Students help to design and construct the house of architecture professor BY RYAN ARNOLD | features reporter / all photos by KYLE MOIR | spps ans Rott thought he had landed on lava. A native of Vienna, Austria, Rott’s first U.S. memory was the merciless heat of tarmac at a Houston airport. He was sure another plane’s engines had kept their gate toasty just prior. He quickly realized the sun was stronger stateside. But Rott, a professor in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, has used his architectural savvy to adapt. Despite the scorching August air, the Collegiate Times felt comfortable while sitting with Rott to discuss his Blacksburg home. Within his pergola retreat, a single grapevine had sprawled through the latticework, its shade a complement to the refined
arch covering. The Perrier sparkling water helped hush the sun’s heat as well. Basking in the afternoon weather, Rott enjoyed an adult beverage and a handsome cigar. Few situations are much cooler than that. And to whom do we owe such atmosphere? The unique residence saw the hands of numerous Virginia Tech students during its construction. Rott used his abode as a teaching tool. Situated on a low lot on Patrick Henry Drive, the coy structure represents an important facet of an architectural education, a particular facet that Rott thinks might be collecting dust. He may just have to draw up a new project in his studio — which is in a tower, by the way. see HOUSE / page four
check out www.collegiatetimes.com to see a video of the house
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 72
News, page 3
Features, page 4
Opinions, page 5
Above the cut Student organizations defy budget reductions KAITLYN GLEASON ct news reporter Funding for many student organizations is rising despite the widespread educational budget reductions in the university. Virginia Tech students currently pay a $162.50 student activity fee each semester that supplies University Union and Student Activities with nearly $1 million to fund all of Tech’s clubs and organizations. A thorough process takes place through Student Organizations that decides what organizations are granted funding, how much is granted, and for what reasons. For this upcoming year, out of Tech’s 719 organizations, very few were not granted funding through the university’s budget board. Of the 74 organizations that requested annual funding, only four were rejected. A total of 96 organizations made requests, including small grant funding. Though most were given some amount of funding, few received the exact amount requested. “We had 96 organizations request over $1.5 million for annual funding (and small grant) and only $927,705 was able to be given out,” said Steve Burrell, assistant director of student organizations. Among the organizations that receive the most funding, the Black Student Alliance and Virginia Tech Union were the recipients of the greatest financial grants. “Their mission is to provide quality entertainment, lectures and speakers for the campus community,” said Associate Director of Campus Programs Monica Hunter. “Because their sole purpose is to directly provide for the community, they receive the most.” This year, BSA was granted $154,563, a $17,525 increase over 2007. VTU’s total grant of $319,765 was an increase of $19,748 over 2007. Burrell said that the budgets for student organizations are not subject to cuts in relation to the economy, but rather potential increases because allocations for student organization programming are taken from a portion of the student activities fee. UUSA provides three primary ways for a campus group or organization to attain funding from the university: small grant, annual funding and contingency funding. Small grant funding is given to organizations for a specific purpose or event and is limited to a maximum of $1,500. Annual funding pertains to organizations that hold programs and activities throughout the entire fiscal year. Contingency funding is available to annual funding recipients to address any outstanding needs or new programs developing during the fiscal year period. Determining the budget for a club or organization begins with an application process. The group requesting funding from student organizations fills out a detailed form requesting a specific amount of money and an explanation about how those funds will contribute to their mission, Burrell said. The requirements to be eligible for funding are open to every organization. Hunter said the deadline for the registration form is the fourth Friday of class, which falls on Sept. 18 this year. Applicants then attend a mandatory
Bigge$t Allocatio
Registered Student Organizations Hillel: $15,424 Skydiving Club: $8,912 Ultimate Club: $8,888
University Student Chartered Organizations Virginia Tech Union: $319,765– an increase of $19,748 since 2007 Black Student Alliance: $154,563– an increase of $17,525 since 2007 JOSH SON AND SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
budget workshop before turning in their budget request by January 29, 2010. Typical allocations for funding include programs directed primarily toward the student community, travel, operating costs of the organizations and contractual services. “There’s no typical organization we would or would not fund,” Hunter said. “It’s all about how prepared they are with their request. We look for a variety of things: diversity in programs and organizations, the biggest range of audience and also the timing of it, like if something was planned on a Saturday afternoon during the UVa football game — is that really a good idea to sponsor that event?” The applications are then taken to the appropriate board, either the Student Budget Board or the Registered Student Organization Budget Board, depending on whether the organization is registered or a university student charter organization. The Student Budget Board has 16 members, and the Registered Student Organization Budget Board has 13 members, composed of both graduate and undergraduate appointed students. During the deliberation process, the board reviews the requests to understand why a group is asking for a particular amount and how those funds will help the group to accomplish their mission. “Then the board really hashes out what can and cannot be funded, and finally in April the allocated amounts
are given for the upcoming year,” Hunter said. Funding is based on past trends of money required for certain events. “Members on the board are trained to know what amount of funding is needed to take care of certain events and programs,” said Student Accounting Manager Elaine Quesenberry. “How much they are granted is based on if the program in need of funding looks like something students would be interested in and if it will contribute to their mission as a group.” Quesenberry said funding is also given based on how much the service costs. If the cost of production has gone up in the past year, so does the budget for that need. In order to effectively use the money they have budgeted each year, certain “cut strategies” are implemented so that no group or organization is given an unfair amount. “One of the cut strategies we have for this year was only funding for two conferences per organization,” Burrell said. Other cut strategies involve putting a “cap” on the amount of funds requested for a specific need. “Each board comes up with its own cut strategies in addition to the general guidelines of things we won’t fund,” Hunter said. “It makes things a lot easier to be able to go through and (for example) say we can allow for $100 worth of office supplies, so if anyone should ask for more than that we know we can cut that off the top.”
