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An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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COLLEGIATETIMES 107th year, issue 21
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Better late than never
Legislators target K-12 schools in budget cuts LIANA BAYNE & ZACH CRIZER ct news staff Virginia’s proposed budget has met resistance from supporters of K-12 education and health care as state legislators have laid out competing plans that would slash funding. The state must somehow address a two-year, $4 billion deficit. Both the Senate and the House of Delegates have proposed plans that would cut more from public school funding than former Gov. Tim Kaine proposed in December. Both plans also call for deeper cuts to public health care programs. Each chamber will vote on its own version on Thursday. The chambers will then attempt to compromise on the differences between the two plans. The House plan would cut a total of $1.5 billion more than what Kaine had proposed and would include an additional $620 million in cuts to public K-12 schools and $211 million from health and human services programs. The Senate would only cut $704 million from the proposed budget and would plan to take $133 million from education and $344 million from health and human resources. Neither house plans to cut more from higher education. Both plans also The world is eliminated a pronot going to posed 5 percent tax fall apart. What on student fee money public universities. we’ve got to do atVirginia21, a lobis figure out how bying group that we can best use cooperates with student government the dollars that groups in all Virginia are available. universities, hosted a lobbying day FRANK RUFF STATE SENATOR Thursday focused on ridding the proposal of the tax and maintaining current higher education funding levels. “I definitely think the trip made a difference because the student tax was something that was a big priority for Virginia21, and it’s something we all addressed in our meetings,” said Brittany Anderson, SGA director of governmental affairs. “I think our message was really carried loud and clear over the past couple of weeks during the General Assembly session, and I think it sends a really good message about where students priorities are and how much students care.” Sen. Frank Ruff, a Republican from the 15th district, said Thursday that every part of the budget is experiencing cuts and must ride out the economic recession. “The reality is this is an extremely bad year,” Ruff said. “This is the worst economy in our generation and your generation. The world is not going to fall apart. What we’ve got to do is figure out how we can best use the dollars that are available.” He emphasized the importance of new ideas that must come from tense budget negotiations. “Too frequently we just say, ‘OK, we did it last year and the year before, so we’re going to do it this year and add a little bit to it.’ Maybe that’s not the game plan we’ll be going with the next decade,” Ruff said. In a meeting with a leader from each represented school, Delegate Robert Tata said that while funding for higher education may be cut this year, he expects it to rebound next year. Tata, who serves as the chairman of the House of Delegates Arts and Higher Education subcommittee, also said proposed bills that would require Virginia universities to admit a certain proportion of their students from inside the state were unrealistic. Out-of-state students, who pay a higher tuition, make up a large funding base for state universities. Both plans also include plans to discontinue Kaine’s proposed car tax relief payments that would give $1.9 billion back to taxpayers.
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DANIEL LIN/SPPS
Eva Rettig, a junior at Blacksburg High School, tries to figure out when her classes are now going to be held. Classes resume today at 2 p.m. at Blacksburg Middle.
BEGINNING TODAY, BLACKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO HOLD CLASSES AT MIDDLE SCHOOL IN EVENING HOURS ZACH CRIZER nrv news editor Blacksburg High School students are set to return to classes — but they will have a late lunch first. Students resume classes Tuesday afternoon at Blacksburg Middle School, more than a week after the roof of the high school’s gym collapsed. Meetings were held at the middle school Monday night to give students instructions
on how to operate in the modified schedule. High school classes will begin after the end of the middle school’s day ends at 2 p.m. There is a 28-minute transition time between the two schedules. The day will begin with a late lunch in what would have been the fifth class period. Students will then proceed to their first period. Classes will end at 7:15 p.m. High school students were out of school all of last week as officials created a plan to deal with the collapse, which has made the
high school building unsafe to occupy. At Monday’s meeting for upperclassmen, officials directed student drivers to park in an overflow lot near the middle school’s stadium. They are not allowed to park until 1:45 p.m. The change of schools also alters plans for students who do not drive. In addition to new bus schedules, the changes mean many who frequently arrived at school on foot will have to make new arrangements. “I have to drive to a friend’s house and walk from there,” said junior Conor Gallagher, who lives near the high school building on Patrick Henry Drive. However, walking is now an option for many students, such as senior Matthew
Harper, who lives in the Prices Fork area near the middle school. Officials also considered busing the displaced students to Christiansburg High School, but they decided in favor of the location of Blacksburg Middle School. Still, some students worry that certain programs offered at the high school will not be fully functional at the middle school. For example, the makeshift replacement does not have drafting tables to support the high school’s architectural drawing program. The schedule meets requirements for a five hour, 31 minute instructional day. “Truthfully, we’re not going to get home until 8 (p.m.),” Gallagher said. “The only real advantage is we get to sleep in.”
Shultz transformation to begin in summer NATHAN DENNY news staff writer Upcoming summer construction on Shultz Hall aims to transform Blacksburg into an arts center by 2013. Starting this summer, renovations will begin on the existing Shultz building, which is expected to house the new Center for the Arts by 2012. To be completed in 2013, construction will begin on an addition to the building. The cost of this project is estimated at $89 million, with the renovation taking about $29 million. “We’re going to have a 1,260 seat performing arts hall,” said Ruth Waalkes, the executive director for the Center of the Arts at Virginia Tech, “two different visual arts galleries, and we’ll have a series of applied research facilities.” The Arts Initiative at Virginia Tech, the university’s effort to enhance the presence and practice of arts at Tech, proposed this project to the university. The television studio of the Department of Communication, currently housed in Shultz, will be relocated during construction. It will have a new space in the upgraded building, which will also be home to another program, the Center for Creative Technologies in the Arts. Shultz Dining Center, traditionally a popular place to dine for the corps of cadets, will remain open during renovation until late 2012. After that, however, the dining center will be permanently closed and replaced by
COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH
The planned renovations for Shultz Hall will include the new Center for the Arts and are expected to be completed in a planned dining hall adjacent to the ICTAS building. “Any top-notch university in the country has a good venue of some kind for visual and performing arts,” said Sue Ott Rowlands, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. “I’m looking forward to not just having a nice building, but more importantly, having access to the kinds of cultural events ... that we haven’t had in the past.” Rowlands, who also sits on the building committee for this project, envisions the new center as the first step in making Blacksburg a destination for the arts by attracting new
guest performers to campus. The promotion of the arts on Tech’s campus has been a long-running initiative. President Charles Steger made it one of his priorities in his 2000 inaugural speech, and he pointed to the need for additional performing arts space. Sarah Edwards is a freshman music major and member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble who voiced concern for current facilities. “The Recital Salon’s stage is really small, so it’s difficult for big group performances,” she said. “Haymarket Theatre doesn’t really have a large audience area. And in Burruss ... the
sound goes everywhere.” Edwards said the new 1,260-seat performance hall will be better suited for performing groups like the wind ensemble. Patricia Raun, director of the Performing Arts and Cinema Department, said she anticipates the building’s opening. “I am really looking forward to having a place on campus where my students and my colleagues and I can go to see world-class performing arts events and not have to drive to Washington, D.C., or Charlottesville,” she said.
