Thursday, April 28, 2011 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Thursday, April 28, 2011

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COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 54

News, page 2

Weekend, page 5

Tech appeals April 16 fines STORIES BY ZACH CRIZER | managing editor

Who Said What Larry Hincker, university spokesman:

Ken Cuccinelli, attorney general:

S. Daniel Carter, public policy director of Security on Campus, Inc.:

Robert Hall, attorney for families of two April 16 victims:

“The DOE’s actions have, to a certain extent, made less clear — not more clear — what their guidance was to the higher education community.”

“The main purpose of the appeal is to compel the DOE to treat Virginia Tech fairly and to apply a very poorly defined and subjectively applied federal law consistently and correctly.” “Nobody is saying or expecting that anyone could have foreseen the particular outcome, the particular nature of the outcome of the threat. Nobody is saying they should have known there was going to be a mass shooting.”

“They continue to argue they had 24 to 48 hours to get word out about the AmblerJohnston shootings, and I don’t understand that.”

DANIELLE BUYNAK / COLLEGIATE TIMES

TECH APPEALS FEDERAL FINES FOR APRIL 16, DEBATE OVER CLARITY OF CLERY ACT ENSUES Virginia Tech’s appeal of Department of Education fines is stoking the raging debate over what constitutes a “timely warning.” Debate centers on the 2007 definition of the term. Four years after Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty members on April 16, 2007, the actions of university officials remain highly controversial. Whether Tech’s top administrators gave the campus community timely warning of the threat is a question at least one judge will have to answer. In May 2010, federal regulators for the DOE concluded Tech officials did not provide timely warning, as required by the Clery Act, a federal law that requires universities to report crime statistics and alert campus communities to threats. Two separate civil suits set for trial in September allege gross negligence on the part of university officials led to the death of 30 people in Norris Hall.

The DOE report said the warnings issued were not prepared or disseminated in a manner to give clear and timely notice of a threat to the health and safety of campus community members. The report said Tech committed a second violation by not following its own internal emergency notification plan. Each violation drew the maximum fine from the DOE, $27,500, for a total of $55,000. Tech responded Wednesday with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announcing the university is appealing the fines, although the findings themselves cannot be appealed. But the university is not worried about the money. In his announcement Wednesday, Cuccinelli said “the small monetary penalty is not the reason for this appeal” as Tech has already expended millions as a result of the shootings. see WARNING / page six

Cuccinelli takes on Tech’s appeal Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli questioned the methods of the Department of Education Wednesday while announcing that Virginia Tech is appealing fines resulting from the department’s investigation of the April 16, 2007, campus shootings. The DOE fined Tech $55,000 for two violations of the federal Clery Act. The fine is the maximum possible fine per violation. A DOE investigation found that Tech violated two portions of the law, failing to provide a timely warning and failing to follow its own timely warning policy. Cuccinelli questioned the legitimacy of the investigation, calling it deeply flawed and “shoddy at best.” He criticized the investigators for not making a trip to Blacksburg to speak with the officials and law enforcement officers involved on the day of the shootings. University spokesman Larry Hincker said the investigators did not get a chance to hear from those they are regulating. “We believe they should have had some interactions with the people whose decisions they were critiquing,” Hincker said. S. Daniel Carter, public policy

director of Clery Act advocacy group Security on Campus, said he was disappointed in the heated rhetoric Cuccinelli used to describe the investigation. Security on Campus filed the request that led to the DOE investigation. “I think the findings were very thorough,” Carter said. “I don’t think they were at all shoddy, as the attorney general has characterized them.” Cuccinelli also said he had “personally examined the conduct of the federal bureaucrats at the Department of Education.” “I must tell you I find their actions appalling,” he said. He pointed to three “troubling signs of bad faith on the part of Virginia Tech’s detractors in the federal bureaucracy.” In addition to the alleged lack of thoroughness, he also said the DOE’s timing and transparency presented problems. Cuccinelli said the release of the fines took much longer than necessary. “A civil trial against the school and some of its officers is now only a few months away,” Cuccinelli said. “And the U.S. Department of Education has chosen this see CUCCINELLI / page six

Opinions, page 3

Sports, page 8

Classifieds, page 4

Sudoku, page 4

Missing peace BY LINDSEY BROOKBANK | features editor

Dan and Gil Harrington still call their daughter Morgan’s cell phone to simply listen to her voice — a voice they haven’t heard since her disappearance on Oct. 17, 2009. “It is stupid to keep paying for her phone,” Gil Harrington said. “But we like to keep it and call her and hear her say, ‘I’ll get back to you as soon as I can’ — but she never does.” Morgan Harrington’s voice has been silenced, her physical presence diminished. But she remains an integral part of her parents lives, as they are left mourning and endlessly wondering who murdered their daughter. Morgan, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, went missing when she was in Charlottesville for a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena. Her body was found 101 days later on Jan. 26, 2010. More than a year after Virginia State Police uncovered her skeletal remains on Anchorage Farm outside Charlottesville, there has not been an arrest for her murder. Dan said justice is important to him — he wants someone to pay for the crime, while his wife wants a dangerous person pulled off the streets. “I am appalled that we have not been able to have an arrest,” he said. There is a special agent working on Morgan’s case full time, but the Harringtons said crime investigations don’t pan out like they do on TV. “I wish it was like ‘CSI’ where big aha moments (happen) and everything fits into place,” Gil said. “But they are still sifting through data. It happens at a snails pace.” Virginia allows taking DNA from criminals arrested for certain violent felonies. DNA collected is submitted to the national DNA database. Familial DNA testing is a forensic laboratory technique that searches for a particular individual’s DNA in the database as well as any related or family DNA.

PAUL KURLAK / SPPS

Dan and Gil Harrington hold their daughter Morgan’s ashes. Morgan was murdered in October 2010. “The idea is that criminality often involves more than one person in a family,” Gil wrote in an e-mail. “If an individual is unknown, his family members would have a good idea of who and where he is.” Gov. Bob McDonnell recently approved the use of familial DNA testing in Virginia, the third state to do so after Colorado and California. The Harringtons were active lobbyists for the approval and said they think the technology should be available to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Morgan’s case has been forensically linked to a 2005 rape and abduction that occurred in Fairfax, but the suspect is unknown.

FILE

This is part one of a two part series on families of Tech students who have died. See part two tomorrow. A composite sketch was drawn based on the male suspect, which police released on July 1, 2010. Gil said she hopes evidence from Morgan’s case has been submitted for familial DNA review, but she and her husband haven’t been given confirmation. Gil explained that criminals’ DNA submission varies according to state and jurisdiction. “You would think that there would be national standards,” she said. “Police have been trying to find registered sex offenders to get their DNA. Why don’t they already have it?” Gil said she does think the man who killed her daughter will be found, but not fast enough. “I hope he is found,” she said. “Rather than we wait for him to hurt someone else and wait for a DNA hit for another crime.” “We know he has committed two very serious crimes,” Dan added. Lobbying for a change in DNA legislation is part of what the Harringtons are doing to move forward. They are trying to create something good from their daughter’s murder. “That makes it OK that you have

done something instead of just sitting in the corner rocking, which is probably what you would like to do,” Gil said. “It doesn’t make it all better, but it makes it somewhat better.”

2-4-1

Morgan’s murder has become her parent’s haunting reality — the norm. On the surface, Dan and Gil appear to be a typical middle-aged married couple. Dan, Carilion Clinic’s vice president for academic affairs, is a tall, poised man with short gray hair. Clothed in formal suits and ties, he seems to have it all together. But his eyes, visible through thick-rimmed glasses, and the slight frown glued to his face reveal his sadness. His wife, Gil, a nurse, is a petite woman that has shoulder-length blond hair, which complements her light blue eyes. Her warm, motherly voice is comforting, but its shakiness is a reminder of her inner pain. Her purple and green wristband, with Morgan’s name, a heart and “241,” representing “I love you too much, forever, once more” — the see HARRINGTON / page seven

Events in Morgan’s Murder Jan. 26, 2010 Morgan’s body was found

Oct. 17, 2009 Morgan went missing

Feb. 5, 20110

Feb. 3, 2010 Morgan’s death deemed homicide

Morgan’s funeral

Oct. 17, 2010 O Memorial dedication on Copley Bridge in Charlottesville

July 1, 2010 Suspect in Morgan’s case identified

PHOTOGRAPHER / SPPS

This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline.

Students allegedly share meal plans CLAIRE SANDERSON news reporter A student on campus added $2,300 to his or her Major Flex meal plan by the end of fall semester. Virginia Tech’s food is good, but it’s not that good. “I’ve heard people eat well here, but to eat at that magnitude — it’s hard to assume that would be all one person,” said Ted Faulkner, senior associate director of dining services. According to data from dining services, less than half of students with the Major Flex plan added money to their accounts last semester. The average addition was $160.63. Huge discrepancies such as the see FLEX / page four

KATIE BIONDO / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Dining services ofﬁcials suspect students share meal plans, but lack sufﬁcient evidence to confront them.