Classifieds, page 8
Sports, page 7
Sudoku, page 8
Local road project streamlines traffic PHILIPP KOTLABA ct university news editor Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will have new travel options with the completion of roadway improvements around Blacksburg. New bicycle lanes, an added traffic light, dedicated merge lanes and new traffic patterns at the intersections of Prices Fork Road, Toms Creek Road and Stanger Street formed as part of a $2.8 million project referred to as the “Various-Intersections” construction project. Additional bicycle routes are available for cyclists, who must obey traffic laws but can also elect to ride on the street or on sidewalks. As they leave Prices Fork Road or Toms Creek Road and turn onto Stanger Street, motorists will each have dedicated merge lanes to help ensure a smooth lane change. Pedestrians will benefit from new crosswalk signals with countdown timers and handicap-accessible ramps. The project started in the summer of 2008, and was completed on time and under budget. It is intended to ease congestion throughout Blacksburg and within the Virginia Tech campus. The Various-Intersections project was a collaborative effort between Tech, the Town of Blacksburg, and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Added or elongated turn lanes New bike lanes Pedestrian crosswalk signals and countdown timers Handicap-accessible ramps Dedicated right merge lanes from Prices Fork Road at West Campus Drive and Stanger Street New traffic light at West Campus Drive-Perry Street intersection
SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
how book sales stack up Math 1205- University Calculus University Bookstore: $72.00 used, $115 new Tech Bookstore: $72.25 used, $96.35 new Bookholders: $65.53 used, $72.25 new
Biol 1005 University Bookstore: $91.80 used, $138.95 new Tech Bookstore: $92.80 used, $123.75 new Bookholders: $84.20 used, $92.82 new
Freshman English 1105- Composition Book University Bookstore: $29.20 used, $38.95 new Tech Bookstore: $29.25 used, $39.00 new Bookholders: Not available
Geog 1014, World Regions: Plaid Avenger University Bookstore: $90.65 Tech Bookstore: $90.60 Bookholders: Not available
JOSH SON/COLLEGIATE TIMES
The Collegiate Times surveyed the prices of four common textbooks at several local booksellers.
page 2
august 25, 2009
news 3
new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
august 25, 2009
COLLEGIATETIMES
With Maliki’s party Obama team creates interrogation team out, Iraq’s Shiite coalition splits MARGARET TALEV, MARISA TAYLOR & WARREN STROBEL mcclatchy newspapers
ADAM ASHTON mcclatchy newspapers BAGHDAD — The Shiite Muslim political alliance that’s led Iraq since 2005 appears to be breaking apart, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawa Party preparing to run for re-election independently of the other parties that had lifted him to power. Evidence of the split was the unveiling Monday of a new coalition of the country’s Shiite parties that left out al-Maliki’s party. The three groups described as the main components of the Iraqi National Alliance are the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, which until earlier this year was Iraq’s dominant political player; the National Reform Trend, a group affiliated with former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, and the Sadrist party that follows radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. That alignment could leave alMaliki looking to form his own alliance for January’s national election, an effort that his supporters say would span the country’s sectarian divides by incorporating Sunni Muslims and possibly Kurds. Leaders from the new list, however, left the door open to al-Maliki’s return, suggesting they think they’d be better off with him in their camp. “I wish they were here with us today, and by God willing, the efforts will continue to unite everybody, and at the top of them, our brothers in Dawa Party,” said Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul Mahdi, a member of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq who was just shy of becoming prime minister in the votes that led to al-Maliki’s rise three years ago. Dawa Party leaders said they’re still in talks on whether to join the alliance. They think they can win on their own, having garnered more seats than any other member of the alliance in January’s provincial elections. “We have the full confidence that if we go to elections we will win it because the citizens know we are on their side,” said Waleed al-Hilly,
a Dawa Party member. “Our capital is our honesty with the citizens and that’s what the provincial elections proved.” Kurdish parties haven’t said what they’ll do. They’re awaiting revisions to Iraq’s election law that will determine whether voters choose lists or specific candidates when they head to the polls Jan. 16, said Mohsin Saadoun, a member of the Kurdistani List. Al-Maliki has tried unsuccessfully to make himself the leader of the current majority bloc in parliament, the United Iraqi Alliance, since the Dawa Party’s strong showing in provincial elections. Lately, he has made overtures to Kurdish parties in Iraq’s north. He built his reputation as someone who could act against his own sectarian interests when he cracked down on Shiite militias affiliated with al-Sadr in the southern city of Basra. He strikes a tone of being above sectarian divisions whenever he speaks in public. “We have only one agenda in Iraq, the agenda of the nation, the agenda of the citizen, an agenda of building and development,” he said in remarks to tribal leaders on Aug. 15. “Let them stop. Let them stop trying to frighten the Shiite of the Sunni, and the Kurd of the Arab. This will not work after today, no Iraqi is afraid of another Iraqi ever — we are all brothers and have in common the love of our country.” His stature, nonetheless, took a dent last week when suicide bombers detonated explosives in front of two government ministries, killing at least 95 and wounding more than 1,200, and undercutting the image of stability that al-Maliki has tried to convey while American forces reduce their presence in Iraq. “Obviously Maliki lost a lot of esteem,” said Alaa Makki, a Sunni member of parliament. “He was the man who provided security, and now there is no security.” Iraq saw more violence Monday, with at least 10 people killed and 20 injured by a bomb in Wasit province, east of Baghdad.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, moving to break with Bush-era interrogation policies, announced Monday that it would create a new interagency group to manage the questioning and transfers of terrorist detainees. However, many of the details were unknown and it was unclear how significantly the new approach will differ from previous practices. The announcement came shortly before the expected release later Monday of a CIA inspector general’s report said to document abuses by CIA interrogators who went beyond the authority granted by the Bush-era Justice Department to use techniques such as waterboarding that many consider torture. The new group, recommended by a task force and approved by President Barack Obama, is intended to correct some of the abuses that took place under the Bush administration’s program and to allow less of an ad hoc approach.
