TECHNICIAN
tuesday october
2
2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Raleigh’s Union Station to receive upgrades University revamps crime warnings
Megan Dunton Staff Writer
Raleigh’s Union Station will receive a facelift in fall of 2013 due to increased ridership. The station is relocating to a larger building on West Martin St. which will be renovated. Several structural problems prompted the renovations, according to Amtrak. Raleigh is currently ranked second out of all major southeast cities in Amtrak ridership. The station’s current location on Carrabus St. can no longer accommodate the number of passengers it serves. According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, in 2044 the Raleigh station is predicted to serve more than 730,000 riders, a feat that would not be possible without the construction of a new station. Another problem Amtrak cited with the current station was its small indoor waiting area. The station currently provides 1,800 square feet of waiting area. This space is smaller than the average single family home in Raleigh, and often leaves passengers waiting outside to brave the elements. The parking lot has also caused problems. The current lot only has 54 parking spaces. This leads to many passengers having to park improperly in the lot or spill out onto surrounding private properties and streets. The lot also doesn’t allow for passengers to transfer to a taxi or a bus. The station’s current platform is also too short to accommodate the
Staff Report
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PHOTO OF GRO PRO LAWNS
Raleigh’s Union Station is undergoing renovations. The current amtrack station is located at the corner of Cabarras and Harrington streets.
passenger Amtrak trains, according to City of Raleigh transportation. The trains have to load and unload passengers in two phases, increasing waiting times for other trains that are waiting to pass as well as increasing waiting times for other passengers. The new station will use an existing industrial warehouse on West Martin St. This warehouse will provide 7,950 square feet of waiting area and 150 parking spaces. The new station will feature an 800-foot platform that is long enough to fit the Amtrak trains in their entirety. It will also feature a set of tracks that removes the passenger trains from the mainline while they are loading
and unloading passengers. Other features the new station will provide include a 600-foot canopy to protect riders from the elements and a 455-foot underground concourse that connects the station to the platform. Funding for the project is coming from many sources. The federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant awarded the station $21 million. The city of Raleigh has pledged $3 million to the project. NCDOT has pledged funds of $9 million, and the Triangle Transit Authority has pledged $1.5 million. Many students that take the train home have felt safe using the sta-
Brickyard freezes for bottle ban Young Lee Associate Features Editor
During the middle of a lunch rush at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Monday, almost one hundred students in the Brickyard suddenly stopped what they were doing and “froze.” For about 5 minutes, onlookers had the chance to witness some of their peers “frozen in time”, with some holding empty water bottles in the air. Afterwards, a bell was whistled and students “unfroze”. Some previously still students proceeded to line up to recycle their empty water bottles in recycle baskets. Organized by Analis Fulghum, education and outreach coordinator for waste reduction and recycling, with a partnership with Gary Blank, professor of natural resources, the flash-mob was an effort to mark the anniversary of the day North Carolina’s bottle ban was passed. The bottle ban, passed in October of 2009, prohibits plastic bottles from being thrown into landfills. According to Fulghum, the law says the University could be fined if landfill operators feel that it has no regard for plastic bottle recycling and the recycling of other such materials. According to a report conducted by the Department of Environmental Natural Resources, a person who wants to recycle will on average pass three trash bins before being discouraged and simply trashing a plastic bottle. Because of the bottle ban, not only the University, but also North Carolina as a whole, revisited how it is making it easier for the campus to recycle the bottles, Fulghum said. In 2009, Fulghum, with a partner-
tion, but have said a few things are missing and are looking forward to the redesign. Carlos Vega, a junior in economics who rides the train to Greensboro, is one of them. “Overall I feel safe at the station,” Vega said. “The reason it looks kind of sketchy is it’s on the peripheral of the city and there are neighborhoods around it. It looks normal. It doesn’t look like a train station, and there is not a big sign that says ‘Amtrak.’” As far as making improvements, Vega said he would like to see the surrounding area look nicer.
