TECHNICIAN JA N U A RY 27, 202 2
VOL . 102 | NO. 17
DOUBLE KILL IN CHAPEL HILL See page 12
Contents
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IN THIS ISSUE: page
05
NC State entrepreneurship program ranked No. 1 in Southeast
WHAT YOU MISSED:
06
SOURCE: TECHNICIAN
Get celebrities off the ballot — including the Democrats
OPINION page
08
NC State AD to chair College Football Playoff selection committee On Jan. 25, the College Football Playoff Management Committee named NC State Athletics Director Boo Corrigan as the chair of the selection committee for the 2022 season. He will replace current chair and Iowa athletics director Gary Barta.
NEWS page
A quick look at the headlines in and outside of NC State
Dream and Do: Celebrating MLK’s legacy at NC State
Potential of winter weather for the third straight weekend in the Triangle area
page
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Editor-in-Chief Jaylan Harrington
323 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695 Editorial Advertising Fax Online
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Taylor Swift slams British singer Damon Albarn, who says she doesn’t write her songs
Despite social distancing guidelines, condoms will still be available at Beijing Winter Olympics In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing Olympics organizers will be providing condoms for athletes despite strict social distancing guidelines to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Last summer, Tokyo Olympics organizers instructed athletes to take the supplied condoms home due to social distancing rules.
News Editor Avery Davis
Design Editor Ann Salman
technician-news@ncsu.edu
Managing Editors Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen Tristan Tucker
Assistant News Editor Abigail Ali
Copy Desk Chief Allie Remhof
technician-features@ncsu.edu
Assistant Opinion Editor Mari Fabian
Assistant Culture Editor Myra Bari
Sports Editor Nicholas Schnittker
technician-copydesk@ncsu.edu
HOLY NAME OF JESUS CATHEDRAL $8 for students, $15 for University faculty/ staff, $30 for public The American Spiritual Ensemble will be performing songs from African, American and European traditions to serve as a reminder and tribute to those who lost their lives during slavery in the United States.
LET’S CELEBRATE ART AND HOT CHOCOLATE
Free
technician-editor@ncsu.edu
technician-managingeditor@ncsu.edu
Thursday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m.
SOURCE: THE NEWS & OBSERVER
SOURCE: CNN
SPORTS
NC STATE LIVE PRESENTS AMERICAN SPIRITUAL ENSEMBLE
Monday, Jan. 31, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES
Double Trouble: Pack basketball teams set for double showdown with rival Tar Heels
Events to keep an eye on for the week of Jan. 27
Students who enjoyed last weekend’s snowfall may be in luck. For the third weekend this month, Raleigh and surrounding counties are slated to experience up to an inch of snow — although it may be nothing more than cold rain.
Blur frontman Damon Albarn received backlash on Twitter for doubling down on his claim that singersongwriter Taylor Swift doesn’t technically write her own songs. Swift shut Albarn down with a tweet of her own, saying “You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really f—ed up to try and discredit my writing.”
CULTURE
THE RADAR
Culture Editor Sam Overton
technician-design@ncsu.edu
Opinion Editor Shilpa Giri
technician-opinion@ncsu.edu
Assistant Sports Editors Wade Bowman Bryan Pyrtle Photo Editor Mollie Mitchell
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Video Editor Chloe Allen
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POULTON PLAZA, CENTENNIAL CAMPUS Celebrate Inspire Your Heart With Art Day and Hot Chocolate Day by stopping by Centennial and helping create a mural and grabbing some free hot chocolate in a variety of flavors.
ART WORKSHOP: COLLAGE MAKING Thursday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. FISHBOWL FORUM, D. H. HILL JR. LIBRARY Free Participants will learn from Clarence Heyward in conjunction with the AACC about collaging. The event will focus on hope for the future. Registration is required on the library’s website.
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Tuesday, Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. MOUNTAINS BALLROOM, TALLEY STUDENT UNION Free Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Talley with food, activities and music, hosted by the Office of Global Engagement.
Technician (USPS 455-050) is the largest student newspaper of NC State University and is published every Thursday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods. Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on the Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists. As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by Triangle Web Printing, Durham, NC, Copyright 2011 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.
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COVER BY SARAH COCHRAN, GRIFFIN BRYANT PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MOLLIE MITCHELL
News
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Students gear up for Make-A-Thon, annual innovation competition Sam Overton Culture Editor
NC State University’s Sustainability Office hosts its seventh annual Make-A-Thon from Jan. 27 to 30. Those competing will produce innovative solutions for sustainability challenges of their choice — anything from public transportation to composting and everything in between. The three teams with the best solutions receive monetary prizes up to $2,000. This year, five NC State organizations host the Make-A-Thon: the Engineering Village, the EcoVillage, the Albright Entrepreneurs Village, University Libraries and the University Sustainability Office. University Libraries is also a sponsor this year, alongside NC State Entrepreneurship and the NC State Division of Academic and Student Affairs. “It’s essentially a 72-hour, weekend-long challenge for people who care about impactful ideas and want to rapidly prototype and bring something into the world,” said Haley Huie, the director of experiential learning for NC State Entrepreneurship. “They want to work in a team. That’s the real essence of the Make-A-Thon experience.” Last year’s grand prize went to a team that created an app to connect grocery stores with food-based charities in order to reduce food waste. The 2021 Make-A-Thon was virtual due to the pandemic, and this year is no different. No in-person events are required, although teams have the opportunity to visit the D.H. Hill or Hunt Libraries on Jan. 27 to kick
off the weekend by picking up goody bags. D.H. Hi l l Ma kerspace a nd Entrepreneurship Garage will also be open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday for teams to pop in and ask questions. “We have pivoted and most things are happening virtually this year,” Huie said. “We created things l i ke or ient at ion videos to make sure participants know what’s going on. We are certainly available over email, chat or however students want to reach out to us with questions they may have.” Rose Xiao, a third-year studying computer science, is competing in the MakeA-Thon for the first time this year. Although she comes in with relatively little knowledge of the competition itself, she said she was “really stoked to join.” “I think the concept itself was really awesome,” Xiao said. “It’s inviting all the students with different majors and different levels of experience to go in and kind of try things out [and get] their creation and their ideas out there. I would say, of course, the
COURTESY OF CONNOR SMITH
prizes are a good bonus.” According to Huie, Make-A-Thon is meant to be experienced as a weekend of fun. Despite the pressure to come up with the most innovative solutions, Huie said students should enjoy meeting like-minded peers, picking up entrepreneurial skills and taking advantage of the connected programs that occur after Make-A-Thon has wrapped up. “This is usually taking place before you’re hitting midterms or things are getting crazy in classes,” Huie said. “It’s really nice to be
able to focus on something like this that’s got bookends. It’s going to be one long weekend of innovation.” Less than a week from now, students will be chipping away at possibly the next sustainability invention to come out of NC State. “It’s mostly about having fun, because I [wasn’t] able to participate in any NC Statehosted events last semester,” Xiao said. “I think my end goal is just to have fun, especially with having fun with my teammates and getting to know them even better.”
