Technician
thursday march
4
2010
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Increases in gas prices cause frustration Students express anger over sudden spike in gas prices Caroline Barfield Staff Writer
Gas prices fell from $2.66 to $2.58 in the Triangle Area in the middle of last month, but now they are back on the rise and have already surpassed last month’s high. Students across campus are not happy with hike in gas prices and find the rise to be more of a political battle than an actual cost increase in crude oil. Megan Grey, a junior in international economics, said she pays a whopping amount to fill her car just so she can make it to school. “I drive a Mazda Millennia and live an hour away from campus,” she said. “I have to fill my car with premium gas and each trip to the gas station costs me well over $60.” Grey said she thinks gas prices fluctuate more based on the need to finance our economy and the cost of crude oil is not actually changing compared to the prices we pay. “I think gas prices are based on current political needs and not the actual price of oil. The cost for crude oil is not changing half as rapidly as compared to the gas prices at the pump,” Grey said. Grey said gas prices have a tendency to soar when natural disasters come around, but the last big disaster to hit the US was Katrina. “Gas prices shouldn’t be rising as
quickly as they are, but I guess we are lucky, because compared to other countries are gas prices are relatively low,” she said. Garrett Deal, a sophomore in communication, said he didn’t understand why prices have been rising so much seeing as there have been no natural disasters. “There’s no reason for them to jack prices up 30 cents like they have been doing,” he said. “They cite the reason as bad weather in the Gulf [of Mexico], but there hasn’t been any weather there all year so it seems a little fishy to me.” Sam Allen, a senior in biological sciences, thinks the government is completely responsible for the unnecessary rise in gas prices, as the prices have been uneconomically high. “Gas prices are manipulative gouging into the the pockets of every hardworking American,” he said He said it was especially difficult to
fill his tank over the summer. “I took summer class and when having to get gas at least once a week, it makes having to commute hardly economical,” Allen said. “I drive a Toyota Camry and even that was expensive to fill.” Charles Sadler, a senior in electrical engineering, said people will most likely buy gas regardless of the price. “It doesn’t matter if the prices are raised,” he said. “Gas companies don’t care about us and neither does the government because they know we will continue to buy gas regardless of the cost.” Though many driving students have come to terms with the increase in prices, even those who don’t have a car have sympathy for those who do. “I don’t have a car, but gas prices must suck for those who have to buy gas,” Kelly Kocher, a junior in psychology said. “I still feel bad for them.”
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At the BP off of Hillsborough Street, Shiquita Toney, a junior in biochemistry, pumps gas into her Camry Wednesday afternoon. She usually goes to the gas station every other day. “I wait longer to get gas and only drive my car to eat,” Shiquita said about how she saves money on gas.
Service Raleigh organizes Graduate starts non-profit volunteers, benefits community to provide clean water Service Raleigh program coordinates students, locals to help improve Triangle Area
Former N.C. State student launches global non-profit organization providing water to thousands
Katie Maness Correspondent NCSU students and locals will be coming together to give back to the Triangle Area March 27. Brandee Woolard, a senior in electrical engineering and one of the three co-chairs of Service Raleigh, said Service Raleigh is a great way to give back and is entirely organized by students. “[Service Raleigh] Is an organization that matches volunteers to needed projects to the community,” Woolard said. Meaghan Lynch, a junior is psychology and one of the two committee heads of public relations, described the event as being fun and rewarding. Lynch said there is a lot of diversity among the people and the activities within Service Raleigh. “Anyone can participate, we had over 2000 volunteers last year,” she said. “We do a lot of different things, painting a building, putting down soil, planting flowers. You could really be doing anything” Lynch said she thinks volunteering is a good experience for the community and for the individual, and everyone should try to participate. “I think it is a great way to give back to a place we all call home. It is helping the community out. It is an easy way to show your spirit and passion for the community,” Lynch said. Woolard said even if Raleigh is not your home, it is where you go to school and it’s a good event to just have fun with people you know. John Noble, a freshman in business, said he thought Service Raleigh sounded like a very beneficial project for the city. “I would sign up because I feel that
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John Ng, a junior in history, shovels mulch for other volunteers at the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary March 27, 2009 as part of Service Raleigh. Ng was volunteering with the Asian Students Association which worked with the Scholars program to help maintain the trails.
people need to do more for the community and make Raleigh a better place,” Noble said. “I would like to pick up trash on Hillsborough because it is really dirty.” Woolard said the deadline to register for Service Raleigh is this Friday, but anyone can still sign up and all will volunteers have a project to work on. “If you want to volunteer for the event go to the website, www.serviceraleigh.org. There are group, individual, and site liaison registration options,” she said. “Individual registration is for a single person who wants to volunteer. Group registration is for multiple people who want to volunteer together. Site Liaison is for someone who wants to be really involved with Service Raleigh. They actually lead the groups and are the keepers of the T-shirts and all of the event information. They also tell the group where to go.” Lynch said her favorite part about participating is the diversity.
“I think its exciting to see the different people come out,” she said. Woolard said last her group worked to help clean up I-40 “We cleaned up the ramps. No one really cleans those all year. I am glad to be able to have done the project.” Woolard said if you cannot volunteer this year and are interested you can apply for a committee position next fall. She said the committee positions include but are not limited to: (co) Chair, Events Committee, Partners Committee, Public Relations, Resources Committee, Treasurer, Volunteers Committee, and Web Committee “Most of the time the people who apply get on the committee. You can pick what committee you apply for.” Woolard said. “It’s really great for people and a really great experience.”
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impact on rural villages. Since people have a close source of clean water, they do not run the risk of being infected by diseases from contaminated water and children no longer have to walk hours through dangerous areas to gather dirty water and can spend Caitlin Barrett time in school and less time being sick. Staff Writer Hallie Spears, a freshman in the first James Wilde, an N.C. State gradu- year college, said we don’t know these ate, has just started a global non-profit problems exist because of how much organization called Global H2O to we take for granted “The clean water prov ide clea n movement is so imdrinking water to portant and needs to those around the be taken seriously,” world in need. she said. “We as Wilde became A mericans of ten i nt e r e s t e d i n do not realize that clean water issues this problem exists during a trip to because we are forTibet, where he tunate. We all need got dysentery. to be more gracious “I had seen of what we have and water issues but donate so that othnever really expeers are able to have rienced it,” Wilde Robert Guillot, a sophomore in a better quality of said. history life.” Wilde said afWilde was offered ter he began to research clean water crises around $10,000 for an Everest climb from a the world he was struck by the star- software company if he followed their stipulations: he had to use the softtling facts. According to Wilde over three mil- ware to start a non-profit organizalion people die from water-related is- tion. That’s when he put his knowlsues each year and one in eight people edge of water pollution to use and genare affected globally. Wilde said clean water has a massive water continued page 3
“This has made me realize how something such as water is extremely precious to many people.”
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