January 21, 2016

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IN BRIEF Star Wars: Episode VIII opening delayed six months

Disney and Lucasfilm announced Wednesday that “Star Wars: Episode VII’s” debut will be postponed from summer 2017 to Dec. 15, 2017. The movie follows “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which smashed multiple records, like biggest domestic and global debuts of all time, as well as the biggest domestic second and third weekends. It grossed $861.3 million and $1.886.7 billion globally. The movie is currently in preproduction and will start principal photography next month in London.

SOURCE: StarWars.com

Raleigh group says “No alcohol” signs should go

With upcoming winter storms this week, the NCDOT is organizing work crews and equipment. A news conference was scheduled Wednesday about its plans to prepare the roads for the snowy conditions. When snowy conditions are predicted, the DOT pre-treats the roads and then puts out sand and salt once snow falls.

SOURCE: WNCN

Hottest year in history was 2015, according to scientists

2015 beat 2014 as the hottest year in recorded history. December was the warmest and wettest month in history. Scientists attribute some of the warming to El Nino weather patterns that release heat from the Pacific Ocean, but a majority of it is due to human-driven emissions of greenhouse gases.

SOURCE: The New York Times

21 2016

Raleigh, North Carolina

Whiskey tears fall for McDaids’ closure Sasha Afanasyeva Staff Writer

McDaids Irish Restaurant and Pub closed its doors Jan. 1, much to the surprise of NC State students and employees.

McDaids, located on Hillsborough Street, opened in 2013, taking the place of the Porter’s City Tavern that was previously located in the same building.

“I was told the Tuesday before it closed,” said Devan Wachter, the bar manager and head bartender at McDaids. “It closed the following Friday. Most of the staff was told on Friday.”

According to Wachter, the costs of the building and equipment may

have played a part in the restaurant’s closing.

“The building and equipment was old, and some of it had to be replaced,” Wachter said. “Eventually it got to be more to fix than the restaurant was making back.”

Students expressed their disappointment with the bar closing, some saying Hillsborough Street needed more places like McDaids.

“I am disappointed,” said Remington Campbell, a senior studying computer science. “It’s another bar on Hillsborough that got shut down. Hillsborough was lively when I was a freshman, and now it feels like the nightlife is dwindling

MCDAIDS continued page 2

VICTORIA CROCKER/TECHNICIAN

McDaid’s Irish Pub on Hillsborough Street closed on Friday, Jan. 1 after being open for less than three years as a result of not enough business. The sign in the window reads, “We are sad to leave, but at least our tears are made of whiskey.”

Graduate students lose seats in Student Senate to CALS

Some city advisers say signs that say “no alcohol” or “no alcohol beyond this point” are unnecessary and ugly. Raleigh’s Appearance Commission agrees that City Council should get rid of these regulations. Currently though, if restaurants and bars do not have these signs posted at the exits of their establishments, they can face a fine of $200. The rule was established last year to prevent drinkers from straying from the dining area. The committee will meet every Wednesday at 3 p.m. for the next three weeks to review other sidewalk-dining related issues before offering its recommendations to City Council.

SOURCE: News & Observer

NC Department of Transportation prepares for winter storms

thursday january

Lindsay Smith Staff Writer

Dining Hall. Garrel estimated that there were about 1,900 people in attendance.

In the dining areas, paper decorations dangled from the ceilings, and posters sporting facts about Korea covered the walls.

Sang Kim, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, said, “I thought [the decorations] were cool. You don’t get to see many decorations [in Fountain] often, so it’s nice to see the place

NC State ‘s Student Senate passed the Reapportionment Act Wednesday night, moving two seats from graduate student senators to College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Senate seats.

Before the bill passed, graduate student senators held 10 seats, and CALS senators held four. With the new bill, graduate student senators hold eight seats, and CALS holds six.

Every three years, Student Senate is required to reconsider the number of representatives in each college.

During the Senate meeting, there was debate over the lack of graduate representation amongst senators.

“Delegations are being gerrymandered unfairly to represent certain colleges,” said Matthew Yanik, a graduate student studying physiology and poultry science. “To keep grad seats at their current numbers, it would involve some unfortunate sacrifices somewhere else. But, if you think students’ voices deserve to be heard equally, then we should not pass this bill.”

Sen. Alex Yadon, a senior studying electrical engineering, expressed the lack of the graduate student senators’ abilities to fill seats.

“We are doing a disservice to our 24,000 [undergraduate] students by having unfilled chairs,” he said.

Currently, graduate and lifelong education senators represent 11,471 students. CALS senators represent 2,112 students.

Many senators supported this reapportionment, claiming that graduate senators have not been able to fill all of their seats for several years. According to Mike

KOREA continued page 2

SENATE continued page 2

KAYDEE GAWLIK/TECHNICIAN

Fountain Dining Hall hosted, “A Taste of Korea” dinner Wednesday. Cherry blossoms and bamboo decorated the lobby, while ceilings were adorned with traditional parasols, or yangsan. Just less than 2,000 people were estimated to be in attendance to the theme dinner by the end of the night, according to General Manager Crayton Garrell.

About 2,000 students attend Taste of Korea Adam Davis Staff Writer

Colorful umbrellas hung in the hallways, and a dragon statue awaited students as they filled up their plates at Fountain Dining Hall’s “Taste of Korea” event. The menu featured Korean cuisine such as bibimbap rice bowls, chow mein noodles and cucumber kimchi.

“We got a lot of favorable comments, so it’s been a good night,” said Crayton Garrel, the general manager of Fountain

Poetry slam promotes creativity among engineering majors Kat Kirby Correspondent

STEMedia — an initiative that blends creativity with a STEM focus — is hosting the Technimetric II Poetry Slam tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the State Ballroom at Talley Student Union. The slam seeks to combine poetry with science, technology, engineering and math.

The slam counts as a Scholar’s Forum and will be held in the State Ballroom of Talley Student Union tonight at 6:30 p.m., with light refreshments starting at 5:30 p.m.

“It’s where technical intelligence meets creative genius,” said Nehemiah Mabry, STEMedia president and NC State alumnus.

The slam also seeks to connect

the audience through something “spiritual and loving,” said Cynthia Sharpe, an NC State alumna and volunteer for the event.

Spoken word, a form of poetry, is different from that of its Shakespearean predecessor, the sonnet, and more closely related to a free verse rhyme.

“You can talk about chemistry and relate it to love,” said Darryl Johnson, a junior studying mechanical engineering and the president of the National Society of Black Engineers at NC State.

