Thursday, December 1, 2011 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR Thursday, December 1, 2011

ZACH MARINER sports editor David Wilson was named the ACC Offensive and Overall Player of the Year yesterday, after helping Virginia Tech get back to its fifth ACC Championship Game in seven years. Wilson, who needs just 61 yards to break the school record for

single-season rushing yards, was named on 18 of the 45 ballots. Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, who leads the nation with 191 tackles, came in second with nine votes. After backing up current NFL running backs Ryan Williams and Darren Evans for two seasons, Wilson has made the most of his first year as the offense’s fea-

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tured back. He ranks third in the nation in rushing yards (1,595) and fifth in rushing yards per game (132.9). There’s a good chance he’ll break Williams’ record for singleseason rushing yards (1,655) on Saturday night, and he still has a decent shot at breaking former Virginia standout Thomas Jones’ conference record of 1,798 yards.

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COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 121 News, page 2 Opinions, page 3 Sports, page 5

Classifieds, page 4 Sudoku, page 4

BREAKING BOUNDARIES

BY ANDREW REILLY | features staff writer

Town officials wary of growth ERIN CHAPMAN news reporter Blacksburg was recently named the number one place in the country to raise a family by Bloomberg Businessweek, potentially creating growth problems in the area. Controlling growth is one of the most important issues that Blacksburg Town Council members will continue to look at over the next few years. “All we can do really is to plan very carefully for the kind of walkable, livable communities that we want,” said Leslie Hager-Smith, a Town Council member. Hager-Smith said she is familiar with rapid growth in previous places she has lived. “Especially in a downward economy people are likely to be more mobile and search more widely to better their prospects,” she said. Hager-Smith said the Town Council is aware of the type of growth people want in Blacksburg. “I know that Charlottesville has some of the worst kind of development — the kind that we are trying to avoid,” she said. Charlottesville has a population of 43,475, while Blacksburg has a population of 42,620, according to most recent census figures. Charlottesville has also received numerous awards and recognitions including the number one city to live in the country by Yahoo Real Estate.

Despite its size, Charlottesville has seen a 3.5 percent population decrease between 2000 and 2010. However, nearby Albemarle County has a population of 98,970 and saw a growth of almost 25 percent between 2000 and 2010. Blacksburg began seeing similar trends before Businessweek made its announcement. Hager-Smith said the 25 percent growth over the last 10 years in Christiansburg compared to the 7.7 population growth in Blacksburg might mean that big things are coming for the town. “We are consciously working to accommodate significant growth,” Hager-Smith said. “The present Town Council welcomes growth, but we are very earnestly trying to accommodate it while preserving the character of the town we love.” Terri Nichols moved to Blacksburg in 2003 with her husband and young sons. Nichols looked at many places but decided on Blacksburg. “It was a combination of things that led us to Blacksburg, the quality of the schools was really important, as well as a small town with low crime,” she said. Businessweek evaluated 4,169 cities and towns with a population between 1,000 and 50,000, a

UGANDA BREAKDANCE GROUP RAISES AWARENESS WITH FILM

boisterous World Regions crowd welcomed Ugandan street dancer and philanthropist Abraham “Abramz” Tekya to Burruss Auditorium Tuesday night for a presentation on tragedy and triumph in his war-torn African home. The main event of the evening was a screening of the award-winning, Red Bull-sponsored documentary “Bouncing Cats,” which profiled Breakdance Project Uganda. BPU is an organization that was formed in 2006 to empower disadvantaged youth in Uganda through hip-hop. Tekya sat down with the Collegiate Times to discuss the project, his aspirations and the global appeal of hip-hop culture. see BREAKDANCE / page two

see GROWTH / page two DANIEL LIN / SPPS

Tech raises AIDS awareness Frozen treat stores struggle KELSEY JO STARR news staff writer

PAUL KURLAK / SPPS

Carol Gomez, a sophomore, hands out condoms on the Drillﬁeld to promote AIDS Awareness Week.