Student government prepares for big spring semester Melissa Sleater Correspondent
COURTESY OF NC STATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Student government (SG) officials have a lot in store for the spring semester including the SG 100 celebration, student organization funding and upcoming spring elections. Student Fee Updates University Affairs and Wolfpack Wellness are working to keep NC State affordable. Student Body President McKenzy Heavlin, a fourth-year studying electrical engineering, said an affordable textbook survey was conducted through Wolfpack Wellness. Heavlin said he is also working closely with library personnel to see what changes can be made to make textbooks more affordable and to pass legislation focused on reforming the student involvement process regarding campus dining and housing rates. Spring Appropriations Council to provide spring funding for student orgs
Twice a year, the appropriations council is tasked with distributing funds to student organizations. The council is currently meeting to decide the distribution for the spring break to fall break term. Student Body Treasurer Harrison Andrews, a fourth-year studying communication and political science, oversees and chairs the appropriations council. This year, Harrison said SG was able to bring back travel funding for organizations like club sports which rely on school funding for hotels and travel expenses. According to Andrews, the treasury is preparing the budget for the next fiscal year starting on July 1. Andrews said the treasury is looking for student input and will be hosting town halls in February, and that the executive branch has a lot in store
SG continued page 5
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Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies earns $476,483 grant Abigail Ali
Assistant News Editor
The Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies received a $476,483 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its project of digitizing and making accessible archival materials from Lebanese immigrants. The mission of the Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies is to preserve the history of Lebanese immigrants in the United States and other parts of the world and to share their stories and histories with the public. Akram Khater is the director of the center and a professor of history. He said the center has been collecting and preserving archival materials since it first opened. “For the past seven years from when the center was established, we have been building an archive of these memories, stories and histories,” Khater said. “The archive includes anything from the first Arabic newspapers published in the United States, in North and South America really, to letters — family letters back and forth to Lebanon — to photographs, audio recordings, home movies, objects, books, textiles, clothes, anything you could think of that was really a part of their lives and experiences as people who left the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East area.” The grant the center received will go towards a phase of an ongoing project using a character recognition system developed by the center. The project addresses the challenge of going through digitized PDFs and not being able to search for specific words and phrases in Arabic like one could for a document in English. “When we digitize things, we make an image of them,” Khater said. “The problem is because they are in Arabic, you cannot really search through them. For us to have, let’s say, a quarter million pages and to try and go through those quarter million pages becomes a chore, so one of the first things we want to do was to create something called Optical Character Recognition System (OCR). So, we developed our own system here, and we started working on this project about three years ago. So, I can take an image of a newspaper and turn it into a searchable text. Rather than just
an image, this becomes a text, and I can search within the text.” Khater said OCR makes doing research a lot faster. “Just to give you an idea, when I did my first book, I sat at the New York Public Library using Arabic paper microfilms for about six weeks,” Khater said. “I’m a terrible researcher. I lose my patience very quickly. But, I would sit there going page by page looking for material that I wanted
for my book. When we developed this, I typed in some of the search terms that I used at the New York Public Library and in 30 seconds, it pulled up everything. So, six weeks to 30 seconds.” Once the OCR was set up for documents in print, Khater said the people at the center realized a lot of the material they were adding to the archive was handwritten. The center applied for the grant with the intention of furthering the recognition system to identify handwritten words and phrases. “You can tell this is very different than print,” Khater said. “Human beings when they write, they write in very eccentric ways. We all have our different ways of writing ‘hey’ in English. … We thought that the next logical step for us was to go from newspapers and books that are printed to handwritten text recognition. In other words, to develop a system that takes this image, processes it and then recognizes what each word is and then you
microfilm is not the best.” Acker said receiving the grant is important for the center as many of the workers there are grant funded. “Funding is so important for this type of work,” Acker said. “In order to continue doing this work, we have to be able to have funding so that I can have my position. I’m actually a grant funded position. A lot of positions here are grant funded and so in order to make the information accessible, we have to have capital. So, this is so incredible that we were able to receive this.” Acker said she wants the NC State community to know about the Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies. “I’d like the NC State community to know that we’re here,” Acker said. “Unless you’re involved in Arabic Studies and the Middle East, nobody knows we’re here. And I think what we do is important work. I am just a small part of the work and, even on a large campus, we’re a piece of the puzzle and so, if people stop by and just say, ‘Hey, what do you do?’, we’d love to talk to them.” Khater said the center is likely to be looking for students to translate Arabic soon to further develop the recognition system. “We will probably need a ABIGAIL ALI/TECHNICIAN lot more students that know in computer science. We also have history Arabic real well, or well enough, to transtudents who work with us and undergrad- scribe,” Khater said. “Basically, not only uates as well. Their work entails collecting do you have to divide the image into segmaterial so that we can process it. A lot of ments, but then you have to tell the comthe research we do here is dependent on puter what’s in each segment. The only way for the computer to know is if you give it student participation and work.” Rachel Acker is a third-year studying training. In other words, we will need stuhistory and Arabic studies. She is also an dents to take let’s say 1,000 lines of Arabic intern at the Moise A. Khayrallah Center and transcribe them manually so then the computer knows ‘Ah, okay, I know what for Lebanese Diaspora Studies. “My job as an intern, specifically, is to you’re saying to me. This equals this.’” make the archives a little bit more accessible, make them easier to understand,” Those interested in getting involved Acker said. “So, [Amanda Forbes], who at the Moise A. Khayrallah Center for is my boss, she is the archivist here, but Lebanese Diaspora Studies can get in I do a lot of work trying to organize intouch with Khater or stop by the cenformation. We worked on several different ter in Withers Hall, Suite 332. Learn projects trying to do that. Just trying difmore about the center at its website ferent spreadsheets with death certificate lebanesestudies.ncsu.edu and about records and whatnot. For this specifically, the Arabic OCR project through arawhat we’re doing is taking microfilm that bicarchives.org. has been uploaded. We’re trying to edit it to make it a little more legible because the can search them. When we applied for the grant, we applied to do exactly that from the National Endowment for the Humanities. I think, for us, it will really revolutionize research in Arabic.” The Arabic OCR project is reliant on student participation. “Students have always been integral to this,” Khater said. “We’ve had about three or four generations of students that have been employed and working at the center
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NC State entrepreneurship program ranked No. 1 in Southeast Heidi Reid
the summer of 2021. About 300 NC State students with involvement in the entrepreneurship program participated. According to Jeffrey Pollack, a professor of entrepreneurship in the department of management, innovation & entrepreneurship, the program’s ranking can be credited to its organization over the recent years. “There was a big effort here at NC State,
SG
have COVID-19, students should contact him directly at sbp@ncsu.edu. ACC Virtual Advocacy Days From Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, student governments across Atlantic Coast Conference schools (ACC) will attend the ACC’s virtual Advocacy Days. During the event, the student governments will learn about advocacy and meet with legislators from Capitol Hill to advocate for a variety of things including research funding, student financial aid and student accessibility to different services. Helping prospective students view accessibility options SG is also collaborating with the Inner Residence Council (IRC) to create a virtual way for prospective students to explore accessibility options on campus. Bress said student government is working to consolidate what NC State has done to make campus more accessible into one virtual portal. “It will hopefully be a collaborative event with IRC and the admissions office to create either a link or an additional site where prospective students can go learn more about what NC State has to offer in terms of accessibilities,” Bress said. SG 100 In February, SG 100 will celebrate 100 years of student government at NC State. Student Body Vice President Natalie Bress, a fourth-year studying electrical engineering, said the event is hosted for students
