TECHNICIAN
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT N.C. STATE’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE U.S. MILITARY AND THE FOOTBALL TEAM’S PATRIOTIC NEW LOOK FOR THIS SATURDAY’S GAME, SEE PAGE 4
Correspondent
PHOTO COURTESY OF N.C. STATE ATHLETICS
N.C. State football will feature the American flag on its helmets for the first time in program history against Richmond on Saturday in the annual Military Appreciation game.
Noted cotton spinner Joan Ruane will lead a free evening presentation entitled “Cotton Is King: The History of Spinning Cotton” on Saturday, Sept. 14 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Crafts Center. Held in conjunction with a weekend workshop presented by the Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild, this presentation will focus on cotton’s history in the United States with an emphasis on the types of cotton grown today and their economic importance. More information about Joan and the workshop are available at the Craft Center’s website at www. ncsu.edu SOURCE: N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY CALENDAR
2013
With all the talk about faculty tenure, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and job security in higher education generally, some students may wonder if these things will affect them during their time at N.C. State. Betsy Brown, vice provost for faculty affairs, said N.C. State employed a total of 2,068 faculty members in 2011. Of that total, 1,730 were full-time and 338 were part-time. Brown said part-time fac-
ulty members were typically hired to teach courses for professors on leave for research, to help handle classes with unexpectedly high enrollments, freshman English classes, labs and foreign language courses. Brown said most part-time faculty members were hired from two-year colleges. She said research institutions like N.C. State typically had fewer part-time faculty members. Inside Higher Ed defines “part-time” as non-tenuret rack fac u lt y members working less than full time. At N.C. State, this would be any faculty member working
more than the equivalent of three-quarters time, according to Susan Miller Cochrane, director of writing programs at N.C. State. “Adjunct” faculty members are full-time, non-tenuretrack faculty members who are eligible for benefits. Supplemental faculty members are usually “contingent” or at-will employees. Schools renew professors’ contracts as their budgets allow. For example, the Department of English offers a number of writing courses that are required for all un-
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Many college students under-qualified or overqualified for their college, study finds Joseph Havey Deputy News Editor
Staff report
‘Cotton Is King’ presentation coming Sept. 14
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Budget cuts place pressure on teacher contracts Danielle Cullen
The North Carolina Board of Elections unanimously ruled in favor of Montravias King , a senior at Elizabeth City State University student. King, who registered to run for for the Elizabeth City board on July 19, faced objection from the Pasquotank County Republican Party on his eligibility to be a candidate. Pete Gilbert, the chairman of the Pasquotank County Republican Party, questioned King’s eligibility to run for office, because he didn’t consider a residence hall as a permanent residence in Pasquotank County. Since 2009, King has lived in a residence hall at Elizabeth City State. King used his campus address for voting purposes, however, the Pasquotank Board of Elections ruled that on-campus residence halls didn’t serve as a permanent residence. However, the decision made Tuesday by the state board of elections overthrew the decision made by the Pasquotank County Board of Elections. Due to the ruling made by the state elections board, North Carolina students are still allowed to register to vote, vote and run for public office in the county they live and attend classes. King told The Republic, of Columbus, Ohio, “I am not entirely surprised about the decision today. We knew we were on the right side of the law and the constitution.”
september
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Elizabeth City State student allowed to run for office
thursday
The National Bureau of Economic Research recently released a study that found more than half of all college students are either underqualified or overqualified for the college they are attending. The bureau reported that about 28 percent of students could have gone to a better school, while about 25 percent of students had not been properly prepared for the school they were currently attending. Eleanor W. Dillon, an assistant professor of economics at Arizona State University, and Jeffrey A. Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, performed the study by assigning students and universities a percentile. Dillon and Smith determined rankings using a variety of factors including test scores. When a student and university differed by more than 20 points, the researchers considered that student over or under matched.
