Friday, February 5, 2010 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

On their Heels Hokies win 74-70. look online for full coverage

ROY T. HIGASHI/SPPS

Friday, February 5, 2010

An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

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COLLEGIATETIMES 107th year, issue 12

News, page 2

Features, page 4

Opinions, page 5

Sports, page 11

Classifieds, page 10

Location Ice Castle of body deemed critical

VTU posts upcoming semester’s schedule LIANA BAYNE

GORDON BLOCK

news reporter

news reporter Police are calling for the public to “educate them” on the area where the remains of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington were found. In a briefing Thursday afternoon with reporters outside of the Virginia State Police Area Office in Charlottesville, State HARRINGTON Virginia Police Lt. Joe Rader outlined details of a potential relationship between an assailant and the Anchorage Farm site where Harrington was found. “You know what goes on there,” Rader said, referring to the local residents. “You know the history. You know who goes in and out of the vicinity.” Rader also announced the creation of a new hotline dedicated to specific information about the Anchorage Farm location. According to Rader, those responsible for the crime may have had a formal connection to the farm property. He said their past experiences led them to return to the area to leave Harrington’s body. “The person responsible for this felt it was the most important place to be in this high time of stress, and the reality is that’s where Morgan’s body was found,” Rader said. Rader added that the decision to leave a body at the location would pose a significant risk to those without prior knowledge of the area, pointing out the property’s difficult terrain that featured fences and streams. “You could not have just walked in there, without being able to negotiate things you’d be unfamiliar with,” Rader said. Rader pointed out the challenges of moving a body to its final resting place, which sits a “considerable distance” from any major roadway including Route 29, a highway that borders the property. “You’d have to be familiar with the layout,” Rader said. He was confident that residents around the Anchorage Farm area could supply leads for the investigation. Rader said no arrests had been made in the case, and that no determination had been made on the cause or time of Harrington’s death. Virginia State Police confirmed Wednesday that Harrington’s death was a homicide. Harrington, a 20-year-old junior education major, went missing Oct. 17, 2009 while attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena, about 10 miles away from the southern Albemarle County property. She was last seen hitchhiking on the Copeley Road Bridge, less than a half a mile from the arena. A mass service for Harrington will take place today at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Roanoke, Va., at 3:30 p.m. A reception at the Hotel Roanoke is scheduled after the service. The service is open to the general public. Those with information about the Anchorage Farm location are asked to call the new Virginia State Police tip line at 434-709-1685. Individuals with information on the Morgan Harrington case are asked to call 434352-3467.

Sudoku, page 10

Sep 25 @ Boston College

Virginia Tech Union, the largest student programming organization, announced its spring entertainment schedule this week. Tonight, VTU will sponsor an acoustic cafe in Johnston Student Center from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The event is free and open to any student who wishes to perform. Other acoustic cafes, all on Fridays, will be held on March 19, April 2 and April 23. On Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m., astronaut Fred Haise will speak in Squires Student Center’s Haymarket Theatre about the idea that failure is not an option. Winterfest, a free indoor carnival, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Squires Commonwealth Ballroom. There will be moon bounces, magicians and games. The carnival is family-oriented and open to the public. Businesses and student organizations that would like to have a booth at the festival can sign up through Feb. 18. Four films will also be shown in February. “Where the Wild Things Are” will be shown on Friday, Feb. 5. “New Moon,” based on the popular novel by Stephanie Meyer, will play on Friday, Feb. 12 as well as Saturday, Feb. 13. “Pirate Radio” will run on Friday, Feb. 19 and the most recent Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog” will be shown on Saturday, Feb. 20. Other movies will be shown later in the semester, including “Sherlock Holmes,” on March 19. All films will run from 8 p.m. until about 10 p.m. The cost is $2 for students and $3 for non-students. Other notable events coming up this semester include several musical performances. Grammy-nominated gospel singer Kim Burrell will perform in Burruss Hall on Saturday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 for students and $20 for non-students. Dominic Gaudios, a classical guitarist who also plays exotic instruments such as the Australian didgeridoo, will perform on Monday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Burruss Hall. Tickets are $7 for students and $20 for non-students. On Wednesday, April 14, Michael Lang, one of the creators of the Woodstock music festival, will speak about his experiences. The event will be held in Haymarket Theatre in Squires at 7:30 p.m. Soundfest, a free showcase of local bands, will be held on Friday, April 30 in the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires. The bands have not yet been announced. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Saturday, May 1, VTU will celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Oct 2 @ NC State

UPCOMING VTU EVENTS

PAUL KURLAK/SPPS

A tractor plows the area in front of Cassell Coliseum during last week’s winter storm, clearing campus roads and sidewalks.

Procedures put to the test during heavy snow season PHILIPP KOTLABA university news editor Each time wintry weather blankets the area and students cross their fingers for the cancellation of class, a key group of Virginia Tech officials grapple with the decision of whether to open the university. “Nobody is ever happy. It’s either we should have cancelled and we didn’t, or we didn’t cancel and we should have,” Vice President for Administrative Services Sherwood Wilson said. “You make the best decision that you can.” The Virginia Tech Police Department compiles much of the information about impending weather forecasts from sources including the National Weather Service, the town of Blacksburg, the Virginia State Police, and the Montgomery County Sheriff. Tech police then give Wilson a call. “There are a number of check offs they need to do,” Wilson said. It also depends on any events occurring on the Tech campus, such as special exams. Then, if class should be cancelled, Wilson calls Provost Mark McNamee, who then notifies President Charles Steger. see WEATHER / page two

JONATHAN PIPPIN/SPPS Powder flies as multiple snowball fight combatants aim and fire last week. A storm expected to blanket the area Friday is the third winter weather system to affect the Blacksburg area during this semester.

Midwinter’s Dance takes weeks of winter to prepare

2010 Football Schedule Sep 6 vs. Boise State Sep 11 vs. James Madison Sep 18 vs. East Carolina

The GERMAN Club has announced the theme for this season’s ball, “An African Adventure,” which will take place Feb. 6. photo by jonathan pippin

Oct 9 vs. Central Michigan

Friday, Feb. 5 - 8 p.m. -VTU Film: Where The Wild Things Are

Oct 16 vs. Wake Forest

Friday, Feb. 12 - 8 p.m. -VTU Film: New Moon

Oct 23 vs. Duke

Thursday, Feb. 25 - 7:30 p.m. -Astronaut Fred Haise speaks

Nov 4 vs. Georgia Tech

Saturday, Feb. 27 - 1 p.m. - Winterfest

Nov 13 @ North Carolina Nov 20 @ Miami

Friday, March 19 - 8 p.m. - VTU Film: Pirate Radio 9 p.m. - Acoustic Cafe

Nov 27 vs. Virginia

Saturday, March 20 - 7:30 p.m. - Lively Arts: Kim Burrell

2 news february 5, 2010

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

Weather: Snow creates tough decisions for university from page one

Wilson and McNamee make the joint determination whether it is appropriate to cancel class. They then make the recommendation to Steger. “The Vice President for Administrative Services works with the provost ... and their various support units ... about everything from the national weather service to the national transit to the Town of Blacksburg,” said university spokesman Mark Owczarski. “Those two individuals use their reach in their areas to collect that information.” The decision can be made overnight, or well in advance. “There’s really no set answer,” Owczarski said. “It depends on the circumstances of what we’re dealing with, but it’s made in collection when the natural flow of things occurs.” Snow has played a larger role than usual this school year. The budget for snow removal, clearing of parking lots, and other actions in response to severe weather is included with the university facilities budget. Facility services has already spent $50,000 of its budget on snow removal this year. A more typical year costs them only $25,000 in snow removal. “I suspect this year we’ll probably be JONATHAN PIPPIN/SPPS over budget by the time spring rolls Above: Members of Virginia Tech’s Corps of Cadets battle civilian students in an annual snowball ﬁght on the Drillﬁeld last week. Below left: A civilian prepares his snowball, around,” Owczarski said. As for the current snowstorms fore- pressing the powder together in his hands. Below right: One lucky civilian found a chunk of ice to heave at the opposition. Classes were merely delayed as a result of the storm. casted for Friday, “the process has already begun,” he said. Wilson spoke to the National Weather Service Thursday afternoon. “We’ve been modeling this thing all day,” Wilson, who had just spoken with the National Weather Service, said. “The best prediction right now is that it’s going to be primarily a snow event. The plan is to assess the situation at 5 in the morning. If those conditions at the time warrant a delay or closing we’ll make that decision.” He said 5 a.m. is a crucial time in deciding whether to cancel classes. Input from the Blacksburg Transit also plays a significant role in the decision. “We are very dependent on the BT here because we have so many students living off campus,” Wilson said. “If the BT is having a hard time getting in (to campus) then that’s fairly significant.” “If snow conditions (are such) that people are going to be in jeopardy driving to work, we take that into account,” Wilson said. “All of those things combine into decisions that ultimately get made.” JONATHAN PIPPIN/SPPS JONATHAN PIPPIN/SPPS

