Thursday, June 7, 2012 Print Edition

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june 7, 2012

what’s inside News .............2 Opinions........5 Features ........7 Sports ...........9 Classifieds ...11 Sudoku ........11 108th year issue 61 blacksburg, va.

Wakeboarding makes waves at nationals Club team places third at Collegiate Wakeboard Nationals in Oklahoma City

BY ALEX KOMA | sports editor Summer may be the time of year most people get out on the water, but some Hokies have been aquatically active all year long.

In fact, the Virginia Tech Wakeboarding Club has been competing all season and is starting to draw attention after placing third in the Collegiate Wakeboard Nationals, part of the CBS Alt Games, on Saturday.

“This was one of the better things to ever happen to the club,” said club member Nick Schrein. “In years past, we’d come in at fifth or sixth, so this jump to third was huge for us.”

It may seem odd to think

of wakeboarding as a competitive sport, but this national event represented the pinnacle of the sport in the U.S. In it, riders are judged based on the complexity and execution of tricks they perform, and are divided into seven categories for competition.

There are four divisions for male riders and two for female riders, with a final division for wakeskating, in which the rider isn’t strapped to the board to allow for more trick possibilities. The team qualified for nationals after competing in regionals in the fall, which Tech hosted this year. see WAKEBOARDING/ page ten

VTWAKEBOARDING.BLOGSPOT.COM

Wakeboarding Club member Joel Wagner competes at regionals in October 2011. The club had to qualify for last weekend’s national competition, where they placed third.

Gumby’s closes temporarily MICHELLE SUTHERLAND editor-in-chief Pokey Stix connoisseurs will have to do without during Gumby's Pizza and Wing's temporary closure as ownership changes.

Natalie Boozer, a representative of CampusSpecial.com, did not know when it would reopen.

“Somebody else bought it, and they told us to shut (the CampusSpecial. com page) down for right now so they could transition with new ownership

and will probably be back up again,” she said.

Kevin Nolley, a representative of Terry Court Properties, which owns Gumby’s building, confirmed that the pizza place is still a tenant.

He said he did not know details of the business.

Gumby's phone number has been disconnected, and Gumby’s Campus Special page says “CLOSED.” A Gumby’s representative could not be reached.

Police arrest sex offender MICHELLE SUTHERLAND editor-in-chief Blacksburg Police arrested a registerd sex offender for three counts of aggravated sexual battery on two children and a third victim, according to a release from the department.

Danny Everette Dillow of Dublin, Va. committed these acts at the Montgomery County Public Library in Blacksburg.

The police recieved information about the acts on May 15, which included a report of

"innapropriate touching by an adult male not employed by the library." On May 31, they were able to get more information and coordinate a surveillance, leading to Dillow's capture on June 2.

Dillow violated stipulations of his court ordered probabtion and was taken to the Montgomery County Jail, and arrest warrants were obtained and served June 4. His is currently at Montgomery County Jail and is held without bond, according to the release.

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Tech selects faculty to lead residential college MICHELLE SUTHERLAND editor-in-chief One faculty principal and four associate faculty principals have been selected to foster learning in the Residential College at West AmblerJohnston.

Ben Sax, an assistant professor in the religion and culture department, will serve as the live-in faculty member. Sheila Carter-Tod, an associate professor in the English department, Matthew Gabriele, an associate professor in the religion and culture department, Erika Meitner, an assistant professor in the English department, and Tomalei Vess, director of the undergraduate research office, will serve as the associate faculty principals.

The residential college will house 800 students, and to create a more intimate environment, the dorm has been divided into four houses. While Sax will live in the dorm and guide the college as a whole, each house will have an associate faculty principal, a residential graduate fellow and a number of RAs. “By and large, their primary role is one of presence and availability to students, and bring with them all parts of who they are, so academic interests but also their vocations and their hobbies,” said Frank Shushok, Jr., associate vice president for student affairs.

Gabriele, who specializes in medieval history and the crusades, looks

forward to the informal interaction that his role will bring.

“I really like the idea of a residential college, one of the interesting things is being able to interact with students in an intellectual setting outside of the classroom,” he said. “That is something that personally I have tried to do a lot of. I’ve done independent studies where I’m working with students individually, but I’m trying to do more of these informal events where we’ll have a speaker in, or we’ll just watch a movie together or read a novel.”

The purpose of a residential college is to stich the academic and residential sides of campus together. By bringing faculty into students’ dorm, Tech hopes to engage students in learning outside of the classroom.

The college will also have more than freshmen. The goal is for the dorm to be 40 percent freshmen, 30 percent sophomores, 20 percent juniors and 10 percent seniors, with at least one graduate student.

“One of the beautiful things about the residential college model is it brings some of the feeling of a small liberal arts college where there’s less of a divide, in some ways, in the students and faculty and more chances for informal interaction. It brings that flavor over to what’s one of the bigger state universities in the country,” Meitner said.

Meitner attended Dartmouth College as an undergraduate, and wants to bring aspects of a smaller school to Tech. She has

worked at other universities with residential colleges and liked the concept.

Sax, who specializes in Judaic history, and his wife bring nine years of experience as residential college leaders to West AJ. They were live-in faculty at the University of Chicago before coming to Tech.

“It could have been that we’d lived in cities our whole life, but I think what it came down to is that what people call the ‘real world’—living in a house separate from your neighbors didn’t seem so real to me,” he said. “So when we heard about this initiative, we jumped immediately. We realized that we feel more engaged in the community and more complete as people when we’re living with 18 to 22 year olds.”

He said he liked the energy students have, and his role as an educator is more fulfilling.

Under Sax’s direction, the leaders are planning some recurring social events, which include house dinners at D2 and teas.

The houses are named after trees local to Southwest Virginia, and were chosen because of their neutrality and to help students think about the region outside of Blacksburg, according to Sax. Carter-Tod will lead Holly House, Gabriele will lead Hickory House, Meitner will lead Hawthorn House and Vess will lead Honey Locust House.

COURTESTY OF VIRGINIA TECH

From top left to right: Faculty Principal Ben Sax and Associate Faculty Principals Sheila Carter-Tod, Matthew Gabriele, Erika Meitner and Tomalei Vess.

