Friday, April 3, 2009 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

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friday april 3, 2009 blacksburg, va.

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SHOOTING TAKES PLACE IN RADFORD A shooting that took place at Radford University last night has left a single, as-of-yet unidentiﬁed victim, according to the Roanoke Times and Radford Police. The university is on lockdown while police look for a male suspect involved in the shooting which occurred in the 500 block of Calhoun Street in Radford. Radford sent emergency alerts Thursday evening. The text alert said, “Seek shelter City is searching for a black male shooter no shirt, camo jacket do rag.” The suspect was last seen traveling on foot on Jeﬀerson Street, and is considered armed and dangerous, according to a news release.

sports

corrections “Technicon beams up sci-ﬁ fanatics,” (CT, April 2) contained an incorrect URL. For more information on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club visit www.vtsﬀc.org. 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.

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An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 106th year • issue 40

ct news reporter The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a land exchange with Montgomery County Public Schools on March 23. The land that Tech receives will be used for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the land that MCPS receives will be used for a new elementary school. The exchange, while approved by the Board of Visitors, still needs to be finalized by the state. The land that Montgomery County will acquire, if approved, is located on Prices

Fork Road, up the road from the current Prices Fork Elementary School. The land the university would acquire is located on the opposite side of the US 460 bypass from Tech’s main campus. All parties involved emphasize that this is no donation or sale — it is simply an exchange. The university will exchange the 20 acres of land on Prices Fork Road for the 16 acres of Heth farmland. The county did, however, purchase that Heth farmland from the Virginia Tech Foundation for $1 million. Elizabeth Reed is Tech’s director of real estate management. “The location of the land that

we are giving makes it perfect for the school because it’s near what will be the old location. This is truly a like exchange,” Reed said. “The board approved the resolution to exchange the land, but it hasn’t been finalized. We still need to get state approval from Richmond to finalize the deal. We’ll be sending the information to them within the next month.” “It’s a great location, right off of the road, concerning water, electricity, gas and other utilities,” said MCPS Facilities Manager Dan Berenato. “It’s just right off Prices Fork Road, so we can build it without an access road or anything. It is of good size with beautiful views,

Montgomery County received these 20 acres in the land swap

Virginia Tech Land Acquisition + The 16 acres that the university will be acquiring, which is part of the Heth tract that the Virginia Tech Foundation owns, is appraised at $62,500 per acre. + The 20 acres the university is transferring to Montgomery County is appraised at $25,000 per acre. + The total estimated value of those easements is $36,800. VELECHIA HARDNETT/COLLEGIATE TIMES

and we want to take advantage of that.” Montgomery County used a GIS system to look for undeveloped plots of land. After approaching a number of different land donors and beginning discussions, none worked out. MCPS came to Tech more

AD RK RO

FO PRICES

FOXRIDGE

TOWN OF BLACKSBURG

C RIMA

The Tech baseball team will attempt to claim its ﬁrst Atlantic Coast Conference series of 2009 when they host Wake Forest for a three-game weekend set at English Field. The Demon Deacons currently sit at 15-11 with a 3-9 record in league play. The Hokies are 16-10 and 3-8 in the ACC. The two will open the series Friday at 5:30 p.m.

JUSTIN GRAVES

MER

BASEBALL OPENS HOME SERIES WITH WAKE FOREST

Tech swaps land with local school

460

news

ALEX FALLON/COLLEGIATE TIMES

than three years ago, asking to purchase a piece of land for a new school to be built — a new Prices Fork Elementary School. The current Prices Fork Elementary School location houses about five mobile units, in order to accommodate the demands of high capacity. This new school will hopefully alleviate the problem there, as well as at the nearby Kipps Elementary School. “The county came to Tech looking for land near the Prices Fork community for land for a new school. Tech has agricultural property there, and they asked if they could purchase that land. We basically said we really want to help, but what we need is land, and we don’t want to just give it up because we need all the land we have,” said university spokesman Larry Hincker. It was originally extremely difficult for the county to locate land in order to make an exchange with the university. However, the Virginia Tech Foundation was holding property, which the county ended up purchasing. Then, an exchange was made and Montgomery County received the 20-acre parcel that it wanted out on Prices Fork Road. The Virginia Tech Foundation serves primarily to manage the university’s endowment, as

well as many “gifts” that are given to the university. With a lot of experience in managing properties, the foundation was holding this piece of land when MCPS found it. The land, and its surrounding area, was once owned by the Heth family, and it was donated to the university in the ’90s. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is said to be very happy with the property it will receive from MCPS. The college plans to use the land for crop growing, as it is contiguous to the university and has great conditions for agriculture. “We’re going to farm the new land, primarily for corn crop. It’s an even exchange, and it’ll work about even. The only possible issue could be crop yields,” said CALS Director of Operations in Martin Daniel. The land will add to the amount of farming land that CALS has on campus, as well as off. “We have a variety of different pieces of land around the campus, and the other closest cropping area would be between the Corporate Research Center and the Dairy Farm, which currently grows alfalfa crops,” Daniel said. “Most of the crop lands that we work are producing feeds for cattle down at Kentland Farms. We have other lands that are used for research and teaching purposes, too.”

Blacksburg job growth up, Favorite faculty awards to be against statewide trend KEENAN ARMSTRONG

ct news staﬀ writer A report released by the Virginia Employment Commission showed that Virginia lost 3,900 jobs, or 0.1 percent of its workforce, in 2008. But while the state saw net losses in jobs, Blacksburg is one of only three metropolitan areas in the state that saw job growth last year, and Tech may have provided much of that impetus. The VEC report found that only three areas, Northern Virginia, Lynchburg and Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, saw a combined net job growth of about 5,500. Northern Virginia topped the list with approximately 4,100; Lynchburg was next with 900; rounding out the list was Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford where about 500 new jobs were created. Tech was the largest employer in the Giles, Floyd, Pulaski and Montgomery counties and the city of Radford that make up the New River Valley. In 2008, the Virginia Tech Human Resources Department reported hiring an additional 88 employees over the previous year; 60 of these were faculty positions and 28 were staff positions. This increase comes in spite of state budget cuts. There are several sources of funding that provide Tech’s yearly salary budget. The three primary types of funding are state funding, sponsored funding, such as research and grants, and auxiliary funding, such as Virginia Tech Electric and dining services. Each of these funding sources provides corresponding employment positions. Vice President of Human Resources Hal Irvin believed increased sponsored funding might have provided new positions. “Our research program is growing in spite of the downturn,” Irvin said. Judy Ridinger, the director of staffing and employee relations, clarified that state budget cuts are hindering new hires at Tech. “In the majority of the departments they are holding positions vacant that are funded by the state funds,” Ridinger said. The biggest increase in new hires at Tech comes from the expanding Corporate Research Center near the Virginia Tech airport. As the wholly owned, private subsidiary of Tech, the CRC provides a research park for high-technology companies. Currently housing 140 companies with more than 2,000 employees, the park includes 25 buildings, with two more currently under construction. The park attracts 20 new tenant companies and plans to introduce Phase II of the park where an additional 18 buildings will be erected.

Job growth in Virginia

given next week KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter

Virginia

-3,900

Northern Virginia

4,100

Lynchburg

900

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford

500

JOSH SON/COLLEGIATE TIMES

“We felt that by adding the buildings we’re adding, we’re growing at about 500 people per year,” said Dawn Crigger, director of park services at CRC. All this is not to say the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area is unsusceptible to the U.S. economic downturn. The newly created jobs in 2008 recovered less than one-third of the combined 1,700 positions lost in 2006 and 2007. Additionally, the VEC report projects Virginia will see a total of 23,000 jobs lost in 2009, an increase of six-fold from 2008. Tech has not implemented any edict for freezing employment in 2009. This trend is already evident according to statistics provided by the Virginia Workforce Connection, which show the New River Valley civilian labor force unemployment rate swelled from 5.8 percent to 7.5 percent between December 2008 and February 2009, meaning over 8,000 people are currently unemployed. Roger Frye, who manages both the Wytheville and Radford VEC offices, explained recent changes resulting from the increased unemployment. “With the money that came down through the stimulus package, we hired additional staff to handle the increased traffic,” Frye said. “Also, we’ve made an effort to reach out to local employers to find and fill job openings.” The current economic recession is reflected by the nation’s job market, where, according to the U.S. Labor Department, 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008.

Virginia Tech will give Favorite Faculty Awards to faculty members who have been nominated by students for their excellence in teaching. The awards are sponsored by the Office of Residence Life, a department within the Division of Student Affairs. The reception will be held April 7 for the student nominators and recipients. James Penven, the associate director of residence life, said the awards have been put in place for students living on campus to nominate their favorite faculty members. “We have put the voting in the hands of the students to be able to recognize their teachers,” Penven said. “In January, we put out a marketing campaign for students to nominate their teachers on a survey site. Students can do this anonymously because sometimes they do not want their teachers to know that they nominated them.” George Simmons, a pre-dental adviser and biological sciences professor, said he was notified of his nomination through a letter he received in the mail. “I got a letter from the organization saying that there was going to be a luncheon for all of the nominated teachers,” Simmons said. “The student that nominated me was at the luncheon and it was a pleasure for her to nominate me. It was a young lady who became ill in our class one day due to low blood sugar or something of the kind, and I stayed with her until the emergency rescue officers came and made sure she was OK. When she came back to class, I wanted her to sit somewhere where I could keep an eye on her.” Simmons said he was honored when he learned of his nomination. “The young girl felt like someone truly cared about her,” Simmons said. “She was in a class of 400-plus students, so I felt as though she was very appreciative for what I had done for her.” Penven said students are able to nominate up to two professors for the award. “We have some students that will nominate two people, but we have others that will just nominate one,” Penven said. “We have seen several faculty members continually reappear in the nominations, and that truly speaks to the impact that they have had on the students.” Scott Geller, a psychology professor, is a recipient of a similar favorite faculty award given by the alumni association. “Teaching is the best thing that I have had an opportunity to do,”

have a news tip? want to see something in the CT? e-mail newstips@collegiatetimes.com

see AWARDS, page two

page 2

friday, april 3, 2009

Students hold 5K to help Hondurans

Bike to Uganda

RACHAEL KESTER

ct news staﬀ writer

SALLY BULL/SPPS

Six members of Tech Sports Medicine spend 30 minutes biking for the Poverty Awareness Coalition for Equality (PACE’) charity event. Bike to Uganda pits Tech against UVa to see who will reach Uganda first and raise the most money between March 30 and April 3.

Awards: Faculty, students have chance to interact from page one

Geller said. “I am grateful to be working with students. I am going into my 40th year as a teacher, and I have received a lot of teaching awards, but even though I have, it is always such an honor that students still appreciate my teaching and they know that I really do care.” Geller said he is inspired to teach future leaders of our country. “I believe that we have to love teaching because the students we teach are the people who will make our world run,” Geller said. “Teaching is the way we leave a legacy. I think we live, love, learn and leave a legacy. I feel that we enable and teach our future leaders of this nation and beyond.” Mike Ellerbrock, an economics professor and former recipient of the award by the Division of Student Affairs, said he is truly honored by the award because he has such a passion about his career. “I feel that I was nominated by this award because hopefully students realize how much I care about them and

about economics,” Ellerbrock said. “I love teaching because education builds a better world by building better people. I am all for education at all levels, and I really enjoy teaching Tech students because they are very highly motivated and quite mature individuals.” Penven said the awards banquet is a time for faculty and the students that nominated them to spend quality time together. “We ask for a student or two to speak about why they nominated the teacher that they did,” Penven said. “We typically ask the faculty member to talk about why they have found it worthwhile to invest the time with students that they do. The bulk of this reception is for the faculty to see how appreciated they are because they do not often hear that their work is noticed and really appreciated.” Chris Neck, associate professor of management, said he was also the recipient of the similar award given by the Alumni Association. “I have won a lot of really great awards

on campus, but the one that I give the most value to is the favorite faculty award because it is given by the students,” Neck said. “There is no one that knows more about what you are doing in the classroom than the students. If you really try to make the class interesting and exciting, that is something that the students will respond to.” Neck added that the award is the pinnacle of awards he has received. “I feel a lot of emotions when I think of that award,” Neck said. “I feel validation, knowing that I have done a good job. I feel a sense of appreciation, and it is really a motivator for me.” Neck said this is his last year at Tech, so the award was very significant. “To get the award this year meant the most to me,” Neck said. “There is a sadness to leaving here, but the number of students that impacted my life during my time here is amazing. When I teach someone, I do not teach them for the semester — I teach them for life.”

Students Helping Honduras is holding a 5k Saturday on the Huckleberry Trail to raise money to provide electricity for Villa Soleada in El Progreso, Honduras. The Light the Way 5k will be held to raise $25,000 to install 25 light posts at Villa Soleada. So far, more than $8,000 has been raised. SHH began in 2005 when two siblings, one from the University of Mary Washington and the other from William & Mary, visited a remote village in Honduras. After witnessing hundreds of children without adequate education, health care and housing, the siblings went back to their respective campuses and started to fundraise. In February 2006, SHH became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. “I was able to visit the village for a week over winter break,” said Virginia Tech SHH secretary Jessica Schultz. “It was the most amazing trip of my life. I had the opportunity to see the conditions that the people live in. It’s hard to imagine children without anything. They had access to water only twice a day.”

Gaku Fujiyama, a junior geography major and the brother of the organization’s founders, started SHH at Tech in the fall of 2007. “When we go down to these trips, we create personal relationships with everyone we meet,” Fujiyama said. “Unlike many volunteer trips, our volunteers actually get to create a relationship with the people that we help. The houses that we construct are all constructed by us working side by side with the family members that will be living in those houses.” Now that the village has been completed, electricity is needed in the homes for a variety of reasons. In addition to allowing children to study and finish homework during the evenings, parents would also be able to spend time with their children after work, and walking alone at night would be much safer. SHH made a promise to create micro businesses to generate employment. Electricity would help the community rise out of poverty by permitting families to open small businesses and work throughout the day. “Although all SHH chapters are raising money for different parts of the project, we are all holding races,” sophomore HNFE major Schultz

said. “I think it will succeed because Virginia Tech is a pretty physically active campus.” Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. The walk will start at 11 a.m. from the Blacksburg Library, and end at 1 p.m. in front of Squires at the International Street Fair. Interested participants can either join or form a team of five or more individuals by registering through www.studentshelpinghonduras.org. A minimum of $500 must be raised per team. Groups walk for free, however registration is $10 for individual participants who do not meet the donation goal. The registration tent is located on the edge of the Blacksburg Library parking lot. A maroon and orange “Hokies for Honduras” wristband is included with the registration fee. Raffle tickets are available for purchase on site for gift certificates. Participants can either walk or run the race, but the winner will be awarded gift certificates to various restaurants and shops. Proper attire includes tennis shoes; matching team outfits are optional. In case of severe weather, the race will be rescheduled for Sunday, April 5.

