COLLEGIATETIMES Lacrosse: A vanishing act
wednesday
december 10, 2008 blacksburg, va.
www.collegiatetimes.com
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WOMEN DIES AFTER ROANOKE FIRE A fire that occurred in the kitchen of a Roanoke County house yesterday has left one woman dead. Only the victim, whose name has not been released, was in the house at the time of the incident, which occurred around 2 p.m. on the 3400 block of Bunker Hill Drive. The woman had been found unconscious when firefighters arrive, and was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital where she later died.
DONATION TO SUPPORT ENGINEERING PROJECT A donation of $50,000 was made to Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering in support of a scramjet launch project’s student design team. John Sparks, who recently made the donation, is the director of engineering and technology programs with the Aerojet Corp., as well as a threetime Tech graduate from the College of Engineering. With his contributions, as well as others, the team hopes to design and build a scramjet engine to be tested at Mach 5 and 90,000 ft. during a flight of 20 seconds.
sports HARRIS A FINALIST FOR DUDLEY AWARD Tech senior cornerback Victor “Macho” Harris is one of the three finalists for the Dudley Award, presented to Virginia’s best player of the year. If he wins, Harris HARRIS will be the eighth Hokie player to claim the honor – the last being Vince Hall in 2006. The two other finalists this year are Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim and James Madison quarterback Rodney Landers. The winner will be announced on Thursday evening in Richmond.
tomorrow’s weather RAINY high 43, low 29
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coming up The Collegiate Times has gone on holiday break. Look for the first spring semester issue Jan. 20.
index News.....................2 Features................6 0pinions................3
Classifieds..............4 Sports..................B1 Sudoku..................4
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 105th year issue 111
UNDER COACH KATRINA SILVA, THE LACROSSE TEAM HAS LOST MORE PLAYERS (14) IN TWO CLASSES THAN IT HAS EARNED VICTORIES (9). THOMAS EMERICK
ct sports editor THE LOST CLASSES While Blacksburg braces for winter, four senior leaders, formerly of Virginia Tech’s lacrosse team, prepare for the bitter months leading up to what would’ve been their showcase season. Their worlds were turned upside-down after what they consider a cold dismissal. “This was our life (for) up to three years,” said 2006 Tech lacrosse Rookie of the Year Christina Griel. “It’s all very important to us; we care about this team. Our best friends are on our team.” They were initially suspended on Sept. 15 after recruits visited the team and attended a brunch at the house of junior defender Jacquelyn Duggins and senior goalie Kari Morrison before a home football game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 13. According to the four seniors who were dismissed, issues between them and head coach Katrina Silva arose over whether they were trying to change the coach’s planned time for brunch with the visiting recruits prior to the event. The players didn’t take to their dismissal lightly. Not Casey Warner, who says she had a cardiac ablation — heart surgery to rectify irregular contractions — during her sophomore year to keep playing. Not Kristy Zeigler, who recently went under the knife to remove bone spurs caused by the multiple times her wrists were broken on the field over the past three seasons. Not Griel, who’s finally off the blood thinners she’d taken for six months. She suffered a blood clot following surgery to repair the meniscus she tore against American University last spring. Not Terri Coover, who had her deviated septum repaired during her sophomore season in the name of lacrosse. Now all they have is hurt.
see LACROSSE, page B1
Of the 17 players in the recruiting classes of 2009 and 2010, 14 have quit, transferred or were cut/ dismissed. Two left due to medical reasons. Only one remains. GO-EUN CHOI/COLLEGIATE TIMES
Roanoke’s Rescue Mission proffers aid
Protect against theft over break, police say
ERIN BROOKSHIER
ZACH CRIZER
ct news staff writer
ct news reporter
As the winter season settles, some residents of the New River Valley are facing the holiday season with limited funds and essential resources. These less fortunate citizens have been forced to turn to the Rescue Mission in Roanoke for help. The Rescue Mission is the largest provider of emergency help to Roanoke and the New River Valley. It is composed of a health care facility, a family and female shelter, a transient male shelter and a male recovery program. Some of the supportive services that the program offers include meals, showers, clothing, furniture, assistance with prescriptions and employment training. This facility — which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year — serves as a safety net to those who are in need. Even though the official start to winter has not yet occurred, the number of people in need of shelter has skyrocketed. Scott from the Rescue Mission, who was unable to make his last name public, addressed the rise in demand. “Typically the number of men staying in the men’s shelter is around the 70s in the summer and 120s in the winter,” Scott said. “This summer the numbers were in the 100s, and in the winter there have been about 140 men staying.” Jessica at the family and female center, who was also unable to disclose her full name, said that on Saturday, Dec. 6, there were 151 women and children sleeping there. Every day the shelter serves nine complimentary meals (three breakfasts, three lunches, and three dinners) to those who are hungry. Typically they serve about 900 meals
While students leave Blacksburg for the holiday, crime does not. Property is left more susceptible to burglary if proper precautions are not taken. Blacksburg police officer Sgt. Nathan O’Dell said burglaries of student property do rise during long holidays. “Our local criminals do know when students leave,” O’Dell said. “We do see an increase in reporting of burglary or robbery during extended breaks.” However, Blacksburg police also offer ways to deter criminals from damaging students’ property while they are away. One such way is the Vacation House Check program. O’Dell said residents can call and leave their address and an emergency contact number
PAUL PLATZ/SPPS
Karen Carson adds canned food and pasta to bags for those in need at Interfaith Food Pantry on Progress Street.
