TECHNICIAN
thursday march
21 2013
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
McCrory recommends cutting higher education Mark Herring Editor-in-Chief
Gov. Pat McCrory’s 2013-2015 proposed budget will cut $138.5 million from UNC System funding. The decrease, a 5.4 percent reduction of this year’s UNC System budget, comes at the heels of a $400 million permanent budget reduction UNC absorbed two years ago. During his budget announcement Wednesday morning, McCrory said his budget is concentrating on three major focus areas he mentioned in his February State of the State speech: the economy, education and government efficiency. What he didn’t mention was that education across the board would experience cuts. McCrory’s recommended budget — $20.6 billion
—cuts funding from public universities, community colleges and primary and secondary schools. Calling the cuts “transformations,” the governor hopes to reallocate resources to fund a pre-kindergarten program for 5,000 at-risk children and to add 1,800 more full-time teachers into public schools. “This budget will help fulfill my promise to empower [students to] succeed,” McCrory said in his budget announcement. To minimize the damage of the cuts to university budgets, the governor suggested raising tuition by 12.3 percent for out-of-state students from N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. A&T State, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Central and the N.C School of the Arts. All other UNC System campuses would raise out-
ALEX CAO/TECHNICIAN
Matthew Williams, junior, has a family history with N.C. State.
of-state tuition by 6 percent, offsetting the proposed cuts by $62.7 million, according to UNC Chief Operating Officer Charles Perusse. McCrory did not recommend increasing tuition for North Carolina residents. UNC System President Tom Ross raised doubts about the budget cuts in a press release Wednesday, implying that the current cuts to the public university system add insult to injury after the $400 million cut from two years ago. “I am very concerned by the magnitude of the new cuts proposed for our campuses … I worry about the impact additional reductions will have on our ability to provide highquality educational opportunities to our residents and to assist in North Carolina’s economic recovery,” Ross
stated. “The University appreciates the many fiscal challenges facing the state, including a stubbornly high unemployment rate. While parts of our economy appear to be rebounding, these are still difficult times for many North Carolinians, especially its families and students. And yet, the importance of education to our future remains clear and ever present.” One thing on which Ross seems to agree with McCrory is the governor’s inclusion of the UNC Board of Governors 2013-2018 strategic plan in his budget, which will pour $63 million into the system for the next two years to “help guide further investment in our public university [system],” Ross stated. The budget’s deepened cuts in education have come as a shock to
ALEX CAO/TECHNICIAN
Lauryn Collier, junior, is president of the UAB.
state educators and students — N.C. State dealt with a 15 percent budget cut July 2011, and NCSU faculty and staff have received a 1 percent raise in the past five years — but Chancellor Randy Woodson said in a statement to Technician that he’s not bracing for further cuts yet. “The governor’s budget proposal is the first step in the process, so the final impacts won’t be known for some time,” Woodson stated. “However, further reductions in funding beyond what we have experienced in recent years would certainly affect our ability to fulfill our mission of serving the people of North Carolina.” The State House of Representatives and State Senate will present
BUDGET continued page 3
ALEX CAO/TECHNICIAN
Dwayne O’Rear, junior, used to play football for the Wolfpack.