among faculty, alumni and students, to compile all of the data across all of the categories that were captured by the survey that created the basis for the rankings,” Entrepreneur Magazine and the PrincPollack said. “I attribute the rankings to eton Review ranked the Poole College of the organization that we now have at NC Management’s entrepreneurship program State, as well as an increased level of activranked No. 1 in the Southeast and 15th naity across faculty and students, and alumni tionally in their 2022 rankings. The rankwith regards to entrepreneurship that realings are based on surveys administered in ly move the needle on the rankings.” Ac c o rd i n g t o Jason Caplan, a professor in the entrepreneurship program, another trait that sets the entrepreneurship prog ra m apa r t from others is its effort to make its classes as accessible and inclusive as possible during the pandemic. “They had a very formal training for those of us who are transitioning over to the online asynchronous trade, teaching, and that was very valuable,” Caplan said. “We ADITYA PENUMARTI/ARCHIVE understand how Students work at the 3D printers that are offered at the Entrepreneurship Garage on Friday, Sep. 20, 2019 at PartZoom works, we ners I. The garage serves as a think tank for student entrepreneurs. Staff Writer
this semester. COVID-19 According continued from page 3 to Heavlin, SG is working to represent students to University administration while communicating expectations to students about COVID-19. Heavlin said he wants to communicate clearly with students that going to class online is an option, specifically for those who have been exposed to or have COVID-19. “[We are] making sure that we’re representing students to the University administration and making sure that they’re prioritizing students and also making sure that we’re communicating with students what the expectations [are], and what they can do to improve the situation with COVID,” Heavlin said. Heavlin said online options like Panopto are aimed to protect students by giving the flexibility needed for safe learning and living. “The University is pretty well equipped now; they spent a lot of money on virtual technology to make virtual learning possible, and we do it really well now that we have Panopto and all of that software with it,” Heavlin said. Heavlin also said if there is an issue with a professor not offering an online option for students that have been exposed to or
and alumni to celebrate all the NC State student government has changed and improved on campus. “It’s an event that we’re hosting for students and alumni of NC State, or of student government and current student government members, to come together and celebrate the 100 years that NC State has had student government and all of the change and improvement that they have made on campus through having student government,” Bress said. Approaching SG elections Student government spring elections are coming up, and Heavlin said most seats are open. “The seats that will be open is essentially everything,” Heavlin said. “It will be the student body president, vice president, senate president, student body treasurer and then all of our senate seats are open as well.” Andrews said he encourages students to join student government. “It’s a great opportunity to meet people and make a positive change on campus,” Andrews said. If you have questions about running for spring elections, reach out to sgelections@ ncsu.edu. Molly Vanhoy, a fourth-year studying microbiology and student senate president, said SG is always there to help. “I think it’s really important for students
understand how to record things. And we understand that we must try to make as inclusive an environment as we can to reach out to students, so they have the ability to participate online given the current pandemic. The University has done a really good job in providing the tools to allow an optimal online experience.” According to Pollack, the program has recently started trying to assist students after graduating instead of focusing only on undergraduate studies. “There wasn’t really a lot of transition,” Pollack said. “One of the main things that’s happened recently is something called the Andrews Launch Accelerator. Andrews gave a million dollars, which gets used through the NC State entrepreneurship clinic to provide non-equity funding for student and alumni ventures. We really have done a better job of enabling students to have a softer landing after they graduate.” One of the unique things about NC State is the department isn’t the sole location of this work, according to Pollack. “It’s not the only place where entrepreneurship happens,” Pollack said. “It’s engineering, it’s design, it’s textiles, it’s cows. The unique thing about NC State, there’s entrepreneurial stuff happening all over the place, which is the main function of the NC State entrepreneurship program, to sort of coordinate and enable all of the things to be more visible, which really has enabled us to do well in the rankings.”
It’s a great opportunity to meet people and make a positive change on campus. - Harrison Andrews
to know that one, student government is a place where anybody is welcome to join, but two, even if you don’t want to join, we can certainly help you out with whatever issue you’re having,” Vanhoy said. Students can contact student government leaders regarding specific questions directly. Students can also use this email for general questions: studentgovernment@ncsu.edu. “I just encourage students to reach out to any of us in student government if you have a question, or comment or suggestion for the University,” Andrews said.
Opinion
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Get celebrities off the ballot — including the Democrats Celebrities running for public office is not a new phenomenon or exclusive to the Republican or Democrat party. Since Donald Trump’s presidency, Debra there has been a clear rise Mullis in celebrity and celebrityCorrespondent adjacent attempts to enter politics. Former American Idol star Clay Aiken has recently joined this class of political hopefuls as a Democratic candidate running for North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, with similarly little policy or government experience. This will not be Aiken’s first attempt at representing North Carolina in Congress as a Democrat. In the 2014 race for the 2nd congressional district, Aiken was able to win the democratic primary But just like in his season of American Idol, Aiken was runner-up in the general election. In his 2014 campaign and 2022 campaign, Aiken’s platform and political brand has stayed pretty consistent. His narrative for the political stage emphasizes his love for North Carolina and the Democratic party, especially the Democratic party as a big tent for everyone and every issue. He’s also proud of the possibility of becoming the South’s first gay congressman. When it comes to more definitive policy stances, however, Aiken’s website and interviews are lacking. As of Jan. 25, his website only includes a two paragraph introduction, biography and a button to donate. Many of the same criticisms used by liberals against conservative celebrity candi-
dates like former President Donald Trump or Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, can be launched against Aiken. Unlike the previously mentioned candidates, what information we do have of Aiken’s politics is inoffensive, but they are substantive. He is using his recognizable name as a launching pad for a political career without a firm foundation for voters to form opinions from. Aiken’s lack of concrete plans will make eventual issue-flip flopping inevitable, just as he did with his opinions on Trump as a former Celebrity Apprentice contestant. North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District was represented for many years by Democratic congressman David Price, who will not be seeking reelection for his seat. Under the new voting maps created by Republicans in the North Carolina general assembly, the district has transformed. The seat is now one of only three Democratleaning seats in the state, down from the five Democrat seats on the previous map. The new congressional map is gerrymandered and currently being fought over in court, but the appeals process is lengthy and may not be completed by the time the race for the 6th District is in motion. Because of this, Democratic voters must be very careful with who they choose to represent the limited seats they can realistically win. The pool of Democratic candidates for the 6th District is already overflowing. The pool includes: State senators Wiley Nickels and Valerie Foushee; former state senator Floyd McKissick Jr.; and Nida Allam, the first Muslim woman ever elected to public
office in North Carolina as representative on the Durham County Board of Commissioners. These are candidates with a track record and experience dealing with what it is like to make policy. While the state and local politics are different from governing at the federal level, these candidates have skills that will translate to a position on Capitol Hill. Aiken seems like a perfectly fine person who is passionate about his state and politics, but media attention on his candidacy should stay limited until he comes out with concrete positions for his campaign. His “big tent” idea of the Democratic party does not fit with where the party needs to go on climate change and racial justice.
With such a limited number of safe seats, Democrats in North Carolina and the U.S. as a whole cannot afford to be represented by someone inexperienced. North Carolina needs a seasoned politician who can hit the ground running as a representative and turn their political ideas into action. Aiken has already been runner-up on American Idol, Celebrity Apprentice and his first run for Congress. There are slim Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress and a growing optimism amongst Republicans for a “red wave” in 2022; Aiken, or any celebrity for that matter, should not be the Democratic candidate to make it to North Carolina’s general election.