ROSIE MESTEL

mcclatchy newspapers

has been documented for more than a century. In 1900, when life tables for blacks and whites were first compiled, the gap stood at more than 14 years, said Elizabeth Arias, a demographer with the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md. A black man could expect to live just 32.5 years and a black woman 33.5 years. By contrast, white men lived an average of 46.3 years and women lived an average of 48.3 years.

Infectious diseases were the biggest killers then, that changed as I’m happy to see the gap is but public health camnarrowing, but it’s still pretty paigns improved sanitation and vacsubstantial cines, antibiotics and other mediJames McPherson cal improvements Medical Director allowed more peoLos Angeles Cardiovascular and ple to survive childhood and reach Thoracic Surgery Group middle age.

Blacks have gained ground on whites throughout the century, albeit sons for those changes, Harper with setbacks here and there. said. Scientists have a lot of edu- But the gap has never disapcated guesses, though. peared.

Blacks have higher rates of It even widened in the obesity, diabetes and hyperten- 1980s, when AIDS and sion — all risk factors for cardio- homicide disproportionvascular disease and stroke, the ately killed blacks, Harper No. 1 and No. 4 leading causes said. of death in this country. Studies have documented that blacks are treated less aggressively than whites for heart problems, said Dr. James McPherson, medical director of the Los Angeles Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Group and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.

Blacks are also less likely to have health insurance, so they are apt to be treated later in the course of heart disease than those with regular access to care, McPherson added.

“I’m happy to see the gap is narrowing, but it is still pretty substantial,” he said.

An unsettling part of the new report is the uptick in deaths from unintentional poisoning among whites, predominantly in middle-aged white men.

Data from the CDC show that poisonings outnumbered deaths from motor vehicle accidents for the first time in 2008. The increase in poisonings appears to be driven by a rise in the number of deaths from prescription medications to treat pain and anxiety problems, an investigation by the Los Angeles Times found last year, citing preliminary CDC data from 2009.

The inequality in life spans

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MICHELLE SUTHERLAND editor-in-chief On June 4, 2012, the Board of Visitors approved a new degree in religion and culture, which will replace the interdisciplinary studies degree.

The degree will require no new resources, and will be one of three universities in North America that has a degree with “religion” and “culture” in its name.

The degree combines humanities with history, according to Peter Schmitthenner, associate professor and department chair.

“Our proposed degree is a liberal arts degree, though not in the classical sense. It is unique in that it is interdisciplinary and prepares our students for an i n c r e a s i n g l y complex world,” he told the BOV Academic Affairs Committee.

A major supporter of the degree is an alum-

nus who graduated with an interdisciplinary studies degree.

“I hope that the right students will learn how to translate their education in religion and culture to their respective work environments. If they choose to do so, they will be among the most diverse, understanding and well-respected employees,” said Fahad Hassan, CEO of A lw ay s Prepped.

The degree will require 21 core credits, a minor or second major and a number of language credits that will depend on high school language experience.

Currently, the department offers 37 curriculum for liberal education courses.

To become an official major, the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia must approve the major.

However, Robin Panneton, SCHEV liaison for Tech, is confident that it will be approved.

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

LOS ANGELES — The gap in life expectancy between black and white Americans is smaller than it has ever been, thanks largely to a decline in the number of deaths resulting from heart disease and HIV infection, a new analysis has found.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the gap is still large: A black baby boy born today can expect to live 5.4 fewer years, on average, than his white counterpart, and a black baby girl will die 3.7 years earlier, on average, than her white counterpart.

What’s more, the narrowing of the gap between 2003 and 2008 is due in part to a troubling development among whites: They are more likely than in the past to die from overdoses of powerful prescription medications like OxyContin and Vicodin, along with other unintentional poisonings.

The report, published in Wednesday’s edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, is based on government data on U.S. deaths in 2008, the most recent year that was available at the time of the study.

Since 2003, life expectancy “improved for everybody, but it improved a little bit more for blacks than it did for whites,” said epidemiologist Sam Harper of McGill University in Montreal, senior author of the report.

The life expectancy for black men in 2008 was 70.8 years, up from 68.8 years in 2003 but still well below the 76.2 years for white men (who had an average life span of 75.3 years in 2003), Harper and his colleagues found. Life expectancy for black women rose from 75.7 to 77.5 years, while the life span for white women grew from 80.3 years to 81.2 years.

The study included data only for non-Latino whites and nonLatino blacks. The government has only recently compiled the first life-expectancy tables for Latinos, who have an edge of several years over non-Latino whites for reasons that are not yet clear.

Tables for Asians, whose life expectancy is believed to be the best of all groups living in the U.S., and for American-Indians are not yet available, Harper added.

Harper and his colleagues examined data on the number and causes of deaths among the U.S. population in 2003 and 2008. Those figures, from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, were paired with U.S. census data to calculate death rates for blacks and whites of each gender. Life expectancy was then calculated as a summary of the death rates at each age.

An analysis like this reveals how death rates from different causes vary between races and how they have shifted over time, but it says nothing about the sociological and medical rea-

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Teleconferencing increases LinkedIn hacked, passwords stolen EVE MITCHEL

mcclatchy newspapers

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Video conferences have largely been confined to offices. Not anymore. New technologies developed by Polycom and other videoconference vendors let employees use smartphones and tablet devices join in no matter where they are.

It’s a “game changer” for Chris Plutte and his line of work — using video conferencing to connect students from countries around the world with students in American schools to help them better understand each other and the countries they call home.

“This opens up a whole new opportunity for us. It’s about access for us,” said Plutte, executive director of New York-based Global Nomads Group, a nonprofit he co-founded in 1998 that is currently linking several schools in the United States with those in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo for town-hall type meetings.

“It’s pretty amazing. In the past, students and schools that participated in our programs had to have a (wired) Internet connection.

They needed to have a computer.

They needed to have electricity,” he said. “This is a game changer for us in that (video conferencing) can now reach more rural schools in developing countries like Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Such technologies make it possible for companies that are customers of video conferencing vendors such as Polycom, Cisco and Avaya to connect with employees who are on the road and not in an office.

