Hokie’s fall, 60-80
ANDREW POWELL/THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, February 25, 2010
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
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COLLEGIATETIMES 1,000 leads but no suspect CHILDS
METZLER
Despite pursuing more than 1,000 leads in the slayings of Virginia Tech students Heidi Childs and David Metzler in the Jefferson National Forest, investigators have not identified a suspect, authorities say. In the Wednesday press conference, investigators shared the latest update on the case, which has not resulted in the arrest or even identification of any suspects since the double homicide of Metzler and Childs on Aug. 26. However, the case is not closed, said Tommy Whitt, Montgomery County sheriff. He added that investigators were seeking several last pieces of the puzzle. Nineteen-year-old Metzler, of Lynchburg was found dead with 18year-old Childs on the campgrounds near Caldwell Fields, approximately 1215 miles from the Tech campus. It was later determined they died of gunshot wounds.
News, page 2
Features, page 5
Opinions, page 3
SARAH BENSON Whitney Mathews gets paid to blog, tweet and Facebook. Last fall, she nabbed a job as socialmedia strategist for The World Co. in Lawrence, Kan., which oversees a cable provider, TV station and newspaper. Consider Mathews, 25, the social-media liaison between The World Co. and its customers. “I’m immersed in the online world for 10, 11 hours a day,” Mathews said. On her desk is a laptop, computer monitor and iPhone. She needs all three screens to fence in the plethora of programs and applications she runs constantly at work: Facebook, e-mail, Google chat, a music player, spreadsheets, photo- and video-editing programs and Twitter, to name a few. “It’s media overload on a daily basis,” Mathews said. In the past four years, social-networking use among adults skyrocketed. According to an October report by The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 46 percent of online American adults are plugged in to a social network. That’s up from 8 percent in 2005. Most of us started using social networking to stay in touch with friends. But in the past year or two, social media has morphed into a powerful tool at work. Take Mathews’ job, for example: It didn’t exist before last fall. On a typical day, Mathews catches up with industry blogs, responds to tweets, plans online contests and giveaways, and uploads content to the Lawrence Journal-World’s Facebook page. Mostly, she learns as she goes, but Mathews does have a background in this stuff. Two years ago, she was working as a producer at a local TV station when she began experimenting with new ways to
Classifieds, page 4
SGA ponders meal plan exchange for Oak Lane M
embers of the Student Government Association leadership want to develop a plan that would connect students in the Oak Lane community holding more than one meal plan account with other off-campus consumers seeking a dining plan. Organizations based in Oak Lane are required to sign the Special Purpose Housing Contract. Section two of the contract states that groups “will endeavor” to maintain 100 percent occupancy during the school year. If this goal is not met, the organization is charged the full housing fee, along with a meal plan base cost — $807 — for each vacancy. Organizations decide how these costs are distributed, but they do occasionally fall onto individual Oak Lane residents. This is often the case if an individual buys out a double occupancy room to make it into a single. With the extra base meal plan, students living in Oak Lane could pay at least $3,331 over the course of a year for their dining plans. Currently, those attempting to sell their extra meal plan find their efforts less than successful. Corbin DiMeglio, director of community relations for Tech’s Interfraternity Council and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said he noticed that by the time students looked to sell their plans, most other students had already purchased their own. “People try to do it often,” DiMeglio said. “I’m not sure it always works.” Jason Sarfati, a junior interna-
- on-campus students required to buy either a Major or Mega Flex meal plan - Oak Lane residents buying out doubleoccupancy room pay base cost plus meal plan Major Flex: $1,262 per semester $2,524 per year Base cost of meal plan: $807 Dining costs for school year: $3,331 total
tional business major and house supervisor for the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, said seven residents of the house have bought out their double-occupancy rooms to make them a single. Sarfati said the timing of the sales gives buyers leverage to bargain the plan’s price down with sellers to the effect of several hundred dollars. “The best I’ve heard anybody getting is $500,” Sarfati said. Rick Johnson, director of Tech’s Office of Housing and Dining Services, said the ability of Oak Lane, as an exclusive community, to remain fiscally independent was in line with a “fundamental sense of fairness.” “Oak Lane is unique,” Johnson said. “That uniqueness should not
tell stories online. In 2008, she began live blogging and posting video from, say, election events and basketball games. And she began using social networking more and more. Tweeting and blogging became second nature. About 46 percent of information-technology professionals say social networking has business value, according to a 2009 study by Internet-security company FaceTime. The workers said that social networking improved communication among employees, helped with marketing, amped up productivity and generated sales leads. Not buying it? About 12.5 percent of those IT professionals said social media provided zero benefits at work. Chris Kovac, 34, used to think that way. “I was a social-media naysayer,” Kovac said. He said he thought to himself, “Who wants to know if I’m drinking coffee right now or if I’m going to the movies later?” Kovac, who’s now the director of social influence at Kansas City, Mo., marketing agency Nicholson Kovac, eventually discovered social media’s business potential. It began with a tweet: Kovac posted something about needing a dining-room table. A few minutes later, the vice president of a local furniture company replied, offering to take Kovac on a personal tour of the showroom. “Wow,” Kovac said. “How compelling is that?” Now it’s his job to guide clients through the social-media jungle. Only, he doesn’t really have a map — no one does. Kovac said most jobs in social media came about 18 to 24 months ago, when Facebook and Twitter reached a “tipping point” in popularity. Twitter use exploded 1,382 percent between February 2008 and February 2009, according to Nielsen media research company. Facebook grew 228 percent
in the same period. So because social-media jobs are in their infancy — and because this technology is evolving — this new form of social work “can be scary at times,” Kovac said. Especially if you can’t tell whether all those tweets and status updates are doing any good. “I think a lot of companies have no idea — that’s why they’re hiring people who are knee-deep (in social media) every day,” said Chase Hawkins, a 24year-old Kansas City entrepreneur who co-developed an event-based socialnetworking site, Zappn. Workers who specialize in social media are sometimes labeled as “social-media gurus,” a title Hawkins can’t stand. Even companies that haven’t hired full-time social-media gurus are finding ways to incorporate social networking. For example, Boulevard Brewing Co. has four employees — one brewer and three marketers — who keep up with blogs and update Twitter throughout the workday. Likewise, several employees at Hallmark take turns blogging, tweeting and Facebooking. Small businesses do it, too: Celina Tio owns her own restaurant, Julian, in Kansas City. She tweets several times a day about restaurant news, specials or what she’s eating. When followers tweet her, she tweets back. “One of my followers came in for dinner, and I recognized his name on the books. So I went to his table and said, ‘Nice to meet you in person, fellow tweeter!’ He and his table were surprised that I do the tweeting myself, and that I made the connection to his name and went out of my way to meet him.” That kind of instant gratification is rare in social-media work, mostly because it’s hard to measure the effectiveness of a tweet or Facebook post.
