Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Print Edition

Take another bite out of the Pitt game see pg. 2 Tuesday, October 15, 2013

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

COLLEGIATETIMES 110th year, issue 32 News, page 2

Lifestyles, page 4

Opinions, page 5

Nicolas, Cline help Hokies crush Pitt

Sports, page 3

Study Break, page 6

Spring 2014 commencement slated for 9 a.m.

JOSH HIGGINS news reporter

TUESDAY MORNING TAKEAWAYS

BY JACOB EMERT sports editor

V

irginia Tech found the endzone once against Pittsburgh during their 19-9 victory, highlighting the importance of a steadfast defense and efficient special teams.

Nicolas’ niche After being sacked a combined 15 times against the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech this season, the Commonwealth is arguably Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage’s least favorite state in the country.

Redshirt sophomore Dadi Nicolas was responsible for three such sacks and seven overall tackles for the Hokies against Pitt.

Nicolas’ talent is still raw, but when defensive coordinator Bud Foster moved him to outside linebacker with the sole objective of rushing the passer, Nicolas thrived.

After the tactic worked well for Virginia against Pitt, Foster aligned Nicolas as a stand-up rushing outside linebacker. see TMT / page three BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

The Virginia Tech Class of 2014 will have to wake up for commencement ceremonies a little early, as the university has shifted the schedule for the spring 2014 commencement.

The university swapped the times of the undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies, with the undergraduate ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 14, 2014, and the graduate commencement ceremony beginning at noon. The commencement ceremonies for undergraduates and graduates will be located at Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum, respectively.

The change in the schedule, according to Mark Owczarski, university spokesman, was due to safety concerns from the early summer heat.

“It puts the students down on the floor at risk,” Owczarski said. “There were a number of students who were passing out and were in desperate need of hydration because of the high temperatures and the

more info Administrators decided to move graduation ceremonies earlier to prevent heat related issues high noontime sun.”

In addition, Owczarski said the schedule change might make the commencement schedule flow more smoothly. “(Graduate ceremonies) tend to be longer because the individual granting of doctoral degrees to each student can potentially be long,” he said.

“It helps (us) stay on schedule by reversing the two.”

Departmental and college commencement ceremonies will be held during the evening of Friday, May 14, and during the day on May 15, 2014.

Times are not yet set for departmental and college ceremonies, but should be confirmed in early 2014, according to Owczarski.

@JoshuaLHiggins

EspressOasis serves up unique coffee Solar powered bus

shelter installed

HAYDEN ROBERTS lifestyles staff writer

A new addition to the Virginia Tech campus is pouring its way into the hearts of students this semester.

EspressOasis, the coffee shop located on the first floor of Newman Library, provides students with a mini-vacation and helps them stay awake to study for daunting midterms by providing coffee, smoothies and a selection of baked goods from the local Next Door Bake Shop.

Since its opening at the beginning of this semester, the shop has received mostly positive reviews and has surpassed its goals for its new location according to Kate Howell, a barista at EspressOasis.

“We are doing really well and getting a lot of good feedback,” Howell said.

This location is a new expenditure for the chain, which owns coffee shops that are primarily located in hospitals. However, their corporate executives are hoping to be at Tech for the long run, she said.

NEWS

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

The only major complaint about EspressOasis is that their policy on dining plans is unclear.

To try and differentiate themselves from other coffee shops on campus and Greenbury’s, which previously occupied the space, EspressOasis offers specialty drinks with tropical flavors.

“The fact that our slogan is ‘Tastes of Far Away Places’ proves that when you get one of our drinks, it’s like going on vacation,” Howell said.

“You may be in the library, it may be cold outside and windy and snowy, but you’re on a little vacation in your head.”

Some of the baristas even make specialty cafe concoctions for customers.

“What they encourage us to do here is to make our own drinks,” Howell said. “One of my co-workers made the

LIFESTYLES

‘Walter White’ drink, so it’s like blueberry and white chocolate. People are pretty into that.”

While students enjoy the tropical tastes of the specialty drinks, an excluded payment method has deterred some students from visiting the shop. see OASIS / page four

LESLIE MCCREA news staff reporter

Virginia Tech took a step toward becoming more sustainable with the addition of the first solar powered bus shelter located in front of Torgerson Hall.

The university partnered with Blacksburg Transit to provide the shelter on campus.

SPORTS Check out what inspired two engineer graduates to start Taaluma Totes.

Have you joined in on the Hokie football tradition of turkey leg eating? see page 2

CHEN JIANG / SPPS

The energy captured from the panels will power a light in the stop.

see BUS / page seven

ONLINE Women’s soccer edged No. 9 Notre Dame by a score of 1-0 on Sunday. See how they did it.

See how many arrests were made over the recent football weekend. see page 7

“Blacksburg Transit knows that Virginia Tech is very interested in sustainability initiatives, so the shelter over at Torgerson presented this opportunity to try out a new technology,” said Debby Freed, alternative transportation manager for Tech.

Curious about what this week’s weather will hold? Check out www.collegiatetimes.com

CollegiateTimes @collegiatetimes

see page 4

see page 3

2

newseditor@collegiatetimes.com

October 15, 2013

collegiatetimes.com

NEWS

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

Every home game, people weave a line throughout the stadium to wait for the infamous Hokie turkey legs. Workers recall people waiting up to an hour to get their hands on the 10 dollar leg of meat.

While you were enjoying the game...

The tradition of turkey leg eating is a staple of any home football game KYLE BARGER news staff writer

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

Over a thousand turkey legs were sold during the Pittsburgh football game on Saturday afternoon.

