Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 www.collegiatetimes.com

COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 50

News, page 2

Food & Drink, page 6

Opinions, page 3

Sports, page 5

Just like mom makes them NICK SMIRNIOTOPOULOS features reporter

Vandals leave Village without air conditioning MALLORY NOE-PAYNE

For Lisa Racek and Tracey Pace, owners of ‘Downtown Cupcake,’ business is important —but family still comes first. “We are both stay-at-home moms so we take care of our homes,” Racek said. “(Downtown Cupcake) is totally on the side — our families come first. It is nice to have that flexible business model.” Downtown Cupcake does not have a store front; instead, it serves individual, custom orders. Running the business out of their homes allows them to put their families first and capitalize on their varied talents. “I do the business part of it and (Pace) does the baking part of it,” Racek said. “It is a nice shared responsibility we have.” Pace has been baking for many years, receiving encouragement from friends and family to pursue the idea of starting a business. While she liked the entrepreneurial idea, she did not have the business skills to make it work – until she met Racek. “I wanted to do something with baking, but I never had a business head,” Pace said. “I didn’t know business so we married our gifts.”

news staff writer

Made to Order Downtown Cupcake has been enjoying steady growth since opening over a year and a half ago. Because the Blacksburg area does not have a custom bakery, Racek and Pace offer a unique product. “The business has grown at a steady pace; every month we receive more orders than the last,” Racek said. In addition to custom orders, Racek said they h a v e e x p and e d to catering for more special events and weddings, which presents a different set of responsibilities. “With weddings, it is not just about serving, but about setting it up and making it beautiful,” Racek said. Because Downtown Cupcake does

Study Break, page 4[

not have a store front, most of its marketing is done through wordof-mouth and special events. In the fall, it was at the Brew Do Craft Beer Festival, and plans to be present for the Blacksburg Fork and Cork Festival. According to the Downtown Cupcake website, Pace’s kitchen — where all of the baking is done — is certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture. Because all of its items are custom made, many of the ingredients, like Pace’s homemade vanilla extract, are made from scratch.

CHECK OUT THE REVIEW OF ‘DOWNTOWN CUPCAKE’ ON PAGE SIX

see CUPCAKES / page two

CJ YUNGER / SPPS

Top: Co-owner of Downtown Cupcake Tracy Pace puts the ﬁnishing touches on a fresh batch of cupcakes. Bottom: Chocolate cupcakes with kahlua icing are a popular item among customers.

Police are investigating vandalism to several heat pump units at the Village Apartments in Blacksburg over the weekend. According to the police, more than 10 HVAC units were damaged beyond repair. Damages are estimated at $60,000. In an email sent to residents on Tuesday, the general manager of The Village at Blacksburg, Becky Tomlin, said a majority of the property is currently without air conditioning because of the incident. The email continues on to say replacement units have been ordered but can’t be installed until the Blacksburg Police Department allows the damaged HVAC units to be moved. “The manner in which (the culprits) destroyed the heat pumps meant they couldn’t be repaired,” said Sgt. Nathan P. O’Dell of the Blacksburg Police. “It’s a felony because of the dollar amount, anything over $1,000 in Virginia is a felony,” said Nathan. According to Nathan, the vandalism is a class 6 felony and those charged could be fined up to $2,500 and sentenced to 1-to-5 years in prison. Stephanie Tysor is a sophomore accounting major who has lived at the Village for the past year. While the vandalism on the HVAC units hasn’t affected her directly, she said she isn’t very surprised. “The vandalism here has been really bad all year,” Tysor said. “The lights outside our apartment are always broken.” Tysor said in addition to stealing the address numbers off of apartment buildings, people will also come at night and take lightbulbs from the fixtures outside their door. “It happens almost every single weekend,” she said. The investigation on the HVAC units is still underway, and the Village at Blacksburg is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Volunteers dig in New app provides guide to campus for Earth Week RON SCHUETZ news staff writer

Students looking for an easier way to be a Hokie will be happy to know there’s now an app for that. The Mobile Application Development Team, or MADT, at Virginia Tech released their biggest project, HokieHelper, this semester. The app — which the club designed, programmed and distributed for Android devices — provides an easy all-access pass to useful information on Tech’s campus. It includes everything from maps, dining and transportation, to parking and an academic calendar. “Dining and maps are the two most important features,” said Julian Adams, MADT vice president. The dining feature includes daily menus, diet plans and a food tracker system using nutrition facts for on-campus food. The club is in the process of upgrading the app to include a ranking and commenting system for foods so fellow app users can track what’s good and where to find it. The maps function includes a campus map with a route calcula-

tor, capable of processing scenarios like the fastest route between two buildings on campus. In the future, it will also be capable of looking inside buildings to find classrooms and conference rooms. HokieHelper took about 15 MADT students — mostly freshman, sophomores and juniors — two semesters of work to complete. “We spent the first few weeks just learning about how to program for Android, going through tutorials and stuff. After teaching ourselves how to do the stuff, we got to work and actually built it,” said Avneet Singh, MADT president and aerospace engineering major. Though the app is currently available free of charge on Android devices, the club is working to add the app to the Apple and Windows markets. They also plan to release a new version in the near future, before the Relay for Life events on campus. “In this version, we have 870 food items, more than before,” Singh said. “We have ingredients and allergens information for every food item and an allergen filter, which we are still working on.” “We wanted to make the app

like 99 cents just for that week and donate all the profits to relay, but we found out that we can’t do that, so we are just putting a link for people to donate in the app,” said Karthik Kumar, MADT treasurer and a computer science major. The group itself was formed in the Spring 2011 semester and consists of about 20 members, with five groups working on different applications for different platforms. Aside from HokieHelper, the group has a few other apps available for downloading, most notably Expression Guessin’ for Windows Phone. “The reason we started the club was to learn more about how to develop and make mobile apps,” Kumar said. “We were looking for ways to apply what we learned in class to

