Tyrod Taylor takes all-time wins lead
see page seven DANIEL LIN / SPPS
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
www.collegiatetimes.com
COLLEGIATETIMES 107th year, issue 100
News, page 2
Arts & Entertainment, page 3
Opinions, page 5
Sports, page 7
Classifieds, page 6
Sudoku, page 6
Still-popular class rings generate thousands CLAIRE SANDERSON news reporter The excitement over the class of 2012 Ring Premiere was still running high when the class of 2013 ring committee met for the first time Thursday to begin the ring design process anew. “It’s the 102nd ring — it’s a morethan-a-century old tradition on our shoulders and we want to make it the best ring Virginia Tech has ever seen,” said Clayton Miller, 2013 ring design chair. “All eight of us are really pumped to see the outcome.” With one of the largest ring traditions in the nation, Tech is unique in that the class ring is redesigned every year by students. “The Texas A&M ring does not change except for the year. What’s cool about Tech’s ring is that it’s being remade and those traditions are being renewed every year,” said Laura Wedin, student programs director with alumni relations. Wedin works as an adviser for the classes. Despite this difference, both schools hold contracts with the ring company Balfour. “Balfour has Texas A&M and they have us; two of the largest ring accounts in the U.S.,” Wedin said. Tech has worked with Balfour since the 1998 class ring, though the company had also created Tech’s rings off and on in the past — starting in 1948. Part of Balfour’s contract with Tech states each class receives commission on the money generated from the sale of their rings. “The money goes through Balfour and Balfour issues us a commission check,” Wedin said. “That money allows the class to market their ring, do their ring dance and give their class gift.” Tech’s contract with Balfour operates in accordance with the Virginia Public Procurement Act, which states “all public contracts with nongovernmental contractors ... shall be awarded after competitive sealed bidding.” This means Tech released a request for proposals for ring supply companies and reviewed several of those
proposals before selecting Balfour. It is the same process used for any contracts between public entities and private contractors and the same process used for large construction jobs on campus. Tech recently renewed its three-year contract with Balfour, which will cover the 2013, 2014 and 2015 class rings. Wedin said the revenue generated by a class can range from $90,000 to $100,000, depending on the number of rings sold. “The ring dance is pretty expensive, but they still have funds left over for
“
It’s the 102nd ring — it’s a more-than-a-century old tradition on our shoulders and we want to make it the best ring Virginia Tech has ever seen. All eight of us are really pumped to see the outcome. CLAYTON MILLER 2013 RING DESIGN CHAIR
other things that they want to do,” she said. For example, Wedin said the large bronze centennial ring statue dedicated last month by the class of 2011, President Charles Steger and his wife, Janet, cost about $25,000. Miller said the money comes through Balfour from ring sales, Tech and alumni donations. But the revenue generated from ring sales depends largely on how well the ring committee comes together to design and market their class ring — a process which takes more than a year. Cameron Campbell is one of the ring design committee members for the class of 2012. He said the process began with a lot of brainstorming, which would eventually be followed by sketches, meetings with Balfour and castings. “You’re focusing on the university’s unique traditions and also focusing on what the students want on the ring,” Campbell said. Campbell said the 2012 committee was especially influenced by the fact that theirs was the first year of the
second century of ring tradition. The class of 2011 marked the 100year anniversary of Tech’s first ring, which was created for the class of 1911. “We’re starting off on a clean slate — the beginning of a new century — and we didn’t want to recreate anything that had ever been done before,” Campbell said. Once the team had its final design around April, the marketing process began. Campbell said one of the main marketing drives has been to emphasize that rings do not have to be incredibly expensive. The least expensive ring available is made with an alloy and costs $201. “We’re just trying to market it so students know that not every ring is $1,000. It’s not unattainable,” Campbell said. “We are also shooting for higher sales than last year.” Wedin estimated each class typically sells between 2,100 to 2,200 rings. She also said this year’s rings are more expensive because of the rising price of gold. She said as a part of the Balfour contract, the committee determines the ring cost by locking in on the price of gold in July. “For the ring that just premiered, their locking price was $1,168, which is a lot. This year is more expensive than it’s ever been,” Wedin said. “Compare that to the year before — their locking price was $930.” Wedin said the price of gold has nearly doubled since the class of 2009 locked in the price of gold in the summer of 2007. Yet despite these rising prices, Wedin said the committee’s marketing has been successful. “In 2011 we were worried about the recession, but we’ve done well, and a lot of it is how well the students have done with marketing,” Wedin said. As for the class of 2013, that process is just beginning — and Miller was only able to give a few details away about the ring’s design. “We want symmetry in the ring, and if you look at it you will be able to tell it is a Tech ring,” Miller said. “Where all the elements will be and how it’s all designed on the ring is a big secret.”
Money spent elsewhere? Average revenue generated: $90,000 to $100,000 per class — that would buy between 1,258 and 1,399 copies of the required textbook for ENGE 1024: Engineering Exploration
$
$$$$$$$$$$
equals $10,000 equals 500 textbooks
Average rings purchased: 2,100 to 2,200 per class — that would be about 25 whole active Virginia Tech football teams equals 1,000 rings
equals 5 football teams
Cost of class of 2011 gift (large bronze centennial ring statue): $25,000 — that would be about 2,732 Chipotle meals with a chicken burrito, a small drink, and chips and salsa equals 500 Chipotle meals
Least expensive ring available to class of 2012: $201 — that would be 16 pairs of orange and maroon effect shirts equals 4 pairs of shirts
Most expensive ring available to class of 2012: $1,952 — that would be about 195 extra-large orders of pokey sticks equals 20 extra-large pokey sticks
Drillfield art project to raise awareness of sexual violence MORGAN TATE news staff writer The Clothesline Project, on display on the Drillfield this week, is an annual project designed to highlight the effects of abuse against women, and domestic and sexual violence. The project, created in 1994 by the Montgomery County chapter of the National Organization for Women and sponsored by Womanspace, the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech and the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley, is an effort to stop abuse. “The Clothesline Project helps create an environment where people feel like they can come forward,” said Jenna Underwood, victim services outreach coordinator at Tech’s Women’s Center. Underwood said a public display such as the Clothesline Project could help victims of violence and abuse feel safe. “One of the things that creates an environment where violence against women can happen is silence,” she said. “Silence keeps survivors from reaching out and getting what they need.”