Besides the typical ballgame food like hamburgers and hot dogs, fans at Lane Stadium can chow down on a meal that is both rich in flavor and tradition.

Turkey legs have been sold for about 10 years at Virginia Tech football games. For 10 dollars, one leg of meat wrapped in aluminum foil can easily fill most customers’ stomachs.

Each home game sees hundreds of turkey legs thrown on the grill only to be quickly dispersed to waiting fans shortly after.

“We’ve had a bigger (grill) each time, and we still can’t keep up with the demand of turkey legs,” said stand worker, Karen Galston.

An increasing number of turkey legs have been sold each game this season: 308 sold before the game started, 420 by halftime, 600 by the third quarter and finally around 1,000 by the end of the game in this last matchup against Pittsburgh. And the numbers would have been higher if not for the cutback in grills around the stadium.

In previous years, turkey leg vendors stood in each corner of the stadium, but a recent order by the fire marshal resulted in the removal of all the grills except for one between the east and south stands.

“

Turkey is turkey. I can look beyond the cannibalistic qualities.”

Kourtney Varnum Junior English major

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

Workers from God’s House Church in Pembroke, Va. run the turkey leg stand every home game.

“He was just afraid that it would be too congested if there was ever an evacuation from the stadium,” said Doug Dodson, general manager of Centerplate, Tech’s concessions vendor.

So far the only way concessions has been able to compensate for the lack of grills is to increase the size of the only one left.

Despite the decreasing num-

ber of locations to purchase the legs, fans continue to follow the smell of the turkey wafting through the stadium to the grill to buy their own.

“First they couldn’t get us enough turkey legs,” Galston said. “Then they got us enough turkey legs, but we didn’t have a grill big enough. We kept it full all the time to keep up with the demand.”

She and a handful of other workers from the church, God’s House in Pembroke, Va., handle the responsibilities of the stand. They get a small percentage of the profits that go toward their church’s youth group.

From delivery truck to mouth, feeding the hungry masses is a simple process.

The turkey legs arrive already cooked and frozen from Sysco food distributor. Tech puts them in a refrigerator to thaw for two days before the game.

On game day they are cooked on the grill at 165 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Once done, they are wrapped in aluminum foil before being placed in warmers or sold directly to the customers.

According to Galston, they usually don’t even make it to the warmers. People are even willing to eat them cold, but concessions require them to be cooked.

“One man told me he waited 53 minutes on a turkey leg,” Galston said.

This patient customer isn’t the only one who was willing to go the extra mile for a leg. Galston remembers one particular customer from North Carolina who had been all over the ACC and other conferences, but she praised Tech’s turkey legs most highly.

“She said she always looked forward to coming to Virginia Tech because they have the best food, and she has to have a turkey leg,” remembers Galston.

Many Tech fans buy a turkey leg to uphold tradition and duty as a Hokie instead of just getting one for the flavor. Junior English major Kourtney Varnum had her first turkey leg on Saturday against Pittsburgh.

“I decided that I wanted to have a turkey leg because it was on my Hokie Bucket List,” she said. “We had to stand in line for a really long time

which wasn’t very fun, but once we started eating it, it was fantastic.”

“

We tell them they better get them now... They think we’re kidding.”

Karen Galston Concession stand worker

Long-time Hokie fan Leslie Ramsey doesn’t care for the taste of the turkey legs, but she appreciates their part in the tradition at Tech.

“I do like walking past them and smelling them. It adds to the stadium experience,” she said.

Not all fans are willing to pay the 10 dollars for the heft y leg supplied at the games.

Varnum and Ramsey both agree that the price is a little too high for the reward of the food.

“I think they are super overpriced,” Varnum said. “I figured that if I can at least buy one, then I’d never really have to buy one again as long as I did it (once).”

“I don’t think I enjoyed it enough to ever pay that price again, but I don’t think it’s horribly priced,” Ramsey said.

Despite the popularity of the turkey legs, some fans raise the question, “Is eating a turkey leg in poor taste considering our mascot?”

“Turkey is turkey. I can look beyond the cannibalistic qualities,” Varnum said.

“It does seem odd to me to eat your mascot during a game,” Ramsey said, “but I guess the teams that have cows for mascots serve hamburgers still, so I guess it’s really not that weird.”

Whether they are checking off an item on their Virginia Tech Bucket List or just wanting a filling meal, fans at the games better line up for their turkey legs quickly. Because as the saying goes, “you snooze, you lose.”

“We tell them ‘You better get one now,’” Galston said. “They think we’re kidding.”

@KyleB_VT

SPORTS

sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com

October 15, 2013

collegiatetimes.com

3

TMT: Nicolas dominates Pitt, Cline develops from page one

“He’s kind of found his niche,” said linebacker Jack Tyler. “You can see he’s a heck of a player, and he’s only going to get better when the whole mental side catches up to his physical ability.”

Despite playing just one year of high school football, Nicolas was ranked by ESPN as the nation’s 140th best defensive end, in large part because of his freakish athletic abilities.

But with a limited knowledge of the game, Nicolas requires assistance from his teammates to make sure he’s in proper pre-snap position.

“If you watch the fi lm I’m kind of just pushing him to one side, calling out ‘Dadi left’ or ‘Dadi right,’ but we knew we were going to have to do that,” Tyler said.

Nicolas was a large part of a defensive unit that sacked Savage eight times and wreaked havoc on him all afternoon.

“He’s a talented guy,” said head coach Frank Beamer.

