Sept. 4, 2015 by The Collegiate Times

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111th YEAR, ISSUE 119

Friday, September 4, 2015

COLLEGIATETIMES An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Parking plan for Paisley concert

Cross country hosts opener The men’s cross country team kicks off its season at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course.

ALISON CUEVAS news reporter

With an event-packed Labor Day weekend coming up, students and out-of-town visitors have questions about where they should park and how to get to campus. Parking for the concert will be first-come, firstserve. On-campus lots will open for concert parking at 5 p.m. Lots 2 (Lane Stadium South End Zone), 3, 5 and 8 will be open as well as ADA parking in Lot 4 near the Softball field. All vehicles must be removed from the lots immediately following the concert. Additional parking will be available around town. Football game parking passes will not be honored for the concer t. The remaining lots used on football game day will be closed in order to set up for Monday’s game. Beamer Way, Washington Street and West Campus Drive will all be closed from 5 p.m. until approximately midnight on Sept. 6. College Avenue will also be closed all weekend from 6 p.m. – 4 a.m. each day. Blacksburg Transit will operate on full service all Labor Day weekend but will not run special event shuttles for the concert on Sunday. Service ends at 11:30 p.m. with the last buses leaving campus at 11:15 p.m. The Hokie Express, University Mall Shuttle and Toms Creek B will operate on 30-minute frequency. The Harding Avenue/Hethwood and Main Street routes will operate hourly. Parking services and VTPD have posted several reminders about the changes implemented for this weekend via Twitter and Facebook. “The football game the day after the concert makes things more difficult,” said James Frazier, assistant ma nager of pa rk i ng enforcement and facilities for Parking Services. “We don’t have time to do our regular routine before the game, so we are preparing the lots on Friday as we do before a Saturday game.” Food trucks and concessions will also be provided for the concert, including Thai This, Toasted by Casey, Hethwood Market and others. “Our team is trying to bring people more options,” said April Goode, director of social communications for the VT Department of Athletics. Parking services is working alongside the Vi rginia Tech Police Department to ensure concertgoers get to the concert quickly and safely. “The lots do not open until 5 p.m., but parking will be tougher, so students who can’t walk from campus should get there early,” Goode said. @alisoncaves

MATT WAJSGRAS sports reporter

BECKY SHUMAR / COLLEGIATE TIMES

The Nutmobile and the Weinermobile sit in the Christiansburg Walmart parking lot, Sept. 3, 2015. People from all around gathered to see the food-modeled vehicles.

Mr. Peanut crosses the NRV off his bucket list Two iconic vehicles rolled their way into downtown Christiansburg as part of Mr. Peanut’s Bucket List Tour, in which Mr. Peanut travels the nation and crosses items off his bucket list. JOY NYSTROM news staff writer

At 26 feet long and 11 feet tall, the Planter’s Peanut Nutmobile made an appearance in Christiansburg to help Mr. Peanut cross items off his own personal bucket list for his Bucket List Tour. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was also in attendance. Mr. Peanut’s Bucket List Tour was the idea of last year’s Peanutters, who wanted to improve the tour and decided they wanted Mr. Peanut to go out and celebrate life, while completing different things on his bucket list. Planter’s has three different Nutmobiles located in the east, west and central regions of the United States that started their Bucket List Tour in June. Each Nutmobile is equipped with three Peanutters who spend their year in the Nutmobile traveling to various locations and participating in different parades and festivals or even just parking in Walmart parking lots for events. Along with the Nutmobile, there are six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles that travel around the nation with two

Hotdoggers. In order to become a Peanutter, the team had to apply, go through an interview process and then two weeks of training where they learned how to drive the Nutmobile and completed various team-building activities. “I get to experience all these different things that I probably would have never experienced, and being able to go with Mr. Peanut on all his adventures is really cool,” said Kayla Shimidt, current Peanutter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After just two months out of 12 on the road, Mr. Peanut has seen the Sunsphere in Nashville, Tennessee, has been a part of the Macy’s Firework display in New York and even got to ride in a hot air balloon in New Jersey. “Being able to be on the ground and see Mr. Peanut skyrocket into the air on a hot air balloon was by far one of the coolest things on tour,” said Gil Maher, a current Peanutter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At every event the Nutmobile travels to, they ask the attendees to write down their own bucket list ideas.

“Mr. Peanut gets to interact with fans, they get to tell him what to do and get to inspire him and make memories with Mr. Peanut who has been around for 99 years,” said Julie Helgesen, current Peanutter from Southern California.

“

Each Nutmobile is equipped with three Peanutters who spend their year in the Nutmobile.”

While the Nutmobile has only been around for three years, Mr. Peanut is 99 years old, and the Weinermobile has been around for 79 years. According to the Hotdoggers and Peanutters, the history of these icons spans generations, and fans get excited to see both American icons driving around small towns, big cities and interstates. @JoyNystrom

New clubs to attend Gobblerfest MADI EADES lifestyles staff writer

There is a place for everybody at Virginia Tech, and this Friday at Gobblerfest, even more opportunities are appearing on an already diverse campus. Last yea r, senior business information technology major Joe Cho got together with a few friends to bring their breakdancing talent together. “Sadly, (my friends) don’t have the same passion anymore,” Cho said. “We wanted to bring all of the individuals together that have the same passion for breaking as we do.” Freshman mass communications major Eric Luu, the new vice

FACEBOOK MEETS TINDER Can the new app bring students together? page 5

president, is helping Cho get the club going this year to unite all of the breakers in the area.

