TECHNICIAN
tuesday march
4
2014
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
One week in Daily Tar Hell Sam DeGrave Editor-in-Chief
CHRISTINA LIBRE/GEORGETOWN VOICE
Protestors from across the country demonstrated in front of the White House Sunday to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline project. The protestors seen above set up a mock oil spill as part of their demonstration.
N.C. State students protest Keystone XL Students take pipeline protest to Washington D.C., White House Ravi Chittilla
vironmental effects of the pipeline will be costly for this generation. After the demonstrators marched Police arrested 398 young people to the White House, police began protesting the Keystone XL Pipearresting the protestors and asline project in Washington D.C. sembling them into small groups Sunday, calling for President in tents set up along Pennsylvania Barack Obama to reject the plan. Avenue. According to organizers, more Raval said he believes the prothan 1,000 people demonstrated tests will have a significant impact. Matt Dempsey, in front of the White House. In 2011, after thousands of demspokesman for Oil Sands Fact Check The protest was planned by stuonstrators attempted to convince dents with support from environObama to block the pipeline, the mental groups 350.org and the Energy Action Coalition. decision was delayed until more investigations were The event began with a rally at Georgetown University conducted by the State Department. In that instance, in Washington D.C., where Obama unveiled a climate Obama rejected the application amid protests about the change initiative last summer, the Chicago Tribune re- pipeline’s impact on Nebraska’s environmentally sensiported. tive Sand Hills Region, The New York Times reported. Ishan Raval, a junior in philosophy and campus coRaval said the tone of the demonstrators was parordinator of the event, said those who refused to leave ticularly enthusiastic. the sidewalk in front of the White House agreed to risk “People were really joyful to have the privilege of arrest. Of the nine attendees with Raval’s group, seven being arrested and not be charged,” Raval said. were arrested, six being students. Jordan Connor, a sophomore in physics and comput*Editor’s Note: Raval is a currently a staff columnist er science, attended the event and said he represented for the Technician. Fossil Free N.C. State. Protestors were predominantly college students, RaConnor said the event inspired him to bring back a val said. sense of activism to the University. Raval said demonstrators wanted to remind the White “It was powerful to see so many like-minded students House that young people will be the ones who must deal with the consequences of climate change, and the enKEYSTONE continued page 3 Assistant News Editor
“[Sunday’s] protest represents a fringe minority of people against any use of fossil fuels.”
We made it. It has been six days since we didn’t publish The Daily Tar Hell, and with the exception of one man who wrote to tell me he “died a little inside” due to the absence of the spoof paper, it appears life will go on. Nevertheless, I’ve been told I “owe fans, students, and alumni an apology,” so if you are among those who share that sentiment, stop reading this now. I am not sorry, and I owe nothing to anyone who only picks up the paper once a year to read a joke edition. However, after having spent a week in the ninth circle of Daily Tar Hell, I would like to explain why I made the decision that landed me there.
”TOO BUSY” Using Facebook comments, Tweets, letters to the editor, discussion boards and blog posts, perturbed students and alumni alike attacked my excuse that we were “too busy” to produce The DTH, calling it ”weak,” “shameful,” and a
reason enough to fire the entire staff of the Technician “from the editor down the line.” Though I can’t say I agree with all of that, I’ll give them that it was “weak.” You see, the nowinfamous “too busy” excuse was never the official explanation many people treated it to be. What it was, however, was an over-simplified answer given via Facebook message to the editor-in-chief of the The Daily Tar Heel, Nicole Comparato, who then tweeted the following: @Nic_Comp: “A bit sad there’s no Daily Tar Hell from the Technician. The editor told me they were too busy to do it. Would have been so entertaining...” Simply put, the reason my excuse sounded like a cop out is because it was. I didn’t feel as though I owed Comparato a detailed explanation, so I didn’t give her one. During my time at the paper, I’ve learned the importance of the cliché: Consider your source. Hopefully, all of you who acted as though I hand delivered an explanation to you saying only “I’m too busy” will now see the value of that cliché as well.
DTH continued page 4
Raleigh business creates wearable vital monitors Rizwan Dard Correspondent
Valencell, a Raleigh based company, is pioneering wearable fitness technologies that can monitor our body’s vital signs through a commonly used product in the world of exercise: headphones. The technology uses optical and accelerometer sensors that combine to look at blood flow, heart rate, calories, VO2, oxygen consumption and cardiovascular fitness. “The technology is ‘smart’ and provides numerous comparisons on a seamless tech,” said Chris Eschbach, an exercise physiologist working at Valencell. “This is for the elite athlete or those trying to shed the pounds.” Steven F. LeBoeuf, the chief operating officer and co-founder
PHOTO COURTESY OF: VALENCELL
Valencell was co-founded by N.C. State alumnus Steven LeBoeuf.
of Valencell, is also an N.C. State alumnus. He was inspired to create this new product due to the rising popularity of headphones. In the mid 2000’s, U.S. govern-
FITNESS continued page 3
NCSU Ph.D. dropout rate above national average Estefania Castro-Vazquez Assistant New Editor
The more than 2,600 Ph.D. students at N.C. State are considered the “best and brightest” by the graduate school, but only about onethird will get a degree. N.C. State’s rate of Ph.D. completion in all programs is about 63 percent in six years, with variation from year to year, according to Rebeca Rufty, interim dean for the graduate school. This rate is almost 15 percent higher than the national rate for Ph.D. students who don’t finish their degree, with about 50 percent of students pursuing a graduate degree drop-
“A student could be very good at courses ... and not so good at independent research, which is the focus of the Ph.D.” Larry Blanton, professor of plant biology
ping out before completion, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Rufty said several factors could play a role in a student’s decision to drop out, includ-
insidetechnician
NEWS
SPORTS
N.C. State professor brings photo exhibit to campus
Pack finishes second in ACC
See page 3.
See page 8.
ing financial assistance, difficult program requirements, personal circumstances, social environment and a lack of mentoring, advising, family support, peer support and professional and career guidance. According to Larry Blanton, the director of the University Honors Program and professor of plant biology, these rates are program specific and can vary from student to student. Blanton said students who drop out of the program often do so because they discover that what they’re currently studying isn’t fulfilling and won’t lead to the career they want. Students in all Ph.D. programs may
PH.D. continued page 3
2,600+ Students in Ph.D. programs
50%
National Average
Completion for Plant Biology
80%
Completion for Design
63%
Completion rate over six years
SOURCE: N.C. STATE GRADUATE SCHOOL GRAPHIC BY AUSTIN BRYAN
SPORTS Warren scores 41 points, drags pack past Pittsburg See page 8.
80%