http://www.newsobserver.com/news/higher_education/story/1619498.html

Basically someone at NCSU decided it would look bad to have the band and chorus go to Ireland given all the contreversy surrounding NCSU right now.

Way to go, you just made another bad decision and punished the students for Oblinger's mistakes....


Email:

chancellor@ncsu.edu

to make a difference.

7/24/2009 8:29:01 AM

If the cost is entirely paid by the students, then why can't you still go, and just not march in the parade? No one can stop you from going to Ireland.

[Edited on July 24, 2009 at 8:43 AM. Reason : ]

7/24/2009 8:42:26 AM

If the cost is entirely paid by the students, then why can't you still go? No one can stop you from going as a group.

7/24/2009 8:44:02 AM

If the cost is entirely paid by the students, then why can't you still go?

7/24/2009 8:48:02 AM

I am sure some of them will go to Ireland on their own. I'm not in the band or chorus, just was surprised to see this.

It's another perfect example of NCSU administration screwing up another good thing for the students.

7/24/2009 8:53:16 AM

all I can say about this is

"What the feck ?"

7/24/2009 8:59:04 AM

The story makes it sound more like it's Paul Garcia's fault than Oblingbling's.

Quote :

""Going on the trip at this time would be irresponsible on our part," Paul Garcia, director of the marching band, said in an interview Thursday. "We will revisit it again sometime in the future." ... "Due to the economic climate of our state, and the unfortunate recent issue with our former chancellor, provost, board of governor chair, and Mary Easley, we will not be allowed to travel to Ireland this upcoming year," Garcia wrote to the band students. "I know that we were not planning on using ANY state funds, and this point was made very clear. Please understand that the people of North Carolina believe that ALL funds for every university group is state appropriated. As a result, the perception of a large trip taken at this time would be a negative rather than a positive.""

But making the decision based on the perceived ignorance of NCians will be seen as a positive.

7/24/2009 9:33:12 AM

While I don't think canceling the trip was fair to the students, you KNOW there would have been at least a minor shitstorm--not everyone would actually see whether state funds were used before they started screaming.

7/24/2009 10:01:25 AM

How does that guy even leave the house every morning, what with all the things people might think he is up to when they see him leave.

7/24/2009 10:04:48 AM

That's a pretty weak excuse.

7/24/2009 10:16:05 AM

So they weren't going to use state funds, but they were going to use university funds? It's not like we've got bountiful amounts of those either.

[Edited on July 24, 2009 at 10:18 AM. Reason : .]

7/24/2009 10:16:20 AM

Quote :

"I know that we were not planning on using ANY state funds, and this point was made very clear."

sooooooo if it is made very clear i don't think even appearance should be a problem

none of this makes sense unless maybe they were worried that if the n&o felt like digging (since going after ncsu seems to be the only thing keeping them relevant) they'd find something else

7/24/2009 10:16:22 AM

hahahah

if yall can play in Ireland yall can play yall asses right here

7/24/2009 10:28:04 AM

Quote :

"Oblingbling's. "

O My fuckin God thats the best thing ive heard in awhile i bout spit out my brownie

7/24/2009 10:29:07 AM

WHAT IDIOTS

All you have to do is a press release before the trip that the trip is student funded and send it to news outlets before the trip. That way any reporter that raises a concern about it will look like an idiot.

7/24/2009 10:35:53 AM

when is public perception ever quelled by the media

7/24/2009 10:44:15 AM

Another fuck up by the whole Mary Easley and Oblinger. Fuck them

Quote :

"Due to the economic climate of our state, and the unfortunate recent issue with our former chancellor, provost, board of governor chair, and Mary Easley, we will not be allowed to travel to Ireland this upcoming year,""

I wonder if it came from higher up than Garcia? Sounds like someone is telling them 'no' rather than Garcia saying "hmm, this might look bad".

7/24/2009 11:16:58 AM

I'm not sure how the recent N&O interview with Dr. Garcia went down but the perception at the time of the initial email to band students was that his hand was forced and he made a strong case for the trip to whatever powers that be that had to approve the trip, but was declined 'in light of recent events'.

7/24/2009 11:48:02 AM

Hold it, Chorus was going too? I knew we (band) was going but didnt know they were too... Might wanna check on that...

7/24/2009 12:09:06 PM

All student organizations have to get approval.

The bands approval for the trip was revoked. The higher ups in the university thought that us traveling would be percieved poorly because of the cost. The entire trip was 100% student funded (the people traveling, no university funds).

There is actually a committee of people that determined it would hurt NCSU's image to have the band travel anywhere.

7/24/2009 12:18:26 PM

You guys have something to learn about how our government works. They don't care about reality and facts. They only proceed on hearsay, preconceived notions, personal agendas, misinformation, and whether or not they get perks out of it.

7/24/2009 12:25:52 PM

^^My guess is that everyone on that committee are people that never let go when the Pirate Captain was elected SBP. Probably freshmen that were boot licking the runner up to amass political points that they could have cashed in this year.

Now they just exist to rain on everyone's parade.


[Edited on July 24, 2009 at 12:42 PM. Reason : -]

7/24/2009 12:36:15 PM

I was actually talking to Dr. Garcia about 10 minutes after he was given the news. He was actually composing the email to all the student who had already put down deposits while I was there.

The higher ups in the university have no idea what they are doing. I have no shame in saying that.
Lets see, good international exposure for the university, or some ignorant locals bitching.... which is more important to consider?
The trip plans were already made and the money had already been paid out.

They university withdrew the permission, and screwed a bunch of people.

7/24/2009 1:00:16 PM

NC State sucks more every day.

7/24/2009 1:48:50 PM

Quote :

"You guys have something to learn about how our government works. They don't care about reality and facts. They only proceed on hearsay, preconceived notions, personal agendas, misinformation, and whether or not they get perks out of it."

