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Tuesday April 5, 2011
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COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 40
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Arts & Entertainment page 5
Hokie Real Estate defends name use JAY SPEIDELL news reporter Hokie Real Estate has accused Virginia Tech of unethical behavior in a case revolving around the use of the term “Hokie.” The real estate office filed a counterclaim on March 28 against Tech. Keith Finch, attorney for Hokie Real Estate, said it is using the “clean hands doctrine” in its defense, referring to when a legal opponent acts unethically. “Our argument is that by misusing the registration symbol on the term Hokie, the university has been doing something that’s unfair and they have unclean hands,” Finch said. Finch said that because of Tech’s behavior, it should not be allowed to ask the court to stop Hokie Real Estate from using the term “Hokie.”
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Our argument is that by misusing the registration symbol on the term Hokie, the university has been doing something that’s unfair and they have unclean hands. KEITH FINCH ATTORNEY, HOKIE REAL ESTATE
The counterclaim alleges that Tech has knowingly committed fraud on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by making false statements on registration documents. These statements include the original date that the term “Hokie” was used for commercial purposes by the university and what goods were sold. Because of this, the claim also alleges that Tech’s use of the registered trademark symbol with the term “Hokie” is illegal because the term isn’t registered, and that Tech is also illegally using the symbol with other unregistered terms such as “Hokiebird,” “VT,” and “Tech.” Hokie Real Estate is seeking damages in the form of canceling Tech’s cur-
rent registration of the term “Hokies” as well as barring it from registering the term in the future. Lawyers for Tech, however, deny intentional wrongdoing. “These are highly desirable and broadly used commercial marks,” said John Thomas, Tech’s attorney. “Hundreds, if not thousands of times a year, the office of licensing and trademarks at Virginia Tech is approving designs, denying approval for designs.” He said that the office is busy enforcing the rights of the university and its various trademarks. Thomas said the registration symbol has been placed on items not listed under the Hokie registrations, but that those placements were unintentional. “The program has not been perfect. But contrary to the very aggressive statements, there is no intent to deceive the public. They don’t have any proof, and there isn’t any proof of that,” Thomas said. Finch claims that an Aug. 2010 email from Locke White, Tech’s director of licensing and trademarks, to a licensing manager could prove otherwise. In the e-mail, the licensing manager asks if the letters “VT,” which did not feature Tech’s signature stylization, in a baseball promotion should have a registration mark. White responded “Technically this VT should not have a registered mark but go ahead and tell them to put it on.” Since the suit was originally filed, Tech applied for a preliminary injunction to immediately stop Hokie Real Estate from using the term “Hokie” in its name. A U.S. District Court denied the request March 15 on the grounds that such an injuction is an extreme measure and that the injunction would “break the continuity” of Hokie Real Estate’s business. The court also said Tech failed to show that it would be immediately harmed by confusion of the businesses or dilution of the trademark.
Opinions, page 3
Theater, page 6
Classifieds, page 4
Sudoku, page 4
Plantation opens for season
WALTER KIDD / SPPS
COMMUNITY REFLECTS ON HOUSE’S HISTORY, AS ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG REVEALS AREA’S ROOTS. JAY SPEIDELL news reporter Smithfield Plantation was busy Saturday with re-enactors in period dress setting up camp and an ongoing archaeological dig and survey. These events were coordinated to celebrate opening day for the plantation. “It’s a good way to introduce us to the community,” said April Danner, head interpreter and education outreach coordinator. “We’re open for the season, please come see us!” Danner said Preservation Virginia, the organization that administrates the Smithfield historical site, wants to relocate a donated barn, built in Patrick County in the 1850s, to Smithfield and
set it up as a historic blacksmith’s shop. Before that move, the area must be surveyed for historic value, which would require it to be excavated. Danner said it is believed that the Smithfield Plantation used to run a blacksmith shop, and that it could have been located in the same area planned for the new one. “That’s kind of what the survey is doing for us, it’s telling us what this yard was used for because we don’t know,” Danner said. The survey team was digging a grid of holes and sifting the dirt for artifacts, and it had already found several historical artifacts. Some of the found items include a bullet, a button and some pottery and glass pieces. “It’s been interesting,” said Brittany
The return of Solitude
Students sift through soil samples Saturday at Smithfield Plantation. Belew, a junior anthropological sciences major. The plantation has a history that dates back to the American revolution, with the Preston family moving to the plantation in 1774. The Preston family was one of the most influential families in Virginia, and three governors were born on the property. “This family exudes power and influence,” Danner said. James Patton Preston was governor when the University of Virginia was commissioned, John Thomas Lewis Preston helped start Virginia Military Institute, and the Prestons also helped build the foundations of Virginia Tech. “William Ballard Preston started the Olin Institute, which becomes the Preston-Olin institute, which becomes VAMC, which becomes Virginia Tech,” Danner said.
William Ballard Preston also played a unique roll in the Civil War. In April 1861, Preston spoke with President Abraham Lincoln. “He was sitting in the office of Abraham Lincoln and two other representatives from Virginia saying ‘Virginia has not seceded, we will guarantee Virginia will stay with the union if you will guarantee the rights for gradual emancipation.’” Danner said. “But Fort Sumpter had been fired upon that morning so the telegraphs started going off, and the point was moot.” Danner said that Preston had then gone back to his home and pledged support for the Confederacy in hopes that it would honor Virginia’s rights. Smithfield Plantation is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Middle East activist to speak on Tuesday JAY SPEIDELL news reporter Ut Prosim month is kicking off with keynote speaker Clayborne Carson. Carson, a history professor and civil rights scholar at Stanford University, will speak about his recent experiences in the Middle East as well as his views on violence and its alternatives. “We think Dr. Carson’s knowledge on violence and its alternatives in the modern world, and linking it to the history of our campus, has the potential to be not just another good speech but something really historic and meaningful for the Virginia Tech campus,” said Jordan Hill, a social, political, ethical and cultural studies major.
