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An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Thursday, October 1, 2009
www.collegiatetimes.com
COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 93
News, page 2
Features, page 6
Opinions, page 3
Sports, page 5
Classifieds, page 4
Sudoku, page 4
University investigates vandalism incidents ZACH CRIZER nrv news editor Virginia Tech police are investigating a string of vandalisms that began Aug. 12 after an angry student visited Cook Counseling Center. A search warrant filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court was executed on the off-campus apartment of a male student on Friday. Police seized two notebooks and paper for handwriting samples. The search warrant indicated that police were looking for signs of
swastikas with intent to intimidate, or evidence of violent thoughts toward employees of Cook Counseling Center. No charges have been filed in the case. Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said the investigation is ongoing. Cook Counseling Center and the office of the dean of students are also monitoring the situation. “We’re working with all the areas on campus to resolve this issue,” Flinchum said. Affidavits filed said the incidents
began in Cook Counseling Center on Aug. 12. Between 3 and 5 p.m. that day, a bathroom stall was vandalized, including a slur directed at Cook Counseling Center director Christopher Flynn. The affidavit said the slur called Flynn a “dickhead” who “deserves to die.” Johnston Student Center, Engel Hall, Randolph Hall, McBryde Hall and Major Williams Hall were also vandalized. A message on a desk in Randolph Hall threatened to blow up
the building. Another message, “A Cho reborn, it will be avenged,” was written in an allusion to Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people at Tech before committing suicide on April 16, 2007. The student who angrily left Cook Counseling Center on Aug. 12 has classes in all buildings affected except for Engel Hall. A Tech police officer followed the student on foot on Sept. 25, according to the affidavits. After witnessing the student enter one of the vandalized Johnston
Student Center restrooms, the officer approached the student and informed him the police would be filing a warrant to search his home. According to the officer’s affidavit, the student replied, “You had better bring the SWAT team.” The student later said he was joking. The racial slurs associated with the vandalism incidents are not the first instances of discriminatory behavior at Tech this semester. On Sept. 2, President Charles Steger sent an e-mail to the community urging
students to abide by the Virginia Tech Principles of Community. “Disappointingly, two key offices, namely the Dean of Students and the Office for Equity and Inclusion, received several reports during the first week of school of discriminatory remarks directed at students from underrepresented groups,” the e-mail said. “Such behavior is not tolerated at Virginia Tech.” Flinchum asked that anyone with information about the incidents call Tech police at 540-231-6411.
The five: Roots run deep
ALL PHOTOS BY LUKE MASON/SPPS
Steger, Meredith, Beamer, Tillar and Smoot have each made lasting impacts over long careers at Tech. Each is a member of the Virginia Tech graduating class of 1969.
Five ’69 graduates have returned to Tech, remain cornerstones of alma mater BY SARA MITCHELL | editor in chief meet the
class of ’69 Charles Steger received his undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees in architecture, both at Virginia Tech. He has been the university president since 2000, and before his current position held positions as vice president for Development and University Relations and dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.
years ago, Virginia Tech was experiencing its second largest period of growth, trailing only the new millennium. Five 1969 grads have come back to — or never left — their alma mater, including President Charles Steger, head football coach Frank Beamer, Vice President of Alumni Relations Tom Tillar, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer of the Virginia Tech Foundation Ray Smoot and Corporate Research Center President Joe Meredith. This past weekend, the official class of ’69 reunion brought in more than 240 alumni, but these five didn’t have to travel so far.
STEGER Frank Beamer graduated from Tech studying distributive education. He has been the head football coach at Tech since 1987. Under Beamer, the Hokies have reached a bowl game 16 consecutive years with three ACC titles and one trip to the national championship game.
And it’s a good thing they’ve graduated because they all agree on one thing: Tech would never accept them now. “A lot of us joke around, and we’re only half joking,” Smoot said. “They don’t let people like (us) into Tech anymore.”
A ‘SPECIAL’ TIME UNDER PRESIDENT HAHN
BEAMER Tom Tillar received his undergraduate degree in biology. He remained at Tech to work in areas within student programming such as Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Alumni Association. He is currently the vice president for Alumni Relations.
TILLAR Ray Smoot graduated with a degree in English and received his master’s, and later his doctorate, in educational administration from Ohio State. He is the chief operating officer and treasurer for the Virginia Tech Foundation, which manages the private gifts sent to Tech and develops projects in real estate, facilities and financial aid.
SMOOT Joe Meredith graduated with a degree in aeronautic engineering and later received his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering also from Tech. He has been the president of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center since 1993. The CRC is a research park that holds 140 companies, 2,200 employees and 600 students.
MEREDITH
The five began their freshman year at Tech in 1965 at the beginning of then-President Marshall Hahn’s period in office. “The university was just exploding,” Steger said of Hahn’s presidency. “You didn’t know quite what was happening but you knew something special was happening.” Tech was adding thousands to its enrollment, including more females. Students had only recently in 1964 been able to enroll as civilians outside of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and physically the campus was adding buildings on both the residential and academic sides. By 1970, the university was officially named Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, creating more state recognition of Tech as a university. “Hahn had a vision and he was able to persuade the state to support his vision,” Meredith said. Steger, an architecture major, and Tillar, a biology major, were hallmates in Vawter Hall as freshmen. Meredith was an aeronautical engineering major, Smoot an English major, and Beamer studied distributive education, which combines classroom and on-thejob instruction. Beamer’s years were spent with the football team, and the other four only knew of him through his onthe-field performances as a cornerback. He recalled the team being very close back then, and the athletes achieving the sort of celebrity status seen today. “I think probably anytime you have an athlete at a major university you do things that are unique,” he said. The football team made it to the Liberty Bowl twice in Beamer’s time, with both berths resulting in losses: to Miami in 1966 and to Mississippi in 1968. The others’ interests were spread across the campus. Steger focused on architecture and spent most of his time with classmates. “Sometimes I stayed up for two or three days without sleep, so that kind of created a certain bonding experience,” Steger said. Meredith was the same way as an engineer.
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Check out our Web site at www.collegiatetimes.com under multimedia to watch interviews with the five graduates of 1969 who returned to work at Tech.