Harrington family, friends to raise money with wristbands GORDON BLOCK news reporter Friends of slain Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington are preparing the sale of wristbands to raise money in her name for charity. The purple and green wristbands will feature Harrington’s name, a heart, and “241,” representing HARRINGTON the family’s slo-
gan, “I love you too much, forever, once more.” The wristbands are tentatively priced at $4. Proceeds from sales of the bands will be donated to Orphan Medical Network International. Erin Cole, a junior communication major at Tech, graduated from high school with Harrington. “We wanted to do something to contribute to a cause she believed in,” Cole said. Noting the success of wristbands such as the Livestrong bracelets for cancer research, Cole said wristbands
“were the perfect thing to do for Morgan.” Tony Liskey, a junior civil engineering major, spent $150 of his own money to create the initial order of 300 bracelets. Liskey serves as the administrator of a Facebook group organizing information about the bands. The group, titled “Morgan Harrington bracelets” had 1,112 members as of 8 p.m. yesterday. “We’re not sure if everybody’s looking to buy the wristband, but it shows they care about the cause,”
Cole said. “We’re going to try our hardest to get these out to everybody.” Plans are still underway to sell the bracelets in Blacksburg and the Roanoke area. Liskey said he has talked with administrators about potentially selling the bracelets either on the Drillfield or in Squires Student Center. Liskey said he hoped sales from the initial run of wristbands would generate around $1,000. Harrington, a junior education
major, went missing on Oct. 17, 2009 while attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena. Her body was uncovered Jan. 27, 2010 at a farm approximately 10 miles from the arena. The Harrington family announced in early February the formation of a scholarship in Morgan’s name to benefit the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. The Harrington family designated donations be made to the scholarship, along with OMNI.
in lieu of flowers
[ ] 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
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new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865
february 23, 2010
THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS
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CURRENT MEDAL COUNT as of 9:28 p.m. Monday
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gold | silver | bronze | total
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Poll Results The question was: How do you feel about allowing concealed carry in restaurants? The Virginia House of Delegates has passed the bill allowing concealed carry in bars and restaurants. You said: I feel less safe. Guns and restaurants shouldn’t mix. 13% (37 votes) I do not care either way. 4% (11 votes) I feel safer with concealed carriers in restaurants. 25% (71 votes) It’s good news. I look forward to carrying a concealed weapon there myself. 59% (168 votes)
CORRECTION In Friday’s article ‘Cafe in final stages of construction’ (CT, Feb. 19), it was reported that VT Services, Inc., would be operating the planned cafe in Newman Library. Newman Library officials say no official contract has been signed regarding the operation of the cafe. The Collegiate Times regrets this error.
JUSTIN GRAVES -Contact our public editor at publiceditor@ collegiatetimes.com if you see anything that needs to be corrected.
COLLEGIATETIMES
US spending $600 million on new Afghanistan police stations THOMAS L. DAY mcclatchy newspapers
KABUL — The U.S. military plans to spend more than $600 million to build nearly 200 police stations for the Afghan National Police over the next year. The massive investment in the Afghan police comes as the Obama administration intends to build the force up to 160,000 policemen by 2013. At about $6 million a police station, the structures will look scarcely like your standard neighborhood precinct. According to U.S. Corps of Engineers designs, most of the police stations will have a barbedwire perimeter with guards posted in each of the four corners. The walls and roofs will be built with reinforced concrete. “There are five basic designs that are used for police stations, and they’re all pretty similar,” said Paul Giblin, a spokesman for the U.S. Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers commander insists the design of the stations strikes a balance: Leave the Afghan police with fortified bases, but not so fortified that police officers will be cordoned off from local citizens. “We’re building police headquarters that people can come to and interact with police,” said Col. Michael McCormick, the commander of the U.S. Corps of Engineers’ North Afghanistan operations. “There is no requirement to build the stations like bunkers.” Some would argue that bunkers may be appropriate for a force constantly under siege by insurgents — by some estimate, the forces loses 10 percent of its ranks to fatal attacks. One provincial police chief who spoke to McClatchy Newspapers railed against the designs, saying his policemen needed more protection against insurgent attacks. “From the fighting point of view, they are vulnerable,” said Abdul Karim Omaryar, police chief of the eastern Laghman province. “It cannot resist small arms fire.” Omaryar said he presented his concerns to the Afghan Ministry of Interior, but was told that “the contract is done and approved by
MCT CAMPUS
A new Afgan police facility is put to use after being designed and built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
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We’re building police headquarters that people can come to and interact with police. MATTHEW MCCORMICK COMMANDER OF U.S. CORPS OF ENGINEERS
Washington.” Through a U.S. Corps of Engineers spokesman, McCormick insisted that the buildings would resist small arms fire. If U.S. commanders have their way, the Afghan police won’t be spending much time in the stations
anyway. “The police in Kabul are getting out a little bit more, spending more time with the local populace as opposed to sitting inside that police precinct,” said Brig. Gen. Larry Dudney, the commander of a security force mentoring bureau in the Afghan capital. “That’s where you’re going to get of your information on where the Taliban are, or where the people are that have stolen the police uniforms who are going to try to infiltrate the ranks,” Dudney added. His comments come on the heel of the biggest NATO offensive in the country since the 2001 invasion.
Codenamed “Moshtarak,” meaning “together” in the Dari language, the operation involves thousands of American and British troops, as well as members of the Afghan National Army. Operation Moshtarak’s key objectives are to secure the infamous poppy-growing belt in the Helmand province, which is a strong generator of the world’s illicit opium supply. The drug is also a prime revenue source for the Taliban, which have been slowly driven out from the province in the last week or so as the NATO forces slowly advance. (Day reports for The Telegraph in Macon, Ga.)
