OCR::/Vol_102/WLURG39_RTP_20000306/WLURG39_RTP_20000306_001.2.txt V ‘V. .': , X -’ 2.72.755 R55?- \/.101 no.2’; C /2, .MMt}'9 13. ttrvsaunm LIBRARY \.I\/A.’3H‘ll~.£(:’:’L’1'l‘w) LEE UMVERSITY’ >. M ':‘.v.-'..¢»§»3 U112 fling-tum Ifllttii" WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIvERsrrY’s WEEKLY NEWSPAPER .. y 4 VOLUME 102, No.22 White Book review finished Whitebook review committee hands over findings to EC By Max Smith NEWS EDITOR Recommending a few policy changes and 250 gram- matical changes, the White Book Review Committee and their comprehensive, 76-page report will go in front of the Executive Committee tonight in an open meeting. Drawing upon survey results from the student body and faculty, the Committee's report proposes several “changes to improve the layout, grammar, consistency, clar- ity and substance of the White Book.” The White Book is the ruling publication of the University Honor System. “The White Book was written by a committee and it reads like that,” Review Committee Chairman Rob Bailey said, referring to the often confusing language of the book. To adopt any proposal, it must be supported by two- thirds of the EC at two separate meetings, said EC Presi- dent Jeff Cook. Tonight the Review Committee willoffi- cially present their report to the EC, who will ask questions throughout. Cook plans on visiting most campus groups, like Greeks and MSA, to get their opinion on any changes. This meet- ing will be followed on March 20 by a campus-wide forum on changing the White Book. “The EC will consider the Review Committee’s recom- mendations carefully,” Cook said. He added that the EC will especially concentrate on campus opinions of their accountability in honor decisions. ' The Review Committee recommends the EC add a sec- tion to define the Honor Advocate program, change the makeup of the preliminary investigation team, not allow the accused to be punished for disclosing information on the violation or EC hearing, allow the accused's advocates to contact EC witnesses before the hearing, and allow dis- cussion of information about a Student Body Hearing out- LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450 side the University community. The last section of the report consists of a full, ideal _version of the White Book if penned by the Review Com- mittee. photo by Emily Bamesl Photo Editor TIIIs CEILING IsN’T TOO wELL DECORATED. Duke law student Evans Rice dips sophomore Elizabeth Alford at Friday night’s 93rd‘ Annual Fancy Dress Ball. Many students took advantage of swing’ dance lessons earlier that week. Going dry? Four W&L fraternities may ban alcohol Rising insurance costs, declining image force nationals to can the spirits for all chapter housing By Michael Crittenden ASSOCIA TE EDITOR Washington and Lee University alumnus Matt May has returned to Lexington for Alumni Weekend each year since his graduation in 1997. Ar- riving in town, he usually stops by one of the local supermarkets in order to buy a few cases of beer to take to his fraternity house. May, a graduate brother in Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji), says he enjoys re- turning to the fraternity and spending time with the undergraduate members over a few beers. “Alumni like to come back to the house and relive our college days.” May said. “It Is a tradition of sorts to return to your house, share some drinks and stories, and to have a fun time.” Tradition or not, the national poli- cies Of four Washington and Lee fra- ternities may soon prevent students and alumni alike from ever drinking in their fraternity houses again. Set to go into effect July 1,2000, national poli- cies will prohibit the use or posses- sion of alcohol in the fraternity houses of Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt), Sigma Nu, Phi Kappa Sigma (Phi Kap) and Fiji. According to representatives from the four national fraternities the re- sponse nationwide has been positive. In Lexington, however, both students and administration have attacked the policies. While Fiji and Sigma Nu ap- pear to be able to reach a compromise, Phi Kap and Phi Delt are playing a high—stakes game of chicken, waiting for their national fraternity to move first. If they don’t, both fraternities have said they might de-affiliate with their national fraternity. Fraternity members have complained that the new policies would destroy the cam- pus social life, and prevent them from successfully recruiting new members. The administration has also weighed in on the issue, in support of the stu- dents. “I don’t believe that prohibition of alcohol in the fraternity houses is the best way to educate students about alcohol problem,” Dean of Students David Howison said. “I really don’t believe this will work on our campus, because of the nature of the students here.” While Howison made clear that the University policy does not support underage drinking by students, he noted that drinking is not a foreign concept to Washington and Lee stu- dents. The percentage of students at Washington and Lee who drink, be- tween 80-85 percent, is much higher than the national average. Howison also said that the responsible use of alcohol should be the focus of the is- sue. “I definitely believe that there is a place for the social use of alcohol in fraternity houses,” Howison said. “It is the abuse of alcohol we must curb, not the use, and the University is tak- LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. The Emma Gibbs Band serenades the Saturd photo by David Hanson/Assistant Photo Editor ay afternoon crowd at Phi Psi. ing those steps.” Senior Phi Delt member Christopher Ball agrees with Howison, saying that the answer to alcohol problems will not be found in the new policies. “Drinking is a social problem that you can’t change with one fell swoop,” Ball said. “That doesn’t deal with the reality of the situation.” But for the national representatives of the four houses the reality is that they have chosen a way to deal with what they see as a problem of national pro ortions. ' " This is a national issue that is not going to go away anytime soon,” said Fiji’s Executive Director, Bob Baney. “I know of at least 10 other fraternities that have some type of alcohol—free housing policy in lace, and at least 40 that have an alcohol-free policy as a requirement for the colonization or dis- cipline of chapters.” The current movement toward al- cohol-free housing comes as a result of the alcohol-related deaths of frater- nity members across the country in recent years. In 1997 the deaths of two fraternity pledges, one at Fiji at the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy, and one at Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) at Louisiana State University, resulted in headlines nationwide. Both Benjamin Wynne and Scott Krueger died of alcohol poisoning that resulted from binge drinking, defined as hav- ing more than five drinks at one sit- ting. Washington and Lee has seen its own alcohol-related-tragedies in re- cent years. In 1996 student David Th- ompson died in a drunken driving ac- cident, and in the spring of 1997 fresh- man Jack Bowden fell out of his third- floor dormitory window while intoxi- cated. According to Baney, the alcohol- free housing movement is a direct re- action to the alcohol abuse on college campuses and in the fraternity houses.» SEE ‘GOING DRY?’ ON PAGE 2 MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2000 VMI grad indicted for arson 1998 barracks fire stem federal charge By Katie Clark STAFF WRITER A barracks fire set almost two years ago has kindled legal problems for a recent Virginia Military Institute gradu- ate. John Daniel Payne ofAshland, who graduated last September, was in- dicted by a federal grand jury on charges of setting fire to a room in the VMI barracks and obstruction of jus- tice last week in Roanoke. An indict- ment is a formal charge, not a finding of guilt. According to a U.S. Bureau of Al- cohol, Tobacco, and Fireanns news release, these charges arose from evi- dence uncovered in an ATF, Virginia State Police, and United States attor- ney investigation. Payne is accused of starting a fire in a room recently vacated by three expelled senior cadets. The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. on May 2, I998, moments after a “drumming Out” cer- emony was held for the dismissed se- niors and for three expelled freshman. ATF Agent Bart McEntire declined to elaborate on the obstruction of jus- tice charge since the indictment is sealed. Federal charges were filed be- cause the barracks is a registered Na- tional Historic Landmark. The federal arson statute carries a maximum 20-year penalty. VMI cannot revoke Payne’s degree since he has already graduated. The investigation was delayed be- cause the fire occurred in May, VMI spokesman Col. Michael Strickler said. “The fire happened at the end of the school year, and people went away for the summer,” he said. “The state police had to travel to interview people.” Strickler said a lack of student co- operation also slowed the investiga- tion. “No one was saying anything,” he said. According to the ATF, the seniors who had occupied the vandalized room had been expelled for striking three freshmen with belts during a haz- ing ritual. The freshmen were dis- missed for initially lying about this rat- line incident to cadet investigators. The seniors were serving as “dykes,” or senior mentors, to the three freshmen. Strickler said Payne did not live on the floor where the fire occurred. Payne could not be reached for com-. . ment. The blaze was quickly extin- guished, and no one was injured. The damage was minimal. March 6, 2000 OPINION: W&LIEE: SPORTS: @112 fling-tum ifilti Phi and Trident bashing Memories. . . FD 2000 Men’s lax downs national rival PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 6 OUTTA MY wAY!:Junior Ellen Ritsch blows by a startled opponent. photo by Emily Bames/Photo Editor OCR::/Vol_102/WLURG39_RTP_20000306/WLURG39_RTP_20000306_002.2.txt PAGE 2 Eh; filing-tum ifllri NEWS MARCH 6, 2000 ‘GOING DRY?’ from page 1 “One reason we are taking these steps is the health and wellness of our fellow brothers. We are not proud of what happened at M.I.T. and the University of Pennsylvania (where an alumnus died from an alcohol-related fall last year),” Baney said. “When situations like this arise we can’t sit around and say it will be business as usual. This is not about putting someone in a grave, it’s about protect- ing our brotherhood.” High profile deaths like those of Krueger and alcohol in our fraternities, we are saying it’s okay to break the law,” Baney said. “The law of the land is not something to just be overlooked because you are in college, and it is not something we can overlook.” The representatives also said the policies are an at- tempt to shift the alcohol-dominated focus that has plagued fraternities back to the ideals of the fraternities. “We wish, and hope, that fraternity membership is based more on the ideals of the fraternity, and less on 66 Wynne have led to fratemi- ties being ranked in the top 10 of the most difficult orga- nizations to insure; ranked higher than bars and equal to nuclear waste facilities when it comes to getting li- chapter alive Switching to another fraternity, like Delta Kappa Epsilon, is a viable option to keep our —- Phi Kap President Brian Carney drinking,” Biggs said. “There are plenty of drink- ing clubs out there, but we are a fraternity whose prin- ciples are not based on a fifth of liquor.” Baney agreed Fiji was 99 ability coverage. Large law- suit settlements, such as the $430,000-plus that SAE had to pay as a result of Wynne’s death, have caused insurance companies to avoid the risk. According to Phi Delt Executive Director Bob Briggs, the problem in finding liability insurance is the major impe- tus in the move toward alcohol-free housing. “If someday fraternities can’t get liability insurance, then the reality is that those houses will be closed,” Biggs said. “Fratemities are a business. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it's the truth.” Members of the four W&L fraternities are aware of the business aspects of running a fraternity, and say they will be unable to compete with the other fraternity “businesses” on campus if they are forced to go dry. Fraternities at W&L market themselves on the social atmosphere they present, May said. “Whether it_ good or bad, it’s the reality of the situation. By taking away alcohol from a few houses, you handicap those houses and they will wither on the vine.” Biggs said that today only a limited number of insur- ance companies will grant liability insurance to fratemi- ties. When a company does agree to underwrite a frater- nity, the cost is usually much greater than for other organi- zations. In a recent National Interfratemity Conference study, the average member paid $120 - $160 a year for liabil- ity insurance, while the average sorority woman paid $12 - $25. According to Baney, that’s because all of the national sororities have alcohol-free housing. -“If we set ourselves up for risk [by having alcohol in the fraternity house], we are going to pay for it,” Baney said. “We are also lighting a