Tuesday, February 2, 2010
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
www.collegiatetimes.com
COLLEGIATETIMES 107th year, issue 9
News, page 2
Features, page 4
Opinions, page 5
Sports, page 7
Classifieds, page 6
Sudoku, page 6
Closure
DANIEL LIN/SPPS
Morgan Harrington’s parents, Gil and Dan, along with her brother Alex hold a vigil ceremony for their daughter with supporters in Roanoke. State police confirmed discovering Morgan’s remains Jan. 26.
Family announces scholarship, funeral date T
he Harrington family announced Monday a scholarship in honor of their daughter Morgan, who was found dead Jan. 26. The Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship is designated for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Harrington, who was last seen Oct. 17, 2009, during a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena, was uncovered at Anchorage Farm approximately 10 miles away from the arena along Route 29 in southern Albemarle County. Police have not disclosed a time or cause of death for Harrington. A Mass service for Harrington will take place Friday, Feb. 5, at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Roanoke, Va. A reception at the Hotel Roanoke is scheduled for after the service. The service is open to the general public. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to either to the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship or to Orphan Medical Network International. Scholarship donations may be mailed to: Virginia Tech, Attn: Gift Accounting, University Development (0336), Blacksburg, VA 24061. OMNI donations can be mailed to 6930 Empire Lane, Roanoke, VA 24018. by gordon block, news reporter
Harringtons gather for vigil, mourn loss of daughter ZACH CRIZER & LIANA BAYNE news staff ROANOKE — Neighbors, family and newfound friends filled a Roanoke street corner with candlelight, prayers and music Friday night, trying to help fill the void left by the loss of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. “She was a light in the world,” said friend Ashley Honig. Honig, a sophomore at Virginia Western Community College, knew Morgan Harrington during high school. They went to church together and were in the same youth group. “She will never stop being loved,” Honig said. Honig was just one of a multitude of people who have shown support to the Harrington family since Morgan disappeared on Oct. 17 from the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. The candlelight vigil was planned quickly, bringing supporters to the home of Dan and Gil Harrington just a day after Virginia State Police confirmed remains found on Anchorage Farm outside Charlottesville were indeed those of Harrington. The Harrington family expressed their gratitude to the crowd of more than 100 and to those worldwide for joining so passionately in the effort to locate Harrington. Other attendees offered comfort to the Harrington family as they seek closure after spending 101 days searching for their daughter. “This has been tragic from beginning to end,” said family friend Janet Crawford to the hushed crowd. Crawford commended those who stood by the Harrington family through the ordeal of searching for their daughter’s body, which was finally located on Jan. 26 in a remote area of an Albemarle County farm, about seven miles away from the arena. “Their loss has been great, their pain has been deep, their faith has been strong,” Crawford said. Friends of and those sympathetic to the Harringtons shared prayers and inspirational poems, reminding one another of the Harringtons’ faith that Morgan is now without suffering. Some have come to the Harringtons’ side after hearing of Morgan’s disappearance. see VIGIL / page two
Professor wins German grant GEOPHYSICS PROFESSOR AWARDED GRANT, TO TAKE RESEARCH TO GERMAN INSTITUTE NATHAN DENNY news staff writer A Virginia Tech professor of geophysics in the College of Science has been selected to continue his research over the next three years at the esteemed Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany. Scott King has been a professor at Tech since fall 2007. Before coming to Blacksburg, he taught geophysics at Purdue University for 15 KING years. Most of King’s research is on the interior of planets. Presently, he has a project that explores the India-Asia collision, the
incredible height of the Himalayas and its connection with the tectonics of the entire south China region. One of King’s students is studying the volcanoes of Mars and how they were formed from movement in the planet’s core. Changyeol Lee is one of King’s four graduate students studying geophysics whom he advises. Lee studied with King while he was at Purdue, and when King made the move to Tech, Lee came as well. “He is very patient,” Lee said. “He understands his students very well, and he wants them to be successful.” Lee, who is on track to graduate this May, said that King is a brilliant professor who has not only helped him through his graduate work, but who has also supported him in his application for postdoctoral education.
“He has introduced me to important faculty and written references, letters for my postdoctorate applications.” Based on his work and expertise in the field of geophysics, King has been selected by his colleagues at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to collaborate with researchers at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany. King has visited the school several times before, and says he has made a natural connection with the researchers there. Over the next three years, King will be spending much of his summers in Germany, studying cooperatively the movement of the planet’s interior and the cause of deep-focus earthquakes. In addition to the time spent in Germany over the summers, King will also be traveling throughout Europe with his wife and children to visit other colleagues, to see the work they are doing and to discuss his
interactions at the Geoinstitut. According to Lee, this situation is a win-win. King has information and data that the German scholars can use, and the German scholars have lab data that King can use to expand his research. “One person can only do so much, but together they can do greater things,” Lee said. “This is important stuff — helping each other.” “The opportunity to go and do this is great,” said King, “but hopefully we can build on that as well.” His education began at the University of Chicago. He continued at the California Institute of Technology, where he received his doctorate. King then attended Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Hoya, Calif., for his postdoctorate. “I’ve always liked physics,” King said, “and I found in geophysics that with a lot of the classical physics and the classical mechanics. ... It’s easier to visualize what you’re working on.”