The slam is a unique experience, according to Sharpe.

“You never know what you’re going to get from a slam … It’s a really fun event. I don’t know much about science, but I can incorporate what

I do know about math and science into my understanding of the poems,” Sharpe said.

Not only is STEMedia seeking to give engineering and other STEM majors a creative outlet, it’s also seeking to help close the divide between engineers and the rest of the university, as there are still multiple stereotypes that feed into engineering. Some still view engineers as “nerds with taped glasses” and “pocket protectors who solve calculus equations in their spare time,” according to Sharpe.

It almost seems that engineering majors can only be successful in math and science, which is not the case, said Kaitlin Perkins, a soph-

SLAM continued page 2

NICKI LEARY/TECHNICIAN

Kaitlin Perkins, a sophomore studying material science and engineering, and Darryl Johnson, a junior studying mechanical engineering, plan out the last few details of the Technimetric II Poetry Slam. It’s scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Talley Ballroom. The idea of the slam is to combine STEM and spoken word in an attempt to showcase a mixture of creative talents and intelligence possessed by the NC State student body. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

News

PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

POLICE BLOTTER January 19 12:13 AM | SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE Centennial Park & Ride Report of vehicle door open.

Officers did not locate any signs of forced entry or damage.

Student was notified regarding unsecured vehicle.

5:47 AM | SUSPICIOUS PERSON Hodges Wood Products Report of subject sleeping in the building. Officers determined student had fallen asleep while working on project.

8:10 AM | ASSIST OTHER AGENCY Off Campus NCSU PD assisted RPD with traffic accident.

8:22 AM | DAMAGE TO PROPERTY Sigma Nu Report that eggs had been thrown on fraternity house and their vehicles. Extent of damage is not yet known.

11:11 AM | WELFARE CHECK Off Campus Officers conducted welfare check on student experiencing emotional distress. Student was issued welfare referral and concerned behavior initiated.

Counseling Center staff was notified.

11:44 AM | MEDICAL ASSIST Dunn Ave/Jeter Dr Units responded and

transported student in need of medical assistance.

1:24 PM | SUSPICIOUS PERSON West Deck Report of subject looking into vehicles. Officers did not locate anyone matching description.

1:35 PM | SPECIAL EVENT McKimmon Center NCSU PD assisted NC SHP with D-2 event.

1:36 PM | MEDICAL ASSIST Student Health Center Units responded and transported student in need of medical assistance.

1:38 PM | TRAFFIC ACCIDENT Dan Allen Dr/Western Blvd Student was involved in traffic accident. Transport refused.

2:42 PM | FRAUD Public Safety Center University Audit referred case of possible embezzlement.

Investigation ongoing.

7:01 PM|MEDICAL ASSIST Method Road Field House Units responded and transported student in need of medical assistance.

9:25 PM | SUSPICIOUS PERSON Cates Ave/Morrill Dr Report of suspicious subject around vehicles. Officers determined subject was staff member issuing parking tickets.

MCDAIDS

on Hillsborough compared to what it was like back then.”

Local business owners were also affected by the closure. Nash Patton, co-owner of Groucho’s Deli, was also saddened by the sudden closure. Groucho’s is located at the intersection of Horne Street and Hillsborough Street, the same block that McDaids was on.

“It is a sad moment for the street,” Patton said. “It was a college student’s go-to spot, which we need more of on the street. It was run by good people doing great things.”

Nash was friends with Tyler Mills, the owner of McDaids. According to Patton, owning a business on Hillsborough Street does not come without its challenges.

“Parking is a huge issue,” Patton said. “Rent is high for many reasons. City funds are being pushed elsewhere and not on the street. [Mills] is a hard worker who did a great job. It is a very difficult street to make a living on.”

SENATE

Giancola, assistant vice provost in Student Leadership and Engagement, graduate student senators have not had their seats filled in the 15 years he has worked with Student Government.

CHASS Sen. Jacqueline

SLAM

continued from page 1

omore studying biological engineering.

“The best type of engi-

THROUGH NICKI’S LENS

12:48 PM | FIRE ALARM Innovation Hall FP responded to alarm caused by cooking.

continued from page 1

continued from page 1

TECHNICIAN

KEN the (robot) doll PHOTO BY NICKI LEARY

D

iego Castedo Pena, a freshman studying mathematics , attempts to hold a conversation with KEN, a robot brought to the D.H. Hill Library by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Wednesday. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers has chapters all over the world that “promote the engineering process of creating, developing, integrating, sharing and applying knowledge” to the public. The Eastern North Carolina Chapter of IEEE brought KEN , along with several pieces of robot memorabilia, to NC State and allowed students in the NC State Scholars Program to interact with KEN and test out his ability to interact with people. KEN was built using mostly donations and volunteer labor, and the improvements that will continue to be made on KEN will mostly be funded with future donations to the program. The robot exhibit will be on display in D.H. Hill Library until the end of February.

McDaids also served as a place for students to go eat food, have drinks and socialize.

“I went there one night; it was in October, but I ended up running into my good friend who I met while studying abroad in Germany,” said Taylor Thompson, a senior studying economics. “Luckily he is studying at NC State now so I was able to see him. The place was pretty nice; there were a lot of seats there, too many seats. It was a nice Irish pub with cool, dim lighting.”

Employees at McDaids said they also shared memories. Wachter said his favorite memory was when a couple came in for its anniversary, and he became acquainted with them.

The couple started coming back once a month.

“We had great management and a closeknit team,” Wachter said. “We were like family. There were always new people and faces coming through the door” The closing of McDaids will be felt by students and locals alike.

“I am saddened by it,” Thompson said. “We need a good student bar with drinks.”

The Technician has reached out to Mills for a comment but has yet to hear back.

KAYDEE GAWLIK/TECHNICIAN

Attendees line up to get, “A Taste of Korea” at Fountain Dining Hall Wednesday. Various cultural staples — such as jabchae, spicy doen jang soup and kimchi were featured in the food line-up.

KOREA

continued from page 1

Gonzalez, a sophomore studying political science, expressed her support for the change saying it is better to have seats filled by those who want to be a part of senate.

“I feel like these seats are not being used, and everyone would benef it from someone who wants to be here, rather than just having the seat empty and having constantly tried

to have grad students fill these seats — it is just not happen i ng ,” G on z a lez said.