Carson has just completed a trip to several countries in the Middle East advising on civil rights issues. His extensive work in the field includes the King Papers Project, which is publishing volumes of Dr. King’s speeches, sermons and letters. He is also the founder of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. The speech, titled “From Gandhi to Dr. King to Virginia Tech: The Global Legacy of Martin Luther King in the 21st Century,” will take place at 7 p.m. in the Commonwealth Ballroom of Squires Student Center. A reception will follow in the Graduate Life Center.
VTPD looks for suspect Dozens braved the cold Friday to attend the grand re-opening ceremony at the Solitude House, the oldest structure on Virginia Tech’s campus. The ribbon cutting ceremony celebrated the completion of a nine-month, million dollar renovation project. The house closed in the 1990s in a state of disrepair. The building will now house Tech’s Appalachian studies program. photo by sara mitchell, spps
In a press release from Virginia Tech Police Department, a female student was sexually assaulted during Sunday’s Wiz Khalifa concert. Police reported that the assault, taking place between 9 and 9:15 p.m., took place in a women’s bathroom outside the auditorium on the second floor of Burruss Hall. Police are looking for a clean-shaven “college-aged” white male, approximately six feet tall with dark hair, wearing a black polo-type shirt with blue jeans. Those with information on the case are encouraged to call Detective John Wald of the Tech Police at 540-231-6790. Police also made two arrests for possession of marijuana in Burruss Hall at the time of the concert. — gordon block, news editor
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news editors: philipp kotlaba, liana bayne, gordon block newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
april 5, 2011
COLLEGIATETIMES
virginia Guilty plea made in Manassas beating
what you’re saying //comments from online readers... On the selection of two faculty for a new residential college: Anonymous>> This is really cool and different. I’m not in honors, but maybe next year when West aj opens. I’m glad VT is not doing the same ole thing.
Anonymous>> Great choices with Professors Gumbert and Stephens. Bravo, VT.
‘03 alum>> this is awesome! way to go Virginia Tech!
On practices of record labels: Anonymous>> The business practices in this article do not describe pay-for-play. Pay-for-play (or “payola”) is when record labels or promoters pay radio stations money to play their material -- a practice which is illegal. Rebecca Black is not getting airplay on actual radio stations. ARK Music Factory is nothing significantly different from Rock n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, it’s just indulging parents’ and tweens’ fantasies of being a pop star by cutting a track and making a video. The music sucks, but it’s really pretty harmless and certainly isn’t going to “set the music industry back 50 years”.
crime blotter 03/17/2011
offense
NEW YORK — Rock music blares in a Manhattan classroom as an 11year-old builds a Web site for video game enthusiasts and a classmate solders LED lights and capacitors to a circuit board. In another room, students are immersed in a life sizedvideo game as they kneel beside a virtual river, sifting through the remains of ancient civilizations. What kid wouldn’t love a school developed by video game designers? Quest to Learn was designed to be different from the ground up. This complete reinvention of the typical urban middle school downplays rote memorization in favor of collaborative learning, critical thinking and imaginative exploration as a way to change how today’s students learn. And this fall, it’s coming to Chicago. With more than $1.2 million in funding from the MacArthur Foundation and other philanthropic organizations, the public charter school to be called Chicago Quest is scheduled to open in September in a renovated school building at North
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Larceny of an i-Pad
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Vandalism (writing on bathroom doors) Lsrceny of money
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Underage possession of alcohol/ Alumni Mall appearing intoxicated in public/ Underage possession of alcohol/ Graduate Life appearing intoxicated in public/ Center possesion of fake ID Appearing intoxicated in public Squires Parking Lot Possession of fake ID
Ogden and Clybourn avenues on the edge of the old Cabrini Green housing project. Officials are already talking about one day opening Chicago Quests on the city’s South and West Sides as well. For city educators, Chicago Quest is an important foray into 21st century thinking. Students will learn from video game designers and computer experts how to design and build their own video games, produce custom Web sites, podcast, blog, record and edit short films and connect with technology in a way that is both meaningful and productive. In an era of rigid standardized testing, city leaders say Quest is a novel approach to get today’s wired 11-, 12- and 13-year-olds prepared for the technology-driven, global job market that awaits them. “The only way we’re going to catch up with the rest of the world is to re-invent how teaching and learning occurs,” said Chicago Public Schools interim chief Terry Mazany. “That’s why this is so vital. It’s going to be an innovation engine for the district,
Pritchard Hall
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Driving under the influence of University City Blvd Cleared by Arrest Alcohol Washington St. Inactive: Referred to Underage possession of alcohol x4 Student Conduct Alumni Mall Cleared by Arrest Underage possession of alcohol/ appearing intoxicated in public/ possesion of fake ID Possession of Marijuana Lane Stadium Active
Possession of Marijuana/ underage possession of alcohol/ appearing intoxicated in Public Underage possession of alcohol/ 2 a.m. appearing intoxicated in public Vandalism to an elevator light 04/02/2011-04/03/2011
and I’ll strongly encourage the next leadership to keep them close and learn from them.” On a recent trip to the cramped Manhattan headquarters, Elizabeth Purvis, executive director of Chicago International Charter School, seemed dazzled by what students were able to do. “You can’t watch how these kids work, how invested they are in what they’re learning, and not come away amazed,” Purvis said. Chicago International Charter School, the city’s largest network of charters with 13 campuses and more than 8,000 students, will operate Chicago Quest, which is expected to debut with about 300 6th and 7th graders for the 2011-12 school year. Students will be selected in a citywide lottery, ensuring a diverse population of boys and girls and students from all economic backgrounds. The school, like all CICS charters, is tuition free.
