It’s time to vote

During student body elections, candidates will make attempts to enlighten you about their backgrounds and visions of what N.C. State would be like under their administration. However, this election specifically stands out from those in the past. Amidst a transition of chancellors, renovation and expansion of the Talley Student Center and the Atrium, an escalating population and expectations for Centennial Campus, as well as transportation concerns, dining issues and more, we are posed with one of the most crucial elections in the University’s history. Your voices will be heard on April 6 and a winner will step forward from each of the races. You will decide the future. Spend a few moments getting acquainted with the students running for office, take a look at their Web sites and platforms and make an informed choice on Election Day. The student body president is a member of the Board of Trustees and executes student initiatives, the Senate president presides over the legislative body responsible for appropriating funds to student organizations and drafting legislation to make changes to university policy, and the treasurer is the person responsible to make sure your valuable money is being used in the best and most effective manner. These candidates are the future of the University. You will decide what the future holds.

Jason Hayes

sophomore, political science

Thank you, University Dining

Ever since I entered N.C. State in the fall of 2007, I have seen University Dining move forward with several great changes.  Some changes included expanding the dining hall hours, opening four Port City Java locations, opening the D.H. Hill creamery and making various improvements to Fountain Dining Hall.

Coming back from spring break, I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the lunch and dinner equivalency rates increased. I was also happy to see the addition of lower-priced lunch options at Port City Java. It is now possible to buy a sandwich, chips and a drink at Port City Java without going over your equivalency rate. It seems my plea for affordable dining options on Centennial Campus (published in the campus forum in Sept., 2008) has finally been answered!

For those who are unaware, the dining halls are now offering a take-out service. This should alleviate overcrowding at both Fountain and Clark and will allow people to get quick meals for long nights of studying. I definitely plan on taking advantage of this and I encourage others to take advantage of it as well.

Thank you for the improvements, University Dining. They haven’t gone unnoticed!

Adam Philyaw

senior, computer engineering

Wilson missed her points

I found many fallacies in the column “Are black women really more masculine?” by Marlena Wilson. The initial argument is the characteristics she places on women in today’s society. While chastity and selflessness may have been the dominant characteristics of women in the 1950s, more and more women are defined by independence today. Alongside that, the chastity characteristic is also not as applicable in this day and age. The concept of waiting to be married to have sexual relations is no longer the accepted norm, as it was predominantly a Christian concept and more people are moving away from that Christian culture. This can be seen in almost any medium today, whether it’s music, movies or even literature. Much of today’s popular culture music, for example, exemplifies how women are no longer the innocent, uncorrupted individuals they were urged to be previously.

Another argument Wilson poses is that throughout history it was the job of black women to keep the family together. This is to imply that white women merely stood back as the husbands took care of them. In actuality, it was the women’s job to keep the family together, and during times of war they were certainly the breadwinners within the household. Also, Wilson states that it was their job to stay active in the church, which is a very bold statement to make. This implies to me that black women are the majority of individuals who stay active in church. As a Christian, and an active member of a church, I find it a big stretch to say this.

Wilson also disregards the struggle of the black man: “Because black men have been disadvantaged from the beginning of time, it was up to the women to pick up the pieces.”

What an extremely far-fetched statement — to suggest since the beginning of TIME, black men have been disadvantaged. But the main point is that Wilson disregards the black male struggle, suggesting it is up to black women to fix that.

I find huge flaws in this column. It means to address the masculinity of the black female and merely dedicates a small paragraph to that concept.

Tyler Croneberger

junior, history