Technician
monday november
30 2009
Raleigh, North Carolina
LUIS ZAPATA/Technician
Junior wide receiver Owen Spencer leaps into the fan section in celebration after the football team defeated UNC-Chapel Hill 28-27 Saturday. Spencer caught two touchdowns in the contest as Tom O’Brien won his third game in three tries against archrival Carolina.
O’Brien improves to 3-0 against Heels For story, see page 8.
University Dining announces updates for next semester New menu options introduced, students able to change meal plan
per week plan, and it gives students unlimited meals in the dining halls and another meal equivalency to be used at the other dining options on Jessica Neville campus every meal period,” Gilmore Staff Writer said. In addition to giving students the University Dining has made changes that may affect students’ decisions chance to change meal plans, Uniconcerning meal plans as they con- versity Dining is also introducing template options for next semester, improvements and new food options as many new menu choices will be to dining next semester. According to Keith Smith, project introduced into campus dining halls manager for the dining improveafter winter break. According to Jennifer Gilmore, ments, University Dining began dismarketing and communications cussing changes with in-house manmanager of University Dining, every agers and chefs. “We also included a focus group of first-year student who lives on campus is required to purchase an on-campus students in the process by passing out meal plan. Upperclassmen as well as menus and asking them to mark items students who live off campus are eli- they liked and didn’t like,” Smith said. “Our goal is gible for meal plans. to include the foods Students with meal students like in our plans can elect to menus more often change to a different and also improve on plan by Jan. 30. the foods students Gilmore said there didn’t like.” are three types of Fountain Dining meal plans students Hall will receive a can choose from: the new brand of FreFreedom pass plan, schetta pizza in the meals-per-week spring, because the plans and mealsJennifer Gilmore, University quality of pizza was a per-semester block Dining marketing and major complaint for plans. Along with communications manager students who eat in the meals compoFountain, according nent, students also purchase Board Bucks to be used at to Gilmore. “We received input from a vegetariC-Stores and vending machines with an and vegan focus group and decided their plan. “Students should evaluate their to improve our tofu, add hummus to current meal plan and determine if our salad bar and add a few new enthey could use more or less meals next trees,” Gilmore said. “In addition, we semester,” Gilmore said. “It is also im- have a few new specialty bars and a portant for students to consider their reorganized omelet station.” Daniel Marcus, a junior in technical schedule for next semester to see if their eating patterns will change. In education, served on the vegetarian addition, students should look at how and vegan focus group. “Our group gave feedback to help much Board Bucks money they will Dining improve options for vegans need.” Students can choose to purchase and vegetarians,” Marcus said. “I don’t Board Bucks in $100, $200 or $300 have a meal plan right now but I will amounts. Board Bucks carry over next semester, primarily because of from semester to semester but not the changes Dining is going to introfrom year to year, according to Gilm- duce. I think vegetarians and vegans will be very happy with the new opore. “We are really trying to promote the tions.” Freedom Pass plan because it is not much more money than the 14-meal MEALS continued page 3
“Our goal is to include the foods students like in our menus more often.”
by Sarah Tudor
Will you change your meal plan for the next semester? Why or why not?
“I’m not changing my meal plan because I have 100 meals per semester and it’s really flexible.” Stephanie Connor junior, psychology
“Yeah, I’m going to change it to less meals so I can get more variety, for eating out.” Fahad Khan sophomore, microbiology
Student Government looks to pass Red Terror Transit Growing cost too much for SG to handle alone
Who’s using it?
Laura Wilkinson Staff Writer The Red Terror Transit, which shuttles students to and from home football games and Tobacco Road basketball games, may become the responsibility of Transportation or the Athletic Department as Student Government is looking to end its connection with the program. Jay Dawkins, senior class president, said there are a lot of questions surrounding the future of Red Terror. “We thought students should have a way to get to the football games from on campus,” Dawkins said. “At the time the cost of doing so was fairly minimal because there weren’t a lot of riders.” But as ridership increased, the cost of the transit program did as well. With recent budget cuts, Dawkins said SG is having more problems funding the system. “It started off as maybe costing $2,000 to $3,000 a year, something Student Government could afford,” Dawkins said. “It quickly grew into something that’s costing upwards of $15,000 a year, which is a big chunk of the Student Government budget.” Tim Lipka, deputy chief of staff to the student body, said although the student body president four to five years ago began the program, the plan was to pass it off to Transportation after a year or two. “Student Government is to design programs and to start programs and pass off big-ticket programs to departments that can better handle them,” Lipka said. “I’ve had to design routes, do ridership numbers … decisions
Ridership and cost to run Red Terror Transit at recent football games:
insidetechnician “No, because I m very active and I eat a lot, so unlimited works for me.” Elizabeth Hooker freshman, business administration
Red means go.
2 for $20 @ NC State Bookstores
Duke: 622 riders, $479 Maryland: 717 riders, $1,457 Clemson: 726 riders, $1,457* UNC: 717 riders, $1,457* *Estimated Source: Tim Lipka
like that need to be made at University Transportation.” Lipka said SG is negotiating with Transportation for it to take over the operation of the system. “We need to provide some stability for the program,” Lipka said. “We are not Transportation professionals. We’ve got to transition this program. It’s become too big for us to handle. They can plan it better than we can.” Dawkins said it is a stretch for SG to say they provide transportation, but there are several questions that need to be addressed. “Where is the service going in terms of how it is structured and how it is organized? Who organizes the routes?” Dawkins said. “Who’s going to pay for it if Student Government doesn’t pay for it? There are many people who would want Athletics or Transportation to fund it. Historically their budgets have not been set up to fund it. When you look at Athletics … finding a way to incorporate transportation is a little fuzzy.” Dawkins said Athletics would have additional problems with handling Red Terror.
TRANSIT continued page 3
Preparing for veterinary school takes time and effort See page 5.
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