Building a green movement? HUSSEIN AHMED/SPPS
find out in tomorrow’s CT
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Thursday, November 5, 2009
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COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 111
News, page 1
Features, page 5
Opinions, page 3
Sports, page 6
Classifieds, page 4
Sudoku, page 4
Harrington family announces search party to recover missing children. “This community search party is aimed at augmenting the current action of the police force,” said Dan Harrington, Morgan’s father. Morgan’s mother Gil Harrington held back tears as she made an appeal for Morgan’s return. “She has so much more to live, and so much more to give,” Gil Harrington said. “We need her.” Dan Harrington encouraged the community to step forward with more leads in the case. “We will stop at nothing until she is found,” he said. “We are eternally grateful for any additional support the community can offer in helping bring Morgan home.” Morgan’s parents were joined at the conference by Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart,
GORDON BLOCK news reporter The parents of missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington emotionally pleaded for the return of their daughter Wednesday while announcing the formation of a volunteer search party to be organized over the weekend. Harrington has been missing since Oct. 17, when she disappeared in Charlottesville while attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena. The search party, which will be organized from Nov. 6-8, will be coordinated through the local police along with the Laura Recovery Center, a TexasHARRINGTON based foundation created
Low voter turnout in reversal of last years
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tip line
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Virginia State Police at 434-352-3467.
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who was abducted in 2002. The then 14-yearold Smart was found alive nine months later approximately 18 miles from her home in Salt Lake City. Smart contacted the Harrington family Tuesday to offer his support in the case. “Everyone knows that this is something that no parent chooses to have happen to them,” Smart said. “They have met this head-on, and they are trying to do their best to keep the awareness out there to find Morgan.” Police also contributed some additional
information about the drive Harrington made with her friends to the concert. Harrington and one friend first drove to Harrisonburg to pick up two friends at James Madison University before going to Charlottesville. Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said that while Harrington’s car was driven to Charlottesville, Harrington was not the driver, adding that when Morgan was separated from her friends she did not have the car’s keys. Harrington, who left her friends to find a bathroom, ended up outside the arena between 8:20 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Circling around the arena, Harrington spoke to her friends by cell phone at 8:48 p.m., where she let her friends know she would find a ride home. Going through several parking lots around the arena, Harrington was last seen at approxi-
Caught in the ‘Act’ Tech students lead state in liquor arrests
KATIE ROBIDOUX news staff writer
University
KATIE ROBIDOUX
Montgomery County voter turnout for Tuesday’s election was considered low compared to previous and expected standards. A total of 20,849 voters in Montgomery County cast votes for the governor election this year out of a total of 54,568 registered voters, just a 38 percent turnout. “I would have thought the percent to be closer to about 50 percent,” said Randy Wertz, Montgomery County registrar. “But I really don’t know why it was as low as it was because nothing really jumps out in the data.” The trends exhibited in this year’s election data showed no major change, Wertz said. “The biggest precinct, which is A1, had the highest number of voters, which is expected,” he added. “Voter turnout there was around 50 percent. This is typical.” Since this was the first time the town elections occurred simultaneously with the gubernatorial elections, numbers of people who cast votes for town council actually increased. In previous years, town council elections have occurred in May. “More people actually voted in the town elections,” Wertz said. “Usually about 10-15 percent of voters vote for the town elections. This year it was higher than that.”
Liquor law arrests
news staff writer New statistics show Virginia Tech students were charged with nearly three times as many alcohol-related crimes as students at the University of Virginia and James Madison University for 2008. The numbers come from the latest Clery Act crime statistics, released for the Tech campus and surrounding areas, and other college campuses across the nation each October. The Clery Act, short for the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, is a report that provides the numbers of specific crimes that have happened on campus within the past year. Universities that receive federal financial aid are required to issue the report by Oct. 1 each year and can be fined up to $27,000 if they fail to do so. The numbers represented in the 2008 Clery Act report are not surprising or unexpected, according to Tech Police Officer Geof Allen. “Our crime here at Virginia Tech tends to be very predictable,” Allen said.
Virginia Tech University of Virginia James Madison University SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
According to the Tech report, there were a total of 219 liquor law arrests in 2008. UVa reported a total of 80 liquor law arrests and JMU reported a total of 87. The UVa report also stated, “alcohol arrests are down considerably, due in part to the fact that many are made during joint patrol with the City of Charlottesville in areas not immediately adjacent to campus.” The areas covered by the report are hard to define, which can make reading and understanding these crime statistics more difficult. For example, if someone were to
steal a car in Squires parking lot, that would be included in the Clery Act report. However, if someone were to steal a car from the parking lot behind a bar downtown, that crime would not be included in the report. Although the report may be hard to understand for those who are unfamiliar with its details, it is very useful for police officers. “It is used for how we base our patrols,” Allen said. “For example, if we know we have a lot of theft in a parking lot like the Cage, then we send more officers and patrols to the Cage. Most thefts occur toward the
end of the semester, near final times because kids are usually distracted and aren’t paying as much attention. We know that around these times, we need to strengthen our patrols.” The other major problem with the statistics is that they are simply numbers, so to the average individual they might symbolize a problem that in fact does not exist. “The problem with statistics is that people are scared. Statistics are used intentionally to create fear,” Allen said. The Clery Act was named after Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old freshman at Lehigh University who
Cook Counseling Center finds new home, lowers rent Sta
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mately 9:30 p.m. at the Copeley Road Bridge. Harrington, 20 years old, has long blond hair and blue eyes and 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. With a contribution of $50,000 from the band Metallica and $41 from the United Way of Roanoke, the reward offered through the Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers now totals $150,041. An informational session for the search party will take place in the Jefferson Room of Charlottesville’s Cavalier Inn at 7 p.m. tonight, with the search beginning at 9 a.m. Friday. Search party volunteers must provide photo identification and be at least 18 years old.