]
“At least the people that I hung out with were pretty focused on our educations,” Meredith said. “There weren’t many as many ways to get in trouble then.” Smoot and Tillar worked together on SGA, with Smoot as the president and Tillar as the class treasurer their senior year. Tillar also worked with the Student Union, now the Virginia Tech Union, and Smoot sang in the Glee Club, a musical group. The five and their classmates were in a unique position because most were first-generation college students. “Hardly anyone’s parents had been to college,” Smoot said. “There was an expectation as a result of going to college that you were going to go out into the world and make a better living, financially, than your parents had.” The average annual tuition for a public school was less than $600, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Hokies went to school for quarters, not semesters, and classes were six days a week. “Admission was not difficult but there was a series of courses that were very difficult and the weeding-out process occurred when you got here,” Steger said, recalling a very early calculus class on Saturday mornings. The six-day week was changed to five days in 1971. The lack of modern technology made class work and problem solving a lot more difficult, especially for architecture and engineering students. “I don’t necessarily think that the man hours that we had to put in, in a lot of respects, were productive but it nevertheless (included) things you had to do,” Meredith said. “Did that add to the learning experience? Probably not. But it took time.” see REUNION / page two
1969: First-game loss to Alabama 14-7 2009: First-game loss to Alabama 34-24 “I remember it well. I was playing defensive back,” Beamer said. “I remember one play I cut in front of the receiver, I was getting ready to make an interception and hopefully take it back to the house and the outside guy reached up and tipped the ball and tipped it over our heads. It was just one of those games we were close but we didn’t quite get the win.”
1969: First year of VTU, formally the Student Union 2009: 40-year anniversary of VTU “Campuses in the 60’s and earlier were really the places the entertainers sought out,” Tillar, who was a member of the original Student Union, said. “So we had a lot of opportunities to book the most popular acts of the day.”
2 news
new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
Reunion: Hokie veterans reflect on 40 years of service - Cowgill Hall is completed; the first wing of Derring Hall is completed - The Faculty Senate is created
1970
- On June 23 the university legally becomes the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Dietrick Hall opens - The Honors Program extends for all four years - Students and faculty protest the Vietnam War by disrupting cadet drills and locking themselves into Williams Hall
1973
- Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets admits first female cadets
1972
- Virginia Tech celebrates first 100 years
1975
- William Lavery replaces Marshall Hahn as president of the university
1976
- Office of Provost establishes athletic scholarships first offered to women
1978
- Enrollment first tops 20,000
1980
- Classes begin at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
1983
- Blacksburg bus system begins
1986
- Cranwell International Center opens
1988
- James McComas replaces William Lavery as president of the university
1989
- The Norfolk Southern Corporation gave Hotel Roanoke to the university
1990
- Minority student enrollment increases 26 percent - Johnston Student Center opens
1995
- The Campaign for Virginia Tech begins its public phase - Hotel Roanoke opens to the public
1996
- Over 5,000 first-year students enroll for the first time
1998 - The Campaign for Virginia Tech raises $250 million 1999 - West End Market opens 2000 - Charles Steger replaces Paul Torgersen as president of the university 2004
- Virginia Tech joins the Atlantic Coast Conference for athletics
2007
- Student Seung-Hui Cho kills 32 on campus in the April 16 shootings
2008
- The architecture program is ranked No. 1 - The Virginia Tech-Carilion medical school breaks ground
BETHANY BUCHANAN/COLLEGIATE TIMES
ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER Upon graduation, the five originally went separate ways. Tillar never left Tech; he has stayed on as an employee his entire life. Beamer coached in Radford,
Maryland and Kentucky before coming back to Tech in 1987. Smoot only left to receive his doctorate in educational administration from Ohio State, but was soon back in Blacksburg. Meredith took his position at the CRC in 1993. And Steger has spent most of his life at Tech, working at every level from professor to president. They’ve all had the chance to see Tech students evolve with some improvements. “I do think that students have become more reactionary to current events, and expressed their feelings more openly than we did,” Tillar said. “There’s a little more of needing to know why things happen and how others are affected.” While his generation was more focused on grades, Smoot sees the current generation now focusing on activities outside of the classroom. “All the volunteer work the students do, we didn’t do much of that,” he said. “In fact I think some of the faculty might have taken a dim view of it because they thought we were here to study and not much else.” Steger, who helped organize the first Earth Day at Tech in 1970, is impressed by the student body’s efforts toward a more sustainable campus. “I think there’s a great deal more depth of support and understanding in the environmental issues now than there was when I was involved,” Steger said. “Probably the serious engagement of trying to make the world a little bit better is stronger today.” A greater emphasis on teamwork is more apparent now to Meredith. “I think we believed at the time that if you were the best engineer, if you were the best scientist, that was good enough,” Meredith said. “But the world’s more complicated now and it requires more coordination and collaboration and relationship building to be successful.” Beamer put a premium on enthusiasm. “If you’re going to be successful, I think you’re going to have to put in a lot of work and you need to enjoy what you’re doing,” Beamer said. “Those are the basic principles whether it’s my time or whether it’s yours.” The biggest difference is the communication advances through the years. “People are connected more across the country and other campuses and across the world,” Tillar said. “That
alone, this interaction, this interactivity, influences how students behave and react.” Students in the 1960s had a day and time each week that they called home to their families. The immediate connectivity afforded by e-mail, instant messaging, Facebook and cell phones has completely changed that. “No one foresaw what was going to happen in communication and information access,” Smoot said. “In some respects that is the most profound change in life in general … the instant communication.” With this instant communication also comes what Smoot calls “helicopter parents,” or parents who hover and attend to the students more than his parents did. “I think we did have a greater sense of responsibility and of not letting our parents down who had sacrificed so we could go to college,” Smoot said.
THE NEXT 40 YEARS As the 40-year mark arrives, the five considered what will become of Tech and what still needs to be accomplished to become an internationally renowned university. In terms of size, Tech appears to have reached its maximum capacity at almost 30,000 students. “I don’t think we have any designs here that Virginia Tech is going to grow to 50,000,” Tillar said. “The ideal size that our resources can support … we’re pretty much there.” Smoot wants the university to expand its post-graduate options. He hopes that enrollment stays steady but “just as it’s adding a medical school it would consider adding a law school, perhaps a pharmacy school.” Beyond the quantity is the quality, and the men had very similar goals for Tech. One topic that immediately came to mind was an increased participation in research, especially for undergraduates. “There was no talk of research that I recall back then,” Meredith said. “Research as a future agenda of the university did not exist when we were students.” Smoot said more resources have been funneled in to research. “My guess is if you counted all the research that was done here in 1965 it was probably $5 million and today that number’s, what, $375 million?”
