Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Print Edition

Iron Hokietron looks to take next big step following graduation GORDON BLOCK news reporter It doesn’t take stilts to be a largerthan-life figure.

Standing in the Armory Art Gallery on Draper Road, senior studio art major Jesse Johnson reflected on his greatest work, known to many across the Virginia Tech community as Hokietron.

“I’m going to miss it,” Johnson said.

With graduation only 10 days away, Johnson is still looking into what his

senior employees the basics of walking on stilts, Johnson shifted through playing the parks four stilted characters, one of them being Junkman, a character made of scrap metal.

“Each day I would come in and do this,” Johnson said. “That was the funnest thing.”

Returning to Blacksburg for classes, Johnson transferred his summer work experience into something that represented Tech. The suit has become a prominent figure at Tech football and basketball games.

future will be.

Johnson, who created the suit during the fall semester of his junior year, admitted that earlier in his college career his artwork, which included sketches and stencils, was less focused.

The Atkins, Va. native crafted the idea after working a summer job in 2008 at Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The park, which went bankrupt in 2008, was reopened as Freestyle Music Park in May 2009.

After learning from one of the

The 10-foot-tall Hokietron has opened doors for Johnson, including meeting men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg, being featured on television, and even being a part of a friend’s wedding in July.

“He thought it’d be cool since he also had the Hokie Bird there at the wedding,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he never expected his work to gain as much exposure as it did.

“I didn’t know I’d get this much

attention for this,” Johnson said. “It’s been great.”

Jesse’s mother, Donna, said she was proud of her son’s work, adding she always knew her son “would be on stilts some day.”

“It was really neat,” Donna Johnson said.

“Almost like a sculpture that came to life.” see HOKIE / page three MARK UMANSKY/SPPS

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

www.collegiatetimes.com

COLLEGIATETIMES 106th year, issue 125

Family sues in suicide lawsuit

News, page 2

Features, page 4

Opinions, page 5

Sports, page 7

Classifieds, page 8

Open for business

Student debt data raises new questions LIANA BAYNE news reporter

ZACH CRIZER nrv news editor As university and Cook Counseling Center officials prepare for a civil suit filed by April 16, 2007 victims’ families, several are now implicated in a suit filed by the parents of a Virginia Tech student who committed suicide in December 2007.

The suit, filed Friday in Fairfax County Circuit Court, seeks $43 million in damages from Tech’s “Care Team” in connection with the suicide of Daniel Kim, who was a senior at the time of his death. The care team consisted of James Thomas Brown, dean of students; Vicki Arbuckle, assistant director of psychiatric services; and Christopher Flynn, director of Cook Counseling Center.

The lawsuit alleges Tech ignored warnings about Kim’s mental health.

It cites a letter written by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate Shaun Pribush, who was a student at the time, warning Tech officials that Kim was suicidal.

Pribush’s letter, written a month prior to Kim’s death, said Kim had already attempted suicide. Pribush never met Kim in person, as they met and became friends through World of Warcraft. He knew little about Kim, but communicated with him frequently via instant messenger.

“He told me a lot of things about how he was depressed and wanted to kill himself, and he was really serious about it. The first time he said it, I kind of let it go but then he said he had already tried it,” Pribush said Monday.

“What he was saying really warranted me looking up who to contact at his school and sending them something. I felt it was an appropriate measure to contact the counseling center.”

Pribush received what he called a “pretty quick response,” after sending the message. He worked with Tech Police Lt. Curtis Cook to narrow down which Daniel Kim at Tech he was referring to, as there were six enrolled at the time.

Cook’s last e-mail to Kim said the police were concerned about Kim and wanted to provide him with assistance. see SUIT / page three

BRIAN CLAY/SPPS

Local customers help the Blacksburg Farmers Market warm up after it relocated to Market Square Park and reopened Saturday.

Local farmers market completes move, reopens its doors LIANA BAYNE news reporter Christmas carols and children’s laughter drifted down Draper Road Friday night, replacing the typical buzzing and hammering of power tools.

The Blacksburg Farmers Market found a new home this weekend in Market Square Park. The park’s first day of use fell fittingly during Friday’s town-wide holiday celebration, the Winter Lights Festival.

The Market Square Park project, recently completed on the corner of Draper Road and Roanoke Street, was designed to be both a space for the farmers market and a general meeting place for the community, according to Elisabeth Vogel, the project manager for the town of Blacksburg.

The farmers market “needed a structure to help reduce problems coming from wind, rain and other elements,” Vogel said.

Ron Holdren of Green Houses and Produce, a vendor in the market since 2000, said that the new area would help keep goods out of the weather’s harm.

“Now we’ll be dry,” Holdren said.

Fellow vendor Patti Chelpas, of Birdsong Farm, agreed with Holdren.

“It’s fabulous,” she said. “It’s going to be a nice, comfortable place for vendors to be out of the weather.”

The $780,000 project transformed a one-block-long parking lot behind Excellent Table, Champs Restaurant and Sports Bar, and other Main Street businesses into a small green park that is removed from the street and surrounded by a large covered walkway the vendors use to set up their tables.

“There’s no asphalt at all now,” Vogel said. “Now we have lovely pavers with grass, trees and shrubbery.”

Market Square Park also features elevated seating that will be used by patrons of the farmers market and surrounding restaurants.

Graduate human nutrition, foods and exercise students Samantha Downey and Carmey Byker, volunteers for the Friends of the Farmers Market Association, thought that the park would prove an asset to the farmers market as well as the town.

“It’s really going to improve the

BRIAN CLAY/SPPS

The Market Square Park project, on the corner of Draper Road and Roanoke Street, will host the market and meeting space. visibility of the farmers market,” Downey said. “It’s going to be a landmark in Blacksburg.”

Byker agreed, saying that the park was much more convenient and comfortable than hosting the farmers market on the street or in a parking lot.

After several years of considering the best plan and consulting vendors, merchants and citizens, construction began in July and was finished on schedule.

Holdren said that the project had been in the works for at least seven years.

“It’s a major excitement to finally see it done,” Holdren said.

Ellen Stewart, spokeswoman for the Blacksburg Farmers Market, said that the organization as a whole is “really, really excited.”

“We’ve grown so much over the past few years, both in vendors and customers,” Stewart said. “We can see that growing more.”

Vogel said she hoped for the Market Square Park to provide a boost to local commerce. see FARMERS MARKET / page three

Never before in 17 years of climate change negotiations have so many different nations made so many firm pledges together.

KIM HJELMGAARD mcclatchy newspapers

YVO DE BOERS UN EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

LUKE MASON/SPPS

Before leaving for the Copenhagen convention, the three Tech delegates raised a“Hokies for Hopenhagen” poster, making it available as an ad-hoc campus petition for action at the summit. pants, including delegates from 192 countries, 5,000 thousand journalists and more than 100 heads of state.

De Boer said governments must agree to quick, immediate actions as well as longer-term emission limit schemes and funding commitments.

He also spoke of the need for fast-

track aid to help poorer countries limit current and future carbon emissions.

“In short-term financing, I think we need 10 billion for 2010 and 10 billion for 2011 and 10 billion for 2012. That’s in prompt-start financing,” de Boer told the press conference.

More than half of all graduating seniors left their Virginia colleges with nearly $20,000 of debt last year, a new study says.

The Project on Student Debt, a branch of the non-profit, Californiabased Institute for College Access & Success, released its fourth annual report on the amount of debt that college students graduate with. “Student Debt and the Class of 2008” ranked Virginia the 31st most expensive state in the country.

Edie Irons, spokesman for the IC&S, said that although the report is important for students and college administrators, the data are not 100 percent accurate because colleges volunteer to participate. This year, 922 colleges chose to send data.

“

If you’re having to seek student loans, buy your jeans at Kmart, not at Saks Fifth Avenue.

BARRY SIMMONS DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL AID

Tech students join Copenhagen environmental conference “

Three Virginia Tech students are to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark from Dec. 6-18.

Miranda Peterson, Angie de Soto and Lyndsay McKeever, were among the three selected to attend the conference from Tech.

