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wednesday february 18, 2009 blacksburg, va.
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news STEGER TO DISCUSS BUDGET TODAY The second ‘Town Hall’ meeting will take place today at 11 a.m. in Burruss Hall. President Charles Steger, Vice President and Provost Mark McNamee and Chief Financial Officer Dwight Shelton will discuss priorities in budgetary cuts for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
PHI BETA DELTA SOLICITS ESSAYS The International Honor Society Phi Beta Delta requests submissions from Virginia Tech students for its Global Experiences Essay Contest. Studeznts may submit an essay of any style or topic as long as it has an international theme. The top three winners will receive a $200, $100 and $50 prize. Entries are due March 23 to issa@vt.edu.
sports DIAZ EARNS ACC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Tech wrestler Chris Diaz was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week following two match wins this past Sunday. The Hokies eased past NC State and Duke, DIAZ completing a perfect 5-0 in conference dual meets this season. Diaz, ranked No. 19 nationally, recorded an 11-8 triumph of the Wolfpack’s Joe Caramanica. He then followed with a pin of the Blue Devils’ Mike Bell, which lasted a brief 41 seconds. The sophomore is now 29-8 overall on the year.
coming up TOMORROW’S CT Get the down-low on what’s happening in the Virginia Assembly and the debate over whether to allow college students to register to vote where they go to school.
tomorrow’s weather PM SNOW SHOWERS/ WIND high 35, low 20
Faculty, students remember Lavery DAVID GRANT As an English major in the late 1970s, David Hogge had little reason to rub shoulders with William Lavery. But Hogge’s early-morning trips to Williams Hall brought him into nearly daily contact with Lavery, Tech’s president from 1975 to 1987. “I happened to cross paths with Dr. Lavery and he was always a cheerful fellow, he would always ask how you were doing,” said Hogge, who graduated in 1977 and is now a freelance writer in Richmond. Lavery, who at 78 died of complications from a five-month struggle with esophageal cancer Monday night in New River Valley Medical Center, was widely described by friends and colleagues as both a great leader and a warm, gregarious human being with a keen interest in how those around him were doing. “Bill Lavery was genuinely a nice guy,” said Ray Smoot, university treasurer and chief operating officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation. “You hear the term, ‘He’s a nice guy,’ a lot. This guy was what you saw was what you got. There was no put-on for Bill Lavery.” Lavery’s tenure saw the opening of the Cranwell International Center, the creation of the VirginiaMaryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, the founding of the Corporate Research Center and the of faculty research, LAVERY expansion pushing Tech into the top 50 research insitutions at the time. While it ended with the hiring of head football coach Frank Beamer in 1987, Lavery also faced strong criticism for an academic scandal that shook the university’s athletic community and for his handling of a land-swap where the university exchanged 247 acres of land along US 460 for a 1,700-acre tract of farmland. It was the backlash generated by these two incidents that eventually led Lavery to step down Dec. 31, 1987. Jim McComas, Lavery’s successor who died in 1994, was gracious in his regard for his predecessor. It was this gesture that both confirmed Lavery’s legacy and eased his transition from the presidency. “(Lavery) held his head high and he transitioned
CALEB FLEMING
ct news editor Virginia Tech scientists have developed a technology that removes water from coal slurry ponds, lowering the amount of toxic waste potentially seeping into the water table and poisoning wells. Mining and mineral engineering professor RoeHoan Yoon has been researching technologies relating to slurry for 30 years, beginning when he first came to Tech. Yoon’s latest advancement is the most complete and includes microcell technology and the use of a hyperbaric centrifuge. The design combines air pressure and centrifugal force to lower the level of moisture found in fine coal. “In fine coal slurry there are three components,” Yoon said. “One, of course, is water, one is coal and the other is ash. Coal is what you want, so you have to remove the ash, which we do with microcell. Then we remove water using the centrifuge we have just publicized, and what is left is coal that you can sell.” Yoon added that without these two technolo-
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An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 106th year • issue 18
very effectively and was definitely embraced by Jim McComas. Jim didn’t lose an opportunity to cite Bill’s achievements,” said Tom Tillar, vice president for alumni relations. “It pleased everyone here that Bill stayed as an active member of the community and of the university and was involved in things.” While many thought the criticism severe, Lavery’s devotion to the institution kept him in Blacksburg. Ending his connection to Virginia Tech, “wasn’t his nature,” said Smoot, who first met Lavery when Smoot was president of the student government association in 1979 and Lavery was vice president for finance under President T. Marshall Hahn. “He couldn’t walk away from it. He just had too much regard for it.” In his post-presidential years, Lavery served as the William B. Preston Professor of International Affairs until 1991 and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U. S. Agency for International Development’s advisory committee, among other roles. He also served as a mentor to Pamplin Scholar and sophomore animal and poultry sciences major Erin Heller on her Pamplin Project involving dog walking and adoption through the veterinary college. Heller said Lavery, “wasn’t quite a grandfather, but almost. He always had good ideas about how I should go about doing things, and he was
COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH
William Lavery, Tech’s president between 1975 and 1986, speaks at a university function in 2004. Lavery died Monday night from complications after a five-month battle with cancer. always really gracious and welcomed me to his home and made me feel really comfortable when I was there talking to him. He never came across like an authority figure.” Lavery, who grew up in western central New York, graduated from Michigan State University in 1953 and, after a stint in the army, achieved advanced degrees from George Washington University and the University of Wisconsin before coming to Tech in 1966. In a 1992 interview with Virginia Tech Magazine, Lavery said, “after 26 years, this is home. Long ago we decided that when we left the presidency we would stay right here and serve Virginia Tech and the community.” The “we” he referred to is his wife, Peggy, who by all accounts was a close compatriot in both Lavery’s life and presidency. Heller noticed their special bond during several trips to Lavery’s home. “Whenever I went over to talk to him, his wife was always there with us joining in on the conver-
sation,” Heller said. “It was always them together.” Lavery is survived by his wife, four children (Mike, Debbie, Laurie and Mary) and 12 grandchildren. “We were always having family get-togethers,” growing up, said Sean Lavery, a junior finance major. “Every holiday was spent here up in Blacksburg. Ever since I can remember I’ve been here at Tech and hanging out with him, and I was lucky enough to have been here for the last two-and-a-half years so I could go over to my grandparent’s house and see them.” Even away from formal university responsibility, Lavery remained engaging and in touch with a bevy of long-time friends. “After he retired he would call and the first thing out of his mouth was ‘Minnis, how are you doing?’’ said Minnis Ridenour, a senior fellow for resource development who was hired by Lavery in 1974. “He was always deeply interested in that question: How are you doing?’ He really had a deep interest in people.”
