OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_001.2.txt Arch 9 3.7% . 755 R551 V. I03 tr’. Ir’) . :4? C v 2. VOLUME 103, NO. 19 C112 ilting-tum Ifl WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIvERsITY’s WEEKLY NEWSPAPER LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450 JAMES G. LEYBURN l.lEi'¢,I"«.'r'~'."i" LE~‘>«’sN«"- . VA. 24459 T; o 7 2001 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2001 I . . . O - - - In III 11 pl 11 Stlld€IltS dlSCllSS IIBW alcohol pOllCl€S C S10 a S * com ‘led New IFC and administra- P tive proposals weighed in By Colin Harding I , Open Ineetin I STAFF WRITER g . The Committee for a More Inclusive Community hosted By Michelle Lally a sctiudenttogly f0:'uttI111t0B1'6C0:l‘d cgpririiops on minority issues STAFF WRITER an §;P° hi‘; 0 tr: Ear 0 365-h it “ e’re O Ing s ecause, oug our committee A student—only discussion group met in the Uriiver- has been meeting for quite sometime, we have, up until now sity Center Wednesday night to address new regula- been doing more talking than action,”.said sophomore Will tions to curb the alcohol culture at Washington and Lee. Teichman, one of the group leaders. V Sophomore Will Coffman, student representative “I was pleased with the turnout,” said senior Renee on the new W&L Alcohol Task Force, led a panel of student leaders by directing the discussion on the new initiatives of the Alcohol Task Force. The discussion was Coffman’s idea to gauge student response to the A; proposed rules. The task force intends to meet next Sunday to create a proposal, which will be presented to University President John Elrod on an unnamed date within the next month. The panel included Executive Committee President John Comly, Interfraterriity Coun- cil President Andy Robinson, Panhellenic President Katie Cedarholm, Student Judical Committee President Jordan Ginsberg, Head Dorm Counselor Fred Heiser, and Senior IFC Justice Trey Overdyke. The panel gath- Q ered student feedback on the suggested alcohol-re- ducing regulations that will be included in the pro- posal. In the 90-minute meeting, students questioned and commented on a number of proposals. These included expanding Live Drive, a campus-wide ban on hard alco- hol, an automatic one-year suspension for a DUI with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 or higher, and the restric- tion on using house funds to purchase alcohol. 3 Also discussed were the proposed IFC regulations, primarily written by Sigma Nu President Matthew Jacobs. The proposed rules include a ban on drinking games and shots, and a 1:00 a.m. cut-off for alcohol served at open parties. ‘ The Alcohol Task Force has worked towards re- » Students search for next year ’s housing A‘. ducing alcohol consumption since its creation, shortly after the deaths of Kristen Shelton and Adam Burchett. ‘ More drastic measures were considered. Comly said that after Shelton and Burchett’s fatal accident Elrod wanted to temporarily close the fraternity houses, but Dean of Students David Howison convinced him oth- erwise. Howison oversees the task force, which is co- chaired by Coffman, Physics Professor Tom Williams, and Director of Student Health Services Dr. Jane photo by Eric Wechtler/Staff Photographer OPEN FORUM. Student government leaders facilitate conversation and answer questions during Wednesday’s discussion on suggested changes in the W&L alcohol policy. Horton. It also includes a law_ school student representa- tive, law school faculty, and parents. The IFC met earlier this week to create a proposal that was presented to Elrod on Friday. After all presentations are made, Elrod will decide which rules to put into effect. Coffman said the Alcohol Task Force aims to make the campus safer and make students more responsible with these initiatives, but the students who attended Wednesday’s discussion seemed skeptical. Senior Ellie Antrim questioned if the proposed regula- tions would push people off campus. The panel responded they have no reason to believe that to be the case. “Most of [these] rules have been in place for some time, and we haven’t seen a push to the country yet,” Comly said. When the fraternity presidents met last Monday to create the IFC proposal, Robinson said the regulations would not cause a drastic migration to country houses. “We’ve been using that excuse for too long to get away with a lot more than we should,” Robinson said. Coffman expects to see the implementation of these new regulations sometime within the next year. Some changes have occurred already. Every party must have two sober drivers wearing bright orange shirts with “Sober Driver" written in large lettering. Any house that fails to comply with new IFC and university regulations will recieve fines and other punishments. The severity of the measures has not been determined. Parties will be regulated by W&L security, members of the IFC, and the officers of each house, who will bear the brunt of responsibility if the new alcohol poli- cies are not followed. Junior Thaxton Mauzy said