COLLEGIATETIMES
tuesday may 5, 2009 blacksburg, va.
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Hogs for Hokies
FLEX OUT HUNGER WITH YOUR DOLLARS From May 5-6, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity will be sponsoring the annual Flex Out Hunger program to benefit the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program. Students interested in participating can visit a Flex Out Hunger table outside Dietrick plaza, Owens Food Court, Hokie Grill, Squires Food Court or West End between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and put their unused dining dollars toward the program.
CT SEEKS WRITER FOR ‘SHE SAID’ The Collegiate Times is looking for a female writer interested in contributing a weekly column for the “He said/She said” feature for the 2009-10 year. Topics range from personal life to dating practices and campus issues. Columnists are expected to produce weekly material and work with CT staff to create effective content. Interested parties should e-mail features@collegiatetimes.com.
sports PULASKI LINEBACKER COMMITS TO TECH Tahrick Peak, a linebacker from Pulaski County High School, made an oral commitment to Tech on Friday. He is the younger brother of running back Nubian Peak, who signed with the Hokies on Feb. 4. In 2008, Tahrick led the Cougars in tackles as Pulaski went 12-1.
WEAVER NAMED TO ALL-ACC TEAM Tech senior golfer Drew Weaver has been named to the 2009 All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's golf team. Weaver leads the Hokies with a 71.45 stroke average tied for fifth in the 2009 ACC Men’s Golf Championship. Weaver is just the second Hokie ever to be named All-ACC in golf. Jurrian van der Vaart was named to the team in 2008.
tomorrow’s weather THUNDER SHOWERS high 72, low 59
corrections In the column, “Mountaintop removal has negative community impact,” (CT, April 30), Dominion Virginia Power was mistakenly named. Additionally, Dominion does is not planning a strip mine in Wise county, as it is not a mining utility. Furthermore, the article headline for “After tenure battle, Neck moves on” (CT, May 1) mistakenly defined the conflict as one over tenure. Professor Neck already had tenure and sought further promotion. The Collegiate Times regrets these errors.
index News.....................2 Features................3 0pinions................5
Classifieds..............6 Sports....................7 Sudoku..................6
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 106th year • issue 57
HUSSEIN AHMED/SPPS
Hogs 4 Hokies Motorcycle ride to Virginia Tech on May 2, 2009. Bikers on Harley, Honda and other bikes cycled the Drillfield twice and then gathered around the April 16 memorial in front of Burruss Hall in remembrance of April 16 victims.
Season tickets: Coming to an inbox near you RACHEL WEBB
ct news staff writer Distribution of student season football tickets will be altered again for the 2009 season. Last year, ticketing services tried a credit card-like ticket, which was to be used for every game. This single card was used to enter every home game during the season, preventing many tickets from changing hands and causing problems if it was lost or stolen. This year, students will receive season tickets in a new way. Sandy Smith Jr., assistant athletic director of ticketing services, said tickets “will be similar to what we did last year with basketball tickets, but more convenient.” Three days before each home game, students with season tickets will get an e-mail with a PDF file attached. Students will have to print the PDF file — it’s their ticket to the game. “There were a lot of complaints about the card, and students voiced their dislike to ticketing services,” Smith said. “SGA had asked for both an electronic form of tickets and season tickets years ago.” Over the years, the athletic department has increased the number of season tickets available to students. The seating capacity at Lane Stadium is 66,233, and 17,000 of those tickets are allotted to students. “We want the majority of students to be able to get to the game and enjoy the game,” Smith said. Tickets will cost $60, plus a $15 dollar service charge. “The new ticketing system makes
sense,” said freshman forestry major Alex Crooks. “Everything is going to the e-mail and the Internet now.” Some of the problems with last year’s tickets arose when students put down residence hall addresses. Tickets were returned to ticketing services, and students were required to pick them up in person.
SEASON TICKET ADMIT ONE (Print Me)
One reason for the change in ticket form was to keep students from reselling tickets. “They won’t be selling the new tickets for a large profit because they aren’t a traditional ticket-stub,” Smith said. Ticketing services still approves of selling tickets to games students cannot attend, just not for a profit — limiting the price to what was paid: $10 per game. “The e-mail format will make it easier for students to forward it to a friend,” Smith said. “I had friends who let me borrow their season tickets for games last year,” Crooks said. “It was a hassle for both of us when we had to exchange the card.”
However, some believe the new system just creates a different set of hassles. “I don’t like that I have to print off the ticket,” said sophomore biochemistry major Lea Mitchell. “I think that people will forget to print it off.” Students with season tickets will have to print their tickets before game day. No changes will be made to the lottery for students who do not have season tickets. Freshmen and transfer students will still have to enter the lottery if they want to get a ticket. “I didn’t get any tickets through the lottery last season,” Crooks said. “But I still got tickets to six games. If you want to go to football games, you can still find a ticket as a freshman.” The likelihood of freshmen ever being able to get season tickets again is low. “When we have let firstyear students get season tickets it didn’t work out well,” Smith said. “They signed up to be in groups with friends they met at orientation, but they never talked to them again. So students were buying a second ticket to sit with friends and wasting their season ticket.” Each year ticketing services gets about 400 seats back at the start of fall semester from students who have become ineligible. Those tickets get canceled and go back to the lottery. “The biggest problem with the lottery is getting students to come get the tickets,” Smith said. The new ticketing system will start with the first home game, Sept. 12, against Marshall. Students who got tickets to the season opener against Alabama in Atlanta will receive a normal, stub-based ticket.