From Personalities to Politicians
Pearl Knight, staff cartoonist, a third-year studying art and design
Give student teachers at NC State an hourly wage Back when I was an education major, a question I never failed to hear was, “You really want to be a teacher?” From a monetary standpoint, many people Riley Sipe don’t want to be teachers. Correspondent In this day and age, finding people who want to be teachers is hard, and keeping them is even harder. The time and effort a teacher has to put in is extensive, a full 9-to-5 job where they still have multiple other responsibilities waiting for them at home. This undoubtedly applies to student teachers as well. A student teacher at NC State, or any university for that matter, has a lot of the same responsibilities. They wake up, go to their designated school from open to close, teach the students sometimes an absurd number of classes, and all without pay! NC State has an amazing education department, with many different programs that can lead to getting your teaching li-
cense. Its goal in bettering education is by “increasing educational opportunities for all and reducing achievement gaps.” We even have cultural competence and youth mental health certificates upcoming teachers can earn before they graduate. So why doesn’t it pay its student teachers? I have a friend who is a senior and is in her last semester of student-teaching at Brooks Elementary School. Before, she had a serving job at a restaurant in downtown Raleigh making enough to pay her bills and have spending money. Now, she has no time to work another job, and her parents have to help her pay her bills because of student teaching and all the requirements included in student teaching/graduating in the College of Education. Seeing her struggle to pay for even small things like her meals makes me question NC State’s education department and its reasoning for not paying student teachers. Well, it doesn’t have a stated reason. There is no information widely available as to why it doesn’t pay our student teachers.
NC State offers numerous jobs on campus where students can make a good amount of money, much more than the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Some of these jobs include working as a teaching assistant, tutoring with the Academic Success Center, working in the libraries, etc. Even students working in the same position as me at Student Media get paid a decent amount. If NC State has the money to pay all these students, I don’t see why student teachers shouldn’t get paid. I feel as if our education department at NC State is lacking in helping new and young teachers establish themselves in the workforce. In addition to the lack of a base pay, student teachers are required to uptake numerous other charges that are a necessity for them to student teach and transition into becoming a full-time teacher. Students enrolled in the College of Education have to take two tests that cost over $200 to qualify for licensure and are also expected to pay for transportation costs and materials needed for the classroom. In addition to these costs,
they also lose student privileges like taking advantage of meal plans and dining dollars because they will have to bring their own lunch to their school. Although my friend’s in a difficult situation, she is still fortunate to have the financial support of her family to help her make it through the program. But where does this leave those who don’t have such resources? The consequences of being a student teacher can be seen in one’s social life and financial state. A student teacher has even less free time than the typical full-time student while also losing the flexibility being a student can often bring. Having to sacrifice that is something many and most student teachers are willing to do to become a teacher. However, also losing the financial support one may have had before student teaching isn’t very fair. To keep students in the education field, they are going to have to get some sort of compensation for all their hard work.
TEACHERS continued page 7
TECHNICIAN 7 Opinion Stop caring about learning styles TEACHERS TECHNICIANONLINE.COM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
continued from page 6
At some point in your educational history, you’ve likely received a test to determine your individual learning style. For many students and instructors alike, these inventories are Lauren Richards believed to hold the key Correspondent to maximizing classroom potential. Yet the notion that simple labels encompass the complex process of learning is nothing more than a myth we need to disregard. Spanning back to the 1970s, researchers have been interested in identifying and classifying differences in individual learning, or learning styles. While several models of learning styles have emerged, the most widespread is Neil Fleming’s model. Fleming identified four primary ways or “modalities” through which people process information — visual, auditory, reading/ writing and kinesthetic, or VARK for short. In the ensuing decades, VARK and other learning models would not only take hold in classrooms everywhere, but would spawn a booming industry dedicated to providing educators with workbooks and seminars on how to tailor instruction to individual
learning preferences. While the concept of learning styles makes intuitive sense, it has failed time and again to stand up to scrutiny. In the mid-2000s, not just one but two extensive reviews of the literature on learning styles concluded there is no evidence to support their use in educational settings. Furthermore, it’s almost obvious that your learning style can’t apply to every situation. For instance, you can’t learn to drive a car by just hearing or watching someone do it — you have to actually get behind the wheel and drive! The same logic applies to the classroom, mastering geometry is much more difficult when you can’t see the shapes you’re working with. In fact, research suggests students learn better when they utilize a variety of learning styles at once. In other words, no one learns uniformly, and grouping students into neat categories hinders more than promotes growth. Despite the lack of evidence, belief in learning styles remains widespread. According to one study, approximately 89% of educators worldwide believe matching instruction to a student’s learning preferences improves academic performance.
While it may seem like a harmless practice, allowing the neuromyth to propagate not only undermines educational research, but it also places an unfair strain on instructors who try to accommodate all their students. In addition, this wastes resources which could be utilized for more substantiated strategies. Richard E. Mayer — a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbra — lists four important characteristics educators should look for in research before implementing it into their teaching. According to Mayer, valid science is theory-grounded, evidence-based, relevant and clear. One evidence-based strategy shown to improve learning outcomes is metacognition, or thinking about thinking. Students grasp material better when given the opportunity to reflect on what they learned in class. Reflecting in this manner also helps students recognize any pitfalls in their thinking and avoid maladaptive studying habits. Another excellent strategy is to engage in mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practice that aims to avoid unproductive thoughts by drawing attention to the present. In one
Cat-Themed Room
Kiara Bush, staff cartoonist, a third-year in design studies and statistics
Teacher pay is already incredibly low, so not paying student teachers is another reason why most education majors get that same daunting question: “Is this really what you want to do?” Eventually, people are going to answer “no” to that question, and we will have fewer and fewer competent and motivated teachers. Paying student teachers may seem unnecessary to administrators, but they deserve something for all the hard work they are putting into becoming a teacher. Remember, these students will be shaping our society and helping bring up a whole new generation, so they deserve all the support they can get, starting with a livable salary. study, undergrad students who attended a mindfulness seminar for two weeks improved their GRE scores by an average of 16%. The answer to the question “What type of learner are you?” can’t be answered with one word. Instead of relying on intuition and personal experience, we should all do a better job of ensuring the techniques we utilize inside and outside the classroom actually work. Only then, will we begin to see real results.
