Thursday, August 26, 2010 Print Edition

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

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COLLEGIATETIMES 107th year, issue 76

News, page 2

Weekend, page 3

Opinions, page 5

Sports, page 7

Classifieds, page 6

Sudoku, page 6

State report Investigators, community sounds alarm puzzled by year-old crime over tuition ZACH CRIZER managing editor

WILLIAM & MARY

VIRGINIA TECH

0 2009 2010 DANIELLE BUYNAK / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Distribution of federal funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 increased from 2009-10 to 2010-11.

AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF STATE PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION AT RISK, STUDY SAYS ZACH CRIZER managing editor Declining state funds and a struggling economy has put the affordability and accessibility of public higher education in Virginia at risk, according to a report from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

The average tuition increase at public four-year institutions from the 2009-10 academic year to this year was 10.5 percent. Virginia Tech tuition went up 9.8 percent. The state average increase was the largest since 2004, despite $198.3 million in federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 being used to offset tuition increases, including $20.8 million at Tech.

Kirsten Nelson, SCHEV director of communications and government relations, said the price could have been much higher.

“It is SCHEV’s belief that tuition increases at most schools would have been much worse without ARRA,” Nelson said. “It definitely mitigated tuition increases this year — no questions.”

SCHEV released the report in July, raising another alarm within the higher education community about the future of higher education in Virginia. Tom Kramer, the new director of higher education advocacy group, Virginia21, said many students will not be able to attend Virginia’s public universities.

“Tuition is going up at an alarming rate, and if Virginia wants to continue preparing the next generation for the jobs of the 21st century, we really have to look at the affordability and accessibility of the system,” Kramer said. “We really think the current state of things is putting that into question.”

Kramer said one obvious reason for the distress is a lack of state funding.

Virginia is now paying just 55 percent of the cost of higher education at public universities, while students are asked to pay 45 percent. In 2001-02, the state share was 77 percent.

“The state, and the report makes this very clear, has put in less and less money into the system annually,” Kramer said.

“But, you know, when we look at the state of the budget and we look at the state of the economy, the money’s not going to be free flowing any time soon.”

Nelson said economic conditions are largely to blame for the state’s lack of funding.

“The recessions and the downturns are coming more quickly, so where you used to have longer gaps between them,

now they’re happening very quickly and the state support is falling off very quickly,” she said. But the money intended to help ease the pain inflicted by the economy will soon be gone. Nelson said the “historical” federal funding that is currently offsetting some tuition increases is about to run out.

“That’s pretty much the first time that’s happened,” Nelson said. “And the thing that people have to keep in mind is as of 2012, that’s gone. The schools have to be very careful about how they use that money.”

With economic vitals still below average, Kramer hopes the coming years will not bring steeper hikes.

“I think we can hope that they hold steady, but I don’t think Virginia should expect the federal government to keep putting the kind of money into the states that it did over the past couple years,” Kramer said. “The economy just isn’t speeding up the way everybody thought it would at this point.”

Gov. Bob McDonnell’s response to widespread concern over Virginia’s public universities was the creation of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education.

“It has gotten to a point where we have to look and see what can be done about this,” Nelson said. “And that’s one of the things the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education is looking at — affordability.”

The commission, which includes Tech President Charles Steger, has lofty goals of making college in Virginia more affordable and awarding 10,000 more degrees over the next decade.

“It’s really taking a sort of holistic approach to the whole thing to see where we can improve the system,” Kramer said. “And some of the ideas like threeyear degree programs and professor sharing would be good ways to start.”

While Nelson said many of the ideas have the potential to alleviate the building costs, they also have associated expenses because of the changes they require.

“Yes, there are lots of ways of doing it, it’s just what are the best ways? And you have to be careful that it’s done in an efficient way that makes sense,” Nelson said.

Kramer said college is getting more expensive, but more ways must be found to allow each student an opportunity to attend a public university in Virginia.

“One thing that’s definitely happening is tuition is going up,” Kramer said. “And one thing we have to do is make sure financial aid can compensate for some of these tuition increases.”

LUKE MASON / SPPS

FBI Special Agent Kevin Foust said the task force has followed more than 1,100 leads in the case.

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nized as “a monster” or a sociopath, according to Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office investigator Dennis Rakes.

The description has left many in the area fearful that the perpetrator may be living nearby.

“To have something like this happen and suspect that it may be someone from our community — who’s familiar with those recreation areas — it’s like a sense of community and safety in our community has been violated,” Gardner said. “It’s just not ever going to be the same.”

In the months following the murders, residents of the area held several community meetings to discuss the safety of the region.

The task force, meanwhile, continues to investigate the case, still looking for what Rakes called “that one bit of information” that produces a breakthrough in the

Caldwell Fields can be reached from Blacksburg by taking U.S. 460 West Ma in S t.

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JAMES MADISON

GEORGE MASON

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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

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VCU

Dollars in Millions

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One year ago today, Heidi Childs and David Metzler drove to Caldwell Fields to build a campfire and talk about the future.

The Virginia Tech sophomores, both Lynchburg, Va., natives, were found dead the following morning, victims of a crime that extinguished two bright stars of the campus ministries.

The crime, which is being investigated by a special task force, remains unsolved.

The community, spread across a remote corner of Montgomery County, remains unsettled.

--A passerby found Childs and Metzler shot dead Aug. 27, 2009. By mid-September, authorities assembled a task force to investigate the crime.

Last week, the task force of 15 investigators from eight law enforcement agencies, which have been investigating the case for the past 11 months, held a press conference asking for continued help from the public in the pursuit of solving the case.

Thus far, the task force has followed more than 1,100 leads and traveled more than 500 miles on one occasion to conduct interviews.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Foust, a member of the task force, praised local residents for their reaction to the case.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Childs and Metzler families and the entire Virginia Tech community,” Foust said. “You have embraced them as if they were your own children, your own family.”

The community will once again embrace the memories of Childs and Metzler tonight in a vigil at Caldwell Fields, the site of the murders.