LGBTA TEACHES PHYSICAL TOLLS OF MEDICINE, IMPORTANCE OF AIDS PREVENTION THIS WEEK MICHELLE SUTHERLAND news editor Today is AIDS Awareness Day, and throughout the week, Virginia Tech has been providing students with information about the disease.

Yesterday on the Drillfield, LGBTA members passed out condoms and fliers citing the need for safe sex and AIDS awareness. “Even though (the medicine) is advancing, it’s not something to take lightly,” said Brandon Holland, a senior biology major.

During the 1990s, there was a big push for awareness, and the number of new AIDS cases significantly dropped. But, most of the current generation is unfamiliar with the problems firsthand and assumes that medicine makes it a nonissue, Holland said. “Our generation doesn’t care because of medicine, but there is a see AIDS / page two

Deet’s Place has been known to have lines stretching out the door some nights just for its ice cream, milkshakes and the famous Blacksburg Sunset — making it difficult for local businesses to compete. The Ben and Jerry’s in Kent Square on Washington Street closed its doors for good at the beginning of November. The store was having difficulty obtaining customers, especially during the colder seasons when ice cream is not as popular, said Bob Pack, the owner of Pointe West Management, which leased the area to Ben and Jerry’s. “It makes sense because I imagine most students go to Deet’s and get ice cream there,” said Cassidy Grubbs, a sophomore English major. Ben and Jerry’s also had to compete with Rita’s Italian Ice and Old Fashioned Custards, and the Frosty Parrot, the new self-serve frozen yogurt shop that has already been highlighted by Best of Blacksburg for best frozen treat after only being open for two months. Jim Hagan, the owner or Rita’s, said ice cream and Italian ice shops face many challenges in the area. Aside from seasonal problems all stores of this kind face, Hagan said the college schedule creates challenges. “My issue is that in the summertime, how do I get townspeople to come in?”

Hagan asked. “If you have 7,000 students during summer school and normally 30,000, that means I’m losing 23,000 students during the summer.” Hagan said the early winter weather is also affecting business. “If we’re not having warm days, my numbers go down. We’re not only just a season business, but also weather dependent,” he said. Hagan also said the lack of parking in the area creates a major issue, and he would like to see more space allocated for visitors behind Sharkey’s. Roger Henderson, the owner of the Frosty Parrot and Blacksburg local, said a lot of his success stems from the fact that self-serve frozen yogurt is a new popular trend, and the business model attracts customers. Tanner Hurley, a junior biology major, said the Frosty Parrot has more appeal to students because of its prices and location. The Frosty Parrot is located on North Main Street, and Rita’s is located on College Avenue. Both of their storefronts are directly on the street and visible to potential customers. Ben and Jerry’s, however, had its storefront tucked inside of a less visible patio area. Pack said the previous Ben and Jerry’s spot will be rented to Modea for additional offices. Ben and Jerry’s was unavailable for comment.

STUDENTS LIKE SELF-SERVE YOGURT MORE THAN TRADITIONAL ICE CREAM PARLORS LESS PROMINENT LOCATION MADE IT DIFFICULT TO COMPETE WTH DEET’S

TOO FEW PEOPLE REMAIN IN BLACKSBURG DURING THE SUMMER

2 news

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

december 1, 2011

COLLEGIATETIMES

Breakdance: Film promotes youth self-expression in Uganda from page one

COLLEGIATE TIMES: How do you think people are responding to the film and to BPU?

ABRAHAM TEKYA: We’ve got a lot of positive feedback from people who’ve seen the film and also people who’ve seen our work. We’ve been able to impact people who we’ve never met because they get to see the work before they even get to see us. We get emails from people from all over saying, “Hey, I watched the film, I was inspired, I’d like to get involved, I’d like to support it, I’d like to invite you here.”