“We’re moving him around, getting him to pass rush from different positions. And he showed up there. He’s a force back there and has a real talent for rushing the quarterback.”

Because of Nicolas’ limited football knowledge, the Hokies don’t feel comfortable giving him the full responsibilities of a true outside linebacker.

Accordingly, Tyler believes this strategy may be a onetime thing because offenses will start taking advantage of him.

“I think it was just a matchup today,” Tyler said. “Because now everybody knows that he’s just going to rush the passer. You can’t drop him into coverage or anything like that. If we can get him to drop into coverage, then maybe,

but we’ll just take the baby steps right now.”

Kalvin Cline Hitting His Stride Four weeks after becoming a familiar name to Hokies’ fans with a breakout game against Western Carolina, true freshman tight end Kalvin Cline found the end zone for the first time.

On Tech’s first drive, Cline, who is the only tight end to catch a pass this season, caught two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.

“I’m definitely getting a feel for it. Coming out of high school I didn’t have that much experience, but these past couple games Logan’s been putting it on the money, making me look good out there,” Cline said. “So when I got that first touchdown it was definitely a good ego boost.”

On a third-and-9 from Pittsburgh’s 27-yard line, Thomas put the ball over Cline’s right shoulder, hitting him in stride. Cline took over from there, fighting his way into the endzone for Tech’s only touchdown of the game. “(Pittsburgh) went inside leverage on him, he’s our first read, and I put it out there and let him make a play,” Thomas said. “I knew he had the TREVOR WHITE / SPPS matchup. He did a great job.” Dadi Nicolas (90) sacked Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage three times on Saturday, in addition to piling up seven tackles in the game.

After coming off the bench for the first three games, Cline has since earned a starting responded well after a couple helped quiet some critics after advantage in the field position some of the top ACC comperole. The Floridian has 15 of rough weeks, knocking he struggled mightily against battle all afternoon. tition, but he added he likes catches for 164 yards on the four-of-five attempts through East Carolina and Georgia Hughes now holds the Tech his team’s mentality and the year as he’s learned more and the uprights. Journell’s 12 Tech and was suspended for record for average yards per improvements they have made more of the offense. points made the difference in the Marshall game. punt in a single game with a so far this season.

Against Pittsburgh he caught Tech’s 19-9 victory.

Journell’s four makes were minimum of three attempts.

“I really like this football for four passes for 65 yards, “He’s been back. In prac- the most in his career, and “I just try to take it kick by team. They play together, they a career high, and the one tice he’s been back, he’s been the most for Tech since Justin kick, and every time I get an play hard, they (have) each touchdown. steady,” Beamer said. “We Meyer hit four field goals opportunity to punt, I focus other’s backs,” Beamer said.

Special Teams have a field goal competition, against Michigan in the 2012 on my technique and kick the “They don’t always play great, Tech was unsuccessful in I’ve got about six or seven field Sugar Bowl. ball as well as I can,” Hughes but we play hard and that’s all fi nding the endzone after goal kickers out there and he’s Punter A.J. Hughes, who said. you can ask. I think we keep the opening drive against won it the last couple times. I also had the best game of Beamer admitted after getting better.”

Pittsburgh, putting an empha- feel like he’s back.” his career while averaging Saturday’s win that the cursis on special teams.

Journell made a 48-yard 52.8 yards per punt on four rent state of the offense may @JacobEmert Place kicker Cody Journell kick, a new career long, which attempts, gave the Hokies the not be good enough to beat

Zoepfl helps women’s soccer edge No. 9 Notre Dame BRITTANY KEUP sports staff writer

Junior Ellie Zoepfl earned her first goal of the season in the 87th minute on Sunday afternoon, as Virginia Tech’s 10th ranked women’s soccer team surpassed ninth ranked Notre Dame.

Tech came into the game after 10 days of rest, but the team had no trouble shaking off the rust to beat the Fighting Irish.

With the win, the Hokies are 11-1-2 for on the season and 6-1-1 in ACC play. This is also the seventh consecutive season that the Hokies have beaten a top-10 team.

“I think it’s a good testament to the work the girls put in. We’ve been working on trying to push through 90 minutes of solid soccer and digging deep when we need to,” said head coach Chugger Adair.

Senior goalkeeper Dayle Colpitts made history once again for the Hokies, as she logged the most minutes at keeper in Tech history with 6,158, surpassing Mallory Soldner. Colpitts also earned her 38th career win and 25th career shutout.

At the start of the game, both teams were very physical and tested one another frequently.

The Hokies had an early opportunity when freshman Murielle Tiernan had a shot just three minutes in, but Notre Dame’s goalkeeper saved it.

In the first half, each team had four shots, but Tech ultimately controlled the half.

The Hokies nearly took the lead in the 22nd minute when senior Jazmine Reeves made a run and broke through the Fighting Irish defenders and made a cross to junior Shannon Mayrose, who slammed the ball into the net.

Despite the apparent goal, Reeves was called off-sides, negating the goal. That was one of four off-sides calls on

Tech in just the first half.

Although Mayrose couldn’t connect on the goal, she still provided a big boost for the offense. Mayrose missed significant amounts of time in her first two seasons due to knee injuries, and has played very little this season.

She’s only appeared in three matches thus far due to an injury to her right foot two weeks before the season opened.

“I broke my fift h metatarsal in my right foot,” junior Shannon Mayrose said, “It’s amazing to be back. I’ve had the support of everyone on the team and the athletic trainer did everything she could to get me back.”

