Technician (newspaper)

*Technician*
Type	Weekly student newspaper
Format	Modified tabloid
School	North Carolina State University
Owner(s)	NC State Student Media
Editor-in-chief	Kate Denning
Founded	February 1, 1920
Language	English
Headquarters	Witherspoon Student Center
City	Raleigh, North Carolina
Country	United States of America
Sister newspapers	Nubian Message
OCLC number	15522593
Website	technicianonline.com
Free online archives	d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/technician/calendar
	Media of the United States of America ;

Last updated November 26, 2024

Technician is the student newspaper of North Carolina State University. Its first edition was published in 1920, and it has been published continuously since that date, becoming a daily paper in fall 1988.^[1] Since 2018, the newspaper has been published on Thursdays, with stories also published online throughout the week at http://www.technicianonline.com. The newspaper is funded by in-paper and online advertising and is a part of NC State Student Media. NC State's Student Media Board of Directors oversees NC State Student Media, which includes Technician, other student-led publications, and a college radio station, WKNC-FM.

Notable alumni

Alvin M. Fountain, college historian
Roy H. Park, media mogul, founder of broadcasting and newspaper chain Park Communications Inc.
William C. Friday (1941), American educator and leader of the University of North Carolina system from 1956-86.
Chris Hondros, photographer and 2003 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize ^[2]
Richard Curtis (1972), a founder and managing editor of graphics and photography for USA Today
Joseph Galarneau (1989), chief operating officer and digital general manager of Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

Controversies

Like many student newspapers, Technician has seen its share of controversies, including:

In 1990, the newspaper ran an editorial calling for the dismissal of embattled head basketball coach Jim Valvano. Valvano, a popular figure who led the team to the 1983 national championship, had come under fire for ethical and regulatory lapses in handling the basketball program. The editorial was resented as a publicity stunt. Valvano ultimately left the university under fire.^[3]
On September 3, 1992, a conservative opinion columnist harshly criticized African-American students' demands for a black cultural center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This column, paired with a front-page article with the headline "Black Students Vent Rage in Dining Hall"—a report on a NC State Student Government meeting to get feedback from African-American students on campus in a follow-up to recent events in Chapel Hill—resulted in widespread theft of the edition (it is distributed free). Students also burned copies of the Technician in the Brickyard in protest. The aftermath led to the creation of the university's African-American interest publication, Nubian Message.^[4]
Following disastrous Wolfpack basketball seasons in 1995 and 1996, Technician published staff editorials asking for the resignation or firing of coach Les Robinson. The editorials were timed to run on the eve of the ACC Tournament play-in game for last-place teams, which had become known throughout the conference as "The Les Robinson Invitational." Robinson resigned following his team's loss at the tournament. Asked if he had any regrets at his farewell press conference, Robinson said, "Only that the school paper called me a loser."
After new leadership took the helm at the paper in Spring 1997, several Technician editors and reporters were fired without just cause and escorted from the newspaper's offices by university public safety officers. Two months later, three of the fired editors used their inside knowledge of the production process to hijack the last edition of the paper for the school year, secretly inserting a full-column editorial criticizing the new editor-in-chief for using her power over personnel matters to settle personal scores and calling on university administrators to intervene. All 18,000 copies of the paper were distributed on campus the next morning containing the critical editorial, and the new student management was left unable to retract it until the resumption of publication the following semester. Technician's insulted editor-in-chief filed a report with public safety, which investigated the matter as a larceny. Despite dusting for fingerprints and questioning the former employees, investigators were unable to find any evidence against the suspected perpetrators and no charges were filed.
On August 29, 2005, a crowd of approximately 200 Greek Life and African American Student Advisory Council representatives gathered on Harris Field to protest a Technician article entitled "Sorostitutes are weak and wounded."^[5] Students complained the article was an unfair representation of women's activities in Greek Life. While the event received a lot of media attention, it was quickly overshadowed by Hurricane Katrina's destruction on the Gulf Coast.^[6]
In January 2006, Technician ran an article by student contributor Jeff Gaither, stating that drunk driving was at times unavoidable and giving tips on how to avoid getting caught. The author subsequently wrote a retraction of the article.
In February 2014, Editor-in-Chief Sam DeGrave discontinued the traditional "Daily Tar Hell" satire newspaper while citing racist, sexist, and homophobic humor of past editions as his motivation for halting the ever-popular publication. Several students and alumni were unhappy with the decision and consequently sent a plethora of letters to the editor to voice their frustration. Many argued that the "hateful humor" was not prevalent in recent years and the satire was all in good taste while others were upset to see one of the few longstanding traditions of the university being tampered with. Very few wrote letters in support of the decision to discontinue the satire edition. DeGrave published a letter from the editor titled "One week in Daily Tar Hell", in which he condescendingly responded to his readers' criticism.^[7]^[8] Nonetheless, the "Daily Tar Hell" was later brought back into publication.

Related Research Articles

North Carolina State University is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university forms one of the corners of the Research Triangle together with Duke University in Durham and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

<i>The News & Observer</i> American newspaper

The News & Observer is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state. The paper has been awarded three Pulitzer Prizes, the most recent of which was in 1996 for a series on the health and environmental impact of North Carolina's booming hog industry. The paper was one of the first in the world to launch an online version of the publication, Nando.net in 1994.

Alvin Marcus Fountain was a former professor of English at North Carolina State University and a notable college historian.

J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952.