Culture 8 TECHNICIAN Dream and Do: Celebrating MLK’s legacy at NC State THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
TECHNICIANONLINE.COM
Caleb Jolley Correspondent
In addition to the University closure on Monday, Jan. 17 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a full week of events was hosted by the African American Cultural Center (AACC) and Student Leadership and Engagement (SLE) to further commemorate and teach students about Dr. King’s legacy. The week ’s events memorialized King’s legacy as an example for how we can be the change of today, encouraging students to think about and apply King’s ideals to impact current issues and foster community improvement. “One special thing for this whole week celebration we really wanted to focus on was grassroots organizing as well as structural change,” said Andaiye Qaasim, assistant director for the AACC. “Sometimes when we think about diDAN GILLIAM/ARCHIVE versity we’re only thinking The front line of the 39th Annual MLK Memorial March holds an event banner on W. Edenton St. in downtown Raleigh, minutes before the beginning of about identities, but that the march on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. doesn’t necessarily mean Feed the Pack also hosted a farmers “The concept of this exhibit was really you’ve changed the system … or created support each other and what does it mean a new program. I think structural change to kind of exist in community with one to highlight significant moments of soli- market of sorts, featuring Black owned is something that’s really critical in King’s another,” Qaasim said. “We don’t have to darity, student activism and organizing businesses and celebrating their contributions within the food space. be part of the same ethnic or racial back- at [NC State],” Qaasim said. legacy.” Later that night, SLE held a panel disFocusing on three time periods, the Solidarity building was another topic at ground, or [even the] same community exactly to actually have empathy and care ‘60s-’70s, ‘80s-’90s and 2000s, the pop- cussion, Policymaking While Black, as the forefront of last week’s events. “Students want to know how they can about what’s happening with someone up exhibit presented important histori- part of its ongoing Active Citizenry Secal events and facts related to activism ries. Participants heard from a panel of else.” The events began on Tuesday, Jan. 18 and change on campus. Showcasing NC five Black policymakers who serve in powith the virtual MLK Teach in: On Break- State-specific information such as Black sitions in the NC Senate, Wake County ing the Silence. Students were introduced enrollment numbers with reference to his- Board of Commissioners, Raleigh City to key concepts of critical race theory torical events of the time gave students a Council, Wake County School Board of from angela gay-audre, the director of the feel for how MLK’s activism has impacted Education and Wake County Board of Elections. After the panel, students had AACC, before engaging in discussion via the University through the years. Thursday, Jan. 20 saw a number of the opportunity to further interact with Jamboard posts. A firsthand perspective on the history of Black education was also events, beginning with Feed the Pack panel members through small group dispresented by Irving Joyner, a professor at Food Pantry’s virtual presentation of An cussions. “That was a really intimate and interestthe North Carolina Central School of Law. Examination of Food, Cooking, Com“The goal for that event was really to mensality and the Civil Rights Movement. ing discussion of our panelists sharing expose folks to critical theory … to re- Food justice traditionally receives little their experiences of influencing and creally just kind of walk students and par- attention within the Civil Rights Move- ating policy for our community, but while ticipants through key concepts,” Qaasim ment, but this event discussed issues of doing so in spaces that are predominantly said. “Those are concepts that you can food insecurity and food activism from white and male,” Mathis said. “It was a really great turnout and really dynamic then use and hopefully make practical MLK to today. “It was just this really interesting exami- discussion, so I think a lot of our students in your everyday life as you’re kind of … trying to figure out how we, you know, nation of, during the era of Martin Luther got a lot out of that experience.” Happening in tandem on Thursday King Jr. … where food, where chefs, where walk this walk. Wednesday, Jan. 19 featured an interest- restaurant owners were really a part of the night was a virtual talk about The vMLK ing MLK Pop-up Exhibit in the main lob- Civil Rights Movement. [They were] feed- Project: Embodiment, Affect and World by of Talley Student Union spearheaded ing activists, being a part of it and break- Building. The vMLK Project is an ongoing by Virginia Ferris and Victor Betts who ing bread together,” said Brian Mathis, effort at NC State providing users with work in the special collections depart- associate director of SLE which oversees Feed the Pack Food Pantry. ment of NCSU Libraries. MLK continued page 11
The week’s events memorialized King’s legacy as an example for how we can be the change of today.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
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The NC State Marching Band, cheerleaders, and Mr. Wuf take part in the Holiday Bowl Parade in San Diego on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. The Holiday Bowl was to host NC State and UCLA in Petco Park, but was canceled after UCLA pulled out due to COVID-19 protocols.
The ‘Power Sound of the South’ looks back on the Holiday Bowl that never happened Karsyn Westerbeek Correspondent
Many have heard about NC State’s failed Holiday Bowl experience in which hundreds of people — including athletes, coaches, band members, student workers and fans — flew from Raleigh to San Diego to play in the football team’s final game of the season. Four hours prior to kickoff, UCLA abruptly pulled out of the bowl due to COVID-19 protocols. Fans often think about the disappointment the athletes must have felt, but other groups of students also made the long trip and faced a disappointing turn of events. NC State’s marching band, the Power Sound of the South, took around 100 of its members to California to support the football team. They were just as shocked when the news broke mere hours before the game was scheduled to begin. With over two-thirds of the band not present for the trip, the group heading to San Diego had to prepare for both its game-time performance and for events beforehand. Jennifer Urbanek, a fourth-year studying animal science, was one of the attending band members. “We had to learn a new drill,” Urbanek
said. “And when we were parading we had to set up differently because there was a significantly smaller amount of us.” Although this did make the marching band busy, there were also other plans for the band prior to the game, like the Holiday Bowl parade and a battle of the bands with the UCLA marching band. Luckily, the events the band participated in helped to soften the blow of the bad news. “We played at all of the Holiday Bowl events that they had us scheduled for,” said Katie Phillips, a second-year studying political science. “I think that’s what everybody kind of held onto from the trip.” Ethan Russell, a second-year studying technology, design and engineering education, flew out the day of the game to support his bandmates just to find out the bad news right after landing. “I was not expecting it,” Russell said. “I really couldn’t do anything but laugh. It was of course devastating after going to that trouble to get there, but it was almost too ironic that it happened.” After the bad news broke, the band members tried to make the best out of a disappointing situation. Fortunately, the atmosphere the group created was cheerful.
Coming back we were like, ‘This is such a funny experience, this is classic NC State sports.’ - Katie Phillips
“I was pretty sad that it didn’t happen,” Urbanek said. “But I was around people who made it a little bit better.” The positive atmosphere that the band members created continued for the remainder of the trip and on the plane ride home. “Coming back we were like, ‘This is such a funny experience,’” Phillips said. “‘This is classic NC State sports.’ To get all the way out there and be four hours from kickoff, and then we don’t play the game.” After coming home, the band found that there were still things to look forward to despite the disappointing end to their time in San Diego. Basketball season is in full swing, so members are excited to be back to performing at games. “We knew that when we came back for basketball, we were going to have a really good time and be able to do what we went out [to San Diego] to do, back where we belong,” Phillips said. After all, there are future traveling experiences that the band will have. “Our women’s team is looking like they’re probably gonna go on a pretty far postseason run,” Russell said. “That means — for the band — we get to travel with them, so there’s that part to look forward to.
Culture
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NC State student to graduate at only 17 years old Mai Listokin Correspondent
Most of us eagerly look forward to the day we walk across the stage at graduation, finally equipped to face the promising journey ahead. What most of us have in common is the maturity of a 20-something who just completed over a decade of school. This spring, however, one NC State student will beat the odds as one of the youngest female graduates you’ll find at the University. Samantha Kiser, a fourth-year studying English, just turned 17 years old. Kiser’s story began when she graduated from her Georgia high school at the age of 12 and began college at 14. Following four years of hard work, she describes her high school graduation as surreal.
“I think in a lot of ways, I didn’t really understand what I was getting into,” Kiser said. “I worked very hard up until that point to graduate at that time, but I didn’t connect a lot because I was 12. And my parents worked very hard to get me to that point.” While her parents encouraged her to pursue a collegiate liberal arts degree at a young age, it was hard for Kiser to ignore a sense of discomfort among her much older fellow high school graduates. She felt a sharp divide between herself and her classmates, especially as she started college. Beginning college at NC State in 2018, Kiser said although the work wasn’t overwhelming, her real challenge turned out
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Blair Torres, who received her bachelors in graphic design, looks to the stage prior to the beginning of Spring Commencement Exercises. Spring Graduation took place in PNC Arena on Saturday, May 13, 2017. This year, there were the most students graduating in NC State history.
to be building meaningful relationships with her peers. “For the most part, I never had trouble with coursework — it was just mainly other people,” Kiser said. “And because I was so young, people just weren’t interested in interacting with me. They mainly found my experience odd, and sometimes took it as a challenge.” Kiser said her confidence was shaken when her aspirations were often treated as a joke by friends and family alike. It wasn’t until last semester that her extended family and friends began to take her seriously. “The biggest challenge, unfortunately, is that everyone, including my extended family, treated my aspiration like it was a joke,” Kiser said. “They didn’t think it was possible. And when I was younger, that really shook my confidence.” Academically, Kiser enjoyed the fiction writing classes as they allowed her to explore her passion for writing, interpersonal relations and communication. “I chose this degree because in every walk of life, for every creed or ideology, being able to communicate makes all of the difference,” Kiser said. As an avid writer and theater enthusiast, Kiser cited Martin Luther King Jr. and Albert Einstein as admirable examples of individuals who were able to passionately communicate with those around them, voicing powerful messages. Kiser truly believes her degree “carries meaning and value” as she continues to narrate her story through moving poetry and multi-genre short stories. Affording college was not always easy for Kiser. Coming from a single-parent income, she sought scholarships to alleviate the financial burden, even during the stressful time in which her family moved homes. Kiser recalls spending a month living in a hotel room, completing her coursework and living off ramen noodles.
