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Virginia Tech football fans celebrate Monday at Hokie House during the Hokie’s game against Boise State University. Several restaurant owners around downtown Blacksburg reported an increase in patronage during the football squad’s season opener.

RESTAURANTS IN DOWNTOWN BLACKSBURG CASH IN ON MONDAY’S SEASON OPENER GORDON BLOCK associate news editor Despite a tough loss for Virginia Tech on the football field, restaurants in downtown Blacksburg saw a bump in business for Monday’s action.

The Boise State game was the first for Frank’s Bar, located inside the 622 North restaurant and former home of Bogen’s Steakhouse and Bar. Sam Catron, the bar’s general manager, said all of Frank’s tables were filled, with a total attendance of about 40 to 50 people.

“We were happy with the turnout,” Catron said, noting a 25 to 30 percent increase from the bar’s normal Monday nights, when it hosts a pool league.

The game was also the first for Hokie House’s new ownership group. Brian Palmer, one of the restaurant’s co-owners, said while business was three times better than an average Monday night, turnout was lower than expected.

“With it being such a big game, we thought there would be more people coming out,” Palmer said.

“We were expecting it to be a little bit more busy.”

Mike Hopkins, kitchen man-

ager at Top of the Stairs, said he noticed a few more people than an average Monday.

“I thought it might’ve been a little busier, but it was a decent amount of people,” Hopkins said.

Andrea Weddle, manager at Big Al’s Grille & Sports Bar, described the restaurant as “standing room only.”

Many bars said sales were steady throughout the game.

“When something good happened, they got a shot, and when something bad happened, they got a shot,” Weddle said.

With the Hokies losing on a late Boise State touchdown, most of the bars emptied out almost immediately after the game’s conclusion.

“Most people left, the superfans stayed,” Hopkins said.

Catron speculated sales might have jumped with a Tech victory.

“If we had won, people would’ve hung around, got some drinks to celebrate,” he said.

Expectations were high with the beginning of football on both the college and professional level. In addition to Monday’s game, this week will also see the opening games of the NFL season and Tech’s home opener against James Madison University.

For Catron, the start of football season is a welcome respite from a slower summer.

“We’ve been here all summer building a customer base,” Catron said. “We’re ready to be too busy to even handle.”

Dead zones not expected from oil spill RENEE SCHOOF mcclatchy newspapers WASHINGTON — The amount of oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico near oil plumes created by the BP well blowout is 20 percent lower than normal, but not so low as to create dead zones where little life exists, federal scientists reported Tuesday.

The drop in oxygen levels is caused by microbes that use oxygen as they consume oil that is drifting 3,300 feet or more below the Gulf’s surface, the scientists reported.

Dissolved oxygen levels would have to drop by an additional 70 percent to create dead zones, and that’s unlikely, said Steve Murawski, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s chief scientist for fisheries and the head of the group of federal scientists who analyzed data and produced the report.

Dead zones are less of a threat as the oil degrades and spreads out, and as the oxygen-rich waters mix

in from surrounding areas, he said.

Still, the impact of the oil plume at such deep levels isn’t fully understood, Murawski said.

“While it’s a relief not to see deep dead zones as a result of the oil droplets that remain below the surface, there’s lots of work to be done to understand their long-term impacts on the ecosystem,” he said.

Scientists are continuing to track the plume, and NOAA has started what Murawski called a “ramped-up effort” to account for the oil and chemical dispersants.

The agency has been criticized for painting too rosy a picture with a report it issued during the summer that said as much as three-quarters of the oil that escaped into the Gulf between April 20 and July 15 had dissipated or been captured.

The latest report was based on samples taken in 419 locations at depths of 3,300 to 4,300 feet, from the wellhead to 60 miles out, where federal and inde-

MCT CAMPUS

Mississippi first lady Marsha Barbour releases a sea turtle Aug. 30. pendent scientists found the plumes.

None of the dissolved oxygen readings approached the level of a dead zone, the scientists said.

One of the world’s largest dead zones, off Texas and Louisiana, is caused by pollution discharged from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers.

REBECCA FRAENKEL / SPPS

School board chairman Wendell Jones speaks during an Aug. 30 joint meeting with the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors.

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING RESOLUTION APPROVED AFTER THREE HOURS OF DEBATE LIANA BAYNE associate news editor The Montgomery County School Board approved a resolution requesting capital construction funds from the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors for two area high schools.

The school board debated for more than three hours Tuesday night over a resolution requesting up to $124 million in funding to build a new Blacksburg High School along with a new Auburn High School and renovate the current AHS building to become a new Auburn Middle School.

The county has dealt with the issue of funding school construction since BHS’s gym collapsed on Feb. 13. AHS and AMS were the next schools in line for renovation in the 2006 capital plan, and there has been outcry from the community in Riner as the county debated whether to continue with that plan.

AHS was built in 1936.

The school board has already engaged in discussion with the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors over how much money would be necessary to carry out construction on three schools simultaneously and where that money would come from.

At the school board’s Aug. 17 meeting, it drafted a resolution for the board of supervisors.

On Aug. 30, the school board held a joint meetng with the board of supervisors, where concerns over tax and loan rates dominated the discussion.

