Friday, March 6, 2009 Print Edition

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friday march 6, 2009 blacksburg, va.

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sports WRESTLING HOSTS ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS The Tech wrestling team, which entered the national polls for the first time in program history, will take part in the ACC Championships on Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. The No. 15 Hokies finished 20-2 overall and 5-0 in conference matches. Their only losses came at the hands of No. 4 Nebraska on Jan. 25 and No. 20 Old Dominion on Feb. 19.

Individually, 27 automatic NCAA qualifying berths will be on the line.

HASKINS WINS KAY YOW AWARD Tech senior women’s basketball guard Laura Haskins has been named recipient of the inaugural Kay Yow Award, honoring the ACC’s Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The four-time member of the All-ACC Academic Team finished her undergraduate work in three years and was ranked first among 129 students in her business management major.

news

Spencer’s hiring Dining honored with national award takes fast track RILEY PRENDERGAST

KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter

PAST IVY WINNERS

ct news reporter proVirginia Tech’s dining program was recently given the Ivy Award, which honors the best food service operations and restaurants in the industry, by Restaurants and Institutions magazine. This award is only given out once a year.

Ed Spencer, vice president for student affairs, said that the Ivy Award has various categories including restaurants, hotel food services, business food services and college or university.

“The Ivy Award is the Academy Award of food services,” Spencer said.

Rick Johnson, director of housing and dining services, said that the Ivy Award is the highest national honor that a dining service can receive.

“Previous winners of this award must deem you worthy of recognition,” Johnson said. “Then there is a national vote of all of the readership, which was about 140,000 this year, to vote on the nominee of the year, and then that is how you win.”

Because nominations come from previous winners, “it was a real honor for us to be nominated,” said Katie Gehrt, marketing and communication manager for dining services.

The nomination process for the Ivy award is anonymous, so Tech was unaware of its nomination until it was announced.

“You do not know who nominated you,” Gehrt said. “We did not know until we saw our name on the ballot.”

The award will be presented to Tech’s dining program on May 17 at the Field Museum in Chicago during the National Restaurant Association Show. Tech will then be formally inducted into the prestigious Ivy Society.

Tech has worked very hard to have an excellent dining

2009: Virginia Tech 2008: University of Massachusetts 2007: University of California, Berkeley 2006: Stanford University 2005: University of Missouri 2004: Villanova University 2003: Princeton University 2002: Maine Medical Center 2001: Brigham Young University 2000: Lehigh University

g ram, Gehrt

“Other colleges and universities come here to visit us and to see what Tech’s dining program is all about, which is a great thing for us,” Gehrt said. “Through the years we have gained a lot of recognition because of this.”

Spencer said that the high number of optional dining plans that Tech has sold to students living off campus has attracted attention because that is not common among universities.

Johnson said that over the past five to six years, Tech’s dining program has hosted over 60 universities, giving them a taste of what our dining program is like.

“We get about 15 to 20 schools that visit us a year to learn about our dining programs and the kind of work we put in to make them so successful,” Spencer said.

The most recent dining visit was from Michigan State.

The school has a larger housing program than Tech, but

After Vice President for Student Affairs Zenboia Hikes’ sudden death created a difficult position for the Virginia Tech administration last semester, the hiring process to to name her replacement took a bit of a different tack.

Tech protocol to replace a top administrator typically involves a national search or emergency hire occupying a 130-day temporary term.

But when Ed Spencer was named vice president for student affairs after Hikes’ death, the appointment was made out of a need to preserve stability in the department. According to top university officials, Spencer’s seniority and experience made him a prime candidate for the job.

“Given the circumstance and the momentum of student affairs, I wanted to provide stability to the department,” Provost Mark McNamee, who oversees the department of student affairs and has the final say next to president Charles Steger, said. “Dr. Spencer was the associate vice president of student affairs and second in command. He is very experienced and worked very closely with Dr. Hikes. He was the logical successor, especially in terms of an emergency situation.”

Spencer was named the vice president of student affairs for a term of three years, coinciding with his planned SPENCER retirement date. The official hiring was decided by the provost. The normal process would have involved a national search after which the applicant pool which would be narrowed to three candidates who then go through multiple interviews with members of the department along with top university administration.

According to the university guidelines for faculty hires, the target of opportunity for excellence positions allows for a faculty member to skip over the normal hire process if “a unique opportunity for an exceptional appointment presents itself, it may be appropriate to seek an exemption to search so that the individual may be recruited.” McNamee said that it was in this case for an “exceptional” candidate, such as Spencer, who had already been a finalist for the position and held the experience level needed, that the normal recruiting process could be eliminated.

see IVY, page two

see HIRE, page three

said.

‘Seed grants’ to aid in medical research KELSEY HEITER

CONFLICT MEDIATION SERVICES AVAILABLE The Office for Equity and Inclusion now offers conflict resolution services for universityrelated conflicts. The services include mediation and workshops and are available to all members of the Virginia Tech community.

For more information contact Dale Robinson, conflict resolution program manager, 336 Burruss Hall, (540) 231 7500, or visit www.oei.vt.edu.

FELLOWS PROGRAM DEADLINE TODAY The deadline for the 2009 Virginia Governor’s Fellows Program is today. Graduating seniors or graduate students will work full-time this summer with the state government. Apply at governor.virginia.gov.

tomorrow’s weather PARTLY CLOUDY

ct news staff writer The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute presented five $30,000 seed grants to aid in joint research between Tech and Carilion Clinic researchers for several medical issues including cancer, obesity, technology, infectious disease and heart care.

Eric Earnhart, spokesman for Carilion Clinic, said that Carilion has participated in its own research for some time, but now it will work with Tech on collaborative research projects, in addition to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, which will welcome its first class in 2010.

“Carilion has been researching for some time, but now we have given grants out to Virginia Tech to help aid in their research,” Earnhart said. “Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine is going to be completely different in the fact that it will be a cooperative effort between Tech and Carilion to work on research.”

Carrie Boyd, administrative director of sponsored projects for Carilion, said that Carilion and Tech both have their strengths in different areas, so when the two entities combine, many opportunities will be formed from that relationship.

“Virginia Tech has its strengths in research, and Carilion has its strengths in patient care, so when we end up combining both of those strengths, we are going to have great opportunities arise for research,” Boyd said.

Boyd said that the seed grant money is used mainly to fund support for graduate students participating in the research on campus, along with funding for some supplies.

VBI names interim director College hires JUSTIN GRAVES

high 72, low 47

ct news reporter

corrections 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.

index News.....................2 Features................4 0pinions................5

Classifieds..............6 Sports....................7 Sudoku..................6

An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 106th year • issue 28

PHOTO COURTESY OF CARILION CLINIC

see AID, page two Construction continues on the joint Virginia Tech-Carilion Medical School in Roanoke that will accept its first class in 2010.

Effective immediately, Paul Knox will be the new head of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. This development comes as the former director, Bruno Sobral, has decided to serve in a lesser capacity at the institute.

Knox is particularly excited to start his new job, one of many he’s held since his beginnings at Tech in 1985.

“I’ve been at Virginia Tech a long time, and I’ve always felt very loyal to the school and to President Steger, who hired me when he was Dean of what KNOX is now the College of Architecture and Urban Studies,” Knox said. “When he asked me if I would consider taking a specific responsibility, to me, there was really only one answer.”

After coming to Tech as a professor, Knox had the opportunity to take his turn at administration as an associate dean of the College of Architecture “I really enjoyed being a dean, I learned an awful lot. I got to meet people and go places that I would never have the opportunity to do otherwise,” Knox said.

At the very beginning of VBI, Knox was on an exploratory committee, and has since then had some interaction with

Sobral, and other researchers at VBI. Otherwise, he has had little no interaction with institute. That being said, Knox is still floored by the quality of work and research they conduct there.

“In this short time, I’ve been very impressed with the kinds of projects that they’re doing and the quality of scope of what they do at VBI, I think is great,” Knox said. “It’s great for VBI, but it’s also great for Virginia Tech. So far, they’ve really impressed me.”

Knox will only be serving in this position on an interim basis.

“As interim director of VBI, Steger wants me to do this to the point where we have a continuing director in place. A big part of what will do is help lead the search for a new director,” Knox said.

Mark Owczarski, university spokesman, said there will be an international search to find a permanent replacement for Sobral.

“The international search basically has to do with the world in which we live in today. The scientific field of bioinformatics involves researchers from all over the globe. Dr. Sobral and a lot of the faculty come from different nations and things like that,” Owczarski said. “The reality of today’s world is when you do a search for a major leadership position, we will always say that it is international because you never know; that’s the reality of the 21st century.”

Searches like this usually take up to a year. That time is used to get the word

out and let people from all over the world consider the job.