Susan Anderson, a Tech math instructor, Blacksburg town councilperson and the faculty adviser of Womanspace, said many victims feel abuse is their fault. “Sometimes people are afraid of reporting an assault,” Anderson said. “Our project is all about educating people about violence and giving resources, where you can go and who can give you help.” The shirts created for the Clothesline Project are designed to represent a victim’s traumatic experience by the color of the shirt that she or someone close to her has created. A white T-shirt is created for women who have died from violence. A yellow or beige shirt is made for women who have been battered or assaulted. A red, pink or orange shirt is made for those raped or sexually assaulted. Blue or green shirts are created for survivors of incest or child sexual abuse. Purple or lavender shirts are made for women attacked because of their sexual orientation. Black shirts are made for women handicapped by violence. The shirts are now on display on the Drillfield, on a clothesline to look “as though the survivors
AUSTEN MEREDITH / SPPS
Different shirt colors represent different violent crimes committed. were standing themselves, shoulder to shoulder, bearing witness to the violence committed against women on a daily basis,” Anderson said. Victims and those personally linked to victims can continue to create shirts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Women’s Center this week, regardless of gender.
The Clothesline Project will be on display on the Drillfield for the duration of the week. “I believe that when people view the line, it has a profound effect upon them,” Anderson said. “It can make people feel anger or sadness because violence has occurred. People want to stop the abuse.”
AUSTEN MEREDITH / SPPS
The project will be on display on the Drillfield all week until Friday. All interested are invited to create shirts inside the Women’s Center.
2 newsU.S. text message users more rude, study says
university editor: philipp kotlaba, liana bayne, gordon block newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
october 12, 2010
[
state headlines
]
Supreme Court denies Morva appeal On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal made by convicted murderer William Morva. Morva was convicted of three counts of capital murder by the Washington County Circuit Court in 2008. He was sentenced to the death penalty for each murder, a penalty the court deemed reasonable by rejecting his appeal. After escaping from Montgomery Regional Hospital in August 2006, Morva shot and killed security guard Derrick McFarland. The following day, Morva shot Cpl. Eric Sutphin while he searched for him on the Huckleberry Trail. Morva was convicted of three counts of capital murder for committing a capital offense, killing more than one person within three years. “This is evidence of justice being done in our courts,” Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt said in a statement. -sarah watson, news reporter
CORRECTIONS JUSTIN GRAVES -Contact our public editor at publiceditor@ collegiatetimes.com if you see anything that needs to be corrected.
VIKKI ORTIZ HEALY mcclatchy newspapers CHICAGO — Next time your significant other reads a text message while sitting with you at a restaurant, tell him he’s rude. And tell him he’s like a typical American. Those statements would likely be true, given the results of a recent Marquette University study that compared the texting habits of cell phone users in the world’s two larg-
est democracies — the U.S. and India. In monitoring text messages from 137 college students in both countries, the study showed that India appeared to have better “textiquette.” Researchers found that 52 percent of the Americans in the study read text messages while in public social settings such as restaurants, shops and movie theaters, compared to only 5 percent of Indian participants who read texts while out.
DAILY
Most Indians (41 percent) read texts while at home or at a friend’s home. Americans were also seven times more likely than Indians to send texts from social settings (42 percent vs. 6 percent); and almost eight times as likely to text while in the middle of a conversation (31 percent vs. 4 percent). Still, Robert Shuter, the Marquette communication studies professor who led the study, cautioned not to be too down on American texters.
“The truth is, neither Indians nor Americans excused themselves or took leave when they read or sent a message. They’re both at fault,” he said, adding that the point of the study was to emphasize how different cultural factors must be considered when developing universal texting rules. Maybe he’s right. Indians did rudely rank 10 percentage points higher than Americans in using swear words in texts.
CRIME
BLOTTER
Offense
Date
Time
Location
Status
Driving under the influence of alcohol
Oct. 9
2:33 a.m.
Spring Road
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
10:27 a.m.
Lane Stadium
Sent to Office of Student Conduct
Underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 9
12:16 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 9
12:16 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
12:20 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public, underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 9
12:25 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
12:10 p.m.
Greenhouses
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
12:43 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Sent to Office of Student Conduct
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
1:00 p.m.
Lane Stadium/woods
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public, underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 9
1:20 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
1:00 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Disorderly conduct
Oct. 9
1:27 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Sent to Office of Student Conduct
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
1:27 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Sent to Office of Student Conduct
Appearing intoxicated in public, underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 9
1:27 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Sent to Office of Student Conduct
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
1:38 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Larceny of a wallet
Oct. 9
11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Under Investigation
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
3:24 p.m.
Lane Stadium
Arrested
Underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 9
11:09 p.m.
WAJ
Four arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public
Oct. 9
11:53 p.m.
College Avenue
Arrested
Drinking alcohol in public
Oct. 10
12:08 a.m.
Squires Parking Lot
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public, underage possession of alcohol, drinking alcohol in public
Oct. 10
1:05 a.m.
Washington Street
Four arrested
Underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 10
2:04 a.m.
Thomas Hall
Arrested
Appearing intoxicated in public, underage possession of alcohol
Oct. 10
2:33 a.m.