The Cook Counseling Center’s satellite location will save more than $20,000 with a move from Turner Street to East Eggleston Hall. Richard Ferrarro, director of Schiffert Health Center, said the move was designed to keep the satellite location closer to campus. “I think that says counseling is available to have it right in the center of campus,” Ferrarro said. “It really says a lot in terms of visibility.” Additionally, the center’s rent will be reduced by two-thirds. While the center has been paying just over $30,000 per year, the new rent will only be just more than
$10,000. Instead of paying rent to an independent company, Ferrarro said, the center will now pay rent back to the university. Ferrarro said that the move itself has “actually been done very frugally” and that it was “not extremely expensive.” He said the renovations needed in the new space in Eggleston Hall were “relatively reasonable” and that the office is moving itself instead of hiring a separate firm. Ferrarro said that the space on Turner Street was “temporary” until a better solution could be found. The counseling center was active on Turner Street for about a year. “Basically, if we had a perfect situation, we’d only have one
counseling center in McComas, but there wasn’t enough space,” Ferrarro said. The counseling center expanded its staff from 10 counselors to 16, along with support staff. After that expansion, more space was needed than was available in the current central location, on the second floor of McComas Hall above Schiffert Health Center. Ferrarro said that experts recommend that universities have one counselor to every 1,500 students. At first, with only 10 counselors, that left a ratio of one to 3,000. Now, though, the ratio is about one to 1,875. Ferrarro also pointed out that students would no longer need to worry about parking hassles when visiting the center.
was raped and murdered in her residence in 1986. Clery’s parents realized students at the university had not been made aware of 38 violent crimes that had occurred on the campus in the previous three years. The law passed in 1990. According to the Tech Police Web site, “the purpose of the report is to provide information about security on campus to include: campus and community crime statistics, fire statistics and safety information, policy information, safety tips, resource phone numbers and a brief overview of the many services the university provides.” The report includes crime statistics from all property considered to be part of the Tech campus, as well as any immediately adjacent streets and the Math Emporium. Any offcampus apartment housing is not included. The areas included and the crimes depicted in the report are standardized for each university that is required to release it. “Every university or state should be able to conform to these titles,” Allen said. The crimes measured in the report are very specific and some are even left out. “The most common issue on our campus is theft, and that isn’t even included in the report,” Allen said. The report measures burglary, which is different from theft because it is defined as entering someone’s private property, such as a dorm room, to take their belongings. There were 64 cases of burglary in 2008.
SGA launches discount deal The Student Government Association has teamed up with downtown merchants in launching “30 Days in Blacksburg,” a program that offers students 10 percent discounts on purchases at select businesses. During the month of November and going into early December, every day a different business will provide a 10 percent discount on purchases when students show their Hokie passports. “We want to get students to realize what they have downtown,” said Hayley Sink, SGA director of community initiatives. This event was organized and sponsored by SGA and certain downtown merchants of Blacksburg, particularly through the Downtown Blacksburg Association. Businesses that serve alcohol, such as Champs and Awful Arthur’s, will not honor the discount for alcohol purchases. by ct news staff
november 5, 2009
page 2
LooP
Monday, November 9
In the
Wondering what's going on around the 'burg? Check out the events of the upcoming week.
Thursday, November 5
Saturday, November 7
What: LGBTA and LATIN LiNK present Alex Sanchez Where: Squires Haymarket Theatre When: 8 p.m. Cost: Free
What: Wildlife Society Fundraising Concert featuring Always Morning, Timewave Zero and The Quaxis Where: Champs Sports Cafe When: 8 p.m. Cost: $4
What: Roanoke Symphony Orchestra with Natalie Cole Where: Salem Civic Center When: 8 p.m. Cost: $20 - $45
Friday, November 6 What: Acoustic Cafe Where: Johnston Student Center When: 9:30 p.m. Cost: Free
What: Sinkland Farms 2nd Annual “Up in Smoke� Chili Cook-Off Where: Sinkland Farms, 3060 Riner Road, Christiansburg, Va. When: Noon - 8 p.m. Cost: $5 general admission,children under 5 free; $10 admission to the Wine & Brew Tasting Garden (21+).
