Friday, November 12, 2010 Print Edition

Friday, November 12, 2010

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Hokies aim higher

107th year, issue 119

News, page 2

People & Clubs , page 6

Opinions, page 3

Tech prepares for peace conference SARAH WATSON news reporter Students and scholars from around the world will gather at Virginia Tech today to promote peace.

Tech will host “Cultivating Peace: A Symposium for Violence Prevention.”

The event will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech, and is free and open to the public.

“We have a really packed agenda,” said Amy Splitt, administrator for Tech’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.

“Cultivating Peace” will feature students presenting research on the theme of violence prevention.

Topics include violence prevention, sustainable development, harnessing social media for conflict resolution, university community partnerships and creatively fostering nonviolence through the arts and literature.

Student presentations will range from speeches and papers to multimedia projects. Each presentation will be approximately 15 to 20 minutes in length.

The symposium will feature students from around the U.S., and from as far as England and Argentina.

“What we are most hoping for is that a community of colleagues will start to build itself among the students presenting at the symposium,” Splitt said.

Sophia Teie, senior psychology major at Tech and president of Students for Non-Violence, will be presenting her project, “Teaching Tolerance,” tomorrow with two other Tech students.

“Its important to know what peace can be,” Teie said. “It’s no longer some fantasy,” Dan Olweus, research professor in psychology from the University of Bergen in Norway, will be the keynote speaker. Olweus will kick off the event at the opening presentation this evening.

“Dr. Olweus is an expert on bullying,” Teie said. “He has created a program that is widely accepted,” “Cultivating Peace,” co-sponsored by the Lacy Foundation and the Atlantic Coast Conference Intercollegiate Academic Consortium, is organized by Tech’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention and Tech’s Students for Non-Violence.

Wellness programs aimed at women CLAIRE SANDERSON news reporter This month, the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech is sponsoring “Women and Wellness,” a series of programs designed to promote health and wellness.

“There are six sessions over three weeks, all taught by local community members,” said Sharbari Dey, Women’s Center director.

The programs are free and open to anybody, including men, though registration is required. However, Dey said the programs are geared mostly to women faculty and staff members.

Programs in the series include yoga, nutrition counseling, massage therapy and belly dancing.

The center holds a similar program once every semester, and this year’s theme is HealthCARE.

CARE stands for consumption, attitudes, relationships and exercise.

Dey said the series is not meant to highlight a lack of wellness among women on campus, but to promote wellness and address the needs of women, needs which she said vary across the campus.

“It depends on whether they are an undergraduate student, a graduate student, a faculty member, anything. The experiences are all unique,” Dey said.

Katrina Powell, director of women’s and gender studies, agreed that women’s experiences differ widely across campus, noting women face issues ranging from safety concerns to sexual harassment to balancing the work and home life.

She said at a technical university such as Tech, some women’s see CENTER / page two

Speech competition brings world focus SARAH WATSON news reporter Virginia Tech students will gather Monday evening to share international experiences in hopes of encouraging otherss to explore education abroad.

In combination with international education week, Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society is sponsoring its second annual International Experiences speech contest at 7 p.m.

Monday in Pamplin 1045.

“The whole point of the speech contest is to show how an international experience changed their lives,” said Olivera Jankovska, international student vice president for Phi Beta Delta.

This year’s focus is on challenges and successes during study abroad, various trips or research internationally.

The speeches cover a variety of topics and programs, but “unite under one umbrella,” according to Jankovska.

Jankovska feels passionately about international study, because she is an international student herself.

She is involved with “International

Experiences” to promote multiculturalism and diversity.

“I know how valuable (an international experience) is in terms of your future career,” Jankovska said.

There are four categories of competition, including domestic undergraduate, domestic graduate, international graduate and faculty and staff and alumni. Phi Beta Delta is awarding $50 cash prizes to first place in each category. Each participant will also receive a certificate and a free popcorn coupon from the Lyric in Blacksburg.

The 16 participants will have five minutes to present their speech.

“We are giving these people a chance to show their leadership and communication skills,” Jankovska said.

Judges include William Lewis, vice president for diversity and inclusion; Don Back, director of the language and culture institute and Rachel Holloway, the associate dean of undergraduate academic affairs for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Deepu George, graduate student representative to Tech’s Board of Visitors, will be the event’s MC.

Sports, page 5

Classifieds, page 4

Sudoku, page 4

Carolina on their mind

MICHAEL MCDERMOTT / SPPS

Virginia Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael returns an interception against Duke in a Hokies victory at Lane Stadium earlier this season.

HOKIES AIM TO DEFEAT TAR HEELS, MOVE CLOSER TO ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME APPEARANCE MATT JONES sports reporter Hokie football hopes to keep its November success alive facing the North Carolina Tar Heels tomorrow afternoon.

Since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004, the Hokies are 21-2 in November, having won their last seven games. Tech will face a North Carolina team that has certainly had its ups and downs this season.

The Tar Heels, under muchmaligned head coach Butch Davis, came into the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, uncharted territory for the basketball-heavy university. However, the Tar Heels, much like the Hokies, stumbled out of the gate to start the season, dropping their first two games to LSU and Georgia Tech.

“In North Carolina, I think you’re playing a team that’s very talented,” said Frank Beamer, Tech head coach.

“They’re very hot — they’ve won six out of seven I believe.”

Davis looks to have righted the ship, as evidenced by a big comefrom-behind win over Florida State last Saturday.

“T.J. (Yates) statistically had his biggest game,” Davis said about his senior quarterback. “He probably had one of the best games of his career.”

Yates, who finished with a staggering 439 yards and three touchdowns against the Seminoles, has often been criticized during his career in Chapel Hill. With highly recruited backup Bryn Renner waiting in the wings, many fans didn’t think Yates was capable of the kind of success he had Saturday.

“T.J. is a good friend of mine, and he’s playing at a high level right now,” said Tyrod Taylor, Tech quarterback.

“He’s playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC; I’m glad to see what he’s doing.”

While both Taylor and Yates have found success in their senior seasons, Yates has a newfound weapon at wide receiver: Dwight Jones.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 210-pound Jones stands out on the football field.

A 5-star recruit out of Burlington, N.C., Jones did not qualify academically out of high school, instead opting to play at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. He finally made it to UNC in 2008 and has had little impact until 2010.

This season, Jones has burst onto the scene. Over nine games, he has 40 receptions for 716 yards, good enough for third in the ACC. In last Saturday’s game against the Seminoles, the junior had eight catches for 233 yards and a touchdown.

“He looks like a guy that would be an NFL draft pick,” said Bruce Taylor, Tech middle linebacker. “He’s got the size, he’s got the speed. I feel pretty good about our corners. They love the competition — it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Tech safety Eddie Whitley believes the Hokies secondary has the athletes to shut down the UNC passing attack.

“I love playing against teams that pass a lot,” Whitley said. “We get to show our talent, and why this is (Defensive Back University).”

Not to be forgotten, the Tar Heel defense is extremely potent. Coming into the season, UNC’s defense boasted future NFL first-round picks in defensive tackle Marvin Austin and defensive end Robert Quinn.

Those players are now sitting out this season but will likely enter the 2011 NFL Draft.

Beamer said UNC is a tough unit, even without those players.

“They’re good defensively, probably the best defense we play,” Beamer said.

Although Tech did face the No. 2 team in the country in total defense (Boise State), the Tar Heels likely have more NFL-ready players.

Senior linebackers Quan Sturdivant and Bruce Carter make it tough on the opposing team to run the ball.

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. lists both players as top-five seniors at their respective linebacker spots.

