Technician
tuesday september
8
2009
Raleigh, North Carolina
Centennial Challenge will be ‘bigger and better’ Corporate sponsors, student involvement, campus support promise an event every student can enjoy Heidi Klumpe Staff Writer
Tim O’Brien/Technician ARCHIVE PHOTO
Chris Millns, a senior in textile engineering, takes a nap in his tent on the Centennial Oval March 26. Millns was one of dozens of engineering students who spent the week camping and playing team-building games seconds away from most of their classes.
After the success of the first Centennial Campus Challenge, the planning committee is bringing even more to this year’s event. The committee’s co-chair, Chris Millns, a senior in textile engineering, described the Challenge as “a weeklong campout event to bring the engineering community together.” “It really is a lot of fun,” he said. “You sleep there, wake up, and just walk to class.” However, the scope of the event is larger than upperclassmen engineers with classes on Centennial Campus, according to John Petitte, a senior in chemical engineering and the other co-chair heading up the event. “My team had a guy from CHASS,” he said. “You don’t have to have classes there.” The event has goals that span all of campus. Victor Prince, a junior in materials science and engineering, attended the Challenge last year and saw how the event focuses on Centennial Campus itself. “We do [the Challenge] because we
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Registration for this year’s event is now open at: students.engr.ncsu.edu/ challenge/. This website includes a more complete agenda and contact information for the planning committee. Organizations interested in becoming involved should contact either Chris Millns (crmillns@ncsu.edu) or John Petitte (john.n.petitte@gmail.com). The total cost for the week is ten dollars per student. Source: John Petitte
don’t really have any events on Centennial Campus,” Prince said. Even Engineering Week takes place on Main Campus, he said. Petitte wants to see the Challenge open up Centennial Campus for everyone at the University as a place to do more than go to class. “[The Challenge is] a way to get people on Centennial Campus for the first time doing something other than work,” he said. Planners predict many improvements this year, especially with three times the funding, according to Prince. This year will be “bigger and better,” he said. The Challenge still encountered difficulties, according to Petitte. Many wondered if economic trou-
CHALLENGE continued page 3
Homecoming plans will involve service, campus beautification
Campus Police sees increase in thefts, crimes
Committee announces theme: ‘Terminate the Terps’
Philip Meilleur Correspondent
Police records show that with the arrival of the new school year, more misdemeanor crimes and suspicious activity have arrived as well as well. Director and Chief of the Campus Police Chief Tom Younce estimates that the number of petty crimes has indeed grown this semester since the previous one, though exact statistical comparisons have yet to be determined by crime analysts are this time. “I do know we have had an increase in the number of thefts,” Younce said. “Including books and bikes and some arrests have been made.” Ashwin Aravindan, a freshman in biomedical engineering, said bicycles are likely safe possessions, since there are so many precautions owners can take. ”I actually think bikes are fairly safe
Annie Albright Staff Writer
Homecoming Chair Adam Compton has plans to make this year’s homecoming week the greatest in the University’s history. This year’s homecoming week begins Nov. 1 and concludes with the football game against Maryland. “I think this year we are working really hard to make this the biggest homecoming yet,” Compton said. “There are a lot of restrictions this year because of lack of funding. It is definitely difficult because everyone’s belt is tight.” Compton said that the committee is working hard to overcome the financial issues. “We are definitely working around it and we have some great ideas for this years homecoming,” Compton said. “We are trying in including different events like ones at nighttime and large scale community service events.” Homecoming Spirit and Service Chair Jessica Thurston said that one of the focuses of this years homecoming is on community service. “We want to have groups participating have a more hands on experience versus the traditional events of baking cookies, etc.,” Thurston said. “We are contacting local food shelters, food banks, and different places that can use volunteers. On one of the days groups will be assigned to a location and to get their participation points they must go volunteer.” Thurston said that the committee chose to keep a lot of traditional events such as “Wear Red Get Fed”, the cookie contest, “Paint the Town Red”, the can drive and painting the tunnel red. “One big thing that we have not done in the past is that we are really teaming up with campus recreation,” Thurston said. “They have so many resources and they have offered to let us use some of their expertise. They might be coming out to help us hold a few contests and they have been so nice to us by helping us secure an all day blood drive at Carmichael.”
at the bike racks,” Aravindan said in regards to the reports of numerous incidences concerning bicycle larceny. “The bike locks help prevent theft, and plus there’s almost always other students walking around the area, so I doubt someone would try to cut through the lock out in the open.” Students are still reminded not walk around and across campus alone at night, being able to call for a police escort if unable to find friends to accompany them. Students are also encouraged to register with the Wolf Alert text service, and as always to simply be aware of the resources available to them in case a potentially dangerous situation or possibly an actual emergency does occur. Pierce Ellis, a sophomore in computer and electrical engineering, feels quite comfortable with campus safety. “I feel perfectly safe,” Ellis said.
David Thompson to present at Jordan’s Hall of Fame induction Former Wolfpack star chosen to present Jordan Staff Report
Dreier Carr/Technician ARCHIVE PHOTO
Ryan Hussey, a junior in architecture, paints a wolf on a window at Shanghai Express as part of “Paint the Town Red” along Hillsborough Street for the start of Homecoming week last year.
Kendall Brobst, Wear Red Get Fed and Kickoff chair said that another difference between past years is the upgrading of Wear Red Get Fed. “This year we will have Wear Red Get Fed on centennial campus for two days,” Brobst said. “It will be on main campus everyday but also near textiles one day and near engineering another day so that those students who study on centennial will not have to go all the way to main campus to participate.” Campus beautification will be yet another focus of the week Thurston
said. “We will have groups at the beginning of the week plant red and white flowers to welcome the alumni home and to make our campus look even better,” Thurston said. “After all, the whole idea is to welcome alumni back.” The last major change from past years according to Thurston is the team roster. “We are going to have a running tally of the top 5 groups who are
PLANS continued page 3
David “Skywalker” Thompson, who led N.C. State to its first NCAA championship in basketball in 1974, will present Michael Jordan during his induction Friday into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Jordan, who played for a pair of legendary coaches in Dean Smith, his college coach at Carolina, and Phil Jackson, who coached him during his time with the Chicago Bulls. According to Jordan, he chose
insidetechnician
Thompson over the countless superstar coaches and players he grew close to throughout his career because, growing up in NC while Thompson starred for the Pack, Jordan drew inspiration from Thompson’s highflying style of play. Jordan, who was 11 when Thompson led State to the NCAA championship, finally met Thompson at the 1984 Final Four in Seattle, where Jordan was set to receive his trophy as National Player of the Year, and Thompson was playing his final season with the Seattle Supersonics.
Pack sweeps Duke Nike Classic See page 8.
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