Thomas Hall
Arrested
COLLEGIATETIMES
[
blacksburg headlines
]
Commandant to retire next July After 12 years of service as commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Maj. Gen. Jerrold P. Allen announced his plan to retire last week. A Virginia Tech press release said Allen’s retirement would be effective as of July 2011. During Allen’s time as commandant, the corps has seen growth and recognition. Enrollment in the corps has steadily increased in the last decade, with 857 cadets participating this year. The Rice Center for Leadership Development was also developed during Allen’s tenure. In a joint effort with the Pamplin College of Business, the Rice Center helped create the leadership studies minor and offers several leadership courses for cadets. A cadet has been selected as Undergraduate Student Leader of the Year for the past seven years. A committee to search for Allen’s successor is being chaired by Ray Smoot, university treasurer and chief operating officer for the Virginia Tech Foundation, according to the press release. -claire sanderson, news reporter
arts & entertainment 3 october 12, 2010
editors: lindsey brookbank, kim walter featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
RAPID - - - - - - - - FIRE - - - - - - - REVIEWS watch
Book of Eli
R
eleased in January 2010, “Book of Eli” is part of a string of films cashing in on the post-apocalyptic craze that has been gaining steam in film and video games. The story follows Eli (Denzel Washington), a mysterious wasteland wanderer trying to protect his book, which has become a rare commodity sought out by the power-hungry villain, Carnegie (Gary Oldman). The movie itself isn’t incredibly deep or thought-provoking, but it contains
read
more than a few twists, which actually took me by surprise without being too off-the-wall or cheesy (I’m looking at you, M. Night Shyamalan). The all-star casting trifecta is completed by cutie Mila Kunis, from “That 70’s Show” and “Family Guy,” whose character shows significant development in her time helping Eli ferry the book to safekeeping. If I have one complaint about the film, it is the omnipresent brown
filter in every scene. We get it, the future apocalypse is brown. It has dirt. This isn’t a criticism of just this film, so much as it is of the genre. “Book of Eli” is worth a solid rental, but don’t be surprised by the excessive violence.
“Book of Eli” gets three turns of the page out of five.
DON’T
2leep.com
Minecraft
(http://www.minecraft.net)
leep is a service for bloggers that promises increased page views. 2 Accepted bloggers post a widget to
inecraft is a game that attempts to defy definition, but I’ll give M it the college try.
their website that links to 2leep’s service of promoting other blogs’ content. Sounds cool, right? Bloggers get free publicity, and readers get pointed to interesting new articles. The idea is actually a spin-off of the now seldom seen web rings that were heavily used in the era of Geocities and Angelfire personal Web pages. Most of the blog postings advertised are just rehashes of lists and pictures that were funny when they were posted on Cracked.com a month ago. The problem with 2leep is in the execution. The links to the new sites actually redirect to another page with more links to other blogs, forcing you to track down the link you originally intended to go to. The entire operation, like most websites, is sustained by ad revenue. 2leep has managed to create the only pop-up ads that regularly bypass the ad-blocking software I use, popup ads that expand to fill the entire screen save for a gap a couple of pixels wide. I cannot keep track of the number of times I have moved to close the ad, only to close my browser behind the advertisement. In short, 2leep is a service for bloggers that exchange the ire of readers for page views by making the readers jump through hoops to reach content. 2leep has the distinction of earning Rapid Fire Reviews’ very first zero, as well as some free press.
It is one-part Lego set, one-part first-person “The Legend of Zelda” (NES version, of course) and onepart nasty crack habit all wrapped up into a nostalgic graphical package. The brainchild of programmer Markus Persson, “Minecraft” is actually still under development. This is astounding because the incomplete alpha version is still just so fun. You play the part of, well, you, and are dropped in the middle of a randomly generated world, created from blocks of various elements — dirt, rock, water, sand, lava, etc. The first minutes of the game will be spent exploring the nearly infinite landscape (eight times the size of a virtual Earth) and breaking apart blocks to recompile into other materials and tools. Then the sun will set and you will run in terror before being devoured by the zombies, skeletons and spi-
2leep earns zero clicks out of five.
MATT BORYSEWICZ -features reporter -senior -history major
play
ders that emerge at night because you didn’t read the forums before playing. Survival is the key to the game in the single player alpha version. Build during the day, fight back at night. You can build whatever you want, provided you mine the materials yourself from the dark caverns filled with yet more zombies, skeletons, spiders and those green things that don’t make any sound until they explode next to you, destroying several hours of work you spent creating a replica of Sauron’s tower from “Lord of the Rings.” The game is free to try and the full alpha version is currently on sale for half-off, which will also get you all of the updates through actual release and beyond.
Minecraft earns itself five blocks out of five.
NEW
Dollhouse: The Complete Second Season
The Tudors: The Final Season
RELEASES
in entertainment this week Ladies & Gentlemen The Rolling Stones
D V D s
How to Train Your Dragon
B o o k s
American Assassin by Vince Flynn
Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre
Charleston, SC 1966 by Darius Rucker
I Am Not A Human Being by Lil Wayne
The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
Write about Love by Belle and Sebastian
G a m e s
Medal of Honor (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Just Dance 2 (Wii)
Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes (PS3)
SBK X (Xbox 360)
C D s
october 12, 2010
page 4
Students prepare for production of ‘Sylvia’ ALICE PARK features staff writer “Wait, guys, can we pause for a sec? Molly, where did you pee?” “I peed behind the couch.” In this eccentric exchange, Alyssa Markfort, director of the play “Sylvia,” is addressing Molly Dickerson, who plays the dog the play is named for, during a rehearsal. “Sylvia,” written by American novelist and playwright A.R. Gurney, is an edgy and complex dramedy that can hardly be summarized in just a few sentences, though Markfort herself puts it quite succinctly. “This guy comes home with a dog, and he’s basically going through a mid-life crisis; his wife hates the dog and is constantly trying to get rid of the dog,” Markfort said. Markfort, a senior theatre arts major, has enjoyed the process of putting the show together but admitted to challenges. “Going into this, we didn’t know we would be working in the round (and having audience members on every side of the stage), and I was really caught off guard, but I just looked at it as a challenge to succeed in,” Markfort said. The cast was set in August, and the team has been working on the production since then. Junior theatre arts major Andrew Kaberline, who is the husband in the play, has also met some obstacles of his own. “I think at first glance, the show appears light, and people just see it as like, ‘Well, it’s a show about a couple and their dog, isn’t that cute,’ but almost immediately, I realized how complex and deep the show is,” Kaberline said.