“They’re very athletic,” Tyrod Taylor said. “They all run well and get to the ball very fast. We’re going to have to do a good job staying on blocks, and as far as pass protection, staying on blocks (gives) an extra second to get our receivers open.”

Saturday’s matchup holds slightly more importance than other conference games. The Hokies and Tar Heels have been involved in numerous recruiting battles over the years, and with the Tar Heels’ recent recruiting success, some may wonder if Beamer believes this game will have an effect on recruitment.

“I don’t know if one particular game tells a kid ‘I should go to Virginia Tech’ or ‘I should go to North Carolina,’” Beamer said. “I think history, where they grew up, how they grew up, maybe where the programs are, that has an effect on it.”

The Hokies hope to make a clean sweep of the state of North Carolina when they play the Tar Heels at 3:30 p.m., on ABC.

Tebow speaks against abortion CLAIRE SANDERSON news reporter Pam Tebow drew a maxed-out crowd last night at a fundraising banquet for the Pregnancy Resource Center of the New River Valley.

Mother of NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, Pam Tebow is also well known for speaking out against abortion.

“We’re excited to bring her here,” said Dave Bluey, PRC chief executive director on Monday. “She’s very into NCAA football so she knows all about the Hokies.

And she has a real heart for this campus — especially with our recent unfortunate notoriety since the tragedy on April 16.”

The banquet celebrated the 25 years the PRC has existed in the New River Valley.

The PRC is a non-profit medical clinic that provides services and support to women going through unplanned pregnancies.

“It’s a faith-based organization, but it’s not affiliated with any particular denomination,” Bluey said.

At the banquet, he stated, “We are on a mission to save the lives of the innocent and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Bluey said the center moved from Christiansburg to Blacksburg in May 2009 so it could serve more people, especially students.

JAMIE CHUNG / SPPS

Pam Tebow spoke at a fundraiser for the Pregnancy Resource Center.

“This is where the majority of the 18- to 25-year-olds are, and it’s really the center and hub of the New River Valley,” Bluey said. “We were kind of obscure out in downtown Christiansburg.”

Bluey said last year, the banquet

raised almost $70,000, and he expected to raise even more this year.

“We intend to increase and solidify all the programs and make them even better — we still continue to uphold life and continue

to be the conduit through which the people of the New River Valley can continue to touch lives,” Bluey said.

At the banquet, Pam testified about her story “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life,” before a crowd of more than 500 in a ballroom at the Inn at Virginia Tech.

“The story of our youngest son Timmy is a God story,” Tebow said.

Tebow became pregnant with her son Tim when she was 37 years old, living with her family in the Philippines as a missionary.

She developed a serious illness during the pregnancy, which required her to take a lot of medication, and doctors advised her to abort the child, saying that if she did not, she would die.

Pam Tebow chose to keep the baby, and Tim was born a completely healthy child.

She now travels the country advocating against abortion.

“We root for different college teams but tonight we’re on the same team — the ‘life’ team, and that’s really exciting,” Tebow said.

According to a projection for the 2010, the center will have 1,750 clients this year, 580 brand new abortion-vulnerable or abortion-minded.

“We get visited by quote ‘plants’ on a weekly basis sometimes, but we are protected by the Lord,” Bluey said, indicating that abortion-rights groups across the state had been investigating centers like the PRC.

2 news

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

november 12, 2010

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blacksburg headlines

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COLLEGIATETIMES

A tribute to veterans

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virginia tech headlines

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Local crews contain Price Mountain fire

Greeks work to fight against cancer

Forest fires that burned up several hundred acres of Prices Fork Mountain Tuesday have been contained, and crews are currently working to prevent additional damage.

Denny McCarthy, an assistant regional forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry, said the fires were contained Wednesday evening. McCarthy said about 250 acres of land were affected by the fire. Early projections had around 450 acres of land affected.

A crew of 32 was out yesterday, including volunteers from Pulaski, Roanoke, the Virginia Tech Wildland Fire Crew and eight specially trained inmates from a low security facility in Ridgeway, Va. McCarthy said cleanup at the site will continue for several weeks, noting the danger of a fire reigniting.

“It won’t be uncommon to see some smoke come off the mountain over the next few days,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy added the fire risk will be present “at least until we see significant rain.”

Several Virginia Tech Greek organizations are pooling together to help a three-year-old fight cancer for the second time.

Lois Hogan, of Richmond, is going through chemotherapy again and will need a bone marrow transplant.

On Monday, Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Omicron, Tau Beta Sigma and Theta Xi are teaming with donor registry Be the Match to hold a drive on Monday to find a donor for Hogan.

Renee Gafford of Tau Beta Sigma, noting Lois’ mother’s teaching in Christiansburg, took the donor drive personally.

“She’s only three,” Gafford said.

“I think people will just have that urge to want to help.”

Students may donate Monday on the third floor of Squires Student Center. Four swabs are taken from the lining of the potential donor’s cheek and sent to a lab for testing. If the swabs look like a possible match, the donor is asked to return for more testing. The tests continue until the pool is narrowed and a perfect match is found.

It is difficult to find an exact match, so the more people who sign up the better chance Hogan has.

“When we do find a match, it’s like needle in the haystack, hitting the lottery — it’s amazing,” said Addie Sanders, a representative from Be the Match’s Charlotte office. “You can actually get patients cured.”

In addition to organizing the donor drive, the groups have been asked to raise $3,000 to $5,000 to pay for lab testing and a potential marrow transplant. To offset the costs, the four organizations set up a donation page at Be the Match’s website, Marrow.org.

-gordon block, associate news editor

Members of Virginia Tech’s Corps of Cadets take part in celebrations of Veterans Day Thursday. Standing by the War Memorial pylons bordering the Drillfield, the corps placed a wreath at a memorial for Virginia Tech alumni killed in combat. Left by maziar fahandezh, right by daniel lin, spps

Center: Events hope to support women CORRECTIONS JUSTIN GRAVES -Contact our public editor at publiceditor@ collegiatetimes.com if you see anything that needs to be corrected.

from page one

experiences are also shaped by being in predominantly male disciplines, particularly if there are people in those classes who have old-fashioned views of women.

Cynthia Rutherford, director of employee wellness, agreed that Tech’s emphasis on engineering, a

predominantly male field, may affect women’s experiences.

“I think the culture you’re in does affect your experience,” Rutherford said. “It is influenced by having a strong focus on engineering, but there are things in place to help women.”

She noted some of these programs aim to help mothers, such as child

care centers on campus, which reduce the stress on working mothers who have to balance work and home life.

“They also have nursing mother’s rooms — in fact, any new building or any major renovation is required to have one now,” Rutherford said.

Powell said events such as Women

and Wellness are valuable because they directly benefit the women who attend and send out a message to the community that the university cares about its students and employees.

For more information, or to register for an event in the series, go to www.womenscenter.vt.edu/ wellness.

-michelle sutherland, news staff writer

opınıons 3

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

november 12, 2010

Bonds of citizenship brings people together eing a citizen means many different things to people. It B may mean being able to vote for elected officials, holding a federal, state or city job, having the ability to travel the world with a valid passport or receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Or it may mean something less tangible, such as safety or a sense of belonging.

Less than an hour away, Roanoke serves as a resettlement site for refugees — welcomed guests of the United States who are fleeing various forms of persecution in their home countries. For them, the rights and privileges of being a U.S. citizen are all too evident — but they must wait six years before they’re given a chance to naturalize.

The Citizenship Class is a part of the Pilot Street Project, an initiative established by Michele JamesDeramo, director of service-learning intheCenterforStudentEngagement and Community Partnerships.

