TECHNICIAN
thursday june
20 2013
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
RTP boosts
Bill offers second chance to college hopefuls
economy with research Ravi Chittilla Staff Writer
According to the Office of Technology Transfer, of the 274 intellectual properties submitted last year by university researchers, 141 patents were filed with the United States Patent Office, and of those 120 patents were issued. Between patents, startups, commercial and other agreements, N.C. State received a license revenue of $6.4 million in the last fiscal year. But the benefits of research go far beyond revenue, said Kelly Sexton, interim director of the Office of Technology Transfer. Sexton said there is a direct correlation between research expenditure and job creation. “We have over 100 startup companies that have launched based on university research,” Sexton said. “These companies have gone on to create 6,500 jobs with 3,100 jobs within the state of North Carolina. These startup companies have gone on to garner more than $1 billion in investments. So we think there is a direct link between the research going on here and the economic growth in the region.” Although there is certainly a strong industry presence on Centennial Campus, Sexton said there was little reason to
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Jason Katz Correspondent
the best of my ability, that wouldn’t happen.” Williams, who is currently enrolled in classes during both summer sessions to stay on a four-year graduation track, said that the amount of work associated with the student body presidency would have required him to lighten his course load in the fall— a decision Williams claimed could add as much as a year to his expected graduation date.
The North Carolina House proposed a bill this month that may increase the number of students spending their first college years at community colleges rather than universities like N.C. State. The House plan outlines a strategy that would have universities turn down some of the “less competitive” undergraduate applicants who are currently being admitted. Instead, these students would attend a community college for two years and subsequently be guaranteed admission into the original university they applied to. Backers of the House plan say it would raise graduation rates, lower tuition costs for students and lower government spending. “The idea here is to save money by diverting some number of students from the high-cost UNC System to the lower cost Community College system,” Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, said on his website, nchouse117.com. According to McGrady’s site, the state government will cut $12.6 million from UNC system’s budget and add $4.5 million to the community college
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ARCHIVE/TECHNICIAN
Former Student Body President Matthew Williams participates in a debate during the Student Government elections in March.
Williams quits
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN FROM POSITION Sam DeGrave Editor-in-Chief
A little less than two months after moving into the student body president’s office, Matthew Williams is preparing to pack his things and make way for a successor who, as of this morning, has not been chosen. Williams sent an email to the Student Government list serve Thursday morning, announcing his resignation, effective immediately. In the email, Williams cited
his concern about the time stated in the email. commitment associated with Williams said that though the job as the main reason he his decision to resign seemed will not fulsudden, it fill his role w a s a c t uas student ally two body presiweeks in the dent this fall. making and “I will not stemmed be able to from a focus on my promise he academics made to his Matthew Williams, former student body president and devote mother. the amount “I promof time the position warrants ised my mom I would graduto be an effective voice for ate in five years, and if I had the student body,” Williams taken this job and done it to
“I’ll openly admit I didn’t do my due diligence ... ”
Camps offer college experience
Republican-led tax reform remains alive
Liz Moomey
Tax Reform Comparison
Staff Writer
While it is a common conclusion that most students go home for the summer, and therefore the University is dull and uneventful, campus is full of life from May to August. Summer gives non-college students a chance to familiarize themselves with N.C. State’s campus while learning about colleges like the College of Design, the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Science. They can also practice sports. They can do all this through camps run by University faculty, staff and students. The engineering camps, organized by Susan D’Amico, the coordinator of engineering K-12 outreach extension, began Thursday, June 13. Various engineering majors are the camp counselors. Kevin Chapman, a sophomore in biological engineering, decided to become a counselor because, when he was in high school, he attended a civil and biological engineering camp, and it helped him decide his major. “I met with one of the professors after the camp, and he took me out to a wetland restoration,” Chapman said. “He
Bill 998 Personal income tax
5.4%
Corporate income tax Sales tax
Current law 7.75%
2.0% 4.75%
6.9% 4.75% GRAPHIC BY EMILY PRINS
Sasha Afanasieva Correspondent Students studying in D.H. Hill library on Wednesday, June 18.
taught me all about that, and it was very interesting. That helped me choose my major.” Chapman attended the residential camp, which is was for rising 11th and 12th graders. They spent their day learning about a specific type of engineering they were interested in. After the day camp part, campers enjoyed college life by playing ultimate Frisbee and making K-mart runs. The campers also stayed in a residence hall. Today Chapman and his fellow counselors organize activities for the campers to do once they are out of the engineering activities. There are also engineering camps offered for elementary and middle school students. According to D’Amico, the engineering camps have been
in high demand. About 120 kids who signed up couldn’t come because they filled up so quickly. The camps are also offered in Hickory, Rocky Mount, Havelock and Wilmington. D’Amico said the rise in interest for engineering is great for the field because there are misconceptions about what a engineer really does. “The focus of the camp is to show a wide, broad view of engineering,” D’Amico said. “A lot of people have mistaken stereotypes about what engineering is, that it is only bridge building or robotics, but those are tiny slivers of what engineering really truly is.” The University’s College of Design partners with the Contemporary Art Museum
ALEX CAO/TECHNICIAN
in downtown Raleigh for a creative summer experience. It is a pre-college program that gives high school students a chance to understand what design is and to explain why art and design is so important. According to the CAM website, campers can choose to stay on campus overnight or attend just a day camp. There are plenty of camps offered by CALS ranging from veterinary medicine to poultry science. The camps are either typical camp settings like a 4-H camp or an idea that a faculty member
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The North Carolina Senate and House ramped up their battle last week over the future of House Bill 998, also known as the Tax Simplification and Reduction Act. The N.C. Senate spent almost 10 hours in session last week trying to make a decision on where to go next with the latest tax bill. House Bill 998 has been revised several times since it was first introduced on Monday April 17, including changes in tax deductions, personal and corporate income tax rates, and various goods affected by the sales tax. On Wednesday, June 12, the House adopted further changes to the bill proposed by the Senate that would affect everyone in the state of North Carolina. Some of the changes include major revisions to personal and corpo-
rate income taxes. Under the latest revision, North Carolina’s personal income tax rate would be capped at 5.4 percent as opposed to the current 7.75 percent rate. Additionally, married individuals earning less than $15,000 and single individuals earning less than $7,500 would be exempt from paying income tax. Additional changes to the bill include reducing corporate income tax to 2 percent by 2016 to promote business and job growth in North Carolina Other changes would expand sales taxes to include entertainment goods such as movie tickets and restaurant meals while also increasing taxes on electricity. According to the Tax Foundation, North Carolina currently has the highest tax rate in the Southeast. Additional-
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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Send all clarifications and corrections to Editor-in-Chief Sam DeGrave at editor@ technicianonline.com
WEATHER WISE Today:
84 62 Mostly sunny
Friday:
Chance of rain
Saturday:
84 62 86 66
Partly cloudy
Sunday:
88 69
Partly cloudy
Monday:
88 71
Partly cloudy
Tuesday:
90 72 Mostly sunny
Wednesday:
90 73
POLICE BLOTTER June 14 2:48 P.M. | DAMAGE TO PROPERTY Jordan Hall Water line was cut while work was being done.
9:21 P.M. | DISPUTE Honors Village Officer responded to two nonstudents in verbal dispute. No action taken.
June 17 10:10 A.M. | TRAFFIC ACCIDENT Dan Allen Deck Student struck parked vehicle belonging to another student.
4:47 P.M. | SKATE VIOLATION Dan Allen Deck Officer responded to report of skateboarders. No one was located.
9:12 P.M. | SUSPICIOUS PERSON Park Shops Concerned Behavior report on file regarding dispute between employee and non-student.
June 15 12:01 A.M. | DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED Dan Allen Drive Report of subject passed out in vehicle blocking traffic. Officers located student who was arrested and charged with DWI and Provisional DWI. Student was also referred to the univesity
9:56 P.M. | SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT Delta Gamma Student reported someone may have entered house when no on else should be there. Officers checked the building and did not locate anyone inside.
8:28 P.M. | FIELD INTERVIEW Hillsborough Building Non-student was found lying in the grass. Subject was issued trespass warning. June 16 12:51 A.M. | ASSIST PERSON Wolf Village Officer responded to assist employee with removing painting crew in violation of Housing contract. All subjects left the area. One of the subjects will be charged with trespassing due to criminal history.
THROUGH KARIN’S LENS
9:39 P.M. | BREAKING & ENTERING ES King Village Employee reported residence had been entered and property removed.
3:19 P.M. | SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT ES King Village Report of suspicious incident with report of subjects tampering and entering rooms.
4:52 P.M. |MEDICAL ASSIST University Club Units responded and transported juvenile in need of medical assistance.
TECHNICIAN
June 18 10:16 A.M | SUSPICIOUS PERSON Wolf Village Report of suspicious subjects. Officers checked the area but did not locate anyone. 9:00 A.M. | FIRE ALARM Pylon 10 FP responded to accidental alarm activation caused by contractors working in the area. Contractors attempted to silence alarm and broke lock in the process. Tamper wit Fire Equipment report on file. 9:54 A.M. | TRAFFIC ACCIDENT McKimmon Center Employee and non-student were involved in traffic accident.
