Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Print Edition by Collegiate Times

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 www.collegiatetimes.com

COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 18 News, page 2

Arts & Entertainment, page 6

Opinions, page 3

Sports, page 5

Study Break, page 4

Olympic athletes share inspiration BY SEAN HAYDEN | news staff writer Even after having to be fully resuscitated at a waterpark after nearly drowning on a massive waterslide, Cullen Jones still could not resist being in the water. Jones is a decorated Olympic swimmer, and along with track and field world record holder and Paraolympic gold medalist Marlon Shirley, he spoke to a crowd of Virginia Tech students last week as part of a ten-campus tour. At the age of 8, Jones was already in the pool for his first swim meet. “My dad was a competitive basketball player, so I was born with an extremely competitive nature... I actually had to work hard to be a good swimmer since it didn’t come naturally to me,” Jones said. Shirley, who lost one of his feet at the age of five in a lawn-mower accident, also cited the importance of hard work, and how adversity can be turned into a fuel for success. “My adversities in my life have brought me the greatest opportunities, and facing them made me who I am today. Anything that you face that might deter you or distract you from what you want to accomplish is going to be the reason that you are successful,” Shirley said. For Shirley, overcoming that challenge and working extremely hard made him successful. “I believe everyone is born to be successful. The only difference is that some people have to work harder to obtain that success. Even though Cullen and I

have the title of ‘Olympian,’ we still have struggles today,” Shirley said. One of Cullen’s main struggles is not competing against other swimmers, but the early age of retirement that is the norm in the industry. When the time came to begin training for the recent London Olympics, his coach told him that he didn’t think he would be able to medal or even make the U.S. team. The possibility of retiring was in the air, but Jones did not let that stop him. “My dream started to get a little blurry. Don’t tell me I can’t do something. That night, I was so fired up that I went home, sat in front of the mirror and told myself, ‘I can do this. I am going to do this,’” Jones said. From that point on, Jones went through one of the most intense training regiments he has ever gone through, taking his ability and strength to new heights. “We practice, race, eat, sleep and that’s about it. It becomes very systematic. Once you get on that grind, it’s like any other meet, but there’s just more on the line,” Jones said. For both athletes, the support of friends and families was a consistent and important theme in their lives. Jones cited his mother’s early advice on how to map out and accomplish goals. “At the time, I did not realize that she was instilling one of the most important rules that I use to this day. She taught me how to set goals, see OLYMPIC / page two

CJ YUNGER / SPPS

#CAMPAIGNCOUNTDOWN

Senate candidates debate economics DONAL MURPHY news staff writer

Senatorial candidates Tim Kaine and George Allen debated Friday about how to avoid the looming, automatic “sequestration” cuts. The debate was held at the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce in Northern Virginia, and was moderated by host of Meet the Press, David Gregory. State and district elections are often overshadowed by the upcoming presidential election, though many of the issues debated, such as healthcare and higher education expansion, would deeply affect Virginia Tech students. Kaine, the Democratic candidate and former Virginia governor, presented a main goal of ending gridlock in Congress and fostering compromise and action. Prior to his election as governor, Kaine served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor. “Today we’re here because we have a Senate to be fixed. We’ve got to fix Congress, to end gridlock that’s blocking progress towards important goals,” Kaine said during his opening statement. Allen, the Republican candidate and former Virginia governor and senator, debated on the platform of job creation and fostering businesses. Allen was one of Virginia’s senators from 2001 to 2007, when he was unseated by the current

retiring senator, Democrat Jim Webb. “The best social program of all is a job,” Allen said, citing his experience in welfare reform during his period as governor. With Webb stepping down, there is no incumbent running, leading to a close race. Recent polls show Kaine with 51 percent of voter support leading Allen, who has 43 percent. Spending was the main issue argued by the two candidates, particularly plans to avoid the sequestration budget cuts that are looming. Should Congress fail to compromise a budget approach, this plan would result in $1 trillion in budget cuts, $500 billion in defense spending, effective at the beginning of the year. These cuts would result in the estimated loss of 200,000 defense jobs in Virginia, and would be a significant blow to both the strength of the US military and companies that rely on the military for contracts, many located in the state. Kaine proposed that to reduce the deficit and avoid these cuts, Congress should allow the Bush tax cuts to expire for those who make more $500,000 a year. “That would produce $500 billion in revenue. Fix Medicare, allow negotiation for prescription drug pricing. That will save $240 million dollars over 10 years. And finally, take away subsidies see DEBATE/ page two

SGA and GSA aim to combat apathy PRISCILLA ALVAREZ news reporter

Despite a small audience, the SGA and Graduate Student Assembly presented concerns on their dwindling presence on campus, as well as possible solutions, in a joint-address last night. Since the start of the year, the two organizations have emphasized their main focus: governance. Last week at the Commission of Student Affairs meeting, they both expressed their concerns regarding the current system to pass legislation. At that meeting, SGA and GSA reviewed the current governing structure and the usual 12-week time frame it takes to pass legislation. Dustin Dorph, president of SGA, voiced this concern again at the joint address Monday night, however this time he went on to explain the internal challenges that they are facing as an organization. “Currently, there’s an identity crisis. As an organization, we’re stuck between 'Are we a program organization?' or 'Are we a governing organization?'” Dorph said. Recently, SGA and GSA have been focusing on events, said Dorph. For instance, SGA coordinated Relay for Life and the Big Event, but these two events soon broke off as independent identities because of their size. In addition, GSA would put on wine socials throughout the semester. These socials dwindled down as leadership within the organization changed and the aim towards governance prevailed. “It’s not that we don’t want wine socials, but we don’t want it to be our focus. At the end

