TECHNICIAN
tuesday january
14 2014
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
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personnel collections operations
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A HISTORY OF CUTS 1,000,000
Phase I of Student Union construction to be completed in February Estefania Castro-Vazquez Staff Writer
SOURCE: NCSU LIBRARIES
The N.C. State library system has been subject to state-appropriated budget cuts for more than a decade, which have reduced the amount of personnel, hours of operations and journal collections.
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‘Devastating’ cuts BUDGET CUTS FOR NCSU LIBRARIES
Jake Moser News Editor
When Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, Susan Nutter, chose to work at N.C. State instead of UNCChapel Hill or Duke, she did so because she saw a library system that had potential to “lead the state.” However, after 14 years and more than $7 million in budget cuts to the University’s library system, Nutter said a lack of funding could have a devastating effect on that goal. NCSU Libraries was forced to reduce its budget this year by almost 5 percent, or $1.3 million, due to state-appropriated cuts handed down by the state legislature. As a result, the department eliminated 14 vacant positions, as well as 13 filled positions. There was also a $23,600 cut to NC LIVE, a service that provides online access to books, journals, magazines and newspapers.
According to Nutter, the 2014 reduction is equivalent to the worst budget cuts to the library system since she arrived at N.C. State 26 years ago. Branch libraries, including the Harrye B. Lyons Design Library and the Natural Resources Library have already eliminated Saturday hours and one filled position at each branch, Nutter said. According to Karen DeWitt, director of the Design Library, the branch libraries provide vital services to students in the College of Design and the College of Natural Resources that will have to be reduced. “In the past few years, we just had less money to buy materials for the collection [due to budget cuts],” DeWitt said. “But this year we’ve had to cut our hours. It’s really unfortunate because students need to do projects and have access to these libraries at any time.”
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Unfortunately, these cuts are only half of the story. According to Nutter and DeWitt, the University Library Committee, a group of students, faculty and administrators that advises the Provost, and N.C. $3,869,676 collections State executives must decide by July whether or $2,971,263 not to reduce personnel t he hours of operation at either D.H. Hill or the James B. Hunt library for 2015. There’s also the possibility of reduc$417,045 operations ing hours at both locations. In addition, one of the branch libraries might close its doors completely. “The affect that will be realized first is the reductions in hours,” Nutter said. “It’s those kinds of things that total budget reduction from 2000–2014 are immediate and affect you when you want to come to a
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CUTS continued page 3
The remainder of phaseone construction for the Talley Student Union will open sometime between February and March, according to University officials. Tim Hogan, the operations director for Campus Enterprises division, said that while there is not yet a set date for the opening, he and his team are currently working with contractors to specify a schedule and are hoping to open during midFebruary. The opening section will include a ballroom three times as large as the one that was in the Talley Student Center, the senate chamber for student government, five additional meeting rooms, One Earth World Cuisine, a Wolf Xpress copy and printing service, Port City Java
“Collaboration is when great ideas come alive.” Jennifer Gilmore, director of marketing communication for Campus Enterprises
and several lounge spaces, Hogan said. According to Jennifer Gilmore, the director of marketing communication for Campus Enterprises, the new ballroom will be able to hold 1,100 people during a lecture and 800 people in a meal setting at capacity. Half of the ballroom and the fourth and fifth f loors will be opening with phase one in order to allow students to traverse from the currently open section to the sections
TALLEY continued page 3
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Staff Writer
Civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory’s presentation for the commemoration of Marin Luther King Jr. Day ended differently than many audience members might have expected when a shouting match broke out during a Q&A at the McKimmon Center on Monday night. During his presentation titled “The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Activism in the 21st Century,” Gregory spoke about different racial stereotypes. However, according to one man in the audience, Gregory went too far when he began joking about stereotypes related to sexual performance. Togbah Push Wleh, a graduate student in teaching, was disgruntled that Gregory was excessively joking at an event intended to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and voiced his opinion during the heated Q&A session after the speech. “I came here to learn about the life of this great man, and you are up here making jokes about Viagra,” Push Wleh said. “It’s not the way to show this man respect.”
MLK continued page 2
JOSEPH PHILLIPS/TECHNICIAN
David Gregory, a civil-rights acitivist and comedian, came to N.C. State Monday and sparked controversy when a member of the audience took offense to one of his jokes.