Yanik countered these arguments, saying, “It’s essentially saying ‘I want it more than you. You should give it to me. I deserve it more.’ Those are the graduate Senate seats, and they are already currently underrepresented.”

neers are the ones that use their left and right brain,” Perkins said.

Most of the contestants are involved in the engineering program at NC State — currently there are six registered participants

and other special guests.

Other partners for the event include National Society of Black Engineers, Arts at NC State, My Health Impact and the Minority Engineering Programs Office.

liven up. It’s definitely jampacked today. It’s fun to meet new people; there were plenty of people in the line today that I had never seen before.”

Many students in attendance had heard about the event, but did not know what to expect from it.

“I wasn’t really expecting much, I just came in with an open mind,” Kim said.

For some, the event was an opportunity to learn about Korea.

“I think that the Taste of Korea is a great experience for NC State students to have,” said Nick Loschin, a freshman studying environmental science. “It exposes

them to different kinds of food and I’m rea lly glad that University Dining did it. Everything tastes pretty good, and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for us.”

Nash Martens, a sophomore study ing computer science, said the event surpassed his expectations.

“It was better than I was expecting,” Martens. “The rice bowl was really good. I think I’ll definitely look to try [Korean food] now. I’ve tried other Asian foods, but never really Korean.”

Rong Wang, a graduate student studying computer science, contrasted the meal with Chinese food, saying that Korean food is sweet while Chinese food is salty.

However, he mentioned that

there are several varieties of Chinese cuisine, with some t y pes being even sweeter than that of Korea.

“I thought the way the served the food added to the experience,” said Brianna Reeves, a freshman studying life sciences, especially noting the Korean rice bowls.

“Everything was real traditional and they didn’t mix in American foods with the Korean foods.”

Andrew Shon, a sophomore studying computer science, summed up the evening by saying, “It was a good thing, what NC State dining was trying to do, trying to bring more cultural awareness.

While the food may not be as authentic as it should be, it’s still a great experience for people to have.”

TECHNICIAN TECHNICIAN

News

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 • PAGE 3 TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016 • PAGE 3

Opinion

PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

TECHNICIAN

{ OUR VIEW }

Save money, exploit the poor “

Save money. Live better,” Wal-Mart’s slogan boasts. And who would know better how to accumulate wealth and live fantastically than the Walton family, the owners of the corporate giant?

Announced Jan. 15, by the end of the year, Wal-Mart will have closed 269 stores worldwide. The company will close 154 locations in the United States. Seventeen Wal-Marts in North Carolina will permanently shut their doors Jan. 28.

North Carolina is second only to Texas, with 29, in the number of Wal-Marts closing.

Sixteen-thousand employees in total will lose their jobs, 10,000 of these being domestic.

So why is Wal-Mart closing so many stores

The unsigned editorial is the opinion of the members of Technician’s editorial board, excluding the news department, and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief. all at once?

Looking at Wal-Mart’s stock prices for the past year, they do seem as though they have significantly decreased. However, when you look at trends for the past five years, they seem fairly typical, especially considering that shares peaked at $91.35 per share in January 2015.

Another indicator that Wal-Mart isn’t closing stores due to financial difficulties? They still plan to open 300 new stores in the coming year.

Wal-Mart as a whole is not suffering, though the Walton family would have you believe otherwise. The Waltons, with more wealth than

the lowest 42 percent of American families combined, is the richest family in the U.S. It’s hard to imagine that the company ranked No. 1 in Fortune 500’s 2015 list of largest companies by revenue is hurting so badly. An annual revenue of $482 billion, Wal-Mart’s economic weight is comparable to the GDP of Norway.

In an effort that seems like damage control, Wal-Mart released the news that it will be substantially raising its minimum wage, with more than 1.2 million employees receiving pay raises.

Assuming this does more than account for the inflation of the past few years, such an upgrade

is long overdue, considering the employer’s past discrepancies, such as eliminating healthcare coverage for many part-time workers and raising the premiums for health plans in 2014.

Wal-Mart’s actions likely come from a place of fear that its top spot is in danger. It’s anxious to revitalize the business that has shown possible signs of slipping.

If the company had executed these actions with any sort of grace, then it would have seemed marginally human. What Wal-Mart has instead indicated is how completely it regards its employees as disposable — almost as disposable as those local business owners who suffered from those now-closing stores being established in the first place.

The case of toxic rivers W

e all knew it was coming. We all knew we would see it, be engulfed by it, soon.

Worst of all, we all knew there was nothing we could do to stop it.

Hours earlier, my hometown Logan of Durango, Colorado had been Graham informed that a gold mine had Correspondent burst, spewing a torrent of orange-tinged, toxic sludge into the river that flowed through our town. The spill had occurred high in the mountains about 60 miles upstream, but nonetheless the toxic mess was still steadily drawing near. With no way to stop it, no way to possibly save our river, our town had gathered on a bridge, waiting for the toxic, orange wall to appear.

As the sun slowly dipped behind the mountains, the crowd, over a hundred large, remained largely quiet. There, on the bridge, standing in the eerie silence knowing that the toxic water would be flowing underneath the bridge in a matter of minutes and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it, was one of the worst feelings of my life. The whole town was in a trance, realizing the magnitude of the spill — realizing that our town’s tourist-creating, farm-enabling water supply was suddenly gone. Someone behind me sniffled, understanding what most of us already knew: Our town’s livelihood was about to be poisoned.

I would never wish that feeling upon my worst enemy, but unfortunately my town was no exception. Multiple communities across the United States have felt the same helpless dread as they, too have their water source turned into a toxic mess. On Feb. 2, 2014, a pipe at a Duke Energy coal plant ruptured, spilling toxic coal ash into the Dan River in our own state of North Carolina and, recently, the people of Flint, Michigan found their town’s river and water supply to be riddled with deadly toxins.

In the civilized and modern society of America today, it seems inconceivable that we would deal with the same water quality issues that were dealt with in 14thcentury London; unfortunately, we are.

Out of all the cases of toxic water in the world, both past and present, nearly all were caused not by the environment, but by humans. The cases of a small Colorado town, a river in North Carolina and the town of Flint have a common theme which is that they were all perpetrated by humans. In Colorado, a gold mine created by

{

IN YOUR WORDS

}

“We need to start paying teachers higher salaries.

Teachers have one the most important jobs in our society, so we need to pay them in a way that reflects that.”

Samantha Barringer sophomore, social work

humans caused a major environmental disaster, in North Carolina, a coal power plant and in Flint, switching to take water from a river made corrosive from the heavy use of road salt.