be subsidized by those who ... don’t want to be a part of the Greek community.” Johnson stressed that it was up to individual groups, not the university, to determine who foots the bill for the cost of the extra meal plans. “We’re very surprised to hear we were the bad guys,” Johnson said. “(Organizations are) required to pay for the beds; how you figure that out is up to you.” The current Special Purpose Housing Contract, which began in the fall 2008 semester, is set to expire following the second summer session of 2011. The issue has caught the attention of leaders of the SGA. President Brandon Carroll said he hoped something could be arranged
Sudoku, page 4
People in BHS prior to collapse
Dinner for two?
Some get paid to tweet, blog mcclatchy newspapers
Sports, page 6
SARA SPANGLER/COLLEGIATE TIMES
107th year, issue 23
through Hokie Spa to allow offcampus students to purchase extra meal plans from Oak Lane students. “The university should work to help the off-campus students to help them purchase these extra meal plans,” Carroll said. SGA Vice President Shane McCarty said the proposed plan would “create a middle man for those who are off-campus to buy from those who are on campus.” McCarty said meetings had been scheduled with dining administrators for later in the week to work out the details for such a program. “This is still a conversation that has to be done,” McCarty said. by ct news staff
The Roanoke Times reported that there were four people inside Blacksburg High School when its roof collapsed. According to security camera footage obtained by the Roanoke Times through a Freedom of Information Act request, Todd Poff, an engineer for Blacksburg firm OWPR; Steve Brumfield, assistant to the director for operations in the school system’s facilities department; and two other individuals were inside BHS’s cafeteria area when the roof of the gym area collapsed. The two unidentified individuals were probably the head custodian of BHS and the school system’s energy manager, according to the report. “It’s not really an important story,” said Walt Shannon, interim superintendent of Montgomery County Schools. “We never denied people had not been in the building,” Shannon said. “They were looking at the structure and fled (when the roof collapsed).” Shannon said the most important thing was that there were no injuries and nobody was caught under the roof. He added that the footage, taken by motion-activated security cameras, only shows “individuals moving down the hallway.” The cameras turned off when the building lost power at the collapse, Shannon said. by ct news staff
Just keep swimming
On Sunday morning, the War Memorial pool was filled not with recreational swimmers but with members of the Virginia Tech Army Corps of Cadets as they completed their Combat Water Survivial Training, a set of events designed to prepare them for tests they will face in their futures as soldiers. The events consisted of a 15-meter swim in full gear, a drop off the high dive blindfolded, don and ditch and a five minute water treading execise. photo by luke mason
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new river valley news editor: zach crizer university editor: philipp kotlaba newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865
february 25, 2010
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COLLEGIATETIMES
THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS
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Toyota president apologizes at House hearing WASHINGTON — Apologizing for Toyota’s missteps in dealing with defects blamed in dozens of fatalities, a contrite Akio Toyoda told members of Congress his company was “not perfect” and that its rapid growth had “confused” the priority it places on safety. Toyoda, grandson of the company founder, had initially planned to skip Wednesday’s appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He changed his mind amid escalating investigations into Toyota’s handling of the sudden acceleration problem. And Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in testimony that preceded Toyoda’s that the company was “safety deaf,” a problem he laid on the company’s failure to communicate adequately between its headquarters in Japan and its corporate staff in North America. by ralph vartabedian and ken bensinger, mcclatchy newspapers
CORRECTIONS -The article “Child care centers help Hokies pursue education” (CT, Feb. 17) contained multiple errors. Karen Gallagher is the assistant director for the Child Development Center for Learning and Research and Lynn Ann Wolf is the curriculum director. Tuition is $815 per month for the toddler room and $790 per month for the young and older preschool rooms. There are three rooms, and the Center accepts up to 46 children a year. Wolf was misquoted as saying “rainstorm.” Gallagher was misquoted in relation to the senior engineering students. Wolf should have been quoted. 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.