Obama’s budget sober on economy KEVIN G. HALL mcclatchy newspapers WASHINGTON — The Obama administration projects rosier economic-growth prospects than most mainstream economists do but foresees a sobering jobless recovery, according to documents released Monday about underlying assumptions in the government’s $3.83 trillion federal budget for 2011. Other documents outlining proposed tax cuts and increases reveal that the administration, concerned about growing income inequality, seeks to pay for a number of programs to help the middle class by taxing the wealthiest Americans and imposing new taxes on corporations, especially those with international operations. The administration created a public relations nightmare for itself last year when it came into power forecasting an optimistic 8 percent unemployment rate. Policymakers then watched in horror as the jobless rate climbed to 10.2 percent before dipping back to 10 percent in December. That mistake isn’t repeated in the budget that President Barack Obama proposed for fiscal 2011, which starts Oct. 1. His head of the Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, said Monday that she thought the jobless rate would stand at 9.8 percent at the close of this year. It won’t feel much better next year. Romer expects an unemployment rate of 8.9 percent late in 2011 and 7.9 percent in late 2012, the final full year of Obama’s term. More than seven million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession began in December 2007. Romer’s assumptions suggest rough sledding for some time to come. “Our projections of the unemployment rate reflect the
particularly severe toll that this recession has taken on the labor market and on American workers,” she said. The administration’s growth projections, important to whether the government collects the revenue it anticipates, are more optimistic. Romer forecast 3 percent growth this year, about where most mainstream economists expect it to be. For the following two years, however, she expects growth of 4.3 percent. “I’m just glad Rosy Scenario has her old job back,” quipped David Wyss, the chief economist for the rating agency Standard & Poor’s in New York. His forecast calls for 3 percent growth in 2011. The good news, he said, is that the administration offered a realistic outlook for the current year and left itself room to backtrack from future projections if it looks as if they were too optimistic. It appears that it will be years before job creation approaches the levels of the previous decade. “Unfortunately, because of the lingering effects of the credit crisis and the accompanying loss of household wealth, the recovery from the current recession is also expected to begin more slowly than in some recoveries in the past,” the administration documents say. Specific proposals to generate revenue will be fought out in the weeks and months ahead. In the administration’s crosshairs for taxation are the finance sector and large multinational corporations. The administration already had signaled that it hoped to raise $90 billion over 10 years by imposing a “financial crisis responsibility fee” on banks to recoup the indirect benefits they reaped from the bailouts over the past two years. Buried deep in the administration’s revenue proposals are additional steps to raise nearly $25 billion over the next decade by closing another loophole that lets,
among others, managers of hedge funds for the ultrawealthy pay a 15 percent capital gains tax on the profits they receive as their compensation for managing the fund. Most Americans who are compensated for their work pay a much higher rate through the tax brackets on ordinary income. To help pay for an expanded child tax credit and other initiatives to aid the struggling middle class, the administration looks to impose new taxes on corporations or to close tax breaks. Excise taxes to pay for environmental cleanup at Superfund sites would be reimposed on corporations to raise about $18.9 billion over 10 years. These taxes were eliminated in 1996. A number of proposals to close corporate tax loopholes and make it harder to hide earnings abroad would raise $465.7 billion over a 10-year window. Many of these target multinational corporations that increasingly earn a greater portion of their profits abroad. A congressional official with jurisdiction on tax matters, speaking anonymously because he wasn’t authorized to talk to journalists, said it was unlikely that many of these business tax proposals would be adopted, however, because they didn’t accompany a broader restructuring of corporate taxation. Taxes now on the rich are likely, he said, because Democrats may not enjoy their comfortable congressional majorities after November’s elections. These measures would raise revenue by repealing tax breaks for families whose adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000. The level for single filers is $200,000. The tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 would be allowed to expire for these wealthier Americans, and they could pay a higher tax on stock market earnings and even be prohibited from the same mortgage-interest deductions that ordinary Americans take.
2Vigil:news Community honors memory of Morgan Harrington february 2, 2010 february 2, 2010
page B new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
DANIEL LIN/SPPS
More than 100 family friends and supporters lined the street bordering the Harrington residence in Roanoke. The vigil included remarks from Morgan’s parents Dan and Gil, and a performance of “Amazing Grace.”
DANIEL LIN/SPPS
TOP RIGHT: (L-R) Dan, Alex and Gil Harrington watch on as Kenny Jarels introduces the next speaker. TOP LEFT: Jan Wylie plays the Native American flute following the ceremony’s closing statements, providing a somber, comforting atmosphere. BOTTOM LEFT: An attendee writes a message in remembrance of Morgan Harrington. from page one
Kenny Jarels helped organize Friday’s vigil, mere months after meeting the Harrington family when joining the search party attempting to find their daughter. “I never knew Dan and Gil until the first search took place in the first part of November,” Jarels said. “I was drawn to them, they were just amazing people. From that point on, it was almost like I had this purpose that I wanted to help them bring Morgan home.” Since then Jarels has grown to know and love the Harrington family. During the vigil, he even joked his next goal is to be adopted by Dan and Gil Harrington. He has become more involved than a simple member of the search team, connecting to people interested in the Harrington case worldwide on the Internet. “We have a Find Morgan Web site that has drawn a lot of interest, and we have a Facebook group. Prior to coming over here, I think we had about 34,000 members,” Jarels said. “There’s something very special about Morgan, that’s what I hear wherever I go. It’s her personality, her smile and it’s just amazing the support and love she has gotten all around the world.” Jarels has also served as a liaison between the Harrington family and the Tech community. An electrical and computer engineering employee at Tech, Jarels said he spends most of his time with the athletics department. Men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg wore a maroon ribbon for Harrington last night during the Hokies’ game against the University of Virginia. Greenberg and other coaches have pitched in to offer their support. “I’ve got so many items from them I have to give (the Harringtons),” Jarels said. “They’ve been so supportive.” He said Greenberg, football coach Frank Beamer and women’s basketball coach Beth Dunkenberger have taken special interest in the Harrington family. “We’ve got great coaches on the field, on the basketball court, but they are even better off the field,” Jarels said. “And times like this, that’s when it shows.” Harrington’s parents thanked the world for its support in their quest to find their daughter and closure in the
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on the web
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Check out the CT’s Web site at www.collegiatetimes.com for a photo gallery of the vigil.