Tuesday night, Superintendent Brenda Blackburn requested another vote on the resolution, in order to begin acting on it. The board voted 6-2 to approve the resolution and send it forward.

Blackburn also said at this time there has been no further construction or renovation at the old BHS facility.

“We have taken no additional action on the facility pending outcomes of conversations whether there is funding to

build a new Blacksburg High School,” Blackburn said.

Although the long-term issues surrounding BHS have not yet been resolved, current school building situations experienced a “very successful” first day of school, board member Walt Shannon said.

“We did pull together enough things that everything was complete to the point we were able to open on (Aug.) 30,” he said.

Other notes from the school board: — All Montgomery County Schools have met or exceeded state benchmarks in reading and math scores and graduation rates, and are fully accredited for the third year in a row.

— Enrollment at both BHS and BMS is down. At this time, in-depth analysis has not been completed of the reason for the drops in those numbers. Schools must wait for 10 days after school is open to determine final enrollment numbers.

Shannon said there are still some traffic issues that need to be resolved on Prices Fork Road, where about 400 high school students are now driving to what used to be Blacksburg Middle School.

“You could have a vehicle that could get in front of Kipps (Elementary School) and it could take them 15 minutes to turn into that property (new Blacksburg High School),” he said.

Middle school students are also bused to what is now BHS before being bused to what is now BMS, in Christiansburg.

“Buses still aren’t getting to middle school on time,” Shannon said. “We’re working through that and we’re working on cooperation with the Blacksburg Police Department to look at ways we can do that.”

Koran burning prompts fears from U. Florida Muslims JAWEED KHALEEM mcclatchy newspapers GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Before she left her Miami home to return to the University of Florida this fall, Wajiha Akhtar’s parents gave her some unusual advice: Stay indoors as much as possible and, whatever happens, don’t go near the Koran burners.

“I was fearful,” says Akhtar, 24, a graduate student in epidemiology who says she never had any concerns as a Muslim here until recently. “Will we get singled out?”

Far from ground zero, where debate over a proposed Islamic center is still roiling, a Gainesville church has aroused anger and tension among Florida’s growing Muslim community and caught the world’s attention _ from international headlines to rallies in Indonesia and India _ because of its pistol-toting pastor’s plan to ignite a bonfire of Korans on 9-11 to protest

what he calls a religion “of the devil.”

Fearing violence, some Muslims are leaving town on the Sept. 11 weekend to avoid problems.

Last week in South Florida, 13 mosque leaders issued a call to the region’s Muslims for nonviolence in anticipation of high emotions over the desecration of Islam’s holy book.

At UF, administrators have said they’re afraid the protest at the small Dove World Outreach Center will mar the school’s image, while international students and prospective foreign applicants have also expressed concern.

“Things have escalated,” says Ismail ibn Ali, president of the university’s Islam on Campus student organization, which serves about 600 Muslim students in this city with 1,500 Muslims, a population that’s slowly grown over the last 30 years.

The city’s two mosques, already packed in recent weeks for the holy Ramadan month, have become the

site of frequent discussions between Muslims about how _ or if _ to react to the church, whose pastor also plans to burn copies of the Talmud, a sacred Jewish text.

“We’re hoping people will not protest because it might turn into a volatile situation,” says Ali, 21, a biochemistry student from Doral, Fla. “But people still want to do something to show the positive side of Islam.”

The unexpected attention toward a city that’s little known beyond its university and football team has caused an identity crisis. Gainesville, a relatively liberal and religiously diverse college town in conservative North Central Florida _ it elected its first openly gay mayor this year and has made strides in interfaith relations _ is trying to protect its image with mixed results.

Last week, 20 Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy gathered on the steps of City Hall to denounce the nondenominational Dove church, whose 50

“

We’re hoping people will not protest because it might turn into a volatile situation. But people still want to do something to show the positive side of Islam.

ISMAIL IBN ALI FLORIDA STUDENT

members regularly parade through the UF campus with T-shirts and signs in red ink declaring “Islam is of the devil.”

Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe has declared Sept. 11 as “Interfaith Solidarity Day.” Administrators and counselors have been asked to attend a special panel discussion at UF to listen to concerns of international students about church members, whom UF President Bernie Machen has called

“purveyors of harm.”

A ad-hoc group called Gainesville Muslim Initiative has planned several counter events, including an outreach to the homeless on Sept. 11, a “Koran 101” lecture at UF and “Know Your Muslim Neighbor” open houses at the city’s mosques later in the month.

Muslims in South Florida and across the nation are planning similar efforts in reaction to what’s happening in Gainesville and broader perceptions of anti-Muslim sentiment _ from the most extreme opposition to an Islamic center near Ground Zero to protests over mosque projects and attacks on Muslims elsewhere.

Despite those efforts, “overseas, the story is seen as ‘Christian and Americans plan on burning the Koran,’” says Hassan Baber, 21, a student who has had several relatives from Pakistan ask him about what’s happening. His experience reflects that of many foreign-born Muslim students interviewed for this report.

“They say, ‘It’s unbelievable the type of things going on there. You have to tell them the truth or do something,’” says Baber, who will be staying in town on Sept. 11 to join Muslim students to feed the homeless.