The project has expanded in recent years and now is partnered with the Coalition for Refugee Resettlement, a recently-created student organization dedicated to helping the refugee community. The class is open to any seeking support in the naturalization process.

Every weekend, students from Virginia Tech make the trip to Roanoke to pair up with refugees from the local community to prepare them for gaining citizenship.

During the class in Melrose Public Library, volunteers guide students through 10 civics questions each Saturday.

The civics questions are just one component of the naturalization process where potential citizens must demonstrate an ability to read, write and speak basic English, as well as show an understanding of U.S. history and government. There are 100 total civics questions, which can pose a significant learning challenge for refugees.

Refugees face a number of challenges before ever reaching the point of taking the naturalization test. Imagine for a moment migrating to a new country — not Canada or Mexico, or a European nation for

that matter. Some place where you have no family and no familiarity with the native language.

Then consider the reality that you must find a job within the next several months to support the rest of your family, and in a bad economy nonetheless. And that’s if you’re lucky. Refugees who are resettled make up approximately 1 percent of total refugees, the rest either return to their own country or are forced to live in camps.

After attending the class several times, I’ve come to realize many Americans would struggle with some of the questions the refugees are asked to answer. When was the Constitution written? How many amendments does the Constitution have? The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

Don’t feel too bad if you don’t know all of the answers — unless you’re majoring in political science.

Saturday, I observed the volunteers pose the following question to their refugee students: “Name the problem that led to the Civil War.” The naturalization test doesn’t require you go into too much detail, so appropriate answers would include slavery, economic reasons or states’ rights.

It struck me then, watching Tech students explain the different reasons, those are the exact reasons for refugee flows in the first place.

For instance, several of the refugee students are Somali Bantu, a minority group from Somalia that has endured continual marginalization since its arrival as a group of slaves in the 19th century.

Though there is a vast spectrum when speaking of refugees, all have faced persecution and all have fostered a hope for a new life.

Citizenship serves as the common thread connecting people from different cultures and backgrounds, and it seems right to assist those who desire it and who are a part of America as much as anyone else.

WILLIAM EVANS -guest columnist -project manager of the Pilot Street Project

‘Paid linking’ becomes newest disturbing trend hether or not you’re an auto racing fan, you know what a W NASCAR contender looks like. Its shimmering skin is festooned with insignias of the branded products that paid to build the car and keep it competing. It’s a billboard, a rolling montage of promos.

Bear that in mind while you hear about this hot new money-maker in the online news business. The idea is to put links to commercial vendors right in the text of published articles where they appear in order to make money by helping them sell their goods.

It could be a theater review that enables you to click through to the box office to order tickets, or a blog that keeps on top of college entrance news and lets you click through to enroll in a course that might help you to help your kid go Ivy. The point of the linking is to stimulate sales. In the case of the college admissions advice, The New York Times itself is the vendor. It’s part of a revenue diversification drive in which the Times sells wisdom that could have gone into a $25 softbound book but instead is a $225 online “educational course,” so you can earn a certificate in tormenting your teen.

The Washington Post (which is already in the education business through its Kaplan Inc. test prep company), now has a deal with Amazon to share revenue generated by links from Post reviews and columns to products sold on Amazon.

The Los Angeles Times, piggybacking on an idea from its sister, the Chicago Tribune, last spring started adding green links to various online columns and blogs that take readers to various e-commerce sites. It’s both “a reader service and a revenue opportunity,” the editor explained.

So what have we got? Maybe the beginnings of a basic reformulation of the way that news makes money.

Traditionally, journalism was sustained by a combination of direct payments from its audience and fees collected from advertisers in return for the chance to pitch to that audience. Now what we see emerging is a new model in which the revenue potential of editorial work can be directly calculated — and, in principle, the work can be engineered to max out on that potential.

Now, the digital revolution already poses serious threats to principled journalism, by institutionalizing haste, lowering standards of verification, fomenting a new custom of anonymous discourse that’s utterly

incompatible with the transparency that the online gurus natter constantly about. But I have to say that this economic reformulation may be the most dangerous development yet.

The danger goes way beyond conflict of interest, as usually understood. It’s not just that the theater reviewer might praise some tedious play so that she can hit her target of kickbacks for the week. It’s more fundamental than that. It’s a transformation of the purpose of news and commentary. Instead of informing and provoking, their real job will be to initiate commercial transactions.

To be sure, the mainstream organizations that are dipping their toes into this chilly pond have strong cultures of newsroom independence, and so far have restricted these links to non-news content-blogs, features, commentaries and the like.

But these are industry leaders, the top dogs, with vast influence over lesser entities that are desperate for money and have no comparable inhouse legacies of principle or public service.

Yet even these bastions of probity have embraced a business model whose basic direction is clear: That editorial offerings may properly be inventoried and harvested so that opportunities to channel readers toward cooperating sites can be maximized, for pay.

I’ve written before about the phenomenon of calibrated news, in which the ability to track audience traffic with demographic precision — and put a price on how valuable the readers of a particular item might be for advertisers — will corrupt news judgments in favor of coverage that draws a more desirable crowd at an acceptable cost.

Paid linking adds a new and disturbing twist, one without clear limits. Why confine it to blogs and features? If there’s a story about coming elections, why not link to the Republican National Committee, and accept a commission for donations the link enables? Besides, isn’t it only logical to encourage mention of entities that want to play ball and tilt coverage toward topics with richer opportunities for linking?

All of that makes my earlier comparison to NASCAR a little unfair.

After all, stock car drivers may wear jumpsuits covered with brands, but they don’t change the way they drive to oblige their sponsors.

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Archbishop’s actions not appropriate for position S

ix weeks before this past Tuesday’s midterm election, Archbishop John Niendstedt of St. Paul, Minn. sent out nearly 400,000 DVDs to his parishioners stating his belief that marriage is a union ordained by God to be between one man and one woman. In the wake of this six minute DVD, the archbishop’s flock has responded, in many cases, with a high level of anger and hurt.

Two efforts (one by artist Lucinda Naylor and the other by an organization called “Return the DVD”) have worked to either destroy or return the DVD. In addition to this, more than 100 DVDs have already been mailed back to the archdiocese. The archbishop not only voiced his theological view that marriage is a sacred commitment between one man and one woman, but also his very political view that the best remedy for this “dangerous risk” was for the people of Minnesota to vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Numerous arguments can be raised against the archbishop’s conduct.

There is, of course, the legal issue of a tax-exempt religious institution making a political statement. This argument is given even further credence because the DVD came out so close to Minnesota’s gubernatorial election, where the issue of same-sex marriage was a very serious one for the candidates.

To me, however, this is not the most serious issue regarding the archbishop’s actions. Far more serious here is the dichotomy between the unabashed bigotry of the archbishop’s DVD and his position as a moral and religious leader.

Same-sex marriage is certainly a decisive issue in current American politics.

In recent years, a strong movement has been building to overturn the bans in nearly every state. Furthermore, all politicians must face this issue at some point in their careers and their answers

to it have very serious ramifications with their electorate.

What I have never been able to understand, however, is why this is so. In a country which prides itself on personal freedoms, equal rights and the right to pursue our happiness, why is it some people find it their prerogative to fight against the happiness of their countrymen? This is all the more serious, however, when the advocate for outright discrimination is a person who should be regarded as a leader for morals and brotherly love.

The archbishop’s actions were not just entirely inappropriate for his position, but more importantly, horrifyingly offensive. His unhindered abuse of power is shocking for me as someone who regards his position as a socially sacred one. To voice a theological belief as a priest is one thing, but to voice a downright discriminatory political view is quite a different one.

