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Off the Hook Archive (Sept. 2010 – Feb. 2011)

Off the Hook Archive (Sept. 2010 – Feb. 2011)

June 15, 2010 17-min. read

February 14, 2011

Through NC State’s awesome student newspaper, Technician, I reached out to members of our campus community in hopes that readers will share information with Student Government, and let us know how we can best assist them – let me know your thoughts!

•••••

February 7, 2011

From “The BIG Event” to lectures from our top professors, there’s a lot going on around campus. Most of us are about to take our first exam of the new semester (or just took it), and now we’re all laying out the best way to finish out the year. Currently, Student Government is preparing for a transition phase, as well as finishing up all projects and continuing to communicate about the budget situation and the strategic planning process. Elections are coming up after Spring Break in March, so get ready for those awesome two weeks of campaigning in the Brickyard! As always, email me with thoughts, questions or suggestions you may have, and stay tuned for future posts!

Money

  • Does your student organization need funding?
    • Would you like to start a student organization?
  • Budget Update:
    • Student Government is working with college deans to develop a communication strategy regarding budget updates.
      • This way, more of us will understand what’s going on and how we can express concerns.
  • Message from the Chancellor

Academic Stuff

  • What’s your opinion on Reading Days?
  • Student Success Forum
    • Attending this involves a tiny bit of reading and the willingness to speak up.
    • FREE PIZZA… A shameless incentive, there’s no hiding it.
  • Distinguished Professor Lecture Series
    • More than 100 different professors were nominated by students; 3 have been chosen:
      • Dr. Rupert Nacost, Psychology
      • Dr. David Washington, Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
      • Mr. Phillip Dail, Textiles
  • This will seriously be an unforgettable event: MARCH 1

Community Service

Wolfpack Family

  • GLBT students have been through a lot of unaddressed adversity.
  • I’m proud to say our university has put together a video to show students that it gets better at NC State.

Upcoming Events

•••••

January 11, 2011

Want to win awesome prizes like courtside tickets and t-shirts and signed basketballs at Campout Saturday? Check out these competitions sponsored by Student Government.

•••••

The Sustainability Commission has announced the winning proposals for the 2010-2011 Think Outside the Brick Competition!

  • 1st place and $1,000:
    • Eliza Jones, Bryan Maxwell, Sonum Nerurkar, and Zac Shnell
      • Solar Gazebo
  • 2nd place and $500:
    • Scott Hefner
      • Quad Window Planters
  • 3rd place and $500:
    • Kyle Barth
      • Hall Light Timers

Check out the University’s future Sustainability plans here.

•••••

December 18, 2010

This semester has been ridiculous! Not to make a list or anything, but we have a new chancellor, athletic director and provost. On top of that, NC State was ranked top 20 by fortune 500 company recruiters for developing top-rated graduates (#1 in North Carolina) and the College of Management Friday received a 37 million dollar endowment as part of a $40 million gift from Lonnie and Carol Poole! There’s definitely a lot that NC State students have to be proud of, and my list doesn’t even skim the surface.

On the same note, I’m extremely proud to be a part of Student Government this year. In April, we set forth the following goals:

  • Advocate for a centralized online system for all the different course websites.
  • Address academic advising concerns
  • Help improve transportation
  • Figure out ways to “bridge the gap” between Centennial Campus and Main campus
  • Host Sustainability workshops
  • Create a Wolfpack Student Discounts Program

As of December 18, many of those projects are completed or almost complete, and quite a few additional projects have been added.

  • By the end of June, Wolfware will become the standard for online courses. | UPDATE
  • Academic advising is being incorporated into the new strategic plan as well as a centralized system for inter-campus transfers. Also, NC State administration recognizes the importance of academic advising and has pledged to be mindful of its importance during budget cuts.
  • Provost Arden is looking into the Dead Week policy and how it’s currently being enforced. Student Government has requested that Dead Week be incorporated into every professor’s syllabus.
  • The SG Transportation Commission worked with Transportation to add the new Engineering route. Also, ZipCar will be launched next semester.
  • Dining will be on Centennial Campus next semester!
    • SG will have a booth on Centennial Campus every week next semester in order to continue receiving suggestions about how to make Centennial better and bridge the gap between Centennial and Main Campus.
    • “University Dining is moving to construct a temporary food service facility on Centennial Campus, to be located beside the BTEC building near Engineering Building II. This new food service unit would be constructed from modular kitchen and dining room units assembled together to form a functioning kitchen, serving line, and dining room. Plans call for Chick-fil-A to operate in half of the service area, while the other half of the service area would offer a rotating menu of freshly prepared items, such as salads, wraps, pasta, stir fry, or home-style foods. There will be in excess of 200 seats inside, and a deck outside with about 60 seats. We have been working on this for the past six months and hope to be fully operational by March.” – Jennifer Gilmore, University Dining
  • The SG Sustainability Commission has already hosted two sustainability workshops. These workshops brought student groups with a sustainability focus together with the Office of Sustainability to discuss partnerships, projects, organizational structure, etc.
  • Wolfpack Student Discounts is being launched right now and students will start to see the “WSD” decal in store windows soon. That project is being headed by SG’s Chief of Staff, Ethan Bartlett.