gies, coal slurry has to be disposed of in alternative methods, potentially contaminating the environment. “The way they dispose of this slurry is by making a big pond, like the Duck Pond here, and throwing the coal into it. Then the pond sometimes overflows when there is heavy rain, and it goes to the river and somebody’s backyard.” The design patented by Yoon and his team has been licensed to Decantor Machine Company in Tennessee, and it has been employed in several different locations. The research directed by Yoon could have vast benefits in some West Virginia communities where toxic wastewater may have poisoned the water table, causing kidney failure, cancer and gallbladder disease. Slurry is often legally injected in worked-out coalmines in close proximity to residential areas, causing potentially adverse health effects. In Prenter Hollow, a community in Boone County, W.Va, resident Patty Sebock said that 98 percent of the area’s inhabitants no longer have gallbladders because of disease that she believes is
caused by high metal content in well water. Sebock’s husband — who had worked in coalmines — has severe kidney problems, and has not made it back to the job in nearly four years. Her 21-year-old son battled dental disease as a toddler because the home’s water would strip enamel from his teeth and cause immediate rotting. “I knew when I moved here that my water had iron in it, but I had no idea what else,” Sebock said. “Around here it’s called hard water. When we did some sample testing, which we couldn’t test for heavy metals because it’s so expensive, it had manganese. Manganese takes enamel off your teeth.” And in the last three months Sebock said that the Hollow has lost two more members, this time from the same family. “A woman started out with having her gallbladder removed, and later they found out she had cancer spread throughout her body,” Sebock said. “Within a month and a half, her father died (from cancer). It’s just constant — every day people are running to the doctor and being diagnosed with cancer.” Trisha Feeney, an employee with the Sludge Safety Project in West Virginia, said that there are
two lawsuits underway right now regarding water contamination from coal. “Neither has gone to trial,” Feeney said. “The burden of proof has been put on two of the poorest counties in the country to show whether the process (of deposition) is contaminating the water.” Sebock added that the motive behind a lawsuit filed by her community is the high cost of testing water for metals. “Lawyers told us that when they got the tests back the chemicals were well above a toxic level for safe consumption and that they contained arsenic and lead,” Sebock said. “They did a small sampling, not everyone’s well, but when you live in a close area the water table is mostly the same. Your kidneys can only handle so much of this toxic stuff before your body starts to store it in different places.” Feeney said that a study done in 1985 in eastern Kentucky concluded that it is impossible to determine where slurry moves underground, but that it is more likely to come out where people are drawing water. “We have found correlation of toxins such as
see COAL, page two
Students continue to deal Documentary film examines deadly with car crash injuries desegregation protest ct news reporter
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Visitation at McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg, will be Thursday, Feb. 19 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. followed by a Rosary Service at 7:30 p.m. His life will be celebrated at a Funeral Mass, on Friday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Old Mill Road, Blacksburg. The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the William E. Lavery Professorship at Virginia Tech, 902 Prices Fork Rd., Blacksburg, 23061 or to the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Building Fund.
Coal slurry research may help W.Va. community
GORDON BLOCK
corrections
VISITATION
ct editor-in-chief
Two students who were hit by a motor vehicle in September have returned to class after missing most of the fall 2008 semester. The pair, Kellsye Pitsenbarger and Amanda Tyus, both 21, are slowly returning to full health after sustaining numerous injuries. The two were walking home along Progress Street in the early hours of Sept. 6, 2008, when they were hit by a motor vehicle. During the crash, Tyus was thrown onto the car’s hood, which lofted her through a chain link fence before the car stopped after hitting a tree. The two suffered major injuries as a result of the crash. Jan Pitsenbarger, Kellsye’s mother, noted Kellsye’s recovery was a trying period. “It was a tough time. She still has some healing left to do,” Jan said. Kellsye, who sustained head and leg injuries in the crash, is still having trouble getting to classes. “I can’t walk long distances or periods of time without major pain,” Kellsye said.
