I am a staff member of the University. I just wanted to say thank you [Andrew Payne] for your editorial on Whil. I have met him on several occasions and have kept up with his year in office. I like his originality. He does interact well with everyone from the Chancellor down to his constituents. I think he has represented this University very well. I’m sorry these few people are jealous and have nothing better to do with their time. One vote for The Pirate Captain!

Sandee ZechmanTransportationTelecommunications Officer

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Well, my voting strategy just got really simple! If you vote for or are sponsoring the bill to impeach the person who an overwhelming number of us voted for, you don’t get my vote if you’re running for an office in the upcoming elections.

Sam FlemingSeniorBiological Sciences

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I’d like to start by saying the impeachment proceeding is absurd. Besides the issue of whether Whil Piavis needs to be impeached, the Student Government has again failed the student body. The first that I hear of an impeachment proceeding against the student body president should not be on the day the bill is to be introduced to the Senate.

Where are the censures? Where are the resolutions chastising Whil Piavis for his actions? If they exist, why hasn’t the student body been adequately informed? Continually this is a problem for the Student Senate in that they cannot manage to communicate with the student body. Before any impeachment bill ever reaches the floor, it should be obvious to the student body that the president has failed. Why, in reading the list of charges against Whil Piavis, have I heard of none of them before now?

Impeachment proceedings are not things that happen behind closed doors. Before the president of the United States was impeached, there was a long process of investigating exactly what it was he had done, and the public knew the charges that would be brought against him before they were ever brought to the Senate floor. I expected that same standard here, but my trust must have been misplaced, as I was caught by surprise by this impeachment bill.

Before this bill proceeds any further, I want the Senate to produce evidence for these charges, as well as documentation showing that steps have been taken to address these issues before this time.

Further, the charges themselves are difficult to justify in my mind. The list of charges brought against Whil Piavis can be found in the impeachment bill, which is online here:http://students.ncsu.edu/senate/bills.php?lid=123&s=05.

Most of the charges are brought under section 25 of Chapter 2, Article 2, of the Student Body Statutes, which states, “The charge of Neglect of Duty shall apply to cases in which an official willful [sic] failed to execute a specific duty to the best of his or her ability.”

That statute leaves a lot of ground for interpretation and it must be proven Whil Piavis neglected his duty willfully.

Other charges are brought under section 27 of Chapter 2, Article 2, which reads, “SBS §1-1.5 defines a pattern of ethical behavior for Student Government Officials. Realizing that in many cases the specific ethical provisions can be mutually exclusive or impractical to obtain to perfection, charges of Breach of Ethical Duty shall be limited to cases in which the breach is both substantial and willfully malicious.”

The burden of proof here rests with the Student Senate to prove that the charges are substantial and that Whil Piavis acted willfully malicious.

The final charge is brought under section 24 of Chapter 2, Article 2, which says, “The charge of Abuse of Power shall apply to cases in which the execution of an official power has been in a manner inconsistent with its just purpose or fair use, to the detriment of the Student Body or the Student Government.”

The Student Senate must prove that the charge is in fact an abuse of power and that Whil Piavis’ actions have been detrimental to the student body or Student Government.

I find that the Student Senate has failed the student body in not informing the student body of the specific issues that are contained within this bill. Also, I find after reading the bill that unless the charges brought against Whil Piavis can be proven to have been willful, malicious and detrimental to the student body or Student Government, a case for impeachment does not exist. I doubt that the charges meet this burden of proof. The Student Senate should drop this bill immediately and move on to other matters.

On a separate matter, Technician has also failed, in that in covering this issue never once were the charges against Whil Piavis printed. How is the student body supposed to be able to form an opinion on this matter unless they know the charges? The charges should have been printed with the article, as they are relevant and important to the issue at hand.

Mark MzykSeniorComputer Science

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I did not get a chance to read all the write-ups about our student body resident until a day late. However, when I witnessed the argument taking place on the Viewpoint page of Technician, I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief. I do not claim to be involved in Student Government, nor do I understand all the issues at hand. I am not taking sides for or against The Pirate Captain. Nevertheless, all the impeachment “hype” (for lack of a better word) seems pointless, what with elections taking place in less than a month. The students voted for Whil Piavis; regardless of their motivation for doing so, that is a decision you (and by that, I mean our senators) need to respect. If you want things to change, step up and change them — but do so without dragging The Pirate Captain, our school and yourselves through the mud in an attempt to get your name in the paper.