COURTESY OF MADT

create something concrete.” Students can download the app at MADT’s website, www.mad. org.vt.edu.

Stinson remembered at memorial ceremony BRAD KLODOWSKI / SPPS

Those planting trees, supporters of the Stadium Woods gathered for Environmental Coalition Event About fifty volunteers showed up yesterday to participate in the tree planting around Alumni Mall, one of many events held by Virginia Tech in honor of Earth Week. According to Matt Gart, Virginia Tech’s campus landscape architect, events such as these help allow the school to meet requirements for Tree Campus USA, and renew its certification each year. Tech is a certified Tree Campus USA member, and has been since 2008. However, volunteers weren’t the only participants. A small group from the advocacy orga-

nization Friends of Stadium Woods stood beside registration for the tree planting event. The group held signs and informed participants about the current debate surrounding the University’s proposed plan to build a new football practice facility in the campus’ Stadium Woods, a plot of land on campus that includes ancient white oaks. “A lot of people can disagree on Stadium Woods,” said Gart. “But you can’t disagree on planting trees on campus.” by Mallory Noe-Payne, News Staff Writer

Laughs and Lady Gaga songs flowed out of War Memorial Chapel Thursday night. The sounds might seem odd coming from a memorial service. However, anyone in the overflowing chapel that night would confirm that they fit John B. “J.J.” Stinson. The sophomore philosophy major died of unknown causes last week while studying abroad at the Riva San Vitale in Switzerland. Thursday’s service focused not on his death, though, but rather on his vibrant life. Joe Pitt, a professor of philosophy, spoke of how Stinson approached him with intelligent questions which launched hour-long discussions. Father John Grace of the Newman Community told of similar discussions started by Stinson. “There is always a question of whether you mentor or are mentored by a student,” Grace said. “[J.J.] brought that line closer to the middle.” by Cody Owens, News Reporter

CJ YUNGER / SPPS

news

april 18, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

Cupcakes: A sweet treat

The Church Racek and Pace originally met several years ago at New Life Christian Fellowship Church in Blacksburg. At the time, Racek was a student at Virginia Tech, while Pace was involved with the church through her husband, Jim Pace, who served as a pastor. Racek met her husband, Joe Racek, through the church while she was a student. Joe Racek, according to the NLCF website, went on staff with NLCF in 1995, being the second full-time staff member with the church. In 2001, he was officially ordained to be a minister after completing his training under the church’s head pastor.

husbands being on call, available for other people. That is the other reason we enjoy being at home,” Racek said. “If their lives are crazy, we can kind of hold down the fort.” Their involvement with the church has not only impacted their business model, but has also helped shape their business mission. “Our goal is for (Pace) to be able to bake and share with people and to have a business that we could practically and realistically manage,” Racek said. “We like to serve people and make them happy. We love having a product that people enjoy.” Pace feels their business strategies have helped them not to be competitive, and to lift up other businesses doing similar things. “If we can’t do what the customer wants, we always recommend other places,” Pace said. “We try not to be competitive.”

Reunited

After Racek graduated from Tech in 2002 with a degree in English, she and her husband decided to leave NLCF to lead a churchplanting team in Los Angeles. The team was able We like to serve people to start three neighchurchand make them happy. We borhood es, while working love having a product that with the locals to improve issues due to people enjoy.” poverty. Lisa Racek “We did a lot of work co-owner of Downtown Cupcake with the homeless and the youth,” Racek said. “We also worked with a lot of women recovBill Pace, according to the NLCF ering from addiction and ran a website, has been on staff since support center in Santa Monica, Calif.” 1996. While working in Los Angeles, He graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s in psychol- Racek noticed the abundance ogy and sociology in 1994 and of custom bakery shops, which has served as a pastor for over 15 sparked her interest in starting a years despite not having a semi- cupcake business. In 2009, Racek and her husband nary degree. For Tracy Pace and Lisa Racek, were called back to Blacksburg, their involvement with the church where she was able to reconnect and commitment to their families with Pace and bring the business has heavily impacted their flexible idea to life. “We sensed that things were business model. “We have to be used to our changing with my husband’s job,

“

newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

Tech seniors design collegiate exchange site ABBY HARRIS news staff writer

from page one

“All of the flavors are original and so are the recipes,” Pace said. “The recipes all start out with butter and flour, but I make them my own.” The cupcake flavors currently offered, according to their website, include strawberry with white chocolate icing, chocolate with Khalua icing, strawberry lemonade, red velvet and chocolate with sweet peanut butter icing.

editors: nick cafferky, michelle sutherland

so we had several options,” Racek said. “(NLCF) was looking to take over something they had started for (Joe’s) job. It was nice for us because the area was so familiar.” While Racek’s academic study did not involve business, her experience church-planting in Los Angeles gave her the practical management experience she needed for Downtown Cupcake.

