TECHNICIAN
Alden Early Staff Writer
Perhaps singer Dean Martin overlooked an important fact when he uttered the words, “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.” As it turns out, there are about 45 finer states to be in than North Carolina. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, North Carolina ranks fourth in the nation among states with the highest pollution and poor air quality levels. “It presents one of the greatest pollution challenges in the country,” Bob Bruck, professor of plant pathology and forestry, said. According to Bruck, North Carolina is caught in a transitional state as it is shifting away from its historically agricultural roots. “We aren’t a blue-collared economy anymore,” Bruck said. Bruck said the rate at which the state’s population is growing is one reason the pollution levels are so high. North Carolina is second only to Texas in its rate of population growth over the last 40 years, ac-
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april
18 2013
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
N.C. ranks fourth worst in pollution nationally
thursday
Brickyard hosts Earth Day celebration Jessica Hatcher Staff Writer
Students, faculty, vendors, student organizations and environmental groups gathered in the Brickyard on Wednesday in celebration of Earth Day. The event featured roughly 75 different organizations, each with their own booth. At the different booths, students could win prizes, like t-shirts, buttons and water bottles, and learn more about maintaining a sustainable lifestyle and making environmentally friendly decisions. “I like how N.C. State hosts awareness events,” Susan Mykalcio, a freshman in computer engineering, said. “They’re always large, so they draw my attention and I get to learn a lot of vital information.” Students could also sign the “For the Farm” pledge, which states their desire to incorporate more locally grown food into dining facilities on campus. Lindsay Batchelor, program development specialist for the University Sustainability Office, explained that the For the Farm initiative would allow for students to grow food on campus to be served in dining halls. The number of in-person pledges was “easily 750 and quickly reaching 1,000,” according to Batchelor. Students can still sign the pledge online or in person at any of the Earth Day events. Samantha Hinson, a senior in biological sciences, said she
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Jonathan Tufts, a sophomore in biological sciences, juggles three red onions while riding a unicycle on the Brickyard during the Earth Day celebration Wednesday.
appreciated the emphasis on local food. “I think it’s a great opportunity to raise awareness about how N.C. State is going local,” Hinson said. “It’s good to get back to roots as an agricultural institution.” William Paige, an Earth Day volunteer and senior in tourism management, agreed with Hinson. “We’re an agricultural school, but we don’t have anything in place where students can grow crops for other students to eat on campus,” Paige said. Paige added that having a system
like For the Farm would support University Dining and students studying agriculture. WESA completed another art project for its Plastic Propaganda campaign and displayed it at the event. Flowers made from 1,000 plastic bottles were given to those who went to the event to raise awareness about single-use plastic waste. 86it, a Wake County based campaign to encourage people not to litter, was also at the event. “It’s important to keep our roads and sidewalks clean because litter
can end up in storm drains and then be carried to bodies of water and our water supply,” Jenny Bonchak, a representative with 86it, said. “We want to build pride, keep communities beautiful, and protect our natural resources.” Another booth was hosted by NC GreenPower, a Raleigh-based nonprofit. GreenPower works with individuals and businesses to help them utilize clean energy, which includes electricity that is generated from
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Germany’s role in the international scene grows Joseph Havey Deputy Viewpoint Editor
GREG WILSON/TECHNICIAN
Sagar Patel, sophomore in electrical engineering, takes the oath of office as a newly elected student senator. Patel was joined by the rest of the new senators as they were sworn into office to kick off the first meeting of the 93rd Session of the Student Senate of North Carolina State University.
Student Senate off to a fresh start Brittany Bynum Staff Writer
Student Government assembled Wednesday for their first senate meeting of the 93rd Session, setting the tone for a semester of activism. The meeting included the induction of new members, speeches by faculty, and news that Packapalooza would become an annual event. Student Senate President, Alex Parker opened the meeting with warm remarks of congratulations
to senate members before swearing them in. Parker reminded Senators their key purpose is to serve students, uphold the student body constitution and faithfully execute office. Mike Mullen, vice chancellor and dean of N.C. State’s Division of Academic Student Affairs, was the first guest speaker. Mullen said N.C. State is the only large research university that combines student affairs with undergraduate academic programs.
NEW STUDENT LEADERS IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT: Student Body President: Matthew Williams Student Senate President: Alex Parker Rachel Dame: Senior Class Vice President Treasurer: William Gaskins
Approximately 90 people crowded into Caldwell Hall Wednesday to hear German Consul General Christoph Sander speak on Germany’s growing role in the modern world. Sander’s talk, titled “Germany Today: Responsibilities and Challenges in the Heart of Europe,” mainly covered Germany’s role in the European debt crisis but included other topics such as the Iranian nuclear threat and German integration of green technology. Though the audience was largely students seeking class credit, some members were also faculty and non-N.C. State affiliated. Before the talk started, the group had to move buildings because the original room wasn’t large enough to fit the entire audience. He l g a Br au n b e c k , w ho planned the event, said that she hope attendees left with a greater understanding of the complexity of Germany’s role in Europe. “It’s important for students to see the big picture,” said Braunbeck, who is also the Section Coordinator in the NCSU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. “It’s not just
Germany, but Germany in the context of the European Union. I think [Sander] conveyed that.” Sander, who has an extensive background as a German diplomat, now serves as German Consul General to the southeast portion of the United States and is headquartered in Atlanta. His visit at N.C. State is one among several in a tour across North Carolina. The talk began with a reminder of today’s positive German-U.S. relations. Sander mentioned notable German companies that had invested in facilities on American soil, such as Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen. He then moved on to explain the importance of Germany’s location, stating that diplomacy and politics are often determined by geography. “Germany is always affecting its neighboring countries because of its location,” Sander said. Sander reasoned that Germany has been able to help these neighboring countries because of steps it has taken in the past. During a financial crisis in the early 2000s, Germany’s government launched a series of reforms that lowered the cost of doing business and created more flexible labor laws.
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Pick up your copy of the Agromeck yearbook at one of our book signing events April 22-23! Seniors and students who were quoted or pictured can pick up a free copy. For more info, visit ncsu.edu/agromeck