case of her mysterious disappearance. “Thank you so much,” Gil Harrington said. “We have been held up by your love in this catastrophe.” “We could not have survived without you,” she said. Gil said that the discovery of her daughter’s remains had helped to provide a sense of closure. “We have recovered Morgan’s body,” she said, “now we are attempting to recover ourselves.” Dan Harrington said during an emotional statement he has also found solace in Tuesday’s discovery. “This is not the end, but there is some peace in closure,” he said. Dan Harrington thanked the worldwide community for “holding up” his family during the 101 days that his daughter was missing. “This community that has continued to be supportive and show us love and friendship — in this century, I think that has never occurred before,” he said. Dan Harrington said he hopes his daughter’s death will be “not just a death but something that we go forward and remember.” “Though one person killed Morgan,” he said, “there are many people who love Morgan.” Many of those people braved belowfreezing weather to gather together and share their memories and their sorrow. Adriann Lester, a 2009 graduate of the UVa, has known the Harrington family since she played basketball with Morgan’s brother Alex when he was seven years old. “She loved her family,” Lester said. “I loved her family.” Morgan Harrington has been frequently remembered not just for her love of her family but for her love of others. During her high school summers, she volunteered at a camp for children with disabilities, directed by Deborah Duerke, a long-time friend of the Harrington family. “This is an exceptional family,” Duerke said. “They’re something we can all learn from.”
Duerke said the thing she finds more important in light of the recent announcement of Morgan’s death is “to make sure nobody forgets.” Jennifer Henderson, a Tech interdisciplinary studies professor reached by phone Monday, said Morgan Harrington had recently joined the education program in IDST. She was in Henderson’s Women and Creativity class in spring 2009. Henderson remembered Morgan and her work because it was a fairly small class. Henderson recalled Morgan being a talented artist. “She painted a portrait of a woman and infant — it was clear she had a lot of talent. It was a lovely painting.” Hendersoncalledthedeatha“horrible tragic waste of a lovely person.” She also remembered an essay Morgan wrote about becoming a teacher. “I’m sure she would have made a wonderful school teacher,” she said. After those gathered in the Harrington family’s neighborhood joined in a stirring chorus of the song “Let There be Peace on Earth” and a closing prayer, many went forward to write notes of encouragement on poster boards bearing the 2-4-1 symbol, a family phrase that has become a rallying point for those searching for Morgan. The Harrington family traditionally, as they leave the house, says to one another, “I love you too much, forever, and once more.” Those were the last words Morgan Harrington said to her mother Gil Harrington the day she disappeared. “2-4-1 will always be a part of us,” one person wrote, “as will you.” While Friday offered a chance for the community to find closure, Jarels said the search for Harrington’s killer is still a priority. “It’s been an amazing journey,” Jarels said, “but we’re not there yet, because we’ve got to find the guy who did this.” The Associated Press reported that the discovery of Harrington’s remains have generated a new surge of credible leads in the investigation. Authorities are still examining the remains as they continue their investigation. Editor-in-chief Sara Mitchell contributed to this report.
february 2, 2010
page 3
Producer’s latest album “The Colossus” samples wide array of musical styles I
f you had no context about RJD2 going into his latest album, “The Colossus,” then you wouldn’t be sure exactly what to make of the newest stylings of the DJ gone rocker. For any fresh listener, it might even be hard to define what genre the album even fits in. Several different conventions of music are lodged into the 13 tracks; it is an album where jovial, tap-along pop songs such as the finisher, “Walk With Me” are preceded by haunting apocalyptic choirs and the gothic instrumentation of songs like “The Stranger.” In many ways, “The Colossus” embodies the fusion of the past and the future of the producer, who took a turn from producing more hiphop inspired instrumentals to start recording with live instruments and a changing sound in his last album, “The Horror” in 2007. The only thing that really sews “The Colossus” together is the fact that RJD2 is its sole mechanic, and his particular flavor of funk and beat sensibilities offers a certain amount of cohesion. The album kicks off with “Let There Be Horns,” a loud, energetic sojourn that sounds like it took a whole orchestra to record. While the song takes different twists, it still holds strong and keeps the listener engaged in the party atmosphere reminiscent of past anthems such as “Ghost Writer.” In the midst of the overlapping barrage of brass and synth, RJD2 leaves no space for silence and it becomes clear as to what he is trying to showcase throughout the whole album: production. The next track is a slow, somber tune called “Games You Can Win (featuring Kenna).” The smooth R&B quality of the song doesn’t match its predecessor, and this conflict exemplifies the other facet of the record. While the tracks “Let There Be Horns” and “Small Plans” are odes to the type of sound that has projected RJD2 to where he is today, “Games You Can
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Win” looks toward the producer’s ability to compose songs that won’t likely be found in another DJ’s mix any time soon. The detail to production is still apparent, however. On the track, bells and chimes lightly glide over wompy bass clips and RJ makes the listener anticipate what bleep or bloop will come next. “Games You Can Win” is RJD2’s stab at injecting soul into electronica and the rest of the album is not without other musical experimentation. The biggest experiment of all however, is the fact that RJD2 sings on the songs “The Glow” and “Gypsy Caravan.” It marks someone who is very conscious of the importance of writing catchy melodies. Not all of RJD2’s tracks are knockouts, though. Over-production seems to hamper the song “Giant Squid,” where the beat struggles to establish itself over the layers of guitar and keys. And the only rap song on the album,
Album: “The Colossus” Bottom Line: RJD2’s “The Colossus” is a kaleidoscope of musical approaches crafted into an enjoyable listen that has a little something for everyone.
