October 1, 2015

Page 1

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

vol.

xcvi xxxvii issue

technicianonline.com

technicianonline.com

thursday october

1

2015

Raleigh,North NorthCarolina Carolina Raleigh,

Shadrach Thornton dismissed after scooter hit-and-run Daniel Lacy Assistant Sports Editor

Senior r u n ni ng back Shadrach Thornton has been dismissed from the NC State football team after his arrest Tuesday night, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. Head coach Dave Doeren released the following statement regarding Thornton’s dismissal. “It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, but we’ve decided to dismiss Shadrach from our program,” Doeren said. “We will continue to support him academically and help him earn his degree.” The dismissal came in light of an incident in which Thornton was driving a scooter and hit

pedestrian Jimmie Woodard at the intersection of Avent Ferry Road and Western Boulevard at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday night. According to police, Thornton was driving north on the sidewalk of Avent Ferry Road while Woodward was walking south. Woodward did not sustain any serious injuries, but a wound on his face required stitches. Woodward said he was waiting for a bus when he was hit. “The next thing I know, I see a motor scooter coming my way, and I just got hit,” Woodard said to WRAL. “I was aware because I saw blood on my shirt.” Woodard said that Thornton did not stay to help him. However, Lee Turner, Thornton’s attorney, claims that Thornton

talked with Woodard before leaving the scene. “I understand that he was polite, cooperative and gave officers a full statement about what happened,” Turner told WRAL. “I understand that after the accident he did have a conversation with the victim before leaving the scene.” Police found 22-year-old Thornton in his nearby apartment at College Inn. He was charged with failing to stop and render aid and failure to provide information. Additionally, he got a traffic citation for driving on the sidewalk and operating an unregistered vehicle. Thornton paid a $500 bond and was released and back home just after midnight. This is the fifth time Thornton has been in trouble with the

law and/or team. In the summer of 2013, he was charged with assaulting a female after witnesses said that he engaged in a physical altercation in the D.H. Hill Library. Thornton’s prosecution ruling was deferred, and he missed one game of the 2013 season. Then, Thornton was cited twice for marijuana possession in December 2013 and March 2014. Charges were voluntarily dismissed in each case. To start out the 2015 season, Thornton was suspended for the first two games for violating team rules. After the incident occurred Tuesday night, Thornton showed up and participated in the following practice Wednesday morning. His dismissal was announced about 4:30 p.m.

that afternoon. According to sophomore fullback Jaylen Samuels, the coaches did not bring up the incident during practice. “In practice, [Thornton] did a couple reps,” Samuels told WRAL. “I don’t know the full situation or what happened. Nothing was said. We saw [that] it [happened]; we just knew about it. But we didn’t know exactly what happened.” Thornton will continue his pursuit of a degree at NC State, and he is set to graduate spring 2016. In his four years with the team, Thornton tallied 513 carries for 2,572 yards and 19 touchdowns, including 30 carries for 203 yards this season. Junior running back Matt Dayes is set to take the feature

SOURCE: WAKE COUNTY CRIMINAL ARREST RECORDS

Mugshot of Shadrach Thronton

role at the position in light of Thornton’s dismissal. On the year, Dayes has 76 carries for 454 yards and nine touchdowns. Although Thornton’s presence on the field will be missed, his latest run-in with the law was the final straw for the football team.

$2 billion bond to fund state building projects Katherine Kehoe Projects Manager

A $2 billion bond referendum cleared by the North Carolina State Legislature early Wednesday morning included funding for two building projects at NC State totaling to about $162 million. The referendum, set to be voted on in March, would allow the state to borrow $2 billion by issuing bonds. It includes funding for several projects related to higher education throughout the UNC System and at several community colleges, as well as projects dealing with parks and other types of infrastructure. The two building projects up for funding at NC State include the Engineering Oval Project and the Plant Sciences Project. Both projects plan to add new spaces for classrooms, research and collaboration for the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, according to Chancellor Randy Woodson. Woodson said administration chose to seek funding for these projects because they have been in the university’s long-term plan for five to 10 years, but there was no room in the budget for the university to fully fund them on its own. “This was one of our highest priorities in our Master Plan, but there was just no way to get it funded.” The Engineering Oval Project, which would receive $77 million from the State, includes constructing a building between Engineering Building I and Hunt Library on Centennial Campus with new research

and education facilities for the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering and the department of industrial and systems engineering. The building would also include new space for the college’s administrative offices. This building would essentially complete the move of engineering from Central to Centennial Campus, excluding only the department of nuclear engineering, which will remain in the Burlington Labs, according to Woodson. The Plant Sciences Project is slotted to receive $85 million from the State. It includes building a space primarily for graduate student and faculty research within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The space would be interdisciplinary, bringing together scientists from all aspects of plant-based agriculture to research and collaborate with agricultural research companies located in the Triangle. While the money from the state would officially mean the university could begin construction on the new facilities, the referendum is not set to fund these projects in their entirety. The university has already raised 50 percent of the total funding for the Engineering Oval Project from privatesector donations, as well as 30 percent of the total funding for the Plant Sciences Project. If the results of the referendum’s vote in March are in favor of funding the State’s request to issue bonds, Woodson said the earliest students can expect to see construction begin is in the fall of 2016.

