Technician
friday march
30 2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
College Cup unites campus In the second annual College Cup event, students from all majors will join forces for a day of competition. Shawn Thompson Staff Writer
Student Government will be hosting the second annual College Cup on Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Harris Field. The Campus Community event features special guests Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford and Chancellor Randy Woodson. “As Campus Community Committee chair, I have been working hard with the committee to organize it. What better way to unify our awesome University than through friendly and competitive events between the different colleges?” Jennifer Layton, senior in political science, said. Scott Moore, founder of the event and previous member of Student Government, started College Cup a year ago to bring people from different colleges across campus together. “Last year everyone really enjoyed themselves and all the challenges were fun. Students should come out and support their colleges, even if they’re not participating,” Emerson Barker, senior in political science, said. Layton said the event is meant to unify N.C. State’s colleges by giving students from all around the University an opportunity to interact in various competitive events. “These events will be both brains and brawn events. The events will be held on both Main and Centennial campus, and there will be food, prizes and lots of fun promised,” Layton said. All colleges will compete to win the title of this year’s champion. Each college will have a team comprised of five to 10 students who will participate in various types of games and challenges. “College Cup is an event to bring together all the colleges across campus. This is a great way for all students to come together while having fun and meeting new people at the
same time,” Barker said. Participants that have registered to compete, or students who want to cheer on their colleges, will meet at Witherspoon Student Center. At Witherspoon, the College Cup “brain” portion of events will take place. “College Cup sounds like a lot of fun. I think this event is a great chance to interact with new people outside the specific college you belong to on campus,” David Brown, an undeclared junior, said. Events will vary from team trivia to memory challenges and spelling bees. “We want these events to be fun and challenging at the same time,” Layton said. After the brain segment of events, the Wolfline will bring participants and supporters to Centennial Campus where everyone will be served pizza. The “brawns” portion, or physical challenges, will take place after refreshments. Students can expect to compete in everything from water balloon tosses to egg and spoon races. “Hopefully, these light-hearted activities will be competitive but also relaxing and allow students to kick-back and have a really great time,” Layton said. At 3 p.m. the events will end and Chancellor Woodson will award the College Cup Trophy to the winning team. “We want this event to have a lasting impact on students that reminds them we are all members of the Wolfpack community,” Layton said. “Sometimes we get caught up in our colleges, on different campuses and within our majors, but coming together for a day of competitive events on both Main and Centennial Campus will hopefully foster unity within the University.” Students who are interested in participating or attending events can visit the College Cup website at http://students.ncsu.edu/collegecup.
Students enter the Everett N. Case Center Academic Center.
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N.C. State makes strides to help athletes succeed in class With the end of basketball season, athletes have switched gears and are heading back to class. Sam DeGrave Correspondent
With March Madness drawing to a close and spring sports well under way, N.C. State’s student-athletes are making headlines and being recognized for their excellence in athletics. However, there is another side to these individuals most students and fans rarely think about. Basketball season may have ended last Friday night with a heart-breaking loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, but the athletes are still in the middle of another equally important season— known to most as spring semester. Monday morning, the members of
the men’s basketball team hung up their jerseys and returned class. For many students, such as Jackie Wyche, a freshman in First Year College, seeing players off the court is a surreal experience. Wyche sits behind sophomore C.J. Leslie, power forward for the men’s basketball team, in principles of microeconomics every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. “It’s almost an out-of-body experience seeing C.J. Leslie sitting right in front of me, doing the same work I’m doing,” Wyche said. All the hype surrounding college sports makes it easy for people to forget that the athletes they are watching on television are not only students as well, but are held to similar, and in some cases more rigorous, academic standards as their non-athlete peers. Competing at the