V I O L A T I O N - A F F I D A V I T
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—amanda stewart, mcclatchy newspapers
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03/16/2011-03/17/2011 Follow up to counterfeit of $20.00 Owens Food Court bill 6:57 a.m. Underage possession of alcohol Vawter Hall
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head. In a letter written to another inmate at the Prince William-Manassas regional jail and introduced into evidence Monday, Millsap described Sturgill’s injuries and said, “That is what happens when you mess with the bloods.” Morgan denied being involved in the fight, but admitted that he was there and entered an Alford plea of guilty to voluntary manslaughter in March. He was sentenced to five years in prison, with all jail time suspended. Griffin is charged with first-degree murder and is set to stand trial in June. Millsap faces between five and 40 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 1.
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—joel hood, mcclatchy newspapers
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An onlooker observes the newly inscribed name of Zachary Eckhart on the Ut Prosim pylon. Eckhart, who died in 2010, was recognized in a Corps ceremony Friday. photo by paul kurlak, spps
time
old Jerel Morgan and 30-year-old Kenneth Griffin in Sturgill’s death. Prosecutors said that all four men were drinking behind the 7-Eleven on the night of June 21 and into the early morning hours of June 22. At some point Sturgill passed out behind the 7-Eleven, and the other three men went home to their apartment, at 10671 Blendia Lane, but returned to the 7-Eleven a short time later, police said. Millsap told police that Griffin was angry with Sturgill for entering his apartment without knocking one day and wanted to return to the 7Eleven to “mess with” him. Millsap and Griffin hit and kicked Sturgill, as he lay on the ground behind the 7-Eleven and Morgan hit Sturgill with a bottle, prosecutors said. The medical examiner said Sturgill died of blunt force trauma to the
nation Video games introduced in classrooms
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MANASSAS, Va. -- A Manassas area man pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder for the June beating death of 23-year-old Matthew Sturgill. Christopher Millsap was set to stand trial in Prince William Circuit Court Monday on a charge of firstdegree murder, but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge instead. According to police and prosecutors, a homeless man call 911 at about 5:30 a.m. on June 22, after he found Sturgill “severely beaten” and lying in the crass behind the 7Eleven at10600 Lomond Drive in the Manassas area. Police responded and Sturgill, who had a fractured skull and several other severe injuries, was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Several days later he was taken off life support and died. Police charge Millsap, 22-year-
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editors: scott masselli, gabi seltzer opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
april 5, 2011
Look for positives in dealing with stress re you one of those people who acts like your world has A come to an end because you just got yourself into big trouble or are going through a difficult time? Do you prefer to stress out and panic, rather than try to work out a problem? If you are, then get on board and join my team, because I happen to be a pro at it. I am the kind of person who acts like my world has come to an end when an unusual event occurs in my life. I make a mountain out of a molehill and start to stress and panic until my face starts to break out. The event becomes the biggest sensation and I devote almost all my time and thoughts toward it. Just last week when I got surgery on both my arms, I couldn’t stop getting annoyed or angered when I couldn’t use my dominant arm, which had the bigger cut than the other arm. I was constantly complaining to my friends how my life was miserable at the moment and couldn’t do much without getting other’s help. This is how I mostly spent last week, worrying and complaining to my friends about something that had already been done and not much could be done about. Still, I also believe everything happens for a reason. I believe there is a purpose and a valuable lesson behind all occurrences. But it is hard, if not impossible, to practice what you preach when time is testing you. So it is OK to stress and it’s normal to worry during difficult times. After all, humans have been blessed with so many emotions we might as well make the best use out of them. I was in pain and if my friends were expecting me to be happy and cheerful at such a time then they were waiting for rain in the drought. Telling me to stop complaining or swallow the pain wasn’t going to heal the wounds right away and take away the suffering. One thing, however, should be remembered: What’s done is done. It’s absolutely fine to be sad, but at the same time we should keep
in mind that it’s not worth crying over spilled milk. At one point or another, we have to move on and adjust to our constantly-changing lives. Although it’s difficult to forget some events, the best way to do this is learn from the incident and continue living a normal life. The valuable lesson I learned from the painful week is that difficult times are checkpoints in life. Just like in a cell cycle when it goes through G1 and G2 checkpoints before getting selected for cell division, difficult times that we go through, once in a while, are required to understand checks and balances in life.
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It is OK to stress and it’s normal to worry during difficult times.”
Take friendship, for example. Through the tough times, you realize who your true friends are and who will stand by you in your worst situation. So the difficult situations aren’t so bad if they help us understand whether our relationships are really worth the time and effort before we invest more in them. They also teach us to appreciate joyous times even more. So let me leave you with a challenge. Go back to a time of intense struggle, remember one of the most difficult times you went through, why things happened the way they did and who was there to help you get through. Rethink how it played out, and instead of being angry for the struggle, consider how fortunate you were for the help of friends and being able to resolve the problem.
NAMRATA SHRESTHA -regular columnist -junior -economics major
Compromise needed to fix federal budget W
ith a war waging in Washington, Congress and the Obama administration have yet to come to an agreement over the national budget that has been looming over the government for the past few months. Both Democrats and Republicans once again fear a government shutdown, as the current stopgap budget measure is slated to expire on April 8. The debate between Democrats in the House, Senate and the Obama administration has forced the government to run on stopgaps for the past few months. However, this past week, Vice President Joe Biden proposed a budget making $33 billion in reductions, which seems to be winning over some Republicans and Democrats alike. However, freshman Republicans have proved to be an insurmountable barrier to the passage of legislation and have expressed opposition to Biden’s proposal. From budget cut amounts to procedures over how representatives, senators and the president’s pay will be affected during a government shutdown, the political parties have exhibited adamancy and failed to be efficient in creating a pragmatic solution for the upcoming year’s budget. With all personal political views aside, I think it’s time for politicians to stop lollygagging, stop worrying about their own personal political stakes and stop engaging in the harsh rhetoric toward the opposite party for a little while. It’s time to start being proactive on formulating a feasible fiscal policy that can survive the institutional stress the current era of divided government is imposing. The U.S. has a nearly insurmountable national debt and economic downturn to deal with. I think it’s necessary for the two opposing parties to reconcile their differences (which will probably never happen) and start making progress toward improving the national debt. Both parties make good points about the budget, though. The Republican ideology of fiscal
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restraint and responsibility is necessary for the substantial cuts to begin and to ensure the government addresses important issues in our country. It’s going to require some reaching across the aisle and meeting in the middle for a policy to be enacted. Although neither party will get everything it wants, it will get at least some of the policy measures it supports.