Smoot said. “There’s just a lot more activity. The research park didn’t exist. That was a cow pasture.” They hope that the research aspect continues to increase, giving Tech distinction as a major international research university. “Research is certainly a driving agenda item, which I think is a good thing,” Meredith said. “I think that adds to the capabilities of students … to have developed research methods and skills.” At the core, all goals come back to one: becoming an internationally renowned university. “Athletics has done great things to raise the awareness of Virginia Tech nationally,” Meredith said. But he also said Tech needs “the prestige that we’re gaining nationally to be prestige that we gain internationally.” Steger hopes to see “a much larger percentage of students studying abroad” as well. What this period of growth doesn’t have that the 1960s did is increased state support for the goals of the university. “The state in the mid-1960s embraced higher education and appropriated money accordingly,” Smoot said. As of the September 2009 state budget cuts, Virginia funds 27 percent of the instructional budget compared to 55 percent only nine years ago, according to a university release. “It is regrettable and I think a fundamental error of public policy that the state has withdrawn to the extent it has in funding higher education,” Smoot said. Meredith calls the budget cuts the “storm cloud” over Tech’s head. “Without some long-term resolution to that I think it’s going to be very hard to predict how successful we’ll really be in the next 40 years,” he said. Under these challenges the university faces today, Steger finds relief in his classmates. “The people like Ray, Tom, Frank, Joe … they’re all very capable people,” Steger said. “But there is a special bond that goes beyond just somebody that’s good at their job. I know that when they give me advice that I can trust it and that it’s always going to be in the best interest of the university, no hidden agenda. “I think that evolved over years and years of working together. You can’t say that in every administration.”
[news in brief] Deeds begins upward climb in gubernatorial polls Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds is closing the gap between he and Republican candidate Bob McDonnell in the race to become Virginia’s next governor. According to a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling released on Sept. 29, McDonnell has a lead over Deeds of five percentage points, 48 percent to 43 percent. An August PPP poll showed a seven-point lead for McDonnell. The poll said 53 percent of the remaining undecided voters are Democrats. While Deeds is only drawing 82 percent of the Democratic vote, McDonnell is holding 96 percent of the Republican votes.
Eleven percent of participants in the PPP poll registered as being 18 to 29 years old. McDonnell is thought to be leading because of his strong support from independent party voters and his ability to connect with more Republican voters than Deeds with Democratic voters. According to PPP, the favorability ratings with candidates have worsened within the last month as 47 percent now view McDonnell positively and 42 percent view him unfavorably. Deeds’ ratings are fairly similar as 43 percent view him positively and 42 percent negatively. According to a PPP poll from August, there was a 53/31 spread for McDonnell with 47/35 for Deeds. by allison sanders
Schiffert to provide seasonal flu vaccine to students Schiffert Health Center has announced plans to provide all students in residence halls with flu prevention kits in early October. The kits will include items such as hand sanitizer and masks. The recent influx of the flu virus has been affecting a large number of Virginia Tech students. This year’s global outbreak of H1N1 influenza, known as the swine flu, has made this flu season more severe and unpredictable. On the Tech campus, there have been numerous students diagnosed with the swine flu. Right now, the only strain of the swine flu on campus is H1N1. Its symptoms do not greatly differ from those of the regular seasonal flu, and it is transmitted in the same
way. Schiffert is advising students who are sick not to go to class to prevent more students from becoming infected. Students who are diagnosed with the flu and live on campus are urged to go home or to stay at an off-campus housing location until they are well. No specific antibiotic can be prescribed to those infected, but students are told to get a lot of sleep and to take common cold medicines. Schiffert began offering flu shots to faculty and staff members Wednesday and will offer them for all students starting Oct. 27. by katie robidoux
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1969
The Vietnam War and civil rights movements are lasting images from the late 1960s — the first black females entered Tech in 1966 and the United States draft occurred in March 1969, the five’s senior year. “It really was a period of a lot of change,” Tillar said. “We were living in the present and really absorbed how the rest of the nation was reacting to this.” “The Vietnam War was a very powerful force,” Steger said. Steger remembered sitting with his roommates watching the draft on the TV as they called out the numbers. Birth dates were drawn and men were drafted in the order of their birth dates. The expectation was that those with the birthdays in the upper third of the 366 dates (including leap year) would be drafted. “One of my roommates was, like, 13 which meant he was gone. It was a very stressful time for people,” Steger said. Smoot’s number was chosen. “I think my number was 119 so obviously I had won the lottery, so to speak,” he said. “And the next morning I and three or four of my classmates got in a car and started driving across the state looking for an army reserve unit.” Smoot never served in Vietnam but spent six years after graduation as required with the Lynchburg Reserve Unit, with about six months active duty at Fort Knox in basic training. The campus was not immediately full of anti-war movements, especially with the strength of the corps. “Virginia Tech at that time was one of the most conservative places in the United States,” Meredith said. “I don’t think civil unrest came to the campus until after we (graduated).” One noteable protest occurred in 1970 when students locked themselves into Williams Hall in protest of the war and were eventually arrested for the demonstration, according to university archive notes.
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editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
october 1, 2009
Your Views
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
[letters to the editor]
Consider the sources Regarding the letter “Nuclear engineering graphic bombs,” (CT, Sept. 22) by alumni Eric Danner and J. Carrington Dillon, the Collegiate Times staff and your readers should know what motivated the authors to criticize that ingenious and appropriate graphic. Danner and Dillon are employed by AREVA, a multibillion-dollar, multinational mega-corporation primarily owned by the French government. According to its corporate Web site, AREVA, with its uranium mines and uranium processing plants, is “ranked first in the global nuclear power industry.” Danner and Dillon’s AREVA job descriptions also include creating and managing Clean Energy Insight(www.cleanenergyinsight. org), a propaganda tool for the nuclear industry. And, of course, Danner and Dillon are supporters of the planned uranium mine in Pittsylvania County, which would be the first of many in eastern Virginia, bringing devastation to the environment and human communities throughout the region and beyond. And AREVA and Virginia Tech stand to make millions off the deal. So, what kind of corporate footprint does AREVA have on the environment and human communities where it operates? According to Integrated
Regional Information Networks (IRIN), the humanitarian news and analysis service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in Niger, mining operations owned and operated by AREVA in partnership with the Nigerian government have contaminated the air, soil and water, resulting in sickness and death for local residents and depleting regional groundwater supplies. And the Paris-based Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity, which specializes in the analysis of radioactivity in the environment, found “serious lapses” in and near AREVA mining sites in Niger. In 2005, CRIIRAD environmental studies found water radiation levels in mining communities up to 110 times higher than the World Health Organization safe drinking water standards for industrial areas. You can read about AREVA’s mining impacts in Niger at www.irinnews.org/ report.aspx?reportid=83706. Uranium mining corporations profit from environmental devastation and human suffering wherever they operate. Eric Danner and J. Carrington Dillon are a couple of their minions. Consider the source.
Shireen Pansoms Va. community organizer Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Christiansburg, Va.
