COLLEGIATETIMES
friday april 25, 2008 blacksburg, va.
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sports DAVE CIANELLA NABS FOURTH STRAIGHT COACH OF THE YEAR HONOR
Dealer advocates gun rights
After guiding the No. 4 women’s track and field team to four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference titles, head coach Dave Cianelli was named ACC Coach of the Year for a fourth straight time. Cianelli led the women’s team to ACC Outdoor and Indoor championships in 2007 and then helped them repeat the sweep in 2008, most recently winning the ACC Outdoor title last weekend.
CALEB FLEMING
ct news reporter
news CHINA WATCHFUL OF FOREIGNERS AS OLYMPICS APPROACH BEIJING — Nervous that troublemakers may slip across the border before the Olympic Games, China is making it harder for foreigners to obtain entry visas and halting public gatherings where embarrassing protests over Tibet might take place. Authorities suspended a May 1-4 rock festival that’s the biggest annual outdoor music event in China, saying the event could be dangerous, an organizer said Thursday. Other commercial events also have been canceled in recent weeks, including a Celine Dion concert in Beijing and a pillow fight aimed at drawing shoppers to a mall. Chinese authorities are in no mood for such parties. Unrest in Tibetan regions last month marked the biggest wave of ethnic disturbances in nearly two decades, sparking protests worldwide as the Olympic torch made its way around the globe this month. On Thursday, the torch passed through Canberra, Australia, where police made seven arrests, and then it headed to Nagano, Japan, under heavy security. — McClatchy Newspapers
weather SCATTERED T-STORMS high 75, low 56
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April 16 influences security worldwide
KYLE SWANSON/SPPS
Eric Thompson, a gun dealer from Green Bay, Wis., who sold the firearms used by Seung-Hui Cho on April 16 and by Steven Kazmierczak during the campus shooting at Northern Illinois, spoke last night in support of allowing concealed carry on campus.
GUN DEALER ERIC THOMPSON SPOKE OUT IN SUPPORT OF CONCEALED CARRY AS A PART OF FIREARMS AWARENESS WEEK ASHLEY OLIVER
ct associate news editor The owner of the company that sold firearm merchandise to the gunmen involved in the Virginia Tech and NIU shootings came to Blacksburg last night to speak about the most prevalent gun topics facing college campuses today. President and owner of TGSCOM Eric Thompson spent the evening in Whittemore addressing two basic ideas: prevention and preparation. His company sold a Walther P22 pistol to Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people and himself on April 16, 2007, and two 9mm Glock magazines and a holster to Steven Kazmierczak, who killed five people and himself at NIU on Feb. 14. Thompson first discussed his ideas on prevention. After April 16, information about Cho having mental illnesses but still being able to purchase a firearm came to light. Thompson said that he feels the strengthening of laws involving mental health is crucial in preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
However, while he stressed his support regarding mental health laws, he also advocated concealed carry, stating that law-abiding citizens should not be hindered in practicing their right to carry. “We need preparation,” Thompson said. “(Preparation) is your ability, if you choose to, to be able to protect yourself.” Students for Concealed Carry on Campus also affirmed last night that he would be selling over 5,400 different types of firearms at a significant discount in hopes of reaching out to college students who want, but may not be able to afford, a gun because of college expenses. He explained that he wants people to take advantage of the opportunity, although he expects to lose “thousands and thousands of dollars on this promotion.” Following his speech, the more than 50 audience members were invited to write questions for Thompson, which the event moderator, Ken Stanton, then read aloud. Parties on both sides of the gun debates were present to passively participate in the discussion. One student, junior and political science major Jessica Schmale, displayed her support for gun restrictions with a shirt reading “guns kill” in bold lettering. “If (students) knew or thought that students in their class had concealed weapons, they probably wouldn’t go to class,” said Schmale
Though ensuring student safety has always been a priority, the events last April 16 has served as a call to action for many universities. At Emory & Henry College in Southwestern Virginia, students, faculty, staff and parents were notified in a mass message within minutes after a bomb threat was called into the university. The private school put its new system in place following the shootings, sending information to cell phones, e-mail addresses, pagers, and digital signs across campus. Dirk Moore, Emory & Henry’s director of public relations, said that the university had been planning changes to its emergency response policies long before April 16. “The tragedy sort of expedited it,” Moore said. “There were drills before, but not campus-wide. The bomb scare was ONE YEAR LATER the first time we had >> national security employed it on a serious basis, and it seemed to work as it should.” The actions taken by Emory & Henry mark just one example of many schools nationwide attempting to renovate their crisis management and emergency warning plans. In terms of alert systems, students expect the school to provide as much information as soon as possible. At George Mason University in Fairfax, a similar alert system has been established. Using ‘Mason Alert,’ authorized personnel will send registered members instant alerts, free of charge, providing information on what has happened, what should be done and who should be contacted, all in the event of an emergency. Dan Walsch, George Mason university press secretary, said that the alerts tests have been successful thus far and that he is pleased with the number of users registered. “In round figures, the number is 13,000 people signed up,” Walsch said. “We are excited about that, because we feel like many of the people who are not signing up will hear through word of mouth anyway.”
see SECURITY, page three
following the event. “It doesn’t make people feel more comfortable to know that there are
He explained that he wants people to take advantage of the opportunity, although he expects to lose “thousands and thousands of dollars on this promotion.” more weapons, especially after what happened last April.” President of the Tech chapter of SCCC Ken Stanton said he had a lot of respect for Thompson’s energy on the matter. “He really doesn’t have any responsibility for the events but he’s still doing everything he is,” Stanton said. “That shows he’s being very respectful to the community and he’s trying to reach out.” University spokesman Larry Hincker expressed his displeasure of Thompson’s coming to Tech. “Free speech is a hallmark of university life,” Hincker said in a press release. “Still, I find it terribly offensive to learn that the gunseller of the weapons used in the Virginia Tech campus murders would set foot on this campus.” Tech currently has a policy against any presence of guns on campus.
Rack ’em up
KYLE MAXEY/SPPS
Libby Bowles, a senior in biology, was selected out of 5,000 entries to be featured in a guest role on MTV’s “Fresh Takes.”
Senior makes a ‘Fresh Take’ on MTV KIRSTEN GRAVELY
coming up
ct staff writer
TUESDAY’S CT Look for Tuesday’s ‘green issue’ with tips on how to make your life more green on campus. Check out a video of one of Tech’s all-male a cappella group, Naturally Sharp.
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Sports....................9 Classifieds............11 Sudoku................11
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MATT BOONE/SPPS
Eric Canfield, a senior international studies and German major, lines up a shot during a tournament in Squires’ BreakZONE last night.
Senior biology major Libby Bowles enjoyed the sights of New York City the weekend following April 3 as she worked with Alicia Keys on “Fresh Takes,” MTV’s new microseries sponsored by Dove products. Bowles was featured on “Bridesmaid Revisited,” the fourth episode of the series, which aired on April 14. Bowles won a contest that MTV and Dove hosted online and was selected out of 5,000 entries to perform a walk-on role with the cast. Dove’s new line of products, Dove Go Fresh, was the inspiration behind the series, which is centered around giving young women in their twenties a fresh take on life. “I saw the commercial for the contest and how to enter to have a chance on the show,” Bowles said. “I thought it would be fun to meet Alicia Keys, so I might as well give it a try.” The contest was based on an essay, in which the contestants had to write about how they have overcome the pressures that are faced by women in their twenties. Bowles wrote about her desire to better herself and the inspiration that Alicia Keys has been to her, as well as how she has managed her goals in life. Most recently, Bowles’ goal of getting accepted to
see MTV, page two
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