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Both Democrats and Republicans once again fear a government shutdown, as the current stopgap budget measure is slated to expire on April 8.
I believe these two parties are going to have to compromise and make a well-educated decision about what should be cut and what should be kept. I know the two parties working collectively is taboo in today’s politically polarized environment, but it’s going to be absolutely crucial to help economic recovery and avert a government shutdown. While I’m not expecting unanimity over everything being addressed in the budget, I do believe a sense of tolerance is going to be necessary to conceive a budget that can support the U.S. government for the next year. We can’t keep running on stopgap measures. A decision needs to be made, and a strategic plan needs to be implemented to deal with the impending national debt and other issues that are troubling the U.S. government. Once the budget is addressed in a manner acceptable to both Democrats and Republicans, I believe, the country will be well on its way toward progress and economic prosperity in the future.
JOSH HIGGINS -regular columnist -freshman -communication major
MCT CAMPUS
Play Fair Tech arguments lack supporting evidence been following the debate over Iment’vetheatmeals tax with a sense of bafflethe lack of any hard data presented by the Play Fair Tech campaign on why Virginia Tech should pay the meals and lodging tax. As most of my fellow engineering and science students on campus would probably attest, coursework and professional opinions live and die by the data and logic that support them. That’s why I decided to take time in between programming my robots and writing research papers to present some data on why Tech is correct in not paying these taxes: It doesn’t receive any services the town typically provides in return for the taxes, and the taxes don’t create unfair competition to the town’s businesses. The purpose of most taxes is to pay for government services provided to the taxpayers. In this case, the purpose of the meals tax is to help pay for services provided by the town to the local dining establishments and their patrons. These services are already being paid for by the on-campus dining locations. The only difference is that the services are provided by Tech, and factored into on-campus dining’s price models. These services, as indicated in the recent Roanoke Times letter to the editor (“Tech contributes much to the community,” university spokesman Larry Hincker, Feb. 20), include police protection, fire protection and road maintenance. Tech operates its own police force and road maintenance. Using an average police salary of $50,000 per officer per year, and the listed number of officers of 49, this comes to $2.45 million for Tech’s police force in salaries alone, excluding overhead for equipment, support staff and training. For fire coverage, Tech pays $205,000 to the town of Blacksburg directly for this service. According to Play Fair Tech, there are 23 locations that are in dispute over the meals tax. According to the campus map, there are 135 buildings on campus. Arguing conservatively, let’s say eight percent of campus is covered by these 23 locations. Therefore, eight percent of the police costs and fire protection should be paid for by the town if the meals tax is paid. This would cost $212,000 for the town even when excluding police overhead and maintenance. By Play Fair Tech’s own estimates, the town would receive only $200,000 in meals tax revenue. I strongly doubt either Blacksburg or Tech would want to change these arrangements. The university benefits from having its own police force and maintenance personnel specially trained in university procedures, and the town benefits by not being burdened with considerably higher costs in police and main-
tenance. The fact that these costs are already incorporated into the food prices at the university eateries, and thus they are already “playing fair,” shouldn’t be in dispute either. Simple business economics would indicate that in the case of the Tech-owned establishments, the additional police, fire coverage and maintenance needed to support these establishments are deducted from Tech’s bottom-line. Therefore, in order to reach its income goals, the costs are factored into prices.
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By Play Fair Tech’s own estimates, the town would receive only $200,000 in meals tax revenue.
For the establishments leased by Tech, such as Subway and Seattle’s Best, these costs are probably factored into the lease agreements, similar to how property taxes are a small factor in the rent prices off-campus students pay their landlords. Because of these arrangements, it’s unlikely the university has any significant advantage in prices against the local establishments. For example, Seattle’s Best in Johnston Student Center charges $1.65 for a small cup of coffee. The Next Door Bake Shop at Collegiate Square charges $1.60 before tax. Before a hypothetical meals tax is taken into account, Seattle’s Best is already paying for the university-provided services, while NDBS is not. Factoring in the meals tax, Next Door Bake Shop charges $1.70. This 5-cent difference could easily be explained by NDBS’s decision to use Virginia-roasted beans, the independent ownership versus the large corporation’s economy-of-scale, or a dozen other factors besides the meal’s tax that make the price more expensive, but at the same time make coffee connoisseurs such as myself enjoy frequenting the shop. Another example is The Inn at Virginia Tech’s competition with local lodging establishments. Recently, an opinion piece appeared in the Roanoke Times (“Misconceptions about Tech and the meals tax,” Mar. 13) that attempted to refute that the “unfair competition argument is a red herring” and points to the competition between The Inn and the Hilton Garden Inn as an example. However, in her discussion of this unfair competition, the author completely ignores the most important part of the argument: unfairness. A single night’s stay at The Inn the weekend of Saturday, March 16, cost $139. Before tax, a stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, according to Priceline. com, would cost $129. Factoring in the additional 7 percent meals cost would
make the price of staying at the Hilton $138.03, which would not apply to the Inn, an about equivalent price for an about equivalent hotel. Doesn’t that seem fair? As an engineer, I’ll be the first to admit that these two examples aren’t enough to prove my point. However, the fact that the Play Fair Tech campaign has not made any attempt to statistically prove that the meals tax and lodging tax is creating a significant price disparity between on-campus dining establishments and off-campus does not make its argument very compelling. Perhaps the university and Play Fair Tech could ask the statistics department to settle the issue. The last argument Play Fair Tech makes is that the other 14 state universities compensate the town for the meals and lodging tax in some way. In this case, they are comparing completely different town-university relations to Blacksburg and Tech’s. I recently visited the University of Virginia. My impression of the campus and Charlottesville was that the boundary between the two is much more blurred than those between Tech and Blacksburg. I saw Charlottesville Police pass right between two university buildings, and could not tell which roads were oncampus and which were not most of the time. So it seems fair to me that UVa would pay for some unavoidable coverage by the Charlottesville Police. I’d be willing to bet a portion of my tiny graduate stipend that if you polled those 14 schools, you would get 14 different answers as to why they reimburse the town for the meals and lodging tax. In Blacksburg and Tech’s case, my data shows the university has some pretty good reasons that they should not. Tech is obviously part of the Blacksburg community, from being its largest employer, to housing many of downtown’s frequent customers, to participating in the Big Event. However, we shouldn’t feel guilty for diverging on policies where we are different. We have our own police force and maintenance personnel, paid for inpart by our dining establishments. We even have our own zip code. Because of this, we should not be taxed to pay for Blacksburg services that we do not receive “in the spirit of community.” Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be any price disparity that would make on-campus dining and lodging unfair competition, the operative word being “unfair.”