KEVIN DICKEL / SPPS

SGA President speaks to students at a joint address with the GSA. of the day, we are professional graduate students. We have to put this image out there. We have to focus on this besides doing events and socials,” said Shaimaa Abdallah, president of GSA. Dorph supported that thought, agreeing that focusing on large events took away from the student voice. “It took a lot of focus away from governing, a lot of focus away from gaging student opinion and being able to effectively do that for stu-

dents,” Dorph said. The identity crisis faced by these two organizations has also lent itself to the apathetic culture among students. Last year, the voter turnout stood at 8 percent. The lack of interest among the student body proved itself at the joint address with a non-SGA or GSA student attendance of three. SGA is tackling this issue by attempting to be more accessible and visible to the student body. This is being

accomplished through several branches of the organization. They have renovated their website, connected on Facebook and Twitter, created a Pinterest board, Youtube channel and promotional video. SGA is changing how the internal structure functions to engage more students. At the joint address, SGA Speaker of the Senate Luke Hodge expressed his excitement on increased representation in the House and Senate. Th is year is the fi rst in his three-year tenure that every seat has been filled. Additionally, sessions of the House and Senate now take place together to increase effectiveness and efficiency. They also require that representatives speak to the dean of the college they are representing, so they are aware of what SGA is doing and also contribute. “We’re trying to be incredibly active, pass legislation, get out there, feel for student opinion and learn what the students want,” Lodge said. To make the representation process easier for student organizations, the judicial branch is focusing on reviewing documents to assure that they are clear, according to Luster Schonberger, SGA Chief of Justice. Despite obstacles, the SGA and GSA are confident they can make a difference in the governing structures currently in place. “We’re here, we want to work for you, and we’re dedicated to improving student life here at Virginia Tech,” Dorph said. Follow this writer on Twitter @priscialva

news

september 25, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

Olympic: Swimmer earns gold from page one

set goals, plan out and map those goals. The reason I was so successful in college and was able to develop into an Olympian was because of that advice from my mother,” Jones said. During Jones’ senior year of college, a friend mentioned the possibility of the Olympics. From that point on a seed was planted, and he knew he wanted to be a part of Team USA. For the 2008 Olympics, Jones was on the relay team that shocked the world. “My mom told me that I would have to be ready because my team was going to need me. Little did I know how important that advice would be. Only two months later, I raced against the French team that was supposed to crush us and helped win the Gold medal,” Jones said. Based on his experiences in the Olympics, Shirley talked about his views on leadership. “You don’t have to be a CEO, CFO or a CMO to be a leader. The one character trait of being a great leader is having the ability to inspire. Even though you may not feel like you are in the position to be a leader, people are always watching. You never know who is looking up to you,” Shirley said. Both athletes pointed out the great irony in Olympic athletics, that they train for years and all of their hard work comes down to one opportunity. “Like Marlon said. We only have one shot. If you mess up that one shot, your dreams can be golden or crushed,” Jones said. Despite that, Jones said, that one moment was one of the most amazing instances in his life. “Being on the podium is an awesome feeling. For the Olympians, the national anthem is like our fight song. Most of us have been to college so we have that spirited mentality like any college fans do when they hear their own fight song,” Jones said. Both athletes have gotten involved in programs outside of the Olympics to help others. Shirley participates in the “Deloitte Warrior Games,” which helps amputee soldiers from the U.S. Military r ehabilitate and compete in sports. Jones has gotten the chance to work with “Make a Splash,” which teaches children in ethinically diverse communities how to swim, because they are less likely to know how to swim and more susceptible to drown than caucasians. S t u d e nt fe e d b a c k from the event was positive. “It was awesome to meet some of the best athletes in the world, and it was inspiring to learn about their humble beginnings,” said Sean McMahon, a senior engineering “major who attended the talk. “They represent ou r cou nt r y ver y well.” The event was sponsored by Deloitte, a sponsor of the USA Olympic and Paralympic Teams. Students and other audience members got the chance to network with Deloitte recruiters, meet the Olympians and get autographs. Follow this writer on Twitter @shayden

editors: mallory noe-payne, victoria zigadlo newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

collegiatetimes

#CAMPAIGNCOUNTDOWN Coverage of the issues that involve and affect YOU this campaign season.

Debate: Kaine and Allen spar over taxes

WEEKS LEFT

from page one

for the big 5 oil companies. That will save $24 billion tion to Tech and we’re going to have them turn it upside to determine over 10 years,” Kaine said. everything that could have been done different,” Kaine said. Allen laid out a plan based on reforming our tax Allen commended Kaine on his handling of the code to close loopholes. shooting. “The proposal I have will create more than 500,000 Matthew Hurt, a senior in political science and Today we’re here because we jobs a year,” Allen said. the President of College Republicans, watched the have a Senate to be ﬁxed. We’ve debate. He suggested the country bring its corporate income tax down from 35 to 20 percent, giving “One of the things that stood out to me was when got to ﬁx Congress, to end companies more money to hire new workers as Kaine mentioned that he would be open to a progridlock that’s blocking progress posal that would create a minimum federal income opposed to paying taxes. “Lower taxes, create more jobs, greater opportutax for every American. I think it’s important that towards important goals. nity, makes our country more competitive,” Allen as college students, he is open to raising taxes on said. Tim Kaine people for a variety of reasons,” Hurt said. Virginia Tech came up briefly as the candidates Many more students are not following the senaDemocratic Senate Candidate torial race, concentrating instead on the presidendiscussed foreign policy. Kaine said the attack in Libya that resulted in tial election. the death of American Ambassador Chris Stevens “I plan on researching the candidates a little bit could have been handled better, citing his experience with the April 16, before I vote, but so far I haven’t looked into it,” said Brandon Toma, a 2007, campus shootings at Tech as an example for what could be done. senior in music performance. “What I said from day one (after the shootings) is we’re going to put Kaine and Allen are scheduled to debate again at Tech on Oct. 18. in place a panel of people with a broad expertise who had no connec- Follow this writer on Twitter @HokieRealist