“When you have leadership positions, you can’t just hire somebody at any point. You tend to hire people over the summer, and then they move and transition and they’re ready to go in August or September,” Owczarski said.

Sobral isn’t completely leaving VBI. His plans are to return in a lesser capacity, and continue the research he was conducting before he became the founding director of the institute in 2000.

“He is the very best at what he does.

With the level of research he’s conducted, he has many research grants. Being the director of this is a fulltime job.

And doing that with a full portfolio of research, it was an extreme undertaking challenge of getting VBI off the ground,” Owczarski said.

University spokesman Larry Hincker notes that it isn’t an uncommon practice once researchers get a new project of the ground. Sobral has essentially done what he can, and has decided to pass the institute along.

“The difficulty of managing a very large enterprise like that is great. He basically had three jobs, and was holding down a lot,” Hincker said. The president asked him to focus on his research and basically his ability to both continue to do his science and bring large scale contracts into the institute and leave the management of the institute to somebody else.”

down a fifth GORDON BLOCK

ct news reporter A study released Wednesday from the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that employers are hiring 22 percent fewer college graduates than a year ago.

Ed Koc, director of strategic and foundation research for the organization, said the drop in expected hiring is directly connected to the falling economy. Koc added the graduating classes of 2009 and 2010 could face the hardest hit from the down economy, but that graduates may find the most luck looking for work with the federal government.

“The federal government is in a much better position to hire right now,” Koc said. “A lot of their professional employees are retiring, so they have to restock in those areas.” Students looking for jobs may need to shift their expectations.

“They may have to accept less than what they were expecting,” Koc said. “They may really have to scrounge.”

One of the more effective ways for graduates is to tap into personal connections “Students need to look for as much help as possible.

Networking is probably the best avenue for finding a job,” Koc said.

“A lot of jobs that are out there are not likely well published, but if you have a relationship with someone to someone who can get you a job, you may be able to get yourself an interview.”

Even those with strong networking skills will need to strengthen their resumes to prove themselves to employers.

“It will get you to the door, but it won’t get you the job itself,” Koc said.

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page 2

friday, march 6, 2009

Aid: Five grants awarded Ivy: Bestowed by peers from page one from page one

“What Carilion has to offer is the patient care side of things,” Boyd said. “Tech asks our physicians to pull information that they are able to use in their research.”

“One of the projects, for example, is working on screening for cardiovascular risk in women that are pregnant,” Earnhart said. “We are able to have our doctors and physicians work in collaboration with the researchers at Tech on the project. Tech has the means to do the research, and we have the doctors who are able to take that research and apply it to patients that they have right now.”

Earnhart said that this joint opportunity would allow Tech’s research results to be sent out to the doctors at Carilion as soon as they are found.

“Virginia Tech has the ability to compare and conduct the research, and we then have a way to quickly access that information,” Earnhart said. “Tech is able to look at the research from Carilion and get the information out of it to solve medical problems. It is important that Carilion can provide the data, because Tech is then able to generate conclusions and results.”

Carilion will work closely with Tech to ensure it provides all of the medical information necessary to aid in the research, Earnhart said.

“The Research Institute itself is a way for Virginia Tech to be involved in medical research,” Earnhart said. “It would be difficult without the access to Carilion medical information because then Tech would not have a good basis for their research.”

One project that the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute is funding through a seed grant focuses on ovarian cancer.

Eva Schmelz, a human nutrition, food, and exercise associate professor, is one of the primary researchers on this project.

“We are working on detecting ovarian cancer,” Schmelz said. “We are also going to look at and examine the changes in gene expression in the cancerous tissue.”

“Our plan is to establish a collaboration with the doctors and physicians at Carilion,” Schmelz said. “They are going to, over the next few years, provide us with tissue that we can archive and examine over an extended period of time.”

Schmelz said that her team will be examining cancerous tissue at the early and late stages, looking at the interaction of the disease over time.

“We will use the archived tissue for our research,” Schmelz said. “With this tissue we hope to develop a type of tissue bank for future use in projects.”

To apply for the seed grant, Schmelz said that her team wrote a grant proposal, hoping for the best.

“We wrote the proposal about a month ago,” Schmelz said. “You can never be sure if you are going to receive the grant, but our chances were about 40 percent that we would get it, so that was encouraging.”

Schmelz is required to use the initial seed money within the first year of her research project, but after that, she hopes to continue working on her research with Carilion Health.

“We will work on and finish our proposed project within the first year,” Schmelz said. “We hope to continue to collect tissue samples over a longterm period. We want to develop this project for other researchers, too, so that they can use the information that we have found to aid them in their research as well, because it is really difficult for other researchers to try and obtain this type of cancerous tissue.”

The funding period for the seed grant is 12 months, and it will run out after that, Boyd said.

“The way research works is that people ask questions, and then receive responses to those questions, which end up generating more questions,” Boyd said. “Those questions end up snowballing into these big projects between Carilion and Virginia Tech.”

Carilion recognized for information technology KELSEY HEITER

ct news staff writer Edward Murphy, president and CEO of Carilion Clinic, received the 2009 CEO-IT Achievement Award from Modern Healthcare magazine.

The Carilion Clinic staff, along with its information technology staff, was one of the largest patient-data conversions ever conducted by a health system, according to Modern Healthcare magazine.

The award was presented to Murphy and Carilion Clinic on Feb. 16, said Eric Earnhart, spokesperson for Carilion.

“We submitted Dr. Murphy’s name

on his behalf, unbeknownst to him, and the award was granted to him

by Modern Healthcare Magazine,” Earnhart said. “They chose Dr. Murphy and Carilion Clinic to receive one of the three CEO-IT awards because we are engaged in one the largest patient-data transitions.”

Earnhart said Carilion Heath team members chose to make this investment in the transitions because their patients will ultimately benefit through improved service, efficiency and outcomes.

“It will eventually allow us to empower patients to participate in their care by giving the ability to access their own medical records

online,” Earnhart said. “From our perspective, Murphy’s leadership and commitment to IT, our talented Technology Services Group and the willingness of physicians and health care workers to embrace new technology were all combined to make this award possible.”

Murphy told Modern Healthcare magazine that he was impressed with Carilion’s staff and IT team, who have all worked long hours and committed themselves to a successful transition.

“This is a critical part of our effort to coordinate care around the patient and build a clinical support system for nurses, doctors and hospitals,” Murphy said.

Tech’s dining program is bigger.

“Michigan sent out 14 food service professionals a few weeks ago to see our dining facilities,” Spencer said.

“They asked their fellow dining service colleagues which university they would like to visit to see their dining program and they said Virginia Tech.”

Johnson said that although Tech has had many visitors in the past few years, it takes some time to get your name out there and for people to visit your operation.

“The number of people that we have had come to campus to visit with us has really helped get our program out there for other dining services to see,” Johnson said.

This is the first time that Tech has won the Ivy Award, even though the school has been nominated several times in the past.

“You can only win the Ivy Award once, so this is a very big deal,” Johnson said. “This is our fourth year being nominated, and our first year that we have won it, which is great.

Next year we will be able to nominate another school.”

Johnson said that with winning the Ivy Award, Tech will become part of an elite group of past Ivy winners that includes University of Massachusetts and University of California at Berkeley.

“We have been recognized by our peers across the country as

ROY T. HIGASHI/SPPS

Students wait in line to be served at Mangia! in D2. being the best in the nation on the college level,” Johnson said. “The awards are nice, but we always think about what it means for the students, that we have been and will continue to do a great job for our students. The award comes after you do a great job for the students.”

Johnson said that the award is a great morale boost for the dining staff on campus.

“The staff takes more pride in their work and they feel good about working at Virginia Tech, which then goes right back to the students,”

Johnson said. “The end result is that we continue to produce great dining facilities for our students.”

There are some bragging rights included, Johnson said, but the most important aspect is that it brings recognition to our university as upholding the best standards in dining services.

“We have a very capable staff who have done some great things over the past few years,” Spencer said. “This award is a recognition of that great things that have been accomplished here at Virginia Tech.”

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friday, march 6, 2009

At Math Empo, CRC looks to expand by 97 acres cleanliness is a distinct challenge RYAN TRAPP

ct news staff writer

KAITLYN GLEASON

ct news staff writer In addition to providing students with a wealth of knowledge in mathematics, the Math Emporium is also a potential source for giving students something they don’t necessarily wish to acquire: viruses and harmful bacteria.

With numerous students visiting the Emporium on a daily basis, the possibility of contracting a cold is increased, said Schiffert Health Center medical director Noelle Bissell.

“Any place like the Math Emporium, where you have a higher volume of people coming through, you are definitely at higher risk,” Bissell said.

To further investigate the presence of bacteria in the Math Emporium, Cindy Denbow, research scientist and professor, conducted an experiment that would evaluate the specific kinds of bacteria found on the keyboards at the Math Emporium.