CT: Do you think the publicity and awareness the film has generated has helped your efforts back in Uganda? If so, how? TEKYA:

Yeah, it has definitely helped because we have new partners, as well as international partners, who saw the film. Some have just seen the trailer, but they get attached and say, “Wow this is really good. I watched the trailer. I read about the film, read about BPU and I’d love to see how we can

work together.” We’ve also been invited to places like Austria and Italy where we’ve been able to connect with people, but it was through watching the trailer for “Bouncing Cats” that they were inspired to read more about the organization. Also in Uganda as well because there’s a lot of people who know about it, but there are some people who happened to get more respect for the project after seeing something like this happening.

CT: The film really seemed to strike a chord with the younger audience through the use of hiphop. Is part of your intention with this to appeal to the youth, to educate them — not just youth in Uganda but around the world — about what’s going on in Africa?

about the breakdance program and how we do our work — and that was way before “Bouncing Cats” came out. When “Bouncing Cats” was done, it just made a lot of things easier, you know? It’s just hard to give someone a proper understanding of our neighborhood and the work and everything we go through, through a YouTube video. But through something like this … it’s crossed many boundaries. Someone from India can be hip-hop, an Italian can be hiphop, an African can be hip-hop, or an American, or a Catholic, or a Muslim. It’s a type of culture that doesn’t take you away from who you are. Everyone can learn through it, and everyone can embrace it, and everyone can make it their own.

TEKYA: Definitely, because it is CT: What is it about hip-hop that our aim to use hip-hop to educate young people all over the world. Before “Bouncing Cats” was done, we used to post little bulletins on Myspace and Facebook. We used to have discussions with people around the world, people from different colleges and universities. They used to email us asking us

you think gives it such universal appeal?

TEKYA: One of the strengths of hip-hop as a culture is that there’s a whole lot of diversity because everyone has where they come from, what they go through, what they experience. Through hip-hop,

everyone’s allowed to be themselves. There are many traditional cultures you can’t change. If they have a tradition of dance, it has three steps and you make four, that’s wrong. We do those dances because we celebrate where we’ve come from as ethnic groups, as tribes, as nations. But, it’s also important to have a chance to actually create our own performances that depict what we’re going through on a day-today basis. That’s where the power of hip-hop comes from because I can create a dance with breakdance or b-boying … I have the ability, the freedom. And also, as a hip-hop artist, I’ve learned that it gives me the freedom to talk about whatever I want, what I go through — to be myself. It’s a tool I’ve chosen to use since I was a little kid, and I’ve been sharing it with lots of people. I’ve also taught people how they can use hip-hop to view their own self-esteem, to have an outlet to support others. It’s a really powerful thing.

CT: As you said about hip-hop, within it you found your niche as a way to stand out on your own

merits, your own terms. What do you think hip-hop can offer the children of Uganda?

TEKYA: One of the things it can offer is self-esteem and confidence and hope … All of these things are really important, and no profession can teach those things. I think through hip-hop, people learn all these things. I’m not saying hiphop is the only way people learn these things, but it’s what we’re using because it’s what we know. It’s what we have. A lot of creativity has been dying, but people’s self-esteem has been built because they know, “Wow, here I can learn from my teacher, and I even have the potential to be better than my teacher because I have the freedom to create.” In our organization, we say that everyone’s a student and everyone’s a teacher. Everyone learns free of charge and pays it back by teaching others for free. For us to build a community, we need more than hip-hop. For a country to develop, it needs more than b-boying or MCing, but through (them), we learn a lot. CT: You said Red Bull helped give

credibility to the program. You now have this global exposure you didn’t have before. What is the future for BPU?

TEKYA: One of the things we’d like to do is build our own community center because we have problems where we practice. Sometimes we want to do exchange programs where we bring people in from one region of the country, but it’s hard for us to get space to do workshops. We’d like to also use that to support those people just like us, maybe not doing hip-hop, but giving important services to people in the community for free.

