Technician - September 5, 2012

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

wednesday september

5

2012

Raleigh, North Carolina

technicianonline.com

Democratic convention kicks off in Charlotte

JORDAN MOORE/TECHNICIAN

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue is cheered on by the audience during her speech at the Democratic National Convention in downtown Charlotte.

Jessie Halpern News Editor

The Democratic National Convention kicked off Tuesday evening with its opening ceremony of speakers, video presentations and caucus meetings. Supporters and distinguished speakers gathered at the DNC Tuesday afternoon, preceding first lady Michelle Obama’s evening speech. The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee and representative from Florida, opened the evening’s activities with a call to order. An invocation by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas made way for the presentation of colors, followed by the national anthem, sung by Amber Riley, who currently stars as Mercedes on the popular television show, Glee. Remarks by DNC officials and a welcome video gave state delegates

ALEX SANCHEZ/TECHNICIAN

time to move through the security lines, soaked by rain and eager to find their seats. Following the trend of party support for LGBT issues, Andrew Tobias, treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, spoke of his personal experience as a homosexual in his youth. “People killed themselves over being gay,” Tobias said. “Sadly, they still do.” Tobias continued to talk about the recent marriage of Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank to his partner. “Love that had been unspeakable 24 years ago was being celebrated by senators and congressmen,” Tobias said. Tobias’ anecdotal contributions to the convention were followed by an order of business and party support by Alice Germond, secretary of the DNC, who began by asking all the delegates to officially check in. “We are a convention that really looks like America — every race

Protesters stare down a barricade of bicyle police officers during a protest at the intersection of Caldwell and Stonewall streets in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday.

and every background,” Germond said. “We fight for the middle class and the American dream and that is why we support President Barack Obama.” Germond noted t hat since Obama’s inauguration, the country has added 4.5 million jobs in the private sector, had 29 straight months of job growth and given 18 tax cuts to small businesses. She also brought light to the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act. “When others said it couldn’t be done, President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act which is already preventing the worse insurance company abuses,” Germond said. “As we gather as one convention, we stand together, women and men, the young, the young at heart, the gay,

DNC continued page 2

JORDAN MOORE/TECHNICIAN

Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, delivers a speech at the DNC.

Chancellor Woodson represents NCSU in Israel Megan Dunton Correspondent

First Lady Michelle Obama enters the stage at the Democratic National Convention.

JORDAN MOORE/TECHNICIAN

First lady urges students to ‘have Barack’s back’ and vote Trey Ferguson Managing Editor

Prior to giving her speech at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, first lady Michelle Obama held a press conference call with college students across the nation to inspire them to vote and get involved in the Obama re-election campaign. “College students are some of the most important people in our campaign,” Obama said. She asked students to remember what her husband has done for them, “[Barack] has doubled funding for Pell grants, meaning more students are getting more money for school.” As Obama listed the accomplishments of her husband, she urged students to get behind their campaign.

In 2008, students were considered a key force behind the Obama campaign, and Obama reaches out to student voters for this re-election campaign. “This election hangs in the balance, young people and new voters like you are the ones who can put this campaign over the top,” Obama said. “Young people like you all are going to provide the spark for this campaign like you did in 2008.” Students for Barack Obama at N.C. State have been registering students and encouraging them to vote on Nov. 6. Obama strongly supports the SBO’s involvement on college campuses and urged student supporters to join the organization to support the campaign. “Barack’s got your back…we need you to have his,” Obama said. “Own this process, if you don’t get involved your word won’t be heard,

because this will be the country you inherit.” Technician will have continued coverage online and in print during the DNC. To read about the first lady’s speech at the DNC, go to technicianonline.com.

Many N.C. State students spent their summers working, doing research or studying abroad. Chancellor Randy Woodson spent his summer doing some foreign travel of his own, acting as an N.C. State ambassador to Israel. The chancellor explored all parts of the Middle Eastern country. He spent three days in Tel Aviv and also traveled to Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and Nazareth. He traveled from the west coast through the Jordan Valley to the north of Israel. Woodson visited Israel this summer over the week of the Fourth of July with a group of university presidents from the United States, including presidents from the University of California-Davis and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The American Jewish Council provided the opportunity for the university presidents from America to collaborate with the leaders of universities in Israel. It also pro-

@NCSUTechnician Look for live tweets of the events of the day, and stories teased from Technician’s website.

TECHNICIANONLINE.COM Read our story about Michelle Obama’s speech.

ISRAEL continued page 3

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vided a chance for each group to learn about the other country. N.C. State was chosen to participate in this event because it is one of the top 100 research universities in the United States. Science and technology are important not only to the University, but to many institutions in Israel as well. Many universities in Israel are leading in engineering, science and agriculture, just like N.C. State is in the U.S. While there, Woodson met with scientists and other leaders from the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and the prime minister of the West Bank. The university presidents, including Chancellor Woodson, visited several universities in Israel - Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology – all major research universities in Israel. The chancellor is no stranger to the Mediterranean country. He con-

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