Raleigh, North Carolina

Students begin considering living arrangements for the 2010-2011 school year.

Allie Landry Staff Writer

Students have already begun mak-ing living arrangements for the com-ing fall.

Popular options include living in an on-campus residence hall or apartment, moving off campus to an apartment complex or finding a house.

The Preiss Company is one of the largest rental companies in the area, owning 10 apartments or townhouse units near N.C. State.

Elizabeth Little, a leasing consultant for Preiss, said a great majority of the company’s clientele is made up of N.C. State students and many have already signed for next year.

“These months, January and Feb-ruary, are our busiest,” Little said. “Eventually we’ll have to quit leasing because we won’t have anything left. Historically, we usually fill up around May.”

Little said students who lease early are at an advantage, as they typically receive lower rates.

“Rates are based on supply and de-mand,” she said. “The earlier you sign the cheaper.”

As of yesterday, University Woods, one of the units owned by Preiss, was already 41 percent full while Univer-sity Village, another one of the com-pany’s properties, was 34 percent full.

There are many factors to take into consideration when moving off cam-pus, with location being one of the most important.

Safety of the area and proximity to campus or to a Wolfline bus stop makes a great impact on day-to-day activity.

Alison Thomas-Hollands, a junior in animal science, said she found the commute from her apartment off Trailwood Drive to be a hassle.

“If you include all the waiting time, it takes about 40 minutes,” Thomas-Hollands said, referring to her com-mute time. “It can be frustrating, es-pecially since it means I have to wake up much earlier. The CAT bus is also very unpredictable, so it often takes longer.”

Thomas-Hollands will be taking this into account while searching for a new apartment for next year.

“I’d like to be closer to campus, or at least on a Wolfline stop.”

The number of desired roommates can be another limiting factor in choosing the right housing option, as well as the choice between furnished and un-furnished housing.

Gorman Crossing, for instance, is close to a Wolfline stop, but can ac-commodate at most three people per unit. University Oaks has no fur-nished units available for rent.

“Since we do manage so many prop-erties, we have a little bit of every-thing,” Little said. “That’s definitely an advantage we have over competitors.”

Although most upper classmen choose to live off campus, some de-cide to stay in the residence halls or in on-campus apartments.

Jodie Greene, junior in chemical en-gineering, said she could sum up her decision to stay on campus in a single word: convenience.

With classrooms, dining halls, the gym and the library only a short walk away, students choosing to stay on campus often have less hassle getting around. Having all bills and expenses in one easy payment is also helpful.

Greene said her decision to stay on campus was also influenced by the fact that many of her friends also decided to live in the residence halls. As a resi-dent of the University Honors Village, Greene appreciates the intimate com-munity.

Next year, however, she will be mov-ing off campus.

TECHNICIAN b

technicianonline.com

Representatives from NC State Class Ring Collectionwill be at NC State Bookstores

February 8-12 from 10am to 3pm

Valentines Specials at NC State BookstoresAll 2 for $20 tees are 2 for $14 Today Only!

Come to NC State Bookstores and find your inner Cupid!

Lecture reasons with near-death experiencesDr. Gary Habermas details evidence-based cases with religious twist

Laura WilkinsonLife & Style Editor

One of Wither’s lecture halls was filled Monday night 7 p.m. with people ready to hear from Dr. Gary Habermas, a philoso-phy professor at Liberty University, on the

subject of near-death experiences and the afterlife.

The event, hosted by Ratio Christi Apolo-getics and Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, was intended to answer some tough ques-tions about people who claim to have had an out-of-body experience while they were proclaimed clinically dead.

Habermas said he is mostly interested in near-death cases where evidence has sup-

ported the stories of patients who, after be-ing revived, said they experienced sensory phenomena while technically dead.

“I’m not trying to claim there is no con-ceivable way to explain these things. But after a while, you start to ask why these things happen,” Dr. Habermas said.

Curtis Hrischuk, who helps lead the stu-dent club Ratio Christi, said the goal of the lecture was to start a dialogue about the

tough questions both Christians and non-Christians have in today’s society.

“Their heart has stopped, their brain has no activity, but they can recount what happens. Things they cannot know about,” Hrischuk said. “This is important because it suggests that naturalisms and atheisms

Curriculum adjustment could change history for high schoolersProposal would lead to high schoolers learning U.S. history from only 1877 to present

Ty JohnsonSenior Staff Writer

The Institute for Emerging Issues forum at the Raleigh Convention Cen-ter brought together corporate titans and innovators Monday as Gov. Bev Perdue, former Gov. Jim Hunt and others discussed the issues facing North Caro-lina.

Outside the build-ing, however, four individuals said one innovation being discussed will affect students’ and future generations’ percep-tions of historical context.

Holly Brewer, an associate profes-sor at N.C. State, organized the dem-onstration to show her and others’ reservations about a change in the state’s curriculum that will eliminate the teaching of U.S. history prior to 1877 in high school. U.S. history will be split between the

seventh and eleventh grades. Charles Carlton, a retired history

professor, said the new measure ef-fectively guts history out of the high school curriculum.

“They’re saying that American history since 1877, that’s all you get. Tough luck,” Carlton said. “You don’t get Lincoln, you don’t get George Washington, you don’t get the Pilgrim fathers.”

But Brewer said the proposed change is just the most re-cent blow against history and social studies education

“Social studies and history education contact hours have been cut in half in the last 10 years,” Brewer said. “So people are just get-ting less history and social studies gener-ally. That’s the real problem.”

Nina Kilbride, a Raleigh attorney,

said she intends to send her children to public school and is concerned they won’t have a grasp on the specific les-sons that can be gathered from a high school focus on U.S. history.

“Predigested themes and objec-tives aren’t going to give anybody the real touchtone comparisons to make between today and yes-terday,” Kilbride said. “We’re going to lose that nuance as citizens and students.”

Chancellor Jim Woodward, who was attending the forum, said the curriculum change was a legiti-mate cause for debate.

“I’m an engineer, but I believe deeply that in order to deal with

TIM O’BRIEN/TECHNICIANGary Habermas, professor at Liberty University, addresses an audience at Withers Hall in a talk called “Near Death Experiences” Monday. Habermas detailed the two kinds of experiences commonly encountered when someone has become clinically dead then revived.

Housing Search Begins

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?• North Carolina has proposed

a draft to alter the curriculum for how high schoolers learn U.S. history.

• The new proposal will split U.S. history between the seventh and eleventh grades, with students learning history from 1877 to the present their junior year.

• Feedback on the draft will be accepted until March 2 and protesters have a Facebook petition, “History Did Not Begin in 1877.”

SOURCE: NCPUBLICSCHOOLS.ORG

PROTEST continued page 3

LECTURE continued page 3

insidetechnician

viewpoint 4science & tech 5classifieds 7sports 8

Brothers adapt to life in StatesSee page 8.Dietary supplements may have hidden side effectsSee page 6.

