Friday, October 29, 2010 Print Edition

BENJAMIN CHOI / SPPS

Smooth sailing

BY MIKA MALONEY | features reporter

T

he wind whipped across choppy water as the boat clipped along the banks of the St. Mary’s Inlet, its sails full under the hot late-afternoon sun. In front of us the next marker danced half hidden by shifting waves as she hiked over the port side.

My stomach muscles screamed in protest as we skimmed through the blustery waves, our bodies parallel to the water in an attempt to balance out the heeling boat. In front of us, Georgetown University’s team tacked around the buoy, the skipper and crew ducking expertly under the swinging boom as the sail shifted gracefully to the leeward side.

I could hear the Christopher Newport University captain yell-

Friday, October 29, 2010

ing above the wind and clanging halyards for his crew to prepare to tack, as we carefully maneuvered to keep them from stealing our wind.

After tagging along to a regatta last spring, the Virginia Tech sailing team is imprinted in my mind. Based out of a school located more than 300 miles from the nearest beach, it could be expected for the team to have a less than optimal crew, unreliable boats and zero funding. But sailors are creating a name for themselves on Tech’s campus.

Tech is a part of the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Sailing Association and is often faced with a David and Goliath situation when see SAILING / page three

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COLLEGIATETIMES 107th year, issue 111

News, page 2

People & Clubs page 3

Tech student dies Thursday LIANA BAYNE associate news editor A Virginia Tech student is dead after an apparent suicide.

Kevin Lawall, a Tech freshman, committed suicide today at his home in Northern Virginia, according to multiple sources close to the LAWALL family.

Lawall and his older sister Jennifer Lawall, a senior at Tech, attended

news reporter Students on federal work study will see their grants reduced by 41 percent, effective immediately.

The announcement was made in an e-mail to students Oct. 22.

According to Barry Simmons, Virginia Tech’s director for university scholarships and financial aid, most work study students received $2,000 for the 2010-2011 academic year. With the reductions, they can receive only $1,180.

These students must now work with their supervisors on a case-bycase basis to develop a financial plan for the rest of the year.

Basically, these students are faced with two choices: They can reduce their hours and try to space out their remaining funds until May 2011,

Sports, page 4

Classifieds, page 8

Halloween, page 10

Moving forward

Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va. Kevin Lawall played baseball at Westfield. He was a pitcher.

Friends of Lawall were writing on his Facebook wall Thursday afternoon offering condolences.

“Rest in peace Kevin, praying for your family,” one wrote.

University administrators could not comment on the event.

Spokesperson Larry Hincker said Thursday evening that neither he nor the Dean of Students office had been made aware of Lawall’s death.

Federal work study funding slashed CLAIRE SANDERSON

Opinions, page 6

or they can continue working the hours they have been with the realization that their funding will end sooner than anticipated.

When FWS money does run out, students may be able to keep their jobs and switch from work study to regular payroll, but that depends on the department they work in and whether that department has enough funding to pay them.

“We have them work about 10 hours per week,” said John Phillips, a professor who employs several work study students in a biology lab in Derring Hall. “Even the current allotments before the reductions were not enough to make it through the whole year. If I don’t have the funds to give them a wage job after their grant runs out, they lose their job.”

GHISLAIN DELPORTE / SPPS

The team prepares for its game against University of Virginia last weekend. It pulled ahead in the final minutes, winning 14-10.

Club rugby team works hard to overcome last fall’s suspension because of a hazing incident GARRETT RIPA sports editor This fall marks the return of Virginia Tech’s men’s club rugby team after the team was suspended last year because of a hazing incident.

Last year, the club was split into two teams — Division 1 which competed nationally and a separate Division 3 squad that competed against Virginia colleges. The teams practiced separately.

At an Aug. 28, 2009, party involving 14 members of the Division 3 team, six new members were told to enter a closet and finish a 1.75 liter bottle of bourbon before being let out.

They were also involved in beer “chug-racing.”

Three of these freshmen received possession of alcohol tickets from a police officer when they returned to

campus and were required to attend a student conduct hearing.

This hearing led to the eventual suspension of the entire club on Oct. 19, 2009.

The suspension became a source of controversy since the Division 1 team, along with the majority of the Division 3 team, was not present at the party. Many did not even know about it.

“At the time, we didn’t think the entire club would be held responsible,” said Grant Furnary, former club president, in an interview last year.

“We thought individuals would be charged as individuals, but we didn’t think the entire club would be suspended for the entire year because nobody knew that the party was going on as far as leadership.”

Enter new head coach Andy Richards. Richards came to Tech a month before the suspension, as the

marketing department hired his wife for a faculty position. “(Richards) has been nothing but unbelievable for us,” said Cory McGillivray, club president. “I think he’s one of the main reasons our program has turned around.”

After eight years of head coaching experience, he just planned on being an assistant coach. However, following the hazing incident, head coach John Conrad voluntarily left for an opportunity at another school, and Richards took the position.

“With the head coach leaving, I was there to step up. They’re a good bunch of guys and they need leadership,” Richards said.

Richards said the university’s sanction against the club was completely appropriate.

“I don’t think it was an overreaction.

If you compare it to what the suspensions have been with fraternities and sororities recently, we were lucky to get away with one year,” Richards said.

“That’s the way I look at it now and that’s the way the players look at it.

It’s all water under the bridge and we don’t really want to talk about it now.”

After taking the head coaching position, Richards has worked to build the program’s reputation.

As the club works to rebuild its image, many changes reflect its new dedication to the sport and its goal to positively represent the university.

One of the first steps was the establishment of a code of conduct. The team’s website, www.virginiatechrugby.com, spells out conduct expectations and disciplinary actions that may result from a violation.

“We’ve got a good relationship now with the university judiciary system,” Richards said.

The team has also downsized to about 55 members in an effort to better manage them and keep only committed athletes.

“We had to make some cuts and get a smaller team. We used to have like 90 guys and that gets hard to manage,” see RUGBY / page four

see GRANT / page two

Tech’s green efforts recognized Students handle housing troubles MICHELLE SUTHERLAND

GORDON BLOCK

news staff writer

associate news editor Virginia Tech earned its highest marks yet on a recently released sustainability report card.

The 2011 report card, released Wednesday by the Sustainability Endowment Institute, had Tech receiving a B-plus grade for its efforts.

“The bottom line is this is has been a team effort since we started this,” said Denny Cochrane, Tech’s sustainability coordinator. “We’re starting to see the fruits of our labor.”

The B-plus grade is another improvement for Tech after receiving a B on the 2010 report card and a B-minus on the 2009 report card.

Tech scored well in several categories, receiving A-grades for the efforts of the administration, climate change and energy initiatives, green building, transportation and investment priorities.

“I can’t shower enough praise (on the administration) for embracing sustainability in general and really getting behind Virginia Tech supplying its own climate action plan that’s unique for the university,” Cochrane said. “You can’t put a price tag on having senior leadership behind it.”

Student involvement also received an A in the report card.

Tech fared well compared to fellow Virginia schools, ranking second behind Virginia Commonwealth University, which received an A-minus grade. Virginia Military Institute fared worst in the report card, receiving a D+ overall grade.

CAROLINE DOSS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Students are taking several approaches to deal with major housing safety problems with their landlords.

Kristina Anderson, a 2009 Virginia Tech graduate, faced numerous problems with her Roanoke Street house.

Although she moved from Blacksburg, Anderson has been pressing authorities to look into the safety of the house, which she said had no smoke detectors, jammed windows and mold, among other problems.

She decided to reach out and help other Tech students after learning how to deal with her current landlord.

“I thought of all these college kids in these places and they don’t know the resources that they can reach out to,” she said.

“They don’t know what is owed to them or what they can do about it.

The landlord is responsible for their property. They don’t know their rights necessarily.”

Blacksburg fire chief Keith Bolte owned the house Anderson leased. She said she was especially disconcerted by the lack of smoke detectors.

Bolte declined a request for an interview with the Collegiate Times.

Anderson is not the only student who has faced problems with her residence.

Margaret Hatcher had problems with the house she rented along Roanoke Street, including a skunk under the house and a rotten cellar door.

Hatcher said while the property manager put up a trap and fixed the rotting cellar door, it did not not stop

COURTESY KRISTINA ANDERSON

Poor ventilation in the house rented by Kristina Anderson led to the development of mold, which caused damage throughout the home. the skunk from spraying 10 times over the course of the winter, despite complaints and requests for exterminators.

“It was awful. It ruined our clothes, we’d have to wash everything, my dog ran into the skunk one night in the backyard and it sprayed him. That was six months ago and he still smells of skunk,” Hatcher said.