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nation & world headlines
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Terror suspect pleads guilty, says he planned ‘martyrdom operations’ NEW YORK — Terrorism suspect Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, telling a federal judge that he planned to commit “martyrdom operations” and subways were among the targets. The 25-year-old former Denver airport shuttle driver also pleaded guilty Monday to counts of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support for a terrorist organization, which he said was al-Qaida. He faces a life prison sentence without parole in the plea deal. When Judge Raymond Dearie asked him to define what he meant by “martyrdom operations,” Zazi said: “To me it meant I would sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the U.S. military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan.” Zazi was arrested last September after driving crosscountry from Denver to New York in what authorities believed was the first al-Qaidalinked terrorist operation on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11 attacks. Authorities say he received al-Qaida training in Pakistan and went on a buying spree of bomb-making chemicals in preparation for launching an attack in New York. Zazi, who is being held without bail, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. by tina susman, mcclatchy newspapers
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editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
february 23, 2010
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Your Views [student org]
Be careful with diet and exercise Last week I came home from class and noticed that my roommates were gathered around the TV completely absorbed with a show. Assuming that it was really engaging, I sat down on the couch to see what it was about. Expecting “CSI,” “Law and Order” or some other actionpacked program that’s usually on, I was quite surprised to see a show about celebrities losing weight. Skeptically, I sat there for another 30 minutes completely drawn by the mystical weight losses. There were movie stars who had recently given birth to a child and four weeks later were doing bikini shoots. There were also stars that had somehow lost and gained more weight in one year than I thought was possible. When the show was over, I couldn’t help but ponder the safety or success of the drastic weight losses. It also made me think of the difference between a diet and an eating disorder. With a little research, I found that a healthy diet to lose weight can include the reduction of calories but stresses the importance of consuming vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Exercising and monitoring the quality of your food also can help you lose weight. A
healthy diet should help you lose weight, but only over a gradual period of time. So what does an eating disorder have to do with it? We’ve all had days when we feel a little heavier than normal, for example, when we just ate a really big meal and are still digesting. However, people with eating disorders often feel like this regardless of their weight. There are generally two main forms of eating disorders: bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa involves binge eating and purging using laxatives or other methods. Anorexia nervosa involves resistance to eating or cutting entire food groups. Anorexia nervosa may also involve a rigorous exercise program. Although the target of eating disorders is the intake of food, the reasoning behind it is much different. Eating disorders can be the result of stress, low selfesteem, interpersonal problems, abuse, anxiety and depression. The list of factors that can contribute to eating disorders is long, making this disorder complicated and unique. Regardless of how many factors may contribute, treatment is effective. For more information, you can go to the National Eating Disorder Web page at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
Candace Lohr president of Active Minds
UC Irvine’s free speech debate on political action C
ollege campuses, especially at public universities, are places where all ideas should be expressed and debated. No speech ever should be stopped or punished because of the viewpoint expressed. Of course, there must be rules to regulate the time, place and manner of such expression to preserve order and even to make sure that speech can occur. These general principles are unassailable, but their application to recent events at the University of California, Irvine, has attracted international attention. Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren was invited by several sponsors, including the law school (of which I am dean) and the political science department (of which I am a member) to speak at the university on Feb. 8. Prior to this event, campus officials heard rumors that some members of the Muslim Student Union planned to disrupt the ambassador’s speech by having a series of students yell so that he could not be heard. One after another they would rise and shout, so that as each was escorted away, another would be there to make sure that the ambassador did not get to speak. When asked, the officials of the Muslim Student Union denied any plans to do this.
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The government, including public universities, always can impose time, place and manner restrictions on speech.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what occurred. After the first disruptions, the audience was admonished that such behavior was not acceptable within the university and that those who engaged in such conduct would be arrested and face student disciplinary proceedings. Despite these warnings, 11 individuals rose and shouted so that the ambassador could not be heard. At one point he left the stage, but thankfully was persuaded to return and deliver his address. Eleven individuals were arrested, and those who are UCI students are facing disciplinary action. In the last week, I have been deluged with messages from those saying the disruptive students did nothing wrong and deserve no punishment, and also from those saying that the students should be expelled and that others in the audience who cheered them on should be disciplined. Both of these views are wrong. As to the former, there are now posters around campus referring
to the unjust treatment of the “Irvine 11” and saying they were just engaging in speech themselves. However, freedom of speech never has been regarded as an absolute right to speak out at any time and in any manner. Long ago, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes explained that there was no right to falsely shout “fire” in a crowded theater. The government, including public universities, always can impose time, place and manner restrictions on speech. A person who comes into my classroom and shouts so that I cannot teach surely can be punished without offending the First Amendment. Likewise, those who yelled to keep the ambassador from being heard were not engaged in constitutionally protected behavior. Freedom of speech, on campuses and elsewhere, is rendered meaningless if speakers can be shouted down by those who disagree. The law is well established that the government can act to prevent a heckler’s veto — to prevent the reaction of the audience from silencing the speaker. There is simply no First Amendment right to go into an auditorium and prevent a speaker from being heard, no matter who the speaker is or how strongly one disagrees with his or her message. The remedy for those who disagreed with the ambassador was to engage in speech of their own, but in a way that was not disruptive. They could have handed out leaflets, stood with picket signs, spoken during the question-andanswer session, held a demonstration elsewhere on campus or invited their own speakers. At the same time, I also disagree with those who call for draconian sanctions against these students or of punishment for a larger group. Only the students who were actually disruptive should be punished. Whether there will be criminal prosecutions is up to the Orange County district attorney. Within the university, the punishment should be great enough to convey that the conduct was wrong and unacceptable, but it should not be so severe as to ruin these students’ educational careers. As a matter of First Amendment law, this is an easy case. It would be so no matter the identity or views of the speaker or of the demonstrators. Perhaps some good can come from this ugly incident if the university uses it as an occasion to help teach its students about the meaning of free speech and civil discourse.