MATHEW BAYS -guest columnist -doctoral student -mechanical engineering major
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Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief: Peter Velz Managing Editors: Zach Crizer, Katie Biondo, Josh Son Public Editor: Justin Graves Senior News Editor: Philipp Kotlaba Associate News Editors: Liana Bayne, Gordon Block News Reporters: Claire Sanderson, Jay Speidell, Michelle Sutherland, Sarah Watson News Staff Writers: Erin Chapman, Meighan Dober Features Editors: Lindsey Brookbank, Kim Walter Features Reporters: Chelsea Gunter, Majoni Harnal, Mia Perry Opinions Editors: Scott Masselli, Gabi Seltzer Sports Editors: Michael Bealey, Garrett Ripa Sports Reporters: Nick Cafferky, Matt Jones, Courtney Lofgren, Josh Parcell Sports Staff Writers: Alyssa Bedrosian, Alex Koma, Ashleigh Lanza, Zach Mariner Special Sections Editor: Bethany Buchanan Public Information Director: Dishu Maheshwari Training Director: Kelsey Heiter Copy Editors: Taylor Chakurda, Thandiwe Ogbonna, Spenser Snarr, Brittany Kelly Layout Designers: Danielle Buynak, Victoria Zigadlo, Wei Hann, Maya Shah Online Director: Jamie Chung Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager: David Harries Distribution Assistant: Ryan Francis Student Publications Photo Staff Director of Photography: Sara Mitchell Business Manager: Luke Mason Lab Manager: Mark Umansky College Media Solutions Ad Director: Nik Bando Asst Ad Director: Brandon Collins Account Executives: Emily Africa, Matt Freedman, David George, Melanie Knoth, Hunter Loving Inside Sales Manager: Wade Stephenson Assistant Inside Sales Manager: Diane Revalski Assistant Account Executives: Maddie Abram, Katie Berkel, Kaelynn Kurtz, Erin Shuba Creative Director: Chloé Skibba Asst Production Manager: Casey Stoneman Creative Services Staff: Tim Austin, Jennifer DiMarco, Colleen Hill, Jenn Le, Erin Weisiger Voice your opinion. Readers are encouraged to send letters to the Collegiate Times. 365 Squires Student Center Blacksburg, VA, 24061 Fax: (540) 231-9151 opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com All letters to the editor must include a name and daytime phone number. Students must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include position and department. All other submissions must include city of residence, and if applicable, relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). All letters should be in MS Word (.doc) format, if possible. Letters, commentaries and editorial cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times. Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board, which is composed of the opinions editors, editor-in-chief and the managing editors. Letters to the editor are submissions from Collegiate Times readers. We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Have a news tip? Call or text 200-TIPS or e-mail newstips@collegiatetimes.com Student Media Phone Numbers Collegiate Times Newsroom 231-9865 Editor-in-Chief 231-9867 College Media Solutions Advertising 961-9860 The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday through Friday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. The Collegiate Times receives no direct funding from the university. The Collegiate Times can be found online at www.collegiatetimes.com.