time bomb that will eventually explode and we will suffer from it.” Thought Fiji did not face trial for the death of Scott Krueger, the fear of that possibility, and the impending cost of a large lawsuit like at the University of Texas, fuel the move toward alcohol-free housing. “If we have a situation where we have to make a large pay—out because a student dies of alcohol poisoning in one of our houses, or because of a Phi Gam party, there will be no Phi Gamma Delta,” Baney said. “We will no longer exist. A prudent, rational organization must take these steps in order to stay in business.” Members of the W&L community say, however, they have been taking these steps for the last 10 years with positive results. In 1989 the school started a fraternity re- naissance program aimed at improving the failing Greek system. Houses were half-destroyed, and the dereliction of fraternity members was appalling, according to one Board of Trustees member. “The Alumni Board was so disgusted with the appear- ance and the behavior of [the] members that it suggested to the Board of Trustees that they ‘clean them up or shut them down’,” said trustee J. Thomas Touchton ’6 1. Starting with rebuilding the fraternity houses, which included a “party room” in the basement of each fraternity, the system has been built back to one of the strongest Greek systems in the country. More than 80 percent of male students participate in one of the school's 15 fratemi- ties. “Since the fraternity renaissance was started, the sys- tem is better in nearly ever respect,” Howison said. “We have seen consistent academic improvement and a reduc- tion in the number of students arrested for alcohol-related crimes. It has been quite successful in increasing the aware- ness of students at W&L.” In addition to steps by the administration to educate students about alcohol use, student groups have also been proactive in promoting awareness. Live Drive is a student- run organization that organizes volunteers to act as sober drivers on Friday and Saturday nights during the school year. Another group, LIFE (Lifestyle Information For Ev- eryone) acts as a resource for health information, and pre- sents skits about alcohol use to incoming freshmen during orientation week. Some studentshave also raised concerns that the na- tional fraternities appear to be sacrificing their local chap- ters to protect themselves from lawsuits. “It’s frustrating because they’re covering their asses and leaving us out in the cold, abandoning us,” Ball said. “They are saying, ‘be in our fraternity, but don’t expect us to help you in any way if something is to happen.’ We are still liable if there’s an accident, but they aren’t.” While the concerns of securing liability insurance and avoiding lawsuits appears to be the main concern of the national fraternities, all have also said that is not the only impetus for alcohol-free housing. They also cite the prob- lems of underage drinking, a return to fraternity values and improvement of chapter quality control. Phi Kap Executive Vice President Bob Miller insists that liability is not his concern at all. “Liability is not the issue here, alcohol use and abuse, and the people who are getting hurt, are,” Miller said. “We have to curb underage drinking and deal with the problem honestly and openly.” The other national fraternity representatives agreed with Miller, noting that the legal drinking age in every state is 21. Because most college students are under 21, it is only logical to ban alcohol, Baney said. “We recognize that around 75 percent of college stu- dents are under the legal drinking age of 2 1, and if we allow built on a core group of val- ues that does not include drinking. He said understanding that fact is necessary for those students who are against the alcohol-free initiative. “We want people to join for the right reasons - an envi- romnent of friendship, academic involvement and citizen- ship,” Baney said. “That is what our founders built this fraternity on, not on a keg party.” Advocates of the alcohol-free housing movement cite improvements in chapters that have adopted alcohol-free housing. According to Biggs, the 94 of Phi Delt’s 140 chap- ters that have adopted alcohol-free housing have seen an amazing tum-around. “The positives are there,” Biggs said. “In those houses [that are alcohol-free] we have seen an increase in recruit- ment of new members, improved pledgeship programs [and] academics, and safer and cleaner chapter houses.” “The increase in the recruitment of new members has been a welcome result of the alcohol-free housing policy,” said Biggs. Since the mid-’ 80s the number of new members joining fraternities has been dropping sharply on many college campuses. According to Baney, the adoption of alcohol-free housing has made fraternities more attractive to prospective members. But such a move may not go over as well in Lexington. Members of the four fraternities are concerned with losing potential members if they are forced to go dry. On a cam- pus where 75 percent of the incoming freshmen drink (com- pared to the national average of 50 percent of incoming freshmen); and the social life is centered on parties at fra- ternities, being an alcohol-free house is a scary proposi- tion. . “Rush is going to be that much more difficult, if not impossible,” said Ball. Unlike at most schools, Washington and Lee’s formal rush period takes place during the school’s Winter Term, instead of during the first few weeks of fall term. Because W&L has rush in its second semester, the first semester is used by fraternities to get to know potential members dur- ing parties and other social events. Most of these events occur at the fraternity houses and all include the use of alcohol. According to Phi Kap’s Washington and Lee chap- ter President Brian Carney, it is the nature of the school. “Students at this school are going to drink. That is the reality of the situation,” Carney said. “80-90 percent of the students who come to this school want to join a fra- ternity or sorority, and to drink. This school is built on students who like to work hard and party hard.” The honesty of that statement is overwhelmingly held by most of the Washington and Lee community, who are quite honest about drinking underage at fraternities. Most say that lack of other social outlets and the safety of the fraternity houses, makes fraternity parties the best op- tion. “Drinking at fraternities is natural because there isn’t anything else to do,” said senior Dillon Whisler. “They are safe because they are close to campus, and they al- low a controlled