Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

F EXCULSIVE INTERVIEW

resh off the success of their hit 2009 album “I and Love and You” as well as their performance at the Grammy Awards with Mumford and Sons and Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers are bringing their unique North Carolina folk-pop

sound to Burruss Auditorium tonight. Lead banjo player Scott Avett spoke with the Collegiate Times about the band’s upcoming record, working with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin and their last visit to Virginia Tech. see full story on page ﬁve

BY ANDREW REILLY | features staff writer

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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

www.collegiatetimes.com

COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 116

News, page 2

Arts & Entertainment, page 5

The King of the road

Opinions, page 5

Sports, page 6

Classifieds, page 4

Sudoku, page 4

Tech handles Monmouth BY NICK CAFFERKY | special sports section editor In a much-improved performance from their season opener, the Hokies (2-0, 0-0) disposed of the Monmouth Hawks Monday night 91-46 and have advanced to the second round of the NIT Tip-Off. From the starting tip, which Viktor Davila won over a player five inches taller than himself, the Hokies dominated — using an up-tempo style to run their opponents off the court. “I think we got back to Virginia Tech basketball,” said junior guard Erick Green. “I think

COURTSEY OF TEAM RADIOSHACK

Ben King rides for Team RadioShack in the Tour of Beijing in China in October. King won the Best Young Rider award during this race.

FORMER VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT BEN KING LEFT TECH TO PURSUE HIS DREAM AS A PRO CYCLIST CODY OWENS news reporter Ben King’s bike is his vehicle — for work and play. While in Blacksburg, King, a past Virginia Tech student, wouldn’t hop in a car to make the 150-mile trek to his home near Charlottesville, Va. Rather, King would ride his bike. “That’s my favorite big ride,” he said. “It’s kind of cool to just get on your bike and go doorstep to doorstep.” But that trip is practically nothing compared to the excursions he now embarks on in places like Copenhagen, Denmark and Beijing, China. In 2009 during his sophomore year, he left Tech to pursue his cycling career — a move that has seemingly paid off for King. The 21-year-old is now a professional cyclist with Team RadioShack and recently took home an international award for best rider under 23 years old. King recently ended his season at the inaugural Tour of Beijing last month and is back at his home in North Garden, Va., where he is reflecting on his past and road to the future.

The start of a dream For King, cycling is a family affair. His father Mark was a college runner who hurt his knee and transitioned into cycling, competing in elite races along with King’s uncle Dan. King’s younger brother Jake is also a cyclist. “I started cycling with my dad when I was 14,” King said. “He just got me into it recreationally, and I was homeschooled, so I had time to do it during the day.” Joking that he didn’t have the coordination for other sports,

King said that while he was at Monticello High School, he was active in several endurance sports such as cross country, swimming and track in addition to cycling, at which point he began to see major success. In Virginia Beach for his first race, King was hit by a van before the race. After being knocked into the air and having his bike destroyed, he grabbed his father’s and finished the race. When he was a senior in high school, King captured two national championships while racing with the Hot Tubes junior development team, winning both the Junior National Time Trial and the Junior National Road Race in 2007. College brought with it a new series of changes in King’s life. In 2008, during his freshman year at Tech, King signed with Kelly Benefit Strategies, a leading domestic cycling team. King’s life was split in two. During the week, he was a college student majoring in business marketing, and on the weekends, he was flying to California to race professionally. Despite his hectic lifestyle, King still enjoyed his time at Tech. He joined the VT Cycling team, which became an outlet for his passion in Blacksburg. “(Training with VT Cycling) actually gave me a good jumpstart to my first season as a professional,” King said. “They were pretty stacked that year, so it was a ton of fun to ride with those guys.” King made a strong impression on the team and is listed as the “International Ambassador” for VT Cycling on its website. “Everybody loved to hang out and talk with Ben because he was a genuine guy and was not conceited about how fast and good see KING / page two

we got back to running. I think there is one thing we need to work on and that’s rebounding, but I think we got a lot in transition, and we should play that way more often.” see TEAM / page six

TECH PLAYS MASON OR FIU TONIGHT If Tech wins tonight, the Hokies would take on the winner of No. 5 Syracuse vs. Albany in New York City on Nov. 23

TREVOR WHITE / SPPS

Tech beats $1 billion fundraising goal JOSH HIGGINS news reporter The Virginia Tech Foundation exceeded its goal of raising more than $1 billion for the university, ending the most ambitious campaign in its history. President Charles Steger announced on Saturday that the “Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future” raised a total of $1,112,703,977. The announcement was made at a ceremony during this weekend’s university open house, where Tech alumni, future Tech students and parents, and others came to visit the school. Around 1,000 of the top contributors to the campaign attended the ceremony. Almost 170,000 contributors total gave to campaign,

according to a university press release. The eight-year fundraising campaign began on July 1, 2003, and ended on June 30, 2011. According to the statement, 27 percent of the money raised is for endowed purposes, meaning it is set aside for specific initiatives to ensure they recieve predictable funding in future years. During its first four years, the campaign was in its “quiet phase,” meaning it was had not been publically announced. Before it was publically announced on Oct. 20, 2007, it had already raised $550 million. The money raised came from gifts, pledge payments and commitments for future support of the university, the statement said. Gene Fife chaired the steer-

ing committee for the quiet phase of the campaign. Fife, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs International, is a 1962 alumnus of what is now the Pamplin College of Business. Co-chairs for the public phase were alumni David Calhoun, chairman and CEO of the Nielsen Company, and John Lawson, now president and CEO of W.M. Jordan Company. Fife, Calhoun and Lawson were present at this weekend’s ceremony along with President Steger and Vice President for Development and University Relations Elizabeth Flanagan. The university’s endowment, a fund managed by the Viginia Tech Foundation, is now at $600.65 million. The endowment grew by 81 percent during the campaign.