[
Sylvia
]
WHERE: Theatre 101 WHEN: Oct. 15 to Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. each night
Kaberline also spoke about the challenges of playing a man in his early 50s as a college student. “It’s been fun trying to subtly show the signs of age in my character. I’m not, like, walking around with dentures and holding my back, but it’s been fun finding those little quirks,” he said. Also, Kaberline is deathly afraid of dogs, a creature his character loves. However, he has made an effort to be around dogs in real life to train and get himself warmed up to the idea of being a “dog person.” Opposite of Kaberline is freshman theatre arts major Kelsey Secules, who plays his character’s wife. Secules has
Tech students create Skill Capped website PATRICK MURPHY features staff writer
LUKE MASON / SPPS
“Sylvia,” is set to premier Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Theatre 101. the opposite problem of Kaberline. “I am one of the biggest dog people you’ve ever met, and my character in the play isn’t a huge fan of the dog,” she said. “If I had to hate a real dog, I don’t think I could do this.” But no real dogs are involved. The dog is played by Dickerson, a senior theatre arts major who has done a lot of character research by watching YouTube videos of dogs and walking dogs to study their characteristics. The very notion of having an actual person playing a dog whose thoughts are actually verbalized in the play is perhaps rooted in the dog having a human name. “It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Dickerson said, laughing. “When I got the part, I said, ‘OK, that just means I’m going to be on all fours a lot and wagging this imaginary tail,’ and that’s the exact opposite of what it is.” Instead, the dog’s thoughts are relayed to the audience. For example, in Dickerson’s favorite scene, Sylvia spots a cat, and her feelings are verbally expressed. “Some really bad words are said. It’s exactly what you think would be going on inside a dog’s head when they see a
squirrel or a cat,” Dickerson said. Alex Beard, a junior theatre arts major, has an unusual role. He actually plays three characters: a male, a female and a “gender-neutral” individual, whose identities can’t be given away for the sake of preserving the mystery of the show. Traditionally, one actor plays all three parts, which requires great versatility on the part of the actor. Beard inevitably encounters challenges in playing opposites sexes and an “in-between” character. “I think the hardest part is just figuring out what is too much to be an exaggerated female and what isn’t believable and what is believable — the idea of physicals and how a woman would, you know, cross her legs and cross the ankles,” Beard explained. “I think the hardest part has been the gender-neutral (role) as well. It is easier to be, ‘OK, this is opposite, and this is opposite, but what’s in the middle?’ That’s been kind of difficult to find, but it’s getting there.” Tomorrow, the main four-person cast of “Sylvia” will have to face the challenges they’ve been encountering from the beginning and simply break a leg.
For many, the computer game World of Warcraft is simply a hobby, but for four Virginia Tech students, it has turned into a lucrative business. Cel Arrington, Jeffrey Brabant, Jordan Garcia and Logan Linn launched Skill-Capped.com, a website dedicated to helping the WOW community improve their knowledge of the game. The site features instructional videos, informative articles and community forums so players can discuss the game with the goal of improving one’s skills. Website development began in September 2009, after Brabant thought of the idea while tossing a Frisbee with Arrington, who was giving him tips on the game. “Jeff really just had an epiphany,” said Arrington, a 2009 economics graduate. “He said, ‘I bet there’s a lot of people like me that would like to hear this advice too.’ That’s really how it all started.” From there, the group conducted a great deal of market research to make sure their idea was viable. “We interviewed a lot of players and offered them World of Warcraft currency as an incentive to take our surveys,” Linn, a senior engineering major, said. “We had to figure out what people would want out of something like this and what they would be willing to pay for it.” Once it was determined Skill Capped was a go, the group faced another great challenge: startup costs. Brabant invested a lot of his own money into the project, and other members’ families and friends also pitched in to help. In total, the group raised $24,000. Already, the site has been able to pay the money back. Most of this startup fund went toward acquiring content for the site. Arrington spent a lot of time contacting well-known players in the international WOW community, which boasts more than 12 million members. His mission was to convince the top-ranked players, called gladiators, to make instructional videos to use on the website. Getting the gladiators to become contributors was the most challenging part, according to Arrington.
“It was very difficult because we had no credibility, we hadn’t launched yet,” he said. “Once we had well-known people on board, we could use that as leverage. We could say, ‘Hey, we have so-and-so, will you join too?’” Gladiators are in the top 0.5 percent of all players, and most of Skill Capped’s gladiators are among the top 100 players worldwide. To convince them the site was not a scam, Arrington had to pay the gladiators in advance for their content. They are paid a particular amount for each minute of content they generate. The site also offers a great incentive for gladiators to produce high-quality content that will bring more people to the site. A whopping 30 percent of Skill Capped’s profits are divvied up among their top contributors. “Our site really revolves around our contributors and we want to reward those that really help us out,” Arrington said. “It helps the most active contributors that give us a lot of videos, advertise for us, write blogs, agree to do interviews and create podcasts. The more we grow, the more they benefit too.” The site is always looking for new contributors, but Arrington said becoming a gladiator is very competitive. Only about 10 percent of applicants are seriously considered, and if Arrington hasn’t heard of you before you apply, then you are fighting an uphill battle. While increasing the number of gladiators is limited, increasing membership has been a cinch. The site has already garnered more than 7,700 members since the launch. Senior math and economics major Garcia explained the rapid growth. “We launched at 10 a.m. after being up for about 30 straight hours,” Garcia said. “We had over 220 signups in the first hour and a half and had about 1,000 in the first day. We had worked hard to create a lot of hype and buzz within the community, and it worked.” The buzz created in the community was so strong that during the two-month period when the website simply said “coming soon,” it racked up more than 200,000 hits. Garcia believes the site received so much hype because it’s an untapped market. One other site tried something similar, but it launched with barely any
content and have not seen anywhere close to the success of Skill Capped. The site may not have any real competitors, but it does face one big issue: price. According to Garcia, many were upset it was a pay site. The $4.95 monthly fee to be a member may seem like a fairly nominal amount, but the group agreed it is likely the greatest detractor from joining. Arrington pointed out people simply aren’t used to having to pay for things online. “When the Internet started, content was free, so it’s really hard to change some people’s minds,” Arrington said. “Some think it’s wrong that we charge. They think we should just do it for free because we’re fans that do it for the love of the game.” Linn pointed out not charging just isn’t feasible. “We’d do it for free if we could, but we just can’t,” Linn said. “That’s not our business model. We have to charge in order to run it and keep it going. Most of the money we make is actually used to get more content for the site.” Fortunately, price hasn’t seemed to slow down the site’s success much. According to the group, 93 percent of members say they would recommend it to a friend, and 80 percent say they have improved their skills significantly. Skill Capped also has several ideas for the future and expansion. For starters, WOW is set to release the expansion set, “Cataclysm,” on Dec. 7. With that will come new knowledge and strategies gamers will want to learn from the experts. Skill Capped also hopes to expand into other skill-based games, such as StarCraft II. The team hopes to launch a site for that game within the next few months. In preparation for expansion, Garcia and Linn devote about 20 hours each week to the site, while Arrington has actually been working full time since he graduated from Tech last December. Their business may still be relatively young, but the group is hopeful that it will endure. “We’d like to have more people working full-time for the websites,” Linn said. “We want more investors and venture capitalists so that we’re able to develop all the things we want to do. We want to make our business last.”