There will be 10,000 sustainability activists from nongovernmental organizations present at the conference, 5,000 journalists, and world leaders and delegates from 192 countries worldwide, including President Obama and China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

Earlier, the U.N.’s climate chief told reporters the “time is up” for governments to deliver rapid action on climate change, on the eve of the global summit.

U.N. Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer’s remarks came less than 24 hours before the Monday opening of the climate conference that has drawn more than 15,000 partici-

Sudoku, page 8

“Clearly, though, over time, by 2020 or 2030, we are going to need more significant sums, in the hundreds of billions of dollars, to deal with both mitigation and adaption.

But the first priority for me at the moment is prompt-start financing to deal with urgent needs.”

Of the scheduled Dec. 18 arrival of President Barack Obama in Copenhagen, de Boer said: “I’m happy he is coming toward the end of the conference.

I hope that, as part of the negotiating process, he comes with ambitious American targets and strong financial support to reach out to developing countries.”

“Almost every day now countries announce new plans to cut or limit emissions. Never before in 17 years of climate change negotiations have so many different nations made so many firm pledges together,” said de Boer. ct staff writer katie robidoux contributed to this report

Barry Simmons, director of the office of university scholarships and financial aid at Virginia Tech, also heavily emphasized that the numbers may have been inaccurate.

“Not all colleges have reported as thoroughly as possible,” he said.

Although only about 50 percent of Tech’s 2008 graduates faced debts, their average costs were the highest among students graduating from Virginia public four-year colleges, at around $22,000.

All data were reported by the colleges themselves and were not subject to outside review before inclusion in the study. The study also states that some colleges may not have been aware of exact totals of student debts, or of loans not reported to the college.

According to the report, of public four-year institutions in Virginia, Radford University clocked in with the highest proportion of graduates in debt — nearly 90 percent of its 2008 graduates owed debts of almost $20,000 each.

Radford spokesman Jeff Douglas said that many students at Radford face debts because they are “stuck in the middle.”

“They are too affluent to qualify for Pell Grants, but they can’t cover all of their costs,” Douglas said.

Douglas said that Radford is “very sensitive to the rising costs.”

“We want to help students as much as possible,” he said.

He suggested that a lack of job availability in the New River Valley area might have compounded some students’ financial difficulties.

“I don’t know if we could try any harder to help students,” Douglas said.

Simmons also said that students should be cautious against taking loans for the sake of borrowing.

“If you’re having to seek student loans, buy your jeans at Kmart, not at Saks Fifth Avenue,” he said. “More and more people are depending on student loans to go to school, then choosing to spend their money on other things.”

The IC&S report suggested several changes to the current data reporting system that it feels would ultimately help students. These suggestions include federally mandated debt statistics collection as well as certification for private student loans.

Irons suggested that IC&S hopes that policies can be enacted or changed once more data are available that will help lower the overall cost of student debts. see DEBT / page two

2 news

new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

december 8, 2009

COLLEGIATETIMES

Debt: Recession, current trends driving debt to new highs from page one

Simmons said he hopes that eventually it will become a federal mandate for all colleges to accurately give student debt information as part of their annual reports.

“It would be beneficial to students and their families,” he said.

Simmons said that the graduating class of 2008 entered college before the recession and that it was bombarded with lending companies trying to get students and parents to take out loans, so it is plausible that they held a higher amount of debt when they graduated.

“There was an intense marketing boon that affected this class,” he said.

Simmons also said that the rise in student debt could be partially attributed to more loans being made in students’ names, not their parents’.

“Parents increasingly want to get their student’s name on the dotted line,” he said. “More and more parents want the student to be the primary borrower.”

The study did not take into account loans that are made in parents’ names.

This may have compounded the increase shown in student debt during the past four years of the study.

Simmons hypothesized that this trend could be caused by parents wanting their students to be more responsible for the rising costs of education. Since higher education is so expensive, Simmons said, asking the student to take loans in his name is a way for parents to make sure the student is spending the money wisely.

Simmons said that while student debt can be a positive thing, excessive student debt is a negative for students and universities.

“Reasonable debt to help pay for

college is one of the best investments a person can make,” he said. “But letting it go overboard can be detrimental.”

The study listed Tech as having the highest costs of student debt in Virginia primarily because some other colleges may have withheld data, Simmons said.

“We aren’t as bad as it looks,” he said. “Some institutions have data that hasn’t been reported. They track it; they just choose not to report it.”

Old Dominion University ranked second after Radford in terms of its proportion of students graduating with debts. Roughly 80 percent of its graduating students owed debts averaging around $17,000.

After Tech, the Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia and Radford tied for the second highest amount of debt incurred per student. All three topped out around $19,000. About 50 percent of VMI graduates left school with debt, while only around 30 percent of UVa students graduated with debt.

Irons said that the goal of the report was to raise awareness about the problem of student debt.

“It might make students ask questions,” she said. “The audience is very much also college administrators, the media and policy makers. We feel it’s important they have the information they need.”

Simmons said it is important for students to know the facts on debt.

“We want to help people make good decisions,” he said.

Irons also said that a big goal of the report is to improve the accuracy of data for future uses.

“The more likely schools are to answer those questions accurately, the better future reports will be,” she said.

Student Debt Across Virginia Four-Year Institutes University name

Average debt of 2008 graduates

Radford University Old Dominion University Longwood University VCU University of Virginia’s College at Wise Christopher Newport University University of Mary Washington George Mason University Virginia Tech Virginia Military Institute James Madison University The College of William & Mary University of Virginia (main campus)

Percent of 2008 graduates with debt

$19,465 $16,950 $14,935 Not reported $10,252 $17,752 $16,000 $18,547 $21,678 $19,114 $17,395 $12,859 $19,016

88% 80% 63% 61% 59% 57% 57% 54% 52% 52% 46% 39% 33% Source: Project on Student Debt, Institute for College Access & Success BETHANY BUCHANAN/COLLEGIATE TIMES

Virginia Tech Student Debt Average Tech student debt is $21,678 To pay this off, each of the following would need to work: Eddie Royal: 8.5 minutes (of game time) Charles Steger: 11.27 days Recent Tech graduate (based on the median first full-time salary: 111.5 days) Minimum wage employee: 2,990 hours

[news in brief]

Finish

Blacksburg local caught using counterfeit bills

B

lacksburg Police arrested a local man, D’Andre Delvon Samuels, on Friday for using counterfeit currency.

The arrest came after complaints on Nov. 26 and 27 from the 800 block of Glade Road that two counterfeit $100 bills had been used.

Samuels’ bond is set at $1,500.

His initial appearance in court is

set for Dec. 17.

Samuels’ record in the Montgomery County General District Court from 2009 alone lists seven separate items, including possession of alcohol, driving without a license and the sale of marijuana. He is currently listed as having four outstanding fines. by liana bayne, news reporter

Note: calculations assume a 247 work day per year schedule (from 2008-2009 for 12-month employees) Sources: USA Today, VT Career Services 2007-2008 Post-Graduation Report, Institute for College Access and Success

SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES

december 8, 2009

page 3

Suit: Student’s family sues Tech, claims officials ignored suicide warning signs from page one

Pribush had no further communication with police or university officials.

Kim later told Pribush that police had come to his residence and asked if he knew Pribush. Kim said he did not, but police never contacted Pribush after the visit.

Kim’s parents were not advised on the matter, according to the suit.

In “Father feels suicide could have been prevented” (CT, Jan. 24), Kim’s father, William Kim, said he was

unaware of his son’s mental state.

“Some of his friends say they thought he was depressed, some say they knew he was depressed but I didn’t know that, my daughter didn’t know that; I had no clue,” William Kim said.

The suit accuses the university of “not making any attempt to communicate directly with Daniel or have him speak with a school counselor or psychologist, and without any attempt to consult Daniel’s parents.”

It also said Tech’s Care Team manual at the time required the psychologist on call to see any student who had “made an actual suicide attempt and/or any gesture or reference to suicide.”