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april 5, 2011
page 4
President Obama formally announces re-election bid presidential maneuverings. He did not appear in the two-minute video that accompanied his emailed announcement and he held no public events Monday. He did make an unannounced conference call to supporters in which he described himself as “a little older and a little wiser” than in 2008.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s launch of his re-election campaign marked a sober entrance into a 2012 contest in which he will confront a more challenging electoral landscape than in his path-breaking 2008 election romp. Obama filed re-election papers Monday, slightly earlier than the last two presidents, an indication of both an aggressive approach and the magnitude of the task ahead. His campaign aides face the time-consuming job of reorganizing and reenergizing Obama’s national grassroots operation and filling a campaign bank account that could top $1 billion. In an email to supporters, Obama said laying the groundwork for 2012 “must start today” — even as he maintained that he was staying “focused on the job you elected me to do.” Steve Murphy, a Democratic strategist, predicted that next year’s vote would be “very close,” more like the tightly contested 2000 and 2004 elections than the last, which Obama won easily. “It’s not as much of an
electoral walk for Barack Obama,” said Murphy. “But it’s still a favorable electoral map for him.” Running to replace an unpopular Republican president, Obama benefited from a financial crisis in the final weeks of the campaign and prevailed by almost 200 electoral votes overGOP nominee John McCain. But Republicans made incursions last fall in many of the areas Obama carried. Several of those states may be out of reach already, and others will be tough to hold, strategists from both parties suggest. An analysis by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report underscored the potential for a tight 2012 election. It rated seven states Obama won last time as tossups — Nevada, Colorado,Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida — with the outcome of the election hanging in the balance. Obama hasn’t given up on states that seem likely to return to the Republican column, such as Indiana, which he plans to visit on Friday, and North Carolina, site of the Democratic national convention next year. Like other incumbents, Obama wants to avoid being viewed as a candidate for as long as possible to limit the scent of politics in his
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If unemployment stays at 9 percent...it will affect his standing with younger voters, and the middle class... LINDA DIVALL REPUBLICAN POLLSTER
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama “is not focused on elections” and that there will be “plenty of time well down the road for politics.” But 2012 politics is already a significant, and growing, part of Obama’s routine, and over the next 19 months he’ll continue to straddle a line between official duties and re-election chores. Tuesday, for example, he’ll meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the White
House. On Wednesday, with polls showing that rising prices may soon eclipse jobs as the public’s top economic priority, he’ll discuss higher oil prices during his second visit in as many months to the battleground state of Pennsylvania. He’ll finish the day tending to his still vibrant AfricanAmerican base at a New York gala organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton. According to national opinion polls, almost half of registered voters currently favor a second term for Obama. That positions him on par with or better than either George W. Bush or Bill Clinton at a similar stage in their two-term presidencies, according to the Pew Research Center, which conducted the surveys. Obama’s relatively strong position at present reflects his political gains since Democrats were set back in last fall’s midterm election. He also is benefitting from the absence of a clear favorite for the Republican nomination. Still, unemployment remains high, with some economists forecasting a jobless rate of more than 8 percent on Election Day. That would be the worst jobs figure for a presidential election in more than 75 years. “The economy is still the biggest risk,” said Linda DiVall, a Republican pollster. “If unemployment stays at 9
percent and you have underemployment that effectively adds another 8 to 9 percent, it will affect his standing with younger voters, and the middle class, and then the whole hope-andchange argument falls a little bit flat.” Turmoil in the Middle East is also testing Obama’s leadership credentials, DiVall added, while the U.S. military deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya could create problems with his liberal base and depress Democratic turnout. Obama’s decision to file papers with the Federal Election Commission allows him to begin accepting donations for his re-election. His campaign manager, Jim Messina, recently set$350,000 fundraising targets for at least 450 big Democratic money men and women. And as soon as Obama’s email went out, the campaign started selling tickets to fundraising events this month at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Nob Hill in San Francisco and Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif. The Obama campaign video, quickly followed by an Internet ad campaign, was aimed in part at recruiting new supporters for 2012. It featured testimonials from Obama supporters in key states, including
a North Carolina man identified only as Ed, who said he didn’t agree with Obama on everything, “but I respect him and I trust him.” The Democratic flurry contrasted with the slow-developing race to pick a Republican opponent. None of the leading GOP contenders has declared his candidacy and only two — former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — have created vehicles for raising campaign funds as they test the presidential waters. Mitt Romney, expected to form a committee in coming weeks, has kept an unusually low profile for a potential front-runner. The former Massachusetts governor responded to Obama’s announcement with a Twitter message that he was looking forward to hearing the president’s jobs plan, “as are 14 million unemployed Americans.” A video release by Pawlenty featured ominous music and images, including a thunderstorm over the White House, homes in foreclosure and $4-a-gallon gas. “For America to take a new direction,” Pawlenty said in a voiceover, “it’s going to take a new president.”
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By Ed Sessa
ACROSS 1 In development, as software 5 Ancient meeting place 10 Blok e 14 School since 1440 15 Really enjoy 16 Symbolic ring 17 “Oklahoma!” prop? 19 Heavenly bodies 20 Subject of a 2009 national tournament cheating scandal 21 Time of f spent with Rover? 23 Star car
Art Day
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ed M ix s c s Di
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Today’s Radio Schedule
25 Downsizing event? 26 Extend across 28 Fingers 31 Fumble (for) 34 Undercover operations where agents can bring guests? 37 Tampa NFLer 38 Jobs , idiomatically 39 Tesla, by birth 40 Sol lead-in 41 Creative output 42 Dance for louses? 44 “Beau __”: Gary Cooper film 46 Head of government?