environment for students to have fun without getting out of hand.” The parties at Washington and Lee are controlled by the University through a number of measures. Fratemi- ties must register all parties with the school, and must also provide security, and obtain a noise permit from the town of Lexington. Howison says the system could be improved, but that the one in place does work. “The alcohol policy in fraternities can be improved, and will be in the future, but they have worked well in reducing the risk,” said Howison. The impending July 1, 2000 deadline for alcohol-free housing has forced fraternity members at the Washing- ton and Lee fraternities to consider their options. All four have expressed a hope for a compromise between nation- als and the local chapters, but many see it as unlikely. “They are very hard-headed and not fun to talk to,” said Carney. “We would love to work out a compromise that would increase the level of safety but not prohibit the responsible use of alcohol. Unfortunately, they don’t want to compromise.” Carney said the local Phi Kap chapter asked their na- tional fraternity for an exemption from the policy, but were flatly refused. He said the options now available to the fraternity are limited. “Our first goal is to work out an extension/deferral policy with nationals, in order to give us more time to make this transition,” Carney said. “Ifthat doesn't work, then our second goal would be to switch our national affiliation to another fraternity like Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE).” An extension would defer the adoption of alcohol- free housing for some period of time so the chapter could make more preparations for the change. Carney said this was not likely, and that the local Phi Kap chapter had looked into changing national affiliations, and had spo- ken to national representatives from DKE. He said that at this point, switching affiliations looks like their best op- tion. “Switching to another fraternity, like DKE, is a viable option to keep our chapter alive,” Carney said. “It is ob- viously not what we want to do, but we do not want to see our house die because ofthis (alcohol-free) policy.” Miller expressed dismay at the attitude of the Wash- ington and Lee Phi Kap chapter saying it would be “ri- diculous” to give an extension to one chapter. “Why should [the chapter at] Washington and Lee tell us what our policies are going to be,” Miller said. “That will not work. I can’t run my organization that way.” Under Washington and Lee University policy, Phi Kap would be allowed to change fraternal affiliations, but only to another national fraternity. University policy prohib- its local fraternities from existing at W&L, but does allow any national fraternity. Howison said he hopes the situ- ation does not progress that far, however. “I really hope that would not be the case, however, University policy would allow them to reaffiliate,” said Howison. “I would hate for a chapter to have to take that step.” Phi Delt is in a similar position, but has said it will not - change affiliations. Instead, the chapter has created a presentation that they plan to present to nationals in or- der to obtain the extension policy. Ball, the creator of the presentation, said that it outlines the chapter’s case against going dry. “We plan on showing that the alcohol-free housing policy would have negative consequences here at Wash- ington and Lee,” Ball said. “The fraternity renaissance, improvements to fraternities, the steps the University is taking to improve awareness, the reduction in alcohol- related arrests. and the overall nature of Washington and Lee.” Ball said members plan to make the presentation to national representatives early this semester, but said the chances of success are fairly low. “This is a very tough position to defend, and an uphill battle when dealing with nationals,” Ball said. “If we aren’t granted some sort of extension, I have no idea what we will do.” The other two fraternities, Fiji and Sigma Nu, are in a much different position from Phi Kap and Phi Delt. Of the four fraternities, only F iji’s national alcohol-free policy al- lows for a deferral period from the July 1, 2000 date. The policy, which allows for a one-tirne, two-year deferral, is of- fered to chapters who excel. The policy requires a chapter to have a house grade point average above that of the all-men’s grade point average, and not to be the subject of any disciplinary actions by the University. It also requires the chapter to submit their pledgeship program to the national fraternity, and to be in good financial standing with the fraternity. According to Lipsey, Washington and Lee’s Fiji chapter should be granted the extension. 1 “We are very, very optimistic about receiving the exten- sion,” said Lipsey. “The response from nationals has been encouraging and we are anxiously awaiting their response. We have met all the necessary criteria and we are sure this President Elrod continues his fight against cancer President John Elrod is continuing to receive che- motherapy treatments for lung cancer. "He's doing well and meeting his professional obli- gations," said University spokesman Brian Shaw. Elrod recently returned from an alumni activity in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and plans to travel to other activities across the nation, Shaw said. Elrod travels to Charlottesville for treatments every week as part of his four month regimen. He's currently a .battling a cancer formation in his lungs. Shaw'said the University will keep everyone informed of Elrod's condition. W&L to induct 53 at Phi Beta Kappa Convocation Washington and Lee University's Phi Beta Kappa chapter will induct 53 current and former undergradu- ate students into its honor society on Tuesday, March 14. The ceremony takes place at 12:15 p.m. in Lee Chapel. Of the new members, there are four from the Class of 1999, 29 from this year's senior class and 20 from the junior class. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest and most respected undergraduate honors organization and W&L‘s chapter, Gamma of Virginia, was founded in 191 1. Gail McMurray Gibson, the William R. KenanVJr. Pro- fessor of English and Humanities at Davidson College, will deliver the keynote address at the convocation. Bynum's lecture is titled, "Forbidden Territories: Liter- ary Scholarship and the Mission Impossible of Robert Southwell." Gibson has served on the Davidson faculty since 1983 and spent eight years on the faculty at Princeton University before going to Davidson. She earned her A.B. in English from Duke University in 1970, her M.A. in medieval studies at Duke in 1972 and her Ph.D. in English from the University ofVirginia in 1975. Gibson is the author of The Theater of Devotion: East Anglian Drama and Society in the Late Middle Ages and is currently writing Childbed Mysteries, a book about late-medieval childbirth as theater, ritual and social performance. New York Times correspondent to speak on 2000 Election R.W. Apple Jr., chief correspondent for The New York Times, will speak at Washington and Lee University on Wednesday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m. in Leybum Library's Northen Auditorium. Apple's public lecture is titled, "Politics and Pundits Forty Years On: The Campaign of 2000." will work in our favor.” Baney said that the extension policy was added to the original alcohol-free policy, because the fraternity under- stands the “size of the step they are taking.” “We are treading new ground here and breaking some social norms,” Baney said. “We see some chapters taking some extra time to make the transition.” Similarly, the Sigma Nu Chapter is also seeking an exten- sion from their national fratemity in order to make the transi- 11 tion easier. According to President-elect Matt Jacobs, the response has been positive from nationals in working to- wards a compromise. “I would say I am cautiously optimistic of attaining some sort of extension before July 1,” said Jacobs. “We are work- ing with our alurrmi representatives to outline our position, and plan on presenting them in January to our national fra- ternity. Hopefully there is a positive solution.” Jacobs said that if an extension is not granted, then he is —, unsure of what steps his chapter will take. He says they don’t want to reaffiliate, and they will not ignore a fraternity policy, but don’t feel they can survive at Washington and Lee with alcohol-free housing. The solution to the impasse between the national frater- *1 nities and the Washington and Lee chapters is an issue that is still being wrestled with by both sides. At a November meeting held in Lexington, representatives from both camps and the University met to discuss the standoff. National‘ fraternity representatives gave a presentation of the hen- efits of alcohol-free housing. Afterwards, representatives from Washington and Lee presented their concerns. Though no solutions were decided on, and there is no future meet- ings plarmed, Baney said the meeting was a success. “The meeting was a cordial exchange of information and ideas’ a good initial dialogue between everyone,” said Baney. A solution has still not been reached, however, and other than Fiji, the other three fraternity chapters at Washington and Lee still face an uncertain path ahead. Concerned with their survival and ability to attract new members in a system flooded with alcohol, the chapters maintain that they can- not adopt alcohol-free housing. On the other side of the fence, the national fraternities, concerned with the risk of _ lawsuits and deaths, are calling for a return to the alcohol- free ideals of the founders of their fraternities. To Phi Kap President Gherry Pettit, alcohol isn’t part of the fraternity experience. “Ideally I look to the day when a lack of alcohol won’t be » a problem, an event doesn3t have to be centered on the use of alcohol,” said Pettit. To Washington and Lee students, however, this is a for- eign reality. Drinking and socializing at fraternities go hand- in-hand as part of the college experience. Said May: “There is a reason why ‘there is a‘Iways'a'\cr_owd of peoplegaround a keg. Whether'it’s‘ gb6d’or'bad'is' ifotithe que'stion,'it’s'jiist the way W&L is.” Apple became chief correspondent for The Times in 1997 after serving 12 years as chief Washington corre- spondent and four years as the Washington D.C. bu- reau chief. He writes extensively on a wide range of topics, including politics, foreign policy and economic questions, as well as food, wine, travel and the arts. Since joining The Times in 1963, he has written from more than 100 countries, reported on elections in Spain, Britain, Russia, France, Sweden, Finland and other coun- tries, and a wide variety of other stories on‘five conti- nents. He previously has served as The Times bureau chief in Albany, Saigon, Lagos, Nairobi, London and Moscow. He headed The Time's coverage of the Gulf War in 1991. At home, Apple has been involved in the coverage of 17 national conventions and eight presidential elec- tions. He was the newspaper's national political corre- spondent from 1970 to 1976. Prior to joining the paper, he covered the civil rights movement in the South for NBC News. ' Apple graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University in 1961 and he has also received honorary degrees from Denison University, Knox College and Gettysburg College. Apple's visit to W&L is sponsored by the department ofjournalism and mass communica- tions. Pulitzer Prize winner to speak at W&L Journalism Ethics Institute Jack Nelson, chief Washington correspondent for the Los Angeles Times since 1996 will be the keynote speaker at the Washington and Lee University Joumal- ism Ethics Institute on Friday, March 10. Nelson will speak at 4:30 p.m. in Room 327 ofthe Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics. His lecture is titled, "Joumalism Ethics: Seeking Solutions as Well as Problems." Nelson won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960 while writing for the Atlanta Constitution for a series of articles expos- ing irregularities in the world's largest mental institu- tion at Milledgeville, Ga. He also won a Drew Pearson Award for Investigative Reporting in 1975. Nelson joined the Los Angeles Times staff in 1965 as the Atlanta bureau chief. He was an investigative reporter from 1970 to 1975 and served as' the Washing- ton D.C. bureau chief from 1975 until accepting his present appointment in 1996. He began his journalism career as a reporter with the Biloxi (Miss.) Daily Herald from 1947 to 1951 and then was a staff writer for the Atlanta Constitution from 1952 to 1965. Nelson is the author of Terror in the Night: The Klan's Campaign Against the Jews, published in 1993 and Cap- tive Voices-High School Journalism in America, pub- lished in 1974. He is the co-author of four other books, , including Beyond Reagan-The Politics of Upheaval, published in 1986. Nelson is a graduate of Georgia State College and was a Nieman Fellow in politics, history and public administration at Harvard University. Nelson's visit is sponsored by the department of jour- nalism and mass communications and the Knight Pro- gram in Journalism Ethics. ._?f. .z_..