Flower power
10:57 P.M. | LARCENY Carmichael Gym Employee reported bicycle stolen.
PHOTO BY KARIN ERIKSSON
N
.C. State is doing a lot of construction to improve campus, and flowers are being planted everywhere to improve aesthetics for the upcoming orientations during summer. This flower is planted outside of the Tritowers on central campus.
Partly cloudy SOURCE: WWW.WEATHER.COM
House bill aims to allow guns on campus
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Sasha Afanasieva Correspondent
The North Carolina House has approved a bill that would allow North Carolina residents to purchase a handgun without a permit and lift certain restrictions on carrying firearms in public. House Bill 937 would also close public records of those with concealed handgun permits from public view-information that is currently public. House Bill 937 expands the list of places where handguns can be legally taken to include private schools, parades and parks. Aside from expanding personal gun liberties, the bill would permit court officials and judges with concealed handgun permits to bring their firearms into a courthouse. Currently, this only applies to district attorneys. Supporter of the bill, N.C.
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ly, North Carolina also ranks 44 out of 50 on the Business Tax Climate Index, making it one of the 10 worst states for a business-friendly competitive tax climate. Experts in North Carolina, such as N.C. State economics professor Michael Walden, discussed the bill’s impact on the state’s economic growth. “The ‘economic jury’ is out
State Rifle Team coach Keith Miller, argued that the bill would make college campuses safer. “One thing that bothers me is the attitude by some that campus security officers are the only ones capable of providing for our safety,” Miller said. “Ultimately we are all responsible for our own individual safety. Many recent events illustrate that campus security officers, no matter how well trained, are mainly reactionary and don’t really prevent most incidents.” Additionally, Miller said allowing students to store handguns in their cars would make them safer. “As it is now, there are people I know that live away from campus in areas where safety is a big concern,” Miller said. “Now, in order to be legal on campus, they can’t even travel to and from these areas with their handguns. This bill would at least allow
that, even though I think it should go further.” According to Miller, the N.C. State Rifle Team would not be affected by the bill directly because they are legally allowed to have rif les on campus since rifling is a sanctioned NCAA sport. In March, the team claimed its seventh league title in program history. Opponents of the bill have argued that there is little evidence that the bill would make North Carolina residents safer. Gaily Neely of the group North Carolina Against Gun Violence said fewer than three out of every 100 North Carolinians have concealedcarry permits, adding that there is not enough evidence to support that handguns increase safety. Currently, about 30 states do not require a permit to purchase a handgun, and five states have provisions
that allow concealed weapons on college campuses. These states are Wisconsin, Utah, Mississippi, Colorado, and Oregon. However, House Bill 937 would still require a permit for concealed handguns in North Carolina. The N.C. Senate and House are currently locked in a debate over details of the bill, leaving the future of the bill uncertain. The Senate version of the bill proposes a criminal background check for handgun purchases from licensed dealers while the House version would eliminate pistol purchase permits entirely. “Overall, I think it’s a good step forward,” Miller said. “The bill is not perfect, but it does a reasonable job of improving several aspects of North Carolina’s concealed handgun law that are lacking, as well as addressing some general firearm regulations that need improving.
on what these kinds of changes [as a result of House Bill 998] will mean for economic growth and jobs,” Walden said. “My conclusion is that any impacts solely from the tax changes will be modest.” Walden said the state economy is improving, adding more than 200,000 jobs over the last three years and 90,000 last year alone. “Our job growth rate and other economic indicators are actually improving at a slightly faster rate than in the nation,” Walden said. “Still,
we need more progress, which I predict will happen.” Roby Sawyers. an accounting professor and tax specialist at N.C. State, said the potential effects of House Bill 998 would vary depending on students’ individual situations. “If you pay income tax, it will reduce your income tax,” Sawyers said. “However, if you don’t pay income tax now, then you aren’t going to pay it in the future. If we tax more services like haircuts, your tax liability might go up.
Currently, the House bill does not include these services for taxation.” Sawyers said that, in theory, the changes could spur job growth. “The idea is that you are giving the businesses more money to reinvest instead of paying the government,” Sawyers said. “If you reinvest in your company, you hire more people, get more equipment, and this results in economic growth.” An expanded sales tax would also benefit local gov-
had. Some camps, like VetCAMP, helps students get a jumpstart on the career they want to have. It introduces pre-veterinary high school students to that field. “There are a lot of middle and high school students who already realize that that is something they want to do,” said Sam Pardue, associate dean and director of academic programs. “For most students it is difficult to know what they want to do for the next 40 years of their lives. It’s great if you have that clarity.” The vet camp allows students to hear from various veterinarians about their job, including veterinary clinic basics, surgery, dissections and anatomy. Campers also tour the University’s Veterinary
ernments. “(The) only thing that affects local tax is sales tax,” Sawyers said. “Personal and corporate income tax would not affect local tax, but broadening the sales tax to include more services would be good for local governments since they would get more revenue.” Walden said taxes weren’t the most important factor affecting a state’s economic growth. He said the bills that have come out of the House and Senate would make mod-
Medicine School. The Poultry Science Summer Institute promotes N.C. State’s poultry science major, which only five other universities offer. “The need for people to be exposed to it and to consider it as a potential area of interest for them as a major is what stimulated the formation of that camp,” Pardue said. Pardue said N.C. State had the same intention with the horticulture camp. The University also offers many sports camps. Brandon Holloway, head coach of N.C. State’s swim team, runs the University’s summer swim camps along with his assistant coaches. N.C. State swimmers also help the campers as part-time counselors or demonstrating drills. The camp is designed to help campers improve their swimming abilities while keeping it fun, according to Mary Holloway, the Wolfpack Swim Camp administrator.
est changes to the structure of our tax system, but not major, bold changes – rates would go down, the base would get a bit more broad, and most would see a reduction in their state taxes. For now, though, it is uncertain if the bill will get passed and in what form. “We have a House bill and we have a Senate bill, and we might see something that they decide on, or [they may] stick with the status quo, but hopefully not the latter,” Sawyers said.
News
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system to make up for the increased enrollment. The state won’t be the only ones saving money—students who choose to utilize the plan will also save. According to Wake Technical Community College’s website, current tuition for in-state students taking 16 credit hours or more is $2,380 per year. N.C. State lists its in-state yearly tuition at $8,206 per year—more than three times the cost of WTCC. Breanna Totten, a high school senior from Alamance County, said that she wishes to spend her next two years at a community college. “I’ll save a ton of money going to community college,” Totten said. “I want to get the
feel for the college a little bit more, but I know actually going to a university is a whole different ball game.” Christopher Shannon, who graduated from N.C. State in 2010, agrees in some respects – but he said that there were definitely tradeoffs involved. Shannon began his college career at Cape Fear Community College, transferred to N.C. State to complete his degree, and is now enrolled in the Jenkins MBA program at the university. “Community college was extremely easy to say the least—classes were smaller, all your questions get answered, and you’re basically just taking your pre-requisites the whole time you’re there,” Shannon said. Shannon said community college lacked the atmosphere and student interaction that you get at a university, but at-
tending CFCC did help him ease his way into the UNC system. His primary concern about the House plan was with regard to the guaranteed admission and whether or not there would be any stipulations, specifically a required GPA for the transfer students. Currently, N.C. State requires strong GPAs from prospective transfer students. The GPA requirement varies per college and major, but many N.C. State programs require a transfer GPA of 3.0 or better. The House bill doesn’t address those kinds of details. The bill states only that the State Board of Community Colleges and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina will work together on rules to ensure a “smooth transition from the community college to the
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JAKE MOSER/TECHNICIAN
Peele Hall located on North Campus is home to the N.C. State Office of Admissions.