The Fighting Irish were a very physical team, but the Hokies remained strong, rack-

ing up multiple fouls, with sophomore Jordan Coburn even receiving a yellow card.

“They had a transition and I wanted to stop the play, but I don’t let it affect me,” Coburn said. “Fouls happen all the time.”

In the second half, Notre Dame controlled the ball, but the Hokies still had a pair of good shots.

Tiernan had another opportunity in the 72nd minute, while Mayrose almost had a goal in the 82nd minute.

But after her frequent frustration early in the half, Mayrose came through.

She sent a beautiful cross to Zoepfl for the lone goal of the game.

“It bounced off the goalie and went to the right and I turned and had time to look

up, so I turned and looked up and saw Ellie in the box, so I played it to (her) feet and she kind of just finished it,” Mayrose said.

The Hokies were able to hold off the Fighting Irish for three more minutes, bringing in the win.

“I was very happy with the way we played all 90 minutes today,” Adair said. “We made some adjustments during the second half. The girls did an outstanding job with them and it made the difference for us. We’re very happy to earn this win.”

Mayrose finished with five shots and Tiernan contributed two shots.

The Hokies will be back at home this Thursday against ZACK WAJSGRAS / SPPS a nother ACC rival, Wake Forest, at Thompson Field.

Jazmine Reeves (5) helped the women’s soccer team beat the Irish.

4

October 15, 2013

lifestyleseditor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

LIFESTYLES

Oasis: Cafe mixes with tropical flavors Taaluma Totes gives back to

student

voices

international fabric sellers What do you think of EspressOasis?

“I love it. I’m here like four or five times a week.”

Becca Corwell Junior German major

“I don’t think of it as a good place to get stuff when I’m at the library. I would go to Deet’s Place or ABP.”

Olivia DeSalvo Senior human development major

“They seem to have a wide variety of options. It’s also cheaper than Starbucks.”

Becca Hupp Graduate student in environmental engineering

from page one

The biggest complaint the shop has received stems from confusion regarding how they are accepting dining plan and Hokie Passport money.

EspressOasis says that they would have to pay the university in order to accept the Hokie Passport. Therefore, the expenses would be so high that the business would not be able to generate much profit.

“We love the students here, they are our main customers,” Howell said. “We would love to help them out and do the dining plan but we can’t because, profitwise, it just wouldn’t work out.”

They try to warn students beforehand with a sign by the cash register saying they do not accept Hokie Passport meal plans. The wording however, is unclear. EspressOasis does cite

the ability to pay using “Flex.”

According to a survey conducted in relation to this article, out of 82 responses, 79 percent of students said they were less likely to visit the shop because it did not accept meal plan money.

While this has deterred many, EspressOasis still maintains a steady customer flow.

Cindy Min, a senior biology major, said she likes that there are more options than a traditional coffee shop, and its location in the library is extremely convenient for students who are studying.

While Min doesn’t have a problem with the payment limitations, she understands why it’s a problem for some students.

“For me, I don’t have Flex so I carry around a credit card all the time,” Min said. “But for freshmen, I think it will affect people, because they just carry

around their Hokie Passport all the time.”

Even with the payment complaints, EspressOasis is still moving onward and upward by introducing new products.

In response to demands by students, even though 52 percent of students said the cafe has a good variety, the shop will be offering more food choices such as paninis and fun food items such as Trix yogurts.

“We just started getting Trix yogurts, which I thought was funny and brought back childhood memories,” Howell said.

EspressOasis is located on the first floor of Newman Library and is open seven days a week.

Check the library study cafe website for hours.

@hayden_CT

watch: Gravity Bullock and Clooney duo score universal praise “Gravity,” the much-hyped new film from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, stars Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone, a no-nonsense medical engineer on her first mission to space. She’s paired up with George Clooney, playing commander Matt Kowalski, a veteran astronaut on his last mission.

While on a spacewalk outside their space shuttle, space debris unexpectedly obliterates their shuttle. Stone and Kowalski are the only ones who survive.

Stone is thrown from the shuttle and is left untethered and unable to move until Kowalski, who was wearing a jetpack to navigate outside the shuttle, can come get her.

From there, they must attempt to reach the International Space Station in hopes that it will still be functioning and able to provide them safe passage back to Earth.

Cuaron directs “Gravity” as his first major work since the 2006 “Children of Men,” a little-seen but very well-received dystopian, futuristic sci-fi film.

For “Gravity,” Cuaron is firmly at the helm again — in addition to directing, he co-wrote (with his son, Jonas Cuaron), co-produced and co-edited the film.

And it certainly feels like a Cuaron fi lm. It’s slightly dark in tone but beautiful and poignant.

Much credit has to be given to cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose distinctive style has made him one of the most recognizable and soughtafter cinematographers in the business.

“Gravity” predominantly alternates between the claustrophobically small-view inside Stone’s helmet to the vast openness of space.

Either one would be a daunting challenge for most fi lmmakers, yet Cuaron and Lubezki capture both effortlessly — or, at least, it appears effortless.

Another huge factor in the

movie’s success is the casting.

Bullock, while absolutely a talented actress, is better known for her comedic roles, her appearance in the indulgent “The Blind Side” notwithstanding.

She was also reportedly only offered the role after five other actresses passed on it.

And yet, Bullock gives her best performance in years.

She is in turns vulnerable, icy, tragic and hopeful. There are several points in the movie that left virtually the whole theater in tears, all thanks to her bravura performance.

George Clooney, the only other actor with screen time in the film, is also quite well casted. To be fair, he’s basically just playing George Clooney, but he does it well.