Wondering what's going on around the 'burg? Check out the events of the upcoming week.
[Thursday, Feb. 25] What: Seminar — What Can Be Done In Haiti? Where: VCOM Lecture Hall #2, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center When: 6 p.m. Cost: Free What: Jason Byrd Where: Gillie’s When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free What: Film — Throne of Blood Where: Pamplin Auditorium When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free What: Speaker — Astronaut Fred Haise Where: Squires Haymarket Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. Cost: $2 general, $1 with student ID What: Dirty Wake Where: Awful Arthur’s When: 10 p.m. Cost: Free Note: Ages 18-20 must arrive before 10 p.m.
[Friday, Feb. 26] What: Eating Issues and Body Image Awareness Week — "Operation Beautiful" Activity Where: Wellness Resource Center, McComas Hall When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: Free What: Speaker — Benjamin Cohen, “The Proper Role of Nature: Fake Food & Real Adulteration in the Industrial Age” Where: 132 Lane Hall When: 3:30 p.m. Cost: Free
[Saturday, Feb. 27]
[Monday, March 1]
What: Winterfest Where: Squires Commonwealth Ballroom When: Noon to 5 p.m. Cost: Free
What: Promoting Critical Thinking in Undergraduates — Douglas Levey, University of Florida Biology Professor Where: Fralin Auditorium When: 3 p.m. Cost: Free
What: Film — “Enchanted” Where: Squires Student Center (part of Winterfest) When: 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. Cost: Free What: Student Recital — Allison Brownell Where: Squires Recital Salon When: 3 p.m. Cost: Free What: French & Francophone Film Festival — “Azur & Asmar” Where: The Lyric When: 3 p.m. Cost: Donations welcome What: Future Rock Where: Attitudes When: 9 p.m. Cost: $12 in advance through InTicketing.com Note: 18+ with valid ID What: The Dark Side of Oz Where: Litton-Reaves Auditorium When: 9 p.m. Cost: $3 Note: Watch “The Wizard of Oz” while listening to Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” What: Bass Meditation Where: Ceritano’s When: 10 p.m. Cost: $5 at the door Note: 18+
[Sunday, Feb. 28]
What: The Shack Band Where: Gillie’s When: 9:30 p.m. Cost: Free
What: Student Ensemble Concert — Early Music Ensemble Where: Squires Recital Salon When: 3 p.m. Cost: Free
What: Burning Bridges Where: Awful Arthur's When: 10 p.m. Cost: Cover
What: Student Recital — Will Satterwhite Where: Squires Recital Salon When: 8 p.m. Cost: Free
This week, the Lyric is showing “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” Heath Ledger’s final role. Check out TheLyric.com for showtime information.
[All Week]
What: “The Skin of Our Teeth” Where: Squires Studio Theatre When: Feb. 25, 26, 27 @ 7:30 p.m. Cost: $9 general; $7 senior/student
What: Business Ethics Symposium Where: Burruss Auditorium When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free
[Tuesday, March 2] What: SPLASH 14 — Gender and Leadership, Is There a Difference? Where: Squires Brush Mountain A When: 5:30 p.m. Cost: Free What: DJ Lil Fos Where: Sharkey’s When: 9 p.m. Cost: No cover What: That 1 Guy Where: Attitudes When: 9 p.m. Cost: $8 in advance through InTicketing.com, $10 at the door Note: 18+ with valid ID
[Wednesday, March 3] What: Education Abroad Expo Where: 1100 Torgersen Hall When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost: Free What: Stories and Strategies for Successful Women Scientists Where: GLC Meeting Room F When: 4 p.m. Cost: Free What: European Area Studies Where: 334 Major Williams Hall When: 7 p.m. Cost: Free
If you would like an event featured in our calendar, e-mail featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com with event details, including cost.