“I’m an engineer,

but I believe

deeply that in

order to deal with

issues, current

issues, you need

historical context.”ChancellorJimWoodward

Page 2 Technicianpage 2 • tuesday, february 9, 2010

Meet the candidatesOn March 9, the Student Media Board will be hiring the editors and managers for

the Student Media for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Come voice your opinion on what you want

from your student media.

FEB. 25 • 7 P.M.

AGROMECK • BUSINESS OFFICE • NUBIAN MESSAGE TECHNICIAN • WKNC 88.1FM • WINDHOVER • WOLF T V

Campus CalendaR

TodayExcEl 2003 lEvEl 1McKimmon Center, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

InDEsIgn lEvEl 1McKimmon Center, 9 a.m.

FacEs anD MazEsGregg Museum of Art and Design, Noon to 8 p.m.

HarD convErsatIons: How to HanDlE tHEMRoom 3118 Talley Student Center, Noon to 2 p.m.

wItH latHE anD cHIsEl: nortH carolIna wooD turnErs anD carvErsGregg Museum of Art and Design, Noon to 8 p.m.

toxIcology sEMInarRoom 2104 Toxicology Building, 4 to 5 p.m.

ExpErIEncE cHIna: a gEnEral ovErvIEw anD IntroDuctIonTBA, 6:45 to 8:45 p.m.

February 10 accEss 2007 lEvEl 2McKimmon Center, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

worD 2003 lEvEl 1McKimmon Center, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

FacEs anD MazEsGregg Museum of Art and Design, Noon to 8 p.m.

wItH latHE anD cHIsEl: nortH carolIna wooD turnErs anD carvErsGregg Museum of Art and Design, Noon to 8 p.m.

soIl scIEncE sEMInarWilliams Hall, 3:40 p.m.

February 11 projEct lEvEl 1McKimmon Center, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

cHInEsE languagE cornErMcKimmon Corner, Noon to 1 p.m.

FacEs anD MazEsGregg Museum of Art and Design, Noon to 8 p.m.

wItH latHE anD cHIsEl: nortH carolIna wooD turnErs anD carvErsGregg Museum of Art and Design, Noon to 8 p.m.

lEgacIEs, layErs, anD lEnsEsBrown Room Talley Student Center, 1 to 4 p.m.

CoRReCtions & ClaRifiCationsSend all clarifications and corrections to Executive Editor Russell Witham at viewpoint@technicianonline.com.

in the know Leading a University Lab and Company 

Guest speaker John Cava-nagh, considered a leading N.C. State scientist, will be hosting an event where he will discuss the ethical dilemmas lab supervisors encounter when faced with data management. Cavana-gh will address the duties of the principal investigator in a lab setting, duties with re-gards to data management, issues which arise when the principal investigator owns a private company and how supervisors can handle real or perceived conflicts of in-terest which develop in such a setting. Cavanagh will be speaking Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. in room 2405 of Williams Hall.

Source: NcSu campuS caleNdar 

Hard Conversations: How to Handle Them 

Today speaker Chris-tie Knittle-Mabry will be speaking in room 3118 of Talley Student Center on how to deal with having difficult conversations in both the professional and personal realms. Knittle-Mabry will address how to approach asking for a pro-motion, talking to some-one about a difficult mat-ter and interactions where emotions can play a large factor in the conversation. She will share insights on how to effectively conduct “crucial conversations” while limiting angst, stress and conflicts. The event will be held from noon to 2 p.m.

Source: NcSu campuS caleNdar 

Legacies, Layers and Lenses 

An event educating Uni-versity students, staff and faculty on how to manage negative conf licts will be held Thursday in the Brown Room of Talley Student Center. Attendees will learn to handle their conflicts in proactive, constructive ways. Problem management methods like appropriate diversity training, coach-ing, group facilitation and meditation will be show-cased and discussed. The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m.

Source: NcSu campuS caleNdar

woRld & nationIran approaches nuclear weapons development 

Monday Iran formally announced its intent to enrich uranium to higher, weapons-grade levels to the United Nations, increasing its ability to develop nuclear weapons. Though Iran maintains its nuclear program is being implemented towards peaceful ends, other world powers fear Iran’s program may be a cover and have warned the country could face U.N. sanctions. British representatives said Iran’s program is impractical for its stated purposes as the nation lacks the technology to convert the resulting material into fuel for reactors. In light of this announcement, representatives from France and the U.S. said they would have no choice but to push for another set of U.N. sanctions to punish Iran for its defiance.

Source: aSSociated preSS   

Afghanistan, NATO forces prepare for invasion 

British and American forces are preparing for what is being considered the largest NATO offensive since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. NATO forces are assembling more than 15,000 to march on Lashkar Gah, the capital of the Helmand province in Afghanistan, in the latest attempt to oust Taliban forces. An unusual aspect of this invasion is the decision by NATO commanders to publicize the operation to give civilians opportunity to evacuate the area. Refugees leaving the area, however, have said as much as 90 percent of the population is trapped in the war zone by networks of improvised explosives and traps.

Source: the timeS   

Beijing celebrates hacker ring bust 

Monday, China announced a major bust of what state media is calling the country’s largest distributor of tools used in

malicious Internet attacks. Three people were arrested under the suspicion of being the operators of Black Hawk Safety Net and making hacking tools available on the net. The online business generated $1 million in income from more than 12,000 subscribers. U.S. cybersecurity specialists are saying this is just a move to make a public statement following Google Inc.’s allegations hackers from China were behind attacks against Google. China has since been waging an aggressive public-relations campaign on the issue of hacking.

Source: the Wall Street JourNal

poliCe BlotteRFeb. 54:02aM | MEDIcal assIstPublic Safety CenterEMS responded to non-student in need of medical assistance. RPD and Wake County Sheriffs Dept were notified.

12:40pM | B&E vEHIclEMotor Pool FacilityStaff member reported items removed from unsecured vehicle.

12:44pM | FIrE alarMWood HallUnits responded to alarm caused by cooking in microwave.

2:04pM | DaMagE to propErtyTrenton RoadReport of cut fence which may be associated with previous incident. Investigation ongoing.

5:06pM | FIrE alarMMann HallUnits responded to alarm caused by experiment which malfunctioned causing small fire.

Feb. 612:45 aM | MolEst FIrE EquIpMEntAlpha Sigma PhiUnknown subject pulled fire suppression system for kitchen vent hood. PD and RFD responded. House president referred to the university. Appropriate personnel notified.

2:27 aM | DaMagE to propErtyBragaw HallReport of subjects yelling and glass breaking. Officer found Laundry Room window broken but did not locate any suspects.

thRough david’s lens

Cruisin’ on a Monday afternoonPHOTO By DavID MaBE

Chip Reap, a junior in chemical engineering, holds onto the handgrip while rid-ing a Wolfline bus on the Engineering route Monday morning. “I think if they used the larger buses for the Engineering route it would be enough with the same

amount of buses,” Reap said.

today:

thursday:

Source: NcSu meteorology

42/32Cold and rainy.

weatheR wise

wednesday:

4125

Mostly sunny and windy.