The Next Step Despite Downtown Cupcake’s steady growth, Racek said it has no elaborate plans for expansion. “A lot of our time goes to our families, so we have no plans to open a store front,” Racek said. “It is more of a fun, social thing because we felt Blacksburg needed a cupcake place.” Pace shared Racek’s sentiments to keep the business going as it is, emphasizing the simplicity of the menu. “We stick to cupcakes, cookies and cake,” Pace said. “We would like to stick to that so that we can do what we do well.” While the menu remains simple and easy, Pace’s commitment to fulfilling custom orders has led to some interesting projects. One specific project was for baking brain cupcakes for local students in honor of the Walking Dead premier. Racek said when they got the initial request, they actually attempted to refer the order to another business. However, the students were adamant on Pace baking the cupcakes so they decided to fulfill the strange order, which Racek described as a successful venture. The red velvet cupcakes were specially designed to look like brains, with gooey, red icing symbolizing the gory nature of the show. Pace and Racek both expressed a general contentment towards the growth of their business, with no obligation to emphasize increased growth. “We have kind of let things come as they have,” Pace said.

Two Virginia Tech students have forged a website that allows college students to safely buy and sell local goods and services. CampusMarket.co, created by senior computer science major Alex Maier, was designed to model website like Craigslist. However, the site has been tailored to the needs of college students. “I used to use Craigslist a lot and didn’t really like meeting up with locals,” Maier said. “So I came up with the idea to create something similar, but only for college students.” Users of Campus Market must have a .edu email address to register. This decreases the possibility of fraud, and makes the website safer for students to use because it increases the likelihood that they are coordinating another college student. Specifically, students can create and respond to listings for rides, roommates and textbooks. Other categories include: electronics, furniture, housing, services, and college life in general. Maier and Alex Jarmusz, the site’s other co-owner, both expressed the ride share category was especially popular among Tech students. “The ride share could be highly utilized by college students, not

just for when they want to go home, but also if they want to go visit a friend at JMU,” Jarmusz, a senior industrial and systems engineering major, said. “Or, if they are visiting a friend and driving alone, with $4-a-gallon gas these days, it could help to get a few extra bucks.” Setting up carpools through Campus Market can benefit both the driver and the rider. Jeff Rose, a senior computer science major, used the site to find a ride home to Northern Virginia. “I’m a college student here that doesn’t have a car, and it’s always hard for me to find a ride home, especially on weekends or on breaks,” he said. “It’s been a really great way for me to just meet up with somebody and pay them $5 for gas money and get a ride home.” The website does not charge students for its service, and it currently does not turn a profit. “The website will always be free for college students,” Jarmusz said. “At no point do we ever plan on charging.” Maier said in the future, they plan to acquire local advertising specific to each college. Tech currently has the greatest amount of users on Campus Market with over 1,500 members, but schools such as James Madison University and Radford University also frequently use the

Holocaust survivor speaks to students David de Wolff accounts his escape from the Netherlands and its effect on his family in Squires Colonial Hall last night. photos by CJ Yunger

site. Jarmusz said he was also told by a freshman at Ohio University that Campus Market was introduced to her as a safer alternative to sites like Craigslist in one of her classes. “Although (Tech) is pretty much where we’re blowing up at this point, something like that really helps us, that people are teaching about our site in class,” Jarmusz said. In addition to current college students, graduates who are allowed to continue using their .edu email and faculty with a .edu email are also able to use the site. However, if a situation were to arise that requires police investigation, .edu email addresses can be traced directly back to the user. If the site allowed all email addresses as Craigslist does, email account owners would be harder to trace. Over 1,000 schools currently use Campus Market, and Maier and Jarmusz said that membership is growing. “We have a little over 1,500 members at Tech, and that’s growing every day,” Jarmusz said. “I’d say we’re seeing an exponential growth, to use my engineering term where the curve is starting to go more vertical than it is horizontal, in both listings and membership.”

opinions

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

april 18, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

Cable news networks feed their opinions, distort facts

a period of time when America needs journalists to act as the proverbial Fourth Estate more than ever, cable news channels have instead become parasites on political discourse. Politicians are more partisan than they have been at any other time in the last 100 years. The divide between the upper and lower class is growing by the day. And court cases take the spotlight over important international issues. American politics have become a spectator sport with cable news outlets sensationalizing opinions instead of reporting facts. The news should inform. If it can inform and entertain, that’s great, but the focus of a news show should always be informing its viewers. News shows have devolved into “round tables” or “great American panels,” which simply spout off opinions. These shows, featured prominently on cable news networks, are not news. It is a group of people reacting to a story, sometimes for the entire length of the program, and suggesting how viewers should think and feel about a particular story. Host pairs who maintain opposite political opinions, like Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow, put together shows lacking in substance and only appeal to those who agree woith the hosts’ opinions. The whole idea of having an opinion-based show dishonors the whole network because it reveals bias, the cancer of journalistic integrity. Cable news programs should not tell viewers how they should feel about policies; rather, they should explain them fairly so their audience has a complete understanding of those policies. Cable news organizations also tailor themselves to suit a political agenda. Look at Fox News. Back in February, in the wake of positive job numbers and a record high in the stock market, the Republican Party issued talking points to pundits. One Fox News pundit actually read the memo issued by the Republican Party out loud on air, revealing the close ties between Fox News and the Republican Party. News shows should not be a vessel for political parties to use and abuse; they should be sanctuaries for facts and nonpartisan analysis. Most of what is featured on cable news is propaganda. What is not propaganda is mind-numbing. CNN, which was one of the most respected names in news 20 years ago, is airing posts from Twitter and asking users what stories they want to hear reported. While the pressure for ratings