ERWIN CHEMERINSKY -dean of the UC Irvine School of Law -mcclatchy newspapers
MCT CAMPUS
America should consider strength of porn industry R
esearch varies, but the pornography industry in America is presumed to gross anywhere from $1 billion to $4 billion in annual revenue. This is quite a number for a country considered sexually conservative when compared to its other Western counterparts. Porn has been the source of incredible controversy, accused of increasing the incidence of sexually based crimes. Porn has also been accused of promoting unrealistic body images, relationships, practices and even teaching sex as a vehicle for violence and drug use. However, on an individual basis, attitudes about porn vary widely. Even fields of study such as psychology have shifted over the decades in their beliefs about this dark and contentious pastime. While there are no hard and fast positive associations between pornography and increases in sex crimes, it is also no secret that porn-addictions exist and the industry has at times provided dubious if not desperate means to entertain its audience. At what cost does it? So, let’s talk generally about pornography and its worth in our society. The greatest opposition for the removal or censorship of pornography in the media is that is sets a precedent for censorship in general. Some people believe they have a tacit right to view naked bodies in a way that pleases them. It is not as though nudity is thrust upon the public unexpectedly. You have to subscribe to “Playboy”; it doesn’t just show up in your mailbox. Similarly, one must actively seek out a Web site. Despite what some believe, it does not simply pop up while you’re reading a Wikipedia article. It is also potentially difficult to draw the line between artful nudes and what some would consider pornography. Where do Americans’ notions about sex and pleasure leave artful depictions
of the naked male and female forms in the debate over sexually explicit material? Would that too be considered pornography? Technically, pornography is the depiction of sexual subject matter for the use of sexual pleasure. Certainly, at least for some, even the statue of David meets that broad standard. But then again, other definitions define pornographic depictions as having no artistic merit whatsoever, rendering the decision between the two voids. But the same has been said for works of modern art as well, so whose opinion do we turn to? Supporters of banning pornography make a variety of interesting and powerful indictments against pornography. While the feminist community has long been split on its opinions regarding this industry, those against it believe it is demeaning to women, promoting violence, rape and subjugation. Other communities have noted pornography’s penchant for promoting unrealistic body images. Oftentimes actors in the porn industry have modellike figures with disproportionate and unnatural body parts, all enhanced for the audience’s attention. The acts themselves can be questionable, advocating promiscuity or polygamy. In reality, many sexual relationships function perfectly well in just the opposite circumstances. The message is that for sex to be fun, one must have multiple partners and be unbelievably attractive. Issues of race and violence also come into question. Interracial pornography plays with power relationships in a dangerous and often offensive way, just as it does with its depictions of men and women. But instead of looking at pornography as offensive to certain groups or certain individuals, why not look at it as hurtful to all? This is an industry that cheapens
everyone, not just some. As an American, I believe people have the right to view sexually explicit material in the privacy of their homes, but I have to wonder why it has become such a lucrative industry. Pornography does not depict just women as objects or bestialize just one group, but everyone. In this industry, everyone is utilized as a fetish for another’s pleasure. Whether that person is dominant or passive is irrelevant. The fact is that pornography exists to stimulate an audience sexually, so the moment it’s turned on, anyone participating in that activity is instantly objectified by the viewer. Advocates of pornography have to be honest about its role in their lives. It is a little different in purpose than a nap, a meal, or even a toy. It meets a perceived need by the person using it and the desire is not explored, simply had. As Americans living in a society with copious amounts of sexual violence and a popular pornographic industry (simultaneously acting shocked and awed when someone loses their bra on television), we need to examine why it is that these extremes are not reconciled and also the sexual repression of our country. It is possible that if we lived in a world that allowed greater honesty and exploration of the human body in public forums, there would be little need for such clandestine and sordid depictions of human sexual behaviors in magazines and on the computer screen.
JOHN DRIESSNACK -regular columnist -biology -junior
Mothers right to privacy more important than health of fetus? I
raised an eyebrow of interest after reading that a Florida woman, six months pregnant, was court-ordered to stay in the hospital against her own will. The woman had smoked throughout her pregnancy, and after a premature labor scare, her doctor got a judge to rule that she must stay in the hospital. This was not for her protection, but to protect the baby, which had not been born. All the hours I had spent shadowing doctors and physicians, all the information I had gathered in my premedical studies, began to flow into my mind, encompassing one single question — what happened to patient’s autonomy or even the bill of rights? Even from my perspective as a patient, having been through numerous surgeries and treatments, I take comfort in the fact that I can refuse treatment if I do not want it, regardless of what my doctor suggests. But here was this woman, losing out to someone that hadn’t even been registered as a citizen of the country, let alone born. Samantha Burton was ordered to stay in the hospital and consequently became, as her lawyer David Abrams described, “nothing more than a fetal incubator owned by the state of Florida.” Burton could not even leave the hospital or seek care from somewhere else. She was supposed to sit there, keep quiet and make a baby. She was a woman who was denied her personal autonomy by an authoritative power and forced to provide someone else’s version of prenatal care. If an argument was proposed that supported the court’s decision, the most popular, rightwing response would be something like this: That woman was leading an unhealthy lifestyle while the fetus was completely helpless. The court order helped the woman from possibly killing her unborn child. So by this notion, when
a woman gets an abortion, she is a murderer. That is all good, but my question is this: when a woman miscarries, by the same logic, shouldn’t she be subsequently charged with manslaughter? Let me remind the readers the definition of manslaughter is the killing of someone without premeditation or intention. I’m sure taxpayers don’t mind building a few more penitentiaries to put those evildoers away. Women, historically, fought so hard for their rights, and are now just losing them and being oppressed once more. Imagine if doctors were able to use legal action to keep pregnant women under binding medical treatments (if the legal action previously described set a precedent for future cases). Pregnant women everywhere would be tentative about seeking medical help or consulting a doctor for assistance. However, on the flip side, perhaps couples would devote more time to thinking about whether they want to start a family. My other question is for the judicial system and the people that supported such a decision. Pregnant women do things, both intentionally and unintentionally, that, like smoking, can be harmful to a developing baby. Alcohol consumption, for example, is something that many people in this country would not give up, even when pregnant. Even something as simple as an improper diet could be harmful to a fetus. Stress and bodily infections are also on that list. Would this court precedent pave the way for the sequestering of women who are very stressed and overwhelmed emotionally? Or perhaps a minimal white blood cell count should be set before a woman becomes pregnant? Where is the line drawn? For all we know, the physical and
psychological stress of being incarcerated in a hospital without nicotine is what could have caused Burton to deliver a stillborn fetus by caesarean section. It seems almost an impossible feat to be the perfect pregnant woman. The Center for Disease Control recommends actions such as taking 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, avoiding caffeine, treating medical conditions if necessary, doing appropriate genetic testing, taking 30 milligrams of iron daily and baby-proofing your home, all while “relaxing.” This is just to start. It would be very difficult for every precautionary measure to be taken when pregnant. Why should a woman be penalized because she wants to smoke? Do we penalize pregnant women who drink large quantities of Mountain Dew or coffee, which have tons of caffeine, as well? Or perhaps we punish for intake of sugary foods, because sugar acts as an immunosuppressant. I am not saying I think all fetuses should be without rights or their delivery should be without regulations and precautionary measures. However, when given a choice of what predominates legally in the courts — a woman or an unborn baby — I would like to think the choice is obvious. Disclaimer: If it is decided that the unborn baby would win in this situation, I would like to also propose we transfer voting rights to the baby as well, you know, just because.