As an archbishop, Niendstedt has been given the responsibility of guarding his followers’ moral and spiritual well-being. They place their spiritual health in his hands, and when this man throws this respect back in their faces, it is enough to make anyone angry.

What is even more striking is how Niendstedt was so easily able to speak his bigotry to the camera while still maintaining his position as a follower of God. As for me, any god that would desire to see discrimination against his children over a trait they themselves have no control over is a god whom I have no respect for.

Through his statements, Niendstedt has painted a picture of a god like that.

Whether the most severe crime of the archbishop is the damage he imposed on people’s image of God, his abuse of power or purely his moral degradation is yet to be seen. What remains true, however, is it is completely inappropriate for a priest to look down with disgust upon any portion (regardless of its size) of his followers.

Whether the God of the Roman Catholic Church is opposed to homosexual union is something that cannot be answered with any certainty. There are certainly biblical passages that seem to assert this, but they must also be juxtaposed with passages that would make it seem entirely absurd and immoral to impose in our current climate.

The theological status of homosexual marriage is not, however, my central concern here. Neither is the political status of the issue, nor its justification with argument. What concerns me are the offensive actions of this archbishop and the protest that should be raised against him.

The morality of homosexuality and its relationship to marriage is something that deserves to be discussed and debated. A priest, however, is not someone who serves to extend a national debate or discussion. His job is to care for the moral and spiritual health of his followers.

In this position, the priest is someone who must state God’s law as he sees it, but more importantly must show the sympathy, tolerance and compassion his savior showed to others. In doing so, the priest serves to be a person with whom the follower can find total acceptance and love, and through their relationship with him may better their relationship with whatever god they worship.

Niendstedt, however, provided no such love and care for his followers.

Instead, he has built himself into a figure of bigotry, intolerance and coldhearted denial of others. His offensive remarks are something that should never be forgotten, and they show the slow pace by which our society is progressing toward a more loving place.

JASON CAMPBELL -regular columnist -sophomore -philosophy major

Professors should choose to be more objective during lectures We

all came to college to learn.

We came to college to become lawyers, doctors, engineers and teachers. We trust our professors to teach us what we need to be prepared for the push out of the nest into the real world in just four short years.

But what makes a good professor?

What makes a professor the kind of person we can trust with the task of injecting us with the right kind of information so that we don’t fall flat on our faces in the working world? I think an objective professor is the kind we are looking for.

Some professors at Virginia Tech are not as objective as they could be.

Professor “Smith” walks to the front of the room and says, “Hello, I am Professor Smith. I will be teaching you about U.S. politics this semester,” and then proceeds to lecture about why Barack Obama is the best candidate for president.

That may have been an exaggerated example, but professors often use their personal biases for examples both on tests and in lectures.

This serves to frustrate those who oppose their beliefs. Furthermore, the information we are learning is not the

objective, factual kind we are looking for. There are certain skills we all pay big bucks to learn here at college, and we don’t need them to be tainted by opinion.

There is most definitely a way for professors to be unbiased; it is all a matter of deciding to do so. I am not advocating a boring display of facts during lecture, void of examples and creative analogies. However, they could tell both sides of the story.

If you’re going to give an example degrading Rush Limbaugh, try a crack at Jon Stewart, too.

It’s interesting to think about why some professors feel the need to do this. Maybe it is just that they’re trying to put some excitement and controversy into their lectures and can’t help but use their own beliefs as a base. But is it possible that some are maybe subconsciously using their power in the university setting to influence us?

I’m not trying to be a conspiracy theorist here, but it is interesting to consider.

OK, so I’m a political science major.

It may be that I can notice professors’ biases a little more than those of you who are on the way to becoming engi-

neers or teachers, but it applies to you just the same.

For example, say you want to be a computer programmer. Your professor spends an entire semester convincing you what junk PCs are, and all the cool people use Macs. You can’t tell me that experience is not going to influence you when Dell offers you a job, or when a client, who is a PC loyalist, needs your help.

Let me add a little disclaimer. I don’t mean to discount the knowledge or credibility of our professors. I believe we have an amazing faculty and instructing staff here in Blacksburg, and I am absolutely proud to be a Hokie taught by our amazingly intelligent staff of professors and teaching assistants.

My main point is the best, most factual and beneficial lectures are led by objective, unbiased professors who keep their personal opinions a mystery.

At least until the end of the semester.

STEVIE KNUTSON -regular columnist -junior -political science major

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november 12, 2010

Cross country heads to Southeast Region Championships ALYSSA BEDROSIAN sports staff writer Coming off of a solid performance at the ACC Championships, in which the men’s team placed seventh and the women’s team took eighth, the Virginia Tech cross country teams are gearing up for the NCAA Southeast Region Championships this Saturday.

Despite the youth on both teams, they hope to place in the top seven or eight at this weekend’s Regionals.

Although this finish would not give Tech an NCAA Championships berth, it would provide experience for the underclassmen on both teams, and would prepare them for next year.

“We redshirted our top five men this year, so we have been racing a lot of young guys on the men’s side,” said Ben Thomas, head coach. “It just fits what they are doing academically and it gives us a chance to have them all together for the next two years. It gives us a chance to win some ACC Championships down the road.”

According to senior Eddie Judge, redshirting these top players was a strategic move that will allow the men’s team to be very successful in the next few years.

“I like the decision because I

think it’s going to make the team so much better in the future,” Judge said. “We could win multiple ACC Championships.”

On the women’s side, Thomas is also excited about upcoming years.

There are a total of 16 freshmen on the women’s team, and freshmen runners Paige Kvartunas, Madalyn Nuckols and Courtney Dobbs are promising for the team. According to Dobbs, the freshman class can have a significant impact on the future of the women’s team as long as everyone stays committed.

“Four years of not getting hurt and consistently running, keeping up with all the workouts will make you, in this program, one of the best runners in the ACC and maybe in the nation,” Dobbs said.

Sammy Dow, a junior and the top runner on the women’s team, also recognizes the newcomers’ potential.

“This year they are just getting the hang of it. They are doing great this year, but in the future, next year, they’ll have a season of cross and track under their belt,” Dow said. “They’ll have more mileage and better training once they get through this year.”

Looking forward to this weekend, Thomas does not expect a top-2 finish at regionals, which is needed for a team to continue on to the NCAA Championships. However, there

“

It’s been a long season, but I think they are ready to have their best race yet.

BEN THOMAS HEAD COACH

is still an opportunity for individuals to advance. The top 4 finishers not on a qualifying team continue on to nationals, which according to Thomas is a challenge in such a competitive region.

“On the women’s side I think our best hopes would be Paige or Sammy.

It’s going to take a tremendous race by either of them. It’s very difficult to make it as an individual,” Thomas said.

“Individually, I’d like to get all-region which would be top-25,” Dow said.

“As a team, ideally, nationals, but it would be nice to get fifth considering the number of ranked teams in our region.”

Thomas is continuing to focus on this weekend, despite the excitement surrounding the future of the program. In preparation, both teams will be working to fine tune, eat healthy and get lots of rest.

“It’s been a long season, but I think LUKE MASON / SPPS they are ready to have their best race yet,” Thomas said.

Several members of the women’s squad run at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational this past September.

6 people & clubs november 12, 2010

he she

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

SAID

She said: Endless forms of transportation spoil us e’re spoiled. At least that’s what my grandfather loves W to tell me every time I visit him.

We have Microsoft Word to type papers, calculators instead of notepads and all sorts of transportation services, so we don’t have to walk miles in the snow back and forth to school every day.