Students with problematic residences can turn to resources provided by Tech and the Town of Blacksburg.

If a tenant has repeatedly asked the landlord to make repairs, he or she may request a housing inspection. Greg Dudash, Blacksburg’s property maintenance official, inspects the house to see that things are safe. The exterior and

interior of the property are checked for general problems, such as broken doors, missing smoke detectors and faulty outlets, as well as more obscure things such as making sure a backflow preventer is installed to protect against water contamination.

If anything must be repaired or installed, the owner typically has 30 days to do so, or five days if it is deemed a life-threatening matter, such as replacing a smoke detector. Dudash then returns for a final inspection.

“I’ve never had anyone say, ‘No, we’re not going to fix that,’” Dudash said.

Blacksburg also regulates certain see HOME / page two

2 news

news editors: philipp kotlaba, liana bayne, gordon block newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

october 29, 2010

[

virginia headlines

COLLEGIATETIMES

Grant: Reductions vary by school ] from page one

Math concepts stressed in schools Mayfield Intermediate School 5th graders in Kathy Bacon’s class have been learning how to combine art, science, mathematics and spending.

They’ve been learning about architecture.

Bacon, along with Joanne Cook, created a program to help the students enhance their math concepts and learn to solve problems.

“What we’re very interested in is showing real-world applications of mathematic skills,” Bacon said.

“I want to see creativity in utilizing some of the math processes they learn in class.”

The teachers paired the students who randomly drew budgets ranging from $90,000 to $450,000.

They had to remain within their budgets while considering number of rooms, lot size and landscaping options as well as kitchen and bathroom upgrades in building prisons, coliseums, commercial buildings and houses.

Architect Elizabeth A. Hooper, of the John F Heltzel A1A Architecture Firm in Manassas, visited the class Thursday and gave the students some pointers on how to design buildings and get them built.

Hooper said she hopes students got some insight from her visit.

“I hope the kids learn a little bit more about what architecture is and whether or not it suits them,” she said.

Fifth-graders Derek Kiser, Samuel Hoffmann, Chris McCormick, Connor Withers and Diego Villatoro said they learned from the process.

“I learned how to build certain buildings and use what we had,” said 10-year-old Derek.

-keith walker, mcclatchy newspapers

CORRECTIONS JUSTIN GRAVES -Contact our public editor at publiceditor@ collegiatetimes.com if you see anything that needs to be corrected.

FWS is a federal program which provides grants for postsecondary education that students can earn through part-time employment, either on or off campus. Once students qualify for the program by demonstrating financial need, it is their responsibility to find and apply for a position in order to receive the FWS money.

Often students are able to get jobs through programs relating to their majors, which can provide valuable work experience and contacts.

“With the economy there’s more students qualifying for work study, so it’s a smaller pot of money divided between more students,” Phillips said.

Simmons said students’ work study wages are paid 75 percent from federal funds and 25 percent from institutional funds, and that these cutbacks are purely reductions in that federal money.

“It puts a lot of stress and strain on

the students. It was already way too little money before all the cutbacks,” Phillips said. “There are a lot of students I have who are just barely paying their way through — I wonder if we won’t see more students dropping out.”

Simmons said the reductions are the result of a “perfect storm” of factors.

“There are three things going on here,” Simmons said. “We have less federal loan money this year, more students are working and more college departments are using work study students.”

According to Simmons, Tech received $1,329,612 in FWS funds last year. This year, the school received only $1,093,000.

He said the university did anticipate the reduced federal money this year — and reduced the number of grants from 5,543 last year to 4,748 this year — but it did not anticipate the increase in students working and the increased usage by the colleges.

“We did meet with the work study supervisors in September — there’s about 60 or 70 of them here at Tech — and we informed them that it would be tighter this year, but we did not know to this extent,” Simmons said.

Though fewer students qualified this year, 150 more students actually found a job and were able to receive a grant this year.

University spokesman Larry Hincker said the students who rely on work study money may be able to find other sources of funding.

“If the student gets less in the form of work study money, then they might be eligible for more financial aid or increased loans,” Hincker said.

But for now, students will have to develop a plan for the rest of the year involving less funding.

“It will be up to each department, but I have to suspect the amount of hours the student works will be cut back,” Hincker said.

And with limits on the hours stu-

dents can work, Phillips said the university could see other problems as well.

“Our research is partially dependent on these grants, and it affects the productivity of the university when these grants are cut back.”

All other public schools in Virginia received less in FWS money, but Simmons said those reductions vary by school.

“All schools have less money this year, but I have not seen the increase in volume of students at other schools that we’ve had,” Simmons said.

The allotments each school receives are derived from a formula based on the socioeconomic makeup of the school.

“Each school’s allotment is different,” Simmons said. “The more affluent the student body, the less money the school is allotted.”

Simmons said Tech is between the 70th and 80th percentile for FWS money allotted in the state.

Home: Inspections rotated by year from page one

areas that are mostly rental houses.

There are four zones near campus.

One zone is inspected per year, over a four year cycle.

Houses are inspected in accordance with state guidelines. The property Anderson rented is now up to par. It was inspected again because of her concern for the current tenants’ safety.

“I don’t what it was she saw when she lived there two years ago,” Dudash said. “When I went and inspected it

[again last week], everything but [a] few exterior items had been fixed and they were working.”

Despite its potential health problem, there is nothing in the code about mold. Dudash said it is a problem tenants must take up with their landlord.

Unfortunately, not all landlord-tenant problems can be resolved with a simple inspection.

Tech students who have paid their activity fee have access to counsel with Student Legal Services.

Diane Miller, the attorney with SLS,

has already helped more than 300 students since August.

“If you are a good neighbor and treat your landlord with respect, you will probably not have many problems,” she said. “But, in the real world, that isn’t always the case.”

Miller has several tips to help students maintain healthy relationships with their landlords, such as knowing the terms of their lease, keeping correspondence with their landlord in writing and understanding the process for making repairs in their residences.

If the conflict persists, all future contact should be in writing.

“If there is still a problem,” Miller said, “they should probably come and see me.”

Hatcher stressed renters to have a proactive outlook to dealing with housing problems.

“I love Blacksburg, it’s just hard when you’re a student. People can take advantage of you,” Hatcher said. “It’s important to be proactive and responsible, hold your landlord accountable, and be aware.”

[

nation & world headlines

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Guatemalan park safety questioned SAN BENITO, Guatemala — In the once-inspiring stretches of rainforest and wetlands of the Laguna del Tigre National Park, unarmed park rangers fear to tread.

It isn’t the presence of jaguars and crocodiles but the invasion of drug traffickers and slashand-burn squatters that rangers fear.

“They see us as the enemy,” said Edin Orlando Lopez Tejada, the technical director of the Guatemala National Park Service’s branch in the northern Peten region. “Our people only patrol with the army and the police.”

The 1,120-square-mile Laguna del Tigre park now is a refuge more for outlaws than for wildlife. Here, Guatemalan migrants in league with Mexican drug traffickers have carved out ranches with jungle airstrips.

“It’s much more ‘wild’ outside the park than inside,” Lopez Tejada said.

In theory, some of Guatemala’s strictest laws protect Laguna del Tigre. In fact, the park, which abuts the Mexican state of Tabasco, serves as a corridor for cocaine smugglers.

The human population in the park has doubled to about 35,000 scattered around some three dozen hamlets, Lopez Tejada said.

The park service has had more luck turning back invaders who are outside the park but still within the surrounding Maya Biosphere Reserve, also a protected area.

“This year alone, 109,000 hectares” — 420 square miles — “of the Maya biosphere were recuperated from the hands of well-armed and organized gangs,” Roan Balas McNab, the Guatemala country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society, said in an e-mail. In some cases, drug gangs were “using needy communities that recently arrived to the reserve as cover, and as cheap labor.”

-tim johnson, mcclatchy newspapers

people & clubs

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

he she

october 29, 2010

SAID

3

He said: The best college Halloween She said: What happened to dressing up costumes can be creative, not costly as your favorite innocent TV character? hen I turned 20 earlier this month, I almost had a heart W attack. Yes, I am one year closer to 21, but I keep stepping further beyond a path I refuse to let go of — childhood.

I may sound dramatic, but I grew up in the ‘90s. How could anyone want to forget the decade of boy bands and flannel shirts?

Our generation was lucky enough be a part of an event that reached its prime in the ‘90s — Nickelodeon.

My life would not have been the same without it.

I thought I was Tommy Pickles.

Shows like “All That,” “Doug” and “Rugrats” changed my life forever. I even cried when my parents refused to name my dog Porkchop.