Blacksburg native Lisa Gardner organized the vigil, which is not affiliated with the university or the Childs or Metzler families. Instead, she said the community wants to pay its respects.

“When this happened it touched our community in a personal way,” Gardner said. “I felt a sense of responsibility or obligation to the kids and their families.”

In the days following the crime, Gardner set up a Facebook page to help solve the case, but is now using it in an attempt to unite the community in remembrance of Childs and Metzler.

She said the vigil, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., would attempt to create a positive atmosphere.

Gardner said attendees should bring LED battery-operated candles to avoid using an open flame.

“It’s a good thing to remember them and celebrate their lives, have more of a celebratory remembrance rather than a mourning remembrance,” she said.

However, despite the positive tone of the vigil, the question of who murdered Childs and Metzler still looms over the community.

“It’s a tragedy, for sure,” Gardner said. “There’s a sense of paranoia in my mind, because between Caldwell Fields, the Appalachian Trail, the Cascades and Pandapas Pond, all of these have traditionally been safe, local, recreational areas.”

Task force investigators have not focused on any strong suspects, but offered a description of the potential suspect. One of the major characteristics of a potential suspect would be knowledge of the area.

According to police, the person or persons who committed the murders were likely familiar with the area, with a good reason to be there that night.

They would not likely be recog-

Turn right on Craig Creek Road

Blacksburg Campus

Caldwell Fields is on the right, about 20 miles from the turn

JOSH SON / COLLEGIATE TIMES

case.

Police say the perpetrator may have exhibited signs of distress after the murders.

Among other possible behaviors mentioned were missing work, taking an unusual interest in the case or making major life changes.

A $70,000 reward is being offered for information that helps

solve the case. Any information given to investigators will remain anonymous.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 540-382-2951 or any other member of the task force.

Other agencies involved include the Virginia State Police, FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Emergency drill to take place on campus LIANA BAYNE associate news editor A simulated emergency exercise will harbor two- and four-legged refugees from an imaginary hurricane on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday and Friday afternoons, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management will be conducting a drill in Lane Stadium and

in the Alphin-Stuart animal arena to practice procedures for evacuating and giving temporary housing to humans and companion animals.

“This is not a Virginia Tech event,” said Mark Owczarski, Tech spokesman.

Owczarski said the state has identified several universities, including Tech, the College of William & Mary and James Madison University as facilities that could function as emer-

gency housing in the case of a major natural disaster.

Allowing the Department of Emergency Management to use Tech’s facilities for its drill is “all part of Ut Prosim,” Owczarski said.

On Thursday, a check-in drill for several hundred people displaced after a hurricane will occur in Lane Stadium. On Friday, a simulated check-in drill for multiple dogs and cats will take place at the Alphin-

Stuart animal arena, a part of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

“We’re going to be acting in our own facility as if it were a real emergency,” Owczarski said.

Owczarski said some Tech students would be participating in the drill as “actors” who pretend to participate in the emergency evacuation procedure.

Media events for the drill will take place at 1 p.m. each day.

2 newsLandline phones to remain on campus

university editor: philipp kotlaba, gordon block, liana bayne newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

august 26, 2010

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virginia headlines

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Historic Amherst home up for sale The Edgewood house, at the corner of Garland Avenue and South Main Street in the Town of Amherst, has accrued plenty of history during the past two centuries.

Built in 1818 by Arthur B. Davies, an Amherst County attorney, and placed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places by current owners Duncan and Janice Augustine in 2006, the house is one of the oldest and largest in Amherst County.

According to register documents, it has served as a home, school and a social meeting place.

Now it’s back to being a home, but all that history has taken a toll on the house’s original staircase, where each step has a noticeable indentation by centuries of footsteps.

The house was featured on www.nytimes.com in a web article featuring houses for about $800,000. They have set the price at $789,000.

The Augustines can take credit for uncovering one of Edgewood’s hidden mysteries.

And as the house approaches its 200th birthday, there’s likely still more left to discover.

-nolan connelly, mcclatchy newspapers

CORRECTIONS In “Chipotle to roll into Blacksburg in September” (CT – Aug. 25), Chipotle has not confirmed that it will hold a “Boo-rito” day during its first year in Blacksburg. 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.

SARAH WATSON news reporter Virginia Tech will remain plugged in with landline phones, despite the University of Virginia’s move to wireless communication.

UVa recently rid its residence halls of landline phones after striking deals with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. However, landline phones will remain a staple in Tech residence halls into the foreseeable future.

After consulting with colleagues, Mark Doherty , UVa chief housing officer, decided to remove landline phones from residence halls.

Doherty said usage had declined, and the university needed to reduce costs. The savings are estimated to be approximately $500,000 per year.

This money will be reinvested in facilities across the UVa campus, according to Doherty.

UVa worked closely with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to create an

agreement to ensure quality service.

“We wanted to be sure that cell phone service would be adequate,” Doherty said.

The companies placed devices in the residence halls to boost signal, according to Doherty. However, landline phones are still an option to students. Students simply must make their own arrangements if they want a landline phone in their room.

UVa also installed more emergency phones in the residence halls and left landlines in residence staff rooms. Housing at UVa also coordinated with risk management, emergency planning, UVa’s police force and various other offices to create an effective phone system.

Communications Network Services at Tech is in control of the landline phones and it has decided to leave the current phone system in the residence halls. However, the process of removing phones is not a difficult one, according to CNS spokesman Jeff Kidd.

“

Taking away landlines would involve getting rid of something that is working and paid for.

JEFF KIDD CNS SPOKESMAN

“All that it would involve would be removing the phones themselves,” Kidd said.

However, Kidd does not see a need for replacing the landline phone system that is already established in the residence halls.

“Taking away landlines would involve getting rid of something that is working and paid for,” he said.

CNS receives a portion of each student’s housing fee to maintain the landline system, according to Kenneth Belcher, associate director for occupancy manager at Tech.