In addition to $43 million in damages, William and Elizabeth Soon Jee Kim want the university to assist with the passage of the Daniel Kim Act, which would “require all public universities in (Virginia) to notify parents when a threat to the safety of their children is present.”

Hall, Sickels, Frei & Mims, the law firm representing the families of the April 16, 2007 campus shooting victims Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson, will represent the Kim family.

The Pryde and Peterson families filed identical lawsuits against university and state officials in April seeking $10 million in damages as a result of Seung-Hui Cho’s shootings, which killed 32 people.

Initial hearings in that case begin Dec. 14 in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Farmers market: Vendors set up shop after hiatus from page one

“Hopefully, it will be a focal point downtown that’s really distinctive,” she said. “I think it will really draw people downtown and help with the revitalization of the downtown area.”

Long-time farmers market customer and first-time vendor Kourtney Hunter, a senior animal poultry science major, said she hopes the new area will help the university and town residents interact.

“As a full-time student, you sometimes forget that other people live in Blacksburg,” Hunter said. “This is a great way to get to interact with the

general population.”

Stewart said that since the farmers market is open rain or shine Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings, the covered areas in Market Square Park would be helpful to vendors and customers.

Many vendors expressed happiness with the park’s layout.

Tracy Orr, a vendor from Johnson Ridge Farm, said that she was “very proud” of the way it had turned out.

“One of my customers tonight told me, ‘This is what a farmers market should look like,’” she said.

Holdren said that his satisfaction

from the project stemmed from its safe design.

“I was always worried that my customers would get run over,” he said. “The safety is a major factor.”

Holdren said that now, thanks to benches and seating, customers who are elderly as well as families with small children can shop at their own pace.

Chelpas also expressed her pleasure with the safety of holding the farmers market in the park.

“The previous setup wasn’t good for dogs or children,” she said.

Vogel said that the park would aid town residents in their support

of the farmers market.

“To the extent that the community wants to support small family farms and sustainable agriculture, I think it’s important to give them that opportunity,” Vogel said.

Hunter said that since “Blacksburg is so terrific about helping the farmers market,” she expected great benefits to come to both the vendors and the town.

Although the official ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony is not planned until the first weekend in April, Market Square Park is currently open to customers.

“It’s been positive,” Holdren said.

“The atmosphere is like a carnival.”

Hokie: Metallic giant faces final curtain call from page one

Robert Graham, one of Johnson’s visual arts professors, credited him for the amount of work he put into the project.

“It’s his own unique, original work,” Graham said. “He’s taken it to so many different places.”

With graduation around the corner, Johnson is weighing several options.

Johnson has spent time working with “The Mentor Network,”

which works with individuals suffering from brain and spinal cord injuries. Johnson currently works with the program two days a week, but plans on going full-time after graduation.

However, Johnson may have the opportunity to take his suit on the road.

Johnson has used the Hokietron suit in advertising work, including a promotion for Encaff Energy Stix that took him to New York City in

the summer of 2009.

“It was the first time I have ever been to New York City, and I got to see it inside the suit,” Johnson said.

Modifying and repainting some of the suit’s parts, Johnson rebranded the Hokietron as the Caffeinator.

“I walked so much, my leg started bleeding,” Johnson said, pointing to his knee. Johnson said that he had talked with various people with the company about traveling the coun-

......radio for

try and appearing at trade shows.

“Depending on what comes out, that’s what I could be doing,” Johnson said.

Johnson didn’t rule out bringing out the suit again in the future.

“If I’m still around, I might walk around for a few games,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s work, along with the work of other seniors in the program is on display at the Armory Art Gallery until Dec. 18.

everyone

Groups vye for diverging uses of Drillfield space CLAIRE SANDERSON news staff writer Picture the face-painted fans, the beer, the food, and the incredible noise and mess that defines gameday tailgating at Virginia Tech. Now picture that occurring on the Drillfield.

After being targeted as a possible parking garage space, the Drillfield, Tech’s central and largest green space, is now being considered by some students as an ideal tailgating venue.

“It would create a good atmosphere, and being in the center of campus it would be really inclusive for everybody, including on-campus residents,” said junior Michael Walsh.

However, arguments made against the proposal include pointing out the potential for lawn damage, alcohol control and security issues, and the disruption of on-campus residents who live near the Drillfield.

Additionally, because the Drillfield is a symbol of Tech, some fear that tailgating there might portray an image that the university does not want to have.

Theoretically, tailgates on the Drillfield are perfectly legal, as long as they have been approved by the Event Planning Office, which manages use of public spaces, because the Drillfield is classified as a public space.

“It’s not that there’s no tailgating allowed, it’s that it’s a reservable location and all university policies apply,” said Kevin Ayoub of the Event Planning Office. “Everything is reservable. You just have to do it the right way.”

Students or organizations that wish to hold an event on the Drillfield must submit a variety of forms well in advance of the planned event and must receive approval of the Event Planning Office.

“A space can be reserved within 10 days of the event, and 30 days if alcohol is involved,” Ayoub said.

The size of the gathering, whether

[

on the web

Complete guidelines for public space events are laid out in the university’s Policy 5000, which can be found at www.policies.vt.edu/5000.

]

food will be served, and whether there will be open flames are also taken into account. These factors affect how far in advance the forms must be submitted.

Complete guidelines for public space events are laid out in the university’s Policy 5000, which can be found on the Tech Web site.

However, when many students, alumni and fans think about Tech tailgating, they think of the vast parking lots that surround Lane Stadium filled with people, food, drinks and cars.

“I think it’s a place for people to get together and eat and drink together before a game,” Walsh said. “It’s not such a formal thing.”

This is possible because on game days, activities in many of the parking lots are regulated by the athletics department and Hokie Club rather than the Event Planning Office. For example, Lot 2, a premium football parking lot next to Lane Stadium, is roped-off on game days as a designated alcohol area.

Tailgating at this level on the Drillfield would require a change to university policies. Additionally, Ayoub said there would have to be new ways to regulate tailgates, trash, alcohol and security. This would also affect the Tech police, already very busy on game days.

Walsh agrees that there needs to be some system in place, adding that these issues “are handled well in other lots, and if they applied the same policies to the Drillfield, I don’t think it would be a problem.”

Currently, the Student Government Association has no stance on the issue, but may be looking into it in the future, said Brandon Carroll, SGA president.

4 features

editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

Local club changes its ‘attitude’ with new look, atmosphere DAN WAIDELICH features reporter Crowds have rediscovered Attitudes Bar and Cafe this semester after its recent renovation and change in business strategy.

The club experienced ups and downs in business and reputation in the past, but staff and talent have come together to redefine the position Attitudes holds in Blacksburg’s nightlife culture.

“For anybody who was here before, it was pretty drab,” said bar manager Kathleen Malcolm. “It felt old. We wanted to update it and make it more modern and comfortable.”

The plan to establish Attitudes, which has been around for more than a decade, as the go-to place for live entertainment in Blacksburg began with the idea of renovation.

“College students nowadays are coming from D.C. or Atlanta, all these big cities,” Malcolm said. “If they go out at home they go some place nice and upscale. Around Blacksburg there wasn’t anything like that.”

The club’s aging wallpaper and worn furniture helped contribute to the hole-in-the-wall reputation that Attitudes is actively trying to shake,

“

I am frequently listening to what the people of Blacksburg want. People tell me what we can do to make things better and what acts they want to see.

ANTHONY QUINN HOST OF ATTITUDES COMEDY NIGHT

she said.

The space has been revamped over the past year with newly painted walls, mood lighting and a brand new bar.

The initial planning began in late 2008, and the remodeling began during the summer.

“We were closed for weeks at a time for the renovation, whenever we could,” Malcolm said.

“As people came in though they realized, ‘Hey, there’s paint on the walls.’”

The cornerstone of the new and improved Attitudes is the live entertainment, and the staff has worked hard to book an eclectic array of live acts.

“We’re focused on getting great music in here,” Malcolm said. “We’re booking a wide variety so we’re not just a jam band or rock or bluegrass

place.”