Other projects have surfaced throughout the semester as well, many of which came about because student needs were different then what we originally anticipated. It’s pretty crazy that I’ve only been in this position since last April, because we’ve been able to get so much done.

On that same note though, I’ve learned a lot that would have enabled us to be more productive right out of the gate. I will definitely prepare some notebooks or “things I wish I had known from the start” for next year’s student body president. Three of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far are delegation, time management and communication.

I never realized how difficult it would be to effectively communicate to 34,000 students while going to school and trying to help my team implement projects. I’m lucky I work with so many proactive individuals that are equally as passionate – if not more so – about making NC State the best university for students.

Below are a number of other developments that have come out of Student Government this past semester or ones that are being worked on right now.

  • The SG Traditions Commission has worked tirelessly on different projects and events to boost NC State pride. The Top 54 deck of cards and The Brick are two amazing projects that help students connect with NC State’s rich tradition. Furthermore, all SG Commission Chairs – especially Traditions chair Chandler Thompson – have made an effort to let students know about unique NC State happenings. We use social media to promote events, organizations, speakers, and student achievements in hopes that students will become more connected to their university.
  • The first diversity event for Homecoming week called “diversity field day” was created by the SG Diversity Commission. They are now working on an entire week of events for the end of March.
  • Athletic ticketing has been a big issue this year. The SG Athletics Commission advocated for the extra student tickets that were handed out as well, as the additional green bleachers installed at Carter-Finley Stadium. A task force, with representation from the athletics department, Greek Life and SG, has been formed to evaluate the ticketing process and Jeff Johnson, head of the Athletics Commission, is the co-chair. This commission also did the athlete autograph day and other promotional athletic events that benefit students, and organized the Champs Sports Bowl student bus.
  • Student Senate is in charge of Campout- sign up now!
  • The SG Academics Commission has been working on academic advising and dead week, all while advocating for the elimination of the extra charge associated with online classes for full-time students. On March 3rd ,SG is also planning a professor lecture series that will be awesome!
  • SG Campus Safety Commission hosted Nightwalk, a all-campus walk to evaluate safe and unsafe areas. Fall Color Explosion was a huge success and the SG Community Service Commission is currently launching a hunger/homelessness campaign.

Last but not least, long-time SG graphic designer Mack Garrison is leaving us to travel abroad next semester. We are very sad to see him go since he is such an integral part of our team, but Mack did help us find a replacement before he left, Joe Lawson.

With Joe’s design skill and SG Webmaster Stephen Williamson’s coding experience we are redesigning students.ncsu.edu. We want the website to be simpler, more interactive, and easier to manage from the Student Government side.

I sincerely hope that students see SG as an organization that is effectively supporting students’ needs. Feel free to share your thoughts with us here on how we’re doing. I’m looking forward to another great semester when we come back in January. Watch the Champs Sports Bowl if you aren’t planning on going to Florida, and GO WOLFPACK!

•••••

November 30, 2010

One of the ways we reach out to the campus is through The Roundtable. This is a meeting open to any representative from any student organization across campus. We discuss student concerns and develop an agenda to present to administrators at the monthly “Chancellor’s Liaison” meeting.

At our last Chancellor’s Liaison meeting, we discussed academic advising. SG will be taking steps to start addressing some of the academic advising issues. First, we will compile data, in conjunction with University Planning and Analysis, in order to quantify advising concerns. This will include new and existing student surveys, advisor surveys and departmental graduation rates, to name a few.

Once data has been compiled, we will be able to concisely articulate key problem areas and outline this to the provost and college deans. SG, along with the input of our peers, will develop a student charge to the administrators. This charge will strive to place accountability for academic advising at higher levels of the administration, not just at departmental levels. While this is going on, we will be working on some “quick fix” solutions with Dean Ambrose and others. For example, advisors would be required to schedule advising meetings throughout the semester, rather than just around class enrollment time.