Samples were taken by swabbing random keyboards within the Emporium and then growing cultures for three days to see what types of bacteria were present. Traces of possible Escherichia Coli (E. coli) and other pseudomonas were found through the study.

Testing for viruses would warrant an extensive and expensive process and was therefore not done.

Still, Associate Vice President for Research Programs Tom Inzana said the Math Emporium should not be avoided solely for fear of contracting an illness.

“In most cases, E. coli is not pathogenic, though it is possible if it comes in contact with a toxin,” Inzana said.

The presence of E. coli and other bacteria on the keyboards, according to the study, may sound particularly alarming, although the risk isn’t as detrimental as one would suppose.

“Most people carry forms of Staphylococcus and E. coli. It is only harmful if it is opportunistic and pathogenic,” Inzana said. “It is very unlikely for your average bacillus from the environment to cause disease, but it might if there is enough of it, and it travels to an orifice.”

With each visit to the Math Emporium, it is inevitable that students will frequently come in contact with surfaces that are often touched such as keyboards, mice and computer screens.

“Touching a surface that contains viruses and bacteria is the most common transmission of viral, bacterial and upper respiratory infections,” Bissell said.

Some students show concern about the potential health hazards within the Math Emporium.

“I just feel like you when you walk into the Math Emporium, the air is just teeming with germs and depression,” said senior Jessica Hawkins. “ And if you think about it, the people who spend the most time at the math emporium are probably the sickest because they’re not getting enough sleep and are therefore major carriers of germs. I try and avoid that place because I’m very conscious of germy areas.”

The Math Emporium staff does what it can to maintain a clean environment.

“There’s a cleaning shift almost constantly,” said Math Emporium cleaning staff member Mandy Palmer. “We wipe down the computers and the stations with disinfectant before it fills up in the mornings, and the rest of the day someone is there to monitor trash and bathroom clean-up,” she said.

Though surfaces are cleaned frequently, there is an ongoing cycle of students entering and leaving the Emporium, making it impossible to prevent the spread of germs.

“No matter how often something is cleaned, it only takes one person who is infected to touch it and spread the illness,” said Bissell.

The emporium’s design and set-up results in a constant influx of students at any given time and requires students to come in contact with heavily touched surfaces, making it an archetypical scenario to come in contact with harmful germs.

“It’s a classic way of transmission,” said Inzana. “Someone sneezes in their hand, and they touch a (keyboard), and 20 minutes later someone else touches it and picks up the viruses that were on that person’s hands.”

In the event that the pathogens are on the Math Emporium surfaces, students have a method to effectively prevent contracting an illness from viruses and bacteria.

“The main thing that students can do to prevent illness is washing your hands or using hand sanitizer after coming in contact with heavily used surfaces,” Bissell said. “It’s an awareness that needs to be taken seriously.”

Over the past 20 years, the Corporate Research Center has provided Virginia Tech professors and students with opportunities to research and develop intellectual properties, as well as start fledgling companies. In addition, many companies have opened or relocated offices within the CRC’s 24 buildings, and there are four buildings at the CRC under construction today.

Within the next few years, however, one of the university’s most distinct features will receive an extensive upgrade.

The CRC plans to enlarge its camMEREDITH pus by roughly 97 acres, an expansion dubbed “Phase II” by the center’s administration.

“The original master plan in the early ’90s anticipated this expansion at some point in time, but there was no real guess when it would

happen,” said CRC President Joe Meredith. “We feel like it’ll take about a year for the infrastructure to be built, then we’ll start constructing the buildings themselves.”

The master plan for Phase II calls for a sewer pump station, water and electrical lines, a fiber optics network, recreational field facilities, a road that bisects the Phase II zone and enough space for 18 new buildings.

Engineering firm Altizer, Hodges and Varne is responsible for the master plan and civil engineering for the expansion. The company has provided civil engineering services on CRC’s construction jobs since they were hired for the design of Research Building 14 on the CRC campus.

“We started talking about the Phase II plans in 2007,” said Clay Hodges, the civil engineer behind the expansion’s design. “It’s just a matter now of whether the infrastructure will be built all at once or phased out over the next few years.”

This will depend mainly on the funding of the project. The CRC has submitted an application

to the Economic Development Administration requesting government funding for about half of the $3 million to $4 million expansion.

The Virginia Tech Foundation will cover the rest of the cost, of which the CRC is a subsidiary.

“The CRC’s profits are passed on to the VT Foundation,” Meredith said. “Those funds are then used by the foundation to fund a Virginia Tech ‘wish list,’ of sorts.”

Hodges said is a good time to conduct an expansion because contractors are hungry for work in these sparse times.

“Construction companies have been lowering their prices to maintain work, and the expansion project is similar to the kind of programs that would hopefully be funded by the new stimulus bill,” Hodges said.

“Plus, this new space could provide flexibility and new opportunities for new companies stemming from university research.”

The plans are still in the groundwork stages, and the CRC does not currently have any companies lined up looking to lease out any of the potential buildings as of

yet.

“The buildings are generally designed as needed; we don’t build without pre-leasing at least half of the intended building space,” said Paul Fleming, director of facilities at the CRC. But that’s not to say the space won’t fill up quickly, Fleming said; the buildings are usually filled within six months of planned construction. In addition, the success rate for tenants on the CRC campus is very high, with less than a 3 percent failure rate per year for private businesses.

“About 50 percent of the buildings on campus are labs; the other half office space,” Meredith said. “I think this is a good balance and expect the same throughout the expansion.”

For the past 20 years, the CRC has become a mainstay for the Tech and Blacksburg community, providing jobs and careers for students, professors and their spouses.

However, Meredith said the expansion and the research center’s 20-year anniversary aren’t related.

“It was just coincidence the two lined up, but we should have a party, shouldn’t we?”

Hire: Candidates hold campus talks from page one

Given the situation, however, McNamee said he was forced to make a decision that would enable a much more stable transitionary period.

Spencer is the official vice president of student affairs, but will only be serving a three-year term, allowing for much more stable plans to be made in preparation for his retirement, McNamee said.

“It made this such a reasonable decision to appoint him; it will give us time to launch a national search for after he retires, and it is great to have someone with such experience,” McNamee said.

During the days after Hikes passed away, the decision was made to appoint Spencer based on experience and seniority at the university.

He has been a member of the Tech administration for 26 years and was seen as being able to walk into the position without a learning curve, sparing no time in playing catch-up or acclimation to his new post.

“I was the deputy to the vice presi-

dent of student affairs, and many times acted as a substitute for the vice president,” Spencer said. “I feel that the transition was smooth due to the confidence of coworkers, their collaboration and teamwork within student affairs.”

Spencer had been promoted to the associate vice president of student affairs position in 2004, and was a finalist for vice president, but it ultimately went to Hikes, said university spokesman Larry Hincker.

“He is probably one of the most senior vice presidents we have at the university; he is very well respected within his field,” Hincker said.

It was, however, a bittersweet promotion for Spencer.

“It was a terrible loss for all of us; Zenobia was a charismatic and inspirational leader. She had so much potential. She left very big shoes to fill,” Spencer said. “We shared the same dream and I am very committed to the goals for diversity that she had.”

A national search has already been conducted for Spencer’s replace-

ment.

Three candidates have been selected from a field of 47, and they will each begin holding public forums to answer questions about their possible goals and will showcase their ability to handle intense situations.

“In my experience these forums are very revealing,” McNamee said.

“It shows how they respond to questions, but it is also a good indication of how they think and handle certain situations.”

Search committees consisting of members of the department for student affairs along with other administrators conduct interviews with the candidates. According to the university guidelines for faculty search and screening procedures, they prepare written summaries of the strengths and weaknesses of the interviewed candidates and their overall suitability for the position.

“As the associate vice president for student affairs, I worked very closely with Zenobia, and often served as a

substitute if she was unable to make an event,” Spencer said. “As the deputy to the vice president, I was the right hand man.”

The finalists are Jeff Doyle, Winston Crisp and Julie Sina.

Doyle is the current director of residence life at Appalachian State University and will be conducting his open forum Friday, March 6 in the Smithfield Room of the Inn at Virginia Tech between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Crisp is the assistant vice chancellor for student affairs at UNC. He will be conducting his open forum Wednesday, March 18 in the Drillfield Room at the Inn between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sina is the current college of letters and science chief of staff at UCLA and will be conducting her forum Friday, March 20 in the Smithfield Room between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

“I feel that we have three very interesting and diverse candidates,” McNamee said. “And I am very interested in seeing how they handle the interview process and open forums.”

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4 features

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.

march 6, 2009

He said, she said: Discussing the purr-fect pet If a guy could, he would own a TRex. That’s a pretty obvious statement, right?

