Student Life Category
05.13.2013
Wonder what it was like to be a student at NC State during the Great Depression? Or what it was like on campus when Pearl Harbor was attacked? Curious about what it was like to be an African-American student at NC State in the late 1960s, or how it felt to be the first woman to serve as the student body president?
Thanks to the folks at NCSU Libraries, you can find the answer to these and other questions about student life at NC State through the years. Through a project known as the Student Leadership Initiative, NCSU Libraries has assembled oral histories, photographs and other documents associated with student leaders at NC State. The project’s website featured video interviews with everyone from former senior class president William Friday to former student body president James B. Hunt Jr.
Over the course of this summer, we will periodically feature some of the project’s work here at redandwhiteforlife.com. So stay tuned.
05.12.2013
Any mention of the name Apollo usually engenders some connection to a number of culturally significant markers.
Upon hearing it, people might think of the Greek god of the music, poetry, prophecy and intellect. Or people might think of the outer boundaries of scientific discovery that were rendered limitless when Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, putting men there for the first time. Some might think of the numerous historically significant performances under the lights at Harlem’s Apollo Theater that gave voice to African-American artists throughout the 20th century.
And for others, Apollo’s a towering boxer that it took two movies for Rocky to defeat.
And NC State is not without its own association to the name, as on this day in 1958 it was announced that there would be a new club forming on campus to “promote knowledge and intellectual curiosity.” It was named the Apollo Club.
Don Malpass (left), the associate secretary of the YMCA, and Oscar Wooldridge, coordinator of religious affairs and general secretary of the YMCA, hold a program from one of the Apollo Club's lectures.
The Technician in 1958 framed the club as “a new adventure into the modern world of thought [that] is about to occur on the campus of State College.” The YMCA sponsored the club, which held four meetings each semester where members would eat dinner and then listen to a lecture by “a nationally or internationally famous authority on some subject of humanistic importance.”
The first lecture, scheduled for October 1958, addressed technological concerns. The club kicked off its beginnings on campus that year with 75 members who became more sophisticated for a relatively cheap price.
“The club is open to anyone who has a real interest in ethical problems of today,” The Technician reported. “A member must be able to pay for his meal which will be one dollar.”
05.03.2013
Photo courtesy of Abe Harman.
The NC State men’s rugby club team took on UNC’s club team a couple of weeks ago in what was supposed to be another close affair in what’s been a fairly even rivalry.
But the contest ended up being something so much more. First off, the Wolfpackers beat the Tar Heels in historic fashion, downing them, 100-0. “It’s usually not like that,” says Abe Harman, NC State’s club president. “All credit to Carolina. They usually have a competitive side.”
And on top of hitting the century mark and securing a shutout, the club team saw in that game the culmination of its efforts to grow the last couple of years. Three years ago, the club team was competing against smaller club teams, like Duke and East Carolina, on the Division II level. But they finished eighth in the nation in 2010 and qualified to movie up to Division I. The Carolina game was validation that they now belong.
“We’ve been building as a club the last couple of years,” Harmon says. “We’re starting to get really competitive at the Division I level now.”
Photo courtesy of Kyle O'Donnell.
NC State’s club rugby team has been building for a while, in fact. Dating back to 1965, they are one of the oldest teams in NC State’s club sports program, which is housed under University Recreation and welcomes student, faculty and staff from across campus to participate. Having such a rich heritage is very profitable for the current team. “We have a really big group of alumni,” Harman says. “We have a great index. They help us out as far as funding travel.”
Harman says several of the club’s alumni are still in the area, having gone on to play for the rugby club the Raleigh Vipers. One of those alumni, Jim Latham, serves as NC State’s club team’s head coach. While filling that slot was easy, Harman also says that its recruiting players that sometimes presents its challenges.
Photo courtesy of Kyle O'Donnell.
“We’ll get good athletes [coming] out,” he says. “They’re not rugby guys. They’re football guys and soccer guys. So that first year they play, there’s a lot of them getting the intricacies of the game.”
Currently, the team has its sights set on the Collegiate Rugby Championship that will be held in Philadelphia in June. And it’s the first collegiate rugby championship in the United States to be covered on television. It will air on NBC Sports.
Harman says it’s just another example of how far the club team has come. “We’re at a unique position where a lot of those things are coming to head,” he says.
For more on club sports at NC State, check out the Spring 2013 issue of NC State magazine. We profiled the rich program at the university and featured different club sports teams, some of which are the most successful and the best-kept secrets on campus.
05.01.2013
The 2010 men's club team poses with the national championship trophy it won that year.