We will also be working alongside the Undergraduate Student Success Task Force to determine fundamental, institutional issues that may be creating advising problems.

Speaking of task forces, most students have heard of the Strategic Planning Process. Chancellor Woodson has a vision for N.C. State and nine separate task forces will determine how to turn that vision into a reality. Each task force will attempt to determine game changers for our University while being mindful of limited resources. I strongly encourage everyone to go to the Strategic Planning Web site and let each task force know what your perspective is on the issues presented, especially the Undergraduate Student Success and Campus Culture task forces. These task forces will be submitted their draft proposals very soon.

On another note, SG just finished working with the Athletics Department to provide students with more parking at the RBC center for basketball season. Now that the majority of parking is on the southeast side of the RBC Center, we have worked to move the student gates to the east entrance as well. With N.C. State student ID cards, students can enter parking areas from Gates A, B and F for free. (Check out our parking tutorial video video at GoPack.com) We are also hoping that these added gates will cut down on Trinity Road traffic.

•••••

October 28, 2010

Student Government is committed to enhancing the NC State student experience. We are largely a volunteer organization with over 200 students involved. Below is a list of our main accomplishments thus far as well as other projects we are currently working on for the months of October-November.

Academics

  • We are working with DELTA and administration to eliminate extra fees associated with online classes for full-time students
  • Looking at class syllabi to ensure the dead week policy is being enforced.
  • Distinguished Professor Lecture Series- nominations from students.
  • Improving academic advising
    • Discussed with Chancellor and administrators at the Chancellor’s Liaison.
  • Held tuition forum to inform students of the tuition process.
  • Designing short cartoon to concisely and creatively explain tuition process
  • Held Fee forum to inform students of current fees proposed and the process

Athletics

  • Held the unveiling and dedication of the Kay Yow Memorial
  • Created Domino’s Student Appreciation Nights for non-revenue sports as an incentive to attend those games
  • Advocated for $250,000 worth of extra football tickets offered to students through Athletics
  • Hosted student autograph session with men’s and women’s basketball teams
  • Increased Student parking at the RBC center for Basketball season
  • Student Ticketing complaints: Student Ticket Advisory board to be formed at end of football season in order to design a new ticketing allotment system
  • Designed and will distribute student section t-shirt for FSU game
  • Increased Red Terror to 6 buses for Florida State Game

Campus Safety

  • Nightwalk – Campus safety problem tour
  • Reducing bike theft on campus:
    • Bike registration in the brickyard program, Discounted U-bolt locks

Centennial Campus

  • Worked with Dining to expedite Centennial dining options
  • Working to bring more events to Centennial and duplicating main Campus events at Centennial- Bridging the gap

Community Service

  • Fall Color Explosion (had over 100 volunteers show up at 8:30 am on Saturday)
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Vigil
  • Will Begin Hunger and Homelessness fundraising initiative in late November

Diversity

  • Added a new Homecoming Event: Diversity Field Day
  • Will be hosting an open diversity forum for Students
  • Working on creating cross cultural programs
  • Addressed the concerns of international students who had conflicts with their airport arrivals, student housing and missing new student orientation due to Visa complications

Sustainability

  • Doubled prize money for Think Outside the Brick competition through outside sponsorships
  • Successfully began and held first two Sustainability Workshops with all on-campus sustainability organizations
  • New comprehensive recycle program for UT beginning next year

Traditions

  • Created and distributed Top 54 Deck of Cards
  • Revised and distributed The Brick to freshman (Already beginning development for 2011-2012)
  • Finish the Bell Tower t-shirt sales in brickyard
  • Raising funds for Top 54 deck 2011 distribution so student fees will not be used
  • Top 125 Distinguished Alumni project
  • Chancellor’s Ice Cream Dream event

Transportation

  • Successfully operating Red Terror Transit
  • Informing students of parking rules on campus
  • Looking into the ZipCar program at NC State
  • Improved busing on Centennial by advocating for an extra route which was added

Have feedback? We’d love to know your thoughts.

•••••

October 22, 2010

If you drive to campus, Tuesday’s Installation of Chancellor Woodson (October 26 at 10:30 a.m. at Reynolds Coliseum) may affect your parking spot! See below notice from University Transportation:

  • The Hillsborough Square Lot (approximately 13 “C” parking spaces, small lot north of the new road near roundabout) is reserved for the Chancellor event. The portion of the lot closest to Hillsborough Street (behind the restaurant/shops) is not affected.
  • Jeter Bays (“C” parking lot located between Reynolds Coliseum and the Coliseum Parking Deck) will not be available for permit parking until after the event.
  • Displaced Jeter Bays “C” permitholders should park in the Coliseum Deck Paylot (lower level). Traffic attendants will be stationed at the entrances/exits to assist.
  • The Coliseum Deck Paylot will be closed from 6 a.m. – 11 a.m. No public parking (displaced “C” permitholders only).
  • The Reynolds Coliseum area will be very congested with regular University class-related traffic, as well as additional event traffic. Please consider carpooling, walking or riding Wolfline to the event. Real-time bus locations are available at http://ncsu.transloc.com/.