“

Still Curious? For more information on Tim Kaine's campaign visit:

Kaine’s wife kicks off campaign MALLORY NOE-PAYNE news editor

www.kaineforva.com

For more information on George Allen's campaign visit: www.georgeallen.com

In a small crowded second-story room on College Avenue, Judge Anne Holton, wife of Senate candidate Tim Kaine, addressed a crowd of devoted Democrats. The event was a canvas kick-off, inaugurating the new office for Kaine’s campaign in the area. Most attendees were Blacksburg citizens, not students, and members of the Montgomery County Democrats. According to Dianna Richardson, the executive vice president for the group, the space will be used primarily as an office for field operators, local canvassing efforts, phone banks and organizing meetings. Holton addressed between 40-50 peoMALLORY NOE-PAYNE/ SPPS ple, standing in front of of a painted wall Judge Holton meets and greets with Montgomery County Democrats proclaiming, “Rock the Campaign!” She at a kick-off event for a new campaign ofﬁce in downtown Blacksburg. focused on the grassroots movement, saying that individuals in the room were more important to the campaigns efforts than any large donors. Holton suggested that people reach out to friends, families and community members across the political spectrum to engage them in civilized discourse in a manner suitable for neighborhood friends. “Invite your friends over to a debate watch party, give them a little food, soften every one up,” Holton suggested to laughs. She gained a round of applause and murmurs of approval as she discussed women’s rights, saying that the government had no place in many of the intimate decisions women make. “Women make up half the economy,” Holton said. The crowd was sobered slightly as Holton discussed poll numbers, encouraging people to still act despite the fact that recent polls have consistently had Kaine edging out Republican opponent George Allen. The stop was one of many in college towns around the state as Holton campaigned for her husband in the upcoming Senate race for the Virginia’s empty seat. Holton came from Lexington and was in Roanoke today. Follow this writer on Twitter @MalloryNoePayne

The full video of Friday's campaign can be seen at: http://www. youtube.com/ atch?v=k2Jqzb4XKv4

Kaine and Allen are scheduled to debate again: Oct. 8, Richmond Oct. 18, Virginia Tech

Allen meets with Tech Republicans ANDREW KULAK news staff writer

Yesterday the Virginia Tech College Republicans hosted Susan Allen, wife of George Allen, the Republican candidate for Senate in Virginia. The visit was part of the Virginia Voices tour, and included stops in Wytheville and Rural Retreat. Susan Allen spoke in Squires Student Center to an assembly of students, a small but enthusiastic crowd, many of whom were wearing stickers supporting her husband. She highlighted the three main themes of her husband’s campaign: jobs, the economy and energy. “Where are the jobs?” Allen asked the gathered students. “We have so many opportunities to create jobs. We can’t take the mediocrity any longer.” Allen touted her husband’s record of job creation as Virginia’s governor, saying that he created 300,000 new jobs in the state. During her speech, COLLEGE REPUBLICANS she stressed the importance of energy indepenA group from Tech’s College Republicans pose with Susan Allen, wife of Senate candi- dence to the economy. She discussed the role of date George Allen, during a campaign visit for her husband to campus yesterday. coal, along with alternative energy sources, and how these can play in a domestic energy strategy. Allen encouraged students to get involved with the election, and proposed a “Hokie Challenge,” an online contest to see who can capture the best images of students supporting the Allen campaign around campus. Event organizers hoped the visit would encourage student involvement and interest in the upcoming election. “The elections that take place now while we are students are going to affect us greatly after we graduate,” said Matthew Hurt, a senior political science and communication major and chairman of the College Republicans. Her visit lasted only an hour, but Allen reserved time to chat with each of the students who made time between classes to see her. “Hokies have been the most supportive over the years,” Allen said, as she jokingly acknowledged that her husband had attended the University of Virginia. As she left to make other stops in southwestern Virginia, students praised her speech. “I thought it was excellent,” said Alexandra Ernst, a freshman international studies major. “I think she’s a great speaker.”

editors: josh higgins, bethany melson opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

opinions

september 25, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

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

Your Views [letters to the editor]

Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief: Michelle Sutherland Managing Editor: Nick Cafferky Design Editors: Andrea Ledesma, Alicia Tillman Special Section Design Editor: Danielle Buynak Public Editor: Erin Chapman Web Editor: Chelsea Gunter News Editors: Mallory Noe-Payne, Victoria Zigadlo News Reporters: Priscilla Alvarez, Cody Owens Features Editors: Emma Goddard, Nick Smirniotopoulos Features Staff Writers: Ben Kim, Katie White, Kara Van Scoyc, Allie Sivak, Jacob Wilbanks Opinions Editors: Josh Higgins, Bethany Melson Sports Editors: Matt Jones, Zach Mariner Special Sections Editors: Cody Elliot, Gina Patterson Copy Chief: Nora McGann Copy Editors: Allison Hedrick, Kristin Gunther

Reusable to-go containers save environment The Sept. 21 “He said she said” feature does a good job of drawing attention to an issue that affects all members of the Blacksburg community (and, really, all residents of planet Earth): the use of disposable Styrofoam to-go boxes. The article touched on some interesting styrofoam facts, and I would like to clarify a few of Victoria Zigadlo’s comments and suggest some possible solutions to this problem. Styrofoam is made of expanded polystyrene and contains the chemicals benzene (a known carcinogen) and styrene, which has been linked to a variety of negative health conditions. Small amounts of styrene can be transferred to food from styrofoam packing materials. Once styrofoam has been in contact with food or any liquid, it is no longer recyclable! This means that those styrofoam to-go boxes CAN’T be recycled! If you’re concerned about your health, or the health of our planet, you should purchase an eco-clamshell from Owens. The ecoclamshell is a reusable BPA-free plastic to-go box that can be used in dining halls instead of conventional styrofoam. To use the box, simply order your food “for here,” check out, then transfer your food to the ecoclamshell and take it home! This will not only help the planet, it will also prevent the problematic “smell of rotting meat and the mountain of petroleumproduced containers” referenced in the article! I sincerely encourage anyone with a meal plan to purchase and use an eco-clamshell.

