COLLEGIATETIMES
tuesday september 9, 2008 blacksburg, va.
www.collegiatetimes.com
VIRGINIA TO CLARIFY STUDENT VOTING Virginia’s board of elections plans to modify its state voting guidelines in order to clarify a controversy that arose at Virginia Tech. Students were told by a registrar that their voter registration in Montgomery County could affect scholarships, insurance and tax status.
VIRGINIA TECH LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE Virginia Tech unveiled ThisIsTheFuture.com, a Web site showcasing how the university’s programs have affected Virginians. The site notes the impact Tech’s research and outreach programs have had on local communities around the state. Tech has begun an ad campaign to direct people to the site, hoping to maximize contributions.
sports BRADY TO MISS REMAINDER OF SEASON New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will miss the rest of the NFL season after suffering a left knee injury in his team’s season opener against BRADY the Kansas City Chiefs. Backup Matt Cassel replaced Brady in the first quarter and led the team to a 17-10 win on Sunday afternoon.
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weather SCATTERED T-STORMS high 76, low 60
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coming up TOMORROW’S CT See a report comparing the healthcare plans of both presidential candidates. See our Web site for a photo gallery detailing women’s soccer’s victory this weekend.
index News.....................2 Features................3 0pinions................5
Classifieds..............7 Sports....................4 Sudoku..................7
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 105th year issue 77
In search of savings: Energy at Tech MICHELLE RIVERA
As for those buildings too far removed from the reach of the Chill Water Plant, chillers, or individual water coolers, are necessary in each building. DeBellis said that the two buildings that consume the most energy after the Chill Water Plant are the Veterinary Medicine College and the two Bioinformatics buildings, which are connected. “Your major research buildings are the highest consumers of energy,” Myers said. “It’s the way the building is designed. They are ‘energy hogs.’” This is partly because there are many types of equipment that draw high amounts of energy and need to be kept on constantly. As for Lane Stadium on game days, DeBellis said the stadium continuously draws a lot of energy, especially on game nights. “I think last time it cost about $25,000 for a night game,” Myers said. This figure includes the cost of the day before the game, the day and night of the game itself, the lighting in the stadium and parking lots, heat or air conditioning, and fans, as well as other appliances. Myers said that Tech Electric Service is reaching its peak load of the summer, and because air conditioning consumes the most energy, that peak will be the highest of the year. The university also attempts to offset the cost of purchasing electricity with the use of the Tech Power Plant, which generates the steam used throughout Tech. “It’s used primarily for building heat,” Myers said. The dining facilities use
ct news staff writer According to Fran DeBellis, manager of Tech Electric Service, if you ran a 1500-watt hairdryer for an hour, you would be using 1.5-kilowatts of energy. Just the Veterinary Medicine building on Duck Pond Drive uses roughly 10 million kW each year, and it isn’t even the university’s largest energy consumer. Tech Electric Service is an auxiliary company of the school, which means that it is not funded by Tech but rather by the revenue received from its electricity sales. The service purchases electricity wholesale from Appalachian Power, a unit of American Electric Power, which provides for about 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. “Our budget this year for purchase of power is about $18 million for the entire system,” said Ben Myers, utilities director of Virginia Tech Electric Service. Between the 6,000 Blacksburg town customers the service provides for and the university, approximately 55 percent of the purchased electricity goes toward Tech. For those outside of the 1957 corporate town service boundaries, like many off-campus housing developments, AEP provides the electricity. Consuming approximately 15 million kW per year, the greatest energy consumer on campus is the Chill Water Plant, the plant in turn serves the core of campus, reducing energy consumption for those buildings that don’t have their own individual chillers, DeBellis said.
see COAL, page two
COAL PLANT BY THE NUMBERS $18 million budget for purchase of power 55 percent of purchased electricity goes toward Tech 15 million kW are consumed by campus' Chill Water Plant each year SALLY BULL/SPPS
It costs Virginia Tech $25,000 to power a nighttime football game
The smokestack of the Virginia Tech powerplant behind Thomas Hall. The plant produces steam at 825 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam from this plan saves Tech 6 to 9 percent of its estimated electric costs.