“

(God) did not make human beings to stand upside down and move the way we do.” Eric Luu Breakdancing Club Vice President

“We want a large com mun ity for the breakers at Virginia Tech. If anything, we want people to see us at Gobblerfest and spark an interest that causes them to join,” Luu said. Meeting frequently every week, the breakers

practice their techniques to improve themselves and prepare to teach the new members, who Cho remarks include anyone willing to learn. “Whatever God you believe in, He did not make human beings to stand upside down and move the way we do,” Luu said. “Anyone can come out and learn as long as you put in the dedication and work.” Another club picking up at Tech this year is the American Marketing Association (AMA). “I want to say we used to have a chapter, but it fizzled out,” said fifth-yea r ma rketing management and ma nagement double major and AMA President Tyler Beamer. “This year, we have new leadership

HOKIE VOLLEYBALL Volleyball will travel to Michigan State for Spartan Invitational. page 6

Virginia Tech is set to kick off the cross country season this Saturday, Sept. 4, with the Hokie Invite. The invite will take place on Virginia Tech’s home course, Buford Meredith Cross Country Course. After a stellar outdoor track season, specifically in the middle distance and long distance track events, Virginia Tech is in great position to have a competitive cross country season. With several returning athletes who were national qualifiers in the indoor and outdoor track seasons, and even a medalist at the European U23 championships, the Hokies have a solid base of returning runners who will help lead the team throughout the season. With the addition of 10 freshmen and many of the top runners from last year returning, the Hokies should be a real threat in the ACC Championships, which are set for Oct. 30 in Tallahassee, Florida. After its season kick-off on Sept. 4, Virginia Tech will have one more meet at its home course on Sept. 18 before heading off to Princeton on Oct. 3 for the Princeton Invite. Two weeks after that, on Oct. 17, Virginia Tech will have its first opportunity to see how it stacks up against national competition in the NCAA Pre-National Meet, which will take place in Louisville, Kentucky.

“

With the addition of 10 freshmen and many of the top runners from last year returning, the Hokies should be a real threat in the ACC Championships.”

and a new focus.” The club is currently focusing on recruiting new members because the members who formed the club are graduating. They have also set sights on community projects. “We want to end up as a consulting organization, so people can come to us,” Beamer said. Joining Gobblerfest in the medical field this year is Pre-Meds Without Borders, a service-based club. P re-Meds Without Borders is a growing movement; although it is brand-new to Tech, it is already in place at 13 other schools in the nation. “There are so many students at Virginia Tech that want to embrace Ut Prosim in its fullest

The ACC championships will follow just 13 days later on Oct. 30. Last year the men’s and women’s team placed sixth in the ACC, and both teams are expecting to place higher this year. The Hokies will have one more home meet on Nov. 6 and then finish off the season with the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet on Nov. 13 and the NCAA Championship on Nov. 20 (only for those who qualify).

see CLUB / page 5

see CROSS COUNTRY/ page 6

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PAGE 2 September 4, 2015

editor@collegiatetimes.com

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your views [letter to the editor]

Hypocritic LGBT activism alienates potential allies Hokie Pride and other activist organizations need to become more inclusive and accepting as LGBTQ+ rights take center stage.

ometimes I’m ashamed of the fact that I’m LBGT (I’m just going to leave it as “LGBT.” The adding of letters has seriously gotten out of hand. If you want to include everyone, please change the term). Now, don’t think for a minute that I’m not proud to be gay — I have pride coming out of my eyes. My problem is not with my own and others’ personal sexual orientations; my problem is the community that has arisen because of this.

“

If this was one of my ﬁrst experiences with the gay community, I would have been completely turned off, and there is no way they would have gotten any of my support.”

Don’t get me wrong, the LGBT community has done some amazing work. Advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and the It Gets Better Project have done great things, but that doesn’t mean I particularly support these groups. When it comes to the HRC, I have issue with the fact that it took them incredibly long to truly get on board with support for the trans community, a very large part of the LGBT community. I don’t think I will ever support the It Gets Better Project because of Dan Savage. You may disagree, but I think he’s a truly terrible person. He has many controversies that surround him, such as his “I wish all Republicans were … dead” statement (edited to make it appropriate). No, I’m not a Republican (I mostly identify as Libertarian), but hate speech is hate speech no matter which group it is directed to and where it comes from. During the many recent controversies surrounding bakers and pizza makers, I’ve really been appalled by what has come from our community. To give a little background on how I feel on this subject, I’m against all laws that would force someone to provide services to anyone they don’t wish to serve. In a free country, it is a business owner’s right to deny services to anyone. Now this doesn’t mean I agree with their decisions. I’m gay and would feel incredibly angered if I was denied service because of that, but they have a right to do so. The free market will eventually take care of this. For example: if a restaurant today said they are only going to serve white males, there would be incredible backlash. There are not very many people who would go to this business, and the restaurant would go under. 100 years ago, this would not have been the case. I will say that the LGBT community is not at this level yet. Yes, as we’ve seen, there has been uproar over the gay community being denied services, but not enough Americans feel this way.