There’s a lone disappointment for senior Grayson Eubanks when he thinks back to his freshman year at NC State in 2009-10. Having played basketball in rec leagues all his life and for Athens Drive High School, he figured he had the skills to make the NC State men’s club basketball team, which is different from intramural sports in that club teams make cuts.
It was a manageable first round of cuts, which annually includes more than 100 people vying for five-to-six new spots on the 14-man roster. But the second round was much more difficult, with skilled players each trying to make a name for himself. And at the end of the day, it was not meant to be for Eubanks, whose brother was on that team that went on to win the 2010 national club championship. “He gives me a tough time about it all the time,” Eubanks says.
Eubanks, who will graduate May 11th and pursue medicine at East Carolina’s Brody School of Medicine, made the team the next two years. And this past year, he served as the club’s president. He says that role has helped him cultivate leadership skills that extend beyond the out-of-bounds lines on a court.
“With a lot of 21- and 22-year-olds and with a lot of people who have played high-level basketball, everyone has a lot of ego,” Eubanks says. “We have a lot of attitudes. But you learn to deal with people so that everyone is still friends and go out to dinner together.”
And it’s also equipped Eubanks with skills he can apply in the professional world, like raising money and budgeting for the team’s needs. In the past, the team has just checked out intramural jerseys from University Recreation, which houses intramural and club sports, but toward the end of this year, Eubanks purchased jerseys online. He and his girlfriend then took them to A.C. More, where she put all the lettering on each jersey. “It pays to date someone in textiles,” he says.
The men’s club team began in 2009 and plays its games in Carmichael Gymnasium on NC State’s campus. It competes against other universities’ club teams. In addition to winning the national title in 2010, it hosted the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association 2013 National Basketball Championships on campus in April. More than 70 teams from 19 states came to compete for the championships in Raleigh.
With events like that, the club team continues to raise its profile and sometimes sees its success translate into a player or two making it to the varsity squad. Jay Lewis walked onto the varsity squad during the 2012-13 campaign after success at the club level. But that can also mean more work for Eubanks and future club presidents to fill spots. “I’m always hoping the don’t steal my players,” Eubanks says. “But they do.”
For more on club sports at NC State, check out the Spring 2013 issue of NC State magazine. We profiled the rich program at the university and featured different club sports teams, some of which are the most successful and the best-kept secrets on campus.
04.13.2013
Alan Aitken ‘63 usually needs a good reason to leave his home in Juneau, Alaska, every spring and fly halfway around the globe. And that reason is usually the Final Four, the annual culminating weekend of college basketball that crowns a champion.
But it just so happened this year, he had two. Last weekend, he attended the Final Four in Atlanta, his 22nd in a row, and arrived in Raleigh Wednesday night for the Class of ‘63 reunion, going on this weekend at NC State. That put a cherry on top of his 3,900 mile trip across the country, the longest distance that any alumnus traveled to this year’s reunion.
“I’m looking forward to seeing campus again,” Aitken says. “When I was here, there were 13,000 students. Now you have 34,000.”
Aitken originally came to NC State from New York state in 1961, when the college was the first forestry program to respond to him with an opportunity to transfer out of a tw0-year program in New York. He vividly remembers his first trip to the South and the culinary adjustments Raleigh’s diners brought.
“I ordered two eggs over easy with bacon,” he says. “When the waitress brought it out, I said, ‘Why did you give me Cream of Wheat?’ She said, ‘That’s not Cream of Wheat. That’s grits.’”
But, he says, he quickly liked the people in the South, something he appreciates to this day in his travels. “They’re friendly and they’re courteous,” he says. “They say, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Glad to see you.’
Aitken worked more than 30 years for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska, retiring in 1994. And he still remembers where he was when he got the offer to go West here at NC State. He was a senior living in Turlington Residence Hall when he got a call from his mother. She had a telegram with a job offer in Alaska. And it was an easy choice for him.
“It just sounded like a big adventure,” he says.
04.01.2013
A federal ROTC officer came to campus in the spring of 1963 and saw that NC State ROTC cadets had no guns for their drills, according to an article in The Technician from that year.
“Informed sources stated that during a recent Army ROTC federal inspection, the inspecting officer asked a cadet for the range of his weapon,” The Technician reported, “to which the cadet sternly replied, ‘Just as far as I can throw it, sir.’”
Air Force ROTC cadets training at NC State in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of NCSU Libraries.
As a result on this day in 1963, a new requirement, which would actually take effect that fall, was handed down that all NC State Air Force ROTC cadets were to carry M-14 rifles during scheduled drills.