4327

Mostly sunny and cool.

February 2010

Su m t W th F Sa

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28

NewsTECHNICIAN TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 • PAGE 3

Come to

Sat 2.14Carmichael Gym

and be the

Be one of 12 students chosen to compete for a semester’s tuition and other prizes!

Sponsored by:

Between cap and gown and the real world...

Lectures and case studies, presented by faculty and graduates of the presti-gious Kenan-Flagler Business School, cover key topics including accounting, marketing, operations management, finance, and management and orga-nization. Students will be immersed in a fast-paced series of lectures, case studies, and hands-on exercises.

Schedule & Location:UNC-Chapel Hill CampusMay 17–June 15, 2010

Cost:$2,500 (includes books, computer access, parking pass, and other required materials)

Application deadline:March 31, 2010Apply online or contact us for an application.

Space is limited; early application is encouraged.

Carolina Business Institute is a place where success-driven graduates prepare to launch their careers. This intensive real-world business training prepares non-business majors for competition in the business world.

For more information, or to submit an application, go to fridaycenter.unc.edu/cbi or call 919-962-2643 or 800-845-8640.

Professional Development and Enrichment Programs | Credit Programs for Part-time Students | Conference Center

DAVID MABE/TECHNICIANLooking at collages, Ariana Farquharson, a senior in graphic design and English, and Monique Cleveland, a senior in art and design, view the work of local artist Eric McRay on the second floor of Witherspoon Student Center Monday evening. Farquharson said she came to support black art and to learn more about who makes art in her community, and she said that she especially liked McRay’s paintings, which were on display in addition to the collages. Farquharson and Cleveland are also members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

issues, current issues, you need historical context,” Woodward said. “You can get that historical context on some issues if you study the last 150 years, but other issues, it takes longer.”

Woodward said though he wasn’t a history scholar, he feels it’s important for perspective.

“I simply find that if I have a historical context, I bet-ter know how to understand what it is today. I don’t care what it is whether it’s politi-cal or social or whatever.”

Woodward and Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence Davenport said they didn’t know what had prompted the curriculum change.

“I don’t know what the ra-tionale is for even coming up with this new process,” Davenport said. “All I know is this is what we’re going to do.”

Brewer said the process didn’t involve consultation with history professors or teachers and that, if any-thing, there should be more time devoted to history in high school.

“We need to move away from one semester of U.S. history to two semesters and we need to keep world history,” Brewer said.

She said the poor atten-dance at the protest was due to it being planned the night before and the fact that those who feel most passionate about the issue were teaching Monday af-ternoon. She said a Saturday protest may be in the works sometime in the next two weeks, since the deadline for feedbacks on drafts was extended until March 2.

PROTESTcontinued from page 1

COLLAGES

TIM O’BRIEN/TECHNICIANGary Habermas, professor at Liberty University, speaks to students in Withers Hall about people who claim near death phenomena. The lecture was sponsored by Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and Ratio Christi Apologetics.

are not truth. Here we have scientific evidence that we are more than our bodies.”

Amanda Vuke, the publicist for Ratio Christi, said they were hoping the event would get stu-dents to raise more questions.

“We seek to help find answers and ask the big questions of life. We hope to help students think about their life,” Vuke said. “He went through and gave numer-ous cases of near death experi-ences that were evidence based. He showed that there’s more to this life and more to this world than we can see. There’s an im-material side to this reality.”

Eric Rountree, a sophomore in chemistry, said he liked the lecture because Dr. Habermas was not trying to force religion on people.

“It was a scientific perspec-tive, not really a religious per-spective, which makes it easier for a lot of people to believe,” Rountree said.

After the lecture part of the event, Habermas opened up a

question and answer session. Ashley Jones, a senior in

communication, said there were many good questions posed about people who had “bad” experiences.

“There were a lot of bad expe-riences about people who said they had experienced hell. But Dr. Habermas said there was no evidence. He was trying to use a scientific study of it rather than people’s subjective experi-ences,” Jones said.

Hrischuk said the question and answer session was in-teresting because people were really challenging Habermas’s position.

“People were pretty skeptical. They were devoted to finding weaknesses in the position,” Hrischuk said. “Dr. Habermas came up with a good rebuttal for them.”

Jones said the lecture reaf-firmed what she already be-lieved, but thought non-Chris-tians would get something out of it as well.

“If I had been agnostic it would have caused me to think about the afterlife,” Jones said.

Jones also mentioned she had a personal connection to the idea of near-death experi-ences through her father, who had a seizure and claimed to have spoken to his uncle.

LECTUREcontinued from page 1

Viewpoint Technicianpage 4 • tuesday, february 9, 2010

323 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695

Editorial 515.2411Advertising 515.2029Fax 515.5133Online technicianonline.com

Technician (USPS 455-050) is the official student newspaper of N.C. State University and is published every Monday through Friday throughout the academic year from August through May except during holidays and examination periods. Opinions expressed in the columns, cartoons, photo illustrations and letters that appear on Technician’s pages are the views of the individual writers and cartoonists. As a public forum for student expression, the students determine the content of the publication without prior review. To receive permission for reproduction, please write the editor. Subscription cost is $100 per year. A single copy is free to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. Additional copies are $0.25 each. Printed by The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., Copyright 2008 by North Carolina State Student Media. All rights reserved.

Executive EditorsLauren Blakely

Kate ShefteRussell Witham

editor@technicianonline.com

News EditorsAlanna Howard

Nick Trannews@technicianonline.com

Deputy Features Editors Justin Carrington

Caitlin CauleyRich Lapore

Jessica NevilleLaura Wilkinson

features@technicianonline.com

Sports EditorKate Shefte

sports@technicianonline.com

Deputy Sports EditorsTaylor Barbour

Tyler EverettJen Hankin

Viewpoint EditorRussell Witham

viewpoint@technicianonline.com

Assistant Viewpoint EditorZakk White

Photo EditorDavid Mabe

photo@technicianonline.com

Design EditorBiko Tushinde

design@technicianonline.com

Design DirectorLauren Blakely

Deputy Design EditorNettie Fisher

Advertising Manager

Laura Freyadvertising@sma.ncsu.edu

{ }Our view

Governor Bev Perdue’s administration re-cently released a new

education plan detailing its in-tentions to update the North Carolina high-school curricu-lum. The proposal spearheaded by the state’s education leaders removes American history pri-or to 1877 from the North Car-olina 11th-grade high school curriculum and would effec-tively begin secondary-school discussions of U.S. history at Rutherford B. Hayes.

In response to the news, sev-eral N.C. State history profes-sors and students protested the Institute for Emerging Issues forum where Perdue and other state and national leaders, in-cluding Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and former Gov-ernor James B. Hunt, Jr., were

speaking Monday. Many non-governmental

leaders have spoken out in out-rage over the changes and the relatively small, last minute, protest is just a part of larger statewide outrage over the changes.

