Wednesday, September 23, 2009
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
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COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 89
News, page 2
Features, page 5
Grad school to display choices
Opinions, page 3
Classifieds, page 4
Sudoku, page 4
Sports, page 6
Making a healthy Hokie
FRIDAY GRADUATE SCHOOL FAIR TO EMPHASIZE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF HIGHER DEGREES LIANA BAYNE news staff writer Seeking to dispel student perceptions that graduate school costs too much and offers little benefit, the Graduate Student Assembly will launch an outreach offensive to undergraduates next week. Continuing a near 30-year tradition, the GSA will seize the moment Sept. 28 to host its annual Graduate and Professional School Fair in the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires Student Center from noon to 4 p.m. “A lot more people are starting to look at grad school as a good option for their professional careers,” said GSA President Laura Freeman. The fair seeks to meet that need by helping undergraduates choose the right school through which to continue their educational journey. The event itself will feature representatives from more than 115 graduate and professional schools from around the country and world. “We’ll have programs represented from theology to technology,” said Krishna Vummidi, chair of the fair. Vummidi said that graduate school could help students develop a broader worldview. “The world is becoming smaller and smaller,” he said. “You can’t get a better perspective than in grad school.” Undergraduates should continue to graduate school because “it helps you network among people in your career field,” said Lindsey Moss, vice president of programs for the GSA. According to Moss, graduate school should be considered a serious option for all undergraduate students. Freeman said that because of different funding structures and fellowships available to students, many programs are becoming more affordable. “For a lot of people, it’s not that
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Check out the GSA’s Web site for more information at www.gsa.uusa.vt.edu.
expensive of a decision,” she said. Freeman said that graduate school gives students more of a competitive advantage upon entering the workplace. “If you want to make decisions, you need a graduate degree,” she said. “If you want to simply carry them out, you can have an undergraduate degree.” Other events being sponsored by the GSA include two different financial aid sessions also on Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The GSA additionally sponsors a separate program called the Graduate/Undergraduate Mentoring Program. GUMP, a yearlong mentoring program, will pair undergraduate students with graduate students in their field of study. “It’s a way to let undergraduates bounce their questions off of grad students,” Moss said. GUMP representatives will be at the fair. “We’ll have free pizza and graduate students,” Freeman said, “just in case anyone realizes they have questions that they want to talk to a current student about.” Students wishing to be connected with the program should contact the GSA. Some GSA members said they wanted to help undergraduates consider all of their choices because their own graduate school experiences had been so beneficial. “It’s really a lot of fun being in grad school,” Vummidi said. In today’s economy, Moss said, “a master’s is the new bachelor’s.” Students seeking more information on the graduate and professional school fair or GUMP can contact the GSA at gsa@vt.edu.
Bio-fuel research to stimulate economy ALLISON SANDERS news staff writer Virginia Tech is once again shooting for environmental friendliness by creating a sustainable source of bio-fuel in Danville, Va. The construction of the Sustainable E n e r g y Te c h n o l o g y Center will be breaking ground in Cyber Park in early 2010 as a part of the expansion of Virginia KENNEDY the Tech-sponsored Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The $10.5 million project has been funded by grants awarded to IALR by the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, an organization that promotes economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent areas. SEnTeC will be a facility where staff members and graduate students build upon the research done at IALR on bio-fuels and bio-based products. They will attempt to work with local farmers to utilize their crops in more economically feasible and environmentally sustainable ways. “It will be a cornerstone for the establishment of a bio-based industry in south central Virginia and throughout the commonwealth,” said Dr. John Kennedy, senior director of research and innovation at IALR. Tech students and faculty members will be able to take advantage of the educational opportunities presented at SEnTeC. Deborah Morehead, director of communications and public relations at IALR, said the research done at SEnTeC will be a combined effort of local farmers’ knowledge of growing tactics and the exploration of new processes and crops done by scientists of today. “What we hope is there will be a strong partnership of growers and cooperatives in the
region so growers will retain some of the profits of the initiative,” said Tim Pfohl, grants program director of the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. Danville, a city known for its once prosperous textile and furniture manufacturing industries as well as a source of viable tobacco farming, is a part of one of the poorest regions in Virginia. Morehead predicts not only more job opportunities and a stronger economy as a result of SEnTeC, but also an emerging sense of energy independence. “It’s envisioned that the direct economic impact of doing this kind of work here will bring in $10 million to $11 million every year |once we get everything up and running when we expect it to,” Morehead said. Kennedy said other companies within the bio-based industry might be attracted to the area. Spin-off companies could develop and promote significant commercial development within the region as a result of the new facility. Pfohl hopes research at SEnTeC will develop intellectual property that could contribute to the bio-energy industry. “That would then lead to commercialization of those technologies so that we could see job creation and private capital investment and industries that are producing bio-fuels using feed stocks from growers across the region,” Pfohl said. With the establishment of a successful bio-fuels industry in south central Virginia, the area’s economy could feel a considerable bump. “It’s going to impact the whole world, but right now,” Morehead said, “our concern is to make a huge difference here at home.” Four strategic research centers are located at the current facility. The centers focus on horticulture and forestry, polymers, motorsports and vehicle performance and robotics. Averett University and Danville Community College are also academic partners.
JONATHAN PIPPIN/SPPS
The You’re Eating Smarter program details nutrition information of portion-controlled dishes at dining halls on its Web site.