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nation & world headlines
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Google finds Europe more hostile to its growth Google Inc. is under siege in Europe, where its bold ambitions have raised alarms. This week the European Commission launched an antitrust probe of the Mountain View, Calif., company in response to complaints from three European search sites. Also this week an Italian court convicted three Google executives of violating privacy laws there. “Europeans have a much longer history of pursuing these issues than we do,” said Palo Alto, Calif., attorney Gary Reback, who represents a coalition opposed to giving Google the digital rights to millions of hard-tofind books. “These issues are serious and they are not going to go away.” The latest spate of troubles come on the heels of heated debates over Google’s digital scanning of books in France and the company’s plans to roll out its Street View service in Germany. “This is just another case of Google naively believing that the work it does will be celebrated everywhere,” said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a University of Virginia professor who is writing a book about the Internet giant. by jessica guynn, mcclatchy newspapers
opınıons 3
editor: debra houchins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
february 25, 2010
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Your Views [letter to the editor]
Reusable bottles misrepresented
I
saw the opinion column in the Collegiate Times on Feb. 17 and noticed that I was referenced in pseudonym. I thought I should show myself and confess “like a man,” if you will. That’s right — I’m the “gentleman behind the (reusable container) legislation” from the column, “Latest SGA endeavor hints false sense of control” (CT, Feb. 17), by Chad Van Alstin. I played a large part in the so-called “atrocity” referenced in that column. In the fall of 2008 I wrote and proposed a piece of legislation in SGA that asked for the ability of students to have a reusable container option when going to dining halls rather than having to only use disposable cups. It has since been updated but, I must confess, its revived form (there was a similar program by RHF some years ago) originated with me. I must say — I’m quite flattered that Mr. Van Alstin (my fellow representative of the SGA House at the time) would be as gracious to call me big-hearted and went on to say that I probably wanted to reduce waste on campus (guilty). I was a little confused, however, as to why Mr. Van Alstin called me a gentleman. Don’t get me wrong, I have some boyish qualities — but I am, in fact, female. In case you were wondering, females also participate in government or other student activities. We can also be partially or wholly responsible for “atrocities” such as legislation aiming to reduce waste and expand choice. Exhibit A. Don’t assume we are so innocent. I would like to give a little more
background on this “atrocity” which Mr. Van Alstin felt to be “extremely authoritarian” and he felt infringes on student rights. I’m confused as to why Mr. Van Alstin saw it that way when the intent and idea behind the use of a reusable container is to allow students to expand their choice upon what is currently available, which state health codes constrain us to for our safety. By providing a state health code approved container, we could meet safety standards and provide students that don’t want to waste another option. As for the bottles, I’m not behind that piece of the new legislation in terms of writing it (although I do support it), but I don’t understand what Mr. Van Alstin had meant by “banning”. This is just a simple misunderstanding. Bottles would not be banned — they would just no longer be sold on campus. One could still have bottles on campus in one’s possession. They would not have to be concealed as Mr. Van Alstin said, alongside “handguns and illegal drugs” as he darkly envisions. In reality, if bottled beverages were taken off of Tech shelves, one could still buy soda and have water via soda fountain with the choice of drinking them in conventional cups or a reusable container. I hope I will ease Mr. Van Alstin’s fears (and perhaps yours) of an SGA authoritarian takeover, as well as the question of my gender. I wish him the best and must disagree as I hope to see this “silly idea” become a reality. After all, I too am a believer in liberty.
Elena Dulys President, Environmental Coalition at Virginia Tech
MCT CAMPUS
How much are Tech students willing to pay for education? I
don’t know about most of you readers out there, but my tuition went up just within the last year. I suspect that many of you are familiar with that situation as well, since the university increased tuition and fee costs by 10.8 percent according to the Roanoke Times. What you may not know is that there is a chance some of that extra money we have to pay as a part of our cost in attending Virginia Tech will not go toward our education, but to the state. That’s right, some of our hard-earned money could potentially be used to balance the state budget. The Tech Board of Visitors Executive Committee will already be deciding this week to increase tuition and fees by 5 percent, for those of us who are instate. Out-of-state students and graduate students can expect an increase of 5.1 percent. If you are an out-ofstate graduate student, you would be
looking at the toughest increase, 6.3 percent. So? Since Tech’s tuition and fee costs are fifth most expensive in the state, what’s the big deal about a 5 percent increase? Refer back to earlier when I said that some of that money will go to the state. Think about it for a second. If it were not for recent stimulus funding, Tech would have raised our tuition even more than the increases I have already listed. The state lowers its financial support to our university, while it also plans to take away a portion of those heightened fees from our education. This is all part of former Gov. Tim Kaine’s final budget bill, which frankly has not gotten as much attention as it should have. Sure, we hear about how bad the economy is doing, but where is the line between asking students to pay our
dues to a wonderful public university and stealing from us? Instead of our increased fees going toward things we need, such as renovation, improving our health and counseling centers, and supporting our education to the fullest, this suggestion to take our fees to help the state budget is contemptible. An estimated $18.8 million could be taken from Virginia universities in just the first year of this proposal. This proposal won’t just affect us, but public universities across the state. Tech, I ask you: Is this fair?
NICOLE FAUT -regular columnist -sophomore -history and political science major
Human sexual orientation has biological roots Historically, Republicans’ T
here was an elephant in the San Francisco courtroom where lawyers contested the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California law that prohibits the marriage of samesex couples. One key issue should influence every aspect of the Perry v. Schwarzenegger proceedings yet remained unspoken: What makes people gay? Is it a choice or isit innate? Most geneticists consider sexual orientation a phenotype — namely, an observable set of properties that varies among individuals. Although physical phenotypes like height and weight are easier to quantify, behavioral phenotypes are intensely studied in animals and humans. Research from many directions leads to a strong conclusion: Human sexual orientation has deep biological roots. Moreover, the empirical evidence for the role of genetics in human sexual orientation has been quietly but steadily mounting over the last 15 years. Studies of twins — the mainstay of quantitative human genetics — have been conducted on large populations in three countries. The results unambiguously demonstrate that heritability plays a major role in sexual orientation and far outweighs shared environmental factors such as education or parenting. During the early 1990s, there was an unfortunate flurry of less-thanconvincing findings on specific genes and sometimes over-hyped media announcements. Indeed, critics of sexual orientation inheritance are fond of pointing out that there is no single identified “gay gene.” However, they fail to mention that the same is true for height, skin color, handedness, frequency of heart disease and many other traits that have a large inherited component but no dominant gene. In other words, sexual orientation is complex, i.e., many genes contribute to the phenotype. Gay genes appear paradoxical at first blush. From the perspective of natural selection, how could they persist in the population if they lead to fewer offspring? Recent research has uncovered several plausible explanations. For example, one set of studies found that the same inherited factors that favor male homosexuality actually increase the fecundity of female maternal relatives. By balancing the number of offspring, they would contribute to maintaining these genes over the course of evolution. This explanation may not be exclusive but serves to illustrate that the Darwinian problem is not necessarily overwhelming. There have been other surprises. One is the importance of epigenetics — changes that alter gene expression without a change in the DNA code of an affected gene. This is evidenced by the lopsided number of maternal