more info Contributors to “The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future” helped create: -563 new scholarships -55 faculty support funds -149 funds that provide unrestricted support to speciﬁc academic areas -32 funds supporting research, Extension programs or University Libraries *Info gathered from VT News

2 news

editors: claire sanderson, michelle sutherland newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

november 15, 2011

COLLEGIATETIMES

King: Champion cyclist looks to Olympics, Tour de France from page one

he was,” said Justin Crawford, the vice president of VT Cycling. “He just enjoyed hanging out and riding like the rest of us.” Maggie Berrey, a graduate student studying human nutrition, foods and exercise, has been a close friends of King’s since their junior year of high school. She said King, herself and two of their friends called themselves the “four musketeers” at Tech. “He’s just a fun guy to be around,” Berrey said. “He roomed with one of my best friends from high school. We hung out all the time and did everything together. We were in Lee and they were in Pritchard, so you could literally see their window from our window.”

Breaking away In 2009, Lance Armstrong created Trek-LIVESTRONG, a junior development team for Team RadioShack. On the team was Taylor Phinney, now a five-time world champion and friend of King. It was Phinney who contacted King about trekLIVESTRONG, providing him with his break into professional cycling. By this time, the frantic balance between school and cycling was

starting to take its toll on King. It was becoming clear that his academic life and his professional aspirations were not blending well. “That was one thing where he knew that he had to choose because he wasn’t able to do both well like he wanted to,” Berrey said. “When Ben gives his heart to something, he likes to give it fully. When doing both of those and trying to go them both very well, it was hard, and he was wearing himself out.” King ultimately decided to follow his cycling dream, and in January 2009, he signed a two-year contract with TrekLIVESTRONG. “Because of its affiliation with RadioShack, I decided that if I had a chance ever to make it up to the next level, this was it,” King said. “All the doors were open if I could prove that I had what it took.” During spring 2009, King took online classes, thinking that if he was unable to make the jump to Team RadioShack, then he would return to Tech and finish his degree. However, his performance over the next year earned him a spot on the elite team. “I had just an unbelievable spring,” King said. “Everything just fell into place. It’s the kind

place winner. The victory made him the only under-23 rider to win the race in its 26-year history. As King celebrated with his family at the finish line, he received a call from Johan Bruyneel, the Team RadioShack manager, who congratulated him on his victory and said he could publically announce his plan to join the ProTour in 2011.

of stuff that just can’t be coincidence. I feel extremely blessed.” Little did he know, September would prove to hold even greater achievements for King.

Ahead of the pack Trek-LIVESTRONG traveled to Greenville, S.C. in September 2010 along with the best riders in the nation for the U.S. National Road Race Championships. In that race, King broke away from the pack with riders Daniel Holloway and Scott Zwizanski. By the the middle of 115-mile race, King and the other two riders had gained a 17-minute lead. Then, King broke away from Holloway and Zwizanski on the third of four 22-mile laps up Paris Mountain. He maintained his lead until the last section through downtown Greenville, where veteran riders managed to lower King’s lead to three minutes. “As the race wore on and played out, it turned more and more to my favor, and I realized I had a chance to stay all the way,” King said. “Until the finish line, it was never guaranteed because my lights were going out, and I had whole teams chasing me.” But King crossed the finish line first with a time of 4:44:57 and a 94-second lead over the second-

Riding on faith “(The national championships are) the kind of stuff that just can’t be coincidence,” King said. “I just feel incredibly blessed.” King said his faith has been a source of strength throughout his life. While at Tech, King was involved with Campus Outreach, a Christian group that he said helped him connect with the religious community and kept him accountable. King said he continues to seek God in his cycling career. Despite competing for about 10 months out of the year, in 2010, he finished reading the Bible in its entirety. “Eric Liddell (a Scottish Olympian) said, ‘God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure,’” King said. “I feel like God has had His hands on all the stuff that has happened through-

out my career.” Since going professional, King has gone on service trips to Nicaragua and Mexico, and has recorded a podcast with FCA Endurance, a Christian ministry that does outreach for endurance sport athletes. “I think that God wants us to glorify Him in whatever we do, and I’m doing cycling,” King said. “Whether I win or lose, the way I compete can be a testimony to the people around me.”

The Tour of Beijing King rode in the Tour of Beijing in October. In the most difficult stage, known as the Queen, King finished ahead of his peers and won the white jersey, an award for the best rider under 25 years old. While the competition closed in on King during the final stage, he was able to come away with a victory, largely with the help of his teammates. “We had just a bunch of hitters like Janez Brajkovic and Tiago Machado riding in support of me to try to defend that jersey throughout the rest of the week,” King said. “I really appreciated that support from my teammates after a year of working for them in other races.” As he exits the season with the

white jersey and the victory on his shoulders, King said he feels reassured about his future. “Oftentimes you’re only as good as your last race, so it was pretty nice to go out on that note,” King said. “The sport is humbling and can really bring you down, so it was nice to end the 2011 season on that note.”