Dining program informs students of food options LINDSEY BROOKBANK features staff writer Staving off the “freshman 15” is often an uphill, albeit losing, battle, but Virginia Tech’s Dining Services is finding ways to better educate students about good eating habits and providing more healthy meal options. Administrative dietician Jennifer Lindsey implemented the You’re Eating Smarter program, or the YES program. “It’s an all-encompassing nutrition education program,” she said. The program includes a Web site where students can utilize an interactive nutrition analysis and learn the nutritional value of all the meals available on campus. “I think it’s really neat,” West End Market unit manager Stephen Garnett said. “You can say, ‘I want to eat one portion of this, one portion of that, total it all up and click a button,’ and it tells you your caloric intake and the different nutritional values of the meal that you’re planning or have already eaten.” The Web site also provides the Healthier Hokie blog where recipes are available to help students living off campus. “We felt like we weren’t serving the off-campus population,” Lindsey said. “So, if you’re living off campus and maybe you wanted some tailgate foods, like for Saturday’s game, then you can go there and find some healthy recipes or some links to sites with healthy recipes.” A list of reliable nutrition Web sites, the USDA new food pyramid, frequently asked questions, nutritional facts and food safety information is also available on the YES Web site. There are also several different table cards advertising the YES program that are distributed throughout the semester regarding various nutrition subjects. “At the beginning of the year we put out a table card that explains a little bit about the YES program ... so that the new students can see what we have,” Lindsey said. Lindsey and her student assistant also host one to two events in the dining centers per year that students can participate in. “Last year during Heart Healthy Month, we had two plates that were in the shape of a heart. One had a smiley face, one had a frown,” Lindsey said. “We had a bunch of different foods, and the students had to place the good heart-healthy foods on the smiley face plate and the not so heart-healthy foods on the frown plate.” Though this information and these resources are available, many students don’t know where to find them. “I think they are there if they go and look for it,” Lindsey said. “Sometimes I hear people say, ‘Well, I don’t know what’s in this.’ Well, you have to look for it. It’s not just going to pop up in front of you.” Garnett agreed that the nutritional information is accessible to students, even if they aren’t aware of it. “It’s just a matter of the students knowing about it and then plugging in to getting that information,” he said. D2, DXpress and Vet Med Cafe unit manager Kelvin Bergsten described the types of students he feels are more likely to access the Web site. “Those with a very disciplined style of eating are going to utilize it, and it’s going to be a great tool for them. And it could be for anybody, but there’s a lot of folks that are just going to come in and eat with their eyes,” he said. More nutritional information can be accessed at the D2 nutritional kiosk. “It shows what the menus are for the day, and then as you click into them, you can find out
on the web The YES program can be found online by accessing www.studentprograms.vt.edu/ dining and clicking the “You’re Eating Smarter” icon on the right hand panel. what the nutritional values are for the foods that you’re considering eating,” Bergsten said. Tech is also making an effort to offer more wholesome meal options. DXpress was recently revamped as a result of student demand “The students were saying, ‘Hey, we’re looking for a healthier choice,’” Bergsten said. “There were some healthy choices in there, but they were limited. So, what we did was address that. We like to listen, and when possible we like to give them what they’re asking for.” DXpress previously held a reputation for providing the fast food on campus. “We’re trying to get rid of that image that DX is the junk food place,” Lindsey said. “We have added 23 new grab-and-go items, and that’s part of our new YES To Go program. It’s all graband-go salads, wraps, sandwiches, fruit cups, veggie bowls — those types of things.” Eleven of these grab-and-go items are available at Hokie Grill and a few others at Schultz Express. The items even include YES To Go labels so students can easily recognize them. “All of those items are 600 calories or less. Less than 30 percent of their calories come from fat, and the fat is healthy fat like olive oil rather than saturated fat,” Lindsey said. “We use whole grains and green leafy lettuce rather than iceberg, so there’s a lot of nutritional value.” Last January, Owens Food Court opened a new sustainable and local venue called Farms and Fields. Local products are offered as often as possible, but when they aren’t available, organic products are presented. In general, the dining halls all try to use local and organic products. “We get 75 percent of our products from the U.S. Food Service out of Salem, Va. They bring in things from all over the country and essentially all over the world,” Lindsey said. “They have made efforts in the last couple years because of prodding from us and other universities, like Washington and Lee and Ferrum College and so on, to bring in more local products.” There is a farm in Staunton, Va. that provides Tech with pork and beef. Additional pork, beef and lamb come from Grayson County located in Southwest Virginia. West End Market runs a fresh catch of the day once a week. It orders its fish from the U.S. Food Service. However, it comes from Blue Ridge Aquaculture in Martinsville, Va. The coffee beans at West End Market are imported from Nicaragua and roasted locally. “Our coffee beans are roasted here on campus at Deet’s Place,” Garnett said. “You can’t get much closer than a couple hundred yards away.” However, often times these products are not accessible to Tech for various reasons. “The problem with local produce is it’s in season during the summer when students aren’t here,” Lindsey said. “This time of year we can get a few limited things, but then going into the winter there’s not much grown around Virginia.” Also, local growers typically grow such small quantities of products that there are not enough to supply the entire dining program. The dining halls, especially West End Market, ensure that their food is as fresh as possible. “At West End Market we make nearly every-
Nutritional Options at West End Market Vegetables JP's Chop Shop now offers two instead of one steamed or grilled vegetable option per day.
Whole Grains The rotini, penne and spaghetti pastas are offered in whole grain as the special pasta of the day at least twice a week at Bistro Firenze. The tortillas used at Wrap World and the Fighting Gobbler are also available in whole grain. The grilled lime chicken sandwich available at the Fighting Gobbler is always served on a whole grain bun.
Iron Content To increase iron content, the regular salad mix at Leaf & Ladle can be substituted with spinach.
Sodium Content Watch out for the sauces, like the gravies available at JP's Chop Shop, because they are high in sodium.
