COLLEGIATETIMES
wednesday april 22, 2009 blacksburg, va.
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corrections In the article, “Blogs, CT to host gubernatorial debate” (CT, April 21), Creigh Deeds was incorrectly identified as a former state senator. Deeds is currently a member of the state senate. The Collegiate Times regrets this error. 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 50
Blacksburg Police arrested two students on multiple charges of narcotics distribution Monday.
TECH STUDENTS ARRESTED IN DRUG BUST; MORE THAN SIX POUNDS OF MARIJUANA SEIZED SARA MITCHELL
ct news editor
1. Coaster with powder residue and a partial pill 2. $1,390 3. Digital scale 4. Plastic container with seven unknown pills 5. Five smoking devices, one made of glass 6. Box containing markers and $4,372 7. Bottle of white powder 8. Bottle with residue 9. Plastic bag with green, leafy material 10. Mirror with two cut straws and two pieces of paper 11. Baggies and a piece of paper 12. Eye dropper 13. Pacifier 14. Grinder
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Two Virginia Tech students were arrested Monday on multiple charges of narcotics distribution, as a result of a six-month investigation. According to a statement from the Blacksburg Police Department, 23-yearold Raul Rivas and 22-year-old Jessica Stangle were arrested for two counts each of possession with intent to distribute narcotics. According to the search warrant and affidavit for Rivas, a confidential informant for Blacksburg police made a controlled purchase from Rivas within 72 hours prior to the arrest, at his apartment in the McDonald Street Apartments. The affidavit explained “prior to any purchase the informant is directed to meet with members of Blacksburg PD who will search the informant and any vehicle used by the informant for any money or illegal substances. A recording device is then placed on the informant and run continuously during the purchase. Following the buy, all illegal substances purchased are turned over to Lt. A.S Wilson and the informant and any vehicle used is again searched for any illegal substances.” The Blacksburg Police and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation of Rivas in October 2008 after multiple tips that Riva was engaging in suspicious
SEIZED FROM THE APARTMENT:
behavior associated with illegal narcotic distribution. The tips included reports of drug transactions by Rivas in his prior residence’s parking lot and “a large volume of vehicle/pedestrian traffic in and out of the apartment with visits lasting 5-10 minutes,” according to the affidavit. The police seized several thousand dollars in cash — $1,390 plus a box containing $4,372. Additionally, the police seized more than six pounds of marijuana, a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta, an iPhone as well as other narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Stangle, an HNFE major, and Rivas, an engineering major, are being held in the Montgomery County Jail, each on a $7,500 bond. No court date has been set.
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News.....................1 Features................2 0pinions................3
COURTESY BLACKSBURG POLICE
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As the academic year concludes, Provost Mark McNamee sent an e-mail to faculty highlighting university policy regarding the cancellation of classes. Concern was raised after reports that some Friday classes had been canceled. McNamee said the cancellations were done as a way to “be kind and generous to their students.” “I do not think that teachers canceled class for bad reasons; I just think that they were thinking that students might really like it,” McNamee said. “It is just one of those things that we want people to realize is not within university policy. I do not think it is a very widespread problem, and most of the deans I have talked to do not think it is that common.” McNamee sent an e-mail earlier in the semester to all of the university deans voicing his concern. “It has come to my attention that a number of faculty members are canceling class on Friday, March 6, 2009. Other faculty members are feeling some pressure from students to do the same. It is not appropriate for classes to be canceled,” McNamee said. University policy on class attendance states that, “Both faculty and students are expected to meet at all regularly scheduled times, except for cancelations announced on a university-wide basis by appropriate authority. When faculty cannot meet a class, it is their responsibility to follow departmental procedures so that appropriate measures can be provided for the missed class.” College of Science Dean Lay Nam Chang