On Saturday, 3,000 Muslim Indonesians rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta in one of six simultaneous demonstrations across the nation against the Koran burning, echoing a smaller protests in late August in that country and India.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference, a Saudi Arabia-based group representing dozens of Muslim states, has warned that Koran burning will stir up “anger across the Muslim world and provoke unrest.”

“This city is flourishing. There are new initiatives in technology and research, but this is how we get on the map?” says Akhtar, the epidemiology student from Miami.

Since returning to school, she says see KORAN / page two

2 news

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

september 8, 2010

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nation & world headlines

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New angle for campus parking

European leader condemns Iranian stoning execution STRASBOURG, France — European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso added his voice on Tuesday to the international condemnation of Iran for the decision to sentence a woman to death by stoning.

Referring to the case of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, convicted for adultery and accused of involvement in her husband’s murder, Barroso said: “This is barbaric beyond words.”

“In Europe we condemn such acts, which have no justification under any moral or religious code,” Barroso said during a keynote speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where his words were broken up by applause.

Barroso’s criticism the appeals made in Mohammadi-Ashtiani’s favor by France, Italy, the Vatican and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton.

In the face of international pressure, Iranian authorities have suspended the stoning sentence, but have also denounced what they see as foreign meddling in the internal affairs of their country.

CORRECTIONS The article “The price of friendship” (CT, Sept. 7), previously stated Patrick Asconi was starting his junior year at Bridgewater College, but he is starting his sophomore year. 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.

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Woodbridge child struck by car

One side of Alumni Mall now features diagonal parking spaces. The road made the switch from parallel parking spaces Monday evening, with all spaces being designated faculty/staff. The opposite side of Alumni Mall is still arranged in parallel parking format. photo by paul kurlak, spps

Koran: Students fear violent protests from page one

-alvise armellini, mcclatchy newspapers

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virginia headlines

she is less fearful and has been able to go on about her life as before.

But when she talks to relatives in Maryland and California, “They say ‘Gainesville? Are you safe there?’”

Most Muslims say Terry Jones, Dove Center’s pastor, has a constitutional right to burn their holy book.

But, “people are feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of anti-Islamic rhetoric recently,” says Aisha Musa, an assistant professor of Islamic Studies at Florida International University.

The stakes are high: Five years ago, a Newsweek report caused a stir when it said that American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet to rattle a detainee. The news, later

retracted, set off days of deadly antiAmerican rioting in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The same year, a Danish newspaper’s printing of cartoons of Muhammad _ Islam prohibits physical depictions of its prophet _ also ignited protests in several Muslim countries.

Muslims fear Jones’ church could spark similar alarm.

The Gainesville police department is preparing to beef up patrols on Sept. 11, according to a spokesman.

The agency has been getting calls for weeks from concerned residents about the church and possible backlash.

At Dove Center, Jones also has received several death threats.

The city has denied the church a permit for the demonstration, saying burning books is against the city’s fire code, and the church’s

insurance company canceled its policy in late July after Jones announced his plans.

Jones says he’ll carry on.

“I’m not doing this because it’s popular,” says Jones, who has lost about half of his congregation as his actions have become more extreme since he first put up “Islam is of the Devil” signs in the church yard last summer.

Despite the decline in Gainesville, the church _ its anti-Islamic thread went largely ignored outside Florida until this year _ has gained thousands of online followers.

Some Muslims believe there could be a silver lining to the controversy.

“People have been asking me lots of more questions about Islam,” said Mona Younas, a pre-med student from Kendall, after attending evening prayers recently at the Islamic Center of Gainesville, a mosque adjacent to campus that Muslims

have used for 20 years.

On campus, she regularly helps distribute Islamic literature and fields questions on topics from the role of women in Islam to jihad and terrorism.

Sitting in the parking lot of the two-story building nestled between a gas station and a fraternity house, she expressed a cautious optimism for Islam’s future.

“We’ve come far since Sept. 11.

There’s an understanding of differences, of faiths and at UF, you can be who you are without being afraid,” said Younas, 21, who had slipped on a silver head scarf over her typically uncovered hair to pray.

“But this Koran burning is exactly the kind of reason my parents would never let me wear the head scarf full time. As soon as you step outside of campus, the feeling suddenly changes. There is still an uneasiness.”

WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- Residents of the Woodbridge community where a child was hit by a car Monday say it was an unfortunate accident.

The 4-year-old boy was playing in the street in front of his home, in the Bel Air Mobile Home Park in the 1800 block of Bel Air Road, when a car hit him just before 5 p.m.

The unidentified child was flown to a level-one trauma center in Fairfax County, suffering serious injuries, according to initial reports.

Police are expected to provide details of the incident and the child’s condition early this afternoon.

Trailers line the horseshoe-shaped street where the child was hit. The curvature of the street makes it hard for many drivers to see the children who frequently play in the streets, residents say.

“It’s a wake-up call for everyone here in this neighborhood, because it could have been your child out there, and it could have been a lot worse,” said property manager Helen Vaughn.

The child was playing with friends at the time of the crash. It was the Labor Day holiday, and it appeared the child’s family had friends over to their home for a barbeque, said Vaughn.

Many of the cars outside the home were double parked, obstructing the view of other drivers.

Though the number of trailers here make living conditions tight, many residents appear to have more than one car and many of them park along the street.