Kellsye obtained a handicapparking permit, allowing her to park closer to her classes. “Virginia Tech has been very helpful with accommodating me,” Kellsye said. Tyus suffered a broken pelvis in the accident and needed her jaw wired shut along with surgery on her injured leg. Tyus was on crutches until Dec. 5. Joe Tyus, Amanda’s father, said that his daughter was getting ready to get back to Blacksburg as soon as possible. “She wanted to come back,” Joe said. “All we were waiting on was the release from her doctors.” Despite her return to campus, Amanda is not done with her treatment. She will meet with an orthopedist around the middle of March. Though Amanda’s treatment is winding down, her family still receives bills for her treatment. “The bills are still coming in to us,” Joe Tyus said. Both Pitsenbarger and Tyus have medical insurance. Beyond her physical injuries, the accident and her subsequent time-off has had a major effect on Pitsenbarger’s plans after graduation. Pitsenbarger, who
was preparing to graduate in April 2009, has seen her graduation date pushed back to December 2009. “I’m behind an entire year of my life,” Kellsye said. She originally planned on attending graduate school, but has instead decided to look into the job market following graduation. Despite a long recovery time, Kellsye has kept a positive outlook. “I’ve been told it will hurt before it gets better,” she said. Tyus and Pitsenbarger, human nutrition, foods and exercise majors, have decided to share an apartment together. Tyus and Pitsenbarger now wait as the driver of the car that hit them, Ryan Williams Wresch, goes to court. Wresch was charged at the scene with driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. Wresch is scheduled to appear next in front of a grand jury April 22. Kellsye was anxious about the upcoming trial. “It makes you think ‘Wow, it happened to me,’” Pitsenbarger said. “It hits you when you’re in court looking at the guy who did it.”
WAYNE WASHINGTON
mcclatchy newspapers COLUMBIA, S.C. — A documentary chronicling the events of the Orangeburg Massacre will be shown for the first time Sunday at South Carolina State University, where a 1968 desegregation protest led to a bloody tragedy with three young people dead and many others injured. The 57-minute film, which took 10 years and $340,000 to make, includes archival footage and interviews of key figures like thenSouth Carolina Gov. Robert McNair and civil rights activist and Voorhees College President Cleveland Sellers. S.C. State officials persuaded the filmmakers to allow the documentary called “Scarred Justice” to be shown first on its campus. “We viewed the documentary yesterday,” S.C. State President George Cooper said Wednesday. “It’s powerful. We’re looking forward to the community coming and seeing it.” The film is free and open to the public. A religious, non-denominational service will be held at nearby Claflin University’s chapel at 7 a.m., with the film being shown at S.C. State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium at 3 p.m. The film will be followed by a tree planting
ceremony at a spot on S.C. State’s campus where those who died are honored. Sellers, wounded when law enforcement fired on protesters who had gathered on S.C. State’s campus in Orangeburg, was interviewed for the documentary. So was McNair, who, before he died in 2007, said he accepted “responsibility” for the massacre but did not apologize for it. In 1968, McNair blamed outside black power agitators for the tragedy. Sellers was the only person tried, convicted and jailed for a crime connected to the massacre. Law enforcement officers were tried but acquitted. Attempts to reach Sellers for comment on the film were unsuccessful. S.C. State officials said he has agreed to attend Sunday’s premiere. Some, including the filmmakers and many educators, are sure the Orangeburg Massacre isn’t well known in South Carolina, and it is almost completely unknown outside the state something filmmakers Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson are seeking to change. “One of the things we want to see through this is reconciliation,” Richardson said. “You cannot have reconciliation until you get to what happened.” It remains unclear precisely what happened
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see RACE, page two
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editor: caleb fleming email: nrvnews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: tth 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
february 18, 2009
editor: sara mitchell email: universitynews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Coal:Townembattled over illnesses Old Blacksburg Middle School site to be sold
from page one
heavy metals in drinking wells near where slurry was injected underground,” Feeney said. But while Sebock agreed and was convinced that contaminants in the community water supply was to blame for the health concerns in Prenter Hollow, there is still no concrete evidence to confirm her suspicions. Jason Bostic, Vice President of the West Virginia Coal Association, highlighted the legality of the coal company’s practices. Bostic added that the association has heard allegations, not complaints, of site-specific coal slurry migration into domestic well water. “Those allegations have been investigated by numerous agencies, and no link was found between coal slurry injection, active mining and water well contamination,” Bostic said. Bostic noted that coal mining might not be the only hazardous extraction method occurring in the Appalachian communities that allege malpractice by the industry. “There is construction, as well as oil and gas-well drilling adjacent to coal mining,” Bostic said. “It’s possible that the wells were not great quality when they were drilled, and they may have drilled into aquifers, or other undisturbed coal
seams. They would see impacts from the coal in your water. The wells may also have degraded over time.” And while the coal association denies that they may be responsible for instances similar to that in Prenter Hollow, Sebock refuses to accept the lack of accountability. “The way I see it, the coal company puts the expense on the communities and state and people instead of taking responsibility for what is theirs,” Sebock said. “As a property owner, if something of theirs leaks and destroys things, why aren’t they responsible?” New technologies may not be in time to make a difference in Prenter Hollow, but still could help make strides for an industry that is often viewed in a negative light. Yoon’s system reduces the total water content in coal slurry to less than 20 percent and would help clean the environment while simultaneously harnessing the energy of coal ridden with moisture. Yoon now plans to study methane found underwater. “We want to study the ways that we can recover methane gas from the ocean floor,” Yoon said. “There is a lot of methane in the form of hydrate, frozen in ice, and we want to find a way to recover it.”
ZACH CRIZER
ct news reporter
COURTESY OF ROE-HOAN YOON
Graduate student Serhat Kales works with coal slurry in the lab. Yoon’s technique offers a way to dry coal slurry, reducing its toxic effect.