2 news

university editor: philipp kotlaba, liana bayne, gordon block newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

april 28, 2011

COLLEGIATETIMES

what you’re saying //comments from online readers...

virginia

On Tech business majors studying more:

Three charged with fraud in Giles County

I stayed in good academic standing in the marketing/management major throughout my time at VT. I would bet my life that I spent less than 10 hours (total) studying for my MKTG classes and likely less for courses outside of that curriculum in my four years in Blacksburg. Even with the time spent working on mundane group projects; I can’t imagine that my total ‘average hours/week’ input outside of class time was more than 15 to 20 minutes a week. Take it for what its worth; there is no way in hell that I could have slid by in most majors with that. I could have put in a lot more effort (and I would have had to in other majors/schools); but I kept things in my own personal perspective and did what I thought I needed to.

Anon>> One thing to keep in mind is that some people just retain information better than others. Some people are more math oriented which sometimes results in less required additional studying for a math class. Others may excel in business courses and have a better grasp on the information as it is presented. Studying time really does not reflect on a person’s knowledge of information. While studying at Tech, there were courses that I never studied for. Not because they were “gimme” classes, but because the information clicked for me and I did not need additional time to understand the subject matter. Time really does not reflect on knowledge on a subject. Some people study for hours upon hours and just do not understand material.

On Tech’s Crime Reporting Policy: Anonymous>> You are kidding, right? Please be kidding. The fifth amendment protects you from being compelled to incriminate yourself in a criminal case. Asking someone if they’ve ever been arrested is not the same as asking them whether they are guilty of a crime. Arrest records are public anyway. Now, if you want to argue that Tech shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate based on arrest records, fine, but that is a different issue altogether.

Anon Y. Mous>> i won’t bother repeating what the intelligent people above me have said about how much of a joke this article is, so i will leave you with this:for the sake of humanity, please don’t reproduce.

crime blotter

Three people charged with committing fraud to get thousands of dollars for school-based organizations were ordered Wednesday to repay the Giles County school system and to perform community service. Bruce Frazier, Kim Tilley and Yvonne Atkins were charged in January with obtaining money by false pretenses and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses. They took advantage of a donation-matching program at Corning, through which the company would match donations made to a charity. Corning operates a facility in Christiansburg. After donations were made to Giles High School organizations and Corning’s philanthropic arm matched the amounts, the donors would be reimbursed, said Pulaski County Commonwealth’sAttorney Mike Fleenor, who is the special prosecutor in the case.

A hearing had been scheduled Wednesday in Giles Circuit Court with the sole purpose of setting a trial date, Fleenor said. Instead, he said, he and the defendants’ attorneys were able to come to an agreement in the case. At Wednesday’s hearing, the conspiracy charges were dropped. The charge of felony false pretenses was amended to misdemeanor false pretenses and taken under advisement for 90 days, Fleenor said. During that period, each defendant must perform 50 hours of community service and make restitution to the Giles County School Board for the funds that would have been obtained by way of matching donations from Corning had the original donations been legitimate, Fleenor said. Frazier and Tilley will pay $1,800 each and Atkins will pay $3,800, Fleenor said.

The charges will be dismissed if all the conditions are met, he said. “This agreement was fair and equitable under the circumstances,” Fleenor said. “None of these three defendants had any criminal record whatsoever, their efforts were aimed at raising money for activities at Giles High School, and none of them personally benefitted in any way by their actions.” He said no one else has been charged with fraud in connection with Corning’s donations, but that a special grand jury convened in January to investigate the case is still meeting. When its members finish their investigation, they will present a report to Fleenor, who will decide whether to present any additional indictments to a regular grand jury. -shawna morrison mcclatchy newspapers

world Top al-Qaida member killed in airstrike KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S.led NATO forces killed a top alQaida member, Abu Hafs al-Najdi, also known as Abdul Ghani, in an airstrike April 13 in the eastern province of Kunar, according to a statement the International Security Assistance Force issued Tuesday. “The International Security Assistance Force confirmed their

number two overall targeted insurgent in Afghanistan was killed during an airstrike in Dangam district, Kunar province,” the statement said. Abdul Ghani was killed along with another al-Qaida leader named Waqas, who was working with him to coordinate attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, the

statement said. Kunar is a remote province that borders the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan, known as havens for the Taliban and their alQaida associates. Militant attacks have increased in the province lately. -hashim shukoor mcclatchy newspapers

1 3 2 1 6 5 4 0 6 5 6 4 6 5 5 1 4

V I O L A T I O N - A F F I D A V I T

date reported

time

offense

location

status

4/26/2011

6:00 p.m.

Vandalism to a vehicle

I Lot

Inactive

4/26/2011

11:14 p.m.

Possession of Marijuana

Drillfield Drive

Cleared by Arrest

13216540656465514

Fall ‘10 MKTG Grad>>

opınıons 3

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

april 28, 2011

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

Our Views [staff editorial]

Birth certiﬁcate a long time coming When the White House presented President Obama’s — birth certificate to the public this morning, it — hopefully — put an end to a three-year “cirque du pundit.” For half his term and most of his campaign, Obama and the public have tolerated absurd charges from the schizophrenic pundits and commentators, alleging the president was not born in the United States and is thus legally barred from office. The long-form birth certificate, which provides additional details, should finally silence the likes of Donald Trump and his followers. For most of us, because this rumor-turned-conspiracy theory evolved into something the White House felt compelled to address is depressing at best. The stringent requirements and scrutiny candidates and presidentelects undergo would not allow for such an obvious breach. But even without this, any sense of rationality should have kept these accusations from being news. Either way, the White House’s decision shows a level of maturity that has been missing on the other side of this battle. President Obama’s conversational style in his press conference was a refreshing change from “the Donald’s” blustering dictates on the matter. Politics aside, the president should be commended for being very — well — presidential in addressing the country’s most schizophrenic voices. This rumor contributed nothing to either political party, and while the throngs of skeptical citizens will more than likely remain unappeased by the disclosed birth certificate and accompanying affidavits, the debate has been closed. The Obama administration’s decision

to disclose the documents uneducated skeptics called for puts an end to the doubting citizens that prescribe to the birher and tea party aesthetic. Admittedly, it is too early to tell how the release of the president’s birth certificate will affect the political stance of these citizens. Their lack of faith in the government’s enforcement of standards for prospective presidential candidates reveals political radicals will bite at any weak bait. Primarily, the matter falls to the general public with a warning of awareness. While accusations such as these are not uncommon, we are again reminded to keep in mind who is being accused and how realistic the general accusation is. There was most definitely a bandwagon when it came to the issue of President Obama’s birth — albeit a small, poorly made wagon — and the shared belief caused more problems and brought zero results. Though Democrats will more than likely use this move to publish the president’s birth certificate against the Republican Party, no one really gained anything. The initial proposition that a presidential candidate would have been capable of passing so many logistical hurdles to enter the presidential race without adequate evidence of being born a United States citizen was so ludicrous it should have never gained attention. Combined with the growing Tea Party and citizens who share uncommon stupidity in the realm of politics, the issue escalated to become a shining example of pointless political accusations. -the editorial board is composed of gabi seltzer, scott masselli and sean simons

Essay on sex costs top doctor journal position T

he PC story of the week is a controversy surrounding a worldrenowned surgeon who resigned a leadership position in the face of criticism over a one-liner he delivered concerning semen. Until last week, Lazar Greenfield was the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons. He invented the Greenfield Filter, a device that has saved countless lives by preventing blood clots during surgery. He’s a professor emeritus of surgery at the University of Michigan. He has written more than 360 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, 128 book chapters, and two textbooks. He has served on the editorial board of 15 scientific journals and was the lead editor of Surgery News, the trade publication in which his writing initiated “Semen-gate.” In the February issue, he penned some thoughts on Valentine’s Day under the heading “Gut Feelings.” He wrote about the gut feeling some get when they meet their significant other, and how that feeling “might have a physiological basis.” Greenfield proceeded to discuss the mating habits of fruit flies and the rotifer, in each case referencing the scientific literature. Then he turned his attention to humans. In noting the therapeutic effects of semen, Greenfield cited research from the Archives of Sexual Behavior, which found that female college students practicing unprotected sex were less likely to suffer from depression than those whose partners used condoms or those who remained abstinent. His closing line caused the controversy: “So there’s a deeper bond between men and women than St. Valentine would have suspected, and now we know there’s a better gift for that day than chocolates.” The attempt at Jackie Mason humor apparently didn’t sit well in certain quarters. Greenfield resigned as editor of Surgery News and gave up his stewardship of ACS after learning that his article had spurred threats of protests from women’s groups. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press on Wednesday, Greenfield explained: “The editorial was a review of what I thought was some fascinating new findings related to semen, and the way in which nature is trying to promote a stronger bond between men and women. It impressed me. It seemed as though it was a gift from nature. And so that was the reason for my lighthearted comments.” In all that has been printed about this controversy, one perspective is missing and noteworthy — that of the three psychologists who wrote the peer-