During the past 10 years as the community’s manager, Vaughn has sent letters to residents about the dangers of their children playing in the streets. She said she would rather them play in the neighborhood’s playground.

The crash happened the day before 78,000 Prince William County Public Schools students went back to school.

Many of them, an estimated 59,000 of them, traveled to school this morning on school buses.

-staff reports, mcclatchy newspapers

opınıons 3

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

september 8, 2010

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

Your Views [letters to the editor]

Imam’s remarks not controversial This is in response to Stephen Biernesser’s letter “Ground Zero debate not so simple,” (CT, Sept. 2) about the Ground Zero mosque.

I don’t want to fill this newspaper up with back and forth arguments, but this made a response necessary. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is his first and, more or less, only objection, a Sufi Muslim — basically the Islamic version of a Quaker.

Were Rauf’s statements objectionable? Certainly not.

For someone claiming to be a fact-checker, this was awfully short on facts. Rauf’s exact words were “I wouldn’t say the United States deserved what happened on Sept. 11, but the United States’ policies were an accessory to the crime that happened.” Is this controversial? No. Former chairman and vice chairman of 9/11 Commission, Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton wrote back in 2007, “We face a rising tide of radicalization and rage in the Muslim world — a trend to which our own actions have contributed.”

Former vice chairman of the CIA’s National Intelligence Council Graham E. Fuller wrote in 1998, “The Middle East — the center of world civilization for several millenia — is now beset with masses of poor citizens (apart from the oil states), bad social services, poor education, absence of democracy, constant abuse of human rights, widespread corruption, police states, often brutal rulers, no voice over their own fates; they are vic-

tims of truly bad governance in most states of the region. And what do they perceive? U.S. support for almost any ruler willing to protect U.S. interests — routinely identified in Washington as oil and Israel.”

And none other than far right-wing loud mouth Glenn Beck, whose rally on the anniversary and exact place of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was far more offensive than any NYC mosque, said, “When people said they hate us, well, did we deserve Sept. 11? No. But were we minding our business? No. Were we in bed with dictators and abandoned our values and principles? Yes. That causes problems.”

If what Rauf said was controversial, it is only controversial to the people in this country who refuse to look around the world and see the destruction that we have laid, including our dismantling of an Iraq that President Barack Obama has claimed we’re leaving (we’re not).

Of course, this leaves out a litany of our other meddlesome adventures, but you understand the point. This mosque would be anything but a victory for al Qaeda and other extremists. They want a clash of the cultures; they want a war on Islam; and a war on Islam is the exact message that the Middle East and South Asia will receive if this mosque is moved. A victory would be for freedom of religion, and there’s nothing more American than that.

Justin Seabe senior biology major

Unemployment, and my new car I

am embarrassed to be collecting unemployment. I am embarrassed about it because my husband has a good job.

I am more embarrassed about it because I have a brand-new car.

I feel like Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queen driving a welfare Cadillac,” but it’s not like that. Really.

We needed my job. We have two kids in college, and my job paid for our health insurance as well as my son’s tuition.

Now my unemployment barely covers our COBRA payment.

My old car, with 150,000 miles, is paid off, and I gave it to my daughter to get her to work and school. We tried all summer to share a car and take the bus, and it was hard. Not impossible — lots of people do it — but it was difficult, and this fall it will be tougher. She works in one town, goes to school in another, and we live in yet another.

And I am looking hard for work.

There are great deals on cars and the interest on a car loan is a lot less than on a student loan and I bought the most basic, no-frills model I could find. But it’s brand new.

And a beautiful color. And I love it.

A friend just lost her job — the lousy job that barely covered her mortgage and didn’t last long enough to get her unemployment — and I don’t want to drive my new car over to commiserate with her.

I actually thought about taking the old car and just not mentioning that I had bought a new one.

She’s the first person who would be happy for me, who would tell me life is too short and to enjoy it, but when I heard she’d lost her job I felt sick — about my new car. In all honesty, I bought the car and cried all the way home from the dealer.

When I lost my job, I let my oneday-every-other-week housekeeper go. The car payment would pay her salary, but I’m home now and I can clean my own house.

I feel guilty about her and about the memberships to the Sierra Club and the ACLU and others that we’ve let lapse.

But this is Los Angeles, and I have to drive wherever it’s necessary for job possibilities and to the supercheap grocery store miles away and to my therapy group, which is actually free but very far from home.

Collecting unemployment is complicated for me. This is the first time I’ve ever done it.

I’ve been entitled to it in the past but have never applied. I’ve

“

But the powers that be chose to lay me off, so now they can help me and my family until I find another job.

They can help me buy a beautiful new car.

just gotten another job as soon as I could. I always thought if I were able to work, and there was work to be had, then that’s what I should do.

My mother believed that the government owed us nothing except public school, traffic lights, police and a fire department. President Kennedy’s admonishment, “Ask not what your country can do for you” etc. hung on the wall in her firstgrade classroom all 25 years she taught.

But this time, I had a job with the state, and I was laid off because of budget cuts. I lost my job because of the state’s bad management.

This time, I feel I deserve some recompense. I wanted to keep working at that job. I put up with furloughs and pay cuts without complaining.

I liked what I did.