The protestors’ challenges have merits and, perhaps, they will lead to some sort of con-tinued discussion. But the larg-er issue of political activism has regrettably been missed.

Protesting is all well and good, but it means little when the much larger forms of po-litical change are neglected?

Mayors, city council officials and board of education mem-

bers have a larger impact on people’s lives than national po-litical figures are ever likely to have. Yet, when Wake County held elections for mayor, four seats on the Board of Educa-tion, and six seats on the City Council Oct. 6, the turnout was paltry.

What does it say about those civics classes when most pre-cincts reported voter turnout in the teens or single-digits for the Oct. elections? And those statistics don’t even take un-registered voters into account.

The protests might have been unnecessary had the populace turned out to elect different representatives to local offices

— the people who have some sway into those political pro-cesses.

In any case, everyone, faculty and students alike, needs to reconsider their role in the po-litical process.

Many students campaigned against — and for — the reno-vations to Talley Student Cen-ter. If they truly wanted to get a final parting word, they would consider the fact that the fee faces one of its last tests Fri-day at the Board of Governors meeting at UNC-Chapel Hills’ Spangler Center.

If nothing else, it’s a chance to get involved in the process.

The unsigned editorial is the opinion of the members of Technician’s editorial board excluding the news department and is the responsibility

of the Executive Editors.

History is waiting — get involvedThe FacTs:A group of University faculty and students from the history department protested the state’s changes to the high school history curriculum Monday at the Institute for Emerging Issues forum.

Our OpiniOn:Students should take the opportunities to get involved in the political process where they present themselves.

it seems more like a crawl to me.

Christian O’Neal, freshman in mechanical engineering

Unconventional career paths

The unfortunate thing about attending college is that it has to end. As

an entering freshman, senior year and graduation seem light

years away. Be-fore college, I never under-stood why my parents would always say, “the years f ly by so fast.” I thought my l i fe was going rather slowly and I was impatient about

wanting to grow up. Now, ev-erything seems to be moving too fast. After graduation, one needs to find a job. How are we supposed to do that in this economy? The answer is seek-ing out jobs that many people don’t even know exist.

A career that is not widely renowned, but desperately needed, is an accent reduction specialist. This type of work in-volves helping those who have heavy accents reduce them and be able to communicate more efficiently with the general public. Before anyone starts pointing fingers, this is not about “Westernizing” anyone or taking away anyone’s cul-ture. This is simply to make business and customer service transactions run more smooth-ly. Accent reduction specialists primarily work with individu-als who are from other coun-tries or Americans with thick regional (Northern, Southern, etc.) accents that are difficult to understand. The qualifications for this type of work are either a master or doctorate in speech-language pathology, a license in speech-language pathology in your state or a specialty cre-dential in accent reduction or ESL training.

If you consider yourself to be a lover of the arts you don’t al-ways have to be the actor. Why not try being a casting direc-tor? A casting director’s work expands across the realms of television, theater and even instructional videos for exer-cise and how to prevent sexual assault at work. As a casting di-rector you should have a good eye for original talent and be able to keep a mental database of all the actors you see. Cast-ing directors work closely with acting agents as well as lead in-structional seminars that help aspiring actors land roles. This

job is time consuming, yet very enjoyable. To get started apply for internships at a casting agency or become active in your local theater.

An example of a service-oriented career would be as a child life specialist. Child life specialists mainly work with children who are dealing with chronic illness, major surgery or hospice. The main purpose of this job is to make the child’s life as normal as possible con-sidering the health limitations. If you choose to do this you must be very people oriented. You are not only helping the children, but the families as well. A bachelor degree in child development would suf-fice for this career, as well as 10 related courses and 400 or more internships hours. This is a great way to give back to the community and gain personal fulfillment.

A career for a person that is concerned with improving the current health-care system could be a health informat-ics specialist. Hospitals, pri-vate practices and insurance companies are moving in the direction of electronic medi-cal records. Doctors are now pressured to do more evidence-based medicine and they have no choice but to use comput-erized expert systems to guide their diagnoses and treatment findings and recommenda-tions. This means health care providers are collecting more data to evaluate the quality of care they are giving. This job involves being technologically savvy as well as being a relat-able person. As a health infor-matics specialist you will work closely with doctors to seek out the best program implementa-tion.

Even in this economy, all is not lost. Not everyone can be a doctor or a lawyer. There are jobs out there that are less time consuming, but provide really good salaries. Choose a career that provides a stable salary as well as personal fulfillment. Digging a little deeper never hurt anyone; be willing to look beyond the generic careers that you see every day and find something unconventional and, possibly, exciting.

Send Marlena your thoughts on career options to letters@technicianonline.com.

Marlena WilsonStaff Columnist

Take the bull by its hornsFriedrich Nietzsche,

a name that is syn-onymous with the

infamous phrase “God is Dead,” was one of the most

influential thinkers of modern day thought. Ni-etzsche did not actually believe that G o d w a s d e a d ; h e was an athe-ist. What he

meant by the controver-sial statement was that the search for God was dead. No one was actually seek-ing to find who or what God was. I do not agree with a lot of what Nietzsche wrote, taught or believed; howev-er, I do think that there is an element of Nietzsche’s thought that we can all use.

I can expect one thing to happen everyday: com-plaining. Someone is tired; or someone does not want to study; or someone has had a bad day. I know that I am guilty of this as well; we all are. I know that we are in a recession and that there are economic hardships that are affecting some more than others. Nietzsche would suggest that the world is just a crazy series of events that are unpredictable. We do not know why things hap-pen and we probably can’t explain them when they do.

Instead of turning our

backs on this world and sim-ply trying to exist, we should embrace the challenges and use them as motivators.

Five years ago, Hurricane Ka-trina devastated New Orleans. The Saints played in, and won, the Super Bowl, but all I have heard the past few weeks is how bad Katrina was. Katrina was a terrible event, but it’s in the past. Instead of harping on the tragedy, the media should be focused on looking forward. We should remember those who lost their lives, but it is im-possible to make positive for-ward progress by focusing on the negative. I doubt the people of New Orleans only want their home to be known as the place that Katrina destroyed.

In my experience, there is not a greater motivator than someone saying, “You do not have the ability to do that.” The world can be a terrible place and there are challenges that we all face everyday, but we as Americans have greater oppor-tunities for success. We often take these opportunities for granted. As college students, we already have an advantage and privilege that many people are denied. Instead of being con-cerned and worried about petty things, we should be motivated to accomplish much more.

We are animals, but we are social and political animals. Animals in nature strive to exist; we have intellect and reason that can guide us to bigger and better accomplish-ments. Many of us do not know

our place in the world right now; we are in a transitional phase between our last leg of academic study and what our parents refer to as “the real world.” If you think it is tough having to study or do-ing homework, just imagine the hardships that await you the day after graduation. If we can learn to embrace the stresses and hardships now, it will be much easier to cope when they are on a much larger scale.