constituent institution.” The plan has not yet been
approved by the Senate or the governor, but House support-
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believe industry funding will be able to compete with the level of federal funding the University receives anytime soon. “Federal funding is the bedrock of the University’s research, and even though the numbers have gone down. The impact of industry funding at the University level is still not that great when compared to how much funding we receive from the Federal government, and that’s the case at most universities,” Sexton said. The benefits of working with industry are not based on direct monetary funding, according to Sexton, but rather a way for faculty members to be engaged in their discipline outside the realm of academia, to develop commercially relevant programs. Sexton said the benefits of research went far beyond revenue and job creation. “By far, most research is still basic research based on scientific inquiry, and it will continue to be, provided federal funding doesn’t completely dry up, which I don’t
GRAPHIC BY JAKE MOSER SOURCE : PROPOSAL TO BLACKSTONE ENTREPRENEURS NETWORK
believe will happen,” Sexton said. Sexton said it was important to recognize the role research plays in education and to recognize the value of the humanities at the same time. The two, he said, were inex-
tricably linked. “We cannot tackle society’s grand challenges without having an integrated team approach,” Sexton said. In his State of the Union address earlier this year, President Barack Obama laid out
his vision for what he called “a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race” The BRAIN Initiative, a $100 million line item in the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget designed to help researchers
Pack remembers Ryan Hayes Daniel Wilson Staff Writer
Ryan Jamal Hayes, 19, a rising sophomore from Harrisburg, drowned Tuesday, June 11, in Mooresville. The Harrisburg native is survived by his father and mother, Robert Lee Hayes Jr. and Edith Simpson Hayes, as well as his younger sister, Aleah Hayes. Hayes was born on April 14, 1994 and graduated from Hickory Ridge High School in 2012. Hayes spent his freshman year In the First Year College and was only days away from matriculating into communication and declaring a minor in music, according to FYC Advisor Amy Wilson. At Hickory Ridge, Hayes
graduated cum laude and was president of the Toastmasters International Youth Organization. He was also a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and the Beta Nu Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Hayes began his freshman year at N.C. State in the Summer Start program and lived at Tucker Residence Hall once the fall semester began. “Ryan was the type of guy that just always wanted to have fun,” said Catherine Opalka, a junior majoring in meteorology. “His happiness radiated from him in such a way that everyone around him would just have to smile and have fun with him. I’ll never forget the moments when he cheered me up when
I was down.” “Ryan had a laugh that was contagious to everyone around him on campus,” said Justin Vance, a junior in business administration. “Whenever he laughed at something, you couldn’t help but laugh with him. It was his way of just making everyone around him happy.” Hayes was also a member of the Comedic Improvisational Alliance and Improv at N.C. State as well as a supporter of the campus LGBT group. “It was always a pleasure being in a scene with him, and he had a great career in improv ahead of him,” said James Austin, co-president of the C.I.A. “We’re going to miss him, and the first show of this year will be dedicated to him. All proceeds will go
to his family to help offset the cost of his funeral.” Hayes’ funeral was held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte on Saturday, June 15. His family has established a scholarship fund in his memory. “He w i l l be dearly missed, not just by me, but by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him,” said Alicia Johnson, a junior in criminology. “I could never put into words how great of a friend he was to me,” said Destinie Statum, a sophomore in social work. “He will surely live on forever our hearts.”�
find new ways to treat, cure and even prevent brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. “This is definitely one of those grand challenges, and while we don’t have a medi-
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“I’ll openly admit I didn’t do my due diligence in actually looking at the classes I had to take,” Williams said. Though Williams said he “always puts other people first,” he had to think of himself before others when making this decision. “The decision was something that you don’t really want to do, but you have to do,” Williams said. “But honestly, for lack of better words, I felt like crap,” William said. After receiving Williams’ resignation, several members of the administration met with Student Senate President, Alex Parker, and former Student Body Presidents Chandler Thompson and Andy Walsh to discuss who will fill Williams’ shoes.
ers of the bill hope the bill will be in effect by fall, 2014.
cal school, what we do have is a lot of great engineers, and we’re really poised to take advantage of our relationship with UNC’s medical school and joint biomedical engineering department,” Sexton said. “We’re really well positioned to engage in multidisciplinary collaborative research projects to better understand neuroscience and engage in new effort there.” Liana Fryer, director of planning and communication in the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development said that when it came to basic research, patents and federal investments, it was important for all involved to maintain a sense of priorities. “Many of the most important, life-altering innovations are not patented and may not generate revenue,” said Fryer. “In addition, it is very important to recognize that basic research is conducted to discover new knowledge and better understand our universe (and those beyond). This research most often does not result in a patent.”
Student Government statutes state the student senate president is next in line for the presidency if the current student body president resigns. However, according to Parker, the statutes leave room for interpretation. “We basically have two options now,” Parker said. “I can take the role, or we can hold a special election this fall.” Parker, who is currently weighing his options, said he will announce his decision via HOWL email alert by 5 p.m. tonight. Parker is currently the acting student body president, and if he choses to decline the presidency, he will continue to serve as such until the special election, which he says will likely be held in late September or early October. If however, Parker choses to take the job, his decision will be effective immediately.
Viewpoint
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TECHNICIAN
Four lessons from Williams’ resignation
I
t’s human to bow out on commitments, but the bigger the commitment in question, the bigger the consequence. Matt Williams announced Wednesday he would not fulfill his commitment to be student body president for the upcoming school year. While it isn’t the end of the world, Williams’ story should serve as a cautionary tale to those interested in a position of leadership, especially those running for student body president. The Technician staff sees at least four lessons in it: 1.) Don’t run for student body president if you aren’t absolutely sure you can handle it. It is tempting to run for any leadership position, but in the words of Spiderman’s Uncle, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Student body president is the highest leadership position a student can hold at N.C. State. If you, as a student, don’t think you are capable of leading student government, attending regular meetings and making regular public appearances on top of a full course-load, save yourself the trouble and don’t run.
{
IN YOUR WORDS
}
What do you think of Matthew Williams’ resignation? BY JOANNAH IRVIN
“While I think he made the right decision to put his academics first I think he knew what was expected of him at the beginning of elections and he should have not put everybody else’s job in jeopardy”. Leann Myer senior, psychology and french
“I feel like its going to be a period of transition. I think there is going to be a difficult transition but there are going to be a lot of opportunities”. Rita Thompson senior, anthropology
“ I respect Matthew Williams for putting his academics and I think Alex Parker will do a great job if he decides to step up and take the student body president position because its not something he originally signed up for”. Molly Basdeo junior, middle grades education
The unsigned editorial is the opinion of the members of Technician’s editorial board, excluding the news department, and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief. 2.) If you back out, you’ve just wasted a lot of people’s time and money. Think about your opponents, for starters. Runner-up Lauryn Collier lost her opportunity to represent the student body. She garnered 35.6 percent of the vote in March. While that’s significantly short of Williams’ share, it dwarfed thirdplace finisher Dwayne O’Rear’s total. All of the Student Body President candidates invested a lot of time and money in their campaigns. And now none of them hold the office. Col lier a nd O’Rear weren’t the only ones who lost out. University staff spent a lot of time making sure the election came off as planned. Then there are all the students who spent time learning about the candidates and actually voting.
Editorial Advertising Fax Online
“If you, as a student, don’t think you are capable of leading student government ... don’t run.”
Careers through rosecolored glasses
“W
h at do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question adults frequently ask young children, and it is usually answered with something like princess Taylor or c owb oy. O f Quinn Staff Columnist course our dreams develop as we age into somewhat more obtainable career goals, but the desire is still the same: A dream is a dream. As I walked through the hustle and bustle of New York City a few days ago, I could not help but gaze in wonder at the bright lights and tall buildings. It sounds cliché, but this city of dreamers still gives me the goosebumps and makes my heart flutter each and every time I walk on its characterfilled streets. I think the reason the Big Apple is so inspiring to me is because it is filled with dreamers — every nook of the city is graced with aspiring musicians, writers or actors. But that is the problem: Every nook is filled by them. All these dreamers walk through the streets wearing the same rose-colored glasses that everyone with a dream and an NYC residency owns. Only a few will achieve their dream careers in this city. When is it time to trade in the guitar for a suit and tie, and is the trade worth it? According to NBC News, more than four out of five U.S. workers do not have their dream job or do not describe their work as fun. That number leaves a sour taste in my mouth—these people have to go to this place every day and be reminded that they are not doing what they love with their life. They were dreamers at one time, but they seemed to give in to practicality like most people do.
Unfortunately, there comes a time in many people’s lives when they decide that the happiness that their dream job would possibly bring them does not outweigh the reality of having to live with minimal funds. The scale tips towards having shelter and food, leaving the dream on the other side of the scale abandoned. Complete abandonment may not be the case for dreams among U.S. workers though. The average American has seven careers during his lifetime, which is a testament to the strength of the pursuit of happiness. Even when workers think they have “settled” for a job outside of their original plan, it seems as though they will keep trying to achieve that dream or at least something close to it. College students all over the country work hard for years in order to obtain a job that is desirable to them that is within the major they have originally chose. Well, the economy is making it hard for students to snag their dream job because when they graduate, they are forced to simply take whatever they are given. A survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported that businesses plan to hire only 2.1 percent more college graduates from the class of 2013 than they did from the class of 2012. According to NBC News, that number is way lower than an earlier NACE projection of a 13 percent hiring rate for 2013 grads. These days, college graduates are simply trying to get a job, never mind their dream job. Dreams may not be priority in our economy currently, but I feel as though job-seekers should not give up. That little girl whose dream job was to be a princess could be playing Cinderella in a theme park somewhere — if she could make it there, college grads could very well make it anywhere.