- Devon Johnson Virginia Tech student

MCT CAMPUS Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager: Ryan Francis Circulation Manager: Travis Neale Student Publications Photo Staff Director of Photography: Brad Klodowski

America participates in unnecessary conflict A

merican foreign policy since World War II has had only one goal: to maintain American supremacy and military force around the world, in order to actively pursue our own interests. The process began long before President Barak Obama or former president George W. Bush entered office, and it is implicitly embedded in our nation’s government, no matter which party is in power. Republicans focus on how Democrats are willing to wave the olive branch, cut defense spending and generally be weak on national defense. In response, Democrats attempt to bolster their credibility by claiming how tough they are on terrorism and how they will increase defense spending. However, the reality is both parties prioritize the nation’s defense, for better or worse. When it comes down to the facts, Obama has increased drone attacks in several countries while going back on his word by keeping Guantanamo Bay open. His foreign policy, to a large degree, is an extension of Bush’s. What is much tougher to analyze and even discuss is how embedded our country’s military influence has become in sovereign foreign nations.

Most people know the U.S. has military bases in many foreign nations, in combination with intelligence gathering in certain countries of interest. Many probably do not know, however, that the U.S. Special Forces are at any given time actively running missions in 70 countries. The Special Forces includes Navy SEALs and Army Deltas, among other operations. The range of power granted to the Special Forces has increased during the last decade, along with their numbers. They have grown from an operation numbering in the hundreds to the tens of thousands within the past two administrations. They run intelligence-gathering missions in foreign nations, a job previously reserved for the CIA. Post-9/11 foreign policy has heightened pressure on the president and government to be stronger and tougher in response to perceived threats. The increase in Special Operations missions and its personnel highlights the implementation of this policy. The danger with this strategy is a never-ending cycle of violence. We are sowing seeds of hatred in a generation of people who see the United

States unlawfully invading and subsequently destroying their countries. They then see retribution as their only option. The role of the United States as world policeman is no longer feasible — if it ever was. Our government has a responsibility to maintain a strong military for the nation’s defense, but the level to which our involvement in foreign nations has risen is unacceptable and exceeds the military’s mandate. We like to consider ourselves the “good guys” on the international stage and seemingly would like to foster cooperation and good will among our allies. Contrary to that picture our government paints, the U.S. repeatedly treats the United Nations as its personal tool and circumvents unanimous decisions. The war in Iraq was a recent example of a major unilateral decision by the United States against the will of the rest of the globe. Currently, domestic issues are garnering much of the attention in the general election coverage, as they should. With our growing deficit and other economic ailments, both candidates are extolling the virtues of their “unique” recovery plans. They conveniently ignore the

enormous amounts of money we place into the all-encompassing category of defense spending. Neither party wants to be painted as unpatriotic by cutting the defense budget. But the money we spend “fighting terrorism” abroad could be used much more effectively to help our citizenry here at home. It is clear why Mitt Romney — and even Obama, to a certain extent — have avoided referring to America’s true foreign policy objectives. Americans do not wish to hear about missions we run in countries they cannot even identify on the map. They want our deficit to shrink and the unemployment rate to decrease. At the same time, they believe our government is fighting the good fight to bring democracy and freedom to the world, and that we need to maintain a military stronger than any other nation. We have kept this falsehood alive too long, and it will continue to survive until we demand an end to our imperialistic agenda. SHARATH REREDDY -regular columnist -sophomore -economics

U.S. should move toward international collaboration I

n early May, 2011, we learned SEAL Team Six had successfully rid the world of Osama bin Laden, under risky orders from President Barak Obama. A few months later, the Obama administration reached a decision to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq. Troop withdrawal was completed on December 16, 2011. The apparent sharp contrast between these two decisions is actually at the heart of the Democratic approach to foreign policy. President Obama’s approach has been one that supports our military where they are already deployed, but also acknowledges American military dominance is not in our best interest. By military dominance, I mean our natural instinct as Americans to want to interfere when things get out of hand in other parts of the world, usually militar-

ily. I am in no way referring to technological superiority and prowess, which are always welcome. Supporting our troops consists of such things as providing them with necessary funding and equipment. Anyone who argues President Obama has failed in this respect need only look to the World Bank’s data on military expenditure. Military expenditure as a percentage of U.S. GDP has been growing steadily since 2000, meaning it is even greater now than it was at any point during the Bush administration. It stood at 4.83 percent in 2010, and it was 4.37 percent in 2008, George W. Bush’s last full year in office. Alas, I am afraid of those who measure troop support mainly in terms of military spending. It is these people who complain about reductions in military spending if America goes over the “fiscal cliff ”. Will reducing military

spending — remember, the consequences of going over the fiscal cliff would not freeze military spending levels, but simply would slow down the increase — mean that troops will be automatically endangered? I believe not. And the real effects simply highlight the other part of this administration’s foreign policy: loosening our military grip on an independent and sovereign world. Less money to spend would simply mean better prioritizing. It would mean removing troops from Afghanistan, the setting of a hopeless war no country could ever hope to win. It would mean — dare I say it — a reduction in the size of our armed forces. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would have us remain in Afghanistan until the government of that country shows itself capable of fighting the

Taliban insurgency, part of his “An American Century” foreign policy approach. He stubbornly believes we can realistically fight their forces, despite more than a decade of military engagement against them. The fact that most of that engagement time was during the Bush administration shows it is an unwinnable war. Regardless of which party controls of the U.S. government, the fight is simply unwinnable. Part of that is the almost unilateral nature of the conflict as it stands today. With this in mind, we should embrace a multilateral approach to foreign policy. Upon careful consideration, we find many of America’s interests are shared by others around the world, especially countries in the West. Let us draw on their cooperation to solve difficult military problems, as Obama has shown himself apt to do.

