Someone said the reason for a newspaper is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and the Viewpoint section exists to say things that others would not dare to say. I intend to do just that. I always hear people whispering about their secret desire to be at Carolina, some are even bold enough to wear full Carolina gear on game days. Truth is, they weren’t accepted at Carolina so they came here. Others believe the myth Carolina and Duke are our rivals. Truth is, they don’t consider us their rivals — they consider each other rivals, just look at the rankings. In the ACC rankings, Duke and Carolina are #1 and #2 in men’s basketball and the women are ranked nationally #1 and #2, respectively.

There are even those who believe there are so many men at N.C. State the male to female ratio is like 8:1, which is what I was told when I was applying. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, since the ratio is almost 1:1. Parents are also led to believe our campus is one of the safest in the area, but considering recent headlines we all would have to disagree with that. From my freshman year when people were being pick-pocketed in D.H. Hill, to the tailgate shootings and now the recent larceny and car jacking incidents — this campus is looking just as dangerous as any.

There are many myths about this University and its bricked exterior, but the primary one that concerns me is the issue of competitiveness. According to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges & Universities, Duke is ranked #5, Carolina #27, and then us at a dismal #78. It is a known fact that our University has yet to get the true rankings that we deserve.

Although we have a College of Veterinary Medicine that ranks in the top four in the nation and a new MBA program, that seems dismal compared to the standard on Tobacco Road of having both a law school and medical school. Our competitors have large private endowments, graduate schools in law, medicine, divinity and business and other “non-land grant” advantages. These are things we don’t have and we still somehow manage to compete in the areas of research, funding, national rankings and corporate recruitment.

So, are we truly competitive? This caused me to think of some other questions. What other university in the Research Triangle Park area is the main source of full-time hires in major Fortune 500 companies like IBM, GlaxoSmithKline and Nortel? What other university on Tobacco Road has dedicated a part of its campus where major corporations and research labs can set up offices on campus to connect directly with the students? What other university in our area creates an environment that encourages and thrives upon a focus on undergraduate research and internship experience? What other university in the Triangle has nanotechnology, clean room facilities or textile engineering facilities like ours? What other university has started a citywide, and later statewide, service event like Service Raleigh that is recognized officially by the state of North Carolina?

Each year we take the top national awards, like the Gates, Mitchell, Fulbright, Goldwater, Hertz and other National Science Foundation fellowships. Our faculty includes people like professors Donald Bitzer, Donald Brenner, Dave Bradley, First Lady Mary Easley and others who have made groundbreaking discoveries in their respective research areas or served the greater North Carolina community in prestigious positions. Granted, our ranking is relatively dismal and there is much work to be done — but this University is far greater than what the numbers say.

We, the students and faculty, determine the competitiveness of our school both academically and athletically. Our success is the success of the University. When we fail, cut corners and compromise we hurt the prestige of our University. We decide daily what the perception and prestige of our University will be.

Don’t sing the fight song if you are not willing to fight. Willing to fight for the prestige of your University, your college, your department, your degree.

E-mail Joy at [email protected]