My immediate bosses liked me. I had great evaluations, and I’ve been given wonderful letters of recommendation.

I offered to take another pay cut and work fewer hours just to keep my health insurance.

But the powers that be chose to lay me off, so now they can help me and my family until I find another job.

They can help me buy a beautiful new car.

In any case, unemployment doesn’t last very long — not forever, like I thought my job would; not even until my kids are both out of school.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I paid in all those years; it’s my turn to get some back. “They owe me.” That’s what I chanted as I drove to a job interview today. That and “I have to find work.”

If we’re careful, if nothing goes wrong, we can afford it — all of it.

Tuition (with my daughter’s scholarship plus a loan). Health care. Our mortgage (if our tenant stays in the garage apartment). The basic bills (but we’re not turning on the A/C no matter what!). And my car payment.

I can afford to drive my wonderful new car, but I can’t help being embarrassed by it.

DIANA WAGMAN -mcclatchy newspapers

MCT CAMPUS

University technology must be used effectively We

all walk into class on the first day of school knowing that it is going to be a review of the syllabus and the best way to contact the professor. What is most frustrating on that first day is realizing your professor doesn’t use Scholar, or e-mail, or anything relating to technology. So now what are you supposed to do?

For me, it is exasperating to learn that my professor does not use technology, or a variation of it. How am I supposed to contact him on the weekend if I have a question on a homework assignment if he doesn’t have e-mail or a Scholar account?

The majority of professors have a Virginia Tech e-mail account.

Shouldn’t it be mandatory to have one, so the students have at least one way to contact their professor, even if he does not use Scholar? Still, this requires the professor to actually check the e-mail account, and sometimes the professor takes a while to respond.

You can ask questions to your classmates about the material, but no one is going to know the real answer unless you go to the professor’s office hours.

And what happens if you miss a class?

Your classmates better have taken good notes, or you’re not going to understand the material.

At least without a plugged-in professor it’s more likely the student would

go to the professor’s office hours, not to mention class.

On the other extreme, most professors post everything on Scholar, including their lectures. This makes students feel like they can miss the class whenever they want then complain when they have a C in the class.

Granted, there are students who still make A’s, but the number of those who don’t is overwhelming.

When the professors do put everything up on Scholar, the students are less likely to take notes in class and more likely to surf the Internet. This breeds faulty mistrust in the studentteacher relationship, as many professors do not allow laptops because previous experience has shown them that students really are not taking notes.

Still, not all students surf the Internet.

Some actually pay attention.

One of my teachers has resolved this problem effectively. She makes it a point to pay attention in class: If she finds out you are distracted in some way, she will have you teach the first 20 minutes of the next class period.

It is also hard to keep up with a professor when he lectures without a PowerPoint or writing anything on the board. Using a laptop to type notes or to record the class is a good way to keep up in that situation.

Every once in a while, you will miss

class and it is great to see what you missed already posted online. But a problem with that is the majority of students won’t show up to the professor’s office hours. So you lack the teacher-student relationship. Students should use office hours to get caught up with material, and they will likely gain a better understanding of the material.

I have also had professors who post online resources or online books on Scholar. For those classes, we do not need to spend money on books. I do not have a problem with this concept; the class is better if I do not have to spend extra money on books. But unless it is an online class, then the professor should not put his notes, lectures and everything else, up on Scholar. It defeats the purpose of going to class and learning.

Admittedly, my experiences are subjective and may not be the same for everyone. Still, some degree of uniformity in applications of technology are necessary for classrooms to function at their full potential.

itle V, Section 510 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 increased funding for abstinence-only education.

Since fiscal year 1998, Title V has allocated $50 million annually in federal funding for this type of education, under the assumption that remaining silent about healthy sexual activity will keep students from engaging in sexual activity.

Unfortunately, teaching abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage has proven ineffective and ultimately dangerous, failing to teach student-age children how to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. School-age children are still becoming sexually involved, but because of abstinence-only education, they lack proper information regarding their health and safety.

Having reviewed the program requirements, I acknowledge their good intentions to prevent sexual activity in student-age children who aren’t emotionally and psychologically ready.

Abstinence-only education programs, under the law, must teach that abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the standard and that abstinence is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy and STDs. A comprehensive list of the requirements for the programs can be found online.

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., researched the effectiveness of abstinence-only education programs.

Their report “Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs” was submitted April 2007 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is available online.

“Findings indicate that youth in the program group were no more likely than control group youth to have abstained from sex and, among those who reported having had sex, they

had similar numbers of sexual partners and had initiated sex at the same mean age.”

Also, “study youth are less knowledgeable about the potential health risks from STDs,” and program group youths “were more likely to report that condoms are never effective at preventing STDs.” The four research sites, Powhatan, Va.; Miami, Milwaukee, and Clarksdale, Miss., didn’t show statistically significant differences in behavior between the control group and program group youths. The programs don’t achieve their goals and hinder pertinent education about sexual health.

Under the matching block grant program administered by the DHHS, states must match Title V federal funding at 75 percent. This means each state has to give $3 for every $4 the federal government provides for Title V funding.

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine rejected Title V funding for family life education programs in 2007, recognizing its ineffectiveness and waste of the already-strained state budget.

