Technician
wednesday january
25 2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
‘Vote Against Project’ fights marriage amendment
Amendment One SB514 Facts
A photography project fighting a proposed amendment stopped by campus to garner support yesterday.
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Jessie Halpern
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Deputy News Editor
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A Raleigh-based photographer is encouraging voting against Amendment One SB14, which will be on the ballot May 8, through a photography project. The proposed amendment would officially define marriage as a union only between a man and a woman. The Vote Against Project began when Curtis Brown, Raleigh photographer, decided to take a stand against a proposition that, in his opinion, threatens to strip North Carolina families of their rights. “I’m not a very political person, but this is a big issue, and I think it’s important to explain to people what exactly the amendment says,” Brown said. Brown launched a website with photographs taken of people wearing Tshirts that say “Vote Against”, paired with their own descriptions of what aspect of the amendment they are voting against. The proposed amendment has been referred to as “anti-LGBT legislation,” but Brown cautions voters that the amendment has a farther reach and will affect traditional families as well.
Defines marriage as between one man and one woman Would amend Article 14 of the North Carolina Constitution Primary sponsor was Peter S. Brunstetter Goes to a vote on May 8 Source: Ballotpedia.org
Natalie Claunch/Technician
Andy Beck and Brain Fisher strike a pose at the Vote Against Project photo shoot in Talley Student Center on Tuesday. "We've been together 15 years," Beck said, "We want marriage to be an option." The project concerns the May 8 election on the proposed amendment to the North Carolina state constitution, which would prevent same-sex couples from attaining rights.
The language of the amendment states, “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”
This statement not only bans samesex marriage. It also eliminates the benefits domestic partners receive in the workplace by prohibiting North Carolina from recognizing both same-
sex and heterosexual civil unions. “I don’t want to focus on the LGBT crowd; we have their vote. What’s more important is that this affects so many other people, and they might
be voting for an amendment that can negatively affect them one day,” Brown said. “I’m a friend of Curtis, so when he asked if he could start his campaign at N.C. State, I was happy to become a liaison,” Kyle Vey, sophomore in biomedical engineering, said. The Vote Against Project launched it’s statewide campaign in the Talley Brown Room yesterday. Students, faculty and the public had the chance to put on a T-shirt and have their photos added to Brown’s online gallery. “We received huge interest in the project from State students, and because we’re a Raleigh-based organization, it just made sense to start things off there,” said Ryan Smith, project manager for Vote Against. Brown said that the entire idea behind the project is to give people an easy way to oppose the movement. Photos are available online, and it’s
marriage continued page 3
Student triumphs in University distance education conflict After learning about extra charges for an online course, one student took action and saw results.
Schwabe said. Grant Holley, Director of Distance Education for the College of Education, detailed how distance education promotes diversity and new ways to reach students. Lauren Vanderveen “Through our distance education Staff Writer classes and globalizing, we’re buildEfforts made by administration and ing on the college. It helps us bring members of the student body display in a new population, a more diverse an unlikely alliance in the fight for student body,” Holley said. “When it comes to what is a better method, it distance education changes. Full-time on-campus students depends on the student and the class, taking online courses are charged a but to say that one size fits all is luseparate amount from tuition on a dicrous.” “Why, if I’m paying for 12 to 18 per-credit-hour basis even if they are within the 12-plus-range for being hours and there’s this buffer of six hours, and if my distance education full-time. Chelsea Schwabe, senior in commu- lands within that buffer, do I have to nications with a minor in nonprofit pay extra?” Schwabe said. “You would studies, decided to take action against think it would be less because you’re not even interactthis charge. ing with a teacher “I found out face-to-face, and that to graduate t here’s not a with my minor, I room to rent out had to take these space.” two classes and Distance eduthat they were cation tuition is distance educaGrant Holley, Director of Distance tion and that I Education for the College of Education actually treated similarly to reguhad to pay $800lar tuition. Mon- $200 for one class and $600 for the other one,” ey goes to the state, which returns it to Schwabe said. “I took a loan out, and the campus. Distance education fees this $800 came out of money that was go into structural pieces like videos supposed to be for my rent, so I was and website development, according to Holley. upset.” However, students and even faculty Schwabe sent out a mass-email to administration members about her still hope for revision within the displight, including the dean of the Col- tance education system. Provost Warwick Arden implementlege of Humanities and Social Sciences, the chancellor and the Cashier’s ed the Distance Education Task Force at the beginning of last year to work Office. “I got an email the next day from on new strategies for dealing with disthe Cashier’s Office, and he said that tance education. “We needed to re-evaluate what they only collect the money, but that I wasn’t alone in this fight against dis- we’ve been doing for years,” Holley, tance education. It wasn’t only from who was part of the task force, said. According to Shawbe, the most benmy minor but all across the board,”
“We needed to reevaluate what we’ve been doing for years.”