There’s great chemistry between the two, without

which the movie would almost certainly not work.

Bullock should definitely receive a Lead Actress Oscar nomination, and I wouldn’t count Clooney out for the Supporting Actor category either.

Indeed, it would be shocking for “Gravity” not to receive Oscar nominations (and perhaps the win) for Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay.

Furthermore, this is absolutely the best fi lm I have seen this year, with only two more months and few exciting fi lms left to release in 2013.

KATIE WHITE - movie columnist - senior - history

MELANIE FORD lifestyles staff writer

It started with a skirt in Uganda.

While on an undergraduate engineering service trip to East Africa, Virginia Tech alumni Jack DuFour and Alley Heffern first came across the beautiful fabrics of the region, which led to a complete change of their careers and the birth of Taaluma Totes.

Heffern, a class of 2013 civil engineering graduate, said she first requested a skirt made out of the fabric as a souvenir. Th is led DuFour, a class of 2012 mechanical engineering graduate, to give the seamstress a Jansport backpack, hoping she could replicate it with the same material.

“At fi rst (the backpack) started as a souvenir, but then we thought other people might like this and that maybe we can do something beneficial,” Heffern said.

Instead of pursuing careers in engineering, the graduates quit their jobs and developed Taaluma Totes, a company in which 40 percent of each purchase benefits international fabric trades, jobs in the U.S. and microloans abroad.

Taaluma is the Swahili word for culture, a valuable concept to both of the young entrepreneurs.

“Being able to connect people in the U.S. with all these other countries is really one thing I love about the company and spreading awareness of people overseas,” Heffern said.

Each backpack is unique with its own eclectic patterns and, as such, is only available for a limited time.

The fabric is imported from one of four countries — Indonesia, Uganda, Ghana and Kenya. After researching independently, DuFour and Heffern order fabric from a variety of international sellers from these countries.

“It’s pretty wild how you can fi nd random connections,” DuFour said. “There are so many international students at Tech, and it’s a great place that we’ve started with.”

Next, the totes are custom-made in the U.S. by skilled seamstresses who work alongside disabled workers, providing them with jobs despite the manufacturing business’ shift overseas.

The side pocket and inside flap of the backpacks are made of reused burlap coffee sacks from a local coffee roaster in Floyd, Va. “Reusing the coffee sacks makes each bag a one-of-akind, as no two pockets or flaps end up with the same design or writing on them,”

COURTESY OF TAALUMA TOTES

more info Taaluma Totes has various social media accounts and a blog to engage its followers with pictures of their totes and stories about their microloans .

DuFour said.

Lastly, a percentage of each purchase is sent back to the small business owners in the country from which the fabric was ordered in the form of a microloan.

Microloans are small investments that can lend money to small business owners, allowing them to expand their company, support their families and create more job opportunities in their communities.

“

It’s usually adults who do these microloans, but we’re excited to get students involved as well.”

Alley Heffern Taaluma Totes Co-founder

“It’s usually adults who do these microloans, but we’re excited to get students involved as well,” Heffern said.

DuFour and Heffern encourage students who are interested in the company’s cause to take ownership of Taaluma Totes on their campus.

While they are based in the Blacksburg area, the company is seeking to expand.

“We’re still working on spreading the word and starting a student ambassador program for Taaluma Totes on (college) campuses,” Heffern said.

The ambassador program is the duo’s newest idea to expand Taaluma Totes nation-wide. The job of an ambassador is to promote the company and get other students on board.

“We encourage anyone who’s interested to sign up via the application link on our website,” DuFour said.

“The biggest thing students can do to help is tell people about (the backpacks) and wear them.”

With their goal stated in the company’s slogan, Heffern and DuFour hope to enable backpack wearers to “Carry a Country” while sporting the bags.

Taaluma Totes is more than just a career for cofounders Heffern and DuFour.

“It’s been this awesome realization that we can put something together that satisfies our passions and call it our lifestyle, because we feel good about what we’re doing,” DuFour said. “If this doesn’t take off, we still will come out with way more than we lost.”

@fordt0ugh

OPINIONS

opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com

October 15, 2013

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5

The Collegiate Times is an independent studentrun newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 Collegiate Times Editorial Staff Editor in Chief: Priscilla Alvarez Managing Editor: Danielle Buynak Art Director: Kevin Dickel Design Editors: Brad Klodowski, Andrea Ledesma Public Editor: Andrew Kulak Web Editor: James O’Hara Multimedia Editor: Nick Smirniotopoulos News Editors: Cameron Austin, Dean Seal News Reporters: Melissa Draudt, Leslie McCrea News Staff Writers: Kelly Cline, Josh Higgins, Matt Minor Lifestyles Editors: Chelsea Giles, Madeline Gordon Opinions Editors: David Levitt, Sharath Reddy Sports Editors: Jacod Emert, Alex Koma Sports Media Manager: Mike Platania Assistant Photo Editor: Ben Wiedlich Collegiate Times Business Staff Business Manager: James Dean Seal Circulation Manager: Keith Bardsley

MCT CAMPUS

Everyone should try being vegetarian for one day I don’t eat meat, I don’t enjoy eating meat and I don’t think I need to eat meat.

And although this is a personal choice that shouldn’t matter to anyone but me, I still get criticism for it. “It’s just a fad,” and “stop starving yourself” are just a couple of remarks I receive when telling someone that I don’t eat meat — so here are a few legitimate reasons, and a little responsive criticism, for the people who feel that way.