“There is no tension between strengthening our national security and meeting our commitment to the rule of law, and these new policies will accomplish both,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. The new High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group would be housed within the FBI, whose agents were among the most vocal opponents of so-called harsh interrogation techniques during the Bush years, and would be overseen by the National Security Council inside the White House. Its members have not yet been named. They would include mobile teams of interrogators, analysts and linguists tasked foremost with preventing future attacks and secondarily with gathering evidence for criminal prosecutions of terrorism suspects. Interrogators will operate under the guidelines spelled out in the Army Field Manual, which bans the use of techniques such as sleep deprivation and waterboarding that were hallmarks of Bush-era policies. But the group also will examine scientific research and recommending whether the interrogation methods should be expanded or adjusted. It was not immediately clear
whether any changes in interrogation methods would be announced publicly. Senior administration officials, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the new regimen will better protect future detainees from torture if they are sent to other countries for interrogation. They did not offer details on how the new process would better protect suspects sent to other countries, a process known as rendition. Nor did the officials specify any individual countries that would be excluded from future renditions because of known problems. The administration could continue to rely, as have prior administrations, on other countries’ assurances that they will not torture individual detainees. Several terrorism suspects who have been released have complained that they were sent to countries such as Syria and Egypt where they were mistreated during questioning. The State Department could play a “more central role” in verifying and monitoring the human rights practices of any nation in question, one official said. But he did not offer details. Separately, a release Monday from the Justice Department said Obama
has accepted various classified recommendations to ensure proper treatment of detainees. In a statement to CIA employees, Director Leon Panetta defended his agency’s conduct and said he would “stand up for those officers who did what their country asked and who followed the legal guidance they were given. That is the President’s position, too.” Panetta made no mention of possible new legal probes into the actions of government officials and contractors, which Holder reportedly is considering. Also to be released Monday are two reports that deal with the effectiveness of the so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” that Obama banned shortly after taking office. Panetta said the CIA’s interrogation and detention program “obtained intelligence from high-value detainees when inside information on al-Qaida was in short supply.” But he stopped short of endorsing the practices. “Whether this was the only way to obtain that information will remain a legitimate area of dispute, with Americans holding a range of views on the methods used,” he said.
Roomie matches made in cyberspace MEGAN TWOHEY chicago tribune CHICAGO — For Satit Koonopakarn, the gold dagger and book of chants were the first signs of trouble. His freshman roommate at the University of Illinois at Chicago pulled out the items on movein day, explaining that he was a Wiccan and liked to practice witchcraft. Months later, Koonopakarn said, he awoke during the night to find the roommate standing over his bed casting a spell. “I was lying there thinking, ‘Please God, don’t let anything bad happen to me,’” Koonopakarn said with a chuckle. Like most colleges with residence halls, U of I-Chicago makes an effort to pair first-year roommates who are compatible, often taking into consideration personality assessments and lifestyle questionnaires, among other factors. But some matches still result in disaster. To minimize the horror stories, a small but
growing number of schools are inserting online technology into the equation. They are setting up their own social networking sites, instructing students to create a profile and select a roommate for themselves — like Match.com for dorms. Assigned roommates have already seized on Facebook and Myspace as a way to learn more about each other. Colleges field complaints from students, and their parents, seeking roommate changes even before the school year begins. Loyola University recently heard from the mother of a student who pulled up a photo of her roommate’s house on Google Maps and deemed it too shabby. While some schools are now trying to use the technology to their advantage, other schools are pushing forward with traditional matchmaking, insisting students need to branch out of their comfort zones and experience diversity. For the nearly 2.8 million freshmen heading off to college — one of the highest numbers in history — the roommate relationship may have the single greatest impact on their college experience, studies
show. Students dissatisfied with their roommates are more likely to feel negative about college and suffer lower grade-point averages and retention rates. “It can make or break a student,” said Mike Schultz, director of university housing at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, who serves as president of the Association of College and University Housing Officers International. “Some students will leave a university if they have a poor experience. I’ve also seen marginal students with great student relationships succeed with the extra support.” DePaul University had used a lifestyle questionnaire when matching freshmen roommates, striving to pair early birds with other early birds, self-confessed slobs with equally messy classmates, and smokers with those who shared the habit. But eight years ago, the university scaled back the criteria, asking only which residence hall and type of room the student preferred, said Rick Moreci, director of housing services.
4 features
editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
House: One professor’s ultimate class project comes home from page one
Collegiate Times: When did you join the College of Architecture and Urban Studies faculty? Hans Rott: In 1976. I came here as a graduate student in 1974 and then joined the faculty in 1976 and was fulltime in 1977. CT: When was ground broken on your Blacksburg home? HR: The first part was started in 1977. Then I underwent some changes in life, and my wife joined me here. And then we found out very quickly that this was too small. It was a bachelor pad … I’m a real pack rat. And then we started adding on. We added on the tower and the pergola and the shop. That started in 1984, 1985 — something like that. CT: Who was in charge of designing the house and its additions? HR: Just me. CT: Were your students involved with the project? HR: Oh yes, all the time. It’s funny. Students would drive by here in the evening, we would sit up there, have a drink, and they would yell, “Don’t paint the house!” because everybody knew I was planning to paint it all, and they all liked the brickwork. It was very engaged, and I believe in that. The reason why we are here teaching in the wilderness is because we don’t want to have the distractions of a city where everybody runs after architects. By the same token, you have to engage the students on a level where they can benefit from what you are doing all the way through what you’re doing. Just as they know what I read, they should know what I make. CT: Was it restricted to design dialogue or was there hands-on experience? HR: There were two kinds of students. One was the ones I hired to work. There were always (students) that wanted to learn construction, and then I hired people that already had construction experience. And we paid (students) just like in the normal market. We had promotions. When you learned something, you graduated to become a carpenter’s helper instead of a gofer. Then there was the other kind of students that were just interested in what was going on. We were more talking theoretically with them in school, and sometimes we had seminars over here. So it was always a lively place with a lot of engagement.