is understandable, the lack of substance is frustrating. Cable news networks should focus less on social media and more on reporting the truth. Instead of reminding viewers to follow them on Twitter, news networks should focus on finding facts and informing. If they put forth that content, people will want to follow them. Maybe politics has always been sensationalized, but with the advent of the internet and 24-hour cable news, it has just become more pronounced. The pace has changed, campaign cycles have gotten out of hand, important issues are ignored in favor of flashy scandals, and the facts seem to be lost in the process. It has gotten so bad that to know what is truly going on in the world, you will have to read or tune in to your local newscast Even if you avoid watching these national syndicates, they still pose a problem because these networks are incredibly influential. Almost everyone has heard about the Trayvon Martin shooting, Iran getting a nuclear weapon, or the comments about Mitt Romney’s wife never working a day in her life because these are the events news channels love to cover. When a complex issue arises, each network spouts off only two solutions: a liberal one and a conservative one. But not every issue has two solutions. In fact, there are almost always more than two solutions to everything. These shows make opinion almost indistinguishable from fact. They try to make the people who disagree with them seem evil. When people on the opposite side of the political spectrum are interpreted as evil, compromise becomes nearly impossible. An America without compromise is a terrible place because it prevents people from actually solving problems. Complex issues need more than two proposed solutions, and compromise is critical to making changes. Critical thinking is becoming a scarcer and scarcer resource, and cable news is doing nothing but helping it become extinct. The quality of cable news in this country is abhorrent — to understand anything, you’ll have to do the research yourself. Otherwise, if you listen to what is on cable news, you’ll only be fed opinions and selective facts rather than the entire truth.

JEFF HOMAN -regular colomnist -junior -history major

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

MCT CAMPUS

U.S. needs strict vaccine policies T

hroughout the United States, a potentially lethal war is incipient. It is a war that puts millions of innocent lives in danger and undermines the centuries-long sacred bond between physicians and patients. This is a war between pediatricians and patients and has developed largely because of the antivaccination movement. As a public health student at the Johns Hopkins University and a future pediatrician, I am alarmed by the catastrophic consequences this conflict could have on the health of American children. More and more pediatricians are asking families to leave their practice as a result of vaccine refusal. A recently published study of Connecticut pediatricians reported that 30 percent of 133 doctors had asked a family to leave their practice when parents refused vaccines for their children. This is a drastic increase from 2006, when the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that 16 percent of pediatricians reported sometimes dismissing families for vaccine refusal. Consequences of children missing out on lifesaving vaccines and receiving inconsistent health care during critical development periods is a worrisome trend. Innocent children are the ones getting caught in the crossfire. In 2010, a study published in Pediatrics by researchers from the University of Michigan showed that 12 percent of parents in the United States have refused at least one recommended vaccine for their children, using the philosophical exemption to circumvent

childhood vaccine mandates. As a result, these children are at a considerably higher risk for vaccine-preventable illnesses. For example, children whose parents refuse the pertussis vaccine are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough than children who have been vaccinated. Furthermore, unvaccinated children who become ill can infect other children who are too young for vaccines or are ineligible to receive vaccines due to immune-compromising conditions such as cancer or HIV. It is time for the United States to mandate a strict nationwide vaccine policy, with stringent guidelines to obtain religious exemptions and no room for philosophical exemptions. The recommended vaccination schedule issued annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer sufficient. Although parental autonomy should be respected in many situations, vaccine-preventable illnesses are a public health issue, and parents do not have the right to gamble with their children's lives. Furthermore, they do not have the right to gamble with the lives of other children who may be infected by a child whose parents chose not to vaccinate. A unified national policy with narrow exemptions would help rectify the growing schism between pediatricians and families. With a standard national policy in place, there will be fewer opportunities for parents and physicians to clash over individual vaccination opinions, especially in the 19 states where philosophical exemp-

tions for school-mandated vaccines are permitted. New national guidelines can also offer incentives, such as federal tax rebates, to families that vaccinate their children on time. Another benefit of a national policy would be improved coverage between states. Vaccine-preventable diseases are not contained within state borders, and our vaccine policies should not be either. With the status quo, lax immunization policies in one state can lead to outbreaks in neighboring states. In addition, the national policy would increase equity for children who live in different states. Currently, less than 0.1 percent of kindergartners are exempt from vaccines in Mississippi, a state that does not permit religious or philosophical exemptions. In contrast, 6.2 percent of children are exempt from vaccines in Washington state, a state where both religious and philosophical exemptions are allowed. Geographic location should not influence access to lifesaving vaccines. Although states may initially object to the policy, past precedents have proved that tying financial incentives to state policies can be quite persuasive. The threat of withholding federal highway funding prompted all 50 states to adjust their legal drinking age, and the threat of withholding federal funds for health care would likely have the same effect on vaccination policy.