Student Org
[students for sensible drug policy]
War on drugs is a exercise in futility Consider the following scenario: President Barack Obama calls a press conference. At the conference, he expresses his concern for what he considers to be one of the single greatest threats to society: germs. He announces his intention to launch a fullscale “War on Germs,” with the eventual goal of completely eliminating all germs from the face of the earth. In order to implement this goal, he creates an entire government agency dedicated to dealing with the germ threat. He pumps billions upon billions of dollars into his anti-germ program only to find that he is no closer to reaching his goal. His solution: Spend even more tax dollars on anti-germ efforts. However, no matter what action the government takes, germs are still running rampant. It is very obvious to see that fighting a “War on Germs” would be an utterly futile effort. Based on the sheer number of germs and their abilities to adapt to changing environments, it is virtually impossible to eradicate them all. What we are able to do, however, is reduce the level of impact that germs have on society. We can educate people about sanitary practices, like washing their hands, bathing and sterilizing utensils. We are also able to treat people afflicted by germs through our medical system. Therefore, although we cannot eliminate germs, we are able to minimize their influence on society as a whole. The exact same logic can be applied to the “War on Drugs,” the series of anti-drug policies implemented by Richard Nixon that is the backbone of modern drug policy, which led to the creation of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). In 2009, the current budget of the DEA is $2,602,000,000. Furthermore, in 2005, approximately 253,000 inmates were held in state prisons for drug offenses at a cost of approximately $67.55 per inmate per day (which adds up to $6,245,301,475 per year). Despite all this government spending, drugs are still readily available. A 2005 survey of U.S. citizens over the age of 12 indicated that 40.1 percent had used marijuana, 17.1 percent had used powder or crack cocaine, and 1.5 percent had used heroin. In fact, in 2008, 47 percent of Americans reported using an illicit drug at least once during their lifetimes. Considering that this “war” has been going on since the 1970s, one would expect slightly more progress than that. It is becoming increasingly obvious that it is virtually impossible to wipe all the drugs off the street. Like germs, the sheer
quantity and adaptability of drugs makes the goal of total eradication unattainable. As a result of drug prohibition laws, black markets emerge to fill the demand in the form of drug cartels (from which gang violence emerges). If people cannot smuggle drugs, they will find ways to manufacture their own out of household products (consider methamphetamines). In short, regardless of the environment, there will always be a way in which drugs can infiltrate and adapt to it. Therefore, spending billions of tax dollars per year in attempts to eliminate drugs and incarcerate drug offenders is pointless. On the other hand, we are able to minimize the impact the drugs have on society through education and treatment. In fact, the RAND Corporation reports that law enforcement costs about 15 times as much as treatment for the same reduction in societal costs. Unfortunately, because of strict anti-drug laws, many drug abusers are afraid to seek treatment. Compare that to Portugal’s drug policy. After the state decriminalized drugs in the early 2000s, not only did aggregate drug use not rise, but a far greater number of people were willing to seek treatment for their drug problems. Aside from treatment, we have great potential to increase our drug education efforts. Education is the single greatest prevention tool. In 2006, about 45 percent of American adults reported being former smokers. The fact that such a large percentage of the population was able to stop using nicotine, one of the single most addictive drugs known to man, is a testament to the value of education efforts. A War on Drugs seems like an attractive idea: The concept of keeping drugs off the streets appeals to a large portion of society. The problem is that modern drug policy does very little to actually achieve that goal. Drugs are still readily available in large quantities despite the billions of dollars we spend each year on law enforcement. The fact of the matter is that drugs are an evil that can never be fully eradicated through frivolous spending and law enforcement. We should instead be focusing our efforts in the areas where we can make the most difference: treatment and education. However, this will not happen until lawmakers realize that we are about as likely to completely eliminate cocaine as we are to completely eliminate influenza.
MARK GOLDSTEIN -junior, ACIS/ management
MCT CAMPUS
Helping the community is personal responsibility I
am lucky. I have never been poor enough to need welfare or been unable to pay for insurance. I have always had food to eat and enough money to make sure it was both healthy and fresh. Because I am a reasonably smart and hard-working individual, it is not unreasonable to expect that my life will continue to be so fortunate. So when I talk about a need for universal health care or some sort of system to get the unemployed on their feet, it is not out of a personal need, but out of a sense of personal responsibility to the society that I inhabit. Personal responsibility should mean more than being self-sufficient. It should also mean being responsible for your community and making sure that it is safe for your friends, family and fellow citizens. Personal responsibility means that if you want to benefit from the safety and security that society provides then you must be willing to contribute. Sometimes this contribution will be symmetrical, and you will get back what you put in; sometimes you will get something greater back, and sometimes you won’t. To receive government services and use the public infrastructure, you must pay taxes. To benefit from the protection of the laws, you must submit to them. To live under a robust and beneficial democracy, you must volunteer time to participate in the democratic process even if only to educate yourself and vote. Similarly, if you want to be guaranteed medical help when something catastrophic happens to you or be guaranteed food and shelter
should your finances collapse because of unforeseen circumstances, then you must be prepared to help others should they come to such a fate. It is somewhat disturbing that certain people spend so much time and energy talking about personal responsibility as an excuse to avoid helping others. If they spent even half as much time just trying to be responsible to the world they live in, it would be a better place. While investing in certain “liberal” programs such as health care and welfare requires giving up a small amount of money, these programs can improve the country as a whole. Living in a stronger, healthier society means that you, your family and your friends will be living in a safer, more secure country. Other than the rainbows and the unicorns that liberals promise, there are real advantages to these programs. For instance, in lower income areas, crime is higher. This is because desperate situations encourage people to do desperate things. While welfare is not the only piece in this puzzle, it can be an important piece in saving people from extreme circumstances. It is difficult, nearly impossible, to secure a job without being well-dressed and clean-shaven, and it’s hard to be those things if you have no money and no place to live. Furthermore, when people don’t have an income, they can no longer contribute to the tax system. Therefore, helping people to return to the workforce as quickly as possible means having that many more people helping to pay for roads, police and other government services.
Ensuring universal health care offers similar advantages to the responsible individual. In the modern era, there are few who disagree that it is irresponsible to let another human being die for no reason, and thus people are guaranteed emergency care in life-threatening situations. In the end, it is the society as a whole that is left paying the bills. It is orders of magnitude less expensive to prevent these chronic illnesses and emergency room visits that cost us so much money. The responsible thing to do is to offer people basic preventative care, to keep them healthy and safe. To let one person go without health care is to force the rest of society to pay for it. Our world is too interconnected, and we interact with too many people for us to just look the other way and claim we have fulfilled our personal responsibility completely. In the same way that letting your neighbor’s house burn down risks catching your own house on fire, we cannot ignore other plights that might befall our neighbors. Helping the people in your community through a rough patch is not only morally correct, but it is also economically more efficient and more beneficial to you.
