March for Our Lives exemplifies student activism on international level

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PAGE 3 • MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2018

March for Our Lives exemplifies student activism on international level

Mary Dare Martin

News Editor

Isaac Bjerkness

Assistant News Editor

Alicia Thomas

Assistant News Editor

Survivors and those affected by gun violence and mass shootings led hundreds of thousands in the March for Our Lives protest on the streets of Washington D.C. and in cities across the world Saturday to demand change in gun legislation.

The March for Our Lives rally was organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who, in the wake of the deaths of 14 classmates and three staff members, began protesting gun violence on a national level.

David Berke, the parent of Alyssa Berke who currently attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said that he thinks what makes this rally different than those prior is that people are fed up with the same endless narrative.

“I think at this point people have just had enough and unfortunately it happened in our community,” Berke said. “Our community is behind our kids 100 percent, so I think with the support of the parents and the strength of these children, and just the nation being tired of seeing this on the news every week, they can make change.”

Ariel McLemore, an alumna of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and second-year at the University of Central Florida, said she was not surprised by the actions taken by her former classmates.

“Students at Douglas, we have that capability to do that,” McLemore said. “We have a lot of smart, capable, high-achieving students that want to make a difference. It takes one shooting for it to start a movement.”

Across the globe, there were more than 800 sibling marches in addition to the march on Washington D.C. Rory McCarthy, a senior at Annapolis High School in Annapolis, Maryland, said she attended March for Our Lives in D.C. because she wanted to protest in the nation’s capital.

“This is the country’s capital, this is where all the big guys meet,” McCarthy said. “These are the people who make our decisions and the closer we are, the better. I support all of the sister marches but it just so happens that I live close enough that I felt really good about being able to come to the D.C. march.”

Dani Herman, a kindergarten teacher from Denver who attended the march with her infant son, said she traveled to D.C. because she wanted to see change for the safety of future generations.

“I just felt like enough is enough,” Herman said. “We can’t be quiet and at this point, it’s his future, he has to be able to go to school and be safe, and, for that, it’s worth it to get on a plane and come here and show Congress that they have to do something.”

The march was attended by a variety of different people including students, teachers, parents, grandparents and others who were looking to demand stricter gun laws. Many carried signs or wore the color orange, which is the official color of gun control advocacy. Tristan Jones, a junior at Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, said his sign reflects what he believes should be done about gun violence.

“I would like to see some change that will result in saving lives and change in the mentality of people in America,” Jones said. “My sign says, ‘Kids over guns not guns over kids.’ I want to say that young people’s lives are the most important and that should be reflected in our legislation.”

Anna Crisp, a teacher at Robbinsville High School in Robbinsville, North Carolina, is new to teaching and has already experienced effects from the ongoing fear of school shootings in the United States.

“It is my first year teaching, and I have already been involved in four school lockdowns since I started teaching in December,” Crisp said. “People teaching in the school systems and people who have kids in schools are ready for change however they can get it.”

Students also shared how their experience with gun violence has impacted them, their friends and the nation as a whole. Dawson Cohen, a senior at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, has friends from Marjory Stoneman Douglas and has felt the impact from February’s shooting.

“My school is about 15 miles away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and I have seen how gun violence and shootings have impacted a lot of my friends,” Cohen said. “I have friends that have friends who were killed in the shooting. It has been really difficult on the people where I am from. It has made a mark on our lives.”

Many attendees wanted to show support for Parkland students, like Becca Greenhouse, a graduate student at George Washington University. She viewed her time volunteering as a way of honoring those impacted by gun violence in schools.

“I think that volunteering is just one of the ways to show support not only for Parkland students, but students in general,” Greenhouse said. “I think it is amazing that something this large of a scale was put on by students. It’s not only a response but tells of bravery and courage of this generation. They are fighting for our country, and that is amazing.”

Protesters heard from speakers at the march who are survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School including Jaclyn Corin, David Hogg, Sarah Chadwick and more. Other speakers affected by gun violence, two as young as 11, shared stories of their experiences with gun violence and demanded that action be taken to prevent it in the future. Celebrity musical guests also performed, including Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and Miley Cyrus.

Emma Gonzalez, who was the last Parkland student speaker at the event, said that it only took six minutes and 20 seconds for the shooter to alter the lives of the community forever. After she spoke, she remained on stage for four minutes in silence.

“Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds,” Gonzalez said, breaking her silence. “The shooter has ceased shooting, and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”

SAMUEL GRIFFIN/TECHNICIAN Protesters flooded Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. in support of the March for Our Lives, an event held on March 24 partially organized and featuring speakers from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Similar marches occurred across the United States and overseas.

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PAGE 4 • MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2018

NC State alumni make up one of the largest volunteer groups serving in the Peace Corps

Freja Carlson

Staff Writer

The Peace Corps has volunteers from all over the country, but NC State has the 12th largest volunteer base. With the variety of opportunities NC State provides, students are given access to volunteer opportunities while pursuing their degrees which has led to more student interest in joining after graduation.

NC State alumna Anna Martin is an NC State Peace Corps recruiter having formerly spent time with the Corps in Africa. She now shares with students why they may want to consider the Peace Corps after graduation.

“Sometimes I get blank stares in the classrooms from people because they never thought about using their skills outside of North Carolina or the U.S.,” Martin said. “When they hear there is a chance for them to use their skills in a unique way, I often hear from them a week later wanting to know how they can use their agriculture or engineering skills outside of the normal realm.”

Martin hosts a variety of different information sessions with other volunteers that have served in different areas to give students more information about what it is like to serve abroad. She also emphasizes that there are many opportunities on campus that encourage students and give them a taste of what it is like to not only travel abroad, but to volunteer abroad.

“There are so many different opportunities around campus that encourage students to go abroad, such as the alternative spring breaks where they can serve abroad, or even opportunities to serve in the RaleighDurham area with different communities,” Martin said. “There are a lot of different opportunities that introduce NC State students to serving in other countries.”

Adam Culley, the assistant director of CSLEPS, is in charge of the Alternative Service Break program and attests to the fact that the trips are a good stepping stone for students looking to serve abroad.

“The alternative service break trips are not voluntourism trips, but experiences where the focus is to immerse students in learning about the different communities they are staying in,” Culley said. “Students learn about the different social justice issues associated with different communities and engage in service-learning experiences.”

For students interested in traveling abroad who cannot spend a whole semester abroad due to class schedules or other outside factors, the trips provide students a chance to glance into what it may be like to experience other communities without the initial longterm commitment.

Culley and Martin both encourage students to study abroad if they have the chance, go on one of the alternative service break trips or spend time volunteering in their communities.

The Alternative Service Break trips also have an academic learning angle to them since students must prep for the trips beforehand to learn about leadership, budgets, and how to make meaningful connections. The skills and information learned through these trips are ideal for preparation to potentially joining the Peace Corps after graduation where they are able to utilize these skills as well as skills associated with their majors.

To learn more about these opportunities students can find alternative service break information at the CSLEPS website and email peace-corps@ncsu.edu to ask specific questions regarding the Peace Corps.

COURTESY OF NC STATE NEWS

Jewish studies minor on the horizon

Connor Fraley

Correspondent

Change is in the works at NC State as its selection of degrees is set to expand with the addition of a new minor in Jewish studies.

As early as next spring, students at NC State will be able to explore and pursue their interests in the field and receive an academic credential for their efforts. A minor would consist of five classes from a pre-approved list of courses that relate to some facet of Judaism in history, language, religion or social interaction.

Bill Adler, distinguished university professor of religious studies, spoke to this property of the subject.

“Judaism is such an area that overlaps so many different disciplines,” Adler said. “It’s just like religious studies in general; it is by nature multi-disciplinary. … Studying any religion forces you to look at it from many different angles.”

Adler also wants students to study what they find interesting and to take classes that fit their personal preferences.

“We would like students to be able to tailor their coursework to their specific interests so if they have political science interest they can take courses that are oriented in that direction,” Adler sad. “If you’re interested in studying Middle Eastern history, you might want to know about the origins of Zionism and the founding of the Jewish State.”

Although a topic like Jewish studies does not appear to offer much value to a prospective student, Adler explained the draw of the topic.

“I would say, though it seems a little arcane for some students, it’s connected

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PAGE 5 • MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2018

Composting and waste bins implementing change for University’s waste footprint

Kelly Granger

Correspondent

New composting and waste bins placed in Talley Student Union and Witherspoon Student Center have an impact on reducing NC State’s waste in the last two months by saving waste from sitting in landfill streams and impacting the landscape in a negative way.