The future After a long professional cycling season that saw him on the road most of the year, King is back home in North Garden enjoying a month off, although he said he is still training for fun. “Honestly, of all of the places I’ve been, this part of Virginia is one of the best places in the world that I’ve been to train,” King said. “The variety of roads and the density of roads is just spectacular.” As he spends his days cycling, hunting and spending time with friends and family, King said he is looking to the future. He has aspirations for the Olympics and the Grand Tour of races including the Tour de France. “I don’t know if that is a possibility for me this year, but it gives me a goal for the future and something to start working more,” King said.

what you’re saying //comments from online readers... On the story about Boyer reflecting on his 3,000-person class: back2basix >> I wouldn’t complain if such decisions were made with reference to what students do or do not learn in a class like this. Has the university done any official assessment of how effective this class is at actually teaching things? Statements from the teacher and the students that it is “fun” or “awesome” or that it “breaks down barriers” seem beside the point. Is it effective? Or is it just efficient?

crime blotter

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

date reported

time

offense

location

status

09/28/2011

11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Follow up to Larcency of Bicycle

Outside Main

Inactive

11/11/2011

Unknown

Sexual Battery

Unknown

Active

11/11/2011

1:00-9:30 a.m.

Larceny of Clothing Items

Lee Hall

Active

11/11/2011

6:58 p.m.

Possesion of Marijuana

Vawter Hall

Arrest

11/11/2011

9:49 p.m.

Underage Possesion of Alcohol x10

Eggleston Hall

Student Conduct

11/12/2011

12:41 a.m.

Underage Possesion of Alcohol x2

O’Shaughnessy

Student Conduct

11/12/2011

1:09 a.m.

Appear Intoxicated in Public/

Grove Lane

Arrest

Detrick Hall

Active

Underage Possesion of Alcohol

11/12/2011

2:08 a.m.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/ Appear Intoxicated in Public/ Underage Possesion of Alcohol

11/12/2011

2:14 a.m.

Underage Possesion of Alcohol

Washington Street

Student Conduct

11/12/2011

2:13 a.m.

Driving Under the Influence of

Stanger Street

Arrest

Appear Intoxicated in Public/

Ambler Johnson

Arrest

Underage Possesion of Alcohol

Hall

Appear Intoxicated in Public/

Ambler Johnson

Underage Possesion of Alcohol

Hall

Underage Possesion of Alcohol

Outside Torersen

Alcohol

11/12/2011 11/12/2011 11/12/2011

3:00 a.m.

12:18 a.m.

Student Conduct

Arrest

Hall

11/12/2011

10:07 p.m.

Appear Intoxicated in Public x2

Alumni Mall

Arrest

11/12/2011

11:13 p.m.

Driving Under the Influence of

Drillfield Drive

Arrest

Alcohol/ Driving while Revoked or Suspended

11/11/2011

9:45 p.m.

Possession of Marijuana

Cranwell Woods

Arrest

11/11/2011

9:45 p.m.

Possession of Marijuana x6

Cranwell Woods

Student Conduct

11/13/2011

1:46 a.m.

Appear Intoxicated in Public/

200 S Main Street

Arrest

Southgate Drive

Arrest

Possession of Marijuana/ Petit

Outside Eggleston

Arrest

Larceny/ Possession of Drug

Hall

Underage Possesion of Alcohol x2

11/13/2011

2:58 a.m.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

11/13/2011

2:15 a.m.

Paraphernalia/ Underage Possesion of Alcohol x2

11/13/2011

3:41 a.m.

Driving Under the Influence of

Spring Road

Active

Alcohol/ Refuse to Submit to Breath Test

11/13/2011

7:00 p.m.-10:30 a.m.

Larceny of Bicycle

Outside Vawter Hall

Active

11/14/2011

5:01 p.m.

Vandalism of a Window Screen

Outside

Inactive

Architecture Annex

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Eggleston

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editors: scott masselli, sean simons opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

november 15, 2011

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

MCT CAMPUS

Your Views [letters to the editor]

World regions editorial misguided

would like to point out an irony that I believe the editorial staff of the Collegiate Times may have missed in their editorial of Nov. 10 (“’Mega’ World Regions Should Stay”). In this issue, there is a major feature article profiling a cello professor, Alan Weinstein. A portion of the article focuses on his teaching of creativity and aesthetic experience (a fairly large class at 1,200 each semester), where his goal is to reach students with no previous interest in the arts and make arts relevant to them by showing how various aspects of creativity can be highly relevant to their lives, both as students as well as later in their careers. In the editorial, however, the writers trash all other CLE courses, branding them “devoid of meaning” and targeting “music appreciation” in particular. Though they tout John Boyer’s “mega” class for “extract(ing) this

PSU deserves Tech’s support

ast week was a particularly heavy time for the Penn State community. The actions of one man and inactions of a few others have tainted the proud tradition of a great school. This controversy has spurred a variety of feelings and reactions — varying from concern and disgust to disbelief and anger. What happened to those boys is immoral and illegal, and I pray that punishment will be just and their healing complete. The members of the Penn State community are struggling to make sense of things and to show the world that their school should not be judged by the actions of one individual. But it was not long ago that our campus struggled through a horrific event and strived to show its true colors. The shootings on April 16, 2007, shook our community to its core. There was an outpouring of support from the whole world, and it was with their support that we began to move toward healing. My brother is a Penn State alumnus, which makes the university my “in-law,” so to speak. Maybe this is why I so vividly remember the support they showed during our time of need. Just a few weeks after the shootings, during the Penn State spring football game, Beaver Stadium blossomed not with the traditional blue and white, but with maroon and orange. The students wore it, the band played “Tech Triumph,” the players inscribed messages of support on the towels hung

Iran requires diplomacy T

much from students,” the only thing they could name that was “extracted” was cash, and given that donations to this (very worthwhile cause) came with the thinly veiled “not so subtle hint” that more money would lead to more credit for the students, “extorted” might be a better word. While it is wonderful that Mr. Boyer was able to get a pair of movie stars to campus to introduce their film, and that he was able to raise money and awareness for a troubling issue, nothing in the entire editorial addressed any goals related to learning or intellectual growth of his students. Perhaps classes and their teachers should be judged by the lasting intellectual growth of the students taking the class, rather than simply by their ability to entertain a large crowd or move students to generosity with a heartbreaking story.

