TECHNICIAN
Raleigh, North Carolina
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Resignation brings discontent to light Jessie Halpern News Editor
After Juliette Grimmett, former assistant director of interpersonal violence services, resigned from her position at the Women’s Center with a strong letter of resignation that was circulated widely on campus, it seems all the fuss is little more than a clash of personality—at least according to the University. Grimmett spent five years working in the N.C. State Women’s Center and said this is the work she will do for the rest of her life—just not at N.C. State. “I never thought I would ever resign from this position, but I had to because I literally exhausted every opportunity I had to make things better,” Grimmett said. According to Grimmett, there were issues in the leadership of the Women’s Center ever since its new director, Ashley Simons-Rudolph, took her post in August of 2011. Coming from six years of teaching courses in Women and Gender Studies for DELTA, N.C. State’s distance education program, and a program in Cairo, Egypt, the University hired Simons-Rudolph after conducting an international search to fill the position. While Grimmett did not say Simons-Rudolph is not qualified to direct the Women’s Center, her letter of resignation uses words such as “disrespectful,” “manipulative,” “dishonest,” “unprofessional,” “bullying” and “unfair” to describe her former boss. the Women’s Center and current director of the office of postdoctoral affairs. Joanne Woodard, vice provost for
equity and diversity, issued an official statement on June 1 addressing the Women’s Center. “The University’s administration reaffirms its commitment to the N.C. State Women’s Center and interpersonal violence services provided by the center since its inception,” Woodard wrote. “The Women’s Center will continue to provide IPV services to survivors of rape and sexual violence and education to the campus community about this important issue.” According to Grimmett, this is an empty promise. “This is a hollow affirmation for the following reasons: 1) In the last week of February, Ashley told me ‘Joanne and I have decided there will be a decreased commitment to IPV services in the Fall.’ Stating that IPV services has been disproportionately funded at the Women’s Center and that funds will be taken out of IPV to go to other Women’s Center programs. 2) Ashley and Joanne stopped the submission of the $300,000 Department of Justice grant that would have provided another full-time advocate for survivors on campus (which we need as about 90 survivors of IPV report to the Women’s Center each year), as well as other services for IPV awareness and education. And 3) They have demoted the IPV position at the Women’s Center from Assistant Director to Coordinator,” Grimmett said. Grimmett’s side of the story goes into far more detail than the University response, and she isn’t the only one filling in the lines. “From the beginning, once I noticed it was a pattern of behavior, I really tried to talk to [Ashley Simons-Rudolph] about concerns and have conversations with her,” Grimmett said. “Every time I would try to have a
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CHARLIE HARLESS/TECHNICIAN
The city of Raleigh has plans to reduce the Belltower roundabout from two lanes to one.
Hillsborough Street roundabout reduced to single lane this summer After 100 accidents, the city of Raleigh will see if a single lane can improve safety. Mark Herring Editor-in-Chief
The roundabout on Hillsborough Street next to the Belltower will undergo a lane reduction, from two lanes to one, this summer as the city of Raleigh attempts to improve safety. The reduction of lanes will cost the city $10,500 and construction will end before school starts in August. In the past 20 months, the Raleigh Police Department reported more than 100 crashes at the roundabout. This alternative to the traditional stoplight has been a topic of contention since the Hillsborough Street renovations in 2009. The proj-
ect is part of the ongoing construction and renovation of Hillsborough Street, with repaving and remarking taking place from the Morgan Street roundabout to the former chancellor’s residence, and repaving between Dixie Trail and Gardner Street. Tim Sudano, public works project engineer of the original traffic circle, said the city didn’t foresee safety issues during the design of the project and doesn’t understand why drivers are having problems. “It’s hard to look into the future when you’re building it,” Sudano said. “We put out fliers to educate the public, and to be honest…I never had a problem navigating the circle.” Wolf line transit will not face major changes with the traffic adjustments, according to Brian O’Sullivan, transportation assistant director of planning and operations.
LANE REDUCTION: Start of construction: End of June, early July Cost: $10,500 Delays: Temporary traffic stops Duration: Until the end of July SOURCE: RALEIGH PUBLIC WORKS
He cited more Wolfline problems during the construction phase of the roundabout vis-à-vis the current state of the traffic circle. “If you’ve driven it, some folks seem to not get the system down, and some drivers seem confused, but it’s well signed,” O’Sullivan said. “Maybe a single lane around will eliminate confusion, as long as folks are yielding more.” Hillsborough Street retailers and restaurants do not predict the con-
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Romney secures the nomination
Goodbye Chris Brown
Romney’s recent win in Texas secured him the nomination, but it’s a long road to the White House.