reviewed article cited by Greenfield. So I tracked down Rebecca L. Burch, Gordon G. Gallup Jr., and Steven M. Platek. Speaking for the group, Platek, editor-in-chief of Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience and a co-editor of Evolutionary Psychology, offered this response: “Frankly, we think people are overreacting to the comments made by Dr. Lazar Greenfield. There is growing evidence that human semen has the potential to produce profound effects on women. We have replicated the effects showing female college students having sex without condoms are less depressed as measured by objective scores on the Beck Depression Inventory. We’ve also examined the data as a function of whether the students were using hormonal contraceptives, whether they were in committed relationships, and how long these relationships have lasted. “The antidepressant properties of semen exposure do not vary as a function of any of these conditions. It is not a question of whether females are sexually active, since students having sex with condoms show the same level of depression as those who are not having sex at all. We have also received numerous semen testimonials from other women who attest to the antidepressant effects of semen exposure, and these accounts often include the use of control trials (i.e., comparisons generated by switching from condoms to unprotected sex, or vice versa). “Only 5 percent of the ejaculate is sperm. What’s left is seminal plasma, which is a rich concoction of chemicals, including many that have the potential to produce mood-altering effects derived from hormones, neurotransmitters, and endorphins. There are even female sex hormones in male semen. Within an hour or two after insemination, you can detect heightened levels of many of these seminal chemicals in a woman’s bloodstream. “How can someone be asked to resign for citing a peer-reviewed paper? Dr. Greenfield was forced to resign based on politics, not evidence. His resignation is more a reflection of the feminist and antiscientific attitudes of some self-righteous and indignant members of the American College of Surgeons. Science is based on evidence, not politics. In science knowing is always preferable to not knowing.” Or as Greenfield told the Detroit Free Press, “My intention was to amuse rather than to offend.”

MICHAEL SMERCHONISH -mcclatchy newspapers

MCT CAMPUS

Appropriateness of school shooting game questioned R

ecently I became aware of a video game that is in development — “School Shooter: The North American Tour 2012”. At first, I wondered what this was about and then discovered it is based on the events of the Columbine shootings in 1999 and the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16, 2007. At first I thought it was a horrible joke, but as I looked into it further, I came across the game’s development images on YouTube and other gaming sites. I also came across people’s reactions to the concept, which were mostly negative because the game is based on the premise of being a school shooter and its impact on others. As I reflect on this game, the main issue I have is with its appropriateness. I know the developers have the right, through freedom of speech, to create such a game. But the question is whether they should. In March 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that the Westboro Church had the right to protest at funerals. While they had the right to parade with their posters, the court never addressed the appropriateness of such an effort. For most people, it isn’t appropriate to protest at funerals, as they are such a solemn experience. It also isn’t appropriate to spew such hatred toward others. While Westboro Church believes otherwise, those in the mainstream don’t. This issue of appropriateness is a challenging one in society because it impacts many variables, ranging from how a person is raised, where they grew up, their life experiences and more. People need to address appropriateness through the concept of civility, and how we treat others. Often times people view appropriateness as being politically correct, but I don’t see it that way. I believe appropriateness evolves as society does, through time and experiences. There are people within society viewed as being stuck in the past and unwilling to consider new ideas.

Rather than bullying people, appropriateness dictates a level of civility to promote change. Sometimes being appropriate is a challenge and risk to the status quo. Leaders have challenged society to rethink its notions of appropriateness. Over the last 50 years, society has faced these questions of appropriateness, ranging from civil rights, the death penalty, abortion, interracial marriages, public displays of affection between same sex couples, birth control, understanding and treating AIDS, and so on. As people evolve, the issues change. These and other issues continue to be sensitive and divisive in society. Rather than be held captive by these issues, people must look at ways to understand the concerns from these issues. While the developers of the “School Shooter” game have a right to use the situations and locations depicted, the issue is the appropriateness of basing the game on past shooting situations that were horrific and still recent in memory. Furthermore, the image of children and adults role-playing such characters as the perpetrators of Columbine and Tech shootings is a disturbing and frightening thought. Imagine if people took recent headlines and developed coinciding video games, such as “the best way to drown children while driving into a river,” “the best way to ambush a village with a gang carrying machetes” or “the best way to control the magnitude of a tornado to see how much destruction it can cause on a town.” Clearly such themes would be reprehensible and serve no valuable purpose. I share these examples to show the inappropriateness of a game based on the premise of becoming the best school shooter possible. How about another scenario? When people play Madden or FIFA, do they deliberately injure another team’s player? Would that be acceptable on an actual playing field? I suspect that most peo-

ple would say no. If anything, society despises those who intentionally bring violence into sports by maiming or hurting a player to gain a benefit. However, people point to such games that provide situations from actual wars. Are these games appropriate? Clearly, there are other games that focus on survival, such as “Call of Duty” and “HALO.” Are these appropriate? “School Shooter” serves no purpose. I believe most will see it for what it is — something with no real value. This issue around “School Shooter” and its appropriateness raises a question about how the Tech community deals with potentially negative items about April 16. We faced a test last year when Westboro Church came to Blacksburg, and the community mobilized to counteract them. Whose responsibility is it to respond? Is it solely the responsibility of the families of those impacted, the institution, the community or individuals. I believe we all play a role in responding. While I think there is a difference between dishonoring the memory of those lost and those impacted by the events of April 16, what about those that are more ambiguous? Who decides if it is negative or positive? The “School Shooter” game won’t be the last to pose negative items about April 16 — I suspect there will be more. Are we prepared to engage each other in addressing this in the future?

RAY PLAZA -regular columnist -graduate student -curriculum & instruction

Federal crackdown on Net poker the wrong approach some pretty bad hands last few days by forces far Ioutgotinofthedealt my control. I awoke April 15 to find that the feds had indicted 11 executives on multiple felony charges, including bank fraud and money laundering, at the three top sites in America’s online poker market and seized their Web domains. If you logged on to Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars, you got to look at the shiny logo of the FBI. I like to play the 50-cent minimum, nolimit game on Full Tilt, and that’s what I saw that Friday instead of direct access to the $216.05 that was in my now-frozen online account. No sooner than Monday morning comes around and Standard & Poor’s downgrades the U.S. debt outlook, the Dow plummets 140 points and boom, I’m down another six or seven thousand out of my stock-based retirement accounts. Where can a sucker get an even break nowadays? Certainly not from the Obama administration’s Department of Justice, with what can only be called this asinine clampdown on online poker. “Donkey” is the common epithet branded on the worst player at any poker table and, in this game, that seems to be the feds.

No one knows for sure how many Americans play online poker for money, but most reliable estimates are about 10 million. What we do know is that last year our fellow citizens, myself included, wagered a whopping $16 billion on the sites now under attack. That’s more than Americans spend going to the movies. Only burro-minded pols would not figure out that with that kind of money on the table and that kind of mass popularity, the logical thing to do would be to fully legalize online poker, regulate it and tax it — the same way we do with brick-and mortar-casinos. Or, if you prefer, as we do with alcohol. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has been leading the charge to do just that, and after these indictments, he told the Hill newspaper that the crackdown was “an incredible waste of resources.” And he chided the administration for “protecting the public from the scourge of inside straights.” Well, no player enjoys seeing his or her pocket aces cracked by a donkey — indeed, drawing successfully to make that miracle straight. But we’re willing to play the odds and take our chances. It’s our money, not the Justice

Department’s. I am not about to defend the specific crimes alleged in the indictments, which boil down to site operators allegedly setting up front companies so that Americans could bypass absurd legal barriers to transfer their money back and forth to the sites, which are based overseas. But this financial monkey business was made inevitable in 2006 when Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed a measure that did not exactly make online poker illegal, but rather outlawed U.S. financial institutions from processing online poker deposits and withdrawals. Just like Prohibition, this clampdown, which took down the Big 3 of the American online poker market, cannot and will not stand. Either the poker community will find one more workaround or, heaven forbid, the U.S. government will see the light and use this incident to finally get on with legalizing — and cashing in on — a mainstream pastime much more popular than either political party.