collegiate level, now more than ever, subjects athletes to intense pressure as they are expected to perform to the best of their abilities both on and off the court. Though the task of balancing school, practice and competition may seem daunting to many athletes who find there simply isn’t enough time in the day, the University does offer help to athletes in a variety of ways. SeQuoia Watkins, a freshman in First Year College and thrower for N.C. State’s track and field team, is quite familiar with the stress that accompanies being a student-athlete. Watkins claims, however, despite the difficulty athletes encounter, the University constantly works to en-
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University gives thanks to donors at ‘Thank You Day’ At the first ‘Thank You Day,’ campus united to appreciate donor contributions over the past 125 years. Shawn Thompson Staff Writer
During ‘Thank You Day,’ students and faculty showed their appreciation for 125 years of contributions to campus education on the Brickyard. Annual Giving is an organization that helps bring donors who support N.C. State through alumni and private gifts. These contributions help increase scholarships, strengthen curricula, fund community service, enrich the library and sponsor the arts. On March 29, the organization hosted the first ‘Thank You Day’ from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to acknowledge N.C. State’s donors and their ongoing support of Wolfpack education. The ‘Thank You Day’ celebration included a giant thank-you card for students to sign, 500 free shirts and much more. “The ‘Thank You Day’ card is for students to show their appreciation to donors and alumni. We just want to thank them for everything they do for our education,” Mary Brooks, senior in business manage-
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through giving back. “N.C. State is full of philanthropy. This event recognizes that great quality about the University, and continues to motivate students to follow that tradition,” Pessicek said Gifts from the campaign will go to any department that the donor wishes- Student Affairs, the arts or the library, for example. This gives seniors the opportunity to choose where their contribution goes at N.C. State. Students who give donations will receive a thank-you letter from the senior class president, and be recognized in the 2012 SCGC honor roll on Facebook and on the senior class website. Donors of $20.12 or more will also receive a class lapel pin and an invitation to the Burgers and Brew event with Chancellor Randy Woodson. Seniors who are interested in participating in the campaign and becoming a donor, can visit www. http://giving.ncsu.edu. “I’m currently a freshman, but I will definitely be giving back once I graduate. I want to help future students the same way I have received help from others,” Omri Jones, freshman in First Year College, said.
ment and employee of the N.C. State was created for that sole purpose, to educate students on the importance Annual Fund office support, said. Students were also entered into of giving back to N.C. State.” All alumni and donor contribudrawings to win $10-$25 gift certificates to Noodles & Co., East Village tions continue to enhance students’ Grill, Hot Box Pizza and Chipotle. experiences while attending N.C. Howling Cow ice cream and a ‘con- State. ‘ T h a n k Yo u gratulations’ cake Day,’ in conjuncwere also served N.C. State is full of t ion w it h t he for dessert. philanthropy. This event senior class gift Donors help recognizes that great quality campaign, hopes maintain affordto maintain and able tuition by about the University increase the inlessening the gap between the cost said by Amanda Pesssicek, office v o l v e m e n t o f of annual giving alumni through of tu it ion a nd the new Choice what students pay ca mpa ig n. T he in tuition and fees, Choice campaign maintaining the asks all graduating University’s reputation as the best value institution. students to make a contribution of Alumni and donor contributions $20.12, or more, to the area of their make up 23 percent of funding for choice. “UNC rankings also take into acN.C. State. Last year, the University had an alumni donor count of count alumni participation. High 13,713. This year, Annual Giving alumni participation helps N.C. State maintain its ranking among hopes to increase that number. “Twenty-three percent of fund- other educational institutions and ing comes from donors who are keeps the value of the University alumni,” Amanda Pessicek, from degree,” Pessicek said. The Choice campaign hopes to the office of annual giving, said. “Most students are unaware of the reach a goal of 10 percent class pargreat contributions from alumni ticipation and establish a new tradiuntil they graduate; then they un- tion of support for N.C. State studerstand how it works. This event dents, making a mark across campus
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Samuel Laskey, senior in Business Finance, signs his name among many messages on a Thank You Day poster. The event featured cake, ice cream, and Mr. Wuf, and was all about showing appreciation for the university.
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