Throughout history, humans have been touted as great builders, responsible for the Pyramids of Gaza, the Great Wall of China and the Empire State Building, but perhaps what humans should be remembered for more than their building abilities is their ability to destroy. Rivers simply don’t turn orange without the help of humans and Flint surely wouldn’t be in this position without the actions of humans before it.

The world first realized this fact following the massive, human-perpetrated Chernobyl disaster.

In a piece published shortly after the disaster, sociologist Ulrich Beck argued that there are “hazards … introduced by modernization itself.”

Beck realized that society’s act of modernizing, just like building a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, naturally places us at more risk, specifically from an increased rate of natural disasters.

Today, Beck’s arguments couldn’t have been more correct. As our world’s rate of modernization runs rampant, with no regard or respect for the environments in which we are building in, the risk we place our society under from environmental disasters only increases. The three toxic rivers, then, are not fluke environmental disasters, but obvious consequences of our societies’ need for the next best thing.

If we want the environmental disasters that are now widespread across the world to stop, perhaps the only way to do so is to take a step back and stop meddling with nature’s ways. The river in my hometown is now clean and able to be used as a water source once again, but only because my town took a step back from the river. Instead of building and creating a chemical combination that would “clean” the river, we allowed nature to do its work and work it did. Humans often underestimate the power of nature, but if left alone and unadulterated by humans for even a few months, a once toxic river can become pristine once again.

Nature enthusiast, President Teddy Roosevelt once said: “Leave it (nature) as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” And if by “mar,” he meant the creation of rivers so toxic that entire communities can’t even drink from them, then I think he was spot on.

How do you think we can improve the general education program?

BY NICKI LEARY

“I’ve enjoyed my time in public schools and really appreciate all the teachers I’ve had, but it’s disappointing to see many of my teachers from high school and middle school on food stamps because the pay is so low. I hope this will change in the future.”

“One way we can improve the general education program is to make tests and exams less important, and focus more on actually developing knowledge and critical thinking skills in our students.”

Nigel Barber freshman, architecture

Maddie Macmillan, freshman, engineering

Editor-in-Chief Kaitlin Montgomery technician-editor@ncsu.edu

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Lit Crit, Part III

Sarah Ishida, graduate student studying technical communication

Defending the needs of the many M

any major cities, retailers, companies and any institution with public space have jumped on the bandwagon of banning hovJim Twiddy erboards.

Correspondent Even sports tea ms i ncluding the Carolina Panthers have banned their players from using the hoverboards. Coach Ron Rivera seems to be concerned about the safety of using such devices. In a recent ESPN article, ESPN quoted Rivera saying, “I will say this, too: I caught them drag racing in the freaking hallway one time, too.” And as funny as that quote sounds, it does reflect the concerns of the players on the team as well.

ESPN also quoted Ed Dickson, one of the players for the Carolina Panthers who, in reference to the coach’s ban, said, “Guys appreciated it.” Now that NC State has banned the use of hoverboards on campus, some students seem to think the university’s policy is harsh or unnecessary.

I can understand why this may be viewed as a somewhat trivial issue, and it is quite comical in many cases. However, hoverboards really do pose some safety risks that should be taken into account. The first of these concerns is that the board is inherently dangerous because of the way that it is used. Some people who are just not naturally gifted in the art of balancing and/ or motor skills are a danger

to themselves and others because they can run into stuff and fall over and get hurt.

I have seen multiple people fall over on hoverboards

“ESPN quoted Rivera saying, “I will say this, too: I caught them drag racing in the freaking hallway one time, too.” personally, and again while it is somewhat hilarious, it is actually dangerous.

It is not just people’s lack of ability to operate this kind of vehicle safely that makes the nature of the hoverboard unsafe. Many feel that the size and capabilities of the hoverboard, and other vehicles similar to it like the Segway, fall into a category between what should be allowed on the road and what should be allowed on walkways. Many DMVs consider them to be motor vehicles and, therefore, too dangerous for public walkways, but obviously the hoverboard is not compatible with the vehicles that use thoroughfares. While it may seem trivial, it is the university’s job to keep people safe and to make calls like this.

While it is reasonable to be concerned about students having accidents with hoverboards, the larger threat they pose is through fire safety

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Business Manager Mark Tate advertising@sma.ncsu.edu

concerns. Apparently the batteries that hoverboards use are prone to burst into flames. Recently there was a BBC article titled “Hoverboard fire caused ‘total devastation’ to Australian house” that told the story of an Australian family who lost its home to a fire that was started by a hoverboard.

The article claimed that “Fire crews said the popular electrical product was charging in a girl’s bedroom in the Melbourne suburb of Strathmore when the blaze started.” Obviously, the fire risk is a very serious problem with the hoverboards and is worthy cause for a campuswide ban. If you doubt the seriousness of this issue, there is a large selection of similar articles and even YouTube videos that will convince you otherwise.

While the ban on NC State’s campus seems to have been taken pretty seriously, as I have not seen a hoverboard on campus since, it seems that this is not the case everywhere a ban has been issued. While many major cities have issued bans on hoverboards, it seems that the police don’t seem to pay much attention to them.

YouTube vlogger Casey Neistat posted a vlog about this to demonstrate how little the police care about hoverboards. Check out his channel to see it. While it seems like a reasonable issue for the campus to focus on, I can understand while it is not the priority of major cities.

The Technician (USPS 455-050) is the official student newspaper of N.C. State University and is published every Monday through Thursday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods.

Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on the Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists.

As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., Copyright 2011 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

Features

TECHNICIAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 • PAGE 5

Duke Energy spokesperson clears the air

Q&A Randy Wheeless with

Bryan Maxwell Correspondent

Last semester, the Technician published an opinion column discussing the future of renewable energy in North Carolina. The column mentioned Duke Energy and the role it plays in clean energy. Following this article, Randy Wheeless, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, reached out to the Technician to clear the air about Duke’s actions and ambitions for clean energy in the state and to address some plans for the year of 2016 during a Q&A. Q: First off, how does Duke Energy work with NC State?

It takes a lot of engineers to run an electric utility. We’ve been fortunate over the years to have a great relationship with NC State and have hired many engineers from the university. I’m reminded of it every time the Wolfpack pulls off a big win. You see plenty of red the next day.

Q: Realistically, how much of the power running our energy grid comes from renewable energy?