MARC COOPER -mcclatchy newspapers

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, Mia Perry Features Staff Writers: Andrew Reilly, Nick Smirniotopoulos 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, Debra Houchins 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, Connor Geiran, Mario Gazzola 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, 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. Except where noted, all photographs were taken by the Student Publications Photo Staff. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. Subscription rates: $65 semester; $110 fall/spring. The first copy is free, any copy of the paper after that is 50 cents per issue. © Collegiate Times, 2011. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

april 28, 2011

page 4

Flex: Nearly half of students add meal money from page one

a plan, each additional student accounts for $843 that the university does not receive to pay for dining services. “If you sell one meal plan and everyone eats off it, you wouldn’t have the dining services you have now,” Faulkner said. However, a majority of students do not add any money at all. Students have different strategies for stretching meal money until the end of the semester. “I’ve had the smallest meal plan for on-campus, and I still have $70 left over last semester,” said Joseph Amante, a freshman geosciences major. Amante said his strategy included eating most lunches at D2 and getting soup at Owens. “I treat it like I would an ATM card, and I’m not ridiculous with it,” said Nick Swedberg, a freshman architecture major. “My freshman year, I was afraid to leave my room, so I had $100 left over and just lived on Easy Mac,” said Justin Agud, a sophomore aerospace engineer. At the end of the spring 2010 semester, there was $282,683 left over by students. Faulkner said this money is used to provide the food and services for the opening picnic, which is free to meal plan holders, various other picnics throughout the year and educational series such as Coffee College at Deet’s Place. “Everything that comes into this

program goes right back into this program at the end of the year,” Faulkner said. However, students can also opt to give the remaining money to charity. Flex Out Hunger is a program that allows students to donate meal plan money instead of putting it back into the dining program. Last year, students donated a total of $10,060.25, or about 3 percent of the total leftover money. Faulkner said the creation of the Mega and Premium plans has helped significantly lowered the percent of students that need to add money to their plans In a study done several years ago, when the only option was a Major Flex plan, about 70 percent of students added money to their plans at some point during the year, Faulkner said. That number is now 43.42 percent. The Premium plan is new this academic year, and 1,157 students purchased it. Faulkner said the idea behind the Premium plan was to give families a way to budget for the semester, eliminating the stress of not knowing how much more money a student would need. “We were getting feedback from students and families, who asked us, ‘Can you just sell us a meal plan where we don’t have to add so much?’” Faulkner said. “And with over 1,000 in the first year, I think that’s pretty decent.”

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$2,300 addition have made dining services officials suspicious that some students are sharing meal plans. They found that the most money added to a Mega Flex plan was $1,970, and the most added to a Premium Flex Plan was $1,500. Faulkner said he has access to the numbers of these accounts and knows who these students are, but that it is difficult to confront them without evidence. “It’s the honesty factor — we trust that you’re not going to cheat,” Faulkner said. “We sell an individual meal plan and we trust that you’re using it for yourself.” Students who share a meal plan save money by splitting the base cost and receiving a discount on all money added to the account. The Major, Mega and Premium plans cost $1,318, $1,418 and $1,523 per semester, respectively. Each come with $843 base cost, which covers the utilities, maintenance and repairs, mortgages and workers’ wages. The remaining $475, $575, and $680, respectively, are Flex Dollars, which receive a discount at on-campus eateries. A $2,300 addition to the Major plan means $4,600 Flex Dollars spent at a la carte facilities or $6,900 spent at all-you-care-to-eat facilities. When several students share

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ACROSS 1 Grew older 5 American __: Pacific territory 10 Employee protection org. 14 Chore list heading 15 Old Geo model 16 Carrot or turnip 17 Legendary spring that creates spring chickens? 20 Garment border 21 “I’ll treat!” 22 Three, in Turin 23 College concentration 26 Pungent salad green

27 Mighty long time 28 Stat for Mariano Rivera 29 CEO’ s degree 31 Ford classics 33 Carvey of “Wayne’s World” 35 Karaoke singer, usually 38 Grammy revoked from Milli V anilli 42 Polite “Ready to go?” 43 Linger in the tub 45 Start to melt 48 Bordeaux brushoff 50 Paranormal showman Geller

4/28/11 51 “Fresh Air” airer 52 Rear end 55 Political aficionado’s station 57 Absorbed, as a cost 58 Circular cookie 59 Stable tidbit 60 Portland Trail Blazers’ home 66 Good fortune 67 Cursor controller 68 Diabolical 69 Fawn’ s father 70 Campfire remains 71 Name that can precede the first word of 17-, 38or 60-Across

DOW N 1 DOJ division 2 Bit of baby babble 3 Academic URL ender 4 Hawaiian who sang “Pearly Shells ” 5 Inbox junk 6 Magnate Onassis 7 23-Across opposite 8 Atmospheric layer 9 Car sound system 10 El Dorado gold 11 Justice replaced by Sotomayor 12 Souped-up ride 13 Aegean capital 18 Time in of fice 19 “I agree, however ...’’ 23 __ school 24 Part of U.A.E. 25 Dick’ s storybook partner 26 Caravan creature 30 Girl group with the 1986 #1 hit “Venus” 32 Spring blossom

34 Admin. aide 36 Pointy tool 37 Like a lion’ s coat 39 It “comes on little cat feet,” in a Sandburg poem 40 Campbell’s product 41 Fictional plantation 44 Reunion group 45 Entangles 46 Decline to participate 47 Grapefruitflavored diet drink 49 Academic sports org. 53 Detective Wolfe and an emperor 54 “Obviously!” 56 Throat bacteria 59 Tip jar bills 61 Heart test letters 62 Suf fix with Canton 63 Anticipatory time 64 Trivial point 65 Drink by a dartboard

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april 28, 2011

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

weekend

COLLEGIATETIMES

April 16 victim’s brother forms cycling team for 32

Band lineup for Soundfest expected to impress students

NICK SMIRNIOTOPOULOS features reporter The recently formed Virginia Tech Victims Cycling Team will host its first annual cycling event in Blacksburg Saturday at 8 a.m. All proceeds from the event will go to the VTV Family Outreach Foundation, a nonprofit organization created after the April 16, 2007, shootings at Tech. The foundation strives to improve safety at campuses around the country and provide the victims’ families with support and relief. The event is open to all and costs $100 to enter. Then entrance fee includes a team jersey, a one-year team membership and a lunch. The payment is tax deductible and treated as a non-profit donation. The event will have two cycling courses: a 100-mile course and a 32-mile course, for less advanced bicyclists. The 100-mile group will depart from the Inn at Virginia Tech at 8 a.m. and will return to have lunch with the 32-mile group. Following the lunch, the entire group will complete the final 32 miles together and finish at the Drillfield. Tommy Fadoul and Omar Samaha, cousins, formed the VTV Cycling Team in February in Northern Virginia. They created the team based on their close connection to the VTV Foundation. Samaha’s sister, Reema, was one of the victims of the April 16 shootings. His father sits on the board for the VTV Foundation to ensure that such a tragedy won’t happen again. “Foundation is family,” Samaha said. “It is made up of people who want to create positive changes for the wellbeing of campuses.” Fadoul got Samaha involved in cycling about two years ago. Since then, the two have developed a deep passion for the sport and observed the impact cycling teams have had around Northern Virginia. Fadoul and Samaha, from their

COURTESY OF BILLY HUNT PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF OMAR SAMAHA

Omar Samaha, co-founder of the VTV Cycling Team prepares to ride with his team and raise awareness for the VTV Foundation. observations and mutual interest, developed the VTV Cycling Team, a perfect blend of their passions for cycling and the VTV Foundation. “We came up with the idea of turning a passion of ours, cycling, into a social change,” Fadoul said. The purpose of starting the team was to support the VTV Foundation through marketing and fundraising. The goal for this year’s event is to raise awareness about the VTV Foundation and to create a close-knit group of people who will want to return next year. Fadoul and Samaha are also interested in expanding their team. The only existing chapter is in Northern Virginia, but they have ambitions to expand by starting new chapters in various cities around the country. Currently, chapters are being formed in Richmond and San

Diego. Ideally, the cousins would like to see a chapter started in Blacksburg — a goal they hope to accomplish through this event. “We want to expand membership to the point where we can really generate a buzz,” Fadoul said. Though cycling competitively and generating interest are personal visionary goals, the cousins affirm the primary goal of this event is to support the VTV Foundation and create a strong community of people interested and involved in the cause. “Having these events promotes good relationships around campuses, which also plays into campus safety and security,” Samaha said. Bikers of all levels are encouraged to participate in the event. Registration remains open. Those interested in participating in the event can register online at VTVFoundation.wsiefusion.net.

Popular Virginia band Parachute poses to celebrate their increase in popularity after touring with O.A.R, Switchfoot and Kelly Clarkson. They await their upcoming tour with the Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch.

