D
stentorian
north Carolina school of science and mathematics
V0I.XIX
1219 broad street, durham nc 27705
may 2000
But What About
CoUege?
Theresa Anasti
Throughout the halls
of NCSSM, it is common to hear
students talk about what col
leges they applied to, what col
leges they received acceptance
letters from, or what scholar
ships are available. However,
while it is still a rarity at NCSSM
and other schools, some stu
dents are looking at college al
ternatives.
These “alternatives”
can provide an education that
exceeds that of a four-year uni
versity. Options range from trav-^
eling the world or talking the year
off and going to a university the
following year. These options
serve to relieve the monotony of
typical schoolwork. However,
there are also other reasons for
college alternatives. One such
alternative is offered by the
United States academies. These
unique programs provide an
education that is equal to that of
the nation’s top universities.
This is the perfect choice for
young men and women inter
ested in entering the military later
in life. Another bonus is that
these academies are entirely paid
for by the United States; there is
no cost involved. Heidi Landry,
a senior, is going to the U.S.
Coast Guard Academy this fall.
She starts a six-week long boot
campon July 5.
“1 always wanted to at
tend an academy as 1 got older. 1
wanted to travel, and 1 felt that
the Coast Guard performed more
noble missions than people per
forming in actual combat. In ad
dition, 1 also really wanted to
travel the world,” said Heidi.
The Coast Guard
Academy lasts for four years.
The education during that pe
riod is free but graduates must
Thanks to the
staff of The
Stentorian, it's
been a great
year
Construction in Bryan Dorm
April Pridgen
serve in the military.
“1 am very excited,
though I am a little scared about
serving in the military. I’m just
going to go in there with a good
attitude,” Heidi explained.
Courtney Melton is
also planning to try something
a little different. She has applied
to work with Americorps, a com
munity service organization.
“I wasn’t necessarily
bored with school, but 1 though
this was an opportunity that I
shouldn’t pass up,” said
Courtney.
Americorps is a na
tional service organization that
provides volunteer aid around
the country. Volunteers with
the program are paid S9 a day
for their help.
“I was talking to this
one guy who was enrolled in
the ten-month program at the
site of the flood [in Nordi Caro
lina] and he said it was a very
rewarding experience. You live
in a dorm. Just like in college,
and get to meet people of all dif
ferent backgrounds, equally in
terested in volunteer work,”
said Courtney.
And the organization
does not hinder your education
either.
“If I’m accepted. I’m
going to be enrolling in college
with the 2001 class,” Courtney
explained. She has been ac
cepted at both Duke and Caro
lina.
Although it may seem
a welcome opportunity from
school, these commitments will
be as challenging and educa
tional as college. The next year
promises to be interesting and
gratifying for Courtney and
Heidi. Both of them are certainly
prepared and exeited for the
events to come.
“I never thought the day
w'ould come when the SLI’s
would tell us not to take a
shower,” says Junior Chelsea
Armitage.
Since construction be
gan on Bryan
halls, lots of
things have
changed
around the
building.
Girls are un
able to take
showers be
tween 9 A.M.
and 5 P.M. on
weekdays be
cause of
workers on
the hall. That
means if you
want to do
some major
aerobic exer
cise, you had
better do it at
a time when
you can
shower or
when you are
able to take a
shower on another hall. Also, if
you have a double sleep-in, you
might want to take a shower the
night before if you want to take
one.
1 ’m sure most of you have
noticed the loud noises in class
and in the hallways recently
because of the Bryan dorm wir
ing project. Just think about
what it is like living on a Bryan
hall! The only disadvantages of
construction are not just lots of
noise during sleep-ins and free
periods. Students have to eon-
w
as
tend with dusty halls as a result
of drilling, lots of workers com
ing on and off of hall, and the
doors being propped open dur
ing the day.
If you consider all of
these factors, you might decide
that Bryan dorms are not the
ideal place to live right now.
However, the long-term benefits
will be well worth the trouble.
Next year, Bryan residents will
enjoy air conditioning and
internet access for the first time.
“I hate the noisy drill
ing and pounding while I try to
do work during the day, but it
should all be worth it someday
when we have air conditioning
and internet access,” says Jun
ior Andrea Kaelin.
If you live on a Bryan
hall or attend classes near one,
you may not find the construc
tion very funny. However, these
are some humorous ways to
think about the construction:
The Top Five Best Things
about Living on a Bryan Hall
while Construction is Going
On:
5. The dust from the
holes workers drill in the walls
provides the perfect excuse for
a messy room.
4. Guys can come on hall
at times other than I-viz and no-
. body gets a level for it.
3. You have the perfect
excuse not to shower. (Just kid
ding!)
2. You can explain to
your parents that the noise is
what’s affecting your grades.
1. Being awakened dur
ing your double sleep-in by drill
ing and hammering is the perfect
excuse for having a bad day.
Naptime for Napster
Will Garneau
The wheeling-and-deal-
ing days of music on the Internet
may be coming to an abrupt end.
Since last week’s announcement
that the Internet music company
MP3.com would be held liable
for copyright infringements fa
cilitated by its website, there
have been several lawsuits filed
against companies that aid digi
tal music piracy.
Within the last year the
MP3 standard for digital music
has spawned a mammoth prob
lem for recording companies.
Although there are web sites
that cater to users who want to
purchase MP3’s, most of the re
cent growth has been in com
panies that aid in finding
copyrighted material on the
Internet. These services allow
users to type in a song name
and receive a list of other users
who have those songs on their
hard drives. It is an appealing
choice for many users because
it allows them to get music that
they would not normally pay for
in a store. However, the record
ing companies are not pleased
about this trafficking in copy
righted material.
The Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA)
has responded by filing lawsuits
against Napster and MP3.com,
two of the primary vendors of
software that permits copyright
abuse. In addition to the RIAA
lawsuit, Napster faces a lawsuit
filed by the band Metallica for
continuing to allow users to trade
the band’s songs. Howard King,
the lawyer that represents
Metallica, recently hired NetPD,
-Napster Continued
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