Top nine recession-proof jobs TIM KING

young money magazine With so many layoffs and economic woes, it may seem like a frightening time to look for work. But here are ninecareers that have staying power in the face of the recession. HEADHUNTER One company’s layoff is another’s splash in the potential employee pool. Because of downsizing there are qualified people out there without jobs, and now is a great time to find them, pick them up and place them somewhere. Both sides win. BARTENDER While the restaurant business may be floundering, bars won’t exactly boom, but they will be the first place people stop after getting the boot. Hey, people drink more when times are tough. SOFTWARE/NETWORKING DEVELOPMENT As new companies grow, here and overseas, they will need people to develop software for them to use and networks for them to communicate with. Companies need quality communi-

cation systems and programs to help them run as or more efficiently than competing companies. PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL FINANCE ADVISOR After unprecedented amounts of financial scandals and poor fiscal management blunders surface, people and professionals alike will crack down on bookkeeping. COLLECTION AGENTS Companies are going belly-up left and right. The ones that don’t want to will try as hard as they can to keep their books clean, both legally and financially. Collection agencies will have no shortage of clients as more and more companies try to clean up. MILITARY /GOVERNMENT JOBS More and more service members overseas are extending their tours so they don’t have to face the bleak job market back home. The government will always need people to keep it functioning. Plus, government jobs are harder to get fired from and the benefits can be sweet, especially for those with families. NURSING AND PHARMACEUTICALS I’m sure you’ve heard it before: the

baby boomers are getting old. In the coming years there will be a seemingly endless realm of potential patients to treat, and the nursing career and pharmaceutical industry will ride the wave high. TRUCK DRIVER It’s not for everyone, but it’s a timetested and classic profession. People are always going to need stuff, and that stuff will need to get places. Most of the time you will get a certain amount of time off for a certain amount of miles completed, which can mean lots of down time for rest and personal projects, and the medical and retirement benefits are a plus as well. FUNDRAISER Asking for money is an idea that makes many people shudder, especially when everyone seems so tight. But with green jobs on a possible brink of booming and city planning expanding, companies and contractors are going to need people to raise funds. Besides, if you’re a good fundraiser you will have good enough relationships with your donors that asking for money shouldn’t be a big issue.

pick up.

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features 3

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.

april 3, 2009

He said, she said debates merits of toe-sucking It is true that throughout the ages men have accomplished a lot of great things. We only need to look at some of the great male thinkers TOPHER from the past to FORCHECZ prove this. There features was Plato’s “The Republic,” Einstein’s reporter Theory of Relativity and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” just to name a few. But, they would also probably find some interest in any of the successes of one Hugh Hefner. Even from the beginning, “Playboy” has never been a magazine that featured naked women just being naked. There was always some theme or element brought to the scene to give it that “extra kick” — from Marilyn Monroe riding an elephant to the barely-clad female construction worker who is violating all types of union rules while trying to operate a jackhammer sans pants. Surely these themes are unnecessary, right? Isn’t sex enough to do the trick? The answer, if you remember from the first time you saw a Britney Spears video as a 12-year-old, is no. The truth is every guy has a fetish. Now, to be clear, when I say fetish I don’t mean the kind of interactions that have you buying up every piece of clothing you can find at Leatherworld and figuring out alternative uses for horse whips. Dictionary.com’s (yes, I am citing it) definition for a fetish is “an object regarded with awe as being the embodiment or habitation of a potent spirit or as having magical potency.” In the realm of sexuality, a fetish can certainly possess a type of magical potency, but it is more than just an object: It can be a certain scenario (or “fantasy”), setting, type of dress (Princess Leia bikini, eh?) or a favorite body part — thusly proving the theory once and for all that guys can get turned on by pretty much anything. A basic dude’s fetish in terms of a fantasy is really just taking any normal situation and then adding “and then there was sex” to it. In other words, any plot of any porno. For example, you’re delivering a pizza and what? The lady suddenly lost her wallet? How ever will she tip you? And then there was sex. Or, having to stay after class because your teacher thinks you wrote a crappy report and then — yeah, you get the idea. Moving on, I’m sure you can infer what body parts guys generally go for. It’s pretty much the standard KES equa-

tion: kneecaps, elbows and the space between the toes. Although, for people who really do have a toe fetish: Toes shouldn’t be in your mouth, they should be used to walk as far away from the sick freak that you are. I’m sorry that I’m judging that Virginia Tech demographic of students and faculty who like to suck toes, but I feel as though sucking toes was more of a way to get answers out of people at Guantanamo than a legitimate turn on. Personally, I really just like any girl with a nice rack of hair. With hair, most guys default to that age-old fetish for redheads. Redheads really appeal to males because of how rare they are. They are almost like mythical creatures, like the hottest Leprechauns you’ve ever seen. Finally there’s dress. Catholic school girls are probably in the top five fetishes of any guy. Now, this was a fetish that was only complicated in my life when most of my education was spent in the Catholic school system. The

certain blue-and-white high school that I attended in Northern Virginia presented me with a strange dichotomy of girls so pure I felt like Jesus would punch me when I walked into the locker room after gym class if I messed with them; girls, who, uh, might have overlooked some of the virtues of the Holy Spirit, and who at times would remind me a lot of the Communion wine glass at mass. That really ruined that for me, so I guess my fetish for Catholic school girls has been refined into a fetish for Atheist school girls (who generally don’t wear uniforms, rather bedeck themselves in Nirvana T-shirts). A lot of girls play into our fetishes without ever realizing it. I’d like to say “thank you” to the female community for doing their part to make my day better. At the same time, you’re also welcome because I have no doubt I play into their fetishes when I ask them which sun on Tatooine they think is hotter.

Fetishes are funny things. And they’re not technically a sexual fixation either, according to dictionary.com. (noun: “an object regarded with BETHANY awe as being the BUCHANAN embodiment or features habitation of a editor potent spirit or as having magical potency; an object of unreasonably excessive attention or reverence.”) Get your minds out of the gutter, my darlings. Everyone has a few fixations that may summon an abnormal degree of preoccupation. Think of it as almost just a sexy form of OCD. For example, one of my many fetishes includes compliments from gay men. There is just nothing like it; I mean, you know you’ve done something right in the fashion realm if a glamorous gay guy just happens to strut up to you on the Drillfield and speak style to you because, of course, they know you obviously speak the language. You walk the walk and can talk

the talk. It totally makes my pathetic life seem like it actually may have a purpose in this cold, cruel world. I also have to check my horoscope every day (can I get a whoop whoop from fellow Scorpios?). I just have to know what the stars might have in store for my day, my week, my month, my love and career lives and my birthday. And while my obsessions are definitely ridiculous (I can graciously accept my faults), there are just some fetishes I’ll never ever understand. Take, for example, the fantasy football fetish. Yes, I consider this a fetish simply because I’ve heard stories where boys will cancel their dates just to stay home and play an online game just to maneuver imaginary, pixilated characters on an imaginary, pixilated field to win imaginary, pixilated trophies. It’s not as if it’s something tangible

MINA NOORBAKHSH/COLLEGIATE TIMES

to cling to, like a girlfriend. Or some shadow of a social life. Halo and other video game obsessions are right up there, but just ever so slightly (and I mean so slightly, like, pushing yourself through the doors of West End at 7:58 p.m. just in the nick of time) just because girlfriends can be casually ignored during such gaming male bonding. But they at least have the opportunity to have a semblance of presence. Then there are just the cliché fetishes, like a ludicrous attachment and attraction to feet. This doesn’t just make me tilt my head like a confused puppy, but it seriously disturbs me to the depths of my soul. Like green ketchup. (Remember that from the ’90s? Oh, yeah. It makes me shudder to this day.) Such idiosyncrasies, in addition to their psychotic effects on your life in general, can be further detrimental to your relationship. What if your boyfriend casually admits to you that he’s extremely attracted to redheads. First of all, who is completely honest in relationships, anyway? Lying to your partner is healthy sometimes, right? You have to keep the mystery alive. But I digress. From that day forward, I can almost guarantee that you’ll never look at a ginger the same. You’ll be constantly, madly paranoid that his red head study partner will become, well, a different sort of partner. And you might even end up dyeing your hair just to adapt to his idea of beauty. However, there is one fetish that is universally accepted and considered good and true in this world: accents. British, French, Spanish — whatever — are and always will be deliciously admired and desired. And what’s more, it is revered by both genders alike. It’s hot. Enough said. It seems like fetishes are just those little things that make life more fun, or, at least, a tad more tolerable. So if it’s painting your nails a new color every other day or checking out some guy’s ass as he struts by, it makes our difficult lives (yeah, because we have it so hard when mommy and daddy fund our educations) a little easier to get through. Like West End smoothies — you know, the only real reason to push through the doors as it’s closing.

page 4

friday, april 3, 2009

Up in smoke: Junkyard barbecue smoker feeds gameday crowd

LooP in the

RYAN ARNOLD

ct features staﬀ writer There is a locomotive in the Prices Fork parking lot. Modest plumes of smoke pour forth from its stack, but those nearby aren’t pinching their noses. In fact, the smoke is drawing observers — the smell is magnetic. Their anxious, gaping mouths would be well-served by bibs. Nick Cardwell fondly remembers such scenes with the mobile barbecue smoker he and friend Andrew Duggleby designed and built. “It’s like a Pied Piper effect,” he said. Cardwell, a mechanical engineering graduate student, grew tired of laborious tailgates after Virginia Tech’s 2004 football season. He would transport and operate four grills attempting to feed his many friends. Often times the waiting line for grill space sent his fellow fans into the stands with growling stomachs. “What I need,” Cardwell had thought, “is something that I can cook for a lot of people on.” Duggleby, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. graduate who now works at Texas A&M University, also liked the idea and worked alongside Cardwell. Their nearly 2,000 pound brainchild is the nucleus of their tailgate group, “The Hokie Smokes” and could likely survive a nuclear attack — its thinnest component has quarter-inch-thick walls. The smoker is composed almost entirely of steel retrieved from a salvage yard in Wytheville, Va. The main cylinder and vertical stack are sections of old oil field pipes. The recovered Michelin tires spin on a straight rear axle taken from a wrecked van. When all the materials were loaded into his Chevrolet half-ton pickup, Cardwell recalls the truck bed flattening the rear shocks onto their bump stops. Cardwell and Duggleby worked tirelessly on the project. With the help of a professional welder, they finished in only one month, just in time for the 2005 football season’s kickoff. The only problem they encountered was opening the smoker. Cardwell asked me to lift the lid, and in doing so, I felt like pre-spinach Popeye. But apparently that was nothing compared to the 300 pound original. “You’d about bust a gut,” Cardwell said. His simple solution was welding on a counterweight fashioned from extra metal scraps. The mechanics of the smoker are quite elementary. First, wood is loaded into the firebox. Cardwell cuts and hauls downed apple and hickory trees from acquaintances’ properties outside

Men’s Tennis vs. North Carolina. 3 p.m. at Burleson Tennis Center

Wondering what's going on around the 'burg? Check out the events of the upcoming week. Baseball vs. Wake Forest. 5:30 p.m. at English Field

Spiritual Rez at Lantern Music Hall, 211 B Draper Road. Seven-piece reggae horn funk dance party. Doors open at 5 p.m. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. Cost is TBA.

Second Annual Hokie Badminton Tournament, open to anyone. Singles or doubles, must be 16 years or older. To register, visit the War Memorial Equipment Desk.Will be held all day in War Memorial Hall; team times to be determined after registration. Costs $12 for a single entry, $3 for each additional entry

KYLE MAXEY/SPPS

Nick Cardwell shows off his self-made barbecue smoker. of town. An adjustable draft opening in the firebox controls the levels of heat and smoke that enter the main cylinder. The escape of heat and smoke is then mediated by a butterfly valve within the vertical stack. The wood smolders, though; it does not blaze. Subsequently, Cardwell is a patient chef. With the internal temperature usually lingering around 200 degrees, the smoker’s cook times can range anywhere from eight to twentytwo hours depending upon the menu. “The key is to get that smoky flavor,” Cardwell said, “and you cook it so slow that it doesn’t get tough.” Like a rabbit out of a hat, Cardwell will smoothly pull the bones from a pork shoulder to demonstrate its tenderness. “It’s like it’s in butter,” he said. “Grilling and smoking is a healthy way to cook,” added Cardwell’s younger brother Wes, a mechanical engineering senior at Virginia Tech. The smoking process naturally trims the gristly, unwanted fat from the meat. Aside from pork, Cardwell has prepared a plethora of other unique meats including Alaska salmon, Georgia boar sausage, and Colorado elk. He’s even lined up more than 100 Cornish game hens. Cardwell is also sensitive to atypical diets, designating a vegetarian-safe section of the smoker. His personal favorite dish was two whole turkeys basted with a beer sauce. Commenting through e-mail, Duggleby said his favorite was the pulled pork, specifically noting Cardwell’s original sauce combining East Carolina vinegar and West Carolina tomato flavors. Preparing a tailgate feast begins the evening before a game. Cardwell affectionately tends to the smoker overnight. Cardwell rises before the sun to hitch the smoker to his truck for the short ride to campus. A friend joked that Cardwell

needs a bumper sticker boasting, “My smoker weighs more than your hybrid.” With the help of fiancee Robyn Shaffer, Wes, and a few others, Cardwell has The Hokie Smokes camp set up by 7 a.m. On good days, Cardwell estimates that 60 to 80 people filter through their tailgate for his highly regarded barbecue. After the smoker’s first season, though, it was clear that he needed a means of funding the endeavor. A talkative Texas native, Cardwell cherishes the general camaraderie Hokie football affords, and he didn’t expect his friends to empty their pockets. “I didn’t want it to be a business transaction,” Cardwell said of his tailgate. Someone brought to Cardwell’s attention the two-day Newport Agricultural Fair that takes place in August just eight miles from Blacksburg. The smoker flexed its muscles at the fair, and Cardwell sold out of barbecue both days. “It’s the only time that I ever thought I didn’t build a smoker big enough,” Cardwell said. Cardwell brought double the meat for year two only to have it swept away once more. By his third year at the fair, Cardwell had to hire several high school students to help his small group serve the masses. With the fair’s success, Cardwell has enjoyed several seasons of lavish tailgating. But with graduation on the horizon, the April 25 spring game will be his last hurrah with the smoker, and he is unsure about its future. With no shocks, it can’t safely endure Cardwell’s highway journey to Pennsylvania State University for his post-doctoral research. He’s been given offers for its purchase, but he only wants the tailgating tradition to continue. “I’m hoping to find that perfect person that’s crazy about Virginia Tech,” he said.

4 4

Sun,

Originally designed as an ‘80s Hairband tribute, TK421 has become locally known for its original rock song-writing. Show starts at 10 p.m. at Awful Arthur’s, 211 Draper Road. Cost is TBA.

International Week and Street Fair featuring food, arts, crafts, music and dancing from all over the world. Takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at College Avenue, Downtown Blacksburg.