Sunday, November 8 What: Viva Vivaldi Where: Radford University, Covington Music Hall When: 3 p.m. Cost: Adult $18, student $8, child $5
What: Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" and its Reception Where: Surge Room 108 When: 10:10 a.m.
Tuesday, November 10 What: Lotus w/ Big Gigantic Where: Attitudes When: 9:30 p.m. Cost: $18 Note: 18+
Wednesday, November 11 What: Come Find Your Rubber Ball: Meet Kevin Carroll, Katalyst Where: Graduate Life Center Auditorium When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free What: Passion Twenty Ten University Tour ft. Charlie Hall and FEE Where: Burruss Hall Auditorium If you would like an event When: 7:30 p.m. featured in our calendar, e-mail Cost: $5 featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com with event details, including cost.
opınıons 3
september 23, houchins 2009 editor: debra opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
page B
COLLEGIATETIMES
november 5, 2009
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Your Views [letter to the editor]
Player’s reprimand not harsh enough
I
was extremely disappointed in the punishment Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes received after trying to gouge the eyes of an opposing Georgia running back. During the game, Spikes was clearly caught on video shoving his hands into Georgia running back Washaun Ealey’s helmet in an attempt to gouge his eyes. Following the game, Florida coach Urban Meyer suspended Spikes for only the first half of this week’s game against Vanderbilt. The SEC approved this punishment. I could not believe the lack of punishment Spikes
received following his actions. Spikes could have seriously injured or blinded Ealey. Thankfully Ealey was not injured during the play, but that does not excuse Spikes’ actions or intent. While football is a violent sport, this practice has no place in football and should be dealt with as such. Suspending him for half a game is barely a slap on the wrist. Spikes should have received a harsher punishment as a consequence for his actions. Meyer and the SEC are sending a terrible message that eye gauging will be dealt with as a minor offense.
C. Michelle Sun communication major resident advisor johnson hall
Obama and McChrystal stalemate needs to end
Student Orgs [pace]
Green Fund could brighten future for university projects W
hat’s a green fund? Maybe you think that you already give the university too much green. What if you, as a student, could actually apply for some “green” to fund a project on campus that would make Virginia Tech more sustainable? The ability to do just that might be a reality in the near future. Many Tech students have expressed a need for more bike racks and recycling bins. Some students would like more transportation options or bio-fuel buses. Others have come up with unique ideas to make campus more sustainable, like community gardens, bike-shares and composting. However, there has never been an easy way to make these innovative ideas a reality for the students who push for them. The green fund is the solution. A green fund is currently being researched and pursued by students at Tech who want to give everyone with a good idea a chance to make a lasting impact on our university. The basic concept of a green fund is that each student would pay a small amount each semester, along with their tuition and other fees, which would go into a general green fund. The money that the fund generates could then be used for sustainable projects around campus. This concept is nothing new — there are 66 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada that have either implemented or voted to implement a green fund program as of May 2009. The University of North Carolina currently has a $4 green fee, University of Maryland has a $6 green fee and The College of William & Mary has a $15 green fee. These schools and others have used the money to purchase solar energy, wind energy and renewable energy credits. Money has also been used for other sustainability initiatives as well, such as recycling, development of sustainability departments, purchasing of student public transit passes, green and LEED certified buildings, and the creation of sustainability and clean energy projects. Northland College in Wisconsin uses the funds to provide students with garden plots to grow their own food, and Portland State University hopes to use the money to pay for bike parking stations, a new bike loan program a nd water bottle refilling stations. Tech would use a green
[
O
fund for similar projects. Just a $5 fee, implemented for one semester at Tech, could generate a fund of $130,000. That is only 0.5 percent of the current fees that students already pay. A $15 fee could generate almost $400,000. This money would be used to make our campus more sustainable, while giving the student body the power to choose the projects, submit ideas and make big changes in the university. Unlike other student fees, the green fee empowers students, specifically those in a committee, to decide how the money will be spent. Green Fund Committees in other schools, designed to ensure smart spending, are typically comprised of at least one faculty adviser and mainly students. The committee could give the university permission to use green fund money for things such as green campus infrastructure upgrades, which would save the university money and could reduce tuition costs. So money given could ultimately give right back to the students. However, Tech’s proposed Green Fund would also have an opt-out option, so if students really couldn’t afford or didn’t want to pay the addition to tuition they would have that choice. You may be reading this with some skepticism, and if that is so I encourage you to ask questions and be heard. This green fee is being proposed to the university in the spring and is currently being designed by students, specifically to empower students to make the changes that they want to see in this university. We want to hear your concerns, ideas and questions. There are two ways that you can voice your opinion: Go online and fill out a survey, or come to The Green Fund Forum which will take place in the future. The Green Fund Forum will be a direct way to hear how other schools have used their green funds and what Tech hopes to do with ours. During and after the panel you can ask questions and get answers immediately. If you want to get involved in the task force, you can. You as a student have a voice that really matters and needs to be heard. This is a big opportunity to make a huge sustainable impact on your college experience.