The experience gave me strength, because I can now say that I have achieved something great. - Samantha Kiser
“Paying for all of this has been a real burden,” Kiser said. “So I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved because of these hardships.” Kiser said she has three long-term goals following graduation. First, she intends to continue to write and publish her work through a variety of mediums and platforms. Kiser also plans to start her own theater company to “teach young people an appreciation for communicating and interacting with an audience.” And Kiser is aiming to attend law school, too. At 17, Kiser will be the youngest graduate most will hear of at NC State, but listening to her passionate plans and mature outlook on her life ahead, one can’t help but wonder if age is merely a chronological detail for certain people. Too young? Think again. “They just assumed that I would fail,” Kiser said. “But the experience gave me strength, because I can now say that I have achieved something great.” Kiser has published a variety of short stories, essays, poetry and research articles which are featured on her website.
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a n i m mersive ex per ience of MLK’s “A Creative Protest,” continued from page 8 later known as the “Fill up the Jails” speech. Given at the White Rock Baptist Church in Durham just days after the Greensboro sit-ins, this speech has rooted itself in North Carolina History, yet no known recordings exist. “In its fullness, [the event] takes over the whole Hunt Library and all of the video walls and our immersive spaces,” said Hannah Rainey, associate head for research engagement at NC State Libraries. However, because of COVID-19 concerns, the event was changed to a virtual talk about the project, its inception and future goals. “At the peak of the attendance I think we had 119 participants in total, which I think is very successful,” Rainey said. “It speaks to sort of the relevancy and the timing of the topics that people are interested in [and], you know, commemorating the life of Dr. King in some way.” To close out the week’s events, the AACC facilitated a virtual Fireside Chat on Friday, Jan. 21 where participants listened to a more informal, intimate conversation about Dr. King’s legacy and where it stands today. Guest speakers included Frederick Engram from the University of Texas at Arlington, Akinyele Omowale Umoja from Georgia State University, and Niki Franco, who is a multidisciplinary cultural worker, creative artist and abolitionist. NC State’s very own Stephen Ferguson II, associate professor of philosophy and Africana studies, moderated the discussion. “Each of these folks were, in a sense, scholars and activists so they engage very, very deeply in scholarship in academia,” Qaasim said. “But they also [understand] this kind of applied practice, making [topics] applicable and knowing that structural change for actual things in our lives has to happen on the ground.” Between the three speakers, multiple generations and backgrounds were present, facilitating a broad conversation on topics of race, poverty, politics and popular culture. “You had folks who represent Gen X, who represent millennials and who represent baby boomers,” Qaasim said. “It was a very enriching conversation just bringing together these different generations, really looking at the legacy that we all are hoping to build on, but also the things that we still need to kind of work on today.” Unfortunately, the much anticipated March Like Martin event, in which students peacefully but powerfully march through campus, was canceled on Friday due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled for the end of February. Even in the wake of COVID-19 concerns and weather cancellations, the legacy of King was celebrated throughout the week with events that have educated students about race, critical theory, structural change, food insecurity and solidarity and given them the tools to foster change long after the week is over.
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MLK
COURTESY OF ERIKA COTUFO
Wolfgang A Cappella’s ‘Island Time’ concert brings summer to campus Emily Cooney Staff Writer
On Jan. 23, the department of music hosted NC State’s Wolfgang A Cappella concert at the Stewart Theatre in Talley Student Union to showcase the group’s talent and give the audience a taste of summer in the middle of winter. From songs like “Bartender” by Lady A to “Treat People with Kindness” by Harry Styles, the group had the audience captivated and thoroughly entertained. Each song was performed with unique choreography and a wide range of instrumental and background vocals. The concert also featured a lively guest performance from Fusion Dance Crew, a multicultural hip-hop dance group at NC State. They performed exciting choreography to a mix of upbeat songs as well as ballads from artists like Adele. Wolfgang a cappella put this spectacular show together with just eight official rehearsals before performing for students, friends, family and the general public. Wolfgang a cappella music director Sarah Wells, a graduate student in anthropology, expressed being particularly grateful for the group and their hard work in preparation for the concert. “We just kind of work as a unit when we sing,” Wells said. “That’s really hard to achieve, and I’m really proud that we were
able to do that in the time that we had.” To everyone’s surprise, Wolfgang alumni joined the current group onstage in song, a tradition unable to be carried out for a long time due to the pandemic. “There’s such a strong bond even like years after being in Wolfgang,” Wells said. “We’ve had several alums who’ve come to every rehearsal since January just to help us out, so it’s very much a family that lasts forever.” The show also included a lighthearted interview-style video of Wolfgang members answering questions like, “Who is most likely to think a lifeguard saving them is also trying to hit on them?” Wolfgang a cappella President Kelly Daughtridge, a graduate student in social work, emphasized the group’s effort to provide a happy atmosphere for the audience. “I hope it added some humor to everyone’s lives, because that was kind of what we were going for … just trying to make everyone laugh and smile,” Daughtridge said. “So I’m hoping that we accomplished that.” The group also dedicated time to formally introduce their “wolf pups,” or members of Wolfgang who have never performed a live concert. The concert concluded with the reveal of which audience members won raffle prizes — Wolfgang T-shirts and an 8-foot -tall blow up snowman with a surfboard, to name a few. “I also am hoping that any students in the
I hope it added some humor to everyone’s lives, because that was kind of what we were going for. - Kelly Daughtridge
audience are interested in a cappella now, because maybe they didn’t know what it was before,” Daughtridge said. “And now they see it and they’re like, ‘You know what, I want to be a part of that.’” All students interested in joining Wolfgang a cappella can reach the group directly via email at ncsu.wolfgang@gmail.com to find out more about upcoming auditions. Videos of students’ singing skills are encouraged and welcomed even after the official audition dates of Jan. 25 in Talley 3223 and Jan. 26 in Talley 1240. Both auditions run from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Sports
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Double Trouble: Pack basketball teams set for double showdown with rival Tar Heels Nicholas Schnittker Sports Editor
As much as some Tar Heels fans may hate to admit it, NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill are rivals. That’s just a fact. And with the two schools set to clash on the court twice in just 26 hours, this weekend has the potential to make one of the two fan bases immensely happy while dooming the other to no shortage of social media abuse. Saturday’s meeting will be the first of the season on the men’s side, with both schools looking to claim some bragging rights and an important win in the conference standings. While NC State still has one game before the matchup with the Tar Heels, a road game at Notre Dame which could change the mood heading into Saturday, the Pack’s recent high-scoring win over UVA should give it confidence heading into the rivalry game. This season, UNC has a nearly 30-point difference in points allowed in wins versus losses. If the Pack can maintain its hotshooting from UVA and carry it through the midweek matchup, things could get very interesting on Saturday. UNC has its own midweek matchup to contend with before turning its attention to the Pack: a home game against Boston College on Wednesday. Under first-year head coach Hubert Davis, the Tar Heels were projected to finish third in the ACC but currently reside in sixth with a 5-3 record in conference play. As has been the case throughout this season, NC State will need to find a way to
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Freshman guard Terquavion Smith moves around a Cavalier during the game against Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 at PNC Arena. Smith scored an overall 20 points for the Wolfpack. NC State beat Virginia 77-63.
stop the opposing bigs. Guys like Armando Bacot and Leaky Black can cause a MannyBates-less NC State a lot of issues, especially if sophomore center Ebenezer Dowuona gets into foul trouble. If the Pack can find a way to limit the bigs, or simply outpace them with excellent outside shooting from guys like freshman guard Terquavion Smith, then the Pack has a chance. The two women’s teams have already clashed once this season, resulting in a re-
sounding victory for NC State that saw the Wolfpack run UNC right out of its “small gym.” And UNC women’s head coach Courtney Banghart doubled down on that comment in her postgame presser after losing by 27 points. Banghart’s comments, as well as the backand-forth nature of the rivalry in recent years, certainly added fuel to the fire heading into Sunday’s showdown. But given the participants, the fire didn’t necessarily need any more stoking.