YMCA sponsored hike around Angel’s Rest, a six-mile round-trip hike featuring steep ascents and sweeping views of the New River Valley; trail rated as very difficult. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at the YMCA Lancaster House, 403 Washingston St. SW; return time is targeted to be 5 p.m. Bring water, snacks and sturdy shoes.

Southern Mountain Square Dance. The New River Old Time Music and Dance Association is holding a community square dance from 8 to 11 p.m. at the YMCA Y-Center, 1000 North Main Street.

DJ Williams Projekt, a dynamic jazz-funk fusion band out of Richmond. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 9:30 p.m. at The Lantern Music Hall, 211 B Draper Road. Cost is TBA.

Free salsa lessons presented by Salsa Tech, holding three different sessions: Beginner goes from 6:30 to 7 p.m., intermediate from 7to 8 p.m., advanced from 8 to 9 p.m. Lessons to be held in the Old Dominion Ballroom in Squires Student Center.

Pnuma Trio, a scene-setting electronica, experimental, and hip-hop fusion. Doors open at 5 p.m. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. To be held in The Lantern Music Hall, 211 B Draper Road and costs $10 in advance, $12 day of show.

BETHANY BUCHANAN/COLLEGIATE TIMES

page 4

friday, april 3, 2009

Up in smoke: Junkyard barbecue smoker feeds gameday crowd

LooP in the

RYAN ARNOLD

Men’s Tennis vs. North Carolina. 3 p.m. at Burleson Tennis Center

Wondering what's going on around the 'burg? Check out the events of the upcoming week. Baseball vs. Wake Forest. 5:30 p.m. at English Field

Spiritual Rez at Lantern Music Hall, 211 B Draper Road. Seven-piece reggae horn funk dance party. Doors open at 5 p.m. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. Cost is TBA.

KYLE MAXEY/SPPS

4 4

Sun,

Originally designed as an ‘80s Hairband tribute, TK421 has become locally known for its original rock song-writing. Show starts at 10 p.m. at Awful Arthur’s, 211 Draper Road. Cost is TBA.

International Week and Street Fair featuring food, arts, crafts, music and dancing from all over the world. Takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at College Avenue, Downtown Blacksburg.

Southern Mountain Square Dance. The New River Old Time Music and Dance Association is holding a community square dance from 8 to 11 p.m. at the YMCA Y-Center, 1000 North Main Street.

DJ Williams Projekt, a dynamic jazz-funk fusion band out of Richmond. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 9:30 p.m. at The Lantern Music Hall, 211 B Draper Road. Cost is TBA.

BETHANY BUCHANAN/COLLEGIATE TIMES

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opinions 5

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

april 3, 2009

EDITORIAL

Notre Dame should embrace Obama at commencement Barack Obama’s scheduled commencement address at the University of Notre Dame this May, has received backlash from thousands of students and alumni who believe that the president’s views on abortion and stem cell research directly contradict Catholic teachings. The online petition has already gathered more than 200,000 signatures protesting the scheduled commencement address. Many assert that Obama’s pro-choice views threaten the conservative principles on which Notre Dame, a private Roman Catholic research university, was founded. The president of Notre Dame, The Rev. John Jenkins had extended the invitation for Obama to speak, an offering which he should not rescind. The fact that Notre Dame is a private, Catholic university makes the situation a bit trickier, however Obama is the president of the United States and graduating seniors, regardless of political affiliation, should be excited about the opportunity to see him speak. When President Bush came to Tech’s campus in the spring of 2007, many non-supports flocked to hear him speak, not because of their unwavering respect for him — or because their ideologies meshed perfectly — but because he was our country’s leader and an influential force in American politics. Obama’s stances on pro-life issues are what are causing much of the controversy. It’s not likely that Obama will use this address as an opportunity to force his ideals upon a group of diverse graduating seniors. Rather, if he chooses to take part in the commencement festivities, his address will likely provide graduating seniors with advice for going forward, forging their ways in the world, something he happens to know a little bit about, having graduated from Columbia and Harvard Universities.

Additionally, Obama has experience interacting with Catholic communities. He served as the director of the Developing Communities Project, a community organization originally composed of eight catholic parishes in the late 1980s. If Obama delivers the commencement address, he will become the ninth president in U.S. history to receive an honorary degree and the sixth to be the commencement speaker in Notre Dame’s history. Previous speakers have included Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. What’s interesting about this is that Reagan was divorced, an action that the Catholic Church doesn’t believe in, citing that a sacramental marriage is impossible to dissolve. Many also argue that during his time as president George W. Bush allowed the torturing of prisoners of war, another action the Catholic faith does not support. So far as president, Obama has expressed his commitment to extending health care and educational opportunities, particularly to the poor. These are actions that Notre Dame should look upon favorably in support of the university’s moral code. Allowing Obama to speak at commencement also establishes Notre Dame as a university that can respect people with alternate ideals. As every single student at Notre Dame is likely not conservative Roman Catholic, opening its doors to the leader of the free world to inspire students to greatness, is a decision that the university should embrace.

American foreign policy continues pattern of failure CHAD VAN ALSTIN regular columnist Did you all read about Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq? The plan calls for a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq, leaving 50,000 troops behind. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Fifty thousand troops sounds an awful lot like a complete occupation to me. With other harsh rhetoric from the Obama administration toward other nations of the Middle East, it seems supporters of Bush’s War on Terror can rest assured that Obama will continue this war of false flags and special interests. The media pounded it into America’s head: McCain pro-war, Obama anti-war. Take your pick. Those of us on the outside had already concluded ourselves that the differences between McCain and Obama were so trivial that it didn’t even matter the outcome — the war would surely continue. The removal of troops from Iraq gives the White House something to point at: deniability of the desire to continue the war. However, as American bombs begin to drop in Pakistan, it seems likely that American troops in Iraq are only going to be relocated. That is not a way to peace. I believe I have a withdrawal plan that the White House really should take a look at. My plan involves two simple steps: First, we load all of the American troops worldwide onto boats and planes.

Secondly, we bring them all back home to the United States. I know my plan is radical, but it really doesn’t need to be made more complex than that. There are two ways the American wars worldwide can end: We can leave, or we can be forced to leave. The government is very good at making problems seem more complex than they really are. It’s an old tyrannical tactic that allows the state time and room to do as it pleases, while emphasizing just how massive the problem is that they’re really up against. In reality, a voluntary withdrawal is less detrimental to our own nation’s safety than is a withdrawal by force. With the economic crisis back home, we will soon be forced to abandon our empire worldwide. The economic situation here in the United States isn’t fixable so long as this government continues spending the way it does. A bankrupt government should cut all unnecessary spending. On the top of that list should be any and all state funding overseas, including military spending. My fellow libertarians are well aware that Obama has no intention of abandoning our empire voluntarily. That would involve actual change. Instead, it seems that Obama just hates Afghanistan more than Iraq. Oh, and Pakistan is no longer our friend — they’re now the enemy. Yes, it’s the Axis of Evil consisting of Afghanistan and Pakistan that are the real threat to America. They are harboring terrorism. They are a threat to

our way of life. They hate blue jeans and Coca-Cola. They need democracy. It just seems like I’ve heard all of this before, except that it all turned out not to be true. I guess real change means that Obama has decided just to switch the enemy. Now that Obama has revealed himself to be a complete warmonger just like his predecessor, I wonder whether his formerly antiwar supporters will still follow him. If they do, they’re as guilty as the socalled conservatives who supported Bush through his dramatic shift in viewpoint. It’s American foreign policy — not Democrat or Republican foreign policy — that is dooming this country to poverty. Our foreign policy is expensive, and creates more antiAmerican feelings worldwide, which in turn could lead to more terrorists. It doesn’t make any sense to me, and it didn’t make any sense to Democrats during election time. Despite the fact that Obama is now into bailing out giant corporations and maintaining the United States empire worldwide, I still see students wearing his face on their T-shirts. Americans needs to stick to our values and demand that Obama end the wars now. All of them. If we expect this country to survive, we must be anti-war. The government isn’t changing; they’re just getting worse everyday. War will lead to more economic turmoil and loss of liberty at home. Obama will only support change if we make him.

Corporatizing education hurts faculty teaching and research

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PAIGE PINKSTON regular columnist In December of 2008, the Monitor on Psychology published an article concerning the “corporatization of higher education,” which discusses the loss of values of the educational system as a result of the increasing reliance on corporate relationships and funding. This concept treats a university as a business, professors and advisers as employees, presidents as CEOs, and students as customers. This treatment of education has been common for many years, especially in the athletic realm, but in the words of Harvard President Derek Bok, “What is new about today’s commercial practices is not their existence but their unprecedented size and scope.” University athletics have always been motivated by income, but this drive for profit is now intruding into the academic sectors, including teaching and research. This is realized by offering organizations the rights to sponsor certain courses, endow professorships, market their research, and as a result, to advertise on campus. This recent increase in the commercialization of education can be attributed to a number of factors, particularly the rise of consumerism, a diminution in public support for education, and the demand for accountability, as well as an inevitable decline in public funding as the country’s economy suffers. While substantial amounts of money are required to maintain and run a university, and a lack of federal funding necessitates other means of financial support, the question arises whether the consequences of commercialization are worth corporatization.

For instance, in a situation where the student is viewed as the customer, consumer satisfaction becomes paramount. The growing use of student evaluations causes professors to feel (largely correctly) that promotion or advancement depends on positive reviews, resulting in the professors’ struggle for popularity among their students. Unfortunately, this popularity is obtained not only through charisma, but grade inflation as well. Since the competitive nature of the job market and graduate school admissions has caused a willingness to sacrifice a thorough education for a high GPA, the majority of students easily overlook such problems. Corporatization also leads to certain money-saving techniques that may be detrimental to education. For example, the use of temporary employees unqualified for tenure (and therefore requiring a smaller income), in lieu of certified professors, is on the rise. Such workers currently comprise 68 percent of university faculty appointments. Further, when a university begins to rely too heavily on corporate funding, unethical sacrifices are often made. For instance, in the case of Nancy Olivieri, a doctor doing research for a university on certain drugs, a discovery was made concerning potentially fatal side effects of a drug she tested. However, because of the funding corporation’s financial interest in this particular drug, Olivieri was pressured to conceal her discoveries. When she refused, she was fired from the university. However, there are some suggestions toward ethical guidelines for corporatization. Instead of only student evaluations, universities should use reviews in combination with certain measures

of students’ learning to determine the quality of professors. Martin Heesacker, professor at the University of Florida, points also to the efficiency corporatization has caused. As universities struggle to conserve funds, courses, majors and even entire degrees have been cut if they are deemed unnecessary. Though Heesacker indicates such steps as advantageous, cutting programs is clearly a sacrifice in education, and therefore not necessarily positive. Ellen Mitchell of the Illinois Institute of Technology claims that such approaches “assume that what motivates people in the industrial world is similar to what motivates people in the academic world,” a notion with which she disagrees. Instead, professors and faculty in her opinion are more concerned with educational goals rather than financial ones, and therefore are not generally willing to make such sacrifices. Regardless of such disadvantages, the reality is that declining financial aid for higher education requires schools to raise money elsewhere in addition to increased efficiency or cost cutting. If this necessitates corporatization, then universities must corporatize carefully in order to avoid damaging consequences. This involves universities exploring all possible corporate collaborations to determine the most beneficial before getting involved with any business. This also entails increased involvement by both professors and students in deciding which partnerships best represent faculty interest and academic strength. With sturdy educational ideals unwilling to be sacrificed, a university has no excuse to compromise learning in the name of corporatizing.

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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.

april 3, 2009

Hvozdovic has strong family ties to Tech HATTIE FRANCIS

ct sports staﬀ writer Marra Hvozdovic of Herndon has already begun to mark her territory on Virginia Tech’s softball field. On March 8, the 5-foot-6 freshman outfielder stood tall against Western Michigan with a game-winning solo home run. It was her second roundtripper in as many days and helped give the Hokies their only run in a 1-0 victory. But the Hvozdovic name at Tech isn’t a recent trend. As a fourth-generation Hokie, Hvozdovic is surrounded by relatives on both sides of her family who have graduated from Tech. On her mother’s side, Marra’s great-grandfather, grandfather, uncle and mother all attended Tech. From her father’s side, her uncle, Mike Hvozdovic, and her father came to the New River Valley to receive their education as well. Marra is not the first in her family to participate in a varsity sport for the maroon and orange. Mike lettered in football from 196264. After spending 27 years in the Air Force, he and his wife decided to retire to Blacksburg. Mike strongly approved of Marra’s decision to come to school at Tech and play Hokie softball.

“I told her she’s coming to school to get an education, but enjoy it while she’s here,” he said. “While she’s here, I’d like to see her get her degree. That’s her number one goal.” Marra began playing softball early in life. She started in the second grade on a community-led league before playing competitively with an Ashburn-based travel team called Fire & Ice. Prior to her arrival in Blacksburg, Marra said that her primary accomplishments were achieved through playing at Herndon High School. “I finished with a pretty good high school career, and I improved every season,” she said. “My senior year we got to the district championship game and the regional championship game. We lost both, but we were there.” As her softball career continued, Marra had her eyes and heart set on playing as a Hokie. “I think it was the end of my sophomore year when I contacted (Virginia Tech),” she said. “I had been trying to get them to watch me, and not much attention was given to me. I was kind of told by my travel coaches to just forget it and look at other schools, even Division II or even Division III schools where I could start as a freshman.” Despite being discouraged from the idea of playing for Tech, Marra continued to contact them. “I actually came to a camp the summer between my junior and senior year,

and I met the coaches and they saw how I played,” she said. “That helped introduce me to the program. Everything beyond that was all me asking. I had to ask them if I could walk-on.” Of course, all of Marra’s persistence paid off as she walked on the Tech campus with a position secured for her on head coach Scot Thomas’s roster for the 2009 season. “The expectations of a walk-on vary to someone that we feel can come in a help us right away or maybe just a role player,” Thomas said. However, with a string of injuries, including one to starting center fielder Richelle McGarva in mid-February, Marra’s importance to the team increased. “I’m real proud of her,” Thomas said. “She works hard and she’s done a pretty nice job for us.” “She runs well, she’s very athletic and has some good softball skills,” he said. “She kind of stood out at camp to us, and we thought, ‘let’s give her a shot and see how it goes.’” Marra, who has started in 16 games this season, has set out a few objectives for herself and the team. “My goal this year was to letter, and I think I’m on my way to do that,” she said. “As a senior, before I leave, I’d like to win an ACC Championship in my four years because I’m kind of jealous of the classes that are above me that already have a ring. Some of them have

two rings and I’m really jealous of that.” If there is any one opponent that Marra has her eyeon , it would be “UVa, UVa, UVa,” she repeated. “Growing up as a Hokie, I strongly dislike UVa,” she said. “People that wear UVa colors on the Virginia Tech campus just annoy me. I just can’t stand UVa.” “I could live my whole life completely satisfied with never having to step foot on the UVa campus, but I have to,” Marra said. The inevitable came just recently. Marra had to step foot on that rival campus in Charlottesville for a threegame series with the Cavaliers on March 28 and 29. Hvozdovic also stated that the Florida State and North Carolina games will be big for the team. The Hokies face the Seminoles on the weekend of April 4 and the Tar Heels on the weekend of April 18. Thomas sees Hvozdovic as a mainstay in the lineup for those critical encounters and the rest of the season. “I expect her to continue to be a solid member of the team and take the opportunity that she gets to do the most with them,” Thomas said. “She’s starting to cut down on her strike-outs a little bit, which that’s a good thing. It’s just a matter of LUKE MASON/SPPS continuing to get her to settle into her position and be a productive member Marra Hvozdovic tags up from third base against Radford on March 24. Hvozdovic, a native of Herndon, is a fourth-generation Hokie. of the team.”