Low-Fat Options The London Broil without the gravy, the catch of the day, the rotisserie chicken without the skin and the carved meat available at JP's Chop Shop are good low-fat options. THANDIWE OGBONNA/COLLEGIATE TIMES
thing from scratch,” Garnett said. “I can’t really think of anything that’s a main entree or a side that’s pre-made.” West End Market also controls its portions so the YES Web site’s nutritional value information is as accurate as possible. Many items are weighed to order, and the managers, supervisors and executive chef carefully look at the rest. Lindsey recommends students stay away from the franchises such as Sbarro and Pizza Hut if they are trying to eat healthy. However, she does not control these restaurants. “I have worked a little bit in conjunction with their nutritionists and dieticians they have on staff and made some requests, Lindsey said. “But that’s a national thing that we have no control over unfortunately.” Bergsten felt that students would be lacking in important elements of the food pyramid if they only chose to eat junk food every day. “What I enjoy seeing from the kids is when they go around and I see a nice variety of things from different shops on their plate,” Bergsten said. In the near future, the YES program hopes to offer an online nutrition class for general interest, not credits. If students need any one-on-one counseling or want to learn to eat healthier, they can set up an appointment with Jennifer Lindsey free of charge, as long as they have a meal plan or dining dollars.
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new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
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nation & world headlines
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ANIMALS
Florida legislator pushes state python ban FORT LAUDERALE, Fla. — Pet Burmese pythons would be banned in Florida under a bill drafted by a state senator who says the state should shut off the source of “dangerous reptiles” that have colonized the Everglades. State Sen. Eleanor Sobel said she decided to introduce the bill because the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was moving too slowly to deal with the problem, using python hunts that generate publicity but capture too few snakes to make a difference. “We need to stop it at the source,” she said. “These reptiles are not meant to be pets.” In addition to Burmese pythons, the bill would ban the ownership or sale of reticulated pythons, African rock pythons, amethystine or scrub pythons, anacon-
das and Nile monitor lizards. The proposal would go far beyond current law, which allows anyone to own one so long as the snake is registered and implanted with a microchip. The bill would grandfather in current owners, allowing them to keep their snakes, to prevent the mass dumping of pythons. Over the past few years, Burmese pythons have established a breeding population in Everglades National Park, where they consume wading birds, raccoons and other native wildlife. Authorities are also concerned about the recent discovery of African rock pythons in western Miami-Dade County and are investigating whether this species, the largest snake in African, has established itself there. by david fleshler sun sentinel (mct)
HONDURAS
Honduran troops flush out Zelaya supporters CARACAS, Venezuela — The police and army in Honduras on Tuesday morning swept away thousands of supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya who’d spent the night outside the Brazilian Embassy after his dramatic return to Honduras the day before. Heavily armed government troops used tear gas and riot sticks to dislodge the supporters, the Associated Press reported. The government’s counter-move came after it extended a curfew throughout Tuesday, prohibited flights into the international airport in Tegucigalpa, the capital, and put up roadblocks on high-
ways. Zelaya remained in the Brazilian Embassy along with dozens of supporters. Interim President Roberto Micheletti called on Brazil on Monday night to hand over Zelaya, who’s wanted on 18 charges of corruption, treason and abuse of power. Honduras’ crisis began June 28 when the military whisked Zelaya out of the country at gunpoint. The country’s Supreme Court had ordered his arrest for trying to hold a national referendum to rewrite Honduras’ constitution. by tyler bridges mcclatchy newspapers (mct)
TERRORISM
More than 12 people linked to terrorist plot WASHINGTON — Federal authorities have tied as many as a dozen people to a suspected al-Qaidalinked bomb plot on U.S. soil, and are urgently trying to gather evidence to indict the young Afghan immigrant at the center of that case on terrorism charges, law enforcement officials said Monday. The disclosures came as Najibullah Zazi, 24, of Aurora, Colo., and two other men arrested Saturday night made their first court appearances on charges of making false statements to federal authorities. Zazi, his father Mohammed Wali Zazi and Ahmad Wais Afzali, 37, of Queens, N.Y., were ordered held in custody by judges in Colorado and New York City. Several officials said it is likely that Zazi will be charged with providing material support to a known terrorist organization, based on his own admission to FBI agents that he trained in weapons and explosives at an al-Qaida camp in Pakistan last year. An FBI affidavit unsealed over the weekend alleged that authorities found images of nine pages of notes on Zazi’s laptop about how to make explosives, timers
and fuses in handwriting that appeared to be consistent with his. It also alleged that authorities have found other information linking Zazi to the suspected plot, including his fingerprints on a small electronic scale and double-A batteries, which are often used in making explosives. One federal law enforcement official said the more serious charges were being being considered for Zazi as leverage to get him to cooperate in the investigation and identify at least a dozen others in New York, Colorado and possibly elsewhere who authorities believe might have played a role in the alleged plot. Zazi had been cooperating with authorities, but abruptly stopped on Saturday after three days of intensive questioning by the FBI, prompting his arrest. He had been stopped on a New York bridge days earlier, on Sept. 10. He had been driving from his home in Colorado to New York on a trip that he described as an effort to settle a business deal that had gone sour. by josh meyer, tina susman and deedee correll tribune newspapers (mct)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Dutch help California’s Bay area plan for sea level rise SAN FRANCISCO — How to plan for sea level rise, a still-abstract concept for many Californians, drew serious consideration from engineers, designers and urban planners from Holland and the U.S. at a symposium held on Monday. A group of government-sponsored Dutch experts presented a report with strategies to deal with sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta based on a year’s worth of research in partnership with the Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. With 50 percent of the Netherlands below sea level, the Dutch have been perfecting flood perfection for the last 600 years. The inevitable effects of climate change in California, and how cities can adapt to them, are starting to get more attention from planners.