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features 3

editor: topher forhecz featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com / 540.231.9865

february 5, 2010

COLLEGIATETIMES

She Said: Going without a car guarantees adventure

he she

SAID

He Said: A bike’s a good bet to get around Blacksburg I

’ve only been pulled over once. To recap: A cop chased me down — not for speeding — but for having expired license plate stickers. Absurd. Did he have a telescope for an eye? Conversely, I’ve only pulled over one person. No, I didn’t steal a squad car and deceive soccer moms. Was it “Take Your Son to Work Day?” My parents are in the education field. In fact, I wasn’t even behind the wheel; I was atop it — well, them. I convinced a sedan that I was the “5-0” while bicycling home one November evening last semester. Strapped to my handlebars was a flashing LED headlight, and after several identical turns behind the vehicle, it veered over to the curb. Confused, I slowly passed the driver. From an open window, he asked, “Officer, what did I do wro — Oh!” Naturally I laughed, and he delayed hitting the gas for what I suspect was embarrassment. It was one more reason to cherish my Schwinn, which has afforded me such efficiency and some health. For example, the Kent Street hill

lights legs on fire. And the puzzlepiece parking garage rising in the Prices Fork Lot has only further galvanized my support for alternative transportation in Blacksburg. After all, it is a shame that one of the top design schools in the nation has to stare at it from its rear windows. The 2008 Virginia Tech Office of Transportation Survey gauged the traveling experiences of 1,713 students, faculty and staff. Asked if there was too much car traffic on campus, “somewhat agree” and “strongly agree” formed nearly 75 percent of the responses. Yet, 77 percent said a personal vehicle is their main means of getting to and from campus. That’s a bit of a conundrum. I’m not entirely discounting the necessity of the car, however. Two axles make sense for the fraction that lives outside town. Even within Blacksburg certain tasks call for a whip, such as intense grocery shopping or packing weekend drunkards like sardines to prevent their use of sidewalks as mattresses. But for the simple daily treks, many people could afford to keep their keys on the hook. Using the Web site called “Map My Ride,” I checked the travel distances to cam-

pus from three well-populated living complexes: The Village, Terrace View and Roanoke Street Apartments. Only Terrace View crested one mile and by the thinnest hair. Think back to the mile “run” in high school. People, you and I, could keep a sloth’s pace yet still clock in less than 20 minutes. Driving to campus, wandering the crowded lanes like a taunted lab rat, parking crookedly and walking to “X” building takes arguably the same amount of time. And leaving usually isn’t a breeze. The Bike, Bus, & Walk program through Parking Services gets you 15 free daily permits. So whether it’s a twisted ankle or rain, you still have that backup. Maybe most importantly, you save $136, which could go toward 10 cases of Natty or more responsibly, a bicycle. And there are definitely bicyclists who appear to have taken their training wheels off the previous day. We’ve all witnessed countless near misses and several embarrassing collisions because riders assume they’re magically as skinny as the frame on which they sit. Maybe those folks should give up and strap their pedals to the bus rack. The BT crowds can be over-

whelming, yes, but sacrifice a couple minutes buried in someone’s noxious armpit to curb the truly harmful exhaust fumes. You drop $50 for it in your tuition, and they don’t do non-user refunds. The surge of terrible weather this past month has made really any commute unbearable. When walking, I silently honor ancient Neanderthals who donned only togas of animal skins and didn’t have SmartWool socks or, you know, houses. Similar conditions are throughout much the world today, and that perspective makes the supposed inconveniences of alternative transportation quite tolerable. Imagine if we strolled to campus with the same enthusiasm as is displayed by thirsty streetwalkers who appear on Friday nights. The air would be cleaner and the architecture students might have one fewer Tech building to scoff at. You wouldn’t mistake me for the police, either.

RYAN ARNOLD -features reporter -senior -communication major

Once while purchasing a textbook, I showed my ID through the plastic cover in my wallet to the cashier. “Don’t worry,” I said to her. “It’s me. Nobody would fake a permit.” Yes, that’s right: I’m 23 years old and I don’t have a driver’s license. For living in a nation that’s constantly in motion, my lack of a license is a strict faux pas. My parents and grandparents constantly remind me that I need to “grow up” and learn to drive. I feel like I know how to drive. Regularly, I have dreams where I’m cruising down the highway, completely in control. Then, the dreams turn into nightmares because the clutch is stuck and I careen into oncoming traffic. I wake up drenched in sweat. And although I can’t just pick up and go to the mall whenever I want, this reliance on alternate forms of transportation has led me to appreciate just getting somewhere. Most of my longer journeys require some effort and planning to get exactly where I need to go. Before going anywhere new, I meticulously plan out bus routes, layover times, subway maps and just how much to tip a cabby. I figure out how far I’m going to walk, where I’m going to have a coffee and how not to look like a completely stupid tourist. I’ve become resourceful. In the end, the thing I’ve realized is that I’ve had some interesting travel experiences just because I wasn’t strapped inside an automotive box. Because of my limited mobility, I end up flying frequently. In the confines of tiny single-engine planes, I’ve often found myself chatting to my neighboring passenger, whom I often let have the armrest out of courtesy. One man I sat beside on the way to Atlanta divulged — in detail — how his wife was currently in labor and how excited, yet deathly afraid he was to be fathering his first child. He smiled, he cried, he poured out theories of life and existence. Although I should have been awkward with a stranger, I didn’t feel that way. His ideas captivated me, and the few hours on the plane seemed like minutes. I offered him as much encouragement as I possibly could and extended more kindness than I ever have with someone I didn’t know.

Once we got off the plane, I saw him a few times in the terminal. He wouldn’t even look at me. In Manhattan, I shared a much better moment in my transportation history: I shared an otherwise empty subway car with Kurt Vonnegut. His hair was a mess, and he was clutching a bag of books while staring blankly out the car window. I gaped at him and said nothing. Now that he’s gone, I wish I would have said absolutely anything. In London on a crowded bus, I attempted to communicate with another tourist who was a stunningly blonde, buff guy who spoke no English. Marcus, as he was called, would point at something, name it in German and then laugh. During this episode, Marcus pointed out a few other Americans based on their tans and Uggs boots. An instant later, he looked at me and said, “George Bush,” while making a monkey-like face. After agreeing with him, he decided that I wasn’t a completely ignorant American, and so we spent the night drinking in bars and having fun trying to communicate with points and grunts. I’ve met many more people because of different methods of getting where I need to go. I’ve received a hug from a hobo in Chicago, spoken in-depth with a man who made a living taking photos of people in Central Park, and while traveling by train, listened to some of the best beatboxers I’ve ever heard in my life. Meeting people while either walking or using mass transit has made me realize that when we know we’ll never see the person again, we can better acknowledge each other’s humanity for a brief, glittering moment. Instead of being boxed away behind windshields and separated by plastic or steel, you actually can see and spend time with different people. So the next time you have to go somewhere, consider getting there some other way. Maybe you’ll have a close, but rewarding, encounter with an interesting stranger.

LAKEN RENICK -features staff writer -senior -English major

february 5, 2010

page 4

The Momentary Prophets spread the word at Gillie’s LIZ NORMENT features reporter

TRAVIS CHURCH/SPPS

Before their Feb. 5 show at Gillie’s, The Momentary Prophets performed on WUVT last Wednesday morning.