Howie, Gus and Clark make for March Madness entertainment extravaganza People said that the end of football season, the demise of our favorite jeanclad quarterback and the decreased visibility of Favre commercials meant the end of the Wrangler Blog. Wrong. This ain’t your father’s Wrangler Blog –– which can be viewed at collegiatetimes.com. Nope, Wrangler Blog 6.0 returns as a retooled satirical machine. THOMAS No more of that EMERICK crazed drivel about sports Favre being real editor comfortable, the American flag, random watering holes, along with off-putting commercials and moments during football games. Now we’re diving into the nitty-gritty — off-

putting commercials and moments during basketball games. We make the shift with Howie Long, a man who’s transformed from NFL great, to television analyst, to guy who stands around parking lots and harasses people in Chevrolet commercials. In case you haven’t seen it, he basically waits out in front of stores and makes pointedly condescending remarks about people who drive non-Chevy pickup trucks. You half-expect the motorist to turn around and lay down a little piece of his mind. That’s before the unsuspecting citizen slumps when realizes, “Oh, great, it’s Howie Long.” Just before his victim crawls dejectedly into his front seat, Long will usually throw in one last sneer accompanied with a line like, “Don’t forget your ‘man’ step,” regardless of whether the guy was finished packing his groceries. Despite viewing the commercial

about 90 times, I still feel that Howie’s long-held grin at the end somehow becomes more arrogant each time. If that’s what he was going for, it was a masterful job of acting in a comparative advertisement — so good, it caused my friend to remark, “Wow, that sounds like a truck for environmentallyfriendly people, but can I still get one if I’m not a jerk?” Nonetheless, any Chevy ad is infinitely less irritating when it doesn’t involve the jingle “This Is Our Country,” by John Selloutcamp. So, thanks Howie Long. Of course, all of these thoughts would’ve drifted to the recesses of my brain if it weren’t for CBS’ magical product. Few televised sporting events rope you into accidentally spending 10 straight hours a day with the tube quite like March Madness. Not that I don’t enjoy every moment before my bracket crashes and burns,

but four consecutive days of frontal lobe-numbing action makes the line between reality and hallucination a bit gray. With fiery play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson getting the shaft on close games, save for Michigan State-Kansas, I could hardly believe some of the thoughts coming from an extremely excited Clark Kellogg. Was he trying to emulate Gus or pick up the slack? Couldn’t say for sure, but we now know loud and clear that he’s a fan of Blake Griffin. At one point in the first half he raved something along the lines of, “TV does not do his body justice, myyyy goodness!” My immediate reaction: “Did that just happen? Uh, wow, we all love Blake Griffin, but…” Minutes later he interrupted this thought by coloring the hot hand of Syracuse guard Johnny Flynn with

“Little fellah starting to percolate!” “Eccentric or weird?” I wondered, then received multiple texts from friends about how they were going to do homework or head to a party, but now had to see where Kellogg wanted to take America next. Though, what turned my living room off on Saturday — as had been the culprit in past years — was ceaseless references to “New York City toughness.” This trivial term had been constantly applied to Pittsburgh guard Carl Krauser between 2004 and 2006 because, I guess, he’s from the Bronx. During the Connecticut-Missouri West regional final, color commentator Jay Bilas beat us senseless with the fact that Huskies’ guard Kemba Walker happened to hail from the Big Apple and how it translated to his monster crunch-time performance. Then, when Walker hit a flailing one-

handed bank shot to put UConn up by five in the final two minutes, how would Bilas slam this call home? “New York City toughness.” A friend of mine broke the living room silence: “That’s gotta be one of my least favorite forms of basketball analysis.” We then recalled how Krauser and Pittsburgh never got past the Sweet 16 and how — before this season — the University of Connecticut’s proximity to NYC hadn’t led them out of the first round since 2006. Bilas then came back at us with even more insight on Walker: “6-1 from the Bronx, no wonder he’s a McDonald’s All-American.” OK, maybe that makes Kemba Walker tough. But does it make him real? Will I be comfortable with this form of compliment? Perhaps only in the midst of writing another Wrangler Blog.

page 8

friday, april 3, 2009

In NL, Second City will ﬁnish ﬁrst RYAN TRAPP

ct sports staﬀ writer

NL EAST New York Mets Third time’s the charm, right? After two straight late-season collapses, there will be a different ending this time around. The biggest reason for their demise was due to the inability to close out games. New York solved that by bringing in single-season saves holder Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz. The revamped bullpen also helps preserve the energy of some of its starters, most notably Johan Santana. It also possesses two MVP-caliber players in shortstop Jose Reyes and third baseman David Wright. The only issues impeding this club are self-imposed. The Mets couldn’t seem to find a sense of unity. But Jerry Manuel seems to be the guy that can bring order to the team with his quiet nature, and it’ll be able to recover from back-to-back years of embarrassment. Philadelphia Phillies The 2009 edition of the Phillies return to the field with essentially the same lineup as last years World Series Champions. True, they’ve replaced outfielder Pat Burrell with slugger Raul Ibanez, but it won’t be enough for a division that got better over the winter. Their lineup is impressive. The infield trio of first baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Jimmy Rollins is as formidable as any in the game. But it’s their pitching that’s going to weigh them down. Staff ace Cole Hamels was untouchable in the 2008 playoffs. But apart from Hamels, their rotation lacks any power whatsoever. On top of that, Brad Lidge isn’t going to be the guaranteed save he was last year. It’s hard enough to go perfect once; no one can do it twice. Florida Marlins They have the potential to be the 2009 version of the Rays. They have one of the league’s youngest teams and a quality pitching staff that could see success if they can stay healthy. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez has become hands down the most talented player in the league. Pitching-wise, Josh Johnson showed ace potential after he returned from Tommy John elbow surgery last season and could team up with Ricky Nolasco to be a very effective one-two punch. Second baseman Dan Uggla has become a viable slugger, and rookie Cameron Maybin is looking to show his worth in center field. Most likely, the Marlins are a year or two away, but if pieces fall into place, they could make a playoff run. Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones is the face of the franchise 14 years later. But he’s the face

of a very different looking team. It’s pitching rotation has been completely redone with the addition of Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami. Prospects Kelly Johnson and Jordan Schafer have played well this spring, and it has added former Angel Garret Anderson to help platoon the outfield. The bullpen, one of its strengths, remained intact. A healthy Jones could mean the Braves contending for the NL East pennant that they won 14 straight times. Washington Nationals The NL East’s bottom-dwellers aren’t going anywhere new in 2009. They’ve made some moves in acquiring pitcher Daniel Cabrera and outfielder Adam Dunn to complement their abundance of young talent, but they won’t be contenders in what has become the National League’s most competitive division.

NL CENTRAL Chicago Cubs The long, painful wait may be over. Their bullpen took a hit when they lost Kerry Wood, but they mitigated it by signing Kevin Gregg. With Carlos Marmol as a strong set-up man, Woods’ absence won’t be noticeable. Mark DeRosa posted career numbers for the Cubbies last season and his versatility will certainly be missed, but their lineup is still formidable. Outfielder Milton Bradley was a solid pick-up. They also post a rotation that features Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster. Outfielder Kosuke Fukudome had a dismal second half of his rookie season, but he should bounce back strong. Another key cog in the Cubs’ lineup is Geovany Soto, who will look to follow up his Rookie of the Year campaign with another solid season behind the plate. The Cubs flamed out in three straight games against the Dodgers in the Division Series, but this year, they’ll shake off their postseason woes and finally reach the World Series. St. Louis Cardinals Two words: Albert Pujols. He was injured last year and still won an MVP award. Year after year, he proves he’s one of, if not the best players in baseball. He alone makes the Cardinals viable contenders. Pitcher Chris Carpenter is returning this season and is looking as strong as ever, not surrendering a single earned run in 19 innings this spring. Colby Rasmus, a five-tool stud, is making his way up to the majors this season to join Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick in a the outfield. The addition of shortstop Khalil Greene gives them some pop in their infield to complement Pujols. When it comes down to it, it’ll be Pujols leading the Cardinals to the Wild Card bid in his second consecutive MVP season.

Cincinnati Reds The Reds cut ties with sluggers Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, instead adding catcher Ramon Hernandez and choosing to rely on Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to fulfill the team’s power needs. They’ve acquired a deep outfield over the off-season that gives them several options. Pitching is where the team will thrive or collapse, though. Manager Dusty Baker worked ace Edinson Volquez hard last season and it paid off. Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Aaron Harang bring an abundance of talent, but consistency is still yet to be seen. The Reds will be a team to watch, especially if their pitching staff pulls it together. Milwaukee Brewers One of the league’s most exciting teams to watch last season has lost too much to repeat any of that magic this season. It lost two All Star pitchers in Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia, and didn’t gain enough in return. It did sign closer Trevor Hoffman, but he’s merely a shell of his former self at age 42 and is already having oblique issues this spring. Yovani Gallardo is the club’s ace, if he can bounce back from his injury-plagued season last year in which he only started four games. The Brew-Crew simply has too many holes to make another run at the postseason. Houston Astros When the biggest move made last off-season was acquiring a 36-year-old pitcher who had made just 13 starts over the past three seasons, things aren’t promising. They signed Mike Hampton to join a pitching rotation anchored by Roy Oswalt. But Oswalt has been the only consistent one of the group. Closer Jose Valverde raked in 44 saves last year, striking out 83 in just 72 innings. They finished third last year mainly due to first baseman Lance Berkman’s stellar play, but it’ll be hard to put up back-to-back seasons of that kind of production from a guy who’s had injury problems throughout his career. Pittsburgh Pirates At least the Steelers won the Super Bowl. The Pirates are desperately trying to snap a 16-season streak of sub-.500 finishes, but this year won’t be it. The LaRoche brothers — third baseman Andy and first baseman Adam — will continue to anchor the offense. They do receive some support in center fielder Nate McLouth, who started more games than anyone else last year. Apart from those three, the Pirates will just have to wait it out until their youngsters develop and their sporadic pitching can figure things out.

NL WEST Los Angeles Dodgers Manny Ramirez finally returns to

PHIL VELASQUEZ/MCT

Chicago Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano drives one against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, picked by many to win the National League pennant, have been swept out of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. the Dodgers’ outfield after months of negotiations. Ramirez is one of the most dangerous hitters in the division, and one of the best in the game. He joins one of the best offensive teams in the NL with outfielder Matt Kemp and catcher Russell Martin. LA’s pitching has a few question marks, and it’s unclear whether or not Chad Billingsley can live up to the expectations of being the No. 1 starter. Jason Schmidt remains a question mark too. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2007, but he may finally be able to produce again coming off of shoulder surgery. The bullpen — with closer Jonathan Broxton as well as reliever Hong-Chih Kuo — will be able to hold it afloat, though. Manager Joe Torre works magic everywhere he goes, as shown in his first season with the Dodgers. Behind Manny, LA can beat its division rivals with offense in what has become a pitching-heavy NL West. Arizona Diamondbacks The addition of Jon Garland could make their rotation even more lethal, especially when it’s combined with the effectiveness of ace Brandon Webb. Offensively, the team has a good balance of power and speed. Its young outfield of Chris Young, Justin Upton and Connor Jackson could all have breakout seasons, and slugger Eric Byrnes can wait for his opportunity to work his way back into the lineup. Stephen Drew is emerging as one of the best shortstops in the league and is becoming the team’s leader on the field as well. He’ll need to have a big year to make up for the loss of Orlando Hudson at second base, but the addition of the versatile Felipe Lopez

National League Predictions NL Champion: Chicago Cubs MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cy Young: Johan Santana, New York Manager of the Year: Jerry Manuel, New York

Rookie of the Year: Cameron Maybin, Florida ALEX FALLON/COLLEGIATE TIMES

should make that task a little easier. San Francisco Giants They have one of the best pitching rotations in the league and can play the small ball game really well. Adding on veteran Randy Johnson helps a rotation that includes Cy Young winner ecum and Matt Cain carry games over to closer Brian Wilson, who converted 41 of 47 save opportunities in 2008. Pablo Sandoval emerged as a very versatile player the second half of last season and could be ready for a breakout year. Getting a power hitter could help this team compete for the NL West crown, but it needs more work to build a team ready to compete for the playoffs. Colorado Rockies Rockies’ fans are still scratching their heads at the Matt Holliday trade. It’s curious for a team just two years removed from a World Series appear-

ance to trade away its All-World outfielder. It’s hard to see how this works out in any way for the Rockies, but they do still sport a team with a lot of young talent. Even still, Holliday’s numbers will just be too much to replace, and their pitching lacks the depth to post a strong enough home record in Coors Field in order to be competitive. San Diego Padres Things are ugly at Petco Park. They elected not to resign Trevor Hoffman, their closer of 16 years, and staff ace Jake Peavy wants out. The team was hurt more than any other by the lousy economy, forcing it to cut its payroll by $40 million last season. Its offense is dreadful. Apart from first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, it lacks any real firepower. It’ll be making itself comfortable in the cellar of the NL West for the foreseeable future.

COLLEGIATE ACADEMICS www.collegiatetimes.com

R S

N C S D Q HE U I G L E UE S T

O C

Course request process complex

Tech uses algorithm to schedule rooms

Incoming class sizes affect course request for years — by justin graves

Assignments determined mainly by classroom capacity — by justin graves

very semester, students begin to look at their academic plans, meet with academic advisers and select the classes they will be taking next.

The Office of the Registrar at Virginia Tech is the sole party respon-

sible for the phenomenon known as course request, one of the most stressful times for any student, especially upperclassmen. “There are two phases of registration here at Virginia Tech, and both are very important,” said Wanda Dean, university registrar. “Course request is key to departments being able to make good decisions.”

ith more than 175 general-purpose classrooms, 125 campus buildings and a 2,600acre main campus, you would think that

housing more than 28,000 students would be a breeze. But at the university registrar, several people are employed by Virginia Tech to make sure that each section of every class every semester is occupied. Scheduling classrooms is done through an algorithm principle that was purchased by the Office of the University Registrar at

Course request is no single event; it is more of a process. In order to

Tech. Through a sophisticated computer program, once course

request is complete, several bits of information are pushed into this

HokieSPA and select up to 19 credits of classes in which she would like

program, and it spits out the resulting classrooms assignments.

to enroll herself.