And who knew I could love a guy with a football-shaped head when new shows like “Hey Arnold” came around?

And when it came to Halloween, I wasn’t watching “Jersey Shore” or any other reality television show.

That wasn’t even an option back then — we didn’t need reality television when we had Nickelodeon.

Instead, I was racing around the neighborhood collecting candy as fast as I could in order to make it back for “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”

When the Disney Channel’s popularity grew, our Nickelodeon shows began to disappear, along with our taste in Halloween costumes.

I began my first Halloween adventures as a devil, and it was classic.

My second year followed suit; I was a tiger.

As I grew up, I joined the female trend and dressed as a princess, Dorothy and even one of the Pink Ladies from “Grease.” Halloween was about dressing up as your role model. Boys were superheroes and girls were princesses. Life was perfect.

My sister and I would plan our costumes months in advance and always change them last minute. On the night of Halloween, my mom made us put on undershirts and stockings to prepare for the cold weather.

That never bothered me though — Halloween wasn’t about showing skin back then.

When high school approached, everything changed. I quickly learned Halloween was a completely different holiday.

It wasn’t about watching Halloween-themed Nickelodeon cartoons, “Hocus Pocus,” or running around your neighborhood and collecting as much candy as possible.

From then on, I would never spend the end of Halloween night trading candy with my sister and talking about all of the great costumes we saw.

It was time to get serious.

All of the freshman girls had to plan accordingly and dress to impress for the first time. Instead of being a Disney princess, I dressed as a convict in a short, striped dress with a ball and chain.

From there on out, sexual appeal only became more important.

Sophomore year I repeated my devil costume, only this time I wasn’t in a full body suit.

Halloween is a night for us girls to dress slutty and not be judged — no long underwear these days.

Prepare to see half-naked female sailors, firefighters and cops in heels this weekend.

And I’m sure Snooki will make a special appearance.

It’s the status quo, and we never cease to forget it.

Personally, I still haven’t come up with a costume idea yet. Last year, I spent a ridiculous amount of money because I wanted to have a great costume for my first Halloween at Tech.

Karma was pretty sweet when I didn’t get to wear my Alice in Wonderland costume because I was quarantined to Slusher Tower with the swine flu.

This year I plan to take a different approach. I would most likely concern adults if I tried to trick-or-treat with their children in Blacksburg neighborhoods this Sunday, and I would be lying if I said I was going to dress as a

princess.

But this year I refuse to spend as much money as I have in the past.

Costume prices have skyrocketed since we were kids. It’s criminal how pricey costumes are for both adults and children. These costumes are worn for one night of the year, and I’m tired of spending $40 dollars or more.

Halloween is a time to relive the glory days. It’s definitely not a time to kill my college student bank account, which is already depressingly low. It’s time for me to get creative and go to Goodwill, so I can still look the part and honor this great holiday.

Although our childhood has come to a close, take advantage of Halloween as a way to celebrate what once was.

CHELSEA GUNTER -features staff writer -sophomore -communication major

at your hearts out Columbus Day and Black Friday — Halloween is E easily America’s most absurd holiday.

Does it serve any purpose besides fulfilling our national desire for scantily clad women and gluttonous amounts of food?

Of course not. Halloween is a pointless, albeit awesome, holiday purportedly dealing with the roaming souls of the deceased. But it’s really just about indulging our most American whims.

It also happens to be the ultimate populist celebration, one of the last true even playing fields in a “greed is good” culture. Creativity, not money, is the most important currency on Halloween night.

Dropping Benjamins on a fancy costume will never garner you as much attention as the most imaginative homemade creations. That professionally-made Batman suit may be slick, but it’s the guy dressed like Antoine Dodson who will be in all the girls’ pictures.

I’ve waged my own personal war against the Halloween costume industry since elementary school.

Assembly line costumes take the imagination out of a holiday that

frankly has few other redeeming qualities.

My mom’s rad Mutant Ninja Turtle get-up inspired this bias toward homemade creations. Disgust at seemingly cloned classmates did the rest; even an undiscriminating eight-year-old who thought “Batman and Robin” was a masterpiece found those “Scream” masks annoying and overdone.

I enjoyed the challenge of making (or having my parents make) a costume out of clothes and props around the house. It fed into my bursting adolescent creativity and similarly substantial desire for attention.

Highlights of my early years include Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker and, in one regrettable night of non-stop explaining, obscure computer game hero Commander Keen.

Apparently the series was not popular with the mothers in my neighborhood. Who knew?

The best part about making costumes was showcasing them to peers at school events. My greatest “fall festival” (as mandated by the state of Nebraska) moment was triumphantly parading through the school dressed as an ATM machine.

Imagine a lanky kid in glasses trudging around in a box with painted screen, fake buttons and slot in the bottom with an attached bag to collect candy. Actually, you know what? Don’t imagine that at all. Just know it was as gloriously awkward as it sounds.

While building my masterpiece, I assumed it would lead to school-wide adulation and popularity. For some mysterious reason, this did not happen.

Maybe if I’d waited 10 years, the ATM would have been more warmly received. Halloween costumes are a peculiar phenomenon: Childhood popularity leads into teenage dormancy, only to see a spirited revival in the college years.

It’s not hard to see why ever-thirsty college students embrace Halloween.

A population that can turn C-Span into entertainment with its quest for drinking activities found the holiday a natural fit for its desire to throw elaborate parties and see each other naked.

A weekend full of memory-debilitating punch and excessive cleavage?

It’s hard to believe this holiday was ever designed with kids in mind.

My favorite part of Halloween’s resurgence in the college years is the increased emphasis on creative cos-

tume design. No longer is the construction of extravagant costumes strictly the domain of the nerdy or socially underdeveloped. Here, in our reality bubble known as college life, effort is appreciated and curiously may even have aphrodisiacal effects on females.

My freshman year, I timidly wore a half-baked Hulk outfit, afraid of appearing to have gone overboard.

Unaware of that word’s absence in college vocabulary, I was blown away by the array of creative and ostentatious costumes.

From the bro kings of Entourage to literally any kind of alcoholic beverage, it seemed as if everyone was trying to outdo their friends with impeccably designed costumes. The scene was a wonderland of flaunted wit and unimpeded imagination; this, I knew, was my karmic reward for years of unappreciated effort.

It’s impossible to deny how awesome trick-or-treating was as a kid; those giant sacks full of candy were the gift that kept on giving until relatives restocked the supply at Thanksgiving.

Still, I’m tempted to argue Halloween, like fine wine, actually gets better with age. Alcohol is a more-than-adequate substitute for candy, and the costumes have increased in both creativity and skin on display.

So this year, go nuts with your outfit; let your freak flag fly. Aiming to show up to the party in the most original ensemble is half of the fun of the night.

It’s not too late to make your mark, either; everyone going as Snooki still has time to reverse course before encountering a sea of doppelgangers roaming around Blacksburg. I didn’t put together my Patrick Swayze in “Point Break” costume until crunch time last year. With an active imagination and means of getting to WalMart, anything is possible on short notice.

As for my costume this year? I’m not ready to share that yet, but I can tell you one thing: It won’t be Commander Keen.

ANDREW REILLY -features staff writer -junior -communication major

Sailing: Team skims Tech’s waters for more funding from page one

competing against other teams.

“We usually compete with any school on the coast. Most of the schools actually have sailing as a varsity sport, such as (Old Dominion University), St. Mary’s and Navy.

They’re all nationally-ranked teams, and we’re competing against them ... (while) we don’t even have a coach and all the other teams do,” said Alex Vann, racing captain and senior computer science major.

Since its founding eight years ago, the team has remained an official organization on campus after several failed attempts to gain club status.

Team members want to change their status, Vann explained, in hopes the university will help pay for uniforms, hotels, food, gas or an entire host of other expenses the team accrues during a regatta.

“We’ve tried to apply for it before and keep getting turned down,” Vann said. “If we could get club sport status, we’d be golden.

“In the past it’s been hard for us to get money.”

The team travels to approximate-

“

I mean, can you imagine the football team asking to sleep at the other team’s house?

ALEX VANN RACING CAPTAIN

ly 10 regattas each year, although the exact number varies depending on how many it qualifies for.

According to commodore and senior ocean engineering major Tricia Middleton, for a typical regatta, the team leaves on a Friday afternoon after classes, drives five to six hours to the host school and settles for the night with someone’s family or at the host team’s apartments.

They sail all day Saturday, socialize that evening and sail again Sunday morning.

The team usually sails eight races during a regatta, alternating between two different sets of skipper and crew.

