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Thursday, October 22, 2009
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
www.collegiatetimes.com
COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 104
News, page 1
Features, page 7
Opinions, page 5
Sports, page 3
Classifieds, page 6
Sudoku, page 6
Police conclude Harrington ground search GORDON BLOCK news reporter Police have ended their search on the grounds near the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena for missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington and are now classifying the case as a criminal investigation. Harrington, a junior education major, has been missing since the evening of Saturday, Oct. 17, when she attended a concert for the band Metallica at John Paul Jones arena. Virginia State Police held a press conference Wednesday in Charlottesville to further discuss details on Harrington’s disappearance. Over 100 leads have come in to police about the case. “You pursue things as they occur,” said state police Lt. Joe Rader, who spoke at the press conference. “The timeframe is very critical.” According to Rader, Morgan left her friends to use the bathroom, and somehow ended up COURTESY OF DAN HARRINGTON outside the arena, which does not allow reentry according to its policy. Contacting her friends, Morgan Dana Harrington, a 20-year-old Rader added that Harrington told her she would either meet them or find a way home on Tech junior, went missing on Oct. 17.
Tech alerts campus of YouTube threats The university sent a campus-wide email stating that the Virginia Tech Police Department had observed a YouTube posting that was “making threats against the Virginia Tech community.” The e-mail, sent late Wednesday night, said that the Virginia State Police and FBI
were assisting Tech on an investigation. It continued to say that the comments were believed to have originated overseas. Tech Police would not yet comment on the investigation. compiled by ct news staff
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hotline
Anyone with knowledge of Harrington’s whereabouts is encouraged to call investigators at 434-352-3467.
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her own, which Rader said explained why her friends were not concerned after they did not meet up after the concert. According to Rader, Harrington was in the vicinity of the arena between the hours of 8: 30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. When asked whether Harrington was drunk or high, Rader said she was able to move around the arena and call friends. Harrington’s purse and cell phone were found by a passerby in a small parking lot near the arena and were turned into the UVa police Sunday morning. Rader declined to comment on calls made by Harrington or what had been uncovered through her cell phone records. Rader added that there appeared to be no signs of struggle in the area where her personal items were found. Dan Harrington, Morgan’s father said he had bought tickets for Morgan and her group
months before the show. “Metallica wasn’t necessarily her type of band, but she likes all types of music, and that was a band she wanted to see,” Harrington said. Harrington added that he and his wife Gil were in a state of shock. “As you can imagine, this is a parent’s worst nightmare, to not know where your child is,” Harrington said. Harrington said he was frustrated with the John Paul Jones Arena policy that barred reentry after leaving the venue. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Harrington said. However, he was grateful for the outpouring of support that had come in following Morgan’s disappearance. “It’s just overwhelming for Gil and I to have so many people care and call us about this,” Harrington said. “The support we’ve had here has been unbelievable.” A rally for Harrington has been set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Northside High School in Roanoke, which Harrington attended before graduating at Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Va. The case has drawn nationwide attention,
and her story has appeared on several media outlets nationwide. Her parents appeared on cable news show “Nancy Grace” Tuesday, and a post about Harrington has been included to the homepage of the band Metallica, under the title, “One Of Our Fans Is Missing.” Harrington asked those with information to contact police. “We just want Morgan to come home,” Harrington said. The 20-year-old Harrington, who has long blond hair and blue eyes, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with tan letters that read “Pantera” across the front, a black mini skirt with black tights and knee-high black boots. Harrington is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. Police have set up a new 24-hour tip line for the case. Those with information about the whereabouts of Morgan Harrington can call 434-352-3467. A reward, to be set up through Crime Stoppers, will have a minimum amount of $50,000. Details for a reward will be released Thursday. news reporter liana bayne contributed to this report
Show me the money Highest salaries across Virginia Universities virginia tech
position
salary
President Dean, VTC Health and Medical Education Defensive Coordinator, Athletics Department Director, Athletics Department
$457,040 $414,000 $378,000 $362,472
Executive Vice President and Provost Dean, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration President Women's Basketball Head Coach
$706,800 $518,900 $487,000 $281,800
Charles W. Steger Cynda A. Johnson Robert E. Foster James C. Weaver
university of virginia