Marvin Foushee is the associate registrar, and Brynda Merritt is

Around nine months to the day that the timetable of classes is made available to students, the registrar’s office begins recycling the time-

the timetable and scheduling coordinator. “Each department has a profile of where they would like to be,”

table from last semester, and changing it for the coming semester.

Merritt said. “First of all, let’s say business would prefer to be in

Brynda Merritt is Tech’s timetable and scheduling coordinator.

Pamplin, but second choice is Williams or Davidson and third

“We start out asking the departments what they would like to offer,

would be Torgerson. This makes up the profile.

and we give them the opportunity,” Merrit said. “Through a banner

“Then, each classroom has a number of seats, so you have to

transaction, this information is entered online. We take that informa-

look at that number; some departments will be asked to be pre-

tion and do some manipulating and editing and send it back to them

assigned to a room due to technological needs,” she said.

see COURSE REQUEST, page two

see SCHEDULING, page two

page B2

friday, april 3, 2009

Faculty and students raise awareness, glasses at The Cellar TOPHER FORHECZ

ct features reporter After spotting a recent edition of the Collegiate Times that featured two different articles on its front page, one about library budget cuts and the other about a project to expand the gym, sociology graduate students Gary Wood, JP Mason, and Tugrul Keskin felt the need to mobilize.

“On a Friday happy hour or something like that I’ll have seven different departments represented in this upstairs from biologists, to education majors, to architecture (and) English — everything across the board.” - CHRIS JACKSON MANAGER, THE CELLAR “We were sitting at the celebration for the Iranian New Year at Squires the week before,” said Mason, “and (we) had a copy of the CT and the two articles were just stacked one on top of the other with the $1 million cut from the library and the $12 million expansion project at McComas.” “It was just too ironic. Boom. Boom,” Wood said about the paper while the four of us huddled around a table in Bollo’s mid-afternoon last week. To start, the trio sent out an email to various listservs and made fliers — which featured the picture of a professional weight lifter in one box and Albert Einstein in the other with an inscription under it that read, “What is your choice? Library or Gym?” This helped to sow the seeds for a discussion about an issue that the trio feels is pertinent to anyone studying at Virginia Tech or living in Blacksburg. “It’s important for everyone who is a member of this community, who is a member of this university. This is an academic institution,” Keskin said.

For a place to meet, the group decided to descend upon a downtown staple, The Cellar. On the night of the meeting, about 25 individuals congregated at the restaurant to express their concern about the university’s future plans. In the end, the community seemed to call for Einstein. “Yesterday, the university announced that in fact they are not going to make the cut because of expression of public sentiment about the issue, so rather than cutting $700,000 dollars from the budget ... They’re increasing the budget by $300,000 so the net gain is a million dollars for next year,” Wood said. “We’re still meeting because the issue isn’t going away. Budgets are cyclical, annually, and the priorities are still out of balance in my view.” Meeting at The Cellar to discuss hot topics or issues of any kind is something that has always been a part of the history of the establishment since its inception in 1963. According to manager Chris Jackson, conversation is encouraged by the very design of the restaurant. “The downstairs,” Jackson said, “was designed by architecture professors. It was designed as a space where you can have a conversation — so naturally we have a lot of architects and professor-like people simply because you can hold a conversation.” In the dim light of the downstairs floor of the Cellar, parts of the white roof connect to partitions in the wall opposite the bar and create small, intimate booths. There are tables and chairs everywhere as well as the opportunity to sit back, ponder, or drink. But, depending on what floor of the Cellar one sits, there are different atmospheres and constituents to encounter. “Upstairs is a little bit different from the downstairs,” Jackson said. “There tends to be an older crowd. It’s a little quieter, except when there’s music. I think it’s just about tables and chairs and being able to sit down with your friends. But, we definitely have our fair share of students.” And on certain nights, a microcosm of the university can all be found under the green awning.

DANIEL LIN/SPPS

Atila Sezen, right, a visiting scholar in civil engineering from Turkey, speaks with Tugrul Keskin, left, and Gary Wood, center, at The Cellar. “On a Friday happy hour or something like that,” Jackson said, “I’ll have seven different departments represented in this upstairs from biologists, to education majors, to architecture (and) English — everything across the board.” Throughout its history, the location has been a meeting destination for all types of groups from the Democratic Socialists of America during the ’80s and ’90s to the Coalition for Justice in South America. “The Coalition for Justice started out in the ’80s,” Wood said, “ … At

the time, they used to meet in The Cellar; we used to meet in The Cellar. One, it’s a cellar so there are certain atmospherics there. But again, well back then, maybe more people could smoke and they could have their beer and people could bang the table. It was sort of a public space. I think that people that were involved then in the Coalition for Justice in Central America, a lot of them were from the town, too; it was a community coalition, so it made sense.” Though recent success has been found in the library’s decision not

to cut budgets, the trio believes that there is still much more to discuss. “We want to want to continue to press the issue at the state legislature level because they’re partially responsible for our annual budget in that area. The overall issue … is that Virginia Tech’s ranking among research libraries at research institutions is very low. Near the very bottom. So the idea is to move into the top.” For now, questions about future plans for meeting and discussing university budgeting issues at the Cellar

hang in the air. The next scheduled meeting is at More Than Coffee. “We may,” Morgan said about meeting at The Cellar again. “It was just a little loud last week upstairs. We were expecting a smaller group, honestly. The number of people that showed up, yeah, it was a little bit loud.” Of course, this in no way means that another trip to The Cellar will be delayed. “We also have movie night tonight at the Black Cultural Center,” Keskin said. “After that, we are going to The Cellar.”

Technology plays massive role in class assignment from page one

from page one

COURSE REQUEST: PLANNING BEGINS MONTHS BEFORE STUDENTS FILE INTO BLACKSBURG about eight weeks later asking if this is an OK offer.” ”Once we get a clean copy of that, we begin the scheduling of classrooms,” she said. “That’s about a week to 10 days that we look for space and manipulate what space is available.” Marvin Foushee is the associate registrar and works very closely with the course request process. “We work about nine months in advance. For instance, the fall 2009 timetable was started in December,” Foushee said. “We take the existing file of the timetable, and we run a program that basically recycles that.” After the older classes are deleted from the database, the registrar begins to receive requests by department. “As a starting point, we have the previous year’s file, and then each department has about two to three weeks to make adjustments to that as they deem necessary,” Foushee said. “They may want to cancel a particular course or replace it with another.” The registrar then tells the departments the number of requests for the various sections they plan to offer. “They review that and gauge how much they will offer each class. We will then make changes to the offerings at that point,” Foushee said. “We then make the information available to students, and the student is then granted (access) to drop-add.” It is at this point that departments often open up more sections of courses, if possible, to accommodate exceptionally high demand. “Departments may hold spots in lower level classes for transfer and freshman students, seeing as their drop/add opens in July,” Foushee said. “We then work with the schedules and the various departments through the summer for returning students.” For the fall semester, drop-add typically re-opens during the first weekend of August for returning students. “Enrollment cohorts each year — if we have a large freshman class, then that bubble has to go through the system for the next four or five years. You have to take all things like that into consideration,” Dean said. Students often direct their complaints to the registrar when they don’t receive the class they wanted, and have to transition to the drop/add process of selecting classes. Foushee said that this isn’t justified. “We are just a support office. Class offerings are left up to the departments based on student demand, request and history. They may make changes to course offerings due to changes in demand, changes in check sheets, or new degree requirements,” Foushee said.

Course request must be run quickly, and in an organized manner to prevent the mass chaos that would arise from 28,000 full-time students trying to register for a minimum of 12 credits of classes each. Of course, some departments are larger than others. “The English and math departments are both quite large, they have to offer more sections than most any other department because, of course, most everyone has to take these kinds of courses while they are here at Tech,” Merritt said. “As far as number of students, we have a lot of people in psychology, first year engineering, chemistry, physics and biology classes.” When problems arise, there is a process in place, as well, to help avoid them or help correct students whose schedules may not be acceptable to them graduating on time. “We capture all the requests that departments have entered online and try to detect any problems that may come up.” Foushee said. “For example, if there is a special study course, such as a pilot course or introductory course, those have to be entered through our office, the University Registrar.” When it comes to the difficulties of making course request work, the varying courses coupled with scheduling and space availability in the classroom are some of the greatest challenges. “Each term is very independent of another. Fall 2008 is much different from fall 2009, mainly because there is a different population of students, and several courses change being deleted or added,” Foushee said. “One of the most difficult aspects of the process is the scheduling and the space because we’re limited on general classroom space,” Merritt said. “The demand in terms of the sizes of the classes doesn’t always match up with the room pool. Course request is vital to the university’s function of educating students, and developments are always being made. Although the registrar tries to accommodate the actual course over the preferred time of day, a majority of students get the classes they need to fulfill all requirements over the first four years. “Long range planning is going to be very critical, especially over the next few years. Every year it becomes more challenging as the university grows. When you add budget constraints, the challenges are more particular,” Dean said. “Course request is a data gatherer; it doesn’t make decisions. All 70 departments have to communicate with us to make sure it is effective and we get all of that data.”

Number of classrooms on campus by capacity Capacity

# of Classrooms

15 18 20 25 30 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 52 55 57 58 60 64 65 68 70 72 75 80 82 92 94 100 112 116 128 130 144 150 177 200 208 264 300 330 547

2 1 1 1 2 7 1 3 10 2 1 2 3 29 8 1 5 7 2 13 6 5 4 5 1 2 10 2 1 2 5 4 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1

Subtotal 15-29 capacity: 5 classrooms

30-39 capacity: 31 classrooms

40-49 capacity: 71 classrooms

50-59 capacity: 17 classrooms

60-69 capacity: 15 classrooms 70-79 capacity: 10 classrooms 80-89 capacity: 2 classrooms 90-99 capacity: 3 classrooms

100+ capacity: 18 classrooms

SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES

SCHEDULING: TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS A FACTOR IN CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS “So they will sometimes stay there even without capacity. For example, engineering needs outlets, the math department prefers flat services or (has) needs for A/V projectors.” Wanda Dean is the university registrar and says that the algorithm principle is very sophisticated and looks at several reasons why a class can or can’t go in a certain space. “Scheduler 25 is a program that many institutions use, and its main function is optimizing,” Dean said. “It looks at patterns of behavior as far as use of courses. If we can’t fill every classroom, that’s not using our resources to the best of our ability, and that’s what we need to do.” “The purchased package we use to do our scheduling runs on an algorithm principle, and we capture all requests that departments have made based on the size of the courses,” Foushee said. “For example, if you want to have two large sections of general classes, like introductory psychology, you need a 500-student capacity classroom.” Foushee notes, however, that Tech is limited on the amount of space to offer such a large course. In that event, departments and instructors sometimes will have to change the sections that they wish to teach. “In that case, instructors will put in the capacity of different sections that they’d like to teach — basically an ‘I Wish’ list for requests of rooms,” Foushee said. If there is more than one request for a room for particular time of day, a negotiation must take place. With all that said, all departments submit the time, capacity, instructor and preferred location to the registrar, and the assignment is then chosen randomly. “We try to place each class as departments have requested at the requested time of day,” Foushee said. “We then record the ones that could not be placed and negotiate with scheduling. This takes about a week or two, and then, for the spring semester, between late January and through the first of March, we try to place each class this way.” Contrary to popular belief, instructors do not submit their own requests of when to teach; this process is done through a liaison in their department who works with the registrar’s office. “Departments may ask professors or basically tell them when they are going to teach, the size of their classes and the preferred location,” Merritt

said. “The departments that have more choices are naturally more difficult.” As far as instructors go, the most popular space to teach is often in the same building as their office. On the other hand, for some, time is more important. “Some instructors will go anywhere if they can just get their classes back to back,” Foushee said. “Some are very accommodating and will clump their classes together.”

“The purchased package we use to do our scheduling runs on an algorithm principle, and we capture all requests that departments have made based on the size of the courses.” - MARVIN FOUSCHEE ASSOCIATE REGISTRAR One of the biggest obstacles toward the end of the process is the fact that classrooms often switch locations last minute. “Most often the reason for this is the capacity of the classroom and enrollment increasing through force-adds,” Foushee said. “Then some instructors will request to switch with other instructors out of convenience.” Technological concerns are also a reason for classrooms switching immediately before or during the first week of classes. “Most requests are centered on technology from the faculty,” Foushee said. “Most rooms do most things now, but of course some are still on the queue that don’t have the video data projectors. But the highest demand for a room switch would be room capacity.” Budget cuts have made some departments increasingly worried over the past year or so, and these effects will most likely continue to play out. “We have to make a lot of adjustments for people’s budgets as well,” Merritt said. “Sometimes they lose professors, and everybody is going to have cuts in different areas. They may have to offer fewer courses or they may have to adjust them so they can teach two courses of 40 in one hour, but at the same time, instead of separately.”

page B3

friday, april 3, 2009

With impending budget cuts, retirement plays a role ZACH CRIZER

Age

ct news reporter A quarter of Virginia Tech’s tenured faculty members are over the age of 60, and with budget cuts looming, the university must take a careful approach to faculty management. Patricia Hyer, associate provost for academic administration, said the university monitors the age of faculty only from the perspective of maintaining a stable staff. “We look at it as a way of keeping the work force replenished,” Hyer said. “There is always an issue of moving a department forward.” That task has become more difficult for Richard Sorensen, dean of the Pamplin College of Business. With recent university budget cuts, his college has had to change how faculty members are hired. Typically, a departing tenured faculty member is replaced through a recruiting process. “We have about 135 faculty members,” Sorensen said. “Normally there are anywhere between six and 12 faculty job searches going on at any given time.” Sorensen said budget reductions have halted the recruiting process. The College of Business must now look for different ways to fill teaching positions. “We need to look to continuing appointments,” Sorensen said. “In the short term, it reduces even more our ability to teach classes.” Currently, 10.7 percent of Tech’s tenured faculty, the highest paid group of faculty members, is over the age of 65. Another 17.6 percent are between the ages of 60 and 65. Sorensen said planning on retirement is not a useful strategy in the case of university faculty. “We don’t automatically assume anybody is going to retire at a certain age,” Sorensen said. “We depend on them to tell us.”

“We have dealt with some of our budget reductions by offering early retirement incentives.” - PATRICIA HYER ASSOCIATE PROVOST FOR ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION

James Robertson Jr., professor and Director of the Virginia Civil War Center, said the typical retirement age for other professions does not weigh on his mind. “As long as I feel good and enjoy what I am doing, I see no reason to retire,” Robertson said.