“A Son’s Cycle (featuring The Catalyst, Illogic, and NP),” feels more like a small reminder that RJD2 hasn’t lost his hip-hop instincts than a stroke of ingenuity. In many ways, “The Colossus” demonstrates an artist trying to navigate between the three-minute pop song and the rigid structures of electronica and hip-hop production. It is a collage of styles that ultimately yields to just being RJD2 as he is today. But just because he is stuck somewhere in this musical crisis doesn’t mean that the album is incomplete or lacking. It may not be as awe inspiring as its title suggests, but “The Colossus” is no sleeping giant.
TOPHER FORHECZ -features editor -English major -no longer has huge head of hair
......radio
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4Localfeatures teens produce community-based literary publication editor: topher forhecz featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
february 2, 2010
COLLEGIATETIMES
LIZ NORMENT features reporter When loosely translated, “schmatte” is a Yiddish word for “rag.” To the local art community in the New River Valley, “The Schmatte” is also a monthly publication that showcases a variety of artwork from local contributors. The creators of “The Schmatte,” Kaily Schenker and Cambria Mcmillan-Zapf, began the publication after a trip to New York where they discovered how many free publications were available in the city. This also made them realize how few Blacksburg had. While in New York City, the two stayed in Williamsburg, a neighbor-
“
It’s crudely done on purpose. It’s all handmade and the point is to be different. CAMBRIA MCMILLAN-ZAPF “THE SCHMATTE” CO-CREATOR
hood in Brooklyn. “It was such a close-knit community and they had some notable pulications that inspired us,” McmillanZapf said. “We realized there was a need in our area for something similar.” Mcmillan-Zapf and Schenker put together the first issue of “The Schmatte” in September after asking for contributions from family and friends. “We just told people what our idea was and asked for help,” Schenker said. “We wanted to provide Blacksburg with a not-too-serious forum for art, and they liked the idea.” For the two girls, who have been friends all their lives, committing to creating a monthly publication was a bold endeavor. McMillan-Zapf, who is 17 years old, travels from Roanoke by the Smart Bus to see Schenker, 14. Neither has a car nor Internet access at home. They are both home-schooled, which has been advantageous in working out schedules. “It’s allowed me to spend more of my time pursuing other interests, which I love,” Mcmillan-Zapf said. In addition to their budding editorial careers, the girls are involved with numerous other creative endeav-
PAUL KURLAK/SPPS
Kaily Moon Schenker and Cambria Mcmillan-Zapf work on their monthly publication, “The Schmatte,” which they put together by hand on the 4th floor of Newman Library.
check it out
[ ] “The Schmatte” can be picked up at multiple locations in Blacksburg, including Bollo’s, More than Coffee and MishMish. To contribute, contact Mcmillan-Zapf and Schenker at theschmatte@yahoo.com.
ors. Mcmillan-Zapf, who has been dancing all her life, is a ballerina with the Southwest Virginia Dance Company. Schenker has aspirations to be a professional cello player, and the two make up two-thirds of the Granden Trio, a classical music group that they also formed independently. Mcmillan-Zapf and Schenker also
host a show on WUVT FM once a week. Being so involved in the community helps to give them inspiration for the “The Schmatte.” “It’s almost like creating a little community itself, giving people a chance to have their art in something who wouldn’t necessarily have it displayed anywhere else,” Schenker said. The publication itself is very simple in composition, with a basic layout of black photocopies stapled together. “It’s crudely done on purpose. It’s all handmade and the point is to be different,” Mcmillan-Zapf said. “At first we weren’t sure how it would be received, but we’re very pleased.” Every month on the full moon, “The Schmatte” is published and
consists of a diverse collection of contributors ranging from drawings by Schenker’s six-year-old brother to art from Virginia Tech students. The idea was to have a more tangible connection among people in an environment where more commonly, connections are made through social networking Web sites. “We made ‘The Schmatte’ to challenge the facade of social interaction, to make its existence more of a reality,” Mcmillan-Zapf said. “‘The Schmatte’ challenges that with a neighborhood feel.” To Mcmillan-Zapf, “The Schmatte” is built from ideas in the community. “We want it to be a cooperative,” she said, “a part of the community. It’s an idea. We are ‘The Schmatte’ and ‘The Schmatte’ is everyone.”