N.C. State students received notif ication early Monday morning of a homicide on the 3900 block of Neely Street. The News & Observer reported that Quamir Alteriq Rogers, 21, and Twanisha Stewart, 26, were charged with murder in the fatal shooting that occurred about 12:30 a.m. According to the report, both are being held at the Wake County Jail. This crime warning was one of three recent alerts sent to students as a reflection of a recent shift in the Chancellor’s communication policy. When a woman was shot on Sept. 11 at Cameron Village, students were outraged at the lack of notification they received from the University. Student Body President Andy Walsh spoke on behalf of N.C. State, saying the Chancellor was making necessary changes to the WolfAlert policy. The proposed changes set out to increase students’ emotional and physical safety by decreasing the lag in notification times. Since the Cameron Village
Campaign reaches out to N.C. student voters Jessie Halpern News Editor
JOANNAH IRVIN/TECHNICIAN
Antoinette Jones, a sophmore in political science, and Jeffery Matthews, a freshman in computer engineering, particpate in the 3rd annual campus recycling freeze on Monday, Oct 1st.
ship with the Department of Environmental Natural Resources, conducted the first “Bottle Ban Campus Freeze” to try to raise awareness for the ban and incite an interest in recycling. “In 2009, as far as budget was concerned, we didn’t have much, so using social media and peer-to-peer communication was a very practical way to approach education,” Ful-
ghum said. “And I think it was more impactful. So rather than having a table with giveaways or an ad in the newspaper ... having engagement and education made perfect sense.” However, the University took other measures to encourage recycling and care for the envi-
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AT THE BOOKSTORE TODAY - SATURDAY 10am-3pm Harrelson Hall On the Brickyard!
Actor Kal Penn took to the phones Monday afternoon to field questions from North Carolina students on a statewide call for the Obama campaign. “I feel very humbled and honored to have seen firsthand how the president fights for young people,” Penn said. Penn left Hollywood in 2009 when he signed on to work for the Obama administration in the White House Office of Public Engagement. Having become well known for his roles in House, How I Met Your Mother and the Harold and Kumar series, Penn continues to go back and forth between acting and politics, according to the International Movie Database. Penn said North Carolina students have uncommon benefits at the polls. “A lot of people around the country are jealous of young people in North Carolina,” Penn said. “You guys are one of the only states where young people can register and vote early at the same time.” Early voting in North Carolina begins Oct. 18 and continues through Nov. 3 at select sites throughout the state, including the Talley Student Center. Penn emphasized what Obama has done for students, including an effort to keep interest rates low on student loans. “It’s a very personal issue for the president,” Penn said. “Both he and the first lady both went to college on student loans and just paid them
off in 2004.” Penn also stressed the differences between the Romney and Obama campaigns and said he hopes to see Gov. Romney point out some specifics in the upcoming presidential debates. “The foundation of economic competitiveness lies in affordability of education,” Penn said. “We’ve already seen President Obama lay out a specific plan for student loans and student aid. He’s looking to see that from Romney now.” Penn said he believes students who don’t vote aren’t abstaining, but giving their vote to the incumbent. “Whether we like it or not, someone is going to be president and someone is going to set policy,” Penn said. “It’s never a good thing not to vote, especially when the stakes are so high. That one vote in North Carolina can, and has, paid off in elections.” Obama won North Carolina in 2008 by an average of three votes per precinct, according to Penn, though the News & Observer cites it as five. “You’ve got a president that isn’t just dialed in to what it’s like to pay back a student loan, but he’s really connected,” Penn said. “He’s made a lot of progress but needs more in particular, and in a place like North Carolina that one vote makes a difference.” To learn more about the Obama campaign, students are encouraged to watch the live debate on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Students for Obama will be live tweeting. Follow @Students4Obama for the debate and to get the campaign updates throughout the election’s final five weeks.
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