Traffic and parking questions? Please contact Carl McGill or Christine Klein for more information.

—

Finally, a big thanks to Union Activities Board, Student Government, and WKNC 88.1 FM who combined resources and efforts to bring the “Whose Rhyme is it Anyway?” tour to campus last weekend. We had a great time, and it was an outstanding example of what can happen when our awesome student groups work together. We hope to bring the “Whose Rhyme” guys back again this spring, so stay tuned! And if you didn’t make it, there’s a highlight video on NC State’s official YouTube channel that one of our students put together… enjoy!

•••••

October 14, 2010

NC State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will make their season debut this Friday at the Red Rally, complete with Julius Hodge, a dunk contest, fan zones, firework displays and more – don’t miss it!

Admission and parking are both FREE. Our Red Rally is so much better than any ol’ Midnight Madness… GO PACKKK!

—

Make sure you get your tickets for Saturday’s Whose Rhyme is it Anyway? show before they run out! Part hip-hop concert, part freestyle battle and part sketch comedy, this event is like “Whose Line is it Anyway” meets “8 Mile,” and it will be an epic time for sure! Lots of audience participation, too – no two shows are alike! Whose Rhyme will take place Saturday at 7 p.m. at Witherspoon Cinema – tickets are free for NC State students with ID, all you have to do is head over to Ticket Central (in Talley) to pick yours up between 10-6!

SG, UAB and WKNC 88.1 have combined efforts in bringing this show to campus, and (knock on wood) we can’t wait for this post-ECU-defeat event!

•••••

October 1, 2010

Just a reminder – a Fee Forum will be held tonight in Witherspoon Student Center (2nd floor) at 6:30. Come out and provide your feedback to the Student Government fee committee on the proposed increases below.

•••••

September 30, 2010

Many of the departments on campus are partially funded by student fees. While we pay tuition to support the academic core of the University, our student fees support things like our gym, the arts program, the bus system, athletics and student organization resources. For example, many programs offered by CSLEPS are largely supported by student fees. Each year, a few departments will ask for an increase in their student fees to support growing needs, new facilities, new employees, student demands and student programs. The departments asking for an increase make presentations to members of student government, administration, faculty and staff. On Friday, Student Government is hosting a forum to get student feedback on the various proposed increases.

The following is a fee-request breakdown across departments. Thank you to Tuition and Fees Committee Chair Patrick Devore for helping to create this post. Note: Information marked with * was derived from each department’s presentation to the Fee Review Committee.

Total fee increase requested for 2011-2012- *$86.90*

BREAKDOWN:

  • Student Health – $12.00
    • 56% of fee would go toward hiring 3 new staff (9-month medical professionals) – $6.72
    • 44% of fee would be for mitigating costs of new expansion – $5.28
  • Transportation – $8.00
    • Original fee request was $15, dropped to $8 after reaching an agreement with City of Raleigh to access federal funds ‘stored’ by city
    • 100% of fee would go to cover increased costs from new services added this year – $8
  • Student Legal Services – $1.00
    • 100% of fee would go to starting the expansion process from 3 to 4 attorneys starting with hiring a secretary to work in conjunction with student workers – $1
  • Athletics – $33
    • While we do not have a line item distribution from Athletics, the fee would support the following areas: Varsity travel, recruitment costs, offering competitive staff salaries, increased student ticketing, continued free student parking, increasing the band size, etc. – $33
  • Campus Recreation – $11.00
    • 62% of fee will go to student employment (increased wages, new hirings) – $6.82
    • 38% will go to maintaining current and offering increased hours, especially on weekends/breaks, more intramural support, more club sport support – $4.18
  • Student Center – Operations – $21.90
    • Campus Enterprises – 54%: $11.91 total
    • 3% of fee would go to increasing a current .8 FTE (full-time employee) IT position to 1.0 FTE – $0.66
    • 51% of fee would go increase in cost of business as well as hiring a new Director of Student Center Operations – $11.25
  • Student Programs – 23%: $5.00 total
    • 6% of fee would go to adding 2 grad assistants- $1.25
    • 2.5% would go to increasing a .75 *FTE SORC position to 1.0 FTE – $0.55
    • 1.8% would go to increased cost of business – $0.40
    • 8.7% would go to adding a 1.0 FTE position in the Women’s Center – $1.90
    • 4.1% would go to adding a .5 FTE Marketing Outreach position (informing students of locations/what’s offered) – $0.90
  • The Arts – 23%: $5.00 total
    • 11.6% would go to adding a 1.0 FTE Arts Marketing (trying to bring in more donors) – $2.55
    • 3.8% would go to adding a .5 FTE Arts Outreach (trying to bring in more students to events) – $0.85
    • 3.8% would go to adding a .5 FTE Tech Director (allows more events to be scheduled simultaneously in Stewart, Thomson) – $0.85
    • 3.4% would go to increased cost of business – $0.75