The NATO response to Libya is the most important example of multilateralism displayed by our president. Rather than take the lead in combat operations, forces from around Europe and beyond were involved in attacking Libyan military targets. The U.S. provided strategic support but was less than the main actor in the operations. And most agree that the outcome — a Gaddafi-free Libya — was a success. Inviting other countries to share in the responsibility of encouraging and maintaining a free world is not cowardly. Rather, it is the solemn duty of a global superpower that faces growing competition from many states and actors around the world. HECTOR QUESADA -regular columnist -junior -political science

College Media Solutions Assistant Ad Director: Carla Craft Account Executives: Elizabeth Dam, Emily Daugherty, Taylor Moran Inside Sales Manager: Amanda Gawne Assistant Account Executives: Andrew Newton, Jordan Williams Creative Director: Danielle Bushrow Assistant Creative Services Director: Alyssa Morrison Creative Staff: Mary Dassira, Chloe Young, Cameron Vaile, Diana Bayless 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 Collegiate Times Newsroom 231-9865 Editor-in-Chief 231-9867 College Media Solutions Advertising 961-9860 The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday through Friday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. The Collegiate Times receives no direct funding from the university. The Collegiate Times can be found online at www.collegiatetimes.com. Except where noted, all photographs were taken by the Student Publications Photo Staff. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. The first copy is free, any copy of the paper after that is 50 cents per issue. © Collegiate Times, 2012. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

september 25, 2012

Regular Edition Today’s Birthday Horoscope: It looks like a year of exploration and adventure, with travel, education and communication. Philosophy, other cultures and spirituality stir your curiosity.

Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham Quote of the Day

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.

Show us your awesome use | Patio | Tailgate Apartment | Dorm | Ho and you could win big! prizes and a Winners receive ate Living! feature in Collegi

XKDC by Randall Monroe

and , category, complex Email us your name ollegiatetimes.com pictures to cribs@c

- Leonardo da Vinci

1 4 3

8 4

7 5

Send us your quote and see it here! creative.services@collegemedia.com

6 9 2 4 2 3 6 1 4 6 5 6 9 8 4 1 4 3 5 8 9 3 5 7 9

39 Honey 40 NYPD notices 42 Ones who’ve got your back, in Internet shorthand 47 Morgan Freeman won its 2011 Life Achievement Award: Abbr. 48 Morning talker 49 Fly over the equator? 52 Pleased cry 53 Droid, e.g. 56 Slip through the cracks? 57 Like calls between drudges? 61 Run well 62 Unsound 63 Like Napoleon 64 Relaxing locales 65 The Hartford logo 66 Failures (and in another way, a hint to 17-, 27-, 44- and 57Across)

Week ending September 28, 2012 9/25/12

By Bruce R. Sutphin

ACROSS 1 Gung-ho response 7 Delay 10 Evans of country 14 Buff 15 Farm female 16 Left 17 Village with very little gardening equipment? 19 The NCAA’s Runnin’ Rebels

Top Tracks Gangam Style • PSY

(5) 1

One More Night • Maroon 5

(3) 2 3

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together • Taylor Swift

20 Lab, for one 21 Reject 22 Sends 24 Jacket label letters 26 Get off the shoulder, say 27 Entrance purchases for a conditioning program? 35 Actor Milo

(4) 4

Some Nights • fun.

36 Pool game call 37 Tiny beef 38 Fly on a line 39 Gives credit where credit is due 40 On the safer side 41 Rational ending? 42 “__ it Art?”: Kipling 43 1955 UN joiner 44 What Ruth forgot to bring to pool night?

DOWN 1 Tune carrier 2 One-track 3 Couturier Cassini 4 Med. research agency 5 Bar opening? 6 Pistons’ place 7 Last non-priest to be named pope 8 “Isn’t that cute?” 9 It involves mapping 10 Gripe 11 Reunion attendee 12 Stir up 13 Off-rd. rides 18 Worker with light metal

50 Food in a memorable “Seinfeld” episode 51 Pound of verse 52 White partner 53 “__ Eterno”: 2004 sports documentary 54 Active sort 55 Addenda 58 Lascivious leader? 59 Big name in kitchenware 60 Tecs

Friday’s Puzzle Solved

Your Body • Christina Aguilera

23 Bonkers 24 Slush Puppie maker 25 Radical ’70s group 27 __ acid: vitamin B9 28 Amigo on the road 29 Crowd starter? 30 “Socrate” composer 31 Nice compliment 32 Zhou __ 33 Happy Meals toy, e.g. 34 Writer of short letters 43 Future George W. Bush Presidential Library site 45 “Hondo” et al. 46 Dutch brewery 49 A-one

9/21/12

WORDSEARCH: Performances On Campus Locate the list of words in the word bank in the letter grid.