said his department does not support canceling classes without reason. “Our practice does not support the cancellation of classes the day before academic breaks, and this far, we have received no reports of breaches in this practice,” Chang said. Chang added that it is not to say that there are not compelling reasons for rescheduling because of any sort of unavoidable circumstances that professors or the class may have. McNamee’s intention in the e-mail was to let faculty and staff members know that canceling class without a significant reason is something that should not be done, and if it is being done, that the department heads will be responsible for resolving the issue. “I hope that the department heads have reinforced the policy that it is against their department policy,” McNamee said. “I hope faculty members will think twice before they cancel classes again.” Although McNamee has not heard of any specific instances, he said he wanted to remind the staff of the policy they need to follow at Tech. “I have not heard any specific instances from students, either,” McNamee said. “We are trying to keep this pretty low-key in the hopes that any problems going on will be fixed.” McNamee added that he is allowing the deans to decide how to handle any unnecessary class cancellations that may arise. “We welcome teachers to use their own judgment when it comes to a situation like this,” McNamee said. “We do not want anyone to be doing something that they should not be doing, and that is the bottom line.” Jack Davis, dean of the College of Architecture, said his college is opposed to canceling Friday classes as well. “It is difficult to be precise, but to the best of my knowledge, the College of Architecture and Urban Studies faculty do not cancel classes on Fridays,” Davis said. “The college has a very strong teaching ethic and as such, believes that canceling classes would reinforce non-professional behavior.” “It would bother me if somehow students or faculty feel like a situation is unfair,” McNamee said. “We want to treat everyone fairly, and we want them to feel that they are getting the full value of their education and that everyone is doing their part to help them achieve that.” McNamee added that he believes that, for the most part, faculty members are doing the right things for the right reasons in this situation. “I do not know why teachers were canceling classes to start with,” McNamee said. “Again, I have not tried to find out who is doing it and why they are doing it, but I think that there is a sense that just before breaks student attendance might be low and that teachers think it might be a nice break for students. It is not a bad thought, but that is not what teachers should be doing.”
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KELSEY HEITER
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On Monday, Tech head football coach Frank Beamer named redshirt freshman Ju-Ju Clayton the No. 2 quarterback. Fellow redshirt freshman Marcus Davis, who battled for the spot with Clayton, will spend added time at receiver during this week of practice. Clayton, a native of Richmond, completed 7-of-9 pass attempts with 70 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s most recent scrimmage on April 18 at Lane Stadium. He led a 90-yard scoring drive against Tech’s second-team defense that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to fullback Kenny Younger.
Students arrested in Blacksburg drug bust
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CLAYTON TABBED AS NO. 2 QUARTERBACK
Administration cracks down on class cancellation
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Role ‘diversityinitiatives’ playin tenureprocessraiseseyebrows RILEY PRENDERGAST
ct news reporter This is the first installment in a three part series regarding Virginia Tech’s new policies and plans to focus on diversity in the institution. After sustaining brief but spirited criticism in regard to the role of diversity in professors’ tenure hearings within the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech is exploring ways to clarify the language used regarding the role diversity initiatives play in the faculty selection process. As the guidelines stand in a March 9 draft for promotion and tenure review, there is “special attention to be given to documenting involvement in diversity initiatives.” The university is now working to make sure it is known that participation in diversity initiatives is not a requirement, but simply an additional qualification to attaining a promotion or tenure. These contributions to diversity may include publications, research, courses taught and competitive grants earned by the individual up for review.