This rate is established by the university’s Board of Visitors and transferred to CNS.

While housing services is not responsible for the phone system in the residence halls, they do have an input.

“We are encouraging (CNS) to look at other technologies to support wireless communication in the residence halls,” Belcher said.

However, Kidd said landline phones are important to students that continue to utilize them. He added that they are also valuable in the case of an emergency. If a student calls Tech Police from a landline in a residence hall, the residence hall and room number can be identified. This information is stored on a computer that Tech Police can access.

Kidd said landline phones are helpful in circumstances when many students may need to use their phones simultaneously.

“We know that in extremely high call-volume situations on campus, mobile telephone service alone does not have the capacity to carry the load,” Kidd said.

Kiosks pop up where least expected BRIDGET CAREY mcclatchy newspapers MIAMI — Consumers accustomed to using self-service kiosks to withdraw cash, pay for groceries and check in for flights are finding do-ityourself computer stations in new and sometimes unexpected places.

Some doctors’ offices are using selfservice stations to check in patients.

At hotels, guests can check in or even buy accessories such as bathing suits.

Movie tickets, cruise line boarding passes and DVD movie rentals can, in many places, be picked up with the swipe of a credit card.

“We’re seeing self-service technology take off in really in every industry,” said Jeff Dudash, spokesman for NCR — the company that creates most of these machines and invented the ATM machine.

That’s because customers are used to having more control, and for the most part, they’re loving it, say trend researchers. Forrester Research, a leader in tracking technology trends, reported 61 percent of U.S. adults who are active online want to scan and pay for purchases using selfcheckout options, and 74 percent

who have used kiosks say it is useful.

BuzzBack Market Research, which managed a survey for its client NCR, said 81 percent of North Americans surveyed were more likely to choose retailers that let them use self-service options.

Although kiosks can save business owners some staff costs, many who have adopted self-service technology have found the real advantages are saving time and putting staff to work on other customer service areas.

At Miami’s Paragon Grove 13, a new reserved seating movie theater with 85 employees, many tickets are sold by kiosk. Only two box office employees are required. But staffers are still needed to help guests find their seats and serve concessions.

“Now they are more face to face with the guests,” said Alberto Santana, vice president of operations for Paragon Grove 13. “It’s more individual customer service.”

At West Boca Medical Center in Boca Raton, Fla., self-service options are more of a time saver than money saver. Its four NCR touch-screen kiosks and two wireless touch-screen tablets allow patients to check them-

selves into its Diagnostic Imaging Center. Returning patients confirm information on the screens, saving receptionists time for other tasks.

“Lots of people thought the big concern would be with seniors being not as in tune with technology as the younger generation,” but that wasn’t the case, according to Gary Grandovic, imaging center director.

NCR’s latest push is Blockbuster Express DVD machines that have been appearing in Publix Supermarkets throughout South Florida, with more than 7,000 added nationwide over the past year. The kiosks compete with Redbox, which this month announced it’s rolling out its similar $1-a-night DVD rental machines in all CVS pharmacy stores.

Nationwide, Illinois-based Redbox has about 26,900 kiosks.

Machines are making these tasks faster, but owners say they won’t eliminate humans.

Emily Yellin, author of customer service book “Your Call is (Not That) Important to Us,” hasn’t been a big fan of kiosks since a kiosk malfunctioned when she tried to get movie tickets in New York. The human

customer service that followed the incident was also poor.

“Self-service can be helpful and sometimes is preferable,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Technology can improve the customer service we get ... but it can’t be done without regard for our common humanity and the very real feeling many people have of being dehumanized by machines.”

Not all sectors of self-service take off as fast as expected. The Grand Beach hotel in Miami, which put in a kiosk earlier this summer for quick check-ins, hasn’t seen it used much. Guests seem to prefer talking to a person when they are starting their vacation and learning about the hotel, said staff. Instead, the kiosk has been used for a familiar transaction: printing airline boarding passes.

Such anecdotes may allay fears that the machines will take away jobs.

“People worry that if you replace all these people with machines, they lose their jobs,” said Florida International University economics professor Peter Thompson. That’s unlikely, he said. “People who lose their jobs — say the movie theater no longer needs them — they’ll find something else.”

COLLEGIATETIMES

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nation & world headlines

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Trapped miners confirmed alive SANTIAGO, Chile — Miners who have been trapped for more than 14 days in a copper mine in Chile’s Atacama Desert are alive, President Sebastian Pinera said Sunday.

The 33 miners were found together, rescue workers said after the workers passed a note reading, “Here are 33 people. We are all alive,” through a small hole drilled by rescuers.

Pinera expressed his joy at the news.

“It came out of the depths of the mine. It said that we are alive, we are together and we hope that we will again see the sunlight and be able to hug our families,” he said.

As the news of the miners’ survival reached the surface, family members applauded, cried and fell into each others’ arms with joy. Many dubbed the news a miracle.

“Today all of Chile is crying with joy and emotion,” Pinera said.

The workers have been trapped 700 meters (2,296.5 feet) underground since August 5 in a mine in San Jose de Copiapo, some 800 kilometers (497 miles) north of Santiago, after the shaft they were working in collapsed.

Several further collapses frustrated rescue efforts, and authorities had last week unofficially expressed their fear that the miners may have died.

The note, written in red ink, was the first sign of life and unleashed immediate joy among the family members, friends and neighbors gathered outside the mine. Hundreds broke into spontaneous singing of the Chilean national anthem and waved flags.

“I have never been so proud to be a Chilean as I am today,” Pinera said.

-mauricio weibel and helmut reuter, mcclatchy newspapers

weekend 3

editors: lindsey brookbank, kim walter featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

august 26, 2010

Skip the grocery store, Sterling Bridge Dairy and Sweetwater visit downtown farmers Bakery bring life to market vendor scene market for fresh products DEBRA HOUCHINS

MATTHEW BORYSEWICZ features reporter

on the web For more information, see www.bbfarmersmarket.org.