Manassas-based band The Momentary Prophets finds itself somewhere between memory, dream and prophecy. Or at least this is what the band has said describes its sound. “Those three things are what we are writing about,” said band member Ted Parker, “about the memory of an emotion, about our dreams that both happen as we sleep as well as what we imagine happening. The feeling of prophecy is not in a grand religious context, but just that we envision the world as better than it is right now.” Packard and his other two band members, Jake Hull and Logan Byrd, are all graduates of Christopher Newport University. The three were originally brought together by a shared interest — not in music, but Frisbee. “Ted and I met freshman year,” Hull said. “Within the first week (I) starting playing Frisbee with a group of people which then became a more concentrated group of friends. We decided to live together junior year and that’s when we started interacting musically.” Although each played music individually, the collaboration did not happen initially. “It took an outrageously long time for us to play together,” Packer said, “but really as soon as we did, it was obvious that we were really good together. We went outside and played guitar beneath a tree and something awesome happened.” With the addition of Byrd, the group’s lineup was cemented. While on the road, the three band members play an assortment of instruments such as the acoustic guitar, ukulele, sitar, accordion and organ when performing. But each got his start musically with different instruments. “I played the clarinet in middle school,” Byrd said. “My parents gave me guitar for Christmas in high school, which was a lot cooler in my mind. In recent years I’ve discovered how amazing piano and clarinet are, and I wish I’d been inspired by them in the same way I am with guitar.” The variety of instruments speaks to the band’s dynamic nature, offering a unique experience for audience members each show. “During shows we’re always switching instrumentation,” Hull said. “Sometimes I’m playing guitar and Ted’s playing mandolin, then he’ll switch to hand drum. At this point it’s really exciting because we officially have songs where we all play stand-up bass.” Having a passion for music all their lives, playing professionally together was always a dream for the mem-

TRAVIS CHURCH/SPPS

TRAVIS CHURCH/SPPS Because each member of the group began learning how to play music early on in his life, all of The Momentary Prophets take different duties on the range of instruments that they include in their shows from the ukulele to the sitar.

[

check it out

Where: Gillie’s When: 8 p.m. Cost: Free

]

bers. “It was something I knew I would like to do, but I was always intimidated by taking that chance,” Byrd said. “When the situation presented itself I knew it was the right one.” Three years ago, The Momentary Prophets formed and began to pursue a serious career in music. The decision to be professional musicians was based mostly on the reception the band was receiving from its listeners. “What pushed me really was the people we play for, as much as is

internally for feeling,” Packard said. “There’s almost no reason to make a career out of this were it not for the incredible meaning it has for people who are touched by it and moved by it. I conceptualize it as part of our responsibility. We have this ability to generate emotions in people through music. It’s the most humbling and absurd thing.” For its return trip to Blacksburg, the band will be playing a show at Gillie’s Friday night and is excited to share its music with others. “We want to get more students to come out so we can collaborate on a really energetic experience that’s going to make everyone happier,” Hull said. “It’s going to be a jubilant concert and everyone will leave stoked about life.”

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opınıons 5

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

february 5, 2010

celebrating

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

black history month KATIE BIONDO/COLLEGIATE TIMES

Remember contributions every month, not just one B

lack History Month is every month because there is no month without a significant black history event. The question of whether one month is enough to celebrate black history is possible today because of the success of activist scholars such as Carter G. Woodson, who started it as the Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the week in February that marks both the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln to honor their contributions to the abolition of slavery. From one week to one month is a leap that some may not have imagined possible when Woodson was starting the series because back then, otherwise learned scholars still believed the misinformation from philosophers such as Hegel that African people made no significant contribution to history. It is good to know that the Collegiate Times is asking the rhetorical question whether one month is enough to celebrate the immense contributions of Africans to history. Such a question suggests that there is a genuine desire on the part of students to learn more about Africana people and so they wonder whether one month would be adequate to learn all that they need to know. In a sense, the question suggests that the students already hypothesize that every month is Black History Month. This is a healthy thirst for knowledge that a program such as our Africana Studies Program in the Department of Sociology is here to satisfy with courses on subjects such as Introduction to African American Studies, Introduction to African Studies, African American History, The Black Woman in America, African and Caribbean Literature, The Black Church in America, Race and Social Policy, Special Topics, Africana Contributions to Science and Technology, Africana Research Methods, etc. Students who take five such courses would qualify for a Minor in Africana studies. Such students could demonstrate diversity contents in the education received here at Tech, making

employers look more favorably at them and equipping them with the diversity imagination that they would need to go into business for themselves if they choose. In other words, people should not treat Black History Month events as rituals to be engaged in once a year but as a reminder of the immense contributions that people of African descent have made and continue to make to world history. A skeptic might wonder why we still need to celebrate a Black History Month if every month is indeed Black History Month. Such skepticism can be answered in two ways. First, Black History Month is an African-American gift to the world that has since been internationalized following its adoption by Canada and the U.K. This is something for all Americans to be proud of — an innovation of theirs is becoming a truly international phenomenon. Someday, it may become a global event across the entire world. Second, following the success of Black History Month, other groups have also innovated their specialized history months as opportunities to teach the immense contributions of other racial and ethnic groups to civilization and the enduring problems that others still face in an unequal world. Such spin-offs serve to reassure people of African descent that the commemoration of history by people who were marginalized for a long time — and whose contributions were denied or denigrated — remains a worthwhile endeavor especially given that racial and gender inequalities still persist in addition to problems of poverty that tend to conceal the huge sacrifices and struggles that the marginalized have gone, and are still going, through. The cost that the world paid for the ignorant propaganda that black men and black women made no significant contributions to civilization was that such false notions were used to support systems of racial, gender and class exclusion, oppression and exploitation that caused the world so much grief

and also denied the world the greater contributions that many gifted people from the Africana community could have made for the betterment of all. For instance, so many American students today are getting the opportunity to go to universities and better themselves; such opportunities were reserved for the rich until former enslaved Africans started demanding public funds to be spent on public higher education for the befit of all Americans. According to W.E.B. Du Bois, this demand for land and learning by the Freedmen’s Associations resulted in the public universities that are responsible for the education of a lot of American college students today who could not have afforded the exorbitant costs of private colleges. Although there was a lot of opposition to this demand for publicly funded institutions of higher learning during the era of Black Reconstruction post Civil War, it is now obvious that public higher education does not benefit only black students. Finally, all human beings descended from Africa and so the celebration of Black History Month should be supported by all as an opportunity to learn more about our common heritage. We all should resolve to adhere to the principles of community by avoiding hateful and harmful conducts that are the result of prejudice and ignorance. We should resolve that we will strive to study Black history as part of world history instead of clinging to the false notion that some people have not made significant contributions to civilization. Black History Month is not just for black people, it is for everyone and it is not just a single month, it is every month.

ONWUBIKO AGONZINO -professor of sociology -director of Africana studies program

[ Black History Month Calendar ] Friday, Feb. 5

“Litefoot presents ‘Building Bridges Between Native American and African Americans’” 8 pm, Haymarket Theatre, Squires Student Center Cherokee rapper and motivational speaker Litefoot carries a “message of hope” as he successfully connects what happened historically to Native Americans within the U.S. and how this affects their lives, builds bridges by linking what happened to Blacks and Indians, and raps about issues of race and class. Cost: Free Contact: Paula Marie Seniors, pseniors@vt.edu

Tuesday, Feb. 9

“The Real Coach Carter” 7 pm, Haymarket Theatre, Squires Student Center When famed high school basketball coach Ken Carter literally locked his undefeated, state play-off bound team out of the gym and forced them to hit the books and stop counting on athletic potential as the only ticket out of a tough, inner city life, he sent a powerful message. The film, Coach Carter, based on the lock-out and starring Samuel L. Jackson as the Coach, is just one more testimony to the strength of his convictions. At the podium, Coach Carter scores with hard-hitting advice about accountability, integrity, teamwork and leadership to succeed both on and off the basketball court. Cost: Free Contact: Ashley Davis, davisa06@vt.edu

Thursday, Feb. 11

“The Black Panthers Then and Now” 7 pm, Black Cultural Center, Squires Student Center Excerpts from the movie Panther will be shown followed by a discussion of the rise an fall of the Black Panthers and their significance for today. Cost: Free Contact: Dr. Hayward “Woody” Farrar, hfarrar@vt.edu

Wednesday, Feb. 17

BSA Presents “Dana Gilmore” 7 pm, Haymarket Theatre & Williamsburg Room, Squires Student Center The female poet will deliver a message by sharing freely from her own story. Gilmore believes all of life can be interpreted through her poetry. Cost: Free Contact: Destiny Jackson, Lucky06@vt.edu

Tuesday, Feb. 23

“An Evening with Dr. Bertice Berry” 7 pm, Colonial Hall, Squires Student Center Dr. Bertice Berry, sociologist, author, lecturer and educator will be the February speaker through the National Society of Leadership and Success. She will be streamed live via the internet to Virginia Tech, as the VT community will be among the thousands that will be watching the speech throughout the college campuses. Cost: Free Contact: Ray Plaza, Rp25@vt.edu