Recently, President Barack Obama offered states funding for comprehensive sex education programs that promote personal responsibility, the Personal Responsibility Education Program.

PREP programs must replicate evidence-based effective programs, be medically accurate and complete, and include information on responsible sexual behavior with respect to both abstinence and the use of contraception.

They are also required to provide age-appropriate information and activities in an appropriate cultural context, teach healthy relationships, discuss adolescent development, and incorporate education about other healthy life skills (i.e., goal-setting, career success, etc.).

But Obama also streamed $50 million for the Title V funding. Gov. Bob McDonnell had the opportunity to apply for Title V or PREP funding.

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BRITTANY FORD -regular columnist -history major -junior

Abstinence-only sex education proven empirically ineffective T

Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief: Peter Velz Managing Editors: Zach Crizer, Michael McDermott Public Editor: Justin Graves Senior News Editor: Philipp Kotlaba Associate News Editors: Liana Bayne, Gordon Block News Reporters: Claire Sanderson, Sarah Watson Features Editors: Lindsey Brookbank, Kim Walter Features Reporters: Matthew Borysewicz, Majoni Harnal, Mika Maloney Opinions Editors: Scott Masselli, Gabi Seltzer Sports Editors: Michael Bealey, Garrett Ripa Sports Reporters: Nick Cafferky, Alex Jackson, Courtney Lofgren, Ed Lupien, Josh Parcell, George Tillerson Public Information Director: Dishu Maheshwari Training Director: Kelsey Heiter Copy Editors: Taylor Chakurda, Thandiwe Ogbonna, Spenser Snarr Layout Designers: Katie Biondo, Danielle Buynak, Nick Ferri, Josh Son, Victoria Zigadlo Illustrators: Candice Chu Online Director: Jamie Chung

PREP funding would have ensured Virginia’s teens receive medically accurate, comprehensive sexuality education without requiring matching funds from Virginia’s state budget.

On Aug. 31, Virginia found out that McDonnell would only apply for Title V funding, despite evidence proving the ineffectiveness of abstinence-only programs.

Virginia will now be required to use $400,000 of the state’s alreadylimited resources for these programs that have consistently failed our youth.

McDonnell’s decision will force Virginia to waste our taxpayer money because of political ideology, foregoing important comprehensive education.

McDonnell could have been fiscally and educationally responsible.

He could have given student-age children the information and skills needed to take knowledgeable responsibility for their decisions and sexual health. He didn’t.

McDonnell chose to restrict Virginia’s budget further and limit students’ education.

If you are a resident of Virginia, tell McDonnell your dissatisfaction with his decision to only apply for Title V funding.

He needs to know that his constituents are disappointed with him. Through his website, you can request a meeting with him using the scheduling request form or write him a message expressing your concerns.

You can find a pre-written letter to McDonnell on the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia website.

KATHLEEN DWYER -regular columnist -senior -English major

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5

food & drink Excellent Table brings Ethiopian flair to Blacksburg COLLEGIATETIMES

A

LUKE MASON / SPPS

Excellent Table serves Ethiopian dishes such as lentils and greens.

s my palate has steadily expanded from orange foods (namely: Cheetos and Velveeta), foreign cuisine has become a mainstay of my diet.

The latest addition is Ethiopian food, introduced by a friend in Louisville during spring break and then found it in downtown Blacksburg at Excellent Table.

Ethiopian dishes may seem exotic, but the basic elements are familiar. The parts — meat, vegetables and bread— are the standards of American meals. Traditional spices provide a distinctive flavor but it is the way the food is consumed that truly sets it apart.

Ethiopian dishes eschew silverware in favor of injera, a spongy yet substantial flatbread provided in large

LUKE MASON / SPPS

Owner Haregewin Bekele prepares food for her waiting customers. portions. Pieces are torn off and used to collect the entree, which is usually a meat or spicy vegetable. The process feels natural shortly into a meal and provides a fun, hands-on alternative

to utensils.

The meats and vegetables in Ethiopian dishes are generally served in a thick stew known as a wat.

Typical dishes include beef, chicken,

lamb, fish, lentils, potatoes and mixed vegetables. There are no pork products, as Ethiopia’s population is predominately Orthodox Christian and Muslim.

Since I’m a fan of Indian cuisine and eating with my hands, Ethiopian food naturally hits the spot for me.

The injera is the key to the experience.

It finds the perfect balance between sturdy and lightweight, which allows it to be eaten in mass quantities without leaving you unpleasantly stuffed.

The unique presentation also makes for a wonderful group experience.

Multi-person dishes are a trademark of Ethiopian food. Large quantities and varieties of meats, vegetables and side dishes are served on top of injeras for everyone around the circle to share. Since portions vary between restaurants, I’ve found this is the best option for first-time visitors.

A summer of intern lunches at Washington D.C.’s numerous Ethiopian dining spots had me craving the food after returning to school.

Fortunately, quality African cuisine can be found in Blacksburg and near the Virginia Tech campus no less.

Excellent Table is a take-out establishment offering traditional Ethiopian food served with some of the best injera I’ve ever tasted. Located next to Champs, on the back side of Market Square Park, the small restaurant makes up for its lack of size with authentic dishes served with no frills but plenty of taste.

I’m not kidding about the size — it is a small room with tasteful yellow coloring and a buffet-style counter.