The myth of the rail system
F
or years, modern rail systems, such as light rail and subway, have earned an excellent reputation for speeding up trips within a c i t y, reaching the outskirts of a city and, most importantZiyi Mai ly, being Staff Columnist a catalyst for the economy. During the past few yea rs, Wa ke C ou nt y commissioners have been ambitious to combine 14 miles of light rail and 17 miles of commuter rail to ease Wake County’s rapidly growing congestion. Other counties in the Triangle area are making efforts to connect to each other by putting more rails in place. In Nov. 2011, Durham County and Orange County put up a referendum that would allow county officials to collect half-cent sales tax to support the expansion of the rail-based public transit. Voters in Durham County approved the referendum in 2011 and Orange County approved it a year later. But skepticism and questions arose around these projects. Does every city need a rail system? Even though driving is the most traditional way to commute, officials say North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, especially in the Triangle region. David King, general manager of Triangle Transit, said that the region is expected to grow by 1.5 million people in the next 20 years. That might seem like a legitimate reason to build rails in the long term. But
even adding 1.5 million people to the Triangle is still far behind other metropolitan areas like Philadelphia-New York-Boston, which has a population topping 10 million. A massive railway system is more justified in areas where people live in compact buildings such as apartments in skyscrapers. But the Triangle area is a very decentralized. It may be difficult to get sufficient daily users once a rail system is in place here. According to North Carolina Department of Transportation, more than 97 percent of all North Carolina residents owned private vehicles at the end of 2011. North Carolinians are used to driving as a way to commute. Given that people live in spread-out areas, it’s impossible for light rail to reach every corner of the region. Suppose people who do not live near the stop have to drive their cars or take the bus to a nearby parking lot and take the train. In those cases, is it not less convenient for them to take the rail than to drive directly to the destination? Statistics from metrobit. org, a nonprofit dedicated to the research of public rail transportation, show that daily rail users in Madrid, Spain total 1.72 million. In New York City, the total is 4.49 million. But the populations of Madrid and New York are 3.23 million and 8.24 million respectively. From these statistics you can see that the ratio between daily users and the whole population is approximately the same in both metropolitan
“It may be difficult to get sufficient daily users once a rail system is in place here.”
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areas. If that same ratio is extrapolated to the Triangle’s population, now and in the future, it seems likely operation of the system might be in the red unless mass subsidies come in. Even for “super metropolises,” rail systems are still not a panacea. Beijing and Shanghai dwarf all other cities in the world in term of subway network length, and the Chinese government pours tons of subsidies into their daily operations, through the population of the two is more than 20 million. With more ra i l construction goi ng u nderground, residents in the two gia nt c it ie s bemoan the skyrocketi ng pr ices of real estate. Thanks to the subway reaching every corner of the city and suburban area, millions of migrants f lock into the cities to try to get a job and settle down. Developers are lured there to build skyscraper apartments along the subway lines, but that hardly meets the demand of the fast-growing population. The result is that many middle-class families are unable to afford a tiny, compact apartment without spending their lifetime income. Despite those housing prices, these two cities are still planning to expand the subway lines to more than 345,000 miles by 2020. Officials in North Carolina should be able to learn lessons from other cities in the world to determine whether or not the Triangle region can offer an efficient and effective rail system.
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3.) If you back out, you’re throwing several things in the air. At the moment, former Student Senate President Alex Parker is our student body president. He hasn’t asked for the title, but he has it. It is unknown at this writing whether Parker will step up as student body president for the entirety of the coming year. Even if Parker leaves his position as student senate president, someone will have to take his place, and someone must take his successors’ place, and on down the line. It’s not a great recipe for having the best people in the best positions going into the 2013-14 academic year.
4.) Student Government needs to reconsider the way elections are held, so the student body president and his or her “number two” are true running-mates. Unlike federal elections in the United States, the student body president does not choose his or her running mate. The student senate president, in this case Parker, is automatically given Student Government’s highest position. In the case of Williams’ resignation, students on summer break will have little choice in the next student body president. Parker was elected by students, but not with the understanding that he might be the next student body president. Requiring a running mate would emphasize political alignment between the president and his would-be predecessor, and make situations like this less chaotic. Not to discourage the dreamers, but to anyone who aspires to hold N.C. State’s highest position of student power, please consider these points. When a candidate falters on a commitment like this, Student Government and the entire student body suffers.
com.
Technician (USPS 455-050) is the official student newspaper of N.C. State University and is published every Monday through Friday 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 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 The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., Copyright 2011 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.
Features ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TECHNICIAN
PAGE 5 • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013
Gameplay and story excel in ‘The Last of Us’ Bryce Hart Correspondent
The Last of Us exemplifies the quality of Sony Computer Entertainment’s studios. Within them, Naughty Dog Studios, also known for the critically acclaimed Uncharted series, has created another masterpiece. Coming from such a prestigious developer, the expectations for The Last of Us remained high throughout development, and the final product has exceeded them. Despite a few issues, The Last of Us stands as a stellar example of character-driven storytelling in video games. The game itself takes place years after the start of a fungal infection that turns people into zombie-like creatures and at first follows Joel and his partner Tess. As the game progresses, the two take on a young girl named Ellie who becomes central to the game’s goal. The game focuses on Joel and Ellie’s interactions. Ellie reminds Joel of his
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog Sony Computer Entertainment
own daughter, and a very well-crafted bond is formed over the course of the game. The bond between the characters and the attachment the player feels to Joel and Ellie is a key element lending a lot of power to the overall story and its events. At first glance, The Last of Us looks like a standard third-person shooter much like Uncharted. However under that shell are well-done stealth mechanics and nervewracking situations. Ammo is very limited, especially on the harder difficulties, and while your fists can help against one or two unarmed enemies, if your foes are armed or numerous you will need something better. Melee weapons are easier to find, but they have limited uses before breaking. Stealth and picking your battles become very viable options
when faced with these obstacles. At one point in the game I found myself hiding from a group of six soldiers searching the area. Instead of fighting them or even trying to stealthily take them out, I just used cover and made my way to the exit. Avoiding the conflict entirely was a valid way to finish that section, and I progressed to the next. One enemy type called a “Clicker” created the most nerve-wracking situations in The Last of Us. Clickers are blind and can only hear through echolocation and clicking. These enemies are more difficult because they
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THELASTOFUS.COM
The main character Joel (middle) has a strong connection with Ellie (left) who reminds him of his daughter in The Last of Us.
will instantly kill you if they reach you and cannot be killed by just your fists or while sneaking, unless you have the right item.
The Last of Us employs a weapon upgrade system using parts found all around the game and a crafting system that allows you to make items
that will help you against enemies. Along with those two
LAST continued page 6
Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’ walks on water Will E. Brooks Features Editor
It happened. Kanye West veered completely away from mainstream rap, and it’s amazing. West has always been an “alternative” rapper—he didn’t grow up in the “hood” and he has successfully broken rap conventions before—but Yeezus is a
Yeezus
different animal. Kanye West’s Yeezus literally and figuratively sounds like the future—the album could define the next decade of popular music, and it sounds like an over-electronic future that is muddled with memories from the past. It’s important to know going in that this album might as well have no tracks. The
whole album plays like a dance club soundtrack, and it is interrupted in random places by beautiful raps over what sound like ‘60s soul samples. Yeezus begins with a disorienting, deep sy nthesizer that is quickly cut by a techno drum beat in “On Sight.” Kanye’s voice emerges, rapping “Yeezy season
Kanye West GOOD Music
approaching/F**k whatever y’all been hearing/F**k what, f**k whatever y’all been wearing/The monster about to come alive again.” It’s an appropriate opening line to an album that completely flips all conceptions of rap upside down—and does it well. At points it feels like Yeezus is a glitchy television that changes channels at random—some songs’ choruses are at a different tempo and use a totally different sample—but it works. By the third or fourth listen, those snappy transitions in mood are part of what is great about this album. It challenges the idea of a song, and it will be exciting to see how West will market any of these songs as singles A strong bass line and tribal drums define “Black Skinhead,” which revolves around the topic of racism that defines a lot of the album and it serves as a good example
PHOTO COURTESY OF KANYEWEST.COM
The cover for Yeezus. A CD in a jewel case sealed by red tape.
of the album’s one weakness. “They see a black man with a white woman at the top floor they gone come to kill King Kong,” West sings at one point, and that’s just one example of the kind of puzzling rhetoric found throughout. West depicts America as a racist place that is uncomfortable with him being famous, but he provides no actual, or at least intelligible proof for that claim. If you weren’t aware, Kanye projected a video for “New
Slaves” on a building in Downtown Raleigh last week. That marketing campaign wasn’t unique to Raleigh—it was part of a publicity campaign in a few cities—but it was cool, especially since it’s one of the best songs on the album. It begins almost as a spoken-word song with West rapping in the chorus, “See there’s leaders and there’s followers/but I’d rather be a
‘YEEZUS’ continued page 6
Technician’s Pet of the Week A “Pet of the Week” photo will be chosen from pictures submitted by students and will be posted to Student Media’s Instagram each Monday (June thru August). Pet related businesses who advertise in the Technician that week will also be mentioned in the caption of the posted photo.
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Features
PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013
TECHNICIAN
LAST
Gender gap persists in college of engineering
systems it allows you to upgrade Joel through the use of “pills” found throughout the game. The game offers more than amazing single-player. It has a deep, fun multiplayer component. The multiplayer has a metagame where you are the leader of a surviving faction and, depending on how you perform online, you can get supplies and recruit more survivors to your faction or even lose some. The one flaw seen multiple times during the game is the artificial intelligence of your allies. Allies will shoot if they get too close to an enemy, even if Joel sneaks right past the enemy and it poses no threat. The Last of Us creates a believable and engrossing experience that is fun and deep. It sets a new standard for emotional stories in games and gives fresh game play to the third-person-shooter genre.
