what are you doing this weekend? see page 3
Thursday, January 31, 2013 An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 www.collegiatetimes.com
COLLEGIATETIMES 109th year, issue 64 News, page 2
Weekend, page 3
Misdemeanors can affect job prospects
Opinions, page 5
Sports, page 4
Study Break, page 6
TECH TAKES ON MIAMI
2011 Virginia Tech Crime Statistics Referrals vs Arrests 530 299 73 22 liquor law violations
drug law violations
Hiding offenses can create more problems in interviewing than having them in the first place SEAN HAYDEN news staff writer
In a weak job market, minor arrests may mean the difference between getting the job or not. The U.S. Department of Justice released a report in June 2012 relating the conviction of college students for misdemeanor crimes and the resulting obstacles when trying to find employment. According to Amy L. Solomon, author of the study and senior advisor to the assistant attorney general in the Office of Justice Programs, the study shows that one third of American adults have been arrested by age 23. Jim Henderson, the associate director of employer relations at Virginia Tech, discussed how misdemeanor offenses can change the application and interviewing process. “I really want to emphasize that the student has to be completely honest,” Henderson said. “What gets the students in trouble more often than the actual offense is trying to hide the offense.” Henderson also noted that students will get job offers, but when the employers conduct background checks, they show legal offenses that were not on the application. That situation can cause an issue with ethics and integrity. The offense may not have prevented the students from getting the job, but can be revoked if an employer learns that they did not disclose that offense. “If a student has an underage drinking offense, or a drunk in public offense, typically the employer will not care about that,” Henderson said. “If the student has multiple offenses, however, employers are going to care a lot about that.” According to the National HIRE Network, which helps individuals with criminal records enter the work force, a job applicant could be highly qualified, but a conviction history may make the applicant appear to be more of a liability rather than an asset, regardless of whether the crimes are misdemeanors or felonies. According to the United States Attorney’s Office, any criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for a term of less than one year is a misdemeanor. A misde-
info on the go One third of American adults have been arrested by age 23. meanor that carries a penalty of imprisonment for less than six months, a fine of less than $500 or both, is considered a petty offense. To clarify the difference between misdemeanor crimes and felony crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice defi ned what distinguishes one crime from the other through a list of examples. Misdemeanors include offenses such as minor assaults, simple possession of controlled substances, some tax law violations, disorderly conduct, disorderly intoxication, indecent exposure and other offenses. In some cases, those charged with an offense have the option of expunging it. Doing so completely eliminates the offense from an individual’s record, however it takes a few months to process. A sophomore Virginia Tech student, who preferred to remain anonymous, decided to expunge his offenses for being drunk in public and underage possession of alcohol to prevent any problems with employers in the future. “(I’m expunging it) just to have it completely cleared off and be able to have a clean slate still and so jobs won’t see it,” he said. One of the most important messages that Henderson emphasized is that employers want to make sure that the legal offenses are no longer taking place and that the student grew from the experience and changed their behavior. “Students should expect questions about the offenses in an interview, and they need to make sure they have a good explanation of what took place, and what they learned from that experience,” Henderson said. Follow the writer on Twitter: @shayden
BRAD KLODOWSKI / SPPS
Erick Green (11) dribbles around Miami’s Kenny Kadji (35) in the first half of play. Check online for full coverage
The Lyric hosts renowned comedy group SARA LEPLEY features staff writer
During a film noir comedy sketch for The Second City, Daniel Strauss met an improvisational actor’s nightmare, and sometimes dream — his volunteer from the audience decided to do his own thing. “We have a series of beats that we’re supposed to hit, but he was not allowing us to do it because he was like trying out his own material,” Strauss said, who has been acting for The Second City for roughly three years. In a way, the actors already had prepared for the otherwise unexpected plot twists. The Second City is a comedy sketch group that frequently employs improvisation and satire, churning out such comedic heroes as Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert. In improvisation, actors make the script up as they go along, rehearsing only general themes and characters beforehand. Strauss compares such rehearsing to preparing for a standardized test. As he described, you can take practice tests to familiarize yourself with information before the real test, but you will not know the exact ques-
COURTESY OF DAVE RENTAUSKUS
Members of The Second City prepare to perform a comedy sketch. tions. By employing this mentality, the actors were able to go along with the previously mentioned volunteer and successfully finish the scene. “Stuff like that is a challenge, but in some ways we kind of love when that happens because it’s totally different, and no one’s expecting it,” Strauss said. The Second City’s easygoing attitude motivated Marc Arciaga, The Lyric’s produc-
tion manager, to select them to perform at The Lyric on Feb. 1. “Comedies are easy because they just come in, they’re always pleasant, they never require a lot of hospitality fuss — they just chill and do the show,” Arciaga said. “It’s kind of a no brainer because they’re easy. It’s easy for us and everybody likes it.” Their use of improvisation further helps The Second City
by enabling their sketches to constantly evolve. While some shows may contain similar material, such as their current “NPR” theme, each show presents new jokes and dynamics. In this way, each audience they perform for enjoys their own custom, one-time exclusive version of the show. “One of the special things about improv is it’s something that’s created just for that audience,” said Kate Lambert, who has acted for The Second City since 2010. “[It] instantly becomes an inside joke for the people that are in that room and people on stage; it’s something that can never be replicated again.” For example, Blacksburg residents should expect some local humor at The Lyric’s showing. In fact, Lambert actually grew up in Charlottesville, which may add an interesting element to the sketches. In addition to being location-specific, the improvisational aspect also fosters time-specific sketches, or acts that will cover the most recent news possible. The cast of The Second City playfully ridicules society’s most relevant issues, from see IMPROV / page three
2
news
january 31, 2013 COLLEGIATETIMES
editors: priscilla alvarez, mallory noe-payne, dean seal newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
Board of Visitors seeks new student representative CAITI CARRERAS news staff writer
The Board of Visitors is seeking a new undergraduate and graduate student representative for the upcoming school year. Graduate student representative Robyn Jones has been involved in many organizations and held several positions, including being the first black woman to be elected class president in 2002 and serving as executive director of the Student Government Association. Of these leadership experiences, Jones said serving as a student representative for the BOV brought a new aspect to the table. “I saw the opportunity and wanted to represent students from the unique perspective of the Board of Visitors level,” Jones said. “I wanted
COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH
Nick Onopa (left) is the current undergraduate representative on the BOV, and Robyn Jones (right) is the current graduate representative. to see policy being made at the highest level at Virginia Tech.” As the governing authority of Virginia Tech, the board is made up of 14 members, 13 of which are appointed by the Governor of Virginia and confirmed by the Senate. The 14th member serves as ex-
officio and is the president of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “The Board of Visitor’s primary role is in policy and budget,” said Larry Hincker, associate vice president for University Relations. “They establish tuition rates in March, appoint the presi-
Kits promote hands-on learning