Shopping at the farmers market has more benefits than providing fresh products. The amount of fuel used to ship most commercially grown and sold produce from South America to a local grocery store is monumental compared to the gasoline used to transport crops from a local farm to the Blacksburg Farmers Market.

Shopping isn’t the only thing to do at the farmers market. Occasionally, the market hosts musicians and other events throughout the year.

The Blacksburg Farmers Market is open year-round. It currently operates from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, but the hours will change as of Oct. 31.

“It’s one of the few places you can look the person that made your product in the eye,” Chlepas said, “If you haven’t come yet, you’re missing out.”

LUKE MASON / SPPS

Blacksburg is home to one of Virginia’s finest farmers markets, where farmers and craftsmen gather downtown twice a week to sell their wares and promote local businesses.

The Blacksburg Farmers Market was founded about 30 years ago and has been providing the town with fresh produce, animal products and crafts ever since. The market is run by the non-profit group of volunteers called Friends of the Farmers Market.

Students, locals and merchants commingle at the newly built Farmers Market Pavilion on the corner of Roanoke Street and Draper Road.

The new enclosure for the market was completed in spring 2010 and also doubles as a parking lot.

Last Saturday, first-time farmers market shopper and junior communication major Zac Stovall shopped for peaches, bread, spreads, peanut butter and honey.

“I like the fresh fruit,” Stovall said.

“It’s better than the grocery store.”

Corn seems to be in high demand this time of year. By noon, the corner was filled with people trying to find the right stand that might still have a few ears.

Idyllwood Farms, a family-run farm managed by George Hall and Sharon Morley in Salem, Va., has been selling corn, tomatoes, watermelon and just a little bit of everything for 22 years in Blacksburg.

Kevin Morley, an Idyllwood Farms worker, said one of the many benefits of shopping at farmers markets is the freshness of the produce, because at many commercial chains buyers do not know where their produce came from or how old it is. At markets, the produce is usually picked the day before and sold by the farm itself.

Edible items aren’t the only thing for sale at the market. Florists and basket weavers sell their work from the booths.

Patti Chlepas, who runs an apiary and has been selling at the market for almost three years, sells honey when in season and beeswax products yearround. Most of her products are natural, healthy body products.

“Beeswax is one of those miracle products that has so many uses,” Chlepas said. “Blacksburg has one of the nicest farmers markets I have been to.”

features staff writer

For the past several weeks, the Collegiate Times has been profiling various venders who sell goods at the Blacksburg Farmers Market. Check out the previously published profiles online.

STERLING BRIDGE DAIRY Husband-and-wife team Randy and Nancy Crompton, owners of Sterling Bridge Dairy, have come a long way in the past 10 years.

Although Randy had dreamed of owning his own farm since he worked on his uncle’s as a teenager, Nancy Crompton cites Richard David’s book, “The Man Who Moved a Mountain,” which chronicles the life of the Rev. Bob Childress, as their inspiration for visiting and ultimately starting their farm in Floyd County.

“I would probably never have thought to move to Floyd County otherwise,” Nancy Crompton said.

After moving from Fredricksburg — where Randy Crompton commuted to his government job in Washington, D.C. — to Floyd in 2005, the Wisconsin natives didn’t kick their dairy farm into full gear until 2007.

While Nancy Crompton has her bachelor’s degree in art and Randy Crompton has his master’s in national defense and strategy, Nancy Crompton said “making cheese is a full-time effort,” and both of them dedicate all their time and energy to the farm.

Their son, Elliot Crompton, is a Virginia Tech student studying industrial design. He helps his family at the farmers market on weekends and spent the past summer working on the farm.

The farm itself has four milking cows, a couple of heifers (cows that haven’t had babies yet), a bull and about 30 goats, none of which are producing milk yet.

The Cromptons mainly produce and sell raw aged cheese, a variety of goat cheeses including chevres, spreadable goat cheese that can contain a variety of herbs. They also make butter and feta cheese.

Their raw aged cheeses include a brick-style cheese called “Rock Church” (named in honor of the Rev. Childress Church), a cheddar they call “Gold Rush,” a colby called “Homestead” and a pepper jack aptly

Get inside the game!

Available for every home game

LUKE MASON / SPPS

Sweetwater Baking Co. offers samples of its breads for patrons to try at the farmers market Aug. 21. named “Jack Pot.” They also have a fresh cheddar curd, which is quite popular at the beginning of the summer.

SWEETWATER BAKERY When it comes to bread, there are few places that can compete with Sweetwater Bakery.

Founded in 1995 by Jolynn and Saul Schwartz, it has been owned by Sam Siller, Jolynn Schwartz’s brother, and his wife, Allison, since 2004.

Allison Siller said they took over the bakery when the Schwartz family decided to move “to keep the bakery going.”

With 10 different kinds of bread, ranging from more traditional breads such as oatmeal or seed bread to the more unique prairie brown, this bakery is worth the half-hour trip to Floyd.

Luckily, thanks to the farmers market, no one has to make the drive.

The bakery also makes granola, biscotti, cookies, energy bars and cinnamon rolls.

All of its products are organic, and

DEBRA HOUCHINS / SPPS

Nancy Compton (right) stands patiently while customers browse.

Sterling Bridge Dairy is known for its raw aged goat cheeses. baking occurs twice a week.

The difference between grabbing a loaf of bread from a local bakery like Sweetwater and just stopping by a grocery store is the lack of perservatives and improved overall freshness of the

Sweetwater bread.

Allison Siller said the bakery takes pride in “just having the bread turn out weekly.”

Sweetwater is at the farmers market on Saturdays.

page 4

august 26, 2010

Loop Wondering what’s going on around the ‘burg?

Check out the events of the upcoming week.

GERMAN Club to host free cookout at Manor ANDREW REILLY features staff writer

[Thursday, August 26] What: Music — Steve Smith Where: Gillie’s When: 7 p.m.