Race: Film chronicles massacre from page one
when black students gathered to protest a bowling alley whose white owner, Harry Floyd, would not allow African-Americans to bowl there. The film does not answer a central question of the tragedy the origin of the first shot fired but it does offer distinct voices that take viewers back to one of the most turbulent years in American history. There is Bill Barley, a photographer for McNair, describing Orangeburg in the late 1960s. “It was a Jim Crow town, just like so many others in the South,” Barley said. There is Robert “Red” Davis, a sophomore at S.C. State in 1968, describing life for African-Americans
in Orangeburg at that time. “We couldn’t hardly go nowhere,” he said. “Police gonna mess with you. Then, you had people coming by, hollering all kinds of things. It was just real tough down here for black people, especially students.” And there is Floyd, explaining in archival footage why he would not allow African-Americans into his establishment. “Because I have my own customers that patronize me 52 weeks a year,” Floyd said. “They support me year in and year out. I need no other business.” Jackie Epps, S.C. State’s interim vice president for institutional advancement, remembers the massacre well. He was a junior in 1968 and was
among those gathered for the protest. “I was right up front.” But as it became colder, Epps returned to his dorm to get a jacket. “I couldn’t have been gone more than 10 minutes,” he said. He was not prepared for what he saw when he returned. “It was a combat zone. It was horrifying screaming, moaning. I think it’s fortunate only three students died. There were students laying out all around. I spent a year in combat in Vietnam, and I never saw anything like that. It was horrific.” Epps, who previewed the film with other S.C. State officials, said it impressed him as an accurate reflection of what took place. “It’s very credible,” he said.
Unlike the shootings at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970 which produced a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of an anguished girl kneeling next to a dead student – the Orangeburg Massacre never captured the full attention of the country. The massacre took place Feb. 8, 1968, just as the Tet Offensive was exploding in Vietnam. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, and Robert Kennedy was killed two months later. But one of “Scarred Justice’s’” makers, Bestor Cram, said the obscurity of the Orangeburg Massacre is itself a tragedy. “When a tragedy and an injustice takes place and it disappears, two tragedies and two injustices take place.”
Abandoned for more than six years, the old Blacksburg Middle School site located on South Main Street will be sold and redeveloped through a civic design competition. A resolution passed by the Montgomery County School Board calls for the property to be sold, generating funds for Montgomery County School Board capital improvement projects. A joint committee of Montgomery County and Blacksburg officials was created to discuss plans for the property that would benefit both bodies. Committee member Gary McCoy said all interests had to be taken into consideration. “We wanted it to live up to what the Board of Supervisors wanted, in revenue,” McCoy said. “And the town of Blacksburg wanted to keep green space, not have an apartment complex.” The committee decided a design competition would be used to determine future plans for the property. “There are several different reasons for putting it out there,” McCoy said. “We want to see if there is some good use that we haven’t thought of yet.” However, Montgomery County Board of Supervisors member Gary Creed said he was not confident a sale would be made in the near future. “I think it should have been done years ago, but I don’t know how long it will take to get it done. I thought we had it done last year, but apparently we didn’t,” Creed said. Last year, the school board decided to reconsider the uses of the area. However, it has now declared the site to be surplus. The school board will work in conjunction with Montgomery County and Blacksburg to coordinate the sale of the site. Blacksburg Vice Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith said Blacksburg would monitor the future of 501 South Main St. “We have done multiple surveys, and we are poised and prepared to make it a design competition,” Hager-Smith said. “It is absolutely consistent, and almost unanimous that people want to see a civic development.” In the current economy, Hager-Smith said the town does not want the property to be used for commercial development. Creed said the town of Blacksburg would control the future of the site. “Blacksburg will have the ultimate say on the zoning of it,” Creed said. “In order for it to bring in the maximum money, it needs to be rezoned.” Although Blacksburg has a say in the future of the property, Montgomery County will be the primary financial benefactor of the sale. “My understanding is that the Board of Supervisors will get the money for the land and then, depending on what is on that property, Blacksburg will have the benefit of that space,” McCoy said. Money from the sale would go to the construction of new schools for Montgomery County, including two new elementary schools. Currently, the Montgomery County School Board controls the property, but it could eventually be turned over to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. “The school board still owns the property,” McCoy said. “As far as I know, they have not turned it over to the Board of Supervisors. That would be the next step. Generally, property is turned over to the Board of Supervisors when the school board deems they don’t need it anymore.”
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editor: laurel colella, david mcilroy email: opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
february 18, 2009
EDITORIAL
Tech community should reach out to Prenter Hollow Just a few hours away from Blacksburg lies the community of Prenter Hollow in Boone County, W.Va. According to resident Patty Sebock, 98 percent of the area’s inhabitants no longer have gallbladders because of diseases she believes have been caused by high metal content in water. Not just that, but hundreds of people in the small West Virginia community have been affected, supposedly by the presence of slurry in coalmines in close proximity to residential communities. Reported effects also include kidney failure and cancer, among others. Sebock said that in her community the water is called “hard water” because of the presence of iron and manganese; manganese takes the enamel off of teeth. There are currently two lawsuits underway regarding water contamination from coal, though neither has gone to trial. It will be especially difficult for some of the poorest counties in the country to prove whether the process of disposing coal slurry has been contaminating the water supply. The community members’ burden of proof will be perhaps their most difficult challenge. According to the CT, Jason Bostic, vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association, has acknowledged hearing allegations of coal slurry migration into domestic well water, but said that this link has not been substantiated. Trisha Feeney, an employee with the Sludge Safety Project in West Virginia, told the CT, however, that when lawyers got test results from the water back, the chemicals “were well above a toxic level for safe consumption and that they contained arsenic and lead.” Fortunately Virginia Tech sci-
entists have recently developed a new technology that removes water from coal slurry ponds, consequently decreasing the amount of toxic waste seeping into water tables and contaminating drinking wells. Mining and mineral engineering professor Roe-Hoan Yoon has found a way to separate the three components that make up coal slurry. “Coal is what you want, so you have to remove the ash, which we do with microcell. Then we remove water using the centrifuge we have just publicized, and what is left is coal that you can sell,” he said. While this is an amazing achievement, it is made even more significant by the fact that communities in neighboring areas could potentially benefit from these technological advances in lifesaving ways. It is unacceptable to think that people in these communities are not being given access to clean water, one of the most basic resources that we take for granted. People should be able to drink water and shower without fear of being contaminated. Part of Virginia Tech’s land grant deal is to help the local community through research and discovery. Yoon’s achievements are a triumph of the land grant promise. Perhaps now as we go forward, Virginia Tech can look to other ways to help the community of Prenter Hollow, maybe even through litigation, as it is one of the poorest counties in the nation. Hopefully this discovery will not be the end of the relationship between Tech and this community.