From a window in the property’s tower, an onlooker can view the facade of the professor Rott’s house and Patirck Henry Drive. CT: How was the construction work actually divided? HR: I had one graduate student who was my head carpenter. He was very good. He was a union carpenter. So I helped him, basically, with the carpentry. I had local brick masons do all the brick work. And they even did the tower. … Most of the other work, like all the formwork for the concrete, all the concrete work, that’s all the work I did, and I hired students for that. CT: How do you think professional and student craftsmen differ? HR: You have luck sometimes, and you find good (professionals). Then other times … it just doesn’t work out. In that sense, again, students are better because the students don’t have preconceived notions of it. And so you can work through with them, and it takes longer. It actually costs you more to hire students than it does professionals, but you at least get the work done that you want, and you have a much better chance of thinking it through. If you make a detail or something, and as they’re doing it, because they’re thinking people, they come up with a question about it or a better way of doing it. I think it’s the proper extension of teaching. CT: Currently, what are other projects that students could be involved in? HR: Well, public buildings, particularly urban design projects. But one of my students just told me the old story. They were in some town past Floyd, and they did a very nice project for the town square. And the county commissioners are sitting there, and when the time they’ve allocated is up, they say, “Thank you,” and then they leave
because they have absolutely no interest in ever executing it. First of all, they don’t understand what you’re talking about. It’s like talking to my dog about Heidegger; he understands probably more. And secondly, the problem is they don’t want to spend the money. The attitude is, if you hire students, it all has to be for free. And if it’s for free, then you do damn well what I tell you. But then you also furnish the labor and if you can manage, you also furnish the materials. And that doesn’t work. First of all, it’s the wrong thing to do to students. They think it’s totally beside the point to have students work for the experience. And secondly, if you don’t take seriously what a university does, don’t ask us. Architecture is badly beset by that in rural areas. In some places people pull it off; there’s a critical mass that helps. In our area, we are not really that lucky. We have too much of an ingrained attitude that, “Oh well. Those are just ideas.” CT: Does the tower reach back to childhood tree houses or pirate observation decks? HR: No, it really doesn’t. I designed a house for somebody who wanted a tower, but then they chopped it up to get more use out of it. And I couldn’t convince them that then you don’t need a tower. It’s a nuisance to have a tower that isn’t a tower. The important part of a tower is the inside volume; it’s not the height, it’s the volume inside. They didn’t believe me. … But then I had to do one. I had to prove to myself that I could actually do that … I wanted to be able to say, “Yeah, I sit low, but I can KYLE MOIR/SPPS see the mountains.” In the winter when we’re up in the last floor of the tower, I Architecture and Urban Studies professor Hans Rott’s home was built with the aide of students, who can actually see the mountain ridges.
assisted in both the design and construction process. A tower which Rott built accompanies the house.
opinions 5
COLLEGIATETIMES
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Our Views [staff editorial]
Transparency needed with budget issues This semester, each Virginia Tech student paid $162.50 for the student activity fee as part of his or her fall bill. Most students recognize this payment as the money that funds clubs and organizations’ various events throughout the semester. However, it is initially less obvious what groups will receive the larger portions of this funding until the budgets have been approved and published. Granted, it is generally a safe assumption that the Virginia Tech Union and the Black Students Alliance will receive the most, because of their expensive productions that in turn bring in revenue. VTU and BSA are responsible for the biggest concerts and performances on campus, have the highest ticket sales, and bring in many attendees from outside the university. They also have well prepared and detailed budgets to submit for review. The exact amount that VTU, BSA and the other organizations that request money annually receive is decided by a board of 16 undergraduates and graduate students that decides which activities each group lists on its budget students will attend and enjoy the most. While the majority of the student population might remain ignorant of how its activity fee is being spent, this influential group is able to
decide how our collective million dollars is spent. This board’s task is certainly daunting, or at the very least time consuming with 74 groups requesting annual funding this semester alone. Still, it’s hard to fathom this small group being representative of 30,000 plus full-time students who pay the fee. Although $162.50 is not the largest fee paid at Tech, it’s still money from the students, and thus students should have some way to see how it’s spent. The simplest solution to this would be posting the budgets submitted by the organizations online so that students can view and comment on the activities and events each group has planned. At the very least, this addition would allow the board to have a larger pool of opinions to consider when making its final decisions. Perhaps the only real concern of this transparency is that students must understand events cannot necessarily be specified. For example, VTU might be trying to secure a big-name band, and publicizing the money will certainly limit its room to negotiate. Still, there are ways to work around this roadblock that would allow students to voice their opinion on what their money goes to. The editorial board is comprised of Debra Houchins, Peter Velz and Sara Mitchell
Your Views [letters to the editor] Article on war crimes disrepectful
I
was thoroughly disgusted when I saw the headline of the first article I read since returning to Blacksburg, “Commencement speaker advocates war crimes.” Gen. Lance Smith graduated from the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech, and he is a highly decorated veteran of the United States Air Force who has flown over 3,000 hours defending our country. To say that he advocates “war crimes” is such a ridiculous comment that the Collegiate Times should be ashamed they even printed it. Is the writer also saying that nobody should be in the corps of cadets? Is he saying that we should not have
a military? The U.S. military has done more good in this world than any other force of all time. Should we not have stormed Normandy or not have dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima? If that was the case, then the Nazis would be ruling the European continent, and we would have lost millions of Americans. I hope that the CT does not print another article that is as extremely outlandish and disrespectful as this one.
