Centennial Campus food options lack flavor

from 2019 SBP/VP Interviews — Technician 2/28/19

by Technician

Wrestling roots run deep for NC State’s Justin Oliver

Opinion

TECHNICIAN

PAGE 7 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Centennial Campus food options lack flavor

NC State’s Centennial Campus is geared primarily toward its engineering students, of which there were over 6,000 undergraduates last year. 1,000 of these were full-time first-years, meaning they were required to live on campus. While there are a multitude of apartments on campus owned both privately and by the school, students can’t survive on a bed alone; they also need places to eat.

Main Campus students may get tired of the dining halls after a while, but it’s only a short walk to Hillsborough Street when the cravings kick in for Chipotle or Taco Bell. NC State is an engineering school, and the NC State Engineering Foundation raised over $39.2 million last year, $3.3 million of which directly benefited the college. Yet, our engineering students are starved for dining locations.

By far the largest dining area on Centennial is On the Oval, which consists of five separate restaurants. All of these restaurants close at 2 or 3 p.m. every single day and are closed all day on weekends, with the exception of Gravity Cafe, which has a separate seating area and is open until 10 p.m. On the Oval seats over 400 students when it’s open, but Gravity only seats up to 25.

Students’ other on-campus options are limited at best. Port City Java in Engineering Building II, Common Grounds at Hunt Library and Shuttle Inn Cafe, a convenience store, serve little more than coffee or snacks. Other locations, like the State Club Restaurant in the Park Alumni Center and Terrace Dining Room on Lonnie Poole Golf Course, accept Dining Dollars but are too far to be considered within feasible walking distance.

NC State has resorted to outsourcing its dining options to privately owned food trucks in the Raleigh area, but even those don’t stay on campus past 1:30 p.m. They also do not accept Dining Dollars, aren’t particularly healthy and still require a considerable walk from Centennial housing.

Of the above locations, only On the Oval and the coffee shops accept meal credits, meaning students’ only options for dinner on a meal plan at Centennial Campus are Gravity Cafe and Common Grounds. While students could theoretically sustain themselves by eating at these locations every single day, doing so would take a toll on both their physical and mental health, meaning Centennial Campus forces its prized engineering students, some of the brightest in the country, to choose: Spend out of pocket or starve.

While other parts of campus may have difficulty finding food options between classes or which fit into their dietary requirements and preferences, Centennial Campus students are forced to take what they can get. With a grand total of two locations and less than 50 seats that accept meal plans during dinner hours, engineering students, who already pay additional fees for “program enhancement,” shouldn’t have to pay extra to find decent food a reasonable distance from their homes away from home.

{EDITORIAL}

The unsigned editorial is the opinion of the members of Technician’s editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief.

Burr should support resolution to end national emergency

On Feb. 15, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in response to what he has described as a “crisis” on the southern border. This emergency is dubious on its face: Illegal immigration is at its lowest levels since 2000; many border crossings are by Central American refugees fleeing violence; and most illegal immigration actually results from overstaying visas, not border crossings. However, the president is planning to use this emergency to take funds from military construction and counter-drug trafficking operations and use them for his border wall. Fortunately, both Congress and the judicial branch have taken up measures to prevent this emergency from going into effect. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a resolution which would end the emergency, and 16 states have filed a lawsuit to stop the declaration. The resolution is now being considered by the Senate, where it would need 51 votes to pass, including some from Republicans. To that end, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina should vote in favor of the resolution, to assert control over this wild executive overreach.

Although the lawsuit seems more likely to succeed, since a number of the president’s executive orders have previously been successfully blocked in court, the House resolution would send a powerful message by potentially forcing the president to issue his first veto. This veto likely wouldn’t be overridden; however, to reach the president’s desk at all, the resolution first needs to pass the Senate.

The bill currently has support from 50 senators: All 45 Democrats, two Independents and three Republicans have indicated support for the measure. Notably, one of the Republicans was Sen. Thom Tillis from North Carolina, who is up for reelection in 2020. However, Burr has not yet come out in favor of the legislation.

This position, although consistent with Burr’s past stances on immigration, should trouble North Carolinians and students at NC State. The president is aiming to draw funds from military construction and anti-drug trafficking operations in order to build the wall. North Carolina, in addition to hosting a number of prominent military bases, has an opioid death rate higher than the national average, so losing money which combats the

drug trade especially hurts our state. The declaration, the wall and the counterfactual narrative underlying them all support the idea that immigrants are dangerous to America’s economy and society. These notions run contrary to NC State’s ideals of Noah Jabusch Opinion Editor diversity and our status as home to thousands of international students and immigrants. Our representatives and senators have a duty to represent our state’s interests, and this emergency declaration does not uphold our interests. Tillis should be recognized for standing up to his party and Trump for once, and Burr must follow suit by putting his state over partisan considerations. 2022 isn’t that far away, and Burr’s complacency today should worry him if he decides to seek reelection in the future. North Carolina and NC State deserve better.