Wednesday, Feb. 24

VT Black History Month about more than just skin color Y

ou know a practice has achieved respectability when it invites the chagrin of those who benefit from it. Since its invention in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month has grown from the modest goal of preserving black history to seeing history being made by a black president. A sense of arrival at American destiny has led to wild claims of a post-racial society. In these conditions of presumed social perfection, BHM, so the logic goes, has outlived its usefulness and should be dismantled for a more inclusive national alternative. But since the jury is out on both of these idealized claims, it is worth looking at why BHM was thought necessary in the first place and if it really should be laid to rest. Like most American public practices, BHM was rooted in a struggle waged at street level and then moved from the barricades to the ballot box. BHM grew out of an absence and a hunger and out of abject neglect of blacks in America. Black people, who were in society but not of society, were relied upon to build America but not credited for their contribution. While in the U.K. in the ’70s and ’80s, I followed stories of African American success and struggle that always seemed innovative and indicative of what would come to the rest of the world because it originated in America. Blacks in America comprise the largest and most successful group of Africans located in the Western Hemisphere. This means America has a leadership responsibility. I saw nothing happening in the U.K. during that time that remotely resembled what American blacks were achieving here in the U.S.: the growth of a sizable middle class, the alteration of politics by widespread black inclusion and the transformation of culture by a focus on black creativity as an emblem of national cool. Long after African Americans had settled the idea of their African heritage in relation to their Americanness, in the U.K. the convention was still to place a hyphen between “black” and “British,” as if the bridge between the two had to be made and unmade simultaneously. But size can hinder and change can seem lumbering as a result. There is much lingering prejudice still to be dispelled (just look at the proportion of black poor and incarcerated compared with whites), and this is where a revitalized BHM may prove indispensable. By earmarking a time in the national calendar for black events the hope was to raise awareness of black contributions to the nation’s health and wealth. In a stubborn recession where resentments of all kind simmer just below the surface of the national body politic, cultural practices, such as BHM, take on heightened significance. In these hard times, college campuses and BHM can be ideal partners to foster links with the wider community of food banks, homeless shelters and pinched welfare budgets. A student community is better placed than most to spread the many positive messages associated with a vibrant BHM program of events (assuming healthy funding from the administration). A post-racial America is a long way away and perhaps not even desirable if it means eliding blackness for a crass neutrality of cultural negation, and a post-racial America (where difference is celebrated rather than vilified) is dependent on the continued efforts on occasions such as BHM to spread the awareness of a neglected side of the American tableau. As a black man of British birth and Caribbean heritage and upbringing, I’ve seen race on three continents (I grew up in Guyana) and I abhor the way race is used to malign the poor and the powerless for political gain or for continued dominance of the ruling groups. Skin color needs to be confined to aesthetics (to tan or not to tan) rather than tied to race as a negative marker for political exploitation and economic privilege. I know the American experiment

in nationhood is like no other on the planet; it is a special mix of politics, culture and history that led to the election of a black president, the first in a major economy. Blackness is not a single entity, which is why a month is needed to show the diversity within the black community in terms of class, politics, religious outlook and even sports. Negative assertions of race continue to oxygenate the sense of blackness as a single entity at the expense of a complicated diversity among blacks. This should not surprise us. The examples of whites acting together to exclude blacks have come from corporations and institutions invested in groupthink with a small and powerful coterie of whites at the helm. The moment the decision-making becomes democratic among whites is when racism loses out to innovation and talent, as the last election aptly demonstrated. BHM should continue to showcase the creativity of the various ethnicities within the clumsy, catchall category of race and it must continue to point the way toward crosscultural exchanges between the races. The responsible BHM model (see the Africana Studies speaker series) must include raising awareness among college students of the many factors that continue to hold back blacks, even as those same students find themselves locked in a personal struggle to succeed and contribute creatively to the nation in global recession. The experiment of nation building is an unending one. BHM can continue to be a useful tool in raising awareness about the work that remains to be done for greater participation by the poor and disenfranchised in the largesse of the country. I know race counts but it must stop being a negative marker of black being, it must be confined to aesthetics rather than rabid politics. I’ve had phone conversations with all manner of Americans who tell me that they did not realize I was black when I meet them because I did not sound black. How can such a stereotype (no matter how large a grain of truth to it) ever work to anyone’s advantage? This means that whether blacks like it or not they have been constructed in white consciousness in certain persistent unhealthy ways, rooted, no doubt, in a history of slavery. It is not simply a question of skin. Culture counts, but it is just part of the picture. Language denotes race to a certain extent but it includes class and location, education and religion, and, of course, power. I’m interested in the extent to which blackness is performance in how far it is a mimetic identity and how far a matter of genealogy and being. That sounds heavy but is means that the humanity we hold in common must be foregrounded by all groups if race is to be less of a negative factor in the American psyche. Post-race may have nothing to do with blacks. Post-race may well mean that whites have to surrender the privilege and assumptions that come with white skin and enter a more neutral space of communality with other Americans. Meanwhile let’s make Black History Month at Virginia Tech one step toward acknowledging one vital part of the American tapestry, devoting as we do most of the rest of the year to heralding the dominant group. So what’s to celebrate? I think at the college level there is the usual mix of the arts and politics spread across concerts and panel discussions, but this BHM is extraordinary with the tragedy of Haiti. Perhaps it may call for a more international flavor to the month with a special look at our neighbor Haiti in need of a big helping hand.

FRED D’AGUIAR -guest columnist -professor of English and Africana studies

Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief: Sara Mitchell Managing Editors: Peter Velz, Bethany Buchanan Production Manager: Thandiwe Ogbonna Public Editor: Justin Graves News Editors: Zach Crizer, Philipp Kotlaba News Reporters: Liana Bayne, Gordon Block News Staff Writers: Hope Miles, Katie Robidoux, Allison Sanders, Claire Sanderson, Priya Saxena Features Editor: Topher Forhecz Features Reporters: Ryan Arnold, Liz Norment Opinions Editor: Debra Houchins Sports Editors: Joe Crandley, Alex Jackson Sports Reporters: Thomas Emerick, Ed Lupien, Ray Nimmo, Garrett Ripa, Melanie Wadden Sports Staff Writers: Garrett Busic, Hattie Francis Copy Editors: Taylor Chakurda, Erin Corbey, Kelsey Heiter, Dishu Maheshwari Layout Designers: Kelly Harrigan, Josh Son, Sara Spangler Illustrators: Mina Noorbakhsh, Jamie Martyn Multimedia Editor: James Carty Online Director: Jamie Chung Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager: David Harries College Media Solutions Asst Ad Director: Kendall Kapetanakis Account Executives: Nik Bando, Brandon Collins, David Goerge, Wade Stephenson, Kelly Burleson Inside Sales Manager: Judi Glass Assistant Inside Sales Manager: Diane Revalski Assistant Account Executives: Maddie Abram, Katie Berkel, Kaelynn Kurtz, Rachel Lombardo, Erin Shuba Creative Director: Sarah Ford Asst Production Manager: Chloe Skibba Creative Services Staff: Kara Noble, Jennifer Le, Laiken Jacobs Student Publications Photo Staff Director of Photography: Luke Mason Lab Manager: Mark Umansky Voice your opinion. Readers are encouraged to send letters to the Collegiate Times. 365 Squires Student Center Blacksburg, VA, 24061 Fax: (540) 231-9151 opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com All letters to the editor must include a name and daytime phone number. Students must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include position and department. All other submissions must include city of residence, and if applicable, relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). All letters should be in MS Word (.doc) format, if possible. By submitting a letter, you hereby agree to not engage in online discussion through comments on the Collegiate Times Web site. Letters, commentaries and editorial cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times. Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board, which is comprised of the opinions editor, editor-in-chief and the managing editors. Letters to the editor are submissions from Collegiate Times readers. We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Have a news tip? Call or text 200-TIPS or e-mail newstips@collegiatetimes.com Student Media Phone Numbers Collegiate Times Newsroom 231-9865 Editor-in-Chief 231-9867 College Media Solutions Advertising 961-9860 The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday through Friday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. The Collegiate Times receives no funding from the university. The Collegiate Times can be found online at www.collegiatetimes.com. Except where noted, all photographs were taken by the Student Publications Photo Staff. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, e-mail spps@vt.edu. The Collegiate Times is located in 365 Squires Student Center, Blacksburg, VA, 24061. (540) 231-9865. Fax (540) 2319151. Subscription rates: $65 semester; $110 academic year. The first copy is free, any copy of the paper after that is 50 cents per issue. © Collegiate Times, 2010. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

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february 5, 2010

campus headlines

making good impressions

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Students expect to use Facebook in jobs Forget health benefits and a 401k, today’s teens say that the freedom to Facebook and Twitter at work could influence their future job decisions, according to a recent survey by Junior Achievement Worldwide and the accounting giant Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. The seventh annual Junior Achievement/Deloitte Teen Ethics survey found that at the same time that many organizations have begun implementing policies to curb social networking during the workday, over half of the teens polled said that their ability to access those networks could factor into what jobs they decide to accept in the future. “There is a clash between what the teens see as an extension of who they are, and what companies perceive as a possible risk,” said David W. Miller, director of the Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative, who helped develop the survey. Conducted in September, the survey polled 1,000 12 to 17-year-olds and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The survey also found that while 88 percent of the surveyed teens used social networks every day, 38 percent did not consider the reaction of present or future employers to their record. - mcclatchy newspapers

CORRECTIONS -In “Rescue in Action” (CT, Feb. 4), the members photographed are members of the VT Rescue emergency response regroup. -Also, in “Rapper comes to speak about ‘building bridges’” (CT, Feb. 4), the date for Litefoot speech is today, Feb. 5. The Collegiate Times regrets these errors. JUSTIN GRAVES -Contact our public editor at publiceditor@ collegiatetimes.com if you see anything that needs to be corrected.