The server enthusiastically explains the menu options to those unfamiliar with Ethiopian dishes and fills the take-out boxes with a decent, not spectacular, portion of the chosen entree. Single orders are provided with one injera; multi-person dishes are served with several.

My first visit to Excellent Table was at 7 p.m., a mistake in retrospect as the prepared entrees were largely depleted. I recommend going earlier to ensure the daily dishes are available.

A quirk of the restaurant is its cycling menu. The meats change every two days.

Chicken and lamb were the options presented for me. On other days, beef and seafood are served. A schedule for the dishes is posted within the restaurant.

I chose the lamb and mild lentils, served with an injera and apple from the farmers market held outside earlier that day.

Two friends split the multi-person dish with chicken, lentils and mixed vegetables. The portions seemed reasonable for the most part, a notable exception being the injera for the single-person dish. I quickly finished off my serving and had to eat some of my friends’ dishes to finish the meal.

The lamb was tender but not exceedingly memorable on its own merits. Within the hearty wat, however, it made for a delectable dish, though I found my friends’ chicken to be spicier and more satisfying.

The highlight of the meal was the lentils. The spicy variety was finished by the time we had arrived, but I was surprised at just how much bite the “mild” dish contained. The tropical iced tea I purchased with the meal came in handy and was equally tasty.

On my subsequent visit, I arrived at noon to a freshly stocked counter.

The staff, courteous in all of my experiences, recognized me and suggested the best dishes available that day. I left with spicy beef with potatoes and the spicy lentils, my favorite combination of Ethiopian plates.

I wasn’t disappointed. The beef and potatoes were the highlight of my two visits to Excellent Table, spicy but also overflowing with the different flavors of the traditional spices. There was a significant “kick” that put me through two drinks quickly but didn’t hide the inspired taste.

The lentils lived up to their label, but I found them lacking in flavor compared to their milder counterparts. This isn’t to say they were bad; I enjoyed them a great deal as a complement to the beef. In this case, however, the zest overwhelmed the legume’s savory taste.

The prices at Excellent Table are reasonable for Ethiopian food but could be considered expensive on a college budget.

A single dish with injera runs for about $9. My favorite meal, the meat and lentils, costs $11. Yes, a little more than a sub or tacos, but in my opinion it’s a small price to pay for expanding your culinary horizons.

With a convenient location near campus, helpful staff and delicious authentic Ethiopian cuisine, Excellent Table is one of Blacksburg’s foreign dining jewels. Students looking to try something new are encouraged to go with a friend and share an excellent meal bursting with traditional African flavors.

Just remember to wash your hands first.

ANDREW REILLY -features staff writer -junior -communication major

6 sports

editors: michael bealey, garrett ripa sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

september 8, 2010

Hokies need to rethink scheduling Comeback turns

to last-minute loss

If

you’re trying out a boxing career, it’s probably not the best idea to schedule Evander Holyfield for your first fight.

That’s been the mentality lately at Virginia Tech, and it’s clearly backfiring.

For the third time in four seasons, the Hokies played in — and lost — a crucial early season game against a premiere opponent.

For the third time in four seasons, the Hokies cost themselves a shot at an unbeaten season and a national championship.

This time around, it was Boise State ripping the souls out of the Tech faithful with a five-play, 56-yard drive in the final two minutes to win 33-30.

“I really wish in college football we had an exhibition game or a scrimmage against somebody other than yourself,” said Frank Beamer, head coach.

Beamer’s wish could easily be his command.

Eight ACC teams opened their seasons on Saturday against lower-level FCS opponents. All eight won, by an average of more than 30 points.

Instead of introducing seven new defensive starters against the nation’s highest-scoring offense from a year ago, they could have tuned up against a creampuff in Blacksburg.

That’s what Miami and Florida State did. Both of those teams cruised to wins at home Saturday before showdowns with No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Oklahoma, respectively.

The Hokies played undisciplined, immature football against Boise State, which is to be expected with so many newcomers on such a huge stage.

The miscues started on the game’s second play, when quarterback Tyrod Taylor lost a fumbled snap deep in Hokie territory. “(Center Beau Warren) thought I was in the shotgun,” Taylor said.

It continued on the next Tech possession with a blocked punt by Boise State, which led to a 10-0 Broncos’ lead just five minutes into the game.

“It was a new guy communicating to a new guy,” Beamer said. “We turned their best punt blocker loose.”

That doesn’t happen in week two or three.

Usually reliable kickoff man Justin Meyer kicked the ball out of bounds after the Hokies’ first touchdown — with the wind at his back.

“We made some critical (errors) that just aren’t Virginia Tech,” Beamer said.

And the biggest blunder of them all came from redshirt freshman D.J. Coles, who committed two fouls on a single play that led to the Broncos taking a 17-0 lead.

All in all, four special teams miscues contributed to a 20-point swing in the first half, yet Tech amazingly only trailed by six points at halftime.

Once the Hokies regained the feeling

DANIEL LIN / SPPS

Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor scrambles away from a Boise St. defender in the second quarter. Taylor led the Hokies with 73 rushing yards on 16 attempts and completed 15-22 passes for 186 yards. in their stomach from being kicked so hard early, it was an inexperienced offensive line that was the ultimate downfall.