“It’s pretty much now a given that (video conferencing companies) all either support it now to

varying degrees or will have to, or have it on their road map,” said Rich Costello, a senior research analyst at IDC. “The tablet growth in businesses is just starting to take off and that really enhances a mobile video app.”

Polycom donated video-conferencing software and equipment

IT,” said Costello, the IDC analyst.

“These devices are coming into the workplace.”

Total smartphone shipments worldwide reached 472 million in 2011, up 53 percent from 2010, said a Gartner report. Tablets are also growing, with Gartner projecting that by the end of 2015, more than 900 million will have been sold.

“This is about the It’s pretty amazing. In the past, ability to connect students and schools that par- to different types of people on different ticipated in our programs had types of devices on any It’s deviceto have a (wired) Internet con- network. agnostic. You can have nection. They needed to have a a smartphone connected to a tablet to a lapcomputer. They needed to have top to a high-end HD video conferencing in electricity. an office,” said Randel Maestre, vice president Chris Plutte of worldwide industry and field marketing for that is used by Global Nomads. Polycom.

The Polycom RealPresence “Our vision is to make video colmobile application the non- laboration and video conferencing profit uses became available as ubiquitous,” he said. a free downloadable applicaPolycom isn’t the only company tion for Polycom customers with that vision. last October for the Apple iPad Last year, San Jose, Calif.-based 2 and for certain Android tab- Cisco rolled out Jabber, a free let devices made by Motorola downloadable application for and Samsung. In February, the smartphones and tablets that application was launched for the allows multi-party video conApple iPhone 4S and will soon ferencing as well as access to be released for Android 4.0 voice, instant messaging and smartphones. voice mail for existing Cisco In the past few years, more customers. employees have begun using their “Work is not a place you go smartphones and tablets in the to — it’s where you are at. You workplace. At the same time, some can work if you happen to be at employees want a way to join a the airport,” said Michael Smith, video conference when they are Cisco’s senior director for colaway from work. That is prompt- laborative application marketing. ing demand for technology solu- “These mobile devices like tabtions that link people with mobile lets now give us the power to devices to video conferences, say do video conferencing even when observers. we’re not in the video conference “It’s called the consumerization of room.”

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JEREMY C. OWENS mcclatchy newspapers SAN JOSE, Calif. — A hacker claimed that he obtained more than 6 million LinkedIn passwords, leading the Mountain View, Calif., professional-networking service to investigate Wednesday whether its users’ information has been stolen.

A user uploaded almost 6.5 million passwords to a Russian Web forum, claiming that they were from LinkedIn; many of the passwords did include the words LinkedIn, according to media reports. While the list that was uploaded to the forum did not include user names, that does not necessarily mean whomever managed to extract the passwords did not also obtain the corresponding email addresses that match those accounts.

A tweet from an official LinkedIn account at about 9 a.m. EDT stated, “Our team is currently looking into reports of stolen passwords. Stay tuned for more.” Nearly two hours later, another tweet said that LinkedIn had not been able to confirm a security breach, though the investigation was continuing.

LinkedIn responded to an email requesting comment with a short statement that read “Our team continues to investigate. Best place to get additional updates at this point are on Twitter @linkedinnews,” the Twitter account that has provided the first two updates.

The uploaded passwords are encrypted, and the hacker who

uploaded them was reportedly seeking assistance in unlocking them. But the British Web security consultant who originally detailed the posted passwords said an investigation showed the passwords to be legitimate, and suggested that LinkedIn customers change their passwords immediately.

The consultant, Graham Cluley of web security company Sophos, wrote in his original blog post that “although the data which has been released so far does not include associated email addresses, it is reasonable to assume that such information may be in the hands of the criminals.”

Some users also reported on Twitter that they had found their encrypted, or “hashed,” passwords on the list.

Marcus Carey, a security researcher at Boston-based Rapid7, told Reuters he was “highly confident” that hackers had wormed their way inside LinkedIn’s network for several days, based on his analysis of the data posted on the forums.

“While LinkedIn is investigating the breach, the attackers may still have access to the system,” Carey warned. “If the attackers are still entrenched in the network, then users who have already changed their passwords may have to do so a second time.”

LinkedIn claimed more than 161 million users at the end of its most recent quarter, on March 31, and said at the time that two new members were signing up every second.

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

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10am 7:45am

Larceny of a bicycle

Outside Newman Inactive Library

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Larceny of bicycle/ lock

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Possession of Marijuana/ Drug Paraphernalia, Driving under the influence

Perry Street

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Prices Fork Active Research Center

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Cleared by Michelle Thien-Thrang Arrest Bui, 21

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Q2 2011, Romney’s campaign has raised nearly $145 million, with his super PAC boosting his unofficial spending power to roughly $200 million. Obama’s campaign, on the other hand, has raised just over $325 million, with his super PAC adding only $10 million to that total.

Even though there is still much disparity between the two candidates and their spending power, the sources of support have raised some

mogul in Texas, has donated $4 million to the super PAC. John Paulson, a Goldman Sachs banker worth $12.4 billion and ranked No. 17 on the “Forbes 400” list, has both personally donated $1 million to the super PAC, and has also hosted a large fund raiser for the candidate that undoubtedly funneled donations into “Restore Our Future” coffers.

These are just a few of the ultra-rich that have personally contributed to the Romney-backing super PAC, and more contributions of this are sure to These super PACs have magnitude be on the horizon, espeplayed a substantial role cially considering that five months still remain leading into the general between now and the election in 2012. Republican election and upheaval over multiple issues candidate and prospective project the 2012 electo be a close race. nominee Mitt Romney in par- tion College students, on ticular has seen tremendous the other hand, are unable to go toe-to-toe support. with billionaires like John Paulson, donainteresting points. While direct con- tions-wise. Students are typically tributions to a candidate’s campaign working with a tight budget and only can be no greater than $2,500, super have a few dollars to spare at a time.