<i>The Daily Tar Heel</i> Student newspaper of UNC-Chapel Hill

The Daily Tar Heel (DTH) is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded on February 23, 1893, and became a daily newspaper in 1929. The paper places a focus on university news and sports, but it also includes heavy coverage of Orange County and North Carolina. In 2016, the paper moved from five days a week in print to four, cutting the Tuesday edition. In 2017, the paper began to print on only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In 2021, the paper began to print only on Wednesdays. All editorial content is overseen by student editors and a volunteer student staff of about 230 people. It's located at 109 E. Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it is the largest news organization in Orange County.

The Main Campus is the primary campus of North Carolina State University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, inside the Beltline. Notable features of Main Campus include the Bell Tower and D. H. Hill Library. The campus is known for its distinctive red brick buildings, sidewalks, plazas, and sculptures; some are dotted with decorative brick mosaics. University Plaza is nicknamed "The Brickyard" because it is mostly a flat, open, bricked area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Museum of History</span> History museum in Raleigh, NC

The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Q-Notes is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper serving North Carolina and South Carolina. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Published every other week, it has a circulation of 11,000 print copies and is the largest print publication serving the LGBT community in the American Southeast. The paper traces its origins to the monthly newsletter of the Queen City Quordinators, a Charlotte LGBT organization, which they began publishing in 1983. In 1986, Qnotes changed to a monthly tabloid. In 2006, it merged with the Raleigh, N.C. LGBT newspaper The Front Page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Walter Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Sir Walter Hotel is the oldest surviving hotel building in Raleigh, North Carolina. Constructed between 1923 and 1924 on Fayetteville Street and named after Sir Walter Raleigh, the hotel was nicknamed North Carolina's "third house of government", due to its location and being a focal point for state political activity until the 1960s.

The 1925 North Carolina Tar Heels football team was an American football team that represented the University of North Carolina as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1925 season. North Carolina compiled a 7–1–1 record (4–0–1 against conference opponents, finished third in the conference, shut out six of nine opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 123 to 20. The team played its home games at Emerson Field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The 1928 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina during the 1928 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Tar Heels were led by head coach Chuck Collins in his third season and finished with a record of five wins, three losses, and two ties.

The 1920 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina in the 1920 college football season.

The 1930 North Carolina Tar Heels football team was an American football team that represented the University of North Carolina as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1930 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Chuck Collins, North Carolina compiled an 5–3–2 record.

The 1942 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1942 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by first-year head coach Jim Tatum and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference. Tatum left the school to join the Navy at the end of the season. He returned to coach the Tar Heels from 1956 to 1958.

The 1940 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1940 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by fifth-year head coach Raymond Wolf and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference.

The 1939 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1939 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by fourth-year head coach Raymond Wolf and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference.

The 1938 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1938 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by third-year head coach Raymond Wolf and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference.

The 1935 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1935 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by second-year head coach Carl Snavely and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference. Snavely unexpectedly resigned at the end of the season to accept a head coaching position at Cornell University. He returned to coach the Tar Heels again from 1945 to 1952.

The 1934 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1934 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by first-year head coach Carl Snavely and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference, finishing with an undefeated conference record of 2–0–1. North Carolina claims a conference championship for 1934, although the official conference champion is Washington and Lee, who finished 4–0–0.

The 1933 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1933 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by eighth-year head coach Chuck Collins and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference. Collins' coaching contract expired at the conclusion of the season, and UNC elected not to renew his contract, citing lack of success on the field. He was 38–31–9 in his eight seasons as head coach.

References

↑ "NCSU Libraries Special Collections Resource Center, Raleigh". Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina State University. August 17, 1998.
↑ Woolverton, Paul (2011-04-22). "Chris Hondros: The human cost of war". The Fayetteville Observer . Retrieved 2011-04-23.
↑ "Technician, Vol. 71 No. 46 [47], January 19, 1990 - technician-v71n46-1990-01-19 - NCSU Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections | NCSU Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections". d.lib.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
↑ Historical State: History in Red and White. "Nubian Message begins publication (1992)". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
↑ NCSU Student Media. "Student Media: Code of Ethics". Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
↑ Historical State: History in Red and White. "Whil James Piavis". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
↑ NCSU Student Media. "Letters to the Editor - March 3, 2014" . Retrieved 3 March 2014.
↑ Sam DeGrave. "Letter from the editor: One week in Daily Tar Hell" . Retrieved 4 March 2014.

1. NCSU Libraries Special Collections Resource Center, Raleigh. North Carolina State University. 17 August 1998 https://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/technician

External links

Technician Online
Guide to the North Carolina State University Division of Student Affairs Publications, 1889-2008

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[1] "NCSU Libraries Special Collections Resource Center, Raleigh". Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina State University. August 17, 1998.

[Woolverton2011-2] Woolverton, Paul (2011-04-22). "Chris Hondros: The human cost of war". The Fayetteville Observer . Retrieved 2011-04-23.

[3] "Technician, Vol. 71 No. 46 [47], January 19, 1990 - technician-v71n46-1990-01-19 - NCSU Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections | NCSU Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections". d.lib.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2017-02-02.

[4] Historical State: History in Red and White. "Nubian Message begins publication (1992)". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2011.

[5] NCSU Student Media. "Student Media: Code of Ethics". Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2011.

[6] Historical State: History in Red and White. "Whil James Piavis". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.

[7] NCSU Student Media. "Letters to the Editor - March 3, 2014" . Retrieved 3 March 2014.

[8] Sam DeGrave. "Letter from the editor: One week in Daily Tar Hell" . Retrieved 4 March 2014.

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