“I really like the other teams. I’m friends with alot of the kids from (University of Virginia), (Christopher

Newport), Maryland and Salisbury.

There’s always a good group of people,” Vann said. “What’s nice about sailing competitions is that they’re really friendly. There’s not really rivalries like football. I mean, can you imagine the football team asking to sleep at the other team’s house?”

Trip Ivey, the team’s cruising captain and a senior industrial design major, has been involved with the organization almost since its founding and is responsible for the organization’s non-competitive events.

“I organize lake days and barbecues — (to) make sure people are having fun,” Ivey said of the team’s numerous excursions to nearby Claytor Lake.

“Theres nothing like being on the lake on a windy day with the wind blowing hard, our boats out and people having fun. There’s not as much pressure as going to regattas.”

Although it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the Tech sailing team — it has struggled to find funding, hold organized practices and maintain a group committed to make long weekend excursions — the team knows how to keep an upbeat attiBENJAMIN CHOI / SPPS tude no matter how fair or foul the weather.

Tech sailing team recruits Lindsay Day and Eileen Stevens practice new techniques on Claytor Lake.

Tech Home-Brewing Club creates unique flavored brews from scratch MATTHEW BORYSEWICZ features reporter Sick and tired of hitting up the nearest 7-Eleven for a case of Natty or PBR? Considering creating and tasting finer homemadebrews?Thenconsiderlooking into Virginia Tech’s Home-Brewing Club.

Ben Baggett, an electrical engineering graduate student, is currently the president of the Home-Brewing Club and helped revive the organization this year. He decided to restart the club because he was looking for fellow brewers to share experience and equipment.

The club meets every other Monday at Baggett’s apartment in Foxridge.

Club members swap recipes, discuss techniques and lend out equipment to each other, making it the perfect forum for new or inexperienced brewers.

“Any hobby is much more enjoyable when you surround yourself

with people who enjoy it,” Baggett said.

The club isn’t dedicated solely to beer, but it is its main focus.

“We’re open to wine, cider — anything that ferments,” Baggett said.

Philanthropy Chair William Chesak, a senior international studies major, said the club is searching for new members and home-brewing rewards.

“It’s easier to show someone how to brew than to teach yourself,” Chesak said. “Brewing can be simple to explain but hard to actually do. You can put as much effort as you want into it. You can make a simple extract beer that will ferment fast, or you can use a three-tier system that you will keg later.”

Brewing’s complex system makes it an art, as well as science, according to Baggett.

“You can produce some really off flavors just because you were five degrees off at some point,” he said.

Members get involved with brewing for a variety of reasons, but the main catalyst is always similar: a love of good beer.

Courtney Rockafellow, a senior environmental science major and new brewer, has always been surrounded by beer.

“My dad is president of the James River Brewing Club,” she said. “I had brewed with him, and I love to try new beers, so I just made the transition when I turned 21.”

Cost can also be a factor for people who decide to home-brew.

“I went to buy some Bell’s Two Hearted ale, and it was $12 for a sixpack. It’s much cheaper to just make your own version,” Rockafellow said.

The club interacts with other homebrewers in the area.

Brew Do, a local brewing festival held at First & Main, is this weekend, and the club has big plans for the event. Several members submitted beers to be judged, and the club

will have a tent set up at the event to support its charity of choice: Pints for Prostates.

“We wanted to do something beneficial for the community,” Chesak said.

Pints for Prostates is an organization promoting prostate health education. Prostate cancer is the number one non-skin cancer in men in the United States. The charity promotes events at many breweries and brewing festivals, seeking to educate men through the common language of beer.

The club will also be selling T-shirts and hats at Brew Do to support Pints for Prostates.

The club travels to other events as well. It will be attending the Sinkland Farms Up In Smoke Chili Cook-Off and Wine & Beer Tasting Festival on Nov. 6.

The club’s next meeting will be held Nov. 13 at 5400B Heather Dr. in PAUL KURLAK / SPPS Foxridge. For more information, email the president at bbaggett@vt.edu. Ben Baggett (left) and William Chesak (right) sip on home-brewed beer.

sports 4

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

october 29,2010

Rugby: New coach restructures program

from page one

said Andrew Harasz, senior co-captain.

“I would say for guys getting recruited we cover the basics a little more.”

There are no longer Division 1 and Division 3 teams that practice separately. Everyone practices together, with team distinctions of varsity, reserve and junior varsity in place for competitions.

Rugby also distanced itself from members involved in the hazing.

“We asked a kid or two not to return to the program because of their involvement with the issue,” McGillivray said.

He said most of the new players to the program stuck with it and are on the team now.

Richards thought the hazing incident would have had an adverse effect on high school recruiting, but he said that wasn’t the case.

“I thought it would hurt us this year in recruiting guys who come from high school rugby programs that think we’re a bunch of idiots who haze and get drunk,” Richards said.

“But it hasn’t hurt us in any way because we are getting the word out.

We have a good website and I know the coaches from the high school teams. It is convincing them that Virginia Tech is a good place to play rugby and go to school.”

The team as a whole now promotes an atmosphere that requires similar dedication to a traditional varsity sport.

“They consider themselves student athletes. They workout five-to-six times a week,” Richards said.

Harasz said the team is working to change the perception of rugby.

“Rugby gets interpreted as a party sport but we are not a party team. We are here to win and be competitive.

I think the guys who come out with those (party) ideas in their heads are the ones we don’t want,” Harasz said.

“We are looking for more seriously committed athletes.”

A typical weekly routine includes two days of running, individual gym sessions, two practices and oftentimes a match. Now, the team is returning to that routine.

“Everyone just missed playing. There wasn’t anything to do,” Harasz said regarding last year. “We are just getting back into gear really. Seeing who our players are and getting in shape. Setting the foundation for what we want to do next semester which is win our conference and see how far we can go in the national playoffs.”

The team has competitive fall and spring seasons, with conference and national championships coming in the spring.

The varsity team is currently 32 on the fall, with losses to Bowling Green State University and Life University, two of the top teams in the country.

It is in a new league, the Atlantic Coast Rugby League, where it will be representing Tech against rival ACC schools.

Varsity is coming off a 14-10 win over the University of Virginia and will face Tennessee at home on Saturday.

“We are playing an extremely competitive fall schedule in preparation for the spring,” McGillivray said.

MAZIAR FAHANDEZH / SPPS

Players go up for the ball during a Sept. 19 contest against James Madison. Virginia Tech won 64-33 and the team now stands at 3-2 on the season. The Hokies host Tennessee this coming Saturday.

october 29, 2010

page 5

Sharing the spotlight during Missouri’s rise TOM TIMMERMANN mcclatchy newspapers COLUMBIA, Mo. — Before the Missouri-Oklahoma game Saturday, Mizzou receiver and kick returner Gahn McGaffie stared out his window at the team hotel and visualized returning a kickoff for a touchdown. So you would think when he did, he would be prepared.

McGaffie was one of the up backs on the opening kickoff, and when the ball didn’t go as far as deep back Marcus Murphy, McGaffie fielded the ball on a bounce and decided, since it was the first play of the game, he had to do something with it. He headed upfield to his left, passed untouched through a sea of bodies at midfield, outran Oklahoma’s kicker, who nicked his heel, and made it into the end zone.

“When that happened,” he said, “it was a shocker.”

McGaffie had gone 86 yards for a touchdown, the first Mizzou player to return the opening kickoff of a game for a touchdown in 43 years. He gave Missouri a 7-0 lead over Oklahoma, the top team in the BCS standings, and sent the Tigers on their way to a 36-27 win that blasted Mizzou up to No. 7 in the AP poll, No. 6 in the BCS standings.

He also became the latest unlikely hero on a most unlikely top 10 team.

Missouri wasn’t in the top 25 at the start of the season and had just two players — defensive end Aldon Smith and center Tim Barnes — on the preseason All-Big 12 team, but now

weeks, other members of the receiving corps, Wes Kemp and Jerrell Jackson, have had breakout games. Jackson’s nine catches against Oklahoma were a career high and came after he had 18 catches in the first five games.

On a team that lacks a marquee player like Sean Weatherspoon or Jeremy Maclin, the big names on the past two Mizzou squads, this season the spotlight seems to be finding everyone.

“We don’t have a superstar, we have a lot of good football players who peak their game,” Moe said. “Last week, it was JJ. Before that it was Egnew or Wes. We rotate a lot of guys in there, but when you have a lot of playmakers, it’s hard to defend.”

“We’ve got playmakers all around the team,” said Smith, “and a playmaker steps up every game. We’ve got a lot of talent, and it gets exposure in every game.”