PAUL KURLAK/SPPS
The girls make the magazine, which showcases local artwork, by using glue, scissors and staples for a scrapbook-like publication.
opınıons 5
editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
february 2, 2010
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Your Views [letter to the editor]
Dining hall name could honor alum
I
am writing in response to “Dining center planned behind McBryde” (CT, Jan. 29). I am enthusiastic about the plans for the new building. However, the name is most disappointing. The title “Academic and Student Affairs Building” is wholly inadequate. It is bland, hopelessly administrative and shows a lack of imagination on the part of the housing staff. In order to fix this problem, I propose a new name. Currently, Tech has the honor of having the most Medal of Honor recipients among its alumni, outside of West Point. Out of
these seven men, only three (1st Lt. Jimmie W. Monteith Jr., Sgt. Herbert J. Thomas and 2nd Lt. Robert E. Femoyer) have been honored with buildings on campus. The other four (Capt. Antoine A.M. Gaujot, Col. Julien E. Gaujot, Sgt. Earle D. Gregory and 1st Lt. Richard Thomas Shea Jr.) have not yet been honored in this way. Since the new facility will have a section that is devoted to serving the corps of cadets, it would be fitting and wholly deserving for the building that will serve the corps and university to honor one of its most distinguished alumni.
Cadet Nathan J. Holcomb freshman MCT CAMPUS
[from the sga]
A
s students at Virginia Tech, our tuition is expected to rise around 9 percent a year for the next four years. In these dire economic times, making college accessible to all is even more critical for the future of the commonwealth. The state legislature does not understand how important Tech is to the health and growth of the commonwealth. College is not accessible and affordable to all, and more and more students are struggling to meet ends meet. More students are being forced to have a job (or two) and still try to have time to study. Virginia ranks No. 40 in terms of how supportive the state is to higher education. Tech is disproportionally funded. According to the Government Relations office, Tech receives less than 25 percent of our $1.05 billion operating budget from the state. In 1999, that number was more than 50 percent. The average spending by the state per student nationally is $7,059. In Virginia that number is $5,805. Salaries are being frozen, people are being laid off, and classroom size is being forced to expand. The best and brightest teachers are able to find jobs elsewhere, because we cannot simply afford to pay them what they deserve. However, that is not even the bad news. It’s not even close. Before Gov. Kaine left office he proposed a tax on public university auxiliary funds as a means of putting money back into the general fund deficit. These are the student fees that every student pays in order to better our school academically and structurally. The school sets our student fees at a certain price, and that money goes toward different aspects of our collegiate experience. If this bill goes through, it will give the state unprecedented power over public institutions.
We currently have reserve funds that are supposed to help support the health and growth of Tech. Some members of the General Assembly believe they are entitled to our money. The proposed budget seizes $18.8 million or roughly 5 percent of each school’s auxiliary funds. Unlike general fund dollars, which originate from state appropriations, these auxiliary funds are made up of money raised by the schools from student fees. Students and parents, who are continuing to struggle to afford a college education, paid these fees to their institution to ensure that each school could have revenue for projects that were not eligible to receive general fund dollars. These funds were also used to secure good accounting practices and to cover unexpected financial problems (such as a leaking roof in the dining hall). Here is the good news: SGA is sponsoring the most students in the history of student government to lobby in Richmond to protest this “tax” and show those in Richmond that higher education plays an integral role in the commonwealth. We need to let Gov. McDonnell know that we cannot stand for this and amendments to Gov. Kaine’s proposed budget must be made. On Feb. 3, more than 50 students will make history by heading to Richmond to carry this very strong message. Want to know how you can get involved? Contact Brittany Anderson, SGA director of government affairs, at baa526@vt.edu or myself at brandoncarroll@ vt.edu.
BRANDON CARROLL -sga president -senior -financial planning major
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Black History Month at the college level?
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Value of brotherhood in fraternity experience A
s we enter the third week of the semester, we find ourselves at the start of the fraternity recruitment or rush period. This is a time when the different IFC fraternities officially recruit members into their respective brotherhoods. You may have already seen the A-frames, and over the next few days, you will see banners, flyers and newspaper ads. One of the challenges is that many male students do not understand the whole fraternity process and have been impacted by the stereotypical image of fraternity life. This stereotype is shaped by the scenes ranging from “Animal House” to the “Greek” TV show, where fraternities are seen as just about parties, alcohol and girls. I admit that I was one of those who, as an undergraduate, never really understood the Greek system. At my alma mater, the Greek system seemed so exclusive and controlling of key aspects of student life. When I, as a non-Greek, wanted to get involved, I was rebuffed because I wasn’t Greek. When I came to Virginia Tech, I came across a Greek system that was very different and more inclusive. I learned from my Resident Advisors as well as my graduate assistants that were also members of Greek organizations. As I learned more, my own biases started to change. At that time eight years ago, I was approached by a brother in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity to serve as its faculty adviser. It turns out that I had known several of the brothers, as they had been past residents in Pritchard. I agreed and that started a process in which I became fully integrated with the Greek system. It completely changed my perspective and professional career. I would be subsequently initiated as a brother and the rest is now history. This experience of being a part of a brotherhood is a powerful one,