Tech students cycle across US for MS research RYAN PETCHENICK
ct news staff writer Virginia Tech bicyclists are taking it upon themselves to ride across the country in support of multiple sclerosis research and to provide companionship and services to those suffering from the disease. Seven Virginia Tech students will participate in Bike the US for MS this summer. Bike the US for MS will officially kick off June 1, when a total of 13 riders set off from Virginia and travel 3,981 miles to their destination in Oregon. The group, which was born in 2007 with its first-ever bike across America trip from Seattle to Maine, seeks to volunteer and raise awareness over the entire course of the two-month trip. Even before it officially sets off June 1, the group hopes to make an impact locally. “We’ve already built a wheelchair ramp for a woman that lives in Salem,” said cyclist and Tech student Amanda Clark. Construction projects will not be the only type of service the group engages in over the course of the trip. Clark said activities could be “anything from cleaning gutters to mowing lawns, anything that they can’t physically handle, including just spending time with them.” Mason Cavell, Tech student and biker, has contacted various MS organizations in an effort to identify clients that live close to the biking trail that require assistance with any sort of projects. “I’d like to think we’d be able to do one project a week,” Cavell said. “And I would like to think of a project as pretty broad, if someone needs grass cut, stuff picked up, handrail painted, and any small tasks.” Cavell said some stops have already been scheduled. “It looks like we will definitely be doing a project in the St. Louis area, and we’re trying to get in touch about doing a project in Wyoming and Idaho,” Cavell said. The group also has full contact information on its Web site, biketheusforms.org, and will be available through the trip via cell phones. It plans to make stops for Internet access. The continual connection will allow them to receive further information along the trip as to where they can help out along the way. To help with service projects, the MS Society has agreed to award Bike the US for MS a $2,000 grant to acquire materials for any individual the bikers identify as someone in need of additional help in the form of a ramp, deck or handrail. Bike the US for MS has raised $4,663 in donations so far. This money will go directly to the Harvard University MS Research Center where it is then utilized to further MS research. Cavell said the “whole idea is to generate goodwill for the MS community.” “People can see exactly where we are; we’re going to have Twitter and blogs, and we want people to follow us,” Cavell said. Bike the US for MS’ Web site has profiles of all individual bikers, as well as their route and where it will be making stops from June 1 to Aug. 5.
Interfaith protests Virginia’s stimulus veto PHILIPP KOTLABA
ct news news reporter State legislators refused $125 million in federal stimulus funds aimed at expanding unemployment benefits in April. The decision represented a major lost opportunity for the local chapter of the Virginia Interfaith Center on Public Policy, which held a forum Sunday to explain the need for expanded unemployment insurance for poor families and children. The center — a non-partisan, non-profit organization made up of a broad coalition of faiths — advocates social justice issues such as increased access to health care for povertystricken Virginians. “We look across all the world’s faiths. They all stand for treating the least among us fairly and humanely,” said Stephanie Gilmore, chairperson of the New River Valley chapter. “We’re trying to get people to care about equity and justice for
poor people,” Gilmore said. The Virginia Senate voted to accept the funds, but the House of Delegates jettisoned the idea when the General Assembly convened for last month’s special veto session. “I cannot tell you how shocked and distressed we are (about) that action on the part of the House of Delegates. How they could have turned their backs on the working poor in this state at a time like this is just unconscionable,” Gilmore said. Delegates Crockett-Stark, Nutter, and Shuler and Sens. Edwards and Smith were invited to discuss their positions at the forum. None attended. “The legislators who voted against it are saying, we would have taken that money and expanded the unemployment benefits and then that would have been permanent and it would have bankrupted the state ... (that is) not true,” Gilmore said. “There are things the legislators are saying ... and in each case, there’s a rebuttal.”
“As the economy worsens, more families are going into poverty. More children are going into poverty. And the effects on children are just disastrous,” Gilmore said. “One of the things that can soften the blow on children is continuing access to health care.” The Commonwealth Institute, a sister organization that conducts fiscal analyses to provide data that supplements the Interfaith Center’s agenda, had several facts on hand. “The legislature said that these would have to be permanent changes, and the money was temporary, which really was not actually the case,” said John McInerny, health policy director at the Commonwealth Institute during his keynote address at the forum. “The legislature could remove these provisions whenever they wanted to, and also the money should have been enough to last for at least a decade.” “We feel that hopefully the General Assembly will seek to access that money to really help people in absolute need,” McInerny said. The
state has until 2010 to access those particular stimulus funds. Adapting a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities federal study for Virginia, the Commonwealth Institute concluded that 50,000 more children would sink into poverty if unemployment reached 8 percent. That number has already been reached on the national level. “If we went to 9 percent, which unfortunately it looks like it’s heading in that direction, the increase would be between 53,000 and 63,000 additional kids falling into poverty,” McInerny added. Despite being one of the most well-off states in the United States, Virginia falls far behind in terms of unemployment benefits. Only 26 percent of laid off workers are able to access benefits, and just 52,000 out of a total of 125,000 children living in deep poverty currently receive assistance. This discrepancy becomes apparent in state
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editor: sara mitchell email: universitynews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: mw 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
editor: caleb fleming email: nrvnews@collegiatetimes.com phone: 540.231.9865 office hours: tth 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
may 5, 2009
Cadets gain flight experience
Interfaith: State loses $125 million for unemployed from page one
COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA TECH CORPS OF CADETS
140 cadets in the Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 were granted the opportunity to participate in a test flight of the C-130J “Super Hercules” on Saturday, March 21. The flight was conducted to help give the cadets some experience in flight.
expenditures and coverage on health care programs such as Medicaid or SCHIP, or FAMIS, a Virginian program that covers uninsured children who otherwise are not eligible for Medicaid benefits. “While everyone says they’re for kids, actions sometime speak otherwise ... you’re not going to find any type of a leader who is going to say that they’re not interested in helping children,” McInerny said, “but the data shows that ... our safety net in Virginia is not doing enough to help these kids, or anyone, in poverty.” The struggle for covering uninsured children in Virginia has had plenty of ups and downs over the years, according to Rhonda Seltz, manager of Radford University’s FAMIS Outreach Project. “From a historical perspective, Virginia was one of the worst states as far as enrollments,” Seltz said. From 2002 to 2006, a four-year initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to increase enrollment, simplify and coordinate between SCHIP and Medicaid dramatically improved privately unin-
Barqawi will graduate from Tech a US citizen GABE MCVEY