Across our operations, last year Duke Energy generated 8 percent of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro. When you combine that with nuclear, 34 percent of our electricity in 2014 was generated from carbon-free sources.

Q: What does Duke Energy have in store for North Carolina as far as picking up our solar game?

Duke Energy companies have more than 20 solar facilities in North Carolina. We are in the middle of a $500 million solar expansion in North Carolina.

That’s leading to the completion of four major solar facilities in the eastern part of the state that will be among the largest in North Carolina.

We also recently announced a fifth project in Rowan County and are looking to develop projects in 2016 in the rest of the state. All of these efforts have made North Carolina fourth in the nation for solar power. Meanwhile, we continue to work with state leaders to develop offerings that will bring more solar options to our customers.

Q: Is Duke working on

incorporating renewable energy sources other than solar? If so, what and where?

Duke Energy is actually one of the largest wind producers in the United States. We have wind farms in states where the wind resources are better: Texas, Wyoming and Kansas to name a few. We are also a leader in battery energy storage, which will be important as we incorporate renewable energy onto the electric grid. Until recently, a battery installation next to our wind farm in Texas was the largest in the nation. Our battery projects in North Carolina are giving us insight into how to better integrate renewable energy with the electric grid. We see a bright future for battery storage.

Q: The coal ash spill in the Dan River was a big deal and revealed a degree of negligence on the part of Duke and our state’s environmental regulators.

How is Duke working to change how it handles its coal ash?

We’ve used the Dan River incident as an opportunity to set an industry-leading standard for the management of coal ash. We revamped the company to strengthen operational ownership and safe ash basin closure, creating new teams dedicated to this work. We examined the rest of our system to help ensure a Dan River didn’t happen again. We conducted comprehensive engineering reviews of ash basins and related piping, identifying areas where we could perform maintenance or make other improvements to further increase the margin of safety in our operations until basins can be closed.

We also brought in outside experts to provide insight and their perspectives. Specif ica l ly, we worked with UNC-Charlotte to create the National Ash Management Advisory Board, a group of academic and industry leaders in coal ash, engineering, environmental science and more.

Q: Given the financial burden of the fines and loss of the public’s trust that came with this spill, along with the inherent risks and externalities of coal burning, has Duke had any serious conversations about moving away from coal, in the short or long term?

Actually, we have been moving

This photo portrays renewable energy in the form of wind turbines and solar panels.

away from coal for some time.

Since 2011, t he company has closed 40 coal-f ired units. We have lowered our overall carbon emissions approximately 20 percent since 2005. We have spent $9 billion modernizing and making our generation f leet more efficient. Since 2007, we have invested $4 billion in wind and solar across the U.S. and expect to invest another $3 billion over the next five years.

Q: The renewable energy tax credit will expire this year. Although it was always slated to end in 2015, Duke expressed it wasn’t interested in using its clout in the state to have this extended. Was there any reason the company wasn’t more vocal about seeing this renewed?

The General Assembly session has ended, so there’s nothing in the near term. Duke Energy advocated this year for a collaborate effort that would address a number of solar issues together. That would be more productive than battling over every single issue — and getting nothing done. We still think that’s a good idea. We were part of a similar effort in South Carolina in 2014. It didn’t grab a lot of headlines, but the end result was applauded by utilities, solar businesses and environmental groups alike.

Q: What, that you know of, can the average Joe reading the Technician do to help support a future with cleaner energy?

The tax credit was slated to expire at the end of 2015. We had been running our renewable expansion with that in mind. We would have been fined with it being extended. Last year, Duke Energy actually took greater advantage of the tax credit than any company. But we understood why others wanted it to expire as originally planned. Solar will continue to expand in North Carolina — with or without the state tax credit.

Being more energy efficient and taking advantage of energy efficiency programs is a start. We should all focus on how we expand renewable energy in North Carolina while keeping electric rates competitive for all customers.

Duke Energy’s rates are 20 percent below the national average.

It’s a reason why companies are choosing to locate in the state. We should all aim to keep our competitive electric rates and still be a leader in renewable energy.

Q: Helping Wolfpack students stay informed, are there any pieces of legislation being suggested at the state level

Q: “Carbon neutral” sounds appealing, but it’s easier said than done. For our state’s energy grid, what are the

Stick Fly

THE RADAR

that advocates for clean energy that we would want to be aware of and support?

Raleigh Little Theatre Evening Shows Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 p.m.

Matinee Sunday at 3 p.m. $18 “Stick Fly” is a play adapted from Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” by playwright Lydia Diamond.

The story follows the rich, Black LeVay family reuniting at Martha’s Vineyard. But comedic tensions ensue as family troubles and issues of race and class are revealed. To watch a performance at the Raleigh Little Theatre is a must-do during your time at NC State or in Raleigh because it is just a few blocks away with much local talent.

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

biggest obstacles for kicking fossil fuels for good?

You’re right — it’s easier said than done. We will always need generation that operates 24/7. We believe a balanced portfolio of generation assets will be a part of our future. Nuclear is one source.

Coal and natural gas are others, and they will still be a part of our mix in the future. And we believe renewable energy will continue to be a growing part of that mix.

Q: North Carolina is one of only four states that bans third-party sales for energy. Making this legal could help the renewable industry in North Carolina along and give our citizens more options from where we buy our energy. Would Duke Energy be supportive of seeing this brought to North Carolina?

We did not support the thirdparty sales bill proposed this session. However, we are supportive of policies that will make solar affordable to our customers in a responsible way — taking into account operational impacts and appropriately valuing solar and the grid. That will require collaboration with many stakeholders, and we look forward to being part of these conversations. Meanwhile, we have an obligation to serve all customers in our territory — and we take that task seriously.

Remembering the Life of David Bowie

ABS’s Winter Festival and Brew Off

Pour House Music Hall Doors open 6 p.m. on Saturday Free Mourn the death of rock super star David Bowie by watching “The Man Who Fell To Earth” followed by listening to local bands cover his tunes. Although entry is free, donations will be collected to support the charity that Bowie championed: “Keep a Child Alive.” This organization aims to end HIV/AIDS for children and their families.

Raleigh Brewing Company Saturday from noon – 6 p.m.

Free Raleigh Brewing Company kicks off a new tradition with tours of its brewery (on a first-come-firstserve basis) and a Q&A session with one of its staff brewers. The finals competition for the Carolina Quarterly Brew Off will also occur as the four winners from 2015 compete in a public taste test.

PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Features

TECHNICIAN

‘Life’s Little Dramas’: a brief history of puppets BRYAN MURPHY/TECHNICIAN

Chinese hand puppets are displayed in an ornate theater setting in the Puppets, Proxies and Spirits exhibit in the hallway next to the Silent Reading Room in D.H. Hill Library. The exhibit was curated and set up by the Gregg Museum of Art and Design and will last until Feb. 28.

Emma Cathell Features and Bienvenidos Editor

When most people think of puppets, they usually think of the dolls that sit on a ventriloquists’ lap that tell funny, and sometimes insulting, jokes. The smiling, shiny puppet will usually say something smug or sarcastic and the ventriloquist will act surprised and embarrassed about their puppets’ behavior.

Though this is a common role puppets play, it is not their only one.

Throughout centuries and all across different countries, puppets have been used for all sorts of reasons. They were used for humans to speak with religious gods, to play dangerous acting roles that humans couldn’t and to express political ideas.

“Life’s Little Dramas: Puppets, Proxies, and Spirits,” a Gregg Museum of Art & Design exhibit located in D.H. Library, tells some of those puppets’ stories from the glass shelves that line the walls.

The exhibit began last semester and has been extended until Feb. 28, according to Roger Manley, director and chief curator of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. The original end of the exhibition was to run through winter break and finish on Jan. 4. However, with so much great feedback along with a few more weeks until the next exhibition at D.H. Hill, University Libraries and the Gregg Museum decided to extend the exhibition, according to Manley.

“The Gregg Museum is delighted that the exhibition will get some additional exposure through the extended stay,” Manley said. “Since a number of new students always show up with each new semester, it is great that they’ll have a chance to see the show as well.”

“Life’s Little Dramas” is an exhibition composed of puppets, robots, proxies and spirits. The exhibit is on the second floor of D.H. Hill Library before entering the Silent Reading Room.

According to Molly Renda, exhibits program librarian, the exhibit is in a great location because many students pass by and it offers students a break from studying.

“For students who study in the library it provides a pleasant break from hard work with text books and in front of computer screens, with a sun-filled conservatory to recharge energy,” Renda said.

Both Renda and Manley stressed the importance of puppets because of their historical context.

“This is a show about one of the most important ways that people communicate with each other,” Manley said. “Starting with the first shadow puppets on the walls of caves, puppets have always allowed people to explore and express the imagination.”

One portion of the exhibit shows how puppets were a big part of early television, according to Renda.

“People may have a fixed idea about what a puppet exhibit might include,” Renda said. “But many people don’t know that the first broadcast television image was of a Felix the Cat puppet, and the first TV series and much of early television were puppet-based — and we have the clips from ‘Howdy Doody’ to prove it.”

Another part of the exhibition title is “proxies,” which is someone or something that has the power to act for someone else. Manley said both puppets — and robots — are considered to be “proxies” because they do things in place of humans.

“Robots take risks on our behalf, too,” Manley said. “They tend to perform hazardous, unpleasant or highly repetitive tasks in fields like science, industry, security or exploration. Because both puppets and robots often act as proxies or stand-ins, going where we can’t go, doing what we can’t do, we decided to combine them in one exhibition.”

For example, Manley explained, puppets have been used to do things that would be considered dangers for a “real” person to do, such as simulate

BRYAN MURPHY/TECHNICIAN

Rock’em Sock’em Robots, designed by Louis Marx and Company in 1964, are on display in the hallway next to the silent reading room in D.H. Hill Library Wednesday. The puppets are part of the Puppets, Proxies and Spirits exhibit curated and set up by the Gregg Museum of Art and Design.

violence and death or even to talk to gods.

“In the Middle Ages, puppets were used to tell the life stories of the saints and martyrs because you could stab a puppet or chop off its head,” Manley said. “Live actors tended to avoid that kind of thing. Puppets were also used to challenge authority, or satirize social customs when it would have been dangerous for a normal person to do so.”

Another example Manley mentioned was that during World War II, puppets were able to talk about sensitive political topics during times people could not.

“Puppets in occupied countries like Poland or Czechoslovakia could make fun of Adolf Hitler and get away with it, but any human actor who dared do the same thing would have been shot or sent to a gas chamber,” Manley said.

Manley said that before the invention of digital media, puppets could do what was before seemingly impossible

BRYAN MURPHY/TECHNICIAN

Wayang kulit shadow puppets from mid-20th century Java, Indonesia are on display in this exhibit. This part of the exhibit portrays how an Indonesian shadow puppet theater would be represented, according the exhibit’s pamphlet.

— especially for humans to perform — such as fly, conjure up monsters, lose their heads, die and impersonate gods.

Both Manley and Renda said that having puppets from all around the world including China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Mali, the United States, England and Burma makes this exhibit especially unique and diverse.

“One of the interesting things you learn from the exhibit is that puppets have been made for hundreds of years by people across the globe,” Renda said. “An international student commented in the guest book that he was proud to see the Indonesian puppets that represented his culture here in D.H. Hill so far from home.”

Renda said it is important for students to experience a culturally diverse exhibit at NC State, especially in an exhibit of this nature where cultural production is represented in such a variety of ways.

“I mean, you could curate an entire

exhibit about puppetry supported by the government’s WPA program during the height of the Great Depression in the U.S., but even within that much smaller topic there is a wide range of people and backgrounds to consider: laborers and artists, whites and African Americans, as well as regional and political diversity,” Renda said.

Manley said it is also great to show diverse cultures and traditions in one single exhibit because it shows the similarities amongst different people.

“By seeing examples from a range of sources, in any exhibition, you begin to see the common threads that link them,” Manley said. “A show of pottery from around the world, or textiles or anything else helps you understand the essential qualities that make something what it is, while at the same time, you can appreciate the wonderful varieties of creativity that are all around us, all the time.”

BRYAN MURPHY/TECHNICIAN

A mid-20th century wayang golek rod puppet is from the Indonesian islands of Javi and Bali.

According to the exhibit, wooden panel puppets and wooden doll puppets can be used to exorcise ghosts as well as to enter the spirit world.

Sports

TECHNICIAN

PREVIEW

NFC

continued from page 8

continued from page 8

woes coupled with a much-needed win over Pitt provides the perfect formula for an upset. A win over Duke would give the Pack a quality win, not to mention a marquee win in the ACC, as it tries to salvage what it can after a 0-5 start to ACC play.

