COLLEGIATETIMES
tuesday september 2, 2008 blacksburg, va.
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news JURY ACQUITS FORMER TECH STUDENT IN APARTMENT SHOOTING
Dear Future Residents: Part Two
The Montgomery County Circuit Court jury acquitted former Virginia Tech student, Anthony Lucas, of charges relating to shooting into the apartment of Victor Harris, starting cornerback on Tech’s football team. Augustus Peal, also charged in the case, does not have an official trial date set.
STUDENTS CAME TO CAMPUS EXPECTING BRAND NEW ACCOMMODATIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, THINGS HAD NOT GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN AT MT. TABOR. see RESIDENTS, page two
sports CLEMENS’ SON ARRESTED IN SALEM Police report that Koby Clemens, son of Major League Baseball’s Roger Clemens, was arrested in Salem, Va., on charges of disorderly conduct. Clemens and two other minor league teammates from the salem Avalanche were held in Roanoke County-Salem jail before being released on bond.
MATT BOONE/SPPS
After a summer of setbacks, the new condominium complex Mt. Tabor received a stop work order in July. The complex is slated to be fully completed in January 2009.
Democrats address voting issues Food T. REES SHAPIRO
ct news editor
Visit the CT online to vote for 2008 Best of Blacksburg and enter to win an 8GB iPod Touch
corrections “Registration drives: case for legal concern?” (CT, Aug. 28). contained several errors. Radford City, not Montgomery County, was the subject of some controversy in 2005 regarding voter registrations. Neither Radford City nor Montgomery County rejected large numbers of voters in that year. The Radford City registrar sent letters to students in 2005 seeking clarification of registration information when information was missing from voter registrations. The Collegiate Times regrets these errors. If you see something in today’s paper that needs to be corrected, please e-mail our public editor at publiceditor@collegiatetimes.com, or call 540.231.9865.
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An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 105th year issue 75
A recent Collegiate Times article compelled the Virginia Tech Young Democrats to host an impromptu gathering on the front steps of Squires Student Center Monday morning. Student speakers encouraged Virginia Tech students to register to vote in Montgomery County. The group convened to dispel “misinformation and false statements,” recently circulating campus concerning legal repercussions of registering to vote in Montgomery county. The Collegiate Times article contained an interview with Montgomery County Registrar Randy Wertz who warned students that changing their voter registration to Blacksburg could have implications. According to the Virginia Board of Elections, it is up to the student to prove their domicile to be where they go to college. Wertz said by changing their domicile and voter registration to another city other than their legal residence, usually their parent’s home, students could possibly lose scholarships, lose dependency on their tax returns, or be dropped by their health insurance providers.
“By registering here, (students) consider this their domicile,” Wertz said in the article. “They need to check with people once they claim this is their permanent residence. They need to check with tax attorneys or insurance people” to see whether they might be affected. Chris Cox, the students for Obama campus coordinator, called on potential voters to compel their associates to ignore the “misinformation.” Cox said attempts to “confuse or dissuade (students from voting) are undemocratic.” Representatives for the democratic organization Campaign for Change drove from Richmond to support the Young Democrats’ desire to clarify the fine print of voter registration laws. Liz Emanuel, the Campaign for Change youth vote director, echoed Wertz’s sentiments. She agreed the best answer to any questions potential Montgomery County voters have as to their individual situations should be addressed to lawyers. But she contended only in extreme cases could students who changed their domicile and voter registration to Montgomery county possibly be victim of adverse implications.
scientists squeeze life out of germs MICHELLE RIVIERA
ct news staff writer
DAVID GRANT/CT
Ben Schoenfeld, a senior computer engineer, spoke on the steps of Squires yesterday about his registration experience.