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world headlines

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HAITI

Haitian president steps out in public

Carol Robinson from Career Services discusses some ﬁrst impression pointers to remember while at a career fair. photo by jonathan pippin

3 American troops killed in attack SAEED SHAH mcclatchy newspapers Three American soldiers were killed and two were wounded Wednesday in a roadside bombing in troubled northwestern Pakistan that killed 10 people, including a Pakistani soldier and three children. The deaths were the first known U.S. military casualties in Pakistan since 1979, when a Marine guard was killed as a mob stormed the American Embassy in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which came as a five-vehicle military convoy passed a girls school in the Dir district, part of the Swat region that a Pakistani military offensive last year supposedly had cleared of Taliban. The bombing, which followed the reported death of a top Taliban leader after a U.S. missile strike, revealed both the Pakistani insurgents’ resilience and the low-profile and sometimes covert American military presence along Pakistan’s remote border with Afghanistan. Although the U.S. and Pakistani military and intelligence services are cooperating in the battle against

Islamic extremists, including targeting extremists for attacks by U.S. drone aircraft, the efforts have been kept quiet in an attempt to avoid inciting more anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. Islamic extremists promised more such assaults, which could threaten the long U.S. supply line from the Pakistani port of Karachi through western Pakistan to American and allied troops in Afghanistan. More than 100 children were injured in Wednesday’s blast, which reduced the school to rubble and trapped girls beneath the debris, screaming for help. One young girl, whose name was given only as Samina, told Pakistani news media: “Our teacher was teaching us Islamic education when the explosion caused the roof of our class to cave in.” The attack is likely to be a propaganda victory for the Pakistani Taliban. For years, the militant Islamists have been criticized for pursuing jihad against their own people rather than against foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan. “This gives justification to the (Pakistani) Taliban. They keep saying they want to fight against

America. And here they are, the Americans, in Pakistan,” said Mehmood Shah, an analyst who formerly was a senior Pakistani security official. According to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, the American soldiers were training Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps, which is based in the northwest, on the front line in the battle against the Taliban and other extremists. Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, said that “a few dozen” U.S. soldiers were involved in the counterinsurgency training program “at the invitation of the Pakistani government.” A military official in Washington, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the operation, said the soldiers were part of a Special Operations Forces team that had been training the Frontier Corps for 18 months. It appeared most likely that the bomb was remote-controlled, suggesting that the extremists had intelligence on the route and timing of the convoy. However, Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said in

Washington that there was “nothing secret” about the American training mission and that the attackers got lucky. The U.S. soldiers were on their way to the inauguration of another girls’ school in Dir that was rebuilt with American aid money after the Taliban destroyed it. The militants destroyed scores of girls’ schools in the Swat region when they took it over from 2007 to April 2009, when Pakistani forces launched a counteroffensive. The Taliban have shown repeatedly that they retain the ability to mount terrorist attacks despite a Pakistani assault on their bases in Swat and, more recently, in South Waziristan. Washington is pressing Pakistan to expand its military operation to include areas of the country that Afghan insurgents use as sanctuaries. The top U.S. military commander for the region, Army Gen. David Petraeus, said Wednesday that he understood the constraints. “Given the way the (Pakistani) military is stretched, it’s understandable that poking more short sticks into hornets’ nests becomes a difficult proposition,” Petraeus said.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian President Rene Preval walked over to the palace gates on Saturday — and was met by hundreds of people who rushed the gates to shout demands and voice frustrations with him and his leadership. He stood on the inside listening for more than 20 minutes as the throngs screamed. Saturday’s public appearance was one of his first in the 18 days since the quake. In interviews with The Miami Herald, Preval said he has deliberately avoided touring the ruins and has chosen to spend his time coordinating the nation’s response. When he showed up unannounced on Saturday, Haitians were startled — and angry. “I have been standing right here in front of this palace every day since the earthquake and that is the first time he shows his face,” said Joel Joseph, an unemployed construction worker. “Of course, I yelled at him! You know what he said? ‘I lost my house, too.’ That’s all he has to say. Listen to the people, the people want him out and for the international community to take over.” Preval advisor Dimitri Vorbe said many of the people were upset and frustrated and demanded housing and food. “They want him to speak to them. They are saying he should have come a long time ago, that he should have talked to them. He is telling them that he lost his house, too, and that he took 18 days to evaluate the whole process. He did not come out sooner if he did not have something in hand to tell them. That is why they have been waiting so long.” “He is the devil and we don’t want him here,” said Ricardo Micael, 39. “I need a job! This government is worthless,” Vorbe said. Afterward Preval was approached by a member of his security detail, Joubert Pognon, who lost his arm in the quake. “He’s not fine; he’s alive,” Preval said. “Now he cannot take care of his family.” - mcclatchy newspapers

national7 february 5, 2010

COLLEGIATETIMES

Congress looks at foreign US launches probe into 2010 influence in US elections Toyota Prius brake problems SANADA SAHOO mcclatchy newspapers WASHINGTON — In the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling that ended most restrictions on corporate funding in elections, a congressional panel was asked Wednesday to enact greater limits on the influence of foreign companies in U.S. elections. At the hearing of a House of Representatives Judiciary subcommittee, experts also sought congressional intervention to restrict contributions from out-of-state corporations. The 5-4 decision last month in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission has sparked debate about the prospect of a possible surge in corporate spending on election campaigns. How to sort out who owns or controls a multinational corporation — which now would be free to use corporate funds to influence U.S. elections — troubled some on the subcommittee. “I don’t know who owns what in this global economy,” said Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass. For instance, he asked, who are the shareholders of Exxon Mobil, which has operations across the planet? The majority opinion by the Supreme Court is vague on foreign corporations. The opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, said that the court need not resolve that issue because the case “is not limited to corporations or associations

that were created in foreign countries or funded predominately by foreign shareholders.” Laurence Tribe, a professor at Harvard Law School, said that the dissenters, led by Justice John Paul Stevens, went out of their way to treat the majority’s explicit decision to leave the matter open as an “acknowledgement that Congress might be allowed to take measures aimed at ‘preventing foreign individuals or associations from influencing our nation’s political process.’ “ Tribe urged the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to act immediately to guard against foreign influence. An increase in spending by corporate entities in campaigns and in lobbying for various agendas over the years also fueled support for limiting the influence of foreign corporations. “Since corporations have been banned from contributing to candidates and restricted in their campaign spending, their political spending has generally taken the form of lobbying,” said Monica Youn, the director of the campaign finance project at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. For instance, she said, “the health care industry in 2009 spent approximately $1 million per day to lobby Congress on health care reform.” One way to tackle this issue could be requiring managers to get authorization from shareholders before making political expenditures with corporate treasury funds and to

report such spending to shareholders, Youn said. An existing statute prevents foreign corporations from influencing U.S. elections by donating to them but it doesn’t prohibit spending by domestic corporations that foreign nationals own or control. An FEC regulation restricts the ability of a foreign national to participate in the “decision-making process” of a domestic corporation with regard to its political spending. Some organizations that represent the domestic subsidiaries of foreign companies in the United States are worried that the debate over what’s deemed a foreign company might harm the investment climate in the country. “We are troubled by the fact that U.S. operations of foreign companies might be mischaracterized as foreign,” said Nancy McLernon, the president and CEO of the Organization for International Investment. The organization represents issues faced by the U.S. subsidiaries of firms that are headquartered abroad, including Nestle, Siemens and Unilever. The domestic subsidiaries of such companies account for around 4.6 percent of U.S. private-sector employment, according to the organization. If these U.S. operations are singled out as foreign, they could be seen in a pejorative light, there could be a reaction against contracting with them and foreign investment in the United States might be discouraged, McLernon said.