PACs can raise unlimited amounts of This may not have stopped them money and spend it at their discre- in 2008--college students donated tion. Thanks to donations to “Restore nearly $2 million to campaigns durOur Future” from individual con- ing just the first six months of the ‘08 tributors totaling $1 million or more, election cycle. The upcoming eleccampaign spending in support of tion has shown a different story.

Romney has tapped a huge pool of The last major publication of stuspending power only sure to increase dent donations data, collected by the come November.

Center for Responsive Politics in late Obama’s fund raising strength 2011, tallied roughly $860,000 in total comes from a very large number of campaign contributions from college smaller contributions, and his ability students, a steep early-cycle drop-off to raise and spend money is so far from 2008. Students are contributing unmatched in 2012 as it was in 2008, less and less to presidential campaigns but Romney’s strength lies in con- while millionaires and billionaires are siderably wealthier constituents that donating more money individually hold considerable spending power than ever before. and have huge interests in governWith a hike in student loan interest ment policy. rates looming large in July, the national student body needs stand together as one voice to make sure their are aligned With a hike in student loan in- interests with whomever takes terest rates looming large in office in Washington come November. But July, the national student body money talks. needs to stand together as one Without contribution limits, big donors voice to make sure their inter- will turn to super PACs consistently to ests are aligned with whom- more help their candidate ever take office in Washington. gain an edge as the election draws near, both as means to flex their spending power to Public records show that Romney’s gain a foothold in influencing govdirect campaign fund raising is made ernment policy, and as a last-ditch up mostly by maximum limit dona- effort to match Obama’s fund raising tions at $2,500. His super PAC, how- machine. The younger generation, ever, sees much larger contributions. unfortunately, will be left in the dust.

Richard Marriott and Bill Marriott Jr., heirs to the Marriott Hotel empire, ERIC JONES have each donated $1 million to - regular columnit “Restore Our Future” in support of - junior Mitt Romney. Bob Perry, a real estate - psychology major

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source of conservation PETER GOLDMARK mcclatchy newspapers Picture a university official sitting at his desk. He is graying, his face lined, his desk is piled with papers requiring attention. He squints at the person sitting opposite him.

That person is a young man in his late 20s. When he asked for this meeting some time ago, he said the subject was sustainable energy at the university.

The man’s name is Mark Orlowski.

He has come to tell the official that the university is wasting energy and money and endangering the environment. He proposes that the university create a revolving fund from its own cash reserves and use it to make simple, commonsense improvements to its physical plant, like installing light bulbs that use less energy and insulating buildings so they require less heat in winter and less air-conditioning in summer, and that the university use the money it “earns” from lower utility bills to repay the revolving fund and continue the process across the campus.

The proposition seems strange at first. While Orlowski and his team are not above organizing student pressure on campus, they basically want to work “in the suites, not in the streets.” They understand that their biggest enemy is not opposition, but inertia.

Orlowski’s organization, called the Sustainable Endowments Institute, has persuaded 35 institutions to make energy-efficient investments totaling $83 million. They call their campaign the Billion Dollar Green Challenge.

The virtuous cycle of investment, efficiency, competitiveness, clean growth and jobs represented by the Billion Dollar Green Challenge is key to our future economic success as a nation. We need to be greener and more efficient than our competitors.

And the largest untapped source of clean energy is efficiency.

This is not a dream. Electricity use per capita in most parts of the country has doubled over the past 30 years, but there is a state where electricity use stood still — even while its economy grew dramatically. It’s California.

The key was changing the way private utilities were regulated, through a combination of state law and Public Utilities Commission regulation.

California set the rates for utilities so they could only make bigger profits if their customers used less electricity.

The utilities moaned and groaned. But when the state insisted, they made it work. They offered their customers incentives to use less electricity. And it worked.

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

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If there is one thing guaranteed in political campaigning, it is that fund raising is more important now than ever before. Without a considerable bankroll backing their campaigns, politicians find it increasingly more difficult to reach as many potential voters as some of their more wellfunded opponents can. In this kind of landscape, big donors and super PACs are beginning to hit their stride, drowning out the voices of college students and most of the younger generation.

By the time the general election came around in 2008, in that year alone, Barack Obama had raised over $650 million, smashing previous records. Roughly half of the contributions to his campaign came in increments of $200 or less, most of them online, signaling an extreme overhaul in how a presidential candidate approaches grassroots funding.

After a landslide victory, Obama’s grassroots fund raising heavily mirrored his voter turnout- - he raised more money than any other candidate ever before him, and received the most votes of any president of all time.

Following the election, Citizens United, a non-profit conservative organization, took great strides to see a lawsuit reach the Supreme Court concerning a dispute over an antiHilary Clinton documentary, which could not be aired because Citizens United intended to broadcast the film within 30 days of a primary, illegal on the basis of “electioneering communication.”

In 2010, in the landmark case “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission,” the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Citizens United, stating that “the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions.” Since the ruling, many have argued that the decision has led directly to the evolution of super PACs, which cannot be directly involved with candidates they support, but they can accept unlimited funds from donors and advertise and campaign on a candidate’s behalf.

These super PACs have played a substantial role leading into the general election in 2012. Republican candidate and prospective nominee Mitt Romney in particular has seen tremendous support from his super PAC, “Restore Our Future,” which has risen upwards of $56 million as of June 3, 2012. This total dwarfs the super PAC contributions of every other major candidate, including raising five times more money than Obama’s super PAC, “Priorities USA Action.”

Despite this significant push from Romney’s super PAC, his fund raising totals still pale in comparison to Obama’s. Since the Federal Election Commission (FEC) started publishing campaign contribution data in

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Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief Michelle Sutherland Managing Editor Zach Mariner Features Editor Chelsea Giles Sports Editor Alex Koma Head Copy Editor Luther Shell Online Director Alex Rhea

Money to define election Campus

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US, allies must intervene in Syria

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MCT CAMPUS

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

Challenges loom for president As the November elections approach, one question jumps to mind: Why does anyone want to be president? Taking the rudder of the United States has never been anything but an enormous challenge. The difficulties confronting the winner of the next election will prove no exception.