dent (of the university), and approve the name, location, and building of new structures.” The undergraduate and graduate student representatives serve as liaisons to connect the students and the board. Each student representative is also appointed to serve on one of the board’s committees by the chairman. Nick Onopa is the current undergraduate student representative. Onopa has held various leadership positions in organizations including the Student Government Association, Hokie Camp and the Student Life Council. He plans to go into educational reform and later on in his career, politics. “I do what I can to help the university given my resources,” Onapa said. “I meet with diverse groups of students and try to get everyone’s
JUSTIN GRAVES news reporter
news staff writer
COURTESY OF KRISTI DECOURCY
The kit given to a local middle school contained legos and oats. 100,000 students in almost ties, where (the students) every county in Virginia are actually manipulating since the program began. and doing things them“Teachers asked for the selves, then they are learnprogram. Back in the early ing through doing and they 90s, when biotech was all are more focused on the new and shiny, Fralin pro- lesson. The nature of scivided teacher training,” ence is to problem-solve and DeCourcy explained. do hands-on activities, so According to DeCourcy, I think the kits are a great workshops hosted by Fralin way to teach,” she said. provided teachers with good Other kits that have been ideas, but they still lacked distributed provide the the resources. tools for students to learn “(Teachers) would leave about organism behavior, saying, ‘This is great, but DNA, protein structure and we can’t afford this in the immunology. classroom, we want to take The kits may be lent for it back to the students’,” she up to two weeks at a time to said. teachers who apply, and may So, in 1994, with funding be one of six types of kits. from the Howard Hughes Fralin covers all costs of this Medical Institute and the mission in order to make it Fralin Endowment, the available to any classroom. Biotech-in-a-Box program The Fralin Life Science was started. Institute invests in research “Students get excited if on Virginia Tech’s campus they’re actually doing some- that supports the life sciencthing themselves, hands-on, es and provides seminars, rather than just sitting in conferences and research their classroom listening to support group. a lecture,” DeCourcy said. Follow the writer on Twitter: King agreed. @lesliemccrea “If I have hands-on activi-
Applications are available online at dsa.vt.edu/BOV/apply They are due Feb. 15 and require a personal statement, letters of recommendation and a resume. Term lasts June - May perspective and opinion on issues.” Student representatives are involved in a number of events that reach out to the student body. For example, Onopa is going to Richmond to lobby with the SGA on Hokie Day. “I also go to banquets for the Board of Visitors, attend
alumni weekends and organize lunches to discuss student issues six times a year,” Onopa said. The application process has several steps, including a personal statement with the application, two letters of recommendation, a resume and a series of interviews. The one-year term spans from June to May, and the members of the board ultimately decide who holds the position. Students who are interested have until February 15 to apply. “The goals and issues have changed since I was chosen (as the undergraduate representative), but we have accomplished a lot,” Onopa said. “With my position, I represent what is means to be a Hokie.” Follow the writer on Twitter: @caiti_carreras
Hokies set off for capital
LESLI MCCREA Children in Joni King’s seventh grade life science classroom can expect a more exciting science class for the next week thanks to Virginia Tech’s Fralin Life Science Institute. Christiansburg Middle School was recently the recipient of a Biotech-ina-Box kit, essentially an experiment in a box for use in classrooms. Kings’ new kit, called “Caging the Blob Box” contains legos, oats and slime mold. Since 1994, students across the state of Virginia have been working with the Biotech-in-a-Box program, sponsored by Tech’s Fralin Life Science Institute. Fralin provides the learning kits to classrooms at no cost. “Students get excited if they’re actually doing something themselves, hands-on, rather than just sitting in their classroom listening to a lecture,” said Kristi DeCourcy, who founded the Biotech-in-a-Box Program. This hands-on approach is part of the Institute’s outreach program, aimed at introducing new experiments that combine biology and engineering concepts into classrooms. The main audience for these kits is high school students, but there are some kits for middle school classes as well. Kings’ class will use their box to construct mazes out of legos, and observe reactions of mold to physical barriers. The kit aims to teach students about the survival tactics of living organisms. “I introduced it to the class, and they are already really curious. It’s neat to provoke their curiosity and hear them question,” King said. “Seventh graders are a tough crowd, so anything I can do to keep them engaged helps.” According to Cecilia Elpi of the Fralin Institute, the Biotech-in-a-Box kits have been delivered to more than
more info
Most students feel like they are just idle bystanders as the cost for higher education continues to rise in the state of Virginia. From expensive textbooks to overcrowded classrooms, many students can think of ways that their education could be improved but they don’t always act on those thoughts. There are a select few who aren’t going to stand idly by, and they are in Richmond today to lobby to the General Assembly. They will focus on the idea that Virginia Tech meets many of the states goals regarding higher education and should be considered for more funding from the state. Hokie Day is put together annually by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Office of Government Relations and the Student Government Association. SGA’s Director of Government Affairs, Erica Wood, has helped plan the event over the course of the past semester. During this session, more than 100 Tech students will be on the floor of the General Assembly to follow
up on the 2012 event that saw almost 170 students participate in the annual Hokie Day. This day allows students to become more familiar with issues that are important to the university and at the state level. Wood’s academic advisor informed Brenda Padilla, a junior International Studies major, of Hokie Day. “He told me about it, and I also got it on the list-serv for my major … I thought it was pretty interesting and applied,” Padilla said. “I hope to get a valuable interaction with the delegate and senator for my district as well as to make a positive impact on some kind of legislation proposals.” Students are encouraged to be friendly and familiar with the issues and numbers, but to rely on personal stories and anecdotes that may impact their legislators. Each student schedules a meeting with their representatives and senators in the weeks prior to Hokie Day, to ensure adequate face time with the person who represents their district. Yesterday,Tech students took a bus from campus to
CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR A RECAP OF THIS YEAR’S HOKIE DAY Richmond where they were welcomed by a reception hosted by the Richmond A lu mni Associat ion Chapter. After the welcome reception, students have an opportunity to explore Richmond, keeping in mind that they had an early 7:30 a.m. wake up call this morning. They will continue networking and speaking with legislators throughout the day before returning to Blacksburg. Brownwyn Foley, a sophomore HNFE major, attended Hokie Day last year as well. “Hokie Day helps me live out Tech’s motto of Ut Prosim. I believe as a student, it is my job to help represent the university to our state government. I also hope to gain more insight into the state legislative process, as well as how funds are allocated to state institutions,” Foley said. Follow the writer on Twitter: @hesonwheels
what you’re saying On CLEs failing to meet potential
crimeblotter
Anonymous: Yes the Curriculum for Liberal Education is a problem. While I have no problem with colleges and departments requring certain CLE courses must be taken for a specific major it starts to be problemtic to seniors especially those trying to graduate. Also, for tranfer students from community college or other institutions. Focusing on in-major courses does take precedence as opposed to CLE courses that may or may not benefit the student(s). Sid: What “joke” classes is the author talking about?Oh I know classes like
Music Appreciation, Survey of Music,The Creative Process, Appalachian Studies, Creativity & Aesthetic Experience, Insects & Human Society, Human Sexuality, and so on. Yet when anyone mentions World Regions and holier than thou Boyer it’s a different story.If something covers Area X then take it and move on. It is the student(s) choice what they take and what they do with their education.Oh and this is college nothing is given to you or is easy.