opınıons 5
editors: scott masselli, gabi seltzer opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
october 12, 2010
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Learn lessons from first Tech student few weeks ago, the corps of cadets completed the A first part of its annual Caldwell March. The Caldwell March, for those unfamiliar with Virginia Tech history, is named for the trek William Addison Caldwell and his brother took to the new Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical College (today Virginia Tech) in 1872. As the earliest records show, they walked 28 miles to get to Blacksburg, where Caldwell was the first student to enroll. The corps splits the march between semesters, so the first half is completed in the fall and the remaining part in the spring. At around the same time in early October, I once again crossed paths with the statue of Caldwell at the bottom of the stairs between the Performing Arts Building and Torgersen Hall, in the Upper Quad. I remember being at its dedication a few years ago and would often walk by it. On this particular evening, as I came across the statue, I wondered about his experience and the challenges he faced on his journey. I can only imagine the conversations he had with his brother as they crossed open fields, forests, mountains and creeks in order to forge their way to Blacksburg from Sinking Creek in Craig County. If anything, such a journey showed a true commitment and determination. Just as Caldwell experienced hardships to make his way to Blacksburg and to the new institution, many within our university community struggle each day as they make their way, both figuratively and symbolically. Caldwell’s journey is mirrored by those students who have overcome the odds to make it to Tech. As we approach the midpoint of the semester, students are showing signs of strain from this semester, realizing the projects that still need to be completed and what other work is left to do. Some of the struggles also include trying to make ends meet as they balance school with work commitments, and thinking of ways to stretch out thinning meal plans. Caldwell’s journey is mirrored within the staff. Many staff members have to make the daily journey to Tech, especially those who live outside Blacksburg, with many that live in Floyd, Giles and other localities. While staff members may not hold the most glamorous jobs, these roles play a critical function in the operations of the university. While most students are in bed at 4 a.m., there is a large contingent of staff arriving on campus to get things ready, be it housekeeping, police, maintenance, dining workers and others. We often forget
there is a chorus of actors such as the staff members who help to make this institution function. Caldwell’s journey is also mirrored by the faculty, whether new professors seeking guidance as they begin the tenure process, the instructor working with graduate students, the faculty researcher operating a lab or the challenge of a budget cut because of the tough economic times. While faculty roles may be viewed as more glamorous than staff counterparts, they also play a vital role and face similar hardships. Caldwell’s journey is symbolic of the journey that we each face on a daily basis at Tech. For some that journey is easy, but for others it is extremely difficult. There is no way to adequately explain the different variations, but I suspect we each have our own unique stories and struggles. Like Caldwell as he trekked through the woods, I find myself on a symbolic 28-mile trek that has taken me from being a budget cut and unemployed to working two part-time jobs (one being at Tech) to make ends meet and also trying to complete my degree. There have been moments of despair and frustration during this time, but I have continued in my determination to continue on my journey. Caldwell could have easily turned back in 1872 but continued on his journey because he felt the need and urgency. I also suspect he found himself at peace as he made his way to what would be a new chapter in his life. Many within our community continue on their own journeys for different reasons. While some are doing very well financially, others face a daunting time in light of the economic situation that is affecting everyone. Like Caldwell, we each have encountered a similar 28-mile trek in some symbolic fashion. I believe that those treks have made or will make us stronger as a result. While we remember William Addison Caldwell as the first student, we also need to remember that his journey really hits to the heart of why each of us is here and why we are doing what we are doing. The Caldwell March and his statue are reminders of what each of us brings to this community. If you ever find yourself walking past the Caldwell statue, picture yourself and your journey and where it will take you.
RAY PLAZA -regular columnist -graduate student -curriculum and instruction
Drugs and conservatives should really go together or decades, the U.S. debate over drug legalization has pitted conF servatives on one side against libertarians and some liberals on the other. A few conservatives have publicly opposed the drug war (e.g., National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr.), but most conservatives either endorse it or sidestep the issue. Yet vigorous opposition to the drug war should be a no-brainer for conservatives. Legalization would not only promote specific policy objectives that are near and dear to conservative hearts, it is also consistent with core principles that conservatives endorse in other contexts. Legalization would be beneficial in key aspects of the war on terror. Afghanistan is the world leader in opium production, and this trade is highly lucrative because U.S.-led prohibition drives the market underground. The Taliban then earns substantial income by protecting opium farmers and traffickers from law enforcement in exchange for a share of the profits. U.S. eradication of opium fields also drives the hearts and minds of Afghan farmers away from the U.S. and toward the Taliban. Legalization could also aid the war on terror by freeing immigration and other border control resources to target terrorists and WMD rather than the illegal drug trade. Under prohibition, moreover, terrorists piggyback on the smuggling networks established by drug lords and more easily hide in a sea of underground, cross-border trafficking. Legalizing drugs would support conservative opposition to gun control. High violence rates in the United States, and especially in Mexico, are due in part to prohibition, which drives markets underground and leads to violent resolution of disputes. With the reduced violence that would result from legalization, advocates of gun control would find it harder to scare
the electorate into restrictive gun laws. Legalization could ease conservative concerns over illegal immigration. The wage differences between the United States and Latin America are a major cause of the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States, but an exacerbating factor is the violence created by drug prohibition in Mexico and other Latin American countries. With lower violence rates under legalization, fewer residents of these countries would seek to immigrate in the first place. Beyond these specific issues, legalization is consistent with broad conservative principles. Prohibition is fiscally irresponsible. Its key goal is reduced drug use, yet repeated studies find minimal impact on drug use. The government misses out on about $47 billion in tax revenues that could be collected from legalized drugs Drug prohibition is hopelessly inconsistent with allegiance to free markets, which should mean that businesses can sell whatever products they wish, even if the products could be dangerous. Prohibition is similarly inconsistent with individual responsibility, which holds that individuals can consume what they want—even if such behavior seems unwise _ so long as these actions do not harm others. Yes, drugs can harm innocent third parties, but so can—and do—alcohol, cars and many other legal products. Consistency demands treating drugs like these other goods, which means keeping them legal while punishing irresponsible use, such as driving under the influence. By supporting the legalization of drugs, conservatives might even help themselves at the ballot box. Many voters find the conservative combination of policies confusing at best, inconsistent and hypocritical at worst.
