COLLEGIATETIMES
thursday september 20, 2007 blacksburg, va.
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Morva’s jury pool set, will be cut down today
features IT’S 5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE Wondering where the best happy hour is in town? We’ve got your answers inside today’s Cheers! page three
AFTER THREE DAYS OF QUESTIONING, JURY POOL SLIMMED DOWN TO 24; 12 WIL ULTIMATELY BE CHOSEN JOE KENDALL & SAIRA HAIDER
HOW THE WEST WAS WON Kanye West’s “Graduation” and 50 Cent’s “Curtis” arrived last week with a hype that matched Oscar De La Hoya’s May prizefight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. That battle went 12 rounds. In the hip-hop showdown, West won in a rout. West’s “Graduation” sold 957,000 copies, easily surpassing the 691,000 copies sold by “Curtis,” according to Nielsen SoundScan. West’s total is the highest firstweek sales number for an album since 50 Cent’s sophomore effort, “The Massacre,” opened with 1.1 million copies in March 2005. Not since 1991 have two albums registered first-week sales of more than 600,000 copies in the same week. “Graduation “ accounted for 1 out of every 10 albums sold in the United States last week, as Billboard put overall album sales for the week at 9.16 million, up almost 24 percent from the previous week’s record-low total of 7.4 million. - Los Angeles Times
news NEW YORK OFFICIALS BAN IRANI LEADER New York city officials have denied Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s request to visit ground zero. Ahmadinejad requested the opportunity to visit the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood to lay a wreath and pay his respects. The request has been roundly criticized as inappropriate by both Democrats and Republicans, citing Iran’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism. At the time of the attacks Mohammed Kahtami condemned the attacks.
word of the day ob•se•qui•ous (adj) 1. compliant 2. exhibiting a servile attentiveness or complaisance Kelly followed the command obsequiously, immediately completing the order.
weather MOSTLY SUNNY high 77, low 58
coming up TOMORROW’S CT William Morva’s capital murder trial continues, as the jury pool gets limited down from 24 to 12 members
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An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 104th year • issue 139
ct news staff
MATT GENTRY/ASSOCIATED PRESS
William Morva listens to juror questioning during Monday’s session, as his lawyer Tom Blalock looks on.
Three days and dozens of rounds of questioning later, the jury pool for William Morva’s capital murder trial was finally pared down to 24 potential jurors Wednesday night. After a long and sometimes grueling regimen of questioning, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Ray Grubbs appointed the last juror to the pool at about 6:30 p.m. From that pool, both the prosecution and defense will be able to strike five jurors, two will be chosen to sit in at the trial as alternates and 12 will serve on the jury. Over the course of the three-day jury selection process, 59 potential jurors were dismissed from jury duty for a variety of reasons ranging from moral opposition to the death penalty to acquaintance with victims or witnesses. One of the most prevalent reasons for dismissal was
fear of jurors’ inability to rule objectively due to the news coverage of August 2006 manhunt. Morva’s attorneys, Tom Blalock and Tony Anderson, asked for several potential jurors to be dismissed because of their preconceptions of Morva’s guilt.
“We don’t ask jurors to live in a vacuum and come in here without an opinion.” - MARY PETTITT DEPUTY COMMONWEALTH’S ATTORNEY “How could you not have an opinion?” asked one potential juror who was later dismissed from the pool of jury members. Montgomery County Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Pettitt argued that given the national attention given to the manhunt, it would be difficult to find jurors who hadn’t been exposed to coverage. So long as jurors were objective in han-
dling the case they should be allowed to serve on the jury, Pettitt said. “We don’t ask jurors to live in a vacuum and come in here without an opinion,” Pettitt said. Though Grubbs said that several jurors who were later dismissed would have likely been able to rule fairly, he tended to err on the side of caution. “Any doubt about a juror’s impartiality has to be resolved in the defendant’s favor,” Blalock said to Grubbs. During the trial today, Morva appeared to fall asleep at point, only to be woken by a Sheriff shortly after. Morva also appeared to raise a middle finger at a television cameraman while resting his head on his hand. Morva has been charged with seven felonies, including three counts of capital murder. Morva is charged with the murders of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department Corp. Eric Sutphin and Derrick McFarland, a security guard at Montgomery Regional Hospital. Morva also faces a capital murder charge for killing two people within a three-year span.