MORE INFO To learn more about the group, visit Voiceproject.org/programs/breakdanceproject-uganda.ph

AIDS: LGBTA hosts Growth: Town called awareness events best place to raise kids Express Yourself. Write from page one

physical toll. Bob Bowers, one of the first people with AIDS in the U.S., takes 24 pills per day to live,” said Carol Gomez, a sophomore human health, nutrition, food and exercise major and LGBTA AIDS Awareness Week Chair. “But the side effects include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, hallucinations from some, and depression — some of them are really extreme. And he always has to change medicines all the time because the virus changes so quickly.” The LGBTA is putting on a date auction tonight at 8 p.m. in the Squires Commonwealth Ballroom to raise money for the Home of Miracles and Embraces. H.O.M.E is a New York-based advocacy organization that pro-

motes AIDS education and combats stigma associated with the disease. It also focuses on helping youth with AIDS, something less studied. Founder Ozzy Ramos spoke to Tech students Monday. After the auction, LGBTA members are putting on a “Red Condom Bar Crawl” to pass out condoms and talk about AIDS and the importance of safe sex. On Friday, the LGBTA will host a dance in the Old Dominion Ballroom at 8 p.m. with DJ Manndibles. There will also be free HIV testing in the Black Cultural Center. The testing will use cotton swabs in the mouth instead of needles, so no blood will be drawn.

from page one

median family income within 20 percent of the state median and a crime index less than 10 percent greater than the national average. Blacksburg’s crime index is 104.3, while the national average is 319.1. Nichols also found Blacksburg appealing because of the cultural diversity that being close to a university offers. Almost 70 percent of people in Blacksburg over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 40 percent have a graduate or professional degree. Despite having a relatively low median age of 22, recent census figures show that 8.3 per-

cent of the Blacksburg population is under the age of 18, compared with 23.1 percent in Christiansburg and 23.2 percent for the state of Virginia. Hager-Smith said accolades like these are nothing new to Blacksburg. “This is the dozenth time we have been listed in a publication as a wonderful place to live, which is something we all know,” she said. “But recognitions like this will be the kinds of things that begin to draw people here.” In 2009, Forbes ranked Blacksburg the 14th most educated small town in America. Men’s Journal also recognized the town as among the top 50 places to live in 2005.

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

december 1, 2011

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

MCT CAMPUS

Congress trading laws need reform I

nsider trading is usually a serious offense. Those found guilty of it, like Raj Rajaratnam, can look forward to a long stay in prison. Though this behavior is criminal for regular citizens, Congress can get away with it. The common assumption behind the stock market is everyone starts out at a level playing field of information. People can do research, but only information released to the public can be used so that no one has an unfair advantage when trading stocks. On Sunday night, 60 Minutes aired a special report about how members of Congress are allowed to effectively trade stocks with insider information. Democrats and Republicans are doing this. What is truly disturbing about this report is that it reveals Congress is not only above the law, but they often act to protect their own investments instead of their district’s interests. For example, in mid-September 2008, with the Dow Jones Industrial average still sitting higher than 10,000, then-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson

and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke held closed-door briefings with congressional leaders and privately warned them a global financial meltdown could occur within a few days. Alabama Representative Spencer Bachus — then ranking Republican member on the House Financial Services Committee and now its chairman — was in attendance. While Congressman Bachus was publicly trying to keep the economy from coming unhinged, he was privately betting that it would, buying option funds would go up in value if the market went down. He was set up to make money from the collapsing economy, while most Americans were on track to lose thousands of dollars. This is deeply disturbing in American politics. When one of the congressmen in charge of fixing the American economy is betting against its collapse to further his own financial gain, that is a problem. It undermines the very democratic principles this country

was founded on. While not illegal, it is certainly unethical and should not continue. During the healthcare debate in 2009, Congress members traded healthcare stocks, including House Minority Leader John Boehner. He led (and continues to lead) opposition efforts against the new healthcare law. Just days before Boehner successfully opposed the public option (the government funded health insurance that would compete with private health insurance companies) and it was finally killed off, Boehner bought health insurance stocks, all of which went up. Another example of this unethical behavior can be found with Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She and her husband have participated in at least eight initial public offerings. One of those came in 2008, from Visa, just as a troublesome piece of legislation that would have hurt credit card companies began making its way through the House. Undisturbed by