Jessie Meltsner VT Women’s Center

from their waist bands, and the coaching staff wore ribbons of orange and maroon pinned to their shirts — this is not a community that should be defined by the events brought to light in the last week. In 2007, we did not want Blacksburg to be thought of a dangerous place, just as now they do not want State College to be synonymous with scandal. Since 1973, Penn State has held a fundraising effort known as “THON” to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer. This is the largest studentrun philanthropy in the world, every year raising more money than the last. In 2010, they raised over $7.8 million. This year a challenge has been issued to the PSU community to raise a whopping $50 million. They want to show the world that the Penn State community is a strong and loving one full of great people. Let’s help our college brethren to meet this goal. Return the goodwill that they showed in 2007 to help with this worthy cause, visit Thon.org to make a donation. Also visit ProudToBeAPennStater. com, which is a grass roots effort to raise $500,000 for the victims of sexual abuse. After all, our motto of Ut Prosim is not confined to the Tech campus, nor is it limited to our students and alumni. Let’s help our collegiate family to show the world how good we all can be.

David Anderson mechanical engineering class of ’05, ’07

he latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran’s nuclear program did very little except state the obvious. Essentially, the report corroborated the presence of Iran’s (officially) declared program to enrich uranium and slightly expanded on the findings that Tehran has, particularly before 2003, pursued various military-related nuclear technologies. It’s worth stressing that this is old news to the U.S. and its allies. Although the findings did not come as a surprise, calls for military action against Iran are growing louder. Numerous Republican presidential candidates have suggested that they favor a military strike, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly attempting to rally support in his cabinet for such an attack. Without question, it would be an absolute mistake for the U.S. to take that sort of unilateral action against Iran. First, consider the political costs. Should the U.S. (or Israel for that matter) launch a military attack, the entire region would inevitably become involved. Iran would surely either retaliate directly or rally its proxies — from terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah in Lebanon to Bashar al-Assad’s Syria — to strike back against Israel and U.S. forces in the region. Regardless of the intentions, the world would simply see it as Washington invading a third Muslim nation. Further, although there are encouraging signs that Iranian citizens are increasingly growing weary of the corrupt regime, an attack on Tehran would invoke widespread Iranian nationalism that would ultimately strengthen the current regime. It’s also worth noting Iran’s geopolitical surroundings. To its right is a nuclear Pakistan. On the left is Israel, a nation widely believed to have the region’s only nuclear arsenal. Down south is Iran’s Cold War-like enemy, Saudi Arabia,

a country rapidly increasing its own military capabilities. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that Tehran is considering advanced weapons given its less-than-friendly neighbors. As a leading Israeli investment firm recently stated, an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would come at too high of an economic price. Most importantly, the world would see a dramatic jump in the price of oil. The report states that Iran may choose to block the Strait of Hormuz, which could cause the price of oil to increase to more than $250 a barrel. (For reference, the price as of Nov. 14 is $98 per barrel.) Moreover, the cost of war for the U.S. in particular would be crippling. According to a research project entitled “Costs of War” by Brown University, the U.S. will have spent a total of $3.7 trillion on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan — not considering the human costs. With our fiscal situation as serious as it is now, I personally do not see a convincing reason to spend more money on another war with another unpredictable outcome. Subsequently, it is unrealistic and foolish to believe that a handful of airstrikes will put an end to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. According to Israel’s best estimates, bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities would simply take back their nuclear capabilities only two or three years. Given these facts, it is fair to conclude that an attack could not permanently deter Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb in particular. If anything, Tehran would find more reasons to pursue nuclear weapons — namely to avoid any future attacks. Consequently, what the U.S. and its allies must pursue is a comprehensive, sustained diplomatic solution with Iran. Above all, this means the world must seek direct and unconditional negotiations. President Barack Obama has not genuinely fulfilled his

promise to pursue more communication with Iran. Instead, the U.S. and its allies have simply pushed for countless rounds of economic sanctions that have somewhat isolated Tehran, but ultimately simply hurt ordinary Iranian citizens more. The U.S. and Israel in particular should bluntly state their hesitations with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. On the other side, Iran’s leaders should also be more honest about those ambitions and the level of progress they have attained in the process already. Next, Iran should halt its hostility toward Israel, support of terrorist groups and its role in the ongoing violence in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also, Israel must be more open about its own nuclear capabilities, especially its refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Finally, the U.S. should clarify claims that it is constantly attempting to overthrow the current Iranian regime. In sum, the U.S. and its allies have two options. The first is choosing to deal directly with Tehran, with all sides speaking bluntly about the issues at hand. Interestingly enough, a recent CBS poll showed that a plurality of Americans — 55 percent — say the threat posed by Iran can be contained by diplomacy. The other option is to launch a preemptive war where no one will come out as a “winner.” Should the world choose the latter choice, we may find ourselves struggling with dangerous, unintended consequences. Unfortunately, we just may have to accept a nuclear Iran — if it ever gets to that point. How we react will be paramount to future of the region, and indeed our own interests and security as well.