See the world to learn to fully appreciate home Lately I find myself talking to students who are thinking about studying abroad and are having a hard time committing to LIZA a program and taking that final MILLER leap that will send regular them away from columnist Blacksburg and off to a foreign city of their choice. I don’t know why I find myself in these conversations. Maybe it’s because I studied abroad myself and my ears are sensitive to this kind of talk. Or maybe it’s because the cold weather has caused many minds to wander in search of more exotic lands. Whatever the reason, if you are even considering studying abroad and are lucky enough to afford the loans and the class credit, Faites-le! Tun sie es! Faccialo! In every language, I implore you to do it! I remember the hesitations and concerns I had when deciding to spend a semester away from my home, friends, family and everything else I held dear in the world. I was scared about what waited for me across the pond. Would I be able to afford it? Would I be able to enjoy it? Would I be able to straighten my hair? OK, the last concern may only be my own, but for many I know, the fears of traveling abroad often have little to do with the actual destination — the fears are internal. The scariest part when considering programs abroad cannot be remedied within tourism books — but you will better
yourself if you are able to escape your comfort zone. Leaving Blacksburg for an entire semester was not an easy idea to get used to. I was nervous about what I would miss: my family, a happy apartment, a campus that I loved, 21st birthday parties, men’s basketball … depending on my mood the list seemed longer or shorter. There were times when I couldn’t wait to board the plane. I felt restless from my same routine and surroundings. When I left after the fall semester, it was exhilarating knowing that I would not return until the following fall. The three-hour drive home to Richmond seemed so dull in comparison to the adventures that awaited me, and I couldn’t wait to spread my wings in a new world. Last January I said goodbye to everything that felt familiar and traveled to Lugano, Switzerland, with the marketing department. I chose the program for a number of reasons but especially for its focus on independent travel. As a part of our program fee, we received a Euro-rail pass that allowed us to hop on trains and plan our own adventures through Europe. With Blacksburg far behind, I began to look at everyday tasks so differently. Shopping at the local grocery store seemed so glamorous in a new place. Snow and rain didn’t feel like such a nuisance. I have a hard time describing my experience to others, but when I look back on my time abroad, I remember an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I was so appreciative of every beautiful view, every delicious meal and every day that brought a
new adventure. This semester marks the one-year anniversary of my time spent abroad. I think about that semester often, not only when looking through old photographs or vicariously checking students on Facebook who are participating in the current Lugano program, but memories seem to strike up in the most unusual circumstances. I took advantage of the warm Sunday last weekend and took a walk with my boyfriend around the Duck Pond. The ice that had coated the pond in the recent days was melting in the sun. With the backdrop of the mountains in the background I felt a pang of homesickness for Lugano, where we would walk around the lakefront and take in the view of the Alps and discuss how different the snowpeaked mountains would look in the spring. We were remarking on how blue the water was and how green the grass, and I remember thinking that the grass really is greener in Switzerland. Back home I know that it isn’t true, that the grass is green everywhere, just of different shades. That the beautiful view across Lake Lugano is something that the locals take for granted every day, just as I take the Blue Ridge Mountains that surround our campus for granted. Traveling taught me a lot about the world, but also about home. To be able to look at things as if you were a visitor or a tourist is not such a bad thing. Studying abroad offers the student the greatest souvenir of all: a perspective of the world and your place in it.
The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries and Laurel Colella.
Imagine for a moment that you’re reading your daily news, but instead of finding that certain sports headline you were looking for, you find “Today there are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world.” What if instead of reading the latest gossip about your favorite actor, you read “16,000 children died yesterday of starvation, and 16,000 more will die today.” What if you read that 3,300 children were kidnapped from their homes last night to become child soldiers or prostitutes? How would you feel? What would you do? Ignore it? Write it off as sad and continue on with your life, as many of us do? Would you say, “I wish I could help but I don’t know how,” or “I don’t have the time or the money?” Or would compassion move you to sacrifice a little in order to save a life and give a child back his or her youth? The truth is that these are not made-up tales, but rather the real stories that never make it to the headlines. Thousands still live in FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina, which was more than three years ago. Families in Montgomery and Roanoke County starve and freeze each night because they cannot even afford food and oil, luxuries such as garbage removal aside. So I ask again, what will you
do? If the majority of this country wants hope and change, they must willingly sacrifice for it. The excuses of no time and no money or “I’m only one person” seem far too common. Does $1 a day seem like a lot? The minutes frivolously spent on a morning coffee and bagel can make a difference toward saving a child’s life. If even a dollar seems too much, do what I did — gather up a couple of friends to pitch in a quarter a day to give a child food, clean water, clothing, medicine and an education. That’s one fewer child who will go to bed hungry, one fewer child who dies of a preventable disease caused by lack of food or clean water. Though in her letters she can barely write, my sponsor child gives me an amazing feeling when I read how thankful she is and that we are helping her dreams come true. If you are still reading this, I challenge you to take a moment out of your day and look into the different ways you can help out, not only by sponsoring a child but by really doing anything. There is no greater feeling than combining something you love with the joy of helping others. It can be as simple as buying a can for a food drive, but the effects of that one can spread like a ripple. Do not let another second pass before you make a difference in the world! John Havranek senior, aerospace engineering