JOSH TREBACH -regular columnist -biology -sophomore
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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ACROSS 1 Have status 5 Less adorned, as walls 10 Wordless singing style 14 Land parcel unit 15 Big gig venue 16 Heading for a chore list 17 Devotee of a Sistine Chapel feature? 19 Charles Lamb’s nom de plume 20 Sixth sense, briefly 21 Carnival city 22 Portage vessels 24 Devotee of green ice cream? 27 Final furniture coat 30 Round at the tavern 31 Pennsylvania Dutch group 32 Buddy of Tom and Dick? 33 Important time 36 Pop choice 37 Numbers after the decimal point 38 Top of the glass 39 __ out: barely make 40 Tadpoles’ milieus 41 Like fresh celery 42 Capital where “Aida” premiered 43 Trained animal’s repertoire 44 Devotee of thunderstorms? 48 Idolizes 49 Fish eggs 50 In the style of 53 Hand, in Juárez 54 Devotee of a classical language? 58 “Beg pardon” 59 Express a view 60 Uncooperative contraction 61 Annoyed 62 Looks after 63 Stopping points DOWN 1 Meet event 2 Suit toppers
By Joy C. Frank
3 Vacation option 4 Sushi choice 5 Send into exile 6 Special lingo 7 Arbiter with a whistle 8 “Bambi” doe 9 Oater landowners 10 Workers with pads 11 Punctuation in play dialogue 12 French farewell 13 Best man’s offer 18 Joyce’s countrymen 23 Like a screened porch 24 Tower city 25 Leave high and dry 26 “Two mints in one” sloganeer 27 Confront 28 “No harm done” 29 River where baby Moses was found 32 Artist Matisse 33 Rock star Clapton 34 Insurer’s exposure
2/23/10 Monday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
35 Metal band’s equipment 37 Vending machine feature 38 Place to hold mutineers 40 Cracker spread 41 Inhumane 42 Auto trim 43 Rare orders, perhaps 44 Eastern priests 45 Potato source
2/23/10
46 Casualty 47 Nine-to-five routine, to many 50 Ringer of many bells 51 Allow to use for a while 52 Creative fields 55 Class clown, often 56 Anchovy holder 57 Be in the hole for
features 5
editor: topher forhecz featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
february 23, 2010
COLLEGIATETIMES
Freshman theatre major releases first EP, looks for gigs JOYCE KIM features writer
F
or freshman theatre arts major Bethany Parks, partcipating in extracurricular activities in school has come to mean a strong devotion to her guitar. While getting into college is a big moment for anyone, another great accomplishment for Parks will be marked this March when an EP of her own music, titled “Bethany and the Guitar,” will be released. The EP will contain five original songs that were written, produced and recorded by Parks. Also featured on the EP is her older brother, Kurtis Parks, who helped out with different duties. Kurtis is a graduate of Virginia Tech and an aspiring musician. Though it’s only her first year of college, Parks has been busy recording and trying to find outlets for her music at local venues such as Attitudes. She is also currently attempting to secure a spot during Relay for Life at Virginia Tech. Parks sat down with the Collegiate Times to talk about her music and her budding career as a songwriter. CT: How are you enjoying (the theatre major)? PARKS: I really like the theatre department and it’s very close knit. The teachers have a lot of experience and I just declared the major so I haven’t taken many classes yet. ... I’m thinking of trying out for “American Idol” over the summer. My older brother tried out the year that Carrie Underwood won, season four. He got to Hollywood and made it to the rooms where they split them into the four rooms and decide which two rooms get to advance. He got to meet Carrie and hang out with her, and he has a picture with her, but this was when neither of them knew that she was going to get that far. I feel like it’ll be really good way to get my name out there even thought I might not get very far. CT: Have you been preparing yet? PARKS: I sing all the time and I play guitar a lot. I’m just going to go and do it because I don’t want to be too nervous, but I probably will be. CT: When did you first start playing music? Or discover your passion for singing? PARKS: I started playing around with the guitar probably three years ago and I had no idea what I was doing, and I kind of taught myself. I took
a class in high school that taught basics with chords, and I’ve always liked to write — mostly short stories or poems. Then once I started playing around with the guitar, I experimented with songwriting. The more I wrote, the better I got with it. My brother helped me a lot with that. I actually was just really nervous to sing in front of anyone. I didn’t know if I was good or not and then I tried out for the youth band for my church and no one really said, “You’re not good.” I sang more and more as the months went by. In the beginning, my voice was shaky, but I improved a lot so they kind of promoted me to the main band on Sunday mornings. Then I had a lot of people come up to me and say how my voice was good ... Singing solos helped me get more confident with my voice. I always got so nervous of my brother’s opinions because he is a musician, but he pretty much encouraged me and helped me write. I started recording to try it out and realized that this could be something that I wanted to do. CT: Has music always been a part of your family, or did it start with you and your brother? PARKS: It started with my brother and we all grew up in the church because our dad is a pastor. He helped lead worship because he’s always been interested in music. I’ve always loved to sing, but I’m not sure where I got it from. He is a definitely a totally different style than what I like to do. He’s more Christian rock and writes for any genre. He helps me write for my style, which is more folk and acoustic. CT: What is the story behind your name, “Bethany and the Guitar”? PARKS: Actually there was not much to it. My brother was trying to make a music Myspace and all the names were taken for Bethany Parks, Bethany Parks Music and he suggested, “Bethany and Guitar” which sounded robotic so I added the “the” and it worked. I looked up “Bethany and the Guitar” and I realized I really liked that name a lot. It sounded like a storybook title and had an indie vibe to it. CT: I know you told me your brother is your manager. How does that feel? Are there any big problems or difficulty with that? PARKS: He does everything for me. We record together and he helps me write when I’m stuck on the song. I’ll send him a YouTube video of
COURTESY OF BETHANY PARKS
Freshman Bethany Parks is set to release her first five song EP this March. She describes her style as “folk and acoustic.” me singing and playing the guitar saying, “These are the chords and lyrics and this is the melody basic framework of the song,” and he’ll take it, record and add in all the instruments like the drum track. I think on almost all of the songs we have the violin and that’s one of his friends in Nashville. He gives me suggestions and he kind of mentors me and lets me take it in the direction that I want to take it. If I don’t like the song, I’ll tell him, and he’ll take my opinions seriously. CT: You have an EP coming out on iTunes. You must feel like a true artist now. How does it feel? PARKS: It’s crazy because it happened so fast. My brother right away encouraged me and every time we saw each other we would record or write and so it’s been a really exciting with iTunes. Pretty much anyone can do it; anyone can pay a fee and it’s a long process, but I’m really excited about it. Another thing that is interesting is instead of releasing a new album every year, we’re just going to keep releasing five song EPs every six months. That way, if I get a following of fans they won’t forget about me. Especially with the way me and my brother write, we can crank out songs in 15 minutes. He is moving to Washington, D.C., soon so he’ll be a little closer to me. CT: How long did it take you to make the EP? PARKS: About six months. We started over the summer and now we’re here and we already have four or five songs that we’ve written together and we’ll probably release those in the summer.
