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Occupy NCSU takes Capitol building On-campus Occupy group holds all day event and marches to Capitol. John Wall News Editor
“All day, all week, Occupy Raleigh” reverberated between downtown buildings as CHASS graduate student Ryan Thomson led the Occupy NCSU charge down Hillsborough Street to the Capitol. With permit in hand, 72 people were in attendance at the peak of Occupy NCSU’s teach-in held Thursday in the Court of North Carolina. Following morning presentations by professors in the Court, 13 occupiers marched to the Capitol, chanting the last block to make their presence known. “We are trying to combat disinformation that is often times spread by a number of different outlets. We are here today to defend education,” Thomson said. sandra edwards/Technician The movement is gaining traction and, even without a central leader, is Students, speakers and many others attended the Occupy N.C. State event in the Court of North Carolina Thursday. Students gathered to listen and show their support as speakers passively educated everyone about their cause. becoming more organized. Occupy NCSU was somewhat of an open discussion where everyone was free to express their opinions in a calm and “Occupy is beginning to coordinate controlled manner. Debates were passive yet passionate. After the gathering everyone marched to the state Capitol amongst itself. We are in coordination to meet the protesters of Occupy Raleigh. with Occupy Duke and Occupy UNC. We are trying to merge into a common movement. We start rather small, coming out today,” Thomson said. Organizers for Occupy NCSU were and grow into each other--expand our network, so to speak,” Thomson said. given the runaround when it came The movement has similarities to to obtaining an on-campus permit, that of the late 1960s, according to according to Thomson. They had the permit in hand last week, but had it Thomson. “The student movement of May, revoked last Friday at around 4:30 p.m. when Univer1968 was the global sity offices were near student movement. closing time. No one We had one profespicked up the phone sor come out today when orga ni zers and speak almost called. specifically on that. Dick Reavis, as[History professor sociate professor of David] Zonderman English, is the facdid a side-by-side ulty advisor for Occomparison: a leadcupy NCSU. Upon erless movement, Oliver Sholder/Technician hearing about the Ishan raval, freshman in First Year College watches attentively a speaker completely consenRyan Thomson, graduate permit, he arranged at Occupy N.C. State near the North Carolina State Capitol Building in sus-oriented, trying student in CHASS a me e t i ng w it h downtown Raleigh. to drive toward proChancellor Randy tecting education...It Schools involved in Senior in fashion and textile manseems too often that we are facing too Woodson to discuss the incident. The agement Katina Gad, who was arrested many hurdles trying to get through permit was returned Monday. Occupy Colleges Organizers also obtained a permit Oct. 27 for trespassing beyond the college, and then when we get out, go • Brooklyn College to gather at the Capitol. Those with- cement at Occupy Raleigh, attended to what job?” Thomson said. • University of Connecticut Over 150 campuses nationwide par- out permits are not allowed to leave Thursday’s event. However, she could • Winthrop University ticipated in Occupy Colleges between the sidewalk surrounding the Capitol not join students on Capitol grounds• Arcadia University Wednesday and Thursday. Organizers building, according to Capital Police -she is banned from all state property • Stetson University • San Manteo College streamed video into Occupy Colleges. Officer Hillar. With the permit, Oc- pending the resolution of her misde“I am proud to say N.C. State is one cupy NCSU was allowed to set up shop Source: occupycolleges.org of the bigger names in [Occupy Col- on the Capitol grounds, but they still leges]. We have some pretty big names had to stay on cemented areas. OCCUPY continued page 3
“I am proud to say N.C. State is one of the bigger names in [Occupy Colleges].”
Ram Roasters keep tunnel untainted Annual Ram Roast keeps Free Expression Tunnel from turning blue. Anna Riley Staff Writer
Erin Lehnert, a freshman in business, paints the Free Expression Tunnel white during the Ram Roast Thursday night. The entire tunnel was painted red and white in support of the Wolfpack as they prepare to take on UNC on Saturday.