JUSTIN HYDE mcclatchy newspapers WASHINGTON — U.S. auto safety regulators have launched a formal probe into braking complaints on 37,000 Toyota Prius hybrids, just after the Japanese automaker admitted that it had made changes to the brake software in models in production. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it had opened a preliminary evaluation of the problems, which it said had generated 124 complaints to its hot line, including reports of four crashes. Many of the complaints from owners say their 2010 Prius lurches over bumps or potholes and the brakes are ineffective for a few seconds. Such investigations can typically take a number of months. If NHTSA finds evidence of a defect, it would upgrade the probe to an engineering analysis, collecting data from other automakers. Toyota acknowledged problems with the software in the Prius earlier Thursday, saying it had corrected problems with the antilock brake system in models sold since late last

WILLIAM DOUGLAS mcclatchy newspapers WASHINGTON — Americans hold mixed views of President Barack Obama’s first year in office, with 41 percent saying that he tried to do too much, 35 percent concluding that he did about the right amount and 19 percent saying that he didn’t do OBAMA enough, accord-

ing to a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll. Of those who think he did too much, 57 percent singled out health care as the main area in which he over-reached. Of those who said he did too little, 42 percent cited the economy and jobs as the areas where he most under-performed. Still, Obama’s approval rating dipped only slightly, to 50 percent, from 52 percent 18 days earlier, while Congress’ approval rating plummeted to 21 percent, down from 29 percent. In addition, the proportion of Americans who think that the country is headed down the wrong

track ticked up to 57 percent, from 55 percent. Since Obama took office there has been a debate over whether he’s trying to do too much too soon, but the president makes no apologies for his ambitious agenda. “I’ve been told that our political system is too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while,” Obama said last week in his State of the Union address. “For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?”

month, including those shipped overseas. But the company was still deciding what steps to take to fix the problem in Prius cars sold in Japan and overseas before late January. It also said it had launched a review of braking systems in its other hybrids.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke with Toyota president Akio Toyoda late Wednesday, “who reassured him that Toyota takes U.S. safety concerns seriously and puts safety at the top of the company’s priorities,” the department said in a statement.

Bank of America faces charges in New York for Merrill Lynch NATHANIEL POPPER mcclatchy newspapers

Americans split on Obama’s work

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Toyota of Hollywood team leader Scott Sandmeyer (right) uses a hand ﬁle to put the ﬁnishing touches on a gas pedal repair.

NEW YORK — Bank of America Corp. and its former chief executive, Kenneth D. Lewis, were accused of fraud Thursday for allegedly failing to disclose huge losses at Merrill Lynch before the brokerage was acquired by the giant bank. The bank and Lewis misled not only its shareholders but also the government about the size of the losses at the height of the financial crisis, according to a lawsuit filed in New York state court by the state’s attorney general, Andrew Cuomo. The purchase of Merrill Lynch has been a long legal headache for Bank of America. The complaint says the bank purposely understated Merrill Lynch’s losses to win shareholder approval of

the acquisition. A week later, the suit says, the bank overstated the same losses to secure $20 billion in additional funding from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. “The conduct of Bank of America, through its top management, was motivated by self-interest, greed, hubris and a palpable sense that the normal rules of fair play did not apply to them,” the complaint says. Mary Jo White, a lawyer for Lewis, called the lawsuit “a badly misguided decision without support in the facts or the law.” “There simply is no basis for any case against Mr. Lewis or any other individual” in the case, she said in a statement. Bank of America’s former chief financial officer, Joe Price, also is named as a defendant in the civil litigation. Cuomo announced the suit shortly

after the Securities and Exchange Commission said it was settling its litigation against Bank of America over the payment of $5.8 billion in bonuses to Merrill Lynch employees shortly after the acquisition closed. The complaint says the bank’s new chief executive, Brian Moynihan, was involved in the discussions about the Merrill losses, but Moynihan is not being sued. Cuomo worked on the suit with Neil Barofsky, the Treasury Department’s special inspector general for TARP, who joined Cuomo in announcing the lawsuit. Bank of America representatives couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. In a statement about the settlement with the SEC, the company said “the SEC staff has determined that no one acted with any intent to mislead.”

8 entertainment september 23, 2009

february 5, 2010

Author Nicholas Sparks is a master of romance, and Hollywood knows this AMY KAUFMAN mcclatchy newspapers Hours before the Hollywood premiere of “Dear John” earlier this week, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks was sitting in the expensive hotel room he’d been put up in, continually glimpsing at his iPhone as it lighted up with phone calls and text messages. “That’s my literary agent,” he said. “And now here’s a producer from the film.” Sparks, 44, had flown in earlier that day from his home in North Carolina for the opening of the fifth movie adaptation of one of his books. The sixth, “The Last Song,” starring Miley Cyrus, is due out in April, and an adaptation of his novel “The Lucky One,” already in the works, will potentially make seven. Sparks, the author of 15 books with more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, writes love stories that he insists are about Joe Average — guys MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS who build furniture, high school students, soldiers. But the things that Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried star in “Dear John,” the latest Hollywood ﬁlm based off a Nicholas Sparks romance novel. happen to his characters are far from standard: They pen fanciful love letters plot points. Example: While on spring classics, the author did find a fan in like animals.’ Every teenage girl likes animals,” he said, laughing. “I said I’d see if I to one another and scale Ferris wheels break in Florida he met a young woman Mandy Moore. The pop singer turned actress made could work those in — other than that, to ask girls out on dates. Those idyllic named Cathy, and instantly told her that moments translate exceptionally well on they were going to get married one day. her feature film debut as a young girl fall- the story was 100 percent mine.” In “The Last Song,” Cyrus, 17, plays a screen — which has made Sparks one After writing her 150 love letters to con- ing in love while battling terminal cancer of the most desired brand names in vince her he was the right guy, she finally in 2002’s “A Walk to Remember,” and rebellious young girl spending the sumfought for the part after Sparks’ book mer with her estranged father when she agreed (cue the wedding bells). Hollywood today. falls in love with a local hunk. Years later, he took six months to resonated so strongly with her. A 2004 movie adaptation of his novel “It was the best summer of my life,” “I had such a visceral reaction to it “The Notebook,” starring Ryan Gosling write a novel inspired by the love story and Rachel McAdams as star-crossed of Cathy’s parents and called it “The that I remember not being able to read Cyrus recalled giddily of filming. “It’s lovers, was made — like most of his Notebook.” He bought a book on how because I was almost hyperventilating definitely edgier than what I’m known adaptations — for $20 million to $30 to get a literary agent. Then he got one. while I was crying,” she said, laughing. for, with all the kissing and stuff. “I mean, I don’t get to be a normal million, but grossed around $115 world- The first publisher the manuscript was “It was my first movie and I know people say it may be cliche and it’s a tearjerker teenager and go to high school, so this wide at the box office, while DVD sales sent to purchased it for $1 million. “’The Notebook’ is a good novel. or it’s cheesy, but for me, it’s the thing I’m was a dream come true for me. I think of the film top 11 million to date. every girl is going to walk away from “Everybody talks about ‘The Notebook’ There are no flaws with that novel,” most proud of.” That film became a favorite of teen star the movie wishing something like this — it’s the standard by which all romance he said. “That’s a novel that will stay films are judged in popular America around for a long, long time. That’s a Miley Cyrus, and she told Disney she would happen to her.” Denise Di Novi, who produced the since it was released,” said Marty Bowen, novel that is taught in schools — that is wanted to do a movie like it. “She wanted to do a romance. I know first Sparks movie “Message in a Bottle” who served as a producer on “Dear out in CliffsNotes. Classics just choose that she loves Nicholas Sparks and her and has worked on three of his other John.” “In the world of romance and themselves.” Although Sparks’ stories have reso- family is also religious, and he’s sort of adaptations, described him as a savvy Hollywood, Nicholas Sparks is the Good nated widely with audiences, he’s hardly a faith-based author so it spoke to her businessman. Housekeeping seal of approval.” “How many authors can say that every Sparks, not one for false humility, made been a critical darling. His most recent on that level,” said Jennifer Gibgot, the movie adaptation, “Nights in Rodanthe” sister of Adam Shankman and partner single one of their movies are successit clear he also believes this to be true. “There’s a really big difference between — which was Warner Bros.’ second at his production company, Offspring ful?” she said. “And I think they’re just having one novel made into a film and highest-grossing film of 2008 — was Entertainment, which produced “The going to get more and more popular. His stories give great comfort to people. having seven. Alice Sebold had ‘The skewered by film critics. “Even those Last Song.” Sparks met with Cyrus and asked her They’re wish-fulfillment.” Lovely Bones.’ Is her life changed now?” with a high tolerance for melodramatic It’s a point, of course, of which Sparks Sparks asked. “But when you start get- drivel ... will find ‘Rodanthe’ insulting, an a few basic questions before sitting down ting over six, seven, we’re moving into assault on their already perilously weak- to write the screenplay for the film, which is well aware. “You’ll quadruple your money making ened romantic hearts,” said the New also became his next novel. “I said, ‘Do territory where not a lot of people go.” you want to sing or not?’” Sparks said. a Nicholas Sparks movie. It’s money in While racing through recollections of York Times. And though most literary critics “And she said no. Then I asked, ‘Do you the bank,” he said. “It’s not ‘Spider-Man,’ his earlier years, he spoke of his upbringing as if he has already mapped out its would cringe at calling Sparks’ books have anything you really like?’ She said, ‘I but it’s a very successful formula.”