Cost: Free

What: Cinema Screening Event: An Evening with David Williams Where: The Lyric When: 7 p.m.

Cost: Free

What: Music — Re:Fill Where: River Mill When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cost: Free Note: Ages 21+

[Friday, August 27] What: Show — Justin Kredible What: Show — Super Mash Bros.

Where: Squires Commonwealth Ballroom Where: Squires Commonwealth Ballroom When: TBA When: 6 p.m.

Cost: Free Cost: Free Note: visit www.vtu.org.vt.edu for more information

[Saturday, August 28] What: Music — Jeremiah Parks Where: Gillie’s When: 7 p.m.

Cost: Free

What: Music — DJ Mix Live Where: Attitudes When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cost: $8 for 18 to 20-year-olds and $5 for 21+

[Sunday, August 29] What: G.E.R.M.A.N. Club Hokie Hi Cookout Where: G.E.R.M.A.N. Club Manor When: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Cost: Free

Students looking for a fun way to start the second week of classes, or just some music and food before “True Blood,” need look no further than the G.E.R.M.A.N. Club Manor this Sunday.

Virginia Tech’s oldest fraternal organization is inviting all students to a back-to-school cookout featuring field games and live music, including a performance by the popular all-male a cappella group Juxtaposition. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the club’s off-campus manor at 711 Southgate Dr. and will last until approximately 9 p.m.

Nathan Lavinka, the Hokie Hi Cookout’s coordinator, senior marketing and communication major, said it will be a great opportunity for freshmen to learn about the club and have a great time with their friends.

“The cookout is designed to have fun,” Lavinka said. “It’s to have a good time and just sort of get people exposed to the G.E.R.M.A.N. Club — men, women, whoever, whatever, freshmen, seniors — its open to literally everybody.”

The G.E.R.M.A.N. Club, founded in 1892, is a non-Greek fraternity that advocates leadership and service to the

university community.

Lavinka said brothers aim to live up to the ideal of “leadership for service through fellowship,” and the cookout, which is the first the club has held, will help promote campus involvement. It is also meant to show those unfamiliar with the club there is plenty of fun to be had while participating in philanthropy.

“Whether its just hanging out at the manor or doing a service project,” Lavinka said, “we really try to have a good time while doing it.”

In addition to the grilled food and field games, including basketball, dodgeball, cornhole and ladder golf, several members’ musical talents will be showcased throughout the evening.

Junior human nutrition, foods and exercise major Jeff Walker will open for Juxtaposition with a bluesy guitar performance.

Walker, who cites John Mayer and Jason Mraz as his biggest influences, said the cookout exemplifies the G.E.R.M.A.N. way.

“There’s never a dull day in the G.E.R.M.A.N. Club, there’s always something going on, meaningful or fun,” Walker said.

Opening for Juxtaposition is no small task; the group’s a cappella harmonies have been proven popular among Tech students. According to Carter Harvie, a junior finance major

and G.E.R.M.A.N. Club member, the group performs non-stop throughout the semester at sorority meetings, philanthropies and university events such as Relay for Life.

“

Whether its just hanging out at the manor or doing a service project, we really try to have a good time doing it.

NATHAN LAVINKA COORDINATOR

Since both Juxtaposition and G.E.R.M.A.N. Club are seeking new members from the freshmen class, Harvie sees the cookout as a great opportunity for both organizations to get their names out to the student population.

Walker is looking forward to playing music for both friends and Tech newcomers. He said the cookout is a great opportunity to bring the Tech community together as another school year begins.

“It’s just a way to kick off the year,” he said. “Of course we’ll be looking for guys that want to come out, but it’s not only that. We want to serve the entire community and just really have a good time for the incoming freshmen and new faces at Tech.”

[Monday, August 30] What: Show — Third Coast Percussion Where: Squires Recital Salon When: 8 p.m.

Cost: $15 general admission, $10 for seniors and $5 for students

[Tuesday, August 31] What: Champs Running Club Kick Off Where: Champs Restaurant When: 4:30 p.m.

Cost: Free

[Wednesday, September 1] What: Comedy Club — Greg Kashmanian Where: Attitudes Bar & Cafe When: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cost: $7 Note: Ages 18+

What: Visiting Writers Series — Junot Diaz Where: The Inn at Virginia Tech When: 7 p.m.

Cost: Free

...... radio for everyone

opınıons 5

editors: scott masselli, gabi seltzer opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

august 26, 2010

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

Muslim immigrants still optimistic, face adversity T

he United States needs new immigrants to continually remind itself of its own values.

That’s the simple lesson I learned last week after a moment of despair.

On Monday, I watched the hilarious but depressing video of Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, rabidly defending his ludicrous claims that Middle Eastern women are coming to the U.S. to give birth to “terror babies” who will come back and bomb us in 20 years. On Tuesday, I saw a self-styled Christian on CNN arguing haughtily that we should not allow mosques to be built anywhere in the United States.

Then, of course, there was the ranting of Holy Warrior Newt Gingrich, the moral cowardice of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the weak-kneed triangulation of President Obama. The contemptible political rhetoric aimed at Muslim-Americans frightened me. But that’s before I chatted with three young Muslim-American women who gave me back my faith. They reminded me that the United States is all about outsiders adhering to this country’s first principles — including equality and freedom of religion — in their struggle to become insiders.

It’s never been easy to become American. We may welcome the “tempest toss’d,” but that doesn’t mean they won’t encounter a gantlet of exploiters and haters and a raucously free marketplace of ideas. What propels them forward is not only America’s opportunities but the idealistic belief that despite the ugliness they may face, this country’s ideals ultimately will triumph. On Wednesday, I visited the tiny office of Al-Talib, the Muslim news magazine at UCLA. Three young women had agreed to talk with me, and though each of them had different stories and takes on life, they shared a fundamental resilience and optimism that impressed me. I had assumed that being Muslim in America these days was about as much fun as getting a pie in the face, but none of these women complained.