The United Nations released a statement in 2010 stating that a vegan or vegetarian diet should be a goal for everyone in America, even if it is for just one day a week.

Why?

Because a decrease in the demand for meat and animal products decreases the production of these goods, which, in turn, decreases the amount of carbon dioxide that meat creates with its production.

So, by decreasing meat consumption, you decrease your carbon footprint. In addition, animal waste runoff from factory farms is a major pollution factor in surrounding rivers and streams — another problem that can be remedied by a decrease in meat demand.

If you don’t care about the environment, then here are some humanistic reasons to change your mind about us “hippies.”

About 70 percent of all grain

produced in the United States just goes to cattle being raised to slaughter. If it wasn’t being fed to animals, it could be feeding starving people around the world.

Also, if you have the means to eat a balanced diet without meat, then why not give it a try?

It can help feed less fortunate people whose bodies can’t afford to be vegetarian.

So, with all the food available in our country that doesn’t have meat in it, what are your reasons for not taking advantage of it? Eating a greater plant-based diet also has benefits for the consumer, such as a reduced-fat diet, increase in energy, longer life and saved money.

Animals require a lot of energy to produce, grow and slaughter, which results in a higher cost for you – the consumer. It’s also amazingly easy to eat vegetarian.

With the rise of this “fad” comes a rise in restaurants catered to plant-based diets, not to mention the Internet is teeming with awesome recipes and ideas for vegans and vegetarians.

If the moral obligations aren’t enough for you to become a plant eater (as unfortunate as that would be), then do it for your body and wallet.

And that doesn’t mean just eating salads and “starving yourself” — it means eating veg-

etables, fruit, grain, tofu, nuts and the like. Our grocery stores have a plethora of options so that protein deficiency doesn’t become an issue.

I know one person becoming a vegetarian isn’t going to change the world; but if everyone at least tried it could make a huge difference. Even one or two days a week would decrease the demand. So quit the criticism, we’re not all animal-loving hippies, and get on the bandwagon. Vegetarians could save the world.

MICHELE NEWBY - regular columnist - sophomore - English

SNL actors deserve Internet users should slack from viewers start reading fine print If “A nd live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

Those iconic words are what open every episode of Saturday Night Live and now six new people are going to have the opportunity to say them. This season, SNL has brought in six featured players as a result of the departure of Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis and later this season Seth Meyers, the head writer. This is following the addition of three new full-time cast members last season after more former cast members left.

To many of us, it feels like an almost entirely new cast and new era of SNL. With six out of the 10 members of the current cast having joined within the last three years, most of the cast that our generation knew is gone.

But, with every new era comes one common theme: criticism.

The newer members of the cast will obviously still be getting into the swing of things, even with their already impressive comedy backgrounds to help them. Not only will they have the stress of being on a show that is watched live across the country, but they have the added pressure of filling the holes left by the incredibly talented players from the past.

Their timing will probably be a little rough and the jokes themselves might fall flat, but we, as the viewers, need to stop proclaiming every season that has an influx of new cast members as “the worst season ever,” and need to start cutting them some slack instead.

What these people do is difficult.

They are the best of the best and they have to prove that every week.

The planning for one live show on Saturday night is a grueling, weeklong process that requires sacrifice and is a strain on creativity.

It’s important to remember, especially at Virginia Tech where engineering and other sciences are so prestigious, that just because something doesn’t relate to math or science doesn’t mean it’s not difficult.

There seems to be a general mentality that excelling in math and sciences is what makes a person “smart,” but that is not always the case. You may be able to do complicated math problems in your head, but someone else could write a 5-minute sketch 30 minutes before show time and actually produce something entertaining. Both are entirely impressive tasks that take practice and intelligence to accomplish. And they are equally difficult.

People find it easy to criticize things like art and writing because it seems simple to them, but it’s not. For people who rely on creativity for their profession, it can feel like you have to force material and ideas just to continue doing your job.

Creative types can’t gather their material from experiments or studies; it all has to come from within.

To be on the level of comedians and writers on SNL requires the same amount of skill, practice and brainpower as any other demanding profession, if not more.

Smarts can come in all shapes and sizes and we can’t just glorify one kind.

This new season of SNL may be rough and uncoordinated, but before we scoff at how “bad” it has become, we all need to ask ourselves: “Could we do what they do?”

AMY RIEGER - regular columnist - sophomore - communication - @fuzzyorangesock

you are a bit skeptical about who can access your personal information on the Internet, then Google’s newest addition to their terms and services will not please you.

According to a New York Times article, Google announced its desire to make users’ personal information more readily available through its published advertisements.

Google’s new advertisement policies, which boast the term “shared endorsements,” will take effect on Nov. 11.

This instance shows everyone using the Internet that they need to read the fine print before they sign anything. Think about how simple it is to create a new Google or Facebook account and add information to your profile, but now, it will be used on every website with Google ads. The lesson: never agree to the terms of service unless you know exactly what they are. The problem is that many people look at the terms of service, skip to the checkbox, and click next. If you were signing a lease for an apartment, would you skim the important information and check off that you agree?

This should never be the case, because most people who sign up for social networking websites do not know what they have agreed to, allowing com-

panies to get away with potentially unethical practices.

One of these “fine print” details is the use of your personal information to advertise products to your peers or others on the Internet. Your picture, your name and any data you provide on profi les or emails can be accessed and utilized as a part of an advertisement campaign under the conditions that most refuse to read. The practice is unethical, but they explicitly warn every customer who eventually becomes a victim of this intrusive advertising.