date
time
offense
location
arrestees
status
12/03/2012
10:30 - 10:35 PM
Follow Up To Larceny of a computer and hardware
McBryde Hall
Inactive
1/29/2013
10:20 - 10: 30 PM
Intimidation
New Hall West
Active
12/07/2012
2:00 AM
Sell or Provide Alcohol to A Minor
Miles Hall
Inactive: Reported by Student Conduct
weekend
editors: emma goddard, nick smirniotopoulos featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
january 31, 2013 COLLEGIATETIMES
3
Married novelists visit Tech TERESA LU features staff writer
Two award-winning authors began their story together more than two years ago when they got married. Now, they get to share their passion for writing together as they hope to inspire future writers at Virginia Tech who are just beginning their journey. Tech will host a part of the Creative Writing Visiting Writers 2012 – 2013 series on Friday. Writers from the series include Stephen Dunn, Sandra Beasly, Diana Abu-Jaber and more. This time, the event will be featuring novelists Victor LaValle and his wife, Emily Raboteau. “We chose Victor and Emily not only because they are major talents in contemporary fiction, but also because we had heard that Emily was the sister of Albert Raboteau, who works in University Relations here at Virginia Tech,” said Matthew Vollmer, assistant English professor at Tech. “We figured they would jump at the chance to visit, and they did.” Emily Raboteau is a fiction writer, essay writer and professor of creative writing at the City College of New York, in Harlem. Raboteau is the daughter of a black father and a white mother, which presented
some sociocultural issues during her childhood. This is thought to have inspired her first novel, “The Professor’s Daughter,” which was published in 2005. The novel is about a young woman’s journey to discovering herself despite family loss and racial boundaries. Raboteau’s second novel, “Searching for Zion: The Quest for Home in the African Diaspora,” was published in January 2013 and was featured in the Washington Times. Raboteau is the recipient of awards from the Pushcart Prize, the Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Award, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and a Literature Fellowship from
“
I look forward to seeing her speak in conference, to hear her insights on her novel.” Sophia Huang freshman
the National Endowment for the Arts. Her writings have appeared in The Guardian, Oxford American, The Believer, Guernica, Best American Short Stories, Best American Mystery Stories and Best African American Essays.
“
I saw it was the chance to hear from two young, talented, and intimatelyconnected writers talk about the process of writing.” Matthew Vollmer assistant English professor
“I really enjoyed her first book,” said Sophia Huang, freshman university studies major. “The book addresses numerous issues of varying degrees that adolescents may encounter. The protagonist’s dependence on an older figure in the face of obstacles can be reflected in the very way that teenagers today shelter themselves from unfamiliar circumstances or intimidating changes. I look forward to seeing her speak in conference, to hear her insights on her novel.” LaValle, fellow New York novelist, graduated from Cornell University with a degree in English and completed his graduate work with a master of fine arts of creative writing at Columbia University. He is author of the shortstory collection, “Slapboxing With Jesus,” and the novels “The Ecstatic,” “Big Machine” and “The Devil in
Silver.” His novels have been featured in the Washington Times and the New York Times. LaValle’s “Big Machine,” won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel in 2009, as well as the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and an American Book Award in 2010, as well as making many national top ten lists. “The Devil in Silver,” LaValle’s latest work published in August 2012, is the story of a sane man sent for observation to a mental hospital. He teams up with some of the other inmates to fight the mental confusion of the drugs he is required to take, the staff and monster. “I saw it was the chance to hear from two young, talented, and intimatelyconnected writers talk about the process of writing and revising and publishing,” Vollmer said. “I expect to learn a lot and I know students will too.”
more info WHAT: Creative Writing Visiting Writers Series WHO: Emily Raboteau and Victor LaValle WHERE: VBI Conference Center WHEN: Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 1 3 p.m. – Women’s Tennis (Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center) The Hokies will take on Louisville. 8 p.m. – Rebecca Orr Benefit Concert (Squires Recital Salon) The Department of Music and the Virginia Music Teachers Association present a concert to support the Rebecca Orr Scholarship. General admission is $8, senior tickets are $6 and student tickets are $4. 10 p.m. – Gobbler Night (Squires Student Center) Student Centers and Activities offers a night of music, mini golf, movies and discounted activities until 2 a.m. The first 100 students inside will receive a gift.
Saturday, Feb. 2 11 a.m. – Men’s Tennis (Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center) Virginia Tech will battle Coastal Carolina at home. 2 p.m. – Celebrate The Lyric: A Digital Cinema Campaign (Lyric Theatre) The Lyric welcomes the Blacksburg community to a free screening of “Side by Side: The Science, Art and Impact of Digital Cinema.”
Sunday, Feb. 3 3 p.m. – An Afternoon with the Brahms Sextets (Squires Recital Salon) The sextet will play two of composer Johannes Brahms’ pieces. Tickets are $25 at the door, $20 if purchased online at www.musicaviva.swva.com, $12 for students with a valid ID, and $5 for people under 18. 8 p.m. – Student Voice Recital (Squires Recital Salon) Mezzo soprano Rebecca Wiles and tenor Jordan Hatchett perform; admission is free.
To see more from In the Loop and the CT Entertainment Blog visit: www.collegiatetimes.com/blogs/entertainment
Improv: Comedy group offers unique performance for Blacksburg from page one
pop culture to politics. They address what they consider a world piping with “economic uncertainty, political gridlock and a dearth of Kardashians clogging up our televisions.” Through comedy, they hope to buffer the intensity of conflict, and bring people together. “I think that we as a society tend to drive a lot of wedges between each other,” said Strauss. “When you look at the issue from a satirical point of view or try to highlight the comedy in that point of view, you kind of realize that people agree on more than they’ll admit. It’s very, very important for communication and breaking down those barriers.” In today’s polarized politi-
cal climate, people can get bitter when politics become involved – but satire allows audience members to laugh in the face of the bigger issues. Not only has the theatre group maintained a strong fan base for more than 50 years, but it has also initiated the careers of many stars, from Mike Myers to Steve Carell. The actors on The Lyric’s stage today could be the next Tina Fey tomorrow, a concept Lambert can vouch for. The first time Lambert saw The Second City perform, when she was 13, she may have witnessed a young Stephen Colbert. “We decided to pinpoint it by looking back at the archives,” Lambert said. “So that’s pretty cool.”