D WORD BANK 1 JOHN MAYER L J S 2 DMB W G B 3 WIZ KHALIFA I Z O 4 B.O.B. 5 AVETT BROS. Z W B 6 SPRINGSTEEN K R D 7 ALLMAN

W B

W R

W L

10 RAMONES

12 BB KING 13 OUTKAST 14 CHRIS ROCK 15 KANYE 16 BOB DYLAN 17 OAR 18 BILLY JOEL

W K

W C

8 ADAM SANDLER

9 JIMMY FALLON 11 STEVE MARTIN

Winners receive prizes and a feature in Collegiate Living!

www.facebook.com/collegiatecribs

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

sports

september 25, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

Women’s soccer drops heartbreaker to Boston College JACOB EMERT sports staff writer

The Virginia Tech Hokies No. 8 women’s soccer team fell to No. 4 Boston College on Sunday, 2-1 at Thompson Field. Tech dropped their second straight, after their first loss of the season came earlier in the week against North Carolina. Fifteen minutes into the first half, Ashley Meier sent a through ball into the left half of the box for Shannon Mayrose. Mayrose, Tech’s leading scorer, put her left foot on it and sent it past Boston College’s goalie Alexa Gaul for the first score of the day and her seventh this season. “It was a simple up, back and through,” Mayrose said of the goal. “I got it in and I was able to get off a good shot.” The shot provided the Hokies with a 1-0 lead, one that looked to be enough for most of the game thanks to Tech’s stingy defense. The Eagles came into the game averaging over three goals a game, but the Hokies back four refused to give up anything easy. Every time the Eagles attack gained control inside the box, they were swarmed by numer-

ous defenders and unable to get a good shot on goal. “I think in the first half we had great organization in the back,” said true freshman defender Jordan Coburn. That organization prevented the Eagles from finding the back of the net, and allowed Tech to enter the locker room still clutching their onegoal lead. In the second half, Boston College changed their offensive strategy and it immediately resulted in more scoring opportunities. The Hokies, anchored by junior goalkeeper Dayle Colpitts, kept the Eagles off the scoreboard for the first 80 minutes of the game, but it came with a share of close calls. Colpitts made multiple diving saves in addition to a leaping effort — with 24 minutes left in the game — in which she was just able to extend far enough to punch the ball over the net. The tired Hokies defense would eventually cave in the 83rd minute. Stephanie McCaffery, an Eagles attacker, found herself in front of the net as Rachel Davitt sent in a cross from just outside the box. McCaffery redirected the ball with ease. Boston College was on the board and the game

was tied. Just three minutes later, the Hokies found themselves on defense again, however this time it was all up to Colpitts. McCaffery received a running ball from Lauren Bernard and she found herself with a great look at the net. Colpitts dove to her left, anticipating a shot from McCaffery that never came. McCaffery maintained possession and dribbled past the last Hokie to net her second goal in six minutes. “A lot of people could tell the first half was better than the second,” Coburn said. “We were really busy in the back and we were getting tired. We just gave it away in the end.” Before the Hokies take the field again, Head Coach Chugger Adair says the team has room for improvement. “We are going to work on mentality,” he said. “We didn’t close that game out well enough, from top to bottom. We were holding on for too long and we got tired and couldn’t hold on anymore.” The Hokies will look to even out their ACC record, which currently stands at 1-2-0, against the Maryland Terrapins next Sunday at 5 p.m. in Blacksburg.

KEVIN DICKEL / SPPS

Junior Jazmine Reeves eludes a defender during Sunday’s 2-1 loss to No. 4 Boston College.

Volleyball beats Miami, falls to FSU over the weekend BRIAN MARCOLINI sports staff writer

Bouncing back from adversity tells a lot about the character of a team. The Virginia Tech women’s volleyball team showed its character during a roller coaster of a weekend in Blacksburg. The Hokies played host to No. 15 Florida State and Miami over the weekend, suffering an excruciating five set loss and a resounding three set win. The Seminoles came into Cassell Coliseum on Friday as the preseason favorite, and the only ACC team ranked in the top 25. Boasting a 10-2 record

and a group of towering middle blockers that lead the conference in defense, Florida State posed a challenge to the Hokies’ talented attack. Despite those challenges, the Hokies came out swinging, taking the first set 25-19 behind the defensive play of Tori Hamsher (who had seven blocks on the night) and the attacking prowess of Samantha Gostling and Jennifer Wiker. The superb Hokie defense forced the Seminoles into 10 attacking errors in the first set. Despite the hot start, the teams traded sets. There were 17 ties and six lead changes through the first four sets, sending the match

into a decisive fifth set. Tech could never gain more than a one point lead and ending up dropping the final set 15-11, and subsequently the match. As tough as the loss was to swallow for the Hokies, it still showed the team that they have great potential. “We knew they were ranked coming in so we played like we had nothing to lose,” said senior middle blocker Cara Baarendse. “Some things didn’t go our way, but tonight showed that we can compete against these great teams.” Coming into Sunday off of that heartbreaking loss against the Seminoles, one may have

expected an emotional hangover. After all, the Hurricanes were second in the ACC a year a go with a 26-5 record and came to Blacksburg hot off a crushing victory over Virginia. The Hokies, however, came ready to play. The stellar Tech defense held the Canes to a .181 hitting percentage, which was the biggest factor in the Hokies’ 3-0 win. Gostling came through again, leading the team with 11 kills and Baarendse had an absurdly efficient match, with ten kills on only 18 attacks. Tech came into the weekend hot, winning their first conference game of the season against

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rival Virginia in Charlottesville and also winning seven of their last eight. The win propelled the Hokies to 9-4 and are 2-1 in conference play. The weekend built necessary momentum as the team enters the teeth of their conference schedule. “We can compete with anyone,” Baarendse said. “And I really think we saw how great we can be.” Baarendse, Tech’s sole preseason All-ACC selection, has seen fewer attacking attempts than in recent years, but has been extremely efficient with the attacks that she has had. Baarendse has had a hitting

percentage above 50 percent in seven of the Hokies’ 13 games this season, including going 12-for-16 last Saturday against Liberty. The Hokies look to head back to the NCAA Tournament one year removed from earning the first bid in school history. To do so, big-time ACC wins are crucial, and they look to improve on their 11-9 record in conference play a year ago. The team heads to play Maryland and Boston College next weekend, two teams that were picked to finish in the bottom quarter of the conference this season.