47 Body shop figs. 48 Close connection 50 Water carrier 52 Taser switch? 56 Mickey’ s “The Wrestler” co-star 60 “Young” reformer 61 Fancy shoes for the campaign trail? 63 “Young Frankenstein” lab assistant 64 Small thicket 65 Lollipop, for one 66 Cheers 67 Exhaust 68 A long, long time
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DOW N 1 “Summertime” singer 2 Caesarean rebuke 3 Warty hopper 4 Luanda natives 5 Rock collection? 6 Needle-nosed fish 7 Numbered piece 8 Sign of age 9 Garden pest 10 Round jewelry item 11 Not easily topped 12 Jessica of “Sin City” 13 Bridal accessory 18 Scratching (out) 22 Butts 24 Deepwater Horizon, for one 26 Disconcerting look 27 Penguins’ home 29 Blackmore heiress 30 Took a sinuous path
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32 Knitting stitches 33 Sci. concerned with biodiversity 34 Thick carpet 35 Behave 36 Co. that merged into Verizon 40 Clear as mud 42 Texting button 43 Newscast segment 45 Mighty Dump Trucks, e.g. 49 Saucers and such 51 Made lots of calls, in a way 52 Mi x 53 Hip Charlie, in ads 54 At the peak of 55 “Kick, Push” rapper __ Fiasco 57 “As I see it,” online 58 Go a few rounds? 59 Slithery threats 62 Co. with a butterfly logo Friday’ s Puzzle Solved
(c)2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
4/1/11
4-7 AM - John Hisky
ed Mix cs Dis
editors: lindsey brookbank, kim walter featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
arts & entertainment 5 april 5, 2011
Wiz rocks Burruss
Pittsburgh based rapper Wiz Khalifa performed in Burruss Auditorium as part of a tour promoting his new album, “Rolling Papers.” photo by Daniel Lin, spps
Hokie couple needs votes to win ultimate wedding CHELSEA GUNTER features reporter Students have the opportunity to vote online and affect the lives of two Hokie alumni who have been accepted into Crate & Barrel’s annual Ultimate Wedding Contest. Braden Field and Sarah Long are seeking votes from friends, family and fellow Hokies in order to have the chance to receive a $100,000 dream wedding. While Field graduated in 2009 in the architecture program, Long finished her undergraduate program in 2008 and master’s in 2010 in the communication department. Though Long and Field had mutual friends at Tech, the first time they met was not exactly friendly. As a member of Sensations, Long was handing out flyers for an upcoming performance on the Drillfield. “This guy was walking up to me on the path and he diverted into the grass to avoid me,” Long said. “He didn’t want to take the flyer and I’m very much a type A person, so I followed him into the grass and was like, ‘Please just take one. I have to give these away. Just take the flyer.’” Already late to a group meeting, Field put his hands up in the air and avoided Long. “Every day you walk across the Drillfield and people try and give you flyers and I just didn’t have time for it,” Field said. Fate would have it that Long and Field would attend the same party that night. Without pause, Long approached Field and called him out for refusing to take her flyer. “I felt like a big jerk, but it was a really nice conversation starter,” Field said. “You couldn’t have much of a better ice-breaker than to be like, ‘Oh, you’re the big jerk that didn’t take my flyer from me on the Drillfield.’” Field and Long remained friends and could relate to each other because they were both in troubled, long-distance relationships. “I had been dating this guy for like six or seven months and we broke up, and I was all distraught,” Long said. “For whatever reason, he (Field) was
the first person that I had called about it because he had become one of my good friends.” Once they were both single, their relationship flourished. Field started leaving paper airplane notes on her car and bringing her coffee to the Math Emporium. “I never went to the Empo once to do work, but I probably went about 80 times to go visit her and I hate that place,” Field said. Their friends considered them stubborn as they refused to admit that they were in a relationship. Field was constantly over at Long’s sorority house, which led to much speculation. “I feel like a lot of other people started calling us girlfriend and boyfriend before we kind of admitted to it,” Field said. “I don’t know whether it was because we had both just gotten out of relationships or what, but we just kind of wanted to go with it.” Field made his move after the Alpha Delta Pi’s annual Safari Hunt, asking Long to attend the GERMAN Club date party. After Field graduated in 2009, he spent a year in Lynchburg, Va., while Long continued to pursue her master’s degree. He spent every other weekend visiting Long in Blacksburg, and their relationship survived the long-distance challenges.
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Within a week of signing up, we somehow managed to get 1,000 votes and we are now in the top 30 — it’s crazy. SARAH LONG ALUMNA
When Long completed her master’s degree in 2010, they found jobs and moved in together in Arlington, Va. Today Field works at the Esocoff Associates architecture firm in D.C. and Long works in public relations right outside of D.C. at O’Keeffe & Company. Once they were in the same city, Field was prepared to settle down and propose to Long. He spent six weeks shopping for wedding rings. As an
architect, Field considers himself very detail-oriented and was determined to perfect his plan. In mid-February, Field and Long were in D.C. preparing to run a 5K race with a Valentine’s Day theme. On Feb. 12, they had to pick up their race packets. Being February, the weather was bitter, but Field insisted on walking around the monuments. “I was like, ‘Are you crazy? Have you been outside? It’s disgusting,’” Long said. But he eventually persuaded her. They spent three hours walking around in wind chills causing tears to fall from Long’s eyes. After viewing the Lincoln Memorial, Field claimed that he wanted to go to the Jefferson Memorial, which was all the way down the river. Heading across the bridge at sunset, Long asked to stop because her feet hurt from walking around for so long. “I looked over to the other side of the bridge and saw this guy taking pictures and realized that it was our friend Roy who had also went to Virginia Tech,” Long said. So they made their way over to catch up with an old friend. Long suspected nothing because most of their friends had returned to the D.C. area after graduating. Roy explained that he was taking pictures for his photography blog and offered to take a picture of them. “And so I turn back around where Braden was standing on the bridge to put my arm around him and he was down on one knee,” Long said. Tears poured from Long’s eyes as she realized that Roy’s appearance was not just coincidence and that he was there to capture photos of the entire proposal. “It was worth being out in the miserable cold,” Long said. “I finally realized that he had to plan for a while and that’s why he was so insistent on going out that day.” Field’s friend had dropped their car off by the Lincoln Memorial so they would not have to walk all the way back in the freezing weather. Inside the car, Field had champagne and a stack of bridal magazines waiting for her. They finished off the night by
COURTESY OF BRADEN FIELD AND SARAH LONG
Tech graduates Braden Field and Sarah Long hope to win a wedding. having dinner with their families to celebrate the proposal. While Field and Long were excited about their engagement, they were not as happy to discover how truly expensive a wedding is. But an email from Long’s mother led to an opportunity. Long’s mother informed her about Crate & Barrel’s annual Ultimate Wedding Contest. Couples submit photos and answer questions in order to convince the public to vote for them. Once voting closes on April 30, a panel will rank the top 100 couples with the most votes. From there, Crate & Barrel will pick one winner to receive a $100,000 dream wedding from famous wedding planner Yifat Oren. “Within a week of signing up, we somehow managed to get 1,000 votes and we are now in the top 30 — it’s crazy,” Long said. Winning the $100,000 would allow Long and Field to expand their venue options and find the unique space they are looking for. However,
‘Source Code’ good first summer blockbuster “Source Code,” directed by Duncan Jones and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is a satisfying mixture of action, sci-fi and romance. A relatively new director, Jones shows great promise with this solid movie. To describe “Source Code” in terms of comparison to others, I’m inclined to say that it’s a hybrid between “Speed” (1994) and “Groundhog Day” (1993). In more specific terms, it’s a film that centers on Capt. Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) who must relive the same eight minutes over and over again via a hyper-advanced computer program that allows the user to essentially live out a deceased person’s last eight minutes. The reasoning for this? The captain must figure out who bombed an illfated train before the terrorist strikes again in an even larger venue.