the potential conflict of interest, the Pelosis purchased 5,000 shares of Visa for $44 dollars each. Just two days later it was trading at $64, as the credit card legislation never made it to the floor of the House. Perhaps even worse is that the CBS report notes there is an entire industry grown out of this practice. It is known as the political intel industry, employing former congressmen and former staffers to scour the halls of the Capitol, gathering valuable non-public information, and then selling it to hedge funds and traders on Wall Street who can trade on it. Gathering and selling information the public won’t have any knowledge of for months is bad because it gives established investors and hedge fund managers an unfair advantage over regular investors. Our democracy has come under attack recently. The Citizens United case granted corporations all the rights of a citizen, with none of the responsibilities. Now we have a system where elected leaders, who we trust to act on

our behalf and do what is in the best interest in the country, are incentivized to protect their own individual investments. Help change this corruption. Support the passage of the Stock Act introduced by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and Congressman Brian Baird. The bill requires Congress to report their earning every 90 days instead of once a year, and it would make it illegal for Congress to trade stocks on non-public information. Unfortunately, that is where this bill ran into trouble. With only six cosponsors, it’s far from passing. It’s time our laws applied to all citizens, especially those in power.

JEFF HOMAN -regular columnist -junior -history major

Pipeline’s benefits exceed risks Women’s education T

housands of Americans took to the streets of Washington, D.C. in protest this past week, and surprisingly, this congregation has nothing to do with Wall Street. Instead, these picketers are voicing their anger over the new proposed Keystone XL pipeline. This plan would begin the construction of a significant expansion on the existing Keystone pipeline that channels hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil from Canada to the United States. If it is approved by the Obama administration, the new system would funnel oil from our northern neighbor all the way to Texas. Would this influx of crude oil be just the thing the U.S. needs to help spring out of the recession? Or are the environmental hazards too great to risk? The truth is, both sides of the argument have valid points, but first, consider the specifics behind this proposal. The structure currently being used stretches about 1,700 miles from the vast oil sands in midwest Canada to oil refinery sites in Illinois and Oklahoma. The new Keystone XL project would add roughly 1,500 miles of piping to the existing line. It would start in the same oil sands as the present-day setup, but it would supply refineries as far south as Houston and Port Arthur with the raw crude oil. Instead of pumping a little less than 600,000 barrels a day, the new attachment would boost the amount transported to about 1.3 million barrels a day. The oil sands are estimated to contain a supply of almost two trillion barrels of crude oil, so it’s no wonder oil companies’ mouths are watering for this deal. The extra oil produced is not the

only benefit the pipeline would have. The Keystone XL project would offer some 20,000 jobs to American workers. This workforce would be a collection of men and women who spread from the northern to the southern tips of the country, not just from one area, so it would have a much broader macroeconomic impact. The Keystone XL pipeline would not only give jobs to thousands of citizens, it would bring growth to the U.S. as a whole. Crude oil is used to produce many goods other than fuel, including synthetic rubbers, detergent and even some makeup products. This merchandise would be sold domestically and exported to foreign countries, bringing great profit to the U.S. economy. Of course, with any environmental actions, there are causes for concern. The type of oil being transferred from Canada’s oil sands is a highly corrosive substance. Its chemical makeup causes it to eat through solids, making the possibility of a leak or spill very likely. Cleaning such a spill would be a dangerous and difficult task. Also, the emissions produced by the cultivation of this kind of crude oil are among the most significant hazards of the proposal. The smog pollution will be very high at both the oil sands in Canada and the refineries in Texas from the development of fuel. But even with these downsides to the new Keystone XL pipeline, it should be passed and construction should start as soon as possible. This is a great opportunity for the U.S. Crude oil is among the most important and valuable resources in existence today. It is used by almost everyone in the world daily, whether