ON THE WEB Look on our Web site to see a copy of the tenure and promotion guidelines. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education sent a letter on March 25 to the Tech administration saying the revisions to the CLAHS guidelines to tenure and promotion of faculty were a “threat to freedom of conscious.” FIRE is a conservative advocacy group committed to upholding freedom of speech in public institutions and whose Web site links “mandatory diversity seminars” to “ideological
indoctrination” in university orientation sessions. “Really, the president responded with, ‘Thank you for your letter,’ and that was pretty much it,” said Larry Hincker, university spokesman. This response was noted by FIRE as almost a “non-response,” according to FIRE spokesman Adam Kissel, the director of the individual rights defense program. “It’s good that he noted that the guidelines had not been adopted by the college or the university as of yet,” Kissel said. “And it was a very important step that he spoke with the provost about reworking the guidelines. But he’s not actually promising to do anything.” These new guidelines are in line with Tech’s latest concerns for diversifying campus, both in faculty and student numbers. With these new guidelines calling for participation in “diversity workshops,” attendance for harassment prevention training and emphasis on putting special focus in curriculums on diversity, FIRE is concerned that Tech is slowly tightening its grasp on what can be taught in the classroom. “All of the points made in the policy are things that we look for when considering a faculty member for tenure or promotion,” Hincker said. “But the problem came up in terms of the language used. It needed to be made clear that we cannot require faculty to participate in diversity initiatives.” This push to encourage faculty to become more “diversity conscious” has led to much outside agitation by way of FIRE. FIRE was initially informed of the possible violation of faculty rights via an “anonymous tenure track faculty member who feared retribution from the university,” Kissel said. “A university would not be able to tell its faculty that they had to adhere to certain religious views, or teach them,” Kissel said. “People would be much more up in arms if religion was
Timeline of events August 2006 Racial Task Force on Race in the Institution is commissioned by Virginia Tech
April 11, 2007 The final report of the Racial Task Force is released
October 12, 2007 Commission on Faculty Affairs released criteria created by the Racial Task Force pertaining to how the university should conduct its nationwide search for faculty
August 25, 2008 Final report for the Racial Task Force addressed by the Implementation Team
March 8, 2009 University reevaluates the university guidelines on tenure and promotion for CLAHS
March 25, 2009 FIRE responds to the newly changed university guidelines for CLAHS
April 15, 2009 Date by which FIRE requested a response to the letter from Virginia Tech SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
the issue, but this undue pressure of faculty members to confirm their dedication to diversity is just as strong of an issue.” Provost Mark McNamee was also cited in the letter for his “Reporting Diversity Accomplishments in the Faculty Report,” which included possible ways to “incorporate
diversity-related scholarships in courses, readings, programs, service learning activities and your own research/scholarship.” “There is a specific process for making requirements for faculty, and no steps have been taken to make new requirements,” McNamee said. “Now we just have to make
sure that people know what is going on and that we would never require faculty to do something in their own classrooms that they don’t agree with.” FIRE said in its letter that it believed, “Not only do such evaluative criteria unacceptably interfere with faculty members’ moral and intellectual agency, but these statements also contain vague language that causes confusion and invites abuse.” FIRE claimed that, because the criteria in the new guidelines were so vague as to what should actually be done, that they infringed upon the rights of the teachers and could lead to biased teachings. “There was some confusion as to whether these should be requirements, but we do not require faculty members to be advisers for students groups or hold administrative positions,” Hinker said. “Although these are very important parts of university life, and they are things that we look at in faculty member dues, there is no university requirement.” The letter also cited that the university has no legal right to dictate what its professors should believe, including a mandate to a commitment to diversity. FIRE stated in its letter, “By requiring candidates for promotion and tenure to demonstrate an active involvement in ‘diversity initiatives,’ Virginia Tech impermissibly forces faculty members to confess both by word and by act their faith in the opinion that ‘diversity’ was essential to their teaching and academic life.” “We will be working very closely with internal groups to make sure that we are all on the same page, knowing that no new requirements have been made,” McNamee said. “We are still committed to supporting diversity, and we still have some work to do. I just wish that they would show some faith and allow us to make progress knowing that we would never willingly do anything inappropriate.”