When I wake up in the morning, I have one of two options. Should I take the bus or my car to class?

It usually depends on how many times I’ve hit the snooze button that morning.

I love to tell myself I’m actually going to help the environment and take the bus to campus, but I somehow always end up in my car racing to class. It’s not that I do not want to take the bus. My problem is laziness. Taking the bus to class requires me to wake up a solid 15 minutes earlier than driving my car does.

While the bus system is great, and I respect everyone who takes it, the Blacksburg Transit is not exactly convenient to my apartment building. By the time I actually decide to get out of bed and throw on some clothes, I’m always out of time.

I realize I would have to sprint up the road in order to have any chance of making it. I don’t consider myself a morning person either, so sprinting is just not going to happen when my car is right outside.

Trust me when I say I would rather save my gas money and ride the bus. And I would definitely have preferred to not pay for the ridiculous $198 Virginia Tech parking pass that significantly increased in price this year. But knowing myself, I needed to buy it.

For those of you who ride your bike to class, I have the utmost respect for you. As I drive back and forth to class, I feel sympathetic for those of you who cycle against the traditional Blacksburg rainy weather.

Apparently one of my recent columns, “He said, she said: Pet peeves” from Oct. 1, offended some of you. I would like to take this time to clarify that I do not want you to stop riding your bikes or even stop using the sidewalk necessarily. I was asking for you, and all of the groups of people I targeted, to be a little more considerate. I include myself when I say we all seem to have lost our manners along the way.

And let’s be honest — it does not make sense to race across sidewalks jam-packed with people. I have been run into several times, and I was once actually sandwiched and hit by two bikes at once.

Therefore, I think I have a legitimate reason to be upset. And in case you didn’t realize, the topic of pet peeves is clearly not going to make for a very friendly column.

I would hate to call us spoiled, but I do think we are very lucky, considering all the transportation systems we have. Last year, I enjoyed taking Safe Ride back to my dorm, instead of walking back from the Cage. I should be calling them because I’m a female who feels unsafe walking alone in the dark, but once again it comes back to my laziness factor and how I just hate walking in the cold.

Weekends are generally the same.

There is always a way to get around, but the more convenient it is, the pricier it can get.

Hooptie Ride has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve probably traveled in at least half of the 12 vehicles it owns.

And I’ve been lucky enough to never be in a group with someone who puked. For those of you who have, you already know about the $100 fee. Save yourself $99 and aim for a trashcan folks — it only costs $1 so they can buy a new one.

My new favorite source of transportation is the so-called Blacksburg Taxi. I recently found out I could have saved an incredible amount of money had I learned about this service s ooner.

For those of you who don’t know about the Blacksburg Taxi, it costs only $4 for the entire group instead of $4 per person.

The taxi is also a way to find sheer entertainment for the night. There are only two taxis, and the drivers are absolutely hilarious. You’re only fear is wondering whether the taxis are going to break down along your journey. But hey — that only makes for more adventures right?

CHELSEA GUNTER -features reporter -sophomore -communicaton major

JAMIE MARTYN / COLLEGIATE TIMES

He said: Using the automobile difficult to resist ognitive dissonance is my favorite phrase to bring up when people C make jokes about my communication major.

This is not because it is a complex concept, but because it sounds complex, which is enough to impress most attackers. Also, it’s the only thing I remember from several semesters of exploring communication theory.

Until this year, I assumed that awing bitter engineers was the extent of its real world application.

That was before I was given a car to take down to school.

Now a driver’s seat that used to serve as a personal sanctuary has become a battlefield for my identity crisis. Every turn of the key leads to mental discomfort, caused by holding conflicting views simultaneously (straight from memory, eat your heart out Wikipedia).

In this case it’s my liberal, pro-environment sensibilities clashing with the good ole’ boy need for speed.

On one hand, I’m a red-blooded American male who enjoys fraternity life and recently attended a NASCAR race. I also happen to be a card-carrying, Paul Krugman-reading Democrat who interned at Earth Day Network and cherishes a Barack Obama koozie.

Reconciling this Two-Face-like personality split has never been easy.

Having a two-ton metaphor on wheels outside my apartment doesn’t help.

There’s no confusion in my mind about whether I really need to be driving 200 yards to 7-Eleven, but it’s hard to resist when the lure of automatic travel beckons.

Does this mean I’ve made the leap from self-righteous liberal blowhard to hypocritical liberal blowhard — the dreaded “Penn to Spitzer”?

Since the aim of cognitive dissonance is to reduce internal conflict, let’s examine how I arrived at this conundrum.

Sustainability isn’t just a great buzzword to drop on girls at music festivals.

It’s also a worldview subscribing to a doctrine of stewardship over the environment and efficient use of its invaluable resources.

In other words, kryptonite to wellmeaning liberal suburbanites.

You know the type: the neighbor who never misses recycling day and excitedly discusses new energy efficient light bulbs, a largely inoffensive amalgam of Kennedy idealism, Kerry nuance (read: namby pamby flip-flopping) and exaggerated cynicism, all mixed with generous helpings of Atticus Finch, an extensive Bruce Springsteen record collection and a dash of white guilt.

I have childhood memories filled with National Public Radio to prove my affiliation with this side of America, not to mention amusing recollections of my parents explaining why certain lewd presidential behavior was excusable.

Environmentalism, of course, is a prized value among our demographic.

It occupies a prestigious space on the shelf with heavy hitters such as organic food, Jon Stewart and political correctness.

From an early age, the children of these worldly folk are indoctrinated into the cult of green living, nagged

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to turn off lights and assigned weekly recycling duty. I was motivated less by concern for the Earth and more by a desire not to have Pokemon taken away, but over time, the message subliminally sunk in.

Fast-forward to university — a breeding ground for the out-of-touch liberal elitists of the future. Here, surrounded

by Marx-quoting professors and rampant atheism, my green inclinations were solidified.

Four semesters of Earth sustainability class lessons on our species’ environmental ravaging left me shaken, stirred and really just kind of bummed out.

“Don’t you people get it?” I wanted to stand on the Drillfield and yell. “Is it that hard to recycle your beer cans or unplug your iPod chargers when not in use? And for the love of God, bottled water is just your tap water sold back to you at jacked-up rates!”

When we announced our third semester sustainability goals, I dropped a bombshell: I was nobly foregoing an automobile in favor of a carbon-neutral, bicycle-based lifestyle.

This proclamation carefully avoided the fact I had as much say in the matter as I did in choosing my name or that my lack of vehicle was a result of negligence in caring for my beloved late Volvo than any environmental inclination.

Really, though, what did it matter?

I was literally walking the walk and feeling proud I disassociated myself with faux environmentalists and their private jet hypocrisy.

It was a successful carbon-neutral year. Then I was given the keys to my

mom’s Honda CR-V. Before you can say windsurfing taxand-spender, I was embracing the benefits of fossil fuel-based travel. Why walk to campus like some peasant when I could cruise down Roanoke Street blaring tunes?

The pang of remorse from my environmental conscience is quickly numbed by the beautiful sound of the engine. It’s not that I don’t feel bad about my ever-expanding carbon footprint; it’s just that I enjoy driving far too much.

Manuevering a vehicle is the second-most satisfying activity of my day, behind cracking jokes about the increasingly pathetic Dallas Cowboys.

I think my belief in sustainability can coexist with my love of the open road, at least for the time being. It’s only natural to go a little wild with privilege after two years of planning schedules around the Blacksburg Transit and my own questionable motivation to walk long distances.