While no one knows how exactly how sea level rise will play out 100 or 200 years from now, experts agree more severe and frequent floods are going to be a part of it. Avoiding sea level rise is by now impossible. The Bay has already risen 8 inches since the start of the 20th century, and scientists in California and worldwide agree the Bay Area in particular can expect to experience sea level rise of up to 16 inches by midcentury and up to 55 inches by 2100. Extreme storms will increase annual risk of flooding from 1 percent to 100 percent if no actions are taken to protect the Bay Area shoreline, potentially endangering 270,000 people, according to the Pacific Institute. Development along the shoreline is currently valued at $62 billion. by julia scott san mateo county times (mct)
CRIME
Woman falsely reported rape, charge ‘likely’ MELVILLE, N.Y. — Prosecutors deciding whether to charge the woman who falsely reported that she was gang-raped in a Hofstra University men’s room last week will have serious issues to weigh, experts said yesterday. On the one hand, they will want to discourage people from lying to law enforcement, and show that there will be consequences for doing so, experts said. On the other, they don’t want to discourage legitimate rape victims from coming forward, or discourage people who lied at first from telling the truth later on, experts said. “That’s the tension right now in the D.A.’s office,” said Jim Cohen, a criminal law professor at Fordham University. “There should be some sanction for the consequences she caused,” he said. “On the other hand, if they charge this woman, then someone similarly situated in the future might decide to stick with her story rather than coming clean.” A law enforcement source said Sunday that it is likely that the woman, who prosecutors have not named because she has not been charged with a crime, is “likely”
to face charges this week. The woman told Nassau, N.Y., police that she was tied up and gang-raped about 3 a.m. Sept. 13 in a Hofstra University dormitory bathroom by five young men, authorities said. Four of the men, one of them a Hofstra student, were charged with rape in a case that gained nationwide attention. She recanted Wednesday evening, after prosecutors interviewing her told her that a cell-phone video of the incident might exist. Cornell Bouse, president of the Nassau Criminal Courts Bar Association, said the crimes the woman would most likely be charged with are all Class A misdemeanors, carrying a maximum of a year in jail. Lois Schwaeber, director of legal services for the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said cases where people make false reports of rape hurt all legitimate rape victims seeking justice. But she said prosecuting someone who has made a false report will discourage real rape victims from coming forward. by ann givens newsday (mct)
opinions 3
editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
september 23, 2009
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Your Views [letters to the editor]
Tech students friendly to foes My family and I have been staunch Nebraska Cornhusker fans for many years, and we have attended more than our share of away contests. We cannot remember ever being treated any better than we were last weekend on your campus. Everyone with whom we engaged was polite and offered good wishes for a competitive game. We were completely impressed with the atmosphere, the accommodations (parking was a bit of an adventure), and the demeanor of your supporters. We did not see a single inebriated person (although we weren’t looking too hard for that), and even in the excitement of the outcome, all of our interactions were positive. Our experience was evidence that even in the midst of a hard-fought and passionate football contest, good sportsmanship can prevail. Thank you so much for such a positive experience; it is a first for us.
Jim Sieman University of Nebraska, ’74, ’79
Learn about candidates in elections It’s almost that time again: Time to get out to the polls and vote. After the 2008 presidential election, it was evident that young voters have a very powerful voice and wish to be heard. Here in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech voters have incredible political power. Last year, the Montgomery County Voter Registrar added more than 8,000 new voters to its roster, most of which were Tech students. In 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that college students have the right to vote at their school address. Regardless of what may have circulated in the past, both students on and off campus can vote in Blacksburg without tax or insurance repercussions. Let’s continue to voice our opinion in national, state and local politics. The upcoming elections in Virginia are a great way to continue to be active. The Blacksburg Town Council election has been moved from May to November alongside the gubernatorial race. Because Tech students call Blacksburg home nine months out of the year, the Blacksburg Town Council makes policy decisions about our “home away from home.” While many students will be returning to the polls, quite a few students will be voting in a town election for the first time. Get educated about the full slate of candidates who will appear on the ballot, from the gubernatorial race to the school board and town council elections. The last thing you want to happen while at the polls on November 3rd is
to pick a candidate because of his cool last name. Make your vote an educated one. Finally, if you are not registered — get registered. Virginia’s voter registration deadline is Oct. 5. Absentee ballot applications must be mailed by Oct. 27. You can pick up the forms at any public library, Department of Motor Vehicles or other governmental offices. Forms can also be downloaded from the State Board of Elections Web site at www.sbe.virginia.gov. Campus voter registration drives, sponsored by groups such as the Young Democrats or College Republicans, often give students a chance to register as well so look out for them. So here’s your assignment: Figure out how you feel about smart growth, public transportation and zoning regulations — then make your voice heard.
Caroline Ickes Master’s in public and international affairs, 2011
Possible issues in football With Halloween just around the corner, it seems appropriate to share with you a nightmare that I just experienced. The end of the football season had just ended with Bud Foster receiving more accolades for his defense, which had been Top 10 in the country yet again for yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. This wasn’t too difficult, as he had just shut out UVa without allowing a single yard on offense. What’s scary about this? Our beloved defensive coordinator has, on numerous occasions, expressed interest in receiving the head coaching job at a school in a solid football conference. And why not? He has proven himself in his 10 plus years as one of the best assistant coaches ever to grace this earth. Can you imagine what Craig Littlepage is thinking sitting in the box in Scott Stadium, seething over a horrible loss? Well, in my nightmare, he looks no further than the other sideline to find our second favorite head coach Al Groh’s replacement and offers Bud Foster some ridiculous contract that UVa is notorious for giving. I am not saying that Bud would take the job, but he did strongly consider the Clemson head coaching position. Please, all Hokies, implore Mr. Jim Weaver to extend to Bud the same sweetheart deal extended to Jimbo Fisher at Florida State. Losing Bud Foster would be extremely detrimental to our program. Losing Bud Foster to our instate rival would border on the self-destructive.