I’m not referring to the state of American politics and the way the two parties have suddenly decided they cannot work together, or about the giant economic dilemmas that loom in the American horizon. I’m simply looking at the warning signs rising from the other side of the Atlantic — I’ll leave the Pacific for another day.

It’s enough to take your breath away.

Consider, for a small sample, what has transpired in the world in just the last few days. In the course of a single week, the European Union, America’s principal global ally, inched closer to the edge of economic disaster. We know Greece is standing at the brink of the precipice and has already seen many rocks slide out from under its feet. But Greece is a small country. The really frightening troubles are becoming visible in Spain, where banks are groaning under a mountain of bad real estate debt. This is not the result of too much government generosity.

It’s the product of an economic collapse that sucked the air out of the real estate property market.

If Spain falls, Europe may not be able to avert disaster. America will not be able to build a sea wall tall enough to keep out the tsunami.

But Europe is hardly the only danger ahead. Egypt, the most populous country in the Middle East, recently held its first free

presidential election — and produced a most disappointing result.

Instead of choosing one of the relatively moderate candidates, voters chose the two extremes.

The top two vote-getters will face off in a run-off next month, and the outcome of that election is sure to give heartburn to whoever lives in the White House in the coming years.

The next president of Egypt will be either Mohammed Morsi, a hardline leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, or Ahmed Shafiq, a former general who served as Mubarak’s last prime minister.

Whether Morsi or Shafiq wins, the future for Egypt looks like a confrontation waiting to happen between the military and the Brotherhood. Nobody, by the way, seems to be standing for the liberal principles that guided the young, secular activists of Tahrir Square.

Egypt could become the first post-Arab Spring country whose government is completely dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, or it could erupt into Muslims versus military clashes, or it could end up with a military takeover.

The way ahead looks as clear as a sand storm. And we’re talking about the Middle East, the most unstable region of the world even before the new wave of revolutions started last year, and lest we forget, the source and transit point of much of the world’s economic lifeblood, oil.

As Egyptians voted a few days ago, western powers met with representatives of Iran, hoping for progress in efforts to stop the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. The meeting in Baghdad achieved nothing, except an agreement to meet again next month

in June. Every few weeks we hear more evidence from U.N. nuclear inspectors, who say Iran is enriching uranium to higher levels and appears to be preparing to “militarize” its nuclear operations.

The president’s briefing on Iran was probably interrupted by news from Syria, where the regime is intensifying its slaughter of anti-dictatorship protests. Now an Iranian general has let it slip that Iranian Revolutionary Guards are helping forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad put down the rebellion.

Pressure is growing for intervention in Syria, but Russia, in particular, has given Assad cover. Syria is becoming a proxy for the battle between Iran and its Arab, Sunni, and western adversaries.

Regardless of what unfolds in Europe, and how the American economy fares in the coming months, the danger from the continuing crises in the Middle East will occupy the days of the man who wins in November. And it is sure to occupy some of his nights, as well, with a few 3 a.m. emergency calls sure to wake him up.

With the world changing at such a dangerous pace, it would be nice if he could count on a Congress and an opposition party with a strong sense of loyalty, and on an economy strong enough to provide more freedom of action.

Yet it’s all but certain that those luxuries, available to some of his predecessors, will remain absent for the winner of the next election.

FRIDA GHITIS -mcclatchy newspapers

After the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda, the world said: Never again. And there have been interventions to stop the killing — in Bosnia, Kosovo and Libya. But these have been the exception, not the norm.

Even now, as horrifying violence unfolds in Syria, the U.S. and its allies find reasons to limit their response to economic sanctions accompanied by strongly worded, but ineffectual, statements of condemnation.

This, despite the fact that the stakes in Syria are higher, from a strategic standpoint, than in Libya.

By the time NATO acted against Moammar Gadhafi, he was an isolated despot who had given up sponsoring terrorism and building weapons of mass destruction. Not so with Bashar Assad: His regime sponsors Hezbollah and Hamas. It has a large stockpile of chemical weapons and would be on its way to developing nuclear weapons had not Israel bombed its nuclear reactor in 2007. And it has close links to the Iranian regime, which is the No. 1 enemy of the U.S. and its allies in the region.

Moreover, the longer Assad stays in power without being able to stop the uprising against his government — which is now more than a year old — the greater the odds that regional powers will be drawn into the fray and that extremist groups such as al-Qaida, already responsible for several grisly bombings in Syria, will be able to establish safe havens on Syrian soil.

There are risks in a post-Assad Syria, to be sure, but toppling him as swiftly as possible — something sanctions have shown no sign of achieving — holds out the promise of meeting significant strategic as well as humanitarian objectives.

Those in favor of a go-slow approach will admit much of this but then argue that there are no good options for intervention. It is true that action to topple a regime always carries risks. It is never an operation to be undertaken lightly, as we learned in Afghanistan and Iraq. But no one is proposing sending U.S. ground troops into Syria; the riskiest option of all isn’t on the table, nor should it be.

Even less risky options, such as airstrikes, would be harder in Syria than in Libya because the Syrian opposition is less unified than in Libya, and it does not control any cities or discrete territory. Thus it would be harder to strike regime assets without injuring civilians.

But is this an argument for sim-

ply sitting by and letting the killing continue? That isn’t a “good option” either.

Luckily, as the Syria expert Andrew Tabler, among others, has argued, there are other choices.

First, we should become more closely involved in organizing the Syrian resistance by providing it with communications gear, intelligence and other nonlethal assistance. As CIA and special operations officers develop closer ties with the rebels, they will develop the contacts necessary to funnel weapons into the right hands and to avoid arming jihadist extremists.

U.S. diplomats and intelligence operatives can also work with the opposition to draft plans for a democratic, inclusive, post-Assad government. This would ease qualms among Kurds, Christians and other Syrian minorities — along with businessmen and other stakeholders in the Assad regime — who have so far hesitated to embrace the rebellion.

It would also help if safe zones were established along Syria’s borders with Jordan and Turkey, where refugees could escape Assad’s oppression. Turkey and Jordan have the military capability to defend such zones from the Syrian army, and there are indications that Turkey, which already hosts the Free Syrian Army, might be willing to do more if it received American support — which hasn’t been forthcoming so far.