After 16 years of service, Chris Brown is leaving his post overseeing research development.
Arjun Puri Staff Writer
Mitt Romney won the Texas primary and assured the Republican nomination last week, beating out several other candidates, and the victory is not going unnoticed on campus. While he has become known as the “multi-million dollar man,” Romney started his journey to the White House in 2008 when he forfeited the GOP nomination to Sen. John McCain. In early 2011, Romney announced his decision to run for the republican presidential candidate once again. Looking at Romney’s background, it’s not surprising he entered the world of politics. After leaving Stanford University, Romney attended Brigham Young University, followed by Harvard Business School. He entered the business sector upon graduating and transformed failing corporations into financial powerhouses, an experience he is using to promote his economic plan for the country. Before he began pursuing the presidency, Romney served
as the 70th governor of Massachusetts. Varun Ganesh, a junior in biomedical engineering, said potential to change the country is being wasted every day, and he thinks Romney is the right man for the job. “Romney’s plan to reduce taxes, regulation and spending is good for America and can be the long-term solution for this economic stall,” Ganesh said. “Also, I feel there needs to be a change in the healthcare system, and Romney’s plan is a better alternative to the current system.” North Carolina is said to be a key to the White House in this year’s election, and Romney is paying attention. In a visit to Charlotte last month, the presidential hopeful made it known he would be targeting North Carolina. “In North Carolina, of course, our campaign may not be able to keep up with the President’s spending levels…[but] our message is about getting this economy going again,” Romney told Fox News.“And we look at his record, it’s three and a half years of policies that have failed us. We have high levels of unemployment and home foreclosures. The reason I will win is because of my message, not because of my spending.”
Charlotte is one of the main headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, which makes the race for the key state all the more interesting. The city will host the Democratic National Convention in September. Romney said going up against Obama will be a challenge, but some, including Andy Taylor, professor of political science, think Romney has a better chance than many think. “Given the [current] poor economy and the president’s low approval ratings, Romney must have a realistic chance,” Taylor said. Romney won a smaller proportion of the vote than any other Republican nominee in the last thirty years. This may be due to his reputation as a “flipflopper.” Conservatives have seen Romney “flip-flop” on issues such as gay marriage, health care and abortion. After declaring himself pro-choice in 2002, Romney said in a recent speech that he was firmly pro-life. Furthermore, the passage of Amendment One
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Avrjun Puri Staff Writer
After all the accomplishments and memories Chris Brown, the University’s assistant vice chancellor for research development and plant biology professor, has made here at N.C. State, it is bittersweet for students and faculty to say goodbye Chris Brown a s h e accepts Associate Vice Chancellor the role for Research of Vice Development President of Research and Graduate Education for UNC-General Administration. When he’s not at home brewing his state awardwinning beer, Brown is w inning hundreds of thousands of dollars for the N.C. Space Grant. Jobi Cook, associate director of the N.C. Space Grant, said Brown has been instrumental in connecting N.C. State with the
Space Grant program. “He is just so knowledgeable about NASA and loves connecting students with research opportunities and watching them grow,” Cook said. Cook met Brown in 2002 and became involved with his work after she started working for the University. She described him as one of the most down-to-earth, humble people she’s ever meet. Brown brought in $15 million in grants and contracts for research, education and commercial development projects from federal and state sources he has received. In addition, several of his projects have been launched into space on the International Space Station. Brown admitted a few things he will miss N.C. State, but is looking forward to the next chapter of his career. “This may sound strange, but I will really miss the campus life,” Brown said. “Walking around campus, seeing the flurry of students whisk past me was always a good sign, something I really enjoyed. “A big commitment of mine was, and still is, student involvement in research, and although you won’t see me walking about the brick and mortar campus, I can assure
you I will still be heavily involved in connecting motivated students, but this time in all 16 campuses of the UNC system, not just State.” Brown said he will remember N.C. State, but this new position will make him represent every UNC campus. “I never climbed the Belltower or did anything crazy like that,” Brown said. “I was pretty regular here at State but in a way, I’ll miss that feeling the most. You can bet I’ll visit here often, hunting for a parking spot is just something that becomes a part of you and you can’t let go.” Cook said Brown’s passion brought him to this new promotion. “He is so passionate about his work and really relishes at seeing students success’s. That’s why I believe he tried to hold on to his role of professor for so long, it just speaks volumes about his character,” Cook said. Roger Narayan, professor in biomedical engineering, worked with Brown and also commented on his passionate work ethic and modest manner that commands respect. Brown also worked closely with the late George Barthalmus, the former direc-
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BROWN continued page 2
SCAN HERE
After five years at the center, Juliette Grimmett leaves N.C. State.