7/24/2009 1:58:09 PM

had they not announced they were canceling i would not have known they were going

7/24/2009 3:24:33 PM

^

7/24/2009 3:28:31 PM

It really is a shame that the university is punishing the students for their own mistakes. I could understand if it were the students that tarnished the reputation of the university, but instead it was the administration and our ex-governor. What is more disappointing is the fact that the band puts a lot of work into what they do. The band is there for every home football game, ALL day, rain or shine, hot or cold for its university, and now the university is not there for the band. This incident is a very poor reflection on the university and another casualty of corrupt politics.

7/24/2009 6:39:52 PM

how is this corrupt politics?

7/24/2009 6:59:06 PM

Perhaps the band should travel to LA and rebuild a couple houses...would be positive PR for NC State!

7/25/2009 2:42:30 AM

Didn't they do that? Or are you being sarcastic

^^Its corrupt politics in the fact that...you know, if you can't see why it's corrupt politics, go back to chit chat. I'm going to bed

^^^I definitely agree. I kinda feel like probing around, I know a lot of the administration through one of my campus jobs. Can't recruit for State when you don't agree with what's going on at the top...

7/25/2009 3:12:23 AM

Quote :

"NC State sucks more every day."

7/25/2009 8:07:56 AM

i bet UNC wouldn't have cancelled a trip like this....

the students who were paying to go should still be able to get some type of trip put together through the travel agency.

7/26/2009 3:24:07 AM

If the group of students as a whole paid for their fees, why can't you still go?

7/26/2009 3:25:53 AM

Welps, whomever told N&O to do that article, stirred something up. Just got a letter from the band director saying they are looking into it again...

Thanks for all the support tdub!

7/27/2009 11:49:08 AM

wtg team

7/27/2009 4:37:08 PM

yea it's fucking bullshit they ever thought about canceling it

7/27/2009 4:39:55 PM

I know Dr. Scearce, and he doesn't strike me as the type of guy who would cancel a significant trip like this one on a whim.

7/27/2009 4:43:00 PM

^ he didn't.

7/27/2009 5:00:20 PM

^ If that's the case, good. The following article, however, left the impression that he did:

Quote :

"J. Mark Scearce, director of the music department at NCSU, said it is important to be as prudent as possible because the band doesn't know yet what its 2009-2010 budget will be. 'An unknown budget is not the time to fly,' he said. Scearce added that some university funds would have paid for miscellaneous expenses, such as the cost of transportation to and from the airport and for equipment. Neither he nor Garcia had an exact figure for how much those costs would be. 'It's less the actual cost than to know what state the band is going to be in by the time the tour even comes about,' Scearce said."

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1619498.html

7/27/2009 5:19:21 PM

Quote :

"such as the cost of transportation to and from the airport"

Oh please. Your students live 10 miles from the airport. Everyone could just carpool there

(ibt insurance, liability, ice, what critics)

7/27/2009 5:27:13 PM

^ & ^^ We honestly hadnt been told any of that. Last we heard we were bussing to DC I think (I forget plus was still being planned), and bus would be in with out cost.

7/27/2009 6:04:36 PM

^Don't say we like you're speaking for the band, when the flight got changed from Aer Lingus to Continental the price jumped $100 but our flight moved to RDU, it's even in Garcia's email to the band.

and lol at

Quote :

"insurance, liability, ice, what critics"

[Edited on July 27, 2009 at 8:23 PM. Reason : ]

7/27/2009 8:21:21 PM

Quote :

"NCSU band bound for Ireland again BY NAUREEN KHAN - Staff Writer Pack the trombones and start reading your James Joyce, N.C. State band members. The Ireland trip is back on. About 150 members of the university's band and chorus will be marching in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade in March after all. Interim chancellor James Woodward came to their rescue after the band director and the head of the music department canceled the trip last month. Administrators said traveling overseas might look bad when the campus faces an uncertain budget and is caught up in controversy surrounding the hiring of former first lady Mary Easley. Band members were upset, particularly because they were paying for the trip themselves. The cancellation didn't sit well with Woodward, either. "He was not happy with that decision," said NCSU spokesman Mick Kulikowski. "I think his thing is that the undergraduate experience is really important, and budget cuts or no budget cuts, that has to be preserved. Plus, the fact that there's not any state money going into it anyway." Band director Paul Garcia said Friday that a News & Observer story last week led him and other administrators to "re-evaluate the policies that were in place." Band members were ecstatic. "I've been checking my e-mail every day ... just hoping something would change," said Megan Myers, a rising junior who plays the alto saxophone. "It's very exciting. It just makes the trip even more worth it now that we had to work to get it back." "

[Edited on August 2, 2009 at 1:55 AM. Reason : N&O]

8/2/2009 1:55:07 AM

old by at least 22 hours

[Edited on August 2, 2009 at 1:57 AM. Reason : i'm glad they get to go]

8/2/2009 1:57:10 AM

i was informing the uninformed

8/2/2009 2:00:27 AM

I, too, am the uninformed

8/2/2009 3:37:01 AM

Wow, I don't think you guys realize how spectacular this is. We have an (interim) chancellor that actually gives a shit about students?!?! I guess I was just a curse to NC State. Fox left just as I got there and then, as soon as I leave, they finally get rid of Status Quoblinger.

8/2/2009 2:06:27 PM

^ i don't know about all that. It took an n&o article ylto get action on this. There was little proactive action taken

8/2/2009 3:33:04 PM

^ I'll give you that. But I feel like Oblinger would have just sat on his ass and said something like "I stand by the decisions of the leaders in the music department."

8/2/2009 3:50:32 PM