JEFFREY A. MIRON -mcclatchy newspapers
MCT CAMPUS
Rapid renovations ruin downtown Blacksburg dinner at the Rivermill on Tuesday night because the burrito Ilinehad at Chipotle was out the door. After my 8 a.m. class let out, I drove from campus to my job, and I was mortified that people were lined up for burritos at that hour. According to “Burrito connoisseurs camp out for Chipotle grand opening” (CT, Oct. 5), these people in line had actually been there overnight, as if they were anticipating the gates of consumer heaven to swing open on Black Friday. Carnitas! Barbacoa! Ah, the comfort of high school fast-casual dining has matriculated from our urban-sprawl hometowns to our lovely downtown Blacksburg. Behold, Blacksburg: A burrito the size of an infant is here! Don’t get me wrong, Chipotle burritos are pretty good — but now that incentive to return home to Midlothian, Va. is defeated. Another facet of high school I purposely left behind has shown up in the town I have called home for three years. That’s fine — free enterprise has been mythologized by the talking heads on television as a bird that won’t be around very much longer. But it disappoints me to stand on the corner of Main Street and College Avenue and watch the line extend all the way to PK’s, waiting for a burrito they could have ordered across the street. And what has happened to that street? Goodness — that parking lot is gone. Some of the most enjoyable times I spent downtown happened in that parking lot, like having my designated drivers pick me up, watching Blacksburg’s finest slam the unruly drunks into the pavement and parking my car conveniently on my way to the Lyric. But Tuesday, I couldn’t park there. I know it’s not Chipotle’s fault — this project is vital to the town’s infrastructure, but they’re a good scapegoat.
Instead, I parked next to Theatre 101, next to the corner of Draper and College, something none of us will be able to do in the near future. The town of Blacksburg is erasing that road off the map, replacing it with the College Avenue Promenade. It’s a safe plan, but why is this necessary now? Why can’t we take the downtown Blacksburg overhauling slowly? More importantly, why did the majority of construction begin in the middle of July? Why weren’t workers ready to go the minute all Scantron scores were entered into Scholar back in May? If you haven’t experienced a summer in Blacksburg, then God bless you for being one fewer car on the road and one fewer person in line for a rail from TOTS. Thank you for making Blacksburg summers so awesome. I cannot speak from experience, but I conjecture traffic on North Main Street would not have been so bad if they would have started the construction earlier in the year. But what I can assure you is that nobody else could either, because the town was still in planning stages at that point. The construction on Main Street, on the block between Turner Street and Prices Fork Road, has wreaked havoc on the small businesses on the other side from campus. Even getting to Taco Bell is a hassle. Taco Bell — the chief symbol of American convenience and ignorance of nutrition — is now a burden to patronize. Since we are all a part of the excessive American burrito generation, shouldn’t we have Facebook groups dedicated to the restoration of easy access to the Taco Bell drive-thru? What I’m saying is this week has been absolutely backwards with the things that have occupied our minds. For some reason, we have fantasized about the advent of this Gourmet
Messiah to the extremes of forsaking our academic commitments and our Hokies who fall victim to tragedy with alarming regularity. The town continues to unnecessarily tear up our streets. Traffic patterns are as variable as a math major’s homework. Our football team can’t put together four quarters — not even at the laundromat. But, thank goodness. We now have a Chipotle. The ubiquity of chain gourmet-like Chipotle, Cold Stone Creamery and Starbucks makes me wonder what the purpose of going away to college is. This one lady back home was a popular hair stylist with the girls at my high school — perhaps she should kick out some barbers whose businesses in downtown Blacksburg have been around for 30 years. Bring Mrs. Donna Bogart to Blacksburg! “Buy local, eat local, be local.” If you’ve been downtown for anything, chances are you’ve seen it. You came to Tech to broaden your horizons, open your mind and experience something new. Do not use these trite sayings to rationalize your newfound hedonism, but instead try walking into a restaurant you do not recognize and order something you have never eaten. Meet the guys at the local record store and get a suggestion for a new musician you might like. But, hey, to each his own. You are the autonomous consumer, so make your own choices.