and we can see this not only in fraternities but also in other groups, such as athletic teams. Society often dictates that men can’t have meaningful relationships or that college-aged men are not focused enough. I learned from my days in Pritchard about the power that male role models could have on college men and how being intentional and proactive in programming can make a difference. The same can be said of the power of sisterhood for the sororities. I have found that the bond of brotherhood is a valuable one as it has helped me to grow as an individual and also as a man. The fraternity has allowed me to develop meaningful relationships not only within the brotherhood, but also with fraternity alumni. It has allowed me to learn more about the organization and has increased my involvement on the national level. I am not alone with this experience, as there are other members of the Tech faculty and staff that are brothers in their respective |fraternities. With so many different fraternities on campus, it can be daunting for college men to make a decision and to decide why being a part of a fraternity is important. As with any organization, you want to be a part of a group in which you are welcomed. Unfortunately, the value of being a member of a fraternity appears to be diminishing on college campuses. In fall 2009, only 325 men accepted bids to join these groups. That number is extremely low compared to the potential available at Tech. Based on conversations with advisers and members in other groups, most of the organizations are facing challenges in their recruitment of new members. From my vantage point, the main factor is that we have lost the ability to communicate effectively about what it means to be a part of a frater-
nity brotherhood. If we can’t effectively communicate the value and importance of the experience, then other factors begin to influence the decision. Among these other factors are the issues of cost involved and the stereotype of “buying your friends.” Most, if not all, chapters have requirements for dues. These dues are used to pay expenses associated with the national organization, such as insurance and other expenses of the chapter. The stereotype is false, because why would you want to join a group where you don’t know anyone? There are many advantages to being in a fraternity or related Greek-letter organization that include building deep bonds of brotherhood, learning from alumni and enhancing leadership skills. I have learned a lot from my experience as we have come together as a fraternal family. As brothers, we have suffered when one of us has lost loved ones, we have celebrated each other’s accomplishments, and have been there to support each other. As a family, we have had our disagreements, but as a family, we as brothers come together and move forward. Just as my perspective was changed, I would encourage students to think about the fraternity experience. Not all fraternities are the same, and I would encourage you to learn more about them. As this fraternity recruitment period begins, I encourage you to think about learning about these groups. I will always treasure my experience as an adviser and brother in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.
RAY PLAZA -regular columnist -faculty adviser
f Washington has not realized the significanceofthethreelatestgubernatorial elections and the downturn of President Barack Obama’s approval ratings, it should fast track its learning curve before the midterm elections later this year. Nationwide, a trend seems to be prevailing above and beyond historical precedent — moderates hold the true power in determining outcomes of elections, and thus, our nation’s future. Knowing this, it would behoove the Washington veterans to tailor their policies to fit the majority of the American people, rather than catering and pandering to lobbyists as they have done in the past. Could the new movement in American politics be the impetus for the diffusion of the two-party system that has kept us divided and polarized for centuries? And if it does, what does that mean for the future of politics in America? In his farewell address in 1796, President George Washington warned of the perils that lie in the two-party system for the governing body of our country. He used words like “animosity,” “corruption” and “ill-founded jealousy” to describe what would come to fruition if the two-party system prevailed. Thus far, his predictions have proven uncan-
ny in their accuracy. The political climate in our country has embodied all of these characteristics for decades, regardless of the party in power. For many of us, the situation seems hopeless; solutions, such as term limits for senators, while a step in the right direction, cannot provide us the long-term resolve that our country so desperately needs. Yet latest political trends have revealed a new paradigm shift: Moderates are gaining power. In the presidential election of 2008, only approximately 57 percent of the nation’s population voted. Statistically, we can see that the candidates in modern elections are simply irrelevant to the majority of American people. For those who lack enthusiasm for modern elections, it can often be traced back to extremist agendas that have become the staple of politics in America. Where are the candidates who address core issues that affect every American, not just a narrow group? What we can expect from a moderate that we cannot expect from a Republican or Democrat is a freedom to pursue courses of action that do not necessarily adhere to a certain set of predetermined mantras orchestrated by a political party. Thus, the obligation to the people
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Appeal to moderation should be present in Washingtion I
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supersedes all others. Lobbyists and party loyalty have no place in national politics. Rather, we should demand a loyalty to the American people as a whole from our candidates. Decades of majority rule by both parties have proven that the more dominated Washington is by one group or another, the more astray the country seems to be led. In a time where we constantly look to leadership for inspiration and are consistently disappointed with every viable elect chosen, a change is truly in order. For Washington, this means someone who shuns party politics and embraces a move toward the middle. Thus far, Washington has not responded accordingly. Therefore, the responsibility to change the way we live lies with the people. Rather than furthering the same cycle of extremist party politics and polarized alliances, let us find solution in moderation.