-..,.. -\——«. ._ ..—... H. OCR::/Vol_102/WLURG39_RTP_20000306/WLURG39_RTP_20000306_003.2.txt MARCH 6, 2000 OP ‘Lillie ifling-tum ilfllit INION PAGE 3 Owning up to our mistakes In college journalism, as in anything else, some weeks are just better than others. On the last page of this paper, you’re used to seeing some form of satire; be it witty, semi-witty or just down- right moronic. Kevin McManemin, in the fine tradition of back-page editors, is loved, hated, but mostly be- moaned for it. Not this week, folks. We screwed up. Not “we”, The Phi, but “we”, McManemin and my- self. Last week a mock issue of The Rockbridge Advocate appeared on the backpage of The Phi. The content, en- titled “Are Lexington’s schools teaching too much?”, had its mo- ments, but generally ——-—-"""—'-'—. _ perpetuated EX€Cut1V€ Editor the stereo- . type of the _ Polly Dolg m W&L stu- dent looking down his nose, past the silver spoon in his mouth, at the local community he has chosen to inhabit for four years. This in itself, while arrogant and hypocritical given the source, is not an error. It is ignorance and snobbery, and overwhelmingly common at W&L. But all people, McManemin included, are entitled to their opinions, and it is not my place to make sure that The Phi reflects my personal opinions. It is, however, my responsibility to make sure that we cause no undue harm. The error occurred when McManemin downloaded The Rockbridge Advocate 's banner from their website, and used it without their permission. In effect, simply took what was not his. I personally compounded the error when I failed to recognize the banner as the actual one used by The Advocate, took it for just another graphic creation, and let it go to print. Ignorance, how- ever, is no excuse; it’s quite simply pathetic. _ The Phi has a strict policy regarding the use of mate- rials from the intemet, and anything downloaded is al- ways given the proper credit. My editors know this, and act accordingly. When a question arises, they bring it to my attention, and we always choose to err on the side of caution. That this happened, and was allowed to hap- pen by me, makes me sick. Since I discovered the mistake on Tuesday, I have taken those steps within my power to correct it. AMcManemin no longer has a position with The Phi. I have spoken with members of the administration, as well as Doug Harwood, the editor of The Advocate. I have accepted responsibility for our mistake, and now I extend my sincere apologies to Doug Harwood. In addition, I apologize to the W&L community for fail- ing to enforce the values espoused by the Honor Sys- tern. One of the most frequent complaints I get about The Phi is that it’s not The New York Times, and we should lighten up a little. No one is more aware of our inexperi- ence and lowly status as a student paper than myself, but that doesn't make it fine for us to put whatever four- letter words in print because we use them in everyday life, to ignore legitimate news stories because they in- volve our friends, or to swipe banners from the intemet. Every week we come in and try to find common ground between our dual roles as students and aspiring jour- nalists. And every once in a while, we completely blow it. This is one of those times. Next week will be better, I just know it. Tillie ifling-tum ifilii Executive Editor Polly Doig Associate Editor Michael Crittenden News Editor Max Smith Opinions Editor Stephanie Bianeo W&Lifia Editor Ellana Marziani Sports Editor Steele Cooper Photo Editor Emily Barnes Tiffany Friedel Lisa Lin David Hanson Neal Willetts Tara Friedel Assistant Photo Editors Layout Editors The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA. Funding for The Ring-tum Phi comes primarily from advertising and subscription revenues. The Washington and Lee Publications Board elects the Executive Editor, but The Ring-tum Phi is otherwise independent. The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible submissions and letters. All submissions must be in the Phi office, room 208 of the University Center, by noon on Friday to appear in that week’s edition. The Ring- tum Phi reserves the right to edit submissions for content and length. Letters and columns do not reflect the opinion of The Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Advertising does not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum Phi or its staff. This newspaper observes current court definitions of libel and obscenity. The Ring-tum Phi 208 University Center Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450 Telephone: (540) 462-4060 Fax: (540) 462-4059 E-mail: phi@wIu.edu http://wlu. edu/~pht' Annual subsription rate: 530 ////./////////// r_r___ <>"<74f7o‘7{ \ l ‘Fancy Dress 2000: We all need somebody to lean on It seems like everyone has a story to tell afier this week- end, rather, after every Fancy Dress weekend. My fun ex- perience is somewhat embarrassing. . . It all started Thurs- day night. Good times were had by all: Sugar Hill Gang and Run DMC had the student body jumping, getting home from the Pavilion was uneventful, post-parties went on skills. I made Friday a relatively early night to rest up my ankle for Saturday. After being excused from working in the Dining Hall for brunch because of my injury, I donned my sunglasses and sandals and limped out to the Lodge once again, this time to relax in the sun with the musical entertainment of Puddleduck and the unparalleled enter- tainment from the pledges. Pool move my right leg? Ypu can imagine my distress upon having to call all of my profes- uninterrupted. So how is it that I W woke up Friday morning unable to Tara Friedel ‘O2 noodles, floaties, beach balls, and crutches were everywhere, as were bottles of champagne and top-qual- Evil Twin sors, apologizing for missing class due to a badly sprained ankle. You and I know they all thought I was running around all night, drunk as a skunk, ' falling everywhere and unable to wake up for class. The nurses in the Infirmary laughed at me and made fun of me despite my protests of “Au contraire!” To clear my good name, I was NOT drunk so I would have remembered pulling all the ligaments in my right ankle and I WAS awake at 7:15 a.m. that Friday morning pre- pared for all my classes. Fortunately I have wonderful friends who generously donated their time to me all day: taking me to get my ankle wrapped and 600 mg Ibuprofen horse pills, making me healthy snacks and fresh baked cookies to eat with my pills, running errands for me, and basically pampering me like crazy. It was a weird