TECHNICIAN
thursday november
14 2013
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Woodson becomes APLU chairman Chris Hart-Williams Staff Writer
Chancellor Randy Woodson was elected head of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ governing body Tuesday. Woodson said his appointment will give N.C. State a voice in Washington. “We’re at the table leading all the other universities nationally,” Woodson said. “Be-
ing chair of the board affords N.C. State a seat at the table.” Woodson became chairman of the APLU’s Board of Directors Tuesday. The board oversees the entire APLU body. As chairman, Woodson will work closely with its president and its 17 councils and commissions. Chancellors and presidents of 223 public universities from across the country comprise the ALPU’s membership.
The APLU is the voice for higher public education in the country, according to Woodson. “It’s one of the strongest voices for higher education to congress and to the president, and it is very involved in policy related to higher education,” Woodson said. The organization’s purpose is to represent the interests of its members. “APLU is the voice trying to direct and encourage the
White House and congress to do things appropriate in support of higher education,” Woodson said. Woodson said he will strengthen the national reputation of N.C. State through his leadership role. He also said it will allow him to talk about N.C. State on a broader stage and lead other public universities in addressing policy issues of higher education. Public universities face
three “really huge” policy issues, such as affordability, accessibility and innovation deficit, according to Woodson. Woodson said keeping college education affordable and accessible has become a problem due to the national increase of tuition costs. Innovation deficit, which hits N.C. State the hardest, is a result of decreased government funding for public universities due to seques-
tration of the federal budget, Woodson said. Woodson said the reduction is one of the biggest problems for the University because it means limited funding for research. “Research is critically important to a place like N.C. State because it does so much work in engineering, agriculture and life sciences…a lot of that work is funded by the
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‘Moral Monday’ protestors convicted differently despite identical charges Dan Martin Correspondent
VICTORIA CROCKER/TECHNICIAN
Robert Hicks, a sophomore in chemical engineering, glues bottle caps to the wooden wolf cut-out Wednesday, Nov., 13. Hicks said that the materials used are leftover from the Wolfpack Environmental Student Association Shack-a-Thon hut. The event is part of America Recycles Day and will last until Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the Brickyard.
Students and professors advocate recycling during ‘Zero Waste’ month Rachel Coffman Correspondent
A plastic bottle cap sculpture, jeopardy games and a blind taste test of water were all part of the efforts of student organizations on the Brickyard Wednesday to reduce the 4,452 tons of annual landfill waste produced by N.C. State. N.C. State’s Sustainability office
and Waste Reduction and Recycling office held America Recycles Day, a recycling campaign emphasizing waste reduction on the Brickyard, in honor of “Zero Waste” month. The event at N.C. State correlated with a national effort to raise awareness to and promote recycling each year on Nov. 15. “As a campus, we strive to have the most sustainable materials we
can,” said Carla Davis, communications coordinator for N.C. State’s Sustainability Office. “Our goal is to educate students about the importance of daily recycling and its social, environmental, and economic benefits.” Different student organizations including Wolfpack Environmen-
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Raleigh authors read their works aloud for ‘27 views of Raleigh’ state-wide tour Rachel Coffman Correspondent
N.C. State faculty, students and members of the general public filled the seats of the Washington Sankofa Room in Witherspoon Wednesday night to hear 10 authors showcase their works in 27 Views of Raleigh, a book published in September. 27 Views of Raleigh is a compilation of poetry, essays, short stories and book excerpts of 27 diverse Raleigh writers. It is the most recent edition to an Eno Publishers series that began with 27 Views of Hillsborough and continued with compilations in Chapel Hill, Durham and Asheville. The audience of about 70 laughed and cried throughout the stomping, snapping, singing, and whispering of the different authors. “The different views create a varied and layered picture of Raleigh, capturing the community in a book and
creating a literary mosaic of the town,” said Elizabeth Woodman, editor of Eno Publishers. According to Woodman, the differing viewpoints of the authors depict both the “glory and despair” of Raleigh, showing the city both as a vibrant place to live, but also a town of struggle. Though some were Raleigh natives, the authors originated everywhere from Washington, D.C. to Cameroon, Africa, and brought a different perspectives to their book. Ebony Leon, a sophomore in psychology, said that as someone who did not grow up in Raleigh, she enjoyed learning about the different perceptions of the City of Oaks. “I liked the diversity. It wasn’t just the point of view of one group of people but a variety of different backgrounds,” Leon said. “Not only were the authors diverse,
Hundreds of “Moral Monday” protestors were arrested for the same charge and were tried by the same judges. However, didn’t receive the same verdicts. The reason why some people are convicted and others are not is based on several factors, said Jeremy Leonard, litigation attorney at Hairston Lane Brannon and adjunct Professor at N.C. State. “A judge may decide that he or she wants to invoke what is tantamount to a ‘jury nullification’,” Leonard said. “That is when the judge decides that, although it was proven that the protestor broke the law, the judge decides that society would not consider the action a criminal offense. Judges take into account their opinions and the potential for setting legal precedent when deciding verdicts. “Judges have their own opinions,” Leonard said. “[Some judges] may recall the incident where republican protestors picketed on the capital building a few years ago and the Democratic Party did not have anyone arrested or charged with a criminal offense.” However, there is also an assumption that conviction rates depend on what judge tries a case. Ryan Thomson, a graduate student in sociology, said he is skeptical
about this notion. “Some people seem to think that the charges differ by the judge and granted, this has proven to be influential in the past. Still, it seems somewhat reductionist to not look for a larger pattern,” Thomson said. Thomson said there’s a possibility that political discrimination is be playing a role in the convictions due to comments made by General Assembly Police Chief, Jeff Weaver. At the first trial of a Moral Monday protester, Weaver said his department had collected evidence on anarchist activist before the protest. However, Thomson said it’s too early to make factual assumptions about the event. “At the moment there’s no room to declare political discrimination as a reason for convicting some protesters and pardoning others,” Thomson said. “Out of the 900 people arrested very few have seen trial.” Judges are deciding verdicts without a 12-person jury, so it is up to the judge to make the final decision regarding who is guilty and who is not. The defendants must be proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt,” and therefore the amount of evidence available is crucial in determining the outcome to the case, according to The News & Observer.
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North Campus Steam plant emits black smoke due to new fuel source Staff Report
The Yarborough Steam Plant, located between SAS Hall and Riddick Hall, emitted black smoke Wednesday afternoon due to the installation of new equipment. According to Alan Daeke, director of Utilities and Engineering Services at N.C. State, the black smoke appeared when Yarborough plant
operators used oil to fuel a newly installed boiler. “We are installing two new boilers at the Yarborough Plant that are being dual-fuel fired,” Daeke said. “Natural gas is the primary fuel source and the number two fuel, oil, serves as a backup source. The new boiler had just started on fuel oil and the burner management control system needed adjustment.”
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Unfilled dorms could affect Housing’s budget
Student group hosts gun education event
Q&A Thursday: Stephanie Ouellette
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