Without fail, a guy would totally take a T-Rex if John Hammond TOPHER had one for sale.

FORHECZ But, let’s think features about that statement. Any guy reporter would own a TRex without question. For those of you who never thought you could learn something from He Said/She Said: the Tyrannosaurus Rex is a 20 foot tall, 43 foot long, 7.5 ton carnivore that lived during the late Cretaceous period and was considered by many leading experts to be more of a scavenger than a predator (thanks, Wikipedia!). Note: It is also a ’70s glam band.

There are several issues to think about: Where would you keep your T-Rex? You live in an apartment barely big enough to house two Velociraptors. How would you clean up after your dinosaur? He’s capable of making a forest of poop. And what about the fact your pet T-Rex — let’s call him Sparkles — what if Sparkles just straight up eats you? You would have to douse yourself in the hottest hot sauce possible every day just in case Sparkles didn’t get a chance to consume her daily cow on her walk.

This overwhelming evidence points to the fact that having a T-Rex as a pet is an awful idea. Still, guys would sign up in a second. Instantly. This is the type of mindset lurking within the depths of the male psyche when it comes to animals. Dogs are amazing, don’t get me wrong. I love poodles.

But, if given the chance, guys will take any extraordinary animal they can find or hit with their car and call it their own. They will pretty much adopt anything no matter how big its fangs are or how many diseases it has.

This is similar to many men’s taste in women. Anywho, this is why guys own tarantulas, six-foot-long pythons, and the occasional pet beaver.

Girls tend to stay within the range of cats and dogs. Maybe a ferret if they’re feeling adventurous. There is, however, an odd situation when it comes to animals that girls who have large dogs tend to have awesome dogs and guys who own cats tend to have awesome cats. You know, those

marshmallow-esque type cats, whose stomachs have a majestic ripple effect when they float around the apartment looking for a place to chill or have their head rubbed.

Most girls, instead of dogs, will adopt small, hairy, rodent-like creatures that are tiny, but still have the mutant-like ability to penetrate any surface with their Gatling gun level bark. When girls look at these little animals, they see a living stuffed animal — a fuzzy Velveteen Rabbit, let’s say — and everyone else sees Crazy Craving, the ’90s Honeycomb cereal mascot minus the proper potty training.

Without fail, girls will gush over these furry demons as they eat anything that touches the floor, chew on anything they can fit in their mouths, and pee everywhere within the radius of their vicious unforgiving squat.

An important difference between the sexes lies within the owner’s feelings toward their animals.

While most guys feel that their pet is their new friend, it is undeniable that a girl’s affection for their animal exists on a much more i nt e n s e plane.

Case in point: the cat lady.

There are few who will truly ascend to this level, but the transformation has already begun amongst certain students. It starts small: a little, playful childhood obsession with cats. Maybe she owns a few cat-themed pillows or journals. She gets to college and finally decides to welcome a cat into her life. Next thing she knows she’s sporting a gray muumuu while flinging massive heaps of cat food to her small nation of felines.

In respect to both sexes, they’re idiots when it comes to pets. Guys will waive their personal safety

for any type of pet that they can get their hands on and girls will waive their awareness to what awful spawn they have accepted into their routine.

There is also the general challenge of being a college student and young adult with a pet. But, should a student feel competent in owning an animal, I suppose there really is satisfaction to be had in caring for the life of a creature who loves you so much it pees itself every time you come into it’s sight. If only your boyfriend had that much enthusiasm.

Here’s a riddle for you, oh pseudoOedipus: What is the only other thing besides her momma and her girlfriends that will always be there for BETHANY her?

BUCHANAN The answer is, of features course, her pet. It’s always happy to see editor you, and is home every night to keep you company while you’re struggling to finish that

MINA NOORBAKHSH/COLLEGIATE TIMES

midterm paper by 5 a.m. so you can get at least two or three hours of sleep.

Knowing that someone is right along with you pulling an all-nighter is a comforting presence that only a pet is unconditionally willing to provide you (unlike your boyfriend).

A dog, cat, rabbit — whatever — is kind of like the summation of all of those ideal traits we wish our significant others would possess. It’s adorably cuddly, fun to play with whenever it needs to be entertained, always does tricks for a treat and can be easily caged for a necessary moment of solace when it becomes a nuisance.

And what’s even better for us: It can act as an accessory.

I’ll be the first one to not-soshamelessly admit that I do indeed have a purse for my puppy, in case I ever need to tote him along. It’s a pink little purse for my Christmas-present-pup named Salvador Dali. (Yes, I have a pink purse for a male dog — give me a break, it was on sale.) And, to boot, Sal even has a brown argyle turtleneck sweater to stylishly wear during these abominable Blacksburg winters. OK, so an accessory gets to wear accessories — that makes it all the more fun.

Accessories, as any selfrespecting girl would understand, are kind of like special bait on a fishing lure cast into the fateful dating pool. The reason why women spend so much time picking out the necklaces, bracelets, hats and dogs to complement the outfit that they spent about an hour coordinating in the first place is to visually demonstrate the distinct elements of their personality that might attract a specific kind of guy.

For example, a quirky beret might tell a potential hot date that you’re fun and, perhaps, into French culture in the same mindset that considers

black knee-boots to mean that you’re working at a street corner to afford your college tuition. Now, observing the beret he might reflect a little on himself: Does he speak French and might be interested in practicing a little (oh la la!)? Or does it deter him from approaching you in all of your offbeat glory?

Noted: Men are a little slow at picking up key details (unless it pertains to who’s at the top of the key) but that won’t stop him from picking you up — or at least trying to — if he’s interested in hearing more about your interests.

A dog, on the other hand, is a complex symbol that reads differently among members of the male species.

Some boys think immediately of Paris Hilton (cringe), the obsessive, disgustingly affluent, but all the same annoying hot heiress who made it trendy to take a Chihuahua to the tanning salon. That also depends on whether you’re talking to your stylist on your Blackberry while wearing Jimmy Choos to — painfully — take your puppy Chanel for a walk, and whether he understands what this means at all. Most of the time, I’m sure, the guy will run away from your highmaintenance style faster than that time when his now ex-girlfriend made a remark about how cute babies can be.

And just for the record, not every girl who carries a pooch in a purse is snobby and elitist — or can’t locate the United States on a map, for that matter.

However, there are some gentlemen who will take the doggie bait. Maybe they see you as that girl-next-apartment-story-up just taking time out from her busy schedule to give her pet the love and attention it deserves.

He’ll walk up to you and say, “Your dog is really cute,” all the while pretending to pet the pup, but looking smolderingly into your surprised eyes. Or maybe he’ll have the doggie bones to invite your pet and yourself over for dinner one night next week.

In any case, you’ve filled up your date book to last you a while, all thanks to your pet; oddly enough, I used to think that only guys would use a cute animal to attract a girl’s attention — you know, the basic plot of every romantic comedy — but apparently the ladies have picked up on its success rate.

But then again, who needs the trouble of a boyfriend? They make a mess all over the floor, incessantly whine and want to hump everything in sight.

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editor: laurel colella email: opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

march 6, 2009

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

EDITORIAL

Solidarity with the student press — and why you should care This column, with slight alteration, is running in several college newspaper outlets around the country in response to the situation at the Daily Emerald, the student newspaper at the University of Oregon. This editorial was written by the Daily Californian, the student newspaper of the University of California at Berkeley.

On Wednesday morning, the entire editorial staff of the Daily Emerald — the independent student newspaper of the University of Oregon — went on strike in protest of the attempts of its Board of Directors to install a publisher with control over the paper’s editorial content.

Today, college newspapers across the country stand in solidarity with the editorial staff of the Daily Emerald in support of the independent collegiate press and student-controlled editorial content. We are deeply dismayed by the unethical actions of the Emerald’s Board of Directors and strongly support the strike until the staff’s demands are met, and independent student journalism can be safeguarded from such attacks at the Emerald and on college campuses nationwide.

On Thursday the Board of Directors had the audacity to publish their own version of the Oregon Daily Emerald using content from The Associated Press and a front-page statement from the board. This move is as offensive as it is stupid.

In November, the Board of Directors hired Emerald alumnus Steven A. Smith as a consultant, and he drafted a plan which included a call to hire a publisher. Smith then authored the publisher’s job description as well as his own terms of employment for the position, which the Board approved without negotiation. On Feb. 24, the Board voted to hire Smith as the Emerald’s publisher, and to give him unprecedented control over the paper’s editorial content and day-to-day operations.

Since its inception, the Oregon Daily Emerald has served as an invaluable learning resource

for its student journalists, but if the Board continues to revoke student control over the paper’s content, its mission and legacy will be invalidated. Without objectivity and independent content in the newsroom, the paper cannot properly train its student reporters and the campus will lose an irreplaceable source of information, outside of the influence of university public relations efforts.