COURTESY OF DAVE RENTAUSKAS
(Left to right) Eileen Montelione, Daniel Strauss, Kate Lambert, Kellen Alexander and Tim Ryder get ready for a Christmas-themed sketch.
Why is music stuck in low-res in a world of high-res? KEVIN HUNT mcclatchy newspapers
What happened to the career trajectory of audio and video, for decades members of the same club? When quality counts, video is the superstar. Television shoppers only want the best, so they look for a 1080p set. (Watch out, new Ultra HD televisions are on the way.) But at a viewing distance of 9 feet from a 42-inch screen, the human eye cannot tell the difference between 1080p and 720p — the extra lines of resolution, and the extra money, are wasted. But people insist on the highest resolution. The 480p DVD evolved into 1080p Blu-ray. Music, meanwhile, remains stuck in another era, the late 20th century, and the early days of digital music downloads. In those days, agonizingly slow dialup speeds made downloading a music CD’s uncompressed fi les impractical. It took hours. That led to the MP3, created by the Moving Picture Experts Group, or MPEG, an international collection of experts that established standards for audio-video compression and transmis-
sion. The MP3 made sense then. An MP3 encoded at 128 kilobits per second was a fraction of an uncompressed CD (1,411 kilobits per second), allowing faster downloads. It also took up less hard drive space. An 8-gigabyte portable music player holds maybe 15 albums of uncompressed music fi les but close to 150 using lowbit-rate MP3 encoding. For-sale MP3 fi les were encrypted, too, essential to music-industry licensing, making them harder to copy illegally. (The CD was unen-
crypted.) More than a decade later, high-definition video is available at the iTunes Store or at Netfl ix, Vudu and other streaming services. Yet CD-quality downloads, never mind higher-def music, is unavailable at iTunes or Amazon.com or any other major music seller. While video downloads have gone high-def, the most notable advance in music downloads is the iTunes Store’s switch from 128 kbps AAC fi les to 256 kbps AAC
fi les — Apple’s version of the MP3 — essentially moving to a 5.5-to-1 compression ratio from 11-to-1. That’s an improvement, but still a long way from the original music. Maybe it doesn’t make a difference. People listen to music on iPhones, smartphones, iPads and tablets using headphones on noisy subways, in busy offices or relaxing while scanning the Internet, where quality doesn’t count. The MP3 and other varia-
tions, like Apple’s AAC, are known as lossy music fi les — data is lost when creating the fi le. The audio least detectable to the human ear is removed first. Even when the file is decompressed, the data remains missing. Compressed music files don’t have to be data losers. Another type, called lossless, compresses the file but does not discard data. An Apple Lossless fi le (FLAC is another lossless format) uses about 5 megabytes of disk space per minute of recorded music. A 60-minute CD stored in the Apple Lossless format would take up about 300 megabytes, maybe half the space of uncompressed fi les. Many people can’t tell the difference from a 256 AAC download from the iTunes Store. Some can, but need more expensive audio equip-
ment. See if you can tell the difference. Rip a song off a CD into iTunes as both an AAC (lossy) and Apple Lossless fi le. (More formal “double-blind” testing is available with free utilities like ABXTester at the Mac App Store.) Some people, depending on the HDTV, can’t tell the difference between 1080p and 720p video. Some can’t tell the difference between 1080p and 480p. But anyone can get high-res television. Space and speed no longer fit the audio equation. Hard drive space is less than $100 for a 1-terrabyte (1,000-gigabyte) external drive. High-speed broadband has replaced dial-up Internet connections. For portable use, iTunes soft ware can automatically convert lossless or uncompressed fi les to a smaller, compressed format to fit more songs. No technological, or practical, reason prevents music downloads from matching sound quality available in the home since the 1990s. The music industry doesn’t want it. As with video, though, people deserve the option.
4
january 31, 2013 COLLEGIATETIMES
sports
editors: matt jones, zach mariner sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
Lack of depth, porous defense plagues basketball team After the Hokie basketball team’s stunning 7-0 start to the year, some fans were starting to ask “Seth who?” Then the last 13 games happened, and people started to remember why this squad was expected to struggle in James Johnson’s first year as head coach. However, what has been surprising is the way the team has struggled recently. While the team’s extreme lack of depth — particularly in the frontcourt — was concerning to observers prior to the year, it’s been the backcourt that’s betrayed the Hokies so far. No player has fallen farther than sophomore guard Robert Brown. He began to emerge as a potent scoring threat from the perimeter in the first few games of the season, pouring in 18 points in the team’s win over Oklahoma State, but is now struggling just to find the backboard. By contrast, he’s scored just 25 points in the last four games, and looked particularly lost in the team’s big game against Virginia, failing to score a single point. Erick Green may be the top scoring player in college basketball, but without any help from Brown, there’s only so much he can do. However, the team’s poor three-point defense is as much to blame for the offense’s issues as Brown’s problems are. The Hokies’ fast-paced offense of the first few games was predicated on the team’s ability to get consistent defensive stops and then push the pace in transition. Now that teams are consistently hitting open shots, this task becomes a lot more complicated. In fact, Tech’s three-point defense has been so bad that even bad shooting teams have looked good against the Hokies. Clemson was dead last in threepoint shooting in the ACC
at least get to the foul line, if not score consistently. Despite all these negative aspects to the season, there’s still hope for the team to finish with a respectable record at the end of the year. It all starts with Johnson going back to basics and preaching the brand of defense he learned under Seth Greenberg, and then trying to get the offense moving again. As ridiculous as it sounds, it might even help for Green to assume even more of the offensive burden as well. This may be a tall task for a player averaging more than 25 points a game, but when the rest of the team is ice cold like they were in the second half of the Virginia game, it may be best for the team if he’s unrelentingly selfish. He certainly deserves credit for continuing to try to feed his teammates in these situations, but if Brown and Eddie can’t find their shots anytime soon, he has to recognize that he should just take over. Even the Cavaliers’ stout defense couldn’t stop him, when TREVOR WHITE / SPPS they were focusing on almost no one else on offense, so he Heach coach James Johnson reacts to a Virginia basket late in the second half of a 74-58 loss to the Cavaliers last Thursday night. clearly has the magic touch this coming into Sunday’s contest, defense, and while each player attempts. able weapon in the fast break season. but the Hokies allowed them to is important in that scheme, The Georgia Southern loss offense, and as the team’s pace Riding this ridiculous hot hit 10 of their 21 attempts, good the combined incompetence of was Eddie’s low point, as he has slowed, so too has his