Saturday’s game also marks the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Pack. Along with the Blue Devils, the Wolfpack will host Georgia Tech and No. 15 Miami (FL) before continuing a brutal conference schedule that includes road trips to No. 2 North Carolina and No. 13 Virginia.

While ACC wins will be hard to come by this season, the Pack needs to take advantage of the winnable games that come its way. A win Saturday over Duke may be the start of something new for head coach Mark Gottfried and company.

As a result of the injuries to Benwikere and fellow cornerback Charles Tillman, the Panthers’ once-vaunted secondary has surrendered 1,242 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in its last four games.

While the secondary may still be a major question mark, the Panthers’ running game has been picking it up over the last two games. While the team was second in the NFL in rush yards per game with 142.6 this season, the emergence of Cameron Artis-Payne has been the catalyst for a revamped running game.

The former Auburn stand-

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 • PAGE 7

out averaged 4.1 yards per carry in the last three games of the year, so his young legs need to be utilized against a Cardinal defense that gave up 1,460 rushing yards this season, sixth fewest in the league.

One final matchup that will have ever ybody’s attention Sunday night will be the one between Palmer and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. For the first time in NFL history, two former No. 1 overall picks and Heisman Trophy winners will face off in the postseason.

Each quarterback looks to lead his respective team to the Super Bowl Sunday night in Charlotte.

Classifieds

ATHLETICS

continued from page 8

enue sports at State: football and basketball. Unfortunately for Wolfpack fans, that doesn’t appear to be likely to change anytime soon.

The football team is stuck behind the juggernauts that are Clemson and Florida State in the ACC and are still way behind the SEC squads, as evidenced by a 51-28 rout

by Mississippi State in the Belk Bowl.

The basketball team’s outlook would’ve been better had Trevor Lacey returned, but let’s be honest, he wasn’t taking us to a national championship this season. The team has f lirted with a bevy of five-star recruits this offseason and needs to sign more than just Dennis Smith Jr. to field a championship team.

The wrestling team undeniably gives this school the best chance at a national championship, as it is in the midst of a magical season, but other non-revenue sports have done well enough to garner votes as well. If NC State can keep baseball at a top-10 level and bring the other revenue sports up to par, the athletic outlook of the Pack could be changed very quickly.

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FOR RELEASE JANUARY 21, 2016

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

Did you know?

• Prestage Department of Poultry Science has 100% job placement.

• Poultry Science has a pre vet program.

• Our faculty and staff ratio is approximately 1:5 for quality advising oppertunities.

• We are 1 of 6 departments in the nation.

• Prestage Department of Poultry Science offers P 56 scholarships totaling over $100,000.

• We offer multiple GEN ED courses.

For more information look us up on the CALS website or you can follow us on Facebook at NCSU Prestage or on twitter @joinourflock #NCSUPoultry

ACROSS 1 Chinese take-out order?

6 Co. making many arrangements 9 Basilica recess 13 Impressed 14 Lab coat discovery?

15 Tool with teeth 16 Loud cheering consequence 18 Informed about 19 *Whopper alternative (19691986) 21 Help for a breakdown 22 Affaire de coeur 23 Star followers 26 Webby Award candidate 29 Wrap maker 32 Lot size 33 WWII lander 34 Author Greene 35 Feel sorry about 36 *Former MLB mascot BJ Birdy was one (17891795) 38 From __ Z 39 Barely moves 41 Roker and Rosen 42 Tiny time meas.

43 Branch of yoga 44 “No real damage” 45 Car-collecting star 46 George Eliot or George Sand 48 UV index monitor 50 The end of each answer to a starred clue is a former one 54 Hi’s wife, in comics 55 Broiler with a motor 58 Start to freeze?

59 Sanctioned 60 Scrub 61 Russia is its largest producer 62 National Preparedness Mo. 63 Breathers?

DOWN 1 Grafton’s “__ for Noose” 2 “Art is my life and my life is art” artist

1/21/16

By George Simpson and C.C. Burnikel

3 Sportscaster Albert 4 Honey 5 Day one 6 Ice __ 7 Leaves holder 8 Fact 9 Peppery salad green 10 *Film for which John Houseman won an Oscar, with “The” (18641873) 11 Candy bar with a Nordic name 12 Dusk, to Pope 14 Calendar col.

17 “The War of the Worlds” author 20 Detroit Lions’ lion mascot 23 Time that “went out like a lion,” in song 24 Upscale Honda 25 *“Jaws” menace (1910-1921) 27 Spartans’ sch.

28 Best crew 30 Like granola 31 Oil giant that built what is now Chicago’s Aon Center 34 Leak preventers

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

36 Fault 37 2001 album that’s also a nickname 40 Response to a ring 42 Medically ineffectual treatment 44 Bit of clique humor 47 High styles 49 Galileo, by birth

1/21/16

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52 Caesar of comedy 53 Psyche’s beloved 54 Class where partners may be required 56 Ill temper 57 “Edge of Tomorrow” enemies, briefly

Sports

ATHLETIC SCHEDULE

PAGE 8 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Today

Friday

Saturday

Women’s basketball at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM

Swimming vs Virginia 5:00 PM

Men’s basketball vs Duke 2:00 PM

Track at Hokie Invitational All Day

TECHNICIAN

2016 ACC STANDINGS Pack seeks 2nd-straight ACC win Drew Nantais Sports Editor

1 2 3 4 5

North Carolina Tar Heels Conference

Overall

5-0

16-2

Virginia Tech Hokies Conference

Overall

4-1

12-6

Louisville Cardinals Conference

Overall

3-1

14-3

Clemson Tigers Conference

Overall

5-2

12-7

Pittsburgh Panthers Conference

Overall

4-2

15-3

14

NC State Wolfpack

Conference

Overall

1-5

11-8

After recording its first conference win of the 201516 season, the NC State men’s basketball team looks to keep the momentum going Saturday at PNC Arena against head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the No. 20 Duke Blue Devils.

The Wolfpack (11-8, 1-5 ACC) defeated t he Pit t Panthers Tuesday night in what has been the Pack ’s best game of the season.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils (14-5, 3-3 ACC) have been uncharacteristically inconsistent this season as they find themselves in the midst of a three-game skid entering Saturday’s game.

Dropping games at Clemson and home against Notre Dame and Syracuse, Duke seems to be losing its perennial vise grip on the ACC even with a talented roster.

