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

thursday august

20 2009

Raleigh, North Carolina

Student Conduct to investigate incident

Officials say Injury at Kappa Alpha house could have implications on chapter Ty Johnson Editor-in-Chief

The Office of Student Conduct is conducting an investigation into an incident that occurred at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house early Sunday morning when a nonstudent was injured after he fell off a fire escape. Another student at the location was referred for underage alcohol possession, but the executive director of the national fraternity, Mic Wilson, said

more details of the incident would not be released until the investigation was complete. “There is an investigation going on,” Wilson said. “We are cooperating with University officials in addressing that.” Wilson said since there weren’t more specifics about the incident, it wasn’t clear if there would be ramifications for the chapter. “We have to really look and find out what occurred and find out if [the

chapter] will be sanctioned,” Wilson said. “All of that will have to come after the details are reported from the investigative reports.” Associate Director of Greek Life Shelly Dobek said Greek Life is not involved in the investigation, which is being conducted by Student Conduct. “We received notification from the headquarters that there is an investigation into what happened that evening,” Dobek said. “All we know is that a campus appearance ticket was

issued to the organization and that Student Conduct will be following up to find out whether the chapter was in any way responsible for what happened.” Dobek said it wasn’t evident yet whether Kappa Sigma, which has won the Face Award two years in a row, was to blame for the incident. The award recognizes outstanding chapter management, achievement, and program

FRATERNITY continued page 4

POLICe BlOTTER August 16 2:22 AM | Medical Assist Kappa Sigma Units responded to assist non-student who fell from fire escape. Student accepted referral for aid and abet underage possession and inflict/ threat of bodily harm. Another student was referred for underage alcohol

CHillin’ and Grillin’

Tim O’Brien/Technician

Counting off at the beginning of the State fanfare, Kendall Fitzgerald, senior in chemistry, rehearses with the marching band on Harris Field Friday.

Ireland Band Trip: It’s On! The band will be marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade after all. Allie Landry Staff Writer

The marching band’s trip to play in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland is back on after being canceled in mid-May. Interim Chancellor James Woodward revoked the original decision. The trip was canceled due to concerns related to state funding and budget cuts. Vice Chancellor Thomas Stafford and Associate Vice Chancellor Alexander Miller were involved in the original decision to cancel the trip back in spring. “At that time we were under a severe travel freeze,” said Stafford. “We both agreed that a trip to Ireland, an international trip, would be very expensive, and wouldn’t be appropriate for the budget constraints at the time.” However, an article published in The News and Observer in July shone light on the issue and triggered backlash, leading officials to reconsider the decision. The article said organizers were worried that with the budget situation so unclear, having such a large

state sponsored trip would make the school look bad. It also referenced the Mary Easley hiring controversy as motivation for wanting to ensure that the school’s reputation would not be tainted any further. Stafford said the issue regarding Mary Easley had nothing to do with the decision to cancel the trip to Ireland. “The discussion was based entirely on the budget situation and the travel restrictions,” he said. “When people see that a student organization is taking an international trip, they don’t always know who’s paying for it. It could have created an impression that we wouldn’t have wanted to be created.” The article brought about much criticism, as students were paying for the trip themselves. “I was pretty disappointed,” said Brian Bendana, a junior in zoology. “I read the e-mail that Dr. [Paul] Garcia sent us and it sounded a little fishy because I know Dr. Garcia wouldn’t want to cancel the trip on us. It was kind of a dumb decision because we were paying for the trip ourselves.” Woodward said he first heard of the cancellation after reading the N&O article, and moved quickly to reinstate

Nettie Fisher/Technician

possession.

As the sun goes down over Tucker Beach, Andrew Hancock, senior in mechanical engineering, lays out hot dogs on the grill. Hancock volunteered to work on the grill for the annual Chillin’ and Grillin’ event sponsored by the Inter Residence Council and Interfraternity Council. “Chillin’ and Grillin’ is a great opportunity for fraternities and sororities to show underclassmen a good time and what they have to look forward to,”

BAND continued page 3

Hillsborough traffic to get faster, officials say use caution Construction will continue throughout semester, though roundabout project will be complete this fall Joanna Bangeas Staff Writer

About two hundred and seventeen years ago, Hillsborough Street was established to be the capital’s initial layout, but today, the street is a onelane road full of orange barrels. The new landscape is due to the $9.9 million Hillsborough Street project that will be completed by Sept. 2010. The City of Raleigh plans to change the road from a four-lane street to a two-lane avenue, which they hope will make vehicular and pedestrian traffic safe and efficient.

Not only will the street get wider but it will also be used to create attractive vistas and gateways by constructing two roundabouts that will work as a means to reduce the speed of traffic and keep pedestrians safe. Jane Kirkpatrick, City of Raleigh public affairs director, said Hillsborough Street is going to change its visual appearance, be safer for pedestrians and provide more parking for vehicles, which in turn will make the street economically friendly for merchants. “It’s going to be gorgeous and a great front yard for the state,” Kirkpatrick said. “Hillsborough Street has always been such an important part of Raleigh and we want to make it look like that again.” Students should be careful and patient, and the entrance of N.C. State is

going to be beautiful, she said. “The Hillsborough Street project is going to enhance the front door of the University,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m sure the merchants will appreciate the students’ extra support by sticking through the rough times.” The City of Raleigh updates students about the construction on social networks such as Twitter as well as electronic newsletters. “We’re trying to do everything possible to help avoid problems and keep students up to date about what’s going on,” Kirkpatrick said. James Hauser, a senior in economics, said if people have to walk two blocks just to get to class then that

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STREET continued page 3

Gina Vaccaro/Technician

Traffic backs up at the intersection of Pullen Road and Hillsborough Street Wednesday. This portion of the Hillsborough renovation project is slated for completion this fall.

SPECIAL BACK TO SCHOOL HOURS: Thursday - August 20 - 8am to 8pm Friday - August 21 - 8am to 6pm Saturday - August 22 - 10am to 5pm Sunday - August 23 - 1pm to 5pm