BEN WOODY -regular columnist -senior -english major
We need change from Obama’s promised agenda of change I
nterim elections are right around the corner, and we need change from Barack Obama’s “change.” President Obama’s change was not what the country needed in this time of hardship and despair. On Nov. 2, we all have the opportunity to do something about that. Yep, you guessed it. I was one of the many people sporting the backordered shirts that read “You Can Keep Your Change,” and handing out Republican Party sample ballots at the Blacksburg polling places on Nov. 2, 2008, when Obama was elected. But, don’t get me wrong, I respect Obama just about as much as I would have respected Ronald Reagan if I had been alive during his presidency (Dang it, mom and dad! A few years earlier.). I respect Obama for the sole reason he is the president of the nation in which I reside, not because I think his health care bill is actually helping anyone or because he has done very much with the high position that we Americans awarded him. I respect him because I was raised
to be respectful of authority, especially the authority of our great nation, as many of you probably were too. Just because Obama is our president and we respect him very much does not mean we have to agree with everything he does. America is the amazing nation it is partly because of a system of checks and balances. It is my argument that we need to take advantage of this system. The liberal president and the majority of our liberal Congress are not getting the things done we need done. They have not created the jobs our families so desperately need, and they have spent billions of dollars trying to solve problems money can’t solve, creating an unimaginable dependence on foreign loans. By voting more conservative representatives into Congress we can level out the playing field. We need to get some diverse voices in there, throwing around different ideas and representing us in a better way. Take Morgan Griffith, for example, who has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since
1994. He was the first Republican House majority leader Virginia has ever had and if elected to Congress would represent our district here in Blacksburg. He has fought against big spending in Richmond and plans to make job creation his top priority if elected. The 9th Congressional District represents almost all of southwest Virginia, and this year Griffith challenges incumbent Democrat Rick Boucher for his seat. Boucher has voted with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Obama 96 percent of the time. New faces like Griffith are exactly what our country needs. Whether you’re voting the way I prescribe or not, everyone please remember to go to the polls on Nov. 2 and let your voice be heard. Believe it or not, every vote really does count and our country needs your help.
STEVIE KNUTSON -regular columnist -junior -political science major
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october 12, 2010
Taylor scampers into record books as Tech’s all-time winningest quarterback
Tech 45, CMU 21
Noon, Oct. 9, 2010 Lane Stadium/Worsham Field, Blacksburg, Va. CMU VT
1
7 7
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14 14
F
21 45
First Quarter TD
09:15
TD
08:33
CMU
VT
7
0
7
7
7
14
7 7
17 24
Tyrod Taylor 15 yd Rush (Chris Hazley Kick)
7
31
David Wilson 68 yd Rush (Chris Hazley Kick) HARRIS, Jerry 8 yd Pass From RADCLIFF, Ryan (HOGAN, Richie Kick) Jayron Hosley 80 yd Punt Return (Chris Hazley Kick) POBLAH, Kito 19 yd Pass From RADCLIFF, Ryan (HOGAN, Richie Kick)
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38
14
38
14
45
21
45
HARRIS, Jerry 23 yd Pass From RADCLIFF, Ryan (HOGAN, Richie Kick) Tyrod Taylor 72 yd Rush (Chris Hazley Kick)
Second Quarter TD
13:33
FG TD
10:54 07:11
Darren Evans 6 yd Rush (Chris Hazley Kick) Chris Hazley 30 yd Field Goal Andre Smith 7 yd Pass From Tyrod Taylor (Chris Hazley Kick)
Third Quarter TD
02:16
Fourth Quarter
FILE / SPPS
TD
14:15
TD
10:45
TD
04:55
TD
01:22
Tyrod Taylor scrambles away from LSU defenders in his first game against LSU in 2007. Taylor also scored his first touchdown, a 1-yard run.
Top Performers
he Hokies (4-2, 2-0) rolled to a 4521 win over Central Michigan this T past Saturday as Tyrod Taylor set a new Virginia Tech mark for wins by a starting quarterback. He garnered his 27th win, which places him ahead of Bryan Randall, who started from 2002-2004. “It is a great accomplishment. I am glad that I’ve had the opportunity to play for this program,” said Taylor in a very modest fashion. “It’s a big deal but we still have plenty more games to play. I am honored to have my name beside that record but I am just thankful for the opportunity that coach (Frank) Beamer and the rest of the coaching staff has given me.” Taylor has been the leader of the offense, pacing the Hokies with 1,030 passing yards and nine passing touchdowns on the year, complementing his team-leading 449 rushing yards. He has back-to-back games with more than 100 yards on the ground, and scored twice against the Chippewas, including a 72-yard breakaway on Tech’s second offensive play of the game. Taylor’s versatility is one of the reasons FILE / SPPS the Hokies offense has evolved with a “big play” style. Taylor evades a defender during his first bowl victory 20-7 in the Orange Bowl over Cincinnati. Taylor “I think if you get the ball out in open spaces, it’s good for the throwing game passed for 140 yards and rushed for 47 yards and a score as Tech won its first BCS bowl since 1995. and the running game,” Beamer said. words of praise “I think that’s kind of who we are right now.” “Tyrod is a true winner. That is a Out of their four wins this season, the very deserving accomplishment Hokies have only won the time-of-posto be the all-time winningest session battle against Boston College’s disastrous offense. In their most recent quarterback.” game against CMU, the Chippewas —Frank Beamer, head coach controlled the ball for 35:47, almost 12 minutes longer than Tech. The longest first-half drive for offensive coordinator “I am honored to play with Bryan Stinespring’s squad lasted 2:27. (Taylor). For him to break that “I certainly didn’t expect our offense, with such a talented backfield, to transrecord, that’s a great accomform into the quick-scoring type,” plishment.” Stinespring said. “But we have won four in a row, and as Beamer said after —Jarrett Boykin, receiver Saturday’s game, ‘We’ll take a win any way we can get one around here.’” “Just to be able to have Tech will look to extend its winning streak and keep their unblemished con(Taylor’s) name up there is ference record when they host Wake self-explanatory. He has always Forest this Saturday, Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m.
GARRETT RIPA -sports editor -sophomore -mining and minerals engineering major
been a great quarterback, a great leader. And for him to be able to achieve that and be put in that position, he deserves it more than anybody else.” —Andre Smith, tight end
......radio for
everyone
FILE / SPPS
Taylor looks to pass during his first start against Ohio in 2007. Out of high school he was rated the No. 1 dual-threat QB by Rivals.com.