The club books its shows through the Virginia Beach-based QuiVa Productions. QuiVa is responsible for venues across the state, including the NorVa in Norfolk.

Regardless of the type of music, guests can now shake a leg on the larger dance floor or enjoy the new leather couches that flank the stage.

“It has been quite a ride,” said Anthony Quinn, the host of the Attitudes weekly comedy night. “Now that the renovation has happened, you can just sense that people are enjoying it.”

Even though live music has become a major part of the club’s appeal, the weekly comedy club is still a huge draw for Attitudes.

With new seating and a more guestfriendly attitude, the comedy club has experienced a record year for attendance, Quinn said.

Part of the new Attitudes outlook is focusing on acts that would attract Blacksburg residents.

“I am frequently listening to what the people of Blacksburg want,” Quinn said. “People tell me what we can do to make things better and what acts they want to see. That’s really a big part of my job.”

Whether live performances are

[

check it out Attitudes Bar and Cafe Hours: 4 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Comedy Club: Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

Web site: www.attitudesbar.com

]

scheduled or not, Attitudes opens its doors at 4 p.m. everyday to provide a post-work outlet for customers.

This is a practice that has become quite popular, said bartender Kevin Hixon.

“It’s going really well,” Hixon said. “We’re trying to attract people who just want to come in and have a bit of food. We’ve made a big improvement in reaching out to the customers.”

Customers have told Hixon that the club’s revitalized atmosphere has made them feel more at home in the bar, he said.

Attitudes has spent years becoming a crucial destination in the Blacksburg music scene, and Quinn vows to remain dedicated to providing top notch entertainment for locals and students alike.

COURTESY OF ATTITUDES BAR AND CAFE “Being a business in Blacksburg is Attitudes Bar and Cafe underwent renovations this summer with the not a right,” said Anthony Quinn. “It’s a privilege, and we’re doing it for them.” goal of becoming a more desired destination for music enthusiasts.

‘Twilight’ tweaked: Comedy troupe sinks fangs into vampire literary phenomenon “ if you liked...

RYAN ARNOLD features reporter

I know little about the “Twilight” novels, but I’m astute enough to recognize vampire fandom has become as omnipresent as Ugg boots.

In fact, I’ve seen the two questionable pop culture trends interact.

I first cracked the pages of “Nightlight,” a parody of the Stephenie Meyer series, in a public setting. Not yet surpassing chapter one, I caught in my peripheral vision a guy doodling a smiley face into the two-faced sheepskin exterior of a friend’s overpriced footwear.

He made a slight change to the grin, adding fangs.

“There. Now it’s a vampire,” he said.

Granted, that was coincidence and likely not inspired by new-wave descendents of Dracula. But realistically, there’s a good chance that one, or both, of them has at some time considered the merits of the nonhuman blood-sucking blood sucker protagonist of “Twilight,” Edward Cullen.

And apparently The Harvard Lampoon, Harvard University’s undergraduate humor publication and social organization behind “Nightlight,” found little substance in the popular plot. The appeal is perplexing to many others as well.

Those donning Uggs often claim their purchase was for supreme warmth, which is pretty justified, although extra socks can also be toasty. Similarly, The Harvard Lampoon seems to be prying for an explanation with its quick and, dare I say, biting

Goofy suspensions of disbelief litter the story. ...

The descriptive language is so dense that it feels like scanning a movie script, and ‘Nightlight’ could easily translate into an 80-minute belly laugh.

story.

The humor in “Nightlight” is ridiculous and inflated, which is the point. For those familiar with the comedic antics in film spoofs such as “Airplane” and “Scary Movie,” “Nightlight” upholds the same outlandish style.

Goofy suspensions of disbelief litter the story with such scenarios as a male plastic surgeon operating on himself for hours in

order to achieve Angelina Jolie’s lips.

The descriptive language is so dense that it feels like scanning a movie script, and “Nightlight” could easily translate into an 80-minute belly laugh.

The reader first meets the dead-loving high schooler Belle Goose as she departs from her mother in Phoenix to live with her estranged father in faceless Switchblade, Ore. Both parents are inept caretakers and actually incapable of remedial tasks for themselves — Belle teaches her father that cereal is better eaten from a bowl than a plate. She even feeds her father, Jim, using train noises to get his mouth open.

But Jim provides for Belle by supplying wheels. She confidently drives to school in a U-Haul truck.

After parking the monster ride one day, Belle is faced with a snowball attack. Diving in front of the frosty bullets is her classroom crush, Edwart Mullen. The timing is impeccable, and “magically’’ the snow just didn’t stick to him.

The event sparks Belle’s mistaken intrigue with Edwart. He doesn’t have inhuman vampire abilities as she suspects. Edwart is merely a social recluse with a great interest in meteorology, including a car with a rooftop satellite called “Datastorm.”

Belle exhausts efforts to have Edwart admit his neck fetish, even strolling through a local cemetery to make him feel more at home.

But it’s there that an enemy emerges, forcing Belle to decide whether her heart truly lies with Edwart or one who will, well, literally drain her heart.

“Nightlight” is an aimless critique, and readers shouldn’t search for thoughtful commentary within the outrageous jests. Its intentions are evident even before peeling back the cover. While the “Twilight” book art is a carefully cradled apple, “Nightlight” displays the fruit whittled to its core.

And the duration of such a snack is how long it takes to span the read.

Just remember to cover your mouth.

Your giggles could cause projectile Granny Smith, as the Ugg suede soaks up the stains.

“Nightlight” Author: The Harvard Lampoon, Harvard University’s undergraduate humor publication and social organization Released: Nov. 3 by Vintage Books Synopsis: Awkward and romantically peculiar, Belle Goose strives to be eternally involved with a nerdy classmate she mistakes for a vampire.

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“Bored of the Rings”

by The Harvard Lampoon Despite its age of nearly half a century, name plays like “Frito” for “Frodo” are still chuckle-worthy.

“When You Are Engulfed in Flames”

by David Sedaris The author crafts witty essays out of commonplace subjects such as his humorous attempts to quit smoking.

“How We Are Hungry”

by Dave Eggers A vivid collection of short stories from the creative mind who wrote the recent screenplay for the film “Where the Wild Things Are.”

opınıons 5

editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

december 8, 2009

The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Your Views [letter to the editor]

This is our challenge

T

wo years ago I had the opportunity to be a part of a student delegation that met with Virginia Tech President Charles Steger that led to the creation and passage of the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment and Sustainability Plan. Since that meeting, I’ve seen countless community members have their hand in the research and planning associated with establishing that commitment, and I am extremely proud of our university taking a step in the right direction toward a sustainable future.

Last week I had the honor to be present at another meeting with members of the university administration with Virginia Tech Beyond Coal, a campus group with a campaign that asks for our university to: 1) stop burning coal from mountaintop removal sites within one year; 2) begin co-firing as much sustainably sourced biomass without major retooling of our power plant’s boilers by 2015; and 3) to end our use of coal in the central steam plant by 2020, five years ahead of the planned boiler replacement. While administrators acknowledged that “(the university does) want to work towards (sic) that ultimate goal,” they said that this plan “aggressively evolves” the VTCACSP and goes against the work of those that were involved with it. Administrators claimed they would only continue this conversation if we, as students, work on changing our behavior regarding energy consumption.

Now, not only do I respectfully disagree with what was said of working against those involved with the planning of the VTCACSP, I also am disappointed with the fact that our administration, with the defined motto of Ut Prosim and slogan “Invent the Future,” has to rely on the students themselves to put forth such a challenge to our university community. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

We’re currently faced with enormous challenges in the world, and as a leading research institution, I feel it is our duty to step up to these challenges and take them head on. West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, a long advocate for the coal industry, said in a recent speech, “To be part of any solution, one must first acknowledge a problem.

To deny the mounting science of climate change is to stick our heads in the sand and say ‘deal me out.’ The greatest threats to the future of coal do not come from possible constraints on mountaintop removal mining or other environmental regulations, but rather from rigid mindsets, depleting coal reserves and the declining demand for coal.”