the fraternities will ultimately determine the effect of the new regulations. “The IFC has given us a huge responsibility to change. . it is our opportunity to show the administra-- tion that we can face this problem head-on and solve it,” Mauzy said. A BylMike Agnello ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The scramble for next year’s housing con- tinues, as university housing applications are due on Feb. 26, and some upperclassmen still hunt for off—campus housing. Assistant Dean of Students for Residence Life Courtney Penn said he encourages all students to live in university housing for prac- tical and social reasons. “[Besides] staying in close proximity to carn- pus, it builds a better community,” Penn said. Upperclass students face several obstacles. Because of the two-year campus residency re- quirement, rising sophomores have the first choice. The Housing Office will have two lot- teries. The first, on March 7, will be for sopho- mores, and the second, on March 9, for all other students. The residency requirement, the lot- tery system’s structure, and the lirriited num- ber of spaces available Inake it difficult for large numbers of upperclassmen to live on campus. New fraternity and sorority members who want to live in Greek houses next year also face limited space. For example, Kappa Alpha, who had the second largest fraternity pledge class this year, will require four or five sophomores to live elsewhere. Sororities require anywhere from four to nine officers to live in their houses, and other spots are determined by a point—sys- tem based on chapter involvement and GPA. Many rising juniors and seniors decided to find a more independent living arrangement off—campus. Sophomore Kelli Austin and her roommates will live at the “White House” at photo by Emily Barnes/Executive Editor WHITE HOUSE. A group of students will live here next year instead of on campus. 1 14 Henry St. next year, within walking distance of campus. Austin said she decided to live in a house instead of Gaines Hall or Woods Creek Apartments because she wanted more freedom. “I want to live more independently and have some space,” Austin said. Other students found houses close to cam- pus. Junior Beth Collier will live on Preston Street next year, half a mile from campus. Collier said all of her roommates lived on campus for three years, and wanted a change. “We wanted to complete our W&L experi- ence,” Collier said. A That experience is one of Washington and Lee’s many long-standing traditions. During his presidency, Robert E. Lee encouraged stu- dents to live in town to foster good relations with the community. For over a century, stu- dents have lived not only in town, but in in the country as well. Sophomore Clark Griffith and some of his fraternitybrothers will live at “The Barn” next year. Clark said they chose the house because of its distance away from campus and closeness to other student houses. “You get the social aspect of living in a fraternity house, only with different types of people,” Grifflth said. The competition between students for off- campus housing can be intense. Collier said she and her friends found their house by read- ing a campus notice in October after search- ing for months through realtors. “We didn’t take any chances. . . we signed the lease that night,” she said. Grifflth and his future housemates also played tough when they had the opportunity to sign a lease. They heard from the girls liv- ing next door to the house that it was avail- able. The girls then called the landlord, who owns both houses, on Grifiith’s behalf. Another SEE ‘HOUSING,’ PAGE 2 Harper, president of PRIDE, a Washington and Lee di- versity-awareness organization. Students met in the Great Hall of the Science Cen- ter, and later broke up into four task teams to discuss academics, Greek life, athletics, and student associa- tions. . Facilitators assigned to each group led discussions, and scribes wrote down recommendations. Junior Justin Arnold said professors could participate more in discussions on minority issues. “More faculty members should be involved in student groups because some problems could be resolved more quickly with the help of the faculty,” said Arnold. “I think that the Admissions [Office] needs to recruit more home schooled students, who are an underlooked minority,” said freshman Daniel Vos, a member of the aca- demics task teams. “They could add new blood to the school.” The CIC also sponsors a web site where concerned stu- dents can leave anonymous suggestions for the committee. “I definitely think we had a good discussion,” said senior Anne Hazlett, a CIC member. “And the best thing is that it’s going to the Board of Trustees.” .._. photo by Emily Barnes/Executive Editor WHAT DO YOU THINK? Members of the academic task group swap proposals. @112 fling-tum ifilii February 5, 2001 H (1 Times: ASHINGTON 8: LEE UNEVEH. ii" ." OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_002.2.txt PAGE 2 @112 fling-tum lfihi NEWS THE WORLD North Texas KA’s suspended