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We must all make sacrifices to achieve change
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Celebrities aren’t the only role models we should be admiring MICHELLE SKEEN regular columnist “What do want to be when you grow up?” A father asks his son this as they flip through television stations one evening. The boy ponders the long-established question for a moment, one he has been asked often by his parents and teachers. The young man’s finger pauses on the remote as he passes a music television station. Chris Brown is singing “Forever.” “It would be cool to be a rapper,” he answers. His father remembers a news story from earlier in the day — Brown was arrested for a felony and released on a $50,000 bond with a March 5 court date for charges of assaulting his girlfriend, Rhianna. It seems that rappers are not only forever in the spotlight, but also forever in trouble. The remote flicks to ESPN and highlights from a Yankees game. “Or maybe a professional baseball player,” the boy adds. This time Alex Rodriguez’s face comes to the father’s mind, as well as the steroid test he failed. “Or I could even go to the Olympics!” the boy suddenly exclaims with enthusiasm. His father sinks lower in his leather recliner, thinking of the recent Michael Phelps scandal. Pictures of the famous swimmer smoking from a bong are all over the news, plastered everywhere for the eyes of young admirers. So where do kids turn these days for role models? It is true that celebrities have been thrown in the spotlight somewhat against their will. They might argue that they do nothing
worse than the ordinary person. Lots of people do drugs, lots of young men smoke marijuana and Chris Brown would not be the first guy to hit his girlfriend. But when famous people are arrested or get in trouble, their mistakes are broadcast all over the news. However, even if the spotlight is shining on music artists, movie stars and professional athletes against their will, the fact remains that it’s still shining brightly. With all the flashy cars, extravagant parties and luxurious mansions also comes something else — responsibility. Small pairs of eyes are watching everything from their television sets, and they don’t turn away when their favorite Disney show stars get pregnant at a young age or are arrested for drunken driving. So, who is to blame? Where do we point the finger for all of these bad influences on children? We can rightfully criticize the celebrities themselves as well as the paparazzi who expose them. Yet some responsibility falls on everyday people. The rich and the famous don’t have to be the only role models for kids to mimic. There are ordinary citizens in each middle-of-nowhere town (whether it has one stoplight or multiple city blocks) that can replace these ritzy but reckless superstars. A rec league basketball coach might not have the rakish good looks of Brad Pitt, but maybe rather than cheating on his girlfriend he will teach eight-year-old boys discipline and teamwork skills. A first grade teacher may not be able to sing like Britney Spears, but chances are she has a little more sense
and some wisdom to share. Finally, parents themselves have the responsibility to cut off the television and turn their kids’ heads in the right direction. The best role model a child can have is mom, dad or an older sibling, and you better believe kids are watching every move just as closely as they watch Usher’s dance steps or Kobe Bryant’s basketball shot. It’s true that we can’t do much about the misbehavior of our favorite celebrities. In addition, it’s not easy to shield the younger generation from the message pop culture sends through the media. The one thing we can do is provide an alternative and send a counter message. This goes not just for kids we might know but also for the whole community. If ordinary people can penetrate the brains of the little guys, then perhaps they will pay less attention to the scandals of the celebrity world. Just take a little time out of your day to volunteer at an after-school program, take a friend’s kid to a movie or sign up for Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s amazing how much of a positive difference one person can make, even if it’s to one child. Maybe one day down the road, that same kid who looked up to you will pass on some good advice to his own small admirer. Everyone dreams of having his or her own star on Hollywood Boulevard. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t sing like Mariah Carey or dance like Michael Jackson. There is still a chance to be remembered, still a chance to have an adoring fan club … even if it’s just a few neighborhood kids.
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editor: bethany buchanan email: features@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: w 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., f 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
february 18, 2009
Inside the white truck of VT parking enforcement TOPHER FORHECZ
ct features reporter Virginia Tech parking enforcement officers have been called a lot of things over the years, and it’s no secret that many students regard them with a certain dread the minute they spot those flashing yellow lights heading for their vehicles. “For lack of a better term: Nazis,” said Kyle Urban, a sophomore industrial design major, about their reputation. “With those little white Chevys they drive around with their blinking lights. They’re just strict, and Virginia Tech has this no tolerance policy.” Urban is one of the many who have felt the wrath of Parking Services when he mistakenly parked his car in a Surge faculty space last year. “Lo and behold,” Urban said, “five minutes after I parked there, I go outside and there’s a ticket on my window. Honestly, they’re on the ball. They’re right there, there’s no chance of you getting away with anything.”