Total Requests = $86.90: 5.2% increase over current amounts

•••••

September 24, 2010

A joint release from the Office of the Provost and Student Government:

The Tuition Review Advisory Committee will be hosting a general campus town hall on tuition next week:

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010

7:00-8:30 PM

Talley Student Center

Grand Ballroom, 2nd Floor

Chancellor Randy Woodson, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business Charlie Leffler, Interim Provost Warwick Arden and Student Body President Kelly Hook will be in attendance to participate. The town hall will focus on how funds collected through tuition are used and how decisions regarding tuition increases are made. We will then open the floor to questions and comments from attendees.

We are looking forward to participation from the whole campus.

Warwick A. Arden, Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Kelly Hook, Student Body President

Co-chairs, Tuition Review Advisory Committee

•••••

September 22, 2010

It’s Shack-a-Thon season in the Brickyard! Come on out and donate to Habitat for Humanity through our SG/IRC/NRHH Shack! You can also make an online donation to any of the Shack-a-Thon shacks at http://clubs.ncsu.edu/habitat.

—

Also, if you’re looking for something fun to do this Saturday, check out Live It Up!, the grand re-opening of Hillsborough Street. Activities run from 12 noon (with kickoff of the NC State/Georgia Tech football game – to be shown on big screens in the Live It Up! Game Day Zone) until 10 p.m. | Story from NCSU.EDU

•••••

September 21, 2010

Also, the SG Community Service Commission is planning Fall Color Explosion. Volunteers from across our campus will work with the NCSU Grounds Crew to plant flowers in honor of those who have survived or have lost their lives to any form of cancer, especially breastcancer. More than 100 volunteers are needed – please join this cause and volunteer!

Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010

Time: 8:30 a.m. -11 a.m.

Location: Meet @ the Bell Tower

*Breakfast & Lunch will be provided*

Rain Date (if applicable): Sunday, October 24, 2010

•••••

September 15, 2010

As I spend time in class, at different organizational meetings and other events on campus, many students have asked, “What exactly do you do as Student Body President?”

So, I wanted to share an outline of my main responsibilities with you – responsibilities that vary each year depending on our University’s circumstance at the time:

Additional areas where the SBP can serve as a representative or make an appointment:

General goals and other responsibilities:

  • Managing the Executive Branch of Student Government and providing support to Commission Directors
    • Ensure Quality over Quantity in projects
  • The Roundtable
  • Chancellor’s Liaison
  • Be well informed and prepared for all meetings
  • Collaborate with SORC to create an excellent support network for student organizations
  • Seek to understand potential issues on campus through attending student organization meetings, campus events, residence hall programs and setting up a weekly SG booth.
    • Make sure students are aware of the online provide-feedback form
  • Ensure University Standing Committee appointments are supported and informed.

I am passionate about making sure NC State students truly feel they have an effective and efficient support network in Student Government. We are working towards that goal by being collaborative catalysts, messengers and a useful resource for students and student organizations. Each of the commissions in the Executive Branch has a specific goal outline and project breakdown. Those goal outlines will be going online shortly, so stay tuned for that…

Feel free to email me with more questions! GO PACK!

•••••

September 14, 2010

Over the next several months, NC State chancellor Randy Woodson will be engaging the campus community in a number of discussions about issues pertaining to the university and where we’re headed. I wanted to share a couple of them with you, in case you’d like to attend.

  • Wednesday, October 6 at 10:30 a.m. (Stewart Theatre)
    • This forum will focus on the budget
  • Thursday, January 27 at 3:00 p.m. (Location TBD)
    • This forum will be an opportunity for the campus to provide feedback to the first draft of the strategic plan.

•••••

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