Technician
Multicultural Student Affairs sponsors academic boot camp that trains students to achieve a 4.0 GPA. Kali Mallory Staff Writer
One hundred students have the opportunity to participate in an academic boot camp over fall break and will then be guaranteed a 4.0 GPA. The Guaranteed 4.0 Boot Camp will take place Thurs., Oct. 7 and Fri., Oct. 8, where students are to attend a two day session and learn ways to improve their academic strategies and GPA. The program is also invented to reduce study time. According to Tracy Ray, director of multicultural student affairs, the Multicultural Student Affairs staff will supply students with hands on exercises, motivational tools, and enhanced examples, as students interact with the workshop’s speaker, Donna O. Johnson, through a DVD system. Ray found out about the Guaranteed 4.0 workshop through Robert Page, from the University of Kansas. “Robert is highly credible and cocoordinated an annual Symposium on the Recruitment, Retention and Graduation of Students of Color with Noel-Levitz. I worked for a couple of years to track down Donna O. to come to NC State to present, but had a hard time reaching her. Later, she came out with a book and workbook called the Guaranteed 4.0 Learning System,” Ray said. Coordinator Donna O. Johnson guarantees a 4.0 GPA, not Multicultural Student Affairs. Also, Johnson offers to pay students $100 if the program doesn’t work, according to Ray. “The key however is that you must use all of the strategies that she gives you. In over 10 years of hosting the program she has never paid out $100,” Ray said. “As she states, even if you just use a few of the strategies you are guaranteed to raise your GPA, but if you use them all you are destined to achieve a 4.0.” Keisha Okafor, a sophomore in arts and design, said she thinks the boot camp is a good idea. “I think it’s a good idea. It’s something all students would want. I just hope the program falls through,” Okafor said. It was complicated finding a time suitable for students to attend the program, according to Ray. “It is very challenging to find a time that students can fully commit to without class or work conflicts which is why it is being offered over fall break. The program will be offered at the beginning of the spring semester, just prior to the start of classes,” Ray said. Ryan Burnett, a junior in biological sciences, said the boot camp is a good idea, but he thinks the dates are unfortunate. “I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t know what they’re going to be doing. I wanted to go, but it’s during fall break and I don’t want to do work during the break,” Burnett said. Ray said the idea of the Boot Camp at the University stemmed from her past work with what is now the Academic Success Assistance Program, and the need for an effective academic-success program. “I wanted to find a way to drill in the skills and strategies to more students and in a timely fashion. The Boot Camp also serves as a followup or next step to our students that participate in the A.S.A.P. program,” Ray said. The Guaranteed 4.0 Boot Camp embraces diversity. According to Ray, the program is geared toward all students seeking to achieve a 4.0 or raise their GPA, regardless of major or academic standing. “We launched the program for the
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technicianonline.com
Students promised 4.0 GPA
wednesday
Telling the real story behind Facebook The cast of The Social Network answers questions about the controversy surrounding the film at a local screening Rich Lepore Arts & Entertainment Editor
This Friday, Columbia Pictures will release The Social Network, a film that is already being heralded as the film of the year by many major news outlets. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, and chronicles his meteoric rise from Harvard student geek, to founder of a 27 billion-dollar company. Eisenberg, along with co-star Armie Hammer and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, took part in a nationwide press tour earlier this month, and answered questions about everything from the film’s authenticity, to the difficult process of bringing the story to the screen. The tour’s second stop was here in the Triangle, where the cast visited local universities to screen the film. The Social Network, which was directed by David Fincher, has been the subject of controversy recently due to claims that the filmmakers took extreme creative liberties with Zuckerberg’s story. During a visit to Oprah this past week to announce a 100-million dollar donation to a school in Newark, Zuckerberg made his first public statement about the film. “This is my life,” Zuckerberg said, “I know it isn’t that dramatic,” The film’s creators, however, have never stated that the film was 100-percent factual. “I’m not a journalist or documentarian,” Sorkin said, “But I’m very aware that more people will get their opinion on this subject from the film than from anywhere else.” Sorkin compared the task of writing this film to the work of Truman Capote in writing In True Blood, or Tom Wolfe in writing The Right Stuff.