>65

Senior Management Agriculture & Life Sciences Architecture & Urban Studies College of Business College of Engineering College of Science College of Veterinary Medicine Executive Administration Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Natural Resources VP & Dean for Undergraduate Ed VP National Capital Region Vice President for Research Vice Provost - Outreach University Total Hyer said being a university faculty member is different from many other occupations in retirement age and in the way the job is vacated. “Being a faculty member is much more than a job,” Hyer said. “It is a way of life.” However, Hyer said the university has a wealth of junior faculty members who have not yet attained tenured status. “We actually have more issues right now with absorbing and mentoring our junior faculty.” Hyer said the surplus of junior faculty is actually the result of major budget cuts in 2002 and 2003. “We have dealt with some of our budget reductions by offering early retirement incentives,” Hyer said. In the fall of 2003, the university employed 279 tenure-track junior faculty members, and 983 tenured faculty members. In fall 2008, there were 383 tenure-track junior faculty members, an increase of 104. Meanwhile, the tenured faculty only increased by 30. Sorensen said the early retirement incentive program did not benefit his college. “It was done on a strictly voluntary basis,” Sorensen. “It wasn’t targeted. In some cases, you found it was the higher performing faculty that took advantage.” Robertson said they simply gave those thinking of retirement an easier decision. “For people who are ready to retire, it’s a great incentive,” Robertson said.

60-65

50-60

40-50

Senior Mgt. Total

<40

Faculty

12 9 13 21 23 3

7.5 11.4 16.0 8.9 14.8 5.8

30 15 13 35 29 10

18.6 19.0 16.0 14.8 18.7 19.2

42 5

20.5 13.2

43 20 19 68 38 6 3 43 8 1

26.7 25.3 23.5 28.8 24.5 11.5 37.5 21.0 21.1 100.0

3.7 6.3 4.9 11.4 5.8

12.7

43.5 38.0 39.5 36.0 36.1 63.5 62.5 42.9 60.5

6 5 4 27 9

70 30 32 85 56 33 5 88 23

6 2

2.9 5.3

50.0 1

50.0

1 1

50.0 50.0

180

17.6

42 4

41.5

249

24.4

5.8

1 109

100.0 10.7

The incentive packages varied, but Sorensen said some provided 50 percent of the departed faculty member’s salary for two years. The current round of budget cuts produced a different response. “The deans said they really did not feel they could afford early retirement incentives,” Hyer said. Sorensen said his college has asked the Provost’s Office for financial assistance in paying faculty. The Pamplin College of Business contributes more than $2 million to the university from outside programs. He said retiring tenured faculty would not be replaced in the near future. Among other colleges that could face high numbers of retiring faculty are the College of Science and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Hyer said the emeritus faculty program is often used as a transition tactic. “Many of those faculty members who want to stay connected to Virginia Tech can. Some get rehired to teach for the university,” Hyer said. “It’s helpful for the faculty and it’s helpful for the university.” The program allows retired faculty members to continue some duties with the university. “From time to time, those people are asked to continue a teaching load at the university,” Sorensen said. However, state retirement packages restrict the use of emeritus faculty. “The person cannot be rehired in the same role,” Sorensen said. “Their role has to be somewhat different.”

Faculty 161 79 81 236 155 52 8 205 38 1 2 2 1 1021

Virginia Tech faculty: Then and now

Charles Steger, University President, 1988

Frank Beamer, Head Football Coach, 1969

Thomas Tillar, Vice President of Alumni Association, 1969

Steger

Beamer

Tillar SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES

Through STS, science joins forces with philosophy GABRIEL MCVEY

ct news staﬀ writer Questioning the value or usefulness of science may be the closest thing the modern world has to heresy. In a world of continuous scientific progress and technological ubiquity, it can be difficult to properly gauge the extent of science’s effect on society outside of isolated, high profile, contentious issues. As easy as it can be to get lost in the weeds of stem cell research or cloning, Virginia Tech’s Department of Science and Technology in Society looks to demystify that very matter. “STS examines the effect science has on society and vice-versa,” said philosophy professor Joe Pitt, who works with the STS program. “We examine how scientific knowledge is generated, (and) whether we’re justified in that knowledge.” STS is an interdisciplinary program, examining science and technology’s effect on society from a variety of perspectives — history, philosophy, sociology and other fields not usually associated with science to create a more complete picture. “STS is an interdisciplinary arena as opposed to a scientific discipline, which is defined by dominant theories or approaches to its subject matter,” said Gary Downey, a professor of STS. “We teach a variety of approaches to a question.” That question pertains to the interplay between scientific and technical progress on one hand and the moral, ethical and social implications of those advancements on the other. “There’s a complex interaction between what I call ‘social technologies’ and the generation of scientific knowledge,” Pitt said. “If the National Science Foundation decides to fund one type of research and not another — that creates knowledge in one area and not the other.” That kind of interplay between the various spheres of influence creates a more complete understanding of how scientific knowledge is created and how it affects human society. “As an arena, (STS is) defined

more by a problem, a question and people come to it — both with different topical interests and different theoretical expertise,” Downey said. “In part, the field follows trends. For example, it used to be the case that physics was the dominant science and now genetics is dominant.” The fields of inquiry used within the STS program can be as broad as the environmental effects of new technologies and bioethics to the history of science within Medieval Islam — an approach taken by one STS student. “My area gives us a window into the lost, so-called “Golden Age” of Islamic scientific revival in the 7th through the 12th centuries,” said Najma Yousefi, an STS Ph.D. student. “Helping to understand that can help us understand the inferiority complex in the Arab and Muslim mind when they compare themselves to the West.” Doris Zallen, another STS professor and a former geneticist, agreed with Downey’s assessment of STS’ mission and method. “The goal in STS is to be a part of the evaluation; we can provide a balance to the scientists,” Zallen said. “In the long run, it’s good for scientists to hear these other trained voices who are experienced at looking at the impact of science on society and society on science.” The intersection of these worlds is an inevitable result and needs to be studied and, where possible, addressed, Downey said. “We argue that in a scientific or technical arena, there are always non-technical dimensions,” Downey said. “For those people who are trained in the sciences or engineering, those dimensions are seen to be irritations, but we take them and assert they are key constituent elements of the problems that are being addressed.” Downey said that interplay does indeed work both ways, with social interest being a principal informant as to what areas concern contemporary STS most. That two-way approach can be very informative in fully understanding the scientific disciplines.

“When we ask, ‘What is science?’ we can’t simply say, ‘What scientists do’ because scientists raise children, they teach.” Pitt said. “Scientists petition for more money, they have power plays; there’s internal politics that affect how and what kinds of scientific knowledge they generate.” Even STS is affected by the human interest factor in society. “STS as a field follows societal issues,” Downey said. “If we’re going to solve a problem, we have to know what society considers a problem.” Zallen said it’s important not to misunderstand STS; it’s not an attempt to find fault with science itself. “I think scientists want to do the right thing, they want to help, and basically there’s always a sense that this will be useful to others and an ethical intent,” Zallen said. Sometimes, however, simple human impulses can lead to moral justifications and a kind of blindness to consequences borne of good intentions. “If you’ve worked for 10 years on something, and you’ve dedicated yourself to it, and you’ve pushed this knowledge to a particular point, you may be so driven by the goal that you don’t give enough attention to the ethical dimensions,” Zallen said. “You mean well, you say, ‘This is good stuff, and it’ll do a lot of good in the world, so let’s push it.’” Zallen said many people misunderstand science as something much more rigid than it actually is, and that misunderstanding leads to various problems. “It’s a construct — a product of the scientific revolution, its particular features have been historically molded,” Zallen said. “Scientists chuckle at philosophers who think this is all building to some theory, but the ‘play’ in the lab is what I miss the most.” STS emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as a response to awareness among the public and officials that there was a communication breakdown between people trained in scientific and technical fields and those trained in social sciences as well as policymakers.

“Starting in the ’30s, we saw history and philosophy of science emerge as fields of study, and by the ’50s, we saw sociology start to play an important role,” Pitt said. “But these were within their respective departments, not talking to each other, and their results weren’t satisfactory.” “At the same time, in the ’60s and ’70s, science and technology were coming to be seen as societal problems … how do we solve problems involving science and technology?’” Downey said. “There’s a sense among universities that society needs people who can help it solve scientific and technological problems that have technical and non-technical dimensions.” The STS graduate program has tracks in history of science and technology, philosophy of science, social and cultural studies, as well as policy studies. “When I was a student of economics, I started to examine the history of science in the Muslim world as a way of better understanding the current economic situation there,” Yousefi said. “When I was discussing this with my adviser, Professor Pitt, he said to me, ‘That’s your area; that’s what you should be studying.’” Yousefi said his current studies have proved far more applicable than his former approach. “I’m training to go into the academy, but STS could as easily put a student in a policy-making job or back into private industry,” Yousefi said. What seems to unite the members of the STS faculty is a similar feeling that the dominant paradigm within their respective fields didn’t address the problems posed by the interaction of scientific advancements and their implications for the social order. “Some of us have come from the real world of science. As a geneticist, some questions were raised when I moved from the genetics of algae — the green scum on ponds — to human genetics,” Zallen said. “As I moved into that field, a number of ethical issues arose in my work … I found that the man who thought he was the biological father was not

providing genes to the baby.” Zallen said she found other unexpected responses to new scientific tools, which caused her to question her basic assumptions. “There were questions when I was developing genetic tests and whether or not people wanted to use them,” Zallen said. “I was killing myself coming up with information and people were saying, ‘We’re not going to use that.’” “When I looked further, they had good reason,” Zallen said. “It wasn’t that they were anti-science or too dumb to get was I was saying; sometimes the test can tell you, and sometimes it can’t — you’re given a range: it could be 12 percent it could be 25 percent; is that enough to be of any use to you?” Downey also found his technical training wasn’t enabling him to untangle important social issues posed by science, in particular nuclear power. “I was trained initially as a mechanical engineer,” Downey said. “As an undergraduate I got interested in public controversies over environmental issues.” “I could understand arguments from both proponents and opponents of nuclear power,” Downey said. “What I couldn’t understand was why they were fighting.” Eileen Crist, an associate professor with STS studies biodiversity issues and finds the implications of extinction highly relevant to society. In 2003, Crist wrote in Wild Earth that the loss of half the Earth’s species might not be disastrous for humans, but would result in the loss of uninvestigated medicines, products and food sources. “The crucial question is not whether a world with less variety and richness is viable, but rather, who would want to live in such a world?” Crist said. STS trains students to work in both of those communities and between them, acting as a type of interpreter. “The problem for the field is that you have people trained in some environment who don’t know that what they need is someone who

can mediate between technical and nontechnical fields — so you don’t have recruiters coming from corporations, nonprofits or government saying, ‘We need STS people to help mediate our technical people and our nontechnical people,’” Downey said. This lack of understanding leaves STS graduates to have to make their own case. “STS people have to sell themselves, they have to compete for positions in nonacademic environments by demonstrating we have a capability from which you would benefit,” Downey said. Downey said students leaving the STS program enter academia, public policy groups, nonprofits and private industry. “People who come out of this graduate program are very good at interacting with people across the whole range of capabilities and competencies; they’re good at talking to technical people about technical stuff and non-technical people about non-technical stuff,” Downey said. The end result is someone ready to work in both the technical and nontechnical fields of these overlapping worlds and address their problems. “I say that these people lead, because through work in STS one becomes — in a way — triply schizophrenic: through historical work involving the emergence of some technical issue, through philosophical work and social or cultural or political science they understand the non-technical dimensions of that issue,” Downey said. That leadership has netted results in the past, as scholarly concern has caused scientists to reevaluate ongoing research. One such example was research into genetic recombination, which was halted for two years while scientists evaluated the state of the research and its ethical implications, Zallen said. “They knew there was some great value from studying recombination, from putting genes from one organism inside another to study that gene,” Zallen said. “They also knew they needed to examine the possible implications.”

page B4

friday, april 3, 2009

Potential courses must prove their worth to many RYAN TRAPP & PHILIPP KOTLABA

ct news staﬀ Virginia Tech offers about 4,000 courses in scores of undergraduate degrees every semester, and this summer, Virginia Tech will add 15 new courses to its undergraduate and graduate students. An extensive process in place to deal with curricular changes means that each and every significant modification in a course must survive a long approval process before it can take a foothold in the university curriculum. Many of these courses take years before they come to fruition. One such course is Graphic Statics for Architects, one of the 15 new courses to be offered this summer. Created by Assistant Professor Mark Schneider, the architecture course has been in the making for quite some time. “The course is related to research I’ve done since my Ph.D. and something I’ve been working on intensely the past five years,” Schneider said. “Many professors choose to create

courses based on their experience, so there’s a lot of research prior to the course being made.” Other “special study” courses, pilots that, if successful, may make it into the regular curriculum, include a course on cancer biology and two intellectual property law classes designed to help prospective law students majoring in the sciences. Faculty members, spurred on by an evolving job market or a unique area of expertise, usually come up with the new ideas. “Faculty members will come in with an expertise that’s not already represented here, and want to share that with students and build that into the program,” said Jill Sible, associate dean in the college of science. Creating a college course is a procedure slightly less complicated than the process of a bill becoming a law. A faculty member first submits the course idea to their department chair for approval. Once granted, a course proposal form must be completed and sent to the Curriculum Committee within the course’s respective college. If the committee accepts the request, it enters a 15-day review process in which a copy of the proposal is sent

out to all nine colleges where an internal committee or faculty member with a background in the course area reviews the material and may express concerns or offer suggestions for changes and improvements. All the colleges must clear the request before it is then sent to either the Graduate Curriculum Committee or the Committee on Undergraduate Curricula, depending on the level of the course. Each college curriculum committee is made up of representatives from each constituent department. “It might not be approved as is,” said Marvin Foushee, associate registrar. A variety of details, such as course numbering, syllabus sections, and other points need to be double- and triple-checked for compatibility with rules and regulations. “We really try to make sure that any proposal that goes through the college level conforms to the guidelines beyond so that’s not going to get set back. We’re really just trying to ... make sure that those proposals look good, meet with all the rules and regulations, and that they’ll hopefully sail through at the next level,” Sible said.

“A lot of it’s just coordination,” Sible said. For example, if a new course has a prerequisite in another department, that department will be notified to make sure it can handle the extra load of anticipated students. “You don’t want to make a new course or a new program and then find out the students can’t actually take it because they can’t get their prerequisite or something else. I don’t think there’s ever a lot of real serious intellectual or academic issues,” Sible said. Because programs must be self-sustaining, “there’s usually a statement in most of the proposals that says, ‘No new resources will be required,’” Sible said. Often, resources are made available by dropping a previous, more outdated course to make way for a significantly revised, new course. In one case, the College of Science offered a course dealing with modern instrumentation that hadn’t been updated since 1987. “Clearly, it needed some changes to bring that topic up to something that was truly modern in instrumentation — and there were a bunch of other changes,” Sible said.