Along with the first half against the Tar Heels Saturday, the Pack has played its best basketball of the season over the last two games. Junior Anthony “Cat” Barber scored 31 against the Panthers and recorded seven rebounds and eight assists as well. Despite the fantas-

tic stat line, Barber committed a season-high eight turnovers Tuesday night.

Sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu continued his unbelievable play this season recording 16 points and 10 rebounds, his ninth doubledouble this season.

Muc h l i k e t he g a me against the Tar Heels, the matchup that favors the Pack against the Blue Devils lies in the guard play.

Barber’s experience should be advantageous against a Blue Devil team that lacks depth at the point guard position. Duke freshman Derryck Thornton serves as the team’s only viable option at point guard, and he has only started in 10 games for Krzyzewski. Often times Duke ran a starting lineup that did not include a true point guard and that led to sophomore Grayson Allen or junior Matt Jones to take over the ball handling duties.

A not her aspect of t he game that should fall in the Pack’s favor comes down on the front court. Duke’s only frontcourt presence at the moment comes in the form of senior Marshall Plumlee. Senior Amile Jefferson provided the other low post

KAI F. MCNEIL/TECHNICIAN

Junior guard Anthony “Cat” Barber, dribbles the ball while scanning the court for teammates Saturday in the Dean Dome. The Wolfpack suffered a 67-55 loss, marking its fifthconsecutive conference loss.

presence for the Blue Devils, but due to injury, he has only appeared in nine games.

Needless to say, with the way Abu has been playing of late, he should have

no problem notching yet a not her double - double aga inst t he Blue Dev i ls come Saturday.

The Blue Devil’s recent

PREVIEW continued page 7

Panthers face Cardinals for bid in Super Bowl 50 Joseph Ochoa Staff Writer

With the Carolina Panthers’ 3124 victory over NC State alumnus Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, the Panthers have put themselves in the NFC title game for the first time in 10 years. With that in mind, we’ll break down what the Panthers need to do to advance to their first Super Bowl in 12 years.

To recap the weekend of both teams, the Panthers rocketed out to a 31-0 lead in the first half. In the second half, the Seahawks came screeching back to score 24 unanswered points, but just fell short of an epic comeback.

As for the Cardinals, they had one of the most memorable endings in recent playoff memory against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. After what

COURTESY OF KEITH ALLISON

Quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers in a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium Sept. 28, 2014 in Baltimore.

looked like a sure-fire Cardinals win, Rodgers sent the game into overtime on a borderline-impossible Hail Mary throw to wide receiver Jeff Janis.

The tie would be short-lived,

as the first play of overtime saw Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald complete a long catch and run to take Arizona to the Green Bay 10-yard line. Fitzgerald would later score on a shuttle pass

to win the game, 26-20.

The first thing that the Panthers must work on if they want to beat Carson Palmer and the Cardinals is play solid defense for a full 60 minutes. This season, a problem for the Panthers has been defensive breakdowns in the second half giving life to teams down big.

In games against the New York Giants in Week 15 and Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs, both with Super Bowlcaliber quarterbacks in Wilson and Eli Manning, the teams combined to outscore the Panthers 54-17 in the second half. Now the Panthers get to face former Heisman Trophy-winner Palmer and future Hall-of-Famer Fitzgerald.

The Cardinals will be focusing on their high-flying aerial assault.

In addition to Fitzgerald, the Cardinals have plenty of depth at the wide receiver position, including

second-year wideout John Brown, former first-round pick Floyd and rookie running back David Johnson.

Floyd, Brown and Fitzgerald all have more than 85 targets each this season, and the rookie sensation Johnson from the University of Northern Iowa has amassed more than 1,000 total yards of offense helping the Cardinal offense lead the NFL in total yards.

While all-pro cornerback Josh Norman will be locked up on Fitzgerald, the players to watch for in the Panthers secondary will be Courtland Finnegan and Robert McClain. McClain in particular, was brought in to replace nickel/ starting cornerback Bene Benwikere, whose season was cut short during a 38-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons, when he fractured his leg.

NFC continued page 7

COMMENTARY

NC State athletics look to compete for national titles As winter weather moves into the Raleigh area, it can be hard for fans to realize that NC State baseball season is only a few short weeks away. With the football and basketball teams middling in mediocrity, the NC Christian State baseba ll Candeloro team looks to ofStaff Writer fer a nice reprieve for fans.

Ranked No. 10 by D1baseball. com, the Wolfpack figures to be a power in the NCAA Tournament picture when June rolls around.

Of course, all of these preseason predictions are good for exactly nothing in the grand scheme of things. In January, everyone can daydream of the Wolfpack hoist-

ing t he College World Series Championship trophy in Omaha, Nebraska. However, the reality is that only one team will do it, and expectations have to be tampered before they get out of control.

However, this had me wondering if in fact the Wolfpack baseball team offered the best chance of a national championship for this school in the coming years.

NC State has had individual national champions very recently.

Heavyweight wrestler Nick Gwiazdowski is a two-time reigning national champion and offers the school its best chance at a another one in the near future, but when you look at the picture for team sports it gets a little more murky.

The NC State baseball team is ranked among the top 10 in preseason rankings and more impor-

tantly has stability in its pitching staff, lineup and coaching staff.

The team was one inning away from the Super Regionals last year before an epic meltdown and was in Omaha just three years ago; suggesting that getting there is more than feasible.

The core is young, especially in the pitching staff where ace Brian Brown is just a sophomore, and rotation mates Cory Wilder and Johnny Piedmonte both have two more years of eligibility. This is echoed in the infield where first baseman Preston Palmeiro and Joe Dunand both have several years of eligibility remaining.

This should, in theory, suggest that the team will have its core together for another couple years to grow and mature together. There is of course the draft to consider,

“All these preseason predictions are good for exactly nothing.” which may poach several Wolfpack players this season and throw a wrench into those plans.

The case can undoubtedly be made for the baseball team, so who are its competitors for the next national championship for State?

The most obvious choice is the NC State wrestling team, currently undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the country, is off to its best

start in school history. It features top wrestlers from top to bottom, headlined of course by Gwiazdowski.

The Wolfpack wrestlers have already defeated five teams ranked in the Top 25, including No. 4 Oklahoma State.

Other sports can challenge for the top spot as well. The Wolfpack women’s cross country team finished last season ranked No. 9 in the country, while the men finished 17th. The men’s swimming team also finished with a top-10 ranking last season (No. 7) and the women weren’t far behind at No. 13.

Noticeably missing from any of these rankings are the major rev-

ATHLETICS continued page 7