PATRICK BUTLER -regular columnist -grad student -compuer science
Sexuality is not black or white, emotions are more complicated I
s he gay, straight or bi? One of my recent friendships was intense — the kind where you hang on to every word, seek to find common ground on every subject. It was the kind of relationship that distracts you from everyone else in the room. I should have known that this friendship was different. I’ve kept a daily journal for over a year, and its interesting to reflect on how my feelings about our relationship changed. “Journaling” is my best attempt at mitigating my tendency to revise history, and I promise you that I did not have romantic feelings for this guy. We were just friends for four months. Then things changed. After an entirely new conversation about a topic we hadn’t yet discussed, we came to a joint conclusion: Sexuality is not a multiple-choice question; it’s a spectrum. Whether you place yourself on the spectrum or just “are” is not anything I’d try to convince you of, but the premise is undeniable. Some people prefer one gender to the other, and some people might be just as happy with either sex. Either way, a multiple-choice question won’t do anyone justice. The human “heart” is tricky. I have made a romantic history of partitioning my emotions carefully — out of a strange anxiety about what truly engaging with someone else might
produce. I’ve found that I prefer men, and I only know after falling in love with my “friend.” Ideological spectrums, like the human heart, are complicated, and I won’t be able to provide a chart or Excel sheet to quantify my message, but a “sexuality spectrum” is not a new idea. The Kinsey Scale, created by Alfred Kinsey, a biologist from Indiana University, was designed to do exactly what I promise I cannot — quantify degrees of sexual attraction from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual). Kinsey’s report is criticized for its simplicity, but his argument is compelling: “Males do not represent two discrete populations. ... The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects.” And perhaps life as a continuum is a better way to understand sexuality. We all want the same things, and deciding what boxes we fit into is convenient, but ultimately unsatisfying. My friend and I ended up having a lot of fun — especially with the phrase “no homo.” For those of you who are new to “no homo,” it’s basically used at the end of a thought to counter the chance it might be perceived as gay. Well, if you’re in a gay relationship, there is no better phrase to add to the end of any sentence (e.g., “Will you call me so I can hear your voice before I fall asleep? No homo.”)
Our relationship ended in heartbreak, and I’m beginning to understand all the people I’ve usually been able to laugh at — those who read too far into text messages and whose good emotions can turn sour over one Facebook photo. I don’t like feeling this vulnerable, but it’s necessary, and I will never regret allowing myself to truly engage with someone. My best friend always tells me, “Chris, you’re unique — just like everyone else.” And it’s the truth. I isolate myself to a degree by being this forward, but I do it because we all need examples to construct our own meta-narratives, to know that our histories don’t have to be totally revised. Where you fit on the spectrum is not the most important part of who you are, but be aware that it’s there. Love is trickier than sexual preference. Allow yourself to be the you-est you that you can possibly be, and if you end up with someone you don’t expect — no homo.
CHRISTOPHER COX -regular columnist -senior -communication
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sports 5
editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
Washington sports depression nothing new to the District T
alk on Capitol Hill has officially dipped from recession to depression. What, economic allusions a bit worn out? Don’t care. And according to my Facebook news feed, many Redskins fans have stopped caring as well, at least when it comes to watching this week’s highlights — a strong self-defense mechanism for when your team chokes against the Detroit Lions, who haven’t won a regular season game in years. For all the burgundy-loving folk who took a break from this article to hurl on the pavement, I welcome you back saying it’s not all bad. Take a sad song and make it better. And this doesn’t mean jumping on the Steelers wagon because your dad likes them, living in constant anger and angst, or pulling a War of 1812 and setting the streets of Washington ablaze ... in a sports news sense of course. It only counts as one game. Or, look at it glass-half-full: At least you’re not Jim Zorn. For those wandering aimlessly around campus, wondering where they’re going or when their classes end in a dumbfounded state of disbelief, it’ll be hard to find answers until this weekend. Fortunately, the Buccaneers are a nice candidate for supplying quite a few helpful responses after a 0-3 start. Before anyone knows it, the Redskins could be 2-2. Still, the coming days present a long, dark tunnel until Washingtonians get their next glimmer of hope, especially given that there’s been little else around to rest their laurels on ... for over 17 years. The turning point in the district’s sports decline could be charted back to the Redskins’ first season after Joe Gibbs’ 1993 retirement. Under successor Richie Petitbon, the beloved ’Skins fell from being Super Bowl champions two seasons prior to the franchise’s worst record in 30 years — a franchise that had just won three Super Bowls in a 10-year span. Norv Turner would take the reigns thereafter. Here we go. The Norvell years did not go as swimmingly as they did in San Diego, as Washington drafted infamous bust Heath Shuler in the first round before rounding out the ’90s with only one more playoff appearance. Meanwhile, NBA counterpart
“
All you fake, half-hearted ‘Skins fans can ... I won’t go there, but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!” ROBERT HENSON VIA TWITTER REDSKINS ROOKIE
Bullets/Wizards squandered talented teams and barely scraped the second round of the playoffs in the time since Gibbs’ initial NFL retirement. We’ll refer to this as the “Chris Webber, What Could’ve Been” era. Last season it went 19-63 with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler on their roster, arguably three of the league’s top 5 or 7 players at their respective positions when healthy (a very important qualifier). The Wiz will feature even more talent next year after trading for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, in return discarding a few big, goofy stiffs to the even more hapless Minnesota Timberwolves. However, this franchise should by now figure that talent doesn’t equal execution. The Nationals flew into town from Montreal back in 2005, but after an exciting flash of hope in a shocking 81-81 premiere season, Washington quickly spiraled into baseball abyss. For those still keeping track at home, its lost well over 200 combined games over the past two seasons. But Thomas, what about MVP Alexander “the Great” Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals? Gotcha! False. The Washington Capitals may never again reach the Stanley Cup — not as long as the Pittsburgh Penguins are around. Even ignoring the fact that the Pens are defending champions and hold two consecutive Eastern Conference titles and a relatively young core, the Penguins have victimized the Caps to an extent unmatched in American sports over the past 20 years. It’s all about the emotional weight of timing. Just as momentum and excitement in D.C. starts filling to the brim over its hockey team towards the end of the regular season, Pittsburgh typically spoils its party in the playoffs, as it has done seven times since 1991 (’91, ‘92, ’95, ’96, ’00, ’01, ’09), with Washington only besting Pittsburgh in their 1994 postseason face off.