In addition, the U.S. and our NATO allies could strengthen sanctions on Syria by mounting a naval blockade of the Syrian coastline. This would make it more difficult for Syria’s principal supporters, Russia and Iran, to provide arms to the regime.

Airstrikes to protect safe zones or take out key regime targets are a more aggressive option that needs to be considered.

The Air Force and Navy have shown the ability to accomplish such goals with few if any losses and relatively little collateral damage.

With Russia blocking action at the United Nations, the most difficult part of any such operation might well be winning international approval. That did not stop President Bill Clinton from intervening in Kosovo, and it need not stop it in Syria, particularly if we can win the backing of NATO and the Arab League.

MAX BOOT -mcclatchy newspapers

Lazhar’s students triumph grief

page

7 FEATURES

JACOB WILBANKS features staff writer

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

“Monsieur Lazhar” is the gripping tale of a Montreal grade school stricken with grief after a well-liked teacher commits suicide by hanging herself in one of the classrooms. The story centers on the titular character Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant with his own emotional troubles who is hired to replace her.

The Philippe Falardeau movie, which garnered an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film, excels in its subtlety. The movie does not have rapid plot twists or an explosive climax, but rather excels by showing the characters daily struggle to cope with grief in a strange situation.

The movie opens on a tragic note and flows through a range of other emotions that encapsulate the viewer.

The film delicately develops the relationships between characters as the plot unveils around them. The entire movie is presented through a lens of authenticity, and nothing feels forced.

“Monsieur Lazhar” delves into mournful topics with such honesty, but it still manages an uplifting feeling, though it never tries to wrench your heart with joy.

Algerian actor Mohamed Fellag plays Lazhar, who’s backstory slowly unravels throughout the movie to reveal his personal tragedies and what motivated him to offer his services to the school.

His character simultaneously deals with his own grief while helping his students overcome theirs.

The emotional strife does not ease Lazhar’s teaching style, however.

Throughout the movie he addresses

difficult and mature topics such as death, suicide and injustice with his students with a straightforward approach.

Though this seems inappropriate for students recovering from a tragedy, the film argues that children can handle and understand more than what adults credit them for. One of the most refreshing aspects of the film is its depiction of children as dynamic and mature characters. The line between adult and child is blurred throughout the movie. After all, only a naïve adult would believe that a fresh coat of paint in the classroom would remove such a traumatic event from a child’s memory.

One student says, “Everyone thinks we’re traumatized by Martine’s suicide, but it’s the adults who are really.”

Sophie Nélisse plays Alice, the intelligent and beyond-her-years student, superbly. Lazhar’s directness resonates with Alice and they develop a special bond as she attempts to overcome the struggle. She experiences particular strife, since she was one of two students to actually saw the teacher hanged.

The main characters lead the movie through the journey of the school’s attempt to heal. The film presents taboo topics in education such as teachers’ inability to be physically close with students even to give a hug for emotional support to a child coping with grief. It is the head-on and unapologetic approach to tackle difficult topics that make “Monsieur Lazhar” great.

Just like the grieving process itself, “Monsieur Lazhar” traverses through such a wide range of emotions with such grace that by the end, one would be hard pressed not to feel a little hopeful.

page

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

FEATURES

8

Crawl kicks off local summer art events ANNE DEEKENS & JENNA SMITH features staff Local artists and writers shared their work with the public Friday and Saturday in downtown Blacksburg as part of an initiative to highlight the growing creative culture in the area.

Not even the torrential rain Friday stopped people from enjoying the downtown ArtCrawl, an annual event sponsored by Downtown Blacksburg, Inc. to promote local artists by displaying their works in businesses downtown.

“We’ve been doing smaller gallery events for about three or four years and this is the second ArtCrawl we’ve done,” said Laureen Blakemore, the director of Downtown Blacksburg, Inc. “We’re hoping to make people more aware of the local art that’s out there.”

The ArtCrawl is part of an ongoing effort to support and enhance Blacksburg’s local art scene.

“We want to continue the artistic vibe…to allow for new artists to have a great venue to show their talent,” said Jakki Covington, the owner of Eucalyptus Massage.

Covington’s business is currently displaying mixed media, sculpture and abstract oil paintings by Radford art professor Knic Umstead.

“Events like these are part of Blacksburg’s evolution towards becoming more of an artist’s utopia,” Covington said.

Steve Miller, owner of Mish Mish, also has artwork on display for ArtCrawl. Currently, the store gallery is showcasing “Dream Series 2012” by Julie Hawkins, a collection of charcoal and pastel abstract works inspired by dreams and meditation. Miller said he hopes that events such as ArtCrawl will make the public more aware of non-traditional gallery spaces in Blacksburg.

“We want to let people know that there are a many different kinds of places to see local art here,” he said.

This year’s ArtCrawl also featured a scavenger hunt.

Participants browsed each gallery and filled out a trivia sheet in order to win prizes. Andrew Hill won first prize and received a Downtown Gift Certificate.

The runner ups included Jen Huffman, Jen Richter and Doug Armstrong.

Blakemore said they want

CHELSEA GILES / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Reflections II by Julie Hawkins is one piece from her “Dream Series 2012” collection showcased in the Mish Mish gallery through July 4.

The Lyric Theatre 135 College Avenue ~ Movieline: 951.0604 www.thelyric.com

to continue to organize the ArtCrawl in the future, because people enjoy it. The next one is scheduled for December and will happen rain or shine.

The artworks are still on display for the public to enjoy at the participating businesses Bollo’s Café and Bakery, the Community Arts Information Office, Capone’s Fine Jewelers, Eucalyptus Massage Therapy, Mish Mish, Gillie’s, John’s Camera Corner, Kent Jewelers, Main Street Inn Gallery, Matrix Gallery and the Artful Lawyer A Fine Gallery. A local restaurant hosted the other half of the weekend event, where local authors, poets, and storytellers read and shared their works.

A Spoken Word Celebration was held in Café de Bangkok on Saturday. Su ClausonWicker, the reading’s organizer, said the group of writers who participated was electric.