AUSAN AL-ERYANI -regular columnist -junior -political science major

Palestine students ride for equality T

oday, Palestinian Freedom Riders will reenact the U.S. Civil Rights Movement’s Freedom Rides in the American South by boarding segregated Israeli public transportation in the West Bank to travel to occupied east Jerusalem. By nonviolently challenging the system of segregation and apartheid that governs their lives, Palestinian college students are standing up for justice and freedom. We, as students of Virginia Tech, should stand with them. Our university has always been a leader in advancing the rights of men and women. We accept students based on merits, not on the color of their skin. Furthermore, the generations of students that came before us understood the necessity of standing up for freedom, equality and basic rights. Although the times have changed, we continue to share the same core values of freedom, justice and liberty for all, and the belief that all men are created equal. By organizing ourselves to support the Palestinian Freedom Riders, we are only living up to

the values our education and our families historical experiences have engrained in us. John F. Kennedy once said, “Only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it.” The Freedom Riders intentional act of defiance of the system of apartheid practiced in the Palestinian territories is dangerous. They could be arrested for months or years without trial under Israeli military law, abused by Israeli soldiers and attacked by fanatic Israeli settlers. By standing up for their rights, they could be risking their lives. If we focus our attention on this courageous act, and if we stand in solidarity with them, then we will give them momentum. Furthermore, the painful claws of Israeli oppression cannot slice and slash when a global spotlight is focused on its actions. We should not shrink from our responsibility to defend those

struggling for freedom. Freedom Rides, organized by Palestinian youth who are active in their communities, are an escalation of the nonviolent popular resistance movement. They attempt to highlight the official and unofficial racism and segregation Palestinians are subjected to every day under Israeli apartheid. The Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine at Virginia Tech support this Palestinian initiative to expose Israeli apartheid policies. Those in the group refuse to acquiesce in the policies of a supremacist state, which often masks its oppression with racist, de-facto criminalization of an entire population. They object to the exploitation of ethnicity and religion as background for racism, and demand equality and freedom for all, not purported democracy for some.

LINA BARKAWI -regular columnist -junior -industrial systems engineering major

Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief: Zach Crizer Managing Editor: Lindsey Brookbank Design Editors: Danielle Buynak, Victoria Zigadlo Public Editor: Justin Graves Web Editor: Sarah Watson News Editors: Claire Sanderson, Michelle Sutherland News Reporters: Josh Higgins News Staff Writers: Erin Chapman, Meighan Dober, Abby Harris, Elizabeth Haydu, Cody Owens, Mallory NoePayne Features Editors: Chelsea Gunter, Patrick Murphy Features Reporters: Nick Smirniotopoulos Features Staff Writers: Courtney Baker, Torie Deible, Dane Harrington, Kevin McAleese, Andrew Reily Opinions Editors: Scott Masselli, Sean Simons Sports Editors: Matt Jones, Zach Mariner Sports Reporters: Michael Bealy, Nick Cafferky, Courtney Lofgren, Josh Parcell Sports Staff Writers: Eric Avassi, Zander Baylis, Alyssa Bedrosian, Cody Elliott, Taylor Hay, Alex Koma, Ashleigh Lanza, Brian Marcolini, Cody Owens Photo Editor: Daniel Lin Special Sections Editor: Liana Bayne, Nick Cafferky Public Information Director: Dishu Maheshwari Training Director: Kelsey Heiter Copy Chief: Spenser Snarr Copy Editors: Debra Houchins, Nora McGann Layout Designers: Nadia Groome, Kaitlyn Kicia, Bethany Melson, Matthew Ryburn Online Director: Jamie Chung Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager: Philipp Kotlaba Student Publications Photo Staff Director of Photography: Paul Kurlak Lab Manager: Austen Meredith College Media Solutions Ad Director: Brandon Collins Asst Ad Director: Matt Freedman Account Executives: Johnson Bray, Kevin Jadali, Alyssa Brown, Brian Dickson, Janssen Claudio Inside Sales Manager: Mario Gazzola Assistant Inside Sales Manager: Adam Shata Office Manager: Kayley Greenday Assistant Account Executives: Alex Perry, Kacie Nolan, Jordan Peugh Creative Director: Casey Stoneman Asst Production Manager: Colleen Hill Creative Services Staff: Danielle Bushrow, Michael Craighead, Alyssa Morrison, Molly Vinson 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.

november 15, 2011

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WORDSEARCH: Fruits Locate the list of words in the word bank in the letter grid.

Regular Edition Today’s Birthday Horoscope: The gates are open, and you’re on your way. Stand up for your principles. Obstacles that were blocking the way have melted, and everything’s lining up to support what you’re up to. Generate harmony at home, and start singing.

word UNSCRAMBLER

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nmrega

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W G

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WORD BANK 1 Apple 2 Cherry 3 Grape 4 Pear 5 Peach 6 Strawberry 7 Blueberry 8 Watermelon 9 Canteloupe 10 Honeydew 11 Kiwi 12 Acai 13 Raspberry 14 Mango 15 Papaya 16 Lemon 17 Orange 18 Banana

Unscramble the letters to solve the category “Languages” Have a set of words you want to see in puzzles section? Email your lists to ctadsproduction@gmail.com.

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By Doug Peterson and Angela Olson Halsted

p a e c

get inside the game.

Check out tomorrow’s paper on page 5 for the answers!

ACROSS 1 Colorless 5 Dairy Queen treat 9 1972 Olympics star Mark 14 Get a better int. rate, perhaps 15 Genesis victim 16 Hidden repository 17 Qualify for 18 “Jeopardy!” creator Grif fin 19 Clay who was the “Idol” runner-up to Ruben Studdard 20 Good place for a run

23 “Doesn’t bother me” 24 Logo on many a Richard Petty race car 25 Inventor Whitney 28 Bug-loving org. 29 Lethargic 32 Schindler portrayer 34 Bad place for a run 36 Raced 39 Reuben bread 40 Hairpieces, slangily 41 Good place for a run

