■ stentorian
vol. XXXI, issue 2
the north Carolina school of science and mathennatics
november 2010
stentorian@ncssm.edu
Todd Roberts begins chancellorship
By Ade Ilesanmi
On Monday, October 25,
Dr. Todd Roberts officially
began his term as Chancellor
of NCSSM. As a native of
Durham and having been bom
in Watts Hospital, Roberts
notes that he has always been
interested in NCSSM and has
admired what it has done for its
students. When he learned that
the position of chancellor was
open here, he decided to apply
for it. This decision, however,
was kept as confidential as
possible.
“The only person that
knew I was applying was my
wife. I didn’t tell my family in
Durham,” said Roberts. When
he and his family did learn that
he got the job, they celebrated
by going on a summer vacation
and spending time with their
Durham relatives.
Since he was elected
as chancellor earlier this
August, he and his family,
which includes his wife Dr.
Arleen Song, a native of
Greenville, NC, and their four
children Lucy, 8; Nicholas,
6; Christopher, 4; and Grace,
2, have had to make a lot of
changes, including moving all
the way from Ann Arbor, Ml
to Durham. They are currently
trying to sell their house in
Michigan, so while Roberts is
working here, his family will
be in Ann Arbor until the house
is sold.
While Roberts is here, he
plans on picking up where
things were left when former
Chancellor Gerald Boarman
left. Part of Roberts’ plan is
to talk to faculty, staff, and
students to leam more about the
current status of the school.
According to Roberts, he
wants to gauge “where NCSSM
needs to be in next few years in
order to maintain its status as
the best high school in United
States.”
Roberts believes that in
order to achieve this goal,
NCSSM must continue to
provide high quality education
to students, review where it
is as an educational institution,
and decide what needs to change
and what should remain the
same. He also plans to access
ftmds for more projects in the
next few years, including the
proposed Discovery Center.
“I think [the Discovery
Center] will enhance the
experience for students,
residentially and educationally.
I think it’s critical, moving
forward, to maintain the kinds
of facilities that we have,”
explained Roberts.
In regard to how college
funds have changed for
students who can no longer
receive the Tuition Grant
but may still participate in
the Articulation Agreement,
Roberts understands that the
two payment plans are very
different, but believes that the
Articulation Agreement is still
an effective measure, even
in comparison to the Tuition
Grant.
“1 don’t think [the
Articulation Agreement^ is]
equivalent. I think, in the
absence of the Tuition Grant
it provides students the
opportunity to earn college
credit while offsetting some
of the costs,” said Roberts.
Nonetheless, Roberts hopes
students apply to institutions
on the basis of their quality of
education rather than just the
Articulation Agreement.
Information has been
circulating about the
Photo taken from www.ncssm.edu
Dr. Todd Roberts expresses eagerness to begin his
chancellorship.
number of juniors who have
left this trimester, and Roberts
is anything but indifferent to
the issue.
“It’s a little over twice the
normal amount. What we need
to do is figure out why that is,”
said Roberts. He understands
that NCSSM’s academic rigor
and the separation from one’s
home environment can be
intimidating and discouraging
for some students, but he
wants students to understand
that NCSSM’s goal is to help
students in the long run.
While one class has been
leaving in greater-than-
average numbers, there is talk
that a sophomore class may
be added to the student body
within the next ten years. This
topic, in particular, has been
controversial among NCSSM
faculty, staff, and students
alike. Roberts has said that he
needs more time to understand
the pros and the cons of the
situation.
For now, Roberts is focusing
0D_jtnaking himself known
at NCSSM. He is frequently
found at soccer games or eating
with groups of students in the
cafeteria. He sees knowing
members of the community as
crucial to running the school
effectively.
NCSSM has had a history
of its chancellors only staying
ten years at a time. Upon being
asked how long he plans to
stay, Roberts expressed that he
hopes and expects it will be for
a long time.
NCSSM students build rain garden
By Seon Kang
Members of NCSSM’s
Envirothon Club and Accept
the Greener Challenge are
building a rain garden to help
filter out nitrogen from passing
rainfall before it reaches
Ellerbe Creek. The group is
also helping a local resident
dig a rain garden in her own
yard.
The EPAhas a goal to reduce
nitrogen levels by 40% in this
area because excessive levels
of nitrogen in our water can
cause algal blooms and harm
wildlife. Rain gardens serve
the purpose of retaining run-off
water a few days after it rains,
during which the nitrogen and
phosphorus in the water can be
absorbed and used by plants.
Because of the heavy
fertilization required for the
upkeep of the soccer field and
the large area of impervious
surfaces on campus, NCSSM
over-pollutes the streams that
its storm drains flow into.
The Envirothon Club and
Accept the Greener Challenge
want to change that.
After some intial
testing.
the groups have chosen an area
next to the west exist of Hunt as
Photo by Jaehee Yoo
An area near the fVest exit of Hunt has been blocked off to
perform tests for a potential Rain Garden.
the location for a potential Rain
Garden.
Once built, a rain garden
would reduce NCSSM’s
impact on the environment and
contribute towards complying
to the Falls Lake Watershed
plan.
The NC Division of Water
Quality aims to reduce nitrogen
by 20% by 2016 in the Falls
Lake Watershed and 40% by
2036.
Currently, according
to senior Michelle Ye, the
Envirothon Club and Accept the
Greener Challenge are waiting
for the administration’s
approval and funding before
they continue with the project,
which could be pricey.
“The plants in the rain
garden provide aesthetic value
and also use the nitrogen to
grow. 1 am deeply committed
to this project because I
believe it is a big step in the
right direction and that our
school should be a leader in
environmental responsibility,”
Ye said.
When asked about why she
was interested in this project,
junior Kayla Christianson
responded, “1 wanted to
participate in this project
because I think we, students, as
the younger generation, have
a more vested interest in the
condition of our planet than the
older generations. Therefore, I
think it is our responsibility to
take charge of protecting the
environment and advocate for
changes that would help it. “
Junior Deborah Montes
believes that NCSSM is a good
place for a rain garden because
the students here are actively
aware and involved in the
community.
Montes said, “1 think it’s
great that we as students have
the ability to start a project like
this that can make a real impact
on our community and a local
creek. At my old school, this
probably would never have
been possible. We’ll be able to
make something beautiful and
help preserve local wildlife at
the same time.”