Avast! Pirate wins presidency!

“Aargh! Pirate Captain Wins Presidency
Monday, April 18, 2005

Avast, ye scalawags! North Carolina State University is now pirate territory!

By an overwhelming majority, the Raleigh school last week elected a candidate called "The Pirate Captain" student body president, giving the old sea dog 58 percent of the vote.

"We're quickly goin' to bae getting our plank started, get the simple things out of the way," The Pirate Captain, real name Whil (or maybe "Will") Piavis, a junior, told supporters after election results were unveiled Wednesday night.

The blond-maned Piavis, who constantly keeps up the "Aargh! Matey!" persona and wears a beard, eyepatch, white puffy shirt, boots, dangling sword and sometimes even a parrot, reassured fellow students he was serious.

"This simply bae a way to get people to pay attention and get involved," Piavis said, according to The Technician, the campus newspaper. "We're not a group that bae full of ourselves. We bae out here for the students."

More sober student-government types seemed appalled that a character straight from "SpongeBob SquarePants" had crashed their party.


"The pirate outfit and limey lingo have got to go," wrote The Technician in an editorial. "Piavis will be representing our University as a public figure ... Students do not want him and his parrot saying, 'Aye mate, here ya go with this plaque o' gold and bounty!'"

Others pointed out that the usually lackluster election turnout became a little less lackluster this year — a whopping 26 percent bothered to cast ballots, up from 18 percent last time.

"He is a genuinely nice and intelligent pirate; and he has never made a man walk the plank that did not deserve it," wrote columnist Daniel Underwood in The Technician Monday.

University administrators seem to be willing to give The Pirate Captain a chance.

"The reaction to a person's leadership depends on how they carry out their leadership responsibilities," Vice Chancellor Tom Stafford told WRAL-TV.

The Pirate Captain has proven experience in that capacity, leading his own enthusiastic "Scurvy Crew" "upon the seven seas loot'n and plundering," according to his Web site.

As for the next year of helping to manage a campus of 30,000 students and working with other elected officials, The Pirate Captain was upbeat.

"We're liking the fact that most of the Senate are new scrogs," he told The Technician. "Me hopes the rest bae coming around. [Our crew] not bae a bad lot."


First story”

“Saw that on our local news last week. The guy is really into character...kept callin the reporter from Channel 5, Maiden. Guess thats better than scallywag or winch.”

“Here's the guy's website.

I was hoping he'd be at least as good as Steve the Pirate from Dodge Ball, but he's not even close. Argh.”

“he needs to be at ECU (home of the pirates) with his get up.”

“OMG, this is why I love NC State. That website cracked me up. But his planks seem to be strong and sturdy. I would have voted for him if I was still there.”

“Ninjas are far cooler than pirates, as anyone familiar with the internet will tell you.

http://www.realultimatepower.net/index4.htm”

“Good to see I'm not the only person to compare this guy to Steve the Pirate...”