07272012

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TECHNICIAN          

thursday

july

24 2012

Raleigh, North Carolina

technicianonline.com

Students take arms in Syria

Campus Crossings accused of billing fraud Arjun Puri Staff Writer

STUDENT CONNECTIONS Editors note: This is a new section connecting N.C. State students to students outside North Carolina and the struggles they face. Noah Rouse Correspondent

The Syrian civil war has forced many university students there to desert their studies as political stability crumbles, and some students have taken up arms, according to reports by The Guardian.

PHOTOILLUSTRATION BY EMMA PTAK

Bashar Al-Assad, president of Syria, has �undertaken a year-long campaign to contain an uprising against the Assad regime, pitting Syrian government forces against the Free Syrian Army, a ragtag group of rebels who are determined to oust the regime by any means necessary. It is, essentially, a civil war. Gover n ment ta n k s lu mber through the streets, clumsily aiming their guns at the remains of shelledout apartment complexes while shell-shocked conscripts watch. Rebel forces scurry among the ruins

of the city, popping out only to take a shot at the passing patrols. To the people of Aleppo, the skirmishes mark the beginning of a new period in an already chaotic conflict, but outside the noise and chatter of the street fighting in the village of Derat Azza, five men watch the battle as distant smoke plumes on the horizon. War passed through the tiny village weeks ago, ending in a rebel victory. It’s quiet now, with the exception of the occasional artillery shell and the patrols of a small rebel garrison.

BELLTOWER BRIEFS

Today’s crisis f inds these young men just short of frontline combat, but they are anything but soldiers. It was only a few months ago that they were students at the nearby University of Aleppo, one of Syria’s most prestigious schools and a hotbed of anti-regime activism during the early days of the uprising. Like many young people who rose up during the Arab Spring, they had become fed up

SYRIA continued page 2 STORIES BY MARK HERRING

ALUM BECOMES PRIME MINISTER OF EGYPT

BELLTOWER ROUNDABOUT LANES REDUCTED

MINIMUM WAGE: A TOPIC FOR DEBATE

Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi appointed Hesham Kandil, an N.C. State alum, as prime minister Tuesday. Hesham, a graduate from the doctoral program in biological and agricultural engineering in 1993, will lead Egypt’s foreign affairs as Morsi focuses on domestic policy and internal development. The Prime Minister historically represented the largest party in the Egyptian parliament, but Kandil is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, according to al-Jazeera, Kandil’s large beard and strong religion makes him a suitable diplomat within Egypt’s factions.

Workers will begin construction to reduce the number of lanes in the roundabout by the N.C. State Belltower from two lanes to one 8:30 p.m. Friday. Since the roundabout opened in 2010, police have recorded more than 100 traffic accidents. Transportation engineers said that by reducing the roundabout to one ring, traffic will should be more simple and more safe. Workers plan to finish the adjustments by 6 a.m. Saturday.

With the economy as a prominent theme for the upcoming presidential election, lowwage workers have taken the streets to advocate to raise the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25. Eighteen states and Washington, D.C. have higher minimum wages compared to the federal rate, but the trend to raise the minimum wage may not catch momentum to sway the federal government. President Barack Obama said he would raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by the end of 2011, but the federal-mandated minimum hasn’t changed.

Campus Crossings, a Tryon Road apartment complex that many N.C. State students call home, was recently cited for illegally charging tenants for services and electricity that were not being used. Elizabeth Long, a recent graduate in criminal law and justice, helped bring Campus Crossing’s billing practices to light. Long’s mother, Judy, initially found it odd the apartment charged each roommate $30 per month for utilities with an additional charge if the apartment unit went over a designated quota, according to a News & Observer article. Long’s suspicions escalated when Campus Crossings billed her daughter extra for utilities when no one was even living in the apartment during winter break in 2011. When Long went to the Utilities Commission, she was redirected to North Carolina’s Consumer Protection Agency. The agency investigated the housing company and confirmed Long’s doubts, saying that the complex’s billing practices made the complex itself a public utility.”Long said what angered her most was the company was taking unfair and illegal advantage of college students. While Judy paid for her daughter’s housing, some students do not have financial support from their parents. “These kids are [already] struggling to stay at school,” Long said in the News & Observer report. Students rarely file such complaints, according to the Utilities Commission. Sunaina Tailor, a junior in nutrition science, lived at Campus Crossings and said she was not happy with the management. “My roommates and I found out just before the spring semester ended that Campus Crossings hired another company to handle our util-

HOUSING continued page 2

Volunteers gear up for record-setting blood drive Deputy News Editor

With the beginning of the fall semester less than a month away, Service N.C. State volunteers are finalizing plans for the third annual– and hopefully record-setting–blood drive. Donors exceeded last year’s goal of 1,000 pints, with students, faculty and staff donating 1,032 pints. CSLEPS, the organization in charge of Service N.C. State, has set this year’s goal to coincide with the University’s birthday: 1,250 pints. If the goal is met Friday, Aug. 17 during the drive, it will be one of the 10 largest drives in the nation and the largest one-day drive in North Carolina. Melissa Green, the chair of the Service N.C. State blood drive com-

mittee, said planning for an event this size is a year-long process. “We work throughout the year to continue to inform people of the blood drive and educate them about the importance of blood donation as well as overall being engaged within our communities,” Green said. Shannon Gillespie, the blood drive coordinator for the event and a senior in biological sciences, said summer is an interesting time to plan because people scatter for the summer. “Student groups have enormous power to effect change through service work,” Gillespie said. “One challenge has been that student groups usually transition their leadership during the summer. Through email, we are doing our best to reach out to new officers and encourage new partnerships. Historically, the

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Stop Hunger Now campaign has been wildly successful in the first week of school, and we are hoping to capitalize on all the buzzing energy on campus mid-August.” Green said it can be tough to recruit for an event that happens so quickly at the beginning of the academic year, but it’s a cause she deeply believes in. Green said serving others is at the very core of who she is as a person. “Particularly with being motivated to serving others through donating blood, I believe that we all deserve to have access to a safe and plentiful blood supply. When I think of those I know who have been impacted by illness, accidents, etc., and have needed access to blood products, I believe that is part of my

BLOOD continued page 3

JORDAN MOORE/TECHNICIAN

Junior in psychology Miranda Conway talks to a volunteer for Red Cross after giving blood Friday, Aug. 19, 2011. Conway was one of many students who gave blood during the annual blood drive held in Carmichael Gymnasium. “This is my third time giving blood,” said Conway. “It’s going pretty good so far.”

COMPARE TEXTBOOK CHOICES RENTALS NEW USED EBOOKS LAPTOPS SOFTWARE APPAREL MORE

SCAN HERE

Laura Wilkinson


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