Technician
thursday october
1
2009
Raleigh, North Carolina
Students mob for a cause Freeze on Brickyard raises awareness for bottle ban, how recycling helps economy
the bottle ban is important. “Although many students do recycle, it’s important to now know that it is a law,” she said. She and the rest of the office have Heidi Klumpe worked to publicize the freeze on the Staff Writer Brickyard in various ways, particuAt 11:30 a.m., students from around larly on Facebook. “[Facebook] was our means to get campus will gather in what Division of Pollution Prevention’s Education the word out,” Fulghum said. “We saw and Outreach Project Manager Kelley that there was a freeze done before at Dennings calls “a smart flash mob.” the University, and they had a group Dennings, who works for the North with over 800 fans.” The user “N.C. State Recycles” has Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was looking about 268 fans and attributes a recent increase in that for ways to raise number to knowlawareness about the edge of the Bottle plastic bottle ban Ban Freeze, accordcoming into effect. ing to Fulghum. Drawing from an Natalie Bunch, a idea popularized by senior in landscape Improv Everywhere’s architecture, also freeze in Grand Ceninterns in this office. tral Station, Den“O u r goa l for nings gave to univerD i v i s ion of Pol lut ion sities across the state Prevention’s Outreach Project Thursday is to raise awareness and show her idea to combine Manager Kelley Dennings it’s not a small group a f lash mob, which on campus who reforms quickly, and a smart mob, which forms for a cause. cycles,” she said. Bunch said as each student partici“We’re merging the two,” Dennings said. “You can do various things when pating unfreezes and takes his plastic you come, and freezing is just one of bottle to the nearest recycling recepthe things you can do. It’s really quick, tacle, it will introduce people to what and people will learn about plastic the bins look like. Bunch also said the freeze will dembottle recycling.” Dennings said with time and money onstrate the WRR office’s mission for in short supply the freeze seemed like campus. “People feel like they’re giving up something students could do to make money when they recycle, when, an impact. Education and Outreach Coordina- in fact, it’s a sponsored program,” tor for Waste Reduction and Recycling she said. “The recycling on campus Analis Fulghum said knowing about doesn’t actually make money. It gets
Selection criteria emphasizes academics, leadership and service Jessica Neville Staff Writer
“It’s really quick, and people will learn about plastic bottle recycling.”
Christin Hardy/Technician Archive photo
Kevin Salvador, a freshman in chemical engineering, and Brittany Smith, a freshman in engineering, “freeze” in the April Fool’s day prank organized by Zach Berman, a junior in biology. Students had to stay frozen in their positions for a total of five minutes. “Everybody was talking about it...and it was a big success,” Salvador said.
it through grants.” The freeze will also show students how easy recycling can be. “Recycling on campus is a service that we’re giving to you,” Bunch said. “If you go off-campus, it’s much harder to recycle.” The WRR office also works to publicize the economical advantages of this ban. “There was a ban in 1994 on alu-
minum cans,” Dennings said. “Plastic bottles came up in 2005 as a commodity that had another high recyclable value. We have a lot of companies in North Carolina specifically that need material to create new products.” Among those products are Tide and Downy bottles, soda bottles
FREEZE continued page 3
Fees not part of Rally Presenters of Talley fee say campaign money comes from discretionary funds Caroline Barfeld Correspondent
TIM O’BRIEN/Technician Archive Photo
Sophomore in psychology Laurel Deluca buys a Chick-fil-a grilled chicken sandwich at the Atrium March 17. “There’s always a lot of people here – always a lot of people I know and that’s why I always come,” Deluca said.
Atrium renovations overlooked in Rally Students under-informed on Atrium aspect of Talley project Nick Tran Staff Writer
The student body will vote Monday on the referendum which will determine the passage of the $83 student fee increase to fund the Talley Student Center Renovation project. The Rally4Talley campaign has been advertising the renovations planned for new Talley and informing students on the project’s potential since the spring, but a less propagated facet of the project is the renovation to the Atrium food court. Ethan Evans, freshman in environmental engineering, said he wasn’t aware of the Atrium’s inclusion in the Talley project.
