TECHNICIAN
University celebrates Founder’s Day Chelsey Francis News Editor
Students had the opportunity to celebrate Founder’s Day with free pizza, cake and a photo opportunity with Walter Matthews. Matthews was the first student to enroll in N.C. State after it was founded in 1887. Mitchell Abbott, a junior in civil engineering and a member of the Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program, dressed as Matthews for the event Tuesday in the Brickyard. According to Brittnee Rambo, a senior in psychology and a student ambassador, the event was a combination of recruitment efforts for AASAP and a celebration of the founding of N.C. State. “Right now [AASAP] is going through recruitment,” Rambo said. “It’s a chance for students to be tradition keepers and ambassadors for the University.” According to the AASAP website, student ambassadors serve as liaisons between alumni, administration and students. “We’re involved in Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow, the traditions committee, homecoming, membership committee and senior class relations,” Rambo said. Abbott said he got the idea to dress like Walter Matthews from other schools. “I saw where other schools had done this and thought it was a good idea,” Abbott said. “This is the first year anyone has dressed up for Founder’s Day.” According to Abbott, the response to him as Matthews was good. “A lot of people have laughed, but it’s
been good,” Abbott said. “I’ve taken a lot of pictures, but not as many as Mr. Wuf would have.” Annie Linker, a junior in communications, said she was the vice-president of AASAP last year and was in charge of the Founder’s Day celebration. “We think it’s important to celebrate Founder’s Day,” Linker said. “A lot of people don’t know when N.C. State was founded, so we’re raising awareness about that and it’s always good to have cake.” The AASAP celebration on the Brickyard ties in with other Founder’s Day celebrations around campus, according to Linker. “For one thing, there’s a Founder’s Day dinner every year,” Linker said. Founder’s Day is actually March 7, 1887, however due to spring break, the group made the decision to celebrate early. “It’s always good to have an early birthday celebration, but it doesn’t look good to have a belated birthday,” Linker said. Abbott said he anticipates someone dressing up again for the celebration next year. “I’d like to continue this tradition of someone dressing up. If someone else doesn’t do it, I will,” Abbott said. “I already have the outfit anyway.” Sam Dennis, the director of the traditions committee and a senior in biological sciences, said this is the first year the Founder’s Day celebration has included pizza. “We introduced pizza this year,” Dennis said. “We’re hoping to build this up as big as Homecoming is in the fall. Homecoming is our big fall event, so we’d like this to be our big event in the spring.”
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New task force for academics and athletics Academics for athletes are being prioritized with a new task force chaired by ECU Chancellor. Elise Heglar Staff Writer
SARAH EDENS/TECHNICIAN
Amanda Young, a sophmore in management, and Natelie Hawley, a senior in elementary education, distribute free cake in the Brickyard to celebrate NC Sate’s 124th birthday. The Alumni Association celebrated Founder’s Day not only to remember State’s birthday but to recruit new members enthusiastic about NCSU.
Athletes in the University of North Carolina system are getting more academic attention thanks to a new task force initiated by President Ross of the University of North Carolina System. The task force is a very new idea that came about in response to some of the issues that UNC schools have been having with athletics and academics in recent years. “The intersection of athletics and academics is very important to the UNC System. We want our athletes to have the best experience from both perspectives,” said Philip Rogers, the chief of staff for the ECU Chancellor’s office. ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard is the chair of this new task force. According to Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the UNC System Board of Governors, the two main goals of the task force are to identify and prioritize institutional risks in intercollegiate athletics as related to academic integrity and NCAA compliance, and to review
ATHLETICS continued page 3
FISH OUT OF WATER
SG bombards Chancellor with budget questions Senators express concern over tuition, class sizes. Chris Boucher Deputy News Editor
JORDAN MOORE/TECHNICIAN
Eli Owens, a graduate student in physics, practices fly fishing for his class Thursday. The class, which meets only once a week from 10:15 to 12:10, was working on their form. Owens enjoyed being able to take an interesting class that broadened his experience in the sport of fishing.
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During the Student Government meeting Wednesday, Chancellor Randy Woodson stopped by for an informal question and answer session. Before the Senate had a chance to ask about the budget, Woodson was already on the topic. “My time at N.C. State has been terrific so far. My wife and I have been welcomed with open arms,” Woodson said, when asked how he’s adjusting to life in Raleigh. “Now, it is a fiscally difficult environment, but [N.C. State] is not unusual. Every public institution in the country is in this situation.” Woodson acknowledged the rumor that’s been spreading as the University looks to absorb campus-wide budget cuts that could reach 15 percent. “Rumors are flying,” Woodson said. “The state of North Carolina has the sixth-largest budget deficit in the country. It’s a tense time and it’s natural that tensions will be high across campus.” For now, the waiting is the hardest part. The University won’t know about its funding until the State General Assembly finishes its legislative session. The projected deadline for the General Assembly to finish is June 30, but Woodson said it could wrap up later than that. “At this point nobody’s budget has been cut, but a lot of departments have been preparing for it, and preparing for it in a really serious way,” Woodson said. Patrick Devore, a College of Physical and Mathematical Sci-
ences senator and a senior in enrollment has grown a little too meteorology, asked Woodson if fast lately,” Woodson said. he foresaw another increase in The University has limited the student tuition akin to last year, size of the freshman class each when the University upped tu- of the last three years in order to ition by 19 percent - a day before better serve the students it does the 2010 fall semester billing pe- accept, Woodson said. riod began. According to Arden, the unWoodson could not rule out dergraduate enrollment has inanother last-minute tuition hike creased by around 25 percent in this year, depending on the Gen- the past decade, and graduate eral Assembly’s progress during enrollment has gone up by 40 to the legislative session. 45 percent. “We’ve asked [the General “We had reached the point of Assembly] that it not happen saturation [three years ago]: satagain, but just uration with to be perfectly class size, with c a nd id t hat enrollment, was a legiswith faculty,” l at ive i s sue Woodson said. that we could “Bei ng big not control,” without being Woodson said high-quality is of the sumnot good.” mer t u it ion Arden said increase. “I’m that there’s no Warwick Arden, provost hopeful that magic wand won’t happen to wave and but I cannot stand here and tell instantly reduce class sizes. you it won’t.” “There’s no panacea as an anJustin Brooks, a College of En- swer. We’re trying to protect seats gineering senator and a senior in and sections as best we can. But nuclear engineering, asked what the deeper the budget cuts go, the impact the budget cuts might more likely it will affect class size have on enrollment numbers and class sections,” he said. If the GA decides to cut less and class sizes. “We don’t anticipate that we than 10 percent “we can buffer will reach our [enrollment] ca- a lot of that,” Arden said. “But pacity. In fact, we have been try- the closer the budget cut gets to ing to keep class sizes smaller” in 10 or 15 percent, the more of an anticipation of budget cuts, said impact you’ll see on seats and Provost Warwick Arden, who class sections.” Woodson said that one way the was also on hand for Woodson’s University can better endure any Q&A. The budget cuts could allow for future funding fallout is a steady a recalibration of enrollment to growing of the endowment. “I said from the day I got here better ensure smart growth at the University, according to Wood- that we have to grow our endowment. It helps to cushion students son. “Limiting enrollment doesn’t from [cuts] when we have a large mean we’re not growing, but our endowment,” he said.
“The deeper the budget cuts go, the more likely it will affect class size and class sections.”
St. Patty’s Day T-Shirts NC State bookstores