ct news staff writer For Adnan Barqawi, the greatest honor of this year wasn’t his Student Leader of the Year Award, although his friends note that this was well earned. “In all the years I’ve been involved as an alumnus, I’ve never met a man who better embodied the university motto,” said friend, mentor and 1971 engineering graduate Pat Artis. At the top of Barqawi’s semester was his swearing in as a United States citizen on April 17 in Roanoke. “I’ve been a man without a country, the worst of the worst,” Barqawi, of Palestinian origin but who grew up in Kuwait, said. “I look at my time here at Tech and in America as a series of waves; when you’re at the bottom, it looks impossible and you can’t see past that obstacle.” Barqawi, who previously held the highest student position in the Corps as a Regimental Commander, began the process for American citizenship in May of 2008. “There are tremendous waits (for citizenship) because of all the people applying,” Barqawi said. “I was completely understanding of that but there was a part of me that was disappointed because I wanted to be sworn in while in uniform, before I graduated.” Barqawi’s friends thought it was unfair that a man who had so dedicated his life to others’ service shouldn’t receive some kind of special consideration. One of those friends is Wayne Campbell, president of the Virginia Tech German Club Alumni Foundation and a local Republican donor. “Wayne Campbell says to me, ‘There’s this great friend of mine, Don
Huffman, Don was the chairman of the Virginia Republican party,’” Barqawi said. “So he took me up to (his) house and Don — after our first conversation — says, ‘Adnan, I want to make you a man with a country, you deserve to be an American citizen.’” Barqawi said Huffman then contacted his friend and former law partner, Congressman Bob Goodlatte. Goodlatte, a former immigration lawyer, helped Barqawi expedite the citizenship process. “After one call from Congressman Goodlatte’s office, an 18-month process became an 8-month process — (Huffman) really was a man of his word,” Barqawi said. At Barqawi’s swearing–in ceremony in Roanoke, Goodlatte wore an orange and maroon striped tie. “Adnan, I’m wearing this in your honor,” Goodlatte said. “It was one of the most defining moments I’ve ever had in my life,” Barqawi said. “I think there’s no greater feeling than having an allegiance and loyalty to a place, there’s no greater feeling than being able to say you’re an American.” Barqawi describes himself as an average student, though this isn’t how his friends characterize him, stressing the outstanding out-of-class leadership he shows. “Adnan has incredible demands on his time,” Artis said. “He’s spending 15 to 20 hours a week in meetings and other leadership functions; he is meeting individually with the newly turned freshman members of the Corps to help them make the transition and find out if they need anything.” Barqawi describes Pat and Nancy Artis as his friends and mentors. “Adnan will call up Pat once or twice a week for help with the kinds of things
MANASA VALIPA/SPPS
Barqawi became a US citizen on April 17, a year after applying for citizenship. He will graduate this spring. you normally need family for,” Mrs. Artis said. “He’ll ask about things, like how to buy a car or why does insurance cost so much?” Pat Artis says after meeting Barqawi, they feel like he’s a member of his family. “When I came to Virginia Tech last summer to show around a young man from our community, I asked Gen. Allen if there was someone who could show him around,” Pat Artis said. “He said, ‘I’ll have our Regimental Commander, Adnan Barqawi do it, he’s special.” Artis was curious about what Allen
meant. “You’ll have to meet him, you’ll understand,” Allen said. After meeting with Barqawi, Artis told his wife he wanted to have him over for the Thanksgiving holiday. “Nancy asked me who this guy was, and I told her, ‘You’ll have to meet him, he’s special,’” Artis said. “I was at the same loss for words.” Artis invited Barqawi out to Canyonlands National Park to see what he calls “real dark.” “When we got out there, and we turned out the lights, and the stars shone so brightly, like grains of Tide scattered on black velvet, he just started laughing,” Mr. Artis said. “Deep down, under all that stern leadership and earnestness, he’s like a ten-year-old kid.” Artis says this may be why he’s so intense. “He never lost touch with the kindergartner inside,” Artis said.
Barqawi said he’s looking forward to giving back to his country for all he’s gained from it. “For 17 years in Kuwait, something was pestering me that was out of my control: here in America it doesn’t matter who your ancestors are or where you’re born,” Barqawi said. After graduation, Barqawi will leave for Houston to train for his assignment teaching elementary school children in the Mississippi Delta region, wellknown for it’s grinding poverty and low level of high-school graduation. “Jay Williams, who I met in Japan and who is the campus coordinator for Teach for America told me, ‘Adnan I think I have your next job lined up,’” Barqawi said. “This was exactly what I’ve been training for, to lead and inspire young people who need a hand up with limited resources and limited time — that’s what leadership is all about.”
sured citizens’ health care. The election of former Gov. Warner closely coincided with the launch of the commission. “The stars finally aligned because at that time Gov. Warner … campaigned on the fact that ‘I’m going to make sure that I get every child enrolled’,”’ Seltz said. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of that political support,” Seltz said. “We were recognized as one of the best programs in addressing all three of those goals. It was the coolest thing because you could see and actually be a part of improving access to care.” The initiative ended on June 30, 2006. On July 1, President Bush signed a federal budget deficit reduction act requiring photo identification and original birth certificates to gain access to SCHIP and Medicaid. “With a stroke of a pen (he) destroyed everything we had done in four years. So that’s when enrollment just went downhill,” Seltz said. “Our outreach program was without funding for about a year and half.” “We now are back full speed ahead in trying to enroll these families.”
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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.
may 5, 2009
Metric’s latest more Student organization works ‘Hand In Hand’ dance than daring TERESA TOBAT
ct features reporter
I’m convinced Emily Haines is having a heart attack. Haines, vocalist of the band Metric, tells me it’s “beating like RYAN a hammer” on ARNOLD more than 20 features occasions durreporter ing the bipolar opening track, “Help, I’m Alive,” on Metric’s fourth album “Fantasies.” Her accelerated, eager pulse makes sense, though, since Metric hasn’t created new material in four years. Originally formed in Toronto, the quartet debuted with “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” in 2003. During the three years of relentless touring that followed, it rushed the 2005 release of “Live It Out.” Feeling stale by 2006, Metric decided to take a hiatus to indulge in various side projects. All it had known was the road, and it didn’t want its next collective effort to lack empirical substance. Metric appeased hungry fans with “Grow Up And Blow Away” in 2007, but that song collection was recorded in 2001. Haines’ supposed respite included a solo endeavor entitled “The Soft Skeleton,” but following a period of personal darkness, she cried out two depressing albums. She was clearly at her lowest on crawling tracks like “Nothing & Nowhere.” Realizing her performances were overwhelmingly somber, Haines impulsively pulled the plug (literally) at a show in early 2008 — she didn’t want to be sad anymore. Written in both a wooded retreat outside Seattle and a Toronto studio, “Fantasies” can be heard as a euphoric exhale; an upbeat synth-driven therapy session with Haines on the keys. Each of the 10 tracks manages to move your body through a gamut of motions, from approving head bobs to shameless apple bottom shaking. “Sick Muse” opens with guitarist James Shaw plucking a thick rodeo groove that ensures a fun
ride. Haines is pissed off at Cupid, demanding he retract his arrows so she can live an unrestrained life. Her voice is magnetic, undulating between cherubic sweetness and deep, textured seduction. And with the cooing chorus, “Everybody just wanna fall in love, everybody just wanna play the lead,” it’s difficult to not sing along. Don’t be shy, dudes. The foreign ambiance and frantic pace of “Satellite Mind” feels appropriately like a galactic journey. Piloting the rocket, Haines proclaims, “When I’m bored, I send vibrations, in your direction, from a satellite mind.” She makes telepathy very appealing. In “Gold Guns Girls,” Haines seems to be targeting the gluttonous male. Atop drummer Joules Scott Key’s exhaustingly spastic beat, she suggests, “All the lace and skin in the shop, couldn’t get you off.” Haines wonders if platonic relationships are even possible.