‘Technician’ hosts public forum for SBP candidates Brittany Bynum Staff Writer
Student Body President candidates Matthew Williams, Lauryn Collier and Dwayne O’Rear, were able to share their personalities, perspective and platform at a debate Tuesday afternoon. The event consisted of two-minute introductions, 45-second questions and an outro limited to one minute. Trivia questions were also added to lighten up the debate. The debate started out with Mark Herring,
Wake school board battles with county government Emily Weaver Staff Writer
On March 7, 2013, Senate Bill 236 was filed in the North Carolina Senate concerning funding for school construction. The bill is an “act authorizing counties to assume responsibility for construction, improvement, ownership and acquisition of public school property.” Republican Senator Neal Hunt of Raleigh is one of the bills primary sponsors, along with Republican Senators Tom Apodaca of District 48 and Peter Brunstetter of District 31. “The school districts should be focused on education and not acquisition of real estate,” Hunt said. Although all sponsors of the bill are Republican, all other parties in support or opposition are non-partisan. The legislation was created out of concern there was too much focus on school construction. Supporters of the bill believe
SCHOOL continued page 2
Technician’s editor-in-chief, asking the candidates to introduce themselves and present their platforms. All three candidates expressed who they are and explained their overall purpose for wanting to be student body president. The candidates stressed the importance of putting students first and making sure student voices are heard in administrative decisions. They also discussed how they intend to make themselves available to talk with students and address their concerns. Matthew Williams described himself as a Wolfpack family guy. Five of his family mem-
bers have attended N.C. State University. Williams, a junior history major, is a transfer student from N.C. A&T. After finding that the school was not the right fit for him, he transferred to N.C. State because of his love for Raleigh and the University. “I bleed Wolfpack red,” Williams said. “The heart wants what the heart wants.” Lauren Collier, a junior in animal science, criminology and parks and recreation, was originally on her way to to the University of Florida for college before she visited her sister at N.C. State and fell in love with the campus. Dewayne O’Rear, a junior in business ad-
ministration, came to play football at N.C. State. As soon as he moved in to Owen Hall, he became the dorm hall’s president. “I helped build a strong living community in Owen Hall,” O’Rear said. Students who commented in Technician’s “In Your Words” section posed the question of how the candidates will improve communication around campus. O’Rear said he would like for there to be more collaboration among student organizations. He emphasized the future combining of
Pro-choice rally criticizes Rep. politicians Jacob Fulk
Professors seek answers
Staff Writer
Advocates of women’s rights gathered Wednesday outside the North Carolina General Assembly for the “Not in Her Shoes” rally. The protest took place in response to a piece of legislature, Senate Bill 308, which enacts restrictive regulation on women’s health care and reproductive rights. Moderated by Hannah Allison, a graduate student in social work, the event featured an array of politicians and pro-choice educators organizing to remind Republican lawmakers that they don’t walk in women’s shoes, and therefore shouldn’t make decisions that concern women’s health. Hannah Osborne, a senior history major, gave a speech on behalf of NARAL Pro-Choice on the topic of “choice and activism.” She spoke about politicians who enact legislation that infringes upon the rights of women. “To say that someone else is better fit to make decisions concerning my body and my life undermines my education, insults my intelligence and mocks my citizenship,” Osborne said. Osborne also noted that activism is not a one-time gig, and chose to be a part of the pro-choice movement because the 2012 election brought to her attention an increasing number of legislative threats to women’s rights.
SBP continued page 3
to digital age problems Alexandra Kenney Staff Writer
was emphasized by all speakers, but was most aptly described by NARAL Pro-Choice supporters who donned shirts that read “Politicians Make Crappy Doctors.” Concerning NARAL Pro-Choice and its growing influence on cam-
In the digital age, almost everyone has some interaction with computers or smart phones. Two N.C. State professors are trying to ensure it happens safely. William Enck and Emerson Murphy-Hill, assistant professors in the department of computer science at N.C. State, recently received the Faculty Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation. The award, commonly known as the CAREER award, is given to model teacher-scholars who are engaged in notable research in the science and engineering field. The award provides funding over the course of five years for the candidate’s study. The grant from NSF is valued at $400,000, according to the N.C. State Department of Computer Science’s website.
WOMEN continued page3
CAREER continued page 3
JOANNAH IRVIN/TECHNICIAN
Laura Owens, a senior in theater and Women & Gender studies at UNC-Greensboro, makes her voice heard at Not in Her Shoes rally on Wednesday.
“If a law, bill or act restricts reproductive rights, it impugns the freedom that all women rightfully deserve,” Osborne said. “Activism must prevail … I will not be quiet until North Carolina’s legislative attacks on my freedom cease.” The inability of politicians to make medical decisions for women