Thursday, October 25, 2012 An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 www.collegiatetimes.com
COLLEGIATETIMES 109th year, issue 34
Weekend, page 2
Opinions, page 3
Sports, page 6
Classifieds, page 5
TRADEMARKED TRADEMARKED TRADEMARKED BY DEAN SEAL | news reporter
D
owntown bookstore Bookholders has officially trademarked the infamous phrase “Stick It In.” The Baltimore-based company issued a press release Tuesday saying its Blacksburg branch is preparing to make charitable donations off all earnings made by the “Stick It In” line of apparel. While no mention of the trademark was made in the press release, Joe Verde, vice president of research and development for Bookholders confirmed yesterday that the trademark has been registered. When asked why the company decided to trademark the phrase, Verde mentioned concerns over the company’s ability to market the popular chant. “We had people come in about the trademark,” Verde said. “We were worried about losing the right to do it. That’s when the managers, who are alumni of the school, came up with the idea. We’re in to selling books, and we thought this would be another great avenue to get people into the store.” Rumors of the trademark have been circulating on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit for the past week. While Verde is uncertain about how the rumors began, the topic of “Stick It In” t-shirts has been trending most notably in conjunction with one of Bookholders’ biggest Tech-apparel rivals, Campus Emporium. Campus Emporium began releasing cryptic posts on their Facebook wall a week ago. “Sorry if we’ve acted weird over the last few days about certain items in our store. We can’t really say much, but please trust we did what we had to do and are currently doing everything we can,” posted Campus Emporium on
KEVIN DICKEL / SPPS Bookholders has trademarked “Stick It In” and plans to use all revenue as a fundraiser.
Oct. 17. While no other information has shed light on this mysterious post, comments and tweets from fans of the local store have voiced negative opinions toward Bookholders for having created the trademark. Campus Emporium has said its “Stick It In” T-shirts are no longer for sale, saying in a Twitter post “Who knows what the future holds…” Outside of social media forums, Campus Emporium has had only this to say on the topic of the trademark, in a release made directly to the Collegiate Times. “We at Campus Emporium are surprised by recent events surrounding the ‘Stick It In’ chant. The saying has been a part of Blacksburg culture and our store for many years. We never sought to limit use of the phrase as we felt it belonged to all Virginia Tech
fans, and were content to share the market with other local stores. We will not comment on the actions of other businesses. Their actions speak for themselves, and the community is free to form their own opinions based on the information that is publically available to them.” According to Bookholders, the sale of “Stick It In” apparel won’t necessarily be exclusive to their store. “Groups, organizations, clubs and/or businesses looking to sell any ‘Stick It In’ apparel and/or merchandise are urged to contact BookHolders,” said its press release. “It is the goal of BookHolders that through the ‘Stick It In’ phrase, that these businesses or organizations will also want to donate their proceeds to the charity; as decided upon by the community, and help promote the Virginia Tech com-
Apartment Hunting
Foxridge
Follow this writer on Twitter @jdeanseal
Maple Ridge Terrace View
a quick comparison of off-campus housing options The Division of Student Affairs kicked off hunting season with the Off-Campus Housing Fair yesterday. Various apartment complexes and leasing agencies set up booths offering information to students interested in living off campus. For most students, the biggest factors to consider when choosing an off-campus location are cost and proximity to campus. “(The most important thing is) price, what is included in the price and how updated the place is,” said Brittany Baskette, a freshman human nutrition, food and exercise major. The Off-Campus Housing Fair is one of many resources The Division of Student Affairs offers. Its website has links to apartment finders, roomate finders and helpful hints for new enters.