We still have much to improve. The way to change this is not to spew hate and take away the rights of fellow Americans; that just makes us look hypocritical. Yes, we can protest. Yes, we can encourage our friends and families to not support these businesses. Yes, we can leave bad Yelp reviews. No, we should not call for their deaths. No, we should not physically harm them or their businesses. No, we should not take away their rights. We live in America, where diversity is embraced. Diversity should be embraced in all instances, not just the ones we pick and choose. To make my rant a little closer to home, I want to discuss Hokie Pride. As a community, we need to understand that we are just gaining traction. Much of America is just beginning to understand what we’re about and how our different communities work. We have to understand that much of the straight community does not know the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality. Many do not even know what pansexuality is. They’re not up to speed on intersexuality and asexuality. Much of America doesn’t know what it means to be genderqueer. Because of Laverne Cox, Janet Mock and Caitlin Jenner, they are just beginning to understand what transgender is. We need to be gracious and allow for mistakes. If we respond to someone’s misunderstanding by being hateful and going on the offensive, then we will never advance. There was a piece published in The Collegiate Times last semester advocating for the use of transgender bathrooms on college campuses. The writer mistakenly used the term “transgendered” instead of “transgender.” The piece received much hate mail and even response pieces criticizing her for her stupidity and lack of knowledge. Hokie Pride seems to have been the main critic and now has much animosity towards The Collegiate Times. If this was one of my first experiences with the gay community, I would have been completely turned off, and there is no way they would have gotten any of my support. I will not support Hokie Pride for this very reason. The author was writing a piece in support of the transgender community and received mostly hate. As a community, we should have reacted with gratitude that we have a straight ally who is an active and public advocate. Then, we could have told how the usage was incorrect and explained the reasoning. This is not an isolated incident. As a community we need to stop acting as bullies while we preach about the dangers of bullying. This is simply hypocritical and makes us lose credibility.

JOSH OLIVER • sophomore/ English

TRIBUNE NEW SERVICE

column

Call for TV censorship is an excuse for poor parenting FCC has released three years of complaints regarding the series “Adult Swim” raising serious issues of censorship and parental controls.

new television series continue to test the boundaries of what is allowed on ma inst rea m television, it is apparent that some viewers, ones that frequently complain to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), have become disgruntled by several themes displayed in the comforts of their own home. Last month, the FCC released three years worth of complaints regarding Adult Swim’s p r og r a m m i ng blo ck. These complaints gave me a hardy laugh for two reasons. First, it showed me just how easily some people a re offended n ow a d a y s . Second, these complaints show a complete lack of problem solving in society today. The two Adult Swim shows that received the most irate reactions were Black Jesus and Mr. Pickles, both of which use controversial religious themes to elicit a very dark sense of humor. Granted, this humor is not for everyone, hence why Adult Swim is the proper place for these shows. I have watched an episode of each of these shows, and I can see why several viewers would reach for their remote. However, that is as far as it needs to go: reach for your remote. If you do not want to watch something, no one makes the choice for you to watch it. It is this same principle by which you should not be allowed to dictate what other adults watch on television. For children, it is a different story. One of the complaints regarding Mr. Pickles says, “I’m no prude, but this is the Car toon Network for Christ’s sake! A children’s channel! Kids stay up past 10, and this is what’s

waiting for them at 10:30 p.m.!” On their website, Adult Swim clearly states that its programming block begins at 9:00 p.m., usually with King of the Hill, an old Animation D om i nat ion st a lwa r t from Fox that would not scar a child for life. With this knowledge, parents can set parental controls on their television at their discretion to prevent children from viewing Adult Swim programming.

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We cannot allow ourselves to be so self-centered that we take away rights from others only because we don’t like them or are offended by them.”

The entire issue brought up by these complaints can be easily resolved by knowing what your kids watch and using your television remote. It really isn’t hard, parents should take full responsibility and proactively insure that their children don’t have access to content they feel to be inappropriate. This responsibility falls on the parents, not the executives of television stations. Another solution would be to put your child to bed before 10:30 at night or not let them watch TV after that time, which is probably too late for someone of that young an age to be up anyway. T h i s wo u ld a l s o solve another complaint that asks, “How does the channel know kids aren’t watching the show after a certain time?” It’s not Adult Swim’s job to know if a child is

watching a show they are not supposed to on DVR, YouTube or Netflix. The rating for the show is listed in the top right-hand corner of the screen every show they play (TV-PG, TV-14 or TV-MA), and every hour, Adult Swim displays a screen that says, “Adult Swim may contain material that parents may not find suitable for viewers under a certain age.” These disclaimers leave the viewing responsibility to adult viewers and parents, who can then determine if the content is appropriate for their children. I would not go as far as to say all of the complaints lacked thought. A few of the complaints did have merit, such as one that said Adult Swim aired their commercials with suggestive themes at 8:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network. Several young kids may still be up at 8:30 p.m.; I completely agree and sympathize with that complaint. However, I found a lot of these complaints were buried within the endless and massive pile of “I’m offended” and “what about my children” messages that made me cringe. Ta k ing away television programming is a punishment to all of the viewers that enjoy it. We cannot allow ourselves to be so self-centered that we take away rights from others only because we don’t like them or are offended by them. This is why the television remote control was invented, and I think many of these “concerned viewers” who are wasting time writing complaints to the FCC should learn how to use one.