Ambition is a great thing, but in order to accomplish what we set out to do, chal-lenges must be overcome. Look at the great leaders and heroes of America. If they had just simply put their tails between their legs, America would not be the great country that it is to-day. No matter what tribula-tion you are facing, chances are there is something that you and only you can do about it. Make decisions, follow through with them, reap the successes or learn from your mistakes; either way you will be guaranteed to be a better person for it.

You have two options: take the bull by its horns or get trampled in the pasture.

Send Chad your thoughts on self-motivation and the forces of nature to letters@technicianonline.com.

Chad RhoadesStaff Columnist

By JoRDAN MooRE

Are you involved in any sort of political activism?

Why or why not?

{ }in yOur wOrds

“In my hometown, I helped campaign for the mayor. I was also on the campaign committee for the sheriff in my town.”

Austin Gulleysophomore, business management

“Last year I held candles in Greensboro to raise awareness for Palestinians.”

Zainub Javedfreshman, biology

“Not really, I guess I never really got into politics that much.”

Tucker Reynerfreshman, communication

This week’s poll question: Was the Krispy Kreme Challenge an enjoyable experience?

• yes• No• I don’t care because it doesn’t

affect me

Visit www.technicianonline.com to cast your vote.

{ }Online pOll

Technician tuesday, february 9, 2010 • Page 5

In violent symphony, several factors came together to make Haitian disaster worse than previously imagined

Heidi KlumpeStaff Writer

On Jan. 12 a magnitude 7 earth-quake outside the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince ushered complete chaos and destruction into the is-land nation.

Anita Flick, director of Health Professions Advising and assistant professor of biology, has been trav-eling to Haiti since 1982.

“Now they’re all living in tent cit-ies,” Flick said of the current situa-tion. “There are no toilets. You can’t even get to where they are.”

Senior in biochemistry Michael Ransone traveled with Flick to Haiti this past summer.

“I knew what it was before, and I couldn’t fathom what it was after-wards,” Ransone said, recalling the lack of water, electricity and sani-tary clinics he saw in Haiti.

Flick partners with Hearts with Haiti, an organization whose or-phanages for rescued child slaves were destroyed in the earthquake. The seventh floor of one orphan-age, St. Joseph’s Home for Boys, fell to ground level because, as with many Haitian buildings, the lack of structural integrity was not ap-parent from the outside, according to Flick.

Del Bohnenstiehl, assistant pro-fessor of marine earth and atmo-spheric sciences, conducts research

on earthquakes and volcanoes. Ac-cording to Bohnenstiehl, Haiti’s quake can be traced back to the violent interactions of the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates.

“Things started to slide past each other,” he said of the strike-slip fault which lies beneath Port-au-Prince, a feature similar to the San Andreas fault in California.

“It was no surprise to anyone that there was an earthquake [there],” he said, though, unlike volcanoes, there is no way to know the timing of an earthquake.

According to Ransone, such a lucky prediction would have done little for Haiti.

“If you told them there’s going to be a big earthquake in a month, there’s not much they could do,” he said.

Plate tectonics, however, only tell half of the story.

“It wasn’t that the earthquake was that big,” Bohnenstiehl said. “The same earthquake happening on the San Andreas Fault wouldn’t cause as much damage. We have places with destruction, but we wouldn’t have 150,000 dead.”

A prime example is California’s 7.3 Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, which resulted in a death toll of 60.

Another serendipitous evil was that the earthquake occured at 5 p.m.

“It couldn’t have happened at a worse time,” Flick said.

According to Flick, Haitians go to the market two or three times a day, putting the majority of the Haitians at the market preparing for the evening meal when the earthquake struck. Furthermore, the automatic doors of the Carib-bean Market, where many Haitian shoppers were, locked up as soon as the earthquake began, trapping everyone inside.

The largest casualties, accord-ing to Bohnenstiehl, were caused by buildings such as St. Joseph’s whose quick crumbling posed a fatal threat to their inhabitants.

Mervyn Kowalsky, civil engi-

Structural errors lead to building collapses in Haiti

Courtesy of Del Bohnenstiehl, assistant professor of marine earth anD atmospheriC sCienCesThe Haitian Earthquake began beneath Port-au-Prince (white star) and ruptured a 50 km section of the riquillo-Plantain Garden Fault(white line). The Caribbean region has many fault zones (black lines), which accommodate the relative motion (black arrows) between the North American and Caribbean plates. Beneath aiti the plates move horizontally past each another and earthquakes typically occur at shallow depths.

Quake continued page 6

FeaturesScience & Tech

nanobytesOral hygiene linked to overall health in animals

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, periodontal, or gum, disease is the most commonly diagnosed problem in small animals. By the age of two, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats are estimated to have the disease. It has been linked to diabetes, strokes, kidney disease and other disorders in these animals. The organization suggests talking to your vet about your pet’s dental health .

sourCe: Cnn.Com/health

White House cancels NASA plans

With an expected federal deficit of $1.6 trillion in 2011, Obama has proposed a three-year freeze on most nondiscretionary spending, which includes some space programs. According to Budget Director Peter Orszag, the Obama administration is proposing a cancellation of the Constellation program at NASA but also plans to make other investments in long-range research and development.

sourCe: foxnews.Com/sCiteCh

Aircraft company creates pilot-less Black Hawk helicopter

In response to rising military demand to meet the task of fighting two wars, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is launching a $1 billion project to create a pilot-less Black Hawk helicopter. The company announced the creation of Sikorsky Innovations on Monday with the intention of speeding the transition of the mechanical helicopter into a computerized weapon.

sourCe: foxnews.Com/sCiteCh

Technicianpage 6 • tuesday, february 9, 2010

on the BIG ScreenFREE

Sponsored by the ACTION Committee

Prizes Free Food Dance Team Cheerleaders

Pep Band Live Entertainment

neering professor, does seis-mic analysis and researches the design of structures with earthquakes in mind.

“It’s not a mystery how you

design building to minimize loss of life,” he said. “There’s certainly a disconnect be-tween how we should design structures and how they’re be-ing designed or constructed [in Haiti].”

This structural failure may have been caused by poor de-sign or a failure to implement a good design, although, ac-cording to Kowalsky, no one will know until examining the blueprints. For now, those assessing the problem rely on photos of the collapsed buildings.

Kowalsky p o i n t s o u t concrete rein-forced by cross-ties too widely separated and heavy buildings supported by disproportion-ate columns, both of which failed to dissi-pate the energy provided by the earthquake.

The bui ld-ings materials themselves, particularly the poorly-consolidated concrete with low-quality aggregates, further crippled the building.

“If you design everything correctly and if you inspect everything correctly, but you use poor quality concrete or poor quality steel, you can have damage occur,” Kowalsky said.

The possibility of a similar scale disaster in North Caro-lina is virtually nil. Charleston, S.C. and New Madrid are the closest areas with histories of large magnitude seismic ac-tivity. However, not being on a fault, these areas’ most re-cent activity took place in the nineteenth century, according to Kowalsky.