Ryan Ford alumnus ‘06 B.S., mechanical engineering
MCT CAMPUS
ACORN scandal needs to be resolved by Congress B
y now I am sure anyone with a TV or a computer has heard about the new scandal breaking out within the community activist group ACORN. The details are still muddy (as if they are ever clear), and new information is released almost daily. But for those who have not heard, ACORN workers have been caught on video in a freelance sting operation (done by a false prostitute and pimp) discussing the prospect of providing aid for a prostitution ring. Not only does it include prostitution, it also includes the prostitution of illegal underaged girls. This leads me to ask, what in the world is going on with ACORN? I believe this is a fair question, considering taxpayer money in the past has gone to ACORN, and, according to FactCheck.org, ACORN is eligible for receiving stimulus money. Whether it applied for and received money is another debate. So, knowing this, it comes as a relief to see that, after the videotape scandal broke out, Congress decided to cut off funding to ACORN. The congressional decision to initially cut off federal funding is a start, but more steps need to be taken against ACORN. A full-scale investigation needs to be done from the bottom all the way to the leaders in Congress. The president and Congress have not had a problem meddling with big organizations thus far, why should this one be any different? The reason they should call for a larger investigation is that the
tapings were done in several cities in several states across the country. This consistency leads one to believe that this is not an isolated incident. This incident should outrage any human being on a moral level. It is undeniable that these workers were caught on tape hearing the case of what they perceived as a prostitute and her pimp trying to set up a house to run an illegal underage prostitution ring out of. In the video from California, the ACORN worker even discussed the prospect of taking the money from the prostitution ring and using it for political campaigns. With the unveiling of these tapes, ACORN has released statements ranging from slamming the video makers to acknowledging that no organization is perfect. So who knows what to think? It is with this that any rational person should draw the line and start asking questions. Why has this negligence been allowed for so long? Is it congressional corruption? Those in law enforcement turning a blind eye? Or did we simply miss it? These are the questions we should be asking, and when they answer, any wrong doing should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. President Barack Obama has stated in a press conference that he would support an investigation into ACORN, and I applaud him for that. He also says that this is not the biggest issue at hand, and to a certain degree he is right considering the two wars and the
struggling economy. However, whenever there is a scandal that involves taxpayer money and possible political corruption, it usually jumps to the top of the list. Now is the time for Obama to back up the talk and get this investigation going, but like everything in Washington, it takes time. If he really wanted to reach across the aisle, this would be a perfect time for him to join with the Republicans and get the ball rolling. Only seven senators voted against cutting off funding, so it does not look like forming a coalition and investigating ACORN would alienate many congressmen at all. This is a very large issue with muddy facts that many people will never know. It is time for the people to at least question what is going on with this organization. If the Senate can overwhelmingly agree to cut off funding, I am sure the American people can agree on just asking questions. Do not get me wrong, I am not accusing any particular group or congressman with any wrong doing, I am simply doing and encouraging what Einstein told me to do: “Never stop asking questions.”
JACOB CRAIG -regular columnist -junior -political science, history major
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tive information about “the exploration of the Americas,” including “the }accomplishments of Christopher Columbus.” In “A People’s History of the United States,” Howard Zinn analyzes Samuel Morison’s work on Columbus. Halfway through his book, Morison writes, “The cruel policy initiated by Columbus and pursued by his successors resulted in complete genocide.” As for his concluding paragraph: “He had his faults and his defects, but they were largely the defects of the qualities that made him great — his indomitable will, his superb faith in God, and in his own mission as the Christ-bearer to lands beyond the seas, his stubborn persistence despite neglect, poverty and discouragement. But there was no flaw, no dark side to the most outstanding and essential of all his qualities — his seamanship.” Most American schoolchildren can name the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria but only a few know that the Reagan administration sponsored terrorist wars in Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador (Google the Nicaragua v. U.S. court case, Battalion 3-16 death squad and El Mozote massacre). High school students must learn about the Nazi genocide while describing “how early European exploration and colonization resulted in cultural interactions between Europeans, Africans and American Indians.” “No doubt the warfare, enslavement and forcible takeover of indigenous lands is absent from such discussions of ‘cultural interactions,’” said
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Education SOLs go down Orwell’s memory holes arlier this month, commentators excoriated President Barack Obama for his motivational speech to students, which was feared for its propaganda value. Their anxieties were partly correct, but we indoctrinate children through more overt methods. I looked through Virginia’s public school curriculum, the Standards of Learning, for examples of what many professors would call propaganda. The journey starts in kindergarten, when “students should learn basic concepts related to history, patriotism (and) national symbols.” First graders “will recognize the symbols and traditional practices that honor and foster patriotism in the United States by ... demonstrating respect for the American flag by learning the Pledge of Allegiance.” Our country does much that should make us proud and much that should make us ashamed. But the SOLs implant unquestioned love for the country, for which people are willing to do anything. In “Who Rules America?” author William Domhoff maintains that politicians manipulate these symbols in order to control the public. We could think of other doctrines to teach young children who are too young to defend themselves intellectually. For example, we could mandate that they learn hurting people is wrong, famously articulated by Jesus Christ, but this may be too liberal or politically correct. Third graders learn more substan-