Besides, the Blacksburg winter is coming with a vengeance, and my desire to spend extended periods of time outside will plummet accordingly.

I’d say that qualifies as an inconvenient truth.

ANDREW REILLY -features reporter -junior -communication major

EXPERIENCED HOKIES TEAM SHOOTS TO SCORE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE

COLLEGIATETIMES COLLEGIATETIMES

basketball preview

october 20, november 12, 2009 2010

106th 107th year issue 119 102 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE BIONDO / COLLEGIATE TIMES

MARK UMANSKY / SPPS

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Hokies frontcourt facing adversity after encountering rash of injuries hatever coach Seth Greenberg did to anger the basketball W gods, he needs to figure out how to

FILE / SPPS

collegiatetimes.com november 12, 2010

Hokies forward J.T. Thompson will be out for the season with a torn ACL. Tech will look down its bench to replace last year’s sixth man.

atone for it before he loses his entire frontcourt.

Despite the fact many fans have been waiting for this season for two years now — anticipating it would be the year the Hokies burst onto the national stage — the success of this season could be in serious jeopardy, as a series of injuries has left the Hokies frontcourt as thin as the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl hopes.

At the end of last season, the Hokies thought the frontcourt was one of their deepest positions. In addition to starters Jeff Allen and Terrell Bell and Victor Davila, Greenberg had JT Thompson, Cadarian Raines and University of Florida transfer Allan Chaney on the bench.

Unfortunately for the Hokies, many of those names will be unavailable when the season starts tonight against Campbell.

Thompson is out for the season after tearing his left ACL back in September. Raines is nursing a broken foot, and Chaney is out for at least this season because of an unknown heart problem that caused him to collapse during a practice in March.

With those guys out of the picture — especially Raines and Chaney — Davila is left as the only true big man

on the roster and must make vast improvements from the 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds he averaged last season.

“I’m just looking to help the team any way I can,” Davila said. “Whether it be rebounding the ball or scoring points – what ever they need me to do, I’m going to perform.”

Because the other two big men have been injured, Davila has been forced to practice against people much smaller than he is.

In the past weeks, he has been going up against former Hokie Paul Debnam, who is only 6 feet, 3 inches tall.

With Davila unable to practice against players his size, it is possible he could struggle when defended by players of comparable size.

Another key to the Hokies’ success in the frontcourt will be whether Allen can stay on the court and out of foul trouble. Allen had 14 games last season where he was limited to 25 minutes of play or less because of foul trouble.

If he can consistently play 30 to 35 minutes a night, the Hokies lack of depth behind him will be less of an issue.

While Chaney and Thompson are definitely out for the season, Raines will recover and be available this season.

The biggest issue for Raines when he returns is his confidence with that foot.

“It might take me a whole year, maybe, like the whole season and into the summertime to be 100 percent confident in it,” Raines said.

The foot has been a fairly chronic issue since he initially hurt it in the preseason of last year. During his time at Tech, he has broken the foot at least twice, with the most recent injury possibly being a break that went undi-

agnosed.

Though there is no doubt the Hokies will be excited to have him back when he finally makes his debut, Greenberg is making sure he takes it slow in order to avoid further injury to the foot.

“We’re going to take a very cautious path. Let’s face it, he’s had a lot of trauma in that foot and there’s no sense in rushing him back,” Greenberg said. “He might be 100 percent healthy, it’s just the path we are taking.”

With the Hokies thin in the frontcourt, Greenberg will most likely elect to go with a smaller lineup and try to create a faster tempo.

However, when Tech plays teams such as Purdue, who have big men such as JaJuan Johnson — who averaged 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds a game last season — defending the interior might become an issue.

Luckily for the Hokies, there isn’t a team in the ACC that has a feared low post scorer to worry about. The two biggest talents at forward in the conference are North Carolina State’s Tracy Smith and Florida State’s Chris Singleton – neither of which plays for a team as talented as Tech.

Every time you hear about a team having a “breakout season,” there is always a story of it overcoming adversity to be successful.

If the Hokies end up having that kind of season, it will be the injurydepleted frontcourt that is considered the adversity they overcame.

NICK CAFFERKY -sports reporter -sophomore -communication major

Seniors set sights on elusive tournament berth sports editor This year’s senior class — Malcolm Delaney, Dorenzo Hudson, Jeff Allen, Terrell Bell and JT Thompson — should have a lot to be proud of after this season.

If the No. 21 Hokies’ year goes according to plan, this year’s class will graduate as the winningest group in Virginia Tech men’s basketball history.

Yet that plan already took a hit when Thompson suffered a season-ending ACL tear in mid-September. He will redshirt this season and come back to play his senior year during the 20112012 season.

“We have a great team and great senior leaders and I believe we are still going to go as far as everybody predicted us to,” Thompson said. “I played a nice part in what this team had but we have more players that are going to be able to put more than what I brought.”

Missing the season will be especially tough for Thompson since he won’t get the opportunity to play alongside his cousin, Hudson, during their senior season.

“It’s hard because JT and Dorenzo are connected at the hip,” said head coach Seth Greenberg. “We lost probably the best sixth man in the league in JT. He’s basically a sixth starter.”

It is now up to the remaining four seniors, all of whom are starters, to garner their first NCAA Tournament berth.

Greenberg surprisingly would not consider the season a disappointment if this year’s team does not make the tournament, despite all of the returning talent and experience.

“We can’t control what goes on in that room. We can’t control other people’s perception. We can only do our

FILE / SPPS

Malcolm Delaney will highlight a senior group that seeks its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2007. job,” he said. “If this group graduates the winningest group in the history of Virginia Tech, a winning record in the ACC and averages well over 20 wins a season, should they walk out of here thinking they were failures?”

The players have quite a different attitude about not making the tournament.

“Last year was a failure to me. We broke a record for wins but we didn’t do what our goal was and when I don’t reach a goal that is a failure to me,” Delaney said of a season in which he was a first team all-ACC selection.

Allen believes the season could not be considered a success if the team does not make the NCAA Tournament.

“That’s what we are playing to get to.

We’re tired of the NIT,” he said. “The NCAA Tournament is a big stage.

We’re seniors and that’s the stage that we need to be on.”

This senior-laden group believes its three years of experience playing together will make the difference.

The Hokies will be led by their starting point guard Delaney.

“Obviously when you have one of the elite guards in the country on your roster that’s a good place to start,” Greenberg said.

After declaring for the NBA Draft in

March, Delaney received a lot of feedback from teams about what his game was lacking and how to improve.

“My main focus is being a better leader and getting more people involved,” he said.

“I feel like he is making better plays with the ball and seeing plays before they happen. He is a better vocal leader right now,” Hudson said.

Delaney compared this year’s seniors to his experience from high school when he began with a group of young guys he grew up with. That group stuck together and won the league championship his senior year.

“It’s special when you have been with a group of guys this long and have been able to play so many minutes together,” he said.

Allen is very confident this team will put together a special season.

“There’s going to be a couple bumps in the road but we have been through it before so we should know what to do,” he said. “We are practicing harder. This is the last year here for the seniors and obviously what we have been doing over the past three years hasn’t been working to get to the tournament.”

High expectations and a tough schedule await this “grizzled” group during the 2010-2011 campaign, but the Hokies don’t lack confidence or experience.

“We know what it takes to win,” Hudson said.

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basketball preview

GARRETT RIPA

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Duke faces tough road to Houston COURTNEY LOFGREN sports reporter The Atlantic Coast Conference has always served as a major contender in the NCAA tournament in March and April. Last season, Duke won the national title while five other teams from the conference made the tournament.

