Technician
friday october
2
2009
Raleigh, North Carolina
Graduates may be seeing red at commencement Student leaders working with officials to change Black graduation gowns to Red Amber Kenney Deputy News Editor
Tentatively starting at commencement ceremonies in May 2010, graduates will be wearing red gowns instead of black. Adam Compton, a senior in agricul-
tural business management and last year’s senior class president, is leading the student initiative in support of the change. “As a student, I want to graduate in my school colors,” Compton said. “There is overwhelming student support for the change, and we need something that sets us apart.” According to University Registrar
Louis Hunt, the change from black to red gowns was discussed in previous years, but was pushed to the back burner due to recent staff changes and budget cuts. According to Hunt, basic red gowns have been taken to various club meetings to gauge student reaction, and opinions regarding the change have been all positive.
“I want to wear red,” said Josh Beeson, a senior in turfgrass science, said. “We should wear red because we are the red and white from State.” Backed by student support, Compton joined with other student leaders to re-visit the change with the commencement committee and Chancellor Jim Woodward. The committee, Compton and Hunt all said the red
Organizers say challenge better than last year Centennial Campus Challenge fosters team spirit, camaraderie while raising awareness of Centennial Campus Siva Ramesh Correspondent
This week, tents dotted the grass behind the Engineering Buildings on Centennial Campus as the Centennial Campus Challenge exposed College of Engineering students to real-world engineering problems. Some of them took the opportunity to camp out for five days. Bryan Parsons, a senior in computer engineering, said the change in scenery was pleasant. “I like it a lot – I really enjoy camping out in general, so coming here and sleeping on the ground [the] last few nights has been pretty refreshing,” he said. Parsons said participating in the Challenge has helped him to get to class on time since most of his classes are held on Centennial Campus in the Engineering Buildings. Rebecca Furman, a sophomore in computer science, said she enjoyed the camping and the festivities. “It’s pretty fun, this is my first time camping out like this and there’s free food.” According to John Petitte, a co-chair of the event, the Centennial Campus Challenge was initially meant to be a charity-based, engineering outreach event, but it moved away from that purpose because the College of Engineering wanted it to be a focal event on Centennial Campus. “I was looking to get more involved and it seemed like a pretty good idea,” Petitte said of the reason he decided to become one of the event organizers. The Centennial Campus Challenge offers students a wide variety of activities, from music and carnival games to cookouts and the Greatest Engineer Challenge, which provides students with the opportunity to think through practical issues regularly faced by en-
Editor-in-Chief
David Mabe/Technician
Victor Pinheiro, a senior in mechanical engineering, tries to distill ethanol during the Centennial Campus Challenge Thursday. Challengers were judged on the volume and concentration of their distilled ethanol.
gineers. Petitte said although last year was a great beginning for the Greatest Engineer Challenge, this year’s event has been even better due to greater sponsorship. “We’ve worked with two companies closely, Skanska and Novozymes, and a third company just came in, Parsons, that wanted to specifically get their name on the Greatest Engineer Challenge,” Petitte said. Because of the donations of funds and materials along with the efforts of Alex Manasa, a junior in aerospace engineering, this year’s Greatest Engineer Challenge has featured some interesting and detailed engineering-related activities. Events in the Challenge included a bottle rocket and model airplane challenge and a challenge sponsored by Novozymes, which required students to erect a distillation column and to see how
much alcohol they could distill from fermented yeast. Overall, the Challenge has been upgraded from last year’s program. “The Challenge has been really stepped up this year, it’s really great and Alex Manasa did a really great job on it,” Petitte said. According to Petitte, this is the result of better organization, greater sponsorship and increased publicity of the event. In Petitte’s opinion, a further goal of the Challenge has been to develop awareness of the numerous benefits available to students with having Centennial Campus. “The Challenge has [gone] from raising money for charity to getting [student] engineers on Centennial Campus and doing something other than studying; we’re holding an event on Centennial Campus that’ll put students on Centennial Campus.”
