Hip-hop artists not excused from intoleranceI’ve come to agree in part with Joy’s “Big Man on Campus” article that misogyny and sexism are rampant in today’s reality and many times do get “swept under the rug.” Yet, I’m having a hard time digesting “Cousin Jeff’s” view of hip-hop videos and their exploitation of women, which can be painfully confirmed by simply viewing the antics by some of today’s popular rap/hip-hop artists.Correct, these artists didn’t invent sexism, but what entitles them to continue their nauseating behavior? Who cares when and where sexism was created? I didn’t create racism or bigotry, and surprisingly enough, I didn’t inherit it either. Somewhere along the way, I learned that it was wrong.We’ve got to find a way to slap it out of them rather than appeasing their behavior. Tell them it’s wrong! Yes, rap videos may be the latest scapegoat in a long-lasting battle with intolerance, but don’t let them off the hook with lame excuses as if it’s not their responsibly or they don’t know any better. Whoever “Cousin Jeff” is, please tell him to stop justifying such revolting behavior with the old “he hit me first” claim. Grow up. L.A. Brown IVSeniorBBM

Lottery a wasteI agree with Todd that investing your money is much better than spending it on the lottery. You will get a significantly higher rate of return through an investment (which will really add up if you invest $1 per day in stocks or a Roth IRA account). The lottery, in my opinion, is a pure waste of money. The likelihood that you will win $100,000 is less than one in a million.I am not sure why people spend so much of their hard earned money on the lottery. It is almost equivalent to flushing good money down the drain. The only good thing about the lottery I can think of is the funds will be used to support schools and education. But can’t that be done directly by setting some money aside for that purpose rather than having a lottery?Maybe the hundreds of billions that were spent on the war in Iraq could have been greatly used to reduce tuition rates, fund community colleges, support grade schools, give teacher raises, etc. We don’t need an official lottery to find the money.

Praveen SriramSenior AIS

Commission is misguidedWill Langley had his campaign signs out before any of his competition. Everywhere you go, you see things promoting his campaign. For some douche-bag like Will Quick to try and get Langley disqualified is outrageous, and the only reason I can think he would be doing it is because he’s scared he didn’t win. The most ridiculous part of the situation is, at best, Quick will get a re-vote. He is hoping that Langley’s “bad” publicity will swing the votes his way. Or, as is more likely, everyone with a brain and access to Technician‘s article yesterday will change their minds about voting for the whiny child that Quick has shown himself to be.As for Quick’s campaign and why the sore loser wants to disqualify a potentially great SBP: Quick only has signs up saying, “Click on Quick.” Why should I? I can rhyme too, Big Bird.I’m sure when someone pulls nine during a game of Circle of Death he’s always on top of his game. Way to go, champ. Quick’s platform is lofty and ridiculous — and completely out of touch with the average student’s agenda.Will Quick is a Student Government geek who knows that he got out-done in this election and is trying to cover it up by making Will Langley seem like a cheater.Mr. Student-Senate-is-the-end-all-be-all-of-college Quick, why don’t you spend your time doing something more productive and worthwhile than being the lame sore loser that you are?

Camden CarverJunior History Education

Leave Langley on ballotWhy Will Langley? Was it because he finally brought fun and energy back to the campus during the Student Body elections? Or was it because hefound ways to get votes the other candidates didn’t? The way I seeit, Will broke no regulations intentionally.There may have been chalk within the fifty feet of the polling sites (who uses them?) but so was a tremendous Cody Williams banner — and how close was the chalk? Was it 49.5 feet away from the site or was it two feet away from the site? No one really ever answered that question or bothered to ask the candidates to remove the materials like it says in the statutes.Secondly, the e-mails from Mario Williams and from the two Pan-Hellenic presidents were sent by those individuals to their friends and acquaintances, not by Will Langley, so therefore no regulation was broken.So does banning this kind of campaigning set a precedent that Technician can’t endorse candidates anymore? Does this mean that College Republicans can’t endorse candidates anymore? Elections Commission, you will make a huge mistake if you disqualify Will Langley from the ballot.I want my Bojangles’ Special.