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international affairs professor Wilma Dunaway. She runs a Web site for teachers dedicated to an accurate view of Appalachian history at http: //filebox.vt.edu/users/wdunaway/ publications/diversity.htm. Teaching these elementary truths would break one of the goals of the SOLs: to “instill in students a thoughtful pride in the history of America.” Third graders also learn that producers use natural, human and capital resources (“soil,” “people” and “machines”) “to produce goods and services for consumers.” Removing its own agency, our government mandates that students learn “how physical features and climate influenced the movement of people westward.” Furthermore, the history SOLs do not mention global warming, while the science SOLs sanitize it to “potential atmospheric compositional changes due to human, biologic and geologic activity.” Political science professor Richard Rich noted, “It is stunning to me that we can consider people to be ‘educated’ when they do not understand the basic facts of the global ecosphere on which we all depend for our very lives. How can we have any chance of ceasing to destroy the earth life-support systems if we do not know either how badly we have done this already or what forces led us to do so?” Their history of the Civil War deviates from preferred methodologies; it is the only war when students are made to look at the perspectives of soldiers from both sides. Why not
a South Vietnamese, Dominican, Haitian, Guatemalan, Iraqi, Cuban, Cambodian, Laotian, Filipino perspective? In “The Curious Case of American Hegemony,” David Hendrickson writes, “That messianic and Manichean perspective makes us blind to the misgivings and fears of others, incapable of understanding how our way of war generates intense resentment and hatred, and as ready to misread enemy intentions as to view contemptibly the advice of friends.” Underlying cultural assumptions manifest our indoctrination. In “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto,” which topped the bestseller charts this year, Mark Levin writes, “The Founders believed, and the Conservative agrees, in the dignity of the individual; that we, as human beings, have a right to live, live freely and pursue that which motivates us.” Levin objects to “Statists” who teach the fact that our country was founded upon slavery. Or, as David Brooks wrote in the New York Times last Friday, “Jefferson advocated ‘a wise and frugal government’ that will keep people from hurting each other, but will otherwise leave them free and ‘shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.’” Similarly, last month I wrote that we should be horrified our government is violating some of the Nuremberg Principles, which were enshrined after World War II explicitly to prevent countries from committing the crimes
of fascist Germany and Japan. Judd Smith, a senior political science major, wrote a letter to the editor saying he was “thoroughly disgusted,” not that our country is violating Nuremberg Principles, but that someone pointed it out. The history SOLs stop in 1991. How much relevance can a study of history have without knowledge of current events? A graduating student would be obedient to nationalism, indoctrinated to a cleansed history, and unaware of current events. This brainwashing is probably internalized in the test makers as objectivity or benevolence. The system is working exactly as it was designed. Sociology professor Joyce Rothschild said, “If K-12 schools simply parrot the nonsense and talking points that are on TV, then it is hard to see where children might gain any real insight into the history and causes of the important challenges we face as a nation and as one world.” In George Orwell’s “1984,” government censors throw incriminating news clippings into trash chutes called memory holes, which connect to an incinerator. Censorship is much more open in Virginia.
BURKE THOMAS -regular columnist -graduate student, international affairs -honor council
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features 5
editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
Novelist whose book Tech faculty ‘couples’ workplace, love inspired ‘Mean Girls’ visits JOYCE KIM
features staff writer
SARAH HANSKNECHT features staff writer Burruss Hall Auditorium was a sea of pastel-lettered sweatshirts on Sunday as the Panhellenic Council hosted speaker Rosalind Wiseman, author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” the book that inspired the film “Mean Girls,” as a kickoff event for Sisterhood Week, a campaign for national hazing prevention within sororities. Audience members praised Wiseman’s insight into that which she calls “Girl World.” “She’s just a really fun and energetic speaker to listen to,” said Jackie Holt, a Delta Gamma senior who saw Wiseman speak at her sorority’s national convention two summers ago. “She has a great message, and I think we can all relate to her as a chapter.” Amid the fielding of various topics that haunt the minds of college girls everywhere, from getting back the designer jeans you let your roommate borrow two weeks ago to the rules of hooking up with friends’ exes, what Wisemanwanted audience members to take with them was that sisterhood ultimately means learning how to survive conflict together. “You won’t ever know who your true friends are until you go through and survive conflict,” Wiseman said. “It truly strengthens a relationship when you work through a conflict together successfully.” This idea was exactly what Panhellenic had in mind when they invited Wiseman to kick off Sisterhood Week. “We really wanted girls to be able to take positive conflict resolution skills from the event in order to strengthen not only their relationships, but also their leadership abilities,” said Lindsey Hammond, vice president of programming for Panhellenic. “We want them to realize that the social hierarchy is something we all deal with and that they have the ability to challenge that to ensure that they are treated with dignity.” Wiseman began learning about
how girls operate when she started teaching high school girls selfdefense classes in Washington, D.C. “I learned that I needed to start earlier than teaching them selfdefense in order to find the root causes,” Wiseman said. “So I went from that to teaching in classrooms and just talking to students. I just kept listening to them and learning from them.” Wiseman’s dedication to understanding female conflict extends beyond just penning novels. In 1992, she founded the Empower Program, a national program dedicated to empowering young people to stop violence. She also wrote a follow-up to her first novel, titled “Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads.” Wiseman also invented the concept of the “SEAL” method to help young people learn to communicate effectively in a conflict. The acronym outlines a four-step method for successful conflict-resolution: 1) Stop to think about how to confront the person, 2) Explain exactly what needs to be said, 3) Affirm and acknowledge the other’s feelings and thoughts on the matter, and 4) “Lock in or lock out” — learn that sometimes you can’t work through the conflict. “It doesn’t matter if people are friends with each other in the end or not. What really matters is that you are taken seriously as a person,” Wiseman said. “This is what the SEAL method does.” Wiseman challenged attendees to confront social hierarchies, to look carefully at group traditions and to be unafraid to question those traditions that should be disputed, even if it goes against the ideas of the rest of the group. She emphasized that being able to do so is the key to becoming a mature adult woman capable of leadership. “Be mindful about what kind of women you truly are, besides the words in your mottos or creeds,” Wiseman said. She added jokingly, “And please, ladies, if you want to be taken seriously as a woman, no more sneezing like a kitten.”