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editor: bethany buchanan email: features@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: w 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., f 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
april 22, 2009
Modern remake of classic Greek comedy centers around big innuendo TERESA TOBAT
ct features reporter For junior theatre arts major Alisha Saunders, the best part about creating the lead character for the theatre department’s latest production, “Her Sexy Outfit,” has been watching “Oprah.” Not only is Saunders playing the lead role, Lyzzie, but also plays Oprah. “It’s been an adventure, to say the least,” Saunders said. “Her Sexy Outfit” is a modern-day adaptation of a classic Greek comedy, “Lysistrata.” The women of Athens and Sparta are tired of their men always fighting in war that has raged for 21 years and go on a sex strike to try to and stop it. One of the first scenes of the play features Oprah on her talk show convincing other women that the cause is worth backing. “I just like the women power aspect of the play. We all have a little Lyzzie in us. I’m sure many people will call her a bitch and so and so,” Saunders said. “Women are objectified all the time on stage. We might be getting objectified, but we know we’re being objectified, and if that’s the only way you’re going to see us. We’re going to work with that and turn that against you. It’s working with what you have.” Daniel Zippi, a professional writer, actor and musician based out of New York City, wrote the entire script for “Her Sexy Outfit” and said the story revolves around the battle of the sexes. “There’s a general feeling of war, a general feeling of animosity between the sexes,” Zippi said “The women are tired of their place and tired of being dominated by men and tired of being lead into war, which is in the backbone of the piece. The women are just tired.” To create his original script, Zippi read various versions of the original “Lysistrata” and tried to work with what he thought were the original playwright’s work. “The plot points and the dialogue exchanges became pretty clear after reading a few different versions because they’re consistent. So I just tried to contemporize them in some way,” Zippi said. “I wanted it to be a fairly tale, half that world, half our world. Bob and the performers have decided to do impersonations of contemporary figures, Bush, Clinton, Obama and Sarah Palin.” Zippi considers “Her Sexy Outfit” to be a burlesque and compared it
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Cast members of “Her Sexy Outfit” rehearse prior to their performance in Haymarket Theatre. to the political burlesque film “Dr. Strangelove.” “It’s women and men just hurling these epitaphs at each other concerning each other’s genitals. The battle of the sexes just evolves into name calling,” Zippi said. “I don’t find that stuff vulgar, personally. It’s just words. Just words. It’s just name calling.” Aristophanes, who wrote “Lysistrata,” balanced the vulgar name calling with political messages of his time, which is what Zippi tried to capture in his script. “Aristophanes, in my opinion, equates the war machine with the male penis. The women are just tired of being led by a penis and are tired of being objectified,” Zippi said. “When women put forth ideas, men judge them on how they’re dressed, and I equate that to Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. There was much more coverage about how they were dressed than their ideas.” The original war machine idea was represented in “Her Sexy Outfit” in the form of a battering ram. First year master of fine arts in props design and management and props coordinator Kathryn Anne Burnham was responsible for creating the phallic-shaped ram, which she crafted out of foam, glue, fabric and paint to finish her creation. In the show, male soldiers try to overtake a treasury with the battering ram and fail. Burnham showed director McGrath a concept sketch, and they decided the
phallus should be about the size of a coffin, or about six feet long. “The running joke, of course, was size does matter,” Burnham said.
HER SEXY OUTFIT WHEN: April 22-26, 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Haymarket Theatre COST: General $9; students and seniors, $7. SYNOPSIS: In this modern day take on a Greek comedy, women of Athens and Sparta go on a sex strike to end a 21 year long war. When she created the sizeable ram, she wanted it to go along with the comedy aspect of the show. “I cartooned it to go along with the comedy,” Burnham said. “It’s based on a man’s circumcised penis, because that’s what Americans recognize.” After thinking about the military aspect of the play, Burnham decided to paint the phallus pink camouflage. “Not only because it’s close to Caucasian flesh color, but pink is a very clearly feminine color. That’s totally associated with women,” Burnham said. “What more feminizing to take this masculine symbol and make it pink? And it’s camo to give hint to the military because they’re talking about trying to stop this multigeneration war.” In total, Burnham used four different shades of pink camouflage to paint
her phallic creation. “I love the idea of feminizing this male symbol and feminizing war,” Burnham said. One male character in the show plays a woman in one of the show’s opening scenes. Senior double major in psychology and theatre arts Jarreau Williams plays a female guest on Oprah’s talk show, Lampi, and, later, a rapper and singer for the play. “It’s definitely new. I have a dress, heels, the whole nine,” Williams said. “I hope nobody mistakes me for a real woman because then I’ll be getting phone numbers.” Williams said he wore a bra for the first time at his costume fitting. “A lot of the other female cast members have been jealous of me because they feel I have the best costume,” said Williams, who will wear a hot pink, black and white knee length dress, black heels and a hot pink bolero over top of the dress. Later in the show Williams trades his dress for a camouflage jacket, black shirt, Lacoste shades, gold chains, a Batman belt and gold army boots to play the rapper, unofficially named Ja’Weezy, for the show. Williams and another female rapper will sing to the instrumental versions of some modern pop songs with lyrics from the script. Modern singers include G-Unit, M.I.A., T.I. and Rihanna, Ryan Leslie, Ludacris, Britney Spears, Beyonce. “We tried to hit every avenue of hip
hop,” Williams said of the playlist. “Our goal was to have people leaving the play singing the songs they heard.” He said both his characters serve different roles in the play; according to Williams, while his female role provides relief and takes great pride in what she says, the rapper brings fun to the audience. Junior double major in English and theatre arts major Kevin Eaton is the DJ for the show and will be working in the orchestra pit, which is probably the only time a DJ has ever occupied an orchestra pit at Virginia Tech. “I want people to really have fun and enjoy their theatre experience,” Eaton said. “I don’t know that me DJing necessarily makes that happen. I think it’s an entire picture thing.” At the beginning of the process, the director decided Eaton should aim for a club-like atmosphere. “Most people go to a club to pick up people…There’s that whole idea of dancing. It’s sex before sex,” Eaton said. “That’s kind of the idea he was going for. And make people comfortable with it.” Eaton is a DJ himself and said he feels comfortable in his role. Eaton said while spinning, he likes to keep the music fresh. “Every time I step up to the tables I bring something different,” Eaton said. “I like to mix it up and change things. It makes it exciting for me. It makes it exciting for the cast.” He also said he is looking forward to setting the tone of the overall show. “One of the most exciting things about being a DJ is that you get to be a part of everybody’s experience,” Eaton said. “People will have as much fun as they want to, really, but you provide an atmosphere really for everyone to have a great time. You see people reacting to what you’re doing, your performance.” Junior theatre arts major C.J. Mellides, co-sound designer and moving light coordinator, is responsible for working with the DJ, handling the 20 performers with microphones and sound cues. “So there’s lot of different genres of music, a lot of different types of music and also a lot of different types of sound effects, from cartoon sound effects to we have real crickets playing in the background in one of the scenes,” Mellides said. “Her Sexy Outfit” also features classical versions of songs written by scriptwriter Zippi and the rap versions. “It’s a really cool juxtaposition to hear your classic four-part string
group playing a classic song and a scene later hearing the big subwoofers go and having the remix of the song,” Mellides said. “So we’ve got a lot of different things like this.” Second year master’s of fine arts student Paul Schreiner and co-projection designer for the play was one of the people responsible for choosing images that would fill the entire background of the theatre and enhances the experience of the entire audience. “It takes a lot of the visual since I’ve developed with scenic and lighting design and combines those with computer time,” Schreiner said. There will be about 36 images that include architectural engravings in the style of dollar bills, Greek erotic art and warfare images are the style of vase art from the Greek time period, Greek style architecture buildings, Greek art – both erotic and not – as well as videos. The projections serve numerous functions for the show. The projections suggest locations, mood, support on stage action, Schreiner said. Director and professor of theatre arts Bob McGrath said he chose to use projections in this show, and many of his other professional shows, because they have the ability to create an ephemeral environment. McGrath wanted a DJ in the show because he felt a DJ is the modern day equivalent of how the Greeks viewed music. “Before they even added actors, it was just song, and that remained a big part through all the Greek tragedies and the Greek comedies,” McGrath said. McGrath wanted his show to have a “Saturday Night Live” feeling. “I wanted this whole hip-hop pop culture thing, talk show idea, that’s how she’s getting the message out. I wanted it to be a contemporary political satire,” McGrath said. “The thing is very simple and blunt. The message is that war is bad and misogyny is bad and there is this non-ending, ever beautiful battle of the sexes, this dynamic between men and women, the tension that actually furthers civilization.” McGrath said he doesn’t think audience members should take this show seriously, but the audience should have an experience when they attend. “I want this show to be funny and sexy and you know, thoughtful. The non-rap versions of the songs are thoughtful,” McGrath said. “It should be experiential rather than more traditional theatre.”