RATHI ASAITHAMBI -mcclatchy newspapers

Food choice can help environment, improve health

ow do you plan to commemorate Earth Day, April 22? I'm going to pick up litter at a nearby river, recycle, use cloth shopping bags and, most important, eat environmentally friendly vegan foods. Research shows that most animal-based foods, including meat, cheese, fish and eggs, come with a supersized carbon footprint and require colossal amounts of land, water and other resources. According to the Environmental Working Group — which calculated the environmental impact of 20 conventionally grown foods - 59.6 pounds of carbon dioxide and methane are produced for every 2.2 pounds of beef eaten. That's a lot of environmental damage just for a few hamburgers. If you eat a cheeseburger, you're

doing even more damage — to your health and to the planet — since 29.7 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced for every 2.2 pounds of cheese you eat. To make matters worse, meat and dairy production also contribute to water pollution and other environmental problems. Just one cow can produce 140 pounds of manure each day. Factory-farm waste often seeps into our waterways, sickening people and killing aquatic life. Manure from chicken farms in the "Broiler Belt," extending from eastern Texas through the southeastern United States to Maryland and Delaware, is virtually choking the Chesapeake Bay. According to the Pew Environment Group, the 523 million chickens raised and killed each year in Maryland

and Delaware alone generate enough waste to fill the dome of the U.S. Capitol about 50 times, or almost once a week. That really makes the "Save the Bay" T-shirt I wore when I was in high school — when I ate double-cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches - seem like a rather empty gesture. The chicken poop really hits the fan when you consider that 70 percent of all agricultural land — 30 percent of the land surface of the planet - is used to raise animals for food. More than half of the world's crops are used to feed farmed animals, who consume five times as much grain as all the humans in the United States. But fish isn't an environmentally friendly option,

either. Every 2.2 pounds of canned tuna produces 13.4 pounds of greenhouse gasses. Farmed salmon have an even higher carbon footprint, since they're fed wild-caught fish — it can take 3 pounds or more of wild-caught fish to produce a single pound of farmed salmon. Fortunately, vegan foods have a child-size carbon footprint and require few resources compared to animal-based foods. For example, it takes 10 times less fossil fuel — and nearly 4,000 fewer gallons of water per day — to produce plant-based foods than to produce animal-based o nes. If you want to be green - on Earth Day and every other day of the year - then eat green.

Enjoy fresh produce, eat bean burritos instead of beef burritos and explore new vegan foods, such as marinated tofu kebabs, curried chickpeas and falafel. If you're going to a ballgame, order a veggie dog rather than a hot dog — pork is the fourth most environmentally harmful food on the EWG's list. If you're going to pick up litter by a waterway, remember that factory-farm runoff is a leading source of water pollution and opt for a vegan lunch, such as a veggie burger or some lentil soup. The planet, animals and your body will be better off.

HEATHER MOORE -mcclatchy newspapers

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: Nick Cafferky, Michelle Sutherland News Reporters: Josh Higgins, Cody Owens, Erin Chapman News Staff Writers: Priscila Alvarez, Tauhid Chappell, Abby Harris, Sean Hayden, Gina Paterson, Ashley Seagar, Kelsey Jo Starr Features Editors: Chelsea Gunter, Patrick Murphy Features Reporters: Nick Smirniotopoulos, Emma Goddard Features Staff Writers: Courtney Baker, Jenn Bates, Torie Deible, Chelsea Giles, Madeline Gordon, Dane Harrington, Jimmy Hudnall, Kevin McAleese, Andrew Reily, Kara Van Scoyoc, Allie Sivak, Kaila Taylor, Jacob Wilbanks Opinions Editors: Scott Masselli, Sean Simons Sports Editors: Matt Jones, Zach Mariner Sports Reporters: Josh Parcell Sports Staff Writers: Eric Avassi, Zander Baylis, Alyssa Bedrosian, Cody Elliott, Taylor Hay, Alex Koma, Ashleigh Lanza, Brian Marcolini Enterprise Team Editor: Liana Bayne Training Director: Kelsey Heiter Copy Chief: Spenser Snarr Copy Editors: Nora McGann, Luther Shell, Kristen Gunther, Brittany Kelly, Jordan Davis Layout Designers: Bethany Melson, Alicia Tillman, Tanja Vogel Online Director: Alex Rhea 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, Mary Dassira, 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.

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april 18, 2012

Regular Edition Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Your career has been growing this year. Income may increase after June 10. As Mars travels through Libra, your passionate side gets a boost. Make room for love. Themes this year include relationships, health, wellness, education and spirituality.

Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham 1

2 3 8

9 4 5 3 7 6 2 8

4 7 2 6

7 1 6

2 3 5 2

XKCD by Randell Munroe

This could be you . . .