Allison Jarnagin tech alumnus visual communications ‘07 former president of pace
on the web Go to http://studentvoice.com/vtech/sgagreenfee09 and fill out the survey.
MCT CAMPUS
]
ver the course of the past two months Gen. Stanley McChrystal and President Barack Obama have been engaged in a very public stalemate concerning the strategy of the war in Afghanistan. On Aug. 31, McChrystal issued his report to the White House in which he asked for 40,000 additional troops on top of the 68,000 American forces and 100,000 NATO forces already there. As of late September, Obama only had two meetings concerning the recommendation. On the other hand, Obama is also considering the proposal of a strategy that includes more drone attacks and increased Special Forces operations. Reminiscent of the “light footprint” strategy advocated by Donald Rumsfeld, this is a strategy that McChrystal flatly rejects and one that Vice President Joe Biden supports. When asked about this strategy in London on Oct. 1, McChrystal plainly said “no” and that “waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, and nor will public support,” alluding to the fact that the “light footprint” strategy will take longer to win the war. So this leads to the question of why it is taking Obama so long to make his decision. It is not as if McChrystal woke up one morning and decided he needed 40,000 more troops for the
hell of it. His recommendation is based on a very calculated strategy planned by commanders on the ground in Afghanistan and the likes of National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones. The amount of depth the military goes into to make decisions and plan strategies is astounding, and those in Washington need to take that into perspective. It is not a political game to military commanders; it is their duty and their job to make important and calculated decisions in the best interest of the United States. Unlike politicians, generals do not campaign for their jobs — they work for them. So does Obama believe that by pushing his decision back the problem in Afghanistan will magically disappear? What is he waiting for? Some in the media have argued he is literally still campaigning and was waiting for certain state gubernatorial elections to end. This may be a little far-fetched, but the possibility should not be ignored completely. The biggest problem here, however, is Obama’s pledge to win the war in Afghanistan. All throughout his campaign and thus far into his presidency all we have heard is how he will win the war in Afghanistan. If so, wouldn’t that include listening to his military commanders on the ground instead of some random military theory that drone strikes and increased special
forces operations will win this war? While I do not doubt the courage of the brave men in the special forces of the United States, putting tens of thousands of more boots on the ground makes a significant difference on what the other side can and cannot do. It is McChrystal’s job to know what the U.S. needs to win this war. His sole focus is the war on Afghanistan, not on health care, not on abortion, not on oil, not on gun rights, not on gun control, not on crime rates, not on Smart cars — do you see my point? Obama needs to wake up and make a decision. His honeymoon period is over. He needs to stop making his rounds on late night TV shows and having petty shouting matches with Fox News. He has too many issues he needs to focus on instead of constantly campaigning to bolster his image. It is time for him to stand up and become the president that we elected, not sit around and wait for someone to make the decision for him.
JACOB CRAIG -regular columnist -junior -history major
Obama should ignore hostile press instead of complaining H
arry Truman could’ve taught Barack Obama a thing or two about how to deal with a hostile press — basically, by ignoring it. Obama’s core argument, in support of his newly declared war against Fox News, is that the cable channel is biased, unfair and fraudulently branded. In the words of a top Obama aide, Fox is “opinion journalism masquerading as news,” and therefore the White House has no choice but to lash out in response. This is where a little historical perspective might be valuable. It’s absolutely valid to complain that Fox is opinion journalism masquerading as news. But so what if it is? Sixty years ago, the Truman administration was consistently harassed by a faux news operation that was far more dominant in its day than Fox News could ever hope to be. In the late 1940s, when TV had yet to become a mass medium and print still ruled, the most influential information organ was Time magazine. Time spoke for the American mainstream and shaped mainstream opinion. Most important, Time had branded itself as a “newsmagazine,” when in fact it was nothing more than opinion journalism masquerading as news. And in Time’s opinion, the Democratic president was a corrupt wimp who was soft on communism. Time had a unique process. The reporters in the field sent their journalistic dispatches to New York — where the editors rewrote them so that they hewed to the conservative predilections of Time’s legendary proprietor, Henry Luce. Nobody in today’s fragmented media world, including Fox, wields Luce’s kind of clout. He was a high-profile power broker in the Republican Party, which he liked to call “my second church,” and he used his magazine to make or break careers. His top mission, during the Truman era, was to tell Time’s readers that the president and Secretary of State Dean Acheson were willfully surrendering China to the communists. The truth was actually quite different. Luce’s own reporters in China wrote in their dispatches that the anticommunist
