Wednesday, March 2, 2011
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
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COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 26
News, page 2
Food & Drink, page 6
Opinions, page 3
Sports, page 5
Classifieds, page 4
Sudoku, page 4
Hokie hangover
JOSHUA MILLER / SPPS
Senior forward Terrell Bell (left) looks for a teammate to receive his pass in the first half. Coach Seth Greenberg (above) shows the beginnings of frustration that would later boil over into a technical foul.
HOKIES LOSE INTENSITY OF DUKE WIN, FALL HARD AT HOME TO DETERMINED BOSTON COLLEGE TEAM GARRETT RIPA sports editor The Hokies got off to a disastrous start on senior night and never recovered, losing to Boston College 76-61. Fresh off its euphoric win over thenNo. 1 Duke, Virginia Tech fell behind early, 19-6, with Eagles guard Reggie Jackson on fire, shooting four-of-four from the field for 13 points. The Hokies didn’t lead after the game’s opening moments, and the team’s frustration bubbled over in the second half as coach Seth Greenberg’s team once again played itself onto the NCAA tournament bubble. “This is disheartening. I wouldn’t say it was disappointing,” Greenberg JONATHAN ROBERTS / SPPS said. “But let’s be honest, I am proud
of this team and I am proud of where we are.” The Eagles lead eventually expanded to 32-14 with the Hokies being outshot 63 percent to 31 percent. “I thought we would come out and play hard for the seniors,” said sophomore guard Erick Green. “We got embarrassed and I feel bad for the way the seniors went out.” However, a 9-0 Tech run capped off by a Malcolm Delaney 3-pointer got the Hokies — and the crowd — right back in the game with a score of 32-23. Delaney’s final jumper of the first half landed him in third place on Tech’s all-time scoring list, as he passed Dale Solomon. Delaney finished with 17 on the night and now stands at
2,143 career points. But Tech’s letdown loss overshadowed his accomplishment. “This was not a good way to end our career at home,” Delaney said. Boston College entered the locker room with a 35-27 lead, yet only had two out of five timeouts remaining. The Eagles lack of second half timeouts proved to be irrelevant, as they didn’t need to call a single one the rest of the game. Delaney began the second period by nailing a 3-pointer to bring the Hokies within five, but the Eagles quickly countered with a three of their own. The Hokies were unable to close the gap and found themselves trailing 5541 with about 11 minutes remaining. A large part of the team’s struggles came from behind the arc, where Tech shot a dismal three-of-17, including air balls by Delaney and Erick Green. see LETDOWN / page five
Tech stands firm Campus burial space draws interest on firearms policy JAY SPEIDELL news reporter
MALLORY NOE-PAYNE news staff writer Virginia Tech is standing pat on its current firearms policy despite legal challenges to gun restrictions on college campuses nationwide. In Virginia, universities may prohibit or place restrictions on the carrying of firearms on their own campuses. Tech’s policy is outlined in its policies and procedures, saying that individuals on campus, in campus buildings or attending sports events are prohibited from “carrying, maintaining or storing a firearm or weapon.” The policies also apply to weapon owners with valid permits. “We do not believe that it is appropriate for guns to be in the classroom. Period,” said Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski. This policy was in place before the shootings of April 16, 2007, and has not changed since.
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We do not believe that it is appropriate for guns to be in the classroom. Period. MARK OWCZARSKI SPOKESMAN, VIRGINIA TECH
Nicole Russell, a junior from northern Virginia, said she didn’t see a “need or necessity” for guns on campus. “I think it would serve to make the campus a more dangerous place,” Russell said. Many students nationally, however, do support the idea of allowing concealed weapons on campus. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a student organization formed after April 16, supports Texas legislation that would allow students and professors to carry licensed handguns on campus. Members say it would help make college campuses safer. The group’s website notes that 26 colleges in three states already allow licensed concealed weapons. “It’s definitely a touchy subject given our school, but I think looking at Virginia Tech, walking around campus versus around town, what makes it any different?” said
Matthew Hurt, the chairman of Tech’s College Republicans. Hurt is also a regular columnist for the Collegiate Times. “When you look at school shootings — there have been several instances when shootings have been put to a stop by students with a gun.” Around the country, 12 states are currently considering legislation that would allow the carriage of concealed weapons on college campuses. Many gun rights advocates believe that Texas has the best chance of passing the bill into law. Utah is the only state to already have similar legislation in the books. Like Virginia, many states allow individual schools to determine their own policies about concealed weapons. Colorado State University, for instance, has chosen to allow individuals with a permit to carry concealed weapons on their campus. The Virginia legislature has proposed legislation similar to the one now being debated in Texas. Del. Bob Marshall, a Republican from Prince William County, proposed a bill allowing professors to carry guns on campus shortly after April 16. “Parents trust teachers with the formal education of their children,” Marshall said. “If you have the confidence handling the gun, the parents will trust you to protect their children.” The legislation has died in committee two years in a row. The Virginia Supreme Court has joined the national conversation with a recent ruling on a case involving concealed carry at George Mason University. The constitutionality of allowing the university to make its own policy was challenged in January when a frequent visitor to GMU’s campus filed a suit against the school, complaining the school violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms. The court ruled in favor of the university, following precedent to say that firearms can be prohibited in sensitive locations. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote a brief supporting the university’s policy.