RYAN TURK • regular columnist • senior/business information technology

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September 4, 2015 PAGE 3

collegiatetimes.com

Tech alumni beat average Young Americans for Liberty for post-college success ranked best in Northeast approach to what success means. Healthways healthcare company teamed with Gallup to create the GallupHealthways Well-Being Five, the pillars with which the study measured success. The list included Purpose Well-Being, being motivated to achieve goals; Social Well-Being, having strong relationships and love in life; Financial Well-Being, having a secure economic status; Community WellBeing, engaging with and having pride in one’s community; and Physical Well-Being, having good health and energy. Over 42 percent of Hokie alumni feel emotional attachment to their alma mater, significantly higher than the national average of 18 percent. Over half felt

RACHAEL WHITTEN news staff writer

A study released by the Gallup-Purdue Index that measures the overall success of Virginia Tech alumni in their lives after college found that Hokie graduates are notably more successful than the national average. Cont act i ng sl ig ht ly fewer than 14,000 alumni via email, researchers used online surveys to gather information on the quality of the lives of Tech graduates. The study was conducted from March 10 to April 1 of this year. The Gallup survey was titled “Great Jobs, Great Lives,” a fitting title for the results it garnered. The survey does not only measure career success but also takes a more holistic VIRGINIA TECH

NATIONAL GPI

RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

SCHEVAPPROVED PEER INSTITUTIONS

42%

18%

20%

23%

EMOTIONALLY UNATTACHED

OTHERS (NEITHER ATTACHED OR UNATTACHED)

55%

73%

71%

70%

ALUMNI ATTACHMENT

EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED

VIRGINIA TECH

NATIONAL GPI

RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

SCHEVAPPROVED PEER INSTITUTIONS

PURPOSE WELL-BEING

60%

52%

54%

SOCIAL WELL-BEING

57%

49%

50%

49%

FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

56%

42%

46%

47%

COMMUNITY WELL-BEING

52%

46%

47%

49%

PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

41%

35%

37%

that they couldn’t imagine a world without Virginia Tech. Only one percent of alumni are unemployed and searching for a job, and almost half feel actively engaged in their work. Two-thirds work for a fulltime employer. Additionally, Tech graduates report feeling prepared for life outside of college, at 43 percent, noticeably more than the national average of 29 percent. President Timothy D. Sands credits this to the blurred lines between students’ academic and personal lives. “At Virginia Tech there are no boundaries between classroom and life,” Sands said in a VT press release. “Each involvement a student has contributes to the continuum of learning.” Vice P resident for Student Affairs Patty Perillo credits the survey findings to the broad preparation VT provides. “The reason VT alumni are thriving in all five areas as opposed to just one or two is because we are an institution committed to deep and experiential learning, and also a community that offers care and support,” Perillo said. @CollegiateTimes

VIRGINIA TECH

NATIONAL GPI

RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

SCHEVAPPROVED PEER INSTITUTIONS

I was extremely active in extravurricular activities & organizations whiile attending Virginia Tech.

27%

20%

19%

17%

Virginia Tech is passionate about the long-term success of its students.

24%

18%

17%

Virginia Tech prepared me well for life outside of college.

43%

29%

28%

30%

I had at least on professor at Virginia Tech who made me excited about learning.

66%

63%

61%

VIRGINIA TECH

NATIONAL GPI

RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

SCHEVAPPROVED PEER INSTITUTIONS

67%

58%

59%

EMPLOYED FULL TIME (SELF)

EMPLOYED PART TIME (DO NOT WANT FULL TIME)

11%

10%

EMPLOYED PART TIME (WANT FULL TIME)

1% 16%

18%

17%

18%

EMPLOYED FULL TIME (EMPLOYER)

UNEMPLOYED NOT IN WORKFORCE

MEGAN GRONDINE news staff writer

Back in 2011, the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter at Virginia Tech had only five active members. Up until two years ago, the chapter was not acknowledged as part of the national organization. Today, YAL has 50 active members, 96 members total and was awarded Best Chapter in the Northeast Region at the National YAL Conference held in Washington, D.C., in July 2015. Caitlyn Tierney, YAL vice president, accepted the award. “It was so exciting,” Tierney said. “I didn’t know we would win. I was just sitting there with a couple of friends, and then they announced that we won.” YAL is the most active and largest political organization on campus. The chapter typically attracts liberty-minded students, but “YAL does not identify towards any political party. We are actually against the two party system,” said Ashley Charles, YAL president. Over the last two years, YAL has brought many political spea kers to Virginia Tech, including Bill Frezza and Bob Inglis. The organization has grown from an informal, infinitesimal group of students who wanted to talk about liberty into one of the largest YAL chapters in the Northeast region. “We are very tightknit, and we are very good about accepting people and getting them to be friends with us instead of being just a group,” said Joe Melton, YAL marketing and recruitment manager. Typically, YAL is one of the smaller collegiate organizations; however, at Virginia Tech the community has blossomed. “Here at VT it is really unbelievable,” Charles said. “We’re a giant family, and it never really feels like work.” In May 2015, the organization participated in Habitat for Humanity’s