Each writer had a different type of prose and their own inspiration for their work, and they said that sharing stories was a connection between cultures and each other.

Chelsea Adams, local poet,

said it was special to listen to the work of other writers. She read while her husband played guitar.

“Its almost as if the poems come from listening and the music is found in the words,” Adams said.

With or without musical accompaniment, poems’ words are used to portray how the writer sees what is around them.

Beth Wellington said the poems are an attempt to describe other peoples lives. This was showcased in the readings of George Norton, an agricultural economics professor at Virginia Tech.

Norton read creative non-fiction essays from his soon-tobe-published book “Hunger and Hope.” Norton’s book is about his work in developing countries.

He said he used the stories that caught his students’ attention most.

“As a teacher, I like to get people excited,” Norton said. “I don’t usually read, I usually tell, but I need to get (the stories) on paper to reach a broader audience.”

Norton said that in his travels to impoverished areas, he has found many similarities between people. Many of the poorest people he encountered had a lot of hope and strong desire to share, he said.

Sharing words and cultures was a common theme amongst the readers for why they write and travel.

Kathy Coleman, storyteller, self-described ‘Appalachian bag woman’ and former Tech student, said she was glad to return to Blacksburg.

Coleman has travelled across the United States and to China telling Appalachian stories. She said the people and cultures are more alike than different.

Coleman uses her personal artifacts, which she carries in her bag, when she shares her stories.

“These educated folks call them artifacts,” Coleman said.

“I call them my stuff. I carry the stuff to remind me and the world that we are a culture worth enjoying.”

More events like the ArtCrawl and Spoken Word Celebration are planned for Blacksburg this Summer. Other ones such as the First Friday gallery exhibitions and artist receptions, art therapy workshops at Eucalyptus Massage, the Summer Solstice Fest, Art at the Market and Steppin’ Out are striving to engage the public to support and promote artists in their area.

Track and field heads to NCAA championships

page

9 SPORTS

COURTESY OF HOKIESPORTS.COM

Sprinter Keith Ricks qualified for this week’s NCAA championship in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, as well as the men’s 4x100 meter relay, and will be key to the team’s success.

ALEX KOMA sports editor

he became the only member of the team to qualify for multiple individual competitions.

“It would be really great to earn AllAmerican (honors) in all three events while scoring some points for the team,” Ricks said.

While the athletes took home plenty of honors in the past week, the coaching staff got some recognition as well.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Cianelli the Southeast Region’s coach of the year on Monday.

“With any coaching award, credit has to go the student athletes and the staff,” Cianelli said. “The coaches can’t do it for them, we just prepare them for meets as best we can.”

The preparation by the coaching staff

will undoubtedly be important for the upcoming meet, as the team deals with the increased expectations that come from its high ranking and the biggest stage in the sport.

“This team has handled expectations well all year, and I think we’re poised to do well,” McCants said.

Coaches are confident that the team is equipped for the added pressure.

“This is a pretty mature group, so the expectations haven’t affected them,” Cianelli said. “We’ve been pretty confident all year long, and I think it’s realistic to say that we should finish in the top ten this week.”

Traveling to Des Moines will present challenges to the team as it prepares, considering the time difference and unfamiliar location, but team mem-

bers are committed to sticking to their routine.

“We want to keep a lot of it the same, and just focus on sharpening our handoffs in the relays,” Ricks said.

“You don’t want to change too much, especially for national events.”

It will be important for the athletes to keep their minds sharp as well.

“It’s a matter of being in the right frame of mind,” Cianelli said. “In an event like this, you can’t be too sky high or too far down on yourself, or you’ll have trouble.”

If the team can achieve this delicate balance, then a top five finish could be within reach for the squad.

“Overall, if a few things fall our way, we can have a really outstanding meet,” Cianelli said.

collegiatetimes.com june 7, 2012

It may not be that unusual to see a Virginia Tech team ranked eighth in the country during football season, but in June, such a ranking might raise some eyebrows.

Although it might not get much attention while the Hokies play at Lane Stadium, the track and field team is making waves this summer, as it enters this week’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship with its highest ranking of the year.

“We’ve had high expectations for ourselves all year, and most of the players on this team have been to this meet before, so we expect to do well this week,” said Dave Cianelli, head coach.

Thirteen men and three women will represent the Hokies at the competition in Des Moines, Iowa after qualifying for the event in last week’s NCAA East Preliminary Round.

“We had the second-most people qualify from our regional, so I think we’re really focused right now,” said junior sprinter Jonathan McCants.

The team earned its high ranking after some standout performances in the preliminary round. The men’s 4x100 meter relay team of McCants, Jeff Artis-Gray, Darrell Wesh, and Keith Ricks posted the second fastest time in school history en route to earning a championship berth.

Ricks also reset his own school record in the 200 meter dash and finished fifth in the 100 meter dash, as

SPORTS

10

Wakeboarding: club places third at national event from page one

“Most people don’t know much about collegiate wakeboarding, despite Tech consistently being a top five program, so we really hope to continue to grow,” said Adam Van Dyke, club treasurer.

Van Dyke finished first in the men’s “C” division, while fellow club member Jeff Goldblum placed first in the men’s “B” division to pace the club’s performance.

“Our performance at the event was just awesome, Adam and Jeff really stepped up,” Schrein said.

The club has existed in various forms since the 1980s, but has only officially been the Wakeboarding Club since 2008, so club members hope this event will help raise the team’s profile.

“We really hope that people will take notice about this kind of finish at a national competition and that this will attract people to the club,” said club member Joel Wagner.

Considering that the event featured thirteen schools, including major Division I powerhouses like Wisconsin, Florida, and Miami (FL), the team’s success is sure to make people take notice.

“Everyone worked really hard

$

and came together as a team,” said Schrein. “A finish like this makes the team feel better about where we’re headed.”

Many team members echo this optimism about the future.

“I think everyone in this club has serious potential, and we really want to see them build on it,” Wagner said.

After coming so close to a national title this season, the club is focused on achieving the sport’s highest honor next year.