VIRGINIA TECH UNION PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH VARIOUS GENRES OF MUSIC FOR SOUNDFEST 2011 NICK SMIRNIOTOPOULOS features reporter Bands from various genres will come together for a concert, blending their talents into a musical melting pot for students. Soundfest 2011, sponsored by Virginia Tech Union, is a free annual concert that will be held Friday in Squires Commonwealth Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show will start at 7 p.m. According to Chris Brause, VTU director of alternative sounds, the concert is a way to bring out a diverse community of students and expose them to a wide range of music. Last year, the event hosted around 500 students, and Brause hopes to surpass that number with this year’s lineup. Soundfest will host five bands from different genres this year, including headliner Parachute. Parachute, native to Charlottesville,

is a local favorite that has been steadily gaining fame and recognition. The pop-rock band has toured with popular bands and musicians, such as O.A.R, Switchfoot and Kelly Clarkson. The group will continue its success this summer as it goes on tour with the Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch. Will Anderson, the band’s lead singer, expressed his feelings about collaborating with popular artists. “Touring with big names seems like a normal thing now, but every time we take a step back it is really awesome,” Anderson said. Parachute will launch its second album “The Way It Was” May 17. “This album is more organic than the last — we want it to sound like a real band,” Anderson said. “It is a giant difference — an overall better album.” Although it may not be a huge, acclaimed tour with other big name stars, Anderson is excited to perform at Soundfest. “College shows are very differ-

ent from club shows,” Anderson said. “It is more loose — more relaxed.” The other bands performing at Soundfest each represent different styles and genres of music, including electronic, classic and pop rock. The Clap, The Snaps and The Chair, a local Blacksburg band, will kick the concert off, followed by Brenn, an electronic rock band from Nashville, Tenn. The London Souls, a smooth classic rock band, will take the stage next. Terrible Things, another band to perform, is a newly formed group with a similar pop-rock style to Parachute. The band was formed in 2009, with former members from Hot Rod Circuit, Taking Back Sunday and Coheed and Cambria. Brause is excited for the bands to come together and provide a unique musical atmosphere, giving a variety of sounds. “The high point for me is going to be seeing the bands on stage,” Brause said. “And the students rocking out and having a good time.”

Elizabeth River Project holds free event to restore waterway MIA PERRY features reporter The environment is an ongoing issue of importance. The Elizabeth River Project is a group working to protect Mother Nature. Although the group mainly works to protect the Elizabeth River, specifically the Lafayette Branch, their project is something society can model. While the river is located in the Norfolk area, it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The Elizabeth River Project and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will host Riverfest 2011 on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Riverfest was developed to restore the Lafayette River. The goal is to make the river water safe by 2014, which will allow people to swim in it and eat its oysters. The dangers of the river water are not because of industrial pollution, despite the river’s proximity to Norfolk’s shipyards. The issues are caused by the high level of toxins in storm water, which runs into the river when it rains. Kate Duckett, the communications and marketing specialist for the Elizabeth River Project, said the pol-

lution in these waters is from a high level of fertilizer chemicals, as well as pet waste. At too high a level, the chemicals found in fertilizer lead to fish deaths and devastate the environment’s ecological balance. Animal waste is found naturally in water. When owners do not pick up pet waste, even in their own yard, it eventually finds its way to the river water via storm water. This results in an imbalance of the river, making the shellfish unsafe to eat. Oysters and shellfish filter the river water. However, when a great number of oysters die off, there are not enough left to filter out the existing toxins. Riverfest, which is free to the public, will be a fun and educational event that all can enjoy. Guests can arrive via boat, bike or foot, but there will also be small parking lots available for vehicles. At the event, there will be live musical entertainment, as well as activities that include a scoop-thepoop relay, canoe and fishing races, green gardening stations and boat tours. According to Duckett, Riverfest is a fun, informative event with several activities for kids and families. “We hope to engage them, not just preach to them,” Duckett said.

The event will also kick off the organization’s Lafayette Restoration Plan, which details how the group will make the river safe by 2014. Reaching the goal will require a lot of effort. “It’s going to take a lot of people changing,” Duckett said. “Inspiring behavior change can take a while. We have to get a lot of people on board and spread the word first.”

“

We are trying to educate the public on the problems and how integral they are to solving the problem. KATE DUCKETT ELIZABETH RIVER PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING SPECIALIST

The group is also launching a new program called River Star Homes, which is their first citizen involvement program. Citizens can be members of this program if they agree to do a certain set of activities, the biggest of which are to reduce or eliminate their use of fertilizer and to always pick up after their pets. Other criteria include not dumping medication down the

drain and not feeding the migrant geese. According to Duckett, geese waste continues to have a harmful affect on the river. “Their waste is also really bad, and they are overpopulated,” Duckett said. “We are encouraging people to encourage the geese to migrate and not stick around.” Members are also asked to protect their storm drains and not put anything but water down the them because water treatment facilities are not equipped to deal with waste disposal. This year’s Riverfest has been in production for at least a year and a half and is a big undertaking for the team. Although Riverfest has been held in the past, this year’s event will be completely different. This is the first year the event is free and open to the public. “It’s not a fundraiser but more of an education based event,” Duckett said. “We are really trying to educate the public on the problems and how integral they are to solving the problem.” According to Duckett, there are many aspects to think about when it comes to preparing for this type of event, such as determining the activi-

ties, finding volunteers and coordinating local artists to display and sell their work. The organization must plan to accommodate about 250 to 500 people throughout the day, but Duckett expects even more guests to attend this year. The event can hopefully take place annually to continue the river’s restoration project. Besides educating locals about how to get proactive to protect their river, the project also focuses on restorative tasks. For example, the group works to prevent dredging certain parts of the riverbed where creosote coats the river bottom, giving fish cancer. “It’s a combination of restoration and education,” Duckett said. “We need both to clean it up.” Although Blacksburg does not directly affect the Lafayette River, it still has rivers that need to be maintained and protected. Duckett emphasized there are plenty of ways for college students to do their part. “Certainly clean up after your pet — even if you have a big yard at your frat house or whatever,” Duckett said. Duckett listed several other ways to decrease harmful impacts on the

river. Duckett encourages people to never dump pipe-clogging grease down the drain because it leads to overflowing sewer drains, which is detrimental to river waters. “A good rule of thumb is to make sure that only rain goes down the drain,” Duckett said. Duckett also explained that tweaking vehicle inspections can also limit the effects on the rivers. “Don’t put motor oil down the drain when you change your oil. Don’t wash your car on your lawn — take it somewhere, like an actual car facility, where they recycle the water,” Duckett said. Although there are many activities to avoid, Duckett emphasized how carpooling is a great way to help the rivers. Carpooling will reduce the amount of car exhaust that ends up in residue on the streets. Reducing residue is important because it washes into the drains when it rains and ends up in rivers. Those interested in learning more about the restoration project can go to Riverfest in the Norfolk area for a free, educational day.

Lyric hosts royal wedding party MIA PERRY features reporter Most Virginia Tech students were not alive to have watch or be interested in the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, considering it was in 1981. Those who did watch the royal wedding most likely remember it as a time filled with excitement and media frenzy. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be Friday at Westminster Abbey in London. The fairytale wedding has attracted media attention and tabloid chatter since the engagement was announced — after all, it is the event of the century. Coverage of the wedding will be shown live in Times Square, and networks such as TLC and E! will cover the event.

Blacksburg is hosting its very own wedding party Friday at 5 a.m. at the Lyric theater. Tickets are being sold for $5 and include wedding cake from Next Door Bake Shop, coffee, tea and other party favors. There will also be live music and a cash champagne bar for the truly indulgent. Guests will be able to take in all the

[

Royal Wedding Party Where: Lyric Theater When: Friday @ 5 a.m. Tickets: $5

]

splendor of the wedding, which will be shown live on the Lyric’s movie screen. There will also a funky formal wear contest at 5:45 a.m., with prizes awarded to the most creative guests. Mary Woodbridge, a senior English major, came across the event almost

a month ago online and immediately bought tickets. “The second I saw this, I knew I wanted to attend because I was planning on getting up to watch it anyways,” she said. “And why not get cake, scones, sandwiches, coffee and tea to keep me awake?” Woodbridge is also excited for the event because she has been interested in the royal family ever since she saw the Queen and Prince William in person while studying abroad in London this summer. “I thought it would be fun to get a group of people from our study abroad trip together to go watch it,” she said. “Also, the champagne and mimosa bar lured me in.” Woodbridge is most looking forward to seeing Middleton’s wedding dress at the live viewing. “I love Kate’s style and think she is beautiful,” she said.