Paul Umbach, an associate professor in the department of Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education, said this is a fairly new but phenomena, but it’s gaining attention quickly. “I hadn’t seen a whole lot of detailed literature on it previously,” Umbach said. “Although today, it seems like there’s greater interest in it.” Tommy Griffin, director of admissions at N.C. State, is among those interested in this issue, however he has been following the trend for a while. Griffin highlighted one report in particular to show that this research is not entirely new. According to Griffin, College Board reported 41 percent of college freshman were overqualified for the university they chose to attend about one year ago. “This [NBER] study is just one of several studies, even a couple of books, about this topic,” Griffin said. “This isn’t the first time it has been brought up.” One reason for increased interest
is the concern that overqualified students aren’t reaching their full potential. Both the NBER study and College Board study found a correlation between the amount of information an applicant has about a school and the likelihood of over or under matching. Typically, the more information an applicant has about a school the less likely he or she will mismatch him or herself. Often, applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have less access to information and are under-matched, according to the study. Umbach said this consequence is likely what the scientists were attempting to uncover. “People from low income families at times have a perspective that limits their choices,” Umbach said. “They think ‘I could never afford it’ or ‘I could never get in,’ when, in fact, they can afford it and can get in. But given the information that they have, perhaps that’s not seen in the realm of possibility for them.” However, both Umbach and Griffin said the notion of under-match-
Vice chancellor to leave NCSU, accept new position at Rutgers Staff report
ing and overmatching based solely on student ability is too simplified. “There are a variety of reasons that aren’t really captured by simply suggesting that overmatching or under-matching,” Umbach said. “The amount of information an individual has about a campus can influence a decision. The kind of advice they’re getting from peers or family or friends or guidance counselor can shape a decision. These are factors far beyond the ability of the rest of the student body.” While admissions officers should consider the notion of mismatching, the broader idea of “fit” is far more important, Griffin said. “I think this is a framework for talking about admissions and about where students should best be placed—where the best fit is,” Griffin said. “We talk and have for at least 30 years in the admissions profession about fit.” “Fit,” according to Griffin, can in-
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Obama seeks approval to attack Syria Staff report
Nevin Kessler, vice chancellor for University Advancement, announced that he accepted a position at Rutgers University and will be leaving N.C. State. Kessler said that he is moving from N.C. State for reasons both unrelated and related to work. “I am leaving N.C. State for both personal and professional reasons,” Kessler said. “My father is 87 and in declining health. It would be nice to be much closer to him at this time. And as someone who enjoys long distance running, the summers in New Jersey will be a little more bearable.” Kevin Howell, an assistant to the chancellor for External Affairs and a N.C. State graduate, was appointed by Chancellor Woodson to be the interim vice chancellor for University Advancement. Meanwhile, Chancellor Woodson has chosen a committee that will conduct a national search for the next vice chancellor for University Advancement. to find Kessler said that he will miss his colleagues and the people he met at N.C. State. “My six years at N.C. State have been the most wonderful period of my professional life. Chancellor Woodson and Provost Arden, and their senior leadership teams are awesome. I will never forget all the good friends I made in Raleigh,” Kessler said. His last day at N.C. State will be Sept. 13. During his tenure, Kessler helped fundraising at the University hit an all-time high. “I hope the wonderful students at N.C. State, including my own son in CHASS, will embrace their responsibility to be the next generation of donors to N.C. State,” Kessler said. “It is an amazing place, with an even more amazing legacy.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF ED FUNKHOUSER
Nevin Kessler, pictured in the 1911 building, stepped down from his position as vice chancellor for University Advancement to accept a new job at Rutgers University to lead development and alumni relations. Kessler led donor-giving efforts at N.C. State, breaking records in 2012 and 2013.
President Barack Obama announced that the international community can’t be silent about the chemical attack that occurred in Syria last month while addressing a forum in Sweden on Wednesday. Obama is seeking congressional authorization to use military force in Syria. The announcement came two weeks after forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against rebels, U.S. intelligence analysts said. Despite criticism from the Russian and Chinese governments, a draft resolution passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 10-7 Wednesday. The resolution authorized a limited U.S. military strike against Syria, which is to last no longer than 60 days. Only 21 senators have said they support the resolution so far, according to an ABC and BBC tally. The resolution is due to reach the Senate floor for debate early next week. Even with support from Speaker of the House John Boehner, the fate of the resolution is even less clear in the House of Representatives, which is also expected to take up the matter early next week.