Warner refuses televised debate
see SALMONELLA, page two
Dining waste takes a dive
MARIA PASQUARELL
ct news staff writer Virginians will not have the chance to watch former governor Mark Warner and his opponent for the open seat in the Senate, former governor Jim Gilmore, participate in a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters because of Warner’s recent decision. The League of Women Voters of Virginia offered to host a free, televised debate between the two candidates, as it had in past election years. Warner, to the surprise of many parties, rejected this debate invitation, which had been extended to him mid-June. Gilmore, the Republican candidate, agreed to participate in the debate. His campaign offered several possible dates for Warner to attend. However, Warner declined to participate in this event, upsetting the League and, potentially, many Virginian voters. “Governor Warner has participated in one debate, and a second debate is scheduled next month before the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce,” said Warner’s Communication Director Kevin Hall in a statement, downplaying concerns that Warner does not want to openly debate Gilmore for fear of losing. Still, Warner has been heavily criticized for his decision, since the only debates he plans to participate in are closed to the public or charge an admissions fee. “If Warner has nothing to hide, why would he refuse to debate publicly?” said Dick Leggitt, campaign manger for Jim Gilmore. “(Warner) is concerned that he has to take a position that will offend a group he is cur-
Headlines about food contamination from storebought fruits and vegetables may soon disappear from newspapers forever, as the resulting stomach aches and other food-poisoning symptoms may become a thing of the past. Scientists in Virginia Tech’s food science and technology department are currently researching high-pressure processing, or HPP, effectively “squeezing” bacteria to death. This decontamination method rids produce of harmful bacteria, making healthy fruits and vegetables safe to eat while keeping them fresh and intact. “There are quite a few products already on the market that utilize the process,” said Laura Douglas, manager of the HPP lab at Tech. Some of these products include salsas, avocado halves, and a number of refrigerated dips, fruit juices and deli meats. “In a lot of cases it extends shelf life and also makes the food safer,” Douglas said. George Flick, university distinguished professor of food science and technology, added that a few large chain stores sell products treated with HPP, such as Kroger, Wal-Mart and Costco. Some stores in Texas feature foods that have gone through the process. Flick established the HPP lab in Tech’s food science department; it was his idea to get the equipment, and he oversees the entire operation along with Douglas. Douglas explained that the technology works by com-
TYLER VANCE
ct news staff writer
BRIAN BAER/MCT
Virginia Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008. rently courting. He is someone that tries to be all things to all people and in these trying times, we think that’s not the answer.” Warner was ahead by 23 percent in the last public opinion poll, according to Rasmussen Reports. Warner has been making an effort to reach out to Virginians since January and, according to Hall, “visiting 85 of Virginia’s 134 localities” in hopes of garnering support for the election in November. Mary Biggs, a member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and a longtime Warner supporter, said that she does not believe this decision will affect his campaign “because he will be accessible at other
events and debates.” Craig Brians, a professor of political science at Virginia Tech explained that most frontrunners do not participate in debates, as it can only hurt them if they make a mistake that causes the public to question the candidate. On the other hand, since Gilmore is behind in public opinion polls, a televised debate could potentially help him and boost his popularity, which could explain why his campaign readily agreed to debate Warner. Warner and Gilmore are hoping to replace retiring Republican John Warner, a five-term Senator (not related to Mark Warner).
Amidst the chaos caused by the incoming freshman class, students may have noticed the removal of trays from D2 and Schultz. Trays were removed from the dining halls on July 1 after multiple student-led organizations found that they were directly linked to excess food waste. The Environmental Coalition, Virginia Tech Green Team and Tech Recycling program looked at the removal of trays and other methods for improving environmental sustainability. Since D2 and Schultz operate buffet style, students usually take more food than they can eat. The use of trays catalyzed this wasteful trend. “It’s kind of human nature to take a little bit of everything; students would get their trays and end up with dishes 10 plates high,” said Rick Johnson, director of Housing and Dining Services. Andy Sarjahani, the sustainability coordinator for Dining Programs, ran several tests at D2 last spring, hoping to enlighten skeptics on the environmental advantages of their proposal. “I chose D2 as the site of my study because it is the larger of the two all-you-can-eat dining facilities here on campus,” Sarjahani said. For testing, Sarjahani wanted to weigh the discarded portions from each meal. Faced with a task too large
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see TRAYLESS, page two