More and NTC users get high-speed at high cost Internet Prices more putting Verizon Comcast NTC college off per-house per-house per-individual MICHELLE RIVERA
ct news reporter
CANDACE SIPOS
ct staff writer More Americans than ever before are receiving a higher-level education, but trends show that more high school graduates are taking a year off before beginning their college careers. Although statistics are rare regarding exact numbers of students who ask to be deferred or simply wait a year to apply to college, the percentage is on the rise according to various sources. The Boston Globe reported in May 2005 that Bob Gilpin, then president of Time-Out Associates in Mitton, answered twice as many questions regarding a break between high school and college in the spring of 2005 than in the previous three of four years. Common reasons for partaking in the “gap year” are to perform community service, travel, join the military, or simply regain strength after a rough senior year. “Sometimes it’s due to personal situations at home,” said Amy Widner, public relations coordinator for undergraduate admissions. “Some people just need extra time.”
“As long as we’ve admitted the student and he or she has taken no additional coursework, his or her admission is honored for a year.” - AMY WIDNER UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS Widner could not confirm any statistics regarding the matter, but she stated that every year a few admitted students request deferment. Tech only asks for a written statement explaining the student’s choice to take a break. “As long as we’ve admitted the student and he or she has taken no additional coursework, his or her admission is honored for a year,” Widner said. Tech is not the only university that respects such a decision. William Fitzsimmons, Harvard dean of admissions and financial aid, along with two other Harvard faculty members wrote an article posted on the college’s admission’s Web site explaining the gap year concept. Harvard has asked admitted students for over 30 years to consider deferring enrollment for a year in their letter of admission. Typically, between 50 to 70 incoming Harvard students agree to wait each year. According to the report, “Harvard’s overall graduation rate of 97 percent is among the highest in the nation, perhaps in part because so many students take time off,” Many other nations also promote the gap year, holding fast to the belief that time off promotes the betterment of the individual and his or her future college academics. In England, nearly all college students take a year-long hiatus after graduating from high school. Canadian students also frequently participate in the trend. However, some still have their doubts about this practice. “I think it would probably be difficult to take a year off from the hustle and bustle of school where you have homework every night and you’re used to doing that … it’s just harder to get back into the routine of things,” said Kelley McCall, Blacksburg High School guidance counselor.
For many students who live in off-campus, the thought of tuition and fees sometimes fades to the background in the face of the series of utility bills that must be paid each month. Among those utilities are cable and Internet services, possibly the most important necessities of a college student. NTC, a Shentel company, provides one or both of these services to various complexes in Blacksburg, offering the slogan, “Thanks to NTC, college students get more.” However, in some cases, NTC is the sole provider for cable or for both cable and Internet, and it is because of this that some grievances have come to light. According to Carol Mencher, marketing manager of Shentel, the company focuses on talking to students, customers and non-customers to find out what can be done to improve service. “We want to help customers and find ways to make sure that they are happy,” she said. Mencher used the cable TV service as an example of one of the ways they are constantly improving costumer satisfaction. “We design our lineup on student feedback so we have a special lineup for our student properties,” she said. Developments where NTC provides service include Terrace View, Maple Ridge, Collegiate Suites, Townside Realtors developments, such as Berryfield and Clover
Blacksburg
Starter plan: 14.99/month Power plan: 29.99/month
First six months: 19.99/month After six months: 42.95/month
person Per month for wireless: $36/month *From company websites BEN MACDONALD/SPPS
Valley, and many others. The standard NTC cable package was recently upgraded to include the NFL network, ESPN news, and college sports TV. Additionally, HBO channels are included in the standard package, which, with other service providers, costs a premium. “We try to tailor our service specifically to our customers,” Mencher said. Despite upgraded deals and tailored customer service, there have still been complaints by students who live in complexes where NTC is the only provider available. “When you remove competition, you remove the necessity to improve your service or provide benefits to attract customers,” said Jon Wiedemann, an architecture major and former resident of