The Emerald, like many papers across the country, is in dire financial straits and faces the possibility of closure—this financial reality, however, should not force the staff to compromise their guiding ethics as journalists or to sacrifice the paper’s autonomy. The decision to give a publisher sway over content journalists would in no way solve the paper’s financial crisis; as such, this seems to be a callous overreaching by the Board and the University, and an attempt to take advantage of a financially struggling, but influential student organization while the time is right.

We are living in a tough time for the newspaper business—left and right, the financial crisis is forcing papers to shut down or sacrifice their autonomy under corporate control to remain viable. Now more than ever, we must stand strong and stand together to maintain our editorial independence — any measure of overarching interference in content undermines journalistic standards and is unacceptable, no matter the financial situation. Practicing journalism under the possibility of censorship and the meddling influence of an administration undermines the purpose of a free press, something we at Virginia Tech are so lucky to enjoy. We hope that the Board of Directors will recognize this undeniable fact and immediately meet the staff’s demands.

Until then, we stand with the Oregon Daily Emerald.

The editorial board is composed of David Grant, Laurel Colella, Alexandra Kaufmann and Jenna Marson.

Taking the Drillfield for parking is not the answer In response to “Utilize the Drillfield for parking,” (CT, March 3) I read this letter and had to sit back and think to myself, “This has to be a joke.” I fully agree that there needs to be more commuter parking, but taking the Drillfield away is not the answer.

Everyone knows the Drillfield — it is a beautiful open field in the middle of campus. It is one of the campus’ pleasing elements. It is home to memorials and traditions. Students use the Drillfield as a social place, a relaxation point, a recreational area and even a pathway to class.

The cadets use the Drillfield for ceremonies, Highty Tighty practices, and exercises. The faculty uses the Drillfield for career fairs, study abroad fairs, and, yes, even department tailgate parties for football. The community uses the Drillfield to its fullest and you want to pave over and turn it into a parking lot?

Instead of enjoying the lovely scenery and the sounds of nature on your way to class, one can see row after row of cars and hear the noise of slamming car doors accompanied by the roar of engines. Not to mention people that have to cross this new parking lot will have to worry about cars whipping around turns trying to get to that open parking space before another car does.

As a commuter, I agree something has to be done but why not make the Perry Lot into a parking garage, with construction taking place in the summer?

Or why not enforce the rule that faculty cannot park in the commuter lot since they have their own lot, which the majority of is empty at any given time.

There has got to be a better answer than taking away one of Tech’s beautiful and loved pieces of land.

Russell Harris Senior, mechanical engineering

The Drillfield is Tech Since Virginia Tech was founded, the Drillfield has been a symbol of campus unity. From the beginning as a small agricultural school founded after the Civil War, the Drillfield has been used for many different purposes. Even from the early days, military drills took place on our beloved field. Football and other sports have found a home on the green lawn of the Drillfield.

When Tech began accepting women, the Drillfield became a great place to take a date.

It feels almost elementary to list all the things the Drillfield is good for, but a recent letter to the CT makes it obviously necessary. In his plan to turn the Drillfield into a parking lot, Theodore Canon is trying to pave over a beloved part of Tech and Tech history.

Without a place to throw flying discs, play football, or just relax and study, Tech would be a much bleaker place.

I realize that we are in a recession.

Any new jobs that Tech can bring to the Blacksburg area would be great

for everybody in these hard times.

However, even with the sad state that our country is in, paving the Drillfield will get us nowhere.

And not even to mention the environmental aspects. Paving the Drillfield would create so much runoff that the Duck Pond would be full of oils and heavy metals. It would be an environmental disaster — that is, unless Canon plans to turn the Duck Pond into a parking lot, too.

Virginia Tech without the Drillfield is like Paris without the Eiffel Tower; it just doesn’t make sense. Canon’s plan to pave the Drillfield is infuriating and ill thought out. It doesn’t take too much to realize that paving the Drillfield is an atrocious idea.

answers involving all sides of the issue.

It is more likely that corporate greed and political corruption are far more to blame. And that, I am afraid, can be found on both sides of the aisle.

So, who is the chimp? Is it the man in the suit elected by one of the best social democracies in the world? Is it the lobbyist irresponsibly pushing legislation out of self-interest? How about the media clamoring on wedge issues?

Maybe it’s the man at the typewriter and drawing board.

Shiela Dell Freshman, biology

I have seen signs popping up around campus that suggest that our parking situation could be alleviated by paving the Drillfield. While this may seem like an innovative use of space (I don’t believe that for a second), I feel that this option is likely born of desperation rather than logical thinking.

First, who in their right mind wants a parking lot in the most-often-viewed portion of campus? All practicality aside, this would greatly reduce the attractiveness of the Virginia Tech campus. Moreover, we have constructed a simple yet elegant memorial of the April 16, 2007 shootings. In these Photoshopped pictures, the memorial is surrounded by parking spots. How reverent.

Secondly, this is a huge safety issue.

Watching the space occupied by the Drillfield for merely half an hour will reveal that hundreds of students have passed by in that time. Do we really want to walk through a parking lot to get to class? Also, have any of you tried to drive around the field right after several large classes get out? It can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes just to escape the constant flow of students and crosswalks.

Adding a parking lot to the Drillfield would exponentially worsen this problem by adding very large amounts of traffic to Drillfield Drive. This, coupled with the fact that two major bus stops are on the loop, makes this location very undesirable for additional traffic.

If a parking lot were placed on the Drillfield, a very large number of students would be displaced. No more flying disc, no more soccer, no more football, no more relaxing, no more Corps of Cadets drills — nothing. In a time when the recreational space is already disappearing to the airport, we do not need to lose even more space.

I challenge anyone who thinks that a knee-jerk reaction to put a parking lot on the Drillfield will work to actually think about it. Maybe a parking garage on Perry Street is a better idea. This is both more environmentally friendly (more spots for less ground) and does not put a high traffic area in the middle of campus.

In N.Y. Post cartoon, who is really the chimp?

This letter is in response to “N.Y. Post cartoon satirically gets to root of problem” (CT, Feb. 26): Who is really to blame?

I am a complete supporter of the freedoms and rights spelled out by our forefathers. So I do not blame the myriad of voices from all sides of the issues.

It is hard to blame the sensationalist media for going after profit-generating ratings. It is hard to blame the left- or right-wing lobbyists for trying to influence legislation on behalf of their benefactors. I cannot blame editorials for regurgitating over-dramatic issues for the sake of debate.

But, how can we blame one man for a decision agreed upon by our elected officials? On top of that, how can we blame the Democrats for trying to enact legislation to help undo what eight years of Republican leadership got us? It is my understanding that the last time a Democrat was in office we had a fiscal surplus.

So the blind blaming that is so pervasive in today’s political arena is not solving any problems. And it sounds to me as if the author of this column agrees with the police in this controversial cartoon, that President Barack Obama should be shot. Now, my immediate reaction to this article was one of anger and confusion, for I feel the facts are not there to support his claims. Then I remembered the First Amendment.

He has the right to say whatever he wants. As do I. That is the beauty of our nation and the beliefs on which it was predicated. So, I understand the columnist’s defense of the N.Y. Post’s cartoon. It was his blind support for the imagery that was disturbing to me.

What about Obama’s term thus far is so tyrannical? Has this author ever listened to any of Obama’s speeches?

I cannot remember the last time I heard a presidential speech that inspired me with hope for our nation — speeches that contain clear and logical points by which to understand his mission in office. This is a president who encourages debate because he knows from debate comes

Wayne Bruce Junior, computer science

Drillfield parking born of desperation, not logic

Brian Fults Junior, computer science

Thanks for taking the time to talk back This past Wednesday, March 4, the editorial staff and I tried a little experiment. You may have seen us sitting at the booth in Squires coaxing CATE you with free candy SUMMERS to come and fill out public surveys regarding the CT’s coverage editor this year. It was probably hard to miss us; we were there all day. I just wanted to use this week’s column to say thank you to those who stopped and filled out a survey and to talk about some of the commentary we received. I wish I had enough column inches to address every suggestion individually, but I’ll have to isolate a few common themes.

There were five survey options to choose from: one for each section (news, sports, opinions and features) and one survey that asked general questions about the paper. Responders were encouraged to fill out any form of their choosing and there was no limit on how many surveys you could fill out. We had 39 general responses, 16 sports responses, 15 news responses, 17 features responses and 19 opinions responses.

Each section survey asked responders to rate the section on a scale of one to five in terms of satisfaction with coverage, one being least satisfied and five being most satisfied. The opinions and news sections each averaged a 3.7, sports a 4 and features a 3.9. For the most part, people took the questions seriously. We did get some constructive comments and a few perspectives that we hadn’t thought of.