Judd Smith Political science major
[student organization] PACE calls all students to service
A
call to service? Who has the time? President Barack Obama’s message was clear: He challenges each and every one of us to “participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities.” OK, that sounds good enough, but I have class work, proposals to write, research to do, a dog and cat to take care of, and the laundry needs to be done. Who has the time? I have sat in many lectures where I have heard how amazing people like Dr. Paul Farmer have dedicated their lives to helping people in need. My reaction is always the same. I leave those speeches enthusiastic, geared up, energized and ready to change the world! The next day, however, real life beckons me back to my daily chores, and the energy dissipates. Let’s be serious. I’m not a doctor. I am not in a place in my life where I can or want to open a clinic in a developing country. I have student loans to pay and a degree to earn. So I guess that means I’m out. There’s nothing I can do to change the world right now, so why even bother? What? Since when does it have to be all or nothing? I do not remember Obama calling for us to make a choice between giving up the life we have now and doing nothing. There is no fine print that tells us a “call to service” means we either devote our lives to the game or not even bother showing up to the stands. We cannot do nothing. Benjamin Franklin said, “The man who achieves makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all — doing nothing.” Don’t make that mistake. Find your passion and commit to it in whatever way possible. If you are passionate about saving the environment, you do not have to live in a tree for three months to make a statement. (Of course, if you’d like to, you should make sure you have proper provisions and are not trespassing.) Try tak-
ing a friend whose idea of nature is the “Planet Earth” DVD box set up to McAfee’s Knob this fall and challenge him not to see the beauty around him. Yes, raising awareness is a service in itself. If you want to help the youth of our community, become a mentor or tutor and commit to weekly or monthly visits. Find a group at Virginia Tech doing something that piques your interest and go to a meeting. Many have pizza at the first meeting — with free food and new friends, how can you go wrong? There are well over 50 organizations on the Division of Student Affairs Web site that are dedicated to service alone. Now is the time to do it. Do not wait until tomorrow, because there will always be a tomorrow. I challenge each and every one of you reading this to make a commitment today to participate in one positive action this month. See where it takes you. Walk that soda you are drinking the five extra feet over to the recycle bin. Help a lost student find their chemistry class on time. Find a group doing something great and go to a meeting. Bring a friend. So, what if I don’t have a singular passion? What if I cannot pinpoint one issue that speaks to me more than another? Well, if you asked those questions then you are just like me. I care about animals and kids. I am passionate about feeding the hungry in Haiti as well as in my own backyard. I am equally as concerned about HIV/AIDS as I am with the ever-increasing homeless population. Where do I fit in? There are organizations out there for you, too. Visit the Poverty Awareness Coalition for Equality Web site at www.onepace.org for more info on how you can get involved.
Randi Liebermen President of Pace
MCT CAMPUS
Health care debate should focus on economic factors S
ince the United States House of Representatives completed HR Bill 3200 on July 14, there has been a staggering backlash from those who oppose the bill. The bill, dubbed “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,” has produced a litany of overflowing town hall meetings on the issue, with many opponents passionately criticizing their elected representatives. In some extreme cases, citizens have actually arrived outside the building of their representatives’ town hall meeting with automatic weaponry in hand, there to reinforce the ideas of individual freedom. In some ways, this public outcry is a positive thing for the country because it shows that Americans have the resolve to make their grievances very clear to their political leaders. However, if the best longterm interest of the U.S. is what we truly desire, we have to find a way to employ a little more reason and logic while grappling with the health care issue. The most logical approach in this case is to debate the economics of the health reform issue, not the ideologies. For starters, we know that our current system is far too costly for what we receive. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the average U.S. per capita spending on health care was $6,714 in 2006, compared to just a $3,678 average in Canada (in U.S. dollars). And in the same year, the U.S. spent 15.3 percent of gross domestic product on health care, while Canada spent just 10 percent, also according to the OECD. Other major developed countries such as France and Germany have much lower health expenditures as
well, despite the fact that government health expenditures are a much higher percentage of total health expenditures in those countries than they are in the U.S. According to the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies, the U.S. is the only wealthy industrialized country in the world that lacks some form of universal health care, yet still spends more per capita on health care than any other nation in the world. The fact of the matter is that our current health care system is already unsustainable, and with the baby boomers getting older, our health care expenditures would only skyrocket with possibly catastrophic consequences if we do nothing to modify our system. The HR 3200 bill is debatable in terms of its capacity to help alleviate these economic challenges. Federal access to individual health records, the large bureaucracy of any government-run program, long waiting time (which is a pressing issue in other countries such as Canada where the government currently plays a stronger role in the health system than in the U.S.), and possibly less financial incentive for medical research and innovation, are some of the more serious concerns of the bill’s opponents. But we should allow for the debate to reach that level of analysis, instead of stubbornly avoiding all information that doesn’t fit our often inflexible ideologies. We would also do well to remember that every other wealthy nation in the world has some form of a universal health care system. Many of them are not single-payer systems, which the HR 3200 bill stipulates, but the success of universal care systems from Canada to France to Germany
should alert the American public to the fact we can implement a more comprehensive health care system that is economically feasible. Furthermore, this has been successfully implemented with a government-run public option as the major centerpiece of the overall multi-payer system. There are also many creative ways to handle the all-important question of payment, while still providing the best environment for quality care. According to the World Health Organization, physicians in France are generally in private practice but actually derive their income from publicly funded insurance. And in Germany’s universal multi-payer system, all citizens below a set incomelevel use the government health care option, which is provided through private, non-Profit funds, according to the WHO. The current proposal for health reform in the U.S. is likely to be revised quite a bit before being potentially enacted, and in all honesty, it needs to be. But we cannot go another 20 or 30 years under our current system without suffering unprecedented financial problems. It is thus imperative that we eventually find a way to significantly modify the system. Therefore, instead of being up in arms (literally) when expressing our opinions on the issue, let’s be up in quality ideas.
