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Raleigh, North Carolina TECHNICIAN b 6 technicianonline.com Regularly priced apparel, accessories, gifts and novelties OCTOBER 26-31 OCTOBER 26-31 ncsu.edu/bookstore While supplies last, not valid with any other offers or coupons. Excludes textbooks, yearbooks, computers and computer accessories, software, diploma frames, class rings, ClassWatches, gift cards, stamps, special orders. See store for details Presenter aims to raise awareness about ‘the silent killer’ A seminar is being held today to discuss the importance of awareness for Hepatitis C. Anna Riley Staff writer The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is set to host an informative event about Hepatitis C at the College of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday. The presentation, led by N.C. Hepa- titis C coordinator and nurse Susan Thompson, will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in room D-236, and is open to all faculty and students of state and federal organizations. “It’s about increasing people’s awareness,” Thompson said. Known as “The Silent Killer,” Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that primarily affects the liver, and is spread by blood-to-blood contact. The disease is caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) that manifests itself as a blood-borne germ. Hepatitis C, in disease form, is asymptomatic and can cause cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure. According to Thompson, sharing needles and drug paraphernalia is the most widespread risk factor for the acute form of Hepatitis C. She said the danger of sharing needles H ate speech is some- thing that occurs across the nation and our University is no exception. According to Jon Barnwell, patrol division commander for Campus Police, the University averages only a small amount of hate incidents an- nually. “We average zero to one hate crimes reported per year with five or less re- ported hate-biased incidents not in- volving crime,” Barnwell said. Barnwell said most hate incidents involve damage to personal property. He also said the GLBT community is targeted more than any other group on campus. Students involved with criminal hate acts can be prosecuted and put through the campus judicial process, according to Barnwell. Sheila Smith McKoy, director of the African American Cultural Center, said in order to fully understand the problem, the difference between hate speech and free speech must be clearly defined. “It is critical that we understand the difference between [free speech and hate speech],” Smith McKoy said. “We are not empowered for hate speech, though free speech is certainly pro- tected.” Paul Cash, senior in political science and president of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi- sexual, Transgender Community Alli- ance, said the University atmosphere is conducive for hate speech. “Universities, to a degree, shelter a lot of students from the everyday world,” Cash said. “There are still a lot of people in the world that believe cer- tain types of citizens do not deserve equal treatment. Students need to be aware so they are ready to deal with it after gradua- tion.” Racially charged hate incidents have also occurred re- cently, the most notable being the painting of racial slurs on the Free Ex- pression Tunnel the night before the 2008 presidential election, and again in Nov. 2010. Smith McKoy said she thinks these incidents can be attributed to a wider national problem. “I think it’s part of a larger issue nationwide where it’s critical that we go through the kind of changes that are necessary for human rights and human justice to be hallmark,” Smith McKoy said. “[These incidents] are just backlashes of people’s inability to understand that change is coming.” Barnwell echoed Smith McKoy’s thoughts and said it would take a larger campus effort to combat hate speech. “[These incidents] occur because there is a lack of understanding and an unwillingness to respect differ- ing ideas and opin- ions,” Barnwell said. “Stopping it is bigger than the po- lice department. We need to continue to promote an inviting atmosphere where everyone feels wel- come and where there is an environ- ment that is open to seeking understand- ing and respecting differences.” Rachel Turner, junior in biological sciences and student senator, said in- cidents like these make the University look bad, but do not reflect the opin- ion of the entire student body. “[These incidents] definitely shine a negative light on the University as a whole,” Turner said. “I think that to most students it is disappointing that these hate crimes still happen on campus. The University has high standards and these crimes are not representative of that.” In light of the recent vandalism of the GLBT Center, many campus leaders