Don’t fret, “Source Code” isn’t in real time. It does not become tedious, showing the full eight minutes each time Gyllenhaal must venture back into the train victim’s memory. Actually, the movie is a tight 90 minutes. With many longwinded and unnecessarily long films being made these days, it’s nice to see one that says what it needs to say and moves forward. Gyllenhaal delivers a great performance as Stevens. He shows great emotional depth, as his character does experience more than one life-changing event. In “Source Code” Gyllenhaal proves that he cannot only handle an actionpacked role, but a romantic role as well. Another actor in “Source Code” that stood out was Vera Farmiga. Farmiga
plays one of the military scientists manning the computer program that sends Stevens into a person’s memory for eight minutes. Starting out cold and calculating, Farmiga is able to show the different layers of her character despite very little screen time. There’s not much to complain about with “Source Code.” I suppose one flaw would be its predictability. It’s not too hard to see what is coming next. While some movies exhibit predictability that can cause me to sit on the edge of my theater seat and whisper loudly how “anyone could’ve seen that coming,” I didn’t think “Source Code” was one of those. Sure, it’s not the mind blowing, head scratching “Inception” (2010), but it’s not dumbed down by any means. I like to think of it as the beginning of
the summer blockbusters. Some great films have been summer blockbusters, like “Jaws” (1975). “Jaws” is not a masterpiece of artistic intellect, but it’s still a thriller that, even today, leaves people afraid to go into the ocean past their knees. “Source Code” is hopefully only a preview of what is to come in the following months. If the movies follow suit with “Source Code,” expect some good quality summer blockbusters. And if you are anywhere close to as pale as I am, it’ll be nice to take a break from the pool and rest my burnt skin in the crisp, air-conditioned theater.
COURTNEY BAKER -movie reviewer -freshman
the couple is more anxious to have all of their desired guests at their wedding. “It’s a big day for us and it’s about us, but in a way it’s nice for other people to share and be a part of that,” Field said. While the wedding ceremony will remain traditional, Field and Long plan to entertain their guests during the reception with a special guest — the Hokie bird. The bridal party will also enter the reception to “Enter Sandman” to show their Hokie pride. Within the bridal party, 10 of the 12 people are Tech alumnae. “Being Hokies is such a big part of who we are,” Field said. “I could not date someone who didn’t go to Tech because they don’t understand the tradition and the football.” While they have graduated and moved on with their lives, Field and Long will never forget the memories they had at Tech — the good and the bad.
“Obviously this is a very sad memory, but I was on campus for April 16 and I will just never forget how proud I was to be a Hokie after all that happened,” Long said. “A lot of media came in and were trying to probe students to see if they felt unsafe or unhappy where they were and it was so impressive to see that everyone came together in such a positive way to show that no matter what happens, they love their university.” Field and Long are in search for votes from the Hokie nation in order to share one of the biggest days of their lives with the people they love. “One of the reasons we titled our entry ‘Virginia (Tech) is for lovers’ is because we felt like it would be a rallying point to get the Hokie nation behind us,” Field said. Field and Long have received numerous Facebook messages and e-mails from Hokies that have voted for them that they do not personally know. Both Long and Field remained active on campus during their years at Tech. Field was a member of the GERMAN Club, Omicron Kappa Delta and an ambassador for his college. During Long’s six years in Blacksburg, she was a member of Kappa Delta, Sensations a cappella group, Order of Omega, SAA and the Communication Graduate Student Association. She was also a Sigma Chi Sweetheart. Because they were so active on campus, Long and Field hope to earn the support of current students on campus. “We did everything we could to fulfill that Ut Prosim motto — serving,” Long said. “It would be awesome if the Hokie nation could come together and help us out on the other end.” Their entry, “Virginia (Tech) is for lovers” can be found at www.ultimateweddingcontest.com. To vote for them, click “vote” and confirm it by logging in through Facebook or providing an e-mail account. Each person can only vote once and each vote must be confirmed. The winners will be announced in June.
you might also like... “Groundhog Day” (1993) Directed by Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray, “Groundhog Day” is about an egotistical weatherman that, by some mysterious force, relives Feb. 2 over and over again.
“Speed” (1994) This action filled movie stars Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper. When a terrorist plants a bomb on a bus that will explode if the bus goes below the speed of 50 mph, it is up to police officer Jack Traven to stop it.
6 theatre april 5, 2011
editors: lindsey brookbank, kim walter featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES
Dramatic day: 24-hour plays PHOTOS BY AUSTEN MEREDITH Far Left: (Left to Right) Kara Dreschel and Jason Tolbert intensely study their lines during rehearsal. Bottom Left: Production manager Alyssa Markfort introduces the cast and explains the procedure during the opening ceremony Friday night. Center: Molly Dickerson rehearses her part Saturday morning. Bottom Center: Fueled by energy drinks, writer Sarah Lundberg works late into the night to submit a rough draft by 4:00 am. Below: (Left to Right) Director Ryan Hunt and stage manager Carly Erickson instruct their actors during rehearsal. Bottom: (Left to Right) Kara Dreschel and Jason Tolbert practice their roles just hours before the final performance.
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