CT: You guys release songs pretty quick. PARKS: Yeah. The fact that we’re brother and sister, we sort of think the same way and we help each other if we’re stuck. CT: Every artist has some kind of message or story behind each of his or her new releases. What is the story behind yours? PARKS: My goal for the songs is to have a light, happy, carefree message because I’m a really an optimistic happy person and I don’t get depressed often and I want to have a happy kind of message. “I’m The Sea,” is more somber, but it’s probably the darkest that it would get. I feel like these songs will help them feel better and give a message that no matter what happens everything is going to be okay in the end. My lyrics say that for “In The End,” and I definitely get that message from my Christian faith. CT: Do you have a favorite song out of the five? PARKS: “Careful with Me,” is my favorite because I had a crush on the same guy for three years in high school and it was kind of a geeky, girly crush and I’m very outgoing, but I couldn’t talk to him. I just could never forget about him and this past summer he told me he’s liked me this whole time and I was ecstatic and I had to write a song about it. CT: So are you guys going out now? PARKS: Yes and it’s really good. He loved the song and he was really emotional. He shed a little tear. It’s funny because he’s very manly, but
our relationship became really serious really fast because we liked each other for such a long time. We were like kindergartners around each other. CT: Who are your musical inspirations? PARKS: Ingrid Michaelson, I really love her and going to her concert made me realize that I could make this a career because she engages in the crowd and has so much fun on stage. Colbie Caillat, but not as much anymore, but she definitely influenced me to be an artist. CT: You have a pair of red boots that you seemed to love and were wearing on your Myspace photo. Is there a story behind that? PARKS: Not really. It kind of sounds silly, but rain boots represent childhood and being carefree so I just liked the outfit with the rain boots because it seems very innocent and that is what my music is about. I felt like that this was a good way to represent myself. CT: What makes you stand out among the many mainstream artists these days? What do you hope to convey as an artist through your music? PARKS: I feel like artists who come out on the scene when they’re young, I started when I was 17, are usually influenced by mainstream and at that age you haven’t really found yourself. I knew I didn’t want to do mainstream, poppy music and I don’t know many indie artists this young who know what exact message they want as soon as they go for it.
sports 6
editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
february 23, 2010
Q&A: Tech professor covers the Hokies’ freshman wrestler life of Lakers great Jerry West takes down competition THOMAS EMERICK multimedia reporter Jerry West — also known as “Mr. Clutch” and “The Logo” of the National Basketball Association — led the Los Angeles Lakers to nine NBA finals appearances as a player, six NBA titles as general manager and a return to the postseason as head coach. Roland Lazenby, an acclaimed author and communication professor at Virginia Tech, has written more than 50 books, including powerful works on the 1980s Lakers, the 1990s Bulls and Kobe Bryant. Lazenby’s latest biography, “Jerry West, The Life And Legend Of A Basketball Icon,” describes the life of one of professional sports’ most revered figures — a Hall of Famer who spent his formative years a little more than a hundred miles from Tech. The ESPN Books hardcover hits Amazon.com today. The Collegiate Times sat down with Lazenby to discuss the process of writing this autobiography and to hear more about the lives of some of the NBA elite. COLLEGIATE TIMES: There are a lot of reviews out that focus on Jerry West’s thoughts on the sexual inhibitions of the ’80s Lakers, for which West served as general manager, but is that a relatively small part of your book? ROLAND LAZENBY: Well, yes and no, because it is the Lakers. There’s probably a larger context if I’d wanted to — and maybe should’ve — included that I have before in other books. But sex in sports is sort of a taboo subject, yet it’s huge. Tiger Woods just got on TV and apologized. Forever coaches, general managers, all of these people involved in the business of sports have been intensely focused on how the athletes compete. And these great athletes are very complex people. And their sexuality plays into what they do. ... While (West) was a coach, it was a big factor. They had off-duty vice detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department that were hired by the Lakers to follow players around and keep them out of trouble. During Showtime, it was a particularly difficult time, it led to Magic (Johnson) obviously becoming HIV positive and it created just a shock for the world. And then it became revealed just how far the Lakers had gone, and Jerry West was the person who’s running the Lakers. CT: You’ve also written books about Kobe Bryant and the Showtime Lakers, and have interviews with Tex Winter in your Lakernoise blog as well. How much did your whole Lakers network of contacts factor into making this book? LAZENBY: Well, of course I got to know Tex with the Chicago Bulls. And I started working on Lakers projects back in the early ’90s. Then I was hired in ’93 to start doing Bulls projects, and I became close friends with Tex Winter soon after. I tell my students it’s all about the business of best minds. Whatever field you’re going into, try to make the best minds your colleagues. Obviously Tex Winter is one of the best minds, the long-time mentor to
Phil Jackson. Tex Winter’s the guy who devised the triangle offense. So, to have him as somebody I could call at the drop of the hat to ask a question — and I would do that even as I was coaching AAU ball. We would run the triangle with my teams, and so having Tex Winter as that kind of friend and source was a good thing for me.
