in compensation. Dr. Laura Gerald, chair of the task force and a pediatrician from Lumberton, said no amount of money will repay for the harm done. “We are not attempting to place a value on anyone’s life. However, we are attempting to achieve a level of financial services that can provide meaningful assistance to survivors,” Gerald said during the meeting. According to the Gerald, compensation serves a collective purpose for the state to acknowledge its mistakes from the past. “We do not tolerate bureaucracies that trample on basic human rights,” Gerald said. Unofrtunately, this public apology came too late for survivor Elaine Riddick, 57. Riddick, the victim of rape at the age of 13, gave birth to her son when she was 14 with the assistance of a Cesarean section. After the giving birth, doctors proceeded to sterilize her. “I was a victim twice,” Riddick said. “Once by the rapist and once by the state of North Carolina. Normally if you commit a crime you pay for it.
wednesday
Sterilizations Performed per County 10 or less
50-100
11-29
100-200
30-49
over 400
They committed the biggest crime— a crime against God. A crime against humanity.” The history of eugenics programs is not unique to North Carolina. In a the North Carolina Social Hygiene
Society magazine in 1947, Dr. Clarence Gamble of North Carolina advocated eugenics programs throughout the country.
Victims continued page 3
New bike lanes may improve transportation
insidetechnician
Bike lanes around campus may help cyclists get around N.C. State and Raleigh. Will Brooks Deputy News Editor
Wood and Leslie prepared for Georgia Tech
Opening ACC play with a win over UMD, the bar is set early for the Pack. See page 8.
Selection committee should revisit its process See page 8.
viewpoint features classifieds sports
4 5 7 8
Bike lanes that were placed on the University’s section of Hillsborough Street last August may see an extension, improving the biking environment around the campus area. “[Bike lanes] give some sort of indication as to where [bikers] should be,” Michael Rosenberg, junior in mechanical engineering and member of the Cycling Club, said. Rosenberg said that the bike lanes currently on Hillsborough Street were unnecessary to advanced bikers such as himself, he explained that the main advantage to having lanes there was to prevent bikers from using the sidewalks. “I’m comfortable with traffic,” Rosenberg said. “I do think it would prevent people from riding on the sidewalks, though.” Steven Boehm, junior in electrical engineering and also a member of the Cycling Club, encourages the city to add more bike lanes.
Ryan Parry/Technician
Looking for an open spot in the bike rack at the Brickyard, Daryl McManus, a study abroad junior in chemistry from Ireland, glides along the bricks. “Biking makes it easy to get around and gives you a good amount of exercise. Also, since it’s so flat here compaired to Ireland it’s enjoyable to ride around,” McManus said.
“I would appreciate more bike lanes; that would be nice,” Boehm said. Boehm said that while he would like to see more bike lanes in the campus area, he said the ones on Hillsborough Street do not serve a huge purpose.
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“I don’t really use the ones on Hillsborough much. I don’t think it is ideal, you’re still so close to traffic,” Boehm said. Both Boehm and Rosenberg said that the bike lanes on Hillsborough
street protected bikers from cars more than anything else. “[Bike lanes] would give riders a safe place to ride where drivers won’t
SPECIAL BACK TO SCHOOL HOURS: Monday - January 10 - 8am to 8pm
Monday Thursday, 8am 8pm Tuesday -- January 11 - 8am to to 8pm Wednesday - January Friday, 8am12to- 8am 6pmto 8pm Thursday - January 13 - 8am to 8pm Saturday, toto4pm Friday - January10am 14 - 8am 6pm
Lanes continued page 3