it is car fuel, plane fuel, heating oil or even gasoline for a kitchen stove. If we don’t act while we have the chance, we may very well be left behind in the global oil market. China has already invested more than $10 billion in the Canadian oil sands, and its economy is benefitting greatly. The total cost of this project is approximated at about $7 billion, which may make many people nervous considering the current state of the economy. I think it is a necessary investment. TransCanada, the company offering the proposition, is forecasting $20 billion of benefits for the U.S. The expansion would also significantly increase the supply of oil, which will decrease the price at the pump. If the plan is approved, I will be excited to see how the America’s foreign affairs would be affected by the new source of oil. We would be able to reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern countries, decreasing our overall involvement with those countries. Now is the time for action. If we are to speed up the recovery process from this recession, we must take part in business ventures that can generate profit and create jobs for citizens. The Keystone XL may not be the perfect endeavor, but it will do those things. President Barack Obama has said the decision to pass or reject the plan will be made before the end of the year. I hope he makes the decision that will help America out of this desperate time.

DAVID LEVITT -regular columnist -sophomore -economics major

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in Egypt is mystifying Editor’s note: This is the second column in a two-part series on the writer’s service trip to Egypt earlier this year.

or some reason, Americans can’t believe Egyptian women are as well-educated as Egyptian men. In this quintessential Middle Eastern country, women attend primary and secondary schools at the same rate as men, and outscore them on international tests of math and science. And if things in oppressive Egypt go as they have in almost every other Middle Eastern country, Egyptian universities will soon be considering whether they need to institute affirmative action for men. But the idea of a well-educated Middle Eastern woman simply does not jive with the American image of the socially backward Middle East. Indeed, in every other part of life in Egypt, women are treated as inferiors. They are kept out of the job market, are not represented by the government and have trouble getting their cases heard in the judicial system. They are forced to dress extremely conservatively and their behavior, in and outside of the home, is heavily restricted. They are also subjected to institutionalized violence: In Egypt, 97 percent of all women have undergone genital mutilation, and honor killings still occur in rural areas. Yet these same women now have access to the most fundamental force for combating injustice. The role of education in changing the course of lives, villages and entire countries has been captured skillfully and dramatically in the book “Half the Sky” by Nick Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. The book documents stories of a simple secondary education, leading one impoverished girl after another to success. Kristof and Wudunn talk about young women who build a school in her hometown, run for senate, open a hospital and start a successful corporation. Economists have captured the idea less glamorously in papers demonstrating the essential quality of schooling in the modern economy, where educa-

tion is the single most important factor for growth. Because they are so well educated, the oppression of women — half of the potential workforce — has never appeared so glaringly counterproductive. The comingof-age generation in the Middle East today knows this well. They would much rather focus on creating jobs, reducing inequality and eliminating corruption than spend time squabbling over whether the person they love should be treated as their equal. Yet this story seems rarely told. Why else would people be so shocked when I tell them a girl born today in Cairo is more likely to attend college than a boy? For one, we have a tendency to oversimplify. It is rare that I cite Ron Paul as the person with the most nuanced view on stage, but to hear him combat his fellow Republican candidates over invading Iran gives me faith in mankind. When Paul speaks of the Iranian people, he talks about their rights, as if those rights were exactly equal to the rights of Americans. He also talks of respecting Iranians as he would respect his own neighbors. Why shouldn’t Iran be allowed to pursue a nuclear program? After all, we have our own. Somehow we forget the powerful role education has had in our own country. It was education that led to women’s suffrage to the Civil Rights Act, the rise of the middle class, as well as the spectacular wealth and prosperity we enjoy today. Americans are shocked to learn that Egyptian women are as well educated as the men because they can’t understand how such a strong marker for equality can exist in a society so well known for its inequality. Maybe some of us just aren’t as smart as we thought.

BRYCE STUCKI -regular columnist -senior -economics 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.

december 1, 2011

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

Regular Edition Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Believe you can, and you will. Changes at home work out better than you imagined, and domestic projects pay off. Accept coaching from a respected mentor, and your productivity soars. Your brilliance is revealed.