Grade: B You might also like... HEAD AUTOMATICA MATES OF STATE LADYTRON The disc’s finale, “Stadium Love,” bursts with enough electro layers to fill an arena, although I don’t think Metric intends to entertain such venues. “Every living thing, pushed into the ring, fight it out,” Haines morbidly sings. She just wants to see the ultimate interspecies bloodbath. “Fantasies” is undeniably catchy, making it great for sunny joyrides and hipster clubs. For that same reason, though, I suspect its impact will be transient. “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now” is aggressive and complex, and that ambition seems lost on “Fantasies.” The production level is so refined it can feel artificial, and the song structures are too predictable and redundant. Still, maybe instant gratification is what Metric wants. On “Collect Call,” Haines implores, “If somebody’s got soul, you’ve got to make them move.” “Fantasies” will certainly have listeners on their feet.
Under the umbrella of Leadership Tech, an educational program that seeks to develop student leaders, nine Virginia Tech students have united to raise money for Hand In Hand. Hand in Hand is an organization that promotes peace between Arabs and Jews in Israel by developing bilingual and multi-cultural schools. Four Hand In Hand schools seek to teach Arab and Jewish children how to treasure their own culture and language while understanding the differences around them. Facilitator of the group, junior French and international studies major, Ellen Mendyk discovered the organization after she was assigned to come up with a service project as a member of Leadership Tech. After conflict flared in Israel this past winter, Mendyk decided to focus on problems within that area. “It’s a very political topic. So that was a problem in finding an organization that would be sensitive, appropriate for what we wanted to do, and apolitical,” Mendyk said. Mendyk said the group Hand In Hand was perfect for their purpose because of the organization’s aims. “They also work on conflict resolu-
tion within the community because that works on our goals,” Mendyk said. “They’re working on being leaders in their community to end the conflict, to start that dialogue. So it’s a perfect place to put our money that we’re earning.” Junior English major Chelsea Newman came up with their idea for a fundraiser: a bracelet made up of a piece of string tied with two slip knots, one size fits all that costs $1. All the bracelets are white to represent peace. “Our main thing was raising the money, but also an awareness campaign. It’s education for them, but it’s also education here on the Virginia Tech campus. We wanted people to understand the problems, understand these names exist, these places exist,” Newman said Newman said she thought selling something people could wear would help further their cause more than selling food or another consumable items that are quickly disposed of. The group set up booths on the first floor of Squires Student Center and also handed out sheets that explained their mission. Group member Matt Hiser, junior material science and engineering major, said education is their primary focus as it’s the best way to change traditions.
COURTESY OF ELLEN MENDYK
Passers-by gather at Hand in Hand’s booth at a local street fair. “It’s an investment in the future,” Hiser said. “In 20, 30 years the kids that are getting educated in the schools will be the ones leading Israel and Palestine and the ones that are leading the future. You might not see the results of it instantly, but it’s like education anywhere — you see the results down the road.” Hiser said one of their aims as an organization is to make individuals feel inspired to help out in different ways.
“I think what we’re doing does matter. It may be a small part of the matter, but enough people giving a small part make a big difference,” Hiser said. “People need to feel more empowered to do things and make a difference. It’s like voting. One vote is not going to make the difference in an election, but millions of people still do it. And ultimately that does make the difference.”
Civility in the time of swine flu ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
newsday NEW YORK — Whether sealing a deal, showing you’re a good sport or just saying hello, handshakes are an integral part of American society. But in some circles, handshakes are becoming something of an endangered species, thanks to swine flu concerns. Northeastern University in Boston did away with handshakes between deans and students at its commencement Friday. And the leader of Maine’s Catholics asked worshipers not to shake hands during services, including the traditional “sign of peace.” On Long Island, at least one organization has barred any pressing of the flesh. The Long Island Junior Soccer League announced it would temporarily suspend handshakes between teams
at the end of games. A league organizer who declined to give her full name said the move was a response to a physician’s recommendations. “We don’t want anybody to panic,” said the woman, adding that, for now, players will simply “line up and say ‘Good game’ to each other as they pass by.” Maybe the league should take a cue from baseball players and try the elbow bump. Representatives from Hofstra University, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Farmingdale State College and Stony Brook University all said they have issued no mandates against handshakes at commencements and that they continue to follow guidelines set by the national Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Sean Dolan, spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York, said shaking hands will be left “to the discretion of the person attending Mass. ... Obviously, if they’re sick, they should probably use common sense and not shake someone else’s hand.” Even the World Health Organization has encouraged the elbow bump, The New York Times reported in 2006. A CDC scientist sent to Africa during Ebola outbreaks said, “I’ll arrive on the tarmac and stick out a hand to say hello and someone from the WHO team will say ... ‘We do the elbow bump now.’ “ While some might consider fewer handshakes no big deal, others said it is serious business — and could seriously hurt business. “I think that tactile reinforcement really builds
a sense of trust with another person,” said Terri Morrison, author of “Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands,” which explores greetings in different cultures. “If you get physically touched by the other person, you trust them more. You smile. It starts the relationship.” Similarly, some sports lovers said a moratorium on handshakes is a shame. Jeff Buckley, vice president of Baseball Heaven, a sports facility in Yaphank, N.Y., said the handshake is an invaluable part of the athletic experience. “I think everybody, going as far back as they remember, knows that’s what you do. You go through and you shake everybody’s hands,” said Buckley, who said he is not yet considering banning handshakes. “It’s valuable as far as teaching kids how to respect each other.”