day, after all, considering NBC was having technical difficulties, classes were canceled everywhere, and my friend’s car wouldn’t start afier com- ing to pick up the math homework from me to hand in later that afternoon. I was able to take a bath, which was nice, because it’s incredible how hard it is to get ready for any function on one foot, even though my room is a 10’ by 10’. When 5 p.m. rolled around, though, I was ready to go. Dress, hair, makeup, crutches, everything! Gretchen Tencza was sweet enough to decorate my crutches with silver stars fit for a queen. So off Matt (my date) and I were to the party bus the Chi Psi Lodge had rented to take us to this amazing Japanese steak house in Roanoke (it was quite a blessing to sit for an hour each way). After a while I became quite accustomed to gimping around, and thanks to quality time at the cocktail party and some foot elevation I was ready to go to the Ball! Amazingly enough I was able to put my crutches down and drag Matt from room to room where we could enjoy the bands, our friends’ company, and my creative dancing “As a committee member, it was hard work but lots of fun!” —Amanda Kelley ‘02 ‘‘I didn’t have a date, but who needs one? I had a great time.’ ity Dominican cigars. The atmo- sphere worked wonders for my ankle and I officially gained the nickname “Gimp.” We re- laxed for a while afterward, eating dinner at Salemo’s and watching Happy Gilmore. Afier a brief visit to Otterville, Matt and I headed back to the Lodge to find everyone passed out but that group of troopers, alums included, who get better and better at causing trouble as the night goes on. Cheese fights and fireworks ensued as Late Night got sketchy. The time fi- nally came to call the night quits. I had to wrestle my crutches and handbag away from Matt, who had grown quite fond of carrying them all weekend, at last able to sleep for those three precious hours before my house woke up and gathered in the hallway, recalling somewhat hazy .egperiences from the previous evening. I gathered my strength and hobbled to brunch, where my friends will- ingly shared the events of their weekends at other houses and parties. I still think my weekend was the most fun. A quick thank you to all who helped me out this week- end in my gimpiness. I had a wonderful time and deeply appreciate the extra lengths you all went to to make my injury bearable and somewhat humorous. I promised you an interesting time, right? Anything for you special people! So how did I sprain my ankle so badly it was 25 differ- ent colors and the size of a grapefruit? Maybe I stepped on it wrong (I was wearing heels, after all) and just didn’t realize, or maybe I got up in the middle of the night and fell on one of the million black shoes scattered all over my floor from the then recent scramble to dress for the evening’s events. In honor of the Fancy Dress theme of this year, my luck ran out — I threw the dice badly, ended up with huge gambling debts, and my loan shark sent one of his men to come break my leg. It makes for a pretty good story to tell everyone next year, don’t you think? — John Creek ’02 “I didn’t even know who my date 7 91 W88. — Brandon Herd ’02 Once again, The Trident is a hit and miss For some reason the editors over at The Trident de- cided last week to give their staff circus midget an- other opportunity to be funny in a shody attack on this paper. And much like when you release a monkey from its cage, it in- variably invovles the mon- key play- ing in its own feces and throwing a lot of crap around. Just like Mr. Guggenheimer’s article (if, in fact, it really deserves that moniker). It struck me as the tropes of a exceedingly unhumorous individual, trying a bit too hard. Of course most of the student body didn’t get a chance to see it because for some reason our counterpart keeps forgetting to get their papers printed, causing The Trident to appear 3 Bad)mplete information on CREF, including charges and expenses,cal| 1 800 842—2776, ext. 5509, for the prospectus. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.© 2 l . www.tiaa-tref.org 1.The investment results shown for the CREF variable annuity reflect past performance and are not indicative of future rates of return.These returns and the value of the principal you Buy an ice cold can of Coca-Colai classic _ from specially marked on-campus vending machines and you could win an exclusive Universal Music CD. Offer ends March 31, 2000. Look for more Universal Studios experiences this summer! UNIVERSAL MUSIC Special Markets OCR::/Vol_102/WLURG39_RTP_20000306/WLURG39_RTP_20000306_006.2.txt PAGE 6 SP0 Glitz itting-tum lfllti RTS MARCH 6, 2000 Lax passes first test Fifth-ranked Washington and Lee surged to a 7-1 halfiime advantage and held off a furious second half rally by sixth-ranked Washington College for a 10-8 win over the Shoremen on Sat- urday aftemoon. The win makes head coach Jim Stagnitta (109-39) the winningest lacrosse coach in W&L history, surpassing Jack Emmer (1973- 83). W&L (3-0) went up top 4-0 with 13:24 remaining in the first half on a pair of goals by senior attackman Colin Dougherty and one each by senior attackman Chris Brown and junior midfielder Bernie Norton. ' Washington (0-1) retaliated with 6:33 left in the half to cut the W&L lead to 4- 1. The Generals then reeled off/, three goals in the final 4:49, one by sopho- more midfielder John Moore, and two by Brown, to take to 7-1 halftime lead. Washington then began its come- back to cut the Generals lead to just 7- 4 with 2:05 left in the third. However, Brown would add another goal for W&L with :35 remaining in the period to give the Generals an 8-4 edge head- ing into the final quarter. In the fourth, W&L struck first as junior midfielder Tom Burke scored off an assist from Norton with 13:33 remaining to give the Generals a 9-4 lead. The Shoremen came back with a goal just 18 seconds later and another just 18 seconds after that to slice the W&L lead to 9-6. Dougherty notched his third goal of the day with 7: 14 remaining to give W&L a 10-8 lead and the defense would stiffen to hold the Shoremen scoreless for the duration of the game. Dougherty led the Generals with three goals and three assists, while Brown tallied four goals. Norton notched one goal and three assists, while junior attackman Matt Dugan added a pair of assists. Junior goalie Wes Hays notched eight saves in goal. Washington and Lee will be in ac- tion again on Sunday, Mar. 12, as it hosts third-ranked Gettysburg in a 1:00 pm contest. -— Courtesy of Sports Information Visit the CRT website to receive more information