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editor: laurel colella email: opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
april 22, 2009
EDITORIAL
Faculty have obligation to teach Friday classes It has come to the attention of top-level administrators that professors have been canceling regularly scheduled classes on Fridays. University Provost Mark McNamee believes one reason for this might be that professors expect lower class attendance on specific days, which occur before and after university breaks and holidays. Professors have claimed that on such days holding class with such low attendance has little benefit, even for students who do choose to attend class. This is because teachers are less inclined to present new material or to have active class discussion when so few students are present. McNamee believes that professors might also cancel classes as favors to students in attempts to be well liked rather than for practical purposes. While these class cancellations don’t occur very frequently, they occurred enough this academic year to prompt McNamee to send out an e-mail to faculty earlier this spring, letting them know that canceling class on March 6, the day before spring break, would not be tolerated. Canceling classes without good reason is not within university policy — faculty members are employed by the university to teach their regularly scheduled classes on the assigned days; not only that, they have an obligation to their students. The argument that classes with unusually low attendances are not worth having is invalid; if there are still students showing up for class expecting to learn, it is the professor’s obligation to teach those students just as they would any other day. Additionally, with the increasing cost of tuition, it is unfair to cancel classes that students have paid for and want to attend. The decisions of some professors to cancel classes on Fridays have effects that extend beyond just those classes. Not only are they setting a standard that students run the risk of getting
used to, but they also increase the likelihood of students skipping classes before or after that Friday class, or on the Thursday before. If our university sanctioned spring break officially begins on Friday afternoon and teachers with Friday morning classes cancel, students would be more likely to skip their Thursday classes to add an extra day to their breaks. If the university catered to the student habit of skipping classes on Fridays before breaks and started spring break one day earlier, then teachers with Thursday classes might feel more inclined to cancel them, prompting students to skip their Wednesday classes. Additionally, with so many university courses now being held on Mondays and Wednesdays and Tuesdays and Thursdays, Friday classes are becoming increasingly less common. Therefore, it is unlikely that most students or professors will have a full schedule of Friday classes. Virginia Tech is currently confronting the issue of offering an adequate number of classes while dealing with a shortage of available space. This issue makes some Friday classes impossible to avoid, and although inconvenient and often times annoying, they are necessary. Students who absolutely hate Friday classes shouldn’t sign up to take them. Professors who hate Friday classes should realize that teaching them is part of their job and obligation to their students and the university. With many threecredit courses meeting for only 2.5 hours each week, class time is of the essence. Professors should make the most of their time and hold classes as regularly scheduled, as not doing so does a disservice to students.
When it comes to paper or plastic, choose neither This weekend I went to a baby shower for a co-worker from home. I went straight from Blacksburg and only stopped once: LIZA at Babies ‘R’ Us to pick up something MILLER from her registry. regular I ran around the columnist store and picked out my present. Everything was going perfectly (the other guests had even left the college-student budget items for me), when I realized that I forgot to plan for wrapping and gift presentation. Babies R’ Us has a special section for fellow procrastinators filled with tissue paper, gift bags, ribbons and everything you would need for the perfect babythemed presentation. I picked out a few items and quickly realized that the price of wrapping the gift was beginning to rival the price of the gift itself. Just as I was about to panic that I was running out of time and dollars I eyed a recyclable shopping bag by the register. It was a thinly woven tote bag with pink and blue polka dots and Babies R’ Us printed up the side with canvas straps. It was intended for mothers to purchase and use again when shopping, but beyond this practical purpose all I could
see was that it was only 93 cents. I paid for the bag and gift, and as soon as the cashier loaded the bag up: Voila! Instant gift-wrapping. I patted myself on the back the whole way to the baby shower for being thrifty as well as eco-friendly, and I didn’t think about it again until I saw the room full of gifts with beautiful bows and brightlyprinted paper. When it was time for my gift to be unwrapped, however, in the new mom’s eyes the recyclable bag was the present. I’m not sure how many more times she will find herself with the bag in Babies R’ Us, but it could double as a diaper bag, gym bag or whatever else she needs. It got me thinking about recyclable shopping bags that seem to be finding their way into more and more stores lately. It seems like an easy, affordable way to help the environment, but paper or plastic are still too often presented as the only options. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic bags a year. Each reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate hundreds if not thousands of plastic bags over a lifetime. Most plastic bags end up as litter or, if you are like me, packed into a drawer in the kitchen never to be thrown away or used again. Some parts of the world have tried to eliminate consumer reliance on plastic
bags. In San Francisco, plastic bags are no longer found in grocery stores and customers are to rely on more ecofriendly paper bags. In Ireland, they implemented a very effective consumption tax on plastic bags, known as PlasTax, which decreased plastic bag consumption almost 90 percent since 2002. It has been so effective that many other parts of the world are considering a similar program, meaning that reusable bags may be an affordable investment. I know that reusable bags, especially when used for grocery shopping, can seem like a nuisance. Many of us buy so many groceries at one time that bringing our own tote for the occasion would turn us into bag ladies — literally. But the thinly woven models that are available now fold very easily into one another. Many bags easily hold five or six additional bags that could be stored in your car for the next shopping trip. With so many places around us promoting “Going Green” lately, people are searching for easy, affordable ways to help the environment. For those of us not installing solar panels into our dorm rooms, reusable bags are a quick change that can make a difference. Next time you are at the grocery store and someone asks you paper or plastic, remember that there is another option that is more eco-friendly.