English instructors Stephen and Jennifer Mooney met when they were undergraduate students at University of Virginia’s College at Wise and have been inseparable since. After graduating, both worked as newspaper reporters and then went back to graduate school, eventually becoming instructors. Sept. 24 will not only mark Stephen and Jennifer’s 26th year of marriage, but it will also mark the 26th year they have worked together under the same employer. They describe themselves as individuals, but they say they bring out the best in one another when working. Stephen said many couples would be hesitant working together for the fear of seeing each other too much. “We are not together all the time; there is a lot of separation,” said Stephen. “We have different schedules on different days, and both of us as individuals are doing our own particular thing. But it’s nice to be able to ride in together, ride home together ... have lunch together if we have the chance.” Despite sharing a workplace, they’ve always had their own space — whether separated by a wall or by having offices a floor above each other. This allows them to maintain their own distinctive personalities and not be just part of a pair, Jennifer said. Another quality that has helped their relationship work well is the fact that they do not have children. “Kids do bring a certain kind of tension when both partners are working,” Jennifer said. “Not having kids has enabled us to not have friction (in) the workplace.” She said she doesn’t regret not having children. Michele and Eric Lewis are another Virginia Tech faculty couple who have been married for 20 years and found success in balancing work, marriage and children. Michele also finds herself and her husband to be lucky in that they have flexible schedules for their kids. She teaches Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while Eric works Tuesdays and Thursdays. This allows at least one of them to be available for their children each day. They find that their differences are what make their relationship work so well.
NIELS GORAN BLUME/SPPS
Left: Part-time professors Michele and Eric Lewis juggle work and kids with their alternating schedule. Right: English instructors Jennifer and Stephen Mooney celebrate their 26th anniversary today. “I’m definitely more of a Type A, organized kind of person ... a little less that way after having children, but it’s the nature of my field. ... Eric is more patient than I am ... definitely more laid-back and lets things go,” said Michele Lewis, an adjunct professor in human, nutrition, food and exercise. Michele teaches Introduction to HNFE, and her husband is a professor in the Department of Philosophy. The Lewis’ started out on different paths and moved from Wyoming to Roanoke to Blacksburg throughout their marriage. In Wyoming, Michele worked as a preschool teacher and Eric as a flight instructor. They both moved to Virginia where both attended graduate school at Tech — Michele in nutrition and Eric in
philosophy. Eric Lewis had no previous intentions of working in a university, however, when he heard about the new master’s program starting up for philosophy, he didn’t hesitate to sign up. Michele had been working as a dietician in Roanoke. She then taught at Radford University for seven years before she was offered a job at Tech. Academia was what brought this couple together, and they find it enjoyable that they can bounce ideas off one another, Eric said. Money is the most commonly debated issue in a relationship, said Michele, but it has never been a factor that has driven them out of their work environment. Both Michele and Eric are part-time professors, but they say it works for them.
One hardship they do face is that health insurance is not part of the benefits provided by their jobs, but it is something they can manage, Michele said. The Mooneys make equal amounts and said their incomes have never caused any tension between them. When it comes to promotions, spouses have to be supportive of one another, Jennifer Mooney said. While some couples might be hesitant to share a workspace, Stephen Mooney said it’s worth it. “Take advantage of an ability to be close with the person that you love the most,” he said, “because at least 90 percent of all the other working people around you — they don’t have this opportunity.”
sports 6
editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
september 23, 2009
Women, men swimming and diving for success in 2009 JOSH PARCELL sports staff writer After a promising finish to the 2008 season, the Virginia Tech swimming team looks to make a splash in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. The women’s swimming and diving team finished third in the ACC last season. The team is led by sophomore Erika Hajnal, who competes in the freestyle and individual medley events. Hajnal finished 13th in the 1,650meter free at the NCAA championships last season. She also set the school record for the 400 individual medley at the NCAAs with a time of four minutes, 11.74 seconds. Despite only having one year under her belt, Hajnal spent the summer back home in Hungary and looks to be even better in her second collegiate season. “Erika looks like she has had a great summer, and she is ready to pick up where she left off,” head coach Ned Skinner said. The headliner on the men’s side is senior diver Michael McDonald. The decorated fouryear performer is set to wrap up an impressive career. “We feel he is capable of being an ACC champion; what a magnificent way to finish your career that would be,” Skinner said. At the NCAAs last season, McDonald finished 14th in the onemeter dive. He has scored in the NCAAs four times in his career. Despite the breakout season on the national stage in 2008-09, his goals are at an all-time high. McDonald wants to finish in the
LUKE MASON/SPPS
Sophomore Erika Hajnal, from Hungary, swims last season for Tech. Hajnal leads a women’s team that finished third in the ACC last season. top eight at the national finals and become an All-American. Even with all of his success, that particular goal has eluded him thus far. The coaching staff is also excited about junior Stephen Hawkins, a specialist in the freestyle and breaststroke events. “He is coming off a great sophomore campaign, and we feel he could qualify for NCAAs and win an ACC title,” Skinner said. The women’s diving squad looks as strong as ever in 2009, and it is led by Sarah Milton, Cara Murnan and Natalie West.
“(Those three) should give us big points on the boards,” Skinner said. “We really feel great about our women’s divers.” This year, both the men’s and the women’s squads welcome nationallyrenowned recruiting classes. One of the most notable newcomers on the men’s side is diver Logan Shinholser from Burtonsville, Md., a hotbed for swimming recruiting. “We are eager to see what Logan is capable of doing,” Skinner said. The women’s recruiting class this offseason was ranked 14th in the nation according to CollegeSwimming.com
thanks to the commitments from Keri Sink, Lindzi Smith and Laura Simon, among others. “Keri, Lindzi and Laura have all looked really strong in practice. They can be contenders right away,” Skinner said. Next spring, the “H2Okies” will be getting a much-needed shot in the arm to their facilities. The Christiansburg Aquatic Center will be opening in early 2010, making room for the team’s new training facility. Plans for the facility were announced in 2005 with an expected
completion date in 2007. Three years past the expected opening date, it is finally set to welcome the H2Okies and the public. The pool features a full-length 50meter pool, which is the standard Olympic size. War Memorial pool, where the team has been training for the past 50 years, boasts a 25-meter pool. “This is going to be great for our diving team, and it will be great to have prospective high school kids swimming in there throughout their careers,” Skinner said. The Hokies were originally sched-
uled to open up the building during the regular season with the Tech invitational in March, but Skinner said they want to wait until next season to christen the building. The meet for this season will be pulled from the schedule. While the program is upbeat about its potential this coming season, the road to the ACC championship is not an easy task. The University of Virginia, one of the most dominant programs nationally in recent years, won the men’s and women’s ACC titles last year. Virginia will continue to be the pinnacle of the conference, but if the Hokies can beat their in-state rivals, it will be a huge step forward for the program. Coach Skinner’s bunch faces a gauntlet of an opening schedule, facing off with the Cavaliers, Tar Heels and Florida State Seminoles in the early part of the season. “We are definitely facing the top schools in our conference at meets this year,” Skinner said. Even with the tough schedule, the expectations are high in the program. “Both teams want to be in the top three, and maybe (we’ll) see if we can make some moves at least on UNC,” Skinner said. “Both teams also want to be in the top 25 this season.” While this team is focused on dominating in the pool, the athletes are not neglecting their duties as students. As a whole, the swimming and diving team had the highest team GPA in the athletic department last year. “They are a very close-knit group. They are their own family, and they do a good job of supporting one another,” Skinner said.