Each of them had encountered some form of overt prejudice. All of their families had had discussions about how “Muslim” one should be in public. They spoke of a “Muslimness” that had been thrust on them after 9/11 when they were only teenagers–preconceived notions about their beliefs that they felt obliged to struggle against. Nonetheless, they all pro-

fessed that they’d been desensitized to a lot of the ugly rhetoric that was getting me down and they saw the blow-up over the so-called ground zero mosque as simply reflective of tensions that have been seething for years.

Nursing student Neda Momeni, 22, whose parents came from Iran, started wearing a hijab a year ago.

She says she considers the source of whatever nasty things are being said or inferred about Muslims.

She also puts things in historical perspective. “Every ethnic group has its struggles,” she said. “Look, it’s not as bad as it was for Japanese Americans. Considering the past, we’re pretty lucky. I’ve never been denied a job or anything.”

Fowzia Shareen, 24, who just graduated with a degree in English, doesn’t deny that she gets mad. The L.A.-born Bangladeshi American particularly resents the implication that her religion is somehow unAmerican and she feels it’s important to define for herself what it means to be Muslim. “If other people are going to give me names,” she says, “I might as well as name myself.”

The same goes for Afghanistanborn Sayeda Fazal, 22, who professes an unshakable belief in American pluralism. “I think people are offended by the mosque because they think 9/11 was caused

by Islam. Muslims haven’t done a good job of teaching people about their beliefs.”

After some prodding, all three women confessed that having to combat negative assumptions about them does take a lot of energy. But they all seemed to feel that somehow it was their duty, both as Muslims and Americans.

They were convinced that the less the public knows about Muslims, the more they will be demonized. In order to achieve greater understanding, they thought, Islam would have to become more, not less, visible in the United States.

Just as strongly though, they thought that America had to step up. They can cope with the gantlet, but they expect this nation to adhere to its promise and extend to them equal rights and more: all the comforts of home.

“I really believe American principles will win out,” Shareen said.

“Every time we’ve been at a moral impasse, we’ve gotten over it.”

The “we” says it all. I drove home relieved.

GREGORY RODRIGUEZ -mcclatchy newspapers

MCT CAMPUS

Tech’s new alcohol policy violates students’ privacy As

we get moved in for another great year at Virginia Tech, resident advisors have been holding hall meetings to remind us of the rules and regulations that go with living on campus that make life a bit more complicated and obnoxious.

For the most part, I can begrudgingly accept these rules and even agree with most of them. However, every now and then the school abuses its nearly absolute power over what happens on its campus.

One policy change this year is especially poorly thought out and should be repealed immediately. As of earlier this year, the school will now report any alcohol-related rule breaking to the student’s parents, regardless of age.

That means you can be 20 years old — a legal adult for two years — and your choices will be arbitrarily reported to your parents.

I am not endorsing underage drinking; even if I think the laws should be changed, it is not up to the school to make statewide policy. I am simply saying the school has no right to report your lawbreaking to anyone but the police. As an adult, the responsibility falls to you to make choices and accept the consequences of your actions. As long as that is true, there is no reason for Tech to notify anyone else.

Common courtesy dictates that if you are living on your parents’ dime, you should probably tell them if something major happens. However, it is not up to the school to officiate manners — especially since the school has absolutely no idea what your home relationships are like.

I wish I could say this policy was illegal, but as we have seen with so many other abuses of school power — from requiring police officers to occasionally walk our halls to having drug policies that seem completely incoherent when compared to alcohol policies — the school has nearly unlimited power when dealing with behavioral rules.

As long as we are paying an exorbitant amount of money to live here, the school can do with us what it chooses.

With that in mind, I am not really arguing that this particular policy is legally incorrect, I am arguing that the university should realize that it has no business interfering with our family life. Whatever your personal feelings are on drinking, it should be obvious that this policy goes too far.

There was a time when we were all under 18, and the police had a legal responsibility to report any legal violations to our parents. At the time, we had an ambiguous legal status and

part of the baggage that goes along with being charged as a minor is that our parents had a chance to enforce personal punishment of their own.

That has changed now, most of us — none of this applies if you’re under 18 — will now be charged as adults, which means society expects us to be responsible for our actions. The fact the school can arbitrarily decide if we should still be treated as minors is both offensive and foolish.

It should not be Tech’s decision to intrude in our personal lives by informing parents of our actions. The moment we turned 18, it became a family decision, and the school lost whatever right it had to act on this issue.

Personally, I would tell my parents if I got a judicial referral — let’s hope not — and I suspect many people reading this think it’s not worth arguing about, since they likely would do the same.

The point is the decision should be yours, and Tech’s policy is taking away that responsibility and your right.

DANNY METCALF -regular columnist -sophomore -political science

American health care system still Tragedy in Pakistan flawed amid positive changes offers opportunities T

orrential rains continue to torment Pakistan, flooding one-fifth of the country and affecting 15 million to 20 million people.

Yet out of this human tragedy could come an opportunity for a much-needed improvement in U.S.-Pakistani relations.

Alternatively, the flood could wash away any hopes for a 2011 drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan next door.

The floodwaters have created the greatest natural disaster in Pakistan’s history, causing massive refugee flows, destroying roads and bridges, and isolating large swaths of the country.

Hardest hit is the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, abutting Afghanistan, where the Pakistani army is battling jihadis.

The disaster has also hit populous Punjab province, where militants have deep roots.

Pakistan’s civilian government is totally overwhelmed. Public rage is rising, not helped by President Asif Ali Zardari’s refusal to cancel a trip to Europe as the waters were rising. Symbolism matters, especially when the first groups to ostentatiously offer aid have been Islamic militants.

The United States has already pledged $72 million in aid, by far the largest international donation, and sent desperately needed helicopters.

In principle, the United States is in a position to replicate the “Chinook diplomacy” that created immense goodwill toward America in 2005, when the U.S. conducted a massive helicopter airlift after an earthquake in Pakistani Kashmir. Such goodwill is sadly lacking at a time when the United States needs more Pakistani cooperation to close off havens for Afghan militants in Pakistan.