Casey Story
continued from page 5
‘YEEZUS’ continued from page 5
d**k than a swallower.” Much like the rest of the album, “New Slaves” sounds like house music with rap on top. “New Slaves” is broken by what sounds like a muddled orchestral ballad with autotuned West and Frank Ocean singing. It is by far the most beautiful piece on the album. The break in “New Slaves” marks a transition into some ethereal, slower—but still vulgar—rap. The song is followed by a surprising collaboration between West, Chief Keef and Justin Vernon in “Hold My Liquor,” which is a
caught up to and even surCorrespondent passed men with regard to enrollment in many other With regard to quality, majors, males still outnumU.S. News ranks N.C. State ber females four to one in the 29th among public engi- College of Engineering. neering schools. With its Laura Bottomley, director 12 departments and more of Women in Engineering than 20 laboratories, insti- at N.C. State, acknowledged tutes and centers, the Col- that the college remains lege of Engineering is one of something of a “boys club.” the largest in the country. Engineering disciplines But as is the case at many deal with certain things— other engineering programs machines, cars, buildings in the United States, wom- and chemicals—that are en are underrepresented in statistically more appealing the program as compared to men, according to Bottomto ot her ley. However, majors she said the “A diversity of offered. media creAnd as is approaches is what a t e s n a r the case at row gender we urgently need roles, which many other schools, in turn lead in engineering.” adminmore men Laura Bottomley, director of istrators toward enWomen in Engineering and faculty gineering members careers than are working to bring more women. women into the field. Jenna Pennock, a sophoLike most courses of more in engineering, said she study, engineering was his- has found a widening gender torically male-dominated. gap as she progresses toward But even as women have a degree.
balancing center to the album that leads into “Blood On the Leaves.” “Blood On the Leaves” begins as another soft song but quickly segues into a very serious rap song that is arguably the best track on Yeezus. West sings, “We could’ve ugh, we could’ve been somebody/ Or was it all our first party/ When we tried our first molly/And came out of our body.” It’s worth mentioning the only drug mentioned in the album is, appropriately, ecstasy. It sounds how ecstasy likely feels—energetic to the point of darkness, disorienting and bright without any lasting satisfaction. For what
it’s worth, it’s gorgeous. The album, topped off with “Bound 2,” has a classic, soulful feel to it, with Charlie Wilson singing, “I know you’re tired of loving, of loving/with nobody to love, nobody, nobody.” Yeezus is as dark as it is enchanting, and in that way it is beautiful. It challenges the idea that popular music must be conventional and completely challenges the idea of hiphop in general. West has created another amazing piece of art and lives up to the aptly titled album.
“Engineering is still predominantly a male field and I’m finding that the higher classes I take, the less females there are in my classes,” Pennock said. Bottomley herself said she’s experienced firsthand the kind of intangible barriers women engineers face in the field. “I was once mistaken for the bus driver in a group because I was the only female engineer there,” she said. As of 2009, the most recent statistic available, women made up 44.5 percent of N.C. State’s population and 16.7 percent of the College of Engineering. In comparison, women make up 17.9 percent of engineering students nationally. The college has taken steps to accommodate and aid female engineering students. Several organizations on campus accommodate to female engineers, including Women in Engineering, Women In Science & Engineering (WISE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and Alpha Omega Epsilon
Women-to-men ratio comparison of the University and the College of Engineering Three out of 20 engineering students at N.C. State are women
Nine out of 20 students at N.C. State are women
GRAPHIC BY BRYCE HART SOURCE: UNIVERSITY PLANNING AND ANALYSIS
Engineering Sorority (AOE). N.C. State also belongs to Metronet, an online professional mentoring organization that connects females with professions in their field via email. Women in Engineering sponsors events throughout the year, include the ESCape Bridge Program for incoming female students. Bottomley said regardless of the statistics, diversity in
engineering will always be a good thing. “The bottom line is that women and men are different,” Bottomley said. “A different approach to solving a problem does not invalidate anyone for any career that they are interested in. In fact, a diversity of approaches is what we urgently need in engineering.”
‘Man of Steel’ performs less than super
PHOTO COURTESY OF MANOFSTEEL.WARNERBROS.COM
Henry Cavill (center) plays Superman in Man of Steel.
Kevin Schaefer
You deserve a factual look at . . .
Staff Writer
Israel: A Light unto the Nations Those who demonize Israel are either misinformed or malevolent If that proverbial man from Mars came to visit and read the world’s newspapers, especially those in the Arab and Muslim world, he would be convinced that Israel was the most evil nation in the world and the source of all of the world’s strife.
What are the facts?
is so ridiculous, so preposterous, it is hard to believe that serious people can countenance it. The exact A nation to be emulated. The reality, of course, is opposite is the case. Israel is the only country in its that Israel is a nation, a society, that should be benighted neighborhood in which people of all colors admired and emulated by many countries in the and religions prosper and have equal rights. Israel, world. The very fact of how the State of Israel came expending substantial effort, rescued tens of into being is one of the most inspiring in history. thousands of black Jews from Ethiopia. And it has Born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, it has given assistance and absorbed countless Christian emerged as one of the most advanced, productive and expatriates from prosperous countries Sudan, who escaped in the world. As the prophet Isaiah presaged: “Israel is from being The demonization slaughtered by their of Israel, assiduously indeed a Light unto the Nations.” Muslim countrymen. cultivated by the Israel’s over one Muslim world, million Arab citizens enjoy the same rights and reached a crescendo following Israel’s defensive privileges as their Jewish fellows. They are actions in Gaza. Instead of being grateful to the hated represented in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and Jews for having totally withdrawn, the Palestinian are members of its bureaucracy, of its judiciary, and Gazans showed their “gratitude” by almost daily of its diplomatic service. pounding of Israeli towns with thousands of rockets All over the world, Leftists, including in the United and bombs. After countless warnings, Israel States and, sad to say, even in Israel itself, tirelessly ultimately decided to put an end to this travesty. condemn and vilify Israel. Why would they do that? When Israel finally did invade Gaza it took the First, of course, there is good old-fashioned antimost elaborate precautions not to hurt civilians. As a Semitism. Second, many of those who hate the first in the history of warfare, Israel dropped tens of United States vent their poison on Israel, which they thousands of leaflets, warning the population and consider being America's puppet in that area of the urging it to abandon areas in which military action world. But Israel should certainly get top grades in all would take place. The Israeli military made areas important to the Left. In contrast to all its thousands of phone calls urging people to leave areas enemies, Israel has the same democratic institutions that would come under attack. But fighting in a as the United States. All religions thrive freely in densely populated environment is difficult and loss of Israel. Also, in contrast to all of its enemies, women civilian life is hard to avoid. Hamas fighters wear no have the same rights as men. The Chief Justice of uniforms. It is impossible to tell them from civilians. Israel’s Supreme Court is a woman. One-sixth of the Is a person who allows a rocket launcher in his Knesset are women. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, a backyard a civilian or a fighter? And how about using medieval theocracy, where women are not even schools, hospitals and mosques as munitions depots allowed to drive cars, where they cannot leave the and staff centers? The hue and cry of Israel’s country without permission of a male relative, and demonizers of using “disproportionate force” is where they can be and often are condemned to up to totally absurd. The ultimate insult, comparing Israel 60 lashes if the “modesty police” deems them not to to the Nazis, is freely bandied about by Israel’s be properly dressed in public. Gays and lesbians are detractors. totally unmolested in Israel; in the surrounding Israel is not an “apartheid state.” Another familiar Muslim countries they would be subjected to the tack of Israel’s vilifiers is to call it an “apartheid death penalty. state,” on the model of former South Africa. But that In spite of demonization and vilification by so much of the world, Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. The State of Israel is the foremost creation of the Jewish enterprise and Jewish intellect that has benefited every country in which Jews dwell, certainly our own country, the United States of America. Second only to the United States itself, Israel is the world’s most important factor in science and technology, way out of proportion to the small size of its population. Israeli Jews are at the forefront of the arts, the sciences, law and medicine. They have brought all these sterling qualities to bear in building their own country: Israel. By necessity, they have also become outstanding in agriculture and, most surprisingly, in the military. What a shame that the Arabs opted not to participate in this progress and in this prosperity and chose instead the path of revenge, of Jihad and of martyrdom. As the prophet Isaiah presaged: Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. This message has been published and paid for by
Facts and Logic About the Middle East P.O. Box 590359 ■ San Francisco, CA 94159
Gerardo Joffe, President
FLAME is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational 501 (c)(3) organization. Its purpose is the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world. Your tax-deductible contributions are welcome. They enable us to pursue these goals and to publish these messages in national newspapers and magazines. We have virtually no overhead. Almost all of our revenue pays for our educational work, for these clarifying messages, and for related direct mail.