“Playmaker” seems to be the watchword; in fact, Gooden, who shares the team lead in tackles, was wearing a T-shirt with that word on it Monday. It’s very possible that the lack of star power has made this all-handson-deck success possible. Where last year the defense may have counted on Weatherspoon to make a big play in a key situation, now it’s going to have to be someone else. And the expansion of the offense has shown there’s no obvious choice like Maclin of where the ball will be going on a key play, which has to be frustrating to opposing defenses.

“We don’t have Weatherspoon or Danario (Alexander),” linebacker Will Ebner said. “It’s almost like it’s up for

they’re a major player in the national picture.

Every week, someone new on the Tigers’ roster seems to step to center stage. Who thought Brad Madison would be playing a key role in the defense, or Henry Josey in the running game? Linebacker Zaviar Gooden is so well known that in one recent TV broadcast, the play-by-play announcer kept calling him Zaviar Gordon. On Saturday, his diving interception set up a fourth-quarter field goal for the Tigers.

Coach Gary Pinkel said after the Texas A&M game that his is a team without superstars, but the talent on the team may be as deep as Mizzou has seen. When Smith, who along with quarterback Blaine Gabbert is the closest thing the team has to a superstar, broke a bone in his leg, Madison stepped in and Missouri’s defense went right on rolling. When running back Derrick Washington was kicked off the team at the start of the season, it was feared the running game, already a question mark, would suffer. It hasn’t, as De’Vion Moore, Kendial Lawrence and Josey have taken turns getting key yards, especially against Oklahoma, as the team showed a new willingness to run straight ahead.

And that’s just lately. Some of the players who are now accepted as stars of the team and major contributors, such as receiver T.J. Moe and tight end Michael Egnew, who are both in the top 10 in the nation in receptions per game, were little known at the start of the season. In the past two

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grabs. Everyone’s trying to be that person to help the team. We have a bunch of guys that people knew about but didn’t really know about.”

Within Mizzou’s defense, they talk about the concept of the fist, that while individual fingers may not be strong, when grasped together, they’re hard to break apart. Ebner points to another image put forward by defensive coordinator Dave Steckel. “If you light one coal, it will burn a little,” Ebner said. “If you put a bunch together, it will start a fire.”

This year’s team seems to be, at the moment, a well-kindled blaze that could really take off if the Tigers knock off No. 14 Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln. It’s also a complete team, something Mizzou has lacked in the past. The Tigers’ offense has carried it the past several seasons, but this year’s defense, which is fifth in the nation in fewest points allowed, has made its mark, and its kicking game, with punter Matt Grabner and field goal kicker Grant Ressel, is doing a good job, too.

Pinkel thinks his team is competitive and close. And he thinks they’re getting better.

“These types of teams are fun to coach,” he said.

There’s been a lot to like.

MCT CAMPUS

Missouri kick returner Gahn McGaffie celebrates after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Oklahoma last weekend.

6 opınıons

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

october 29, 2010

Poor ballot options embody problems of district, nation is election time in the United States. The single day of the year It when the masses take 30 minutes to “vote the bums out.”

A new party will gain control then proceed to flush the decaying American republic further down the commode.

Two to four years from now, a poorer, less free America will head to the polls to vote the bums out once again.

So long as Americans elect politicians who disrespect the Constitution, the ruination of our society will continue unabated. Because of a lack of respect for the rule of law and the Constitution, the Republicans and Democrats have brought this country to the brink of destruction.

These two parties share equal responsibility for the depressed state of our nation. Both parties inflated the housing bubble, bailed out Wall Street bankers, widened the deficit and increased the national debt. In the name of “fighting terrorism,” both parties enacted legislation that violates the rights of every American citizen.

The continuation of the status quo will only push the nation closer to tyranny. Americans need to elect revo-

lutionary candidates who embrace both economic and civil liberties — leaders who understand the principles and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. Unfortunately, residents of the 9th District are presented with no real choice. Voters have to either sit this one out or vote for the lesser of two evils.

At his Aug. 18, 2009, town meeting, I asked Democratic congressmen Rick Boucher what language in the Constitution gives the federal government the authority to meddle in health care. Boucher was unable to point to an article or clause that enumerates this power. In front of 1,200 constituents, Boucher stated the Constitution must grant the feds authority, because Medicaid and Medicare were “put in place and withstood whatever legal challenges were raised.”

During an Oct. 5 Floyd County Tea Party Q & A, Republican Morgan Griffith was asked which section of the Constitution gives the feds the power to run the Department of Education or buy mortgages via Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Griffith responded, “I can’t tell you which one it is.” Griffith

knows the feds have no authority to interfere with education and real estate, yet he “is not ready” to abolish the Department of Education, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. These responses show a lack of respect for the Constitution. Boucher assumes if the federal government is already involved, it must be constitutional. Griffith, on the other hand, does not have the courage to end federal programs that violate the Constitution.

If anything can be learned from the current economic crisis it is that the Keynesian policies of borrowing, printing and spending have failed. Neither candidate understands this basic principle: You can’t borrow, print and spend your way out of a hole dug by borrowing, printing and spending. Neither candidate realizes it was not the free market that got us into this mess, but regulation and central planning from the Federal Reserve and the federal government.

Sure, Griffith constantly assures voters he would shrink government. But during an August Tea Party rally in Chilhowie, he was asked for specifics.

After pondering the question, Griffith

Boucher’s cap-and-trade support shows pragmatism irginia Tech heats its buildings with an obsolete and harmful V power source that is slowly poisoning our planet.

The unsightly coal stack at the edge of campus does more than ruin our skyline. It has the twin effects of keeping our rooms warm in the winter and pumping carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. It is clearly a complicated issue with no easy solution, but as long as Tech continues to use a coal-fired plant, we are part of the problem rather than part of the solution, as we contribute to climate change, mountaintop removal mining and all the devastating impacts of coal power.

Rick Boucher, the congressman from Virginia’s 9th District, takes a view on energy as nuanced as the complex issue requires.

Boucher realizes his district depends on the coal industry for a large number of jobs, but he is also forward-thinking enough to recognize the threat of climate change and the impending obsolescence of fossil fuels. Perhaps most importantly, Boucher realized if Congress had done nothing, regulations would be likely to happen anyway in a way that is much more burdensome to Southwest Virginia than any cap-and-trade bill would be.

The Supreme Court has ruled carbon dioxide is a threat to human health and the Environmental Protection Agency legally must regulate its emissions. The only way to get around that is to have Congress pass regulation trumping the EPA, in which case there would be no obligation for the EPA to act.

With that in mind, energy companies and the coal industry actually went to congressmen such as Boucher and

requested they pass climate change legislation, because it would be less harmful to them than any ham-handed, bureaucratic rules made by the EPA. Environmentalists also support congressional action over regulation by the EPA, since Congress has broader rulemaking authority; it has the ability to direct legislation in ways that will have the best long-term impact on reducing pollution while not harming the economy. Boucher listened to the requests from both sides and decided support for the American Clean Energy and Security Act was best for the district.

While working in committee on the bill, Boucher took a number of actions that angered environmentalists and excited business people, specifically softening the bill’s stance on emissions targets and increasing subsidies for clean coal technology. However, environmentalists need to remember his support and the support of the moderate coalition he led was essential to passage of the bill through the House of Representatives.

Most honest brokers on both sides of the issue will admit Boucher made the climate legislation much friendlier to the coal industry, but he also allowed it to pass in the House. Assuming the Senate takes some action on the issue in the next year or two (not at all a safe assumption to make), then Boucher’s actions will have allowed for a comprehensive energy strategy rather than the piecemeal and ill-directed regulation likely to come from the EPA. When Tech is considered, the ACES bill will have direct and indirect effects.

First, in honesty, coal prices are likely to go up as a result. There is no reason, however, to think the increase will be

significant or devastating and there is no way to determine how the change would differ from EPA regulation.

As such, Tech’s energy prices would increase marginally and it is up to voters to determine whether the benefits are worth that change.

The bill also includes subsidies for research in renewable energy and clean coal technology. Tech is a research institution and would likely get a portion of those research funds, especially with a congressman as influential as Boucher representing the district.

The point of this examination is to show that when Morgan Griffith, Boucher’s Republican challenger in Tuesday’s election, says he is opposed to cap-and-trade legislation, he is implicitly saying much more. He is saying he is OK with the EPA regulating carbon.

He is saying comprehensive legislation is a worse idea than bureaucratic regulation. He is saying a modest increase in energy prices are a bigger problem to his district than foregoing federal funds, and he is saying he is content to kick the pressing generational issue of climate change down the road.