Tufts sets precedent concerning ‘courtesy’ SUSAN SNYDER & OLIVIA BIAGI the philadelphia inquirer Penn State sophomore Ricky Morales and his roommates worked it out themselves: If the others are asleep, it’s okay to have sex with a partner in the room. “It’s all about communication. That’s what it comes down to,” said Morales, a journalism major from Stroudsburg, Pa. But at Tufts University near Boston, students apparently weren’t able to negotiate such delicate matters so deftly. After receiving about a dozen complaints in the last several years from a student body of 5,000, the upscale private university this fall took what is at the very least an unusual step in the world of college housing: It banned in writing sex with a roommate present. While Tufts deems unwarranted sexual activity problematic enough to warrant a policy change, Virginia Tech does not seem to be experiencing any significant problems. Leon McClinton, director of residence life, said that this has never been an issue at Tech. “We do not have something that specific in our policy,” he said. Some students nationwide thought the policy sounded like a good idea. “Sex should never have witnesses. Then it’s just porn,” said Fleurette Louis-Jacques, 20, an English and French linguistics double major at Rutgers University. She and her roommate haven’t discussed the topic, she said, but added that they don’t have sex: “Seriously, not even being funny, we’re like nuns.” Most students, however, thought that a written policy was unnecessary. “Everyone here is smart enough to understand that it’s a common courtesy” to leave the room while your roommate is having sex, said Doug Mocik, a freshman English major at La Salle University, “ ... unless your roommate is a freak.” Even some who have fallen victim weren’t upset. Ashley Clark, a senior business-law major at Temple, said she once had a roommate who would have sex while Clark was asleep. Clark sometimes woke up. She thought it was “weird, but it didn’t bother me.” Then there were those who thought sex with a roommate close by was something to be celebrated. “You’ve got to get fist pounds,” said Cory Winkoff, a junior communication major at the University of Pennsylvania. He and a group of friends high-fived one another when the subject was introduced. “We’re happy when our friends are hooking up,” agreed Terry Kennedy, a junior political science major. “It’s college; it kind of happens.” Most schools surveyed have no spe-
cific policy on sex in a room, but many ban behavior that offends a roommate. “Our residence life guest policy prohibits guests in a room over the objections of a roommate regardless of the activity,” said Sandy Lanman, a spokeswoman for Rutgers. Visitation rules for certain Tech dorms are established. If students are found abusing those rules, they will be referred to the Student Conduct Committee. However, McClinton said that there have not been any cases this year that dealt with breaking visitation policies or engaging in unlawful sexual activity. Even religious institutions are not as specific as Tufts. Neumann College and Villanova University, both Catholic, note in their handbooks that they adhere to church teachings, which condone sex only in marriage, and that those teachings govern residence hall life. La Salle, also Catholic, requires members of the opposite sex to leave a room by midnight Sundays through Thursdays and by 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. “Roommate approval is required for any residential student to bring a guest to their residence/room,” spokesman Jon Caroulis said. Most schools report some complaints and said that the subject does cause some breakups, but that it was not one of the most prevalent concerns. “General disrespect for each other comes up more often than anything else,” Gage said. At Tufts, where about 2,200 students live with a roommate in university housing, no penalties are attached to the guideline, which appears as a new bullet in the campus-living handbook and was publicized last week. It reads: “You may not engage in sexual activity while your roommate is present in the room. Any sexual activity within your assigned room should not ever deprive your roommate(s) of privacy, study, or sleep time.” McClinton praised the residence staff for helping to ensure that students adhere to on-campus housing policies. He also noted that if something like this were to become an issue, it would be addressed. “We have not heard significant complaints on this,” he said, “but if the majority of students have issue on a specific topic, we will listen and provide feedback.” Meanwhile, Morales and his roommates at Pennsylvania State University will continue to handle the matter on their own. They have a backup plan if a roommate is awake in the room. “All you need to do,” Morales explained, “is send a text message to that roommate to ask them for a half-hour alone.” liana bayne contributed to this report
Arthur Garson, Jr. Robert F. Bruner John T. Casteen, III Deborah A. Ryan
james madison university Linwood H. Rose Matthew Brady Charles W. King, Jr. Arthur J. Benson
President Men's Basketball Coach Vice President, Administration and Finance Provost
$396,287 $290,000 $214,091 $174,836
compiled from the Collegiate Times Salary Database SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
Universities compete for professorial ‘rock stars’ HOPE MILES news staff writer Although Virginia’s universities attempt to attract highly qualified faculty members with attractive salaries, that salary varies across different institutions. The five highest paid employees are Charles Steger, university president; Cynda Johnson, dean of Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; Bud Foster, football defensive coordinator; Jim Weaver, athletics director; and Mark McNamee, provost. “Salaries are something you use to compensate an employee; the more you can pay a person, the greater the pool of potential people you can get,” said Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski. Incentives for employees, such as salary, attract more highly qualified candidates, Owczarski said. A variety of factors influence individual salary decisions. Department heads make recommendations for the salary an employee should receive. The Dean of each college and the provost then review these requests. “Fundamentally, a college is able to offer salaries based on the resources it has and what the market can bear,” Owczarski said. For example, the highest paid physics faculty member at Tech is paid $157,050, but the physics department’s salaries start at $27,600. These differences include performance, merit increases or decreases, full- or part-
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on the web
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Check out www.higheredsalaries.com to see the salaries of every faculty member in different public universities across Virginia and other states.