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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.
may 5, 2009
EDITORIAL
New season ticket distribution system offers improvement After so many student season ticket holders expressed their annoyance last fall at the change to one season pass from individually perforated tickets, the university has again altered the form of season tickets for this upcoming football season. Many students found the previous credit-card sized season pass inconvenient as it prevented ticket holders who could not attend any of the scheduled football games from selling their tickets for face value. One of the reasons that the athletic department issued the tickets this way was to prevent students from scalping and selling them for profit; however, they ultimately ended up making it incredibly difficult for students to sell tickets that they were within their rights to do so, and in turn, the athletic department received much criticism from students. This year, student season football tickets will be distributed similarly to the way basketball tickets were allotted this past winter. Three days before each home game this fall, students will receive an e-mail with an attached PDF file, which will serve as their tickets. Students will print the file and use it as their means of admittance into the game. This new system will make it easier for students to forward tickets to friends in the event that the ticket holder can’t attend the scheduled game. While this new method of ticket distribution is an improvement over last season’s all-inclusive season pass, the new system does not ultimately solve the problem of students scalping tickets. There is really no system in place to keep students from printing off multiple copies
of their tickets and selling the other copies for profit. Those who are exceptionally handy might even employ the services of Photoshop to alter the tickets’ barcodes. Students who spend $40 on a season ticket might be disappointed when turned away at the stadium gates because it turns out their ticket is not valid. These are some dangers that come with allowing students to print off their own tickets for the games. However, because students are now responsible for using their own paper and ink to print their own tickets for the football games, we’re left wondering why the $15 mandatory handling fee is necessary, in addition to the $60 spent for the season tickets. The athletic department also issued a $6 handling fee for season basketball tickets last winter. A handling fee was an understandable inconvenience in years past considering the athletic department created perforated football tickets and mailed them to us, or this past year, mailed us the plastic season pass. However, this year the athletic department is not printing any tickets, nor are they bearing the cost of postage, so an additional service fee on top of the price of tickets seems unnecessary. If anything, students are taking a more active role than ever before in obtaining their tickets before games. If we’re going to be expected to print off season tickets using our own printer, ink and paper — servicing ourselves for the most part — we should not need to pay service fees equivalent to those in years past.
Life in Blacksburg prepares students to enter real world MICHELLE SKEEN regular columnist
Summer is almost here. The temperature outside is rising, but with the daunting approach of finals and graduation, so is the stress level of Virginia Tech students. The last week of classes and an intimidating schedule of cumulative exams, some as early as 7:45 a.m. in the morning (Who can even think that early?) are quickly drawing near. But for the Class of 2009, the job search is adding to the normal pull-your-hair-out tension of the end of spring semester. In the current recession, full-time jobs are not only more competitive but so are internships and graduate schools. The unemployment rate is currently at 9 percent, and some large companies are shedding as much as 10 percent of their workforces. There will be many new job hunters this year, with 1.5 million new college graduates entering the work force as the job growth rate falls to 1.3 percent, the lowest in six years. Even the number of online job postings is decreasing at a rate of 13 percent, which means there are about 3.3 online job seekers for every opening. These statistics are hard to swallow, and have proven true in the lives of my fellow graduates. I have had the “Do you have a job?” conversation way too many times this spring, many times ending in the disappointing answer of “no” followed by “me neither.” Paid internships are falling through because companies can barely afford to pay their regular staff. Many
accomplished graduates are leaving Blacksburg unsure of the future and where to turn next. The only thing I can say is to stick with it. Seniors are entering the real world during a tough time, and they unfortunately may have to hang out at home with Mom and Dad for a little longer than originally planned. I admit, as I look back over my college education, I try to pinpoint what I have learned, what skills will help me get started in this tough job market. Yes, I have figured out how to write a research paper the day before it’s due. I can pull off a pretty stellar PowerPoint presentation. My writing has improved, and my thinking has been stimulated. But when it comes down to it, much of what I have learned in college has been outside the classroom. In many ways, Blacksburg has been a separate world to me, a steppingstone on the way to adult life. Moving away from home has given us freedom. We decide when to pull allnighters, whether or not to go to West End or the gym, when it’s important to attend class, and whether money is better spent on a textbook or a weekend downtown. In addition, moving off campus has taught us how to cook, how to clean our own bathrooms, and that every now and then your roommate is going to get on your nerves. We learned how many people you can fit into an apartment without getting a visit from the police and the standard process of buying a keg from Food Lion. But in addition to basic academic skills and even basic life skills, we have learned relationship skills. Freshman
year we threw ourselves into friendships with anyone who walked past our residence hall room and wanted to play volleyball, eager to find our place in this large campus. As we grew older, we discovered which of these random acquaintances would be there for us in times of stress, in times of festivity, and unfortunately in times of tragedy. As I look back, I realize that if my times at Virginia Tech have taught me anything it’s that every day brings something different and unexpected. A day that starts out rainy and gray can turn into a spontaneous slipand-slide. A day that starts out sunny can end in a failed test and fight with your significant other. You just never know. And we didn’t know what dark cloud was going to fall on our campus on April 16, 2007. But we tightened as a community, we mourned our losses together, and we slowly learned to cope with what the world threw at us. I think that the most important thing I have learned during my time here is to appreciate what I’ve got, and not to take things for granted. Every moment I have spent hanging out at the New River, playing intramural soccer, hiking the Cascades and running through Blacksburg late at night unsupervised has been more treasured than any moment I spent in a classroom. So, on behalf of the Class of 2009, I would like to thank our dedicated professors, our supportive community members, and anyone who has ever been a friend to a fellow student for making the last four years unforgettable.
The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries and Laurel Colella.