Terrace View. Wiedemann remembers his first dealing with NTC when he and his roommates attempted to set up Internet access for their apartment. “This was when we first discovered their one-connection-perroom policy,” he said. His roommate called customer service and after spending a very angry hour on the phone, he came out to tell Wiedemann and two other roommates about the result. “He placed an invisible entity representing NTC in front of him, swung his leg back, and shot it up and forward very forcefully. We got the message,” said Wiedemann. Many other students have found the policy of paying for individual Internet access to be a hassle and inconvenience, feeling that $36 per month per room is a stretch and
nuisance. Some attempt to use wireless internet routers, but such devices are not allowed under the NTC contract. For students like Kyle Thomas, junior electrical engineering major and resident of Terrace View, paying for the Internet individually per month is excessive. “They are ripping off college students, yet they claim to be ‘for college students,’” Thomas said. However, according to Chris Kyle, director of marketing for Shentel, the ethernet connection that NTC offers is dedicated to the individual. “To guarantee the service and speed we offer, the connection is meant for the individual,” Kyle said. “Our product is Ethernet-based as opposed to cable or DSL,” Melcher
see NTC, page two
Kaine enacts review panel’s proposals SEAN MATTIO
ct staff writer
Gun violence prevention groups at both the national and Virginia levels have new reasons to praise Gov. Tim Kaine and the Virginia Tech Review Panel—both have been up-front in regard to addressing the role of federal and state gun laws in the university’s tragedy on April 16. Many of these groups have undertaken the task of working with state policy makers in order to aid with the realization and implementation of the Review Panel’s recommendations. Not only has the Virginia Tech Review Panel pledged to “provide an independent, thorough, and objective incident view of this tragic event,” but it has also vowed to “focus on what went right, what went wrong, what practices should be considered best practices, and what practices are in need of improvement.” The panel released its final report on the events of April 16, in which they recommend an improvement in public safety in the state of Virginia. The report includes provisions see COLLEGE, page two meant to improve the background
check system for gun purchases as well as restricting the carrying of concealed weapons on college campuses. But Kaine the panel has also pointed out that the federal government should offer incentives to ensure every state passes on information regarding prohibited gun purchasers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Without individual states’ cooperation in relaying information about prohibited purchasers and the reasons for their disqualifications, the NCIS database is rendered useless. “We commend Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine for responding promptly to this tragedy by making sure that mental health records are adequately reported to the Virginia State Police and the NCIS database,” said Abby Spangler, founder of ProtestEasyGuns.com—a Web site dedicated to protesting and reforming the ease with which Americans may purchase handguns. Spangler has also shown her support for the panel’s efforts to
“break down the barriers between the state and local government” in the sharing of NCIS information. The panel has also recommended closing one of the crucial loopholes in Virginia gun laws—individuals may purchase firearms in Virginia without a background check
“Students on Virginia’s campuses should be assured that they are learning in safe, secure enviornments.” - MARTINA LEINZ VIRGINIA MILLION MOM MARCH through private sale of the weapon. The panel also recommended requiring background checks on all firearm sales in the state, even those private sales, such as those that often occur at gun shows. June Hazlehurst, a member of the Virginia Center for Public Safety (VACPS), said, “We applaud Gov. Kaine and Attorney General McDonnell for coming together to close one dangerous loophole in state law that allowed one clearly mentally troubled individual to purchase firearms. This bipartisan
endorsement of tougher background checks is a welcome relief from the often polarizing debate over firearm access.” The panel’s report also took care to mention the issue of guns on campus. The panel recommended that, unless mandated by law, guns be banned from campus grounds and university buildings. “Students on Virginia’s campuses should be assured that they are learning in safe, secure environments,” said Virginia Million Mom March State President Martina Leinz. The Million Mom March, the nation’s largest non-partisan organization, is dedicated to creating an America free from gun violence. “The VACPS thanks the commission for the dedication to make our Commonwealth safer, and we urge them to ask the tough questions that too many for too long have deemed too politically delicate,” Hazlehurst said after addressing the Review Panel. As Kaine has promised to act upon the Panel’s recommendations, Virginia gun violence prevention groups are looking ahead to further bipartisan efforts to make the Commonwealth a safer place for everyone.
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