Because the bill still awaits Senate approval, the specifics of the legislation may become moot, as Senate progress is unlikely. However, the candidates’ attitudes toward the issue foretell how they will react to environmental policy, making it necessary to see where the candidates stand. On this issue, Rick Boucher stands with me.

DANNY METCALF -regular columnist -sophomore -political science

said we could shrink the Environmental Protection Agency and repeal the Obama health care bill and other bills created over the past couple of years.

Might as well forget about shrinking the government or the national debt.

Griffith’s plan would shrink government no better than a diet of McDonald’s would help you lose weight. Repealing health care and a few recent bills is akin to replacing your fries with chicken nuggets. This nation is in serious trouble. The federal government spends $1.60 for every $1 we send it in taxes.

We need serious cuts in spending.

Just as a person trying to lose weight stops eating fast food, shrinking debt means abolishing entire departments.

Across the nation, conservative candidates are calling for the abolishment of the Department of Education, Department of Energy, the Federal Reserve and scores of costly programs.

Griffith would join this chorus if he too were serious about shrinking government.

Of course, it is evident what Boucher would do to shrink government and the national debt: nothing.

In fact, he would do quite the opposite. A simple examination of Boucher’s record testifies to this.

Boucher supported President George W. Bush’s banker bailout, which gave more than $700 billion to Wall Street.

Boucher voted for the “Cash-forClunkers” program, which enabled the feds to buy perfectly good cars and destroy them. Boucher voted for Obama’s wasteful $800 billion stimulus plan. Boucher even stated he voted against the health care bill because it “dramatically cut Medicare funding.”

Apparently Obama-care doesn’t spend enough for Boucher’s liking.

If you want to lose weight, you don’t substitute McDonald’s for buckets of lard found at the all-you-can-eat restaurant adjacent to the local Wal-Mart.

With big spenders like Boucher in office for decades on end, it is no wonder we have a bloated federal government on the verge of cardiac arrest.

This country faces serious challenges in the years ahead. Because of borrowing and spending, we teeter on the edge of depression. What we need are serious cuts in spending. Boucher and Griffith do not propose the drastic cuts

we need.

For many years Washington has trampled on both our economic and civil liberties. What we need are leaders who protect both — statesmen who respect and honor the Constitution.

Neither candidate fits this mold.

Republican Morgan Griffith and Democrat Rick Boucher are two sides of the same coin. Both candidates are career politicians who, though they may disagree to which degree, believe the federal government should run American lives. Voting for either candidate is a vote for the status quo.

If you want any semblance of change, then at least vote for the independent candidate Jeremiah Heaton. As for my family and I, we will no longer vote for the lesser of evils: We are sitting this one out.

CHRIS DUNN -regular columnist -senior -political science

Boucher’s party loyalty damages coal industry In

his first debate against Republican Morgan Griffith, Democratic congressman Rick Boucher justified his support for the Bush tax cuts by saying the last thing the government should do when economic recovery is a priority is raise taxes.

However, the 28-year incumbent seems perfectly content with burdening businesses by creating a new complex emissions trading system in the middle of an economic recession.

The cap-and-trade policy has passed the House of Representatives in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, and is still awaiting a vote in the Senate. It’s approximately 1,400 pages long.

The coal industry provides a large number of jobs in the 9th District, but energy rates everywhere would “necessarily skyrocket” in President Barack Obama’s own words. Everyone would be affected by this policy. Virginia Tech would be exceptionally susceptible to any changes in the coal industry, as it gets some of its energy from a coal-fired plant on campus.

So what possible explanation could Boucher give for implementing a complex energy policy that would threaten the jobs of some of his core constituents? He claims the bill was inevitable and he is preserving coal jobs by adding coal-friendly provisions. He claims he is “taking on his own party” and supporting a bill he didn’t like only to make it less damaging to the coal industry.

However, his party didn’t seem too upset with him. A White House

spokesman made an unsolicited call to the Roanoke Times to set up an interview with a cabinet member, who then praised Boucher’s work on the bill. One would think if you stand up to your party, it wouldn’t insist on commending you afterward.

Additionally, Boucher is considered an influential moderate Democrat. If he was against any further regulations on the coal industry, why didn’t he sway other moderates to vote “no” on a bad bill? Instead, he led them to vote for a few provisions that make the bill less damaging. Even other Democrats who represent coal territories, such as congressman Nick Rehall and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, did not support the cap-and-trade bill.

If Boucher was against cap-andtrade, he could have potentially rounded up support to end it. The bill only passed by three votes.

Even some of the provisions Boucher fought for were subpar.

Boucher’s ideas for curbing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency are valid — economic regulation regarding greenhouse gases should not be left up to bureaucrats.

While he and other members of Congress have taken action against the EPA, they’ve only amended its methods.

Griffith, Boucher’s opponent, has pledged to co-sponsor a bill with Tennessee congresswoman Marsha Blackburn preventing the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide.

While Boucher claims to oppose the EPA, it is Griffith who is supporting bills that take power away from

the bureaucracy and place it within Congress where it belongs.

So why doesn’t Boucher support this bill? His excuse is Obama would veto it. Evidently the congressman will “fight his party” by compromising on provisions, but he wouldn’t dare vote for a bill the president would disapprove of. If Boucher were a fighter, he would force Obama to veto it and show disregard for a congressional majority that disapproves of the EPA’s harsh regulations. Instead, he prioritizes the Democratic agenda and is only willing to compromise on the 9th District’s behalf.

So why support Griffith? First, he doesn’t support cap-and-trade.

While both Griffith and Boucher agree it’s a bad idea to burden businesses during a time of economic recovery, Griffith does not support complex regulation on one of the 9th District’s most important industries.

Griffith will fight against bureaucracies that have no accountability to the public.

Even if you think environmental regulation is necessary, the bill Griffith supports will return regulatory power back to Congress, who will meet any national demand for responsible regulation. The threat of a presidential veto isn’t going to scare Griffith away from supporting any bill that benefits our district.

JOHN LANGLEY -guest columnist -junior -political science

Net neutrality important despite misunderstanding ith the midterm elections being held Nov. 2, the past W several months have been saturated with political debate over issues such as unemployment, the economy, campaign financing and the war in Afghanistan, to name a few. Despite its ever-increasing relevance, one of the critical issues that has been forgotten is net neutrality.

The little attention that net neutrality receives is primarily attributed to the fact few people know what it is.

This in turn has created little pressure on Congress and the media to propagate this important issue onto the floor or channels for debate.

Locally, we share an interesting relationship with net neutrality because our district’s congressman, Rick Boucher, is one of the few proponents of the issue and has advocated ways of approaching it.

But before I delve into Boucher’s actions and solutions on the subject and let you pass judgment, let me try

to answer the essential question to all of this: What is net neutrality?

First and foremost, net neutrality deals with the regulation of the Internet in a way that ensures the sharing of information and access is equal and unrestrictive for all, hence the word “neutrality.” While the term “regulation” may turn off free market die-hards, let me paint a picture as to what this regulates.

As I’m sure you know, to access the Internet you must have an Internet service provider. Whether this is AOL, Comcast, Verizon, HughesNet or another firm, ISPs are your gateway to the Internet and everything on it. Even if you’re in a Wi-Fi hot spot, the Internet service you are using is being provided by an ISP. Your ISP determines how fast your Internet is and how much you can download at a given time, depending on the ISP’s bandwidth capabilities.

While this speed and access is offered on an equal basis currently,

what if it ceased to be? This is the concern net neutrality raises.

There is a growing fear, with Internet access becoming almost universal among developed countries and the number of ISPs shrinking into a handful of goliaths, that ISPs themselves will begin to regulate what kind of Internet access you will have. This will essentially create two tiers of the Internet — one fast lane with more content-availability, and a second slow lane with less content-availability.

Not only would ISPs provide you with different quality Internet depending on how much you were willing to pay, they also could have the ability to censor what you access since they are your direct link to the World Wide Web. This can get very tricky, especially when you think about the fact some ISPs are becoming widereaching media conglomerates.

Take Comcast for instance, which is in the process of buying NBC Universal. Without any net neutral-

ity rules in place, it would be possible for Comcast to delegate speedier and higher quality access to the streaming of NBC shows such as “The Office” while making CBS shows such as “Survivor” slow or inaccessible.

Basically, without any regulatory policy as a barrier, your ISP could control what you see and are able to do on the Internet, much like the way the Chinese government censors what its citizens can do on the Internet.

