COLLEGIATETIMES
friday september 26, 2008 blacksburg, va.
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sports WOMEN’S SOCCER TIES WITH MIAMI After neither team produced a goal after two overtime periods, the Hokies and Hurricanes finished their game in a tie Thursday night. Tech scored the opening goal, but Miami managed an equalizer in the 88th minute.
news FIRST ALERT TEST SCHEDULED Mark Owczarski, director of news and information, said that the first VT Alert notification test will be held on Oct. 8, 2008. The university will inform Tech students and faculty members of the test sometime next week. According to university spokesman Larry Hincker, 24,277 people are now signed up to receive alerts, 21,636 of whom are students. This number is a significant increase from last year, which saw slightly more than 16,000 registrants. VT Alerts is an emergency notification service that sends voicemails, text messages, instant messages and e-mails to those who subscribe in the event of a crisis. Owczarski said that the university has been pleased with its success thus far.
Hokie wideout convicted on DUI charges GABRIEL MCVEY
ct news reporter Chief Judge Gino Williams found suspended Virginia Tech football player Zach Luckett guilty yesterday morning of driving while intoxicated and driving after forfeiture of his license. Williams sentenced Luckett to a 12-month suspended jail sentence. He must report to Montgomery County Jail by Friday at 6 p.m. to begin serving a five-day sentence. Williams also sentenced Luckett to a suspended 90-day jail sentence, for which he will serve no time immediately, and a $1,000 fine, $750 suspended, for driving after the forfeiture of his license. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will determine any further license penalties. Luckett must also attend Virginia Alcohol Safety and Prevention classes and have his license suspended for one year. He will pay a total of $500 in fines. Luckett’s attorney, Jimmy Turk, entered a plea
of not guilty with stipulations. Williams ruled in favor of Turk’s motion that the charges be considered a first offense, as the New Jersey DUI statute under which Luckett was charged in May dissimilar to its Virginia LUCKETT was equivalent. New Jersey law stipulates drunken driving is an act that is illegal per se. Laws that hold certain actions illegal per se stipulate such actions cannot be explained or defended in terms of scienter, lack of knowledge of legal wrongdoing, for example. Williams found that statue unconstitutional in Virginia. In the police report, Officer. G.L. Thomas said he stopped Luckett because he had struck a dumpster while exiting a 7-Eleven parking lot on Aug. 17, 2008. Thomas found the sophomore communication student “extremely cooperative,” but said Luckett had a blood alcohol content of .16 percent. Though the DUI was Luckett’s first in
Blacksburg, he has had a series of legal troubles since enrolling at Tech, including a public urination charge that he was fined for in August 2006, and a seatbelt violation in November 2006 for which he was also fined. In the summer of 2007, Luckett was charged with a failure to stop at the scene of an accident, a charge that was later dismissed. Turk said Luckett had returned his vehicle to New Jersey and no longer had a vehicle in Virginia. The prosecuting attorney said he felt there was sufficient evidence to convict and asked the judge to take into account Luckett’s high BAC and the fact that while Luckett’s previous conviction was not applicable it had, in fact, occurred. Williams referred Luckett to VASAP, placing Luckett on probation by the court and given a restricted license after six months’ compliance. Luckett will be ordered to report to the local VASAP office within 15 days and must pay the associated fees. Williams also ordered Luckett to perform 100 hours of community service.
“You received a substantial break because the New Jersey statute is not comparable to the Virginia one,” Williams said, “With two DUIs, if you come back with some other alcohol offense, expect to pull a lot of that 11 month, 25 day jail sentence.” In addition to the disciplinary action taken by the courts and football team, Luckett was also penalized by the university’s judicial affairs office. “They gave me three sessions of in-depth counseling where you talk to someone and they try to see what happened and if you have alcohol problems,” Luckett said in an earlier interview with the Collegiate Times. Luckett said that he had been meeting with team coaches on a weekly basis, and expected to meet again after his disposition hearing to discuss the status of his suspension. Luckett did not return calls to the Collegiate Times on Thursday. Football head coach Frank Beamer has declined to make an official statement on Luckett since declaring him ineligible before the season began.
HokieFaithful
features HE SAID, SHE SAID: MOVIE REVIEW
After seeing the new Cohen Brothers’ film “Burn After Reading,” our columnists give their differing opinions on this new comedy. page three
weather SCATTERED T-STORMS high 63, low 54
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coming up TUESDAY’S CT Look way up into the Burruss bell tower as we delve into the technology and people behind campus’ daily chimes.
MIKE SHROYER/SPPS
FOR SENIOR YUSUF ABUGIDEIRI, BALANCING SCHOOL AND HIS COMMITMENT TO ISLAM CAN BE TRYING. BUT PLEASE, DON’T MIND THE BREATH.
T
he most difficult aspect of fasting sador, and University Honors student,
for Yusuf Abugideiri during the
Abugideiri’s days are usually long enough. had most recently played “Daydreamin’” by
Islamic holy month of Ramadan is Fasting is an extra challenge, he said. But
the bad breath, he joked.
30 days without his Stride gum, that’s close
But a severe case of halitosis is the least of to torture. his sacrifices for 30 days every year in order to further his faith as a Muslim.
around his neck, linked to a black iPod that
“I’m a gum lover,” Abugidieri said. “You’ll
Muslim rapper Lupe Fiasco. He’d been up until 2 a.m. the night before watching “Casablanca”, missing breakfast and morning prayers by sleeping in. He
never see me outside Ramadan without prayed at 8 a.m., as soon as he woke up.
This year, Ramadan started Sept. 1, and, gum.”
“God understands if I’m late,” he said. “I’m
Check out a preview of this weekend’s games involving Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
for 25 days now, Abugideiri, and Muslims
Its 9 a.m. Friday the 19th at a table in front not trying to be late. Is God mad? Probably
world-wide have celebrated the revelation
of Au Bon Pain. He’s wearing a yellow shirt not even worth His time. Besides, if He is
index
of the Quran to the Prophet Mohammad .
from his summer internship at General all knowing and all seeing, He knew it was
News.....................2 Features................3 0pinions................4
Classifieds..............9 Sports....................7 Sudoku..................9
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 105th year issue 87
As a senior finance major, Rhodes Electric, khaki cargo shorts, and white Scholarship applicant, Pamplin ambas-
Nike zoom sneakers. Headphones dangle
coming. Does it happen everyday? No. But I’d like to say I’m batting .900” see RAMADAN, page two
— by T. Rees Shapiro
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