CT: What was your biggest inspiration in writing this book? LAZENBY: Jerry West was my father’s favorite player. And my father was one of these guys who was the old twohanded set shooters from back in the ’30s. ... (He) was set to go to Emory & Henry, but his father dropped dead that summer. So my father had to go to work on the loading dock at a local business supply company so that he could pay for ... food and clothing for his younger brothers and sisters. ... I’ve dedicated several books to my father, but writing about Jerry West was the ultimate thing. I first started interviewing Jerry West back in the ’80s, and I remember one of the first times I met him in Dallas and sat in his hotel room for three hours and did a very intense interview. And I just remember thinking, “Boy, I wish I could call my father and tell him about this.” So a lot of it is sort of a father-son thing, it’s important to me. CT: A lot of the book focuses on Jerry West’s early life in West Virginia. LAZENBY: And even the life that preceded him, the life of his father and grandfather and his grandmother, very difficult times. CT: And the relationship with his brother who died in the Korean War. LAZENBY: It’s really the story of all military families. What happened in the Korean War to his brother, where he signed up for two years, went to war, served, won a silver star, became very sick — but they kept him beyond the two years because the country needed him. And we have military families today who struggle with those kinds of losses. ... A lot of what shaped his career as this great player was all the fury and anger that came out of his brother’s death in Korea. CT: What do you think is the more pressure-packed, or exhausting, part of this whole process, the writing of the book or the promoting of the book? LAZENBY: Well, I can handle the promotions. The writing was very hard. I was teaching four classes a semester here at Tech. It was unbearable a lot of times, and I would do my interviews during the summer months and weekends. But I had to do a lot of my writing (where) I’d go to sleep at 10 p.m. and get up at 1 a.m., and write until 5:30 or 6 a.m., and sleep for an hour and a half and get up and teach. That was very hard. It’s been a very hard two-and-a-half years. CT: One of the themes, later in the book, seems to be about Jerry West being a perfectionist, and that it created a culture on the teams where players were more worried about impressing general manager West
than the coach. LAZENBY: Well, he was a perfectionist as a player. One of the themes of the book is the idea of the alpha male: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, who are just driven to compete and everything has to be perfect. And it is a miserable state to be a perfectionist. But it’s really essential to work at that level. And so it makes it very hard to deal with these people, and it makes them very complex. ... It’s a side of sports that the fans only get a hint of. And then Jerry West, after he became an executive, such a revered figure. He is “The Logo.” He is the competitive emblem of the NBA. And not only that, he’s this guy who just knew how to relate to all of these players — didn’t matter what generation. Nobody worked harder at it then Jerry West. He’s really driven by that. And so, yes they wanted to please him — he’s that level of figure. Coaches would find it difficult sometimes, and you had to have a coach with a lot of ego to survive. Pat Riley had a lot of ego, and he was the coach for four of those Lakers championships in the ’80s, when West was the GM in the ’80s. Pat Riley was the substitute who played behind West, and Riley would be in all this great shape, and he would just play like a maniac. West always competed, yet Riley never got to play, and then they started working together as coach and GM. At times they had tremendous conflicts too, because West was this very demanding figure.
CT: At first, West was a little reticent to even hire Phil Jackson due to another ego coming in. LAZENBY: The book opens with him. I’m sitting with him doing an interview in the (Los Angeles) Forum. There’s just a few of us there, Kobe Bryant’s shooting free throws, this is 1999. I ask him a question, and he starts launching F-bombs. “F Phil Jackson.” I’m going, “Woh woh!” A month later he’s hiring the guy. And so it starts out explaining it. And of course, Phil drove Jerry West out once he became coach of the Lakers. And the book explains that too. CT: And there’s a Tech connection in the book with former basketball coach Chuck Noe. LAZENBY: Well Chuck Noe was really trying to up the level of Virginia Tech athletics. He came in and he started recruiting West Virginia. West Virginia had a lot of great high school players at that time. And he would try to recruit West, and the West Virginia University people sort of surrounded West and tried to keep the other coaches away. And Chuck Noe was always going around, going up on Jerry’s front porch. Chuck Noe was this very outgoing guy. Really funny guy, a lovely man. But the West Virginia University people got the sheriff’s deputies to throw him out of one of Jerry’s high school games. They wouldn’t let him be there to talk — today you couldn’t do that. But there was all this gamesmanship going on, and Chuck Noe recruited Chris Smith, who’s one of the all-time greats here at Virginia Tech, from Charleston, and he stole him away from West Virginia. Jerry West and his teammates lost the NCAA championship by a point to Cal in 1959, and they always said if Chuck Noe hadn’t stolen Chris Smith to go play at Virginia Tech, they would’ve won that championship. Chris Smith was the big man that they didn’t have on that team. ... We don’t see it much because Virginia Tech and West Virginia don’t play each other like they did for years, (but) there was a really heated rivalry. The two schools did not like each other much, and that was just one of the many thorns in that relationship.
KATIE KOOIMAN sports staff writer A few weeks ago, 19-year-old Brian Stephens was a little-known freshman from Piqua, Ohio, just starting to make his mark in the collegiate wrestling world. When he learned his Jan. 29 match would be against a Central Michigan senior, ranked No. 11 nationally, Stephens saw the potential to wrestle his way into the spotlight. “I was excited to go against someone with that national ranking,” Stephens said. “I didn’t do anything unusual. I just had a real good week at practice.” Coming out of the first period, Stephens trailed Central Michigan’s Tony D’Alie, and this trend continued through the second, but Stephens came back to upset D’Alie in the third period. “I haven’t come out of the first period of many matches winning. So, I wasn’t worried when I was trailing,” Stephens said. “I knew I had him tired. I knew I could win. With that first takedown, I just had to keep that momentum alive.” That momentum came in the form of Stephens’ nine-to-nothing run during the third period. By the close of the match, he had won, dominating his competition, 12-7. “No one knew about Brian before this. I mean, we did, but the nation didn’t,” head coach Kevin Dresser said. “We wanted Brian to be noticed, and we wanted him to get that top-20 in the nation ranking, which we did with this win.” Coming off this victory, Stephens did more than break into the nation-
JACK HOWELL/SPPS
Virginia Tech true freshman Brian Stephens tries for the pin and gets points for a near pinfall against Central Michigan on Jan. 29. al ranks. In addition to appearing on D1CollegeWrestling’s poll and Amateur Wrestling News’ poll, Stephens earned the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week title on Feb. 2. Hard work on and off the mat seems to be the moral of Stephens’ story. “Brian is one of those kids who doesn’t need to be pushed,” Dresser said. “After practice, he is always looking for something else to do. He is in the top three or four hardest workers on this team, and as a freshman, that’s saying a lot.” Stephens’ coach isn’t the only one taking notice. Teammate Chris Diaz, who is ranked No. 10 nationally and has also won the title of ACC Wrestler of the Week this season, says Stephens helps the whole team push harder. “I do drills with him, and he just doesn’t ever stop,” junior Diaz said. “He keeps hitting. Seeing him work
his hardest all the time definitely helps us to want to work our hardest, too. He brings that young spirit to our team. He has a lot of energy, and we use that when we are at duals and in practice.” All that extra effort has certainly paid off, as Stephens finished his ACC season undefeated with a record of 40. He currently holds an 11-3 overall record as well. “People may have reason to doubt me because of my age, but I’ve wrestled against All-Americans and big name people before,” Stephens said. “I work hard in practice, and I think this win (against D’Alie) helped show people that.” The national rankings and Wrestler of the Week titles helped introduce Stephens’ name into the collegiate wrestling scene. If what is being said about him now is any indication of what will come, his name won’t soon be forgotten.
