Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Provost and my fellow students – today I come to report to you that the state of N.C. State is good, but not great. The Wolfpack nation is a wonderful place to be, but it has yet to realize and live up to its potential.

The state of students’ wallets is becoming grim. Year after year the students on this campus have to fork out countless dollars due to poor planning by the University and missed deadlines by professors.

Textbooks are an integral part of a student’s learning and education. The cost of books has reached a point where the University needs to enforce the date when professors must have their book lists complete. The failure of professors to meet these deadlines costs students more, and this is unacceptable. It is time for the provost to penalize faculty members who fail to get their book lists in on time.

With the Football Taskforce reconvening and the important issue of tailgating now back on the table, we must look for a sensible solution to the differences in desired policy. Students must work with the administration, and conversely the administration should work with students on this issue. Tailgating is a tradition that is near and dear to the hearts of all the Wolfpack family.

Tailgating should be extended to sunrise the morning of game day, and the ban on hard alcohol should be lifted. With extended hours and the hard alcohol ban lifted, students should continue to give up the right of pass-outs and the ban on kegs. I call for alumni and parents of the University to stand with students in a campaign for extended tailgating hours.

Our division of student affairs has run amok. True leadership is needed in several areas within the department. It is time for someone to step in and correct the wrongs that have been made by the dictatorial powers of Evelyn Reiman and Deb Luckadoo.

Decisions made by these individuals to enact polices that are not in the best interest of this campus have crossed the line. The LGBT Center and the policy regarding strong University control over student leaders and organizations were enacted with little or no student input. Additionally, the will of the majority must be taken into account when making decisions, while at the same time protecting the rights of the minority. Students must have the right to have input in decisions that affect them directly.

It’s now up to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford to step in and clean up his department. Additionally, it is time for Chancellor Oblinger to conduct a five-year review of Stafford’s job performance. I encourage students to let the Chancellor know how we feel about Stafford.

The state of our intellectual development is sound. With the creation of the Millennium Series, the University has brought many thought-provoking speakers to campus. These speakers have not only contributed to the growing minds of students, faculty, etc., but they have also raised the profile of the University. The high caliber of guest speakers has played a big part in stirring intellectual debate on campus. The series should continue to bring in intriguing speakers from both the public and private sector.

Finally, the state of NCSU service is strong. Our students are committed to giving back to not only the campus, but also the community. Pack-A-Thon and Shack-A-Thon are examples of what our students can do to help others. Those that are involved with these and other service events deserve to not only be commended, but also supported.

Our University should strive for greatness. By all means, we aren’t that far off. However, there are issues that need to be addressed and problems that need to be solved. It is only with the cooperation of students, faculty, administrators and alumni that the issues facing the Wolfpack family can best be resolved. Therefore, my fellow students, it is not only up to the chancellor and provost, but you and me to make sure that the state of NCSU goes from good to great.

E-mail Matt your plan for greatness at [email protected].