MICHAEL SAGE -regular columnist -international affairs graduate student
Moral standard for athletes shouldn’t be lower than others E
ven before his notorious involvement in the brutal “sport” of dogfighting, Michael Vick was arguably the most recognized name among the aforementioned attendees of Virginia Tech, possibly the most famous Hokie of all time. A quick recap of the other less recognized figures: Yates — the first African-American to graduate from a predominantly white college in the former Confederacy; Swanson — served under FDR as Secretary of the Navy during a pivotal time in this nation’s history; and more recently, Homer Hickam — the subject of his autobiographically-based film “October Sky” and engineer for the U.S. Army Missile Command and NASA. How do we reconcile the value system in our society when an immensely talented athlete with ever accumulating baggage advances further in our consciousness than individuals who demonstrated at least equal or greater dedication in their professional lives, are model citizens and are reduced to relative obscurity? True, Peddrew-Yates Hall serves as an ongoing tribute to Mr. Charlie Yates, yet I doubt that most students who reside there know his life’s accomplishments. On the other hand, I can almost guarantee that most students know that Michael Vick was instrumental in Tech’s highly successful and undefeated
1999 football season and quest for the national championship. In addition, we are forced to learn more about these athletes through their continued escapades and negative publicity than we ever wished for. When we examine cases like Michael Vick’s and that of any other high-profile athlete, we search for the root causes of their out-of-control behavior. Most athletes, starting in high school and continuing into college, are known to live a different lifestyle with fewer boundaries than the average student. In fact, it is probably the best known “law of nature” we have come to accept: The more talented the athlete, the fewer boundaries are placed on his or her behavior. In the money sports (i.e. football and basketball), there is even greater pressure to succumb to this “law” with literally millions of dollars at stake. To this university’s credit, we have attempted to balance our temptation for winning at all costs with boundaries that apply to all of our studentathletes and students alike. These boundaries begin and end with our director of athletics, our football and basketball coaches, and, yes, our fellow students, fans and alumni. We can choose to mold our behavior, on and off the field, for our students, whether participating as contestants on the field or court, or as Tech fans in the stand. Our behavior, whether
displayed by our fans or our studentathletes, serves to represent Virginia Tech and the image we desire to cultivate. To date, Tech, probably more than most universities with successful athletic programs, has elected to enforce rules and eliminate preferred treatment of athletes despite the tendency of some supporters to want to overlook these indiscretions. The attempt to set an unwavering standard of behavior that includes on the field composure and dignity should be embraced by all individuals with a connection to Tech. After all, we cannot and should not accept less from our athletes than we would demand from any other student, no matter how fast they time in the 40-yard dash. While we cannot control the behavior of our graduates once they have completed their education here in Blacksburg, we can and should set the highest expectations for a student’s time while a part of Hokie Nation.
BROOKE LEONARD -regular columnist -sophomore -economics
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6 features
editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
Cafe Scientifique brings research from the jungle to the table TERESA TOBAT ct features editor Deep in the jungles of Belize, lies the elusive jaguar. Despite being the largest cat in Central and South America, little is known about the speedy animal residing in thick forests. However, two researchers from Virginia Tech are using scat dogs and cameras to learn more about the important species. Bet you never thought you’d visit Awful Arthur’s to discuss these evasive jaguars. But Tuesday night at 7 p.m., Marcella Kelly and Claudia Wultsch will present photographs and discuss their experiences tracking the large cats in Belize . This presentation is part of Cafe Scientifique — a movement that began in the U.K. that seeks to make scientific ideas accessible to the general public and take research out of an academic setting. Kelly, an associate professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, and Wultsch, a Ph.D. student in fisheries and wildlife, work together
in Belize to study the elusive and important animals. Jaguars are difficult to capture and study because they’re fast and live in thick, impenetrable forests. They’re an “umbrella species” which means that because they cover a large geographic range, their status in the ecosystem directly affects the health and presence of other animals in their environment. Researchers Kelly and Wultsch employ non-invasive methods to study the animals and never handle or capture them.
[
the facts When: Tuesday, August 25 at Awful Arthur’s Time: 7 to 9 p.m.
]
Kelly is in charge of “camera trapping” and setting up heat and motion censor cameras that photograph the jaguars in five sites around Belize. Camera trapping tells the researchers about prey, longevity, mortality and the reproductive rates of the animals.
Wultsch uses former police dogs, Billy and Bruiser, to find jaguar scat samples. Using the excrement, she can isolate DNA and analyze diet and parasites. Wultsch said having one former bomb dog and one former drug dog adds a unique aspect to her research. “The two dogs I worked with, they were both very strong characters and fascinating individuals because they both had their history and they do great things,” Wultsch said. “It’s just kind of having another sense. Whenever I go out without the dog, because I’m not collecting scat right now, you miss a lot of information, because he’s kind of another eye ... or nose.” She also said their research is novel because it combines various research methods. “We are basically one of the first projects worldwide using dogs, cameras, genetics on that sort of scale,” Wultsch said. She and Kelly will spend next year analyzing their data and are excited to discuss what they’ve been working on with the community.
“It’s always great to share with the general public because I don’t think the public knows,” Kelly said. “They have no clue that such cool stuff goes on.” Darleen Baker, a Virginia Bioinformatics Institute project coordinator, organizes the Cafes and brought the program to Tech a year ago. This Tuesday’s meeting is the fourth installment. “The purpose is to get the research that’s going on at Virginia Tech into the non-academic forum and allow people to talk about it. To have discussions, to ask questions,” Baker said. She invites researchers who are examining issues that appeal to the community to speak. Past topics range from simulation science, chemistry, computer science, and digital libraries and learning. Baker said she strives to have a variety of presentation subjects. “There is just a huge amount of research going on at Virginia Tech that so many people don’t know about,” COURTESY OF CHAZ CRAWFORD Baker said. “This is a wonderful oppor- Former police dog Bruiser works with Ph.D. student , Claudia Wultunity to let people know what people tsch, to find jaguar scat that tells researchers about jaguar DNA. are doing.”
look down.
pick up.