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Disappoi nt i ng ly, Man of Steel is not as good as Zack Snyder’s and producer Christopher Nolan’s previous films. The movie comes across more as a two and a half hour explosion fest than a character based origin story. At first, the film captures the audience with a solid expository sequence. Opening with Superman’s birth, the planet Krypton is on the verge of destruction as the evil General Zod (Michael Shannon) launches a coup. In order to protect his son and preserve his species, the Kryptonian leader Jor-El (Russell Crowe) must send the infant Kal-El to Earth. Here’s where the film starts to ma ke it clear to v ie wers that it c a n’t g o five minutes without an over the top CGI action sequence. As soon as we see Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) on Earth, he’s seen as a grown man rescuing a sea crew in the middle of the ocean. Keep in mind that we’ve just seen a 15-minute scene on Krypton that was mostly composed of fight sequences. Unlike the magnificent 1978 Superman, which is really devoted to looking at the psychological elements,
which made the character who he is, this film is almost as fast-paced and formulaic as a Michael Bay film. Superman’s childhood story in Smallville, featured in flashbacks, was particularly annoying and these scenes aren’t given nearly as much depth as they deserve. The relationship between Clark and his adopted parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) is pretty overshadowed and watered down. This is surprising, given that Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer have proven their ability to make a phenomenal origin story with Batman Begins. Where the film delivers is through its spectacular visual effects. Having done other blockbuster films such a s Watchmen and 300, Zack Snyder once again proves his ability to provide viewers with an exquisitely cinematic experience. This, accompanied by the tremendous soundtrack by composer Hans Zimmer, makes for an entertaining thrill ride. Yet while there are countless dazzling visuals in the film, characterization and plot tend to come second. Superman’s iconic love interest Lois Lane (Amy Adams) pret-
“The movie comes across more as a two and a half hour explosion fest than a character based origin story. ”
Man of Steel
Legendary Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures
ty much just shows up right as Clark discovers the Fortress of Solitude, and their relationship is as rushed and underdeveloped as the overarching plot. There’s also the fact that the classic Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) doesn’t get half as much screen time as he deserves. While Nolan and Goyer’s attempts to provide originality for the sake of a reboot are appreciated, some of their choices present significant flaws. For instance, Zod comes to Earth to hunt down his opponent before Superman has even revealed himself to the world. Then for the next hour and a half, there’s hardly a moment where something’s not blowing up. What many people don’t know is that the equally iconic filmmaker J.J. Abrams was originally signed on to reboot the franchise. He completed a script before Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, which leaked online and I had the pleasure of reading. Although Warner Bros. rejected it due to some major changes from the original (such as making Lex Luthor a Kryptonian), that would have been a better reboot. It captures the essence of the character beautifully, and maintains a perfect balance between action and story.
Features
PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013
TECHNICIAN
LAST
Gender gap persists in college of engineering
systems it allows you to upgrade Joel through the use of “pills” found throughout the game. The game offers more than amazing single-player. It has a deep, fun multiplayer component. The multiplayer has a metagame where you are the leader of a surviving faction and, depending on how you perform online, you can get supplies and recruit more survivors to your faction or even lose some. The one flaw seen multiple times during the game is the artificial intelligence of your allies. Allies will shoot if they get too close to an enemy, even if Joel sneaks right past the enemy and it poses no threat. The Last of Us creates a believable and engrossing experience that is fun and deep. It sets a new standard for emotional stories in games and gives fresh game play to the third-person-shooter genre.
Casey Story
continued from page 5
‘YEEZUS’ continued from page 5
d**k than a swallower.” Much like the rest of the album, “New Slaves” sounds like house music with rap on top. “New Slaves” is broken by what sounds like a muddled orchestral ballad with autotuned West and Frank Ocean singing. It is by far the most beautiful piece on the album. The break in “New Slaves” marks a transition into some ethereal, slower—but still vulgar—rap. The song is followed by a surprising collaboration between West, Chief Keef and Justin Vernon in “Hold My Liquor,” which is a
caught up to and even surCorrespondent passed men with regard to enrollment in many other With regard to quality, majors, males still outnumU.S. News ranks N.C. State ber females four to one in the 29th among public engi- College of Engineering. neering schools. With its Laura Bottomley, director 12 departments and more of Women in Engineering than 20 laboratories, insti- at N.C. State, acknowledged tutes and centers, the Col- that the college remains lege of Engineering is one of something of a “boys club.” the largest in the country. Engineering disciplines But as is the case at many deal with certain things— other engineering programs machines, cars, buildings in the United States, wom- and chemicals—that are en are underrepresented in statistically more appealing the program as compared to men, according to Bottomto ot her ley. However, majors she said the “A diversity of offered. media creAnd as is approaches is what a t e s n a r the case at row gender we urgently need roles, which many other schools, in turn lead in engineering.” adminmore men Laura Bottomley, director of istrators toward enWomen in Engineering and faculty gineering members careers than are working to bring more women. women into the field. Jenna Pennock, a sophoLike most courses of more in engineering, said she study, engineering was his- has found a widening gender torically male-dominated. gap as she progresses toward But even as women have a degree.
balancing center to the album that leads into “Blood On the Leaves.” “Blood On the Leaves” begins as another soft song but quickly segues into a very serious rap song that is arguably the best track on Yeezus. West sings, “We could’ve ugh, we could’ve been somebody/ Or was it all our first party/ When we tried our first molly/And came out of our body.” It’s worth mentioning the only drug mentioned in the album is, appropriately, ecstasy. It sounds how ecstasy likely feels—energetic to the point of darkness, disorienting and bright without any lasting satisfaction. For what
it’s worth, it’s gorgeous. The album, topped off with “Bound 2,” has a classic, soulful feel to it, with Charlie Wilson singing, “I know you’re tired of loving, of loving/with nobody to love, nobody, nobody.” Yeezus is as dark as it is enchanting, and in that way it is beautiful. It challenges the idea that popular music must be conventional and completely challenges the idea of hiphop in general. West has created another amazing piece of art and lives up to the aptly titled album.
“Engineering is still predominantly a male field and I’m finding that the higher classes I take, the less females there are in my classes,” Pennock said. Bottomley herself said she’s experienced firsthand the kind of intangible barriers women engineers face in the field. “I was once mistaken for the bus driver in a group because I was the only female engineer there,” she said. As of 2009, the most recent statistic available, women made up 44.5 percent of N.C. State’s population and 16.7 percent of the College of Engineering. In comparison, women make up 17.9 percent of engineering students nationally. The college has taken steps to accommodate and aid female engineering students. Several organizations on campus accommodate to female engineers, including Women in Engineering, Women In Science & Engineering (WISE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and Alpha Omega Epsilon
Women-to-men ratio comparison of the University and the College of Engineering Three out of 20 engineering students at N.C. State are women
Nine out of 20 students at N.C. State are women
GRAPHIC BY BRYCE HART SOURCE: UNIVERSITY PLANNING AND ANALYSIS
Engineering Sorority (AOE). N.C. State also belongs to Metronet, an online professional mentoring organization that connects females with professions in their field via email. Women in Engineering sponsors events throughout the year, include the ESCape Bridge Program for incoming female students. Bottomley said regardless of the statistics, diversity in
engineering will always be a good thing. “The bottom line is that women and men are different,” Bottomley said. “A different approach to solving a problem does not invalidate anyone for any career that they are interested in. In fact, a diversity of approaches is what we urgently need in engineering.”
‘Man of Steel’ performs less than super
PHOTO COURTESY OF MANOFSTEEL.WARNERBROS.COM
Henry Cavill (center) plays Superman in Man of Steel.
Kevin Schaefer
You deserve a factual look at . . .
Staff Writer
Israel: A Light unto the Nations Those who demonize Israel are either misinformed or malevolent If that proverbial man from Mars came to visit and read the world’s newspapers, especially those in the Arab and Muslim world, he would be convinced that Israel was the most evil nation in the world and the source of all of the world’s strife.