On October 5th
VOTE vote.ncsu.edu
“I didn’t even know the Atrium was going to be included in the renovations,” Evans said. “The Atrium seems fine. There’s no need for them to spend more money on it.” Evans said he felt it was wrong for project designers to appear to be rallying funds for Talley while actually spending the money on the Atrium. “I don’t like the idea of such false advertising,” Evans said. Randy Lait, director of Dining Services and head of the Atrium project, said there was no false advertising in the campaign. “We have done everything to ensure the student body is well informed,” Lait said. “The Atrium is a significant part of the project and has always
ATRIUM continued page 3
Caldwell opens online applications
Rally4Talley organizers have been campaigning outside red tents on the Brickyard all week in an effort to inform students about the project and encourage them to vote in favor of the $83 fee, which would begin fall 2010. Students will vote Oct. 5 on whether or not they support the renovations to the Atrium and Talley Student Center and as that date approaches, campaigners are doing their best to get students to rally. According to Peter Barnes, a junior in natural resources and past student center president, the campaign funding is non-student fee related, non-appropriated and comes from a discretionary fund within the University. Andy Lanier, a senior in aerospace engineering, is skeptical of the University’s timing of the renovations. “This is the wrong time for this to happen,” Lanier said. The Atrium’s last update was in 1985 when the student population was 24,023 and Talley hasn’t been renovated since it was built in 1972 when the student population was only 14,000. Today, the student population consists of at least 32,000 students. Marycobb Randall, sophomore in finance and current student center president, said that the Talley and Atrium renovation idea started in 2000 and was delayed until Student Life was published in 2008 portraying the vision the University has for campus. This year, the University decided that it was time to make some progress with the idea and began the campaign “Rally4Talley.” “Each year we delay the Atrium
Support Talley & Atrium Improvements! Let YOUR voice be heard!
and Talley Student Center renovations, the project cost increases by $10 million,” Randall said, meaning the fee students start off paying would be a great deal larger than $83 if the University continues to put off the renovations. Barnes said he agreed. “Regardless of the Talley fee, student fees rise varying between $50 and $100 every year,” he said. When students pay for college each semester, their tuition goes directly to academics and student fees are dispersed among technology, services like the Wolfline and other student organizations. Some students think the University should prioritize projects. Hayley Smith, a sophomore in communications, said she feels the University should focus on settling budget cuts, especially since she was a victim of having a class canceled. “I’d rather have my classes than a new cafeteria,” she said. Lanier said Talley functions fine and there is no reason to renovate the entire building, the bookstore and the Atrium. “If anything is going to be renovated, just renovate the lobby of Talley,” Lanier said. Others agree that as long as the Talley fee is not wasted on the renovations while classes are being cancelled, then the University should continue to pursue the transformations. “I’d like to see renovations made to better the future students of N.C. State,” Julie Whelan, a junior in communications, said. She also said, “N.C. State has been pegged as one of the ugliest schools in America and I’d like to see that change.” Whelan said paying the fee doesn’t really bother her but understands each student’s financial situation is different.
Today the online application for Caldwell Fellows becomes available for freshmen to view, though they cannot apply until the end of the first semester. The program is unique in that students are judged only by their accomplishments during their first semester in college, not how well they performed in high school. Caldwell Fellows Program Director Janice Odom said the selection criteria allow students to be on an even playing field when they apply. “We only evaluate what students have done in the time that they have been at the University,” Odom said. “This allows us to select a very diverse group of students, because we understand that everyone did not have the same opportunities in high school.” The program generally has between 250 and 280 applicants per year, but can only accept 20 to 25 students, according to Odom. “There is both a written application and a full day’s worth of interviews before the final selection,” Odom said. “The selected students receive a tuition and experimental learning stipend of $5,000 annually.” Sonja Jones, a junior Caldwell Fellow in chemical engineering and pulp and paper science engineering, said the commitment required by students in the program is individualized. “Caldwell Fellows is a catalyst to allow students to become involved in the University and community,” Jones said. “Through the program, I have been involved with service initiatives such as WeRecycle, Shack-a-Thon, the Satellite science camp program, and the Open Door Clinic, which provides health care to residents of Wake County.” Many Caldwell Fellows use their stipend for service trips abroad. Jones visited Mexico on a service-learning trip and served in Honduras with the Red Cross and UNICEF, the United Nation’s Children’s Fund. Kris Gower, a sophomore Caldwell Fellow in business administration and international studies, traveled to China this past summer through the Caldwell Fellows program. “My classmates and I worked with Home Sweet Home rehabilitation center and autistic children, along with various other service organizations, while being completely immersed in a different culture,” Gower said. “We were fortunate enough to have a Caldwell Fellows alumni, Jim Arnold, host us in China, where he lives and works.” The Caldwell Fellows network of alumni and students is one of the best aspects of the program, according to
CALDWELL continued page 3
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