I’ve been critical of the paper this semester for slacking in the art department. At the beginning of February, art on the pages was sparse and what was there looked rushed or was not compelling. I was critical especially as a former photo editor and photographer, because I thought the Student Publication Photography Staff was being under utilized or its work was being sacrificed because of space.

When today’s surveying began, I expected a lot more people to say they were disappointed with the amount of art on the pages because a handful of people have said that verbally to me in the past few weeks. One commenter actually wrote that the CT was fine in terms of art because that’s what the Silhouette and Bugle are for. In some aspects I agree with that statement but in others I have to disagree. Yes, SPPS

is used to take photos for the yearbook, too, and its photographers will have images published there. However, photography is essential for a newspaper, as well. A significant number of surveys said that they picked up the paper because of the art and headlines that were on the front page. If we continue to sacrifice art, I suspect that the number of people who pick up copies with decline.

Thirty-nine people were asked which sections of the paper they read most often. The news section (front page) and sports sections tied with 14 responses each. The opinions section was cited five times and the features section (namely the he said/she said) was cited six times, often because they are “the most interesting.”

I underestimated the number of responses for more global coverage I would receive. The CT is a student newspaper, and part of our mission is to teach journalism. It would be difficult for us to cover stories on a global scale simply because we do not have as much access to those resources as larger papers do. We don’t have a White House correspondent as the New York Times or the Washington Post, although that is certainly something to aspire to. Maybe we can get someone from the Tech’s National

Capitol Region campus.

Every news survey responder said that the news section writes interesting stories. There were a number of responses across all the surveys that called for more coverage of student activities and faculty research. I agree with that wholeheartedly. We used to run a lot of feature photographs on the front page of student organizations and clubs in action, and we should bring that back. Lately, it seems that stories on student organizations have been neglected or replaced by stories regarding administrative policy changes or campus construction. While those are important stories and those decisions affect each of us, we’ve got to strike a balance between questioning the administration and highlighting student life and some of the influential research that comes out of this campus.

One question I was eager to see the answers to was on the opinions survey: “Do you think there is a bias in the opinions section? If so, in what direction?” I think I hear that complaint more than any other — that the CT and its columnists are biased.

However, each time I hear that the direction is always different. One person can say the paper leans to the left while another will say it leans to the

Your letter could be here.

E-mail us at: opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com

right. This just goes to show that the opinions section is entirely subjective.

What one person thinks is a feminist critique another may say is too chauvinist. Or one online commenter may say our opinions section is too left leaning, but three comments later someone will disagree entirely. I suppose the only way to combat that perception is to make sure we have a diverse assortment of columnists, which I would say we do, especially if the surveys are showing a wide disparity in the area of perceived bias.

Additionally, several people said they wanted to see more stories on the environment and sustainability.

Most features responders wanted to see more human-interest stories and a few asked for more stories about the town of Blacksburg itself and what there is to do outside of campus, such as the food it has to offer or some interesting angles about the community.

The entire newsroom has access to the results of these surveys and all the section editors have been encouraged to read over them for critiques and to get new ideas. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and participated on Wednesday. Hopefully some of the great suggestions you made will materialize into an improved paper.

The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief David Grant Managing Editors David Harries, Sara Spangler Public Editor Cate Summers News Editors Caleb Fleming, Sara Mitchell News Reporters Gordon Block, Zach Crizer, Justin Graves, Kelsey Heiter, Riley Prendergast, T. Rees Shapiro News Staff Writers Debra Houchins, Phillipp Kotlaba, Gabe McVey, Will Thomas, Ryan Trapp Features Editor Bethany Buchanan Features Reporters Topher Forhecz, Teresa Tobat, Jonathan Yi Features Staff Writers Ryan Arnold, Mary Anne Carter, Drew Jackson, Tom Minogue, Alex Pettingell Opinions Editors Laurel Colella Sports Editors Thomas Emerick, Brian Wright Sports Reporters Joe Crandley, Justin Long, Ed Lupien, Melanie Wadden Sports Staff Writers Garrett Busic, Matt Collette, Lindsay Faulkner, Hattie Francis, Alex Jackson, Mike Littier Copy Editors Erin Corbey, Thandiwe Ogbonna, Kristen Walker, Michelle Rivera Layout Designers Go-Eun Choi, Velechia Hardnett, Kelly Harrigan, Rachel McGiboney, Mina Noorbakhsh, Josh Son Illustrator Mina Noorbakhsh Multimedia Editor Phillip Murillas Multimedia Producer Candice Chu Multimedia Reporters Kevin Anderson, Peter Velz Online Director Sam Eberspacher Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager Ryan McConnell College Media Solutions Staff Advertising Director Patrick Fitzgerald Asst Advertising Directors Tyler Ervin Jenna Given, Katelynn Reilly Ads Production Manager Anika Stickles Asst Production Manager Allison Bhatta Ads Production/Creation Breanna Benz, Jennifer DiMarco, Lisa Hoang, Rebecca Smeenk, Lindsay Smith, Lara Treadwell National Account Executive Account Executives Libbey Arner, Aaron Brock, Maggie Crosby, Brandon Collins, Oran Duncan, Judi Glass, Alex Iskounen, Kendall Kapetanakis, Marcello Sandoval, Amanda Sparks, Jennifer Vaughn Assistant Account Executives Carissa Nichols, Diane Revalski, Tyler Terhune Marketing Manager Sayali Shirgaonkar Office Manager Kaelynn Kurtz Student Publication Photo Staff Director of Photography Sally Bull Business Manager Paul Platz

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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.

march 6, 2009

Duke, Carolina renew rivalry Silver lining in two blue losses BRANDON SHIPP

ct sports staff writer Georgia Tech (11-17, 2-13) at Boston College (20-10, 8-7) Saturday, Noon The Yellow Jackets were riding a seven-game losing streak. But that was completely forgotten after upsetting NCAA Tournament hopeful Miami on Wednesday evening. After claiming just its second conference win, the Ramblin’ Wreck will have to go through Tyrese Rice and Boston College in Chestnut Hill this Saturday. Although the game is during the day, it has been designated as Senior Night at the Conte Forum, which will only make a win for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s last place team even more difficult to achieve.

Rice, one of those seniors, is averaging 5.3 assists per game, second only to Ty Lawson of North Carolina’s Tar Heels.

On top of that, he is also scoring more than 17 points a game. This year, he has taken over games and lifted his Eagles to wins over North Carolina, Duke and Florida State. Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal is averaging double digits in both points and rebounds and guard Lewis Clinch is coming off a career-high 30-point effort against the ’Canes.

North Carolina State (16-12, 6-9) at Miami (17-11, 6-9) Saturday, Noon With only two wins on the road in this 2008-09 season, the Wolfpack hopes to better its away record when it rolls into Miami to take on the Hurricanes. Like the home team’s name implies, North Carolina State is going to have to hold on tight to keep from getting blown away. Senior point guard Jack McClinton is second in the ACC among point guards when it comes to scoring, averaging 19.7 per game, while NC State’s leading scorer — Brandon Costner — puts up just under 14 points per contest. To escape with a victory, the Wolfpack is going to have to shut down McClinton and score with every player on the floor. If they can get off to a hot start similar to their early streak against the Hokies in Blacksburg, they have a solid chance of pulling off the upset. In addition, a win over a solid Boston College club can only benefit to the ’Pack’s momentum. Miami, who lost on the road to Georgia Tech on Wednesday, has only dropped two home games to unranked opponents this season.

Maryland (18-11, 7-8) at Virginia (9-17, 3-12) Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Virginia is coming off four losses in a row. After being trounced at Clemson on Tuesday by a count of 75-57, the Cavs will be looking to rebound from a lackluster performance against a top-20 school. Sylven Landesberg may be the best player that the Cavaliers have seen since Sean Singletary, averaging more than 17 points per game as a freshman.

At the friendly confines of John Paul Jones Arena, this group is a totally different team, having taken down the likes of Clemson and Virginia Tech in back-toback home victories. Maryland, on the other hand, is led by the best all around guard in the ACC. Greivis Vasquez scores 17 points per game, accompanied by 5.5 rebounds and five assists. The fact that Vasquez averages more rebounds than anyone on the team may be the Terps’ weaknesses. Virginia will look to take control of the inside post and save a season that is now based on pride and, in this case, playing the role of spoiler.

No. 7 Duke (25-5, 11-4) at No. 2 North Carolina (26-3, 12-3) Sunday, 4 p.m.

These two teams have gotten used to winning on each other’s home court.