Crossword

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Week ending April 13, 2012

Top tracks

( ) Last week’s ranking in top five

Somebody That I Used to Know • Goyte

(2) 1

We are Young (Feat. Janelle Moneae) • Fun.

(1) 2

Boyfriend • Justin Bieber

(3) 3

What Makes You Beautiful • One Direction

(4) 4

Call Me Maybe • Carly Rae Jepsen

(5) 5

word

WORDSEARCH: Pizza Toppings Locate the list of words in the word bank in the letter grid. Q

W V

W C

W K

W C

W M

W I

W P

WORD BANK 1 Olives 2 Peppers 3 Pepperoni 4 Ham 5 Pineapple 6 Chicken 7 Bacon 8 Sausage 9 Onion 10 Mushroom 11 Cheese 12 Sauce 13 Jalapeno 14 Basil 15 Garlic 16 Anchovies 17 Peas 18 Eggplant

UNSCRAMBLER

eeoplp

arst

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tnucioh

yf&teselil

SEND US:

kelwuesy

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

sports

april 18, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

Hokies get third consecutive walk-off win MATT JONES sports editor The Virginia Tech baseball team started slow, not scoring its first run until the fifth inning, but battled back to defeat Coastal Carolina 4-3 in 10 innings. After taking two-of-three games from No. 6 Miami, the Hokies failed to hit with runners on base, especially in scoring position. The win, the Hokies third straight walk-off, improves their record to 26-13. “It’s awesome, there’s nothing like it,” said head coach Pete Hughes. “That’s what it’s all about.” Ronnie Shaban, the Hokies’ leader and one of their top hitters, said walk-off wins are special every time around. “It feels the same every time, it’s awesome,” Shaban said. “It’s a lot of fun to win that way. You never get used to that. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of adrenaline. It’s about as pumped up as you can be on the field.” The Chanticleers (24-12) got on the board in the third inning on a Jacob May single with the bases loaded. The Hokies avoided further error, as Coastal Carolina grounded into a double play fielder’s choice to hold the score at 2-0. In the fifth inning, the Hokies got one run back on a Brendon Hayden RBI single to score Chad Pinder. “Hayden is one of our best hitters right now,” Hughes said. “I can’t take him out of the lineup. Everything he hits is on the barrel.” Trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, left fielder Tyler Horan homered on the first pitch he saw from Chanticleers ace reliever Aaron Burke, cutting the lead to 3-2. “Personally, I know I hit sidearm guys really well,” Horan said. “Honestly, when it was coming at me, I thought I should take the pitch because it looked a little low. I predetermined I was going to hit it, so I just did.” The Hokies stranded 11 on the night, proving that without hitting with men on base is not in the formula for winning baseball.

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“I think we did a decent job late with that, but in these games, you have to hit with runners in scoring position,” Hughes said. In the bottom of the ninth, Brendon Hayden singled, and then was advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Gabe Ortiz then bunted back to the pitcher, but the errant throw to first base allowed pinch runner Kyle Wernicki to score from second. “Our guys keep grinding, and all I can ask is for is the team to compete, play with energy, then play composed under pressure,” Hughes said. After Tanner McIntrye shut down the Chanticleers in the top of the 10th, the Hokies had all the momentum for another walk-off win. “Our bullpen was awesome,” Hughes said. “I work with our hitters most of the time, so I don’t work around the pitchers too much, so I don’t give them the credit that they deserve most of the time.” Shaban, who is now hitting .333 on the season, went 2-for-5 Tuesday night, including a big double to lead off the bottom of the 10th. After falling into a 0-2 count, he doubled into the left-center field gap, diving BRAD KLODOWSKI / SPPS into second base on a tender hamstring. Outﬁelder Tyler Horan (27) hits the wall after catching a ﬂy ball in the Hokies 4-3 victory over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers yesterday. “(The leg) felt surprisingly good,” Shaban said. “It was dark out there (in the outfield), so I lost the ball. I was just trying to move as fast as I could to get to second base.” Chad Pinder, who legged out a single, bunted over pinch runner Carson Helms to third base. Then, with the infield in, Wernicki lined a single back through the middle to give the Hokies the win. “That’s really huge,” Shaban said. “Great teams play really well in tight games. We’re in a one run game, they go up two, we battle right back. Then we score a big run, another big run — that’s how you determine if you’re a great team or not. We’re playing great baseball right now.” The Hokies, who travel for a road ACC series this weekend at Wake Forest, are riding high. “You can’t feel better emotionally going into a big series than where we are right now,” Hughes said.