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, Phillipp Kotlaba, Riley Prendergast, T. Rees Shapiro News Staff Writers Debra Houchins, Gabe McVey, Ryan Petchenick, 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
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Don’t Condemn Coal This letter is in reaction to the column “Mountaintop removal has negative community impact,” (CT, May 1). The author should not use Mountaintop Removal to condemn coal and justify an immediate renewable energy conversion. Technology cannot yet economically accomplish this task. If renewable energy was truly unlimited and free, all of us would be using it. You can blame the lobbyists, but come on, if someone offered you free electricity, you’d take it. The root of the problem is that supporters of immediate change overlook the fact that 49 percent of electricity comes from coal. This percentage may not sound daunting, but before you pass judgment, please consider the following. The Virginia Sustainable Building Network released a study on Virginia Tech’s energy consumption. From 2000 to 2006, we consumed approximately 1,500 trillion BTUs of coalbased electrical and steam energy. Assuming a uniform consumption rate, we demand an average of 7.2 million kW of power. I decided to see what would happen if we installed wind turbines. I compared the GE 2.5 MW, the GE 1.8 kW Skystream 3.7, and the Vestas V112-3.0 MW turbines. For the calculation, I assumed no efficiency losses from generation or transmission. The requirements just for Tech are as follows: 2,892 units of GE 2.5s, 2.7 million units of GE 1.8s, and 2,410 units of Vestas 3.0s to account for Tech’s needs. At the lowest, the Vestas needs 168 linear miles with perfect tipto-tip positioning. The only posted cost, with good reason, was for the GE 1.8 kW’s and equals $20 billion for just the turbines. Also note that steel for these turbines comes from smelting iron with coke, a processed metallurgical coal with no economic substitute. I hope readers understand that the energy problem is not quite as simple as it seems. So please, author of Friday’s opinion piece, the next time you say “no to coal,” fully understand what you are saying no to. Edmund Jong senior, mining engineering
Tech loses valuable professor It was with great disdain that I read the article “After tenure battle, Neck moves on” (CT, May 1) in Friday’s
Collegiate Times. Having taken Christopher Neck’s Management Theory and Leadership Practice course last fall, I feel completely bewildered as to why the College of Business would deny tenure to and treat so poorly one of the best professors this university has ever had. Granted, Neck is quite unconventional in his teaching. But perhaps this is what makes him so highly regarded by so many of his students. Instead of the usual monotone, PowerPoint college lecture, Neck brings teaching to a whole new level. From getting “Jared the Subway Guy” to come in and speak, to having Frank Beamer talk about his personal views on how to lead, to even creating his own rap for the class at the end of each semester (check it out on YouTube if you haven’t already), Neck is able to make business and leadership come alive in a way no one else can. Neck’s books and articles are also wonderfully unique. Often times using his own experiences in “selfmastery” in conjunction with his own brand of poetry, Neck’s writings on leadership are a breath of fresh air in a field of research that seems crowded by scientific attempts to explain what Neck seems to suggest is more of a beautiful form of art. Wishy-washy mumbo-jumbo? Some people think that. But there is simply no denying Neck’s ability to motivate when reading one of his books or articles — and motivation (both of oneself and of others to achieve personal or organizational goals) is at the very core of management and leadership. Ask yourself this question: How many professors are able to motivate a three-hour long, 500-person class on Friday afternoons to such an extent that students stand up to do “the wave” as if they are at a Hokie football game? My answer: not many. Perhaps jealousy then, on the part of those reviewing Neck for tenure, was one root cause for their apparent bias against him. Congratulations, Arizona State. Because of the failure of some to recognize teaching and research brilliance when they see it, you are getting one top-notch professor come this fall. While he is sure to be just as revered by students there as the ones he leaves behind at Tech, hopefully your faculty will show him the appreciation that some of ours were too jealous to provide. Ryan Lilly junior, management
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Journalism unlikely to continue turning a profit in tough economy EDWARD WASSERMAN guest columnist Can journalism continue to happen if there’s no money for it? That’s a real question right now, as the news business grapples for a way to cope with a craven new world where neither readers nor advertisers will pay what they have traditionally paid for what journalists do. One possibility that seems increasingly likely is both worrying and, in a strange way, reassuring: the decline of journalism as something that is done mainly by professionals who make a living from it. Instead, I think we’re beginning to see the rise of the Op-Ed model: More and more news sites that look and feel like the contribution-fed opinion pages of today’s daily newspaper. The work is produced not by staff members, but by outside people with some knowledge of a topic. They’re not paid much, if at all, and their work is assigned, steered and made presentable by full-time editors employed in-house. This model goes beyond aggregation sites, such as the Drudge Report, which summarize and link to news published elsewhere, or blogs like Daily Kos and Instapundit, which are built around opinion. It’s also a big step beyond crowdsourcing, in which civilians roll up their sleeves and start unearthing information to feed staff reporters — the kind of powerful input that helped the Fort Myers News-Press expose utility overcharges and Talking Points Memo make sense of the firings of eight of U.S.
attorneys and force Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ resignation. Instead, it’s what you see emerging in such sites as HuffingtonPost.com and The Daily Beast, which build from a base of content filched from other sites while adding analysis and comments from a stable of outsiders, many of them marquee names who bring appeal and credibility. It’s also the implicit model behind many of the 56 promising hyperlocal startup sites under the foundation-funded New Voices initiative; there, a floating cast of outside irregulars is orchestrated by a tiny nucleus of inhouse pros to furnish local news. It’s easy to deplore this as just another dreary way for media owners to cheap out on paying the money real journalism requires, but let me offer another context: The Op-Ed model is the latest in a long line of subsidy schemes for journalism, which has almost always lived on charity. For a century or so, newspapers in the United States relied on the patronage of political parties; many papers abroad still do. In the 19th-century, parties were replaced by the makers of consumer goods, which are now abandoning news media in favor of e-commerce sites and search-engine advertising. Who are the new subsidizers? In the Op-Ed model it’s the contributing journalists themselves. Either they’re donating their work outright or they’re selling it for a fraction of what reporters who were making a living from it would need. Either way, the journalists are paying. It’s not an ideal setup, but then, every subsidy system has its own drawbacks and distortions — partisan corruption
when the parties ran the press, slobbering over local capitalists when the advertisers wrote the checks. With the Op-Ed model, it’ll be very hard to ensure coherence and consistency in coverage, let alone quality. It will also be difficult to keep people around long enough to develop depth and understanding if they must steal the time from their off-hours — or their day jobs — to keep the sites stocked with news. Worse, the problem of conflict of interest is huge and virtually endemic. By its nature, the Op-Ed model depends on the work of journalists who, in turn, depend on outside paymasters. You can’t prohibit them from moonlighting when it’s their journalism that’s the moonlighting. So how can you keep those outside dependencies from tilting their work? Disclosure, the favorite solution of the blogosphere, is a start, but it’s no cure-all. Even if it could be enforced, disclosure doesn’t clean up the journalism, it only announces the work might be dirty. Plus, it may run afoul of other obligations: Suppose my employer doesn’t want to be associated with my journalistic hell-raising? Still, these are problems that will need to be confronted and overcome. In the economic crisis that’s shaking journalists out of the conventional news business, we may have no choice but to trust the zeal and generosity of volunteers to keep journalism alive — and retain some semblance of the scrutiny and accountability that keeps public life honest. Edward Wasserman is the Knight professor of journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University.