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
“I like to think of this [film] as a brought against Facebook, each perpainting, not a photograph,” Sorkin son involved swore an oath to tell the truth, and proceeded to tell a comsaid. On the issue of Zuckerberg’s choice pletely different story. Therefore, Sorto not be involved with the making of kin decided to tell the story from each the film, Sorkin says that he doesn’t different perspective, framing the film fault him for his decision. But Sor- with courtroom scenes. “There are disputed facts,” Sorkin kin does take issue with Facebook’s said. “What I do official statement is connect those that the film is dots in the char“fiction.” acters.” “We disagree Helping him that it is fiction,” connec t t hose Sorkin said. “I dots in the film is think that FaceJesse Eisenberg, a book’s PR team young actor who is just as good Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter had pr i ma r i ly as our PR team, appeared in inand they’re doing exactly what you’d expect. First they dependent films before Network. To were ignoring this movie, hoping that create the character viewers see on screen, Eisenberg studied every clip it’d be bad.” If early reviews are any indication, of footage of Zuckerberg that he could Facebook PR did not get their wish. find. He also found a unique way of But turning the Facebook story into carrying Zuckerberg with him. “I’d carry an iPod around with me a film that is enjoyable to watch, as well as fair and balanced, posed quite with Mark’s voice on it,” Eisenberg said. “It helped me stay connected a challenge for its filmmakers. In court during the various lawsuits with the character.”
“I like to think of [The Social Network] as a painting, not a photograph.”
Through Andy’s lens
Eisenberg said that this obsessive attention to detail was mirrored on every level of production as well. “The costume designer found the exact pair of shoes Mark wore in this one picture,” Eisenberg said. “There was one pair available online of these really rare shoes and [the costume designer] found them. And they were in my size! I only wore them for one scene and you couldn’t even see them in the shot.” Another technique Eisenberg employed in creating his authentic version of Mark was method acting. “I tried in preparation to equate success I’ve had [in Hollywood] with Mark’s success,” Eisenberg said. But although Zuckerberg has been successful beyond most people’s wildest dreams, the film doesn’t depict him as a particularly happy person. “I can only speak for the character in the film,” Sorkin said, “’Cause I don’t know Mark personally. But [Zuckerberg] was a guy with his nose up against the glass of social life, and
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Campus Fire Department has new ideas for public education The Office of the University Fire Marshal is changing their methods for approaching public education opportunities. Sagar Sane Correspondent
The Office of the University Fire Marshal is working on developing and implementing a new initiative towards public education regarding fire safety and hazards. William Stevenson, University fire marshal, said although public education system is present since the incep-
tion of the University, it has not gained much importance as it should have. “The public education program has been around since the inception of the university. However, it has not gained much importance. We now wish to regroup the infrastructure and start it afresh,” Stevenson said. Robyn Dawson, deputy fire marshal and a certified fire and life safety educator, has been appointed the program manager for this initiative. Dawson said it is difficult to encourage students to take the fire safety initiative and explain its importance.
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insidetechnician Board preventing ‘fake’ honey sales
North Carolina has recently created a honey standards board to prevent honey from being improperly labeled for sale. See page 3.
The ‘Moose’ is on the loose
Andy Musselman/Technician
Sanding the ends of his split mold, Brett Boger, a senior in TDE education, works on a mold at the Craft Center in Thompson Hall Tuesday. A clay class instructor had asked Boger to make the mold for students to use in class. Boger said he enjoys using the Craft Center because it “provides a great opportunity to express my artistic abilities, while working with really nice woodworking equipment.”
Freshman running back making impact for the Pack early in the season. See page 8.
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