11/15/11

46 “Portnoy’ s Complaint” writer Roth 47 Sweet companion 48 Aptly named Quaker cereal 51 Gloomy guy 52 Eastern philosophy 54 Danshui River capital 56 Bad place for a run 59 It might end in a sack 62 Molecule part

check the Collegiate Times every Wednesday for the drink of the week

DOW N 1 Attracted 2 Provides with more heat ? 3 #1 Toto song that mentions Kilimanjaro 4 Game played in a hall 5 Arthur ’s castle 6 Passé wedding vow word 7 Soft bal l 8 Lisa Marie’ s dad 9 “Going under the knife” knife 10 What dues need to be 11 “Gross! ” 12 Pop __ question 13 Meditative sect 21 Love interest in the song “Copacabana” 22 Sicilian volcano 25 Biblical twin 26 __ Island 27 Signs, as a deal 30 “The __ With the Dragon Tattoo” 31 Chuckleheads

63 S inger with Crosby and Stills 64 Lofty abode 65 Discipline with poses 66 Oklahoma tribe 67 Long (for) 68 Hostage-rescue acronym 69 Travel

33 River through Aragon 34 1994 role for Jodie 35 Fiddling emperor 36 Common sitcom rating 37 Honolulu’ s island 38 Reformer Jacob 42 Inhabitant 43 Autumn birthstone 44 Horn & Hardart eatery 45 Neck-biting nicknam e 48 Morphine or codeine, e.g. 49 Muppet ma n 50 Sounded relieved 53 Signs of f on 55 “You don’t hav e to remind me ” 56 Cooking instructio n 57 Pack away 58 Forum attire 59 Chestnut’s stablemate, perhaps 60 Wrangler competitor 61 401(k) alternative, for short

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

11/15/11

Hokies volleyball dominates ACC foes to open home stand HOKIES COAST TO HOME VICTORY OVER MARYLAND TO SECURE SWEEP OF CONFERENCE OPPONENT BROOKS TIFFANY sports staff writer Returning home from a tough four-game road trip, the resilient Virginia Tech volleyball team responded with impressive play on Friday night at Cassell Coliseum, as they blanked Maryland 3-0 and claimed their first in-conference sweep of the year. The Hokies (14-13, 7-9 ACC) were hot from the start as they shot out to a 7-2 lead in the first set. Maryland (9-19, 3-13 ACC) didn’t have an answer as Tech turned the heat up and sealed the opener. The team scorched the Terrapins with a .393 hitting percentage, while holding them to a .000 showing. Head coach Chris Riley pointed out the Hokies all-around impressive play against the Maryland Terrapins.

“We were consistent, we were aggressive, we were good defensively,” Riley said. “I thought we controlled the ball very well with servicing and defense as well.” Senior Justine Record, who posted her 10th doubledouble of the season with 15 kills and 11 digs, credited the team’s hard work in practice and consistency on the court for the win. “We’ve been working really hard in practice,” Record said. “We worked on consistency, and we’re a really good team when we work together like that.” The Terps seemed to have an answer in the second set as they fought closely with the Hokies in the first half. However, Tech kept the pressure on and caved Maryland in with a series of runs in the

Help Wanted THE TOWN OF Blacksburg is currently accepting applications for the following part-time wage position: Media Specialist/ Videographer. For more information, please visit our website: www.blacksburg. gov. An EEO Employer M/F/D/V

latter half of the set, shutting the Terps down and taking the win. Junior Jennifer Wiker, who led the offense with 16 kills, cited the Hokies work in practice on error control and aggressiveness as strong points in the win. “We worked really hard on limiting our errors and just being more aggressive with jumping out on teams right away,” Wiker said. “We’ve been in a lot of five game sets, and it just felt really good to get this one in three.” The Hokies stunned the Terps in the third set, leaping out with an 8-0 run. Maryland tried to push their way back into the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Tech’s momentum as they coasted to victory. The home team dominated the Terps in all statistical categories throughout the night, most notably in kills (4930), assists (43-26) and digs (59-45). (25-12, 25-17, 25-20)

ASHLEIGH LANZA sports staff writer The Virginia Tech Hokies volleyball team swept the Boston College Eagles on Saturday night three sets to none at Cassell Coliseum. “I think we played well,” said Chris Riley, the head coach. “We played low-error. I’m happy with the way we played, we were pretty clean.” Redshirt junior outside hitter Jennifer Wiker led the offense with nine kills. She also added three of the team’s 11 total blocks to the night. “Our height is an advantage, and we have been working on our block techniques all season,” Wiker said. The Hokies (15-13, 8-9 ACC) pulled out to an impressive 10-3 start on the struggling Eagles, who came into the game with a seven-game losing streak. The Eagles (7-21, 3-14 ACC) never found any momentum, and the large distance in points was kept until senior setter Erin Leaser ended the set with a soft

kill over the net for a 25-14 win. “I like to go for an aggressive kill, but to throw off the pace a bit I do the soft kills,” Leaser said. “I love to catch a team off guard.” Leaser had 28 assists, five kills and six digs during the match. The Eagles put up what seemed to be a comeback in the second set, exchanging points and staying close with the Hokies until three kills from Tech and a service error by BC forced the Eagles into a timeout and the Hokies into a 12-8 lead. Coming out of the timeout, the Eagles had a three-point run before the Hokies responded with a 4-1 run and never looked back, taking the set 25-16. “We forced them into some errors,” Riley said. “What they did well we took away. We made them do things they were uncomfortable with.” In the first set alone, the Hokies forced the Eagles into seven errors, compared to one for the home team. Over the span of the match, the Eagles totaled 21 errors. BC finally woke up and fought

back in the third set when the threat of a sweep became a reality. The Hokies and Eagles exchanged leads five times and were tied at eight different times before Tech prevailed and took over, winning 25-17. After a 15-15 tie, the Hokies stepped up and had a 5-1 run resulting in a timeout by the Eagles. Their momentum continued with another five kills and a service ace to finish the match. “We had a lot of service aces tonight — more than usual,” Wiker said. The Hokies had 10 aces on the night, five coming from senior outside hitter Justine Record. She also contributed seven kills and 12 digs. The team will continue ACC play as they face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels Friday in Cassell at 7 p.m. “We’re playing at another level now, and we’re looking forward to that challenge,” Riley said. “They are good, they are big, and they make very few mistakes, so we have to play the same kind of game.” The Tar Heels swept the Hokies when they faced off in October, leaving Tech looking for revenge next week.