I have been heavily involved in the environmental movement and have seen it grow exponentially in the last several years. I know solutions aren’t as simple as flicking a switch, but Appalachia has already passed peak coal, meaning regional coal supplies will likely dwindle to nothing in the next few decades as costs continue to skyrocket. As companies begin to abandon already struggling communities, I find it the duty of our university community to advance alternative energies to create new green jobs, preserve the values of our land and work with communities as we pursue a carbon neutral and sustainable future.

President John F. Kennedy challenged our country to reach the moon in a decade, something deemed impossible. We did it. Now we are faced with another challenge with the same deadline, and we don’t have to go to the moon to achieve it. This is our challenge, and as a community let’s have newfound collaboration in our pursuit of creative solutions. Let’s Invent the Right Future. Let’s work together and move beyond coal.

BRYCE CARTER senior humanities, science & environment major

One good treaty deserves another A

s world leaders gather in Copenhagen, Denmark, to address the challenges of climate change, it’s worth reminding ourselves that while outcomes for such efforts are not guaranteed, sometimes they work. One example can be seen in the Antarctic Treaty — a landmark environmental pact signed 50 years ago this month. For while Antarctica today seems a vast, peaceful land reserved for emperor penguins and intrepid polar scientists, the case was quite different, once upon a time.

Cold War anxieties were at an all-time high in the mid-1950s. Yet, just two years after Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev promised to “bury” the West, President Dwight D. Eisenhower took a dramatic gamble that he could win international support — including that of the Soviet Union — to protect the globe’s last remaining wild frontier, the continent of Antarctica. The world has reaped the benefits of this wager for half a century.

The product of seven weeks of intense negotiations, the treaty ensures that Antarctica will forever “be open to all nations to conduct scientific or other peaceful activities.”

But in addition to ending a decadeslong race for land, the Antarctic Treaty has become the cornerstone of a series of subsequent key environmental agreements and innovative conservation mechanisms.

Although covered in ice and battered with sub-freezing winds, the coastal areas, islands and seas surrounding Antarctica are rich with life. And while the penguin might be the region’s most well-known resident, it also houses species ranging in size from the tiny shrimp-like krill — the bedrock of the Antarctic food chain — to the mighty blue whale. Indeed, researchers have documented more than 1,200 known marine and land species — a degree of biodiversity some biologists argue rivals even that of the Galapagos Islands.

To help ensure that fishing and other activities are conducted sustainably, parties to the treaty in the 1980s created the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to regulate activities in the waters around Antarctica. In the 1990s, to meet new challenges and realities, the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection was adopted.

Together these agreements estab-

lish environmental principles for the conduct of all activities in the area.

This includes requiring that decisions on activities, such as fishing of critical species like Antarctic krill, are based on sound science, are precautionary in nature and take account of the whole ecosystem’s well-being.

And while the conservation record of treaty bodies such as the commission has been mixed, the protections created by the Madrid Protocol are an example of international resource stewardship at its best.

Described in a 1960 New York Times editorial as “a bright spot in the otherwise gloomy landscape of international relations,” the Antarctic Treaty’s successful negotiation and ratification was by no means assured. In fact, the treaty faced early and harsh criticism from skeptics in the U.S. Senate who warned that the pact would be used by the Soviets to “encourage military development” of the continent.

History has shown that these fears proved groundless. The promotion of collaborative international research has created an invaluable global laboratory, with both scientific and diplomatic benefits that resonate far beyond the frozen continent. Indeed, the number of signatories has grown from the 11 nations personally invited by Eisenhower to the negotiations, to 46 countries today, accounting for about 80 percent of the earth’s population.

With a slowdown plaguing the global economy, some argue that reaching an effective international agreement on climate is impossible.

Yet even though the odds may be long, some gambles are worth the venture.

The eyes of the world are on Copenhagen now, as we look for a successor to the 1997 Kyoto accords.

Although a comprehensive climate agreement may not be assured, the possibility of definitive progress is far from zero.

As they collaborated 50 years ago, now is the time for leaders from around the globe to set aside short-term political interests, move past diplomatic doubts and work together to combat the danger of climate change. Global warming is a threat that knows no boundaries and as Eisenhower himself once so pointedly noted, “Pessimism never won any battle.”

GERRY LEAPE -mcclatchy-tribune

MCT CAMPUS

Tech community spirit overshadows tragedies A

s I pulled my car over to the side of the road and watched the state trooper in my rearview mirror draw closer, my thoughts were far from thanks. In the seat beside me, my cousin groggily mumbled inquiring what was happening. “We got pulled over,” I answered. “That sucks.” Yup. My dear cousin did not provide me with much solace. Instead, as the figure in my side-view grew bigger, I noticed another car awaiting the same chastisement as us. Later, as I sat in the DMV over break waiting to renew my license, I took small comfort in hoping the trooper who had pulled us would overcook his turkey. But the longer I sat (remember, I was in the DMV), I thought less about badges and birds, and more about that other car. What ill-fortuned event had brought them there? Did they too have a love-hate relationship with an officer of the law?

What were they thankful for?

In a peculiar way, this reminded me a little of Blacksburg. With our sprawling campus and sizable student body, it’s easy for some students to feel like strangers. But as the semester’s end draws near, it seems appropriate then to ask those same questions of ourselves as a whole as we reflect on the semester.

Whether you’re a wide-eyed freshman, a sophomore like myself, caught off-guard by professors’ augmented expectations, or a graduating senior with a job and without a care, it’s been a crazy four months for the university community. Tragedy has

struck us twice this semester with the Ford Hood shootings that Virginia Tech was tied to against its will, and we will continually pray for Heidi Childs, David Metzler and Morgan Harrington. Add in cuts in state funding and higher tuition, and the panic button starts looking friendly.

Quite obviously, if we are figuratively sitting in that DMV office, we are facing more than just a speeding ticket.

Continuing along metaphorical lines, the Tech community, as with me individually, received help from those nearest by. Just as that officer may have given me some leeway, our community rallied time and again to support one another and remind us that we’ve faced down hardship before and we will do it again. In “Numerous violent incidents puzzle university community” (CT, Nov. 11), university news editor Philipp Kotlaba reminded us that according to actual data, Tech is as safe as the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary. At Lane Stadium in honor of Morgan Harrington, 65,000 people participated in a moment of silence, and other students stressed the importance of remembering Tech’s seven Medal of Honor recipients in contrast to more infamous alumni.

We do not run from our problems, we face up to them; we honor the loved ones who have left us, and we always remember the values the university stands for.

At last, when we sit down to think

about that final question of what we are thankful for, the answer is clearly and inexorably tied to the last question. The harsh reality is, everyone goes through rough times — and that’s without being 137 years old like Tech is — and whether we like to admit it or not, we as individuals always need friends to remind us how to and why we should give thanks. The Tech community, being nothing more than a collection of individual peoplw gathered in the common goal of higher learning, is bound by the same rule. If Tech were to have a Hokie Thanksgiving dinner for all the alumni and students around the world, even without knowing everyone, we would all be thankful for everyone seated around the table. In the end, that’s really all that matters. Just as our family is what we are most thankful for at home, our Hokie family is the most important aspect of the Tech community, and it is for our Hokie family that we are all most thankful.

Finally, in the off-chance that the trooper who pulled me this summer sees this column, have a merry Christmas, officer.

SCOTT MASSELLI -regular columnist -sophomore -economics major

Positive outlook can lead to future success for students N

ever has the world been more treacherous and more unrelenting to the faint of heart. We hear of college graduates who have invested money, time and effort into their respective fields yet have reaped minimal benefit from their sacrifices and have been perplexed by the result. Now more than ever, the intangible characteristics that separate one candidate from another can serve as the distinguishing factors between those who achieve their goals and those who do not. A positive attitude remains an attractive asset independent of the chosen field of interest. Commitment, dedication and cooperation with one’s peers are desirable determining factors in the person ultimately selected for the position.

Navigating through college, it can be a challenge to maintain a positive attitude with the many obstacles that surface as we invest in our education.