“We’re going for the title next year,” Schrein said. “We have the talent to win, and while we may be losing a few people, we’ve got some young talent coming in so we can compensate for it.”

Overall, next year looks to be a big season for the club.

“In the fall we’ll be going to regionals at the University of Tennessee, and since they won the national title last year, that’ll be a great challenge,” Van Dyke said.

“We really just want new students to join us, since we love having VTWAKEBOARDING.BLOGSPOT.COM people who want to ride and have fun.”

Club member Joel Wagner, seen here competing at regionals, also attended last weekend’s nationals.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Community

Calendar

Blacksburg Farmers Market: Every Wednesday (2 -7 PM) and Saturday (8 AM-2 PM)

“Camping”

CT PAID JOBS

JUNE

page

Dragway Car Show and Flea Market, Motor Mile Speedway, Radford 9 10:00 AM Claytor Lake Beach Festival, Claytor Lake State Park, Dublin 16 10:00 AM Annual Juneteenth Celebration, Smithfeild Plantation 23 5:00 PM Shrimp and Crab Feast, Smithfeild Plantation

9 8:00 AM 2nd Annual Motor Mile Speedway & *have an event you’d like listed on the Collegiate Times Community Calendar? Send your event with the date, time, and short description to studybreak@collegemedia.com.

page 11

Thursday, June 7, 2012

XKCD by Randell Munroe

Regular Edition Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Maintain balance with an exercise routine, as your career moves forward steadily this year. Patterns set by year’s end could influence the next several years. Review the big picture, and draw up a scheme that includes your best mates. Your network steadily expands.

When reinventing, choose for impact.

Crossword Grab a partner and another paper and duke it out over the rough Hokie seas.

Setup: Each player places their ships on “My Board” by filling in the required number of cells. Ships may not be placed diagonally or on top of each other.

Gameplay: Each player takes one shot at a time. If the player calls the coordinates of a space where a ship is located, his opponent tells him so by saying "hit." If he missed, his opponent says "miss."

Players mark the shots they take on their "Opponent" grid, a circle for a hit and an ‘x’ for a miss. A ship is sunk when all of its squares have been hit. When this happens, the player whose ship was sunk says, for example, "You sank my battleship." The first person to sink all of their opponent’s ships wins.

Battleship:

My Board

Carrier:

Submarine:

Destroyer:

My Opponent’s

2 5 6 7 4 1

9

3

1

3

8 3 2

9

7 5 6 6 8

4

2

9 8

9

Complete the grid so that each column, row and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1-9.

Copyright 2007 Puzzles by Pappocom. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

word

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Unscramble the letters to solve the

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

1.

ara dne mmely

a

2.

ptehlhe

3.

eiysmr

4.

lietorsu

5.

rnesgu mgeah

e s i n

Check out next week’s paper on pg 10 for the answers!

page

SPORTS

12

Tech must commit to football for move to SEC ALEX KOMA sports editor In college football these days, the SEC is the place to be.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a talented recruit or a school looking to join the conference that’s won the last six BCS national championships; the new trend is to head south.

This gravitational pull of the NCAA’s premier football conference is so strong that in these slow summer months, the rumors start to swirl about potential new members for the conference, and Virginia Tech has been one of the many possibilities bandied about.

While it may be wishful thinking on the part of many Hokie fans, given the administration’s devotion to the ACC and the fact that Florida State and Clemson don’t seem to be leaving just yet, the SEC would seem to be a good fit for Tech in a variety of ways.

There have been plenty of people saying that the ACC is holding Tech back from becoming a legitimate football power, and a move to the SEC would certainly put an end to that conversation. However, the recent Stadium Woods debate and subsequent recommendation by the committee formed to solve the problem indicates that Tech simply isn’t ready for a jump southward.

Tech often acts as if it’s simply another southern football school, and while the huge crowds and devoted national fan base are similar to many SEC

schools, it’s simply not on the same level. Many like to act like the Hokies are on the same level as schools like Alabama and Florida, but the behavior of the university just doesn’t bear that out.

Forget the difference in the talent the team attracts- that’s merely a product of conference affiliation. Instead, examine the athletic department’s revenue.

A USA Today report recently revealed that the department raked in a hefty $66 million last season. It may seem like a lot, until you consider that Alabama brought in more than double that at $124 million.

Perhaps a comparison with last year’s national champion is a bit unfair, but it illustrates a larger point. For all the talk of the dominance of the football team, it’s just not the revenue generator that one might expect.

Part of that is due to the size of Lane Stadium. At a capacity of roughly 66,000, it remains one of the more intimidating venues in the sport, but there’s certainly room for expansion.

Some have been nervous that any expansion might change the acoustics of the stadium, and while that’s a prudent concern, expansion will be a necessity to compete with other SEC schools financially.

However, the Stadium Woods controversy demonstrates a potential future obstacle to expansion and exemplifies the kind of thinking that has held back the program from achieving its

LUKE MASON / SPPS

An expansion to Lane Stadium is a change the athletic department should consider to enhance revneue. potential.

Assuming the woods remain standing after the committee’s recommendation to build the new indoor practice facility elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine that an expansion to the stadium wouldn’t threaten their existence once more.

While Tech will always have plenty of champions proclaiming the ecological value of the woods, the university simply can’t allow their attitude regarding the football team to be so indecisive.

It’s bad enough that they can’t

get the new practice facility built to quickly protect players and coaches from unpredictable weather, but future opposition to the university’s biggest moneymaker just isn’t acceptable for a school that has SEC aspirations.

In short, Tech can’t settle for any more half measures when it comes to football. It seems as if the school will be forced to leave the ACC, whether it’s next season or five seasons from now, if it is to truly reach the heights of college football.

More than anything, univer-

sity officials will have to change their attitude. People may object to a college being too focused on sports, but those complaints seem to get quieter when that focus leads to national titles.

Change is coming for Tech football. The only question is if the school will start acting like it belongs in the SEC at the top of the world or if it’s comfortable staying in the middle of the pack with the ACC. It takes a lot for this Northerner to admit it, but let’s hope Tech gets more southern very soon.

Mom wants you to be in the yearbook.

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