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LESSON 2: PARKING IN THE SHADE QUESTION: Do UV rays effect my car’s interior? ANSWER: Of course, a garage is always the ideal place

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Stop, and listen. You get a brilliant idea. Keep working at it until you get it, trying new creative steps each time. No one expected this. An investment at home is okay. Expand your vision.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Create your own opportunities for inancial success and fun. Surround yourself with friends that know what they want, and that bring you joy. Share the love. You can solve a puzzle.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Every suggestion won’t work, but you won’t know unless you try. Your in luence grows; don’t be afraid to use this in a positive way. Your family and community want to help.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -Everything clicks in your communications. A lovely moment’s possible now. Improve your living conditions, and invest in newer technology. Get another perspective before purchasing.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You’ll get a lot of your questions answered when you listen. Don’t act yet. Share results irst. Everything seems possible, but choose your next steps carefully.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- You know just what to say. Share ideas and ideals. Whisper sweet nothings. Details fall into place and you get rewarded. Friends are here for you. Sleep well tonight. Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- A friend leads you farther ahead (as if you’re not already super-ef icient). Keep going, there’s more work coming in. Smile at your good fortune. Make plans with friends later. Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Intuition reveals an opportunity. You may discover that all is not as you’d expected, and that’s good. Delight in the new experiences. Contact associates for news or work.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- You all advance to the next level (even if you don’t feel like it). Don’t worry, you gain experience and it all turns out for the better. Allow others to contribute. Send a press release. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You’re drawing positive attention. Others ask your advice. Share your ideas, but not the personal stuff. Be bold when asking for money. You’ll accomplish more than you think possible. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Friends and family of friends are very helpful, if you allow it. Get it in writing. Listen to an interesting suggestion (and to your intuition). Your partner gets a lucky break.

to park your car. But if one isn’t available, minimize interior damage from UV sunlight and heat by always trying to park your car in the shade. If no shade is available or if you find parking under a tree results in bird droppings, use a car shade to minimize the sun’s impact. As a bonus, you’ll have a cooler car to step into on hot sunny days. Car shades come in two basic types: those that you unfold and place on the front windshield and rear window, or pleated types that attach to the windshield posts, window frames, or the windows themselves (with suction cups). -http://www.rd.com

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september 25, 2012 COLLEGIATETIMES

arts & entertainment

editors: emma goddard, nick smirniotopoulos featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865

Avengers keeps super Radio sound creates ‘Fiasco’ hero movie prestige alive

Also out this week...

Music Review

Movie Review

While many place classic comic books in the domain of nerds and geeks, comic book movies have been appropriated by the mainstream audience and transformed into big-time Hollywood blockbusters. This summer’s blockbuster hit “The Avengers,” is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray today. Films based on comic books have always been around. Since the first Saturday morning series of Captain Marvel in the 1940s, superhero stories have enjoyed an essentially unbroken run in a myriad of mediums. Recently, the trend has shifted towards a gritty, dark portrayal of the classic superhero stories. One needs only to look at the massive success, both financially and critically, of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” franchise to see that. Perhaps this is why “The Avengers” feels like such a breath of fresh air. The "Marvel Cinematic Universe’ franchise is currently composed of six films starring Marvel characters – “Iron Man” (2008), “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), “Iron Man 2” (2010), “Thor” (2011), “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) and “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012). These Marvel films might be distinguished from their recent DC Comics competitors (but only Nolan’s “Batman” films and “Watchman” because it would be best for everyone if “Jonah Hex” and “The Green Lantern” never existed) by one simple characteristic: the Marvel films are fun. This says nothing about the quality of the movies — good luck to any superhero movie trying to outdo “The Dark Knight” — but simply acknowledges the fact that, where Batman lives on precision and self-discipline, Tony Stark is essentially a walking innuendo. It is remarkable how these two extremes are blended together so well. “The Avengers” was written and directed by Joss Whedon, the geek favorite who created cult shows such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and the cruelly brief “Firefly.” The story is based, of course, on “The Avengers” comic books originally created by other geek legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. The film brings together Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Black

Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to form The Avengers team. They are supported by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the ever-present Agent Phil Coulsen (Clark Gregg) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), all a part of the ‘peacekeeping’ organization S.H.I.E.L.D. Thor’s adopted half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) serves as the story’s main villain, as he conspires to subjugate Earth with the help of another supernatural race, the Chitauri. The film is superbly casted, especially with Robert Downey, Jr., who was made for the role of Tony Stark, and Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston had a tough role playing Loki, the over-proud and vengeful second-born son, but the manic energy he brings to his role makes Loki’s delusions of grandeur believable for the character. Furthermore, the superheroes are portrayed to continually remind the audience that, mutations or suits of armor aside, they are all still very human, with human flaws and missteps. Whedon brilliantly takes what makes each character unique and pulls it to the extreme to show those shortcomings — thus Captain America’s belief in the right of military authority comes dangerously close to blind acceptance of orders and Tony Stark’s signature sarcasm becomes bitter. The challenge for the characters, then, is to overcome these flaws and work together to “fight the foes no single superhero could withstand.” It is for this reason that “The Avengers” is largely an exposition used to introduce audiences to the characters and show how the Avengers team was formed. It does not feel that way, however, thanks to the fast-paced script and brilliant action sequences. Audiences did not seem to think so either, judging from the numerous box-office records the film matched or surpassed. Among other achievements, “The Avengers” had the biggest opening weekend in North America, it was the third-highest grossing film ever with a worldwide total of over $1.5 billion and the fastest to gross over $1 billion. Even Tony Stark could respect that kind of money. KATIE WHITE -featured movie columnist -junior -history major