time positions, or tenured positions. “Credentials, research and service also contribute,” said Richard Sorensen, dean of the Pamplin College of Business. “This is normal university policy.” Starting salaries are based on credentials and if the position is for a professor or assistant professor position, Sorensen said. Budgets and resources, and how they are allocated, is at the discretion of managers. Universities also have donors who give money that can add to faculty salaries through an endowment fund. To attract stronger candidates, colleges and universities try to bring in more money through state funding, tuition charges and private philanthropies. Tuition increased $203.50 for in-state students over the previous school year, some of which foots the bill for higher salaries. “When you recognize talented people who are leaders in their positions, you do what you can to keep them here,” Owczarski said. He said that schools, including Tech, strive to improve faculty salaries regularly to ensure employees do not transfer to other institutions.
“If they love Blacksburg, you wouldn’t want their salary to be a reason a faculty member goes to a different school,” he said. Owczarski also said Tech employs a number of distinguished “rock stars” that any college or university would want on its staff. “We want to encourage them to stay on the team, salary is one of the ways to do this.” At the University of Virginia, department chairs work with faculty members to establish performance goals for the year. They are then evaluated on their performance and how well these goals were met. Because of the impact of the recession, salaries at public universities in Virginia are currently stagnant. “There have been no salary increases in the past two years. Salaries are frozen in Virginia,” said Carol Wood, assistant vice president for public affairs at UVa. The State Council for Higher Education of Virginia, which advises the state government on education, has identified comparable peer group schools for all state-supported universities, including Tech. Tech’s peer group schools include Purdue and Cornell, among others. Based on SCHEV recommendations, the state government attempts to fund faculty salaries at the 60th percentile of the comparable national peer group, Sorensen said. Tech has adopted a similar faculty salary goal, but it currently lags behind at less than 40 percent of the SCHEV peer group.
Tech officially releases Windows 7 software ALLISON SANDERS news staff writer Virginia Tech’s Software Distribution made Microsoft Windows 7 Professional available to the student body today. The price of Microsoft’s latest Windows operating system is $38. The price also covers a physical copy on a disc for installation. Students who previously purchased a bundle through Software
Distribution are eligible to download the software upgrade online free of charge. The physical disc costs $7 extra for these students. Eligible students may only purchase one copy of the software, available in 32- and 64-bit variants. The listed price of the software online through Microsoft is $29.99 for a promotional student discount. However, the
physical disc is not included and is priced at an additional $13. Consequently, the $42.99 total for an online purchase through Microsoft exceeds the $38 deal offered through Software Distribution. “The choice to purchase the software through Microsoft or the university depends on each individual need,” said Patricia Branscome, Software Distribution associate director.
The price of Windows 7 as offered by the university is expected to double by the end of December when the Tech discount expires. Microsoft’s own student discount expires Jan. 3, 2010. Based on past upgrade trends, there will not be another operating system overhaul from Microsoft for at least three years, said Jon Krallman, director of information technology acquisitions.