army ineptly commanded by Chiang Kai-shek was wasting the weapons and money sent East by Truman and Acheson, and that the communists had far more grassroots support. That’s how Chiang’s American military advisers saw the situation. The senior adviser, Gen. David Barr, warned Washington that Chiang was doomed because of “the complete ineptness of his high military leaders and the widespread corruption and dishonesty throughout the armed forces.” The journalists on site saw the same ills. But Luce’s editors killed those dispatches, or softened them, to make it appear that Chiang was poised to defeat the communists if only Truman and Acheson had the guts to persevere. Luce’s star reporter in China, Theodore H. White, put a sign on his door: “Any resemblance to what is written here and what is printed in Time magazine is purely coincidental.” Luce knew exactly what he was doing. Publicly, he always insisted that Time was the exemplar of objective journalism, but he did say in 1947: “Impartiality is often an impediment to truth. Time will not allow the stuffed dummy of impartiality to stand in the way of telling the truth as it sees fit.” The truth, as Time saw fit, was that Truman deserved to be defeated in 1948. Luce’s editors tweaked the coverage at every turn to benefit Republican Thomas Dewey. Even though Time’s correspondents reported increasingly sizable crowds at Truman campaign events that autumn, the rewritten stories left the opposite impression (“Nobody seemed really to care or listen”). And after Truman shocked everybody on election night, Time’s allegedly objective report was that the president had not won on the merits (“Politics is a show. Harry Truman, with his mistakes and his impulses ... had often ranted like a demagogue”). More important, the truth, as Time saw fit, was that Truman and Acheson were dupes of the communists and weak on the U.S. military. After China fell to the communists, one of Time’s allegedly objective stories about Acheson described him as “a fellow traveler ... a wool-brained sower of ‘seeds of jackass-
ery’ ... an abysmally uncomprehending man ... an appeaser.” And when Truman rightfully relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur of his command in Korea for insubordination, Time’s story read like this: “Seldom has a more unpopular man fired a more popular one. Douglas MacArthur was the personification of a big man, with many admirers who look to a great man for leadership. ... Harry Truman was almost a professional little man.” Today, the Obama team is publicly warring with Fox News because the network has fanned so many false rumors and given so much airtime to the conservative fringe. But that’s chump change compared with what Time did in the late 1940s, when its editor-rewritten stories helped shape and fuel the nationwide red-baiting fervor that soon metastasized into McCarthyism. There were some dissidents. Former Time executive Ralph Ingersoll said that “the way to tell a successful lie is to include enough truth in it to make it believable, and Time is the most successful liar of our times,” and an ex-Time writer named Merle Miller quipped that the ideal Time story contained “just enough innuendo, exactly the correct amount of what, while it could not be proved, read just as well as fact and in many ways better.” But they could not compete with Luce. Harry Truman had the standing to compete. He certainly felt aggrieved; privately, he referred to his rightwing critics as “the animals.” And sometimes he’d grumble about press people in general (“not one of them has enough sense to pound sand in a rathole”). But he sucked it up, did his job, and refused to whine about opinion journalism masquerading as news. That seems like sound advice for a successor.
DICK POLMAN -mcclatchy-tribune
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GETTING COLD TIME to Plan your Spring Break 2010 Get Away! Learn how to travel to beautiful locations like Jamaica, Acapulco and the Bahamas on a party cruise. Find out what other Virginia Tech Hokies are headed to your destination. -Adrian Email: Awhite@Studentcity.com for more information
FOR SALE Pheasant Run Townhome. Let us show you how your parents can save money by owning! ` 540-552-1869
CHEAP SPRING SUBLET Great Location! Graduating seniors looking to sublet their apartment. Up to 3 rooms available January-June 2010. $350 per month (includes rent, cable/ internet, and utilities). Located in Center St. apartments next to Lane Stadium: less than 2 minute walk to campus. Call Joey @ 571-331-1212 if interested. LARGE HOUSE SUB-LEASE 3Bd, 3bth, 2 living rms, large dining rm, heat pump/central AC, hardwood floors, 2-car garage, washer&dryer, unfurnished house on wooded lot. 2 large decks on upper/ lower levels. Wood & gas fireplaces. In Blacksburg. Avail. Mid Dec. Call Corey (305)434-0230 or coreyk9@vt.edu SPRING SUBLET AVAILABLE 1BR available in Foxridge for spring semester. Second-floor apartment w/ balcony and bus stop right across street. $293/month includes rent, heat, water and trash. Free unlimited parking. Available from midDecember to June. Call or email Matt at 703-314-7358 or mhiser@vt.edu
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 Thumper’s buddy 6 La Scala production 11 Cap seen on a brae 14 Render weaponless 15 Ad target 16 “If you ask me,” in chat room shorthand 17 Non-speaking line? 20 “__ at ’em!” 21 Spill the beans 22 Non-speaking line? 26 Word after pig or pony 27 State of rest 28 Little women 31 Aurora’s Greek counterpart 32 Romantic hopeful 34 Non-speaking line? 40 Vital anatomical passage 41 George Gershwin’s brother 43 Blankety-blank type 46 Jaime Sommers, TV’s “__ Woman” 49 The Phantom of the Opera 50 Non-speaking line? 53 Magnetic inductivity units 56 Soda size 57 Apt adage for this puzzle 62 Summer drink 63 Too trusting 64 Prefix with surgery 65 Smidgen 66 “Li’l” guy 67 Bygone anesthetic DOWN 1 Mooch, as a ride 2 “__ questions?” 3 Start to practice? 4 Under-the-sink brand 5 Gets moving
By Xan Vongsathorn
6 President with a Grammy 7 Not as diluted 8 Look over 9 Remaining part 10 .17 square miles, for Vatican City 11 Attack à la Don Quixote 12 2001 French film starring Audrey Tautou 13 Cover girls, e.g. 18 Hook’s right hand 19 Worn things 22 Fury 23 Cat call 24 Lhasa __: Tibetan dog 25 Like much Thai cuisine 29 Greek “H” 30 High point 32 Attach, as a patch 33 Country where Häagen-Dazs H.Q. is 35 Continue to irritate 36 Accomplished 37 Some coll. students
11/5/09 Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
38 Diamond source 39 Celtic land 42 Behave 43 Goes after 44 Tater Tots maker 45 Like theaters 46 Five-time Wimbledon champ 47 “Later, bro” 48 Brunch staple 51 Source of edible oil
11/5/09
52 Crime planner 54 “Happy tune” whistler of Broadway 55 Picketer’s bane 58 “Ich bin __ Berliner!” 59 “How could I miss that?!” 60 Before, before 61 Negative conjunction