The University of North Texas chapter of Kappa Al- pha Order has been suspended for five years after mem- bers allegedly used racial slurs and waved a Confederate battle flag at a group of mostly black football recruits. UNT issued the five-year suspension, the longest the school has ever handed out, on Friday, forcing the fraternity to vacate the house and withdraw from uni- versity activities. The university spokesman justified the five-year ban, saying “five years of no activity en- sures a whole different group.” UNT decided that KA had violated the student code and misled the investi- gation. The head of the fratemity’s national office, Larry Wiese, told KTVT-TV in Dallas that “I think the incident is not reflective of the entire chapter up there. It is cer- tainly not reflective of the alumni from that chapter or the 94,000 living alumni.” A ' The suspension comes after several questionable in- cidents involving the chapter. In 1990, the fraternity served probation for alcohol violations and in 1996 was placed on probation when a notebook containing racist comments was found in the fraternity house. The frater- nity recently completed a two—year probation for 1998 hazing and alcohol violations. Libyan protest al-Megrahi convicton Thousands of Libyans protested outside the United Nations building in Tripoli Saturday to voice anger over the conviction of Libyan Abdel Baset al- Megrahi. Megrahi was convicted on Wednesday of 270 counts of murder for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland. A special Scottish Court in Camp Zeist in the Netherlands delivered the verdict after taking into consideration evidence from US investigators who claimed that Megrahi and his HOUSING group of W&L students thought they had secured the house, only to find that it was taken when they called the landlord. Junior Alex Curlet, who did most of the dealing with the landlord, said he was glad he could find a country house for his senior year. ’ “It’ll be nice to have a yard. . . it’ll be more anirnal— friendly,” Curlet said. THIS WEEK By Mehul Srivastava partner, Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, were Libyan intelli- gence agents. The protestors claimed that this verdict was US in- spired and protested the mishandling of the case by the Libyan Government. The Lockerbie plane crash had prompted UN sanctions against Libya when Gaddafi re- fused to hand over the two perpetrators to stand trial. A final compromise was reached by declaring 30 square miles of Dutch soil as Scottish so that the trial could take place in a neutral region. Meanwhile Fhimah, who was acquitted, said he would seek compensation for material and psychological dam- ages. Relatives of the victims armounced they would sue the Libyan government for 10 billion dollars in damages. India assesses earthquake’s aftershocks One week after an earthquake measuring 7.9on the Richter scale hit the eastern state of Gujarat in India, rescue efforts have given way to relief operations. With entire cities devastated, close to 150,000 people have lost their homes and are in urgent need of tents and other supplies. Lack of coordination among relief ef- forts has resulted in several parts of the state not re- ceiving any aid whatsoever. Massive relief efforts by the government and by non-profit’ organizations are taking place, and it is estimated that it will be up to four months before life is back to normal in the Kutch region of Gujarat. The estimated damage to property is 5.5 bil- lion dollars. There are conflicting reports on the death toll, but the Gujarat Government estimates 25,000, a figure that is bound to rise once excavation of bodies from destroyed build- ings begins. Aftershocks and tremors measuring up to 5.0 on the Richter scale have prevented people from moving back into their houses, many of which have developed cracks. FROM PAGE 1 Some students thought the rigors of finding an apart- mentor house were not worth the possible benefits. Jun- ior Jason Williams, who lived in Woods Creek both this year and last, said he enjoys living on campus and did not want the risk associated with off—campus housing. “I heard a lot about. . . the bad condition of the houses, and I didn’t want the hassle,” Williams said. photo by Emily Barnes/Executive Editor How DO YOU SPELL THAT NAME? W&L English professor Marc Conner signs a copy of his new book, The Aesthetics of Toni Morrison: Speaking the Unspeakable, to senior Erin Ferguson. ' THE every momlay 8:30 p.m. to midnight JAVA AT coI=FEEpeopleMus|icmore February 12 Karaoke February 26 BluesWorks tonight... :1 GHQ Live Drive (10 pm to 2 am) Will drive reasonable distances on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays call 460-3054 or 460-3055 Housing Applications are now available. Students interested in living in Gaines Hall or Woods Creek Apartments for the 2001- 2002 academic year must stop by the Housing Office (Payne 4) and pick up a housing application. (Only one application per Cluster or Group).