A Day in the Life - Tailgate and Football

Hey everyone, my name is Dave Overman and I am a junior majoring in Human Biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences here at N.C. State. Today I want to share with you my experience from this past weekend where I had the opportunity to attend the annual CALS Tailgate and afterwards attend an N.C. State Football game. I started my day at 8:00am when I met up with some of my fellow ambassadors at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds to set up for the Tailgate. Each year, our college chooses a Saturday with a home football game to invite all of the alumni, faculty, and current students out to have a great time tailgating and then we all go to the football game. This past Saturday morning, we spent much of our time getting Dorton Arena ready to host our tailgate. We blew up hundreds of balloons, set up all kinds of decorations, helped prepare the food, and set up display stations for some of the departments and student organizations within our college. After everything was prepared, it was time to have some fun.

Over the course of the afternoon leading up until the kickoff of the football game, we had thousands of people show up to celebrate our college with us. Numerous professors, alumni, current students, parents, distinguished faculty, and even Mrs. Wuff showed up to enjoy spending time together. Some of the activities that my friends and I got to experience at tailgate included face painting, enjoying a live band, getting some cool give-a-ways from the college, holding a snake and some crazy looking insects, homemade cookies, and seeing tons of friendly faces. We also got to eat a great lunch of good ole fashioned barbeque that was delicious! I had a BLAST at tailgate that afternoon hanging out with all of the people there.

After the tailgate was over, we walked over to Carter Finley Stadium where we got to spend the night watching our Wolfpack Football team play the Gardner Webb Bulldogs. We cheered, screamed, and celebrated as our team put on a show beating the Bulldogs. I’ve never experienced anything as exciting as a Wolfpack Football game. There is just something about atmosphere with the crowd, the students, the cheerleaders, the mascots, and the band playing the fight song. And we always close a game by putting our arms around each other in the student section and singing the Alma Mater. It is such an electric experience and one of my favorite parts about being a student at N.C. State. You get such a sense of unity by cheering on your school and showing your school pride together with your fellow students.

Well that is pretty much my experience from this past Saturday at the Tailgate and the football game. I had a blast hanging out with all of my friends at both events and I am looking forward to doing it again at the next game. GO PACK!

Diversity

I can imagine an ideal university, a place where students, employees and scholars come together from different continents and states, different religions and political viewpoints, different races and classes. In this place, these differences are the source of curiosity and robust, respectful debate, not of division and alienation. The people of this place seek out and intellectually engage those who are different to help see their own thoughts more clearly.

North Carolina State University is committed to becoming such a place, one where diversity is not measured in numbers only but in the inclusive, welcoming, and stimulating climate we all experience as members of this community. NC State has made a pledge to make a difference. In this pledge, we have outlined our goals to aggressively recruit and retain a diverse complement of faculty and students and to promote engagement and understanding across all human boundaries.

Why does diversity matter to you as a prospective student?

The purpose of a university is to expose its students to the wide range of human experience to train their minds in creativity and flexibility. It is to ask challenging questions about the pressing needs of our time, and then seek answers through research and discussion. Neither of these things can happen in a world where people think the same way and reinforce each other’s preset opinions. Breakthrough moments of learning tend to come through the play of difference, when the clash of ideas produces new insight. Further, in our increasingly interconnected world, we as students
must be able to understand and collaborate across the many dimensions of difference – of race and ethnicity, income, religious affiliation, national culture, and many more – to succeed. Diversity makes our world a far more interesting place, and that’s a good enough reason for us here at
NC State to build this university as a place where difference isn’t just tolerated, but actively embraced.

NC State has made great progress in the past few years. In undergraduate admissions, we are drawing an increasing number of applications from under-represented U.S. groups and from overseas. We have increased the number of faculty of color in all fields, and of women in the fields where they have been underrepresented. However, we can do even better in creating an environment where all people listen and learn from each other and feel their voices are heard. I am positive that we can do more to help students engage with people who look or act or believe differently than they do, in daily experiences inside and outside the classroom. We can do more to invite people from all backgrounds and places around the globe into the Wolfpack community, and to retain their talent once it’s here--and we would like to start with you! Will you choose to join this
diversity initiative that is making an impact that can be heard around the world?