Tech looks to parking garages as future solution JUSTIN GRAVES
a day to the needy. In an average week, three gallons of pancake syrup, 24 bottles of ketchup and 50 pounds of sugar are used. With freezing weather underway, the numbers are not decreasing. The family, female and men’s shelters are experiencing far greater numbers than they have in past years. And with this increase comes a greater need for everyday items. “Just about anything that you need or have to use, we need here at the mission, too,” Jessica said. “No one particular item is needed the most. Things from deodorant, socks and razors, all the way to food and donations can be used.” The Rescue Mission also offers a thrift store where the needy can buy clothes, household items and other goods for affordable prices. Anything that can still be used can be donated to the store. Items needed by the
poor, such as clothing and household goods, will be given away at no cost, while other items will be sold, with the revenue used to provide needed services for the poor. This includes meals, shelter and medicine. The Rescue Mission’s Web site, rescuemission.net/ core.html, gives suggestions of how to help those in need. Hunters can take their fielddressed game to be processed and donated to the Mission, gardeners can plant extra rows for the mission, and quilts are needed for both the men and family shelters. Those who are looking to volunteer or donate closer to home may consider aiding Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry, which is located at 505 Progress St. in Blacksburg. Its phone number is 382-6186. Other ideas include donating items to the thrift store, giving money to help pay for meals or showers for the needy, or just volunteering
and police will check on their property. The department will carry out two checks per week. The Vacation House Check program provides individual attention to properties, but Blacksburg police will also patrol major apartment complexes in an attempt to deter holiday crime. “We’ll put officers in unmarked vehicles,” O’Dell said. “They’ll be doing nothing but going around, checking on the larger apartment complexes around the area.” O’Dell said residents can take simple precautions to lessen the likelihood of coming back to a burglarized apartment. “We recommend taking time to lock your doors,” O’Dell said. “Lock your windows.” O’Dell said windows are a frequently overlooked mode of entry for criminals. He also recommended wedging windows shut, even after locking them.
ct news reporter As the Virginia Tech community expands, steps will be taken to allow for more vehicles on its roadways. According to the Virginia Tech Master Plan, over the next decade many changes will be made to the parking scenery, including garages and the construction of buildings on top of current surface lots. Transportation and Campus Services is in charge of several of these projects. “Our job is to provide quality service to the Virginia Tech community. This includes printing, mail and records management,” said Steve Mournas, director of TCS. “We manage the BT contract, bikeways and pathways.” In 2002, when Tech’s parking plan was created, a ratio was identified for how the campus would maintain a certain number of spaces per customer group. This was based upon demand that was measured by the number of permits that were requested, and then from that demand, a certain percentage of spaces were generated. Relative to the number of permits sold, there are about 85 percent of spots for faculty and staff, 45 percent for commuter graduates and 90 percent for residents; in other words, if 100 students apply for a resident pass, 90 spaces are constructed. “When we did the master plan, we also did a duration analysis and determined that the
average student only spends about four hours in parking every day,” Mournas said. “People often buy permits and don’t even bring their vehicle to campus. This is a good thing for us. We have 15,000 spaces with around 19,000 permits sold a year.” Soon, construction will begin on a new garage located north of Cowgill and Whittemore halls. With the project costing about $25 million, permits will likely see a substantial cost increase. “The earliest that construction will start will be December, with the latest being in May or June, all contingent upon factors outside of our control,” Mournas said. “We have selected a design-build team and they are well into the design phase.” The two primary sources of revenue are permit sales and ticket collection. Compared to peer universities, Tech has the second lowest cost in parking permits, but one of the highest costs for parking tickets. At $30, Tech outstrips other schools, whose tickets range between $15 and $20 per incident. Some have raised questions of whether new parking facilities are actually necessary. “The data that we’re getting from this year so far, although only a third complete, is that for the first time in a long time is that there has been a substantial and measureable decline in the number of permits we’re selling,” Mournas said. “We usually sell some-
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see PARKING, page two