Pakistani officials face a choice.

Their people are desperate for

help the government can’t provide. A failure to offer such assistance could provoke massive civil unrest.

In this situation, the United States is best placed to provide swift help — in coordination with capable Pakistani private aid groups — and to facilitate lagging international aid.

U.S. help will also be critical for reconstruction. But the Taliban — and some Pakistani polls and media — demand that their government reject U.S. aid.

This time, however, Pakistan’s civilian leadership recognizes the need for Chinook diplomacy, and the Pakistani military appears to have signed on. The United States temporarily reassigned four Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters from Afghanistan.

Now, 19 heavy-lift helicopters — along with 1,000 Marines — have arrived on the USS Peleliu, docked in Karachi.

Perhaps Pakistan officials took a closer look at the Pew poll: 64 percent of Pakistanis surveyed said they want better relations with the United States. And 65 percent had an unfavorable view of the Taliban.

Now is the time for Pakistan and the United States to join forces to surmount this crisis. Pakistanis must be made fully aware of U.S. aid, and U.S. officials should not hesitate to publicize their role.

The best hope for overcoming this disaster — and defeating al-Qaeda and its allies — is for Pakistan and the United States to work in tandem. If the two countries can’t publicly cooperate in the midst of a natural catastrophe, there is no hope at all.

TRUDY RUBIN -mcclatchy newspapers

H

ealth care and health insurance, although afforded by most, is still not universal. The current system can work, but is expensive and inefficient, costing billions of dollars more than its European counterparts. It will prove itself unsustainable for the nation without more insurance and a more efficient health care system.

In 2007, 45.7 million people — 15.3 percent of the nation — were uninsured. Even more are inadequately insured. Many of these people cannot pay for insurance or a hospital stay.

Medicaid and Medicare don’t cover them. Many of them will need to be hospitalized, but neither they nor the government will pay for their care.

This responsibility falls onto those who can pay — including the hospital and the insured.

Recently passed legislation is making health insurance mandatory. Although this will lower insurance prices, not everyone can afford it. To solve this, Medicaid has been authorized to pay, at least partially, for upper-low-income families. This will further decrease the costs for insurance now that everyone will have coverage.

When I was younger, I was diagnosed with a condition that required an extensive and expensive surgical procedure. My family’s insurance provider paid for the entire $76,600 bill except for $10 co-pays associated with medications and doctor visits.

If my family’s insurance had been inadequate or nonexistent, you could

have paid for my procedure. Whether through your insurance premiums, copays or hospital bills, some of my debt could have been passed to you. Also, since the poor and uninsured must be hospitalized, my surgery potentially cost thousands more than it should have.

My surgery demonstrated the health care system is becoming extremely expensive. The United States spends the most money per person for health care in the world. Also, it has the second-highest percentage of income spent on health care. Yet despite its high prices, health care in the United States is not the best quality health care in the world. European nations spend money much more efficiently, and everyone has more comprehensive and better coverage.

The United States’ health care system is also inefficient. Many hospitals still use paper records, which slow the transferring of patients.

Name-brand medications are still recommended, despite being more expensive. Many cheaper brands can be just as effective and safer.

Doctors visits are higher than they need to be. The American health care system has much to still reform, and should be able to function with less, making insurance premiums cheaper.

The recently passed health care legislation has helped. All United States citizens will need to be covered by health care by law. Also, governmental

we’re YOUR newspaper. want to write a guest column? do you have a letter to the editor? express your views.

insurers will be expanded to insure more people. And preexisting conditions can no longer be used to reject consumers for insurance.

However, none of these provisions will be enacted for several years. When they do take effect, they will help relieve some issues within the health care system but will not address all the existing problems. These pieces of legislation are stepping stones for more comprehensive laws in the future.

With more people insured, productivity will increase. All injuries and sicknesses will be treated without the trouble of payment and people will be back on the job sooner. With less down time, national services, such as health care, can be afforded. Workers will also have more pocket money to spend, stimulating the economy.

Even money invested in banks helps recovery.

With the economy in a recession and the unemployment rate high, ensuring people have insurance is extremely important. It puts less strain on the budgets of hospitals and the insured. It is the best compromise: insure everybody and make health care more efficient, while aiding economic recovery.

EVAN BECKER -regular columnist -sophomore -civil engineering

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august 26, 2010

Men’s soccer retooling with youth to improve for 2010 COURTNEY LOFGREN sports reporter A younger and revamped Virginia Tech men’s soccer team will be tested this season with a challenging schedule.

The Hokies will face off against eight opponents ranked in the top-20 preseason poll, including St. John’s and defending national champion — and in-state Atlantic Coast Conference rival — University of Virginia.

“The rankings came out again and the ACC competitors are stacked up,” said Michael Brizendine, head coach.

“All league games are dog fights. I think that we have some underdogs (on the team) like we did last year.”

The Hokies will look to new faces this season to improve upon a 5-12-2 campaign in 2009. There are 15 newcomers to the team this season, 12 of whom are freshmen.

Despite their inexperience, the freshmen will see significant playing time right away, including forward David Clemens, midfielder/forward Mikey Minutillo and midfielder Jose Velazquez.

“I think as the young guys get more comfortable you’ll see more out of them,” Brizendine said. “We have some exciting attacking players and most of those guys are young, so we have to get those freshman nerves out of the way as quick as possible.”

The team played the College of William & Mary Saturday in a friendly scrimmage. Although the Hokies lost 4-1, Brizendine was proud of the way they performed.

“From a learning perspective, I thought it went very well,” Brizendine said. “The score doesn’t obviously reflect it. But it gives us something to build on.”

A number of underclassmen received substantial playing time in the scrimmage, including Clemens — who played for 60 minutes.

Even with so many new faces, the team will still receive contributions from returning veterans.