Also, the system in America eliminates a lot of these issues.

“A lot of the education in the U.S. of the structural engineer is such that you learn these things in graduate school,” Kowalsky said. “It’s also em-bedded within all of our build-ing codes. Even engineers who haven’t specifically studied that get exposed to it.”

Failure to meet these re-quirements has different con-sequences as well.

“In this country, some-thing l ike t hat hap-pens a nd that person is going to lose their license,” Kowalsky said.

Reflect-ing on how the disaster unfolded provides t he mo s t information for how the country will respond.

“The unfortunate thing is that it’s not expensive to build new structures for good seismic performance,” Kowalsky said. “In the big rush to rebuild the company, you don’t want to go through this again. You want to make sure you get it right. Now’s the time to do it, not after.”

Still, the physical scars alone do not beg all the world’s at-tention.

“Already fractured families and homes have been devas-tated further. They have no sense of order anymore,” Flick said. “The biggest aspect re-ally is going to be dealing with emotional recovery.”

quakecontinued from page 5

Students who use weight-gain or weight-loss products may be at risk

Edward MarkusStaff Writer

Three years ago, a 19-year-old man died from liver damage after taking Hydroxy-cut dietary supplements to lose weight.

Though the company responsible for Hydroxycut recalled its products after 22 more cases of liver damage were reported in otherwise healthy users, the exact cause of the affliction remains unknown. Chill-ingly, the products remain on the market.

Students who use dietary supplements for weight loss or muscle building might be putting themselves at risk.

“I use EAS 100 Percent Whey Protein,” Gavin Forrest, a freshman undecided ma-jor who exercises two to three times per week, said. Forrest, who has been using the supplement for about a year, said, “I use the protein because I believe it helps with muscle growth.”

The Food and Drug Administration defines a dietary supplement as one or any combination of vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars and metabolites.

“A properly labeled dietary supplement might say something like ‘Helps to sup-port a healthy immune system.’ It doesn’t make a direct claim,” Sarah Ash, associ-ate professor of nutrition, said. She said a properly labeled drug makes a very spe-cific claim for health improvement, such as relieving aches and pains.

According to the Nutrition Business Journal, dietary supplements are a $27.3

billion industry in the United States. A search for “dietary supplements” on Ama-zon.com reveals a litany of products, many of them claiming to help users lose weight or gain muscle. Many of them suggest they are supported by research or endorsed by doctors.

While they may appear to be effective and safe, dietary supplements do not need approval from the FDA before they are marketed. This opens the door for a wide variety of problems.

“We’re seeing an increasing number of supplements aimed at the ‘bodybuild-ing’ population, which includes college students just trying to bulk up, which are sold as dietary supplements but are spiked with steroids,” Ash said.

According to Ash, manufacturers inten-tionally and illegally put the steroids into their products in order to boost results in customers. She also noted the illegal labeling problem extends to weight-loss drugs, some of which have been found to contain am-phetamines.

I l lega l l a-beling is cer-tainly not the on ly ha z a rd associated with dietary supple-ments.

“There are products that themselves are poten-tially dangerous because they have unknown ingredients,” Ash said. These typically include glandular products, such as desic-

cated liver, which are found in a variety of dietary supplements, including those for bodybuilding.

There is also a danger to students’ pock-etbooks. Ash said, “Amino acid supple-ments are a particularly good example of products that can become very expensive but are basically useless.” With a large number of students graduating in debt, spending large sums of money on useless supplements could impair graduates’ fi-nancial futures.

While there are risks associated with taking dietary supplements, some of them do have proven benefits for students try-ing to bulk up. Creatine is marketed as a bodybuilding aid that can be bought at many nutritional supplement suppliers.

“There is more meaningful research suggesting a beneficial effect from creatine than probably any other legal ergogenic [performance-enhancing] aid,” Ash said.

Ash added that while there is research suggesting caffeine can boost the perfor-mance of endurance athletes, she is reluc-tant to recommend it to students because it has substantial side effects and can be injurious if taken in excess.

Some students aren’t taking any chanc-es. Capen Rhew, a freshman in computer engineering, lifts weights at the gym sev-eral times a week.

“I don’t use dietary supplements because I don’t think they’re necessary at

my level of physical activ-ity. Plus, they can make

you gain weight and I don’t

want to gain weight right now,” Rhew said.For students trying to lose weight, Ash

said dietary supplements have little ben-efit, if any.

“The sad reality for weight loss is that there is nothing magical about it. It is easy and as hard as eating less, exercising more,” Ash said.

Ash said many students aren’t aware of how many calories are consumed through alcohol. For example, she said a single shot of vodka contains approximately 126 calories. She encourages students trying to lose weight to cut back on “mindless eating,” or eating that is associated with boredom, social events or other reasons besides hunger.

Though dietary supplements might help students reach their fitness goals, they should be mindful of potential con-sequences. When they consider whether or not to use them, students might want to remember the ancient Roman advice “Ca-veat emptor” or “Let the buyer beware.”

As Ash puts it, “People will sell you any-thing.”

Dietary supplements may have hidden side effects

“The unfortunate

thing is that it’s

not expensive

to build new

structures for

good seismic

performance.”Mervyn Kowalsky, civil engineering professor

FeaturesScience & Tech

photo illustration by luis zapata

Sportsginia Tech Elite Invitational over the weekend while freshmen sprinters Shawn Murray and Austin Jackson took fourth and fifth respectively in the 400m.

Major said the large number of freshmen has helped him with his preparation for events.

“We have a lot of numbers so you have more people at practice, so you have a variety of runners,” Major said. “It’s easy to find someone that matches your run-ning style and you can use them to push yourself at practice.”

Both coaches and athletes know the real test will come later in the season against ACC competition.

“The ACC is one of the toughest conferences so com-ing in I knew that you have to have one of the top times in the country if you want a seed in this conference,” Major said. “It’s a good thing for me because you can use it as motivation.”

Freshman jumper Karimah Shepherd said that these early season meets are just preparation for the confer-ence meets.

“We take these other meets kind of like preparing for ACCs because they’re the most important ones,” Shepherd said. “[ACC meets] are big meets so we’re going to try our best to deliver.”

But with the high level of competition comes a lot of pressure on the young athletes.

“We’re all pretty nervous,” Shepherd said. “But with ACC’s around the corner I think we’ll all be prepared.”

The coaching staff, however, is doing its best to help ensure that nerves don’t negatively affect the team.

“We try to keep pressure off the athletes,” Geiger said. “What we do in all these competitions against the conference is just try to get them ready to compete on that weekend.”

Some of the athletes, like Major, thrive under the pressure.

“As a freshman coming into the ACC and North Carolina State University, which has a tradition of excellence in the track and field program, you can’t help but be nervous,” Major said.