Taylor had little or no time to throw on more than a few occasions. Running back Ryan Williams was limited to 44 yards on 21 carries, a 2.1-yard average falling far short of his 5.6-yard clip from a year ago.

“As far as frustrating goes, it was a little bit,” Taylor said.

Most of the penetration came from the left side of Tech’s offensive line, where the inexperienced linemen Andrew Lanier and Greg Nosal were stationed “There was a lot of times I got the ball and there were defenders in my face,” Williams said.

What Taylor managed to do with a lack of protection and a running game was simply miraculous. He accounted for 259 of Tech’s 314 total yards.

Unfortunately for Beamer, there weren’t 22 guys dressed in black with 28 starts under their belt.

Less than one minute after the Hokies took their first lead of the game at 21-20, new starting linebacker Bruce Taylor missed a routine tackle on Boise State’s D.J. Harper, who sprung 71 yards to pay dirt.

“We don’t usually miss tackles,” Beamer said.

Maybe the usual Hokies don’t, but wide-eyed linebackers in their first true game action do.

On the game-winning touchdown pass, Boise State receiver Austin Pettis left Tech linebacker Jeron GouveiaWinslow in the dust for a wide-open catch.

Gouveia-Winslow had never

DANIEL LIN / SPPS

Receiver Jarrett Boykin goes up for a pass midway through the fourth quarter but is unable to hang on thanks to Boise State’s George Lloka.

DANIEL LIN / SPPS

Disappointed Tech head coach Frank Beamer is escorted off the field following the Hokies 33-30 loss to Boise St. at FedEx Field. started a game before, let alone been tasked with stopping a preseason AllAmerican wide receiver in the red zone.

The Hokies showed they were talented enough to be a national title contender when they outscored Boise St. 30-9 after building up a 17-0 deficit.

It takes more than talent to win football games. It takes a cohesive, welloiled team to band together in crunch time and then follow through. It takes a team that has played together before.

That’s 95 percent of the rest of the country’s method. In fact, only one other game during the first week of the season pitted two top-25 teams.

Everyone else gets it.

Tech has played for a national title.

The Hokies don’t need to clap their hands and bang their chest for attention. They have their own brand.

From now on, they should quietly go about their business until they are ready to face the big boys.

JOSH PARCELL -sports reporter -junior communications major

HOKIES OVERCOME 17-0 FIRST QUARTER DEFICIT BUT FALTER IN THE FINAL MINUTES, LOSE OPENER MICHAEL BEALEY sports editor LANDOVER, Md. — The Virginia Tech football team fell in agonizing fashion to the Boise State Broncos on a national stage Monday night.

At one point the Hokies were down by 17 in the first quarter, but they rallied back and held the lead late in fourth quarter. However, Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore capped of the game-winning drive with a 13yard touchdown pass to Austin Pettis.

Tech’s offense was unable to respond in the final minute.

The Broncos rushed jubilantly onto the field, sealing a 33-30 victory and taking the first step in their quest for a national title.

“We just made way too many mistakes,” said Frank Beamer, head coach.

“We made too many critical mistakes to beat a top-five football team. Look at the effort we made to come back and get out of a hole. I’m proud of what we are all about, I’m just not proud of how we play consistently, right now.”

While Tech’s running game was supposed to be the strength for the Hokies, running back Ryan Williams finished with just 58 yards on 21 carries. Yet Taylor kept the Hokies’ offense rolling, finishing 15 for 22 for 186 yards and two touchdowns through the air, as well as 73 yards rushing on 16 carries.

“We kind of got down and that changed the whole complexion a little bit,” Beamer said.

Following the first quarter, Tech was shut out 17-0 and appeared on its way to a humiliating opening season defeat.

Then, Williams scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter,

including a 1-yard scamper and a 12yard reception, cutting the deficit to 20-14. In the third quarter, Williams again converted on a 1-yard rushing touchdown, giving Tech its first lead.

However, Boise State would respond quickly with a 71-yard touchdown D.J. Harper run, retaking a 26-21 lead following a blocked extra point. Boise State’s lead would be short-lived, as a 28-yard pass from Taylor to Boykin gave the Hokies the lead again 27-26 following a failed two-point conversion attempt.

After extending its lead to 30-26 with a 34-yard Chris Hazley field goal, Tech milked the clock all the way down to about the two minute mark, forcing the Broncos to use all of their timeouts. Facing a third down, Tech’s coaches elected to go for the win, allowing Taylor to throw the ball.

Boise State’s defense had other ideas and forced an incompletion, giving Moore an opportunity to become a hero.

With less than two minutes remaining, Moore drove the Broncos’ offense efficiently down the field, aided by a 15-yard late hit penalty on Hokies linebacker Bruce Taylor and threw the go-ahead touchdown with 1:09 remaining to put the Broncos up 3330. Tech’s offense was stifled, and the Broncos walked away with their first victory of the season.

“We got the ball in good field position and though we’d do something with it,” said Chris Peterson, Boise State head coach. “We’ve practiced that so often and I thought our coaching staff did a fabulous job. They were very calm and the kids executed the plays like clockwork.”

The Hokies will look to rebound this Saturday against James Madison University at 1:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN3.com.