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april 28, 2011

page 6

Warning: Standard Cuccinelli: Attorney general still unclear to many calls investigation ‘shoddy’ from page one

University spokesman Larry Hincker said the appeal is instead a request for clarification for both Tech and the rest of the nation’s universities. “The DOE’s actions have, to a certain extent, made less clear — not more clear — what their guidance was to the higher education community,” he said. Tech’s appeal says the Clery Act’s written definition of a timely warning as it stood in 2007 was “vague at best.” A compliance handbook published in 2005 provided the most current guidelines available at that time. “Neither the Clery Act nor (the DOE) define ‘timely,’” the 2005 handbook says. “The warning should be issued as soon as the pertinent information is available because the intent of a timely warning is to alert the campus community of continuing threats especially concerning safety, thereby enabling community members to protect themselves.” Cho shot Emily Hilscher and Ryan Clark in West Ambler-Johnston Hall at about 7:15 a.m. on April 16, 2007. Clark died immediately, and Hilscher died later that day. President Charles Steger and several other university officials were aware of the initial shootings by 8:10 a.m. Members of the university community received a notice at 9:26 a.m. — 20 minutes after classes began in Norris Hall, where Cho would kill 30 and injure 17 — informing them of a shooting incident in West AJ. The DOE report deemed the actual content of the warning inadequate as well, as it did not specify the shooting was a murder. The 2005 handbook offered examples of compliant timely warnings, some of which were sent 24 to 48 hours after incidents. Cuccinelli said university officials sent the alert in a timely fashion by those guidelines. “Based on what they knew at the time, law enforcement officers and the Virginia Tech administration acted appropriately,” Cuccinelli said. “They did the best they could under the circumstances as they understood them. And that is the only fair standard by which their actions can be assessed.” He said the DOE is enforcing a standard developed after April 16. “What we are witnessing, four years after the fact, is Monday-morning quarterbacking at its very worst,” Cuccinelli said.

Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, expressed a similar sentiment in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education commentary. “Clearly the department is acting with the benefit of hindsight and appears to be applying provisions in the statute that were not enacted until 2008 — a year after the shootings took place,” he wrote. But groups on the other side of the battle said Cuccinelli’s appeal for the university simply distracts from the main points of the violation. S. Daniel Carter, the public policy director for the nonprofit group Security on Campus, Inc., said the university’s actions that day showed it identified the shooter as a threat and should have issued a warning as soon as possible. “Nobody is saying or expecting that anyone could have foreseen the particular outcome, the particular nature of the outcome of the threat,” Carter said. “Nobody is saying they should have known there was going to be a mass shooting. The Clery Act guidelines were not put in place to expect institutions to have a crystal ball.” Security on Campus filed a request that led to the DOE investigation. Cuccinelli’s appeal also addressed the civil suits filed by the families of Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde, two students killed in Norris Hall. The identical suits allege gross negligence on the part of Steger and former Vice President James Hyatt, as well as mental health officials, and seek $10 million each in damages. The joint trial begins in September. Robert Hall, the plaintiffs’ attorney, is currently in the midst of the discovery phase. Cuccinelli’s appeal said the plaintiffs admit they have no documents and no witnesses to support “the outrageous allegation that Virginia Tech was more concerned with its public image and fundraising than with the safety of students.” The suits allege that the university administrators who met between 8:35 a.m. and 9:26 a.m. on April 16, known as the policy group, were divided into the “image group” and the “safety group.” The groups allegedly sparred over what to include in the warning. Hall said he did not understand why Cuccinelli mentioned the suits in the announcement. Both parties said the DOE report and appeal should have no legal effect on the suits.

“When Mr. Cuccinelli says they admit they have no documents, we’re still in discovery and we’re trying to determine what they aren’t giving us,” Hall said. The lawyer said he only recently received notes from one policy group member, Tech legal counsel Kay Heidbreder, which had been withheld until a judge ordered the university to give them to the plaintiffs. He alleges the university is intentionally withholding documents related to the policy group’s discussion that morning. He defends the suits’ assertion that two groups developed in the policy group. He said Steger might have been involved in the conflict over the content of the warning. “There was a draft statement attributed to President Steger, that it would appear he wanted to give, that alerted the campus to the double shooting with one fatality,” Hall said. “And not only wasn’t it given, Steger denies that he composed it.” Hall said the alleged draft of the warning was sent to university relations at 9:19 a.m., just seven minutes before that office sent a different warning. He said the picture of what happened during the policy group meeting in Burruss Hall that morning is still unclear. Cuccinelli called it the central allegation of the suits. Hall disagreed with his assessment, saying the suits also ride on the mental health care Cho received, but acknowledged the policy group discussions and interpretations of “timely warning” are key to the DOE appeal. Carter said the higher education community will watch the trials and the appeals process closely to see which interpretation of “timely warning” wins out. “I think their fundamental concern is that they will be secondguessed,” Carter said. “Other universities are concerned their decision-making processes may be second-guessed — a concern I think is unfounded.” Hincker said the university is seeking an administrative hearing to meet with DOE investigators in person. “It really, truly is to understand the rationale upon which this finding, this decision, was made on their part,” Hincker said. “It really is important to all of higher education.”

DANIEL LIN / SPPS

Ken Cuccinelli speaks at Virginia Tech airport on a campaign stop in 2010. The Republican attorney general announced Wednesday that Tech will appeal a federal ﬁne for its actions on April 16, 2007.

UNIVERSITY, STATE TAKE ISSUE WITH FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, SEEK UNDERLYING DOCUMENTS from page one

strange time to issue its fine and publicly hype its action. This is an extraordinarily odd coincidence.” Robert Hall is the attorney representing the families of Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde — two Tech students killed in the shootings. The suits allege gross negligence on the part of university and mental health officials. The trial begins in September. He said Cuccinelli investigated the coincidence. “They apparently thought that we were feeding the Department of Education with information that we got during discovery,” Hall said. “And in fact I was asked to produce copies of everything I had sent the Department of Education, which was easy to do and didn’t even require a stamp — nothing. They have seen some dark conspiracy between the Department of Education and our office and we have had no contact

whatsoever.” On transparency, Cuccinelli said the DOE has ignored Tech’s requests to view documents related to the investigation. Hincker said Tech has filed two formal requests for DOE documents related to the investigation, but the DOE has not formally responded to the requests. Cuccinelli said the DOE has violated due process requirements. “These federal bureaucrats have no problem harshly judging the decisions others had to make in a two-hour period of unimaginable crisis and stress,” he said. “Yet in the comfort of their Washington offices, they take four years to arrive at a conclusion and cannot manage to comply with federal FOIA law while doing it.” Hall said he disapproves of Cuccinelli’s statement, which he said was a political tactic. “Apparently the attorney general

sees this as another political opportunity,” Hall said. “We’ve got the death of 32 students and faculty and 17 kids wounded and he uses that as a platform to lambast the excesses of the federal bureaucrats and their appalling behavior. He sees this tragedy as a launch pad for another political attack on government. And he just misses the point on that entirely.” Student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 Tech students and faculty in the shootings. His first two victims were killed in West Ambler-Johnston Hall before he left campus and returned to kill 30 more and injure 17 in Norris Hall. He then committed suicide. Cuccinelli said his office will “work closely with Virginia Tech, not only on this very well-grounded appeal, but to hold the federal Department of Education to basic standards of accountability, due process, fair dealing, and obedience to the law.” Hincker said legal action is always possible if appeals of federal regulation do not produce satisfactory answers, but he did not speculate on what steps Tech could take beyond the appeal.

White House releases Obama’s long-form birth certificate JAMES OLIPHANT & CHRISTI PARSONS mcclatchy newspapers WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s decision to seek release of his long-form birth certificate from the state of Hawaii after more than two years of ignoring calls to do so reflected White House frustration with incessant questions about his birthplace and a political calculation that it was time to settle the matter for any wavering voters in the middle of the electorate. The persistence of the so-called birther theories — the belief by some, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that Obama was born outside the United States — and the media attention they continue to receive prompted the president on Wednesday to make an extraordinary appearance in the White House Briefing Room to defend his constitutional legitimacy.