Central Michigan Passing C/ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
INT
R. Radcliff 21/48
266
5.5
3
1
Virginia Tech Passing C/ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
INT
T. Taylor 13/23 L. Thomas 1/2
161 3
7.0 1.5
1 0
0 0
Central Michigan Rushing P. Cotton C. Volny R. Radcliff Team
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
21 2 10 36
105 21 10 135
5.0 10.5 1.0 3.8
0 0 0 0
43 18 21 43
Virginia Tech Rushing T. Taylor D. Wilson D. Evans Team
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
9 7 7 28
127 84 35 230
14.1 12.0 5.0 8.2
2 1 1 4
72 68 11 72
Central Michigan Receiving J. Harris P. Cotton K. Poblah Team
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
5 4 2 21
101 39 23 266
20.2 9.8 11.5 12.7
2 0 1 3
36 25 19 36
Virginia Tech Receiving J. Boykin D. Evans A. Smith Team
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
8 1 1 14
117 14 7 164
14.6 14.0 7.0 11.7
0 0 1 1
39 14 7 39
october 12, 2010
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Women’s soccer pulls off upset of No. 4 team The women’s soccer team continued its solid play by taking down No. 4 Boston College 2-1 on Sunday. It’s the Hokies second straight victory against a team ranked in the top 10 — Virginia Tech defeated No. 7 Maryland last Sunday. The Hokies (8-5-0, 2-2-0 ACC) were the first to get on the scoreboard, as junior Brittany Michels scored in the 21st minute to take the lead 1-0. The lead lasted through the half, but the Eagles struck next. Just more than five minutes into the half, Kristie Mewis tied the game up at one with a strike from 21 yards out, for her eighth goal of the season. Now tied at one, the speed of play slowed down significantly. It wasn’t until the 75th minute that Tech scored the deciding goal thanks to the foot of Ashley Manning. Manning, having been just recently put in the game, got by the defense and went one-on-one with the goalie after Michels threaded a pass though two defenders. Tech will return to action on Thursday, when it hosts Wake Forest at 7 p.m. It will be the first time that the Hokies will face an unranked opponent since their 3-2 overtime victory over James Madison. -nick cafferky, sports reporter
South Carolina completes trifecta JOSH KENDALL mcclatchy newspapers COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina buried 108 years of snakebitten history and the nation’s No. 1 team Saturday. The No. 19 Gamecocks built an 18-point lead and alternated between giving Alabama chances to come back and taking those chances away before topping the Crimson Tide, 35-21, in front of 82,993 fans in Williams-Brice Stadium and a national TV audience on CBS. The victory capped an improbable trifecta that saw the Gamecocks beat the nation’s No. 1 team in football, men’s basketball and baseball in 2010. “I think it was just meant to be,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “Fate was on our side, to beat a No. 1 in all three major sports in 2010.” Alabama (5-1, 2-1) had won 19 consecutive games and had not given up 35 points since Nov. 3, 2007. “We have a lot of guys on our team that haven’t lost a game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “This is a lesson for everybody about what
you have to do to prepare, what it takes to play with consistency in this league.” The Gamecocks’ method was as surprising as the result. They scored five touchdowns against the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, two more than Alabama gave up in its first five games combined. South Carolina (4-1, 2-1 SEC) gained 311 yards on 57 plays. Quarterback Stephen Garcia bounced back from being benched two weeks ago to complete 17-of20 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half as the Gamecocks built a 21-9 lead. “I think we responded unbelievably to the questions that were asked of us, the questions that were asked of me,” Garcia said. “It was an unbelievable feeling. I’m not really sure how to describe the feeling, but it’s unbelievable.” Sophomore receiver Alshon Jeffery was at the end of most of Garcia’s passes. Jeffery had seven catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The Gamecock defense was as impressive. One week after allowing 334 rushing yards to Auburn and
one year after giving up 246 yards to Alabama tailback Mark Ingram, South Carolina held Ingram to 41 yards on 11 carries and Alabama to 36 yards while sacking quarterback Greg McElroy seven times. “Other than a couple little ol’ runs that had a little electricity to them, they never got the running game going,” assistant head coach for defense Ellis Johnson said. “I think we basically stopped the run, which I did not think we could do. There was a never a time as we managed the running game that we didn’t feel like we had control of it.” “We just had to play physical. They are a pretty simple offense,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “We knew what they were going to do. We just had to stop it. Auburn was more confusing. Alabama, they were really simple.” South Carolina led 21-9 at halftime but immediately gave Alabama life in the second half. The Gamecocks’ first play was a bad snap that resulted in a safety to bring Alabama within 21-11. Alabama closed the gap to seven points on its ensuing possession with Jeremy Shelley hit a 39-yard
field goal to make it 21-14. South Carolina responded with its biggest drive of the season, a 15play, 82-yard march that took 7:55 and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from Marcus Lattimore. That score gave the Gamecocks a 28-14 edge with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Alabama scored on a 51-yard touchdown pass from McElroy to Darius Hanks on the first play of the fourth quarter to close the gap to 28-21, and the Gamecocks gave Alabama life on their next drive when a ball bounced out of Jeffery’s hands and into the arms of Alabama safety Will Lowery. However, South Carolina stopped that Alabama drive when it stuffed a fake field goal attempt from its own 25-yard line. The Gamecocks tacked on another Lattimore touchdown from there. As time ran out and Gamecock players celebrated, McElroy found Garcia and said, “We’ll see y’all again,” meaning in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. “I thought that was a pretty nice compliment from him,” Garcia said.
No finger, no problem for Tech guard Nosal Virginia Tech offensive lineman Greg Nosal earned plenty of respect on Saturday against Central Michigan after he tore off part of his left pinky finger and continued playing. The redshirt junior from Virginia Beach had his finger smashed between two helmets, and it took several plays before he even noticed part of the finger was missing. After blood was running down his glove, Nosal noticed something was wrong and was taken into the locker room. Nosal was examined by Tech’s medical staff and given a shot of Novocain to numb his finger. After several minutes of trying to find his finger, they discovered it was still inside his glove. Nosal was given the choice to continue playing without the finger or have it re-attached. Naturally, he chose to keep playing and helped the Hokies cruise to a 45-21 victory. He will not need to miss any time because of the injury and will play in Saturday’s game against Wake Forest. Nosal has started every game this season at left guard, helping pave the way for the nation’s 24th-ranked rushing game. -michael bealey, sports editor