say incidents like these are good opportunities to create con- structive dialog. Barnwell said understanding what free speech entails and using it as an avenue for learning is the way to combat hate speech. “The First Amendment al- lows people the ability to express themselves and their beliefs with- out fear of prosecution,” Barnwell said. “The University is an arena where there are always going to be differing ideas and beliefs, and the University needs to continue to strive for understanding and respect for all.” Justine Hollingshead, director of the GLBT Center, said incidents like this must be used as a learning opportunity in order to stop hate incidents. “Utilizing situations that occur as a conversation point, whether it’s the comments painted in the Free Expression Tunnel about Pres- ident Obama or the incident [at the insidetechnician viewpoint 4 features 5 classifieds 7 sports 8 Underwater Robotics Club sinks competition Club returned to international competi- tion to improve performance and knock competition out of water. See page 6. Former provost teaches speaking seminar Former provost spoke to students about good public speaking techniques. Lauren Vanderveen Staff writer Targeting the needs of graduate stu- dents and postdocs, a seminar entitled “Speaking Skills for Success” was held in the Talley Student Center Walnut Room Monday. Larry Nielsen, who held the position of provost from Jan. 2005 until May 2009, now a professor of natural resources, led the two-hour course on how to op- timize public speak- ing abilities. “When I was pro- vost I did, on aver- age, five speeches per day. So I’ve probably done thousands of speeches,” Nielsen said, “One of the first rules is that it’s about the audience, not the speaker.” The presentation began by explain- ing how learning such skills would be beneficial to their futures. Giving a department seminar, teaching, grant proposals and job interviews were a few examples given. The five fundamentals – content and style, organization, practice, perfor- mance and visual aids – were also heavily discussed. “Brainstorming is essential,” Nielsen added. In fact, he took his own advice by doing an assortment of ac- tivities to engage his audience. One activity was a brain- storming board for the life of a graduate student. Nielsen also performed a juggling demonstration as a metaphor of what happens when you have too many main points in a speech. In order to get the members at the seminar to see what audiences notice during speeches, Nielsen asked for in- dividuals to call out their pet peeves of speakers to whom they’ve listened. Some answers included monotone voice, overuse of “um”, speaking too fast and reading off the board. Public speaking for people, in gen- eral, is one of the highest-ranked fears. “I know you’re shy or you’re embar- rassed. But just on your own, get it out, say it,” Nielsen said, “In grad school, I was physically ill every time I had to get up and talk. [However], most people in the audience do want you to succeed because they know they’ll be up there eventually.” Syanne Olson, a graduate in English, said she believes public speaking skills should be a top priority. “Public speaking is one of the cor- nerstones of a well rounded indi- vidual. The ability to communicate with others and to do it well is essen- tial in academia and even more so in the professional world. Public speaking facilitates the exchange of ideas and opens the door for further learning opportunities,” Olson said. Julie Canawin, another graduate student, attended the seminar and commented on its effectiveness. Canawin said, “He led by ex- ample and allowed us to see a demonstration of how to be an ef- fective speaker. We are all going to have to [publicly speak]. It’s good to get some prep work under you and learn how to do it right so that it’s not so stressful. I’d recommend [the seminar] to anybody.” The University will be providing other opportunities for graduate students to gain invaluable in- formation. “Business Emails that Work” and “Elements of Assertive- ness” are just a few of the sessions that will be hosted in Talley Stu- dent Center this week. “One of the first rules is that it’s about the audience, not the speaker.” Larry Nielsen, former provost Wolfpack embraces ‘College Night’ State students take full advantage of dis- counted ticket prices. See page 8. Using microscopic algae to solve big fuel problems Plant biologist Heikewinter-Seteroff and her team investigate the prospects of al- gae biofuel. See page 6. HATE continued page 3 HEPC continued page 3 DOES THIS DEFINE US? WHILE RELATIVELY INFREQUENT, HATE SPEECH HAS LARGE IMPACT ON CAMPUS COMMUNITY. STORY BY JOSHUA CHAPPELL | PHOTOS BY JOSEPH BOND AND LUIS ZAPATA “Universities, to a degree, shelter a lot of students from the everyday world.” Paul Cash, president of GLBT