As stated before, Boucher, who is the Chairman on the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, has been one of the few congressmen to call for net neutrality. He has made many statements regarding its importance, but in terms of actually passing legislation, the issue has gained little traction in Washington. The Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009, which was introduced to the House of Representatives last year, encompasses

policies for net neutrality but has been unable to get through a vote.

Opposition to this kind of legislation has cited such policy as being too ambitious and unachievable through government regulation. Lobbyists for AT&T, Verizon and Qwest Communications have said net neutrality legislation “would strip them of the ability to manage their networks effectively and would stifle innovation and competition.”

Boucher’s opponent in this midterm election, Republican Morgan Griffith, does not have an official stance on the subject as of yet, and since his political career has been centered in state legislative issues, it would be unfair to anticipate what his position on net neutrality would be in the future.

However, it is fair to say Republicans in Congress have been less motivated to promote net neutrality than their Democratic counterparts. Statements and voting records have proven their disgruntlement toward further gov-

ernment regulation in this realm. This is not to say Griffith will continue this trend.

The buried discussion on net neutrality, with what actually is said coming from misinformation and ignorance, has led many to see the proposal as just another excuse for government takeover of private industry.

Yet the principles net neutrality attempts to protect are mostly intuitive, but the mode of achieving that protection is up for debate. So while this is not the only issue to be considered when voting on Tuesday, it is one that should be comprehended and continuously monitored for the time ahead, as it is a fundamental topic for a generation growing up in the digital age.

OWEN DAVIS -regular columnist -senior -political science

election preview 7 october 29, 2010

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

Our Views [staff editorial]

Apathy won’t remedy system ’s that time of year again. Political ads flood the airwaves, catchy slogans infest your brain and cable news has been telling us for It two months that Election Day is almost here.

But this season wouldn’t be complete without the annual pleas to the American populous to — forgive us — get out the vote. These pleas, chocked full of enough rhetoric to make editors hurl, are generally aimed at the most notorious group of non-voters: college students.

Whether it’s national movements like “Rock the Vote,” P. Diddy’s “Vote or Die,” or local initiatives, students are at once chastised and prodded for their apparent collective apathy toward the polls. The facts are there — young voters have the lowest percent turnout in most elections.

But why? Are we too bogged down with work? Is it apathy that keeps us away? Maybe it can be attributed to TOTS Tuesdays?

While the peculiarities of absentee ballots, voter registration and juggling class schedules each pose a problem, there is simply no excuse for not voting. Foregoing high-minded appeals about preserving democracy through action, it suffices to say that to abstain from voting is the height of ambivalence and irresponsibility.

To be unwilling to at least partially support a policy agenda is to effectively have no vision for the future of the nation — you may have a vision, but if not expressed at the polls even to a small degree, it will likely never grow beyond dinner table conversation. It may be a sad reality, but ignoring facts does nothing to change them.

Students also forfeit the opportunity to complain about their lack of representation if they do not make the minimum contribution to the political process in the form of voting.

In a pragmatic sense, overcoming student apathy is vital to increasing the diversity of issues and gaining representation. Unless students prove themselves to be a powerful voting bloc, public policy issues that young people care about will never get air time. Senior citizens, for example, have a reputation as a strong voting bloc, and thus drive the persistent political concern over social security.

Likewise, young people who complain neither candidate represents their views must still turn out to vote to show their civic concern.

Similar to businesses, third-party candidates and those outside the political mainstream want to see a market for their products (i.e. their ideas) before they invest massive amounts of resources in a campaign. If your conscience forbids you from supporting Rick Boucher and Morgan Griffith, check out third-party candidate Jeremiah Heaton, maybe he is more favorable to you. Even if his views don’t fully align with your own, rejecting mainstream candidates while staying a part of the process shows civic interest and perhaps a market for alternative ideas.

No matter your political leanings, apathy and poor time management are not excuses for failing to vote. To expect returns from our political process, one must at least contribute the minimum effort.

To not participate is to give up the right to complain that your politicians are not doing enough for you.

Rick Boucher

Morgan Griffith

Time spent in US Congress: 28 years representing 9th District (elected 1982, assumed office Jan. 1983) — 10th most powerful member in House.

Time spent in US Congress: none, 16 years in Va. House of Delegates (since 1994).

Positions held: Member of Committee on Energy and Commerce, Chairman of Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, Committee on the Judiciary, Assistant Whip since 1985.

Positions held: Majority Leader of House of Delegates since 2000, Vice-chairman of Rules Committee, Courts of Justice Committee-Chairman of criminal law subcommittee.

Birthday/Hometown: March 15, 1958, Philadelphia, moved to Salem, Va. as a baby.

Birthday/Hometown: Aug 1. 1946, Abington, VA Political Party: Republican Political party: Democrat Education: Bachelor’s- Roanoke Law School- University of Virginia

College,

Education: Bachelor’s- Emory and Henry College, Law School- Washington & Lee Web: http://morgangriffithforcongress.com/

Web: http://www.boucher.house.gov/

Issues:

Issues: • Health care: voted against • Has a pro-abortion voting record • Pro guns: “A+” from the NRA • Jobs: Voted to increase minimum wage, prounion according to AFL-CIO, voted to extend unemployment during recession.

• Cap-and-trade: voted for in 2009, helped to draft legislation, considered to be instrumental in developing bill • Voting record indicates pro-social security.

• Health care: supports repeal of healthcare reform, supports market based reforms • Anti-abortion: endorsed by Virginia Society for Human Life • Pro guns: “A” from NRA on, led efforts to repeal gun restrictions in VA • Jobs: tax cuts for businesses, new jobs in rural areas, other “pro-jobs advantages” • Cap-and-trade: opposes bill Boucher help set up • Social security: Feels it needs to be protected, but is in trouble.

Boucher embodies spirit Griffith pushes of 9th District constituents All people have to do is turn on their TVs or go on the Internet and they will be berated constantly with those negative campaign ads. The story is no different for those of us at Virginia Tech. As in this year’s House of Representatives race we have had to put up with Republican Morgan Griffith’s negative and unsubstantiated attacks on Democratic congressman Rick Boucher.

Griffith is running on the claim Boucher is the wrong man for Southwest Virginia. I assure you this couldn’t be any further from the truth.

In his 28 years serving in Congress, Boucher has always fought for what’s in the best interest of Southwest Virginia and Tech, and he will continue to fight for this area which he cares so much about. For those of you who plan on voting in this year’s election, make the right choice for Virginia’s 9th District, and re-elect Rick Boucher.

When I think of words to describe what kind of candidate Boucher is, the words moderate, modest and pragmatic come to mind. That’s because as a moderate representative of Southwest Virginia, Boucher isn’t there to represent only liberals or only conservatives. At the end of the day, Boucher takes the interests of all of his constituents into account and pragmatically does what is best for everyone.

Now, as you have probably heard, Griffith tries to portray Boucher as a man who just wants to be in Washington to endorse the “Obama-Pelosi” agenda. Boucher is a Democrat who has represented a very conservative district for many years. Logically, Griffith’s portrayal of Boucher as a very liberal candidate is completely false.

Do you really think someone who doesn’t take into account the interests of his conservative base would have represented this area for that long? Let’s be honest, Boucher is a moderate Democrat at best, and that’s why his pragmatic and moderate approach to our nation’s issues makes him an ideal candidate for office.

For example, Boucher is a strong pro-choice supporter, who was also given an A+ rating by the National Rifle Association for his stance on

gun rights. And this is just one example.

Whether you consider yourself a staunch liberal like myself, or a strong conservative, there will be times where you’ll disagree with Boucher’s voting records. With that taken into consideration, however, there is no doubt in my mind Boucher is the better man for the job. Do not pay attention to the negative ads from the Griffith campaign, Boucher has done and will continue to do a great job for Southwest Virginia.

The Griffith campaign has attacked Boucher for supporting the American Clean Energy and Security Act, otherwise known as the cap-and-trade bill. Griffith claims Boucher supported this bill because his loyalty to President Barack Obama comes first. He also claims the bill will kill 56,000 Virginia jobs. Quite honestly, this isn’t true.

What Griffith fails to mention is the bill will help stimulate economic growth by creating incentives through large-scale investments in clean and self-sufficient energy.

Subsequently, the bill will then help create about a million jobs nationally, up to 50,000 of them coming to Virginia. At the same time, Boucher recognizes his district gets 80 percent of its electricity from coal. So he has fought against some of the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations that would raise electricity prices. With this bill, Boucher has kept energy costs affordable for Southwest Virginians, and at the same promoted American energy independence and security.

We need a congressman like Boucher who recognizes we can improve our quality of life while promoting self-sustainable energy.