Facebook has a similar policy in place to the one Google is planning to release next month, and it landed them in major trouble.

According to a Washington Post article from last month, they were forced to settle with several Facebook users as a part of a class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs claimed that Facebook was unauthorized to use certain pieces of information.

LinkedIn, the most popular professional social network, is also being accused of violating users’ privacy in a similar way.

You may think that these websites should emphasize privacy as a major concern, but the executives only have profit on their minds. In the New York Times article, Dr. Deborah C. Peel, the

founder of the interest group Patient Privacy Rights, says, “People expect when they give information, it’s for a single use, the obvious one.”

That obvious reason to provide this personal information is for you and your friends’ pleasure. To avoid these breaches in trust, Internet executives and users must make changes. Users should do their part by reading the terms and conditions of every website they sign up for. In turn, the website executives should make their terms and conditions readable for everyday people. Companies intentionally make their terms pages wordy, overwhelming and nearly impossible to read.

Once these two issues have been fi xed, people will no longer be subject to the shady information sharing efforts that are so common with today’s social networking.

There would be no reason to complain because users know what is taking place, and since because they have read the terms and checked the box, they gave them permission.

It’s just a matter of how willing you are to sacrifice privacy for the services these sites provide.

RYAN TURK - regular columnist - sophomore - BIT

College Media Solutions Ad Director: Michelle Sutherland Account Executives: Taylor Moran, Stephanie Morris, Danielle Pedra Inside Sales Manager: Amanda Gawne Assistant Account Executives: Catie Stockdale Jordan Williams, Emily Daugherty, Emily Reina, Becca Schwartz Creative Director: Diana Bayless Creative Staff: Mariah Jones, Samantha Keck, Kitty Schaffernoth, Seden Craig.

Katherine Miller

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6

October 15, 2013

Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Home, inances, romance, travel and career highlight this year. With Mars in Virgo (until Dec. 7), provide great service. Channel energy towards invention, study and research.

Write, create and record. Obsess on details. Things get pro itable. Revise habits for healthier practices. Relationships require lexibility and communication. Follow your passion star.

Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham Quote of the Day

“All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

- Walt Disney

For Sale BOOKS: dangerous dreams, stolen memories, collapsing societies, lost identities, lost souls, engineered life, our world transformed: Remembering the Future, science fiction stories by Alan Kovski. On Amazon.com.

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

xkcd by Randall Munroe

music downloads

By Barry C. Silk

ACROSS 1 Black-and-white prowlers 10 Hit the hay, say 15 Summons 16 George Jetson’s boss __ G. Spacely 17 Southern Christian Leadership Conference president after King 18 Perry of fashion 19 Alcopop beverage 20 Pelt 21 Wind ensembles usually tune to them 22 Août’s season

for the week of October 15th through 18th

Gremlins- Danny Brown Alligator- Action Bronson Orion’s Belt- Riff Raff Barbie Girl Dirty- Lil B Tamale- Tyler, The Creator

listen up

10/15/13 23 1951 Cooperstown inductee 24 Refrain from singing 25 Literally, “may you have the body” 30 “Tortilla Flat” co-star 33 See to it 34 Delivery gp.

35 Head of Hollywood 37 1974 Asian Games host 38 Risks a courtmartial, perhaps 40 Brats’ opposites 42 Last man to walk on the moon

44 34-Across concerns 45 Va. summer hours 46 Energy Reorg. Act of 1974 creation 49 Glide 52 Guff 53 Miss __: perfume brand 54 25-Down, for one 55 Like most web designers 57 Surgical tool 58 Past the point of no return 59 Helots 60 North Carolina locale

DOWN 1 Pollution portmanteau 2 Unit of quantum information 3 “I’m available” 4 Razor handle 5 Scout group 6 Subject of the 2004 documentary “American Beer” 7 Keen 8 River originating near Winterberg 9 Caleb, for one 10 Arctic sighting 11 Indication that money is involved 12 Ibiza, por ejemplo 13 Cut, perhaps 14 Matted growth 21 Evert specialty 23 Part of a crew 24 Bar aspirant’s hurdle, briefly 25 David with the autobiography “Making Waves” 26 Miss by __ 27 Immaculate 28 Orsk’s river 29 Hatch and others: Abbr.

30 Feet-first Olympic event 31 Not worth __ 32 Compressed video file format 36 HMO members

39 Brightest star in Scorpius 41 Highly hyped N.L. pitcher Stephen Strasburg, for one 43 Changes chemically 46 “100 years of skin care for life” brand 47 Drifts 48 Eerie meeting site

49 It has a separate men’s store opposite its main store in Chicago 50 Juvenile outbreak 51 Move 52 Paranormal author Showalter 53 Woodworker’s groove 55 Connection 56 A behavioral sci.

Friday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

2/18/12

WORDSEARCH: Fall Clothes Locate the list of words in the word bank in the letter grid.

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Aries (March 21-April 19) Mars, the action planet ruling your sign, enters organized Virgo until Dec. 7. For about six weeks, research and sort information. Take advantage to reduce chaos and clutter. Count your blessings at home. Be realistic about resources.

Get methodical.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Jump up a level. Actions speak louder than words; pay close attention to details. Get the family to help. Take a leap of faith, and travel. Keep your objective in mind.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)Imagine a fun, pro itable adventure. Renovation takes your physical effort. Don’t be intimidated. Do what you promised and create a marvelous illusion. Come up with a plan to have it all over.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Sort the numbers. For about six weeks, education and research play a crucial role. You’re spurred to action. Heed recommendations and warnings.