sports 7
editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
Coach Riley brings hockey mentality to the volleyball court RAY NIMMO ct sports reporter Who would imagine an aspiring ice hockey player accustomed to crosschecking and slugfests would end up teaching volleyball players about the importance of the individual and teamwork? Despite his in-your-face hockey past, Virginia Tech Head Volleyball Coach Chris Riley learned from a young age that a collective effort means just as much as any individual effort in team sports. “We talk a lot about being part of a group and putting your teammates first,” Riley said. “Those lessons have always been instilled in me by my parents. Playing team sports my whole life and knowing the team is bigger than the individual is something we strive for,” Riley said. “We will always be as good as our weakest link, so make sure that everybody picks up everybody at every time.” In a sport filled with “kills” and “spikes,” Riley is far from the intense, in-your-face hockey player he once portrayed. “He’s a lot of fun,” Assistant Coach Shelbylynn McBride said. “He doesn’t have the highs and lows. He’s consistent and pretty easy-going.” “I think my best (coaching quality) is patience,” Riley said. “I know they’re going to make mistakes. I’m not a yelland-scream kind of guy.” Despite leaving hockey behind, Riley’s former passion reveals itself in the way his team plays. He expects his players to be aggressive at all times and have a classic, never-say-die attitude. “That tough mentality in ice hockey is what we try to bring to this game,” Riley said. “Aggression. Especially from being in hockey fights.” “He’s definitely been pushing us a lot this year,” said junior middle blocker Felicia Willoughby. “He’s really motivated and each year the practices have been a lot harder and more intense.” That aggressive style has made Riley’s four-year career as head coach at Tech quite successful. Before coming to Tech three years ago, Riley spent six years at Towson University. Under Riley, Towson produced five straight 20-win seasons, three Colonial Athletic Association regular season championships, a conference championship in 2004 and a NCAA tournament appearance also in 2004.
MICHAEL SHROYER/SPPS The Tech volleyball team gathers around head coach Chris Riley in a 3-1 victory over University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in the season opening Hawthorne Suites Hokie Invitational on Aug. 29, 2008 in Blacksburg
After all that success and an established position at Towson, why did Riley come to Tech? “I thought Virginia Tech was one of the few programs where you could come make a difference and build a program into a top-25 program and then even build it past that,” Riley said. “I had a lot of success at Towson when I was there,” he said. “I know what it’s like to build a program from average to very, very good, and I wanted to do the same thing here. But, I wanted to do it where very, very good means top-25 and could mean national championship level ... and
that’s the goal.” Riley gives credit to the administration for helping him achieve this goal. According to Riley, Director of Athletics Jim Weaver gives coaches a chance to build a program without the pressure of achieving immediate success. “They want us to do it the right way,” Riley said. “Take your time, build it correctly and keep in mind we are in the business of students before the business of athletes and so we take that to heart. We make sure all of our kids are enjoying the experience.” “I’ve never met someone who doesn’t
love when they come to Virginia Tech and being a Hokie so we want to make sure that doesn’t change,” he said. Speaking of change, one might wonder why Riley eventually chose volleyball over hockey. At 5 foot 8 inches and 160 pounds, his small frame prevented him from doing a lot in hockey where size is one of the most important factors. Riley always possessed a passion for volleyball in part because of growing up on the beach in Long Island, N.Y. where he played regularly. He thrived as a setter, the quarterback of the team, and he loved the mental aspect of the
game. “He knows the game of volleyball so well,” McBride said. “I think he’s been able to take our players to a different level, especially on the setting end.” Sophomore Erin Leaser is the team’s main setter. As a freshman, she had 1,084 sets, received Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman honors, and was named Rookie of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors of America. “Erin, since we recruited her at 15 years old, has developed so much as a player and that’s largely because of Riley,” McBride said.
With the move from hockey, Riley did not just choose volleyball, he chose women’s volleyball. “I think teaching it was always, to me, challenging and rewarding,” Riley said. “The guys are different. They just jump higher and hit it harder, but the girls really want to learn how to get better. Guys will tell you they want to get better but they just want to hit it harder. It doesn’t mean they got better.” Riley’s coaching techniques are helping the Hokies to be a legitimate threat see RILEY / page nine
august 25, 2009
page 8
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editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ telephone number: 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
sports 9 august 25, 2009
Riley: Stressing the importance of the team over individual from page seven
in the ACC. Last year, the team put together an 11 game winning streak in the middle of conference play that vaulted them to first place and matched the longest winning streak in school history. While the team unraveled late in the season in part because of injuries, the streak has set the foundation for an exciting year in 2009. Sometimes, relying on a successful past and proven technique is not enough for Riley. Superstition, like for so many athletes and coaches, helps Riley on game day as well. “I once wore the same pair of pants with a rip in them because we won 25 games in a row,” Riley said with a smile. “I had a pair of khakis. Before we went and played that match I sat on the bus and caught it on a chair. I ripped the pocket about two to three inches and we won. I randomly wore it the next game and hadn’t gotten it fixed, and we won. These were matches we didn’t think we were going to win. We won 25 in a row and I wore them every match. I washed them, but I wore them.” Riley also considers himself a movie buff and likes to quote all kinds of movies. When asked some of his favorite quotes, Riley laughed and said, “probably nothing you could print.” One thing that he would like to see printed — a lot of victories and LUKE MASON/SPPS successes for the volleyball team this season. Volleyball head coach Chris Riley gathers his team together before getting back on the court in a match against ACC opponent, Florida State University on Oct. 24 of last year.
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august 25, 2009
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Class of ’08 excels in NFL ALEX JACKSON ct sports editor Out of all the outstanding classes Head Coach Frank Beamer watched move on from Tech, the class of 2008 stands out. Eight players were drafted in 2008 and all eight are competing on NFL rosters. EDDIE ROYAL, BRONCOS
WR,
DENVER
Last year, Royal set team rookie records in Denver, hauling in 91 receptions, the second-most for a rookie in NFL history, for 980 yards and five
touchdowns. The former Hokie also became the first player since the 1970 NFL merger to post his team’s longest run (71 yards), reception (93 yards), kickoff return (95 yards), and punt return (36 yards) in the same year. This season, Royal looks to play an even bigger role in a Broncos offense that currently lacks leadership at the receiver position. The Broncos formerly relied on star veteran wideout Brandon Marshall to be their go-to-guy, but Marshall remains in the middle of heavy trade talks after being acquitted on battery charges last week. Marshall continues
to be unhappy with the Broncos front office and the Broncos continue to not care. This should call for a heavy reliance in Denver on the second-year starter, Royal. According to the Denver Post, the Broncos want to take Royal off of return duties considering his larger role as wide receiver this year. Ideally, Denver would like to not have to worry about Royal being injured in the return game, but its options otherwise appear limited because of a recent spike in fumbles from those beneath him on the depth chart. Regardless, Royal earned his spot in
the Denver starting lineup based on his play last season. He enters this season with more success than most expected him to obtain in his entire NFL career. Royal now receives comparisons to premiere slot receivers in the NFL like past Super Bowl champions Wes Welker and Reggie Wayne. While Royal’s production may taper off this year because the Broncos replaced former starting quarterback Jay Cutler with the lesstalented Kyle Orton, Royal’s role remains safe, and a fat contract certainly looks to be in his future.