“These guys probably don’t make what they’re worth with everything they have to do every day. ” - BO FRAIZER ASSISTANT MANAGER OF PARKING SERVICES But, believe it or not, Virginia Tech Parking Enforcement Officer Todd Miller isn’t so bad. In fact, he’s a pretty nice guy with a good sense of humor. “We have two kids,” he joked cheerfully with me about his home life last Friday while doing his rounds in a white flatbed Silverado. “(And) a 7-year-old lab and a 5-month-old mutt puppy.” Miller, a retired police officer of seven years, has been working as a parking enforcement officer for the last four. The Christiansburg native and weekend fly fisherman reports every weekday to the Parking Services building at 8 a.m., ready to begin inspection of one of five zones that he could be assigned to cover on campus. Wearing a blue jacket with a single white stripe streaking across it, a corresponding hat that’s emblazoned with “VT Parking Enforcement,”
beige slacks and sunglasses, Miller meticulously scours the lots that he has been assigned to for any parking violations. Some of what he is looking for is obvious, such as parking in a restricted spot without a pass. Other violations take a more careful inspection such as figuring out whether a pass is registered to the vehicle that is using it. While cruising, his handheld radio chatters, and occasionally he receives a call to help assist in things such as jumpstarting someone’s car or helping someone who has locked his keys inside a vehicle. By the time I catch up to him it is 1:30 p.m., and the beginning of his second round of inspections. On this particularly windy Friday, he has been assigned to rove the campus rather than cover a zone. His path is a snaking circle that begins with inspection of the Cage and travels all around until he finds himself staring at meters in the Squires parking lot, having made several stops in between. Mostly, his procedure is the same. With every suspect vehicle, he gets out of his truck and with the help of his yellow T2 Recon, a handheld wireless electronic device, he looks up the vehicle’s tags and description among other identifying facts. Should he need to write a citation, it prints out of a small portable machine attached to the side of his left hip. The citation itself is printed out on a surface that presents much difficulty for any angry recipient trying to make a point by ripping it up. It is virtually impossible to tear apart. Occasionally, however, there are LUKE MASON/SPPS those lucky few who manage to escape the penalties of the $25 to $110 Virginia Tech Parking Enforcement Officer Todd Miller issues tickets for meter violations last Friday. According to Miller, the citation is printed from a fines. Their luck has everything to do small portable machine on paper that is nearly impossible to be ripped apart by an angry parking violator. with timing. “It’s sad, but true,” he said. “You kind of thing. If it’s a citation, they’re park- job very well; he deals with people “Usually if the citation’s already of their violations, Miller feels that been finished, we go ahead and give writing citations for people who don’t of need it. If they were to be lenient ing illegally, we write the citation, but exceptionally well.” Throughout the day that I ride with that to the person, and they’ll have listen to campus parking regulations with it, you’d have so many people we’re not hiding in the bushes.” Miller and Fraizer have been work- him, this is evident. to come into Parking (Services) and is a necessity that, if ignored, could that would take advantage of that, With every person, Miller’s comand then it would come down worse ing together for more than two years. deal with it there,” said Miller. “If we only cause problems. As one of the eight parking enforce- posure is always welcoming and “If we didn’t write some of the on us anyway. You have to have haven’t finished it, then it’s really our discretion. If it hasn’t been printed, we tickets,” said Miller, “then the parking these guys driving around in these ment officers, Miller is recognized hospitable. Fridays are slow for him and don’t by his staff for his dedication and can go ahead and choose to let them would probably not be as available as trucks.” pack the same rush as the rest of the “Folks seem to think,” said Bo demeanor. go. If they come out and they’re not it is right now. The violations kind of “He’s very, very good at what he week. so friendly and they come threaten- help with checks and balances, they Fraizer, assistant manager of Parking On a good day, he racks in about 40 ing and do this and that, sometimes get people to park where they’re sup- Services, “that we’re just out to get does,” said Fraizer. “These guys probthem, that we’re just after money. ably don’t make what they’re worth citations, but today, with only 24 and you may be more inclined to finish it posed to. It could be a lot worse.” Even as a student, Urban recognizes That’s not the case at all. That is part with everything they have to do the clock striking 5 p.m., he returns to up. I don’t have a lot of those.” Regardless of those who get off with the vital role that Miller and his team of our revenue, but we don’t have every day. He’s just a very laid-back, base and the beginning of his fishingquotas, we don’t do any of that sort easy-going guy. He really knows his filled weekend with no qualms. the slightest warning and explanation play.
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editor: thomas emerick, brian wright email: sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: w 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.; t 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
february 18, 2009
Minus Allen, Tech favored to stop Cavs Shaq and Kobe: ED LUPIEN
ct sports reporter
DANIEL LIN/SPPS
Forward J.T. Thompson drives to the basket against Virginia on Jan. 10.
VT vs. UVA Preview Virginia Tech at Virginia Wednesday at 8 p.m., Raycom Sports John Paul Jones Arena Projected starting lineups:
G: #23, Malcolm Delaney 18.6 points per game G: #5, Dorenzo Hudson 3.7 ppg F: #40, A.D. Vassallo .374 3-pt. percentage F: #33, J.T. Thompson 3.6 rebounds per game C: #14, Victor Davila .557 FG percentage
G: #4, Calvin Baker 2.6 assists per game
G: #23, Jeff Jones
.810 FT percentage
G: #12, Sylven Landesberg 17.8 ppg
G/F: #45, Soloman Tat 1.2 rpg
C: #5, Assane Sene 5.6 rpg KELLY HARRIGAN/COLLEGIATE TIMES
The Hokie men’s basketball team will look to rebound from a disappointing loss this past weekend as it travels to Charlottesville to face in-state rival Virginia tonight. Tech fell by a score of 83-73 at Maryland on Saturday — its third loss in the last five games after earning a pair of road wins over then-No. 1 Wake Forest and Miami. “When we went to play Wake and Miami earlier in the season, we had a little chip on our shoulder,” said sophomore forward J.T. Thompson. “I think we just need to push ourselves a little more each game and go out feeling like we have something to prove. If we do that the next game, I think the defense will pick up.” Heading north on I-81 and east on I-64, the Hokies will be without sophomore forward and leading rebounder Jeff Allen, who was suspended one game by the athletics department for making an obscene gesture toward Maryland fans in Saturday’s game against the Terrapins. Thompson, who has spent much of his playing time at the small forward position this season, is expected to get the majority of Allen’s minutes on Wednesday, placing the sophomore at the power forward position. “J.T. hustles a lot and creates a mismatch for other forwards,” said sophomore guard Malcolm Delaney. “He’s smaller than them but just as strong as any of them. He really gives us another dimension because he can guard a lot of different spots on the floor.” Thompson has been put in this position before, as he was called upon last season when Allen was suspended two games for intentionally bumping an official after fouling out of a game at Georgia Tech. “I think I’m able to step into that role,” Thompson said. “I’m going to try to grab a few more boards and help out with points. Obviously there’s going to be a lot of other things missing without him there like his intensity, so I’ll also try to bring a little of that.” The Cavaliers are coming off their biggest win this season, defeating No. 12 Clemson 85-81 in overtime on Sunday afternoon. Because of that, Tech head coach Seth Greenberg is making sure his players don’t treat Wednesday’s game lightly despite the Cavs’ 8-13 overall record (2-8 ACC). “Coach keeps telling us that (Virginia) lost eight in a row going into Sunday’s