Investigate distant possibilities. Reassess your assets. Postpone mundane chores while you embrace a big project.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Get creative with presentation. Glam it up. You’ll ind lots to buy, but earn extra points (and respect) for cutting expenses. Meet your obligations with style. You can do it.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Trust intuition.

Focus on personal growth and partnership. Accept a challenge. Take action on a long-held dream. Some things your friends suggest won’t work.

Others set the rules. Combine business and pleasure.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Listen to your dreams. It’ll be easier to throw things away. Weed out unused stuff. Create space, and imagine the potential.

Fancies turn to love. Your job interferes with playtime. Rely on an organized schedule.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You’re keen to understand and learn. Share important data with your team. Don’t give it all away. Take care of family irst. Let a partner take charge. Imagine bliss despite confrontation or controversy.

Work it out.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Consider all possibilities. Advance in your career.

Romance sparks creativity to surmount any complications. You’ll also ind bargains for your home. Follow a hunch and discover a truth about yourself.

Abundance is available.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Get yourself a little treat. You’ll have severe wanderlust, itchy to start an adventure.

Don’t of icially begin your project, yet.

Wait until it rings true on the practical level. Shop carefully and prepare.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You’re inspiring folks. Make plans with great detail to the inancials. Move a dream forward. Don’t break the bank. Apply inishing touches to your promotional material. Get ready to launch. Love emerges.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Spend time in contemplation. Increase your ef iciency.

Delegate as much as possible, and increase physically activity. Partnership aids your work. Add harmonious touches to the project. Write down your dreams and steps to realize them.

NEWS

newseditor@collegiatetimes.com

October 15, 2013

collegiatetimes.com

7

Bus: Solar shelter is the first of its kind on campus from page one

The location was chosen for the solar shelter because the sidewalk it sits on covers a steam tunnel, which means that no electricity could be run to the shelter previously.

“The folks over at Blacksburg Transit who are very innovative and forward thinking came up with a wonderful chance for us to add a light and try out solar power for the shelter,” Freed noted.

Standing twelve feet tall, the

shelter allows students to sit in a dry, lit area to wait for the bus.

Electricity will be generated in the solar bar by sunlight every day, and used and stored for nighttime as well as reserved for cloudy

weather.

“Right now, we are testing it out and we hope it does very well. There is so much going on in the next few years that will change the way transit operates on campus, which is for the better,” Freed

said.

Blacksburg Transit will use this initial shelter as an indicator of if more solar powered shelters would be helpful on campus.

“I think we need to wait and do a little more research into

where the shelters should go and the way transit operates on campus before we can make a decision about getting more,” she said.

@LeslieMccrea

crimeblotter date

time

offense

location

status

Sept. 21

12:11 PM

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Stadium Woods

Inactive: Reported by Student Conduct

Oct. 3

10:10 PM

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Barringer Hall

Inactive: Reported by Student Conduct

Sept. 26

5:00 PM

Simple Assault

Peddrew Yates

Inactive: Reported by Student Conduct

Oct. 11

9:19 PM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol

Slusher Wing

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 11

9:19 AM

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Slusher Wing

Inactive: Reported by Student Conduct

Oct. 11

11:55 PM

Possession of Marijuana

Squires Lot

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 12

2:59 AM

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Pritchard Hall

Inactive: Reported by Student Conduct

Oct. 12

1:30 AM

Simple Assault

Outside Vawter Hall

Inactive

Oct. 12

11:39 AM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public

Lane Stadium

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 12

12:25 PM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol

Lane Stadium

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 12

12:30 PM

Appear Intoxicated in Public/Destruction of Property/Attempt to Flee

Lane Stadium

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 12

1:16 PM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol

Lane Stadium

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 12

12:38 PM

Possession of Marijuana/Eluding Police X 6

Duck Pond

Active

Oct. 12

1:43 PM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public

Lane Stadium

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 12

1:40 PM

Appear Intoxicated in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol/ Lane Stadium Simple Assault

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 13

12:38 AM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol

Otey Street

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 13

1:48 AM

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Washington Street

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 13

2:31 AM

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Pritchard Hall

Inactive: Referred to Student Conduct

Oct. 13

3:10 AM

Possession of a Fake ID

Roanoke Street

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 13

3:06 AM

Possession of Marijuana/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

South Main Street

Cleared by Arrest

Oct. 13

3:22 AM

Appearing Intoxicated in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol/Vandalism

Slusher Tower

Inactive: Referred to Student Conduct

Oct. 13

7:30 PM

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Washington Street

Inactive: Referred to Student Conduct

Oct. 13

7:27 AM

Vandalism

Golf Course

Active

Oct. 12

10:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Larceny of an iPad

Chicken Hill Parking Lot

Active

Oct. 12

11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Larceny of Sunglasses

Smithfield Lot

Inactive

8

lifestyleseditor@collegiatetimes.com

October 15, 2013

collegiatetimes.com

LIFESTYLES

Down and dirty Hokies got muddy for a good cause Sunday for the 2nd annual FarmHouse mud run in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which ďŹ ghts blood cancers worldwide.

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

A FarmHouse brother crawls through the mud pit under the tarp to continue his journey for his frat.

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS

Pi Beta Phi teamed up with the FarmHouse fraternity to raise money for blood cancer research.

BEN WEIDLICH / SPPS A female entrant slides through a mixture of mud and soap during part of the obstacle course on Sunday. This was one of the most fun sections of the run,as entrants pushed through the dirt before the ďŹ nish line in support of a good cause.