OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
T H U R S D AY, O C TO B E R 2 9 , 2 0 0 9
VOL. 93, NO. 11
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
Outside the Bubble... NASA finally launches Ares I-X Rocket After multiple delays over two days due to bad weather, NASA launched its Ares I-X rocket on Oct. 28. NASA hopes someday to return astronauts to the moon and later travel to Mars with the Ares I-X program. The rocket launch is the first flight test for the Constellation program, which develops new vehicles to replace space shuttles.
Venezuela claims to have captured Colombian spies Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Oct. 28 that Venezuelan authorities have captured two Colombian spies. Chavez is also accusing the United States of being behind efforts to destabilize his government. The two Colombians will be put on trial.
Congressional Gold Medal awarded to former senator Edward Brooke, a former Republican senator from Massachusetts, was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. Brooke is the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote. He served as a senator from 1967 to 1979.
Project Pumpkin delights local kids By Emily Snow | Contributing writer
Gleeful shouts of “trick-or-treat!” “boo!” and “aloha!” rang throughout campus on Oct. 27, as one of the university’s most popular philanthropic traditions, Project Pumpkin, brought Halloween to the campus and to children of the Winston-Salem community. With “Aloha Halloween” as the theme of this year’s trick-or-treating extravaganza, more than 1,000 children from Winston-Salem enjoyed the sight of a campus bedecked in decorations of underwater scenes, beach vistas and marine life. Rain showers on the day of the event posed a significant challenge for the student organizers and leaders of the primarily outdoor Halloween celebration. However, activities and planned events were quickly and effectively relocated indoors. “We feel really strongly about a Wake Forest-based philanthropy event,” Katy Burke and Ashley Mill-
house, sophomore co-chairs of the Decorating Committee, said. “We were excited to see all of the decorations up, even indoors. It was great to see the kids experiencing the event after all of our hard work.” The rain did not dampen either students’ or children’s enthusiasm for the event. “Getting my face painted” was one child’s favorite part of the day, and “going through the haunted house!” was another’s. “I loved interacting with all of the kids at the Student Government booth,” freshman representative Sara González said. “Having a fun activity to do and sharing my time with people who aren’t my age is always refreshing.” Twelve committees of students organized the 21st recurrence of the event that epitomizes the meaning of a campus-wide volunteer effort. Planning and participation in Project Pumpkin
See Pumpkin, Page A5
Kathryn Rohlwing/Old Gold & Black
Live entertainment was provided by a number of student groups that wore costumes for the occassion.
Service for All
Northwest Airlines pilots who missed airport lose licenses The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of two Northwest Airlines pilots for endangering the public for flying for 91 minutes with radio silence. The two pilots told federal investigators that they lost track of time on their personal laptop computers, which caused them to fly past their destination.
Refugees in Uganda protest food distribution Refugees in Uganda are protesting a food-aid disruption that caused the deaths of three children on the night of Oct. 26. Leaders say that dozens of children have died in the past two weeks due to hunger. The UN refugee agency denies that any children have died.
By Samantha Hoback | Staff writer
By Chantel O’Neal | Asst. life editor The spirit of giving is alive and well, as sororities across the campus host philanthropy events with creativity and flair. Stretching from September through November, these fundraisers have already collected more than $9,000 that will be donated to each sorority’s national philanthropy. Kappa Kappa Gamma kicked off the series of charity events with Kappa Kaddies, which took place on Sept. 26 at Tanglewood Championship Golf Course. Members of the sorority were caddies for a day for each of the 60 participants. The event was a success, according to Philanthropy Chair Caitlin Gallagher, earning approxi-
mately $2,500 for Reading is Fundamental (RIF). A portion of the proceeds will also be donated toward the RIF payment for North Hills Elementary School, where a number of Kappas volunteer. Later that month, Tri Delta hosted Triple Play, their annual campus-wide co-ed softball tournament. Eighteen teams, each consisting of at least six players, signed up. Male and female teams were then paired together to create 12 person co-ed teams, with Tri Delts filling in where there were more males than females. T-shirts and a raffle for prizes from local companies helped the sorority raise around
See Greek, Page A4
YAL hosts Southern Students Conference By Adam Edwards | Staff writer
Photo courtesy of Jared Fuller
More than 70 students from across the Southeast attended the Southern Students for Liberty Conference.
Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) hosted the 2009 Southern Students for Liberty Conference at 7:45 a.m. on Oct. 24 in Pugh Auditorium.The conference brought 13 speakers from around the southern United States including Fred Smith, James W. Lark III, the former chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, U.S. Senate Candidate Mike Beitler and Distinguished Professor of Practice John Allison. Beginning with an opening speech from junior Jared Fuller, the North Carolina Chairman for YAL and Southern Director for Students for Liberty, the conference lasted well into the night, culminating in a musical performance by Jordan Page in Shorty’s. The conference drew students from several universities in southern states including Elon Uni-
Life | B5
INSIDE: Brieflies
A2
Police Beat
A2
Spotlight
B2
The Hot List
B6
Sudoku
B6
Hodgman to discuss new humor book
Last Minute Halloween Still looking for costume inspiration? Our last minute costume guide will point you in the right direction
In Other News
• Sylvain Boko explores post-conflict policies | A2 • Construction to begin on admissions center | A3
versity, Florida State University and the University of Virginia. According to Fuller, the conference was intended both to “solidify the message of libertarians” and to “provide the intellectual tools to spread the message of libertarians.” The intended audience for the conference was the student leadership for a variety of pro-liberty groups in colleges around the southeast. Attendees of the conference heard speakers on a wide range of topics, from campus activism to classical liberal philosophy. The first of seven regional Students for Liberty conferences, the Southern SFL Conference was host to a vast array of diverging opinions and political views, but the single over-arching theme was that of liberty. Whether taking the form of freedom from oppressive governments, either home or abroad, opposition to the current
See YAL, Page A3
Sports | B1 Kickin’ into gear The No. 2 men’s soccer team took down the No. 5 Maryland Terrapins 1-0 and dismantled Davidson 4-1
Each year, the annual BOOKMARKS festival brings families, children, students and other members of the community together to celebrate reading and engage in a number of storytelling events, booksignings and workshops. The BOOKMARKS program is an expansion of the Junior League of Winston-Salem’s reading programs. Since 2001, volunteers from the WinstonSalem community have devoted their time and energy to providing a positive literary experience for all ages in and around the Piedmont Triad area. BOOKMARKS is a member of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, as well as a member of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. The BOOKMARKS festival itself, which draws over 7,000 people annually, took Hodgman place on Sept. 12 in the Downtown Arts District, but the highlight of the BOOKMARKS program is the fundraising author events. Over the past few years, Winston-Salem has welcomed bestselling authors such as Garrison Keillor, Elizabeth Gilbert, Geraldine Brooks, Sue Monk Kidd and Jan Karon, who participate in readings and booksignings for the community. This year, Salem College will host “A Conversation with John Hodgman” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the Salem Fine Arts Center in Hanes Auditorium. Hodgman is best known for his correspondence position on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and his role as the PC in the famous Mac commercials. A humorist and author, Hodgman graduated from Yale University in 1994 before working as a literary agent at Writers House in New York City. Hodgman has appeared in several motion pictures, portraying the fertility doctor in Baby Mama in 2008 and providing the voice of the father in Coraline in 2009. In addition to his television and film credits, Hodgman works as a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, and he has worked previously with the radio show, This American Life. Hodgman’s appearance at the BOOKMARKS festival is a part of his national tour promoting the paperback release of his latest book, More Information than You Require. The book is the second in a series of three volumes filled with fake trivia, outlandish facts, quirky anecdotes and witty advice articles.
See Book, Page A5
Opinion | A6 Inaction hurts peers Student apathy hinders the progression of student organizations