A new columbarium offers Virginia Tech alumni a final resting place bordering campus. The columbarium, an above ground burial place for ashes, is located on a terrace on the grounds of the Holtzman Alumni Center. It was built with Hokie stone and has maroon granite covering each of its 60 niches. Each niche has room for two urns. “It has a view toward the Duck Pond and to the campus,” said Tom Tillar, vice president of alumni relations. “It has a nice view from that rise and it has a nice tree beside it. “The height may surprise you when you’re actually standing on the niche side. It’s tall, above your head.” Tillar said many consider their experiences at college to be some of the most important of their lives, and that this columbarium gives them an opportunity to extend their connection to Tech. Spots in the columbarium cost $5,000. The columbarium, funded in part by donations from a group of alumni and class gifts from the 2008 and 2010 graduating classes, currently has only one set of ashes, which were interred in November 2010, in time for Veterans Day.
MARK UMANSKY / SPPS
The columbarium, seen above, has enough room for 60 spaces which can hold two urns a piece. Brent Blackwell, a member of Tech’s class of 1963 and the Corps of Cadets and Highty-Tighties, served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. His ashes were interred in a ceremony that included a bugler from the corps and the presentation of his sabre to the corps.
Since the columbarium was finished, alumni response has been high. “We’ve had, I’d say upwards of 50 calls of interest,” Tillar said. “They understand it’s likely to be very popular, so most of them who call say ‘I’d like to do this while there are still available niches.’” Tillar explained that the site was
designed with expansion in mind. “When you stand behind it you can see that there could be additional walls constructed to hold more niches and border the terrace,” Tillar said. Tech is one of several area schools with columbariums, including Duke University and the University of Virginia.
Study abroad programs grow at Tech TORIE DEIBLE news staff writer Virginia Tech officials are seeing a marked increase in student participation in study abroad programs. When Jeremy Scott Billetdeaux, assistant program director of Education Abroad at Virginia Tech, started five-and-a-half years ago, there were only about 900 students studying abroad. The program now boasts nearly 1,200 students. Junior David Hopland studied abroad last semester at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. “Being on your own in another culture allows you to learn how to deal with tough situations and exposure to different scenarios in a different culture,” Hopland said. “You learn a lot about yourself which was a big thing for me.” Senior Sarah Schneider, who has studied abroad in Chile and Spain,
said the experience helped her problem solving and language skills. “Not to mention resume building and career enhancement to set me apart,” Schneider said. Brendan Brink-Halloran, a Tech instructor who has a Ph.D. in planning, governance and globalization, is a huge supporter of studying abroad. “We can see a presentation for a professor on what’s going on in Egypt in the Middle East right now but it’s very different from actually being there, talking to people, seeing things with your own eyes, eating the food and immersing yourself in a different culture to teach you things that you could never learn in a classroom,” Brink-Halloran said. Terry Papillon, director of Tech’s Honors Program, leads study abroad programs in Greece every other year. Papillon said the value of the study program varies by student.
“If you go off on a study abroad program and you spend the whole time drinking and not paying attention, it’s not going to be worth it ultimately,” he said. Students obtain valuable knowledge and skills from studying abroad that they wouldn’t necessarily get in a classroom. “It makes students more aware that questions are broader than they thought they were, which helps in most any degree,” Papillon said. “It reminds students that the world is bigger and that questions are asked in different ways.” He said the four main reasons students may be hesitant to study abroad are money, scheduling, fear and ignorance. “Too many students burn their bridge before they cross it,” Papillon said. “Students don’t know that money doesn’t have to be a problem and they don’t know what’s out
there.” Billetdeaux said students in study abroad programs can enhance their employment opportunities after college. “Students make themselves much more marketable if they can demonstrate to employers that they’ve already been working in a different cultural context and they know how to interact with people with different backgrounds,” Billetdeaux said. “Almost all the time I hear from people who have studied abroad and they tell me that they have talked about it in their interviews and their potential employers were really impressed by that.” Billetdeaux said he has heard from several employers and graduate schools that the study abroad experience has made student applicants more desirable. “It gives you an edge,” Billetdeaux said.