offen- streak may be the team’s best for 14 percent higher than their Brown and Jarrell Eddie in this shot 13 times from distance and sive production. shot at working its way back season average. area has been really detrimen- made only three, which is even No one was hoping he’d score into contention, at least until Similarly, Tech let Maryland tal. more embarrassing considering 20 points a game or anything, Brown remembers how to play and Colorado State each shoot Eddie’s defensive liabilities the quality of the opponent. but an average in the low double basketball or when Marshall close to 11 percent better from were forgivable early in the seaWhen Eddie had the green digits certainly wasn’t out of Wood gets fully healthy and beyond the arc, leading to lop- son when he was regularly the light to take open shots in tran- the question. He started out relieves some of the stress on sided losses in both cases. team’s second-leading scorer, sition, he could be really effec- fast, scoring in double figures the rotation. For now, fans need to realize Against the Cavaliers, a team but now that he’s lost his shoot- tive, but now he has a very in three of the first six games, stocked with talented shooters ing stroke, it’s much more of a disturbing tendency to stand but he’s managed that feat only that this will remain an inconlike Joe Harris and Evan Nolte, problem. around and wait for his chance twice in the 14 games since sistent and young team, and adjust expectations accordingly. the results were just as disasIn the first few games, he to shoot. Between him and then. Maybe some of them will even trous. Virginia hit 11 threes on was particularly a threat from Brown, the team’s poor shootIt’s all a sign of his total lack of the night, and shot at a rate 8 beyond the arc, but his suc- ing kills many promising offen- post moves, leaving all the heavy start to miss a certain man percent better than their season cess has cratered since then. sive possessions before they lifting down low to Cadarian named Seth. average, causing the embarrass- He wasn’t able to sink a single even get started. Raines, who hasn’t exactly lit ing 74-58 loss. three against both UVa. and The frontcourt hasn’t been the world on fire either. If this ALEX KOMA Most of this ineptitude comes Maryland, going 0-for-3 and without its own issues, too. slow pace is going to continue -sports reporter as a result of the team’s hor- 0-for-6 respectively, yet he C.J. Barksdale is a player who for the rest of the year, then he -junior rendous play when in the zone continues to jack up frequent many thought could be a valu- really needs to find some way to -communcication
opinions
editors: shawn ghuman, josh higgins opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
january 31, 2013 COLLEGIATETIMES
5
The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief: Michelle Sutherland Managing Editor: Nick Cafferky Design Editors: Andrea Ledesma, Alicia Tillman Special Section Design Edtitor: Danielle Buynak Public Editor: Erin Chapman Web Editor: Chelsea Gunter Senior News Editor: Mallory NoePayne Associate News Editors: Priscilla Alvarez, Dean Seal News Blog Editor: Cameron Austin News Reporters: Leslie McCrea, Justin Graves, Andrew Kulak, Donal Murphy News Staff Writers: Alex Gomez, Sean Hayden, Max Luong, Cody Owens, Features Editors: Emma Goddard, Nick Smirniotopoulos Features Staff Writers: Ben Kim, Katie White, Kara Van Scoyc, Allie Sivak, Jacob Wilbanks Senior Opinions Editor: Josh Higgins Associate Opinions Editor: Shawn Guhman Sports Editors: Matt Jones, Zach Mariner Special Sections Editor: Chelsea Giles Copy Chief: Nora McGann Copy Editors: Allison Hedrick, Kristin Gunther, Mackenzie Fallon, Alexis Livingston, Kayleigh McKenzie Photo Editor: Kevin Dickel MCT CAMPUS
Macklemore shatters industry standards
H
ave you ever been to a thrift shop? If you have, then you’re participating in the latest transformation of the music industry. A small indie, genre-bending hip hop artist from Seattle has changed the landscape of music business forever. If you have not heard of Ben Haggerty, known globally as Macklemore, you need to start listening. His rise to the top has the era of dominant music labels is crumbling. According to Entertainment.ie, Macklemore has recently become the first unsigned artist to reach number one on the U.S. music charts since Lisa Loeb did it in 1994 with her song “Stay” from the popular movie, “Reality Bites.” However, Macklemore did not have a hit movie to promote his song, but what he did have was a strong
“
With simple word of mouth and an internet takeover by his fans, Macklemore’s song ‘Thrift Shop’ has become a staple on the radio waves.”
social network following and a passionate fan base. Macklemore did not have a powerful label promoting his songs on the radio. He did not have a world famous producer making his beats. He did not have name recognition in the rap game. With simple word of mouth and an Internet takeover by his fans, Macklemore’s song “Thrift Shop” has become a staple on the radio waves without any label backing. “Thrif t Shop” is approaching 70 million views on YouTube, and Macklemore has performed on Ellen, the daytime talk show hosted by renowned comedian Ellen DeGeneres. What does this mean for famous music labels like Warner Bros., Island/
Def Jam, Aftermath, Epic, Atlantic and Columbia? Macklemore has showed us that he does not have to conform to a label’s requirements or creative control over his music to become popular. First, these large labels will probably go after Macklemore’s producer, Ryan Lewis, who made the hypnotic beat. They will most likely offer Ryan Lewis a large contract, so only time will tell to see if he signs with a major label. Second, a label could try to sign Macklemore, but in his song “Jimmy Iovine,” which is about the chairman of Interscope Records, Mack lemore bashes the encounter he once had with the man. This could make signing Macklemore to another label an ever larger problem. “Thrift Shop” will make music labels reevaluate how they go about promoting artists and how their control over new artists could change the artists’ creativity and self-expression. According to Entertainment.ie, “Thrift Shop” has sold more than 1 million units since its release as a single from Mack lemore’s debut full album The Heist. His album sold only 78,000 copies in its first week when compared to a similar revolutionary hip-hop artist Eminem, whose debut album The Slim Shady LP sold 283,000 albums in its first week, but went on to sell more than a million copies — and we all know how big Eminem has become. The same transformation could happen to Macklemore since he has now changed the music world forever. The consumers decide who will become popular in the music world based on our decisions to buy an artists’ music we can choose who to promote. Would you rather want music formulated by generic labels or an artist who makes music simply based off of desire and emotion? ADAM ROTHE -regular colomnist -marketing -freshman
DCMA inhibits innovation J