and to request an application. Castle Rock Institute student counciltravel.com 1-800-Zcouncil CONTAINING THE OPPOSITION: Sophomores Eloise Priest and Emily Generals’ win on Saturday. W&L cruised over Denison 18-10 to improve their record to 2-0. Generals baseball earns split on weekend By Mike Weil STAFF WRITER The Washington and Lee Gener- als’ baseballteam went two for four on the weekend, getting swept at Saturday’s doubleheader against Emory and Henry before sweeping Washington and Jefferson on Sun- day. The Generals were unable to mus- ter up much offense the in game on Saturday, tallying only six hits while striking out eleven times. Junior David Sigler took the loss for the Generals, allowing five earned runs on 13 hits. Sophomore third baseman Matt Kozora let the Generals notching two hits and two RBIs in W&L’s 6-3 loss. Game two provided a similar story as the Waspsjumped on the Gener- als early and the W&L bats were www.castle—roc.k.org PO. Box 792. Brevard, NC 28712 8Z8«8(>Z» 7 59 slumping. Emory and Henry scored six runs in the first inning, and would never look back for a 9-3 vic- tory. Wasp junior catcher Josh Glaze earned his place in W&L history, slamming the first ever home run in the new Smith Field. Senior rightfielder Schuyler Marshall went 2-for-3 to lead the Generals offen- sively. The losses were the first suf- fered by the Generals at home this season. Sunday brought different results for the Generals, as they swept Washington and Jefferson to even up their ODAC record at 2-2. The Presidents jumped in front in their half ofthe first inning with an unearned run, but the Generals re- sponded in a big way in the bottom half. W&L loaded the bases to start the inning, bringing sophomore catcher Todd Gosselink to the plate. Gosselink belted W&L’s first home run at Smith Field, and the first grand slam in field history, giving the Generals a 4-1 lead. They would score four more runs in the inning and cruise on their way to a 15-1 victory. W&L was led by senior Chris Stakem who threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out six while only walking one. Game two would beia struggle for the Generals, who found themselves down 7-3 in the bottom ofthe fifth. However five Washington and Jefferson errors along with four W&L hits produced a six run inning and a 9-7 lead that would not be re- linquished. Freshman Kyle Droppers pitched two innings in reliefto earn the win, and senior David Hanson pitched two thirds of an inning to earn the Photo by Emily Bames/Photo Editor Owens transition to double team their Denison opponent during the save in the Generals’ 11-10 victory. Offensively, Stakem went 4-for-4 for the game while freshmen Bobby Littlehale and Michael Hanson notched two hits apiece. Sunday’s excellent play was in steep contrast to Saturday’s de- bacle. - “It was a combination of things,” said Stakem. “Obviously Washing- ton and Jefferson wasn’t as strong ofa team, but we were able to com- bine better defensive play with more consistent offense.” And as for the two hit master- piece he threw on Sunday? “I was able to throw all three of my pitches for strikes, and Todd Gosselink called a great game. The offspeed pitches were really work- ing.” The Generals return to action Wednesday when they host Villa Julie at 3:00 p.m. Women’s lax goes 2-0 By Robert Turner STAFF WRITER Washington and Lee’s women’s la- crosse team used a high-powered of- fense and a solid defense to earn two impressive victories this week against Hollins and Denison. On Wednesday, the Generals trav- eled to Roanoke for their season opener against ODAC rival Hollins. The generals wasted little time getting on the board, as freshman attacker Leslie Bogart notched the first goal of her promising career 4:03 into the game. W&L continued its early domi- nance, scoring four more unanswered goals to gain a 5-0 lead late in the first half. Hollins remained reasonable close in the second half until the Generals put the game out of reach on goals by sophomore Emily Owens, senior Katherine Riddle, and freshman Laura Wilson. Senior goalkeeper Ginny Jemigan also had a solid season de- but, recording nine saves in the Gen- erals’ 9-5 victory. W&L’ s offense was even more po- tent on Saturday as the Generals de- feated the Big Red ofDenison 18- 10 in their first home contest of the season. The game was close early, and Denison even led 2-1 8:42 into the first half. W&L then went on a tear, scor- ing six unanswered goals to take a 7-2 lead with 3:53 left in the first half. The Generals added another goal before the half, but Denison also scored twice, and W&L took an 8-3 lead into intermission. The Generals cam out strong to start the second half, scoring five straight goals to take a commanding 13-5 lead with 24:00 left in the match. W&L coasted to the win from that point. W&L was led by Riddle and junior Ellen Ritch who both posted five goals. Bogart and Wilson also had impressive performances for the second straight game with two goals each. Bogart added a team-high four assists. Jemigan had ten saves for the Generals. The Generals (2-0 overall, l-0 ODAC) put their undefeated record on the‘ line Saturday at Randolph-Macon. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. Please describe {— :4 ..«: , p Academicgcouple‘ donoraged‘21-Z8 9 it I Outstanding-SATs‘-‘academics, analytical,‘even-tempered,i,‘darkb:ha.irand I olivecornplection, even-featured, 5’7’—’_ or taller, .and lean/athletic build. , 7 I l“ rnotivationaélong withiseverallretumable photositozf I PO Box 22, WestKingston, - Rhode Island 02892. A I All serious replies answered. < $4,;,i:..:j’é‘f(forr1pensation$-1.2,00():.-. ),.:j’s '8 4. The June 12"‘ LSAT is approaching. Get the score that gets you in. Classes start March 21 at Washington and Lee 1-800-KAP-TEST kaptest.com ‘LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council. THIS YEAR A LOT OF COLLEGE SENIORS WILL BE GRADUATING INTO DEBT. up to a $65,000 limit. in default. The offer applies to Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, and certain other federally insured loans, which are not _ And debt relief is just one of the many benefits you’ll earn from the Army. Ask your Army Recruiter. (540) 886-2651 ARMY. BE ALL YOU CAN BE? www.goarmy.com Under the Army’s Loan Repayment program, you could get out from under with a three-year enlistment. Each year you serve on active duty reduces your indebtedness by one- third or $1,500, which- ever amount is greater, It never gets 010': E1; article could go here! Write P121’ Sports. Email: phi@wlu.edu. All serious replies answered. ‘C ~q' 1' ‘I’