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may 5, 2009
Beantown charm makes its way to New River Valley ED LUPIEN
ct sports reporter For the Salem Red Sox, it’s all about name recognition. The beginning of a new chapter of minor league baseball in the Roanoke Valley, 2009 marks the conception of the Boston Red Sox Single-A minor league affiliate in Salem. Since professional baseball first came to the city in 1957, Salem has played host to a plethora of Single-A affiliates, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Colorado Rockies and the Houston Astros, whose affiliate played in Salem from 2003 up until last season under the nickname “Avalanche.” Along with the name and affiliation change comes a complete makeover of the city’s ballpark. The classic pair of red socks is plastered everywhere one looks at Lewis-Gale Field at Salem Memorial Ballbark. The Red Sox organization has taken on a life of it’s own that has grown immensely since 2004 when the major league team won the World Series for the first time since 1918. Simply because of its affiliation with the Sox,
Salem’s average attendance has risen to roughly 3,000 fans per home game this season. “It makes a natural connection for casual fans who maybe weren’t really interested in the Salem Avalanche,” said the team’s general manager John Katz. The change has not only brought more people from the Salem area out to the ballpark, but people from all over the east coast as well. Gameday staff reports that during every game so far this season, they have encountered at least a couple of fans in attendance who have made the 11-and-a-half hour journey from Boston to the community of Salem merely to check out the organization’s newest affiliate. There is also a certain underdog, fun-loving mentality associated with the parent club that has spawned its own culture, and there is no doubt that the Salem Red Sox have tried to capture this as best they can in a minor league setting. Flogging Molly blasts from the speakers every night as Salem is introduced. Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” is played in the middle of the
eighth inning. An animated red sock even roams the grandstands entertaining children. “We’ve definitely made it one of our main goals to integrate the Red Sox unique culture here,” said Katz. And when the fans do come, they are treated to the best of both worlds; while the Red Sox have attempted to integrate the major league charm of Fenway Park, they’ve kept the minor league prices at the concession stands. A hot dog is still a measly $3.00 and a 24-ounce beer will cost you $4.50. That’s compared to a 16-ounce bottle of Budweiser that will run you nearly $8 at the Washington Nationals’ ballpark. With prices like those, it’s hard for many to find something to complain about. Some still try, though. “I should’ve gone with the 24 oz. beer,” said Jack Goodwyn, a Tech student from Richmond who purchased the $3.50 20 oz while in attendance at a recent home game. “Worst decision of my life.” Needless to say, the results have been better than anyone in the organiza-
tion had hoped for, and in this tough economy, when almost every professional team is seeing a drop in profit, the Salem Red Sox are currently living high on the hog. “Sales have jumped 100 percent this season,” said Charlie Cooper, a merchandising representative for the team. “Nobody thought we would see a change like this.” “There’s been a tremendous amount of buzz in the community,” said Katz. “We’ve been well-received here so far.” The buzz may be due to the sense of authenticity in Salem’s undertaking of the new franchise. The new club in Salem is operated by Fenway Sports Group; a private company out of Boston that is owned by New England Sports Ventures, which also owns the Boston Red Sox. Katz, who began with the Salem Avalanche, is also a Boston native and a lifelong Red Sox fan. “It’s the lifelong dream of any kid who grows up a Red Sox fan — either play center field or work for them,” said Katz. “I guess I’ll take number two since number one didn’t work out too well.”
BRIAN CLAY/SPPS
Salem Red Sox pitcher Dave McKae delivers a pitch at Salem Memorial Ballpark where Boston Red Sox fans fill the stands to watch future pros.
Journell adds another leg to starting kicker race RYAN TRAPP
ct sports reporter “There’s no question he’s a good kicker. He’s got the ability to be very good,” head coach Frank Beamer said about Giles High School senior kicker Cody Journell. Good enough for Beamer to make him the only kicker at Virginia Tech offered a full ride scholarship. “It’s a great honor,” Journell said. “I grew up watching Shayne Graham and Brandon Pace, and knowing he (Beamer) sees something in me that he’s seen in them is really an JOURNELL honor.” That’s positive news for Virginia Tech special teams this upcoming season. At Tech’s annual Maroon-White
spring game, onlookers received no sense of security as the Hokies’ special teams unit combined to miss an extra point, a field goal, and saw no punt go farther than 40 yards. A shaky kicking game is not something Tech fans are accustomed to, especially in recent seasons despite the constant turnover. Since the departure of the reliable Brandon Pace in 2006, Tech has started each new season with a different starting kicker, and the team finds itself in a similar position this year. With the graduation of last year’s starter, Dustin Keys, Tech once again possesses a glaring hole at kicker and an important off-season issue to deal with. But Hokie fans can take comfort in the fact that the Hokies’ opening day kicker may not have even been at the scrimmage and has yet to don the maroon and orange. Journell, at 6 feet and 175 pounds,
is biding his time until Tech’s summer workout sessions where he plans to show off his cannon of a leg and compete with Matt Waldron and Justin Myer for the starting kicker job. His high school coach, Steve Ragsdale, feels that he has the potential to excel at the college level. “Cody brings so much to the table. He has confidence, a huge leg, and the proper mental ability to take it to the next level,” Ragsdale said. “He looks at each kick as an opportunity to prove himself.” Journell is the only Giles High School graduate to receive a Division I scholarship in the history of the school. The dynamic Journell did not just star as a kicker in high school. He played multiple positions in the defensive secondary and started both ways for the Spartans last season. “I think playing multiple positions has really helped me become
a football player, not just a kicker,” Journell said. “I think its made me a harder worker, helped me focus more in practice, and it’s boosted my confidence.” Beamer agrees with Journell and he feels as though the extra on-field experience will benefit Cody as he transitions into the college game. “He’s played different positions on the football field and played them well,” Beamer said. “I like kickers who have been involved in the offense and defense. I think that helps him.” But that’s not to say Journell is guaranteed anything. Despite the shaky special teams performance at the spring game, past spring games produced similar results, and Beamer is still confident with the kickers Tech has on the roster. “Waldron’s been our most productive kicker and most consistent field goal guy. He’s been very
consistent,” Beamer said. “But we’ll give (Journell) a chance to compete. Whoever is the best kicker, the most consistent kicker, will kick for us; for both field goals and kickoffs.” At Giles, Journell demonstrated he could do both. The senior booted 10 field goals for the Spartans in 2007 including a 54-yarder to tie the score in a game against Blacksburg High School that eventually went to a state-record tying six-overtimes. The Spartans finally prevailed, 46-43. All the while, Journell put kick-offs out of the back of the end zone on a regular basis. “He didn’t have that many opportunities to make field goals for us,” Ragsdale said. “But one thing he was able to do is kick it in or even through the end zone consistently, which was a huge weapon for us.” Journell’s rare ability to kick for distance led him to pursue outside coaching from Doug Blevins to
further his kicking skills. Blevins worked as an NFL kicking coach with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, and after he left the Dolphins in 2002, he opened his own kicking consulting business, Doug Blevins Kicking & Punting, Inc. Blevins has worked with Cody since 2006 and even served as one-time Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri’s personal tutor. “Doug has really helped me with my technique as a kicker,” Journell said. “He’s shown me how I needed to kick from a technical standpoint.” The Abingdon-based Blevins has coached NFL and collegiate kickers alike and believes Journell has the potential to go a long way. The athletic Journell will have the opportunity to compete for the starting job as a true freshman when the newest group of Tech recruits report to practice in August.