- Anyone wishing to live in a fraternity or sorority must also submit an individual application. If you are interested in special housing such as one of the Theme Houses, please contact the following for specific information and sign-ups. Peoplehood Suite, Chavis House, Delt House - Dean Penn - Payne Hall 3 International House - Mr. Klingelhofer - Tucker 316 Nabors Suites - Stacey McLoughlin - Graham Lees 355 Outing Club - Mr. Tatar - University Center The deadline for all applications is February 26, 2001. FEBRUARY 5, 2001 OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_003.2.txt (lire ilting-tum ifilii PIN ION New rules will ‘lead to abuse Ifit’s not an article divulging the secret that Washington it and Lee is homogenous, then it’s an article about the “drink- ing problem” here. And in the same vein, if it’s not an as- ' sembly of the C-School persuasion, it’s an assembly outlin- ing the detiiments of drinking. So here are my thoughts reconciling the two. I’m not exactly the drinking-you-under-the—table srat girl, so don’t misinterpret this as a dissertation on the glory of Natty Light. Rather, it’s an appeal to stop forcing 2000 college students to work around drinldng limitations. € ;’Rules stated by the Interfraterriity Council decree that ._;there shall be no drinking hard liquor after 9 p.m., no beer ‘drinking after 1 a.m., no drinking games, and no shots. Though I fully understand the consequences of “binge ':drinking,” I don’t agree that these rules will curb the dan- B Christine Metzger {C/.444/"'3'. . - K .- ~\..\\\...\..i Egers of it. [2 : I spent a good portion of last term being the sober .1)‘, tlriver for my group of friends, so if we’re responsible ‘§* enough to designate drivers, I don’t think it’s fair to regu- at late our drink- 3 . ‘*1 ing. The last thing I want is Northernefs Exposure 1:01 a.m. masses of students are forced to retreat out to the is not a testament to the hardcore, badass drinkers here, A for this opin— Kris Pollina ’O3 country if they wish to continue partying. Despite sober but a mere demonstration of how the aforementioned I‘ ion piece to drivers and Live Drive, this situation will still result in stu— rules will not be successful in drying out the campus. Ifthe come across as a sneering “lots of luck trying to restrain 20- dents driving out to the country late at night, some perhaps administration wants to make Lexington safer, having un- year—o1ds from drinking” commentary. Instead, I’m trying to after they have been drinking. And once out at the country derstood the drinking culture, it would be more efficient to suggest the more hazardous consequences of abolishing at around 2 a.m., the sober rides stop, and there is hoard of first accept the intensity of the Greek system here. It would drinking in town. drinking students eager to get home. If the parties had re- be safer to look for ways to keep drunk drivers off the road. I It’s a lot easier to chug a beer than it is to chug a mained at the fraternity houses, this could easilybe remedied With more sober drivers, perhaps Live Drive could stay screwdriver. And who chugs a screwdriver anyway? So by just walking. However, the IFC rules are just leading to open longer. _ cutting off the vodka supply at 9:00 p.m. will not induce an possible DUIs and accidents. While I strongly applaud the efforts regarding our “Oh! We’re out of liquor! Let’s play Yahtzee instead!” So we can’t throw a ping pong ball into a cup of beer safety, it’s my belief that these efforts will backfire, pop- mentality. It will only add another strain to maneuver anymore. If someone has resolved to get wizasted, he’ll do ping our W&L bubble, and heightening the danger in around. Likewise, once the 1:00 a.m. rule kicks in, at roughly it, regardless of whether he has a Beruit partner or not. This each and every weekend. Personal responsibility takes backseat to law suits The Super Bowl is known for its creative, funny, and smoke, they are attacking tobacco companies as at fault for tion denouncing “negative cheering” which was to be sometimes thought—provoking commercials. But this the deaths and illnesses of smokers. The problem is that read to the crowd at every home game. One wouldn’t year’s broadcast featured two advertisements from the smokers made a choice to puff away on three-packs-a- want to hurt the feelings of the football players. Of course, American Legacy Foundation, a group committed to mak— day for 30 years. No one forced them to start smoking the victim culture is best demonstrated by former Presi- ‘ ing America a smoke—free nation. Encouraging youngsters or to continue smoking. They have no one to blame but dent Clinton, who told Advocate magazine that he was to reevaluate their choice to smoke is certainly an adrni- themselves. However, in modern America it is uncouth victimized by a witch-hunt which tried to overturn the rable goal, but these commercials went too far in their to hold people responsible for choices and decisions results of two elections and, like the homosexual audi- I demoriization of not only