stentorian
vol. XXXII, issue 4
north Carolina school of science and mathematics
January 2013
stentorian@ncssm.edu
UNC System
plans for future
By Adam Beyer
NCSSM students had the
opportunity recently to provide
ideas and potential changes
to the University of North
Carolina system strategic plan.
This plan provides guidance
for the system and constituent
campuses over the next five
years.
The plan was developed
by members of the Advisory
Committee on Strategic
Directions which comprises
members of government,
business, and higher
educational administrators and
is chaired by System President
Thomas Ross.
The strategic plan has five
goals intended to make the
system globally competitive
and responsive to the needs
of our state over the next five
years: Set Degree Attainment
Goals Responsive to State
Needs, Strengthen Academic
Quality, Serve the People of
North Carolina, Maximize
Efficiencies, and Ensure an
Accessible and Financially
Stable University. These
goals are each coupled with
more specific strategies
to implement them such
improving academic advising
and enhancing the use of
technology.
Student Government gave
feedback about increasing
research opportunities and
cross-campus cooperation
as well as maintaining
accessibility to a UNC System
education.
“I want to make sure that
inter-university collaboration
and accessible research
opportimities are included
in the final plan as these will
directly affect our students,”
said Student Body President
Anita Simha.
The plan as a whole has not
been without criticism from
many students and faculty
in the system’s 17-campuses
however, who have complained
of a rushed timeline for the
plan, which is to be completed
by January, and a conservative,
affluent bias on the committee
responsible for it.
“I am concerned about
the plan’s focus on education
purely as it affects jobs in
North Carolina rather than
maintaining a high quality in
all disciplines,” said Simha.
Others raised concerns
about the lack of any mention
of sustainability in the plan,
which only calls for increased
space usage efficiency.
NCSSM competes in NC
High School Ethics Bowl
By Sarah Colbert
The Ethics Bowl team
competed in the North
Carolina High School Ethics
Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Sixteen teams from 11 schools
participated in the tournament,
which was hosted by the
Parr Center for Ethics at the
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
The East Chapel Hill High
School team won the final
round for the third consecutive
year. The other team from East
Chapel Hill finished as runner-
up.
Ethics Bowl is a competition
where students discuss an
extensive variety of relevant
ethical issues. Cases are pulled
directly tfom headlines and
involve topics ranging from
the use of academic-enhancing
drugs to oil drilling off of
Alaska.
Ethics Bowl challenges
teams to explore diverse
political, social, and ethical
perspectives on elements of
controversy and to present
their arguments while also
considering questions and
arguments presented by other
teams.
Seniors Halston Lim and
Mary Poletti, the current
captains of the team, organized
practice and planned for the
competition. Ashton Powell
has been the team’s faculty
sponsor since it began in 2009.
“Unlike a debate club, it’s
not confrontational,” said
Powell. “It engages students
in thinking about ethics.
You have to make your own
decision but in a convincing
way.”
“It isn’t all about the
competition. You get a lot
more out of it. It involves
talking about relevant issues
and expressing what you
think, while recognizing and
respecting other opinions
and ideas. There is no right
answer; the points are based
on how well you support your
argument. The team doesn’t
have to agree or disagree
J>ecause often there are no
black and white answers to
ethical questions,” explained
Lim.
“It’s a channel to express
yourself...! do it because it’s
one way to have conversations
and think about things
I wouldn’t think about
otherwise.”
Powell encourages juniors
to participate next year. Ethics
Bowl is a largely student-run
organization.
Students are able to become
highly involved and develop a
sense ofpride and passion. The
team needs both presenters and
researchers.
“Ethics Bowl is a very fun
and congenial competition,”
Powell said. “And if we lose,
we go to Krispy Kreme on
Franklin Street.”
The NCSSM team has
plans to establish more events
throughout the year, such as
a practice competition with
other local teams. Next year,
they hope to host another
local practice ethics bowl and
possibly a school-wide ethics
bowl.
Ethics Bowl is a
competition that is fairly new
to the high school scene and
is still developing. Though it
has been held at the college
level since 1993, regional high
school competitions did not
appear until 2008.
The regional finalists and
runners-up will compete
in the Inaugural National
High School Ethics Bowl,
the first national high school
competition. This tournament
will be held at the Parr Center
for Ethics at UNC-Chapel Hill
on Apr. 19-20.
NCSSM students take part in Operation Toy Drop,
Ground Royall leads the way in toy donations
By Logan Herrera
In December, through
efforts of both NCSSM
students and the United
States Army Civil Affairs and
Psychological Operations
Command (Airborne), of
USACAPOC(A), NCSSM
students traveled to Ft. Bragg
as part of the Randy Oler
Memorial Operation Toy Drop.
This was the IS* armual
USACAPOC(A) Operation
Toy Drop, and the 2"^ year that
NCSSM students participated.
Operation Toy Drop
culminates in the largest
■combined airborne operation
in the world, with thousands
of paratroopers jumping under
the supervision of foreign
jumpmasters.
Among the countries
participating this year were
Great Britain, Germany,
Canada, Italy, and Brazil.
In addition, NCSSM and
USACAPOC(A) representa
tives will travel to the North
Carolina Memorial Children’s
Hospital on the campus of
Chapel Hill to deliver toys to
young patients on Dec. 17.
Through NCSSM’s
philanthropic efforts, the
community raised over 400
toys for children in need
throughout the region.
NCSSM has specifically
targeted the NC Memorial
Children’s Hospital as a
local recipient of NCSSM’s
donation.
wmm mmn
Nia Crews, Logan Herrera, Tori Baker, Anita Simha, Charlie the
Unicorn, Chris Yuan, Catherine Farmer, and Rachel Dango at
Operation Toy Drop
Courtesy of Logan Herrera
Within the campus,
collection was run as an intra
residence hall competition.
This year’s winner was Ground
Royall, who won an ice cream
party and a giant teddy bear for
donating the most toys.
In addition to Ground
Royall’s generosity, Reynolds
1C2C1D, 1“ Hunt, and 4“’ East
all donated over one toy per
person on-hall.
Members of the NCSSM
Operation Toy Drop
Committee included leaders
Logan Herrera and Anita
Simha, as well as Tori Baker,
Katie Carter, Nia Crews,
Rachael Dango, Catherine
Farmer, Stephen Liao, Kim
Ngo, Nicole Ward, and Chris
Yuan.
The committee expressed
thanks to SLl Sue Ann Lewis,
LTC Shane Morgan, CPT
Saska Ball, SSG Felix Fimbres,
Nicole JartSeson, and the rest
of those at NCSSM, 1-319“’
AFAR, USACAPOC(A), and
the NC Memorial Children’s
Hospital who have made
NCSSM Operation Toy Drop
possible this year.