TECHNICIAN
wednesday february
5
2014
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Adjuncts doubt House’s reports of exploitation Estefania Castro-Vazquez Staff Writer
VICTORIA CROCKER/TECHNICIAN
Professor Helen Dixon, a postdoctoral teaching scholar, explains the different kinds of clothing worn in Ancient Phoenicia at an event in Withers Hall on Wednesday.
Professor’s presentation shines light on Phoenicia Jacqueline Lee Staff Writer
The Phoenician people are best known for accomplishments such as starting the modern alphabet and colonizing the Mediterranean, but they were also responsible for lesser-known innovations, such as the use of orthodontics, according to an N.C. State professor. Helen M. Dixon, a postdoctoral teaching scholar in the history department, taught faculty members and student research about the ancient civilization at “Exploring Private Life in Ancient Phoenicia,”a lecture held in Withers Hall Tuesday evening. According to Dixon, a postdoctoral teaching scholar in the history department, a man’s skeleton was found with wire weaved between his front, bottom teeth to keep them from falling out. Dixon also spoke about the daily lives of ancient Phoenicians who lived in the area that is now coastal Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The Department of History asked Dixon to speak at the lecture this week because related to an exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History, “Cedars in the Pines,” which will open Feb. 22. The exhibit features research done by the Lebanese-American Studies program at N.C. State and will showcase the history of immigrants from Lebanon that have come to North Carolina since the 1880s. “It’s fun that I study the most ancient subject in the history department,” Dixon said. “It’s great how many people were interested to come and learn more about it.” Dixon said Phoenicians are best known for accomplishments such
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Adjunct faculty members across the country claim they are being underpaid and undervalued by their employers, according to a report released by the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce last month. However, not all N.C. State adjunct faculty members agree with the report’s findings. According to the report, 98 percent of respondents said they were “missing opportunities to better serve their students because of the demands of their schedule” and that their schedules were too loaded and unpredictable. Despite the report’s findings, some adjunct faculty members said they don’t have quarrels with the program. However, these faculty members often have to work another job to compensate financially. Several faculty members, such as Rick Langley, work within in the University without monetary compensation at all. Langley, who has been an adjunct professor at N.C. State for two years, said he became an adjunct professor because he was already heavily involved with the school and wanted to form a stronger relationship. While Langley said he has given guest lectures, he does not teach a regular course. Rather, he works as a liaison between N.C. State and
“I love working with students. I love research, and I don’t need to be rewarded for that.” Susan Schiffman, adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering
the Division of Public Health where he has worked as a medical consultant for 15 years. According to Susan Miller Cochrane, director of the first-year writing program at N.C. State, the availability of adjunct faculty member positions can be unpredictable. The renewal of an adjunct faculty member’s contract depends on N.C. State’s budget. The Department of English offers a number of writing courses that are taught by adjunct faculty members. The teachers of those courses typically don’t know whether their contracts will be renewed the following year, Cochrane said. “[Contract renewal] can be a very stressful situation,” Cochrane said in a previous interview with the Technician. “It’s much more difficult to cut from tenure lines than from other areas of the budget. We used to offer longer contracts to faculty who had more seniority, five years. Now it’s one year at a time.” Steven Hunter, an N.C. State adjunct professor of computer science
and engineering, said he hasn’t taught a course in recent years due to frequent traveling, which prevents him from having a regular schedule. He said he does, however, mentor students and teach classes if there is a need. Hunter said he serves as a member of a doctoral committee that guides students who are striving to receive a doctoral degree. The committee also provides feedback about their proposals. According to Hunter, after being approached by someone on his Ph.D. committee at Duke University, he decided to become an adjunct professor at N.C. State. In 1997, Hunter taught his first course, a graduate class of about 100 students. While teaching courses, Hunter said he was paid per class and though it was nice to have that extra income, he did not take the job for the money. “I did it more for the enjoyment of teaching and engaging students,” Hunter said. “I like the academia atmosphere more than the money aspect.” Susan Schiffman, a retired Duke University professor and an N.C. State adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering, said that getting paid for a parttime position is not necessary and having access to labs and scientific articles is enough for her. Schiffman said adjunct faculty
JOANNAH IRVIN/TECHNICIAN
The North Carolina Natural Science Museum is located in downtown Raleigh at 11 West Jones St. General exhibits are free to the public and open Tuesday through Sunday.
N.C. State and museum benefit from partnership Jess Thomas Staff Writer
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and N.C. State have created a give-and-take relationship where the museum gives University-generated research a public platform for presentation. Lindsay Zanno, who works at N.C. State as an assistant research professor of biology, is also the paleontology lab director for the museum. She said both institutions are able to assist the other
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Diplomat presents solutions for war-torn countries Katherine Kehoe Staff Writer
The 2014 Diplomat in Residence for the School of Public and International Affairs answered difficult questions about how to bring peace to war-stricken countries and addressed the need for justice against tyrannical leaders during a lecture Tuesday in Withers Hall. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu’s lecture, titled “Confronting the Past to Shape the Future: Transitional Justice Issues and Post-Conflict Recovery,” explored different ways to bring order and justice to countries struggling to transition after years of violence and conflict. Mensa-Bonsu said that transitional justice is a difficult process because it demands accountability, resurfaces troubling memories of conflict and must answer questions about how to bring perpetrators to justice. However, Mensa-Bonsu said
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VICTORIA CROCKER/TECHNICIAN
Ghanian Diplomat Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu discusses problems and solutions for countries ruled by war lords during her public address in Withers Hall on Tuesday. Mensa-Bonsu said she believes the best option is “whatever would let the peace be sustained until the society’s capacity for managing internal differences and fierce controversy can be better handled.”
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