cigarettes, but of the cigarette they make. ence of the magazine, was “oppressed.” manufacturers as purveyors of death, or outright, cold- The most heinous example, though, is the Master Settle— The victim culture is a recent evolution in America. ‘ blooded murdererers. ment Agreement itself. This was the crowning achievement Its driving force is the trial lawyers who stand to make This recently founded organization is just one more in for trial lawyers who have been seeking to squeeze billions millions of dollars in malpractice and punitive lawsuits. a laundry list of groups that are contributing to the victim— out of corporate America in punitive damage lawsuits. They champion these supposed victims because such ization of America and the degradation of our respect for Starting with the uproar over silicon breast implants and an arrangement nets them huge paydays. In the tobacco 1 personal responsibility. This phenom- continuing to the recent assault on lawsuit, private lawyers for just three of the 46 states, enon is destroying what was once an ghs de of the aisle gun manufacturers, we have seen Texas,Mississippi, and Florida, made $8.2 billioninlegal independent, individualistic society. huge lawsuits ham-string the way fees. Inl-iloiida, each lawyer earned $233 million, or about Modern Americans feel no compunction Brett ’()4 business is done and force some $7,716 an hour, assuming they worked every hour of about suing corporations for mistakes interests to fold. Today, we sue the every day during the 42 month duration of the legal 7‘ they have made. Parents are blamed for gun manufacturers; it would make battle. psychological problems in adulthood, ciirninals blame op— too much sense to prosecute the criminals who actually used This perversion of the legal practice is allowed to go pressive policing, and murderous children are free to blame the weapons. on because trial lawyers are huge contributors to politi- violent cartoon shows for their killing rage. Instead of Recent manifestations of the victim culture include a cal parties and campaigns. Trial lawyers are the second . holding people accountable for their actions, everybody movement to remove urinals because allowing men to stand largest single contributor to the Democratic party, be- has become a victim. This cultural shift, if left unchecked, is a “nasty, macho gesture.” The U.S. Navy has initiated a hind the National Education Association. We have may do irreparable damage to the cultural fabric of our plan to replace all urinals with stainlesssteel toilets. Similar seen and could expect little change from Washing- nation. to the woman whose McDonald’s coffee was too hot, ton when Clinton was in office. However, one of The American Legacy Foundation, founded after the Veronica Martin of Knoxville, Tennessee is suing President Bush’s greatest achievements when he it $206 billion Master Settlement Agreement of 46 state at— McDonald’s because an overly hot pickle in a hamburger was governor of Texas was tort reform, legislation tomeys general with tobacco manufacturers, has dedi- bumed her chin, leaving her with permanent physical and that successfully reduced the scope and number of pu- cated itself to making America smoke—free. Unfortunately, mental scars. After Penn State’s abysmal season prompted nitive lawsuits in Texas. Let’s hope that he brings a sirni— instead of criticizing the choice of people who chose to many fans to boo, the faculty senate there passed a resolu- lar plan for reform to Washington. k I r O b O 1 O 0 (she Mn mm ssh, nteraction egets inc usivity g Thou the uriiversi has made little progress in its han— described the “Livin and Learning” Center. W 8 dling of sexual assaults, alcohol abuse, or “inclusivity” since What we are missing, what the goal of a more inclusive ' Executive Editors Emily games . my freshman year, I still vainly get my hopes up when the community is, what a “liberal arts” diploma should include _ Stephanie Bianco administration hosts forums as they did last week. It’s only is an intellectual and, dare I say it, social exchange between New Ed''”” En“ :[°,':l‘:"‘n"“ when I start to think about it (why, different groups. While the “Living ax mi . . . . . ,, . Ass,-smn, News Ed,-,0, Mike Agneuo if is so important, was there no Fake Minority andLeaming Centerrnight look great .2 Opinion Editor Tam Am. Friedei pubhcity?) and when I actually at— on paper, might even keep a small per- W&1-ife Editor Alexis Yee-Garcia tend, that I get discouraged again. Alexis Yeegarda ‘()1 centage of the independent population “ Spom Edm" Jeremy Franklin Part of the problem with the happy it is notasolution. There is still Last Word Editor Bryan Early . . ,,. . . . . . . ’ . . . Copy Editor Heather McDonald mclusivity issue, is that we seem tobe struggling with iden- a stigma. They are still not mteracting with the rest of the \ s Contributing Editor Michaei cl-mend“. tifying the purpose of “creating amore inclusive community.” world. The rest of the world is still not learning