More than likely, the last thing on a student’s mind is how attitude can shape the outcome of the semester and even greatly alter their academic future. Yet, in reality, a positive attitude can transform one’s life — a true paradigm shift in the right direction distinguishes the performer from the pretender, the fighter from the victim.

As psychologist and philosopher William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.”

Those people who have been most successful and inspirational throughout history have faced adversity with

an unparalleled focus and enthusiasm. It is with self-assurance, courage of conviction and hope that Winston Churchill faced the Germans, Jackie Robinson conquered racial barriers, and Gen. George S. Patton marched through Europe. Imagine the outcome if the resolve for success had been anything less than what was given. It is not an exaggeration to categorically state that a positive attitude can change the course of history.

Does this positive paradigm dictate results when applied to ordinary people in their daily lives? It does without a shadow of doubt. The reason we are so familiar with positive thinking in famous people is that this trait is a large component of their achieved success in their respective fields.

The indomitable will to preclude defeat allowed a seemingly ordinary person Chris Gardner, the inspiration for the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness,” to do sensational things.

Between stints in homeless shelters, he became one of the most successful stockbrokers on Wall Street, largely because of his unwavering drive to become something more. In his own words, Gardner said, “You have to be committed, and you have to find something that you are passionate about.”

While in college, we have the opportunity to explore the reaches of our potential and interests. The challenge lies not only in succeeding in a given field but discovering the passion within that makes learning and living worthwhile. When we do

what we love, the positive attitude comes naturally. Now is the time for true introspection to discover what you want and to plot your course.

The road may seem winding, the journey never-ending, but with small steps in the right direction, we can achieve more than ever imagined.

As many wise philosophers have said, challenges are simply opportunities in disguise. In the coming weeks and beyond, we will meet obstacles that provide us the impetus to show how perseverant and steadfast we can remain in the face of adversity.

Borrowing from the Apollo 13 space mission, “failure is not an option” when it comes to achieving our academic successes. Notre Dame football player Rudy Ruettiger visualized his potential beyond what others thought he could achieve, enabling him to rise above his the obstacles set against him and earn a spot in one of the nation’s biggest football powerhouses. If this same thirst for victory can be applied to each of our lives on a smaller level, the sky is truly the limit of what we can do. Let’s embrace a positive attitude as we close the books for 2009 and prepare for 2010 and beyond.

BROOKE LEONARD -regular columnist -sophomore -economics major

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6 features

editors: topher forhecz, teresa tobat featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

Sense of humor survives Robin Williams’ heart surgery GAIL PENNINGTON mcclatchy newspapers

COURTESY OF MCT

After heart surgery comes rehab, walking, then maybe some laps in the pool, slowly regaining strength and stamina.

For Robin Williams, who had heart surgery in March, rehab meant more than time on the treadmill. The famously manic comic also needed to regain his

strength on stage, to make sure he had the stamina for a full set and maybe even to reassure himself that he was still funny.

Williams, 58, was in the middle of the “Self Destruction” tour, in Florida, when he had trouble breathing and was hospitalized. He later underwent replacement of his aortic valve, an operation that felt less than routine because his older brother Robert had died after heart surgery in 2007.

By July, when Williams met with TV critics in Los Angeles to talk about his new HBO special, the surgery had become a series of punch lines.

“I had the surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, and I woke up going, ‘Where am I?’ And they said, ‘Cleveland.’ And I kept going, ‘Why?’” “You go in, and they really tell you that you’re going to get a cow valve.”

No problem: “The grazing is easy.”

But Williams acknowledged that the experience changed him, and he seemed thoughtful and unusually subdued during a half-hour Q&A session, joking a lot but going off on few wild

want more robin williams?

[ ] “Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction” Check for repeat times Network: HBO

tangents.

Recent years have been especially turbulent for Williams. In addition to his surgery and his brother’s death, he entered treatment in 2006 for a relapse of alcohol abuse, and his marriage of almost 20 years broke up last year.

Then, the heart surgery, which “really opens you up, literally.”

During an appearance afterward with David Letterman, whose “quintuple bypass trumps me big time,” Letterman leaned over during the break and asked, “Do you find yourself getting emotional?”

Williams’ response: “Oh, yeah.”

The recuperation, which meant taking three months off, wasn’t all smooth sailing.

“Coming back out of it, you think, ‘I’m going to be fine,’” he said. “And then the first few months, you’re like, ‘Not really.’”

Eventually, “You really do appreciate the simplest things like breath and friends,” and you decide, “Yeah, I’ve got to keep going, just take it a little slower.”

Williams has been back on the road, updating and polishing the act, since summer. On a professional level, he’s happy still to be working “and doing stand-up, I’m very proud of that.”

But asked about his biggest personal accomplishments, he said, “My three children. All of them astonish me.”

Contrary to the title of his recent movie, “I’m not the world’s greatest dad. I’m a work in progress. But I’m so proud of them.”

Son Zak, 26, “graduated from NYU with a degree in linguistics.”

Daughter Zelda, 20, “has been acting and doing mainly horror movies,

which is always great. ‘We loved it when you got slashed. It was so good.’

And my other son (Cody, 18) is writing, studying poetry and literature and art history. All of these things, to me, that’s the ultimate production deal.”

Williams got his first national exposure in 1977 in an HBO “Young Comedians” special, then returned in 1978 with the groundbreaking “Off the Wall,” in which he bounced around the stage in baggy pants and suspenders.

He comes full circle Sunday with “Weapons of Self Destruction,” taped last month in Washington during a sold-out tour.

If the Robin Williams of 2009 had a chance to meet the Robin Williams of 1978, what would he tell the kid with the suspenders and wild hair?

“Brace yourself,” he’d say. “It’s going to be a long run, and it’s going to be an interesting one.”

With 30 years perspective, “There’s nothing I regret,” Williams said. “I’ve learned a lot over the years.

“Not everything worked, but at least it was interesting to try.”

TNT’s ‘Men of a Certain Age’ pushes the envelope “Men of A Certain Age,” a new comedydrama from TNT, is about three dudes pushing 50 and all the horrific gloom that entails. You have to wonder if it landed in prime time purely by accident.

Isn’t television, after all, supposed to be youthobsessed? Doesn’t the most prized TV demographic start at age 18 and flat line at 49?

What kind of companies would be caught dead advertising with such a show other than Rogaine and Lipitor?

Yet, here we are being asked to hang out with guys in relaxedfit jeans who strain to read menus and still listen to Neil Sedaka, for crying out loud. At

least they’re played by familiar actors Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher. And at least they manage to be as endearing as they are pitiful.

If it doesn’t work, blame Romano.

After spending nine seasons headlining one of the most popular sitcoms in recent memory, he returns significantly less buffoonish in a very different kind of series as a co-creator, writer and executive producer. Yes, we’re about to find out if everybody still loves Raymond.

He plays Joe, a slightly neurotic, recently separated father of two who once had dreams of being a professional golfer (Cue up Springsteen’s “Glory Days”). Now he struggles to curb a gambling problem and runs a party store where his teen employees openly deride his “old man music.”

Joe still finds time to chill out with a couple of pals from college. There’s Terry (Bakula), a past-his-prime actor and part-time temp who still manages to attract pretty young women with scant effort. Rounding out the trio is Owen (Braugher), a stressed-out hus-

[

when it’s on

]

“Men of a Certain Age” Time: Mondays at 10 p.m.

Network: TNT

band and dad stuck in a dead-end job at a car dealership owned by his sadistic father.

Midlife, they have discovered, can be a bummer, man. They’re coping with health scares, memory lapses, self-doubt, declining relevance and expanding bellies. Occasionally, they get touchy-feely and whine about their miseries while dining out _ a la Carrie Bradshaw and company. In fact, this show is a lot like “Sex and the City,” only without the sex and the really hot shoes.

It all sounds somewhat depressing, and it can be. Tonight’s pilot episode occasionally turns flat and aimless and is too light on laughs. At one point, I found myself poised to declare “Men of a Certain Age” only “slightly more fun than a prostate exam.”