This is a hallmark of this institution. This is a commitment we have made as members of the Wolfpack family.
Posted by: John Campbell

Park Scholars Program

Park Scholarships--more than a scholarship.
The Park Scholarship is an unparalleled opportunity to explore your intellect, individuality, leadership, and aspirations. It is the opportunity to discover what is true, right, and lasting through a combination of rigorous academics, altruistic service, and bold, real-world experience — and the challenge to manifest that discovery through a lifelong, principled commitment to self, others, and the world.

The Park Scholarship is made up of a strong community of peers — almost 200 undergraduate Scholars, who distinguish themselves through original thinking, enterprise, leadership, humility, and compassion. Enhancing this campus community is a supportive network of Park Scholarship Alumni — influential and successful women and men eager to mentor bright, young Scholars by offering advice, internships, and career opportunities. Through their generous commitment of time, talent, and financial resources, these Alumni invest in the success of every Scholar welcomed into the Park Program.

Rather than a reward for past achievement, the Park anticipates achievements yet to come with four years of tuition to North Carolina State University; an annual stipend covering all living expenses; encouragement and support from a staff that understands the demands of excellence; a laptop computer; four distinct enrichment programs that take you from the mountains of North Carolina where you build lasting relationship with your fellow Parks through team-building, to state and national destinations and rich experiences: investigating an issue that is of great importance to our state and then again an issue that is of national importance in Washington D.C., on Learning Lab I and Learning Lab II, respectively.
Free from financial constraints and afforded remarkable opportunities, Park Scholars can pursue our interests and ideals, transforming themselves from gifted high school students into self-aware young adults who understand that with great gifts come even greater responsibilities. We accept these responsibilities with pride and dignity. We embrace the challenge inherent in every Park Scholarship awarded.
Posted by: John Campbell

The Park Scholarships at NC State is funded by the Park Foundation in Ithaca, New York. It pays for your tuition, board, textbooks, and various other school related costs. A computer stipend is also included! The money and the stress it relieves is a great benefit; however, the Park Scholarship is more than just a “full ride.”
The Park experience encompasses different trips, seminars, and activities throughout your four years. Freshmen start their college experience by going on the Park Freshmen Retreat. At the retreat, you meet your Park class, learn about the program, and participate in teambuilding activities. Freshmen also meet weekly to hear various speakers from departments across campus.

In the spring, freshmen participate in “Freshmen Service.” Freshmen team up and work with a local non-profit agency throughout the semester. Learning Lab 1 is also held in the Spring. Your class decides on a current issue that affects North Carolina. The class then travels to a location that this issue is affecting. Past topics have included Sustainable Energy and Global Warming.
Sophomore year is defined by Learning Lab 2! This is similar to Learning Lab 1 only your class picks a topic that relates to a National issue. The group travels to Washington, D.C. to hear from top officials on your issue. Juniors attend Leadership Academy. This two-day event trains you about modern leadership techniques and theories. Finally, if you have survived the last three action-packed, mind-expanding years, Seniors attend Senior Retreat. The survivors travel to a National Park for a trip of self-reflection. Those are the “official” Park activities. The Park activities are wonderful; but, the bonds you make within your class extend well outside your events. Professors are also very receptive to Park scholars. I have heard some instructors say that when a Park is in their class, it seems as if the class goes up a level.

The Park Scholarship involves more time and commitments than other students may have to give for their financial support, but the rewards are far more than just “money for college”.
Posted by: Lacey Martin

Technology Support

NC State has a tremendous amount of technology support.  When I moved in as a freshman, trained staff helped me connect my computer to NC State's high speed network and set up my software.  Throughout the semester these technology assistants are stationed in our campus computer labs.  They are available to answer any questions and keep the lab running smoothly. State also runs a technology support center out of the West Dunn Building.  I recently discovered the center when I detected a virus on my computer. Within 24 hours of dropping my computer off, it was returned as good as new.  This avoided the hassle of sending my computer back to the manufacturer and waiting weeks for it to be repaired.  I have found State's technology support to be friendly and effective.  They definitely save time, money, and my sanity.  :)

For more information about computer resources on campus for incoming students, please visit http://www.ncsu.edu/it/essentials/
Posted by: Erin Whitley

Campus Food

There are several options for food on campus including the Atrium Food Court, Talley Student Center, Dining Halls, and Coffee Shops and Cafe's. All locations accept campus meal plans, board bucks (debit type system linked to your student ID card), credit/debit, or cash.