versus paternal factors in male sexual orientation and by unusual patterns of DNA modification in mothers of gay men. Epigenetic changes may also explain the finding that a male’s probability of being gay is increased by his number of older brothers. Although these factors are neither genetic in the traditional Mendelian sense nor fully understood, they are still biological and affect phenotype in an involuntary manner. Who chooses his number of older brothers? All of these findings demand the conclusion that most gay people no more choose their sexual orientation than most heterosexuals. (“Most” is used here to indicate that — like almost everything biological — these are statistical data and do not apply uniformly.) This conclusion is also consonant with our memories: Most of us were stunned as unsuspecting adolescents to discover our sexual orientation — heterosexuals and homosexuals alike. Biology cannot be avoided in determining whether fundamental rights are protected under the equal protection clause of our Constitution. This is because “immutability” is one of the factors that determine the level of scrutiny applied to possible violations and that determine whether gays are awarded “suspect class” status, which would give them more constitutional protection. Heritability is not necessary for immutability or suspect class status (religion is the usual counterexample), but it should be sufficient; we do not choose our genes, nor can we change them. The court of public opinion may be the ultimate arbiter, and here there is cause for optimism about what education can achieve. Recent studies in college classrooms show that exposure of students to information on the causes of homosexuality has a direct influence on opinions about gay rights. This fits with polling data showing that people who believe that gays are “born that way” are generally supportive of full equality, whereas those who believe it is “a choice” are opposed. The importance of education is also underscored by the extent to which a lack of education is problematic. One national survey found that 70% of those who think being gay is a choice favored the re- institution of sodomy laws. This would turn some 15 million Americans into common criminals for simply being who they are. Science education must help people understand that phenotypic variation, including sexual orientation diversity, is an immutable feature of human biology.
DEAN HAMER MICHAEL ROSBUSH -mcclatchy newspapers
budget record questionable Y
ou may have recently turned on a cable news network and saw a Republican somewhere complaining about the deficit. “This budget provides a startling figure that should stop us all in our tracks,” or so goes the talking point from Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell. House minority leader John Boehner made a similar point, stating that the budget is “filled with more reckless spending and more unsustainable debt.” The problem for Republicans is that they have no record of financial responsibility to stand on, and no reasonable solutions for going forward. President George W. Bush fought two wars at the same time when he was cutting taxes. He paid for the wars by borrowing money, and he never even included the cost of war in his budget. He also passed Medicare Part D, which cost the Federal Government nearly $50 billion in 2008. Once again, he failed to propose any method of paying for this new entitlement. It was simply added to the debt, which he expected would be paid for by some combination of action, freedom, and boldness. So far, it hasn’t happened. We are in the middle of the worst recession since World War II. Bush inherited a $128 billion budget surplus from President Clinton and passed on a $482 billion deficit to President Barack Obama. With Bush gone, Republicans would certainly return to their core values of fiscal conservatism and small government, though, right? They must be chomping at the bit to cut all kinds of spending programs, shouldn’t they? Not quite. Last year, Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended the
purchasing of Cold War relic F-22 Raptors over Republican objections. Each plane costs $142 million. The U.S. Air Force already possesses 145, and no other country has any aircraft that could compete with the fighter. Seems like a great place to save some cash. Republicans wanted the plane to stay in production, however, because ending the program would cost jobs in their states. While it is commendable that Republicans have discovered a populist concern for workers, is this not the kind of “hard choice” that they demand Obama make? A constant theme throughout last year’s health care debate was Republican objection to any cuts to Medicare. This is the program that President Ronald Reagan believed was part of a socialist plot in 1961 and is primarily responsible for longterm deficits. Obama believed that there was waste that could be cut out of Medicare, such as the inefficient Medicare Advantage program. Advantage is a private program, which costs more per enrollee and delivers worse results than standard Medicare. Republicans didn’t want the program cut. Once again: costs more, worse results, Republicans want to keep it. Republicans’ favorite gripe on spending is the notorious pork barrel spending. When he was running for president, Sen. John McCain promised to make any legislator who tried to use an earmark infamous. Earlier this month, Sen. Richard Shelby, Republican from Alabama, announced that he would place a blanket hold on all of Obama’s executive branch nominees who were pending in the Senate until Obama gave him what he wanted — a multi-billion dollar FBI crime lab and a contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers — in
his state. Shelby ran against irresponsible spending in Washington during his campaigns. However, he wanted to shut down the entire nominations process, which included 70 nominees, to get his share of pork. Shelby backed down after he was made infamous by a Democrat, not a Republican president. There is one Republican who has generated a plan to end the debt, Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, who is the ranking member on the House Budget Committee. He has put out an audacious plan that would end Medicare as we know it by limiting growth of expenditures to half the rate of inflation and privatizing Medicare beginning in 2021. While this proposal would successfully cut the deficit, it would also eliminate a fundamental piece of the social safety net. Remember that last fall, Republicans were bemoaning any Medicare cuts. Ryan’s plan would be far more painful for seniors than Obama’s proposals. Obama’s budget is certainly unsustainable, as has been admitted by his chief budget man, Peter Orszag. Climbing out of our current budget hole will be painful, and will likely mean higher taxes and weaker government for our generation. We need to fix health care and figure out how to maintain a cheaper military unless we want to experience what is happening in Greece — go read about it. Eliminating the deficit will be tough, but it will take a much smarter and more honest party than the Republicans to do so.