Upon clearing the vote there, it’s then sent off to the final stage of the course approval process, to the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies or Commission on Undergraduate Studies and Policies where it is given the chance to be approved; once it passes, it’s a class. Undergraduate level courses must receive approval from both the CUSP and CGSP in order to receive university credit. “This year resources are low so we may have seen a lower number of course proposals,” said GCC and CGSP member Francois Elvinger. “But on a typical basis the committee receives about 50 course proposals for approval annually.” “Due to the current budgetary reductions for institutions of higher learning in Virginia, is the number of proposals expected to die down? It may, and we haven’t seen that happen yet, because these are just budget cuts on paper that are starting to be manifest. But it could happen,” Sible said. The effect is already being manifested in some areas. In what might be foreshadowing of years ahead, 118 fewer courses than last year will be offered for the 2009

summer terms, according to Michael Herndon, director of summer sessions. “Sometimes some of the smaller courses do get lost in budget cuts,” Sible said. There is cause for optimism. “Even when times are hard, that’s not necessarily the case that institutions don’t do new things,” said Joe DeFilippo, director of academic affairs at SCHEV. He sees the current situation as one with potential for cutting old programs and ushering in newer, more competitive offerings. In addition, stimulus funds headed to the university may blunt the impact of current reductions. “Even if we were able to have $200,000 in funds” for the summer sessions “that would significantly put down the deficit,” Herndon said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if we basically don’t discern any real difference in the pattern (of proposals) over the next couple of years for those reasons — but we may,” DeFilippo said. “I don’t think anyone clearly understands what exactly the implications are going to be for higher education.”

New degree programs face university, SCHEV approval RYAN TRAPP & PHILIPP KOTLABA

ct news staﬀ Any proposals for new majors must satisfy several fundamental requirements long before they are even considered, much less implemented. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, which has the last word on new degrees, lists documented demands, adherence to standards and financial self-sustainability as necessary requirements. Virginia Tech holds similar expectations for new courses, although they do not fall under SCHEV’s jurisdiction. Once new courses or minors pass through the university curriculum committee, they are de facto approved. However, new majors and degrees must be considered at the next level, by the SCHEV, the body with the ultimate authority to “approve all new programs of public institutions of higher education,” said Joe DeFilippo, its director of academic affairs.

After being passed by the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies or Commission on Undergraduate Studies and Policies, the program request is sent to University Council, which meets on it twice. Following the original meeting, the request can be edited or altered to fix any faults the council sees in its design. In the second meeting, the council will officially vote on the request. If endorsed, it then is sent to the Board of Visitors for one final stop within the university. If the board approves the program, it is sent to SCHEV, which will give final approval of the program. “SCHEV typically takes about three months to review a program,” said Commission on Graduate Studies and Polcies member Francois Elvinger. “They need to look at the need for a program within the state and whether it’s required. Some other colleges in Virginia may offer the same program, which negates the need for one here.” The staff at SCHEV will work very

closely with the university to ensure that all the necessary documentation is completed. They will also ensure all information pertinent to the program creation is collected, such as the projected student enrollment, the level of the degree program, whether other colleges in the state are offering the program, and who within the university will oversee its operation. After the staff at SCHEV collects all the information and forms, the request is submitted to the council along with the staff’s recommendation for which course of action the council should take in regard to the request. The 11member council meets for two-day sessions every other month, where it reviews all requests and vote for final approval or denial. As such, all proposals already approved at the university level and submitted to SCHEV must include information supporting the degree’s viability in each of the requisite categories. To determine whether enough demand is present to support a new degree at Tech — or any other state

public institution of higher learning — SCHEV turns to employers, as well as students. The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Virginia Employment Commission provide data on the needs of employers statewide and nationally. Student surveys can provide valuable insights into students’ demands. Alternatively, if a course listed in the university timetable has a cap of 50, and 400 people request it, “we could expect those remaining would accept it,” said Michael Herndon, director of university summer sessions. In short, the data must show how the university “have an empiricallybased reason for thinking that people will want to enroll in this degree program,” DeFilippo said. Additionally, if the program is subject to accreditation, the data must also “demonstrate (that) it adheres to the standards of the accrediting body.” Select faculty members within universities are responsible for making sure the institutional requirements are met. Doctoral programs involve yet an extra step, an external review team

from SCHEV. Overall, “sometimes there’s some very picky things, but they really want to make sure that everything’s very consistent as it goes through. So things will come back for that, but they’ll sail through the next time,” said Jill Sible, associate dean in the College of Science. “We’re not in the business of grading the quality. We don’t say this is going to be an ‘A’ program or a ‘B’ program,” DeFilippo said. “It’s more like you want assurance that the program is in academic terms in keeping with the normal standards of quality in the field.” Not all programs make it through. “Every year, there are a few programs that get set back to completely redo, and of those, some institutions basically drop the idea,” DeFilippo said, noting, however, that those cases are only a small minority. A recent example of a SCHEVapproved degree is the College of Engineering’s master of information security assurance degree. “The number of requests we

receive ranges anywhere from 15 to about 25,” said Assistant Director for Academic Affairs and Student Programs at SCHEV Monica Osei. “We did not receive any request from Virginia Tech last year, but the council has approved Tech’s request for a master’s level program in information security assurance at the March 9 Council meeting.” Osei notes that degree programs in engineering, sciences, and technology disciplines have appeared frequently in the requests they receive from institutions across Virginia. After the council approves the degree program, the university is expected by the council to begin the program on the initiation date given on the degree program proposal. “Once the degree program is initiated at the university, majors, tracts, concentrations, etc. can be created under the degree program by the university,” Osei said. The master’s degree program in Information Security Assurance, should be initiated this fall.

Separate academic support open to students, athletes RYAN TRAPP

ct staﬀ writer Across campus, there are several resources available to help Virginia Tech students through a variety of personal or academic problems. The Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence and the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services are two programs that have become cemented in the culture of Tech and the Tech student. CAEE has become the largest academic support program on campus. Based out of Femoyer Hall, CAEE offers Tech students assistance in college academics and lifestyle. CAEE provides a variety of programs that cover everything from the transition from high school to college, learning assistance and academic excellence. “We can provide academic support as well as help with study skills and personal behaviors,” said Barb Weimerskirch, CAEE’s assistant director for learning assistance programs. “We hold seminars on everything from time management to test taking as well as offer tutoring to the students.”

“Students need to know that there are people out there who can help with whatever difficulty they may be facing.” - BARB WEIMERSKIRCH ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, CAEE Through the center’s Web site, students can create an individual appointment with a tutor from a specific course. The tutors consist of enrolled undergraduate students who have taken the course previously and excelled in their knowledge of the material and are handpicked by CAEE’s administration. “We are a very strong academic resource that can help with pretty much any problem a student may have,” Weimerskirch said. “Students need to know that there are people out there who can help with whatever difficulty they may be facing.” Student-athletes have a very extensive academic support program available to them, too. The Student-Athlete Academic Support Services provides tutoring, study hall, mentoring and computer lab access to all varsity athletic programs at the university.

The SAASS is headed by newly appointed director Jermaine Holmes, who came to the university January 12 after a four-year tenure as Ohio State’s assistant director of SAASS. SAASS is responsible for developing and implementing programs and services to facilitate student-athletes’ academic achievement, retention and graduation. “All first-year athletes are required to participate in study hall, regardless of sport,” said Katie Ammons, one of the program’s Academic Coordinators. “After the first year, it’s based on their GPA whether they have to or not, but many students continue to take advantage of our services.” The study hall sessions provide the student-athletes with a calming environment where they can work with a tutor or just study on their own. Although each team manages it’s own study hall time; the SAASS provides the resources and programs to guide student-athletes to academic success at the university. Holmes is in charge of a team of 11 staff members that includes two learning specialists, an administrative assistant, an intern and six athletic coordinators who are each assigned to oversee the SAASS operations of certain sports. The SAASS also employs anywhere from 80 to 100 tutors. “We receive a majority of our budget from Provost and some from the athletic department,” Holmes said. “We have a specific budget like all organizations on campus, and we haven’t been immune to the economic downturn and have had to give some of our resources back.” But that’s not to say the SAASS is not providing student-athletes with valuable guidance and help. “We offer many of the same things to the athletes that the regular students have available to them,” Holmes said. “But we also focus particularly on time managements skills. The athletes have to balance academics with practice time, training, film sessions and games; it’s almost like having a second full-time job” The SAASS focuses on keeping athletes up with both the NCAA and Tech regulations and is used by student-athletes throughout their stay at the university. “The athletes can benefit in the knowledge that there are people holding them accountable to their academic performance,” said Ammons. “But they can turn to us with questions, and we can provide them with guidance.”

HANNA TEACHEY/SPPS

Ed Wang, a redshirt senior left tackle, a residential property management major, receive counseling assistance from Sarah Armstrong, the Assistant Director of Student Athlete Academic Support Services.

page B5

friday, april 3, 2009

Newman Library seeks support for Mental health improvements with research universities

concerns alter FERPA rules Directory information explained Directory information is defined as information that can be released without prior written permission. Virginia Tech defines the following as directory information:

LUKE MASON/SPPS

NEWMAN LIBRARY, SPARED BUDGETARY AX, ATTEMPTS TO RAISE ACADEMIC CREDIBILITY KAITLYN GLEASON

ct news staﬀ writer As one of the nation’s top engineering, architecture, business, science and research universities, Virginia Tech fails to standout for having a noteworthy research library. The Association of Research Libraries’ most recent publication of rankings for research libraries in the nation ranked Tech 104 out of 110 libraries. Director of research and instruction services for Newman Library, Lesley Moyo, felt that although Tech’s library was not favorably ranked, to be ranked alone was an accomplishment. Tech “is among some of the top universities in the nation, including many Ivy League schools,” Moyo said. “If other factors such as funding was included, Tech would’ve been ranked higher.” A recent proposed university budget cut that would have resulted in a potential loss of almost $900,000 in cancellations of subscriptions in the 2009-10 year had hindered Newman Library from making significant improvements. But the provost’s office recently decided to increase the Newman Library budget by $300,000.

The Newman Library will be spared from the mandated 5 percent budget cuts, equivalent to a loss of $700,000 in funds. “That’s a $1 million swing from the worst-case scenario they faced,” said Mark McNamee, university provost. The ARL ranked Tech at 100 out of 107 research libraries for overall funding. Because resources provided at Newman Library now come with annual increases that exceed inflation, some may not be continued. Newman Library also struggles significantly with maintaining an appealing appearance as far as infrastructure. Because of Newman Library’s age and different parts of the building dating back to 1955 and 1985, renovations are extremely limited. “The physical make-up of the building is, I admit, not the friendliest,” said Donald Kenney, associate dean of administrative services for the library. “We’ve tried to work with overcoming that by improved signage and having key service points to alleviate that.” The staff at Newman Library attempts to deal with this setback by working intently with the interior setup and plans to implement suggestions found in surveys conducted through the library’s Web site. “Group study rooms were granted

as a direct result from surveys. People work more collaboratively now than individually, so we decided to accommodate that,” said Moyo. “We also try and compromise for the older set-up of the library by making every space central to access a conglomeration of resources so it is a ‘one-stop shopping’ ideal.” Kenney said the new addition of the second floor entrances were also a direct result of Newman Library trying to accommodate the needs of students. The entrances were installed specifically to make the library more accessible to the common student traffic flow between Torgersen Hall and the Drillfield. Another outstanding complaint from students, according to survey data, was that students are unsatisfied with the level of comfort the library provides. As a remedy to this complaint, Newman Library will install a coffee shop to serve as a multi-purpose lounge for a relaxing social environment as well as a place for studying. Architectural plans have been completed, and students can expect the addition’s construction to begin this year. The library also contains visibly outdated computers and other forms of technology. Moyo said that although the computers are not as “trendy” as the ones frequently seen around campus, the actual system is very robust and capable of allowing students to use most Internet and software resources.

“We are actually, I feel, ahead of the curve as far as technology. We certainly endeavor to keep up with technology,” Moyo said. “World-class technology resources such as iLLiad, an electronic delivery system, is patented and used worldwide after being created right here at Newman Library.”

“Regardless of what budget cut or setback we are experiencing, our mission is always to serve the research of the university to the best of our ability, first and foremost.” - DONALD KENNEY ASSOCIATE DEAN OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES The library staff remains adamant about constantly looking for ways to improve. Annual surveys are conducted to monitor the usage of the library and compile and review data to provide solutions to students’ needs. Results of these surveys may be found on the library’s Web site. “Regardless of what budget cut or setback we are experiencing, our mission is always to serve the research of the university to the best of our ability, first and foremost,” Kenney said.

Liberal education serves as strong learning foundation KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter Regardless of major, all students work to include the final curriculum for liberal education courses necessary to graduate. The purpose of liberal education is to provide the foundations and habits of thought and action, said Ron Daniel, associate provost for undergraduate admissions. “The CLE courses prepare students not just for a first job or career, but for the jobs, careers and challenges that will emerge in the uncertain future,” Daniel said. Andrew Becker, associate professor and chair for foreign languages, said many students are unsure of what CLE classes to take. “We discuss (the options) with them, thinking about their interests and what courses they have taken or received AP credit from,” Becker said. “We look at what courses might fit in with possible minors or majors added later to allow the flexibility.” There are three different types of students when it comes to taking CLE courses, said Leslie Pendleton, director of undergraduate student affairs. “We have some students who are excited about taking CLE courses, some who are neutral about them and some who would like to avoid them at all costs,” Pendleton said. “Students in the first category have often already identified the specific courses they want to pursue based on their educational goals, and they are easier to advise. Students in the second and third categories present more of a challenge because sometimes they will ask, ‘What is any easy course I can taken?’ and ‘easy’ to them entails limited reading and writing, so that is a hurdle we have to get over.” Pendleton added that faculty need to avoid advising students to “just choose something” as a means of deciding which CLE courses to take. “We want students to be more strategic about their choices about which classes to take,” Pendleton said. “These courses can facilitate their student development, help them gain more exposure to and knowledge of other fields and make them more well-rounded students,

employees and citizens.” In general, the CLE requirements are designed to provide depth, breadth and an interdisciplinary aspect to the educational experience, Pendleton said. “The approved CLE courses provide students with opportunities to develop and improve personal, leadership, and professional skills and knowledge,” Pendleton said. “Ideally, they promote creative and intellectual engagement, critical thinking and appreciation for diversity and multiple perspectives.” Kathleen Parrott, apparel, housing and resource management professor, described some of the specific CLEs related to her department. “In some of the areas, we specify certain courses to take because they are specific parts of the major,” Parrott said. “Other areas, such as area one, we leave open to the students to choose. We have a large number of internal transfer students, and many of our students have already completed these courses before they join our department. Many of our students come from University Studies, and we work with them to advise students on the best choices of courses that support our programs.” Daniel said that requirements vary by major and college. “Each major has CLE requirements,” Daniel said. “Some (majors) specify which particular area courses must be taken while others allow broader choices. This is why consulting the approve check-sheet for the major and working with academic advisers in the major is so important for students.” Although CLE requirements vary by major, there are many classes that professors see recurring as the most popular courses to take. “Intro to theatre is always a popular one as are other introductory courses, such as psychology, sociology and communication studies,” said Marlene Preston, director of undergraduate programs. Becker said that he sees intro to ancient history as a popular course because of the professor Trudy Harrington Becker. “Popular versus quantity of sections taken is different than popularity,” Daniel said. “My advice is when a student truly has multiple choices that fit the requirements, seek out courses that

What is a 'CLE?' There are two checkpoints of "satisfactory progress," by which students must have successfully completed a certain number of credits within the Curriculum for Liberal Education. (1) by the time you have attempted 36 semester credits, you must have completed 12 credits of CLE requirements. (2) by the time you have attempted 72 semester credits, you must have completed at least 24 credits of CLE requirements. The CLE comprises 25 percent to 30 percent of an undergraduate's curriculum. More than 500 qualifying classes are offered by more than 60 departments. JOSH SON/COLLEGIATE TIMES

really interest you; seek out courses that are taught by distinguished faculty members, and seek out courses that provide parallel support to ideas and what you are learning in your major.” Daniel added that without the addition of any new requirements, it is possible for students to complete the CLE requirements by the end of their sophomore year. “Depending on their major, students are usually able to complete the requirements in a 36 to 44 credit hour period,” Daniel said. As students search for CLE courses that seem interesting or related to their major, professors wonder whether improvements can be made to the requirements, making it more worthwhile to students. “I personally think the approved CLE courses are accomplishing the goals and purposes of the CLE requirements,” Pendleton said. However, Pendleton added that there is always room for improvement. “I would like to see a personal, profes-

sional and global ethics course become part of every student’s curriculum because we are seeing many tragic examples of unethical conduct in our society and institutions,” Pendleton said. Becker also added that there is room for improvement with the CLE requirements, but he does not suggest it change too drastically. “There is always room for improvement, but I think it works well,” Becker said. “I do not want a more uniform requirement for everyone; I think flexibility is crucial to allow students a choice. The lists of courses in each area are good, and allow a good range and flexibility.” Pendleton added she hopes students understand why CLE courses are so important in a well-rounded education. “My personal hope is that they help students shed their rose-colored blinders,” Pendleton said. “I hope they see outside the box and develop ethical and social responsibility for improving our world.”