“Clarke Bentley, Jon Snyder, Greg Cochrane and Dave Fiorello will be essential pieces to the puzzle, and they’re going to have to do well for us to have some success,” Brizendine said. “All those players play up the middle, so they’re always involved in what’s going on.”

The season goal for entire team, from the head coach all the way down the to players, is one thing: improvement.

“We want to do better in our league, we want to do better in our outof-conference results,” Brizendine

sports 7

Boise State backs to form dangerous triple threat attack CHADD CRIPE mcclatchy newspapers

LUKE MASON / SPPS

Redshirt junior Charlie Campbell goes up for a header. The Hokies hope to improve on a 5-12-2 record. said. “Ultimately this will lead us to the NCAA tournament which is a goal.”

Bentley, a senior, said the players would like to see more wins this season, and hard work will be a main factor in reaching their goals.

“Individually, a goal for us would be to come out each and every training session and get better and work out,” Bentley said. “Hopefully if we come out and do that our results will improve and speak for our hard work. Numbers wise, I think that if we put the work in out here on the training field and then those things will come along like shutouts and goals.”

In addition, the players hope to continue the success in the classroom and on the pitch.

“We have a lot of goals set for the season ranging from GPAs and averages to finishing above .500 and making the NCAA tournament,” Clemens said.

He believes the preseason helped build the team’s chemistry and put the players in the right mindset.

“We’re looking to really find ourselves as a team,” Clemens said.

“Hopefully we can come out with

wins this season to really define ourselves and show everyone what we’re all about.

“We’ve really become a family.”

The regular season will begin Sept. 3 with the UVa tournament in Charlottesville, where the Hokies will take on No. 12 St. John’s. The players are looking forward to a match that will show what the team is made of.

“Especially during preseason, we’ve been a much more exciting team,” Bentley said. “Going forward we’re going to be more fluid.

Defensively we’re more experienced.

We bonded over the summer, which was important because we’re trying to achieve hopefully something very special.”

The team will play its home opener Sept. 17, in its first crucial ACC test against Clemson University. With all the new faces on the team there is excitement in the air.

However, if the team starts out slow there is not a need to lose faith according to Clemens.

“It’s going to take us a couple games to come together,” Clemens said. “But we’re definitely on our way there.”

hokies by class Seniors ............................. 5 Juniors ............................. 4 Sophomores ..................... 6 Freshmen ....................... 13

upcoming events Exhibition Saturday, Aug. 28, vs. Old Dominion 7 p.m. Thompson Field UVa Tournament Friday, Sept. 3, 2010 vs. St. John’s 2:30 p.m. Charlottesville, Va. Sun., Sept. 5, 2010 vs. UAB noon, Charlottesville, Va.

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Auditions: Monday Aug. 23 Tuesday Aug. 31 Time: 8 PM Location: Squires For more information please contact: Katie Leslie at ksleslie@vt.edu

The Boise State football team has built a personnel group for this season called “Stable” that puts all three standout tailbacks on the field together – senior Jeremy Avery and juniors Doug Martin and D.J. Harper.

They also will utilize packages for two tailbacks, including the wildcat plays that became a staple in the red zone last year.

And don’t be surprised to see a tailback line up at receiver.

The unconventional wrinkles are one way coaches are dealing with one of the most-vexing issues they face this season how to properly utilize three All-WAC-caliber tailbacks.

“If they’re on the field, defenses are worried about them,” running backs coach Keith Bhonapha said.

“So it’s very exciting.”

The tailback trio certainly likes the Stable idea they’re even drawing up plays.

And offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, whose playbook already includes all kinds of funk, will have some ideas of his own.

“Those are three of our best players,” Harsin said. “We’ll try to get three guys on the field if there’s a possibility for that. Those guys should be on the field, whether they’re doing what they’re doing or out there playing some different positions.”

All three are proven playmakers.

Avery, with little fanfare, has produced 3,073 yards of offense and 21 touchdowns in his career. He rushed for 1,151 yards last year and has a career average of 5.8 yards per carry.

“He’s definitely a spark plug,” Bhonapha said. “He’s been durable, he’s been productive and he’s a guy who’s going to benefit a lot from being in this program and this program has benefited from him.”

Harper was leading the team in rushing when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament in the third game last season at Fresno State.

He averaged 6.5 yards per carry and showed a knack for the big play.

He returned this fall determined to show he’s better than ever.

“He looks good,” Bhonapha said.

Martin, the most powerful runner of the bunch, moved over from defense to replace Harper in the backfield last season. He finished with 765 rushing yards and 15 TDs. “He can run you over and the next thing you know he cuts on a dime and makes you look stupid,” senior linebacker Derrell Acrey said.

All three are among the fastest, quickest players on the team. All three are standouts in the weight room, too.

“I’d hate to be our running backs coach,” senior safety Jeron Johnson said. “It’s kind of hard to share that rock.”

The tailbacks say they understand that coaches talked to them about the challenge long ago. They also are good friends who help, and push, each other on the practice field.

“If another running back is going to play hard, I’m going to play harder,” Martin said.

That fits with one of the coaches’ main talking points with the tailbacks.

“Take advantage of the time you’re in,” Bhonapha said. “Go as hard as you can, the time you’re in. That’s all you can worry about.”

Coach Chris Petersen also has asked for patience. He knows the tailbacks won’t get as many carries as they want and he appreciates that.

“If you’re a complete competitor, you’re not going to be good with it,” Petersen said. “But we expect them to be very good team guys.

It has always seemed to work itself out as the season has gone on.

Nobody needs to get into a panic early in the season. Just hang with us and it’ll work out.”

The tailbacks’ attitude will be “very important for our team’s success,” Martin says.

The coaches “are going to do the best they can,” Harper says.

The tailbacks are a “band of brothers,” Avery says.

All the right words.

And one reason coaches may reward them with a few plays out of Stable.

“With all of us in there, we never know what’s going to happen,” Harper said. “There are so many options.”

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august 26, 2010