MIKE LAHAYE -regular columnist -sophomore -economics major
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ACROSS 1 Quick kiss 5 Bond player, seven times 10 Confiscated auto 14 End of a fronton game? 15 Back list 16 Court cry 17 Detectives assigned to unsolved mysteries? 20 Buddy boy 21 Calls, in a way 22 Waste not 23 Navig. guide 26 Quarterback Roethlisberger 27 Stable diet? 30 Soak through 33 Siesta shawl 35 Local groups 37 Start of a theory 38 Intermission queues? 42 Hawaii’s “Valley Isle” 43 Midwestern landscape 44 Ring setting 47 Carrying capacities 51 Pavement warning 52 Word processor setting 54 Mad Hatter’s drink 55 Fjord relative 56 Like some bio majors 59 Daphne eloped with him on “Frasier” 61 Shower gifts for brie lovers? 65 Word that can precede each word in 17-, 38and 61-Across 66 Crucial artery 67 Regarding, to counsel 68 Fesses (up) 69 Watch secretly 70 “Just a coupla __” DOWN 1 Get ready to go
By Gary Steinmehl
2 Kay Thompson’s impish six-yearold 3 Mobile maker 4 William the pirate 5 Hamm of soccer 6 Switch positions 7 River forming part of Germany’s eastern border 8 Betty Ford Center program 9 Oozes out 10 Prefix with tiller 11 Sleeping aid 12 A pop 13 Jigger’s 11/2: Abbr. 18 Clear and convincing 19 High Court count 24 Poker holding 25 Condescend 28 Big louts 29 House call? 31 Partner of words 32 Gay leader? 34 Unilever laundry soap brand 36 Like a whip? 38 Train guide 39 Continental
2/25/10 Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
40 Gin and tonic garnish 41 Away from the coast 42 Roast hosts, for short 45 Sport __: family vehicles 46 Equal to, with “the” 48 Actress Dahl 49 No-calorie cola
2/25/10
50 Gets fresh with 53 Dizzy’s jazz 57 Wine list heading 58 Fishing craft 60 Cow-horned goddess 61 Comic Margaret 62 Cut off 63 From __ B: basic step 64 Fled or bled
features 5
editor: topher forhecz featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
february 25, 2010
COLLEGIATETIMES
Going Wilder: There’s no Circle scarves heat up winter trends time quite like showtime T
he end is near, and my days as a cast member in “The Skin of Our Teeth” are coming to a spectacular close. For the past week, we have been entertaining and engaging the public with the show. According to audience feedback that I’ve received, we have been doing a fine job. This will be my final installment of “Going Wilder,” and it’s time for us to take a look at a part of the theatrical process I haven’t touched on yet: the performance. “Skin” opened last Thursday and any nerves, fears or misgivings that were running through the cast dissipated once we all hit the stage. We had a great first show. If you’ve never performed for an audience, you might wonder exactly how we get ready to go on night after night. The crew is at the theater an hour and a half before show time to set up. The cast joins them shortly after that. Back in the dressing rooms, you’ll find us grabbing a quick bite to eat, joking around, studying or getting pumped up with some slick tunes. My tradition has been to try to read a few pages of a “Harry Potter” book until I realize I’m too excited and can’t concentrate. Sorry Dumbledore. The ringleader of the circus at this point is no longer our director. Greg Justice has molded the show into what he wants, and then he lets us go on opening night. From this point on, the stage manager and his crew are in charge of keeping things going. Once we’re in costume and ready to go it’s fairly simple. The house opens, the audience files in, the lights go down and, if we do our job, we get to be heroes. Performing is an interesting thing. Every night I’m on stage is awesome, but it leaves me wiped out. This is why midway through the schedule we have a “dark” night. On Monday, the theater was dark and the cast and crew were able to enjoy a night off, one of our first in weeks. I’m sure this custom keeps some of us sane as the pressure mounts. I’m happy to report that, for the
going
e r d l i W
most parts, the audiences have been really, really great. We haven’t even had too many people texting the entire time. Only that one person. Classy. We have three more shows left, and if you haven’t come out yet, then you are rapidly losing time. This is a great piece of theater and such is the nature of the art that when we’re done, it’s gone. “Skin” will be over at 10 p.m. on Saturday and never happen like this again. There will be other productions and other opportunities for this show to be performed elsewhere, but our cast and crew bring our own special flavor to it and, well, nothing gold can stay. I am beyond happy with how things have turned out. I count myself lucky to work in this show and with all the people who made it great. I’d also like to say thank you to the Collegiate Times and its readers for letting me get up on this drama kid soapbox for a few weeks. It’s been a trip. I’m not one to be preachy, but I do hope that readers have gained a new appreciation for the arts and artists in our community. They do what they do to give you a great time. As always, thank you for reading, and get out and see the play. This is Dan Waidelich and I’m “Going Wilder” for the last time.
ike a hearty bowl of cereal, the sudden ice age has overtaken Blacksburg with a “snap, crackle and pop.” As broken wrists, shattered knee caps and throbbing shiners decorate a growing portion of the student body, day-to-day life has become a game of survival. Naturally, fashion has been forced to the backseat as piles of coats, doubled-up pants and tragically thick hiking boots have become the most effective means of defense. I, myself, have fallen prey to the layered look, swollen with both sweaters and bulging black eye; it is a testimony to my own adventures in ice skating. Yet, as another blizzard looms this weekend, I am becoming increasingly more determined to move beyond homeostasis and terminate
the fashion blunders this weather has justified. Combining a few pieces of scrap fabric with some dregs of the winter wardrobes of my past, I have created a fashionable, but incomparably cozy circle scarf sure to defeat the “Survival of the Ill-Fittest” that has taken campus by storm.
