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Theft, trespassing increasing on campus
STORY BY DANIEL ELLIS | GRAPHIC BY HEIDI ADAMS
As it stands, reading days will take place during the Monday and Tuesday after classes end, thus pushing the last day of final exams back to Thursday. This year, all final examinations end within the week and a half span that begins on Monday and ends on Tuesday of the following week. “That wasn’t exactly what we proposed initially,� former Student Body President Bobby Mills said. “What we proposed initially was just to have them on Thursday and Friday. We were going to make up the days by having school start earlier rather than end later.� Regardless, this will effectively increase the time students spend at State by two days. “I’m not really in favor of this,� David Drosback, a senior in mechanical engineering, said. “I really just wanted the reading days to be during the end of dead week.� Reading days were approved by a unanimous vote by the University’s Registration, Records, & Calendar Committee Feb. 5 and eventually approved by the provost. Zach Hester, a junior in aerospace engineering, believes that the committee made a poor choice when deciding to add on to the end of the academic year to substitute for the class time lost due to reading days. “They really should take some off of dead week rather than adding on to the end of the year,� Hester said. “That would mean I would have more time to study without having exams pushing even further into my Christmas break.�
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Raleigh, North Carolina
Reading Days set for fall 2009 DECEMBER W 2009 ith the three-year academic calendar for the 2009 to 2012 years updated to ref lect the newly implemented reading days, a wide array of opinions has been expressed over whether the planned schedule is beneficial for students.
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Holiday season sees spike in crime
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CALENDAR KEY Last week of classes Reading day Final exams Start of winter break
“They really should take some off of dead week rather than adding on to the end of the year� Zach Hester, junior in aerospace engineering Even though Hester wants part of dead week to be replaced by reading days, he believes that as a whole the entire concept of dead week is flawed. “We don’t really need to have projects and stuff due during dead week,� Hester said. “If we had reading days at the end of dead week, we could still easily turn projects in online or on days before if we had to.� The proposal for reading days that would take place during dead week initially came out of a strong initiative from student government official and Academics Committee Chair Am-
ber Joyner. “I was a proponent when it was passed in the committee, and even how it is now I think students will benefit from it,� Mills said. “For this to be coming to fruition is great.� Student Government was in support of ending class on Wednesday, rather than Friday of dead week, which would’ve given students a Thursday to Sunday break from classes and assignments before their final exams. Student senator Morgan Donnelly said labs were a reason why the calendar does not split dead week with three dead days and
REGISTRATION, RECORDS & CALENDAR COMMITTEE DECISION: This recommended calendar has now been reviewed and adjusted based on committee, faculty, faculty senate, associate dean, and student feed back, and, if approved, includes:
• Reading Days which will occur on the Monday and Tuesday of our current exam week. • Finals that will now run through Thursday instead of Tuesday. • The fall semester will start on a Wednesday, which facilitates move-in, administrative issues, and Wolfpack Welcome Week.
two reading days is because there needs to be a certain number of days for each lab, and splitting dead week would have violated that. “There are pros and cons, but in the long run it will be beneficial academically for students, which is after all the reason why
• Fall graduation will now move to Saturday, instead of Wednesday, which should help families. • Spring semester will start on a Monday, instead of Wednesday, which will help with lab courses and courses that only meet on Mondays. • Spring break will not occur on Founder’s Day, which will allow more campus activities.
SOURCE: REGISTRATION, RECORDS & CALENDAR 2007-2008 ANNUAL REPORT
we’re here,� Mills said. “It’s going to help as far as preparation goes.� During the campaign for reading days, Joyner and others collected more than 1,700 signatures on a petition READING continued page 3
Economy falters after suffering multiple blows Stores hope spending won’t impact post-Black Friday spending Alison Harman Features Editor
This year’s economy has seen unemployment rates higher than they have been in 10 years.This was the first blow to a weakened economy. It’s seen mortgage lenders hand out subprime, or 100 percent, mortgages to people who couldn’t pay them off. This was the second, and it brought on the swift downfall of investment banking giants like Wachovia and Merrill Lynch. After suffering multiple series of 1-2 punches that turned stock market indexes on high volatility mode, the National Bureau of Economic Research delivered the final blow when it officially announced the economy has been in a recession since December 2007. The Dow fell back 680 points. Although revenue from Black Friday — and news of whether it was successful — will not be announced until Dec. 4, store employees like Ed Canipe of Wal-Mart are hoping consumers’ holiday spending lasts through the month. DANIEL TANAKA/TECHNICIAN
Omar Hassan, a junior in psychology, and Sonya Zaghloul, a sophomore in biological sciences, laugh while waiting in line outside Best Buy at Crossroads Plaza Nov. 27 before Black Friday. “I’m waiting in line to buy some laptops,� Hassan said.
Daniel Ellis Deputy News Editor
During the holiday season, many students are excited about spending time with family, friends and shopping. While the economy may receive a boost from the increased spending during Black Friday and the subsequent holiday shopping period, students victimized by theft face a much harsher reality. “It makes me a little uneasy, but I don’t really leave stuff in my car because I know it’s a possibility that it will get stolen,� Kalie Porterfield, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, said. “I don’t really get nervous about it though� Campus Police Chief Tom Younce notes the holiday period provides prime opportunities for those eager to take advantage of unaware students. “Most of the crime that occurs around this time is opportunist,� Younce said. “Packages that are visible in cars after people go shopping are easy targets for theft.� Younce notes that students must be observant of their surroundings and be smart when carrying valuables. “We notice a lot more theft with people leaving things around,� he said. “Students just need to be more aware.� The winter wonderland isn’t just jovial for those wishing to drink eggnog and celebrate the festivities, but also for those with sticky hands. Younce states the thick clothing worn by individuals allows for even easier storage of stolen goods. “When people are wearing such heavy clothing it gives them an easy opportunity for them to commit robberies,� he said. Aside from theft, Younce also notes that trespassing has seen an increase during the last few weeks. “This is the time of the year when homeless folks are looking for a place to sleep in the buildings,� he said. “People that we’ve previously trespassed come in out of the cold and get arrested for second degree trespassing.� Chris Mills, a sophomore in environmental technology, recalls a recent incident when a suspicious individual from offcampus approached him. “When I was near Nelson Hall, I met a man who was obviously lying saying that his carburetor CRIME continued page 3
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Dewey Corn closes in on 400 consecutive games See page 8.
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