Since that game, the Wolfpack has risen to the No. 3 spot, going 5-0 with three wins against teams either ranked or receiving votes. On the flip side, UNC has dropped out of the top-25, going 2-2 since the thrashing it received in Reynolds. Senior center Elissa Cunane dominated in that first matchup, recording a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead the team in both categories. If the star center can do that again, it’s likely to be a long Sunday for UNC. Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby were the Tar Heels’ main contributors in that game, combining for 33 of UNC’s 45 points. NC State enters the matchup on the back of a full week’s rest, while UNC still has another rivalry showdown with No. 21 Duke to contend with on Thursday. Put simply, head coach Wes Moore’s team is firmly in the driver’s seat, but the Tar Heels have played spoiler to the Pack’s perfection in the past and will relish the opportunity to do it again. While far from the best indicator of how these games will go, NC State has already had some very notable wins over UNC this season, including football’s wild finish, women’s soccer’s big upset and the aforementioned women’s basketball demolition. No matter how you look at it, it’ll be a long weekend in the Triangle. The opening tip of the men’s game is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29 inside the Smith Center and the women’s game is set to tip at 4 p.m. at Carmichael Arena on Sunday, Jan. 30. Both games will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
Jakia Brown-Turner breaking out at right time for Pack women’s basketball Tristan Tucker Managing Editor
The beginning of the season wasn’t the most seamless for No. 3 NC State women’s basketball’s junior wing Jakia Brown-Turner. Before the last two games, Brown-Turner was averaging 8.1 points per game on 38.1% shooting from the floor and 34.4% from deep. But now, Brown-Turner has turned on the heat and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Pack. Brown-Turner was instrumental in the Pack’s crucial victories over the weekend, starting with her scoring 10 fourth-quarter points against then-No. 3 Louisville. At the start of the fourth, Brown-Turner quickly
scored, got a crucial steal, then a beautiful assist to sophomore guard Diamond Johnson, sparking the Wolfpack’s run and shocking upset. “I think [the momentum shifted] when we got a steal,” Brown-Turner said after the Louisville game. “We just kept getting steals. We turned up the defensive JAKIA continued page 15 HALLIE WALKER/TECHNICIAN
Junior wing Jakia Brown-Turner drives the ball around a Virginia Tech defender on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 in Reynolds Coliseum. Brown-Turner led in scoring with 14 points and contributed seven rebounds. NC State beat Virginia Tech 51-45.
TECHNICIAN 13 Sports SailPack builds off historic 2020-21 season, looking for repeat nationals appearance TECHNICIANONLINE.COM
Ben Ellis
Senior Sports Writer
After a historic 2020-21 season, the NC State club sailing team, or “SailPack,” is looking to earn a trip back to the national championship in 2022. In spring 2021, the SailPack qualified for the Gill College Sailing National Finals Regatta for the first time in its nearly 70-year program history after a third-place finish at its South Atlantic conference championship regatta. The team was one of 18 to earn a spot at the national finals, which were held at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. After two days of competition, the SailPack finished the 2021 season in 17th place. Just getting to the national finals was quite an accomplishment for the SailPack, which is a club team that competes with schools where sailing is a varsity sport, such as many of the Ivy League schools. Last season showed just how far the program has come in such a short amount of time under head coach Dana Magliola, who is in his ninth season at the helm. “We did well; we were never behind the group, always in the mix competitively,” Magliola said. “It answered a lot of questions for us, especially, ‘Could we compete at that level?’ Yes. Now we just have to become more consistent in those performances, make better decisions on the racecourse and we can take it from 17th up to 12th or 10th.”
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Isabella du Plessis, a second-year studying mechanical engineering, and Blaine Garner, a first-year studying aerospace engineering, change their angle of attack at Lake Crabtree on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. By changing their angle of attack, du Plessis and Garner’s boat was able to turn without losing speed during their practice race.
On top of everything else it had to overcome, the SailPack had to compete in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which proved to be a massive challenge in and of itself. “COVID is a curveball that we continue dealing with and has made everything 10 times harder,” Magliola said. “With significant protocols, testing, masks, social distancing and other requirements, our sport itself was going through a lot.” After not even knowing if there would be a season, the SailPack made the most out of its opportunity to compete. The team put in a ton of work towards the goal of making the national championship tournament, and in the end, the team delivered. “It was awesome,” said senior and outgoing team captain Scott Harris. “We didn’t even know if we were going to be able to compete. Once we were able, we put in a lot of work during the fall season when we weren’t allowed to go to regattas. We trained a lot on and off the water. We had the nationals qualifier circled on the calendar for probably nine or 10 months, and we just worked towards that as a team.” For Harris, the growth of the program since his arrival on campus has been remarkable. “I wish I could go back to my first race team meeting just to see how different it
was,” Harris said. “We’ve come a long, long way in the last four years. We started a handful of competitive sailors, and now we’re probably six or more boats deep. We could send any variety of different sailors to any event and we’d do well.” At the national finals, the SailPack was surrounded by traditional powerhouses in the sport, such as Yale, the College of Charleston, Georgetown, Navy, Stanford and others, but the team was not intimidated. Instead, SailPack kept the focus to prove that it belongs among the best of the best. “It was ridiculous,” said sophomore and team captain Isabella du Plessis. “You don’t normally see Ivy League schools left and right. It makes you feel like you’ve really done something with the team and how far we’ve come. We worked extremely hard to get there.” Now, the team is looking to carry that success into the spring 2022 season and make a repeat trip to nationals. In the fall, Magliola said the SailPack finished the regular season first in its division, second overall at conference championships and won several regattas. One of the highlights of the fall season was the SailPack win at the Savin Hill Invite Regatta at Boston College, which occurred on the same day that the NC State football team beat Boston
College 33-7. “The mid-Atlantic and New England conferences are kind of like the SEC of college sailing,” Magliola said. “You have some of the most well-resourced, best programs up there. Going up to New England and being able to win really put us in a good mindset.” So far in 2022, the team has been off to a great start. Even though trying to make nationals may be even more challenging this year, the team has overcome adversity before and can do it again. “This year is going to be more competitive because there’s a semifinal and a finals for nationals,” du Plessis said. “There are more challenges to get there, but it definitely won’t stop us. I feel like we’re in a great place with the team.” The SailPack begins its quest back to college sailing nationals when it travels to Charleston, South Carolina for the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta Feb. 12-13 and begins dinghy competition the following weekend at the SAISA Open at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. South Atlantic Conference championships will be held April 9-10 in Charleston, South Carolina and the Gill College Sailing National Championships will be held May 19-22 in New Orleans.