ELIZABETH DAVIS/TECHNICIAN

The NC State student chapter of Habitat for Humanity plans to raise $715,000 to build 11 townhomes for those in need.

Build-A-Block looks for funds, volunteers Brenden Parsons Staff Writer

NC State’s Habitat for Humanity chapter will begin fundraising for Build-ABlock, a year-long project that will build 11 homes for community members in need. If successful, this will be the largest partnership between a campus chapter and Habitat for Humanity. Right now, Build-A-Block is in the process of fundraising to build the homes and recruiting people who can commit and volunteer next fall, according to Melanie Rankin of Habitat for Humanity Wake County. Wake County’s Habitat for Humanity and NC State’s Habitat for Humanity are partnering to construct the homes. NC State’s Habitat for Humanity is searching for student groups, organizations or clubs that are interested in participating in Build-A-Block. Representatives from Habitat said they are eager to make partnerships with other organizations to increase involvement, especially organizations that require service hours. “You don’t need construction experience to work on a Habitat for Humanity

site,” said Mike Giancola, associate vice provost of student leadership and engagement for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs. During full construction, 75 to 100 volunteers will be needed each weekend. Construction of the townhomes will start next fall, but fundraising for construction and recruiting volunteers is beginning immediately. Construction is expected to take a year. In the fall of 2016, five homes are expected to be constructed, and another six are expected to be built the following spring. “This project will raise the discussion about adequate housing in our community,” Giancola said. There are also plans to form an events committee that will host fundraising events to inform and encourage involvement. NC State’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter President Sarah Paluskiewicz said other universities have heard about Shack-A-Thon, another Habitat effort, and started it on their own campuses. “Hopefully Build-A-Block will challenge other universities to follow our steps,” Paluskiewicz said.

Assistant Dean for Diversity and Student Services Jamila Simpson agreed. “This will set precedence [for other universities] because nothing like this has been done before,” Simpson said. “Students at NC State are really engaged in service.” Volunteers will be building homes alongside the family who will live in the townhomes, according to Melanie Rankin, a representative from Wake County’s Habitat chapter. However, due to fair housing laws, the names of the families cannot be confirmed. In fall of 2017, at the end of the build, a ceremony will be held to commemorate the service project. Those who raised more than $5,000 will be recognized, according to Rankin. Build-A-Block has been hosting information sessions every Saturday at the Talley Student Union and at every home football game at Carter-Finley Stadium to try to get students to understand its mission. College of Engineering, College of Natural Resources, College of Textiles and Caldwell Fellows have already shown an interest in supporting Build-A-Block.

Student Senate votes to add $47.50 fee for gym renovations Ashleigh Polisky Correspondent

NC State’s Student Senate voted to pass the Carmichael Addition and Renovation Fee Act, which will result in a yearly student fee of $92.50 per student — $47.50 per semester. The overall cost of the project is $44 million. The bill was voted on 34-6 in favor of passing the bill. Student Senators voted on the cheaper option ; the other option was to raise the student fee for the project to $57.50. The difference between this and the other proposed plan is that in the

new plan, there will not be a new track loop adjacent to the basketball courts. The renovation plan will add 8,000 square feet of functional training areas with a sprint ramp, 12,000 square feet of fitness space, a wellness suite, a rock wall, more personal training and small group spaces to Universit y Recreat ion. T he project will also connect the g y m and the Recreation Center to allow easier access. The biggest problem with the infrastructure now is the safety violations, according to Eric Hawkes, director of University Recreation.

There are $7.5 million worth of safety code and inaccessibility deficiencies, according to University Recreation’s website. The project will fix about $4 million of these deficiencies, Hawkes said. Some of the violations are missing fire alarm panels and sprinkler systems. There is also an issue of accessibility to the entire basement level of the gym, as it is currently only accessible through the stairs. Hawkes said the plan is to add an elevator. “As a student who has a mobility issue, not being able to get to a space that you are paying for is a prob-

lem,” Hawkes said. With the increased student fees, the renovation project will replace existing multipurpose rooms and storage spaces that are not being used efficiently. Hawkes explained that the original gym had a lot of squash courts, which are now being used as storage areas, rooms for group fitness classes or for table tennis. Jason Spivey, associate director of University Recreation, said some of the lower-level rooms end up having frequent issues with water damage and flooding, resulting in these rooms

never being used. “I know as an employee of University Recreation and someone who wants to work in the recreation field that the building is outdated and has underutilized space,” said Tyler Burton, a program assistant for Facility Operations at University Recreation. “We should want to leave NC State better than when we got here.” A t hree-hour meet ing between University Recreation, Student Government and university administration took place last week to come up with a reasonable compromise for the fee hike. Jonathan Riggs, a member

of the Student Senate, did not approve of the original project because of what it would cost students. Riggs said he believes college is already expensive enough and doesn’t need to cost more. “We’re only agreeing to support that plan on the conditions that they actively pursue fundraising options and the Student Government will be helping with the oversight,” Riggs said. Membership fees will also be raised for non-students at University Recreation to help pay for the renovations. Completion of the project is planned for the fall of 2020.


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October 1, 2015 by NC State Student Media - Issuu