features 5
editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
november 5, 2009
COLLEGIATETIMES
Blacksburg showcases its artistic palette with Art Tour 10 LIZ NORMENT features staff writer “Buy local. Be local. Eat local.” Blacksburg’s local initiative has found its way onto bumper stickers, storefront windows and advertisements. But this weekend, it will expand to embrace a different concept: local art. The New River Valley’s 3rd Annual Art Tour 10 takes the idea of purchasing goods from local merchants or farmers to the art world. It invites artists, students and community members alike to tour area galleries and studios while learning about the artists. The tour will feature the work of 11 local artists at 10 different locations in Floyd, Radford and Blacksburg. The works featured on the tour will include stone carvings, photography, jewelry, paintings and pottery. The artists have found inspiration for their work from their own experiences and memories from travels, as well as the perpetual search to find beauty and meaning in their own surroundings. Local sculptor Charlie Brouwer will be one of the artists featured on the tour. Though he has been a full-time
artist for over 30 years, this is only his second year on the Art Tour 10. As an artist, Brouwer visits galleries and museums often to admire the work of others and found the idea of an art tour that lets viewers into the actual studio refreshing. “It gives people access to artists in a way that’s different than viewing art in a gallery,” Brouwer said. “You get to meet the artists, see them work, talk to them. It’s an educational way to view art.” Brouwer’s work will be displayed at his house in Floyd County, where viewers will have the chance to walk the grounds of his 9-acre backyard, exploring trails and paths lined with 20 of the artist’s sculptures. Brouwer’s wooden designs have an abstract, cubist feel, which emerges prominently from the familiar landscape of the New River Valley. Brouwer will also display some of his work produced in collaboration with Jennifer Collins, another featured artist on the tour. Collins’ work features oil paintings of natural settings and has been combined with Brouwer’s sculptures to create unique pieces with a touch of surrealism. The artists have
COURTESY OF JENNIFER COLLINS
Local artists such as Lora Leigh Giessler will be part of the tour. been a collaborative team since 1998, adding a professional aspect to their more personal, lifelong relationship as father and daughter. Collins’s solo work as an artist features natural landscapes highlighted with an abstract feel. In her more recent work Collins has begun to incorporate human forms, partially from her teaching position in figure drawing classes
Darwin event poses ‘challenges’ for Tech DAN WAIDELICH features reporter Human attitudes toward animals have changed greatly throughout history, and members of the Virginia Tech faculty are exploring the shift in thinking. Choices and Challenges 2009: The Inner Life of Animals is an in-depth look at the workings of the animal mind. The study of animal behavior is a recent development in the scientific community with many of its beginnings linked to the work of Charles Darwin, whose work is celebrating its 150-year anniversary this month. “Darwin began the modern scientific study of behavior,” said event organizer Eileen Crist, an associate professor of science and technology in society. “The evolutionary context, the relatedness of all animals including people, is a big context to understand the whole study of (the) animal mind,” Crist said. The Inner Life of Animals will use the evolutionary context to stage a panel that will explore how animals think and feel. Experts from around the country were invited to appear as panelists. “It’s a sterling cast,” Crist said. “They are very well-known people in the fields of biology, science studies and animal welfare. Everything is in line for it to be a really good panel.” Moderating the event is author Eugene Linden, who has written several
[ ] check it out
What: Choices and Challenges 2009: The Inner Life of Animals When: Today Cost: Free Schedule: 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. background sessions at the Graduate Life Center 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. main panel at the Lyric 1 - 2 p.m. lunch break 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. follow-up sessions at the GLC 4 - 5 p.m. reception at Gillie’s
books about animal intelligence and behavior. Linden has been a journalist writing about science and technology for decades, Crist said. The panel is the centerpiece of the event, but Tech faculty, including Crist, will be contributing lectures and various background presentations. Mark Barrow, an associate professor of history at Tech, will present “Animal Images,” an exploration of society’s treatment of animals and the natural world throughout history. Early humans lived as part of nature
and did not necessarily separate themselves from animals, Barrow said. He argues that the development of ideas such as the creation of humans by God distanced society from a connection with animals and nature. The re-establishment of a connection between animals and humans began with the acceptance of Darwin’s research, Barrow said. “Darwinian evolutionary theory permeates our culture in all kinds of ways,” Barrow said. “Our notions of competition between different nations are in terms of social Darwinism. It’s basically all over the place.” The modern study of animal thought and behavior has its roots in evolutionary science, but the appeal reaches across academic disciplines. The Choices and Challenges project was originally established in 1985 to explore topics in science and technology that have a broad influence on society. The project is sponsored by Tech’s science and technology in society program and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Guests are invited to attend presentations at the Graduate Life Center for background on animal behavior issues. The main panel will take place at the Lyric at 1 p.m. “Virginia Tech has stood behind Choices and Challenges all these years,” Crist said. “It’s about education and outreach. That’s Virginia Tech’s primary stake in this.”