n a t i o nw i d e “ S h a c kA-Thon” project, where collegiate chapters create a themed shack to inform students about an issue and collect donations. YAL sponsored the National YAL organization’s shack theme “Incarceration Nation,” and worked to educate st udents about overcrowded prisons in the United States, statistics regarding the United States prison rates and the negative effect it has on society. This fundraiser raised $2,910 collectively from the six shacks. “(The shack) really stressed the concept of individual liberty,” Tierney said. Last September YAL constructed their annual Free Speech Wall on the Drillfield with the primary i nt ent of i n for m i ng students the importance of free speech. “Free speech is a very important thing and we need to acknowledge it on campus,” Melton said. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is an organization that advocates for free speech on college campuses and ranks schools on a red, yellow and green light basis. Currently, Virginia Tech is ranked as a yellow light, which indicates that Virginia Tech has at least one ambiguous policy that could allow administrative infringement on students’ first amendment rights. “YAL has been working to get Virginia Tech up to a green light,” Melton said. “We have spoken with people in SGA who are working on a resolution to bump it up.” The organization’s success in the Shack-A-Thon project, Free Speech Wall and continuing growth led to the national YAL organization ranking the Virginia Tech chapter the best in the Northeast region. “It was a great feeling because it is something we’ve all been working really hard for — not directly,” Melton said. “It

was surprising, but also not surprising. We’ve put a ton of work into what we do, and we are very passionate.” Although the previous leaders of YAL graduated in May 2015, their effort has not been forgotten.

“

It was surprising but also not suprising. We’ve put a ton of work into what we do, and we are very passionate.” Joe Melton YAL marketing and recruitment manager

“(The award) stemmed from a lot of previous work from the previous President, Vice President and people who were really enthusiastic about the liberty movement,” said Sebastian Wellford, YAL treasurer. To ma i nt a i n t hei r ranking, Charles said YAL seeks to get even more people involved and host twice as many events as last year. With the presidential election approaching, the YAL is also focusing on registering students to vote. “We like to get our views out there and get people engaged on the opposite side of the spectrum,” Melton said. YAL advocates for human rights and free markets. “ We r e a l ly h o p e getting this recognition will promote ourselves on campus,” Wellford said. “Compared to the other political organizations on campus, we are a lot more involved and do more student events on campus. Our discussions are much more engaging, well thought-out and challenging than other political organizations. We always promote liberty on campus.”

@megangrondine

Student investor discusses stock market on CNBC ZACH HOOPES Pamplin beat reporter

Kaley Burlingame has been making money for Virginia Tech since her freshman year. As a member of Studentmanaged Endowment for Educational Development (SEED), she and a handful of other students manage a $5 million endowment fund. According to its website, SEED is the largest studentrun investment portfolio of its kind in the country. T h is past Monday, Burlingame was featured live on CNBC’s Retail Investor Round Table to comment on SEED’s investing strategy and the stocks it is considering purchasing. SEED has remained calm throughout the past two weeks of market turbulence, keeping its

holdings and maintaining a long-term perspective. “We actually weren’t making trades this last week,” Burlingame said on the broadcast, “but we’re looking at the market to see what in the future would make potentially good moves for us to build that return on our portfolio.” Burlingame originally made contact with CNBC through a Virginia Tech intern working with the network. “(The intern) reached out to us and said, ‘We would be really interested in having you on the retail investor round table,’” Burlingame said. “Which is basically ... normal people who are investing ... just to get their opinion on the markets. Sort of an outside view.”

From there, progress toward showtime moved smoothly. It was decided that Burlingame would be on CNBC since SEED’s other co-CEO, Parker Gillcash, was unable to go on the air due to agreements with a firm he has signed with after receiving an employment offer. “The first thing we had to do was get clearance with the Virginia Tech Endowment Fund to make sure we could talk about the holdings that we have,” Burlingame said. “After that I reached out to all of our sector managers. So I talked to all six of them and got their opinion on the markets, what companies they held that they were super excited about. I also emailed the advisors, and they gave me some feedback on what they

thought would be good to say. So it was sort of compiling all the advice that people gave me, and picking and choosing what I thought would be the best thing to say.” Ultimately Burlingame chose to mention American Airlines and Citigroup as two stock picks she and SEED were interested in. “I honestly just made that call on my own,” Burlingame said. “I asked for their (advisor’s) advice without telling them what I was thinking.” As an organization SEED does not perform a substantial amount of short-term trading. Instead its strategy focuses on longer-term value investing, holding many securities for years before selling, though it can act shorter than that as well. “We have a value investing

strategy, so we are digging into companies where we think the market is missing something, kind of a diamond in the rough if you will,” Burlingame said. Burlingame has been offered another opportunity to speak on CNBC at the end of September, though the details have yet to be confirmed and finalized. SEED ma nages $5 million for the Virginia Tech Endowment Fund, and their earnings provide scholarships for students. “The money, the return we are making, goes back to the endowment fund for them to give people scholarships to Virginia Tech, so it is something we take really seriously,” Burlingame said. “And so we are pretty riskaverse because if our returns

are lower than they should be one year, then that might mean people don’t get scholarships and won’t be able to come here. So we definitely take it really seriously and are trying to make smart investments but also somewhat safe investments too, while still having a high return.” SEED has been investing on behalf of the University since 1993. “I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for SEED, and that is true of a lot of opportunities I have had here,” Burlingame said. “I have gotten involved in a lot of things at Virginia Tech, but it is by far and away the best thing I have done.”