Steam from Tech Power Plant saves 6 percent to 9 percent of electric purchases
Warner takes nods from GOP-leaning groups the largest business federation in the world and the largest group of sworn law enforcement officers in the world have pledged to support Warner. The Chamber and the FOP, respectively, note Warner’s bipartisan work as governor as reasons for their support. “Our choice is Mark Warner because he’s not afraid to break party lines,” Legislative Chairman of the Virginia FOP Kevin Carroll, said. “When he was Governor, he had a proven record to work with democrats, republicans, and independents to accomplish things.” Carroll said, the FOP has not given financially to Warner’s campaign yet, but the idea has not been ruled out. “Our members on their own may make private endorsements,” Carroll said. “The statewide (organization) itself has not made a monetary donation. It doesn’t mean we won’t.” Since the FOP began endorsing candidates in 1985, this is the first time the organization has chosen to endorse a democrat for statewide office in a federal election. Although the Chamber of Commerce has not donated any money to Warner’s campaign either, 222 of the 277 candidates the Chamber endorsed won in 2006. According to the Chamber’s
CANDACE SIPOS
ct politics editor The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Fraternal Order of Police of Virginia, two organizations that typically lean toward Republican candidates, announced endorsements for former Democratic Virginia Gov. Mark Warner today. Although these endorsements do not directly signal a cash infusion for Warner’s campaign, support from organizations such as these do tend to make fundraising easier. But Warner is not the candidate for the Virginia Senate seat opposite Democrat Jim Webb who needs more money. According to the Federal Election Commission most recent report of contributions, those through June 30, 2008, former Virginia Governor and Warner’s Republican opponent Jim Gilmore had received a total of $1,234,083 in campaign donations from individuals, committees, and loans. After subtracting his campaign’s total disbursements, Gilmore had $116,769 on hand. Warner had received $18,601,582 by June 30 and had $10,214,758 on hand. To make matters worse for Gilmore
Assistant Director of Media Relations J.P. Fielder, this has to do with where the chosen candidates come down on the issues. “I think a lot of them are elected based on their substance of policy platforms,” Fielder said. “I think a lot of this comes down to voters understanding the issues and supporting the candidates that promote issues that create jobs. We feel (Warner) is the top candidate for the business community in this race.” Kevin Hall, a spokesman for Warner’s campaign, said that Warner worked closely with law enforcement and the business community as Governor of Virginia. “Both the state Chamber and the Virginia law enforcement community were strong partners when Governor Warner tackled budget and tax reform to try to fix the mess that was left by his predecessor,” Hall said. “Those are two fairly large organizations and frankly two organizations that one might expect to be more supportive of a republican candidate. It certainly presents an opportunity to remind voters that Mark Warner was a bipartisan and results-oriented governor
CHUCK KENNEDY/MCT
Warner, above, and Gilmore, below, are facing off in Virgina’s 2008 senate race. Warner has vastly outstripped Gilmore in fundraising.
see WARNER, page two
PETER VELZ/COLLEGIATE TIMES
University commits to sustainability Tech police, MICHELLE RIVERA
ENERGY USED PER YEAR
16
ct news staff writer
15
12
Virginia Tech has long been committed to conserving energy and resources, and this year the Sustainable Endowments Institute has chosen Tech for the second time as one of 200 colleges and universities to be evaluated in the Campus Sustainability Report Card 2009. According to its Web site, SEI was founded in 2005 and is a non-profit organization engaged in research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices. Each school was charged with completing three surveys that were submitted toward the end of July. SEI will publish a one-page profile toward the end of September, awarding an overall letter rating for each school, and in a separate letter, a letter grade for each of the following categories: Administration, Climate Change and Energy, Food and Recycling, Green Building, Student Involvement,
in millions of kWh
news
10
8 4.39
4.33
4.475
chief reap state awards
4.85
4
SHANNON AUD
6.4
ct news staff writer
0 Supercomputer Building (in Corporate Research Center)
Hahn Hall
Agriculture and Forestry Building, Litton Reaves
Andrews Building (in Corporate Research Center)
Bioinformatics Buildings (two connected)
VetMed
Chill Water Plant
Cost to Tech: $0.06461 per kWh. An average household uses approximately 24,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
Transportation, Endowment Transparency, Investment Priorities and Shareholder Engagement. Tech’s completed survey highlights the university’s numerous sustainability initiatives, including the unique Virginia Tech Climate Commitment. In December of 2007, the Environmental Coalition called on President Charles Steger to sign the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, which he declined, said Jackie
Pontious, senior environmental policy and planning major, and president of the Environmental Coalition. Instead, in April of 2008, Steger requested the Energy and Sustainability Committee develop a draft Sustainability Plan and Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment, which will be submitted at the end of the 2008 fall semester with hopes of final approval toward the end of the 2009 spring semester. On the President’s Climate Commitment, Denny Cochrane,
the energy and sustainability coordinator of the office of the associate vice president for facilities, said, “We weren’t sure how to do it. Rather than commit to something we can’t do, we’re going to create something we can implement and actually complete.” “They’re looking at something doable and achievable,” said Ben Myers, utilities director of the Electric Service. “It’s a comprehen-
The Virginia Tech Police Department has been presented with the 2008 Governor’s Award for Teamwork, a prestigious honor given annually to a group of state employees that show exemplary unity and collaboration. “After the shootings, the whole department worked constantly,” said Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum. “They had no days off and lots of overtime. This lasted until graduation, and they did it willingly and without complaint.” After the April 16 shootings, Tech’s police department was forced to act quickly and efficiently. The immensity of their job then expanded in response to the shootings, and its handling of the situation merited the Governor’s Award. Flinchum said that this dedication is essential to the force, and teamwork is an aspect of the job that cannot be sacrificed.
see ENERGY, page two
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see POLICE, page two