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‘Baby T’ gets buckets: A deep dive on NC State men’s basketball guard Terquavion Smith Tristan Tucker Managing Editor
Following the NC State men’s basketball team’s thrashing of Virginia over the weekend, one thing became clear, as if it wasn’t already: freshman guard Terquavion Smith is a special talent. There was plenty of hype surrounding Smith entering his time at NC State, but it still didn’t encapsulate what the guard was capable of. Smith has been a day-one bucket-getter, averaging over 23 points per game in high school and recording 33 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in his team’s state title game, where his performance mattered the most. Before the season, Technician wrote, while expectations were to be relatively low for this NC State men’s basketball team, this is some of the most talent head coach Kevin Keatts has rostered. Between Smith and redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron, the team has at least two certain future NBA players on its roster. Senior forward Jericole Hellems has some professional optics and redshirt junior forward Manny Bates could make a huge jump whenever he returns to play. And while much of the focus has been centered on Seabron, and rightfully so, Smith is someone that is flying under the radar in a sense. Smith isn’t necessarily underrated, but his game deserves as much credit as it can get. In order to emphasize just how impactful Smith’s 14.9-point-per-game freshman season has been, consider the fact that the only other freshman to score 14 or more points per game in the last 10 years is Dennis Smith Jr. in 2016-17. Before that? J.J. Hickson in the 2007-08 season. Both of those guys went on to be first-round picks in the NBA Draft. Smith is already garnering some attention from scouts, but before we delve into Smith’s strengths, it’s important to look at what he still needs to improve and what will likely be the next evolution of his game. First of all, there’s no denying that Smith is tiny in terms of his frame. The guard weighs 160 pounds, at least 10 less than any other guard on the roster despite being several inches taller in most cases. In order to get to the next level, he’s going to need to bulk up. This hasn’t been much of an issue in college play but in the NBA, he would be extremely small to play anywhere on the wing, and he hasn’t shown nearly enough playmaking ability to be considered a point. Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Smith, however, is the fact that he isn’t
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Freshman guard Terquavion Smith pushes past a Virginia Tech player to go to the basket during the game in PNC Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. Smith scored 14 points in the game. NC State lost 62-59.
intimidated by his own size, even in the slightest. The Wolfpack faithful is likely familiar with Smith’s huge dunk against Virginia, but there were several other times where Smith either pulled up in iso moments or drove it straight to the rim. Obviously, the facet of Smith’s game that the Wolfpack faithful loves the most is his fearlessness — whether that’s taking big 3s or the aforementioned drives to the rim — the kid has no shortage of confidence. But the numbers especially back that up. Nearly 60% of all of Smith’s field-goal attempts are 3-pointers and he’s connecting at a 36.2% clip. “I call him ‘The Microwave,’” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski after NC State’s loss to the Blue Devils on Jan. 15. “I haven’t seen everyone in the league, but from the teams I’ve seen, there’s not another guy like him. … Every time he gets it, he scares you.” If Seabron winds up declaring for and committing to the 2022 NBA Draft, Smith will likely stay behind as the primary bucket-getter. With Hellems set to graduate and Bates’ future uncertain,
Smith could very well take upward of 20 shots per game next season, an archetype of player NC State hasn’t seen in some time. But another particularly underrated aspect of Smith’s game is his defense in the backcourt. While he’s often plugged at the one-guard spot, that’s a position in which he’s able to take advantage of several mismatches. Look no further than his matchup against Virginia’s Kihei Clark. Smith came flying seemingly out of nowhere for a highlight-reel block that led to a Virginia turnover and further contributed to NC State’s big run. But it wasn’t just his block, Smith used his slim physique to squeeze between two offensive players and disrupt a play, breaking up a play between Clark and guard Kody Stattmann and getting the steal. Smith averages 1.4 steals per game, which is third on the team but is just 0.2 away from being the team leader. His other steal in the Virginia game came on Clark, anticipating the pass and snatching the ball, then getting it down the court to Seabron for a clean
assist. It’s impossible to ignore just how active Smith’s hands are as he makes defensive play after defensive play. While junior guard Casey Morsell and freshman guard Breon Pass are the Pack’s two best backcourt defenders, don’t sleep on Smith. Though Smith didn’t crack 247sports. com’s top 25 prospect list for NC State all time, make no mistake: Smith is one of the most talented players to walk through NC State’s doors. “I would say my confidence is at the same level all the time,” Smith said after the win against Virginia Tech on Jan. 4. “Ain’t nothing changes my confidence, it’s always gonna be through the roof.”
The next opportunity to catch Smith in action is on Saturday, Jan. 29 on the road against North Carolina. That game will start at 2 p.m. and can be viewed on the ACC Network.
Sports
TECHNICIAN 15
TECHNICIANONLINE.COM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
intensity, a nd t hat ’s what helped us make continued from page 12 buckets.” T he Maryland product didn’t stop there, scoring eight more points in the quarter, shooting a perfect 4 for 4 from the field and hitting two critical 3s that helped bring the Pack back. One of Brown-Turner’s them came on a beautiful feed from graduate forward Kayla Jones. “It was a great moment,” Brown-Turner said after the Louisville game. “Especially coming back from a big deficit. It helped us a lot. That 3 kept us going.” Brown-Turner picked up where she left off in the game against Virginia Tech, with the wing scoring all 10 of the Wolfpack’s
JAKIA
first-quarter points. In just two quarters against Louisville and Virginia Tech, Brown-Turner had quickly accounted for 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and shot 8 of 10 from the floor and 4 of 5 from deep. But according to Brown-Turner, her getting hot in the fourth quarter of the Louisville game wasn’t an underlying factor for her strong start against Virginia Tech. “I try to take it one game at a time,” Brown-Turner said after the Virginia Tech game. “We loved the victory against Louisville. We just want to keep playing like that every day. … I just like to do anything that I can do to help the team win.” That winning mindset was on full blast in the fourth quarter of the Virginia Tech game. Even though the Hokies began storming back and almost pulled an Uno re-
verse card on the Wolfpack, Brown-Turner remained poised and got a huge steal on Tech’s Aisha Sheppard, before laying it in. Shortly after, Brown-Turner got another huge bucket that essentially sealed the game. Brown-Turner breaking out is massive for a Wolfpack team that was already crushing ACC opponents. Before the weekend slate of games, NC State’s average margin of victory against ACC opponents was 25 points, including matchups against two ranked opponents in then-No. 19 North Carolina and then-No. 16 Duke. After those two games, the margin has fallen to 21.1 points, which is still astronomically high. Brown-Turner’s averages have taken a jump as a result of the two games, and she’s now up to 8.7 points per game on 40.8% shooting from the floor and 35.6% from deep. Though those averages are still a far
Nova and Comet - Photo Fumble
Pearl Knight, staff cartoonist, a third-year studying art and design
cry from what she was expected to do this season, it’s a huge step in the right direction, especially considering the fact JBT didn’t shoot over 50% from the field in a game between Nov. 15, 2021, and Jan. 20, 2022. With a brutal stretch on the horizon, one that will see the Wolfpack play three games in five days next week, Brown-Turner’s return to form is an instance of perfect timing. Without Brown-Turner’s recent streak, the Pack may have dropped one or both of its weekend games. For instance, Brown-Turner went 36 minutes between scoring in the Virginia Tech game and still led the team in scoring. Brown-Turner will get a chance to continue her recent antics when NC State travels to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels on Sunday, Jan. 30. That game starts at 4 p.m. and can be viewed on ACC Network.