@zkhoopes

GobblerConnect reimagined for a modern student body LEWIS MILLHOLLAND news editor

For those who enjoy clicking through page after ugly page to view a handful of clubs in an alphabetical list, bad news — GobblerConnect has been streamlined, cleaned up and optimized to enhance the user experience. GobblerConnect. com, the infamous resource for browsing student clubs and organizations, was reimagined this summer to provide a useful service for students looking to get involved on campus. The team responsible for providing student input on the changes was lead by Robbie Ashton, political science major, and Nizar Taifour, marketing management

major. Ashton recounted the story that led to them taking on the project. “So this girl told Dr. Perillo, ‘I want to get involved, there’s not really a good place, how do I do so?’ Dr. Perillo replied with — this is the short version — ‘We have GobblerConnect, it’s a resource that’s free to use,’ and I think her feedback was, ‘no, it sucks. I want something else,’” Ashton said. Rather than toss the site, Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia A. Perillo opted to revamp what was already there. “Love it or hate it, there’s no other system that can do what GobblerConnect can do,” Taifour said. “For students, there’s nowhere else like it on

campus or on social media, on Facebook or Twitter.” To start, Ashton and Taifour pruned the inactive clubs from the approximate 1200 registered clubs. Some organizations on GobblerConnect had ceased activities years ago, their presidents long gone from Virginia Tech. “You had a lot of students who come to Virginia Tech, they go on GobblerConnect, they learn about an organization they’re really interested in, they email the president and the president has not been there for several years,” Ashton said. “So a lot of students’ first interaction with that organization is that I emailed them, but I never heard back.”

Over the summer, the GobblerConnect team cut down the roster to about 750 organizations. Any organization that did not register or re-register in the 2014-2015 academic year was removed. Currently, the website lists 909 groups. Another aim of the redesign team was to reduce the intimidating factor of exploring all 900-odd clubs at the University. “It can be extremely daunting,” Ashton said. “Cause you’re like O.M.G., where do I start.” Now when organizations register with GobblerConnect they select the categories that will point to them, and users can toggle these categories using a filter tool on the

left-hand side of the website’s “Organizations” page. Beyond improved functionality and removing inactive organizations, the site’s aesthetics were a primary target for the design team. Sporting screen-wide image banners, a clean and modern typeface, mobilefriendly and an overall modern feel, the website is much more inviting than its predecessor. “Robbie loves saying this: ‘GobblerConnect looks like it was made in the 1890s,’” Taifour said. “If it doesn’t look good, people don’t want to use it. It can have all the information that people might need, but if it’s not inviting, then you’re not going to go on it.”

Taifour and Ashton are also encouraging organizations to make their own GobblerConnect pages more inviting. Ashton posted a guide titled “Making an Awesome GobblerConnect Page” that gives tips on adding cover photos, logos and reminders to doublecheck primary contacts and rosters. “Ultimately our hope is that more students will be able to find more things to do,” Taifour said. “Because we don’t want to have students go a day on this campus without being engaged or being interested or just enjoying themselves.” @WithTheFancyGuy

PAGE 4 September 4, 2015

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study break Today’s Birthday Horoscope: With Jupiter moving more deeply into Virgo, you seem eager to explore far horizons. You also seem more willing to experiment with new ideas and opportunities. Regarding relationships, be careful on Monday, as someone could have a hidden agenda. You might need to read between the lines. Cherish love.

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ACROSS 1 Bout with padded weapons 12 Source of a large reserve supply 14 Period, say 16 Score direction: Abbr. 17 Gull-like bird 18 Pearl City punch bowl serving 19 “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” composer 20 Some shooters, briefly 21 Go on (one’s way) 22 Certain hustler’s tools

23 Setting for Ariadne 24 Observation after “Clean your room!” 29 Pea family trees 31 Student’s supper spot 32 “Oh no!” from Poirot 33 Showed contempt for 34 Where Daniel was incarcerated 35 Sellout signs 36 President under whom Texas was annexed 37 “__ be in England ...”: Browning

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Labor Day Meyer Football Orange Buckeyes Tailgating

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September 4, 2015 PAGE 5

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Crafting the perfect tailgating party MEGAN VAZQUEZ lifestyles editor