munity’s spirit and pride.” Bookholders has not made a final decision on how proceeds from “Stick It In” apparel will be used, but they are calling on students and the Blacksburg community to help decide. According to Verde, suggestions can be posted directly to the store’s Twitter, Facebook or email. Even if others do sell apparel with the phrase, Bookholders will still maintain exclusive rights to the slogan while they hold the trademark. “If they have trademarked the phrase ‘Stick It In,’ then they have to continue to use it and another company cannot use it, or anything that might be confused with it,” said Wat Hopkins, a professor of communication law at Tech. The chant, coined by Tech’s Marching Virginians for when Tech’s offense is within scoring range of the end zone, was banned from stadium usage in 2007. However, apparel featuring the phrase has prevailed in the years following its removal from the stadium. Verde has speculated that funds raised by sales may return to the phrase’s source. “Someone said the proceeds should go to the band, which is actually a great idea,” said Verde. “Why not give money to them, they started it.” Though the phrase did not originate from Bookholders, it was still able to trademark it since it hadn’t already been done. “There is no requirement that you come up with your own trademark,” Hopkins said. “The requirement is that no one else is using it as a trademark.”
Windsor Hills The Chase
Foxridge
CAMPUS
Terrace View
Maple Ridge
The Chase
Windsor Hills
1 to 4 bedroom apartments 725 sq ft - 1,860 sq ft $729 - $1,811
1 to 4 bedroom apartments 630 sq ft - 1,960 sq ft $679 - $2,084
2 to 4 bedroom apartments $800 - $1,740
4 bedroom apartments $1,800
1 to 3 bedroom apartments 561 sq ft - 1,214 sq ft $727 - $950
Heat, gas and trash included
Water, sewer and trash included heat and hot Water included Phases 5-9
Central heat and air
Gas and heat included
Heat, gas and trash included
2.8 miles from campus
1.4 miles from campus
2.8 miles from campus
1.6 miles from campus
2.6 miles from campus
Pet friendly
No pets allowed
No pets allowed
No pets allowed
Pet friendly
Rec center available
Rec center available
Rec center available
No rec center
Rec center available
MICHAELA REARDON/ COLLEGIATE TIMES
SAVES sponsors Red Day LESLIE MCCREA news staff writer
For the sixth year in a row, the Virginia Tech Women’s Center and Sexual Assault and Violence Education by Students (SAVES) are partners in sponsoring “Wear Red Day” today to raise awareness about relationship abuse across campus. According to SAVES, 21 percent of college relationships contain one partner that is being abused, meaning that 1 of 5 relationships can be considered abusive. That fact is part of the reason why the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance started the Red Flag Campaign, a statewide and now national program aimed at bringing knowledge of this issue to college campuses specifically. “The program is geared towards college students because a lot of times, things from unhealthy relationships to sexual assault go unreported,” said SAVES Documents Manager, Nicole Castellon, a fi ft h year in aerospace engineering. “We try to prevent and educate, but we are not as aware as we should be.” The Red Flag Campaign utilizes a “bystander intervention” technique in order to involve not only victims of abuse, but also their friends who may be able to help. “We make an effort to encourage friends to pay attention and notice red flags in their friends relationships and then to talk to their friends if they see them,” said Women’s Center Outreach Coordinator, Jen Underwood. According to Underwood, these ‘red flags’ represent abusive actions that span a large range of types of abuse and can include physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse. Chair of SAVES and senior classical studies major, Gabriella Greer, had her own red flag experience freshman year when she was stalked. “I am really passionate about this program because I feel that if it was out there and I had seen it, I would have been more willing to get help in the fi rst place,” said Greer. For “Wear Red Day,” SAVES asks students to participate by wearing the color red, and also to spread awareness through their “I Believe” photo project. Today on the Drillfield, SAVES will be placing red flags to represent the signs of an abusive relationship and share the message with students. “The day is relevant to everyone and sends a message about creating a community that not only denies abusive behavior, but also one where people care about each other enough to reach out and do the positive things,” Underwood said. By holding more events than ever this year, SAVES and the Women’s Center hope to create a welcoming environment for victims so that relationship abuse will be reported. Underwood added that “Wear Red Day” is a great way to start conversation about what people have, what they want, and what they deserve in a relationship.