Duke has taken seven of the last 10 meetings at Chapel Hill, but North Carolina appears to be the superior team when the two heated rivals clashed earlier this season inside Cameron Indoor

Stadium. The Tar Heels pulled away from Duke in the second half, and the Blue Devils have anxiously been waiting for their chance at revenge. Their forward, Gerald Henderson, is one of the most explosive players in the game, frequently digging into his repertoire of dunks to silence opposing fans. Duke also shoots a consistent 34 percent from behind the arc, while UNC is at 38 percent. Quick Carolina guard Ty Lawson is a stellar athlete who can get it done whether or not he is scoring. Statistics are irrelevant in this intense match-up.

The winner of this affair will be the team with the most pride.

No. 19 Clemson (23-6, 9-6) at No. 10 Wake Forest (23-5, 10-5) Sunday, 6 p.m.

After starting the season as one of the hottest in the ACC, the Demon Deacons have fallen from the best team in the nation to ranked No. 10 within a few weeks. The downward spiral can be attributed to playing in one of the top conferences in all of college basketball.

Jeff Teague is an electric sophomore, scoring almost 20 points per game, and the second leading scorer in the league.

Despite playing in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest will have to limit Trevor Booker, K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby, who each average double digits in scoring. Not to mention they are coming off a vengeful 18-point win against Virginia. Clemson, having won seven of 10 away games this season, is the true “road warrior” of the ACC.

CHUCK LIDDY/MCT

Duke’s Gerald Henderson splits the North Carolina defense on Feb. 11.

THOMAS EMERICK

ct sports editor Saying Virginia Tech's defense gave an encouraging performance in allowing 86 points might sound certifiably insane.

It's not.

No. 2 North Carolina entered Wednesday averaging nearly 92 points per game and had just dropped 104 on Georgia Tech over the weekend. Its fast-paced, transition-hungry offensive cannot be stopped, only contained.

This contest mirrored matters against No. 7 Duke on Saturday, when Virginia Tech had likewise closed a halftime deficit with a dominant tear

by A.D. Vassallo. When the senior's three-point shot dropped through the net to tie at 56 against UNC, it screamed deja vu to when his trifecta equaled the score at 58 just a few days prior.

Even the defensive fortitude summoned in the second half against the Blue Devils carried over. Tech, which held Duke to just 31 percent from the field in the second half after allowing it to shoot better than 53 in the first, had actually started to resemble the 2008 team that featured defense as its calling card.

While Tech could not buy a bucket, it stayed within reach by forcing the Tar Heels to only hit six of their first 20 shots. The Hokies improved their defense off of ball screens — technique that hurt them in losses to Maryland and Virginia — and blanked future NBA first-rounder Danny Green from the scoreboard.

Most importantly, the Hokies hit the glass — a key issue head coach Seth Greenberg emphasized prior to the Georgia Tech game. In fact, Virginia Tech would top North Carolina in this category, a team that ranks first in the country in rebounds.

The Hokies did contain the Tar Heels until 5:17 remained and they trailed 63-62 — then the flammable bunch broke loose. Tech lapsed on the admirable job it had done on defense and on the glass as North Carolina quickly fired off 10 points.

The foul-and-catch-up game ensued to heavily pad the Tar Heel point total.

This game also mirrored the bad side of the well-played Duke loss, as the opponent made a defensive stand once Tech's strenuous rally brought

them within a hair of finally grabbing a lead.

"We're not able to just dig down and find something in the pit of our stomach that made losing unacceptable,” said Greenberg. "And for that, that hurts, because we're a good team, and we had a chance to be special tonight.

We just couldn't dig that out, and it's about getting stops."

would protect its lead at the free throw line over the final minutes to push its point total from the charity stripe to 26.

“In the ACC every team has a run here, run there,” said Allen, who recorded a double-double on the night, but shot 1-of-9 in the second half. “We just got to make our run in the end.”

KYLE MAXEY/SPPS

Tech head coach Seth Greenberg can’t bear to watch as Malcolm Delaney heads to the bench during the Hokies’ 86-78 loss to the No. 2 Tar Heels.

In what may have been his final game at Cassell Coliseum, Vassallo dropped 19 points in the second half after scoring 21 in the same session last game. Allen paced Tech in the first half with 14. Tech even hit 17-of17 free throws.

However, the Tar Heels featured too many hot hands across the board, including Tyler Hansbrough (22 points, 16 rebounds) and Ty Lawson (22 points, five assists). Carolina

For Tech to make a splash in the ACC Tournament, or finish 8-8 in conference play with a win at Florida State in the regular season finale, they may need a healthy Malcolm Delaney.

The vocal leader scored 19 points on Wednesday evening, but shot 4-of-16 from the field and has been playing with nagging ailments to his hip and wrist.

Greenberg reminded the media of

see UNC, page eight

page 8

friday, march 6, 2009

UNC: Not over yet

Goal against ’Noles: Just win, baby MELANIE WADDEN

ct sports reporter

MICHAEL MCDERMOTT/SPPS

Guard Malcolm Delaney is met by Carolina forward Wayne Ellington. from page seven

the close games his team has pulled out at the end, which include wins at Wake Forest, Miami and Clemson.

However, the lack of a defensive stop in final possessions of regulation against Xavier, Wisconsin, Georgia, Boston College and Florida State keep the Hokies in an ever-tenuous position on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

At the post-game press conference, Greenberg seemed to wax reflective and almost regretful at times.

"I've had to get more creative offensively," Greenberg said. "But honestly, I'd rather be less creative offensively and more creative defensively."

While 2008's Hokies clamped a

nearly identical Tar Heel squad to 68 the last time these teams met, Tech could take momentum from holding the nation's most vaunted offense in check for 35 minutes. This comes as a huge step up from a February of allowing 87 to North Carolina State, 83 to Maryland and 75 to Virginia.

Many still speculate that if the Hokies find a way to "dig down" and pull out all the stops in a victory at Florida State, they could vanquish the fact that they've dropped seven of their last 10 from the psyche of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

"Just when you think that we're dead," Greenberg said, "we might just fool you."

For the first time in school history, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team will face its fourth ranked opponent in succession.

After consecutive home defeats to No.2 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke, the Hokies (17-12, 7-8 ACC) travel south to Tallahassee this weekend to face-off against a No. 24 Florida State Seminole team (22-8, 9-6) that stole one at Cassell Coliseum, 67-65, nearly two weeks ago.

In what will be their final regular season opportunity to potentially win a spot the NCAA Tournament, the Hokies understand that coming away with a victory against the ’Noles is a necessity.

“We’ve just got to go out there and play,” said senior A.D. Vassallo. “(We cannot) worry about the NCAA Tournament. We’ve got to win.”

Tech could have ensured themselves a bid to the Big Dance by securing victories over highly-ranked Duke or UNC over the past week, but fell short both times despite keeping the score surprisingly close.

Three elements will be key for Hokie success on Sunday — defensive pressure on Florida State guards Derwin Kitchen and Toney Douglas, the play of Malcolm Delaney and rebounding.

In their Feb. 21 meeting, Tech started off in a zone defense that was easily picked apart by the Seminoles — as they opened up as much as a 14-point cushion on 50 percent shooting from the field.

Tech head coach Seth Greenberg eventually switched his team to a manto-man, which proved to be very successful. For the last 30 minutes of the contests, Tech fans may have seen the best Hokie defense effort of the season.

In the second half of that game the Seminoles had a 30.8 percent shooting performance.

Unfortunately, Tech was unable to stop the shooting and penetration of Kitchen and Douglas down the stretch — this will be one of the keys on Sunday afternoon.

In that previous encounter, the duo combined for 41 of the Seminoles’ 67 points and seven makes from threepoint territory.

Kitchen had a career-best day scoring, posting 19 points and making 8-of-11 from the floor — including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Douglas, a strong contender for the ACC Player of the Year, led FSU with 22 points. He also made good on the most important shot of the game — a short jump shot in the lane with 6.2 seconds remaining that gave his club the win.

Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton is most impressed with Douglas’ defensive efforts.

“I think he’s the best on-the-ball defensive guard that I’ve ever coached,” he said. “That sets him apart. …

This guy has done a tremendous job for us from a defensive standpoint.

Obviously, he’s been a go-to guy who plays major minutes.”

Another key to the game will be the play of Tech guard Malcolm Delaney.

As the leader on the court, the sophomore helps set the tempo for his team.

However, in Tech’s last two games,

Virginia Tech vs. Florida State Preview Virginia Tech at No. 24 Florida State Sunday, 2 p.m., Raycom Sports Donald L. Tucker Center Projected starting lineups:

#23: G, Malcolm Delaney

#23: G, Toney Douglas

#10: G, Hank Thorns

#22: G, Derwin Kitchen

#40: G/F, A.D. Vassallo

#41: F, Uche Echefu

18.4 ppg 2.7 apg

18.9 ppg

20.8 ppg 2.4 apg

5.3 rpg

#0: F, Jeff Allen

#31: F, Chris Singleton

#34: F, Cheick Diakite

#32: C, Solomon Alabai

14.1 ppg

3.9 rpg

5.0 rpg

2.2 bpg

SARA SPANGLER/CT

MATT BOONE/SPPS

A.D. Vassallo attacks the baseline on Feb. 21 in a 67-65 loss to FSU. Delaney has struggled with shooting from the field.

