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Friday April 19, 2013
COLLEGIATETIMES 109th year, issue 104
News, page 2
People & Clubs, page 5
Opinions, page 3
Classifieds, page 4
Robo jellyfish testing continues Insurance co. swindles Tech MAX LUONG news staff writer
The College of Engineering is taking to the seas with an innovative robotic jellyfish, lifelike in size and natural in appearance. Funded by the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center, “Cyro” — as it is informally known — is an ongoing project to observe and track the ocean environment. It can map the ocean floors and currents to detect aquatic life migration and chemical levels in the water. The military, which has granted $5 million to Virginia Tech and four other national universities for the project, will also use Cyro’s surveillance monitors for reconnaissance purposes. Alex Villanueva, a doctoral graduate student in the mechanical engineering program, said Tech also played a significant role in Cyro’s development. “I learned a lot about the designing process and skills in my classes,” Villanueva said. “We also called on a lot of high-quality undergrad-level students to pitch in.” Students in interior design contributed over the past couple years to plan the lifelike, 5-foot-7-inch, 170pound machine. Villanueva
LESLIE MCCREA news reporter
BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS Graduate and undergraduate members of the College of Engineering have been working on “Cyro” for over one year.
and the rest of the team are in charge of constructing the model and integrating mechanics. The team of students held a live demonstration of Cyro Wednesday morning
at War Memorial pool for local CNN affiliates. The students manually lifted the robot into the pool and guided it to the bottom, but, as expected, had to first work out
a problem of water entering the main control panel. Once submerged, the jellyfish swam wirelessly and successfully. “Cyro is at a relatively
GM-Southwest Inc., a student insurance contractor for Virginia Tech between 2003 and 2011, allegedly overstated Tech’s undergraduate and graduate student health claims, to defraud the university of over $9 million. After a university audit done two years ago, Tech followed up on suspected fraud by seeking $32 million in damages from the company this past January. The audit showed that there might have been upwards of $20 million involved in the fraudulent activities, according to university spokesperson Mark Owczarski. “We as a client felt that we had been wronged, felt that we had been overcharged, and sought to recover those damages through a civil litigation,” Owczarski said. The university fi led this with the State Attorney General’s office, which then took the case to the
federal level and are now seeking criminal charges against the company, saying that they engaged in fraudulent activities. Th is scheme allegedly began in 2005, using a claims modifier program to increase premiums charged to students. The 57-count indictment charges John Paul Gutschlag Sr., the owner of the company, with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and others. According to the indictment, during October 2010 Tech received “claims numbers that had been inf lated…devised and implemented with the knowledge of John Paul Gutschlag Sr.” “We are grateful for the federal criminal charges because it underscores our belief that we were civilly wronged,” Owczarski added. The overstated numbers not only affected undergraduate students who pay their insurance, but also see SWINDLE / page two
see ROBO / page two
Local smoke shop gears up for big sales this weekend ANDREW KULAK news reporter
Smoke Zone Smoke Shop’s new manager, Blacksburg native Cody Lovern, is eager to meet Hokie tobacco enthusiasts at his 116 N. Main St. store in the coming days. He has been busy this week preparing for an especially eventful weekend. “We’re going to have a nice sale going on,” said Lovern. “I really want people from the register out the door, man — all the way to the post office.” Lovern said that his niche
tobacco shop generally experiences a surge in business around this time every year. He sells specialty items including rolling papers, one-of-a-kind glass pipes and vaporizers. On Saturday, many of these items will be marked down — some up to 50 percent off. While the additional shoppers can be hectic, for Lovern it is a labor of love. He enjoys working with customers, meeting new people and sharing his passion for unique smoking products. He was a tobacco enthusiast for years before finding himself on
the other side of Smoke Zone’s glass cases working in the industry he loves. “I’ve always been a connoisseur, I dropped a lot of money in here,” Lovern said. “I just came in one day and talked to the owner about working with him.” Adam Cook, originally from California, opened Smoke Zone in 2009. He had been looking for a local resident to manage the shop, so he could return to the west coast. Late last year, Cook told Lovern he was planning to move to Colorado. “About six months into it he
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We’re trying to get ourselves established in Blacksburg. We all love the Hokies, we’re all about the college town.” Cody Lovern Smoke Zone manager
was like look man, you’re doing a great job,” Lovern said. “I’m gonna toss the shop over to you.”