But like some things in life, “Men” gets better with time. By the second and third episodes, I started to bond with these guys and empathize with their issues. And being of, um, a certain age myself, I chuckled right along with some of their observations, like when Terry announces he’s dating a 25-year-old and Joe warns, “Now you’re going to have to see all the ‘Twilight’ movies!”

Still,while I applaud TNT for attempting to bring some maturity to prime time, it’s difficult to envision “Men” becoming a mass hit. The humor is more low-key than laugh-out-loud, the plot lines more tedious than tantalizing, the cast more grizzled than chiseled.

Considering all that, Romano and his pals will never be close to generating “Twilight”-like buzz.

So that’s the bad news. The good news? At least they all still have their hair.

CHUCK BARNEY -mcclatchy newspapers

editors:joecrandley,alexjackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/telephonenumber:540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

sports 7

Delaney, Hokies take down Bulldogs in return home ALEX JACKSON sports editor The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team earned its third straight victory and improved its overall record to 6-1 with a 74-62 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs Sunday afternoon.

“Better. We got better,” said head coach Seth Greenberg of the 74-62 win. “The things we wanted to try to accomplish in this game, I thought we were fairly efficient.

“We wanted to rebound the basketball,” he said. “I thought we were pretty consistent doing that. ...

I thought we were pretty efficient offensively. ... So, I thought that there were a lot of good things that happened today in terms of our team.”

In their first home game since midNovember, it didn’t take too long for the Hokies to get comfortable in their home arena.

While Tech began the contest on a 9-4 run, Georgia kept pace early, pressuring the Hokies on the defensive end and fighting back, knotting the score multiple times during the beginning of the half.

Tech never gave Georgia the lead, though.

After the Bulldogs tied the game at 18 with 7:59 remaining in the first half, the Hokies locked in and pulled away.

Over the next four minutes, Tech followed with a 10-0 run, earning its first comfortable lead of the game.

When Georgia came back to within six points just before the end of the half, a buzzer beating three-pointer

by Tech junior point guard Malcolm Delaney gave the Hokies a nine-point lead at halftime, 36-27.

“We had this one marked on our schedule,” Delaney said. “Everybody knew that. That left a salty taste in our mouths when we lost to them last year. We were kind of waiting for them.”

In the second half, Delaney and the Hokies proved to be too much for the Bulldogs.

After a 12-point first half for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer, Delaney began the second half with the Hokies’ first seven points, helping Tech extend its lead to 15 points with 14:30 remaining.

After that, the pressure never really let up on the Bulldogs.

Whenever Georgia seemed to find a solution to the Hokies’ defensive pressure, Tech locked its opponent down again.

In fact, the closest the Bulldogs came to Tech after the Hokies went up 15 was when a free throw by Bulldogs’ forward Trey Thompkins cut the Hokies’ lead to six with 7:56 remaining.

Again, the Hokies found an answer, though.

With 3:56 remaining in the game, a layup by Tech guard Dorenzo Hudson put the Hokies up 15 again and all but wrapped up a win for the home team.

“That’s how we wanted to play,” Hudson said. “We just wanted to beat them up the court, we wanted to press a lot ... so absolutely, staying to the game plan.”

The Hokies shut down the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, Thompkins, all game. Thompkins finished the contest shooting 0 for

LUKE MASON/SPPS

Junior forward J.T. Thompson goes up for a shot Sunday afternoon.

[

on the web

Check out the CT’s Web site at www.collegiatetimes.com for a gallery from the game.

]

6 from the field and scoring just five points.

“We stopped their defense and their low-post,” Delaney said. “Thompkins was our main key. We made other people hit shots — they hit some shots — but that’s what we wanted to do so I think our game plan worked.”

Delaney finished the game with 31 points on 10 for 19 shooting, adding five assists and five rebounds for the Hokies.

After struggling to find his shot in Tech’s first six games, Delaney put in some extra work prior to the game to improve his balance while shooting.

“I was off balance,” he said. “I felt it.”

When he spent time with Greenberg and watched a video of every shot he had taken this season, Delaney saw it, too.

“Sometimes your body drifts,” Delaney said. “I wasn’t used to it.”

Sophomore forward Victor Davila also had one of his most impressive efforts of the season for the Hokies, scoring 11 points and hauling in nine rebounds. “(Victor) went after the ball,” Greenberg said. “He was really, really good getting after the ball. You know, he blocked out and then pursued the pass and came back to rebound the ball.

“That was probably his best game,” he said. “Against good competition — I mean, it’s not like he was playing a bunch of ‘schleprocks’ — I mean, he was playing against some big dudes.”

Despite coming off the bench and

not starting for the second straight game, junior forward Jeff Allen also had a solid game, contributing 11 points and six rebounds to the Hokies’ effort.

Hokie fans also got their first peek at freshman forward Cadarian Raines.

Raines, from Petersburg, Va., entered the game with just less than 11 minutes remaining in the first half for his first minutes in orange and maroon after recovering from a broken foot, which sidelined him for the first six games.

He exited the game shortly after committing two personal fouls and finished the game shooting zero for one from the field while logging two minutes of play.

“I’m glad (Cadarian) got a chance to get out there today,” Delaney said. “He had to get a taste of what it’s like. He’s LUKE MASON/SPPS still got to get used to the game speed, Tech point guard Malcolm Delaney shields a defender with his right arm and attempts a shot with his but he’s going to be very good in the left Sunday against the Georgia Bulldogs in Cassell Coliseum.

Delaney scored 31 points in the game. low-post.”

At the end of the day, Greenberg was pleased to see his team earn the win.

“We’ve got a win against the Big Ten (Iowa) and the SEC (Georgia),” Greenberg said. “We played a whole lot better in this game than we did against Delaware and Campbell, so we’re making progress, and we’re finding a way to win against a team from a BCS conference — that’s a good thing.”

The win improves Tech’s record to 2-0 on the season against teams from power conferences. Last season, the Hokies finished their out-of-conference schedule 1-3 against teams from power conferences, a statistic that hurt them when being considered for an NCAA tournament bid.

Next up for the Hokies is VMI on Wednesday night. The Hokies will take on the Keydets at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday in Cassell Coliseum.

......radio for everyone

december 8, 2009

page 8

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december 8, 2009

Catching up with Hokies hoops star Washington ALEX JACKSON sports editor Former Hokie men’s basketball star Deron Washington took the time to catch up with the CT last week.

After a successful career at Tech, the highlight-making Washington was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 59th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Shortly thereafter, he made the decision to play a year overseas and signed on with Israel’s Hapoel Holon.

Following his season with Hapoel Holon, Washington competed for a Pistons roster spot while playing for the team in the 2009 Summer League. On Aug. 10 he signed a two-year contract to play for the Pistons.

Unexpectedly, on Oct. 26, the Pistons informed Washington he would no longer be with the team, and he was waived.

Today, Washington is playing for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBAD League, the developmental league established in 2001, designed to one day be a true farm system for the NBA. CT: How’s life in the NBDL? WASHINGTON: It’s going pretty good.

Taking a little adjustment, a little different especially from last year. But, it’s a good experience. The season’s just starting and going well so it’s just getting ready to keep it going.

CT: How was your time with the Pistons?

WASHINGTON: It actually went pretty good until the last day when waivers came when they let me go, but everything was going good — I was playing well, the coaches really liked me. But, it’s just a numbers thing so they had to let me go.

CT: What are you trying to work on to get back into the NBA? WASHINGTON:Prettymucheverything I have to. I know it’s a big steppingstone for me after being waived by the Pistons. I know they just told me just to go down and keep working and there’s still the possibility of getting called up.

So, there’s always call ups so you’ve just got to look forward to that and just keep working hard.

CT: Did the coaches suggest anything for you to work on to get back at that level?

WASHINGTON: Yeah, the coaches — they pretty much told me I was headed in the right direction, I was doing everything good. I’ve just got

to continue to keep working on my shooting and handling, and a lot of things will play out good for me.

CT: What’s your practice schedule like with the D-Fenders?

WASHINGTON: We just are able to practice with as much time as we get in the gym because we share the gym with the Lakers, so it’s pretty hard to get a lot of time.

