COLLEGIATETIMES
wednesday april 23, 2008 blacksburg, va.
www.collegiatetimes.com
news BICYCLIST HIT BY CAR ON PRICES FORK ROAD
Panel results now online
Flags of the fallen
Police responded to a call yesterday afternoon on the 900 block Prices Fork Road where Blacksburg resident Timothy Jordan, 25, was struck by a car while riding a bicycle. The driver, Blacksburg resident Robert Barnes, 35, was turning left from Prices Fork Road into the parking lot of the Holiday Inn. In doing so he collided with Jordan, who was transported by Blacksburg Rescue to Montgomery Regional Hospital for injuries. His condition was listed as stable. Barnes is being charged with failing to yield the right of way. His court date was set for May 21.
HUNDREDS OF SUGGESTIONS MADE BY REVIEW PANELS NOW POSTED ON CHARLES STEGER’S PERSONAL WEB SITE CALEB FLEMING
ct news reporter
sports
Steger
released. Though many of the suggestions have been presented on numerous occasions prior to their being published on University President Charles Steger’s Web site, the online breakdown provides more fine points of the security changes. The rundown of implemented recommendations by initiative is dissected into 33 categories, ranging from the establishment of a threat assessment team to upgrades in the locking hardware on the exterior doors of campus buildings. Ed Spencer, Tech’s associate vice president for Student Affairs, said that the university’s Policy Group has been reviewing the recommendations since the reports from the internal review panels and the governors review panel were completed in August 2007. The Policy Group is an assembly composed of vice presidents, vice provosts and others who, along with the president, make critical policy decisions in times of urgent need. Though the Policy Group had the final say on many of the recommendations, specific suggestions must be further approved by the university’s Board of Visitors. The Board of Visitors will vote on
ORE HEADNG TO DIVISION II Former Virginia Tech tailback Branden Ore will play at Division II West Liberty State College in Wheeling, West Virginia next fall. Ore, a rising senior, rushed for 992 yards last season before being dismissed from the program by head coach Frank Beamer. WLSU is part of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
SOFTBALL WINS The No. 18 Virginia Tech softball team defeated The East Tennessee State Bucs 6-0 Tuesday in the State Line Classic. The win was Tech’s (39-12) 10th in its last 11 games. Tech standout pitcher, Angela Tincher, registered a walk and seven strikeouts. The Hokies return to the diamond Saturday at noon when they are scheduled to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Blacksburg.
weather CHANCE OF T-STORMS high 69, low 48
corrections “Students protest with empty holsters,” (CT, April 22) should be clarified. The sentence, “However, Stanton claims there were over 100 people in the proximity who did” should have read, “With probably 100 people in the proximity of the incident, some were likely to have permits and carry, if allowed.”
coming up TOMORROW’S CT Read a profile on Cameron Johnson, a Roanoke resident featured on Oprah’s ‘Big Give’ reality show. Not heading to campus? Sign up for headline e-mails on our Web site.
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 54
An online summary of the recommendations resulting from Gov. Tim Kaine’s state review panel and Virginia Tech’s three internal review boards has officially been
SHAOZHUO CUI/SPPS
Corps of Cadets members Christopher Nimmo, Peter Laclede and Matt Garrett fold up one of the flags that was flown at Blacksburg Baptist Church in honor of April 16 victims. The flags were presented to the victims’ families.
see PANEL, page two
Complaints against SGA fail in CSA meeting ASHLEY OLIVER
ct associate news editor A Commission on Student Affairs meeting designed specifically to address the SGA’s alleged constitution breaches left some feeling unsatisfied. The CSA is an organization designed to recommend policies to the University Council that affect student life and morale. Students originally approached CSA with SGA concerns when its recent election ballot was presented without a write-in option. Yesterday’s meeting was intended to establish whether this was an unconstitutional action.