Adair-Hayes Crane Staff Writer
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Rally4Talley posters printed in SG office approved by adviser Ty Johnson
University will tax sugared drinks based on government regulations
On October 5th
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Student Body President, Treasurer weren’t aware of printings,
Petitte said while students may have classes on Centennial Campus, most just do work instead of doing everything that a student can do on the campus. Jeff Moan, the treasurer of the Union Activities Board, shares Petitte’s views. “We’re trying to get Centennial Campus more involved – we’re trying to get more events up here,” Moan said. “The [Challenge] is a great event so [we’re looking into] doing some events like this at other times [on Centennial].” Although Centennial Campus may not have housing or dining halls just yet, Petitte said, the Centennial Campus Challenge is the beginning of a transition that over the next several years will cause more students to think of Centennial Campus as an integral part of the University.
Dining may increase meal plan costs if soda tax approved
University Dining will tax sugared drinks, possibly including the University’s own chocolate milk, if the legislature passes a law requiring tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. According to Director of Dining Services Randy Lait, it is really too early to determine exactly how Dining will go about the taxing and it depends on whether it will be an excise tax or a sales tax. “If they do an excise tax, then the product is already taxed when it comes in the door and you don’t do anything as a retailer,” Lait said. Lait said the University is required to follow any law that legislation passes on sales tax and the University will follow the new plan where applicable. According to Lait, raised prices on campus will be determined by whether an item is sold individually or if a student is dining in a dining hall. For dining hall patrons, if the tax
gowns will set the University apart. According to Hunt, the red is not just a change in color, but a branding of commencement ceremonies at the University. “We are working with the company to make [the gowns] what students want,” Compton said. “They will re-
Ty Johnson/Technician
Yolanda Ray, a sophomore in management, samples soda from the Lil’ Dino’s soda fountain in Talley Student Center Thursday. University Dining has said if a proposed federal soda tax was approved, the cost of meal plans may be increased. Ray said the tax wouldn’t change her drinking habits.
passes through legislature it may be added to the cost of a meal plan, rather than on individual items. The tax would be imposed on items sold individually in C-Stores. Lait, a soft drink consumer, was in-
terested in the idea that government put sugary drinks in the same category as alcohol and cigarettes, often categorized as sins. “That was something that struck me, that soft drinks become a sin grouped
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with alcohol and cigarettes,” Lait said. “What’s next? French fries? Pizza?” Molly Wilkins, a junior majoring in philosophy, said she was torn about the idea of the tax. “I don’t support the idea of raising taxes, necessarily, but I support the idea of adding it because it reduces the health risk that soft drinks pose,” Wilkins said. Lait said Dining will follow the law that legislation ultimately passes concerning the taxes on sugary drinks. Dining will add the tax to the registers if the tax becomes part of federal regulations. “We will start collecting that tax from the students and let the government do with it whatever they have decided to use it for,” Lait said. Charlie Simpson, a junior in accounting, is all for the plan if it will help out with the economy. “If taxing one cent per ounce on sugary drinks can help pay for health care, then I’m all for it,” Simpson said. “It could be a great idea to help the economy.”
Posters and fliers printed in the Student Government offices for the Rally4Talley campaign will be paid for by the campaign, Student Body President Jim Ceresnak said. Ceresnak said SG hasn’t taken a formal stance on the project, and that all student organizations have access to the office’s printers. “We’ve participated in the effort to inform students about Rally4Talley,” Ceresnak said. “But the printing in Student Government that was done just like with any other organization. The campaign was charged the same rates that any student group would be charged.” Ceresnak said he didn’t know about the printings when they occurred, but was told about them Thursday. Ceresnak said he was told SG’s adviser, Eileen Marin, approved them. “Any student group is able to use our printers, plotter, and laminator,” Ceresnak said. “I know that the Rally4Talley campaign printed off a few posters, laminated a few posters and were charged. Eileen [Marin] approved it and no one else in Student Government had anything to do with it.” Student Body Treasurer Elmo Lamm said he was unaware of the printings, as well. Lamm’s office oversees payments concerning printing services. “I don’t know a thing about it,” Lamm said. “The only group I am aware of that has used it was the Alumni Association for their class ring campaign.” Lamm said if the printing was approved by Marin, there should be documents indicating the campaign was billed. “It can go through her and she should have documented it,” he said. “If she has I’ll take the necessary steps to bill
SG continued page 3
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