With college football season fast approaching and the biggest game of the year only days away, fans find themselves attempting to plan the perfect tailgate. If you’re like me and get overwhelmed just thinking about where to start, try a quick search on Pinterest to find quick, easy and delicious food options, perfect for a football tailgate. The first dish you’ll need to kickoff your tailgate is an appetizer. Pinner Chris Nease runs the blog “Celebrations At Home” and shares tailgating ideas to her “Football parties, Tailgating & Super Bowl” board on Pinterest. Chris shared a recipe for Doritos Corn Dip from her blog that is described as having a “sweet and spicy flavor profile.” Doritos Corn Dip Ingredients: Two 11-ounce cans yellow niblet corn, drained 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (grate your own, do not use pre-shredded for this) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup ranch dressing 1 medium red bell pepper, diced 1/4 cup green onion, diced Two 10-ounce bags Spicy Nacho flavored Doritos Corn tortillas, if desired Directions: Combine all ingredients together, except for chips. Use about 6–7 cups, or 3/4 of a bag, of the Doritos, and crush them with your hands as you sprinkle them into the dip. Mix well to incorporate them. Cover and chill for a couple of hours or over night so flavors combine. Serve with second bag of Doritos and tortilla chips. Once you’ve got your appetizer ready to go, you need a main dish. The blog “Uncommon Designs” has its own Pinterest and uses its board “DIY Tailgating Ideas and Recipes” to share quick and creative ways to make a tailgate stand out. On the board is a recipe for Chicken Bacon Ranch Tortilla Pockets “packed with tons of delicious ranch flavor.” This recipe is a bit more involved than the appetizer, but it can be made in advance to avoid spending game day in the kitchen. Chicken Bacon Ranch Tortilla Pockets Ingredients: 3 cups shredded chicken 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature 1 packet (1-ounce) ranch dressing mix 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded 1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Eight 8-inch flour tortillas 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese and ranch seasoning. Add chicken, cheese, bacon and green onions. Stir to combine. Spoon 1/8 of the chicken mixture (about 1/3 cup or so) down the center of the tortilla. Fold up both short ends of the tortilla and fold over one of the long ends. Brush the open edge of the tortilla with beaten egg and fold over, creating a rectangular tortilla pocket. Repeat with remaining tortillas and place seam-sides down on the baking sheet. Brush pocket tops with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 15–18 minutes until golden brown. Serve ranch dressing on the side to dip tortilla pockets. Once you’ve gotten through the appetizer and main course, add something sweet to the mix to top it all off. Pinner Cheryl runs the “That’s What Che Said” blog and shares tailgating ideas on her board “Superbowl/ Tailgating Ideas.” She shared a simple dessert made with Rice Krispies Treats, perfect for students on a budget and an “American staple.” Football Rice Krispy Treats Ingredients: 4 cups of Cocoa flavored Rice Krispies Cereal 4 cups of mini-marshmallows 3 tablespoons of butter Vanilla frosting Directions: Begin by melting the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add marshmallows and heat until melted and smooth. Be sure not to burn the mixture. Add Rice Krispies cereal, and mix until incorporated. Let cool for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Roll a compact ball, slightly larger than a golf ball, of the mixture and then press flat on parchment paper. Form into football shape. Note: Footballs should be approximately 3 – 4 inches in length. Once cool, use a small icing tip to add frosting to the treats for the details and laces of the football. Get creative beyond the food, and deck out your tailgate in maroon and orange Hokie everything. For more recipes and other tailgating tips, follow the Collegiate Times on Pinterest at pinterest.com/ctlifestyles.

@meganv_VT

CLUB: New organizations, new options for Hokies from page 1

potential, and this organization was founded because I wanted to give everybody another opportunity to do so,” said sophomore biochemistry major Sunny Murthy, the president and founder of Tech’s chapter. “We will start with highimpact volunteer work in the community,” Murthy said. “Then, as we grow we plan to spread our reach to the global scale.” Although “Pre-Meds” is stated in the name of the club, it is not limited to a small group of majors. “Students who have a passion for making a positive change in our community and on a larger scale (are welcome to join),” Murthy said. Pre-Meds W it h o ut Borders is partnering

closely with the Nature Center, helping with blood drives, participating in the Big Event and partnering with the science clubs on their trips to elementary schools. Other students in the health field should also consider a new Pre-Health Fraternity, Delta Epsilon Mu (DEM), which will hold rush the week of Sept. 15. “Some of our short-term goals are to successfully complete our first rush and to spread our name around campus and Blacksburg,” said junior Amanda Carter, human nutrition, foods and exercise major and the president of DEM. For those interested in engineering and design, the brand-new Theme Park Engineering and Design club is starting strong. “We focus on how

roller coasters work, along with how to network with industry professionals,” said sophomore Tom Bruzek, electrical engineering major and director of publicity for the club. Any student who is interested in roller coasters and theme parks in general is welcome to join the club. “We are already planning behind-the-scene tours at various parks, and we are planning on entering design competitions with TPED clubs from other schools,” Bruzek said. Whether it be for passion or networking, all of the clubs have a main focus on Ut Prosim, one all students can carry with themselves in future endeavors.

@amadi_eades

COURTESY OF FRIENDSY

Networking app gives new take on college courtship Students-only app Friendsy launches to offer the hookups of Tinder, the camaraderie of Facebook and the exclusivity of a college campus. JULIANNA HILL lifestyles staff writer

The emergence of social media is a story millennials know well. Back in 2004, a man named Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard roommates had the inventive idea to put the college experience on the World Wide Web, and a social media platform called Facebook was born. Social media users have spread far beyond just college students to include 71 percent of adult Internet users, according to a 2014 study from the Pew Research Center. Seldom does one log on to Facebook today without scrolling through a cluttered newsfeed of friend’s parents’ pets or strange selfies of unidentifiable middle-schoolers. Following the creation of Tinder and the recently added chaos of Facebook, came Friendsy: one of the newest social media apps that combines the swipe technology of Tinder and the original membership exclusivity model of Facebook to clean up the way college students meet. “It is a really good way to expand your friend group and your social circle, especially if you’re not interested in joining clubs organizations,” said senior business information technology major Jack Beckman, who serves as one of four campus representatives for Friendsy at Virginia Tech. Friendsy was created in 2013 by then Princeton students Vaidhy Murti and Michael Kipsky. The site was launched at Virginia Tech in September 2014 and nationally last March. It has since grown to cater to over 100,000

users across nearly 200 college campuses, and the numbers are rapidly growing. On Aug. 25, 2015, Friendsy secured $5 0 0, 0 0 0 in n ew financing from investors Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Slow Ventures — venture capitalists who have invested in Buzzfeed, Twitter, GroupMe and Facebook. “They’ve doubled in less than a month, which is pretty cool to see,” said Beckman of the Friendsy frenzy. At the time of our interview, Friendsy users at Virginia Tech neared 900 people, and Beckman noted that he sees the numbers increase daily. “If you go on the app and check every day, you see people you normally wouldn’t,” Beckman said. Membersh ip eligibility is contingent upon on a user’s possession of a “.edu” email address. This keeps out the random patrons that both Tinder and Facebook invite, establishing a platform to socially explore your campus and others without your boss or parents monitoring your activity. In addition, membership is moderated in way that ensures professors and alumni with .edu emails are disqualified from the online party. “I haven’t felt socially threatened or pressured in any situation or circumstances,” Beckman said of his experience with the free app. Unique to Friensdy is the user’s control over the intended message to a potential match. Under neat h each profile picture, users are presented with three possibilities: date, hook-up or friends. If none of these