COLLEGIATETIMES

Premiere leaves viewers ‘Lost’ in thrilling storyline MAUREEN RYAN mcclatchy newspapers It may take a while to process everything from Tuesday’s season premiere of “Lost,” but this is certain: It was fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat as the revelations and the heartbreaks and the dual timelines unfolded. According to the Smoke Monster, the evil entity that is occupying a version of John Locke’s body, Locke’s last thought was, “I don’t understand.” Poor Locke. He died confused, with so many questions. Tuesday’s revelations are setting up an intriguing endgame for the show (and the series finale, creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof announced on Jimmy Kimmel’s show Tuesday night, will be May 23). Here are a few lingering questions about the ABC drama: 1. Season 6 will have dual timelines: one showing the Oceanic flight landing safely in LA, and one showing the people on the island dealing with the fallout from Jacob’s death. Will the timelines converge? More important, we got to see what people do when they are (unwittingly) given a do-over in life — will they keep making the same mistakes? Are we going to find out, in the end, that crashing on the island was the best thing that could have

happened? It cured Rose’s cancer; it fixed Locke’s legs; it allowed Kate to stay out of jail; it got Charlie off drugs; it helped Jin to avoid getting in trouble with authorities; it allowed Sun to be someone other than the wife of an unpleasant man. 2. Sayid was dying around the time that Jacob was killed by Ben. Jacob’s ghost told Hurley to get Sayid over to the Temple in order to save Sayid. Will we find out that the Jacob entity is occupying Sayid’s body? 3. Could Jack and Sawyer be the next iteration of Jacob and SmokeLocke? Could the Oceanic survivors be used, eventually, as the bodily vessels of those two entities and carry on their battle? Or will Jack and Sawyer just be locked in a similar struggle of hate and misunderstanding? And is it going to take forgiveness or surrender — in either struggle — before peace can come to the island? 4. Does Miles know what Sayid thought at the time of his death? Or was he unable to hear anything because Sayid wasn’t dead, or was in the process of becoming Jacob? Speaking of Miles, what did poor, ill-fated Juliet mean when she said (via Miles), “It worked”? 5. What role will the people from the Temple play? And will some of them continue to dress and act like refugees from a1970s kung fu flick?

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Cast members of “Lost” attend ABC’s Preview Weekend.

september 23,page 20099

february page A 5, 2010

Manning, Brees lead high octane attacks into Miami

MCT NEWSPAPERS

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning hands off to running back Joseph Addai. The backﬁeld duo will be playing in their second Super Bowl in the past ﬁve years.

OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSES, LED BY LEAGUE’S FOREMOST POCKET PASSERS, TO FACE OFF IN SUNDAY’S SUPER BOWL If you think you have seen the highest scoring game in the NFL playoffs thus far, think again. This Sunday in Miami, Fla., when the NFC champion New Orleans Saints take on the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, arguably two of the NFL’s most prolific offenses will be on sports biggest stage, prompting nothing less than an offensive shootout. With two of the NFL’s most efficient and effective quarterbacks at the helm, scoring won’t be the problem. Defending these fast pace, run and gun offenses is the true dilemma. When the Super Bowl kicks off, the Colts will use their hasty and agile defense to try and contain the Saints’ lethal passing attack and big play threats. The Colts are eighth in the league in scoring defense, only allowing 19.2 points per game. The Saints, who are first in points scored (31.9) and yards per game (403.8), will attempt to exploit the minor weaknesses of the Colts defense through bigplay receiver Marques Colston and the ever so dangerous Reggie Bush. On the other hand, the Saints defense, which ranks 20th in the league in scoring defense and allows 21.3 points per game, ranking 25th in yards given up (357.8), will have a tougher test against the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, Peyton Manning. One thing the Saints will count on is causing turnovers, as they forced six turnovers in the NFC championship game against the Minnesota Vikings. Manning will certainly be comfortable in the familiar site of Sun Life Stadium, where he lead his team to a 29-17 Super Bowl XLI

victory over the Chicago Bears three years ago. Not only will he be comfortable, but confident as well. Manning has been brilliant throughout the playoffs with a 67 percent completion rate, throwing for 623 yards and six touchdowns in two games. When Manning’s go-to guy Reggie Wayne was locked down by the New York Jets’ all-pro corner Darrelle Revis two weeks ago, rookie Brigham Young University standout Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon each picked up the slack and had great games. Wayne will probably be matched up against up and coming corner Jabari Greer in the Super Bowl, with Saints’ all-pro free safety Darren Sharper helping out. If Greer and Sharper manage to shut down Wayne, then Collie and Garcon may have to step up just one more time. Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees, who is still sweating from New Orleans’ 31-28 overtime win against the Vikings two weeks ago, hopes his playmakers will continue to get the job done. Running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas have combined for 205 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games. The Saints’ passing attack is what really has carried the Saints though, as Brees has thrown six touchdowns with no interceptions for 444 yards and a completion rate of 64 percent in the playoffs. Brees has also connected with five different receivers for touchdowns over the past three weeks. “You understand just how explosive their offense can be,” Manning said. “I think you have to be careful trying to get out of your rhythm in order to keep up with them. You still have to go play offense the way we have

MCT NEWSPAPERS

Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrates with fans after claiming victory in the NFC Championship game two weeks ago. played all year, trying to be efficient.” The Saints may be ailing as stars tight end Jeremy Shockey, free safety Darren Shaper and linebacker Jonathan Vilma are still nursing minor injuries from the NFC championship game. Each was bothered by knee injuries two weeks ago, which was apparent in the game. Nonetheless, the three have progressed in practice throughout the week and may possibly be 100 percent by Sunday’s big game. Even bigger news for the Colts — Dwight Freeney, arguably the best defense end in the NFL, is still recovering from a torn ligament in his right ankle. Freeney’s absence would be a big blow to the Colts; however, Freeney has said the pain is subsiding and he

hopes to play Sunday. Family and hometown ties will be present on Sunday, to say the least. Manning faces his hometown team that his father, Archie, once quarterbacked. Archie played and still lives in New Orleans, which is also where Peyton played high school ball. “New Orleans is a huge part of my life, as well as (his brother and New York Giants quarterback’s) Eli’s life,” said Manning. “My dad’s been a part of the Saints organization for 39 years in some ways. We definitely have strong ties.” Wayne, Manning’s go to guy, also grew up in the Big Easy and Colts running back Joseph Addai suited up for Louisiana State University during his college career. One thing is for sure: You won’t have a

problem being entertained during this Super Bowl. Whether it’s watching Manning hit Collie in stride, Reggie Bush running back a kickoff or even the talented Carrie Underwood singing the national anthem, Super Bowl XLIV will be one you cannot miss. Kickoff is set for 6:25 p.m. on Saturday and the game will be televised on CBS.

GEORGE TILLERSON -freshman -communication major

february 5, 2010

page 10

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sports11

editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com / 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

february 5, 2010

Tech’s four freshmen work together for promising future

LUKE MASON/SPPS

Hokies’ freshman guard Erick Green slows it down to control the offense during Tech’s 76-71 win over Virginia just a week ago.