<< STEP ONE: Cut assorted fabrics into strips twice the desired width of your scarf (It will be doubled over when complete) and when laid end to end, the desired length of your scarf. Generally, I cut my sections to equal at least four feet total long and at least one foot wide.
STEP TWO: Pin together your strips of fabric. Sew along lines. << STEP THREE: Fold your scarf widthwise, inside out. Pin and sew along the line.
MARY ANNE CARTER -features staff writer -junior -communication major
STEP FOUR: Turn your scarf right-side out. It should now be a long tube. YOU WILL NEED: — Old sweaters, flannel shirts or whatever you fancy to keep you warm — Needle and thread — Pins and scissors
<< STEP FIVE: Turn the unfinished ends in and tuck together in a circle. Pin and sew into place.
TIME: 30 Minutes COST: Free if you recycle your old winter wear; a few dollars if you thrift yourself some new supplies.
STYLE TIP: Your one-of-a-kind circle scarf is now complete and can be worn in a slew of ways. Try wrapping it around your neck twice for a loosely fitting, fashionable accessory or three times to stay particularly warm. Pull it over your nose to brave the cold, or drape it over your head for a makeshift hat. You will find that the possibilities are as endless as a circle itself.
DAN WIADELICH -features staff writer
PHOTOS BY JAIME CHUNG/SPPS
6 sports september 23, 2009
editors: joe crandley, alex jackson sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
february 25, 2010
Seniors leave their mark G/#20 Lindsay Biggs
F/#15 Utaha Drye
G/#24 Lakeisha Logan
Midlothian, Va.
Durham, N.C.
Scarboro, W.Va.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL’S BIGGS, DRYE AND LOGAN SAY FAREWELL TONIGHT IN CASSELL MICHAEL BEALEY sports staff writer The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team enters tonight’s game against Clemson likely out of contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. However, the Hokies will be playing for something more as they celebrate the hard work and dedication of seniors Lakeisha Logan, Lindsay Biggs and Utahya Drye. “It’s exciting to see how much they’ve grown, and how much better they’ve gotten and see their confidence rise through the four years,” said Tech head coach Beth Dunkenberger. “What I hope that our freshmen can see from this is where they can go from here.” Tech’s three seniors will leave after this season, each having left a mark on the program. Logan, who hails from Scarboro, W.Va., came to Tech after averaging 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists per game at Oak Hill High School. While she was used primarily as a backup at the point guard position in her freshman year, Logan made her first two collegiate starts against Virginia and at No. 12 Duke during her sophomore campaign. Known for her outside shooting presence, she stepped up as a junior. Last year, she finished second on the team in three-point baskets and this season, she hit three three-pointers in only nine minutes versus North Carolina Central. Drye, a native of Durham, N.C., came to the Hokies as a McDonald’s All-America nominee and scored more than 1,000 points for Northern Durham High School — a feat she would later accomplish as a Hokie. Drye played in all 34 games as a freshman, including two starts, but it wasn’t until her sophomore campaign that she really caught on. “As a freshman coming in, my role I felt like was learning the system
and whenever I got in, (I was) just doing my part as much as I could,” Drye said. During her junior year, Drye exploded as a potent offensive threat. Drye led the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and scored in double figures 24 times during her junior year. As a senior, though, she achieved her greatest accomplishment. In Tech’s upset over No. 10 North Carolina, Drye scored 16 points and in doing so, became the 22nd Hokie with 1,000 career points in the same game. Not only was it Tech’s first victory over the Tar Heels in 26 years, but Drye also became only the second player in Tech history to record 1,000 career points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists. “Up to my senior year, each year
“
We’ve been through a lot of injuries, a lot of adversity, but they’ve never backed down and they’ve never quit and even right now ... I think we’re starting to play our best basketball.” BETH DUNKENBERGER HEAD COACH
I’ve become more of a leader and this year, just taking the role as leader and as captain ... just helping our team become as successful as possible,” Drye said. Biggs, a native of Midlothian, Va., was also a McDonald’s All-America nominee entering Tech. She averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists at Manchester High School. Biggs established herself early on as a sharpshooter in burnt orange and Chicago maroon. In her freshman season, she led the team with 28 three-point baskets, including three
triples against No. 2 North Carolina. As a sophomore, Biggs led the team in three-point shooting and made six starts. However, it wasn’t until she was a junior that she became a leader offensively. Biggs started all 30 games for the Hokies and was second in the team in scoring her junior year. She also set the school record with 71 threepoint field goals, scoring in double figures 20 times during last year’s campaign. This season, Biggs’ scoring has dipped slightly. Despite some struggles, she has still managed to garner Tech’s first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week honors for her 19-point performance in the Hokies’ upset over North Carolina. “Beating UNC earlier this season was probably the most exciting moment since I’ve been here,” Biggs said. “We’ve never beaten a top-25 team in ... I don’t even know. (That game was) at home too, so that was a really good atmosphere, and that was a lot of fun.” While success on the court has been important for each of the players, the friendships formed were a recurring theme when recalling their most significant memories. “The friends I’ve made, every single one of my teammates are my friends,” Biggs said. Drye agreed. “My teammates ... we’ve struggled in the past, but the bond that we share is priceless,” Drye said. Dunkenberger cited the players’ character on the court was a lasting memory. “For all of them, it’s their unselfishness and their dedication to this team ... because we’ve been through some tough times,” Dunkenberger said. “We’ve been through a lot of injuries, a lot of adversity, but they’ve never backed down and they’ve never quit, and even right now at this point in the season I think we’re starting to play our best basketball.”