Melissa DavenportSeniorMiddle Grades Education

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I just had a comment about freshman Jenny Kornegay’s absurd remark about East Carolina University. Since you’re a freshman, I can safely assume you didn’t transfer to N.C. State from any other University, therefore, you shouldn’t make inferences about other schools. First of all, ECU and NCSU are two different worlds, and they are not even rival schools, so why do you bother criticizing? Secondly, using ECU and STDs in the same sentence is so five years ago, it was a joke … it’s not funny anymore. People always try to find something to rag on ECU about. Why doesn’t anyone mention it has a brilliant medical school and plenty of doctors who got their education in North Carolina got it at ECU? As for impeaching Piavis, I think my fellow students have done a well enough job backing him so that I don’t have to. Go Pirates.

Shelley ThorntonJuniorPsychologyWomen’s and Gender Studies

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Technician staff writer Laura White, in her March 1 piece “Committee Champions Academic Justice,” highlights one campus group’s recent adoption of the Student Bill of Rights; however, White did not get the full story. The Student Bill of Rights, a student legislation originally initiated by a few far right front groups, was authored by ultra conservative David Horowitz, and is anything but “fair and balanced.” Well-meaning students wishing to support this bill must understand where it is coming from. It is a nationwide movement enacted by political groups. These groups seek to control professors in order to further their own agendas. The Student Bill of Rights was written by the conservative think tank Students for Academic Freedom, whose founder, David Horowitz, has lobbied continuously to impose his ideals on higher education. The bill, which claims to protect Academic freedom, in practice, will do just the opposite. It will censor professors by imposing a false standard of political correctness in the classroom, making it impossible for professors to challenge students. There is no place in the classroom for political agendas. Laura White’s article, though well meaning, was misinformed. The only way the University can truly maintain academic freedom is by saying no to any group that seeks to limit it.

Frank DavisFreshmanBiological Sciences

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What happened to Sudoku?

I am disappointed that for the past few days Technician has not had any Sudoku puzzles. I have come to rely on these to get me through some of the slower classes of my schedule. What do you expect me to do now, actually pay attention to the lectures? I hope this trend does not continue after Spring Break so that I can look forward to attending class again.

David GiovanniniSophomore Textile Engineering

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I was reading the article in Friday’s (3/3/2006) issue titled, “SBP candidates face scrutiny.” In the article, there is a reference to a party thrown by Jeremy Georghiou and his associates where they charged their guests for alcoholic beverages. I think it should be pointed out, regardless of the rules of campaigning for student office, that those actions most likely broke N.C. law. Specifically (statutes curtailed to show the relevant clauses):

§ 18B-102. Manufacture, sale, etc., forbidden except as expressly authorized.(a) General Prohibition. – It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, transport, import, deliver, furnish, purchase, consume, or possess any alcoholic beverages except as authorized by the ABC law.(b) Violation a Class 1 Misdemeanor. – Unless a different punishment is otherwise expressly stated, any person who violates any provision of this Chapter shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

§ 18B-304. Sale and possession for sale.(a) Offense. – It shall be unlawful for any person to sell any alcoholic beverage, or possess any alcoholic beverage for sale, without first obtaining the applicable ABC permit and revenue licenses.

I know this type of party is common practice. I’ve been to a fair number myself. However, more students need to be made aware that selling alcohol without a license is illegal even if IDs are checked. I did check with the online ABC records and there was not a permit issued in Mr. Georghiou’s name in the past 60 days. Student legal services informed me in 2003 that without an ABC license, money cannot legally change hands at this type of party. The claim of “just selling cups and not beer” has still been deemed illegal sales because it is an exchange of currency that leads to the obtainment of alcohol. I encourage students to avoid potential criminal charges and do not plan this type of party. This kind of charge can compound potential legal trouble for students when the potential for NPO charges is also considered. Besides, we all love to get free beer from our friends.

Matthew MillerGraduate StudentMarine Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

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The Viewpoint section criticized the Student Senate as being a pretend government. They have no real power. They have no real interest in anything other than improving their own resumes. The Viewpoint is supposed to represent the opinions of Technician‘s editors. If this is true and they really believe the Student Senate is as worthless as most students do, why do they cover it?

Why pander to their attention mongering when you know that’s all they really want from the start?

The editors could say, “Don’t waste your time covering the toy government.”

And it would happen. So do your readership a favor and pretend the pretend government doesn’t exist. I do.

Aaron PeelerSeniorLanguage, Writing, and Rhetoric