Student's name Local and permanent address Telephone number(s) Major field of study Whether a student is currently enrolled Enrollment status (full-time, half-time, etc.) Class Academic level Anticipated graduation date Certification that student has applied for degree Dates of enrollment Degree(s) earned, including date and level of distinction Participation in officially recognized activities and sports Photographs Weight and height of members of athletic teams SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES

FERPA PROTECTS STUDENT INFORMATION UNTIL SAFETY ISSUES BECOME CONCERN GORDON BLOCK

ct news reporter With relatively easy access to information at unseen levels with today’s ever-increasing level of technology, universities including Virginia Tech work to protect the rights and information of students. Schools — defined as educational agencies or institutions, which receive funds under any program administered by the Secretary of Education — all fall under the regulations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, better known as FERPA. Signed into law in 1974, it has carried the role of guaranteeing the right of students to inspect their own education records, along with protecting student’s information from unauthorized release. Eligible students, defined as someone who has reached the age of 18 or attended an institution of higher education, are granted two basic rights when dealing with education records: the ability to inspect and review their educational records, and the right to seek amendments to their records. However, there are a few exceptions for those looking to inspect their records. Students cannot review education records involving more than one student, financial records of their parents, or records that contain confidential letters and statements of recommendation with uses such as admission. Students also have some power over the disclosure of information from their educational records. Under FERPA, personally identifiable information, including identifiers such as student number, social security number or a list of traceable personal characteristics, cannot be released without prior written approval. However, under personally identifiable information falls directory information. This classification, which includes information such as name, address, e-mail address and telephone listing, can be disclosed without written permission as long as the university gives public notice. This public notice must include what is considered directory information and how a student can refuse that designation and a timetable for notifying the university to suppress the information. Students can withdraw their directory information online via Tech’s Hokie SPA Web site. A student’s tax dependency status may affect their rights under FERPA. Virginia House Bill 1058, passed in the Virginia General Assembly in 2008, requires that universities allow the release of educational records of dependent students to their parents or guardians. If a student does not sign a release to grant permission for their parents to see their records, an institution can release a student’s educational records upon receiving confirmation of a student’s dependency status. Institutions that violate FERPA regulations face penalties, including the loss of federal funding. However, since the law’s creation, no school has lost federal funding, in large part because of schools working with the Family Policy Compliance Office of the Department of Education, which administers FERPA, to straighten out any violations. “Since nobody’s wanting to lose their federal funding, it’s a very voluntary process,” said Clifford A. Ramirez, associate registrar of Pomona College and author of numerous books on FERPA regulations.

Mental Health One of the most notable exceptions to FERPA privacy rules is the ability for school officials with legitimate concerns of health and safety to disclose student information without prior consent In the wake of the shootings of April 16, 2007, new clarifications were released from the Department of Education to ensure schools were aware of their ability to disclose student information when concerns of the safety and health of students are involved. “The impact of what happened and the changes to FERPA have caused institutions to look on their policies on how they administer FERPA,” Ramirez said. Rick Ferraro, assistant vice president for student affairs and supervisor to Schiffert Health Center and Cook Counseling Center, said the rules already provided an outlet for disclosure in such situations. “If it’s a matter of health and safety, that does not bar one from getting that person assistance,” Ferraro said. “If someone speaks to a counselor about suicide or something violent they might do, that isn’t something you’re prevented from talking about.” Ferraro pointed out some red flags that could lead to contact with third parties included serious health and safety risks of an individual seeking help or others, along with unintentional self-harm such as eating disorders. Ferraro also said that getting in touch with parents or other parties could be helpful in treatment of individuals. “What’s important when talking with parents is not always what you’re sharing but what they’re sharing,” Ferraro said. “Sometimes different people have different pieces of the puzzle.” The duty of informing parents falls to the Dean of Students Office and Dean of Students Tom Brown. Brown in turn can pull up a student’s emergency contact information, which students are required to give before the start of the fall semester each year. “Ninety-five percent of the time the emergency contact is very helpful,” Brown said. Brown added that at approximately once a week an emergency contact may be called to express concern for a student. “I usually ask, ‘Can you come to Blacksburg?’ and most of the time that’s exactly what they do.”

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friday, april 3, 2009

Beyond the brawn: Athletes juggle academics ALEX JACKSON

ct sports staﬀ writer Athletes in today’s world make the news for two things: They’re good or they’re in court. Rarely does one discover through the likes of major news networks that athletes such as Chuck Liddell have degrees in accounting and are Certified Public Accountants, or that legends like Lou Geherig had Ivy League educations. While the term “jock” is associated with prowess of the athletic kind, it is rarely associated with prowess of the mind. Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball guard, senior Laura Haskins, is pursuing her MBA and is a seven-time member of the HASKINS dean’s list. “I’m sure people have the perception sometimes of athletes being slackers,” Haskins said. “You might have one or two that don’t take school seriously, but I don’t think it’s any different from regular students,” she said. “You have your good students and the ones that don’t care.” Every season, the Atlantic Coast

Conference picks the best of those who care and names them to the ACC-All Academic team. In her four-year basketball career, Haskins was named to the team every year she played. Most recently, she was honored for the fourth time in March and was the recipient of the inaugural Kay Yow Award — named for the late North Carolina State women’s basketball coach. “It’s a tremendous honor,” Haskins said. “I was really excited to get it, and it was definitely a surprise, but I’m just very appreciative of Kay Yow. She was a great lady and meant a lot to women’s basketball.” Being recognized four times on an academic level and playing competitively in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a conference that includes prestigious universities all around, isn’t easy. “You’ve just got to remember what you’re here for,” Haskins said. “It’s hard — it really is.” “I think when you’re looking from the outside in, you don’t really realize everything that an athlete has to do,” she said. “It’s not just practice — it’s the film sessions, the weightlifting and travel. It’s difficult.” Sometimes, it’s so difficult for student athletes that they just can’t do what they want to. For Brent Bowden, Tech’s starting punter on the football team — his original choice of major, architec-

ture, didn’t work out because of his rigorous schedule. “They have a four-hour studio three times a week, and they were during practice times so I didn’t have the time necessary,” Bowden said. Despite switching majors to interdisciplinary studies, Bowden earned All-ACC Academic honors this year and maintains a GPA 3.0, which BOWDEN above has landed him a spot on the ACC Honor Roll on two occasions. While catching up and participating in both athletic and academic activities, Bowden said free time is hard to find. “Usually if I get any free time, it’s maybe for an hour or two, or it might just be three or four hours a day at most,” he said. Yet, extreme time constraints and heavy workloads are something student athletes get used to right when they arrive on campus. Senior Tasmin Fanning, Tech’s standout distance runner, finished third this year in the NCAA Cross County Championships. While recording the highest finish ever for a Virginia Tech male or female runner in the championships, she was also work-

ing hard on her degree in human nutrition, foods and exercise. Fanning, who was named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross County Coaches Association’s Division I scholar-athlete of the year earlier this month, sees the job of a student athlete as a 50-50 balance. “In high school, academics is weighted a whole lot more,” Fanning said. “But when you come to college, I think it becomes more of a business deal.” In other words, for student athletes like Fanning, Bowden and Haskins, schoolwork goes hand-in-hand with practice. “You’re forced to develop time management skills, which are essential in getting through college in general,” Fanning said. FANNING “But, they’re refined with the fact that OK — I have to go to practice, and practice is going to take this much time in the morning, this much time in the afternoon, and I’m going to be gone all weekend,” she said. “You really have to figure it out.” Around campus, Tech athletes have the opportunity to get help in the process of “figuring it out.” Special academic advising and one-on-one tutoring are available

to student athletes at Tech whenever they need it. Bowden said these services help a lot. “Our advisers stick to maybe one or two sports, so that’s not a lot of people they have to deal with,” Bowden said. “There’s a lot more individual, one-on-one time to meet with them.” “That, right there is helpful enough, and then being able to come get a tutor whenever you need it is definitely helpful, too,” he said. While tutors and advisers work hard to help athletes while they’re in Blacksburg, the life of a student athlete at Tech extends beyond the Southwestern corridor of Virginia. In season, athletes are on the road just as much as they are at home. Haskins said, “On the bus to and from games, it’s up to you whether you want to open your books — or watch the movie on the bus.” “But, we also normally have study hall,” she said. “If we play at seven o’clock, the next day we’ll have study hall in the mornings for about an hour, and then you’ll have other free time later in the day.” To say the least, sporadic study schedules that include having to pick schoolwork over movies, and the fact that student athletes must mentally and physically

prepare for their competitions on the road, doesn’t make things easy. For some, it’s just easier leaving their books behind and getting as much done as they can while they’re at home. “When we have a game, I like to relax and not really think about school,” Bowden said. “If I have to get anything done, I’m doing it before I have to leave or after the game on Sunday or something.” When it comes down to it, the balancing beam that is the life of a student athlete relies on making the right choices. Tasmin Fanning, whose sister, Jessica, runs distance alongside her for Tech said, “My mom basically told us that if we wanted to succeed, and if we wanted to make choices ourselves in life, we’d have to have a good education.” “And that’s what we did. We stuck with our studies, we were successful in high school, and that helped us get here.” Bowden said that family also has had a big effect on his study habits. “I remember before I came here, my mom said she would rather me be an All-Academic ACC person than an all-athletic ACC person,” Bowden said. “It feels good to make my parents proud and my friends proud.”

Tech evolves education through eLearning ELEARNING OFFERS SEVERAL WAYS FOR FACULTY TO EDUCATE BEYOND BLACKSBURG KELSEY HEITER

ct news reporter Virginia Tech has increased eLearning enrollments to nearly 18,000 students this spring in almost 700 eLearning credit course offerings. According to its Web site, Virginia Tech’s Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning is committed to providing leadership, coordination, management, support of the university’s distance and distributed eLearning activities and strength to the university’s role as a recognized leader. Tom Wilkinson, associate vice president for distance learning and summer sessions, said eLearning is the integration of digital electronic technologies into the teaching and learning process.

“The program focuses on the design of effective, efficient and engaging learning systems and environments,” Wilkinson said. “Most higher education institutions like Virginia Tech use the term ‘eLearning’ to describe intentionally designed courses and programs where students learn through digital technologies without having to come to a classroom.” Michael Saffle, eLearning professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Tech, said that eLearning has largely replaced past “distance learning” systems. “eLearning has largely replaced ‘distance learning’ which used to be limited either to old-fashioned correspondence courses or short-term traveling instruction,” Saffle said. Saffle has taught previous summer

eLearning courses using the web and Blackboard. “Tech began its summer eLearning offerings a few years earlier, but only a handful of students and a few instructors were involved,” Saffle said. “It was one of the first in the humanities to offer courses.” Wilkinson has been involved with eLearning from the beginning of its arrival at Tech. “I have been involved with eLearning from when it was only computer-based instruction to the present,” Wilkinson said. “I have designed, developed, produced, supported, assessed, taught and managed eLearning courses and programs up to and including my current position.” Michael Herndon, director of eLearning summer sessions, said that eLearning has recently incorporated several different teaching techniques. “One method that professors use is all eLearning, which is completely

online,” Herndon said. “Other professors use a blended approach to eLearning where they have a face-toface class, but they might have some eLearning homework online, such as a discussion board on Blackboard.” Wilkinson said eLearning teachers engage in educating in a variety of ways. “At a simple level, a professor can design a learning activity that uses online threaded discussions to engage students in a specific topic,” Wilkinson said. “At the other end of the spectrum, a professor may create an entire online course, where specific digital learning environments are created that allow the student to move through these environments at their own pace and interest to achieve predetermined learning outcomes, while providing the student with a community of other eLearners for support, networking and teamwork.” Wilkinson said that in both instanc-

es, what makes the eLearning activities is the intentional design of the digital or electronic activity to achieve specific learning goals. Saffle said that some eLearning professors use even more sophisticated learning techniques online. “Others go for more sophisticated on-line assignments such as Skype,” Saffle said. “A few teachers use video gaming, such as FreCiv and Second Life, but most teachers ask students to post more observations and responses to the course discussion board.” Wilkinson said that digital technology, which can take many forms, is the foundation of eLearning. “Applications can include online threaded discussions, collaborative application sharing, web conferencing, virtual field trips and even virtual reality,” Wilkinson said. “Web 2.0 has added a certain intentionality to the design of web-based learning applications.”

Wilkinson said that podcasts, wikis, Twitter and SecondLife are now all used in eLearning. “I can see eLearning growing in many universities in the future,” Herndon said. “One of the things that we are seeing is that typically face-toface universities are looking to incorporate eLearning into their syllabus for students to complete their education.” Wilkinson agrees that eLearning will continue to grow as a major component of education and training. “Virginia Tech has been, and will continue to be, a leader in eLearning,” Wilkinson said. “Our faculty is among the most innovative faculty you will find at any university. The care and concern that they have for students and the desire to help students learn is exceptional.” Wilkinson said the future of eLearning at Virginia Tech will only be limited by resources and the imagination of our faculty.

Q: How much does President Steger earn in a year? A: $457, 040

Look on higheredsalaries.com to compare public faculty and staff salaries from Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, William & Mary and others.