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Aries (March 21-April 19) Power increases, and you’re on top of the world. Stay on top of your deadlines. Listening is the key to communication. Someone else’s crazy idea inspires a solution.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) Expand a little at a time. Consider new opportunities, and step into leadership, even (especially) if it makes you nervous. You can do it. You’re a quick study.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Consult with experts and partners. Work out the strategy. Write down a brilliant insight. You’re very creative and can solve the puzzle. Fix whatever is broken.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Write a letter to your parents or to your future self. Put in extra effort and you can solve a puzzle. The next two days are good for making changes at home.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) A hunch could be quite pro itable, and the game is on! For the next two days, you’re in the spotlight (and you like it just ine). Deliver your lines with passion.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Conditions look good for travel and romance. You’d rather play than work. Imagine your next adventure. Check inances and craft a plan. You could be pleasantly surprised.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Being as busy as a bee can be very productive. Think about all those projects that you want to complete, and ind a way to make them bloom. You may need help.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You’re more valuable than you think. Put your resources to good use, and don’t throw your money away. Think outside the box, and recycle it. Use it in the garage.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) The party is just getting fun. Your friends showed up, and there’s good music and chow. Choose your words well, and new doors open. Encourage another’s creativity.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Discuss shared inances. The details hold the key, and careful planning sets you up to win. Discover that more is possible than you thought. A brilliant idea arises.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You’re exceptionally creative (and romantic) for the next couple of days. You have a lot to say. Let it out. Listening is part of the communication equation.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Your imagination empowers as you enter a lucrative phase. Catch up on inances and invoicing. Get outside the box that’s limiting your creativity. Play with the box.

Bauer was shipped from South Dakota when he was 8 weeks old, so he LOVES the snow and wintery weather. He enjoys consuming anything his roomates happened to leave on the counters when his is home alone. Travis proposed to his mom, Ashley, on his birthday by putting the ring in a wooden whiskey barrel around his neck.

Have a question you need answered about your pet? Or want your pet featured in next week’s paper? Email your questions to studybreak@collegemedia.com with the title ‘Pet of the Week.’

food & drink

april 18, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

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

Drink of the week: Blue Hawaiian

Local women create cupcake heaven

BY JIMMY HUDNALL | features staff writer

RED VELVET WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING The two best words to describe this cupcake: moist and spongy. The cream cheese icing was smooth unlike some icing that can crumble upon the first bite. And not to be redundant, but this sweet frosting was in fact creamy like its name. While sugary — as a cupcake should be — the sweet sensation never overpowered my palette. A favorite among many of its cus-

tomers, the red velvet flavor from Downtown Cupcake was one of the best I have ever had. The bakers kept the classic presentation that most red velvets hold, which is simply red cake with white icing. There was nothing different about the presentation of this cupcake, yet the taste made up for any missing uniqueness.

CHOCOLATE WITH KAHLUA ICING The presentation of most of these cupcakes is similar, with a perfect swirl of icing on top. Yet each one looks quite classy — some, I would go as far as to describe as elegant. However, the slightest hint of Kahlua in this frosting offers a nice brown tint to it. Sprinkled with a few specs of shredded chocolate with a larger sliver of chocolate jutting out of the icing, this cupcake had one of the best overall appearances.

STRAWBERRY WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE ICING Upon sinking my teeth into this cupcake, the strawberry flavor immediately hit my senses. Although not overpowering, the fruitiness was quite evident here — not too fruity though. Downtown Cupcake made a point of creating that type of flavor, while leaving out the tart and sour qualities that often accompany the taste of strawberries. Intentional or unintentional, this proved to be a smart move. This small dessert had subtle berry qualities to it, without being too over the top. The use of white chocolate icing here also made for a good combination. This almost reminded me

of chocolate covered strawberries. The soft texture of the icing and the fluffiness of the cupcake blended well together. Perfectly wrapped in a foil liner, the cake that was used doesn’t fall apart and yet it doesn’t stick either. Being a baker, I realize this can sometimes be hard to master, especially using batter that’s made from scratch. However, not only was the physical appearance of this cupcake aesthetically pleasing, the taste was nice as well. This cupcake is perfect for the spring and summer.

Although a minor characteristic, even the bright red liner contrasting against the dark brown cupcake makes this appealing to the eye. The taste of Kahlua was apparent, butsubtle, which was nice. The chocolate cake beneath the layer of icing was extremely soft. This small business does a good job with its cake batter and the actual baking process that takes place. Not once did I taste a dry cupcake.

CHOCOLATE WITH SWEET PEANUT BUTTER ICING Taking a bite from the icing first, it was obvious what flavor I was dealing with: peanut butter. Almost instantly, the icing melted in my mouth. However, one thing that I really did enjoy — while it didn’t last long — was that for a few seconds it was reminiscent of true peanut butter sticking to the roof of my mouth. Some people loathe this feeling, but that’s what peanut butter is all about. Peanut butter is smooth and sticky at the same time and this icing revealed these specific characteristics well. Although the chocolate cake used for this cupcake wasn’t my favorite among the selections I was able to

try, it also wasn’t overwhelmingly rich. On the scale of dark chocolate to milk chocolate, this cupcake was more similar to dark chocolate. But combining the sweetness of peanut butter icing with the bitter taste of the cupcake meant the flavors simply aided each other by being complete opposites. I think they were meant for each other.

EMMA GODDARD - features reporter - sophomore - communication major

Treat yourself to this tropical delight and escape to paradise. The Blue Hawaiian is not only strong and sweet, but it also boasts an attractive and exotic appearance. Learn how to craft this concoction and wow friends and family at your next party. There are different variations of the drink, but the most common is served as a frozen cocktail. If need be, substitute the rum for vodka according to personal preferences. In fact, the only thing that should remain constant is the blue curacao. Ingredients: 1 ounce light rum 2 ounces pineapple juice 1 ounce Blue Curacao liquor 1 ounce cream of coconut 1 slice of pineapple 1 cherry 1 cup of ice

Directions: 1. Add the light rum, curacao, pineapple juice and cream of coconut to a cup of ice in a blender. Blend on high. 2. Pour contents into a glass of your choice. 3. Garnish with pineapple slice and cherry.