This season should be no different, as there are a number of talented teams with key players returning. Here’s a preview of the ACC teams in the order they are projected to finish.

DUKE Duke will do anything possible to defend its national title from last season.

Senior Kyle Singler, the ACC preseason player of the year, and senior Nolan Smith will lead the team on and off the court as head coach Mike Krzyzewski named the pair co-captains.

However, this Duke team is much younger and more inexperienced than last year’s team. With Jon Scheyer graduating last spring, the team will now turn toward true freshman Kyrie Irving to take Scheyer’s spot at point guard. But Duke will finally be able to play Seth Curry, son of Virginia Tech great Dell Curry, after he sat out a year following his transfer from Liberty University. Curry averaged 20 points a game during his freshman year at Liberty.

collegiatetimes.com november 12, 2010

VIRGINIA TECH After being denied a ticket to the big dance in each of the last three seasons, the Hokies will almost certainly make it to March Madness this season. Tech returns its entire starting lineup. Guard Malcolm Delaney withdrew from the

NBA Draft and returns after being named first team all-ACC last season.

The Hokies’ reason for not getting into the NCAA tournament last year was its weak out-of-conference schedule. This year, head coach Seth Greenberg beefed up the team’s outof-conference schedule with games against tough opponents including Kansas State, Penn State and Purdue.

NORTH CAROLINA Last season, North Carolina experienced a season from hell in Chapel Hill.

As defending national champions, the Tar Heels did not even make the NCAA tournament and lost in the championship game of the NIT. Their 5-11 conference record served as an eye-opening experience for the team and will serve as motivation for success this season.

North Carolina will have to do this without its top three-point shooter, Will Graves, as he was dismissed from the program after last season.

Freshman forward Harrison Barnes has already been voted as a preseason All-American and will lead the team along with Tyler Zeller.

NC STATE After winning only five games in the ACC last season, the Wolfpack have the talent and depth to make it to the NCAA tournament this season.

Returning starters Tracy Smith, Javier Gonzalez and Scott Wood will lead the team and be joined by talented freshmen Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Leslie.

- The success of the Wolfpack’s season will likely be determined by the play of its freshmen. see ACC / page six

Freshman duo look to make an impact sports reporter When the men’s basketball team’s starting five takes the floor for the first time this season on Friday, it will be the same squad that opened the season a year ago. About midway through the first half, however, the distinctions of the 2010-2011 team will begin to take shape as the new faces of the program are introduced to the Hokie faithful.

Losing only reserve power forward Lewis Witcher to graduation, the Hokies feature three incoming freshmen, two of whom were heavily recruited by other prominent programs and expect to see playing time on a regular basis this season.

Head coach Seth Greenberg will look to the class to alleviate some of the damage done to the Hokies through injuries suffered by forwards J.T. Thompson and Allan Chaney, both of whom will miss the entire regular season.

Jarrell Eddie, a 6-foot-7-inch, 209pound wing from Charlotte, N.C., enters the program after being ranked No. 63 nationally and the No. 12 small forward in the Class of 2010 by Rivals. com, which labeled him a four-star recruit.

Eddie is also a two-time all-state selection and averaged 22.5 points per game during his senior season at Cannon High School. He helped his team advance to the second round of the state playoffs.

Greenberg believes he can come off of the bench and spell either senior small forward Terrell Bell or senior power forward Jeff Allen.

“Jarrell Eddie is a very accomplished offensive player,” Greenberg said. “He can shoot it with range, he gets it off quick. He’s got good size. We can post him. He’s got a good feel for how to play.

He’s got to learn how to compete at this level consistently. He’s got to rebound the ball in traffic a little better.”

ESPN recruitment reports from last year noted Eddie “has the ability to start the break and is a coast-to-coast threat if not picked up in transition” and “plays in attack mode at all times.”

Choosing Tech over a slew of other schools — including Kentucky, Clemson and Wake Forest — Eddie has already opened the eyes of several senior teammates who praise the freshman for his tenacity and ability on offense.

“His midrange shot is very nice,” Allen said. “He’s a good shooter and rebounder and features an aggressive style of play. He’s going to be a staple of this offense for years to come.”

“He’s going to come in and give us great minutes when we need him to,” said senior guard Dorenzo Hudson.

“He will give us a lot on the offensive end.”

Tyrone Garland, a 6-foot-1-inch, 170pound guard from Philadelphia, Penn., guided Bartram High School to the Philadelphia Public League AAAA title during his senior year, averaging 25.3 points per game. Garland finished his high school career as the third-leading scorer in Philadelphia Public League history. Wilt Chamberlain is second on the list.

“Ty is explosive and has a tremendous first step,” Greenberg said.

Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals. com, Garland garnered other offers from Butler, Nebraska and Seton Hall.

Greenberg noted that he plans on using Garland primarily as a point guard this season and is aware it may take Garland a little longer to catch up to the speed of the college game than it will for Eddie.

“We’re probably going a little bit fast for him right now because we have such a veteran team,” Greenberg said. “We’re building on a lot of things we did last season but we also have to change some things because of the injuries.

“Ty only has to play one position

but he has to know five. He’s got to understand the how’s and why’s, the tempo, jammin’ out the passes, the free throw situations, getting us into an offense, reading defenses, when to reset and when to not reset. It would be like giving Logan Thomas the ball last season and making him your starting quarterback.”

Because of NCAA regulations, the media is unable to contact freshmen before their first regular season game.

However, Eddie and Garland’s work ethic and desire to learn earned enthusiastic rants from their new teammates.

“They’ve looked to me to get them over the hump and help them learn their position and types of defense,” Hudson said. “I’ll go up to them if I see them doing something wrong but they’ll usually come to me and ask for help either before or after practice if they have a problem. That will be an ongoing process.”

Despite Garland’s and Eddie’s accolades and recruitment rankings that have been affirmed by showings of their capabilities in practice over the past month, Hudson is aware nothing can prepare an incoming freshman for the infamous rude awakening to the level of play featured on a game-to-game basis in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“This season is going to be a lesson for them,” Hudson said. “They’re going to learn how hard it is to play in this conference.”

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2010 Basketball Schedule Date Nov. 12 Nov. 16 Nov. 21 Nov. 25 Dec. 1 Dec. 5 Dec. 12 Dec. 18 Dec. 23 Dec. 30 Jan. 2 Jan. 8 Jan. 13 Jan. 15 Jan. 20 Jan. 22 Jan. 25 Jan. 30 Feb. 2 Feb. 5 Feb. 13 Feb. 15 Feb. 19 Feb. 22 Feb. 26 Mar. 1 Mar. 5

Opponent Campbell at Kansas State at UNC Greensboro at Cal State Northridge Purdue Virginia Penn State Mississippi State at St. Bonaventure USC Upstate Mount St. Mary's Florida State at North Carolina Wake Forest at Maryland Longwood at Georgia Tech Miami (FL) at North Carolina State at Boston College Georgia Tech Maryland at Virginia at Wake Forest Duke Boston College at Clemson

Time 7:30 4:00 1:00 2:00 7:30 6:00 1:00 12:00 7:00 2:00 2:00 3:00 9:00 8:00 9:00 7:00 9:00 5:30 7:00 1:00 1:00 8:00 1:00 7:00 9:00 9:00 12:00

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ACC: Carolina and others look to topple defending champs from page one

FLORIDA STATE After finishing last season fourth in the ACC, the Seminoles will be looking for consistency after losing many of their starters. FSU will be without reigning ACC defensive player of the year, Solomon Alabi. The Seminoles should have the defensive capabilities to remain in any game, but their issue will be scoring. If the team can find a legitimate scorer then it should be a challenger in the conference heading into March.

