COLLEGIATETIMES
wednesday november 7, 2007 blacksburg, va.
www.collegiatetimes.com
news MUKASEY TO BE CONFIRMED AS ATTORNEY GENERAL WASHINGTON — Retired federal judge Michael Mukasey is expected to be confirmed as the next attorney general as early as next week after a Senate panel gave his nomination the go-ahead on Tuesday. The 11-8 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee came after two leading Democrats joined nine Republicans to advance Mukasey’s nomination to the full Senate.
VTTV CRIBS DEBUTS TONIGHT VTTV’s new program will air tonight at 9 p.m. The show is similar to MTV’s program, touring student’s dorm rooms and apartments throughout Blacksburg. VTTV is a student-run television station and can be found on campus channel 33 and Comcast channel 18. VTTV, like the Collegiate Times, is owned by EMCVT, Inc.
U.S. TO RELEASE NINE IRANIANS BAGHDAD — The U.S. military soon will release nine Iranians it’s holding in Iraq, including two held since January on suspicion that they’d funneled weapons and financial support to Iraqi Shiite Muslim militias. A military spokesman described the decision to release the nine as routine and cautioned against reading greater meaning into it. He didn’t explain why it took 10 months to decide that the two weren’t terrorists.
sports MEN’S SOCCER RANKED FOURTH The Virginia Tech men’s soccer team has once again risen in the national rankings. Tech is ranked No. 4 in this week’s NSCAA top-25. The Hokies are riding a 15-game unbeaten streak coming off Saturday’s 3-0 victory over North Carolina State. Tech is currently 101-5 overall and 3-0-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Tech will conclude the regular season Friday at Boston College.
Voter turnout low in mid-term year oters all across Montgomery County placed their vote for local elections yesterday. Turnout was low as predicted for this year. Hugh Vanlandingham, Chief Officer of a Blacksburg precinct, said, “It’s an off year, the turnout usually isn’t very high.”Out of the 46,007 registered voters in Montgomery County, about 30 percent went to the polls for this year’s Election Day.“With next year’s election, you’re going to have around 80 percent show up,”said Vanlandingham.
House and Senate Elections Member Senate of Virginia - 21st District
Votes
John S. Edwards (D) Write-in - Senate 21st District
4,873 56
Member Senate of Virginia - 22nd District Michael J. Breiner (D) Ralph K. Smith (R) Write-in - Senate 22nd District
4,051 3,572 20
Member House of Delegates - 7th District Peggy H. Frank (D) David A. "Dave" Nutter (R) Write-in - House 7th District
4,152 4,866 7
Member House of Delegates - 12th District James M. Shuler (D) Write-in - House 12th District
3,998 35
Soil and Water Conservation Director Robert A. "Bob" Phillips (IND) James L. "Jim" Snyder (IND) Write-in - Soil and Water Conversation Director
8,798 7,138 77
BEN MACDONALD/COLLEGIATE TIMES
SALLY BULL/SPPS
Eloise Turner votes in state and local elections yesterday at Gilbert Linkous Elementary School.
Tech team takes third in robotics competition KERRY O’CONNOR
ct news reporter A team created by Virginia Tech placed third in the 2007 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Urban Challenge and won $500,000 on Nov. 3. Sponsored by the Pentagon, the DARPA Urban Challenge is an autonomous vehicle research and development program created to advance the technology and safety of unmanned military vehicles. Team Victor Tango from Tech was composed of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students. Last year, Tech received a $1 million grant from DARPA to develop a car they’ve named “Odin.” Since then, in collaboration with TORC Technologies, the team has been developing and testing the car constantly. Practices took place throughout the New River Valley, some as close as the empty Cage parking lot on campus during the summer. Odin, a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid, was trucked all the way to California on Oct. 19, where it then competed against 10 other cars. On Saturday, Odin maneuvered through 60 miles of mock-city environment in front of 2,000 spectators on the decommis-
sioned George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif. “The mechanical engineering department here has an extremely good reputation in robotics and competitive events, so I would say the team was extremely confident,” said Bill Carstensen, member of Team Victor Tango and head of Tech’s geography department. “On the other hand, we were working with less of a front start than some of the other schools had, and I think we did better than we really thought we would do.” Although two cars crossed the finish line before Odin, there was still speculation that Odin would come out in front due to infractions completed in the course. However, these speculations did not come to fruition, and Odin finished in third place, one of just six cars to complete the course. COURTESY OF ANDREW TAYLOR Stanford University was awarded first place and $2 million for its car “Junior,” Virginia Tech’s car, “Odin,” finished third in the DARPA Urban Challenge behind cars from and Carnegie Mellon University was awarded second place and $1 million for its car Stanford and Carnegie Mellon universities. The importance of this competition lies in the another challenge for the coming year, con“Boss.” “The feeling of standing among the three vic- development of unmanned cars to be used in sidering the distinguishing placement in this tors of the greatest robot race to date was one the military. The practicality of unmanned cars year’s tournament, and the fact that Tech has that will be hard to forget. It is a tremendous becomes essential with dangerous missions competed in every competition offered by honor and a great accomplishment to have such as minefields, where the military does not DARPA thus far, it is likely Tech will again have the opportunity to prove their competence in received the trophy today,” read an entry in the want to risk the lives of personnel. Although DARPA has not yet announced the robotics field. team’s online blog.
Protection professional critiques Tech review panel CAROLINE BLACK
ct university editor
weather MOSTLY SUNNY high 46, low 22 ROY HIGASHI/SPPS
coming up TOMORROW’S CT An employee of parking services was fired following the CT’s story on sex offenders. Read the story tomorrow.
ON THE WEB View Vincent Bove’s review of the state panel findings following April 16 at www.collegiatetimes.com.
index News.....................2 Features................3 0pinions................5
Sports....................6 Classifieds..............7 Puzzles..................7
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 104th year • issue 165
Ruth Lytton, Director of the CFP Program and Derek Klock, a finance instructor, visit a class to talk about the new Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Program at Virginia Tech.
Financial planning option prepares needed professionals CANDICE SIPOS
ct staff writer Undergraduate students in Virginia Tech’s department of agriculture and applied economics or department of finance can now enroll in a new financial planning option. The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. approved Tech in August to administer a track that could potentially deem students CFP certificants, the highest credential in the financial advising profession. “There is demand within our campus for students who want to pursue this kind of career, and there is tremendous demand within the United States in terms of placement,” said Ruth Lytton, director of the CFP Board-registered
programs and associate professor of agriculture and applied economics. “We’re expected to have 25 to 30 percent growth in this industry over the next decade.” Despite the occupation’s recent growth, only four universities in Virginia offer a financial planning option; and Virginia Commonwealth University is the only one beside Tech offering an undergraduate program. This semester marks the program’s first offering, and its first graduates will receive their diplomas in December 2008. Derek Klock, the CFP program adviser for the department of finance said this track allows students to add a more personal touch to their academic endeavors.
see PLANNING, page two
Last week, a protection professional published a report that criticized the findings of the stateappointed Virginia Tech review panel. The more recent report, titled “Crisis of Leadership: A Response to the Virginia Tech Panel Report,” was published by Vincent Bove, a certified crime prevention specialist who represented several of the families of April 16 victims in dealings with the school. Bove’s report claims that the review panel did not place a sufficient amount of blame or responsibility on those in the administration. The report cites that the administration dealt with the events of April 16 inadequately and inefficiently. “(The panel) were honest about certain issues, but if you really read the entire panel report, it’s vague. There are inconsistencies, there’s errors and omissions. Those who were wounded and those who were killed ... at Virginia Tech and universities throughout the nation need the truth with no ambiguity, and I thought it was my obligation to tell,” Bove said. Bove said his report was necessary to present the truth about what happened from an expert’s point of view, as somebody who knows college security. Bove’s report evaluates the Tech administration’s actions after the shootings in West Ambler-Johnston, and found that there were many preventative measures security personnel and Tech administration should have taken, and the review panel’s lack of emphasis on the failure of the administration during that time is a disservice to all those involved. Beyond his assessment of the actual review panel publication, Bove’s report also breaks down the official conduct of the school described in the report by page, with the quotes from the report in one column, and Bove’s critiques in another. The bulk of his criticism focuses on the inadequate nature of the security around campus, especially in West Ambler-Johnston Hall and Norris Hall.
His harshest evaluation is that of the official campus lockdown procedure. “In this day and age, lockdowns are essential,” Bove said. “The entire community had the obligation to immediately know that shootings had taken place in their community, and to have the entire Virginia Tech community locked down. Any other protocol or excuse to not lockdown is unconscionable.” Bove acknowledged the community’s attempt to lockdown, but stated that any action was taken too late to be effective.“Virginia Tech failed the community by not locking down immediately, they need to make sure that the entire Virginia Tech community knows how to lock down in the future,” Bove said. “Stop the games of denial and defense mechanisms. In this post-9/11, postKatrina society, it’s reprehensible that anyone would say you can’t lock down a college campus because it’s too difficult. That’s one of my main contentions; I want Virginia Tech and every university in this nation to stop playing games.” He cites the lack of security cameras, locks on the classroom doors in Norris Hall, and security personnel failing to secure West AmblerJohnston as parts of the breakdown in security at Virginia Tech that contributed to the severity of the tragedy. Bove said that he welcomes a response to his report from any government agency, or just another school wanting to enhance the security on their campus. “The Virginia Tech community is an honorable and dynamic community, with courage and resiliency, but their leaders failed them on April 16,” Bove said. Bove released his report to the families of the victims of the tragedy 24 hours before posting it online on his Web site last week. He has not spoken to any officials at Tech, and spokespeople at Virginia Tech have no plans to respond to Bove’s report. Representatives for Gov. Tim Kaine were out of the office due to Tuesday’s elections, and unreachable for comment.
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university editor: caroline black email: universitynews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
november 7, 2007
new river valley editor: kevin anderson email: nrvnews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 1 - 3 p.m.
campus news editor: meg miller email: campusnews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Elderly and military receive state educational benefits KERRY O’CONNOR
ct news reporter Modern society has placed a premium on education. At Virginia Tech alone, there are many programs in place that provide benefits to groups of people who do not often pursue higher education. Members of two of these groups, the elderly and the military, are eligible for reduced, and in some cases, free university education, allowing them to increase their education and stay competitive within the work force. “These people have the experience, have the training, and have
the maturity,” said Kirsten Nelson, spokeswoman for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. “What they may lack is formal training.” In 1974, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Senior Citizens Higher Education Act, which provided citizens over the age of 60 with educational benefits at all Virginia public universities. Senior citizens who received taxable income not exceeding $10,000 are able to take up to three courses for credit per term without paying tuition or fees. Those who do not meet these requirements are only allowed to enroll in noncredit courses.
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Amy Widner, spokeswoman for undergraduate admissions, said the money is provided to these senior citizens by the state, and insists it is important to Tech and to the community. “Many of these senior citizens are looking to increase their knowledge in a particular subject, learn a foreign language, or maybe brush up on their math skills,” Widner said. While the same is true with the students in the military, it is often more of a necessity for them to develop a certain skill in order to be successful within the civilian community. The GI Bill, first signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944, provides
everyone
the military the opportunity to collect up to $36,000 as long as they are enrolled as a full-time student. “People become dependant on the lifestyle they get in the military,” said James Elsea, a junior English major currently receiving benefits from the GI Bill. “Not everyone stays in the military for 20 years, so when they get out, a lot of people don’t have a skill set.” Through the GI Bill, educational benefits are provided for soldiers on or just leaving active duty, the National Guard, and the Select Reserve. Educational benefits are just one of many provisions the military
“It helps round out the availability of options to finance students,” Klock said. “Traditionally, the department of finance has focused its attention more toward corporate investment analysis, investment banking, that side of the financial field.” After the documentation for the application process was submitted last summer, the approval came within six to eight weeks. “(The application process) entails documenting that we have met, through our coursework, the 89 topic areas identified by the Board,” Lytton said. “It’s an approval process of the curriculum. They document the curriculum, the faculty, and textbook selection.” Some of the basic areas of study within the degree will be income taxes, insurance, and retirement planning. After graduating, financial planning students will be eligible to take the CFP Board exam without having to
Washing your hands is the best way to prevent the spread of infection. Lather with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (sing the ABC’s twice) before eating or preparing food and after using the restroom, coughing, sneezing, or coming into contact with someone who is sick. When soap and water are not available, you can use a hand sanitizer to kill germs that can lead to illness. The alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in the dining centers can be used before touching serving utensils and before you eat.
of this system, Elsea said he plans to take full advantage of the full $36,000. “The GI Bill is paying for my car, my car insurance, and my wife’s jeep,” Elsea said. This opportunity for education has provided Elsea, as well as many other military and elderly citizens in Tech’s community, with a chance to advance themselves in today’s society. “These education benefits are absolutely important at any university,” Widner said. “A university is part of the community it resides, in so anything we can do to support the community is great.”
Planning: Graduates must complete 10-hour exam from page one
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provides to its soldiers. After WWI, many educational and health services were not offered to returning soldiers. During WWII, the government realized the provisions were necessary to help soldiers become successfully integrated into the civilian community. In 2006, nearly 600,000 people in the military took advantage of the GI Bill benefits. To receive these benefits, soldiers must pay $100 a month for a year while they are on active duty. However, Elsea revealed that the majority of people do not end up taking advantage of the GI Bill, wasting $1,200 of their salary. Realizing the wasteful nature
complete three years of related work experience, though students will be required to participate in an internship. Those who succeed after the 10-hour exam will be CFP designees until completion of three years of work experience, when they will become CFP certificants. “(Being CFP certified) is an acknowledgement that you’ve had to go through some type of rigorous examination as well as training to be able to achieve that designation,” said Joni Alp, portfolio manager at the Houlihan Financial Resource Group, Ltd. in Reston, Va. “You’re having to adhere to ethics, as well.” After becoming certified, financial planners should expect to find great demand for their service. “Much of it is attributable to the baby boomer generation that is now starting to retire or in retirement, and they need professional students for managing their money,” Lytton said. “There are also trillions of dollars of
wealth that should be passed from that generation to future generations, and, again, there will be a need for money management. People don’t have time to actually do the depth of management that is required, so it is a time issue for the average person, as well.” Possibly due to the sudden increase in need for financial planning professionals, the career is known for providing high earnings and job satisfaction. However, this path is not for everyone; there are specific characteristics that are usually shared by all effective financial planners. “People with strong quantitative skills as well as strong people skills (should consider becoming a financial planner),” Klock said. “When you’re dealing with investing America, you need to be very approachable. You have to have the best interest of the client in mind. You need to be someone who is easy to talk to. You need to inspire trust.”
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Not everything is meant to be shared Washing your hands is the best way to prevent the spread of infection. Lather with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (sing the ABC’s twice) before eating or preparing food and after using the restroom, coughing, sneezing, or coming into contact with someone who is sick. When soap and water are not available, you can use a hand sanitizer to kill germs that can lead to illness. The alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in the dining centers can be used before touching serving utensils and before you eat.
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editor: sharon pritz email: features@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
november 7, 2007
Decode the world of investing with knowledge Investing without sufficient knowledge is like driving your car blindfolded or entering a football field with no gear on. You are bound ADHVITH to get clobbered DHUDDU and will end up on wrong end of regular a fiscal beating columnist sooner rather than later. With that said, it also wouldn’t be appropriate if the investing world hung a sign like, “Enter at your own risk,” because risk in investing can be eliminated. The first step is to become educated and learn MONEY COLUMN about the different investment vehicles the financial universe has to offer. Just understanding all the available options wins half the battle, and the next step is analyzing these to see which investment vehicle
will suit you best and yield the highest returns. Investment opportunities abound, everything from currencies and commodities to real estate and stocks offer a chance to grow money. But when we identify an opportunity, it often appears hard to exploit due to lack of funds or information. Diverse investment vehicles are present to tap these opportunities, but we as students can use two specific instruments called Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) because they don’t require capital in the hundreds of thousands and are easy to decipher. With emerging markets looking more attractive, real estate dilly-dallying, and the commodity market experiencing a boom similar to the stock market in the late 90s, these financial instruments are becoming popular among amateur investors with less cash. Anywhere from $500 to $1,000 is sufficient to get your foot into investing and trading commodities, currency,
mutual funds, real estate, stocks and emerging market securities. Something like this would have never been possible just a few years ago. ETFs and ETNs function a lot like stocks. They can be bought and sold with the click of a mouse, and they don’t charge annual fees like mutual funds, or consulting fees if you directly purchase real estate, or handling fees if you trade in commodities. For example, after your finance class you feel that the real estate market has hit its bottom and will rebound soon. Instead of regretting the fact that you can’t buy a house in this depressed market, you can cash in on your prediction by purchasing a real estate ETF, which tracks the real estate market as a whole. If you are right, the price of the ETF will increase, and you can take home a tidy profit. Two famous real estate ETFs are DJ Wilshire REIT ETF (ticker — RWR) and Vanguard REIT Index ETF (ticker — VNQ). REIT stands for Real Estate Investment Trusts. Investing in REITs
but what if you think the stock markets are headed down? Amazingly there are ETFs that track the stock markets in reverse. For example, UltraShort QQQ (ticker — QID) tracks the NASDAQ in reverse direction times two, e.g., if the NASDAQ goes down 2 percent the QID increases by 4 percent, and if the Nasdaq goes up by one percent QID would go down by 2 percent. Stock markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America have been buoyant, and this optimism will persist for some time to come. Again through ETFs, you can invest in countries such as China, Japan, Korea, India, Brazil and Russia without worrying about transferring money, exchanging currencies and setting up local investment accounts. There are lots of other ETFs and ETNs that track mutual funds, hedge funds, commodities, individual sectors, economic indicators, etc. So, exploring investing through ETFs and ETNs is a good way to start investing even if you lack sufficient funds or posses limited information.
can also give you some tax benefits. Maybe you diagnose the American economy as treading on thin ice and want to invest in precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum as a safe haven. Rather than shelling out $800 to buy an ounce of gold and get a special locker to store it, you can buy the gold or silver ETF (ticker — GLD or SLV) and watch it move in tandem with the price of gold. GLD quotes 1/10th the actual price of gold; for example, if an ounce of gold costs $768.50, the gold ETF, GLD, can be bought for $76.85. You have seen oil prices skyrocket in the recent months and foresee no reprieve. But it would be ridiculous to buy ten barrels of crude oil, stack them in your apartment and sell them later. A much easier approach is to purchase the United States Oil Fund ETF (ticker - USO) and watch it rise in price as crude oil prices go up. There are ETFs that track the stock market indices like the Dow and NASDAQ (ticker — DIA and QQQQ),
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wednesday, november 7, 2007
Putting some muscle into your workout Returning to the gym after a recent hiatus or adding a new exercise to a workout routine will likely leave you with some residual muscle JAMES soreness over the SPENCER next day or two, making it difficult regular to resume old fitcolumnist ness habits or to start a new training regimen. Although different from the pain associated with injuries, this soreness can still be very uncomfortable and produce inflammation in muscles and other tissues that aren’t used to a particular type or degree of exercise. Exercise scientists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness. Typically occurring 24 to 48 hours after strenuous exercise, DOMS has been a topic of debate in the medical community, and FOOD & HEALTH several theories have been proposed over the years as to what causes this type of soreness. Those of us who played sports as kids were sure to have heard at least one coach blame lactic acid, which has recently been ruled out
as a potential cause of DOMS. Although this compound is produced in the body and may accumulate during strenuous exercise, it is now widely accepted that physical damage to the muscle cells (muscle fibers) is the real culprit.
“Soreness is usually a sign that there is some sort of recovery process taking place within your muscle and it indicates there is inflammation present in the muscle caused by damage during exercise.” - MATTHEW HULVER HUMAN NUTRITION, FOODS & EXERCISE “Soreness is usually a sign that there is some sort of recovery process taking place within your muscles and it indicates there is inflammation present in the muscle caused by damage during exercise,” said Matthew Hulver, assistant professor of metabolic nutrition at Virginia Tech. When subjected to strenuous contractions, muscle cells experience structural damage to their membranes and
functional units if they are not already accustomed to the activity. Breakdown of muscle protein also occurs, and together, these types of damage cause an inflammatory response that causes pain in the affected muscles. Interestingly, DOMS is seen more frequently after an individual performs “eccentric” actions, those that produce force as the muscle lengthens. So, is there a way to avoid this acute muscle soreness while beginning an exercise program? It seems that the only way to avoid severe DOMS is to approach a new exercise program gradually, starting with low intensity activity and working your way up. Doing so will give your muscles a chance to adapt to the new workload. In regard to weight training, Hulver said, “You can also rotate the days you work different body parts so that you can be working some muscles while others are recovering to help soreness goes away.” DOMS is part of the human body’s natural response to strenuous exercise in which muscles are damaged and partially broken down, only to be rebuilt stronger to allow the body to adapt to the specific exercise. This physiologic response is known as the “repeated bout effect,” which allows us to come back stronger after each bout
of exercise and to benefit from training programs that continuously subject our bodies to increasing amounts of work. As difficult as it is to completely avoid all muscle soreness, is it OK to work out when you are sore? “If you’re too sore, you might not be able to do as much during a workout compared with when you aren’t sore,” said Robert Grange, associate professor in the human nutrition, foods, and exercise department. Although unsure about a specific physical reason to explain whether or not the same strength gains can be obtained while working out with sore muscles, he thinks that a person with DOMS may simply be less likely to push themselves as hard as they normally would if they weren’t sore. Muscle soreness will always be a part of the lives of both serious athletes and those of us who exercise occasionally. While there is only so much you can do to avoid it, it is important to know that the pain and inflammatory response associated with DOMS is your body’s first step in increasing its strength. MATT BOONE/SPPS So, hit the gym, go for a run, and if Zach Hogge, a junior biology major, and Shane Forsythe, a sophmore univeryou wake up sore the next day, be confisity studies major, lift weights, a cause of delayed-onset muscle soreness. dent that it’s only temporary.
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editor: laurel colella email: opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
november 7, 2007
Colbert may have been America’s last hope Last week I watched as the pillar of democratic rule that the United States claims as its illustrious foundation crumbled to the PEEBLES ground. At approxiSQUIRES mately 11:30 p.m. regular Thursday night, columnist Stephen Colbert, my only hope for the world, America’s saving grace, the only man capable of returning our nation to its former glory, announced that he would not be appearing on the South Carolina republican ballot. In a world where human life is so easily tossed aside, who is to restore the moral fortitude that composes the core
of American values? Colbert is a man of the people. A warrior for the downtrodden, Colbert has fought voraciously to return the sense of morality that Capitol Hill has lost during the Democrat’s control of Congress. A firm believer in the infallibility of our fearless leader and Christ-figure, George W. Bush, Colbert has been an advocate for the sweeping reforms that are necessary to transform our country into the great beacon of moral responsibility that we embodied, say, during the McCarthy era. If victorious, Colbert had hoped to usher out the scourge of potential modernity and progress that plague our government. Alas, we find ourselves let down again. I watched as this great man, this seemingly invincible icon of conservative values fell apart at the hands of the
South Carolina Democratic Executive Council. If the modest $35,000 requirement set forth by the South Carolina GOP hadn’t prevented Colbert from running on the Republican ticket, we might have been able to hope for a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, South Carolina’s rag-tag band of degenerate democrats insisted on erecting another roadblock to democracy. Nation, we are in a bad way. Universal health care, equal rights for all walks of life and sustainable global peace are some of the many issues that bedevil the global community today. Colbert knows this, and had he been able to run victoriously, our great nation would have taken the forefront in the fight against modernization. Under the guise of spreading liberal democracy, America would have
taken the lead in establishing a global political economy, the United World of America, with Emperor Colbert I at its throne. Unfortunately, the party-poopers within South Carolina’s Democratic Council decided to ruin the fun. Leave it to the liberals. So, what do we do now? Colbert garnered well over one million members in his unofficial Facebook group, “1,000,000 Strong for Stephen Colbert.” Ladies and gentlemen, he’s got the fan base, but the political machine continues to push against Colbert’s unwavering march towards the autocracy that Bush just couldn’t pull off. Now, we can only hope for the best as Hillary Clinton, the cyborg warrior princess, sweeps national polls and shows a healthy potential for becoming the second female president in the history of democracy.
Vonnegut’s contributions deserve additional recognition JASON VICK regular columnist This past spring American author Kurt Vonnegut died, but the date of his passing, April 11, was quickly eclipsed by the terrible events of April 16. No, Vonnegut did not die young; in fact he was blessed with a good 84 years. However, I believe his departure deserves a few comments. After reading a number of pieces on his life, I should say that this will not be the most elegant of eulogies, but just a few words on the meaning of his works to me. I first read “Slaughter-House Five” as a junior in high school and, although I enjoyed it, I was more impressed with Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” which I read shortly after. However, continuing to read more of Vonnegut’s works brought to me a true appreciation of his literary skill and the growing impact his words were having on my own thinking. His works were not always the subtlest, but often the straightforward manner in which he wrote cast a deceptive simplicity onto the messages he was pointing to. For the uninitiated, Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indiana in 1922. He served in World War II, and as a prisoner of war, was moved to the Dresden, Germany. Near the end of the war, the allied forces firebombed the city, killing as many of 130,000 of its inhabitants. Vonnegut, along with several other Americans, survived the firebombing in the meat locker where they were being held. Slaughterhouse Five was its name. What an odd twist of fate that let this man survive to tell his tale and become to many a twentieth cen-
tury Mark Twain, as much in literary satire as in their shared disdain for the increasing use of war as an acceptable method of solving our problems. His humanist voice, spoken over and over again in every novel he wrote, conveyed to many in a wholly unique way the virtues of pacifism and social justice. His continued ability to find inspiration in the words of those before him, from fellow Hoosier and American Socialist, Eugene Debs, to Jesus of Nazareth and his Sermon on the Mount, was his greatest strength. Vonnegut once remarked that had it not been for the Sermon on the Mount, he would just as well have been a rattlesnake as a human being. In one of the most beautiful passages in modern literature, Vonnegut created a scene in Slaughter-House Five in which the bombing of a city takes place in reverse: “The bombers opened their bomb bay doors, exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the flames, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers, and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes ... When the bombers got back to base, the steel cylinders were taken from the racks and shipped back to the United States of America, where factories were operating day and night, dismantling the cylinders, separating the dangerous contents into minerals. Touchingly, it was mainly women who did this work. The minerals were then shipped to specialists in remote areas. It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again.”
We lie, bereft of motivation, ashamed at the state of our American dream while the folks in charge sit back and watch our aspirations fade into the abyss. America has a longstanding tradition for fighting for what’s right. Whether in the jungles of Vietnam, the sands of the Middle East, or (don’t rule it out) the mountains of Pakistan, the U.S. has a holy mission to spread the message of democracy and freedom to the world, whether you like it or not. This process would have been all but completed had an upstanding and charismatic right wing idealist such as Colbert assumed the throne, but instead we lie in wait as the American dream disintegrates at the hands of progress. Nation, goodbye and good luck. At this rate, tomorrow could be the end.
Editorial local issue
Celebrating successes beyond athletics
He continued his life of social criticism into the Bush age, launching regular attacks on the militarism and arrogance of the Bush administration. His words have influenced entire generations who have come to view war as an assault on the very dignity of man. He spoke out against the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and, in “Cat’s Cradle,” explored the destructive power man is capable of unleashing upon his fellow man. And yet each and every one of his books was filled with hapless, confused characters who seemed capable of nothing more than offers of kindness and respect. They seemed almost silly and out of place. In a world that likes to divide the human race into friends and enemies, good and bad people, he refused to take the bait. But he was not afraid to speak out against the injustices of our current administration, which he likened to a group of Martians who had overrun the White House. His sense of outrage and the ability to evoke laughter out of that pit of indignation has imprinted itself upon his many fans. To those of us who continue the struggle to fashion a world in which name-calling and taking sides is replaced with a basis of dignity and respect, however hippie-like or idealistic it sounds, his words will always have a place in our hearts. To an American legend who changed the social landscape with his humor and persistent humanism, it was an honor to be one of his anonymous pupils. Here’s to laughter, here’s to a quiet, peaceful decency, and here’s to Kurt. God bless you, Mr. Vonnegut.
Team Victor Tango represented Virginia Tech in the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge on Nov. 3., and placed third overall. In this Pentagon-sponsored competition, teams from colleges across the country work to create the most efficient autonomous vehicle. Tech’s vehicle, “Odin,” was developed by faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. “Odin” was one of only six cars to complete the entire course without any help from a human. For placing third, Team Victor Tango won $500,000. There are many organizations such as Team Victor Tango that represent the university positively, and yet most people seem to focus on Tech sports or negative news our alumni generate: the football team won, the football team lost, Vick is convicted, etc. Of course we’re proud of the football team and the work they put in toward representing Tech well. Yet, there’s more to accomplishments than the road to a televised championship. Tech placed third behind only Stanford and Carnegie Mellon in the DARPA Urban Challenge. This is an excellent achievement for the mechanical engineering department, and a great reflection on Tech as a whole. Just as students congratulate athletes after a win, students should congratulate their peers and teachers who participated in the DARPA Urban Challenge. Other organizations and teams are making Tech
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proud: The Highty-Tighties are going to perform in the Macy’s Day Parade; Tech recently placed tenth in the nation for agricultural research; the Student Engineers’ Council was recognized for its contributions to the College of Engineering’s undergraduate programs; the Bass Fishing Club won the College Bass National Championship. From the Corps of Cadet marching band to research, to bass fishing, Tech excels. Such organizations — and still others not mentioned — have succeeded in competitions deserve more recognition. Granted, collegiate sports are just naturally given more attention nationwide since sports link every college together through the games, rankings and competition. But that doesn’t mean that students should consider sports the most important way in which our school is represented. The loss to Boston College may have damaged Tech’s reputation as a powerhouse football program, but we shouldn’t focus just on the losses in Lane Stadium when there are many achievements in the classrooms and outside of campus. Hokie Pride should apply to every organization and team’s efforts. As a campus we should put more energy into supporting organizations from all sides of the competitive spectrum. The editorial board is composed of Amie Steele, Joe Kendall, Saira Haider, Laurel Colella and Sara Mitchell.
Letters to the Editor Letter filled with misconceptions regarding student activity fee The author of “Student activity fee distribution leaves questions” column (CT, Nov. 6) seems woefully uneducated about the realities of budgeting and purposefully blind about the distribution of funding to student organizations. In his most glaring inconsistency, the author quotes the Principles of Community to support his argument that all ethnic organizations should receive equal funding, then goes on to spout off bigoted nonsense claiming that we should not be supporting the “morally depraved” lifestyles of the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. If he had actually bothered to read the Principles of Community, instead of simply quoting it, he would have noted that “we reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on … sexual orientation …” The author also protests what he believes is unequal distribution of funds among ethnic organizations. Obviously, he believes that each of these organizations has the same number of active members and that they all have the same activities, both members-only events and those events that are open to the entire VT community. If this were true, his inflammatory statements concerning the “value” of African-American students compared to other minority students could be seen as plausible; instead, the author seems to insist on
equality with no basis. He does not take into account that the Black Student Alliance brings celebrities such as Dave Chapelle, Busta Rhymes, and The Roots to this campus, in events similar to those sponsored by the Virginia Tech Union, the leading recipient of funds. Not all these organizations have the same operating budgets, and thus not all these organizations have the same allotment of funding. Additionally, the author does not believe that he should be paying for other people to have fun, to paraphrase his statements. He writes that groups such as Solely Swing, the Rock Climbing and Skydiving clubs, and “club sports teams” should pay their own way. I have several problems with this statement, including the fact that “club sports teams” are not funded by the Budget Board at all. The author must have meant sports clubs. These sports clubs participate in national competitions against other universities and repeatedly do very well. For example, the Skydiving club went to a national competition in Florida, and several members medaled in the competitions held there. As for his sarcastic comment about Frisbees, I don’t know how many Frisbees $5,710 can buy, but I’m pretty sure it’d be awfully difficult to travel to competitions in them. The author ends his diatribe by recommending that we “let the university know that we don’t approve of paying mandatory fees that provide unequal support to the university community.” By his logic, I shouldn’t have to pay the same bus fee as someone who rides the bus more than I do.
True equality will probably never be obtained, but I’m betting the Budget Board does not make arbitrary decisions. Organizations must make detailed budgets founded on their activities, and funds are allocated based on the amount of money available. It is a fair and democratic process, hopefully made by people who are less prejudiced and close-minded than the author. Christina McLane senior, aerospace engineering
Making the wrong argument when it comes to allocating money I’d like to take a minute to respond to the “Student activity fee distribution leaves questions” column, (CT, Nov. 6). I certainly agree with the authors that university fees are rising too quickly and that spending should be reined in. A portion of these fees does indeed go toward funding student programs on campus. A valid argument can be made that less money should be distributed to such activities, and this argument would balance the necessity of diverse programming on campus as an integral part of creating a campus conducive to learning with the opposing desire to limit costs. However, both authors chose to argue primarily that the method of disbursement of these funds is at issue rather than the amount of funds or the conceptual basis for the program. It is for this reason that I take issue with their arguments.
Having served on the budget board in the past, I can assure you that only a small subset of the groups on campus that are eligible for this funding (i.e. all registered student organizations) actually apply for it. Of those that do apply, several groups submit very large requests to fund very large programs, while others are less ambitious with their applications (e.g. as the author pointed out, concerts cost more than Frisbees). It is these two factors that create the disparity of funding that the author noted. If you would like to see more equitable distribution of funds among interested groups, I would encourage you to have those groups you would like to see get funding apply for it. Further, urge them to take on ambitious projects that will reach many people in the university community. This will cost more for the group and require more funding from the Budget Board, but you will see a more tangible return on your investment via the programming available to you. This obviously begs the question, “How is it decided which projects/organizations are funded?” Fortunately, a search for “Budget Board” on the Virginia Tech Web site produces a Funding Guidelines document as the top link. From the linked document: “The Budget Board will consider the following factors: The benefit that both Virginia Tech students and the entire Virginia Tech community will receive from the program or travel, the number of Virginia Tech students that can participate in the program, the diversity of the proposals we receive, how reasonable the program expenses
are and how well they are justified, other sources of funding available to the organization, the demonstrated success of the organization’s previous programming attempts.” I believe these guidelines provide the board with the necessary latitude to fund a diverse range of projects and organizations in a way that will maximize the benefit to students. These guidelines also address several of the issues the authors had with how the money is distributed. For example, travel may be covered if a good argument for it is made, hence the $5,710 that one author noted was awarded to the Ultimate Frisbee Club may cover travel all over the east coast for competitions and not necessarily the thousands of Frisbees he insinuated. Allocating money is not easy and there are inherent conflicts of interest, but in my experience the board makes every effort to fund, at least in part, each organization that follows directions in submitting a well-constructed proposal for an eligible program. If you don’t see your interests represented in the funding results, chances are the people representing your interests are not applying for the money. If you are still not satisfied with how the process works, then get involved. As far as I know, the Budget Board is still entirely student run (it is a committee of the SGA). You can either find out who is on Budget Board and speak with them, or you can become a member yourself. Travis Gray graduate student, statistics
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editor: ryan mcconnell email: sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw noon - 2 p.m.
november 7, 2007
Week 9 brought the NFL excitement With just over half of the precincts reporting, it appears as if the New England Patriots have all the makings of a perfect winBRIAN ning ticket. But WRIGHT let’s not declare a champion just yet. sports “Election Day” reporter comes Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz. The Patriots’ 24-20 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts in the RCA Dome Sunday proved that New England, now 9-0, can play an average game and come out victorious. The question is: Can they run through the rest of their remaining regular season games without stumbling? The trends and parity of the NFL don’t suggest that. With the near-equality of all teams,
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anyone can truly beat anyone on a given weekend. Add the fact that the Patriots will clinch the division by month’s end, and the starters will probably watch the final few games from the bench. However, don’t expect the Pats to be en vogue this time around. Head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t follow the status quo — or the rules for that matter (e.g.: Spygate). If the first eight games gave you any indication, it seems as though he has some vendetta against the NFL. Concerned with his ego more than the health of his players, he’s left his starters out on the field in blowout games as a way of sticking it to authority and any other team or person who questions the legitimacy of his success. As for the talent level of the NFL being relatively even, the Patriots
see NFL, page eight
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wednesday, november 7, 2007
NFL: Patriots, Peterson dominate first half from page eight
seemed to have tipped the scales in their favor. So much so, in fact, that it’s hard to believe New England will lose for the rest of the regular season. The Colts are easily the NFL’s second-best team, and the Pats conquered them on Indy’s turf. So, who’s third best? That is certainly debatable. Whoever it is, their talent level pales in comparison to the league’s two titans. That said, New England’s toughest regular season test is behind them. On their remaining schedule, there are two potential pitfalls: the Steelers (6-2) and the Giants (6-2) in Week 17. I saw that this possible Dec. 29 Meadowlands finale may be broadcasted on — of all channels — the NFL Network. Are you telling me this unprecedented achievement — if it’s still achievable by then — will be shown on a members-only channel? I understand that this arrangement was done well before the season, but maybe the “No Fun League” will be a little flexible and put it on a station that can be picked up by the rabbit ears. I hope so, because I see Tom Brady, Randy Moss and all Patriot starters
playing 60 minutes and celebrating 16-0 at the end of the night. The postseason, of course, is an entirely different spectrum. The Pats, in all likelihood, will have home-field advantage for the AFC Playoffs. Signs point to another re-match with Peyton Manning and the Colts in Foxboro, Mass. They called Sunday’s meeting Super Bowl XLI and one-half. A potential AFC Championship showdown (I guess we’ll call this Super Bowl XLI and nine-tenths) might just determine who actually gets the Lombardi Trophy. So, the Game of the Year/Century/ Universe put aside, week nine showcased a breakout team and individual. Minnesota Vikings head coach, Brad Childress, has been reluctant to give his rookie running back Adrian Peterson a majority of the carries. You think a single-game record 296 yards against the Chargers on Sunday will change his mind? Peterson, a star in college at Oklahoma, has rushed for over 1,000 yards in just eight games. He is doing all of this on a team that lacks a solid passing game. I mean, I have trouble
knowing who’s behind center in Minnesota. I think it’s Tarvaris Jackson, or maybe Brooks Bollinger or Brooks Robinson. Instability at quarterback means that defenses know the pass won’t beat them. Thus, they’re putting as many as eight defenders near the line of scrimmage in an effort to shut down the run. This makes Peterson’s totals that much more remarkable. Now, commentators are already making premature comparisons to Jim Brown and Walter Payton. I think a better measuring stick is Eric Dickerson, who had a sensational freshman year with the Los Angeles Rams in 1983 and whose single-season rookie rushing record (1,808) is certainly within Peterson’s reach. Peterson has the Rookie of the Year Award sewn up. The MVP? Not so much. Unfortunately for Peterson, the Vikes aren’t good enough to be in playoff contention come December. A fellow NFC North team that’s making significant improvements from last year is the Detroit Lions. I mean, when was the last time the Lions played in a meaningful Thanksgiving game?
Well, their match-up with the Packers on turkey day is shaping up to be a battle for the division lead. Unlike past seasons, this is not a year when the Lions snored. Detroit has had two forgettable defeats against Philadelphia and Washington, but they have won six games in every way imaginable. On opening day at Oakland, quarterback Jon Kitna threw for 289 yards in a 36-21 come-from-behind win. In week four, the defense forced Brian Griese into three interceptions and scored 34 points in the final quarter to win 37-27 over the Bears. One month later in Chicago, the Lions picked off Griese four more times — three of them in the end zone — to preserve a 16-7 win. Sunday against the Broncos, Detroit dominated all phases in a 44-7 romp. The Lions, as hard as it is for me to fathom, are sitting in prime position to be in the playoffs. And the way the NFC has been recently, nothing says they can’t make a run to the Super Bowl. The same case can be made for the Cowboys, Packers and Giants, who are winners of six straight. The only problem: they’d have to play a team from the AFC. That could mean a date in the desert with BOB BREIDENBACH/KRT the defending champion Colts or the possibly-untarnished Patriots, who still New England quarterback Tom Brady looks for room to pass the ball in might be reserving a date with history. the second quarter of the Super Bowl in 2002.
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