It actually only adds to this theoretical aura of misery that the Capitals seemed in control with a 2-0 series lead in 2009, that is, before a Yanni concert in Pittsburgh forced the teams to play on back-to-back nights in different cities, while the Penguins reversed momentum and took the next two. Still, it’s necessary to acknowledge that the Capitals present the one major D.C. sports exception from the past 17 years in advancing to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. After a very good 2008-2009 campaign, they also seemingly presents the most immediate beacon of hope. From a success standpoint, though, the pride of the beltway would be D.C. United, which has placed four MLS Cups on the regional mantle. Nothing against soccer, but the Redskins are to D.C. United what the Potomac River is to a piece of algae. For now, district sports enthusiasts can just mull over Monday’s Washington Post sports section headline, “Fail to the Redskins,” or the wrath Twitter hath seemingly every week. After the Redskins’ putrid home performance in Week 2, un-drafted rookie Robert Henson turned his dislike of disapproval into a wrecking ball for the team’s player-fan relations, tweeting: “All you fake, half-hearted ’Skins fans can ... I won’t go there, but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!” (Writer’s note: Henson probably wishes there was a comma in there.) ... And if that wasn’t enough: “The question is who are you to say you know what’s best for the team and you work 9 to 5 at Mcdonalds. You don’t wanna follow me anymore then fine but we play for you and win lose or draw we represent you!!” (Writer’s note: Henson’s never played a down in an NFL regular season game.) The Twitter fallout somehow reached new heights of catastrophe this week, with pointed criticism coming from more reputable sources, including Redskins Hall of Fame running back John Riggins. “There are team sapecific issues for sure and some individual issues for sure but the owner ultimately is a loser and you can’t fix that,” @riggo44 thrashed. Ouch, that’s probably smarts. Still, owner Daniel Snyder signs the
Men’s tennis adds accomplished, young assistant to coaching staff for 2009 GARRETT BUSIC sports staff writer The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team picked up a valuable addition this off-season with the addition of its new assistant coach, Christophe Bonadona. Bonadona, who is only 24, came to Tech sporting an impressive resume. He received his undergraduate degree in sports management Webber Bonadona from International University in 2007, but it is his experience after multiple internships that really sets him apart. His most recent work was at the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy located in Hilton Head, S.C. The academy is run by Dennis and Pat Van Der Meer and is devoted to developing talent and helping young players get a jumpstart in the tennis world. Here Bonadona helped coach and worked alongside several elite players. “We have some players that are trying out as professionals, and we got plenty of juniors that are playing in international tournaments,” said Bonadona. Though he didn’t work with them personally, Bonadona shared that several recognizable names have passed through the academy. “The one player that Dennis Van Der Meer has coached and is the
most well known is Billy Jean King,” Bonadona said. Another notable internship on Bonadona’s resume includes his 2006 work at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. There he worked for a whole summer planning and organizing alongside other interns for a oneweek tournament. “It’s a grass court tournament — the only grass court tournament in North America, and it pays something around $400,000 overall in prize money,” Bonadona said. His work included player relations, making sure accommodations were arranged for everyone during the tournament and ticket sales. He also did work trying to find sponsors for daily events that were going on during the tournament. These things will come in to play in his assistant role at Tech. “That is something I have not had a chance to work on yet, but I am sure that being able to relate with players and with athletes like I was doing at the tournament is something I will need to do here on a daily basis,” Bonadona said. The last thing that Bonadona brings to the table is his 2005 internship at Nike Mexico. His duties there included putting on a race in Mexico City that involved 20,000 runners. For every runner that participated, a tree was planted in South America. This was why he wanted to recruit such a large number of people. Bonadona’s resume is one thing that really attracted head coach Jim
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Thompson to the young prodigy, but it is not the only thing. “He has a great wealth of experience and is a great player that will add a lot to our program,” Thompson said. “He is definitely going to help me with recruiting — he has great contacts and speaks several languages, and that is a big asset in itself.” The reason this position opened up for Bonadona was the departure of the previous assistant coach, Jimmy Borendame, who accepted a head coaching position at Drake University. Coach Thompson knew this would happen one day, however, and was not surprised by the move. “Of course he came here with the intentions of gaining the experience and getting our team better here and bettering his future and his career,” Thompson said. “A great opportunity came his way, and I think he made a great decision, and he’s gonna be one of the best young coaches out there for sure this year.” Bonadona is also pursuing his master of business adminstration while at Virginia Tech, for which he plans on picking a concentration in his second year. Bonadona may not have known he was going to end up at Tech years ago, but he is happy here for the time being. “I am really glad today that I picked (coaching tennis) since it has opened many doors like this one here, where I can be an assistant and get my MBA at the same time,” Bonadona said.
JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DETROIT FREE PRESS
Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth gets carted off the field after injuring his hip during Washington’s 19-14 loss to the Lions last week. Prior to the game, Detroit had lost 19 straight games. checks and isn’t facing the clear and present danger of head coach Jim Zorn and starting quarterback Jason Campbell’s jobs. Long ago are the days of starting 6-2 and Washingtonians “gettin’ all horny for Zorny,” according to various T-shirts. Sunday at around 5 p.m., it was tough to find a Redskins jersey around town. This is not a criticism. I’d be six shots deep and in my apartment moments after the final whistle of a 19-14 loss to Detroit. Still, I did manage to track down one of the many area ’Skins fans. “Yeah, it’s hard to be one, but I am one,” Virginia Tech senior Kyleigh Fitzgerald told me in an exhausted tone. “Just don’t talk them up big, and I won’t be let down.” One thing Snyder and company do have on their side is an unconditionally loyal, hopeful fan base
— not to mention a spectacular knack for hyping the team each offseason. This next week could be a tough test, but the past 17 years tell me Redskins fanaticism shouldn’t suffer too much. Facebook news feed agrees: “2009 Washington Redskins projected season record 17-2.” “Its not how you start its how you finish...so all you redskins haters can suck my left ###…cause yall aint good enough for my right ###.” “I’m wandering to the tallest building in Richmond haha” All the devotion one could ask for. As a New York Giants fan, I understand the karmic implications of writing this article and may someday look back to this week with angst and regret. The Redskins and Giants remain NFC East rivals all right, but it’s not the same passionate contempt as that for the Eagles and Cowboys — both parties generally agree. Consider
it a tempered dislike. Before preparing to kick myself in the future, I should probably make it explicitly clear that this is not an attempt to kick anyone while he’s down, especially this down. Inappropriate. Just a reminder that life will continue and that things can change rapidly in sports, especially in the NFL — Redskins faithfuls might remember an improbable Todd Collins streak into the playoffs — and an offering of condolences from a Washington-area native and division foe ... for whatever that’s worth right at this moment.