Today’s Radio Schedule ed Mix scs Di Art Day

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7-9 AM - Tyler and Will

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Week ending Nov. 11, 2011

WUVT “5 Minute” News at 5 PM lty

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9AM-12PM - Jared Auwarter

7-9 PM - Tha Soul Jonez

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12-2PM - Angela & Eddie

9 PM-12 AM - The Money Shot

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2-3:30PM - KILL YR IDOLS- Chris Winfield 12-2 AM - John Sadler 3:30-5 PM - KV Wrenn

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TECH CONTINUES HOME STAND WITH WIRE TO WIRE WIN OVER BOSTON COLLEGE, LOOKS AHEAD TO UNC

5-7 PM - The Music is Decadent & Depraved

2-4 AM - Chris Luceri 4-7 AM - Mixed Discs

ed Mix cs Dis

Top tracks

( ) Last week’s ranking in top five

We Found Love • Rihanna

(1) 1

Sexy and I Know It • LMFAO

(2) 2

Without You (feat. Usher) • David Guetta

(4) 3

Someone Like You • Adele

(3) 4

It Will Rain • Bruno Mars

( ) 5

editors: chelsea gunter, patrick murphy featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

arts & entertainment 5 november 15, 2011

Avett: Folk-pop music band returns to Blacksburg tonight from page one

COLLEGIATE TIMES:

Explain

your newfound stardom.

SCOTT AVETT: I think we kind of

that’s not really me.” Maybe it is though? Maybe it is you. So you give it a shot, and it takes a long time to do that because there’s more things to do, more work to do with that, but we do it, and it seems to be a process that yields more thought, more music.

try to stay away from that kind of thought because we don’t want it to dictate or limit anything we’re doing. We don’t have anything to do with it at all. We’re I THINK (FANS) CAN just trying to focus EXPECT A REALLY on what we’re making and the shows were THRIVING EXCHANGE putting on. With that being said, doing the BETWEEN THE SHOW show with Bob Dylan AND THE AUDIENCE. and the journey we’ve been on — (it’s) the milestones that we’ve Scott Avett kind of reached that Singer, The Avett Brothers we dreamed about as kids. It’s been nothing but amazing and exciting to live through, and kind of CT: How would you describe your upcoming new record sound? surreal as well.

“

CT:

Explain the experience of working with mega-producer Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele).

AVETT:

Working with Rick, he didn’t want to interrupt where we were heading and what we were doing. He made it clear that everybody he works with he has the knowledge that every person is different. It’s not the producer’s records, it’s the band’s thing, the band’s art. And the band and the producer are just making a record together. In the end, it’s our songs, and he made that clear along the way, and he would constantly remind us that he’s there to help us be what we are. If he knows something that we are that we don’t, he helps make us aware of that — we just need to be aware. One of the biggest things with that is you always try, and you don’t ever say I did bad if you don’t know what you’re MCT CAMPUS going to sound like. In the past, Brothers Scott and Seth Avett, combined with bassist Bob Crawford, make up The Avett Brothers. Released we might just say, “That’s not me,

in 2009, their album “I and Love and You” peaked at no. 16 on the Billboard 200 best selling albums.

AVETT:

Some of the songs are really in the process of writing for several years. Some of them are much newer. There’s a lot of variety. Throughout the recording, we recorded 24 songs. We’re finishing 23 completely. I don’t know how that will hash out — we’ll see. As far as the band is concerned, there’s elements that have angst, elements that are very subtle and very quiet and fragile. There are parts that are similar to “I and Love and You” — there’s piano in there and whatnot. It’s hard to tell because we still don’t know which songs will be on the record yet, and we won’t know until we’re finished making it.

CT: What was it like to play at the Grammy’s with Bob Dylan?

AVETT: I mean it’s insane. I think about it, that same night we met Neil Young — spoke with him just briefly. Met Paul Simon along the way, Doc Watson. All this is just amazing, and I never would

have thought in a million years.

CT:

How was your last trip to Tech?

AVETT: We actually played on the Virginia Tech campus for three hours. Seth, Bob and I got a job just playing on the corners — we would walk around and play. It was like opening week of school, and we’d just walk to dorms, walk to (a) cafeteria, and we’d just play for people. I think that was in 2002 or 2003. It’s truly bizarre man (coming back as a headlining act). You wouldn’t believe just how bizarre it is. No one wanted to listen to us. We would walk around, and we fulfilled what we were obligated to do. And people just walked by — they didn’t care.

CT:

What can fans expect for your concert?