Hundreds of students surrounded the Free Expression Tunnel Thursday night in honor of the traditional N.C. State Ram Roast. The 2011 Ram Roast was kicked off by a pep rally to prepare for Saturday’s football game against UNC Chapel Hill. Throughout the night, students were provided with hours of entertainment that included a flash mob, acapella group performances and a tailgating triathlon. For years, students and alumni have famously set up a “Ram Roast” to celebrate the upcoming football game against UNC, and enlist people to guard the tunnel from Tarheels who come to cover it with blue paint. Rachel Conley, a senior in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, is a student ambassador with the Alumni Association and said some of the ambassadors stay out all night with the students to watch the tunnel. “It’s a great tradition because it’s a positive and fun way to participate in the rivalry [between State and Carolina]. We’re getting everybody riled up for the game,” Conley said. At designated times during the event, student groups were posted around the tunnel dishing out free drinks, barbecue and pizza. With music playing through loud speakers, huddles of students mingled with each other and waited to paint the tunnel. During the tailgating triathlon, 32 teams of two
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competed in games of corn hole, ladder golf and water pong. Although the winners got two N.C. State tradition scarves, all participants were awarded with free N.C. State gloves. Between 11 p.m. and midnight, “ram roasters” gathered in the tunnel for the paint job and graffiti contest. Those who participated in the graffiti contest were required to paint a 4 ft. by 6 ft. anti-Carolina mural; the winner received an autographed football from Tom O’Brien. Jim Gresham, the coordinator of student programs with the alumni association and the ambassador program advisor, said the association holds a Ram Roast before every game against UNC. He said the events usually have good student turn out, but the influx of people is based on the scheduled events. “People come and go as the events are held,” Gresham said. When no particular event is going on, Gresham said the alumni association plays old UNC games on a big screen. Candace Knotts, a senior in plant biology and horticulture, said she decided to stop by the roast as she was passing through. Knotts said she enjoys seeing the camaraderie between students before a big game. “It’s fun to experience all that goes on before the Carolina game; plus there’s free food,” Knotts said. The N.C. State Alumni Association and the Student Ambassador Program sponsored the long-established event that brought students and alumni together to protect the Free Expression Tunnel from invading Carolina-blue paint cans.
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Coaches’ verbal battle feeds fuel to rivalry fire UNC head coach trash talks State’s academics. Josh Hyatt Sports Editor
His voice shaking in anger, football coach Tom O’Brien responded Thursday to a series of verbal stabs by North Carolina interim head coach Everett Withers. O’Brien exposed this rarely seen side of himself to reporters after football practice when they asked him about Withers’ comments on N.C. State football’s academic standards. Withers told Raleigh’s 99.9 “The Fan” Wednesday that potential recruits should recognize UNC as the “flagship school” in the state. “When you have as many schools in this state as we have and the recruiting base gets watered down a bit, I think the kids in this state need to know the flagship school in this state,” Withers said. “They need to know it academically. If you look at our graduation rates, as opposed to our opponent’s this week, graduation rates for athletics, for football, you’ll see a difference… If you look at the educational environment here, I think you’ll see a difference.” O’Brien, who responded to reporters after asking what Wither’s comments were about, began his response by first acknowledging his program’s faults. “I would say this,” O’Brien said, “graduation rates certainly aren’t where we want them to be and it’s an ongoing process. Graduation rates are like the Titanic; it’s tough to turn around because it’s a six-year average.” O’Brien then said the program’s graduation rates were recovering. “You are talking about how many years ago? I know that we’ve turned ours around,” O’Brien said. “Our APR has bottomed out and it’s headed back to where it should be and certainly my record at Boston College and 15 years as a head coach stands on its own. I don’t know where that’s coming from.” O’Brien then retaliated by referencing his rival’s NCAA trouble. Former Tar Heel defensive end Michael McAdoo was made permanently ineligible to play football after he received unauthorized assistance from a tutor and plagiarized a paper for a Swahili class, which UNC officials were unable to produce a syllabus for. Three other UNC football players were suspended for the 2010 season for academic fraud. “At our school, number one, all classes have a syllabus,” O’Brien said. “Our guys go to school, they are not given grades, and they graduate.” “It’s a little tougher here if you have to go to school and you are expected to have a syllabus and go to class. Our guys earn everything that they get here. Certainly all of our graduates earn everything that they get at this University.” O’Brien continued by bringing up
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