THOMAS EMERICK -sports reporter -senior -communication major -Giants fan
6 features LooP In the
Wondering what's going on around the 'burg? Check out the events of the upcoming week.
Thursday, October 1 What: Fall Focus Career Fair Where: Squires Student Center When: 10 a.m. Cost: Free What: Queer 101: The Straight Survival Guide to the Next Civil Rights Movement Where: Haymarket Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. Cost: Free
Friday, October 2 What: Sweety Where: Greenbrier Valley Theater When: 8 p.m. Cost: Adult $23, senior $20, student/child $14 What: Farm Vegas with the Shack Band Where: Attitudes When: 9 p.m. Cost: $7
Saturday, October 3
What: A Community of Hokies: The Celebration of Diversity Where: Haymarket Theatre When: 6 p.m. Cost: Free What: Clothesline Project Workshops Where: Women's Center, 206 Washington St. When: 9 p.m. Cost: Free
Tuesday, October 6 What: Laugh Riot featuring Michael Ian Black and Greg Giraldo Where: Burruss Auditorium When: 7 p.m. Cost: Students $7, faculty/staff $10, general $15. Prices increase by $5 day of show.
What: Sun Trust Big Lick Blues and BBQ Festival Where: Downtown Roanoke — Elmwood Park and surrounding areas When: All day Cost: Free
Wednesday, October 7
What: Burden Boat release Where: Lawn between Squires and Theatre 101 When: 2:30 p.m. Cost: Free
Radford Highlander Festival gives town Scottish touch
Monday, October 5
What: Perpetual Groove Where: Attitudes When: 9 p.m. Cost: $14 in advance, $17 at the door
Sunday, October 4
COLLEGIATETIMES
What: B.B. King Where: Burruss Auditorium When: 7:30 p.m. Cost: General $30, faculty/staff $20, student $15, child $11
What: Apple Festival Where: Smithfield Plantation When: All day Cost: Free
What: 2007 Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Eric Maskin Where: 1045 Pamplin Hall When: 2 p.m. Cost: Free
editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
What: Hypnotist Dr. Jim Ward Where: Squires Commonwealth Ballroom When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free What: Living Darwin Where: Squires Studio Theatre When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free
If you would like an event featured in our calendar, e-mail featureseditor@ collegiatetimes.com with event details, including cost.
COURTESY BONNIE ROBERTS ERICKSON
Among the different acts to appear at the Highlander Festival this year will be traditional Celtic quartet Teribus (above). Additional pipe and drum acts will appear as well as bluegrass and country bands.
BUST OUT YOUR BEST KILT FOR A WEEKEND OF SCOTTISH GAMES, MUSIC AND MERRIMENT DAN WAIDELICH features reporter This weekend, the Radford Highlanders Festival will bring a little bit of Scotland to the New River Valley. The Highlanders Festival, now in it’s 14th year, is a joint venture between Radford University and the City of Radford. The event is a celebration of the area’s roots. “Some of the first Scots-Irish immigrants settled here in Radford,” said Bonnie Roberts Erickson, a key organizer of the event and a member of the Office of University Relations at Radford. “We have a really strong heritage here. The first president of the university was of Scots-Irish decent.” The Highlanders Festival will feature Scots-Irish traditions, such as heavyweight athletic games, bagpipe music and sheepherding competitions. The original organizers decided that Radford was a perfect fit to host a festival. “We developed the idea that this would be a great thing to promote,” Erickson said. “It would bring people to campus and be both fun and educational.” The first Highlanders Festival
hosted about 10 vendors. This year more than 70 will be attendance, Erickson said. The Celtic Store, a Texas-based purveyor of Celtic goods, traveled the farthest to take part in the festival. Vendors may keep visitors busy, but the centerpiece of any Highland festival is the athletic games. The Raisback Memorial Games will feature 18 athletes competing in traditional games of strength and precision. The kilt-wearing competitors will compete on Saturday in events like the hammer throw and the caber toss. Caber tossing involves tossing a telephone pole-sized log end over end. A perfectly tossed caber lands with the thrown end facing away from the athlete. If tossing giant logs is not up a visitor’s alley, the festival also features falconry demonstrations and plenty of musical acts. Headlining the festival is the Celtic band Teribus. The group, which plays traditional bagpipe and drum tunes, is a festival favorite according to Becky Haupt, the director of Main Street Radford, which is an organization that promotes business and events in downtown Radford. The City of Radford enthusiastically partners with the university to
sponsor the festival, Haupt said. “The city has tried to expand the whole event into a weekend-long event,” Haupt said. “It is so interwoven with the university and the city and all these events.” Alongside the Highlanders Festival is the Appalachian Folk Arts Festival. The festival celebrates the evolution of local art and culture from early settlers in the Appalachian region. The Highlanders Festival is an immensely popular event in the New River Valley. Around 10,000 cars were estimated to have traveled to last year’s gathering. “You can imagine what an influx that is to our city,” Haupt said. “It is something that is just continuously building, and it is just such a good time.”
[ ] radford higlanders festival
Friday 10/2 – Saturday 10/3 Friday: Scotch Tasting at Ken Farmer Auctions and Appraisals at 7 p.m. Saturday: Events go all day, starting at 8 a.m. Highland games from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Teribus at 4:30 p.m.
......radio for
everyone
october 1, 2009
page 7 MARY ANNE CARTER -features reporter -junior -communication major
The many faces of Michael Surgical Mask Michael
L
ast year it was Heath Ledger. This year, to the dismay of Farrah Fawcett and Patrick Swayze, it will most certainly be Michael Jackson. The King of Pop gained notoriety for dramatic outfits and unexpected performances throughout his career. This summer, he shocked the world one final time with his sudden death, which landed him the privilege of “posthumous costume of the year.” But unlike celebrities of the past, Jackson has not just one iconic look, but dozens, resulting in a plague of indecision. Black or white? Nose or no nose? Satin or sequins? Stylish
or comfortable? A flood of similar questions would undoubtedly overwhelm any MJ wannabe, but with this costume guide and a handful of friends, you don’t have to choose. By choosing one of Jackson’s most memorable collection of looks, even the most apathetic person can play a role in this group-style Halloween costume series that will make any other Jackson impersonator look like the victim of a classic wardrobe malfunc-
No one really knows why Jackson wore a medical mask. Was it to shield his newest nose? Fulfill his desire for privacy? Protect a weak immune system? The answer is ultimately irrelevant because it all comes down to one fact: Michael Jackson was one quirky dude with a penchant for bizarre fashion statements. And with cold season brewing, this one couldn’t be more convenient. PERFECT FOR: The 50 percent of campus battling swine flu or anyone with a drooling problem. NOT FOR: People who don’t want to run the risk of being mistaken for a SARS victim.
see HALLOWEEN / page eight
Young Michael
YOU WILL NEED: -Dark sunglasses. -Black scarf to cover head. -Optional black fedora. -Blazer. -White T-shirt. -Jeans. -Medical mask.