To place a classified ad, call 919.515.2411, fax 919.515.5133 or visit technicianonline.com/classifieds

ClassifiedsPolicyThe Technician will not be held responsible for damages or losses due to fraudulent advertisements. However, we make every effort to prevent false or misleading advertising from appearing in our publication.

DeaDlinesOur business hours are Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Line ads must be placed by noon the previous day.

RatesFor students, line ads start at $5 for up to 25 words. For non-students, line ads start at $8 for up to 25 words. For detailed rate information, visit technicianonline.com/classifieds. All line ads must be prepaid.

lev

el 2

lev

el 1

TeChniCian TuesdAy, FebruAry 9, 2010 • PAge 7

CAMERON- BAR AND GRILL -

Bring this advertisment in and receive $10 off when you spend $25 or more (food only).

2018 Clark Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27605 · Located in Cameron Village, beside the Party Store919.755.2231 · www.cameronbargrill.com

Drink SpecialsMonday

All Domestic Bottled Beer · $2.00Tuesday

Half Price Wine (by the bottle only)Wednesday

Stoli Martinis · $5.00Thursday

All Draft Beer · $3.00

Eat. Drink. Relax.

Join Us for BrunchSaturday & Sunday

11:00-3:00pm

2/14/08

Sudoku By The Mepham Group

Solution to Wednesday’s puzzleComplete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders)contains everydigit 1 to 9.For strategies on how to solveSudoku, visitwww.sudoku.org.uk.

© 2008 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

Level: 1 2 3 4

2/9/10

Sudoku By The Mepham Group

Solution to Monday’s puzzleComplete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders)contains everydigit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solveSudoku, visitwww.sudoku.org.uk.

© 2010 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

Level: 1 2 3 4

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 9, 2010

ACROSS1 Part of DMV6 Need a backrub,

say10 “__-daisy!”14 Nobel Peace

Prize winner Root15 Walk like a drunk16 Entre __

(between us)17 Using a treadmill,

e.g.20 29-Down, for one21 The Beatles’ “__

Loser”22 Relating to flight

technology23 Laurel and Getz25 Medicine amount

to take26 Regional air travel

brand since 198431 Either Bush, e.g.32 Round-buyer’s

words33 Baker’s meas.36 Leftover bits37 “I don’t think so!”39 “__ boy!”40 On the authority of41 Friend42 Vietnamese, e.g.43 Aviator who said

“the lure of flyingis the lure ofbeauty”

47 Corp. heads48 Hospital staffer49 Beer unit52 Former telecom

giant53 Former Pakistani

president56 Movie DVD

special feature,perhaps

59 Encircle60 Fiber-rich food61 “Dog the Bounty

Hunter” network,and a hint to thetheme in thispuzzle’s fourlongest answers

62 Many MP-3player batteries

63 Game with sixcolorful characters

64 Google alternative

DOWN1 Honeyed liquor2 Land O’Lakes

product

3 Run out of gas4 “I’ve got you

now!”5 Add insult to

injury6 Major or Minor

tarot card group7 So-so mark8 Penta- plus one9 Mt. Fuji statistic

10 Dweebish11 Leaves for the

holidays?12 Sleeping girl in

an EverlyBrothers hit

13 “Hang on __”18 All-in-one Apple

computer19 Crest23 Mmes., in Madrid24 Kids’ outdoor

winter project26 Resting on27 Trifling28 Old-time breaking

news cry29 Bambi’s aunt30 Actress Adams

of “Enchanted”34 Marquee name35 Gasp37 Org. with

Senators andCapitals

38 Québécois’sapproval

39 Queens tennisstadium

41 Civil rightsactivist Chávez

42 Munitions center44 Bermuda

rentals45 University of

Oregon city46 Museo hangings47 Eyelashes

49 The Star Warsfilms, e.g.

50 “Squawk Box”network

51 Bush advisorRove

53 Brasscomponent

54 Prefix with China55 Awfully long time57 Fraternity letter58 Word before

break or care

Monday’s Puzzle SolvedBy Julian Lim 2/9/10

(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 2/9/10

Lookin’ for the

answer key?Visit technicianonline.com

record of 6-0.“[Dave’s] a fierce competi-

tor,” coach Jon Choboy said. “He really does not want to lose a single point when he’s out there competing.”

Competing is one thing Matt would love to do, but he has been forced to deal with an el-bow injury that has held him out of action since August.

“I was really looking forward to the opportunity to play here and getting started right away,” Matt said. “It’s been a bit of a pain having to sit out and watch everyone else compete when I can’t. It’s taken a lot of patience and I’ve tried to keep a positive attitude towards the rehab and not get too depressed about it.”

Both Matt and Dave admit-ted to having little familiarity with tennis on the college level here in the United Sates prior to joining the Wolfpack. They did not know which college tennis programs were tradi-tional powerhouses and which programs were not.

“In England, tennis is much more of an individual sport be-

cause it’s only you out there on the court,” Matt said. “Here in America, there is much more of a team aspect. The atmo-sphere here is a lot louder and more competitive but I really enjoy it.”

The Thomson brothers are part of a men’s tennis team that is helping bring a new culture to Wolfpack tennis. The Pack has a 5-1 team record so far in the spring season and has at-tained a ranking of No. 46 in the nation.

“As long as we keep our feet on the ground and keep work-ing hard, I think we can do good things this year,” Dave said.

The Wolfpack will look to improve on it’s strong start to the season as it heads to Co-lumbia, S.C. on Tuesday to square-off against the No. 45 South Carolina Gamecocks.

PreP DifferencesMatt thoMson Dave thoMpson

Lawn Tennis Association Ranking

10 1

ITF Ranking 143 87

Source: N.c. State athleticS

PreP similarities:• Competed at the ITF under

18 Juniors in 2009• Advanced to the finals

at the bangladesh International under 18 Junior Championship

• Competed at Junior Wimbledon in 2009

Source: N.c. State athleticS

tenniscontinued from page 8

trackcontinued from page 8

tim o’BrieN/techNiciaN archive photoLawanda Henry, a sophomore in management, throws shot put at the Raleigh Relays track meet March 27, 2009 at the Paul Derr Track. Henry, a redshirt freshman, threw 15.80 meters, earning her second place overall. Henry was having a bad couple of weeks but came back with a bang.

COUNTDOWN• 10 days until the baseball team’s season opener

against LaSalle University

INSIDE• Page 7: Continuations of the stories on

men’s tennis and track and fieldSportsTechnicianPage 8 • tuesday, february 9, 2010

Will you be my Valentine?

Yes

No

MaybeWhere: The Brickyard

When: Monday, Feb 8 - Thursday, Feb 11Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Cost: $3/Ad CASH ONLY

Reserve a classified for your someone special!Love, Technician

Young blood fuels track and field teams

Kastanek earns rookie of the week honorsFreshman guard Marissa Kastanek has earned the ACC Rookie of the Week award for the second time in the past month. Kastanek is ranked second among ACC rookies in scoring, averaging 10.2 points per game. She scored a team high of 19 points in State’s win over Virginia Tech last Sunday, which broke the team’s three game losing streak.