The new waste bins were first placed in Talley because the vast amount of people that come and go through that building on any given day. Nessa Stone, the operations manager for Waste Reduction and Recycling, was the one who initially placed these bins in Talley to begin the project.

“Talley is kind of like a flagship building for campus standards for a building, design and construction.” Stone said. “I think the implementation there first is important, and it touches so many people on a daily basis. The next progression was to move the program to Witherspoon and help them update their bin standards to include the composting.”

Part of the strategic plan for the University is to expand composting on campus. Trying to find the most cost effective and strategic locations around campus to implement is important to the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling.

Adam Bensley, the waste diversion coordinator for Waste Reduction and Recycling, works alongside Stone to implement the new waste bins around campus.

“At Talley things are going great,” Bensley said. “One of the reasons that things are so successful at Talley and that it is now moving to Witherspoon is that we have a lot of support from campus enterprises, TJ Willis especially. He’s a real champion for waste diversion and kind of oversees Talley and Witherspoon for certain aspects of it. If the program is to successfully work in Talley, then it can work in other, less visited locations as well.”

The project originated in 2009 in dining halls, like Fountain, Clark and Case, due to their excessive food waste from food preparation and uneaten food.

“Dining halls were a huge proponent when the programs first started to reduce their waste and create a composting program around their needs and it’s expanded through interaction with students and faculty and staff,” Stone said.

More recently, Stone added composting bins to restrooms for the paper towels to be put in.

“The restroom composting of paper towels is a great way to introduce composting to people who may have not of experienced composting in their daily lives,” Stone said.

Since adding the restroom composting, the waste collection has expanded in the last two months alone from being picked up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to being collected up to six days a week. This has doubled the compost pickup for Talley alone. Students have done a better job at being cautious with what they are throwing away thanks to the new waste bins that have signage informing students and staff where the waste is going.

Waste Reduction and Recycling, essentially recycling organic waste, is going even further than just recycling the waste that they gather to compost.

“The compost process is actually turned back into soil amendments and reused on campus,” Stone said. “That material is actually finding another purpose, which is a different step in the recycling process.”

Bensley also commented on how composting is a positive alternative to landfill waste.

“In the landfill, it just sits there,” Bensley said. “It’ll breakdown and produce methane gas and is always there. With composting, it gets a second life and is a really, really important soil amendment. We use it in flower beds, landscape like Court of North Carolina and the turf grass as well.”

Because of student support, composting efforts are aiming to expand across NC State to areas such as residence halls in the near future. Waste Reduction and Recycling wants students to have the best recycling options to have better accessibility and expand waste reduction options across campus.

ELIJAH MORACCO-SCHELP/TECHNICIAN New waste and composts bins can be found in Talley Student Union and Witherspoon Student Center, brought in by the Sustainability Council at NC State. The organization exists to reduce waste and advance sustainability on campus.

MINOR

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with so many contemporary issues,” Adler said. “As a minority group, people are interested in this question of how minority groups fit into whatever nation they happen to find themselves in. Judaism is a perfect example of that. There is this question about how Jews navigated in a non-Jewish world.”

Until the program gets bigger numbers, the minor would draw on existing classes. Verena Kasper-Marienberg, a history professor involved with the program, would like to see something like a senior seminar as part of the program.

“From every specialty, you gain now a chance one time in your college time to actually intensely study a subject,” Kasper-Marienberg said. “Not just in one course, not just briefly, not just in one paper, just really go into depth in a topic. And whatever that is, that is a value in itself just to that you have a chance to really read yourself into a field and that you have an expertise in something.”

At present, the program is an interdisciplinary academic initiative, but the transition is more of a move on paper as many students have already taken up an interest in the subject. A transition would allow interested students access to a credential for pursuing their curiosity. “We see that, consistently, students take several courses that kind of follow up on each other so there is a consistent interest, but they cannot make it in a minor for now,” Kasper-Marienberg said. “That’s unfortunate because they might take those classes but some they take for no credit or limited credit for different programs.”

This curiosity reaches across the entire history of Judaism.

“Many people, especially when we look at Jewish history, see centrally… the Holocaust and know maybe a little bit about Judaism but very little about what happened between Biblical Israel and the Holocaust; this period is kind of very overlooked,” Kasper-Marienberg said.

Students from all majors are welcome and encouraged to add Jewish studies as a minor in the near future to help flesh out their academic experience.