There are some trends Jackson never grew out of: all-boy sleepovers and a love of Neverland, for example. But as far as bohemian peasant blouses, polyester pants and unruly ’fros go, Michael’s original look was ditched as quickly as the Jackson 5. Channel his initial innocence (and whole nose) in this ’70s-style getup. PERFECT FOR: The innocent one. For those of you not enticed by sequins, pleather or pills, this simple costume boasts that your heart is as gold as Michael’s albums. NOT FOR: Those with an aversion to wigs or itchy pants. YOU WILL NEED: -One pair of thick, darkly colored pants. These are preferably flared and most likely found within the depths of your dad or older sister’s closet. -A light-colored, billowy blouse, often seen on the back of hippy activists or elderly women who need the extra room for their saggiest parts. -Your brightest white socks. -That pair of Oxford-style shoes you only pull out for church and funerals. -An afro: wig or au naturale. TIP: If you are searching for an afro wig and don’t want to drop party store prices, scrounge around the thrift store for a mangy, black witch wig that can be wrapped around a few times and pinned in an afro shape.
One-Gloved Michael At some point in the whimsical ’80s, Jackson morphed his rich, dark skin tone into a pasty, unpigmented hue faster than the colors change in a mood ring. He adamantly protested that he took proactive measures to promote this change and instead blamed it on a disease that spread from his hands. This disease allegedly inspired him to perform in a single, sequin-encrusted glove designed to conceal the loss of pigment. Whether or not his story is true, the iconic glove inspired a fashion following as well as this costume.
TIP: Multitask while picking up your pills and swipe a mask from your nearest health care provider. Schiffert has a thorough stock outside the waiting room up for grabs for cold victims and now, Michael Jackson impersonators.
Courtroom Chic Michael When it comes to Jackson, expect the unexpected — a mantra the fashion icon proved yet again by showing up to a court hearing dressed in a pair of pajamas and blazer, unfashionably six hours late. The bizarre events of the trial also included an impromptu moonwalk on the roof of his car, much to the delight of the gathered fans, but no pillow fights or rounds of truth-or-dare were sighted. PERFECT FOR: The lazy one. You want to dress up, but you can’t commit. Jackson himself resisted commitment — to prison. NOT FOR: The one who really, really likes little boys. It’s not going to help your case. YOU WILL NEED: - A blazer. - A white T-shirt. -Your wildly-patterned pajama pants of choice (Jackson rocked tropical blue ones himself). -Mirrored sunglasses. -Unkempt hair, pursed lips and an apathetic attitude. TIP: If approached by the police, abandon your King of Pop persona. Unlike Jackson, you are not above the law.
PERFECT FOR: Spirit finger enthusiasts — why let the disco ball-like properties of the sequins go to waste? NOT FOR: Pizza parties. Tomato sauce is not a flattering accessory. YOU WILL NEED: -A shiny satin or sequined black jacket, found in any thrift store or nursing home reeking of red wine and floral perfume. -Plain white T-shirt. -Black trousers, preferably with a tuxedo stripe down both sides. -White socks so fluffy you have to go up a shoe size. -Your finest moonwalking (or funeral-going) shoes. -The glove: -Single glove (cotton marching band gloves work well). -Silver sequins. -Fabric glue. HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE GLOVE: 1. Lay out the glovel, and stuff it with a plastic bag. 2. Dot the glove with fabric glue where you want the sequins to be. 3. Press sequins into the glue. 4. Let dry for at least 24 hours.
Baby-dangling Michael Although it’s no secret Michael Jackson had an affinity for children, the media was still stunned to see Michael dangle his infant over the balcony of his home in front of a horde of fans and paparazzi. It is a moment easily commemorated with this simple, comfortable costume that blends the sickness of a “dead baby” joke with the sting of a “too soon” reference. PERFECT FOR: The daredevil attention seeker who leaves his pride — and a fake child’s life — on the line. NOT FOR: Anyone with access to real children.
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TIP: For an easy, removable stripe down the side of a pair of old black trousers, use duct tape.
YOU WILL NEED: - Oversized, red button-down shirt. - Black pants. - A dangle-friendly (read: fake) baby. TIP: If you don’t want to track down a baby doll, wrap a heap of clothes or an old towel in a small blanket or use a nine-pound burrito for a tasty snack.
october 1, 2009
page 8
Halloween: Now’s the time to dress like the man in the mirror from page seven
Thriller Michael
Clad in a futuristic red leather suit, Jackson produced one of the most memorable and expensive music videos of all time. For a fraction of the price, you can create your own realistic “Thriller”-esque costume that is sure to stop zombies and Virginia Tech students alike dead in their PERFECT FOR: The triple threat. Singing, dancing and morphing into a werewolf, Michael does it all in “Thriller.” Let the showoff in your group take the stage in this daring costume. NOT FOR: The faint of heart. The flashy red jacket of “Thriller” attracts a herd of zombies in the iconic music video and will likely attract a gallery of stares in real life as well. YOU WILL NEED: -Your tightest red pants (black will do for the stingy or less-committed crowd). -The trademark Jackson whitesock, black-shoe combo. -Black eyeliner. -Sweet dance moves.
HOW TO COSTRUCT THE JACKET: 1. Lay out jacket. Fold vinyl in half. Match the fold up with the shoulders of the jacket and cut a panel that is about two inches wider than the shoulders at the top and about two inches narrower than the bottom of the jacket so that it tapers. 2. Cut the panel into two equal parts down the middle on each side of the zipper. 3. Take the black material and cut four, two-inch wide strips that are as long as the panels. These are your trim. 4. Fold over the black trim pieces and pin along the edges of the panel so that no raw edges are showing. Pin and sew in place. 5. Pin and sew the panels to the jacket so that the angular corners jut over the shoulders and the tapered ends align with the bottom in the front and meet or cross in the back. 6. Using any extra vinyl, create cuffs by hemming and sewing together pieces so that the ends meet. Slide them over the arms as optional, removable cuffs. You can also use fabric glue to add stripes of vinyl to the arms if you can spare the fabric. 7. Take your significant other to the movies, flee from monsters, become a werewolf and perform a highly technical dance all while rocking your new jacket.
The jacket: -A plain, hoodless red or black jacket with a front zipper. -Red vinyl. -Black vinyl or silk (anything shiny and sturdy).
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TIP: Your Vincent Price imitation probably isn’t as good as you think it is.
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STEP 6
FINAL FRONT
FINAL BACK