Source: N.c. State athleticS

Women’s soccer signs nine to the class of 2010On Feb. 8, head coach Steve Springthorpe announced the signing of nine freshmen that are set to play for the Pack in the fall of 2010. The freshman class is highlighted by Victoria Hopkins, Jennie Krauser, Karri Owens, Morgan Phipps, Claudel Pilon, Ariela Schreibeis, Kaley Shlaes , Stacey Smith and Lauren Woodson.

Source: N.c. State athleticSS

athletic schedule

TodayMen’s Tennis aT souTh CarolinaColumbia, S.C., 2:30 p.m.

WresTling aT old doMinionNorfolk, Va., 7 p.m.

WednesdayWresTling vs. unC-greensboroReynolds Coliseum, 7:30 p.m.

Men’s baskeTball vs. virginia TeChRBC Center, 9 p.m.

ThursdayWoMen’s Tennis iTa naTional TeaM indoor ChaMpionships (Through saTurday)Madison, Wis., All DayWomen’s Basketball at DukeDurham, N.C., 7 p.m.

coming soonWednesday: A feature on the club roller hockey teamThursday: A recap of the men’s basketball game against Virginia Tech

did You know?70 out of 93 athletes on the men’s and women’s track and field teams are underclassmen.

Freshmen making successful transition from Britain to N.C. State

Tucker FrazierCorrespondent

Adapting to college life can be a strenuous task for any incoming freshman, especially those arriving from outside of the United States to attend college here at N.C. State. That is exactly what British twins Dave and Matt Thomson have expe-rienced their freshmen year on the men’s tennis team, except they have had a strong sibling bond to rely on, making the transition from England to Raleigh a bit more stress-free.

“The thought of being on my own

was a bit daunting,” Dave said. “Hav-ing my brother Matt here has defi-nitely made adjusting to college life easier because we’re ex per iencing t he same sort of things and the fact that we’re British twins makes us stand out a bit.”

T h e T h o m s o n brothers hail from Hatfield, Hertford-shire in England and have been play-ing tennis with and against each other since they were five years old.

“When we were young, we hated losing to each other,” Matt said.

“But it’s made both of us train and compete harder, which has helped us become better players in the end.”

T h e t r a n s i -tion from Eng-land to Raleigh has seemed to have little effect on Dave in par-ticular. He has played lights out so far his fresh-man year, going 6-1 in singles this past fall. He is off to yet another fast start in the spring

season, already amassing a singlesrre

Track & field

men’s Tennis

Brothers adapt to life in the States

Track and field enters season loaded with an influx of young talent

Brent KitchenSenior Staff Writer

The men’s and women’s track and field teams look very different this year from what fans may remember from years past. That is be-cause most of the athletes on the rosters were not here prior to this year.

The men’s team features 18 freshmen and 31 under-classmen on the 42-man roster, while the women’s team features 25 freshmen and 39 underclassmen on its 51-girl roster.

But the youth is led by a strong core of upperclass-man leadership.

“We have some outstand-ing seniors in a number of the events that the younger kids can look to,” coach Rollie Geiger said. “They’ve been through several con-ference championships in both indoor and outdoor, so certainly their leadership is important in the growth of the program.”

Senior thrower Jason

Jones said each year a few tal-ented seniors step up to lead the squad.

“When I came in there were two really talented upper-classmen ahead of me so they helped me out a lot,” Jones said. “So I got used to that being how it is.”

But even Jones has noticed a difference in work ethic in this incoming class from previous classes.

“To me it looks like they want to work a lot harder than maybe some people in the past,” Jones said. “People are putting the work in now so [the team] should be in a good po-sition moving forward and in the future.”

And that work ethic will be necessary for the young ath-letes to succeed.

“The Atlantic Coast Confer-ence is a high level conference in track and field,” Geiger said. “It’s very difficult for a fresh-man to come in and be com-petitive immediately within the conference.”

But many freshmen have been able to compete at a high level. Freshman sprinter Ben Major III grabbed a third place finish in the 200m at the Vir-

February 2010

Su M t W th F Sa

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28

joSh laWSoN/techNiciaN archive photosenior triple jumper demiracle Washington jumps at derr Track monday feb. 4, 2008. Washington leads the team with the third longest in the acc with her 41’00.25”. she finished fourth in the carolina classic event for the triple jump.

A new Lowe

When he split our backcourt into a three-headed failure last year, I complained every game and now

Javi Gonzalez, the point guard he sat for reasons I still haven’t figured out, is our best playmaker.

He had our team foul Florida way too early in-stead of trying to ride a tie into overtime, but I gave in when I realized there’s no way to predict a 75-foot buzzer beater.

With State down three with 1.8 seconds left in the Clemson game, I watched as he literally pointed at players while screaming in-structions when every oth-er coach from the middle school level up has a bread-and-butter inbounds play to get an open look from three. But as Julius Mays threw up an off-balance prayer from NBA range, I tried to fo-cus on the team’s 21-point comeback instead.

Then came Saturday.Mays again launched a

shot that could send the game into overtime, but it glanced off the front of the rim. Ball game.

Every Wolfpack fan in the country breathed a familiar sigh, yelled at the television or turned it off. It was just another loss in a season all too familiar with failure.

Not to coach Sidney Lowe, though. He wanted to add insult to injury.

Instead of hanging his head, biting his tongue and shaking the opposing coaches’ and players’ hands, Lowe headed straight for the locker room.

And it’s not just any “I’m ticked off so I’m heading to the locker room,” either. Lowe mumbles to himself on his way, stopping to turn toward the court (and FSN’s cameras) to let every-one know he’s clearly upset over the final play, one in which Lowe and I’m sure a lot of fans thought Mays was fouled.

Now, I’ve yelled at the referees like crazy at every game I’ve been to in my four years in the student section, so I understand getting up-set over a no-call that may have cost State the game, but Lowe’s behavior was unacceptable.

Yeah, I know he went to find Hewitt in the locker room later, but that’s not the true issue. If Lowe thinks our basketball team’s biggest problem was that Mays didn’t have a chance to tie the game at the free throw line, our program is in worse condition than I thought.

The issues start and end with his erratic substitu-tions and inability to run any set plays. Until Lowe becomes competent or the Athletic Department realizes he isn’t, the most Wolfpack Nation can hope for is to lose by single dig-its, which, luckily, Lowe has proven he can do this season.

Lowe swallowed his pride and shook hands 55 times before Saturday’s loss, so he should be used to it. His fans sure are.

DaviD Mabe/techNiciaNfreshman dave Thomson prepares to return the ball during the match against Vanderbilt Jan. 22, 2010. Thomson is from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, U.k. and has a brother, matt, who is also on the men’s tennis team.

“The fact that

we’re British twins

makes us stand

out a bit.”Dave Thomson

Ty JohnsonColumnist

track continued page 7

tennis continued page 7