What are the facts?
is so ridiculous, so preposterous, it is hard to believe that serious people can countenance it. The exact A nation to be emulated. The reality, of course, is opposite is the case. Israel is the only country in its that Israel is a nation, a society, that should be benighted neighborhood in which people of all colors admired and emulated by many countries in the and religions prosper and have equal rights. Israel, world. The very fact of how the State of Israel came expending substantial effort, rescued tens of into being is one of the most inspiring in history. thousands of black Jews from Ethiopia. And it has Born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, it has given assistance and absorbed countless Christian emerged as one of the most advanced, productive and expatriates from prosperous countries Sudan, who escaped in the world. As the prophet Isaiah presaged: “Israel is from being The demonization slaughtered by their of Israel, assiduously indeed a Light unto the Nations.” Muslim countrymen. cultivated by the Israel’s over one Muslim world, million Arab citizens enjoy the same rights and reached a crescendo following Israel’s defensive privileges as their Jewish fellows. They are actions in Gaza. Instead of being grateful to the hated represented in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and Jews for having totally withdrawn, the Palestinian are members of its bureaucracy, of its judiciary, and Gazans showed their “gratitude” by almost daily of its diplomatic service. pounding of Israeli towns with thousands of rockets All over the world, Leftists, including in the United and bombs. After countless warnings, Israel States and, sad to say, even in Israel itself, tirelessly ultimately decided to put an end to this travesty. condemn and vilify Israel. Why would they do that? When Israel finally did invade Gaza it took the First, of course, there is good old-fashioned antimost elaborate precautions not to hurt civilians. As a Semitism. Second, many of those who hate the first in the history of warfare, Israel dropped tens of United States vent their poison on Israel, which they thousands of leaflets, warning the population and consider being America's puppet in that area of the urging it to abandon areas in which military action world. But Israel should certainly get top grades in all would take place. The Israeli military made areas important to the Left. In contrast to all its thousands of phone calls urging people to leave areas enemies, Israel has the same democratic institutions that would come under attack. But fighting in a as the United States. All religions thrive freely in densely populated environment is difficult and loss of Israel. Also, in contrast to all of its enemies, women civilian life is hard to avoid. Hamas fighters wear no have the same rights as men. The Chief Justice of uniforms. It is impossible to tell them from civilians. Israel’s Supreme Court is a woman. One-sixth of the Is a person who allows a rocket launcher in his Knesset are women. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, a backyard a civilian or a fighter? And how about using medieval theocracy, where women are not even schools, hospitals and mosques as munitions depots allowed to drive cars, where they cannot leave the and staff centers? The hue and cry of Israel’s country without permission of a male relative, and demonizers of using “disproportionate force” is where they can be and often are condemned to up to totally absurd. The ultimate insult, comparing Israel 60 lashes if the “modesty police” deems them not to to the Nazis, is freely bandied about by Israel’s be properly dressed in public. Gays and lesbians are detractors. totally unmolested in Israel; in the surrounding Israel is not an “apartheid state.” Another familiar Muslim countries they would be subjected to the tack of Israel’s vilifiers is to call it an “apartheid death penalty. state,” on the model of former South Africa. But that In spite of demonization and vilification by so much of the world, Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. The State of Israel is the foremost creation of the Jewish enterprise and Jewish intellect that has benefited every country in which Jews dwell, certainly our own country, the United States of America. Second only to the United States itself, Israel is the world’s most important factor in science and technology, way out of proportion to the small size of its population. Israeli Jews are at the forefront of the arts, the sciences, law and medicine. They have brought all these sterling qualities to bear in building their own country: Israel. By necessity, they have also become outstanding in agriculture and, most surprisingly, in the military. What a shame that the Arabs opted not to participate in this progress and in this prosperity and chose instead the path of revenge, of Jihad and of martyrdom. As the prophet Isaiah presaged: Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. This message has been published and paid for by
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Disappoi nt i ng ly, Man of Steel is not as good as Zack Snyder’s and producer Christopher Nolan’s previous films. The movie comes across more as a two and a half hour explosion fest than a character based origin story. At first, the film captures the audience with a solid expository sequence. Opening with Superman’s birth, the planet Krypton is on the verge of destruction as the evil General Zod (Michael Shannon) launches a coup. In order to protect his son and preserve his species, the Kryptonian leader Jor-El (Russell Crowe) must send the infant Kal-El to Earth. Here’s where the film starts to ma ke it clear to v ie wers that it c a n’t g o five minutes without an over the top CGI action sequence. As soon as we see Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) on Earth, he’s seen as a grown man rescuing a sea crew in the middle of the ocean. Keep in mind that we’ve just seen a 15-minute scene on Krypton that was mostly composed of fight sequences. Unlike the magnificent 1978 Superman, which is really devoted to looking at the psychological elements,
which made the character who he is, this film is almost as fast-paced and formulaic as a Michael Bay film. Superman’s childhood story in Smallville, featured in flashbacks, was particularly annoying and these scenes aren’t given nearly as much depth as they deserve. The relationship between Clark and his adopted parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) is pretty overshadowed and watered down. This is surprising, given that Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer have proven their ability to make a phenomenal origin story with Batman Begins. Where the film delivers is through its spectacular visual effects. Having done other blockbuster films such a s Watchmen and 300, Zack Snyder once again proves his ability to provide viewers with an exquisitely cinematic experience. This, accompanied by the tremendous soundtrack by composer Hans Zimmer, makes for an entertaining thrill ride. Yet while there are countless dazzling visuals in the film, characterization and plot tend to come second. Superman’s iconic love interest Lois Lane (Amy Adams) pret-
“The movie comes across more as a two and a half hour explosion fest than a character based origin story. ”
Man of Steel
Legendary Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures
ty much just shows up right as Clark discovers the Fortress of Solitude, and their relationship is as rushed and underdeveloped as the overarching plot. There’s also the fact that the classic Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) doesn’t get half as much screen time as he deserves. While Nolan and Goyer’s attempts to provide originality for the sake of a reboot are appreciated, some of their choices present significant flaws. For instance, Zod comes to Earth to hunt down his opponent before Superman has even revealed himself to the world. Then for the next hour and a half, there’s hardly a moment where something’s not blowing up. What many people don’t know is that the equally iconic filmmaker J.J. Abrams was originally signed on to reboot the franchise. He completed a script before Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, which leaked online and I had the pleasure of reading. Although Warner Bros. rejected it due to some major changes from the original (such as making Lex Luthor a Kryptonian), that would have been a better reboot. It captures the essence of the character beautifully, and maintains a perfect balance between action and story.
Sports
TECHNICIAN
RECAP
continued from page 8
Writers’ Association’s Closer the Year, pitched two innings of one-hit ball to earn the save. N.C. State fell to 50-15 on the season with the loss. The losing pitcher for the Pack was starter Logan Jernigan (1-1), who went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs. Relievers Grant Sasser and Josh Easley went the final 4.2 innings without allowing a run to keep the game close.
OMAHA
continued from page 8
player on the current roster to hit a home run against the Heels–sits 9-for-33 with seven runs and two RBIs in seven games. State will also rely on sophomore catcher Brett Austin to
FOOTBALL
The Wolfpack saw its best chance to overtake the Bruins fall short when sophomore Trea Turner sent a blast to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning, only to watch it fall short on the warning track in the cavernous T.D. Ameritrade Park. State could not threaten in the ninth. The Pack will return to action on Thursday evening in an elimination game against the rival Tar Heels. The tilt will start at 8 p.m., and the winner will face UCLA on Friday.
continued from page 8
the SEC the season before, and just got burned. The season did have ups, such as the upset of then-No. 3 Florida State in Raleigh, but it also had its downs, like the homecoming drubbing at the hands of lowly Virginia and the unspeakable game in Chapel Hill. All in all, I don’t think there was anyone who considered 2012 a success. Athletic Director Debbie Yow certainly didn’t, showing head coach Tom O’Brien the door after six years. And that’s where Doeren and company come in. Expectations certainly aren’t as high as they were a year ago, and with powerhouses such as Clemson and FSU expected to rule the ACC Atlantic Division, I suspect that only the most esteemed Wolfpack fan sees State making it to Charlotte on the first Saturday in December.
remain solid behind the plate. Austin has caught all 107 innings for the Pack since the ACC Tournament and 577 of 607 frames in 2013. Austin is 7-for-35 with two runs, four RBIs and four walks in eight games against the Heels. The game will begin at 8 p.m. EST and can be seen on ESPN. Radio coverage is available on 88.1 WKNC-FM.
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But fear not, Wolfpack faithful. I’m not generally one to put a lot of stock into preseason projections, but Athlon Sports has State finishing 7-5. Bowl eligible. Chip Patterson, host of Gameday Live on 99.9 The Fan, said on air a couple weeks ago that he expects the Pack to go bowling as well. Therein lies my point: You just never know. Last season, the Wolfpack were expected to make noise, and they didn’t. Is there any reason that the shoe can’t be on the other foot this time around? I implore everyone reading this column to be that esteemed fan. Our fanbase makes tons of noise about how State sports are cursed, that no matter how much talent we have, “N.C. State Sh*t” will keep us down. The sooner we snap out of that mentality, the easier it is to envision success as a program, no matter who the quarterback or the coach is. Keep an open mind, Wolfpack fans. That’s all I’m asking.
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PAGE 7 • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013
JOHN JOYNER/TECHNICIAN
Head coach Dave Doeren looks on during spring practice at the Dail Football Practice Complex.
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Sudoku
Sudoku
By The Mepham Group
2
3
4
Level: 1
2
3
4FOR RELEASE MAY 17, 2013
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.
Complete theAngeles grid so each row,Daily column and Los Times Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. ACROSS For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, *Defensive visit1www.sudoku.org.uk.