MARYLAND With the loss of 2010 ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez to the NBA, coach Gary Williams must find a player to replace his production. Williams not only lost his leading scorer in Vasquez, but also the second- and third-leading scorers in Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes.

The Terps will turn to sophomore center Jordan Williams, an all-ACC freshman last season, along with a combination of juniors for points.

Williams will also rely heavily on his bench, which has several new recruits, including Pe’shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin. If Maryland can find the right combination of players and some chemistry, the Terps will be in good shape and head to their third consecutive NCAA tournament.

CLEMSON First year Clemson head coach Brad Brownell will get his first taste of ACC basketball after spending a combined eight seasons at UNC-Wilmington and Wright State, where he led his teams to their highest win totals in school history.

As of right now, Clemson will not be seen as a scoring threat to opponents, but rather a defensive threat.

AP Top 25 1. Duke 2. Michigan State 3. Kansas State 4. Ohio State 5. Pittsburgh 6. Villanova 7. Kansas 8. North Carolina 9. Florida 10. Syracues 11. Kentucky 12. Conzaga 13. Illinois

14. Purdue 15. Missouri 16. Baylor 17. Butler 18. Washington 19. Memphis 20. Georgetown 21. Virginia Tech 22. Temple 23. Tennessee 24. Brigham Young 25. San Diego State

Returning to the team are starters Demonlez Stitt and Jerai Grant, who will serve as the leaders for a young Clemson squad.

MIAMI After losing 11 of its last 14 games this past season, Miami is looking for any sort of momentum going into the 2010-11 campaign.

Winning games may be challenging for this Miami squad after losing its top scorers and having to rely on many young players to fill the voids.

Head coach Frank Haith played many of his reserves as freshmen last season, so they do have game experience. If the team can find a good mix between

defense and scoring consistently, the Hurricanes should improve upon their ACC record of 4-12 from a year ago.

GEORGIA TECH A year after appearing in the ACC tournament final against Duke, the Yellow Jackets will be in the midst of a rebuilding season. Georgia Tech will have to overcome the losses of three key scorers in Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal and Zach Peacock.

The only two returning starters — junior Iman Shumpert and senior Moe Miller — are primarilyy defenders, so much of the pressure will be put on the freshmen and sophomores stepping into the lineup. With the ACC being such a pressure cooker in basketball, the Yellow Jackets will probably experience many growing pains this season.

BOSTON COLLEGE Steve Donahue is yet another new coach to the ACC this season, where he’ll look to improve a Boston College team that finished the 2010 season 610 in the conference.

The Eagles have four returning starters and nine returning players overall. Forwards Corey Raji and Joe Trapani both earned all-ACC third team accolades last season. How quickly the Eagles adjust to Donahue’s

new system will determine how many victories the team can earn.

VIRGINIA Second year head coach Tony Bennett will look to steady a Cavaliers team that had a 15-16 overall record and 5-11 conference mark last year.

Virginia will have to do this without the service of 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year Sylven Landesberg, who left the university in March following his academic suspension.

Four other players also left the team before or just after the season ended.

Virginia’s team will be a mix of six newcomers as well as six veterans including forward Mike Scott and guard Sammy Zeglinski. However, Zeglinski will miss the first several weeks after having offseason knee surgery.

WAKE FOREST Wake Forest will experience a rebuilding stage this season after losing four starters and two bench players from last year’s team that made the NCAA tournament.

The Demon Deacons also have a new head coach, Jeff Bzdelik, following the dismissal of Dino Gaudio in the offseason. Many have questioned the hiring of Bzdelik, as he is a close friend of Athletic Director Ron Wellman.

The team may be young but it should be talented and exciting with a top-10 recruiting class coming in while adding one new player at every position.

ESPN personality muses on Hokies sports reporter Doug Gottlieb is one of ESPN’s upand-coming personalities and one of the most prominent college basketball analysts in the country. Gottlieb played for legendary coach Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State from 1997-2000, a career that included an Elite Eight appearance in 2000.

Gottlieb hosts his own talk show on ESPN Radio from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Earlier this week he took some time to talk about the upcoming college basketball season, and what he thinks Virginia Tech has in store for the Atlantic Coast Conference and the country in 2010-11.

C O L L E G I AT E TIMES: Malcolm Delaney tested the NBA Draft waters before deciding to return for his senior season. Just how valuable is he GOTTLIEB to this team?

GOTTLIEB: Well, he’s the ACC’s leading returning scorer, and a guy whose played four years in one of the country’s top conferences.

I don’t think you can overstate how valuable he is in all phases: the offensive end, at the free-throw line and defen-

sively he has shown great leadership.

In terms of his work ethic, he’s kind of a machine. When you have a bunch of young guys see your best player really take care of himself, that’s the best kind of leadership. He’s incredibly valuable to his team.

CT: J.T. Thompson and Allan Chaney figured to be huge factors in the Hokies’ frontcourt this season. Neither will play this year. How big of a loss are they?

GOTTLIEB: It will be most felt against Kansas State and in the ACC. Against Kansas State, it’s on the road and they’ll probably face foul trouble. (Tech) is a small team to begin with, so it’s tough.

In the ACC, there’s an attrition factor.

If everyone stays healthy the whole year, I don’t think there’s a huge effect. I think realistically, they didn’t lose a starter.

Keeping that in mind, once you reach the NCAA Tournament, you only go six or seven players deep anyway. It won’t hurt them as much trying to go deep in the NCAA Tournament, but it will hurt in trying to win the ACC. CT: It was well documented that the Hokies’ weak schedule last year cost them an NCAA bid. Head coach Seth Greenberg went out and scheduled a road trip to Kansas State and Purdue will come to Blacksburg for the ACCBig 10 Challenge. How do the Hokies stack up in those two games?

GOTTLIEB: Kansas State was actually beaten three times at home last season.

They are very good — but the one thing about them is there are times when they really struggle to score. They are a great defensive team, great in transition and rebound the ball great, but they are not a great offensive team.

It’s a game Tech can win. You can’t let them get momentum plays or lose the turnover battle. It’s not like it’s an unwinnable game.

Now Purdue is a game I expect Tech to win. (Purdue guard) E’Twaun Moore versus Delaney is a heck of a matchup.

Purdue lost several key players off last year’s team — and losing (star forward) Robbie Hummel is huge. Considering this game is at Cassell, which I expect to be a zoo — I figure it’s a game Virginia Tech should win.

If they lose both of those games, it’s not a death sentence. If they win them both, boy that would set them up for a great year.

CT: You were on the call for Dorenzo Hudson’s 41-point game against Seton Hall last year. What type of season should we expect from Hudson this year?

GOTTLIEB: I think you’ll see him score 3-4 more points per game. He’s a tremendous athlete. What I like best about him is he has a couple of shots that you know he’s going to get within the offense that he can make with his eyes

closed. I think with his physical tools, he should be an All-ACC Defensive Team guy. I think he can be the solid No. 2 guy behind Delaney.

CT: College Gameday will visit Blacksburg this February when Duke comes to visit. What does it say about the Tech program that was non-existent on the national stage less than a decade ago?

GOTTLIEB: I think it’s a testament for how Seth Greenberg has built Virginia Tech. He built programs at Long Beach State and South Florida, but those schools didn’t have the fan support that Tech has. I think it reflects the great coaching job he’s done and his great recruiting. I think this also reflects just how great ESPN thinks Blacksburg is as a college town. We recognize that they should be very good, and they have a fun rivalry with Duke. Frankly, I’m jealous of the guys that get to go.

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