“We’ve got enormous challenges ahead of us,” Obama said. “We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.” Obama’s choice to personally involve himself in a controversy that, until recently, was driven by fringe websites and talk-radio rants, grew out of a moment two weeks earlier, aides said. The president had delivered a speech about the budget But as he watched the television coverage, he found pundits talking about something else: where he was born. “Finally, it was painfully obvious to him and to all of us,” said one senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The debate was starting to be crowded out by this lunacy.” The so-called long form certificate had become the central issue for many of the so-called birthers, and for Donald Trump, who is mulling a presidential bid and had said it was

possible that Obama was pulling “one of the great cons in the history of politics.” The state of Hawaii uses a “short form” as a certified birth certificate and Obama had to ask for a waiver to get the longer form released. The long form showed what the short firm did: Obama was born in a Honolulu hospital. White House strategists believe they can impress independent voters by portraying Obama as dealing with serious issues and by painting his critics — and by implication his potential Republican challengers — as people obsessed with a conspiracy theory. “We live in a serious time right now and we have the potential to deal with the issues that we confront in a way that will make our kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids proud,” Obama said, chiding the media in the room as much as speaking to the public. “But we’re going to have to get serious to do it.” His move seeks to takes advantage

of the fact that the GOP field remains undefined, with the most media attention in recent weeks going to Trump. While the White House has been quick to complain about the media’s role in the “birther” issue, the presidential candidate other than Trump who has brought up the issue most often recently is Obama, both in speeches and at least one interview in which he suggested that the controversy helps his political prospects. The reaction of some GOP leaders suggested they agree. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., were quick to issue statements Wednesday after the president spoke, declaring the matter a “settled issue.” “I think it was a clever tactic by the White House,” said Rob Stutzman, a California Republican strategist. “Releasing the certificate draws sympathy to the president from swing voters and further defines elements of

the GOP as, frankly, wacky.” Lanny J. Davis, a longtime crisis manager for the White House during the Clinton administration, called Obama’s move a strategic effort to “put it to rest, at least among the 90 percent non-whacko population.” Not all Democrats agreed. Julie Roginsky, a campaign consultant in New Jersey, said Democrats had been succeeding in recent weeks at keeping voters — particularly independents — focused on issues such as the 2012 House Republican budget that essentially privatizes Medicare. Obama “in one fell swoop almost legitimized Donald Trump’s rantings,” Roginsky said. “It’s mind-boggling.” Added John Feehery, a GOP strategist in Washington: “This is not a good issue for the president. It undermines his authority, and it fires up his opposition.” Trump, in New Hampshire to gauge support for his potential run, was

eager to claim credit for Obama’s decision. “I feel I’ve accomplished something really, really important and I’m honored by it,” Trump told reporters in Portsmouth. In addition to media attention, the “birther” issue has been kept alive by Republican efforts in several states, some of them critical to Obama’s 2012 campaign, to pass laws requiring presidential candidates to provide evidence of their birthplace to get on the ballot. The push grew to 18 states after a bill was introduced in Michigan on Tuesday. Although polls indicated that the number of people who doubted Obama’s birthplace was substantial — a recent Gallup survey reported that 44 percent of those polled expressed doubts about whether Obama was U.S. born — another Gallup poll showed that 37 percent expressed similar doubts about Trump’s homeland, raising doubts about how seriously poll respondents take the question.

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april 28, 2011

page 7

Harrington: Parents need answers ingly mundane artifact that held the cigars of Gil’s father, Morgan’s grandfather, is now filled with new ashes — Morgan’s. Gently lifting the box off the glass table, as if she was picking up a newborn, Gil mentioned the heaviness of Morgan’s ashes — their weight symbolizing her daughter’s strength. “I never thought my out-of-thebox girl would be in the box,” Gil

who you think would be in your core team perhaps (isn’t) because they are uncomfortable dealing with your grief family’s slogan — sticks out among and they withdrawal. It has been surthe other bracelets jingling on her prising to see.” thin wrist. Dan said people have the expectaLooking at photographs of Morgan, tion they need to get on with their life, she is no doubt a combination of her and life is business as usual. mother and father. “What people don’t really realize is Dan and Gil’s home is situated in a that this will never go away,” he said. small, hilly suburban neighborhood “It is part of the fabric of our life in Roanoke. Its curbside appearance that our lives are. It is is classic — a light difficult for people to brick exterior, with Standing inside her daughter’s closet — where her comprehend that.” large windows, a But Dan and Gil said screened-in porch clothing, accessories and shoes rest, apparently untouched their community has and nicely land— Gil took a deep breath in. been amazing. Their scaped front and neighbors put a meal back yards. schedule under their But a green ribbon, she asked herself. door and fed them for symbolizing child months. protection, tied in a “We had to stop them,” Gil said. bow around a thick tree trunk in the Harrington said. Morgan’s room, which remains per- “I have to pick up the reigns somefront yard separates the Harringtons’ fectly kempt, is a testament to her where.” home from others. They have found support through A rectangular “WANTED” magnet out-of-the-box personality: rows of clinging to one of the Harrington’s CDs hang on the walls, as do posters online and social networking as well. cars parked in their garage is a chilling of musicians, including Bob Marley Strangers to the family set up the “Help Find Morgan Dana Harrington” clue that their life is far from ordinary. and the Beatles. Her bedframe, which used to be Facebook page, which has about The magnet, which takes up most of the car door, features the sketch of her mother’s, is intricately carved dark 30,000 members, and FindMorgan. the man wanted for the 2005 rape and wood and covered in neutral bedding, com. People from all over the world, such abduction — a black 25- to 35-year- which is seamlessly made. A string of old male with black hair, beard and prayer flags hang from one bedpost as Sweden and Finland, have e-mailed to another. Dan, but their words only help so mustache. Gil said Morgan’s brother, Alex, much. The Harrington home’s decorations “This is a private journey,” Dan said. evoke family — much of Morgan’s sometimes sleeps in her bed to be “And other people — as much as they artwork adorns the beige walls, along closer to her. Morgan, who was an artist, exhibit- help and want to support — it is a with photographs and paintings of Dan, Gil, Morgan and Alex, their son ed her work in her room. Her mother journey that really Gil and Alex and pointed out one drawing in particular, I can travel.” who resides in New York. Dan said the sites have become cenEven the refrigerator is cluttered “Eye See the World,” which depicts an with photographs of the Harrington eye with a tiny world in its pupil — a terpieces to keep Morgan’s story alive, family, including close-ups of Morgan detail Gil said she hadn’t noticed until which is why he involves himself with after Morgan’s murder. them. and Alex. Standing inside her daughter’s closet Gil finds the site valuable — it is A huge “MISSING” poster with Morgan’s face on it hangs in the foyer, — where her clothing, accessories a place for her to post pictures and an oddity amid the home’s other orna- and shoes rest, apparently untouched blog. — Gil took a deep breath in. “(Blogging) is almost like pulling ments. “Can you still smell her?” she asked splinters out or shards of glass from a It is clear Morgan — and her murwound that you have,” she said. “Pull it der — remains a familiar presence in herself. out so it doesn’t fester.” the home. Dan said he doesn’t foresee a On their living room table sits a cigar box; made of smooth, rich The Harringtons have kept, lost and time when he would take down wood, it has a yellow ribbon tied to gained friends in the wake of Morgan’s FindMorgan.com, which he purchased from its creator. However, he it. Underneath the ribbon knot rests murder. photographs of Morgan as a baby “The mix of your friends and did close the forum piece of the site holding the same box. acquaintances changes over some- because it became a place for people The box, which was once a seem- thing like this,” Gil said. “Someone to threaten the family. But Dan doesn’t immerse himself in Morgan’s personal Facebook page, which remains inactive. He said he just doesn’t want to use it. “That was hers,” Gil said. “You like to know that it still exists, but she doesn’t.” Dan uses Morgan’s school laptop, which is covered with police evidence tape and is missing one of the keys, as a point of connection. “These are the games parents of dead children play with themselves to try and make it okay — for at least the next day,” Gil wrote in an e-mail. from page one

“Can you still smell her?”

2-4-1

FILE

The Harringtons honor their daughter, who was a junior education major at Tech, by working on projects Morgan was involved with. Gil is in Zambia working on the construction of the Morgan Dana Harrington Educational Wing, which is part of Orphan Medical Network International. She, and others with OMNI, will provide free medical care to those in Zambia. Gil will primarily deliver wound care. She said she hopes the school will be roofed by the time she arrives. Dan created the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship to remember his daughter, who was a VTC intern. Morgan’s case also premiered on “Disappeared,” a TV show on Investigation Discovery, Monday, April 18. The Harringtons said they went through about eight hours of interviewing for the show. UVa dedicated a plaque to Morgan on Copley Bridge in Charlottesville, the place she was last seen on the

night of her disappearance. The Harringtons have visited this place, as well as the farm where her remains were found.

2-4-1 But the Harringtons’ time and effort spent on their projects doesn’t lessen their daughter’s horrendous murder or their pain. “There are days, and there are days,” Dan said. “As medical people, you are good at compartmentalizing — putting emotions aside to do the job at hand.” Dan said he and his wife superficially appear to function well. But his emotions don’t necessarily match his outer persona. “The wave of grief, and feelings of helplessness, and feelings of how do you go forward with such a hole in your life have really come to at least rest on me,” he said. Gilsaiditisarareexperienceforacouple to have their child killed, and there is no template to follow for the grieving process. “There is really no norm,” she said. “You have to synthesize it as you go along. You try a lot of things — this feels good, this doesn’t feel good. Let’s move in a different direction.” But the Harringtons’ shock toward their daughter’s murder hasn’t subsided. “How could it be that our daughter is dead?” Dan asked himself. “How could it be that we will never see Morgan again? How could it be that someone killed our daughter?” The intentionality of Morgan’s

murder is what gets under Gil’s skin. “Someone, on purpose, did this,” she said. “That is really unfathomable to me.” Gil said although women are told they are equal, they are still preyed upon, which no one asks for. She said people try to blame the victim by saying something must have happened to create a situation. “There still should not be acceptance of that kind of violence,” she said. “In this day in age, we should be talking of cherish and respect for (women). We should not be saying, ‘Please don’t hurt the girls. Don’t rape them. Don’t beat them.’” She said people have said Morgan was with someone, and things got out of hand. “What the heck does, ‘Things got out of hand,’ mean?” Gil asked. “Is that the new term for abducted murder?” Gil said death is like a dirty little secret — people don’t like to discuss it. “Death. Hmmm. Don’t go there,” she said, mimicking others. She doesn’t diminish what happened to Morgan. She doesn’t say Morgan passed away or Morgan died. Rather, Gil says Morgan was abducted and murdered. And she always uses Morgan’s name when referring to her.