Lupe Fiasco’s last album “Lasers” supposedly suffered from creative differences with Atlantic Records. Fiasco recently announced he will retire after his current record contract with his label expires, which raises anticipation for his upcoming albums. Lupe Fiasco’s fourth studio album, “Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Part 1,” was released today. The album was originally intended to be one record, but was split into two parts, with Part 2 expected to come out early next year. The two-part record is the follow up to Lupe’s beloved debut album, “Food and Liquor.” That album put Fiasco on the map for his storytelling ability and politically charged lyrics. “Food and Liquor II” features an all-black cover and a booklet with all-black pages and no lyrics or credits. Lupe stated he wanted to release the album in that format just to see if he could actually get his record label to do it. After some battling with the label, he got approval for the controversial cover. “Food and Liquor II” starts with a spoken word track called “Ayesha Says.” This follows the common precedent of a spoken intro track established by “Food and Liquor” and replicated on “The Cool.” The song “ITAL (Roses)” is a criticism of the current state of hip-hop and its over-glorification of violence and other harmful images. Fiasco raps, “Pills make you stupid and liquor do the same thing / Raris’ too expensive and they way too hard

to maintain.” “Audubon Ballroom” is titled after where Malcolm X was assassinated, and the song also refers to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Fiasco spits on the track, “Turn the glass ceiling to a glass floor / Make a trampoline out of trapdoor.” The song is about the use of the “n” word and society’s oppression of African Americans. The single “B---- Bad” is a song that condemns the abundant use of the word in hiphop. But ironically, he incorporates the word into the chorus of the song. He even comments about how young children do not understand how the word is used in context, so they will not understand his condemnation of the word, but the song only adds to the plethora of songs with a catchy chorus featuring the word. “Heart Donor” features a cringe-worthy hook sung by MDMA. The artist was featured often on “Lasers” and unfortunately returns on the latest Fiasco project. It certainly does not help that he changed his name from MDMA to Poo Bear. The biggest problem is that he distracts listeners from Fiasco’s intricate rhymes with his auto tuned mess of a hook. While this album is definitely a step up after the disappointment of “Lasers,” that is not much of a compliment. There are some standout tracks, but also a lot of disappointing ones. “Hood Now” may be the greatest analogy for what has occurred to Lupe Fiasco and his music. The song features extremely slick

“The Looper” This thriller stars Joseph GordonLevitt as an assassin who is ordered to kill his future self, Bruce Willis. (Sept. 28) production and heavy synthesizers to create a club friendly beat. Fiasco discusses serious things like the proliferation of black culture into mainstream American culture, but he does it in two bar phrases broken up by repeated lines. The old Fiasco would have just rapped for 24 bars and let the message speak for itself. “Food and Liquor II” is a decent album with some great highlights, but also contains an unfortunate amount of lows. While the content he preaches is still there and thought provoking, sometimes the record is not enjoyable. The record suffers from a radio friendly sound that tries to create the next great hook to garner massive fans, but this ultimately hurts the overall sound of the record. Unfortunately, in an effort to reach a wider audience, Fiasco’s message had to be dumbed down and shoved through the formula of popular music. JACOB WILBANKS -featured music colomnist -junior -communication major

FTL offers realistic spaceship missions Game Review

Sirens blared as my ship, The Kestrel, was hit by a stray missile. With my shields down, the Mantis cruiser opened up with two lasers and quickly disabled most of The Kestrel’s core systems. With life support offline and fire spreading throughout the ship, a fire bomb pushed past my shields to destroy the hull of the Kestrel, instantly killing my three-man crew. In hindsight, I realize that I could have avoided the battle completely by rerouting all power to my faster-than-light drive and jumping to a nearby system; decisions like these are what make “FTL: Faster Than Light” a uniquely enjoyable experience. Created out of a successful Kickstarter campaign by Subset Games, this spaceship simulation is just the type of game that I have been waiting on for a long time. As a member of the Federation, you are put in control of a spaceship carrying information vital to stopping the oncoming Rebel forces. The game is projected in a top-down perspective of your ship with different systems labeled as separate rooms. Crew

members are individually controlled and each member has specific traits and proficiencies associated with the ship’s various systems. Although “Faster Than Light” features quite a few ships, the sheer amount of customizations available is what makes the game so much fun. There are countless ways in which you can upgrade your ship’s systems and these choices directly influence how you approach battles. Upgrades rely on the use of “scrap,” which is the standard currency of space. Purchasing decisions are a balancing act as you will need to balance your fuel supply with hull repairs, while also carefully selecting between potential upgrades. For example, upgrading drone systems while neglecting weapons means you will be stuck relying on automated drones to attack the enemy. Shield and weapon system

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upgrades will come in handy when you face up against the numerous factions littered throughout the galaxy. Combat is incredibly interesting and, although you can pause the game at any time, battles are frantic and exciting. Choosing which systems to power during a battle is an incredibly hard decision that usually has serious repercussions. Sending more power to your shields will give you greater protection at the cost of possibly being unable to use your weapons, or by completely deactivating another system such as the “medbay.” These battles can be fought in any number of ways with a focus on firepower over shields, or even by teleporting your crew directly onto the enemy ship. This rogue-like spaceship simulator is an exciting game that comes at a bargain price. Although the overall game is hampered by a very limited number of in-game events and enemies, “FTL: Faster Than Light” doesn’t disappoint. BEN KIM -featured game colomnist -sophomore -communication major

“Pitch Perfect” Starring Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, this comedy follows a female a Capella group as they take on a favored male group in a competition. (Sept 28)

Music Mumford & Sons, “Babel” The breakout song “Little Lion Man” put Mumford & Sons on the map, ultimately leading to their debut album “Sigh No More” being nominated for a Grammy. The London folk band’s single “The Cave” was also well received on the radio. The group is releasing their sophomore album “Babel” (Today)

Talib Kweli, “Prisoner of Consciousness” Lead single “Push Thru,” off Talib Kweli’s upcoming sixth solo album, “Prisoner of Consciousness,” is a blistering song featuring Curren$y and Kendrick Lamar. Kweli has been critically favored but never commercially successful. If his new album measures up to the single, Kweli will have critics lauding.