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WORD BANK 1 Lion King 2 Pocahontas 3 Little Mermaid 4 Beauty and the Beast 5 Cinderella 6 Snow White 7 Tangled 8 Sleeping Beauty 9 Aladdin 10 Tarzan 11 Bambi 12 Princess and the Frog 13 Lilo and Stitch 14 Dumbo 15 Pinocchio 16 Alice in Wonderland 17 Peter Pan 18 Hercules

College Media Solutions your campus advertising agency

Unscramble the letters to solve the category “Nice

Cars”

Have a set of words you want to see in puzzles section? Email your lists to ctadsproduction@gmail.com.

UNSCRAMBLER

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word 2.

1 3 7 7

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Check out tomorrow’s paper on page 7 for the answers!

crimeblotter date

time

11/29/2011

location

status

4:30 - 4:40 p.m. Larceny of a wallet

Math Emporium Bus Stop

Active

11/29/2011

6:02 p.m.

Possession of Marijuana / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Vawter Hall

Cleared by Arrest

Jonathan Edward Sabin, 19, Vawter Hall, Blacksburg, Va.

11/29/2011

6:02 p.m.

Possession of Marijuana

Vawter Hall

Cleared by Arrest

Ilya M Ivanov, 18, Vawter Hall, Blacksburg, Va.

12:51 a.m.

Possession of Marijuana / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Stadium Parking Lot

Cleared by Arrest

Paul Stetson Rice, 18, Pritchard Hall, Blacksburg, Va.

Stadium Parking Lot

Inactive: Referred to Student Conduct

11/30/2011

offense

11/30/2011 12:51 a.m.

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7-9 AM - Appalachian Sunrise 9AM-12PM - Grayson Saussure’s Language of Phonk 12-2PM - Do You Right with Adam and Mike

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Sexy and I Know It • LMFAO

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It Will Rain • Bruno Mars

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Good Feeling • Flo Rida

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The One That Got Away • Katy Perry

( ) 5

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

december 1, 2011

Dual perspectives: SEC rematch? TWO SPORTS STAFF WRITERS, MIKE PLATANIA AND ZACK CONWAY, GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE MOST LIKELY BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCENARIO

Platania: Rematch would be a snoozer T

he odds that the top two teams in the nation are in the same division of the same conference are incredibly low, but due to a wild year in college football, Louisiana State University and Alabama have found themselves ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. If there were ever a year that tested the effectiveness of the Bowl Championship Series, it’s this year, and if they choose LSU and Alabama to meet again in the National Championship Game, it’ll show that the BCS system is flawed. LSU has been absolutely dominant this year. They opened the year in a marquee game against Oregon and managed to slow down the Ducks high-speed offense, something very few teams can do. Just this past weekend the Tigers steamrolled No. 3 Arkansas, 41-17, overcoming an early 14-0 deficit. Even if Georgia finds a way to steal a win against LSU in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, LSU’s resume is strong enough that it should still warrant a berth into the National Championship. Alabama has also had a stellar season. But the Crimson Tide lost their lone game against top-10 competition when they fell to No. 1 LSU at MCT CAMPUS home, while LSU is 3-0 against top-10 Alabama’s Trent Richardson carries the ball against Florida on Oct. 1 teams. In the “Game of the Century” earlier in November, the Crimson Tide welcomed the Tigers into their stadium in a game that had major BCS implications, or so it seemed. LSU would prove to be the better team as it won 9-6 in overtime. one enjoys seeing of this conference slowing down. The Bayou Bengals played disrematches in sports. ciplined defense, contained runLSU and Alabama play some of Whether the game features the the toughest teams in the counning back Trent Richardson two best teams or the two worst try every Saturday, and for them and silenced more than 100,000 teams, no one wants to see some- to play at the level that they do, screaming fans in Tuscaloosa, thing they have already witnessed. they deserve to play a rematch Ala. LSU beat ’Bama in its However, this year in col- where everything is on the house. lege football, Louisiana State line. There is no reason the Tigers University and Alabama are on a should have to prove they are betNo one likes the BCS’s method collision course to have a rematch of choosing teams to play each ter again, especially on a bigger stage in the Bowl Championship Series other. No one likes to see a comwith the crystal football on the line. National Championship Game. The BCS claims that “every game plete domination of one team Many people, both for and over another, especially in a game matters,” but if Alabama is chosen against the BCS system, don’t that means so much. People want to go to New Orleans, then its previwant to see a rematch. ous game against LSU didn’t mean to see competitive, hard-fought There are some legitimate game between two deserving anything. reasons for not having one, but teams. The Crimson Tide missed four there is little doubt in anyone’s field goals, and making one of This is exactly why LSU mind that LSU and Alabama and Alabama should have a those would have changed the are the two best teams in the c rematch in the BCS National game entirely. Alabama failed to ountry. make the most of its chances Championship Game. The game LSU and Alabama have played on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa was the against LSU, and it shouldn’t be each other once this year already, most anticipated game in college rewarded for its mistakes with a and LSU came out victorious, 9-6 football in decades. berth to the national championship in overtime. game. People were going crazy over The great debate started the this game and were willing to do If Alabama can’t beat LSU in its very next day when Alabama just about anything to attend. A own backyard, what makes you only dropped one spot in the rematch between these two teams think it can win in the Superdome BSC polls from No. 2 to No. 3. would just lead to another great in New Orleans, which will This sparked a huge argument, game that everyone wants to essentially be a home game for and from then on, we have been see. LSU? heading toward a rematch. There are a number of other An LSU vs. Alabama rematch Having played once already, the would, without a doubt, have all teams more deserving than first game would not have meant the aspects of a great game. The Alabama. Houston is undefeated anything because they will have real question, however, is whethand Boise State has one loss, but the opportunity to play again. both played remarkably soft scheder people want to see a national With a rematch in our sights, championship game between ules. And even if they were both two Southeastern Conference two teams we have already seen undefeated, it isn’t likely they’d be teams will be playing against each play. ranked any higher than they are other in the national championnow. Hopefully people can see LSU ship game for the first time. Stanford and Virginia Tech are and Alabama are the two best The question is, why would col- teams this year, and they have very similar. Both of their losses have lege football fans want to watch the right to a rematch to prove come at home and by a wide mara rematch of LSU and Alabama which the best team in college gin. The biggest difference between if they have already seen it? LSU football. the two is that the Hokies have a and Alabama are by far the two chance to win their conference best teams this year, and it is the and beat Clemson in the Atlantic responsibility of the BCS com- ZACK CONWAY Coast Conference Championship mittee to have the two best teams -sports staff writer Game. play for the national champion- -freshman Oklahoma State has the best chance ship. at passing Alabama in the rankings, as -communication major Both teams are led by their stout it faces off against No. 10 Oklahoma defenses, ranked No. 1 and No. this weekend in the Bedlam game. If 2 in the nation. Neither one of they can beat the Sooners convincthese teams have high-powered ingly, they just might hop Alabama in offenses, but with their defenses the rankings. where they are, they do not need So please, BCS selection committee, to put up big numbers. save the nation from another snore Teams that play against these fest and don’t put Alabama in the defenses are just flat out unable National Championship. to do anything. An LSU vs. Whether it’s the Cowboys, “Acoustics” Alabama rematch would lead to Cardinal or the Hokies, pit someone a high-intensity game, with every else against the Tigers. Besides, no 1) taylor point being crucial. one really wants to watch another 2) martin Not only do both LSU and game without any touchdowns, Alabama have the two top right? 3) fender defenses, but they are also a part 4) gibson of the best conference in college MIKE PLATANIA football. The SEC has won the 5) takamine -sports staff writer last five national championships 6)breedlove and there do not seem to be signs -junior

Conway: Best two teams deserve to play No

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MCT CAMPUS LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu returns a muffed punt for a touchdown against Oregon on Sept. 3.