at Tech. Collins also teaches principles of design through the School of Visual Arts and has encouraged her students to participate in the tour this weekend. “Last year lots of my drawing students came,” Collins said. “It’s nice for them to get to see what professional artists in the community are doing because ultimately that’s what the students want to do. It’s a good opportunity to ask questions and
to see how it all works.” Collins and her work will be featured at her own gallery in Radford. For the most part during the tour, she will likely be found painting in her studio in the back where she hopes to show onlookers how one of her pieces comes together. “More than anything, I look forward to meeting people and talking about what I love to do,” Collins said of the event. Fellow local artist Darcy Meeker, a first-time participant in the Art Tour 10, shares in Collin’s enthusiasm in terms of interacting with the community. Meeker’s portfolio boasts a variety of works from copper sculptures and stone carvings to mixed-media collages, all concentrating on aspects of texture and light. Meeker feels the tour offers a unique opportunity to show her love of art to the community. “I love experiencing people experience my work — it’s a magical thing when something from my subconscious and my heart makes someone else feel something,” Meeker said.
On Saturday and Sunday Meeker will be at her home and studio in Blacksburg, a space that also works as a gallery, featuring a lifetime of her sculptures and paintings. In addition, Meeker founded a stone-carving group in Blacksburg that uses her yard as a creative space. The group that she referred to as “the backyard carvers” will also be working and exhibiting this weekend. Art Tour 10 offers an opportunity for community members to not only view a variety of local art, but also to connect with the artists and experience their work from a more personal perspective. Looking forward to the event, Brouwer reflected on this opportunity to be invited into the very personal atmosphere of an artist’s creative space and sharing their energy. “Seeing an artist’s studio and learning more about how they work can deepen the relationship between the artist and viewer,” Brouwer explained. “When I am invited into someone’s home I discover more of who they really are — when you see something of the processes of making the art you begin to understand what it really is and appreciate it more.”
sports 6
editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
november 5, 2009
Hokies seek revenge over ECU
S PP N/S O S MA KE U L
JOE CRANDLEY sports editor
5 to
Fear
RB/#24 Dominique Lindsay 570 yards rushing, 3 TD’s
QB/#15 Pat Pinkney 1515 yards passing, 8 TD’s
WR/#17 Dwayne Harris 47 receptions, 521 yards, 3 TD’s
BCS Rankings TEAM
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
LB/#44 Nick Johnson 60 total tackles, 2 INT’s, 4.5 TFL’s
8-0 8-0 8-0 9-0 8-0 8-0 8-0 7-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 6-2 7-1 7-1 7-1 7-2 6-2 5-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 5-3 5-3 6-2
FLORIDA TEXAS ALABAMA IOWA CINCINNATI TCU BOISE STATE OREGON LSU GEORGIA TECH PENN STATE USC PITTSBURGH UTAH HOUSTON OHIO STATE MIAMI (FL) ARIZONA OKLAHOMA STATE CALIFORNIA WISCONSIN NOTRE DAME VIRGINIA TECH OKLAHOMA SOUTH FLORIDA
ACC Standings ATLANTIC
DB/#4 Van Eskridge 57 total tackles, 3 INT’s, 1 FF
RECORD
1 2 3 4 5 6
CONF. OVR.
CLEMSON BOSTON COLLEGE FLORIDA STATE WAKE FOREST MARYLAND NC STATE
COASTAL
1 GEORGIA TECH 2 DUKE 3 VIRGINIA TECH 4 MIAMI (FL) 5 VIRGINIA 6 NORTH CAROLINA
3-2 3-2 2-3 2-3 1-3 0-4
5-3 6-3 4-4 4-5 2-6 3-5
CONF. OVR.