ailbreakers” beware: if you unlock your new smartphone, allowing it to operate on different cellular networks, you might need to be broken out of jail yourself. So says a new decree from the Librarian of Congress, who has broad and sweeping authority to enforce the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. According to an article from the Atlantic Monthly, jailbreaking your smartphone could now land first-time delinquents in jail for five years or result in a half a million dollar fine. Or both. Copyright law has a long history in the United States, where protecting intellectual property encouraged innovation and fiscally rewarded entrepreneurs with a monopoly on their new discoveries. Protecting new breakthroughs helped lead America to the forefront of artistic and technological progress. That makes it all the more ironic that these days the government uses copyright laws to constrain innovation, especially on modernity’s greatest source of intellectual progress: the Internet. Just ask Aaron Swartz, the wunderkind behind a surprising amount of what constitutes our Internet today. Well, actually you can’t — he killed himself while he was awaiting trial for 13 federal felony charges over allegedly downloading too many scholarly articles from JSTOR, a scholarly journal database. The Rolling Stone reports that he could have faced up to 50 years in prison and untold fines, ostensibly for reading too much. The Swartz case exemplifies one of many problems with the current iteration of copyright laws here in the Land of the Free, namely the great discretion left to government agencies and prosecutors in charging and doling out punishments for
violating intellectual property laws, many of which were written at a time when four-function calculators took up an entire floor of an office building. Why was Swartz targeted? JSTOR made it clear that they had no intentions of bringing charges against the late Internet pioneer. Was it because his plan to freely distribute research
“
That makes it all the more ironic that these days the government uses copyright laws to constrain innovation”
to anyone who wanted to read it presented the possibility for a lucrative criminal enterprise? Or could it have been his involvement with Internet “hacktivist” groups and organizations like Wikileaks, who have the gall to believe people have the right to know just what it is their government is up to? After his suicide, we can never know the exact nature of his alleged crimes or the motivation behind his prosecution, but what we learned for sure is that the government is more than willing not just to prosecute those who violate copyright law, but to throw the book at them. And throw it hard. To assuage the fears of those who choose to jailbreak their phone for international travel or to legally switch cellular carriers, proponents of the new decree have said that the brunt of the law will not be brought against individuals, but after the Swartz case, who can say? One day, the police may raid your house because they think you are smoking weed or some other crime against humanity. They don’t find any convincing evidence of those activities,
but low and behold: your friend has a phone that’s operating on the wrong service provider or you have JSTOR articles on your computer without a receipt. Suddenly you’re facing federal charges and fines. Maybe just plead out to three months in jail for the herb, and you won’t have to spend years in federal prison. Sweet deal, right? As an aspiring writer and academician, intellectual property is of course very important to me. But in this day and age, when innovation depends upon researchers and artists collaborating and communicating in digital environments, it’s time we recognize the reality of our current copyright law: it serves to protect the stranglehold of huge corporations on publishing in all mediums, and its ambiguity provides useful tools to government prosecutors who cannot make legitimate cases against individuals who, for one reason or another, are being targeted. If this is the first you’re hearing of Aaron Swartz, I’m sure you aren’t alone. If you knew about his story at all, it was probably from Reddit, the cultish-ly popular user-generated social media site he helped to establish, or Wikipedia, the non-profit, open-source encyclopedia to which he often contributed, or one of thousands of blogs the web allows any individual with access to a computer the freedom to publish. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the monopolistic media giants didn’t want to pick up his story? I don’t. With this new element of the DMCA already in force, one is left to wonder how many “get out of jail free” cards there are in the deck. ANDREW KULAK -regular columnist -English -graduate
we’re YOUR send an e-mail to newspaper. send a letter to the opinionseditor@collegiatetimes. com with your letter or guest editor and express column attached. your views.
Student Publications Photo Staff Director of Photography: Brad Klodowski Lab Manager: Trevor White 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.
6
january 31, 2013
Regular Edition Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Travel plans advance, and writing flows. A fun, creative phase sparkles with exploration until summer, when productivity and a career rise occupy your time. Changes at home hold your focus. Group efforts succeed, so rely on family and friends, and be generous, too.
Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham Quote of the Day See your ad on the most popular page of the Collegiate Times Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. - Victor Hugo
Send us your quote and see it here! creative.services@collegemedia.com
XKDC by Randell Monroe collegiatetimes.com | 540.961.9860 | advertising@collegemedia.com
7 8 5 6
9 3
1 6
9
4 7
7
5 9 8
1 5
5 3
2
6 1
2 4
4 9 1 7
Copyright 2007 Puzzles by Pappocom Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com
Week ending February 1, 2013
By Scott Atkinson
Top Tracks I Knew You Were Trouble • Taylor Swift
1
Ho Hey • The Lumineers
2
Don’t You Worry • Swedish House Mafia
3
Locked Out of Heaven • Bruno Mars
4
Daylight • Maroon 5
5
ACROSS 1 Some are chocolate 5 Trim 10 1968 self-titled folk album 14 “My body’s achin’ and my time __ hand”: James Taylor lyric 15 “Climb aboard!” 16 Israel’s Iron Lady 19 Former Calif. base 20 “CHiPs” star Erik 21 China’s Chou En-__ 23 See 24-Down 25 “Dogma” star 26 “Assuming I’m right . . .”
1/31/13
28 Places to treat v-fib 31 Not family-friendly 36 Prefix for Caps or Cat 37 Confuses 39 Modem owner’s need: Abbr. 42 Lara Croft portrayer 45 Not very much 47 Hr. related to airspeed 48 Garr of “Mr. Mom” 49 Patient contribution 51 Spanish hors d’oeuvre 55 Driver’s gadget
56 Like many bazaars 59 Synopsis 61 Historic Cold War crossing point 64 Offer as proof 65 Navel variety 66 Dramatic opener 67 Part of AMEX: Abbr. 68 Turn aside 69 Midway game word
DOWN 1 Henry Blake’s rank in “M*A*S*H*” 2 Tempe sch. 3 Odd-shaped reef denizen 4 Keep one’s word? 5 Post on Facebook, e.g. 6 Passport issuer? 7 Fitting 8 __ squad 9 Slaughter in the outfield 10 Ethically unconcerned 11 Handles differently? 12 Rest a spell, or a fitting title for this puzzle 13 Seat of Florida’s Orange County 17 Émile, par exemple 18 Abbr. on some cheques 21 Landlocked Alpine principality 22 Pro Bowl div. 24 Statement before a 23-Across 27 Needing no Rx 29 React in shock 30 “I agree, señor!” 32 Stat for Cliff Lee 33 Share for the fourth little piggy 34 USMC NCO 35 Parochial school figure 38 Light touch 39 Big name in Chrysler history
40 Shout after a purse-snatching 41 Capital of French Polynesia 43 Personal transport, in science fiction 44 Refinery input 46 Comet colleague 50 Tibetan milk source 52 Links nickname
53 ’80s baseball commissioner Ueberroth 54 Eastern NCAA hoops gp. 57 Modern music source 58 Don Juan sort 60 Cries from successful puzzle solvers 62 Hairy TV cousin 63 AAA info
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
1/31/13
Immediate. Unfiltered. Linkalicious. 21st century news doesn’s wait for a print run. The Collegiate Times regularly updates its news blog with breaking news, interesting info, guest blogs and commentary.