He connected on just 4-of-16 field goals against the Tar Heels and made 2-of-12 versus the Blue Devils.

According to Greenberg, Delaney barely practiced this week as he is continuing to deal with an ailing hip and wrist.

“There’s a difference between being injured and inconvenienced,” said Greenberg of Delaney. “He’s probably severely inconvenienced right now and a little bit injured.”

Although final statistics do not reflect the rebounding deficiency of Tech on Feb. 21, Florida State heavily out-rebounded the Hokies in the critical stages at the end. The Hokies still won the rebounding battle by a 33-29 margin. In fact, they may be able to use that, as well as their efforts on the boards against North Carolina on Wednesday night as momentum.

UNC — the best rebounding team in the country — was outdone by the Hokies in that category, 42-41.

The Seminoles secured offensive rebounds and second-chance points early against Tech, who seemed unable to box-out in the post. In one instance, Tech was somehow left with 5-foot-9 guard Hank Thorns covering 6-foot9 power forward Uche Echefu on a

missed shot attempt by Florida State.

The team is hopeful that with Jeff Allen coming off of a double-double effort against North Carolina and Vassallo playing in his last regular season contest, a fire will be lit behind the Hokies for this weekend.

Despite coming off a pair of close losses, albeit to two top-10 clubs, the Hokies feel prepared to take on Florida State, a team that also just recently lost a close encounter with Duke.

“We’ve just got to leave everything on the floor,” said Thorns.

Another loss could potentially be devastating to a Tech team that currently sits on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

“We aren’t worried about our losses; we’re just worried about getting that last win,” said Thorns. “Hopefully we get this win and carry momentum on into the tournament and surprise a lot of people.”

With only Florida State and the ACC Tournament in Atlanta sitting in the way prior to Selection Sunday, the Hokies could take control of their own destiny — beginning with a victory in Tallahassee.

Tech will face Florida State on Sunday at 2 p.m. inside the Donald L. Tucker Center. The game will be televised by Raycom Sports.

page 8

friday, march 6, 2009

UNC: Not over yet

Goal against ’Noles: Just win, baby MELANIE WADDEN

ct sports reporter

MICHAEL MCDERMOTT/SPPS

Guard Malcolm Delaney is met by Carolina forward Wayne Ellington. from page seven

the close games his team has pulled out at the end, which include wins at Wake Forest, Miami and Clemson.

However, the lack of a defensive stop in final possessions of regulation against Xavier, Wisconsin, Georgia, Boston College and Florida State keep the Hokies in an ever-tenuous position on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

At the post-game press conference, Greenberg seemed to wax reflective and almost regretful at times.

"I've had to get more creative offensively," Greenberg said. "But honestly, I'd rather be less creative offensively and more creative defensively."

While 2008's Hokies clamped a

nearly identical Tar Heel squad to 68 the last time these teams met, Tech could take momentum from holding the nation's most vaunted offense in check for 35 minutes. This comes as a huge step up from a February of allowing 87 to North Carolina State, 83 to Maryland and 75 to Virginia.

Many still speculate that if the Hokies find a way to "dig down" and pull out all the stops in a victory at Florida State, they could vanquish the fact that they've dropped seven of their last 10 from the psyche of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

"Just when you think that we're dead," Greenberg said, "we might just fool you."

For the first time in school history, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team will face its fourth ranked opponent in succession.

After consecutive home defeats to No.2 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke, the Hokies (17-12, 7-8 ACC) travel south to Tallahassee this weekend to face-off against a No. 24 Florida State Seminole team (22-8, 9-6) that stole one at Cassell Coliseum, 67-65, nearly two weeks ago.

In what will be their final regular season opportunity to potentially win a spot the NCAA Tournament, the Hokies understand that coming away with a victory against the ’Noles is a necessity.

“We’ve just got to go out there and play,” said senior A.D. Vassallo. “(We cannot) worry about the NCAA Tournament. We’ve got to win.”

Tech could have ensured themselves a bid to the Big Dance by securing victories over highly-ranked Duke or UNC over the past week, but fell short both times despite keeping the score surprisingly close.

Three elements will be key for Hokie success on Sunday — defensive pressure on Florida State guards Derwin Kitchen and Toney Douglas, the play of Malcolm Delaney and rebounding.

In their Feb. 21 meeting, Tech started off in a zone defense that was easily picked apart by the Seminoles — as they opened up as much as a 14-point cushion on 50 percent shooting from the field.

Tech head coach Seth Greenberg eventually switched his team to a manto-man, which proved to be very successful. For the last 30 minutes of the contests, Tech fans may have seen the best Hokie defense effort of the season.

In the second half of that game the Seminoles had a 30.8 percent shooting performance.

Unfortunately, Tech was unable to stop the shooting and penetration of Kitchen and Douglas down the stretch — this will be one of the keys on Sunday afternoon.

In that previous encounter, the duo combined for 41 of the Seminoles’ 67 points and seven makes from threepoint territory.

Kitchen had a career-best day scoring, posting 19 points and making 8-of-11 from the floor — including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Douglas, a strong contender for the ACC Player of the Year, led FSU with 22 points. He also made good on the most important shot of the game — a short jump shot in the lane with 6.2 seconds remaining that gave his club the win.

Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton is most impressed with Douglas’ defensive efforts.

“I think he’s the best on-the-ball defensive guard that I’ve ever coached,” he said. “That sets him apart. …

This guy has done a tremendous job for us from a defensive standpoint.

Obviously, he’s been a go-to guy who plays major minutes.”

Another key to the game will be the play of Tech guard Malcolm Delaney.

As the leader on the court, the sophomore helps set the tempo for his team.

However, in Tech’s last two games,

Virginia Tech vs. Florida State Preview Virginia Tech at No. 24 Florida State Sunday, 2 p.m., Raycom Sports Donald L. Tucker Center Projected starting lineups:

#23: G, Malcolm Delaney

#23: G, Toney Douglas

#10: G, Hank Thorns

#22: G, Derwin Kitchen

#40: G/F, A.D. Vassallo

#41: F, Uche Echefu

18.4 ppg 2.7 apg

18.9 ppg

20.8 ppg 2.4 apg

5.3 rpg

#0: F, Jeff Allen

#31: F, Chris Singleton

#34: F, Cheick Diakite

#32: C, Solomon Alabai

14.1 ppg

3.9 rpg

5.0 rpg

2.2 bpg

SARA SPANGLER/CT

MATT BOONE/SPPS

A.D. Vassallo attacks the baseline on Feb. 21 in a 67-65 loss to FSU. Delaney has struggled with shooting from the field.

He connected on just 4-of-16 field goals against the Tar Heels and made 2-of-12 versus the Blue Devils.

According to Greenberg, Delaney barely practiced this week as he is continuing to deal with an ailing hip and wrist.

“There’s a difference between being injured and inconvenienced,” said Greenberg of Delaney. “He’s probably severely inconvenienced right now and a little bit injured.”

Although final statistics do not reflect the rebounding deficiency of Tech on Feb. 21, Florida State heavily out-rebounded the Hokies in the critical stages at the end. The Hokies still won the rebounding battle by a 33-29 margin. In fact, they may be able to use that, as well as their efforts on the boards against North Carolina on Wednesday night as momentum.

UNC — the best rebounding team in the country — was outdone by the Hokies in that category, 42-41.

The Seminoles secured offensive rebounds and second-chance points early against Tech, who seemed unable to box-out in the post. In one instance, Tech was somehow left with 5-foot-9 guard Hank Thorns covering 6-foot9 power forward Uche Echefu on a

missed shot attempt by Florida State.

The team is hopeful that with Jeff Allen coming off of a double-double effort against North Carolina and Vassallo playing in his last regular season contest, a fire will be lit behind the Hokies for this weekend.

Despite coming off a pair of close losses, albeit to two top-10 clubs, the Hokies feel prepared to take on Florida State, a team that also just recently lost a close encounter with Duke.

“We’ve just got to leave everything on the floor,” said Thorns.

Another loss could potentially be devastating to a Tech team that currently sits on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

“We aren’t worried about our losses; we’re just worried about getting that last win,” said Thorns. “Hopefully we get this win and carry momentum on into the tournament and surprise a lot of people.”

With only Florida State and the ACC Tournament in Atlanta sitting in the way prior to Selection Sunday, the Hokies could take control of their own destiny — beginning with a victory in Tallahassee.

Tech will face Florida State on Sunday at 2 p.m. inside the Donald L. Tucker Center. The game will be televised by Raycom Sports.