“It was very unproductive,” said junior civil engineering major Billy Brubaker. “There is a newfound realization of how little CSA can do.” Brubaker has a seat on CSA as the chief justice to the Undergraduate Honor System. Zenobia Hikes, Vice President of Student Affairs also acknowledged the dissatisfaction of some of those present. “I think there were a lot of issues that we were able to get on the table; however, I’m aware that there are some members of this body who are leaving feeling not quite as content as they anticipated,” Hikes said after the meeting. During the meeting, it was established that CSA has the power to
censure or revoke the charter of any University Chartered Student Organization. Additionally, Director of Student Activities Nicki Cantrell clarified at one point that SGA “can lose its classification for cause,” meaning that CSA could withdraw its recognition as a UCSO if there were reasonable cause. She said that the cause should be considered “egregious” before this measure is taken. Because the meeting was intended to determine whether SGA violated its official documents, a motion was made to discuss and vote on this very question. However, discussions following the motion digressed as members of SGA and Brubaker repeatedly asserted
Gun bills dominate General Assembly CANDACE SIPOS
ct news reporter In this year’s Virginia General Assembly session, which began Jan. 9, a flood of gun control-related bills attempted to make their way into Virginia state law. Some advocated fewer restrictions on gun ownership and transportation, while others called for more stringent gun control. Some legislation claimed to have nothing to do with the April 16 shootings, while other delegates and senators were open in suggesting that their bills could have prevented the events of April 16 and ONE YEAR LATER other similar events in the >> gun control future. Delegate Mark Cole (RFredericksburg) presented a bill that would not allow state agencies to have stricter regulations on guns than state law. Although this year’s attempt did not include universities, Cole introduced a bill last year that did. Since carrying concealed guns with a permit is legal on Virginia Tech’s campus but against the college’s rules, last year’s bill would have prevented Tech from
banning concealed carry. Both bills ultimately failed. The committee never took up Cole’s legislation this year. “Part of it is just that the load of the committees, the number of bills that we have each year, just kind of overwhelms the process, so we always have some bills that get left out,” Cole said. He added that a lot of people were “reluctant” to accept gun-related bills after April 16 because the issue was still very emotional. His attempt from last year would not have come into effect until July 1, 2007, but he believes such legislation could have helped last April. “If law-abiding citizens, faculty, or even adult students at Virginia Tech who had a concealed carry permit, if some of them had been carrying, perhaps the tragedy might not have been near as bad as it was,” Cole said. University spokesman Larry Hincker said that although there are a lot of societal issues Tech could “pine on,” firearms in classrooms is one that concerns the university. “We feel that they don’t belong here and we’ve been consistent over time,” Hincker said. A bill presenting a different side
of the story came from Sen. Henry Marsh III (D-Richmond), whose dubbed “gun show loophole bill” was defeated 9-6 on Jan. 23. Since under current laws, only licensed dealers must perform background checks on potential firearm buyers at gun shows, felons and mentally ill individuals restricted from purchasing guns could potentially bypass such checks if buying from private sellers. Marsh wanted this oversight in the gun trade industry regulation closed. “We didn’t make it this year, but I think we’re going to keep building on what we’ve done and try again next year,” Marsh said, adding that there is no one way to prevent a shooting similar to Tech’s, but new legislation could help. Gov. Tim Kaine agreed. “The law does not allow people with mental illnesses to have weapons, and there’s a very good reason for that,” Kaine said. “If you give them an easy mechanism for them to access weapons without a background check, then you’re undermining the clear public safety.”
their already established arguments. Ryan Smith, undergraduate representative to the Board of Visitors, suggested that both Khan and Brubaker retire their seats on CSA for the time being citing part of Robert’s Rules of Order, a set of guidelines for parliamentary procedures, which states “no member should be present in the assembly when any matter relating to himself is under debate.” Hikes also noted during the meeting that there would be certain points that CSA members would have to agree to disagree over, although this wasn’t the original intention of the meeting.
SGA OFFICERS INAUGURATED, KENNEY DECLINES POSITION Three of the four winners of the SGA elections were sworn into office last night at an inauguration banquet at the Inn at Virginia Tech. The fourth winner, Meredyth Kenney, a junior English major, was elected the position of secretary, but did not accept her position. She had previously told the Collegiate Times that she would give up her spot if her entire ticket that she had been running with, ‘The Total
see KENNEY, page three
see CSA, page three
Water world
SHAOZHUO CUI/SPPS
Lauryn Douglas collected over 2,100 bottles that were thrown into a trash can in front of D2 instead of a recycling bin for two weeks.
see CONTROL, page two
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