eficial recommendation would be that those in on-campus degrees pay for all credit hours, including regular term and distance education, adhering to the existing stair-step arrangement; whereas distance education degree students will be charged by the number of credit hours taken, both on and off-campus. Student Government is also on board for distance education amendments. Thomas Miller, Vice Provost for Distance Education and Learning Technology, and co-chair of the task force, said the report from the task force was well received by the provost and the UNC General Administration. “The law and policy developed in 1998 never anticipated that students would be taking both on-campus courses and online courses at the same time,” Miller said. “There was never any intent to charge students a premium for online courses, so our plan fits the spirit of the policy.” According to Miller, 48 percent of undergraduates and 84 percent of graduates last year paid lower total tuition and fees by taking a combination of on-campus and online classes. “Nobody, at any level of their education, is a puppet. The learner is going to have to see what works for them and if distance education is the right fit,” Grant said. Schwabe’s collaborative effort with Mary Tschirhart, Director of the Institute for Nonprofits, and Eileen Hannan, adviser for minors in nonprofit studies, enabled the courses necessary for her to gradu-
Education continued page 3
Gottfried leaves his coaching predecessors at the back of the pack. See page 8.
Italy comes to campus through University Dining Students had the chance to try authentic Italian cuisine in a special dining event on campus. Jordan Alsaqa Deputy Features Editor
Taste of Italy dishes: Fountain, Northern Italy • Grilled tuna steaks with anchovy olive sauce • Risotto with wine and saffron • Asparagus with vinaigrette Clark. Central Italy • Eggplant salad • Tomato basil soup • Seafood pasta • Rice pudding
University Dining has tried in the past to offer students a change of pace in the various dining halls across campus. However, the Taste of Italy event, Case, Southern Italy spearheaded by new associate director • Pasta with arugula pesto Shawn Hoch, is the first in a new series • Swordfish in lemon sauce of cultural experiences for students. • Tiramisu Kelley Brackett, a recent graduate Source: University dining and employee with University Dining, described the new program as part of an effort to change what the program Italian food, as opposed to just a few offers to students. “[Hoch] has been looking at things dishes repeated at each hall. Ben Darr, a freshman in First Year that will upgrade the program, to put more of an emphasis on the culinary College, found the selection of food to offer something students don’t usuprogram,” Brackett said. ally get. In this regard, “It was a good Taste of Ita ly time,” Darr said. serves as the first “I like the new of what could poexperience astentially be many pect.” excursions into This spread of foreign culinary va rious mea ls cultures for Uniallowed the proversity Dining. Kelley Brackett, gram to take on Spread across University Dining employee a wide array of Case, Clark and foreign recipes, Fountain, each dining hall was given the chance to while also allowing each dining hall’s focus on a different region of Italy. head chef a chance to decide what he Case served foods native to southern wanted to prepare. “As the meal got closer, we started Italy, Clark provided dishes from central Italy and Fountain took on several planning the menus and seeing what [the chefs] wanted to make,” Brackett meals from the north. Brackett said the reasoning behind said. While each dining hall had its own each dining hall getting its own region was to allow for a greater variety of food, and to allow a wide spread of Italy continued page 3
“[Hoch] has been looking at things that will upgrade the program.”
insidetechnician
On the first-season fast track
Oliver Shoulder/Technician
Freshman in engineering, Adison Warden eats dinner at Fountain Dining Hall during the "taste of Italy" event. Various foods inspired by Italian cuisine were served.
The wonders of human power
Researchers at the human power labs develop exoskeletons to assist walking. See page 6.
Sharing an epiphany and a cake See page 5.
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