2-4-1 “It shaves off one more piece of her as a human being to not use her name,” Gil said. “It shaves off one layer of atrocity to say Morgan passed away, or this is the date of Morgan’s death.

I like to call it what it is because it is not pretty.” The Harrington home remains Morgan’s parents safe haven, where her presence is still felt and her face is familiar. But Dan and Gil still need answers — help finding the man responsible for murdering their daughter. Perhaps even nature’s creatures understand the investigation of Morgan’s death is not finished. From a distance, the windows in their kitchen and dining room look scratched. But up close, markings — also known as impact prints — from birds plummeting into the windows are clearly visible. One marking on the kitchen window is more apparent than the rest — its face and beak are pronounced. Examining that particular print, Dan emphasized its bizarreness. Gil said in the 20 years they’ve lived in their home, this has never happened. She said she thinks her and her husband are releasing a call for help, and the birds are responding. She said she doesn’t think the birds represent Morgan trying to come into the house, but she does think the creatures are answering to their cries. Whatever the reason, the birds seem adamant about entering the Harrington’shomeonStrathmoreLane — a place where Morgan still pervades and her parent’s reside, still grieving and coping with the uncertainty of her murderer.

8 sports

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

april 28, 2011

Snap Judgement: Looking back on Tyrod Taylor’s legacy yrod Taylor will go down as one of the greatest and most electrifyT ing quarterbacks ever to step foot on Virginia Tech’s campus. Even from his debut against Louisiana State University in 2007, football fans knew he would be special. He scored the Hokies’ lone touchdown, while showing flashes of brilliance. However, nobody could have predicted just how extraordinary he would turn out to be. Over the course of his illustrious career at Tech, he set school records for career total offense (9,213 yards), career passing yards (7,017 yards), career rushing yards by a quarterback (2,196), career wins by a starting quarterback (34), career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (23), and touchdown passes in a season (24). The Hampton product has certainly left his mark in the record books, but his statistics don’t paint the whole picture. Taylor is a winner. Since July 2007, he has won three ACC Championships, an Orange Bowl, a Chick-fil-A Bowl, an ACC Championship MVP Award, firstteam All-ACC honors, an ACC Player of the Year Award and a Dudley Award, which is given to the best football player in Virginia. Taylor’s accomplishments can be relived all day long, but what distinguishes him from other quarterbacks that have come through Blacksburg? The guy is a born leader. Head coach Frank Beamer gave Taylor the President’s Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership in offseason training — twice. He also received Super Iron Hokie honors, for his superior effort and leadership in the weight room. In addition, Taylor was selected as a member of Beamer’s Champions Club, which honors players with strong character and leadership qualities. The guys on the team respect Taylor, and they trusted he would lead them to victory. “Tyrod is a great player,” said Blake DeChristopher, who is entering his fourth year as Tech’s starting right tackle. “He believed in us, and that made us better. That’s what made him a great leader. He wouldn’t get down on us. He was always encouraging. He believed in our abilities, which made us trust him and look up to him as a leader. He practiced hard, and I knew that same effort would show up on the game field. I knew he was going to make something happen out there.” DeChristopher’s premonition became reality on many occasions, but perhaps the most memorable was on Sept. 19, 2009. It is a day that will be forever etched in the minds of Tech fans. In the final two minutes of the game against #16 Nebraska, the Hokies were down 15-10. As always, Taylor was not going down without a fight. He scrambled and escaped the Huskers defense just in time to hit Danny Coale with an 81-yard strike down the sideline. On third down, Taylor danced around just long enough to seal the deal with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts, putting the Hokies ahead 16-15 with only 21 seconds remaining — all while future Heisman finalist and NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh was on his back. Even in the most dire situations, Taylor kept fans and defenses on their toes. Number five will be sorely missed by teammates, coaches, and loyal fans. Saturdays in Blacksburg won’t be the same without him. For Taylor, it is the end of one chapter but the beginning of a new one.

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In his four years at Virginia Tech, Tyrod Taylor rewrote the record books at the quarterback position. His 34 career victories, perhaps the most impressive stat of Taylor’s career, ranks him ﬁrst among Hokies. “After the bowl game, I took three days off,” Taylor said. “Then I went down to Atlanta to start training. Andre Smith, Steven Friday and about 30 other guys trained down there with us. It was a great experience. I was trying to better my body for the NFL Combine.” The Combine took place in Indianapolis from Feb. 24 to March 1 and roughly 300 of college football’s elite prospects were given the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of NFL coaches. “It was a blessing to have the opportunity to compete at the Combine,” Taylor said. “I got to compete against the best, and I had a very positive attitude. I felt I threw the ball well.” Taylor also turned heads with his blazing speed and agility. Of all the quarterbacks at the Combine, Taylor had the fastest 40-yard dash (4.51 seconds), the second-highest vertical jump (37.5”), the best broad jump (126”), the second-fastest three cone drill (6.78 seconds), and the fastest 20-yard shuttle (4.09 seconds). You may be surprised to hear which NFL coach showed the most interest in Taylor. “I talked with about 15 teams. The teams that gave me formal interviews were the Bills, Jets, and 49ers,” Taylor said. “Head coach (Jim) Harbaugh really liked me, and I really liked him. We talked about life, and I enjoyed our conversation.” Certainly Harbaugh understands the depth of Taylor’s talent, as the mobile quarterback is always a headache for other teams to prepare for. Although Harbaugh’s Stanford squad beat the Hokies in the Orange Bowl this past February, he will now have a chance to grab Taylor in the draft. Yet, with talk of Taylor being projected as a wide receiver in the NFL, people are discounting Taylor’s prowess as a quarterback.

“The funny thing is, nobody has ever seen me play receiver before,” Taylor said. “The media believes I should play receiver, but only one NFL team has asked me about playing receiver. I’m a quarterback, and every time I step on the field I am proving that point. I have been groomed as a quarterback, and I know I can play. Hopefully the owners, coaches, and GM’s like me, and so far the feedback has been positive.” Throughout Taylor’s recruitment and college career, he was being compared to one person — Tech’s former star quarterback Michael Vick. Vick’s advice for Taylor heading up to the NFL Draft on April 28 has been to forget the media hype and showcase his talents on the field. “Mike has been encouraging me to go out there and perform well,” Taylor said. “He reminds me that everyone is evaluating me on and off the field. I actually got to work out with him last weekend, and we watched some film. To play on a team with him would be awesome.” “Off the field, Mike and I are totally different people, even though we came from the same area. Our running ability is similar. If you compare both of us when we were coming out of college, at that stage, I am probably a little ahead of him when it comes to throwing the ball. Our offense is a little more complex now.” In Taylor’s mind, fans should at least consider him as Tech’s best quarterback to march on Worsham Field. “I would want to be known as the best, but a lot of guys have left their mark,” Taylor said. “Bryan Randall was great. Vick went to the National Championship. I would like to be the greatest, but it’s up to the fans and coaches to decide.” Taylor is modest, but the wins speak for themselves. He has won more games than any other Tech signal-

caller, and he is the most decorated quarterback in Tech’s history. Taylor took some time to reflect on the capstone of his career at Tech — winning the ACC Player of the Year Award. “It meant a lot to me,” Taylor said. “I always wanted to win that award. There was a lot of hype around other guys before the season, and I used that as motivation.” As much as we will miss watching the fleet-footed quarterback embarrass opposing secondaries, there are many things Taylor will miss about playing for the Hokies. “I am an only child, so the guys on my team are my brothers,” Taylor said. “I truly believe that. I will miss the family atmosphere. I really want to thank all of the fans for their support. I loved playing for the people here who cheered me on and cheered us on as a team.” Taylor’s legacy at Tech will be laced with victories, championship rings, awards and records. However, he would like to be remembered as more than just a football player. “I want to be remembered as a great person off the field,” Taylor said. “I am a competitor on and off the field. I am a student of the game, and a student in the classroom. I also hope people feel I was a tremendous player who hates losing.” It is safe to say that Hokie fans will follow Taylor’s NFL career closely, as he continues to leave his legacy of winning.

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