options seem appealing, simply continue swiping th rough users until another face strikes your fancy. “You have some barriers there, so you can kind of define the message right away,” Beckman said of Friendsy’s threepronged offer. Users are also able to edit their search so that it filters by gender, year of graduation, university, major and even by the activities in which they are involved. I initially downloaded the app for strict research purposes, but was quickly hooked after the flattery that came at the sight of my first alert: “A guy from Virginia Tech in Packaging Science wants to go on a date with you!” It was a boost of confidence I couldn’t ignore, so I kept exploring. A girl from the Class of 2016 and I mutually agreed that we wanted to be friends, so we were able to message each other. I asked her why she downloaded the Friendsy app. “Just so I could meet more people as I’m new to VT,” she responded. To date, there are no new developments with our relationship, but I was surprised at the simplicity of our virtual introduction and how easy it would have been (and still is) to ask her to coffee. For all you lonely traditionalists out there, give Friendsy a try. If it’s not to find your next best friend, dream date or hook-up, do it to understand how your peers are going about the process. Much like the direction of social media, you just never know. @CollegiateTimes

PAGE 6 September 4, 2015

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CROSS COUNTRY: Deep freshman class looks to make an impact from page 1

MALIK KEATON / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Lindsey Owens (1) makes a textbook dig. Owens looks to help the Hokies continue their undefeated start.

Volleyball heads to Michigan State The Virginia Tech volleyball team will compete in the Spartan Invitational this weekend. The Hokies will face off against Miami University (OH), Butler and No. 19-ranked Michigan State. JOSH WILETS Volleyball beat reporter

This Friday, the Virginia Tech women’s volleyball team will head to Michigan State to take part in the Spartan Invitational. The tournament will include Miami University (Ohio), Butler and No. 19 Michigan State, in addition to Virginia Tech. The Hokies start play on Friday, Sept. 4 against Miami University (Ohio) — not to be confused with University of Miami (Florida). The Miami University RedHawks have a record of 1-3, including being swept in the Illini Classic

by Creighton, Illinois, and Louisville. Their lone win came this past Tuesday against Wright State, having swept the Raiders. Miami University competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and currently sits eighth out of 12 teams in the MAC in hitting percentage, with a percentage of .190. Later that night, Virginia Tech takes on 19th-ranked Michigan State. The Spartans have a record of 2-1, having defeated Arkansas-Little Rock and IUPUI in the Bluegrass Invitational. Michigan S t a t e’s only loss came against Kentucky in the Bluegrass Invitational, losing 2-3.

MSU is part of the Big 10 conference and is nationally known as one of the best women’s volleyball programs in the country. On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Hokies finish their schedule in the Spartan Invitational against Butler. The Bulldogs are 1-2, losing to both Ohio State and Wyoming in the Rumble in the Rockies. Their lone win came against South Dakota, sweepi ng t hem 3- 0. The Butler Bulldogs compete in the Big East conference. The Bulldogs have a hit percentage of .211, compared to the Hokies, who own an attack percentage of .343.

The Spartan Invitational will be an important test for the Hokies. Sure, there are some teams that Virginia Tech will face that are not too strong at volleyball; however, the Hokies will be facing their first nationally ranked team in their schedule. This tournament will be a good indicator of how Virginia Tech will compete in the ACC. “We are looking to see how much better we can get as a group,” Coach Chris Riley said. “I know we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we can get better.”

@josh_wilets

Head coach Ben Thomas should be very excited for this season, seeing that his entire top seven 10,000-meter runners from last year are returning this year and look in great condition to compete in the ACC.

“

Joseph set a new school record in the 800-meter run this past track season (1:48.37) and also won the ACC championship in the mile (4:01.57).”

Led by redshirt junior Stuart Robertson, their fastest returner, the Hokies will have some stability this season. Robertson had an outstanding outdoor track season, setting a new school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:42.73) and getting a personal record of 14:02.69 in the 5,000meter run. Right behind Robertson is junior Patrick Joseph, the second-fastest returner

on the team. Joseph set a new school record in the 800-meter run this past track season (1:48.37) and also won the ACC Championship in the event. Joseph also had a stellar indoor season, winning the ACC Championship in the mile (4:01.57). Hopef ul ly J o s e p h’s success at the shorter distances will convert into faster times this year in the 10,000-meter. Rou nd i ng out t he top seven returners are redshirt senior Darren Barlow, redshirt sophomore Andrew Gaiser, junior Neil Gourley, redshirt sophomore Daniel Jaskowak and redshirt senior Juan Campos. The returning runners will assure a quality season, but there is also a great recruiting class coming in this year. Among the 10 freshmen, there is Peter Seufer, a Footlocker finalist, Chris Short, a two-time state champion and Alex Maguire, a 1,600-meter state cha mpion. T he freshman class is very promising and could have a positive impact on the team come October.

@CollegiateTimes