Let’s not forget how much good Boucher has done for Tech. In his most recent term, Boucher successfully secured $63 million for Tech through the recovery act in order to maintain our title as a top research institution. This money helped in the area of scientific research, but also has helped ease the burden of severe state budget reductions.

He has also helped the university receive its largest federal award in school history. The amount was $27 milliontotheVirginiaBioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech. On top

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of that, this year Boucher helped expand our Corporate Research Center with a federal grant of almost $2 million.

The expansion consists of the construction of 18 new buildings, which will bring in up to 2,500 new jobs.

Not re-electing Boucher after he has done so much good for our own university and Southwest Virginia will be detrimental to the students at Tech and to the growth of the area.

Boucher is currently the 10th most powerful man in the House, and he will continue to do a great job for us as he is a great friend of our school and this area.

Griffith, who is so heavily backed by the Tea Party, is no different than any other Tea Party candidate running in this year’s election. The only thing he has to offer to fix our country’s problems is to repeal Obama’s agenda. He has yet to offer one new idea on how he is going to improve the quality of life in Southwest Virginia.

Do you really think Griffith is in this race for the 9th district, or more likely that he is in this race for his “Tea Party agenda?”

When comparing these two candidates, there is no doubt in my mind that Boucher is the better choice for Southwest Virginia and our country. We need to move forward as a country. We cannot take the same beaten path that caused the problems we are now facing as a nation.

Griffith, like every other Tea Party candidate, would have us return to the public policies of the Bush years.

We need to stand together and send the message that we want to move in the right direction. Our generation needs to recognize we are not going to find solutions to our economic, societal and environmental problems by electing men such as Griffith.

On Nov. 2, I’m going to vote for Rick Boucher. I’m going to do what’s best for Southwest Virginia, just like what Rick Boucher has done for the last 28 years.

JOHN BARONCELLI -regular columnist -sophomore -political science

district over party It

is time for the 9th District of Virginia to have a congressman who stands with Southwest Virginia.

It is time for the 9th District of Virginia to have a congressman who will put his constituents before his party. And it is time for the 9th District of Virginia to have a congressman who represents the values of Southwest Virginia. The district’s current representative, Democrat Rick Boucher, is not that person.

This November, I am supporting Republican Morgan Griffith for Congress. I know he will be the congressman Southwest Virginia so desperately needs. I have lived in Southwest Virginia my entire life and I’ve seen firsthand the economic disadvantages this region has faced.

Actually, even though columnist Brandon Carroll has written I simply “claim” to be from Southwest Virginia, I couldn’t be prouder to say I’m from this region. I love this area and it will always be my home, and I also want a congressman who will stand up for it in Washington. Boucher doesn’t do that.

How does Boucher fail to truly represent this district? For starters, he has voted with President Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s agenda 96.4 percent of the time, according to the Washington Times. Boucher represents a district where only 39.6 percent of the vote went to Obama in 2008, and yet he has consistently voted with his party while ignoring the wishes of his constituents.

He voted for the “stimulus bill,” which promised to create jobs and keep unemployment below 8 percent when it still rose above the 10 percent mark. He also voted for, and helped write, the cap-andtrade legislation that will cause Virginia to lose as many as 56,000 jobs while crippling the coal industry, a lifeline for Southwest Virginia.

My family owns two small businesses that operate in Southwest Virginia, one of them manufacturing equipment for coal mines. This isn’t me being against Boucher’s economic policies because I’m a Republican and he’s a Democrat; this is me being against his economic policies because they are wrong for this region.

As a congressman, Boucher’s record is unimpressive. As Brandon Carroll has pointed out in the past, Boucher is credited with creating 5,000 jobs in the district. Carroll, and other Boucher supporters, fail to see the whole picture.

These 5,000 jobs have been created over nearly 28 years. That’s less than 200

jobs a year, which is an embarrassing record for a congressman, especially one who is considered the 10th most influential in the House. Southwest Virginia’s unemployment rate is 10.4 percent, the second-highest in the state. Where are the jobs Mr. Boucher? I don’t see them.

Griffith, on the other hand, is ready to spur job growth and stand up for Southwest Virginia. While Boucher has been a full-time congressman for the past 28 years, Griffith has been a delegate in Richmond for just a few months out of the year while working in Salem, Va., the rest of the year.

Griffith’s opponents like to say he’s not from this district. They’re right in the sense that Griffith’s house is about 30 feet outside the 9th District. What they refuse to come to terms with is the fact he has lived in Salem his entire life, he attended college at Emory & Henry and he has represented a portion of the 9th District in Richmond for several years.

Griffith has led fights against tax increases for more than 10 years in the House of Delegates. He supports repealing Obama-care, wants to reduce government spending and supports a balanced budget while making no new tax increases. Griffith is also a strong opponent of cap-and-trade legislation.

Boucher, on the other hand, is still trying to defend the bill while his fellow democrats in Appalachia are running away from it. Even West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat now running for U.S. Senate, shot down the cap-andtrade bill in a recent political ad. I am confident Griffith will put the needs of his constituents before his party, which is a lot more than our current congressman can say.

In my opinion, there are two choices this November. You can vote for Boucher, who has consistently put his party before his constituents. Or you can vote for Griffith, who will bring job growth back to the region and put his constituents first.

I’m not trying to “mislead.” I’m simply stating the facts. This November, I ask that you join me in retiring Rick Boucher and electing Morgan Griffith as the next congressman from the 9th District.

MATTHEW HURT -regular columnist -sophomore -political science

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page 9

Family of dead Notre Dame athletic assistant seeks answers STACY ST CLAIR, BRIAN HAMILTON & SERENA MARIA mcclatchy newspapers SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame’s athletic director had few answers Thursday about the death of 20-year-old Declan Sullivan, who was filming football practice from a tower in high winds when it fell.

“There is a lot to learn here, we will learn it all, we will learn it in an expeditious manner,” athletic director Jack Swarbrick promised during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“This is a time of extraordinary sorrow and grief,” he said. “As a father of four with two of my children away at college, I can only imagine how difficult this is.”

Notre Dame says it will go ahead and play its home game against Tulsa on Saturday but a pep rally has been canceled.

Swarbrick said there were discussions about postponing the game, but the decision was made to play in honor of Sullivan.

Players will wear decals on their helmets honoring Sullivan, and there will be a moment of silence before Saturday’s game, he said.

The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the Long Grove, Ill., student’s death has been classified a workplace fatality, and it will look into whether the tower was being operated safely, including whether it should have been used in 51-mph wind gusts.

While it’s unclear which company manufactured the scissor lift, instruction manuals for similar models say they should not be used in winds stronger than 25 mph.

Sullivan, a junior at Notre Dame, was on one of four hydraulic, portable lifts usually used to film Notre Dame practice when the accident occurred at 3:50 p.m. CDT Wednesday, the university said in a statement. He was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where he died.

South Bend was under a wind advisory until 9 p.m. Wednesday, and gusts at the time of the accident reached 51 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The lift,

MCT CAMPUS

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly reacts after losing to Michigan St. when fully extended, reaches just a bit higher than a football goalpost.

The lift either blew back or collapsed, gashing a fence and line of bushes. The top of the lift landed in the middle of the road. The football team evidently continued to practice, leaving the field roughly 20 to 30 minutes after the accident.

The Irish had practiced indoors a day earlier in similarly gusty conditions. Asked why the team practiced outside Wednesday, even though the winds had not subsided, Swarbrick said “every program makes its own decisions, every sports program, with regard to practices.”

Pressed on what regulations governed such situations, Swarbrick said “we want to make sure we understand what they were, how they were implemented, who was involved.”

Asked if he knew who was responsible for the practice and the filming Wednesday, he replied: “People are being interviewed and asked those questions.”

Sullivan’s parents met with Notre

Dame officials Thursday morning, but Sullivan’s uncle said many of their questions remain unanswered.

Though his parents expect those answers in time, they are more focused on mourning their son’s death, said Mike Miley, Sullivan’s uncle.

“We’ll be asking those questions too,” Miley said. “But right now, we’re grieving a loss.”

Amid their grief, the family is also grappling with haunting tweets that appeared on Sullivan’s Facebook page just before the accident. In the messages, he expressed concern over the high winds and later said being in the lift was “terrifying.”

“We’re still digesting the news ourselves,” Miley said.

Miley said the family has opted to keep the Facebook page open so friends could post condolence messages there.

“He’s been a great kid at all ages. ...

He had a lot of joy and energy and lots of friends, I’m sure he’s got friends on campus who are really sad right now,” Miley said.

10 halloween october 29, 2010

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