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tuesday, may 5, 2009
sports in brief SOFTBALL
The Virginia Tech softball team won two of its three games in Greenville, N.C., this weekend, splitting a pair of games with host East Carolina while cruising to a victory against Campbell. With a loss to ECU on Sunday, the Hokies ended the regular season with a 27-27 record as they now prepare for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team started the weekend sizzling hot, opening Saturday with a 10-0, six-inning victory against Campbell. Kenzie Roark threw six scoreless innings where she allowed only two hits and struck out seven while picking up her seventh shutout of the year. The Hokies’ offense blew the game open in a five-run fourth inning highlighted by an Erin Ota two-RBI single. Ota had three hits and three RBIs to lead Tech’s offense. Also contributing to the run support were Charisse Mariconda with two hits and three RBIs, and Kristin Graham and Jenna Rhodes who had two hits apiece. The Hokies continued their dominance into the second game Saturday, defeating ECU 6-0 with the help of a three-run first inning. Tech again received great pitching, this time from Abbie Rexrode, who threw her first collegiate shut out. She allowed just six hits while walking one and striking out three in seven innings of work. Mariconda had another big game registering three hits. Rhodes and Jessica Everett each had two hits as well. In the regular season finale, Tech was unable to complete the weekend sweep as it succumbed to ESU 4-0. The Pirates were able to break open a scoreless tie in the fifth innings and never relinquished the lead. Kenzi Roark pitched another
strong game, throwing six innings while allowing two earned runs on 11 hits with three walks and three strikeouts. The offense could only muster four hits on the day. A bright spot for the Tech offense came when Jenna Rhodes stole her 114th base for a new school record. No. 5 seed Tech begins the ACC tournament Friday against No. 4 seed Maryland in Raleigh, N.C., in a game scheduled for 7:30. – Chad Mosesso
BASEBALL In their second trip to Florida in as many weeks, the Virginia Tech baseball team got swept in a three game series by the Florida State University Seminoles. The Hokies struggled at the plate and on the mound, losing 2-10, 410 and 4-9 on the weekend. Steady starters Rhett Ballard and Justin Wright did not impress in their appearances. Ballard allowed three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings and Wright gave up five in four innings. Normally a potent offensive team, Tech could not keep up with the Seminoles lineup. First baseman Austin Wates picked up seven hits and four RBIs for the series, but his effort alone could not overcome the FSU bats. Tech returns to action this week with a game at home against Liberty on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and on the road against Davidson at 6 p.m. The Hokies faced Liberty in Lynchburg on April 22 and lost 3-4 on a walk-off home run by the Flames. With the sweep, the Hokies fall to 27-20 overall and 10-16 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. – Joe Crandley
Tennis wraps-up season with winning record HATTIE FRANCIS
ct sports staff writer After an up and down 2009 season, the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team lost the first match of the ACC tournament and just missed the NCAA tournament. “I think overall it was a good season,” said head coach Terry Ann ZawackiWoods. “It definitely could have been better.” The team finished with a winning record of 13-11, but held a losing record within the ACC at 3-8. Despite their losing record in the ACC, it was the highest finish the team has seen since the arrival of Zawacki-Woods. “I definitely wish we could have just got a couple more of those wins under our belt,” she said. “I really feel that it would have been a huger success.” The team lost three seniors at the close of the season: Inga Beermann, Jessica Brouwer and Abbey Walker. Beermann, who finished the year with 17 singles wins and 21 doubles wins said, “We started off with a bang,” “I think we started off 8-0 and didn’t even lose a match our first five games,” she said. “We just had such a fun team this year.” “We had a lot of freshmen who had a lot of potential and showed a lot of talent,” she said. “They had a lot of heart and definitely contributed to the success we had. I would consider it one of the most successful seasons as a team that I’ve had since I’ve been here.” Of her four years as a Hokie, Beermann’s most memorable was her freshman season. “I came in with no expectations pretty much,” she said. “I knew I was good. I played number one all four years, and I think I was the first one in Virginia Tech history to make NCAAs in singles.” Beermann concluded her career ranked fourth in career singles with
NICK JEREMIAH/SPPS
Tech senior Inga Beermann serves toward her opponent. Beermann is one of three seniors who will be leaving the team after this season. 80 individual wins. She also tied for second in doubles wins with 75 during her career. Her highlight of the season occurred at the beginning of the season this January. “We started off in Texas beating Iowa 7-0. I guess nobody expected us to win because we’re such a young team. Just winning that so easily and playing so well,” she said. “You could see the hard work paid off.” Senior Day against Wake Forest was an especially emotional day for Inga this spring. “We beat Wake Forest; it was a big upset for us,” she said. “They were
ranked 37, and we bet them.” “I had a big doubles win, a big comeback. Unfortunately, I lost in singles but I played the same girl four days later at ACCs. I got my revenge and beat her,” she said. After beating Wake Forest in the last match of the season, the Hokies went on to face them four days later in the ACC Championships in Cary, N.C. Virginia Tech was not as successful in its second meeting with Wake Forest. “It was disappointing,” ZawackiWoods said. “We had just beaten Wake Forest a few days before. It’s really tough to go back out and beat them two times in a row.
“Wake is definitely a good team. They’re a top-40 team. They are in the NCAA tournament,” she said. “So I think it’s still a win that we could have had, but I think Wake Forest just played better than we did that day.” Senior Jessica Brouwer, who partnered with sophomore Holly Johnson against Wake in doubles, said, “We lost our doubles, unfortunately.” “Not our best doubles,” she said. “Singles-wise, I played a lot better. I lost pretty quickly the first time, and this time I got a three setter out of it,” she said. Brouwer earned a nationals singles ranking late in the season this spring and was ranked in doubles for the majority of the dual match season. “We did pretty well,” said Brouwer. “I think we’re still ranked 75.” As for season totals, Brouwer ended with 16 singles wins and ended her career tied for sixth in doubles victories at 67. “I had a great win over number 28 from Duke,” she said. “I played a lot of ranked people and was really close every time.” “I’m going to miss the whole team thing,” said Brouwer. “Tennis is such an individual sport. It’s really fun to have more people around you and be really close to a certain amount of people.” Beermann had similar feelings as she said, “Practice, I’m going to miss sometimes. I’m not going to miss getting up early and all the time you have to put in. I’m probably going to miss the team the most.” As for next year, “We want to keep improving,” Zawacki-Woods said. “We want to be in that post-season play in the NCAA tournament. That’s a goal that I still feel is very attainable and that we’re going to keep striving for.” “The underclassmen will now have a year under their belt,” she said, “so we’re looking forward to them stepping up into some higher positions.”