Crystal KaneSophomoreBiological Sciences

Langley was jokingAnyone who knows Will Langley knows he’s a fun, outgoing, joking guy. He clearly made the “coercive” comment solely in jest. If he gets anything more than a notification for making his “coercive” comment, than the Elections Commission has shown its lack of reason, thus failing to act as people. Instead they are acting like a spiteful body that has a vendetta for amusement.

Kelly A. SmithJuniorPolitical Science

Don’t disqualify LangleyWill Langley represents all students, full- and part-time alike. He has a vision; he has goals, and he has the drive to obtain those goals and provide us with leadership in the office that we haven’t seen in a while and the kind of leadership that will attract other students to get involved in elections. Disqualifying Will seems unfair to him and the student body; I would strongly advise not doing it.

Robyn DanielSophomoreCommunication

Rules are rulesI have this funny feeling that Will Langley won. Does it make sense otherwise that the commission would withhold the elections results? But why are they trying to disqualify Will? He didn’t overspend his budget; he contacted his friends and acquaintances and asked them to vote for him; and he chalked the campus with his message. Some of the chalk may have been under an overhang, but the intent of that rule is so that it will wash away in the rain; do not tell me that the “spray chalk” for Cody William’s campaign is in line with the original intent of this rule.Will is becoming the scapegoat for a plethora of oversights by theElections Commission. If the e-mails are illegal and worthy of disqualification, how do you justify letting Cody Williams overspend his limit even though the statutes clearly state that all materials must be purchased at fair market value. Just some background information, Cody Williams bought a large sum of T-shirts and listed them for an outrageously low price on the expense report and it came out to cost him just over $100. Members of the Elections Commission and Will Langley’s campaign investigated the matter and called the company to get a “fair market value quote” for the shirts that came out to be $485.Now, Presidential candidates are only allowed to spend $500 ($550 after Stafford so generously donated money to each campaign). It’s painfully obvious that $15 does not cover the spray chalk, the banners, the nice professionally done flyers he handed out at Fountain Dining Hall or the boards he has up all over campus. The Elections Commission is making a serious mistake if it disqualifies Will Langley while overlooking Cody William’s campaign finance scandal.

Alan MarksSeniorPolitical Science

Langley for presidentWill Langley is the only candidate with the energy, ideas and charisma to bring students into Student Government. Will Quick didn’t do it while he was the Student Senate president, and Cody Williams didn’t exhibit any kind of skill with Homecoming that was particularly impressive. I want Will Langley to be my student body president.

Lauren ShupingJuniorCommunication

Langley gets my voteAfter the Pirate Captain pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes last year and proved how silly SG really is, the powers that be have decided that any other “threat” to the quasi-seriousness that is Student Government should be thwarted.Such is the plight of SBP-candidate Will Langley.With a great attitude toward student service and platforms that are attainable, Langley has set himself above and beyond the other candidates with his unique brand of ingenuity. Not only are these qualities what make him the best option for SBP, but they are the reasons why people feel threatened by him. He breaks the mold of the “politician” students who only speak to my fellow students once a year when election time rolls around. It is my understanding that there has been advocating by Langley’s opponents for the destruction of Langley’s campaign signs. This is very apparent by the state of shambles that most of his sandwich boards are in today. It has also been brought to my attention that another candidate was allowed to step over or around some of the financial rules placed on the campaigns. How are these rule violations more “acceptable” than those alleged to have been committed by Langley? If the same type of student is elected to SBP as in the past, then SG will remain the laughing stock of N.C. State, and nothing will continue to get done. So let us break the mold and elect a person who can liven things up and have SG be an organization in which students believe. I am voting Langley and everyone else should, too! Quint CowardSeniorBiochemistry