Brandon Flowers, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
Duane Brown, Starting Left Tackle, Houston Texans JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Former Virginia Tech wide receiver Eddie Royal brings in a pass and is tackled by San Francisco 49er Mark Roman in a game Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
Because of his position, Brown has hardly been talked about as much as the flashy receiver Royal or the secondary-leading Flowers, but Brown has been just as important to his team as any of his former Tech teammates. Brown started all 16 games in his rookie campaign and immediately made an impact opening up holes for running back Steve Slaton and allowing time to pass for starting quarterback Matt Schaub. Brown and his teammates performed so well on the offensive front that the Texans jumped from 14th in the NFL in offense in 2007 to third in the league in 2008. While they still only finished 8-8 to end the year, the hopes for the Texans are higher than they’ve ever been since their first season in 2002.
Xavier Adibi, OLB, Houston Texans
CHRIS LEE/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Former Hokie, Josh Morgan catches a game-winning, 48-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the division-rival St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri, last year on Dec. 21.
Adibi enters his second year with Houston competing to be the starting weak side linebacker for the Texans. The former Hokie impressed the Texans coaching staff midway through last season when he racked up 15 total tackles in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, but a groin injury limited him to sporadic playing time through the rest of the year. If he can stay healthy this season, there’s no reason Adibi shouldn’t play an active part in the Texans defensive unit. Currently, Adibi holds the starting position on the weak side, and his competition, Zac Diles, moved to the strong side to replace injured rookie Brian Cushing. Adibi’s only other competition at the spot, veteran Cato June, continues to miss time because of an injury as well. Adibi has four tackles and a pass deflection in two preseason games thus far.
Josh Morgan, starting WR, San Francisco 49ers With the 174th pick in the sixth
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Chris Ellis, 2nd team Defensive End, Buffalo Bills When the Buffalo Bills drafted Aaron Maybin from Penn State in the 2009 NFL Draft, it didn’t look good for second-year backup and former Hokie Chris Ellis. Maybin was the 11th overall pick in the draft and with veterans Chris Kelsay and Kyle Williams holding down the starting spots at defensive end, Buffalo wasn’t praying for someone to step up. Maybin, however, waited until Saturday to finally sign a five-year contract. While waiting to sign, Maybin missed valuable time practicing with his new team, and according to Chris Brown, the lead journalist at the BuffaloBills.com, that time was taken advantage of by another player — Ellis. According to Brown, “Ellis has made a noticeable improvement in his game,” Brown said. “He was the leading tackler in the Hall of Fame game, had a sack, a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery against Chicago and three tackles including one for loss at Green Bay.” Brown said Ellis has been getting repetitions with the second team in
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Flowers, like Royal, made an immediate impact in his rookie season after being selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Flowers recorded 69 tackles and picked up two interceptions in 2008. Both interceptions came against Brett Favre and the New York Jets on October 26, and one of those picks Flowers returned 91 yards for a score. In two preseason games so far this year, Flowers has five tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble. With an improved offense and new head coach Todd Haley in Kansas City, Flowers will need to step up and lead a young Chiefs secondary for Kansas City to have a shot. According to the Post-Chronicle, Flowers, “has had a knack for intercepting Cassel’s throws in camp,” so signs are good that like many of his other teammates from the Hokie class of ’08, Flowers’ job is safe.
round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected former Hokie wide receiver Josh Morgan. Many didn’t expect Morgan to make an impact in the NFL, but today, Morgan is competing to be the number one option for the 49ers. In his rookie season, Morgan hauled in 20 catches for 319 yards and three scores. Despite missing four games because of a staph infection early in the year, Morgan caught the attention of San Francisco’s coaching staff with several highlight reel catches during the year. According to the Santa Rosa PressDemocrat, after coming back from his infection, Morgan “was on the verge of supplanting Bryant Johnson as the starting split end,” until “Morgan sustained a groin injury that kept him out of action for a month.” In the 2009 NFL Draft, after losing Johnson to Detroit, the 49ers selected Michael Crabtree to be their next star receiver. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Crabtree’s highly publicized holdout has forced Morgan into a starting role alongside veteran free agent acquisition, Isaac Bruce. While many believe Crabtree will soon sign and find his way on the starting roster soon enough, one thing is for sure — Josh Morgan isn’t going away any time soon.
Buffalo. T h a t bodes well for a player who was listed as third-string and who many said was on the way out at the start of camp.
Justin Harper, backup wide receiver, Baltimore Ravens Harper is finally making some noise in an NFL uniform after missing all of last year as a result of a knee injury that put him on the injured reserve list in ’08. In his first preseason game back with the Ravens, Harper caught four balls for 57 yards, impressing the coaches in Baltimore. According to Ken Murray of the Baltimore Sun, Harper has learned a lot from veteran wideout Mark Clayton, and as of Aug. 11, “no player showed flashes more often than Justin Harper.” Ravens receivers coach Jim Hostler told Murray, “Harper will have to earn his way on special teams at first and work his way into the wideout rotation. If he is able to do that, he should compete for the third wide receiver spot, and his size will be a bonus in the red zone.”
Carlton Powell, DT, Denver Broncos Powell began his NFL career spending his entire 2008 season physically unable to perform after he injured his Achilles in an offseason workout before training camp. This season, however, Powell is back. According to the Denver Post, Powell gained more than 10 pounds over the offseason and is competing for the starting nose tackle position, currently held by veteran Ronald Fields. Powell recorded the first tackle of his NFL career on Aug. 22.