Greenberg for possibility of expanding tournament to 96
LUKE MASON/SPPS
Hokies’ head coach Seth Greenberg talks to his team on Sunday night during Tech’s loss to No. 5 Duke.
TECH HEAD COACH SAYS EXPANDING TOURNEY WOULD GIVE SMALLER SCHOOLS SPECIAL CHANCE ALEX JACKSON sports editor Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg said Monday that he is “100 percent behind expanding” the NCAA Tournament field to 96 teams. After the Hokies have spent the past several seasons waiting until the last minute to find out whether or not they’ve made the tournament, only hearing good news in 2007, Greenberg said in his weekly teleconference that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to consider a change. “I know everyone says it’s going to lessen league play, it’s going to lessen conference tournaments,” he said. “(But) I thought (Syracuse head coach) Jim Boeheim, and I don’t know the exact numbers, but the statistics he threw out were, we have fewer teams going to championship play in relation to the number of teams that play Division I basketball than any sport in college athletics.” “There are four, five, six really, really elite teams,” he said. “But it’s so hard to distinguish because there are a lot of good teams that can win games in the NCAA tournament. With the 31 automatic bids, you really don’t get the 65 best teams anyway. I think it would give teams that have good seasons — and you’re talking about studentathlete welfare — the experience to play in the NCAA tournament. “I think that speaks for itself if you’re really considering student-athlete welfare. That’s a great experience for
“
There are four, five, six really, really good teams. But it’s so hard to distinguish because there are a lot of good teams that can win games in the NCAA tournament. SETH GREENBERG HEAD COACH
those young people.” Greenberg, who has led his team to a 21-5 record overall and an 8-3 mark in-conference this year, stressed the experience of the tournament, above all else, as what he felt was most valuable to student-athletes. That experience is one that he believes some teams in smaller conferences don’t have enough chance to have. “I think it will give more teams at all levels an opportunity to have that experience,” he said. “There will still be teams on the bubble. Yeah, the 97th team is going to be on the bubble; that’s just the way it is. But I think it will give more people an opportunity to have that experience.” Those who are not in favor, he said, should simply take a look at the past. “These people don’t remember when it was 32 or 16 teams,” he said. “Maybe there was a segment of basketball society who thought, ‘What do you mean expand to 32 teams?’ But, you know, people adjust ... and the one
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thing about college basketball, people have great passion for the game and the madness that is March.” The NCAA Tournament has expanded a number of times in its history. In the late 1930s through 1950, the tournament hosted just eight teams. In 1951, the field expanded to 16 teams and then, in 1975, grew to 32. After a change to 48 teams in 1980, the field grew slightly and finally stabilized at 64 in 1985. The tournament now, as of 2001, hosts 65 teams with an “opening round” game to determine who is the 64th team. Discussion of tournament expansion has run rampant across media outlets in recent weeks, fueled by comments from prominent college basketball figures such as Boeheim, among others. Greenberg said that while he does support an expansion, his word isn’t going to make much of a difference anyway. “I’m not connected at all,” he said. “That probably is a question for the commissioner or Karl Hicks, (Atlantic Coast Conference associate commissioner of men’s basketball operations), or some of the big shots in our league. “I’m just a guy trying to win a couple games in Blacksburg,” he said.
ESPN puts show on hold following gaffe NIEL BEST mcclatachy newspapers MELVILLE, N.Y. — ESPN has suspended Tony Kornheiser from “Pardon the Interruption” for two weeks after comments he made on his radio show poking fun at the wardrobe of SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm. Kornheiser revealed the network’s action on his radio show Tuesday, referencing his “intemperate and stupid remarks” about Storm. He had apolo-
gized directly to Storm and on the air but still was “sent to the sidelines” for two weeks. Last week Kornheiser called Storm’s outfit “horrifying” and said she wore a “typically very, very tight shirt so she looks like she’s got a sausage casing wrapped around her upper body.” He said her “Catholic school plaid skirt” was “way too short for somebody” her age. Storm is 47. During his comments about Storm, Kornheiser also made a thinly veiled
reference to ESPN host Chris Berman’s weight. “Tony Kornheiser’s comments about Hannah Storm were entirely inappropriate,” said John Skipper, ESPN’s executive vice president for content. “Hurtful and personal comments such as these are not acceptable and have significant consequences. Tony has been suspended from PTI for two weeks. Hannah is a respected colleague who has been an integral part of the success of our morning SportsCenter.”