5-1 3-1 3-2 3-2 2-2 1-3
8-1 5-3 5-3 6-2 3-5 5-3
How They Match Up *National Rankings in ( )
Virginia Tech
Category East Carolina OFFENSE
190.13 (26) 174.38 (103) 153.55 (10) 364.50 (73) 30.63 (34)
Rushing Passing Pass Efficiency Total Scoring
149.38 (56) 201.38 (80) 114.08 (99) 350.75 (80) 26.75 (63)
DEFENSE
154.13 (79) 162.63 (9) 98.83 (15) 316.75 (29) 19.25 (29)
Rushing Passing Pass Efficiency Total Scoring
108.00 (27) 249.75(103) 130.59 (73) 357.75 (60) 22.63 (47)
SPECIAL TEAMS/MISC.
36.97 (38) 7.89 (72) 24.50 (23) .38 (42)
Net Punting Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Turnover Margin
37.41 (29) 17.71 (4) 23.00 (44) .88 (17)
After entering the season with a national title chance and another Atlantic Coast Conference championship expected, the Virginia Tech football team and its fans find themselves in an unexpected situation. With expectations lowered and the hope for another ACC title slipping away, what do the Hokies have left to play for? For one, they’ll be playing for pride, and this week especially they’ll be going after revenge. The East Carolina University Pirates stunned Tech in its season opener last year in Charlotte, and the players have put consecutive losses to two ACC opponents behind them in an effort to avenge the defeat last season. Redshirt junior starting cornerback Rashad Carmichael made clear his feelings about the upcoming game against the Pirates. “This is one of the games that I’ve been looking forward to, and I know the rest of my teammates have been looking forward to it since we lost the opener last year,” Carmichael said. “It’s going to be an exciting and emotional game for us.” Sophomore wide receiver Dyrell Roberts feels the same way, and he believes this game will be a chance for the team to regain its composure. “Just thinking back to this game last year, starting off the season with a loss to the same team, just looking at them on film. What we’re really trying to do is go back out there and get our season going back in the right direction and get our confidence back up and showcase what it is we can do,” Roberts said. Despite looking forward to the game with great intensity, righting the ship against ECU will surely be a tall task for the Hokies. “They’re just a really good football team and going down there it’s going to be an exciting atmosphere, and we need to get ready to play a great football game,” head coach Frank Beamer said. The Pirates return eight seniors on defense, and despite a total defense ranking of just 60, ECU forces turnovers and buckles down in the red zone. For the season, ECU ties for 17th in the country with 11 interceptions and ties for 10th overall with 21 turnovers gained. In addition to a defense that feeds on turnovers, the Pirates excel when forced to defend inside their own 20 yard line. They are tied at 16th overall in red zone defense, only allowing points 73 percent of the time. Opponents have scored 19 times on 26 trips into the red zone. For Tech, this may be an issue. The Hokies have not struggled to move the ball down the field as an offense, but once inside opposing territory, the drives have been stalling. “It’s very frustrating because we put
in the time and effort, we’re driving down the field, putting together great drives and not being able to finish off. It’s like leaving a whole lot of points out there that need to be scored,” Roberts said. “We can’t dwell on it. All we can do now is try to fix the problem and just go into each one of these games, and every time we get into the redzone, score 100 percent of the time.” On offense, the Pirates return senior quarterback Pat Pinkney who picked the Tech defense apart in the 2008 game. He went 19-23 with 211 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. Against a weaker defense this year, Pinkney may again put up big numbers against Tech. The Pirates also return a dangerous offensive threat in junior receiver Dwayne Harris. In last year’s game, Harris put up 142 all-purpose yards and seems to have improved this season. Through eight games, Harris leads ECU with 521 receiving yards and 628 kick return yards. In total, Harris has three receiving touchdowns, two kickoff returns for touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. To compliment the solid air attack, the Pirates hold a running back stable of their own that combines to average 149.4 rushing yards per game and has 17 touchdowns on the season. Expect the Pirates to set up the play-action pass by establishing a running game early on. Just like Tech, the Pirates field two solid units on offense and defense, but they also feature an excellent punter in Matt Dodge, who averages 45.3 yards per punt and has 13 kicks of 50 yards or more. Just like many Tech games, this one may come down to special teams and field position.
[
on the web
Go to collegiatetimes.com to hear Thomas Emerick’s podcast preview of the game with Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael.
]
The Hokies will not be taking this game lightly, though, and Beamer has stressed to his team just how good the Pirates are and what remains to be accomplished this season. “I think we fully understand that we’ve got a major task at hand,” Beamer said. “We’re going into a situation where they’re going to be fired up and you know that, you know what you’re getting into, but I also think we’re a good football team. I think we’ve got good people, and we’re a good football team, and we’ve just got to play consistently throughout the game.” “I can’t even begin to tell you how much the coaches are stressing the sense of urgency amongst the players,” Carmichael said. “But it’s more of an attitude trying to get us to do it for each other. Coach Foster stresses playing for your brother, playing for your teammate, and I feel like that’s what’s important now, because the national championship, the talk is done. Put it on us. We can make the rest of the season out to be whatever we want it to be. That’s the mindset we have right now.”