It’s safe to say that my words have inked the pages of this newspaper far more than any other writer since Technician’s founding in 1920. I’m extremely proud of my service and contributions to N.C. State University’s student newspaper.
There’s another fact – though one not favored by the University’s administration and caretaker regime – I have partied with more NCSU students than anyone else in the school’s 122 year history.
And since we are on the subject of Andrew Payne being proud; a very boring subject at that – I was honored to have been asked to direct University Theatre’s student studio production of Waiting for Godot. A handful of students and I have worked since early last semester to stage Samuel Beckett’s 1953 classic dramatic work. Our task was not a small one – to some, Waiting for Godot is the most influential play in the history of modern theater. We definitely don’t take ourselves that seriously.
The story revolves around two outwardly homeless men waiting for someone, or something, named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait on a barren stretch of land, creating a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical summation of mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. Waiting for Godot runs March 20-22 in Talley Student Center. Tickets to the all student production are $5 (515-1100 or ticketcentral.ncsu.edu).
Why tell you all of this…? The days of spewing my opinions onto helpless students forced to find a distraction in the pages of Technician because of a boring class or professor are over. This is the first of my last three opinion columns. I am retiring and am proud of my contributions to Technician and to the University.
I shared the news first with a friend and then with Chancellor James Oblinger and members of his senior staff at the State vs. Boston College basketball game during spring break. I told the Chancellor, not with any hope that he cared or would convince me to continue writing, but to gauge his reaction.
You see the intention of my writing and the goal of many of my columns is to buck the power structures that force themselves upon students. This power structure is the same cartel that controls North Carolina’s esteemed higher education system. I will admit it would have been cool if the chancellor reacted with an impromptu jig and uncorked some champagne. But alas, he did not. I would encourage everyone to attend the Chancellor’s “State of the University” presentation at 11 a.m. today in Stewart Theatre. Oblinger will discuss the “university’s accomplishments and role in supporting the state’s economic growth.”
The Chancellor did ask why I was leaving Technician, and the answer is quite simple. I have nothing else to say. Perhaps I should not say it that way. I’m afraid my audience isn’t listening anymore. But no worries, what more can I say to students about standing up for themselves and fighting the system. I have said it all and now it is time for others to take up the cause. And to be honest with you, I can’t guarantee you anyone will.