Campus campaign recognized nationally staying positive Party Positive recently surveyed students on their drinking habits. Here’s what they learned.
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56% of students choose to drink less than once a week or not at all
Outgoing and gregarious, Lovern jumped at the opportunity to be the new face of Smoke Zone. Since then, he has been working with locals to promote the store and to get involved with the Blacksburg community. “We’re trying to get the local crowd in man,” Lovern said. “We’re trying to get ourselves established in Blacksburg. We all love the Hokies, we’re all about the college town.” Lovern hopes that many will take the time this weekend to stop by and explore the shop under his new management. He
has been stocking products that have been especially popular recently, like Phire glass water pipes and portable vaporizers. Lovern said that “vapes” have been flying off his shelves, snapped up by students and older smokers alike. Vaporizers may carry fewer health risks than traditional smoking methods, reduce odor and conserve tobacco. Lovern added that he is more than willing to work with students to find something to fit their limited budget. see SMOKE / page two
CT Weather Watch
BY JAMES MORROW | news weather reporter Spring has finally sprung here in Blacksburg and 73% of students who drink choose not to ride with someone who has been drinking
67% of students who drink, eat before and/or while drinking
89% of students who drink, hydrate before and/or while drinking
60% of students pace their consumption while drinking alcohol
to the dismay of 6,000+ Hokies, its timing could put a damper on Relay for Life. A strong cold front
ANDREA LEDESMA/ COLLEGIATE TIMES
will be pushing its way into our region Friday afterMATT JOHNSON news staff writer
Party Positive was recently recognized as one of the top programs to prevent alcohol abuse and educate students on the benefits of low alcohol consumption. “Being recognized for this award supports and validates all of the incredible work of students to redefine the drinking culture at Virginia Tech,” said Dr. Steven Clarke, Director for the Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center. The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators congratulated Tech and Party Positive in designing a comprehensive program that supports social, academic and personal development of college students by curtailing and preventing poten-
tially harmful social habits. NASPA is a lead organization for student affairs globally, and recognized Tech in the “Student Health, Wellness, Counseling, and related” category, as well as the NASPA Grand Bronze Medal for being one of the top three programs. “We were given recognition in a national conference because we have an innovative and leading edge peer-education program,” said Rhyner. The mission of Party Positive and the Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center is to create and support an environment free from high-risk drinking and alcohol-related negative outcomes. They aim to accomplish this by fostering positive decision-making, accountability, resiliency and by guiding the students toward healthy and productive lifestyles.
“The fact that we discuss lowrisk drinking instead of abstaining is paramount. Most other schools just have a program that says don’t — and it’s not very effective,” said Jarret Rhyner, a peer educator for Party Positive. “We want people to have fun but not suffer,” said Mary Hastings, a peer educator for Party Positive. To accomplish this mission, Party Positive has six campaigns: Eat, Pace, Track, Hydrate, Choose and Designate. They encourage people to consume food, pace their beverage consumption, track how much they have been drinking, hydrate with water , choose when, what and where they drink, and to designate a nondrinking driver. Party Positive also focuses on bystander intervention that encourages students to inter-
vene when they witness someone who has had too much to drink. “We just want to encourage people to look out for their fellow Hokies,” said Hastings. “It can just take one second for something bad to happen, but it only takes one person to help prevent it.” By working closely with Greek Life, Housing and Residential Life, Virginia Tech police and Student Centers and Activities, Party Positive covers a wide variety of student activities and hopes to reach many stu dents. A concern of some faculty and administrators is that the Party Positive campaign encourages students to drink, but according to surveys conducted, this claim is not substantiated. “We’re a groundbreaking, leading program in alcohol see PARTY / page two
noon. Rain showers and thunderstorms are very likely as the front passes through western Virginia. The main threats with this event include 50 mileper-hour winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning. Showers and storms will enter our area just before the event starts at 5 p.m. and will last until dusk. On a bright note, the passing of the front will be pretty rapid. By nightfall, the front should be well off to the east, leaving only a few showers and cooler temperatures in its wake. Keep your eye to the sky, and pack a waterproof jacket before gathering around the Drillfield tonight.