win, and they obviously haven’t lost their heads so there’s no reason for us to lose ours,” Thompson said. Guard Sylven Landesberg has blossomed into a leader for the Cavaliers and is a favorite for ACC Freshman of the Year, averaging 18.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. “I’m sure he’s going to score his points, but you have to make him work for his points,” Greenberg said of the first-year guard. “He has a feel for getting to the basket and changing directions and changing speeds. He’s developing a middle game, which makes him more difficult to defend.” Forward Mike Scott has been able to generate some intensity for the Cavs down low, grabbing 7.8 boards while averaging 10.8 points per game. “They’ve got good post players, but their post players can shoot, too,” Delaney said. The two teams have already faced off once this season with the Hokies coming out on top, 78-75, in Blacksburg back in early January. Tech was up by 15 points with fiveand-a-half minutes remaining in that game before the Cavaliers went on a 2310 run, thanks in part to guard Mustapha Farrakhan. Farrakhan accounted for 15 of the points, hitting multiple threepoint baskets. Nevertheless, the Hokies were able to fend off their rivals and slipped away with the victory, hitting all their free throws in the late-game fouling situations. “Hopefully we can do the same things we did the first game against them,” Thompson said. “All we need to do is pick up the intensity in rebounding which we lacked last time. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.” The Cavaliers out-rebounded Tech 24-19 defensively in the teams’ first encounter in Cassell Coliseum. In fact, Greenberg has spent many practices putting special emphasis on defense, which he believes has become stagnant as of late. “I think we’ve got to be more consistent in our ball-screen defense, and we need to be better on the basketball,” Greenberg said. “We’ve got to guard the post earlier and we’ve got to finish possessions. There are so many areas where I’d like to see us improve. We’re just not as tough as we need to be at this stage of the season.” The fact that the game is a rivalry game on the road will be added motivation for the Hokies who came out of John Paul Jones Arena last season with a win for the first time since 1968. “The crowd and the different scenery are the two toughest things about playing on the road,” Thompson said. “The crowd can pick its team up when it’s down, and just coming out and seeing their colors is pretty noticeable.” The tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and will be televised on Raycom Sports.
reunion pending? In an interview prior to the Phoenix Suns’ matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Suns’ center and RYAN perennial AllStar Shaquille TRAPP O’Neal said sports staff that on a scale writer of one to 10, Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant was a perfect 10. Just a month earlier, Shaq was quoted in an interview saying how much he was looking forward to playing with Kobe in the All-Star game, calling him hands down the best player in the league. Shaq said what? Wasn’t it O’Neal who was filmed rapping on stage at a night club just last offseason about how “Kobe couldn’t do it (win a championship) without me?” Wasn’t O’Neal practically chased out of Los Angeles by Bryant and head coach Phil Jackson after the 2003-04 season? Wasn’t there a constant head butting between O’Neal and Bryant while they were teammates in L.A.? The Kobe-Shaq feud has been one of the most well known rivalries in the NBA this decade. And this past Sunday at the All-Star Game in Phoenix, with Jackson coaching the West, a duo that once couldn’t share the limelight now can amicably share the contest’s Most Valuable Player trophy. So why has 10 years of animosity suddenly seemed to dissipate overnight? Well, let’s look at the state of the Suns and the Lakers. The Suns are struggling. No one knows how that’s possible with the team they’ve assembled out West, but the league’s eighthhighest payroll is underperforming greatly. They came into this season with new head coach Terry Porter and high expectations, but have only amassed a 28-23 record — good enough for ninth place in the Western Conference and to get Porter fired. That said, it looks as though owner Robert Sarver is trying to salvage what he can. He sees no reason to continue to pay the luxury tax on a squad that isn’t likely to finish higher than seventh in the conference, especially when
three of its starting five are above the age of 35. Enter the rebuilding era of the setting Suns. All-Star forward Amare Stoudamire sees it coming from the center of more than a few trade rumors. Now if Sarver is trying to rebuild an aging franchise, the first contract on the chopping block will most likely be the $20 million a year salary of his 36-year-old center. About 370 miles west of Phoenix, Kobe and company are comfortably sitting atop the Western Conference with a league-best 42-10 record. Kobe’s playing MVP-caliber ball as always, and the Lakers continue to roll on their quest back to the NBA Finals. Only one slight problem: Andrew Bynum. The Lakers’ young center was injured yet again, expecting to miss eight to 12 weeks with a sprained right knee. I remember something similar happening last year… The Lakers sorely missed the presence of a big man in the playoffs, especially when the Boston Celtics tore the Lakers apart from the inside out during the NBA Finals. Even though Lakers’ forward Pau Gasol is stepping up defensively and on the boards this season, he’s unreliable in postseason play. The Lakers may need to shop around before Thursday’s trade deadline and try to find a big man who has proven he can perform in the playoffs. How about a big man from Phoenix? A swap makes sense. O’Neal feeds off NBA Championships. The 16-time All-Star has four rings, three of which came with Jackson, Kobe and the Lakers. Nearing the end of his career, it would be poetic for the Diesel to reunite with L.A. for one last hurrah before rumbling off into the sunset. On the same token, the Lakers would love to have a center like O’Neal who can carry them defensively in the postseason. Also, having the NBA’s seventh all-time leader in points isn’t a bad mentor for a young center like Bynum who has boundless potential. So is Shaq trying to kiss up to Phil and Kobe? Maybe he’s pleading his case to have L.A. welcome him with open arms once again.
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