“We don’t want our cadets to be so ill-prepared in this modern age when anything can happen anytime,” Air Force ROTC officials told The Technician. “Our cadets will be fully equipped. Their rifles will have firing pins, and ammunition will be available at a moment’s notice.”
03.07.2013
Amidst the turmoil of total war, low student enrollment and the occasional draft calls that defined colleges in the war years, NC State did not forget its Jewish population during World War II.
On this day in 1943, the newly commissioned Hillel Counselorship hosted its first public meeting. The meeting featured a film about the plight of Jews living and suffering in Hitler’s Germany.
Col. John Harrelson
The organization was established by Col. John Harrelson, the dean of administration, and Rabbi Harold L. Gelfman to provide a place for Jewish students and faculty to worship and gather once a week for the sake of community, according to an account in the Technician.
The Counselorship event also hosted a speaker, Israel Weinstein, director of the Jewish Welfare Board, who had lived in Hawaii and witnessed the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
The film and public meeting was the second event the Hillel Counselorship hosted. On March 5, the first worship service was held.
–Molly Green
03.01.2013
The Center for Student Leadership Ethics & Public Service at NC State sends students who love to serve out into the world on what are known as Alternative Service Breaks. Students can choose between fall, winter or spring break and between programs that feature different countries or more locally-focused service projects. The stories in this series are just a few of many students who will be going out and developing leadership and service skills over spring break, which begins Monday.
E’lexis Brewer, Dominican Republic
Over spring break, E’lexis Brewer will lay aside her student role and don her teaching one.
Brewer, a senior from Powder Springs, Georgia, is traveling to the Dominican Republic for spring break with Outreach360, an organization that works to improve education in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic for first through eighth grade. This education can include English, literacy or health education.
Brewer receives a traditional headwrap in Guatemala
“This year, my group and I will be working with children in Monte Cristi helping to teach English and Spanish-based curriculum,” says Brewer. “We will engage with the children everyday: teaching, learning, and interacting outside of the school.”
Brewer was inspired to take on the Dominican Republic this year because of her trip to Guatemala last spring break.
“In Guatemala, I saw the thirst for education that many children have and wanted to foster that in the Dominican Republic as well,” says Brewer. “We do not only teach the children but they teach us as well.”
Brewer, a sociology major with a Spanish minor, is interested in furthering her understanding of Latin culture as well.
“I have always loved the culture and really loved the experience (in Guatemala),” says Brewer. “I wanted to have that same experience elsewhere so I chose the Dominican Republic. There exists strong pride in Latin culture and I was very intrigued by the customs and traditions which I also hope to learn this time.”
Brewer found out about CSLEPS because of work study. She was assigned to their office and found out about their alternative break program and immediately applied to take the trip to Guatemala..
“Honestly, I cannot describe in enough words how eye opening and wonderful that experience was,” says Brewer. “You go on this trip and you think it will be ‘fun’ but you don’t realize how extremely rewarding and fulfilling it is and you share that experience with people who understand and get that same feeling.”
Brewer doesn’t think the week is too short for life-changing experiences either.
“It sounds crazy to say I experienced so much in one week but it’s true,” says Brewer. “I still reflect on it today and created great friendships that I maintain today.”
She wants that same experience for herself and her team this spring break. That’s part of why she signed up to be a co-leader. Brewer hopes that her team takes away applicable experiences and leadership skills.
“I hope that my team and I come back with a better understanding of the Dominican culture and reflect that experience here in the United States in some way,” says Brewer. “The experience does not have to be profound but my hope and expectation is that everyone comes back with something to take away from the experience whether it is understanding privilege or customs and traditions. I want that experience to translate here and have some effect on how my team feels here.”
—Molly Green
02.27.2013
The Center for Student Leadership Ethics & Public Service at NC State sends students who love to serve out into the world on what are known as Alternative Service Breaks. Students can choose between fall, winter or spring break and between programs that feature different countries or more locally-focused service projects. The stories in this series are just a few of many students who will be going out and developing leadership and service skills over spring break, which begins Monday.
Brittney Garcia, Guatemala
Brittney Garcia’s spring break trip to Guatemala will be a personal and educational experience.
“As a Latina, I am very passionate about the Latino culture in general and being a part of this trip is another opportunity to become immersed into another lifestyle and adapt it as my own,” says Garcia.
Garcia, a senior majoring in international studies with a concentration in international relations, is a team leader for the alternative spring break trip to Guatemala. The team will mostly focus on gender issues in Guatemalan society.
