Volume LVI, Number 9
Cl the 1 1
^eahawk
Serving UNC-Wilmington since 1948
October 28, 2004
Student
organizations
big on campus
Barbara J. Twigg
Assistant News Editor
Student organi2ations are on
the upswing at UNCW. There are
about 160 on-campus organiza
tions, which students often refer
to as clubs, the Campus Activities
Coordinator Larissa LaCour said.
“Fifteen new such groups
began last year and there are 11
more in provisional status waiting
for approval,” LaCour said.
The student organizations run
the gamut from political activ
ists, to performing arts to surfing.
“I’ve seen organizations for just
about everything,” said LaCour,
who before coming here in June,
worked in student affairs at the
University of Buffalo in New
York.
Some newly registered organi
zations are the Martial Arts Club,
the Swim Club, Women’s Fast
Pitch Softball Club, Non-tradi-
tional Student Organization and
the Cape Fear Surfrider Club, an
environmental activist group.
Among the new organiza
tions awaiting full approval are
the UNCW Sports Car Club, the
Future Entrepreneurs of America
Organization and the Equestrian
Club.
LaCour explained the process
to get an organization officially
registered. “There can be quite a
bit of paperwork involved in the
application,” she said. “Once that
is complete, it is submitted to the
Student Organization Committee
for final approval.”
The SOC is made-up of five
students, five faculty members,
LaCour and her supervisor Angie
see ORGANIZATIONS page 3
Shutterbugs beware: class proposal rejected
Courtesy of murraystate.edu
University officials recently turned down a proposal, which in
cluded the free use of a darkroom such as this, to begin photg-
raphy courses. UNCW is the only school in the North Carolina
system that is still without a course in photography.
Ashley Murphy
Staff Writer
A recent proposal to bring pho
tography classes back to UNCW
has been turned down by school
officials.
This has left UNCW students
interested in photography classes
out of luck.
Senior Jacki Booth, along with
many other UNCW students, has
been interested in taking photogra
phy classes at UNCW.
“1 know a lot of people who
have wanted to take photography at
UNCW and have been very disap
pointed that they couldn’t,” Booth
said.
UNCW is currently the only
school in the North Carolina system
that does not offer a photography
class to its students.
In past years, UNCW has offered
one photography class, ART-495
Senior Seminar in Photography.
The class was cut from the school’s
curriculum this year due to lack of
fiinding for the art department.
The proposal to bring photogra
phy classes back to the university
was submitted by Matthew Dols, the
executive director of Tabula Rasa, a
non-profit community dark room
located in downtown Wilmington.
Dols not only wants to bring back
the ART-495 class, but also wants
to introduce an introductory level
class to the university’s curriculum.
Because of the university’s lack of
funding, Dols is offering the use of
Tabula Rasa at no cost to the univer
sity. The only cost that the university
would incur would be the cost of a
teaching salary for the class.
He feels that photography classes
are useful to students in all areas, not
just the arts.
“If you learn how to look at imag
es better, which would be through
learning how to take pictures your
self, you become a more educated
part of society because you will learn
how to view things. Everyone can
benefit from that,” Dols said
The university though does not
have enough money in its art budget
to fund even a low expense class.
A new Cultural Arts building,
which will house a 400 square-foot
darkroom, is expected to open in
September 2005. Until then, unless
funding is generated for these class
es, students will have to wait to enjoy
photography classes at UNCW.
Voter registration a success on campus
Barbara J. Twigg
Assistant News Editor
A robust voter registration cam
paign this past month by UNCW
student organizations resulted in
about 1,000 students signing up to
vote.
“We feel it’s been a success,” said
Evan Ouellette, SGA vice-president
of state and national affairs. “We
registered about 700 students. Other
student groups held events and reg
istered a few hundred more.”
The SGA held voter sign-ups
beginning on Sept. 27 all over cam
pus. “We wanted to be very visible
to remind people to vote, Ouellette
said. “We were at the academic
buildings, the residence halls and
the dining places at all hours.”
SGA President Zachary Wyime
agreed. “We tried to be in as many
places as possible,” he said.
Wynne said local radio station
Coast 97.3 also joined the effort.
“They were broadcasting live
outside the Cameron School of
Business,” he said. “They had a van
where students could register.”
Randall Library also had a vot
ing display near the entrance where
students could pick up a registra
tion card to mail to the Board of
Elections.
Elizabeth Peterson, public ser
vices librarian, said she didn’t have
exact figures on the number who
registered there. “I know there were
about 300 cards taken from the
table, but I have no way of knowing
how many were actually mailed in,”
she said.
Ouellette said the SGA will be
handing out pledge cards on cam
pus this week, which could help the
SGA win up to $2,000 in grants.
Common Cause, a national nonpar
tisan political action group, sponsors
the pledge card campaign.
“The 16 major universities in the
North Carolina system compete for
the highest number of pledge cards
signed by people, who then actu
ally vote, as verified by Common
Cause,” Ouellette explained.
“Winning the Student
Government grant is a nice part of
it,” said Ouellette, a biology major
with no political aspirations. “But the
main purpose in going around with
the pledge cards is to remind people
to vote.”
Early voting for anyone who
wants to beat the crowd is taking
place through Oct. 30. The three
places in New Hanover County to
vote early are the County Library at
201 Chestnut St.; the Senior Citizen
Center at 2222 S. College Rd.; and
the Board of Election Office at 230
Market Place Dr
On Election Day, Nov. 2, the
UNCW polling place is Trask
Coliseum.
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