I would like to express my disdain for the lack of coverage during Black History Month. I feel Technician makes no effort to find the news, especially news that interests students. There has been a program nearly every day this month to celebrate Black History Month and yet Technician has followed up on one. Even still, there was not an article about it; instead, a picture with the caption “ohhhhh yeaaaaahh.” I ask, what does this caption even have to do with the picture, better yet the program? The program to which I am referring was entitled “Too Much Sugar In the Kool-Aid,” which was co-sponsored by the Xi Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and the Collegiate Chapter of 100 Black Men, Inc. This program served to educate the campus about a very serious issues: Diabetes in the black community. However, Technician failed to report on its purpose.
The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs even issued a calendar complete with every program that would be held during Black History Month. I ask, did you even look at this calendar? Several organizations on campus held programs throughout the month including various fraternities, sororities, and political and cultural groups. All these programs served to celebrate and educate black culture and history because it is, in fact, American History. I challenge Technician to become more in touch with its students, to search for events and to do the “unthinkable,” actually ATTEND THESE EVENTS!
Although I am concerned, I am not surprised. I must say KUDOS to the Nubian Message for accurately covering some of these events … and [it is] only distribute[d] ONCE a week!
Deandra DuggansSeniorParks, Recreation and Tourism Business Management
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In today’s [Monday, Feb. 27] editorial page, Andrew Payne wasted an opportunity to urge better salaries for our under-paid office assistants, secretaries and janitors. That is an urgent issue, one worthy of a whole series of columns and articles in Technician.
Instead, however, Mr. Payne attacked NCSU faculty as overpaid. Mr. Payne claims the average faculty salary at NCSU is more than $100,000 per year (really?). What he ignores is academics have one of the longest productive careers of any occupation. Many academics take their first position before they turn 30 and actively teach and write into their 70s. We’re talking about a group whose salary range covers four decades of experience, so it makes sense that some of us earn a lot. But many of us earn very little: A newly minted Ph.D. earns roughly half as much as full professors. In an already underpaid profession, NCSU faculty are slipping ever further behind our peers at other public and private universities. Mr. Payne asks how to apply for my job. I’d be happy to talk to him anytime about the easy and cheap path to a Ph.D. in History: Seven years without income and $40-80,000 in student loans.
Matthew Morse BookerAssistant ProfessorDepartment of History
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I want to point out another reason the rules regarding opposite sex sleepovers need to be enforced. It is very unsafe for a group of girls (especially freshmen) to be forced to live in the same room or suite with a strange man. In some cases, girls will bring guys home who they hardly know. Not only are those girls putting themselves in serious danger (of rape, assault or worse), but they’re also putting they’re roommates or suitemates in danger as well. These rules absolutely need to be enforced.
Student safety is more important than what they believe is their right to sleep with the opposite sex. If they absolutely can’t live without the sleepovers, then they can move off-campus.
Meghan WitzkeSophomoreGraphic Design