GREEN, BOGGS, ATKINS AND RAINES HOPE TO PLAY IMPORTANT ROLE IN HOKIES’ REMAINING GAMES JOSH PARCELL sports staff writer Recruiting players who can compete at the highest level of college basketball is a process that requires months or even years of research. Finding players that can coexist and embrace the mentally taxing challenges of the Atlantic Coast Conference takes incredible foresight and judgment of character. Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg has found the ideal mix this season with freshmen Ben Boggs, Erick Green, Manny Atkins and Cadarian Raines. With the 2009-10 regular season hitting the home stretch, these four rookies have come a long way since they arrived on campus at the beginning of last summer. “In the summer, nobody is really here,” Boggs said. “We would hang out a lot, play video games. ... That’s when we became good friends.” As those important relationships began to form, the days of high school supremacy faded from each of the players’ minds. One of the more difficult aspects of the transition for such high-caliber players is going from being the local star to simply a role player in college. In the case of Boggs and Green, both committed to the Hokies during their junior years of high school, a small indication of the type of attention they received earlier than most prospects. “They were the first school to recruit me during my freshman year,” Boggs said. “That was one of the big reasons I decided to come here.” Even though the group did not really get to know one another until arriving in Blacksburg, the roots of some of their friendships can be traced back several years. Boggs and Green first met in eighth grade while playing against each other in an AAU tournament. Two years later, the pair roomed together at one

of Greenberg’s summer camps. Raines crossed paths with Green and Boggs through the AAU circuit as well. Atkins, the lone freshman who does not hail from Virginia, had to wait until he arrived on campus to establish such bonds with the other newcomers. “We spent the summer lifting weights, working out. ... That’s when we were getting a bond together,” Atkins said. “We did almost everything together.” Entering preseason practice, Raines was expected to compete for playing time at forward behind sophomore Victor Davila. Those expectations took a turn for the worse when Raines suffered a fracture in his left foot, which sidelined him for two months. He finally got his first college experience on Dec. 6 when Tech hosted Georgia. As the weeks passed, he became healthy and began to see more playing time. “In the summer time he was looking really good, but after the injury it took him a while to get back into shape,” Atkins said. “As the weeks have been going on ... he looks ready and back where he started.” One guy that understood exactly what Raines was going through was Boggs. During his senior year of high school, Boggs suffered a broken leg, which kept him out for the rest of the season. “You’ve got to be proud of how (Raines) battled through that injury to get back and play this season,” Boggs said. Of all the newcomers to the Hokies this season, nobody has been under more scrutiny than Green. The point guard from Winchester, Va., was expected to improve enough in the early season to allow Malcolm Delaney to not have to bring the ball up the floor as often. If Delaney were able to play more shooting guard rather than point guard, his production level could skyrocket. After a slow start, Green’s min-

utes dramatically increased in December, and he is now beginning to live up to those expectations a little more. He has played 12 minutes or more in 12 of the team’s 20 games. Even as this group gains new experiences almost daily, there is still one part of the college basketball lifestyle it has not been introduced to: losing at home. Entering Thursday, the Hokies were 10-0 in Cassell Coliseum this season. “Playing at home is great, we definitely have a home-court advantage,” Boggs said. As coach Greenberg is not afraid to say, the most difficult thing to do in the ACC is win games on the road. The environment at other programs’ home arenas can be very intimidating, especially for a freshman. The Hokies’ first ACC road game this season was against defending national champion and perennial elite program North Carolina. “(Playing at UNC) was definitely something I have never experienced before,” Boggs said. Boggs’ playing style has quickly

endeared him to Hokie fans. His poise and effort on the defensive end has earned him most of his playing time. “(The coaches) just want me to work hard, play my hardest, try to be a good defender, and bring energy,” Boggs said. Similar to Boggs, Atkins has made a name for himself as the traditional “scrappy” player. Convincing incoming freshmen to become hard-working role players can be difficult, but persuading Atkins to take such a role was easy. “I didn’t really look at being a star player (in high school) as someone who slacks off,” Atkins said. “I feel like if I don’t go hard, I won’t play the way I do. That’s just me … that’s my game.” A player’s impact cannot always be measured by a box score. There are tipped passes, jump balls, charges taken, and many more parts of the game that do not show up on the stat sheet. Those are just a few of the many things that make this young group an important and promising bunch.

LUKE MASON/SPPS

Freshman guard Ben Boggs dribbles down the court last week.

february23, 5, 2009 2010 september

page 12A page

Hokies look to tame the Tigers MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM HOPES FOR REVENGE SATURDAY AGAINST CLEMSON NICK CAFFERKY

LUKE MASON/S PPS

sports staff writer The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team will suit up and step out on its home floor for the second time in three days Saturday to play the Clemson Tigers at 4 p.m. Tech enters Saturday’s game in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers (16-6, 4-4 in the ACC) are coming into the game with a bit more rest. They haven’t played since Jan. 31, when they took down the Maryland Terrapins 62-53 in a very sloppy game in which both teams turned the ball over at least 21 times. “We’re coming off of a big win,” Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell said. “Probably the significant thing about the win was the fact that we did not shoot the ball well but yet were able to pull things out on the strength of our defense.” The win broke a three game losing streak for the Tigers, in which Clemson lost at Georgia Tech, against Duke, and at Boston College. Last time the Hokies played two games within four days was last weekend, when they came out sluggish in the second game and gave up 47 points in the first half against the Miami Hurricanes. To make it worse, the Hurricanes were the same team that the Hokies had a 27-point halftime lead against just over two weeks earlier. The Hokies and Tigers played just once last year in a very close 8682 Tiger win. In the game, the Hokies dominated early, but Clemson used an 1 8 - 0 runearly in the second half to earn t h e vic-

tory. The Tigers were led by K.C. Rivers in last year’s game, who scored 29 points and hit seven three-pointers against the Hokies, but has since graduated. One person who has not graduated yet, though, is Hokies junior guard Malcolm Delaney, who put up a career-high 37 points in the game last season. Whoever Clemson decides to put on Delaney will be in one of the biggest matchups of the game. The two players who may be asked to do this are sophomores Andre Young and Tanner Smith. The other matchup that will have a big factor is Clemson senior Trevor Booker and the Hokies junior Jeff Allen. Booker put up 21 points and 13 rebounds in the that matchup last season, and Allen has struggled of late, meaning that Allen might need some help from other big men like Victor Davila. Booker has struggled recently too, however. Against Maryland, the senior shot just two for 16 and finished with 10 points. “We’re going to have an off shooting night, so it’s not something I like to think about,” Purnell said. “But it’s going to happen from time to time.” “Those are the nights that you hope your defense gives you the opportunity to win.” Clemson’s defense did just that when Booker had an off game and it will be important for the Hokies’ offense to make sure it doesn’t have the trouble scoring that Maryland had in the Tiger’s last game. The biggest matchup of Saturday’s game could be how the Hokies handle the fullcourt pressure that Clemson will almost certainly be bringing. The Tigers are notorious for not only pressing for most of every game, but for coming up with creative sets to do so. Purnell stresses defense as the reason why Clemson wins games it struggles in offensively like against Maryland. “We just played as good of defense as we’ve played in a long time. ... Even though we shoot 31 percent for the game, we hold them to 34 percent shooting,” Purnell said. “We turn them over 26 times

and we didn’t take care of the ball real well ourselves and the fact that we were able to do a really good job on the backboards as well, those were the things that gave us an opportunity to win.” “I just think that we had pretty good energy,” Purnell continued. “We were fundamentally sound, we understood and utilized our game preparation, our scouting — the way that you’re supposed to, to give yourself an edge.” The Hokies have done a fine job handling the press thus far this season, though they haven’t seen anything like what Clemson will bring to the table. If the Hokies even want to compete, they are going to need guards and small forwards like Erick Green, Dorenzo Hudson, and J.T. Thompson to help get the ball past half court. On the defensive end, those quicker players will need to make a difference as well. Greenberg said the Hokies continue to work on their transition defense, which will be key in a faster-paced game against the Tigers. “I think that we’re doing a better job of outnumbering the ball, we’re doing a better job of containing the basketball,” Greenberg said. “We just can’t turn it over. Obviously, it’s hard to defend a turnover. You know, we’ve got to be strong with the ball and stay lower and work to get open. If we take care of the ball, I think our transition defense will be fine.” There are many more matchups and aspects to this game, as there are to every other one, but the outcome will swing on the following: If the Hokies can beat the press, stop Booker inside and have Delaney go off, then Tech will win the game. If they can’t, the Tigers will walk out of Blacksburg with the win and the Hokies will be in a worse position than they have been in all year to achieve their goals. If Tech has any shot at making it to the NCAA National Tournament, its season may hinge on the outcome of this game. It may seem like a large amount of pressure to put on one game, but with the ACC as weak as it is, it may take nine or 10 victories within the conference to impress the selection committee. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. Saturday in Cassell Coliseum and the game will be televised on Raycom Sports.