Opinion

Thoughts from our readers:

A selection of comments sent to us from readers in short form over the past week, with their sources listed below.

In response to: Public schools neglect African-American history

In response to: Previous comment

In response to: Spring Break is two weeks too early

“I disagree. At my school I think we focused too much on AfricanAmerican history in the US. I feel that more could be done for Native Americans. And also just teaching history in general. If students really want to learn more about notable African-Americans during different periods of history, then they should look it up themselves.”

-Krista Wooten, via Facebook

“Krista Wooten, I don’t think it should be about ‘notable’ African Americans, but about the experience of being a slave and later a person of color in America. It’s a huge part of North Carolina history alone, and the fights for abolition and civil rights has to be a major part of the history curriculum. AND more should be done to talk about Native Americans. Don’t sacrifice one for the other.”

-Ben Mazur, via Facebook

“First these kids want to move their finals around to their own convenience and now spring break isn’t springy enough.”

-Carl Escriva, via Facebook

“In 1980 spent my spring break from State in a rare eastern NC snow storm, about 12 inches in Rose Hill, nobody whined about it.” TECHNICIAN

PAGE 8 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Arts & Entertainment

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PAGE 9 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Rescue team tackles turtle treatment

VET STUDENTS LEARN THROUGH RESCUING INJURED TURTLES

Derek Edgren

Correspondent

The warm spell many in the Triangle recently enjoyed also had unfortunate consequences: Turtles came out of hibernation only to be hit by cars as they crossed the roads in their environments. Three such turtles were brought to NC State’s Turtle Rescue Team, a part of the College of Veterinary Medicine that provides care for sick and injured reptiles and amphibians native to the area.

Dr. Greg Lewbart, a professor of aquatic animal medicine and faculty advisor for the Turtle Rescue Team, began working for the College of Veterinary Medicine in January 1993.

“In that first year, 1993, I estimate about ten turtles were just brought in,” Lewbart said.

Lewbart took the opportunity to treat more turtles each year and got others involved by founding the Turtle Rescue Team in 1996 with support from Linda Henis, a wildlife rehabilitator he had been working with. The organization now sees over 500 cases a year and has seen over 5,000 cases total in its history. This surge in cases can be explained by the growth in land development over the course of the organization’s existence, which has led to increased, often harmful contact between turtles and humans. Impacts from automobiles are a leading cause of injury, among other things such as attacks by pet dogs. Those who bring the turtles often leave donations. Social media has also been another factor in the rise of cases, as more people have found out about the organization.

Additionally, the organization provides an excellent opportunity to gain experience for new vet students. Hannah Reynolds, co-president of the Turtle Rescue Team and a Ph.D. student in comparative biomedical sciences, talked about the need for the rescue team.

“These turtles have to move between bodies of water,” Reynolds said. “We’ve bisected and divided up their habitat with roads.”

Turtles are resilient, Lewbart said; if they do not quickly succumb to an injury, they can survive longer before being treated. They are also docile, making for a low-risk environment where students can learn how to manage cases firsthand. The animals are wild, so there is no liability to an owner.

When a turtle is brought in, it receives a plan for treatment which might involve

“This surge in cases can be explained by the growth in land development over the course of the organization’s existence, which has led to increased, sometimes harmful, contact between turtles and humans.”

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PAGE 10 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019

TURTLE

continued from page 9

CAT scans, X-rays, medication or surgery. After treatment is complete, the turtle will either enter rehabilitation or be released into the wild. The team has a large network of volunteers able to foster the turtles at their homes before release if necessary.

Around two-thirds of turtles that are admitted and last at least one day with the team make it back to the wild. The few turtles that cannot be released go to education centers or become pets. The team has also produced a large amount of data and many research papers, especially regarding what problems turtles face and how the animals can be treated.

“There’s always something new, different,” Lewbart said.

Speaking on a case where a man brought in a toad he had accidentally injured on a canoeing trip, Reynolds elaborated on the experience of working at the rescue.

“It amazes me, the things people will bring to us,” Reynolds said. 2019 is an important year for the organization. Thanks to donations, they are now able to switch to a computerized medical records system. Also, a contractor has agreed to donate his work to renovate the unit the team operates out of in November 2019. Another generous donation has allowed the team to hire a veterinarian intern for a year starting in the summer, which will greatly help the team manage its growing caseload as well as grow itself into the future.

Lewbart spoke of the upcoming improvements.

“This is the biggest year of change,” Lewbart said.

To rescue a turtle, call the team’s number at 919-397-9675, where a vet student will be on call from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Or send an email to TurtleRescueTeam@gmail.com. More information about volunteering or donating can be found on their website.