TECHNICIAN
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Jim Ceresnak, a junior in political science, wipes away tears after he was announced winner of the student body president race early Wednesday morning after a four and a half hour wait.
Ceresnak named new SBP After a four-and-a-half hour wait, winning candidates were announced James Cox Senior Staff Writer
It was four and a half hours after the student body elections officially ended when Jim Ceresnak, student body president-elect, heard the results declaring him the winner of the student body president race. Ceresnak, a junior in political science, said he was appreciative of the privilege to serve. “I poured my heart and soul into this campaign,” he said through the tears. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve the student body.” Jay Dawkins, the current student body president and senior class president-elect, said Ceresnak’s election was an exciting moment.
“Now it’s time to get to work,” Dawkins, a junior in civil engineering, said. Later Wednesday, Ceresenak said this is a great opportunity to hit the ground sprinting. “We can begin working on the things we want to work on,” he said. The four and a half hour wait was much longer than originally projected. Candidates and their supporters passed the time sitting in the Student Senate Chambers while votes were being tabulated. Andrew Tucker, the elections commission chair, said the delays were due to a large amount of write-in votes. “We took every entry seriously,” Tucker, a senior in political science, said, adding that the exception of the write-ins, the elections were “fairly smooth.”
ELECTION RESULTS *Student body president: Jim Ceresnak * Student Senate President: Kelli Rogers * Student Body Treasurer: Elmo Lamm * Student Chief Justice: Mary Frances Woods * Senior Class President: Jay Dawkins * Student Centers President: Marycobb Randall * UAB President: Margo Sauter * Student Media Board of Directors: Al S. McArthur * CHASS Sophomore: Scott Goldsmith, Jermanie O’neal Jones * CHASS Junior: Maritza T. Adonis, Lauren Demanovich, Kelly Hook * CHASS Senior: Celeste Hurtig, Jason Lindsday, and Morgan Donnelly * Ag Institute: Steven Holden * CALS Sophomore: Arialle Crabtree and Erica Brown
* CALS Junior: Kristen Baughman, Ethan K. Harrelson * CALS Senior: Jeanne Chen, Katie Mills, and Missy Kosht * Management: Lynn Clark, Brianne Bower, Phillip Clark, Jessica Humphrey, and Jake Bloodworth * Engineering Sophomore: John Tucker * Engineering Junior: Steve Cosolito, Dustin Ryan Nelson, and Cody Bryant * Engineering Senior: David Bascombe Jr. * Textiles: Heather Chiang * Education: Sarah Center * FYC: Sarah Lindh * Natural Resources: Laura Brown * PAMS: Kelley Maryman *Graduates: Michael Robinson, Lashkmi Ashok * Vet: Amber Musick * Student Centers Board of Directors: Ashley Wagner, Kyle Winters, Matt Gromlich, Anna Rains SOURCE: STUDENTS.NCSU.EDU
ELECTION continued page 3
Senate approves bill to discourage mandatory health care Bill aims to persuade Board of Governors that “N.C. State is different” from other schools in the system Ty Johnson News Editor
The Student Senate voted in favor of the health care freedom act Wednesday night. The bill opposes the implementation of mandatory health insurance on all campuses of the UNC system, and aims to discourage the BOG from requiring all students to have health insurance in order to be enrolled at any system university. The bill estimates that 10 percent of the undergraduate enrollment at NCSU, around 2,200 students, are uninsured and projected costs for health insurance would average about $600 per year. “Health insurance shouldn’t be a requirement to get an education,” Sen. Jeanne Chen, a junior in biochemistry, said.
Chen, who sits on the standing committee on student health, said students already pay a student health fee, and adding mandatory health insurance to education costs is limiting to low-income families. “Adding insurance on top of fees is a double whammy,” Chen said, adding that while mandatory health insurance benefits smaller universities, it could hurt N.C. State’s affordability. “We’re asking the Board of Governors to see N.C. State is different,” she said. Sen. Justin Brackett said that the current financial status of the economy makes it a bad time to increase student expenses. “Right now, we’re in bad economic times,” Brackett said. “It’s not fair to anybody to impose more costs on students.” Brackett also said the policy would keep many students from being able to attend college. “They’re basically telling students if they don’t have or can’t afford health insurance, then they can’t come to school,” he
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“It goes against the purpose of the University.” Sen. Justin Bracket on the BOG’s proposal to require health insurance for all students said. Student Body Treasurer-elect Elmo Lamm opposed the bill, and said the mandatory health insurance is an opportunity for students get health insurance at a lower rate. “I oppose the bill because I support affordable health insurance for all students,” Lamm said. “Students wouldn’t have the opportunity for the good rates if it wasn’t mandatory.” Brackett said the bill would likely not affect “rich families,” adding that it would be the students who already struggle to pay expenses who would suffer the most. “It’s going to hurt poor families on the borderline who can’t afford it,” Brackett said. “The students who are trying
to pull themselves up with an education, but [if they can’t afford the education,] they can’t do it. They have no chance to do it.” Lamm said that an increase in aid will help deviate the extra costs associated with the health insurance expenses. “There’s an expected financial aid increase that should help with expenses,” Lamm said. “The more aid you need to meet your needs, the more the aid [pays], and expected family contribution[s go] down.” Brackett said the BOG’s proposal isn’t conducive to the education of the state’s students and that the extra costs would help no one. “It goes against the purpose of the University,” Brackett said. “I think it’s a bad policy for everybody.”
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University Dining is in the process of beginning a five-year plan for improvements to dining facilities on campus. Among the renovations planned is a Port City Java in Park Shops and a creamery in D.H. Hill that will sell the food science department’s ice cream and dairy products. The creamery will be located in the Erdahl-Cloyd wing. Randy Lait, the director of Dining services, said the location wasn’t the most spacious, but it would be a pleasant addition to the library. “It’s not very big, but it’ll be nice,” Lait said. The creamery will be ready for business by April, but construction is ongoing, Lait said. “It’s almost finished,” Lait said. “The contractor is working on some things... light fixtures are going in, flooring is being put down.” The creamery will act as more of a full-service ice cream shop than the one located in Talley Student Center, Lait said. The ice cream that will be sold is produced by the University and named “Howling Cow Ice Cream.” Martha Hall, a junior in environmental science, said the creamery could be a positive, but had concerns since the University has threatened to close the natural resources library due to budget restraints while planning new dining locations. “A creamery is not a bad idea,” Hall said while lamenting that the University’s policy should be “academics before food.” Hall said she could support the creamery but was concerned about the creamery’s proximity to the library’s books. “[It could] become an issue of sticky fingers,” Hall said. Lait expects the Port City Java DINING continued page 3
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Short Title: Health Care Freedom Act Primary Sponsor: Senator Kenneth Webb Summary: A Bill to be entitled an act to strongly discourage the UNC Board of Governors from mandating N.C. State implement mandatory health insurance.
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It’s Gmail See page 4.
SOURCE: STUDENTS.NCSU.EDU
The BOG had the mandatory health care proposal on the agenda for its meeting last Friday, but did not discuss it after it proved controversial, according to Student Senate President Greg Doucette. “When it was discovered that there was student opposition, it was pulled off the agenda,” Doucette said. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford said the BOG will discuss the matter before its next meeting May 8.
Pack split double header See page 10.
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