[weekend box scores] Baseball
Softball
SCORE BY INNING R H E VT (0-2) – 032 000 000 -5 10 1 No. 12 Coastal Carolina (2-0) – 002 341 30X --13 10 3
SCORE BY INNING VT (4-1) -- 104 45 -WCU (0-1) -- 003 00 --
WP: Matt Rein (CC) (1-0) LP: Mathew Price (VT) (1-0) HR: CC – Rice, A. 1, Gilmore, C. 1 SCORE BY INNING WVU (0-3) – 000 000 030 -VT (1-2) – 521 200 40X --
R H E 3 7 1 14 18 0
R H E 14 17 0 3 6 3
WP: Jasmin Harrell (VT) (3-0) LP: Katie King (WC) (0-1) HR: VT – Hall, M. 1 SCORE BY INNING R H E Virginia Tech (4-2) -- 010 000 0 -- 1 3 4 No. 8 Georgia (0-2) -- 110 000 4 -- 6 5 2
WP: Jesse Hahn (VT) (1-0) LP: Jared Hill (WVU) (0-1) HR: VT – Domecus, S. 1, Seaborn, M. 1. WVU – Buckner, G. 1
WP: Erin Arevalo (UGA) (1-1) LP: Kenzie Roark (VT) (1-2) HR: UGA – Saxton 1
Wrestling
SCORE BY INNING R H E Virginia Tech (4-3) -- 000 000 0 -- 0 4 1 Winthrop (1-2) -- 000 110 X -2 6 2
No. 14 VT 29 No. 24 ODU 12 125: #14 Jarrod Garnett (VT) wins by forfeit 133: Brock LiVorio (VT) dec. Justin LaValle, 5-3 141: #10 Chris Diaz (VT) maj. dec. Craig Wilson, 17-5 149: Brian Stephens (VT) fall Brennan Brumley, 3:35 157: #5 Jesse Dong (VT) maj. dec. Joey Sheridan, 15-4 165: #13 Chris Brown (ODU) dec. Matt Epperly, 7-6 174: Eric Decker (ODU) dec. Taylor Knapp, 5-0 184: #18 Tommy Spellman (VT) dec. Joe Budi, 4-2 197: #19 Jesse Strawn (ODU) wins by forfeit 285: Chris Penny (VT) dec. Grant Chapman, 4-3
WP: Cari Wooldridge (WU) (1-1) LP: Jasmin Harrell (VT) (3-1) SCORE BY INNING Virginia Tech (4-4) -- 000 00 -No. 8 Georgia (6-1) -- 501 02 --
R H E 0 3 0 8 8 3
WP: Erin Arevalo (UGA) (2-1) LP: Kenzie Roark (VT) (1-3) HR: UGA – Hesson 1; Razey 1; Sandberg 1 SCORE BY INNING R H E Bowling Green (3-5) -- 000 000 3 -- 3 3 1 Virginia Tech (4-5) -- 100 000 1 -- 2 6 3 WP: Melissa Bott (BG) (1-1) LP: Kristin Graham (VT) (0-1) HR: VT – Liddle, C. 1
Women’s Lacrosse SCORE BY HALF 1 2 F Presbyterian (0-1) ---- 2 3 5 Virginia Tech (1-1) ---- 10 9 19
VT Goals: Nonn, J. 5 (5 PTS), Emala, A. 4 (6 PTS), Wier, C. 4 (8 PTS), Heaps, J. 2 (2 PTS), Rotanz, R. 2 (3 PTS), Carpenter, L. 1 (3 PTS), Garner, D. 1 (1 PT)
Track and Field Virginia Tech Challenge Results 800m– 1, Felix Kitur, VMI, 1:49.55, 2, Andrew Dawson, Unattached, 1:50.49, 3, Sean-Pat Oswald, Duke, 1:50.90, 4, Nick McLaughlin, VT, 1:51.39, 5, Tihut Degfae, VT, 1:52.24 Shot Put – 1, Igor Misljenovic, VT 60-01.25, 2, Jason Jones, NCSU, 57-04.75, 3, Thomas Sensing, WFU, 53-00.75, 4, Michael Barbas, Duke, 52-08.75, 5, Travis Coleman, Winthrop, 50-06.25 Mile Run – 1, Michael Hammond, VT, 4:03.80, 2, Cory Nanni, Duke, 4:05.17, 3, Axel Mostrag, VCU, 4:05.65, 4, Ryan McDermott, Duke, 4:05.68, 5, Will Mulherin, VT, 4:06.40 Pole Vault – 1, Jason Wurster, Toronto, 17-07.25, 2, Jared Jodon, VT, 17-01, t3, Yaveginy Olhovsky, VT, 17-01, t3, Hunter Hall, VT 17-01, 5, Brad Holtz, Unattached, 17-01 Women’s Results 400m – 1, Hazel Clark, Unattached, 54.13, 2, Asia Washington, Unattached, 54.25, 3, Tiara Swindell, George Mason, 54.63, 4, Yvonne Amegashie, VT, 54.87, 5, Cierra McGee, George Mason, 56.07 Distance Medley Relay – 1, William & Mary, 11:39.61, 2, Georgia State, 11:48.47, 3, VT, 11:52.82 4x400-Meter Relay – 1, VT, 3:38.96, 2, George Mason, 3:43.06, 3, St. Augustine’s, 3:44.51, 4, Duke, 3:49.23, 5, UNC-W, 3:50.09