BROOKE LEONARD -regular columnist -sophomore -economics major
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ACROSS 1 Weary comment 5 Rx’s 9 By oneself 14 Square fare? 15 Film beekeeper 16 Defunct flier with a blue-globe logo 17 Links goals 18 Laundry room device 20 “Four Quartets” poet 22 Leavening agent 23 Havana residue 24 Organ with a hammer 25 Some daisies 27 Nonmember’s club amenity 30 “__ Beso”: Anka song 31 Printer brand 32 Cone maker 33 Zoomed 34 Place for a dip on the road 38 __-date: current 41 Harem chamber 42 Like Homo sapiens 46 Arafat’s gp. until 2004 47 Patient strategy 50 Jones or Johnson 52 West in old films 53 Swaying direction 54 Crete peak: Abbr. 55 Mental blackout 57 Indisputable evidence 59 Okra units 61 Mortise’s mate 62 1993 Nobelist Morrison 63 Land east of the Urals 64 Lead singer with The Police 65 Graceful molding 66 Dorm unit, and word that can follow each word in 18-, 27-, 34-, 47- and 57Across DOWN 1 Roadie’s load 2 Prepares, as leftovers 3 Heron habitats
By Bruce Venzke
4 “Anything __?” 5 Stan “The Man” of baseball 6 Matador’s opponent 7 Insect repellent ingredient 8 Triton’s realm 9 Perform on stage 10 “__ Theme”: “Doctor Zhivago” melody 11 Basic dance 12 Ilie of tennis 13 Ambulance initials 19 Rescued damsel’s cry 21 “... __ man put asunder” 23 Some lie about theirs 25 Partner of hop and jump 26 Groundskeeper’s buy 28 Artsy Manhattan area 29 Key equivalent to B 33 Punch hard 35 Without exception 36 Falco of “The Sopranos” 37 “Gosh”
2/2/10 Monday’s Puzzle Solved
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38 Co. with brown uniforms 39 Nose-dive 40 Trattoria dessert 43 Crime family member 44 Medium with much talk 45 Prefix with natal 47 Walking in the shallows 48 Protected by shots, perhaps
2/2/10
49 Family nickname 51 F-series camera maker 55 Bug-eyed 56 Practice on canvas 57 Bourbon et al.: Abbr. 58 Pontiac in a ’60s hit song 60 “Casablanca” pianist
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sports 7 february 2, 2010
Hokies lose despite day of upsets
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MCDERMOTT/SPPS
Tech freshman Brian Stephens (left) and junior Chris Diaz (right) wrestle against the No. 7 Central Michigan University Chippewas on Friday. Stephens, unranked, defeated No. 11 Tony D’Alie 12-7 in a major upset. NICK CAFFERKY
Men’s basketball team still in favorable position in ACC M
uch like the Cavalier supporters who retreated to the exits of John Paul Jones Arena in the final moments of the Hokies’ overtime win over Virginia Thursday night, so did the plethora of questions surrounding Seth Greenberg’s team. The Hokies’ resilient, persistent play Thursday night was the definition of scrappy. Every time the Cavaliers pinned the visitors, Tech was able to kick out. Up until this season, the Greenberg era has been marred by last-minute comebacks and half-court buzzer-beaters. You have yet to see that this season. There is a certain sense of composure that has not been felt or witnessed for years now. This team is able to exert selfcontrol and get the job done in late-game situations. The win at Virginia marked the second straight game in which the Hokies pulled a win out of the fire in the final minutes of the game. But this is not a trend that commenced with one-point win over Boston College at home a week and a half ago. See Penn State. See Seton Hall. See Delaware (although many would choose to ignore that one). All three wins for the Hokies either went down to the wire in regulation or were decided in overtime. Tech has yet to lose a game by less than five points and that defeat, which came at the hands of Florida State in Tallahassee two and a half weeks ago, saw the Hokies trail by double-digits for most of the contest. But the win in Charlottesville was by far the most important of any of the Hokies’ nail-biting victories this season merely because it was a conference victory that came on the road, something that is never taken for granted by any coach of a power conference program. If I had been told to guess the outcome of Thursday night’s game after watching the first 15 minutes of play, I would have bet my soul that Virginia would go to win comfortably. Then, straight out of a Tech thirtysecond timeout, freshman Erick Green hit a three-point shot on which he was heavily guarded. It all seemed to come together for the Hokies during the final five minutes of the first half. Everything thrown up seemed to fall for the visiting team. After Green’s shot cut the Cavaliers lead to nine, the Hokies went on a 15-5 run with Dorenzo Hudson and garnered a onepoint lead heading into halftime. If I was then given a chance to redeem myself and predict the end result following Jeff Allen’s ejection over a flagrant
“
The more plays we make for each other, the more trust that develops... it’s a process. SETH GREENBERG HEAD COACH
foul, which came early in the second half amidst a Cavalier 7-0 run, I still wouldn’t have given Tech the benefit of the doubt. Virginia knew exactly where to hit Tech the moment that Allen began to head for the locker room too — down low. The Hokies had immense trouble defending the Cavaliers’ low-post threat Mike Scott before Allen’s departure. But following the ejection, the 6’8” Scott and senior center Jerome Meyinsse were fed continually and both ended up producing ACC career-high scoring efforts. Despite exiting at the 13:41 mark in the second half, Allen still ended up leading the Hokies in rebounds with seven on the night. Malcolm Delaney continued his periodic acting jobs and panhandling for foul calls. Victor Davila continued to bobble the basketball in the key at crucial points in the game. Hudson continued to take too many shots, many of which seemed almost completely unguided. At times, the defense was less than stellar and Virginia was left with several chances for open threes, many of which, luckily for Tech, did not fall. The Hokies still managed to stay in the game and found a way to prevail, thanks in large part to the 17-point, eight rebound performance by J.T. Thompson, who came off the bench and notched seven of Tech’s 11 overtime points. “The more plays we make for each other, the more trust that develops,” Greenberg said following Thursday night’s game. “It’s a process. We haven’t gotten it fixed. We were very, very fortunate.” Don’t let the loss to Miami deter you from believing this Tech team is anything less than above-average in the ACC. Every result must be perceived in terms of ability. The Hokies never had a chance to win Sunday’s game. In fact, the game almost seemed like a rerun of the Florida State game when the Hokies trailed by double-digits for much of the game. They then slowly crept back into the contest with some clutch shooting, only to see the clock expire before they could catch up to the opponent. Too little too late. But even though the two losses in
Florida were anticlimactic in nature and everybody watching either game could sense right away that it was going to be a long day for the Hokies, nobody on the floor ever quit for the maroon and orange. When Miami comes out and shoots over 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc, it’s going to be a long day for any team. Hurricane guards James Dews and Malcolm Grant seemed nothing short of automatic; that’s all there is to it. You watch Duke effortlessly lose to Georgetown. You watch North Carolina’s at-large berth jeopardized. And you watch almost the entire conference play musical chairs week after week for spots in the backend of the top 25 poll. And you realize there is no dominance. There is not one matchup between any two of the 12 teams in the ACC right now in which a clear-cut favorite could be deemed. The upcoming week is perhaps the most pivotal of any this season for Tech. The Hokies host North Carolina and Clemson, both of which have struggled of late and defeated Tech at Cassell last season. Seth Greenberg will be the first to tell you that an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, especially one earned in the ACC, hinges on whether or not a team can win its conference home games. The Tar Heels have lost four of their last five including a 15-point thrashing by that same Virginia team in Chapel Hill two nights ago. Clemson ended a three-game skid Sunday night with a big win over Maryland. It is not a huge stretch of the imagination to picture this Tech team with 18 wins under its belt, come Saturday, February 6th — a whole month and eight games before the end of the regular season. Two wins away from the magic conference number of 20 in early February would put this team well on pace to produce an overall record that would evoke memories of 1995-96 and 197273. These are two of Tech’s most successful campaigns, both in terms of regular and postseason play, in school history.