There are 3 dining halls on campus, mainly used by students living on campus: Fountain (west campus), Case (central campus), Clark (east campus). You may be surprised that the food in the dining hall is actually pretty good. I am not promising that you will like everything there, but there are tons of options from the salad bar, hot bar, food ordered from the grill, vegetarian/vegan options, to specialty bars like the fajita bar, pasta bar. The dining halls are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner throughout the week (7am-8:30pm), with "brunch" and dinner offered on the weekend (10:30am-8:00pm).

Atrium Food Court is located adjacent to the Brickyard and houses a Lil' Dino's Sub shop, Chik-fil-A, Toppers (salads/wraps/burgers/etc), Paisano's Pizzeria, and Freshen's Smoothie Company.

Talley Student Center houses Taco Bell, Lil' Dino's subs, and the Wolves Den (a sporty grill offering quick food in a relaxed environment).

Hill of Bean's Coffee Shop is in DH Hill Library, offering coffee/lattes/baked goods. Other cafe's and coffee shops are located across Centennial Campus and the Vet School campus.

More information available at http://www.ncsudining.com

Posted By: Justin Jornigan

Leadershape

LeaderShape is a six-day-long summer leadership opportunity hosted by universities all across the nation. NC State has it's own chapter, providing sixty NC State students the opportunity to participate each year, free of charge. I participated in LeaderShape during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, and it was one of the best decisions of my college life thus far. The people participating in the program are ambitious, energetic, amazing people, and the best part about it was that they are all your peers! So even though we all went our separate ways for the summer, once school started again in August, we would constantly see each other all over campus. I met a lot of truly great people because of LeaderShape, and because our interests are so different, it's unlikely we would have ever crossed paths on our own otherwise. This is the main reason I highly encourage everyone interested to participate in LeaderShape: it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, so take advantage of it while you can! For more information, you can visit the NC State CSLEPS office's website at: http://www.ncsu.edu/csleps/leadership/leadershape.htm.
Posted by: Tria Metzler

Transportation

At NC State, you are eligible for a parking pass beginning your freshman year. Registration for parking permits takes place at the same time as class registration. With such a limited number of parking spaces on NCSU’s campus, it is important to remember that Campus Transportation takes many things into consideration when assigning permits. These include things like seniority (identification of the student as a freshmen, sophomore, junior, or senior), demographics of the student’s residence on campus, and whether or not the student is an off-campus commuter. With all these things considered, there are still many freshman who are awarded a parking permit their first year. These permits may be close to the student’s residence hall or more commonly, they may be in a storage lot. In addition to on-campus parking, NCSU offers Wolfline buses which run every day that classes are in session and serve all three campuses of NCSU, two park and ride lots, and all official NCSU housing. You can typically expect Wolfline buses to arrive at their designated stops every 15 minutes and they can get you to almost anywhere you would like to go on campus! The Wolfline also doubles as the Werewolf for night-time transportation and as the Red Terror Transit on game-day so that you can get to the stadium on time! In addition to car and/or Wolfline travel, many students choose to ride their motorcycles, bikes, or even skateboards to and around campus. I’ve found that NCSU is welcoming of almost any transportation you may consider as long as long as there is somewhere for you to park!
Posted by: Ashton Ayers

Greek Life

On NC State's campus you will find different types of Greek Life. The most common is the social sororities and fraternities. There are four different councils with a social sorority or fraternity for every individual. Each council has their own type of rush to gain new members. To find out more information about the different councils and rush please check out the Greek Life webpage: www.ncsu.edu/greek_life

Right now our Greek Court is undergoing construction to make a new Greek Village. This new village will be similar in design to USC Columbia's Greek houses. The houses in the Greek Village are considered on campus housing and have access to the Wolfline, NC State's bus.

I have enjoyed my years in Alpha Delta Pi sorority because I have been able to participate in philanthropy events and gain leadership experience. My sisters have become my second family and I hope to continue with my sorority's opportunities after graduation!
Posted by: Beth Migliaccio

I became a member of Greek Life my first semester at NC State when I went through Formal Recruitment and joined Delta Zeta sorority. Greek Life is a wonderful way for students to get involved early on campus! There are four councils which are all a part of Greek Life; the Panhellenic Association, the Interfraternity Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Association, and the Collaborative Greek Council. For information on each council, visit the Greek Life website: http://www.ncsu.edu/greeklife/index.html. The four main pillars of Greek Life are brotherhood & sisterhood, service, leadership, and scholarship. Each organization truly encompasses each of these. By joining Greek life, you are given the chance to establish lasting friendships, as well as enhance your personal development through various outlets. Each individual organization has its own unique social events, rituals, traditions, and service and leadership opportunities. However, together Greek Life is just a group of students who all share common goals and interests.

