Talley fee irresponsible in long-term

I must say that I am quite concerned with the directions that NC State has been taking lately. Most notably with Rally4Talley fee of $83, which is misleading, 2012-13, it will be $275 for close to 30 years. I feel as though this fee will end up burdening on the financials of students over four to five years, over an extra grand to tuition.

Now tell someone poor who just got into college, that they have to take out more loans for a building we already have (granted it does suck), and will inconvenience them while they are attending here during construction. The University needs to look at whether it is more important to provide an excellent education, or make campus look pretty.

With classes being cut, and tuition already going up, no paper, etc. that even though it is cheaper, we cannot afford it. Yes, I could buy a house now because it is cheaper than it will be when I can afford it, but the fact is, I cannot afford it now. It is irresponsible spending like this that got us into the current economic situation. I would say that it is good to support a new student center, but not right now, wait a few years when we can afford it, and have all the logistics on where the money comes from. As a Senior, I feel it is my duty to look from the perspective of an incoming freshman.

Jared Chiusano

senior, biological sciences

Online assessment tools have weaknesses

Reading the column on WebAssign printed in today’s Technician brings up a few thoughts. This semester I have assignments in WebAssign, Mcgraw-Hill Homework Manager, Vista, and a program called Course Compass. That means I have four online homework programs to juggle. I had to pay for three of them. Not only was it expensive, but none of them work well! WebAssign is the most streamlined of them all but it still has its problems.

What bothers me the most is trying to keep up with all of them. It’s easy to be prepared for class and bring in your homework when you know the class meets at the same time and day every week. But having to turn in homework or complete online quizzes in four different programs adds complication. You have to pay and register for accounts at several different sites. Then you have to learn how to use them all, and some of them (Homework Manager) are quite clunky and difficult. Logging in regularly to all of them to check assignments is time-consuming. Occasionally, the instructor does not even know how to properly use the program.

All of this amounts to frustration, wasted time and money. I never thought I would actually miss working a problem out of a textbook on paper. But its simplicity has appeal.

Ren Babcock Jr.

junior, business administration

Look for alternatives to finance Talley upgrades

I have been hearing a lot of complaining about the Rally4Talley. Let me be the first to admit that the Talley Center does need an upgrade. Talley is outdated and has become one of those places we just do not use anymore because it cannot support the growing population of this university. However, I am like many of the students on this campus asking why should I foot the bill for this, and I will not even get a chance to use it?

So I propose a compromise. Student Government needs to find an alternative way to pay for the new Talley Center, other than raising the fees of students who will not see the completion of this building. When the building is finished, then Student Government may enforce a reasonable fee to help pay for the construction of Talley. This guarantees that those who will reap the benefits of a new Talley will also be the one’s who are paying for it. Now this will enforce a fee to future students, but it is also a fee that will enable those students to have what the current student government is considering a necessity for this campus. I say yes for a updated Talley, but no to my fee increase!!

Buddy Bryson

4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences