COLLEGIATETIMES
friday january 25, 2008 blacksburg, va.
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news TRIAL DATE SET FOR MARCUS VICK A September trial date has been set for Marcus Vick’s $6.3 million suit, filed against him by a 19-year-old girl who is accusing the former Virginia Tech player “psychological trauma” from sexual battery. The case has been delayed for over a year and was originally filed in December 2006. The girl alleges they were in a year-long sexual relationship that began when the girl was only 15-yearsold. Vick has denied the existence of any relationship with the girl, while the girl has requested corroboration from Vick’s incarcerated brother, Michael, to solidify her claims. The corroboration request, filed in the Carroll County Circuit Court, has not been decided on yet. — CT sports staff
Where is the diversity at Virginia Tech? story by meg miller
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BUGLE YEARBOOK
Claudius Lee, far left in the front row, was in the KKK while he was a student at Tech in 1896.
news LAWMAKERS AGREE ON TAX REBATES
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration and leaders of the House of Representatives agreed Thursday on a plan to provide almost $100 billion in tax rebates to 117 million taxpayers. Individuals with adjusted gross incomes of $3,000 to $75,000 would get rebates worth $300 to $600. Joint filers with annual incomes up to $150,000 would receive up to $1,200. Families also would get bonuses of $300 per child, except for families that earn more than $186,000. — McClatchey Newspapers
weather SUNNY high 37, low 16
corrections “Father feels suicide could have been prevented,” (CT, Jan. 24) should be clarified. When Daniel came home for summer break, he was “scared” because someone in an elevator attacked him, so he wore a baseball cap and sunglasses when leaving his house. The story “Town of Blacksburg undergoes overhaul,” (CT, Jan. 16) was incorrect. There is no First Street in Blacksburg; First and Main is the name of the development project. The Collegiate Times regrets these errors.
coming up TUESDAY’S CT Check out how the men’s basketball team did in Boston against the Eagles on Saturday in Tuesday’s CT.
index News.....................2 Features................4 0pinions................5
Sports....................7 Classifieds..............9 Sudoku..................9
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 105th year • issue 8
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does Virginia Tech look like? What is the climate around here?’” Plaza said. “I think it is important to understand our pasts and I think in many ways instead of not focusing on it, we are talking about it.” The video provides both Lee’s accomplishments and his questionable group membership in an objective account, with the narrator telling the viewers at points in the film, “we’ll let you decide.” After both controversies, the university was swift to action, making changes to the school in response to the issue of racial intolerance. However, it wasn’t until after the 2004 rallies that the school set out to educate the community about every hall’s namesakes, as well as develop goals for the school that focus on racial diversity and tolerance. While these programs designed to increase racial diversity are just getting off their feet, Tech’s black enrollment for 2006 was the lowest it has been since the year 2000, at 4.5 percent. Asian and Hispanic enrollment has risen while Native American enrollment has Lee was listed as the “Father of Terror” in the KKK (above) and the “High Arch Fiend” stayed fairly consistent. n the spring of 2006, Nicole Eley made a video that gave an account of two different controversies at Virginia Tech, one in 1997 and one in 2004. Both controversies surrounded the issue of naming Lee Hall after a man with alleged involvement in racially intolerant organizations such as the Klu Klux Klan.
in the Pittsylvania Club (top, below) in the 1896 Bugle yearbook. The Pittsylvania Club’s photograph in the yearbook was a black man hanging from a tree (bottom). Now, nearly two years later and during a year in which Tech’s black enrollment is the lowest since 2000, the Lee Hall video is being shown in classes and circulated around campus in an effort to educate about racial diversity and tolerance. The video gives a report of the controversy that first surfaced in 1997 and later in 2004 around the naming of Lee Hall. Students protested on both occasions because of the discovery of an ambiguous page in the 1895-96 yearbook that led students and staff to question whether Lee Hall’s namesake, Claudius Lee, an electrical engineering major and later a professor in that field, was a member of the KKK. Ray Plaza, director of diversity initiatives and MOSAIC coordinator, shows the video to all of his MOSAIC classes and to other classes as well. Eley was one of his students and created the video as her senior project. “By showing the video in classes it allows us to begin to have a conversation about ‘what
a residence hall for him. Twenty-nine years later, in 1997, students in Peter Wallenstein’s history class found that in the 1895-96 yearbook there was a group that called itself the KKK, founded Oct. 17, 1895, and listed Lee’s picture. Later found in the 1896 yearbook was a page for a group called the Devils and Order of Deviltry, of which Lee was listed as the High Arch Fiend. On this page was the image of a black man hanging from a tree. Paul Torgersen, university president at the time, went to Richmond to consult with John Kneebone, a KKK historian in Virginia, who claimed that there was no KKK active in the state during Lee’s time as a student. This information led some to believe the page in the yearbook was a prank. With Lee as the editor-in-chief of the yearbook, it would not have been difficult for him to put in a phantom organization. Clara B. Cox, director of university publications, said that she believes it was “just a college prank.” “When I was growing up, people’s sensitivities were rather unrefined,” Cox said. “I can only imagine that it would have been a lot worse in the late 1800’s. I’ve seen a lot of things in the old Bugles that were offensive. Even when the first women started here and the Corps rejected their presence on campus, there were offensive things in the Bugle about them.”
see DIVERSITY, page two
THE HISTORY OF CLAUDIUS LEE
According to the film, Claudius Lee was from Danville,Va., and upon coming to Tech he excelled both academically and socially. Lee majored in electrical engineering, earning his degree in three years. He was a captain in the Corps of Cadets and was voted best officer. He was also president of the Engineering Club and the Maury Literary Society. He named The Bugle after becoming its editorin-chief. Lee later invented and installed a central electrical bell system that sounded in the upper and lower quads. He taught for more than 50 years, helped start the electrical engineering labs and was an instructor in the industrial shops. In 1968, the university named
Tech loses to Duke, drops to 2-3 in ACC HOKIES WILL TRAVEL TO NEW ENGLAND WITHOUT JEFF ALLEN The Hokies will attempt to get better when they return to the hardwood with less than 43 hours rest this Saturday— once again without freshman Jeff Allen, who will not make the trip. Tech will take a charter flight to Boston tomorrow before playing the Boston College Eagles at 4 p.m. on Saturday in a game airing on local Raycom affiliates. Look for Tyrese Rice to lead the Eagles, averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists per game. The last time the Hokies visited Chestnut Hill they lost 80-59 on Feb. 3, 2007. Greenberg said the quick turnaround was not an issue and was alleviated by the team’s ability to fly charter and the schedule awaiting them in New England. — Charles R. Barrineau, CT sports staff
CHARLES R. BARRINEAU
ct associate sports editor The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team dropped its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference game Thursday, riding a second half slump to an 81-64 defeat at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. “I thought we competed at a high level in the first half; I think we played hard in the second half, but didn’t compete,” said Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. “You’re not going to win a game like tonight(’s) if you’re not a little bit tougher—a little bit more poised.” The Cassell was rockin’ early as an A.D. Vassallo three-pointer and Deron Washington side block on Duke’s Kyle Singler got the Hokies on Fire crowd to its feet. But a 6-0 Duke run, that was aided by some Tech turnovers, would douse the blaze for the time being before a Cheick Diakite dunk reignited the Hokie students. But, the Blue Devils pushed the lead to 18-10, prompt-
ing Greenberg to call for a timeout. Poor shot selection would enable the visitors from Durham to grow their lead as large as 11 points before Diakite once again saved the Hokies from the Blue Devil
see TECH, page eight
TRAVIS CHURCH/SPPS
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