My four years as a sister in Delta Zeta have definitely been amazing! Service events I have been a part of include, but are not limited to: Relay For Life, Service Raleigh, Service NC State, the Soup Kitchen, the NC Food Bank, volunteering at schools, Hoops for Hope, etc. Also, Delta Zeta, as well as all other organizations, has a national philanthropy in which we raise money for year round. Delta Zeta raises money for the hearing and speech impaired by hosting an annual male pageant called “Big Man On Campus”. Contestants wear an outfit that describes their personality, are interviewed on stage, and have to perform some sort of talent. The talents range from singing, doing an interpretive dance, or even trying to break the world record of chicken nugget eating! Because all organizations have service events like this throughout the year, it is easy to stay involved with each other’s philanthropic events. For leadership in my sorority I have held five chairman positions, including Alumnae Relations and Judicial Board President. Sisterhood is one of my favorite aspects of being in a sorority. I have met the most amazing women by being a part of Delta Zeta and have established the best friendships. Without being a member of Delta Zeta, and meeting the women I have, I would not be the person I am today. My sisters have always been there for me, and helped with my own personal growth and development. Finally, academics definitely remains an integral part of being in a Greek organization. Because all the organizations range in size, more than likely you will find people that are Greek in your classes, perhaps even friends from the same organization. For me, this was always helpful because you can automatically form those bonds and establish study groups. Since we are all students first, it’s easy to see that being successful in our classes is really important to ourselves as individuals and to Greek Life as a whole.
Posted by: Catherine Casey

Living Off Campus

I highly recommend living on campus for at least your first year. The campus living experience will allow you to make connections with people around you and makes it easier to participate in student organizations to help establish yourself at State. I moved off campus after my first year at State. There are tons of apartments that cater to the university students in the Raleigh area. Many offer by-the-bed leases, which only holds you responsible for your room in an apartment in the event that your roommate(s) end their lease or fail to pay their rent. Most apartments range from 1-4 bedrooms, with costs generally decreasing per person with more roommates. Some locations offer roommate matching programs, and amenities such as swimming pools, exercise equipment, etc. Definitely visit an apartment complex and check around on the Internet for student housing options to find the right place for you.

Things to consider with living off campus: buying a parking permit for campus, bus routes nearby to get you to campus, food costs vs. meal plan, length of a lease and your plans for summer vacation. Always read the details of a lease and keep your parents involved, as they will probably be serving as a co-signor for your apartment or townhouse.

Posted by Justin Jornigan

Alternative Spring Break

This past spring break I had the opportunity to work for Habitat for Humanity in the Dominican Republic. This was an opportunity that all students have and is coordinated by NC state's Center for Student Leadership Ethics and Public Service (CSLEPS) office. The trip was an awesome experience that I shared with 15 other NC State students. We helped build houses, volunteered at a local school, and experience a new culture through it's people. Most people on the trip had never traveled abroad but the program meetings start months before the trip and helps students prepare for the trip. They also have fundraisers and scholarships so that anyone can go regardless of finances. This a great experience that I recommend to everyone, especially students who don't want to study abroad for an entire semester but want traveling abroad experiences.
Posted by: Julie Stainback

For Spring Break my Junior year, I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala for Alternative Spring Break. The focus of our trip was health care advocacy. We took with us twenty suitcases full of medical supplies which we delivered to a small village clinic in the Peten region of Guatemala. While in the same area, we had the chance to go on a jungle walk with a local herbal medicine woman who explained how they used plants, herbs, and seeds for healing. We also visited the ancient Mayan Ruins of Tikal. The latter part of our trip was spent in Antigua where we volunteered at a local hospital working with handicapped children and adults. We also spent many evenings experiencing the various other cultural aspects of the country. This experience has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in college. It was my first time out of the country and my first taste of Latin American culture. I highly recommend the Alternative Spring Break program to everyone because it was truly life changing for me.
Posted by: Catherine Casey