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief David Grant Managing Editors David Harries, Sara Spangler Public Editor Cate Summers News Editors Caleb Fleming, Sara Mitchell News Reporters Gordon Block, Zach Crizer, Justin Graves, Kelsey Heiter, Riley Prendergast, T. Rees Shapiro News Staff Writers Debra Houchins, Phillipp Kotlaba, Gabe McVey, Will Thomas, Ryan Trapp Features Editor Bethany Buchanan Features Reporters Topher Forhecz, Teresa Tobat, Jonathan Yi Features Staff Writers Ryan Arnold, Mary Anne Carter, Drew Jackson, Tom Minogue, Alex Pettingell Opinions Editors Laurel Colella Sports Editors Thomas Emerick, Brian Wright Sports Reporters Joe Crandley, Justin Long, Ed Lupien, Melanie Wadden Sports Staff Writers Garrett Busic, Matt Collette, Lindsay Faulkner, Hattie Francis, Alex Jackson, Mike Littier Copy Editors Erin Corbey, Thandiwe Ogbonna, Kristen Walker, Michelle Rivera Layout Designers Go-Eun Choi, Velechia Hardnett, Kelly Harrigan, Rachel McGiboney, Mina Noorbakhsh, Josh Son Illustrator Mina Noorbakhsh Multimedia Editor Phillip Murillas Multimedia Producer Candice Chu Multimedia Reporters Kevin Anderson, Peter Velz Online Director Sam Eberspacher Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager Ryan McConnell College Media Solutions Staff Advertising Director Patrick Fitzgerald Asst Advertising Directors Tyler Ervin Jenna Given, Katelynn Reilly Ads Production Manager Anika Stickles Asst Production Manager Allison Bhatta Ads Production/Creation Breanna Benz, Jennifer DiMarco, Rebecca Smeenk, Lindsay Smith, Katie Sonntag, Lara Treadwell National Account Executive Kaelynn Kurtz Account Executives Nik Bando, Brandon Collins, Chris Cunningham, Lee Eliav, Judi Glass, Kendall Kapetanakis, David Morgan, Marcello Sandoval, Arianna Rouhani, Jennifer Vaughn Assistant Account Executives Madeline Abram, Katie Berkel, Diane Revalski, Devon Steiner Marketing Manager Amanda Sparks Office Manager Kaelynn Kurtz Student Publication Photo Staff Director of Photography Sally Bull Business Manager Paul Platz
The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries, Laurel Colella and Debra Houchins.