Recipe: Brie Croque Monsieur BY EMMA GODDARD | features reporter

Luck of the Irish: Castle’s serves a satisfying meal PAUL KURLAK / SPPS

As a new business, Castle’s Kettle & Pub attracts many Virginia Tech students and Blacksburg locals with its ﬁne cuisine.

aving visited Ireland last spring, my expectations for Castle’s Kettle and Irish Pub were pretty high, but the longawaited arrival of the new bar in town did not disappoint. The “Coming Fall 2011” sign started taunting the Blacksburg community nearly a year ago. This past weekend, on Friday, April 13, the Gaelic business venture finally opened its doors to the public. While Friday the 13th may seem an unlucky time for the superstitious, Castle’s opted to embrace the luck of the Irish and will surely remember Friday as the date its success officially began. When I first approached the entrance to the pub, which is located around back and not street side, I was surprised to see a queue of people outside. Apparently I was not the only one who was eager to check out the new establishment. I put my name in and was informed of a 20-minute wait. Part of the reason for the wait was because Castle’s is not yet equipped for outdoor seating. There is a quaint back deck area currently devoid of chairs and tables, though I was assured it would be ready soon. As I waited to be seated, I hunkered down at the bar, which boasts an impressive lineup of both American and Irish beers

on tap — it even has Strongbow for cider lovers. I decided on a pint of Castle’s Irish Red, a brew crafted specifically for the pub. Neither too light nor too dark, the unique blend made for the perfect appetizer. Before getting seated, I was asked to close my tab at the bar. While the task itself was not surprising, the process for doing so certainly was. Instead of handing me a receipt, the bartender handed me an iPad. After reviewing my total, the bartender used the device to slide my credit card. From there, I was able to select the tip amount and sign electronically. The process was efficient and eco-friendly, though I have to wonder if transactions will go just as smoothly late at night. After all, booze and electronics do not mix too well. Once seated, the main event began. The menu isn’t huge, but it is large enough to make it difficult to choose what to eat. There were many choices that caught my eye, but I knew I had to select the quintessentially Irish grub: Sheppard’s pie. The attentive waitress scurried off with my order, leaving me time to soak in the atmosphere. Beautiful dark wood adorns the walls and floor, and the tables and chairs. Irish music piped through the sound system and created an aura that felt authentic, or at the

very least, Dublin-esque. My food arrived incredibly quickly — probably within 10 minutes — which is an impressive feat for any restaurant, especially for a brand new one. While the dish was steaming-hot, I couldn’t help but dive in right away. Sorry, taste buds. The mild discomfort from the heat was well worth it. Castle’s shepherd’s pie is an exquisite blend of beef, potatoes, peas and carrots, just as one would expect. The meal is served with Irish soda bread, which I don’t care for, but could still appreciate. My only critique of the food is that I wanted more of it. The dish was absolutely delicious and I just wanted to keep eating it. Portion size aside, I still left satiated and eagerly await returning to Castle’s to try out some of the other Irish delicacies on their menu. My return is likely as well, considering its food is not too pricy. I wouldn’t classify it as cheap, but it certainly won’t break the bank for college students. Throughout the dining experience, the server kept reappearing periodically to make sure everything was still going well. There’s nothing more annoying than an absent server or an overly pushy one, but my server didn’t fall victim to either of those pratfalls. When it came time to pay, I was presented with an iPhone and the

process worked pretty much the same as it did at the bar. The use of iPads at Au Bon Pain may have failed miserably, but the Apple store uses the technology so efficiently that surely it can be used successfully in a business setting. So far the Apple payment seems to be working for Castle’s, though the process does seem reminiscent of signing — or rather, scribbling — for a UPS package, which isn’t exactly a plus. There is something to be said for being able to take the time to look at a physical receipt without the server hovering overhead subconsciously saying, “don’t forget my tip!” Payment methods aside though, Castle’s is clearly off to a fantastic start, and things are going remarkably smoothly for such a new business. Leprechauns ought to be running scared, as it looks like Castle’s will soon be the place with the pot of gold.

PATRICK MURPHY - features editor - senior - communication major

The Croque Monsieur, originating from France, is basically a fancy name for a ham and cheese sandwich. While it may seem like a basic meal, using Brie adds a slight twist. Add a fried egg on top to change this to a Croque Madame. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10-15 minutes Ingredients: 9 ounces of Brie, cut into 12 thin slices 3 large eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 6 slices thinly sliced ham 12 slices white bread 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided

Directions: 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Set aside. 2. Assemble six sandwiches, each with one slice of ham and two slices of cheese between two slices of bread. 3. Cut each sandwich in half so they are triangular. 4. Heat half of the melted butter in a large nonstick pan on medium heat. Make sure the butter covers the entire pan. 5. Dip sandwich halves into the egg and milk mixture so each side is covered. Immediately place in preheated pan and cook for twoto-three minutes per sandwich, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches. Serve hot off the stove.