CT: Have you been following the Hokies since you left?

WASHINGTON: I haven’t, yet. Being overseas last year, it’s been hard to follow them but I still know there’s a couple players that I played with still there.

CT: What was your impression of the players on the team now that you did know? Do you know Malcolm Delaney?

WASHINGTON: Malcolm is a good guy. He’s a real good player. I think he’s probably a big leader on the team right now, just taking control — trying to be a captain. But, I think he’s a pretty good player. I know from his freshman year he’s gotten much better so I can probably say he’s going to be a big player in the ACC this year.

CT: What about the other guys?

WASHINGTON: I know Jeff (Allen), Dorenzo (Hudson) and J.T. Thompson.

All of them were freshmen when I was there on senior year, and all those players are pretty good players, they want to learn — so I know they should have a pretty good team. They have a lot of talent.

CT: How was it being the second pick in the NBDL draft?

WASHINGTON: I mean, it was kind of a compliment, but it’s something you don’t want to settle for. You want to go for things that are better than that. You want to get to a higher level, but just knowing that you’ve been picked in the draft that high — there’s still a little bit of excitement, though.

CT: How was playing overseas, and why didn’t you stay?

WASHINGTON: After last year, I did enjoy playing overseas, but my goal is right now — just to play in the NBA. I’m not looking towards anywhere else. I’m not planning to go overseas.

I’m just trying to work my way back into the NBA.

RASHUAN RUCKER/DETROIT FREE PRESS

Former Hokies star basketball player Deron Washington goes up for a shot while playing for the Detroit Pistons in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 11 in Auburn Hills, Mich. Washington was later waived by the Pistons and currently plays in the NBA D-League.

CT: How was the overseas basketball experience?

WASHINGTON: It was pretty good.

We played like once a week, which is a lot of free time, but it was still nice — the competition was pretty good, and the living there was kind of nice.

CT: How did the overseas fanbase compare?

WASHINGTON: That might have been one of the best fanbases I’ve ever had. The fans are at every game, they were loud, it didn’t matter what was going on — they were chanting for us. The fan-base was really great.

I’ve got to say — that was probably one of the best fanbases I’ve had in basketball.

CT: Do the crowds at NBDL games

pale in comparison?

WASHINGTON: Right now, it’s not many fans coming. In the NBDL games, it’s really different.

It’s just a different atmosphere. But there are still fans that come to the game. Like you said, overseas is different because they’re dedicated to that one team that they have in that city — so, it’s a little different.

CT: From your experience, is there any advice you can offer to the players here attempting to get to the next level?

WASHINGTON: I’d say just continue to work hard, be coachable and don’t take any opportunities for granted.

Whenever there’s a chance, you’ve got to go and get it. It’s there for the taking, so you’ve just got to go and get it.

december 8, 2009

page 10

Tech basketball checks off wish list at Bulldogs’ expense C

oaches will often say it’s impossible to assess the legitimacy of a team’s March Madness hopes at this time of year. They’ll caution the media not to obsess over the seeds being sown before New Year’s Day. Heavy experimenting will occur with personnel and strategy, whether the roster returns full or few. Months of potential fatigue, injury and rifts sit ahead. Let’s just say the crystal ball remains cloudy for now, whether you’re for UNC or UVa. Virginia Tech’s 74-62 home win over Georgia certainly qualifies as encouraging, given some of Tech’s close contests against far sub-Atlantic Coast Conference caliber opponents, including a recent overtime win against Delaware.

Tech’s performance prior to Sunday had left much to be desired for a 5-1 record.

Win No. 6 topped a Georgia squad that — like Iowa last week — presents a major-conference challenge, albeit one pundits figure to finish low in its pack. The Bulldogs (4-3) bounded into Blacksburg with a seemingly light early schedule, a young starting lineup under a coach hired in April, and the ripple effect of receiving four years’ probation in 2004 for academic fraud and recruitment violations.

But let’s not forget Tech’s heartbreak-

ing 67-66 loss at Georgia last season, or that the Bulldogs hit The Big Dance in 2007, or that Tech eliminated the chance of a buzzer beater by seizing control in crunch time.

Nonetheless, I will attempt to nail down a few truths in the early stages of the 2009-10 campaign, through the Christmas wishes of Tech basketball fans. Hop on Santa’s lap!

MALCOLM DELANEY STAYS HEALTHY AND ISN’T RUN RAGGED BY FEBRUARY Georgia head coach Mark Fox: “We had no answer for him, and I think that was the biggest key of the game.”

For crying out loud, Georgia assistant Stacy Palmore coached Delaney last season while working under Seth Greenberg here in Blacksburg, and Georgia still had no answer.

Final stat line: 31 points, five assists, five rebounds.

Scouting report, shmouting report.

“He’s extremely mobile,” Fox continued. “He draws fouls, he finishes at the rim. He’s a complete offensive player, and his quickness and ability to shoot the ball make him a very hard matchup.”

After losing smooth-shooter A.D. Vassallo to graduation, Delaney will need to carry Tech on his shoulders to a few wins this season if it will advance

to the NCAAs. The ACC’s current leading-scorer threatened to take the crown last year after a conference-best 37-point explosion against Clemson in late January.

Delaney, who played the second-most minutes in the ACC last year, would then hit a cold streak in February in which fatigue and a litany of injuries may have factored. The Hokies lost six of seven games between Feb. 13 and March 8.

JEFF ALLEN STAYS OUT OF FOUL TROUBLE SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY Jeff Allen hasn’t started over the past two games in an apparent attempt to keep him out of foul trouble. He still picked up four personals on Sunday.

Greenberg initially seemed reluctant to address it, before offering a solution that sounds simple — but has been easier said than done for Tech’s best frontcourt player.

“We’ve got to eliminate the unforced fouls,” Greenberg said. “It’s the ones that he can control that we’ve got to control.”

VICTOR DAVILA HOVERS AROUND 10 POINTS/REBOUNDS PER GAME “It was probably his best game, (and) against good competition,” Greenberg said. “It’s not like he was playing against a bunch of schleprocks.”

An online dictionary told me the Yiddish term “schleprock” translated

to “slow” and “clumsy.” The graduation of key physical presence Cheick Diakite tells me Davila will need to help clean the glass. Davila’s 11-point, nineboard outing against an SEC opponent — a conference I’m assuming has no schleprock forwards nor centers — serves hope that the sophomore’s ready to complement Allen in the post. Tech out-rebounded the Bulldogs 33-25. “(Davila) was much more aggressive rebounding the ball today, that’s for sure,” Greenberg said Sunday. “He was more aggressive, being a little more physical in his post defense. He went after the ball. ... He blocked out then came back to rebound the ball.”

DEPTH BY FRESHMEN After the Georgia game, Greenberg expressed a desire to boost 6-foot-4inch guard Erick Green up to 14-15 minutes per game and 6-foot-9-inch forward Cadarian Raines up to 12-15 minutes. Green and Raines saw six and two minutes of playing time on Sunday, respectively. Fellow freshman guard Ben Boggs pitched in 16 minutes and six points.

Working Raines in could prove especially critical given the lack of size off the bench Tech had at its disposal last year.

CLOSE OUT HALVES Few things swing momentum like the

LUKE MASON/SPPS

Hokies junior point guard Malcolm Delaney dribbles down the court and looks for an open man during Tech’s win over Georgia Sunday. type of shot Delaney nailed at the buzzer to give his team a 36-27 lead.

“That three at the end of the half, I really liked that one,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg might also like his team to continue having a different ending to the games’ script. Tech finished 4-8 in games decided by four or fewer points last season. Overtime remains a different story, however, where it’s won four straight. Make of that what you will.

On Sunday the Hokies led by eight as the clock pushed toward 5:30 in the second half, before adding seven within a minute. Following the creatively painful

heartbreakers of yesteryear — Georgia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Boston College and (gulp) Xavier — this must help Hokie Nation sleep easier.

As Tech students depart for winter break, wish granted.

THOMAS EMERICK -sports staff writer -communication major