AVETT: I think (fans) can expect a really thriving exchange between the show and the audience. I hope they can feel like the whole experience is one, instead of them going in admiration or going in just hopes to be entertained — which you hope they are. But, I hope it feels like an exchange and something they’re part of, more so than the alternative.

more info Where: Burruss Hall Auditorium When: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: General admission, $39 VT faculty and staff, $39 Children under 12, $11 VT students, $25

Michael Collins releases ﬁrst solo act past the stranger qualities of his voice and get into the song in its entirety. At times Collins voice even sounds reminiscent of lo-fi Once a member of the synthpop contemporary transcendent psychedel- John Maus’ deep, reverberant ic group Prince Rama with vocals. sisters Taraka and Nimai The fact that you can someLarson, Michael Collins times actually understand was involved in the first what Collins is singing is a four albums the band major departure from Prince released. Rama, who usually sings He has now set off to make their mantra-like lyrics in music on his own. Since his a mythical, other-worldly departure, Collins has been per- language. forming under various names, Songs such as “Like This Before” including Michael Collins and “Helpless (You Took My Master of Ceremonies and Love)” are nearly traditional pop MC2. songs, espe“Violet cially the Flame” latter, which marks his is a cover first album of a song ‘VIOLET FLAME’ AS as a solo by 80s girl A WHOLE HAS VERY act, releasgroup The ing it himFlirts. STRONG 80s PUNK self on W h i l e Bandcamp INFLUENCES THROUGH- Collins may as well as be followOUT, MOST NOTABLY IN selling casing a slightly sette tape THE DRONING, BARITONE d i f f e r e n t versions of path than VOCALS. the record his former at his live bandmates, shows. his past In terms affiliations of actual with the m u s i Larson siscal style, ters and the the songs Collins Hare Krishna commumakes now are at times nity still play a role in his significantly different from music. those he helped Prince Rama His album is tagged as “New record. Age” on his Bandcamp page “Violet Flame” as a whole has and two of his songs (“Radhika very strong 80s post-punk influ- Stava” and “Radha Ramana”) ences throughout, most nota- are essentially Krishna bly in the droning, baritone hymns. vocals. Neither of these songs feaOn that point, it would not ture easily understood lyrbe hard to imagine many peo- ics, but they are still ple being turned off by Collins’ interesting to listen to, voice. if only for the backing It’s deep and instrumentation. can sound put on at times, That being said, the music but once you accept the con- of “Violet Flame” straddles text of the record, you can get a unique line between New

“Violet Flame” by Michael Collins Released: Oct. 15, 2011

“

Age, avant-garde esotericism and accessible, electronic pop music. Watch any of the few videos posted to YouTube of Collins performing live, and you will see how his work exists as a mash-up of psychedelia and dance music as crowds of audibly confused show attendees dance in the wash of kaleidoscopic projections, bathing them in colorful light. You can even hear someone shout something about dubstep, misled by the thumping bass that Collins employs in many of his songs. It is equal parts club scene and spiritual experience. It’s exactly this blurring of experimental and conventional music that makes “Violet Flame” such a great album to listen to. If you are at first turned off by the vocals, you can let yourself ride along to the beats Collins fills his music with, gradually acclimating yourself to the rest of the song. Once you are able to reach a point of understanding, you will soon see that what Collins has crafted here on “Violet Flame” is MCT CAMPUS at least on par with “Violet Flame,” which was released on Oct. 15, 2011, provides listeners with deep vocals that take awhile anything he ever created with Prince Rama — if not better to get used to. Michael Collins’ new album can be downloaded for free at MichaelCollins.Bandcamp.com. because of its increased accessibility.

Download “Violet Flame” for free (and legally) from Michael Collins’ Bandcamp: MichaelCollins.Bandcamp. com. KEVIN MCALEESE -music reviewer -junior -political science major

word UNSCRAMBLER

solutions: “Thanksgiving”

......radio for

everyone

1) turkey 2) football 3) casseroles 4) parade 5) stuffing 6) pilgrams

6 sports

editors: matt jones, zach mariner sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

november 15, 2011

Team: Hokies crush the Hawks 91-46 from page one

The first half included a 12-0 run for the Hokies, closely followed by a 13-3 run as well. When the whistle blew for a TV timeout with 3:50 remaining in the half, the Hokies held a firm 35-16 lead and would coast from there on out. Due to the faster style of play, the Tech guards provided most of the offensive production, as they were pushing the attack. Hudson, who finished with 18, led all scorers at the half with 12, but only played seven minutes in the second half because of the score. Jarell Eddie and Erick Green also pitched in with eight a piece before intermission. Green finished with 11 points in his first action of the season, as he missed the season opener against East Tennessee State University because of a strained Achilles. “I made the decision this morn-

ing (to play), and it felt right,” Green said. “It’s been 10 days since I’ve touched a ball, so it felt really good to get back out there.” In the second half, the lopsided score gave coach Seth Greenberg the ability to give playing time to his group of the still-green freshman. Both C.J. Barksdale and Robert Brown set career highs in minutes played, with Barksdale surpassing his five rebounds collected against ETSU and Brown leading all scorers with 19 points off of five-for-11 shooting. “We are going to need them down the stretch,” Hudson said. “I feel like they are doing a really good job of getting shots and hitting the boards.” Again coming from the faster pace of the offense, Tech was able to take more high-percentage shots. Compared to the 39.6 percent shooting Tech had over ETSU, the Hokies shot an impres-

sive 62.5 percent from the field. If there was one issue the Hokies had to work through throughout the night it was players in foul trouble. Eddie and Barksdale both missed large chunks of the first half with foul trouble, while freshman Dorian Finney-Smith was limited to just 22 minutes for the same reason. “We have to keep our hands off of players,” Eddie said. “And we have to rebound better because when they get offensive rebounds, we are on our heels, and that’s when we get fouls.” With the win, the Hokies advance to play the winner of the George Mason and Florida International game in the second round of the tournament. Regardless of which team comes out victorious, the Hokies next game will be tomorrow at 6 p.m. and will once again be at Cassell Coliseum.

BRAD KLODOWSKI / SPPS

(Left) Dorenzo Hudson (5) prepares to shoot the ball. Virginia Tech played Monmouth last night in Cassell Coliseum, winning 91-46. The Hokies take on Mason/FIU tonight. (Right) Erick Green (11) leaps toward the basket.