Solution to Monday’s puzzle
Solution to Wednesday’s puzzle 10 *East Lansing
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
Level: 1
By The Mepham Group
© 2013 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
fortifications 5 *Noel bird
athletes 14 Verbal jabs 15 Face-to-face finals 16 School that celebrates George III’s birthday 17 With 61-Down, Elton John duet partner 18 Vestige 19 “__ Angel”: Mae West film 20 Texted “Let’s just be friends” 22 Supports 23 *After delivery 25 *Baggage holder 27 C-3PO, for one 28 Nincompoop 30 Dawn goddess 31 Snug as __ ... © 2013 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved. 32 “Eureka!” 5/21/13 33 Third-qtr. period 35 2006 Scorsese film, and a hint to answering this puzzle’s starred clues 39 Airer of many Cary Grant films 40 Staycation benefit, for short 41 Tattled 44 NYC’s Penn, e.g. 47 Clean 49 Capp chap 50 *Go separate ways 52 *School celebration 53 Dug the experience, with “up” 54 Loser’s demand 57 Cartoonist Lazarus 58 Like some forces 59 Many a Kirkuk resident 62 __-dieu 63 Calm 64 Tissue additive 65 *Bestowed 66 *Crumbled 67 *Opt in
5/17/13 DOWN Thursday’s Puzzle Solved 1 __ Stadium, 5/23/13 home of D.C. United 2 Bard of boxing 3 Discerns 4 Like wet suits 5 Composer of the 2005 opera “Our Town” 6 More than put out 7 “The Persistence of Memory” VISIT TECHNICIANONLINE.COM surrealist 8 Bug 9 Exit key of a sort 10 Quake 11 Charge for cash (c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 5/17/13 12 “Ain’t gonna happen!” 48 Use a Hula-Hoop 34 Take revenge on 13 Corral chorus 49 Cockpit abbr. 36 Showy display 21 Turkey 51 Accumulated, 37 Hill inhabitant 22 Response to with “up” 38 Coach of 1972’s “Raise,” maybe 52 Easter lily undefeated 23 iPhone, e.g. 55 Superhero’s Dolphins 24 Eyeball target 42 Guitarist Paul 26 Astrologer 56 Place for an 43 Wine choice Sydney anchor store 44 Shellfish entrée 28 Ella, stateside 58 Check prob. 45 For the full time 29 Tyrrhenian Sea 60 Seoul soldier 46 2001 French title resort 32 Pitchers 61 See 17-Across heroine By Loren Smith and Jeff Chen
Lookin’ for the answer key?
Sports PAGE 8 • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013
COUNTDOWN
• Today: Baseball takes on UNC-Chapel Hill at 8 p.m.
INSIDE
• Page 7: A continuation of football’s upcoming season, full of uncertainty
TECHNICIAN
State defeats rival, falls to UCLA Rob McLamb Staff Writer
PACK DOWNS TAR HEELS When confronting a situation that it had not faced in 45 years, it was helpful to at least have someone familiar to compete against. The Wolfpack fired an opening salvo at its neighbors as N.C. State trounced UNC-Chapel Hill 8-1 in its first game at the 2013 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on Sunday. With the win, State improved to 50-14 on the campaign, the first time in school history the Pack has won 50 games in a season. “We played very, very well today—with a lot of confidence” N.C. State head coach Elliott Avent said. “We’ve had several battles with them, but it’s a good ballclub.” “That shows how well we played today.” Sophomore Carlos Rodon once again excelled against the Tar Heels in postseason play. The lefthander from Holly Springs pitched a complete game, giving up only a ninth-inning run with the game out of reach to improve to 10-2 on the season. Unlike the other postseason tilts against the Heels, the Pack struck early and often on Sunday. North Carolina junior Kent Emanuel, the ACC Pitcher of the Year, was rocked for five earned runs in only 2.2 in-
ETHAN HYMAN/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT
N.C. State’s Jake Armstrong dives back safely to first as North Carolina’s Cody Stubbs waits for the ball in the second inning of the College World Series, Sunday, at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. N.C. State won, 8-1.
nings, falling to 11-4 with the loss. “I was glad to play those guys,” senior third baseman Grant Clyde said. “We’ve played them quite a few times this year. We are familiar with them.” “Having seen Emanuel earlier in the year, we had a really good idea what to do at the plate,” senior centerfielder
Brett Williams said. “Just that rivalry [with the Tar Heels] and having seen them play three times already this year, it definitely helped tone us back.” In three postseason games versus Nor t h Carolina, Rodon has pitched 28 innings and has allowed 10 hits and only one earned run, with 34 strikeouts and six walks.
“This is the College World Series,” Rodon said. “It doesn’t get any bigger than this, so why not bring your A-game?” “When I come out, I am going to compete.” For Avent the ramifications of what N.C. State is doing are not something that is lost on him. “Winning your first game
in the College World Series is important,” Avent said. “It [coaching at N.C. State] is my dream job. I’ve loved N.C. State since I was old enough to know a basketball from a baseball. And my dad loves N.C. State.”
BRUINS SNEAK BY STATE But N.C. State couldn’t muster the same kind of of-
fensive production on Tuesday evening versus UCLA. The Pack managed only five hits against the Bruins, who were led by starter Nick Vander Tuig. Vander Tuig went seven innings and yielded one run while striking out six. Reliever David Berg, the National Collegiate Baseball
RECAP continued page 7
Pack to face Heels, elimination on the line Daniel Wilson Staff Writer
CHARLIE HARLESS/TECHNICIAN
N.C. State displays its helmets at its 2012 media day. The program incorporated a new red helmet to its uniforms during the 2011-12 season.
New football season is full of uncertainty Luke Nadkarni Staff Writer
What a difference a year makes. At this time in 2012, there was hardly a red and white soul who wasn’t excited for N.C. State football. The Wolfpack had very little uncertainty at key positions in the depth chart, and had just put together a solid 8-5 season capped off by a victory over Louisville in the Belk Bowl. Now, as we plow through the dog days of summer, the anticipation level is certainly down a notch, at least from what this writer can tell. This season is full of mysteries, like how new head coach Dave Doeren will fare in his first season in a BCS confer-
ence, or who will take the snaps for the Wolfpack. I’ve heard many people say that graduate student transfer Brandon Mitchell, formerly of Arkansas, will be the starter for the Wolfpack when they open against Louisiana Tech on Aug. 31. My question is, what exactly are people basing that decision on? Now, if Doeren and company decide that Mitchell is the man for the job, then I’m not complaining. I trust our coaching staff one hundred percent. But consider this: Mitchell has a total of three career starts in four years of college, throwing just 43 passes. Colorado State transfer Pete Thomas, who has been competing for the starting job with Mitchell and
sophomore Manny Stocker, started three times that many games in 2011 alone. Granted, Thomas’ 18 touchdowns and 21 interceptions are far from impressive numbers, but solely looking at the experience factor, it’s no contest. Advantage, Thomas. Both Stocker and Thomas were on the roster for the spring game back in April, and have been practicing under Doeren’s system for much longer than Mitchell. I have nothing against Mitchell, it just seems interesting to me that a guy can transfer in and automatically be anointed the starter when there’s a competition going on. There are some interesting differences between this year’s Wolfpack team and
that of 2012. Last season, the quarterback situation was clear as glass— Mike Glennon was returning as the starter and everyone and their brother knew it. The defense, and the secondary in particular, was highly regarded, led by ballhawk David Amerson, who is now a member of the NFL’s Washington Redskins. The Wolfpack faithful thought that 2012 would be the team’s best season since the Philip Rivers days. We all know what happened next. State took to the Georgia Dome for a nationally-televised clash with Tennessee, a team which had finished near the bottom of
FOOTBALL continued page 7
After dropping Game 2 of the College World Series to UCLA, N.C. State (50-15, 19-10 ACC) will face its biggest rival and No. 1 overall seed UNCChapel Hill (58-11, 21-7 ACC) Thursday night at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. The contest will be the fifth between these two teams this season, and the winner will move on to face the Bruins in the semifinal series that will determine who moves on to the championship. The loser will be heading back to North Carolina. The Wolfpack is 2-2 against the Tar Heels this season, with both wins earned by sophomore pitcher Carlos Rodon (102, 3.04 ERA). The first game in Raleigh resulted in a 7-1 Tar Heel victory, but the Pack turned it around in the second matchup and rallied behind Rodon to notch a 7-3 win. The teams clashed once again in Durham during the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament with Rodon once again on the mound. That game–an instant classic in ACC baseball playoff history– lasted 18 innings before
the Heels once again emerged victorious, 2-1. State and UNC-CH met again on the national stage in the opening game of the College World Series. In that game, Rodon pitched a nearmasterpiece, shutting out the Heels for the first eight innings as the Pack’s bats came alive. The final score: 8-1, N.C. State. UNC-CH will send junior pitcher Hobbs Johnson (4-1, 2.62 ERA) to the mound in the make-or-break contest Thursday night. Johnson started on the hill in Durham against State and lasted five innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks. The Tar Heel southpaw also struck out nine Pack batters. State will send freshman pitcher Brad Stone (3-2, 5.28 ERA) to the mound. Stone is 1-0 with no runs surrendered in 10.1 innings this postseason, having only allowed 10 hits and one walk while striking out six.� The Pack should have plenty of help from its bats as State has many players that have performed exceptionally well against its in-state rival. Sophomore shortstop Trea Turner is 9-for-34 with three RBIs, three runs, five walks and 10 stolen bases in eight games against UNC-CH, while senior center fielder Brett Williams–the only
OMAHA continued page 7