Brittney Garcia, second from left, with host family from previous trip to Guatemala
“One of the reasons I am going is because this is a topic I am very passionate about,” says Garcia, who is from Rockingham, N.C. “I love listening to the different stories women have to share. I feel that personally listening to their stories and all they have gone through helps me understand them a bit more than if I were to read about it.”
On a previous trip to Guatemala, Garcia met many women and girls who changed her life through Starfish One by One, a group that helps girls continue education and find opportunities to use the skills they’ve developed. “One girl, about 15 years old, took care of the accounting for a local school!” she says.
Garcia saw the sorts of problems women and girls are dealing with in Guatemala, like the barriers blocking higher education. “Many of (the girls) had big dreams and aspirations but they knew they would not reach them due to several factors,” says Garcia. “Some of them did not have money, others had to stay home and help their families. It was heartbreaking.”
Garcia hopes to help these girls realize their dreams are achievable. “Here, we are taught to dream and it was difficult to see the faces of little girls who can’t really afford to dream sometimes,” says Garcia. “That is where the organizations we work with come in. They help them realize that their dreams are closer than they think. It is a great project to be a part of.”
The organizations the NC State students will be working with provide the girls with opportunity through internship or other options to achieve goals.
“It is amazing to see how their work really helps many of these girls,” says Garcia. “Mayra, the 15-year-old that manages the accounting for a school, has a big opportunity to help her family through this internship. I hope that in the coming years, more families realize that education would ultimately help them.”
This coming spring break may be Garcia’s second time to Guatemala, but it will be her first experience leading a trip. She was inspired by the leadership of the last trip to become as a leader herself.
“Besides the fact that I fell in love with Guatemala the first time I visited, my team leaders from last year’s trip played a major role in my life as I applied for the position,” she says. “Together, they led by example and exemplified what I believe a true service leader should be like. I think the most important part for me was also the fact that they believed in me enough to tell me to apply. That meant the world to me.”
Garcia hopes to gain a lot more personally on this second trip. “Last year, I went through a lot of personal growth throughout the trip,” she says. “I hope that this year brings the same not only for me, but for our team as well.”
Besides personal growth, Garcia sees her alternative spring break trip as an opportunity to spread education of gender issues and change lives. “I hope to learn more about the culture in Guatemala and share it with others here,” she says. “But, more than anything, I want to come back prepared to become more involved to work with gender issues here in the USA.”
–Molly Green
02.26.2013
The Center for Student Leadership Ethics & Public Service at NC State sends students who love to serve out into the world on what are known as Alternative Service Breaks. Students can choose between fall, winter or spring break and between programs that feature different countries or more locally-focused service projects. The stories in this series are just a few of many students who will be going out and developing leadership and service skills over spring break, which begins Monday.
Chelsea Bowman, Belize
Chelsea Bowman in El Salvador last year
Chelsea Bowman is excited to motivate others this spring break and contribute to a healthier environment.
Bowman, a junior from Randleman, N.C., is a student co-leader on the CSLEPS spring break trip to Belize. Since June, she planned to travel with a group of fellow NC State students to focus on environmental and agricultural issues in the area near Punta Gorda.
Bowman and her team will be working throughout the week with the Toledo Cacao Growers Association, or TCGA. The growers association is focused on creating a better life for its farmers through competition and ecologically-friendly practices.
“We’re working at the garden,” says Bowman. “So (the trip) focuses more on environmental issues.”
The team will also coordinate with the House of Chocolate, a museum that features the story of the Cacao plant. The Belize team might help build drying racks for the beans, but the garden will be the main focus, says Bowman.
The service trip will also have a lot of fun activities for the students.
“Through the week we just work with (the TCGA), have lunch in town and then on the weekends we have extra-curricular activities,” says Bowman. “That includes Mayan ruins and snorkeling, water falls. We only work Monday through Friday.”
Chelsea Bowman, right, working in El Salvador
This kind of volunteering is not new to Bowman. Last year, she spent her spring break and first time out of the country with another CSLEPS program in El Salvador. She laid foundations and poured concrete for houses with the Fuller Center for Housing program.
“I’ve always felt the need to do more activities, become a leader,” says Bowman. “I really enjoy service, I did in high school.”
Bowman, an education major, would like to let that love for service carry over after college. “I’d like to join the Peace Corps,” she says. “Just wherever they send me, the location doesn’t matter to me.”
Bowman became a leader because of all the love she has for volunteering. She hopes it inspires others on the trip. “My biggest hope is for my team members to become as inspired as I am to become involved with serving, here at NC State and carrying over what they learn to be a leader themselves,” says Bowman. “I hope they become leaders in service like I have. That’s what I really want; and to also make an impact with the TCGA.”
– Molly Green
NC State students in El Salvador
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