weekend
editors: emma goddard, nick smirniotopoulos featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
january 31, 2013 COLLEGIATETIMES
7
I MAY BE WRONG, BUT I DOUBT IT
Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit’ deserves a strike With this being Award Season, movie theaters are packed with high-quality movies that are sure to culture up even the most savage human. It’s a nice change of pace, honestly. It comes after months of having close to nothing to watch in theaters during the fall, and precedes another lull in the box office until the summer blockbuster season. I’d probably go see just about every movie out right now, if it weren’t for the fact that I don’t have that kind of money, but there is one movie that I’ve avoided at all costs. Peter Jackson’s first installment of “The Hobbit” came out on Dec. 14, and although I loved his take on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, I made the decision that I was going to go on strike against all Peter Jackson films. I didn’t always feel this way; originally, I was all about the idea of seeing “The Hobbit” on the big screen. Yet, when opening night came, I sat at home, perfectly content that I wasn’t watching Bilbo Baggins’ epic journey. The deal breaker was the fact that “The Hobbit” is being broken into three films. You see, despite the book only being 275 to 350 pages (depending upon whether you get it hardback or
“
By making it a trilogy, Jackson has essentially said that there is as much action In “The Hobbit” as the entire LOTR series, which is roughly four times as long.”
paperback), Jackson has broken “The Hobbit” into three separate movies — something that no one can justify. By making it a trilogy, Jackson has essentially said that there is as much action in “The Hobbit” as the entire LOTR series, which is roughly four times as long. It’s now so long that you could come close to reading the entire book in a shorter amount of time than it would take to watch the movies. I know I sound like one of those nerds that says that “the book is so much better than the movie,” but such is the case this time. Jackson can get away with this only because people have started to think that he is as great as he truly thinks he is. His ego is so large that he believes he is immune to the editing process. I’m sorry Peter, but you aren’t on the same level as James Cameron; you’re
Lifestyle & Community have a big announcement, selling things, need help?
famous because LOTR was too good to not be turned into a quality trilogy and you picked a beautiful place to film it. That’s really all Jackson is good at: picking sets that look pretty. “The Hobbit” isn’t the only great idea he’s ruined either. Remember King Kong? It was another movie that I couldn’t have been more excited to see was ruined by Jackson’s lack of an editing process. I mean, for God’s sake, did we really need an hour before getting to the island? Granted, once the characters got to the island, the movie took a turn for the better, but there’s no reason to delay that for one-third of the movie. I will never forgive him for that. And it is because of these past indiscretions that I have gone on a Peter Jackson strike. I will not be seeing anything he does, and I certainly won’t be forking over $45 to see three movies that should have just been one. Maybe if I get enough people to join me, he’ll begin to understand. NICK CAFFERKY -senior -managing editor -communication major
Free for VT students! Place an ad or announcement at collegiatetimes.com, visit our business office at 618 N. Main St. 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday, or call 540.961.9860. Students can come into 618 N. Main St. to place a free ad.
Rates as low as 32 cents per word, contingent on the number of days to run. Prepaid. 15 word minimum. Cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. Deadline: 3pm 3 business days prior to publication.
QUEEN PILLOW TOP MATTRESS Including box spring; brand new, in plastic. Must Sell $150 - ROANOKE 540.353.5991
distribution assistants. Approx. 10 hours/ week. Please contact business@collegiatetimes. com for questions. Apply now at collegemedia.com/ join. The position is paid and eligible for work study. -------------------------------------------DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS WANTED: Assist with newspaper distribution to local businesses, hotels, campus handouts, and/ or guerilla marketing initiatives, depending on preference. Apply online at collegemedia.com/ join. Positions are paid and eligible for work study. Please contact business@collegiatetimes.com for questions.
Help Wanted
For Rent
Travel GETTING COLD TIME to Plan your Spring Break 2010 Get Away! Learn how to travel to beautiful locations like Jamaica, Acapulco and the Bahamas on a party cruise. Find out what other Virginia Tech Hokies are headed to your destination. -Adrian Email: Awhite@Studentcity.com for more information
For Sale
$BARTENDING$ $300/ Day Potential No Experience Necessary. Training Available 1-800-965-6520 EXT210
CT BUSINESS JOBS Circulation Manager Manage people and distribution systems directly with business manager to expand newspaper circulation. Coordinate team of
Keep the law
RENT 4 BDRM TOWNHOUSE in Pheasant Run, 8/1/13-14, Pheasant Run Dr, Blacksburg 24060 $1350 pheasantruntownhouses4rent@gmail. com
101
on your side.
Lesson: Student Conduct
TOMS CREEK TERRACE - 2BR, 2BA Suites or 4BR, 2BA apartment, Water, Sewer, Trash Removal included, $900/ mo., Avail. NOW, Visit Renttnt.com or Call TNT Prop. Mgt. 540-951-1075
If I am arrested, do I need to disclose this to Student Conduct?
ANSWER: Yes, within 10 business days of any arrest/conviction/issuance of a protective order must be submitted in person to Student Conduct.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) A great adventure lies ahead. Inspire those who love you. The trick is to balance work and fun; get your homework done before getting sucked into video games. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) You’re entering a two-day transformative cycle. Go for the gold. Consider your plan well. Friends help you ind the best partner. Aim high and get into action. Aries (March 21-April 19) There’s more room for love. If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s a good time to pop the question. Reality clashes with fantasy. Choose wisely. What would be the most fun?
Taurus (April 20-May 20) Accept the gift of laughter from a loved one or a child. Relaxing helps you work. Balance your job and your family. Launch a new project now.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Something works gloriously. Stop for a minute, and let it soak in. It’s easier to concentrate. Don’t speculate with love or money.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Don’t rush it, more work will come soon enough. But don’t procrastinate either, as there’s not time for that. The situation may be confusing. Trust your intuition.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) Unexpected confrontation and beauracratic delays interfere with your plans. Use the tension to make something beautiful. Look at the problem with a child’s perspective.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Learn from a master of inances, and continue improving your net worth. Don’t let it slip through your ingers. Be logical and creative at the same time. Postpone travel for now.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Collect old junk at home and give it away, in a clean sweep. Consider replacing it with something you’ve long wanted. Ensure it doesn’t become tomorrow’s junk.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your mind moves more quickly than you can. This work is fun, really. It’s not the time to throw your money around. Entertain outside opinions. Postpone travel.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Follow your heart, and take on a leadership role. Abundance is available, but don’t let your friends spend your money ... especially what you haven’t earned yet.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Offer encouragement to others and to yourself. Then start studying the next subject. Balance career and family like a pro. Travel does look good now.
Why is the university requiring this?
ANSWER: The underlying purpose is to help us maintain a safe university community, not to adjudicate more violations.