ED LUPIEN -sports reporter -senior -communication major
sports staff writer After winning its last four matches prior to its meet against No. 7 Central Michigan, the Virginia Tech wrestling team had climbed to No. 19 in the national rankings. However, despite a pair of shocking upsets, that streak ended on Friday night at the hands of the Chippewas, 21-17. The meet kicked off with the 125pound weight class and Tech’s No. 14 Jarrod Garnett was matched against No. 9 Matt Steintrager. While Garnett earned a late takedown in the match, it wasn’t enough to overcome an early 5-0 deficit, as the sophomore lost, 7-4. After Garnett’s loss, which put the Hokies down 3-0, the outlook of the meet didn’t seem any better. Tech sophomore Brock LiVorio was dominated by No. 9 Scotti Sentes in a 13-0 major decision to put the Hokies in a 7-0 hole. “We were underdogs in both of those matches. I thought maybe the 125 might give us a spark, but we didn’t get the spark. I expected to be down going into the 141,” Tech head coach Kevin Dresser said. Tech’s first ray of hope came with No. 10 Chris Diaz’s performance in the 141-pound class. Defeating his opponent to finally get the team on the board, Diaz won 7-4 thanks to a quick start in the first round that gave him a 4-1 lead. Diaz’s win would be the first of four straight matches Tech would win.
The meet took an interesting turn in the next match when a heavy underdog, Tech freshman Brian Stephens defeated No. 11 Tony D’Alie despite going down 3-0 in the second round. Stephens finished the second round with a pair of takedowns to tie things up and got another takedown with a three-point near fall to finish a run of nine straight points. Another late takedown all but sealed the shocker as Stephens went on to win 12-7 with an impressive upset. “It was so exciting,” Stephens said. “That last few seconds, I was just kind of watching the clock. I can’t really describe the feeling.” After No. 4 Jesse Dong discarded his opponent, Donnie Corby, with a 10-0 major decision, Tech was looking at another underdog situation in the next match. Hokies’ unranked redshirt junior Matt Epperly stepped to the mat to face the Chippewas’ 17th-ranked Tyler Grayson in the 165-pound match that followed. Epperly started the match going down 2-1, but earned a takedown to end the first round up 3-2. Another takedown gave Epperly a 6-3 advantage in the second round, and after a very nerve-racking but scoreless final round, Epperly pulled off Tech’s second big upset of the night. “Usually in the third period I have a bad habit of not trying to score and keep things dull, but I kept pushing the pace and trying to score,” Epperly said. “I knew I was tired, but I knew he was even more tired.”
After the Hokies began the meet in a 7-0 hole, they came out on the other end four matches later with a 13-7 lead. The Hokies’ streak ended with the next pair, however, as Tech’s Taylor Knapp, who was bumped up two weight classes, was no match for the Chippewas’ No. 10 Ben Bennett. Knapp lost to Bennett in a 10-0 major decision. While Tech was able to get those points right back with No. 19 Tommy Spellman’s 13-2 major decision over Dillon Kern, its luck soon ran out. Just as it seemed that the Hokies might pull off another big win this year, the upper weight classes proved to be the team’s kryptonite yet again. At 197 pounds, Tech freshman Chris Penny went down in an 8-0 major decision to Eric Simaz. Following Penny’s loss, the Hokies were forced to forfeit the heavyweight class, giving CMU’s third-ranked Jarod Trice a victory and allowing the Chippewas to squeak away with the comeback and the dual win. “We are just really young at the 197 and heavyweight,” Dresser said. “I knew we needed to have a pretty substantial lead going into the 197 to have a chance to win the dual.” The Hokies next meet was supposed to be Sunday against Duke at Deep Run High School, but it was canceled due to the snowstorm. The meet will be made up on Friday, Feb. 12 at Duke to cooperate with the Hokies’ subsequent match at NC State on Feb. 13.
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february 2, 2010