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We must continue to push for campus diversity initiatives Have you heard this rumor? A rumor has recently surfaced that diversity is dead at Virginia Tech. They say that diversity is dead because some RAY certain members PLAZA of the community guest disagree with how columnist members of the upper administration have responded to recent situations. Regardless of how they responded, diversity is not dead on this campus. If it were dead, Tech would not have marked the fourth year of the Principles of Community, would not be entering the third year of the MOSAIC community, SGA would not have focused on diversity during this past year, a diversity strategic plan would not be undergoing a major revision, nor would individuals be talking about the concept of inclusive excellence. It would not have students or faculty/staff doing research on issues of diversity, nor would it be strengthening the Africana Studies program with additional faculty. It would not have had overflowing participation at the Advancing Diversity conference. It would not have made a commit-
ment to fund diversity-focused efforts impacting faculty, staff, students and courses for the next five years as part of the implementation team of the task force. It would not have just held the 12th Annual Diversity Summit. The Pamplin College of Business would not have held a Diversity Case Competition, nor could Tech have marked the 50th anniversary of the International Street Fair. If diversity were truly dead, then these examples could not have taken place here in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is not without its challenges from past incidents of racial graffiti, issues of the denial of promotion to professors, the loss of faculty to other universities, issues of campus climate inside and outside of the classroom or scrutiny from conservative organizations. We have a unique past filled with injustices, but it is a past that is acknowledged and one that I believe we continue to learn from as an institution. Over the past few weeks, a number of columns and editorials have appeared in the Collegiate Times on the diversity topic. Among these are viewpoints that Virginia Tech is not doing enough, or it does not compare well to its peers. Let’s be clear — Virginia Tech is not immune to the challenges of diversity. We have our challenges in terms
of recruiting/retaining students of color, recruiting/retaining faculty/staff of color, dealing with issues of how scholarship is viewed within the Promotion and Tenure area, issues of campus climate, etc. We also have the challenge of not being able to highlight our diversity strengths as compared to others. Nonetheless, no campus is immune to these issues and Tech is no different. It has come a long way in certain respects, but it still has a long way to go. Diversity is not just about increasing numbers of underrepresented students, faculty and staff; it is much more than that. We do ourselves a disservice when we forget to acknowledge these other aspects — from gender, sexual orientation, ability issues, political viewpoints, social economic issues, regional issues, language and others. Diversity is about understanding an awareness of all facets that make the community and their interconnections, whether it is in the local, the surrounding or the greater global community. From my vantage point, Tech is making progress amid all of the challenges that it is facing. We cannot forget the external pressures and variables that exist, such as the current fiscal crisis impacting the state and the subsequent budget reductions. However, if we begin to compare Tech to every
other institution, we will always find that the “grass is greener on the other side,” and that is not fair to the efforts that are making a difference. It is not fair to the members of the university community who are working tirelessly to help move Virginia Tech forward. Rather than be envious of other institutions and their efforts, we need to work together to make change happen here at Virginia Tech. A solution that works at UVa or UNC can’t be imposed on Tech, but rather we can heed that example and develop an opportunity that makes sense for the needs of Virginia Tech. We can learn from the best practices and develop ways for them to work here. Transforming Virginia Tech in terms of diversity will not happen instantaneously. There is no magic wand that can be flicked away that will change things. Do we expect that Tech will fire half of the professors in order to make way for better gender diversity among the tenured faculty? Do we expect that Tech will go against the law and impose quotas on the entering class? Will we move Tech from Blacksburg to some other location in order to change the surroundings? The answer is obviously no to all of these questions. Virginia Tech has choices and has options in its diversity transformation efforts. The transformation will be a gradual process — some things will
go faster and other things will take time. It does not mean that we are no less committed to the cause of fostering a better campus community and enhancing our capacity for diversity. We need to be realistic that in order to create change and transform Tech, it will be a shared and collective effort from all of the constituents that make up the university community — from students, faculty, staff, alumni and the surrounding areas. The real issue is what each individual can do to create change and make a difference in regards to diversity. We each see diversity through different perspectives and lenses. This is what is valued and celebrated through the Principles of Community. We can’t expect that everything will go perfectly with each effort, and we can’t be too hasty in passing judgment on those that disagree with things or if we disagree with how things are going. It is not about embarrassing individuals for their missteps, but rather educating individuals so that they can move forward. To all of the naysayers — diversity is not dead but is alive and kicking at Virginia Tech and will continue to do so for a long time. Ray Plaza serves as the Special Projects Coordinator in Academic Support Services.
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