DON’T FORGET TO PICK UP THE COLLEGIATE TIMES TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
8
sports
january 31, 2013 COLLEGIATETIMES
editors: matt jones, zach mariner sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865
Recruits to bring Tech back to form A-Rod involved in more info
JACOB EMERT sports staff writer
Following a sub-par 2012 season, the Hokies are looking to return to the upperechelon of the collegiate football ranks in the upcoming years. If the program is to get back on track in the seasons to come, a large reason for that will be Virginia Tech’s best recruiting class in recent years. When the 20 commits sign their national letters of intent on Feb. 6 and make their decisions official, it will mark the first time since 2010 a Tech class was made up entirely of three, four and five-star recruits. Furthermore, Tech boasts three recruits ranked within Rivals.com overall top-100 national players; Kendall Fuller, Wyatt Teller and Holland Fisher rank No. 9, No. 59, and No. 83 respectively. That’s right, another Fuller. Kendall is the younger brother of former Tech and Tennessee Titan safety Vincent, and current Hokies Kyle and Corey. The youngest Fuller is revered nationally, and is one of the top cornerbacks in the country. While Kendall does not have the speed and hip-fluidity of top-rated cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, he has intangibles that separate him from the rest. With the news of Hokies’ standout cornerback Antone Exum tearing his ACL just days old, Kendall Fuller may be looked at right away to lend aid to the Tech secondary.
(Counterclockwise from top) Safety Holland Fisher, cornerback Kendall Fuller and defensive end Wyatt Teller all represented the Hokies in national high school all-star games.
Fuller is the second-highest ranked player, according to Rivals.com, to ever commit to Virginia Tech. Marcus Vick was the No. 8 overall recruit in 2002. The Hokies hope that in just a few years, while Kendall Fuller is tormenting wide receivers, Wyatt Teller will be blowing up plays in the backfield. In his senior year at Liberty High School in Bealeton, Virginia, he racked up 11 sacks, 15 tackles-for-loss, and four forced fumbles. As a defensive end, his unique combination of size, strength and speed will make him a force in the future — however, no matter his attributes, he will have to wait his turn. He is joining a Hokies’ defense that
returns a large majority of fi rst and second-string players on the defensive line. Aft er receiving scholarship offers from 16 schools including Oregon, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Michigan and eight ACC schools, Teller gave Virginia Tech a solid verbal commitment on August 17, 2012. When Teller and Fuller step foot on campus in Blacksburg, they will already be familiar with one another. Both competed in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and while neither had great impact in the game itself, both turned heads throughout a successful week of practice. The fi nal Hokies’ recruit listed in the top-100 is Holland Fisher, of
Midlothian, Virginia. Fisher, like Teller, has great size and speed for his position. At Manchester High School he used his skill set to play a hybrid safety-linebacker position, and he forced offenses to know his whereabouts at all times. It is projected that he will be used primarily as a safety at Tech, and he will certainly be an intimidating sight, standing at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds. Fisher could be considered the best commit of the bunch, due to the fact that the Crimson Tide of Alabama were also ferociously recruiting him. However, two weeks after an official visit to Tuscaloosca, he visited Blacksburg and told the world, via Twitter, that he was going to stay true to his commitment to the Hokies. Unfortunately, due to trouble with grades, Fisher may be academically ineligible to compete in the fall. While his grades have vastly improved his senior year, low marks as an underclassman may hold him back. If this is the case, Fisher will most likely enroll at a college preparatory school for a semester or two until he becomes eligible. Although Tech is coming off its worst season in 20 years, the future is bright. The Bud Foster defense that has been intimidating opposing offenses for over a decade is only getting stronger, and the offense is bringing in quality offensive linemen, running backs, and quarterbacks to compliment what they already have in place.
new steroid scandal PETE CALDERA mcclatchy newspapers
Alex Rodriguez has been accused anew as a steroid cheat — a charge he denied through his public relations fi rm. In an explosive report Tuesday by the Miami New Times, the troubled Yankees slugger was said to have used human growth hormone and other performance enhancers despite claims that he'd been clean for the last decade. The New Times reported on what it says are detailed records of a recently closed Miami-based anti-aging clinic. A-Rod is thebiggest name on a list of players reportedly linked to use of per for ma nce-en ha nci ng drugs through Biogenesis of America.According to the New Times report, Rodriguez's name showed up 16 times in records it reviewed from an employee of Biogenesis of America before it closed a month ago. The Miami News Times, which The Associated Press describes as an alternative weekly, reported that records show the firm sold PEDs such as human growth hormone, testosterone and anabolic steroids. Prominent baseball names in the report include Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez and former Yankees Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon — both suspended last season for PED use with other
clubs. Though Rodrig uez through a statement denied being party to this latest steroid scandal, MLB acknowledged its active investigation into the alleged South Florida drug connections with players. Anthony Bosch, 49, the head of the shuttered Miami clinic, was linked to Manny Ramirez during his suspension for PED use in 2009. According to the New Times report, Bosch never has been charged by local or federal officials. On Tuesday, Sitrick and Company issued the following on Rodriguez's behalf: "The news report about a purported relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Anthony Bosch are not true.Alex Rodriguez was not Mr. Bosch's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him. The purported documents referenced in the story — at least as they relate to Alex Rodriguez — are not legitimate." The Yankees, who owe Rodriguez a guaranteed $114 million the next five seasons, have taken a waitand-see approach. "We fully support the Commissioner's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program," the club said in a statement. "Th is matter is now in the hands of the Commissioner's Office. We will have no further comment until that investigation has concluded." Rodriguez, 37, admitted to steroid use as a Texas Ranger from 2001-03 after a Sports Illustrated story uncovered a failed drug test administered before MLB issued any penalties for such use. According to the New Times report, a portion of Bosch's private notebooks indicated that Rodriguez paid $3,500 for human growth hormone, which is banned by MLB. Testing for HGH will begin in the major leagues this season. With a possible suspension now looming, Rodriguez _ who underwent a second hip surgery in four years earlier this month — might not play at all this season. Further, his future as a Yankee could hinge on contract language specific to steroid use; A-Rod signed a 10-year, $275 million deal after the 2007 season — two years before the Sports Illustrated story exposed his earlier steroid use. The notations for Rodriguez's latest use of PEDs — recorded as "Alex Rod" or "Alex R" or by the nickname "Cacique" _ began in 2009 and are said to continue through last season. The New Times report also lists other drugs allegedly used by Rodriguez, including IGF-1, a banned substance that stimulates insulin production and muscle growth; testosterone creams and another substance that releases growth hormones. The name of Rodriguez's cousin, Yuri Sucart, also appears in the same records the Miami New Times says it has copies of. Sucart was previously identified as having helped A-Rod obtain PEDs and is banned from Yankees property. A statement issued by MLB on Tuesday said in part: "We are always extremely disappointed to learn of potential links between players and the use of performance-enhancing substances. These developments, however, provide evidence of the comprehensive nature of our anti-drug efforts. Th rough our department of investigations, we have been actively involved in the issues in South Florida."