Hokies shocking win thanks to miracle, not game plan Mom wants you to be in the yearbook.
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hen Dyrell Roberts’ catch in the end zone was reviewed and confirmed on Saturday, giving the Hokies a 16-15 lead with just 21 seconds remaining against Nebraska, Lane Stadium went nuts. At once, the frustration and anxiety felt throughout the game by fans and players alike was forgotten in an instant. The Hokies had overcome a rather impotent day on offense with one miracle drive that put every other drive in the game far away in the rearview mirror. What was probably one of the more improbable finishes in Hokie football history, however, didn’t erase some JOSHUA MILLER/SPPS rather shocking information in the Tyrod Taylor throws a pass in last weekend’s win against Nebraska. game’s box score. Prior to Danny Coale’s 81-yard catch and before Dyrell Roberts’ reception most of his runs only went for four On those four drives, the Hokies handed the ball off to Ryan Williams put the Hokies ahead at the end of the or five yards. What those runs did do, however, three times for six yards. game, Taylor and the Hokie offense All of those drives ended in punts for was give the offense a rhythm and didn’t do much at all. the Hokies. Without his two big throws in the something to build on. On their fifth drive, over three In the first half, the Hokies didn’t final minutes, Taylor went 10-for-24 on Saturday for just 100 yards passing. have much success offensively, but minutes into the fourth quarter, the The Hokies’ offense looked motion- they did win the time of possession Hokies converted for a first down for less for most of the game, and while it battle, keeping the Tech defense off the the first time in the half when Taylor didn’t commit any turnovers, it never field while Nebraska’s defense stayed connected with Sam Wheeler for a 14really got going with the exception of on, something Tech struggled might- yard completion. Then after Williams rushed for three ily with against Alabama. the first and last drives. The Hokies out-possessed the yards on the next play, the Hokies Eight Hokie possessions ended in punts on Saturday, while just three Huskers 18:11-11:49 in the first half, decided to unveil the Ryan Williams thanks in part to Williams’ sure and version of the Wild Turkey formation ended in scores. for the first time this season, and two The first drive wasn’t all that impres- steady ground attack. But when Tech looked at the score- plays later, Brent Bowden was out to sive offensively, either. Tech only had to go 24 yards on seven plays for its first board as the teams walked back to punt again. When the Hokies went behind possession, thanks to a 76-yard open- their locker rooms at the end of the 15-10 after Nebraska’s Alex Henery half, the Hokies trailed 12-10. ing kickoff return by Roberts. Even though the Hokies were losing converted his fifth field goal of the Now, that’s not to say there weren’t some positives on the offensive side of at halftime, there were plenty of posi- day with four minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the game, Williams had tives to be taken from the first half. the ball for the Hokies. Williams was well on his way to improved on his first half totals by five In the first half, redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams picked up another successful day on the ground, carries for 13 yards in five drives. Certainly, when Williams did get 94 yards on 15 carries and scored a but more importantly, the Hokies had Nebraska right where they wanted the ball in that time, he wasn’t all that touchdown. Williams didn’t break many big them — outmanned in the trenches successful. Absolutely, had Xavier Boyce not runs on Saturday like he did against and gasping for air. dropped a pass in the third quarter Then the second half started. Marshall the week before. Other than The Hokies’ first four drives in the that would have resulted in a first his 46-yard scamper to the right side midway through the second quarter, second half all ended after three plays. down, Williams may have had more
opportunities. When you look at the numbers, though, the Hokies and offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring’s motives throughout Saturday’s game don’t make a lot of sense. After Taylor connected with Danny Coale deep down the right sideline and the Hokies had a first down and goal at the Huskers’ three-yard line, this was more than apparent. Instead of going to their reliable ground game, the Hokies lined up in the shotgun formation on the three with all the time in the world — one minute, three seconds — to punch it in and take the lead. Instead of relying on Williams, David Wilson or Josh Oglesby to do their job and gain three yards in four downs, the Hokies decided to line the quarterback up five yards behind the line of scrimmage, and get this — they decided to pass. Taylor dropped back and, shortly thereafter, was sacked for a loss of eight, putting the Hokies far away from running position and a risky 11 yards out. Thankfully, Taylor and Roberts made the fans at Lane Stadium forget all about that with their connection two plays later, but it still happened. In the second half, the Hokies were out-possessed 17:57-12:03. Not counting their 92 yards on two plays in their final drive, the Hokies were outgained 191-49. Next week, against an athletic and dangerous University of Miami team ranked No. 9 in the nation, this formula won’t work, and come Saturday you can count on that more than you can count on a miracle drive.
ALEX JACKSON -sports editor -senior -communication major