anything ‘ “'0” Ed"‘" MRI’! Guy No one should walk away fromaforum about inclusivity think- from them in that interaction. On that note, they are not Smff Phomg '“1’h” En“ w"'°n"°" ing that more money devoted to minority groups will solve the learning anything from the rest of the world. Business Manager Paul safe" problem. There is a reason that “separate but equal” failed. In a way, the “Livingiand Leaming” Center the Circulation Director char] 1.; Tonem Ifthe goal is to increase numbers, increase retention, maybe example of why the creation of acential orgamzauon for mde— gr even increase the happiness, of “non—traditional students” on pendents, complete with university fimds, is a bad idea. So- this campus, then yes, money may be the answer. Put these cial interaction is a fact of life. Someone who could actually The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the students up up in some really nice housing, give them money say “ostracism is not thatbad” might be able to learn a thing undergraduate 5011001 Yfiaf at Washington and L56 to do with what they will (all in the name of noble causes, of or two from these other kids who were trained ‘to climb the . Ulnversnyt Lexington’ Vnginin The Wnsningtnn and 1-55 course). Guess what — the minorities, independents, etc. are social ladder. It’s amutual exchange, people, and guess what: 1‘ Publications Bmrd elects the Executive Editor’ but The going to stick around, they might even be a little happier, but it Creating a bunch of well-funded communities for minority A Rmg-tum Ilhi is °‘h"“nS.° independent‘ A . will not create an inclusive community. . . In fact, I think I just students to take haven in is not going to bring that about. The Rmg-tum Phi welcomes all responsible * submissions and letters. All submissions must be in the Phi office, room 208 of the University Center, by 5 p.m. ti on Friday torappear in the following week’s edition. The T you Watch — Friends or Survivor? 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 Advertising Office: (540) 462-4049 Fax: (540) 462-4059 E—mail: phi@wlu.edu pp http://wlu.edu/~phi Annual Submption me: $30 “Friends —how YOU doin’ !” “Tape Survivor! Watch Friends!” “Friends because I can relate.” “Friends, because it’s shorter.” —Mike Reynold ‘02 -Tami Olubunmi ’02 -Andrew Willis ‘03 -Catherine Culpepper ‘04 OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_004.2.txt PAGE 4 @112 fling-tum ifllri PINION FEBRUARY 5, 2001 Don’t like it? Then you try it! Sitting in the Dining Hall the other day, I was privi- leged enough to hear a fellow student complain loudly about how “awful both these newspapers are, they suck horribly.” He was referring of course to this publication and our significantly younger sibling that comes out on Wednesdays. Asking the student to elaborate on his rather puerile comments, he launched into a standard list of com- plaints that I have heard from a number of students: poor writing; numerous typos, spelling mistakes and grammar problems; editorials written by lunatics with silly opinions no one wants to hear; and pointless articles that have no ‘ relevance. Agreeing with him fully and taking his comments in stride, my only response was to ask him how many times he had written a Letter to the Editor concerning his prob- lems. Not unexpectedly, his answer was never, a response I often receive when asking students on campus how they have made their concerns known. Slightly odd thinks the muse, you have a complaint but are content to let it lie and not seek change. This is not to say that the problems many students on this campus have with our school newspapers are not valid. In fact, I more than agree. Though we have spent hours in our journalism ethics class discussing what the role of journalists is, fairly simple guidelines can be set down without involving too much debate. It is our job to inform, to cover campus events, entertain with features and beer reviews (I had to toot my own horn a little), to let students know what decisions are going to effect them, and to cover all the news that fits (cliché alert). We are also saddled with the responsibil- ity of doing it well, for there is a whole campus of critics out there who seem to love to take potshots but never c newspaper. None of us really want to be in the Phi or Trident offices until the wee hours of the morning, but we invariably are. I remember Zander Strong, former editor of the Trident, coming into class Wednesday mornings and immediately falling asleep after a late night at the newspa- per. I remember long nights I myself used to spend in the University Center, laying out stories, copy-editing and waiting for a promised story. We spend long, long hours putting together what you read each week and it ain’t that easy. Why then, you may ask, aren’t the papers any bet- ter? The answer, unfortunately, is that not enough people have the commitment or drive to participate, let alone join the staff of one of the newspapers. Having worked for the Phi step up to the plate. Looking at recent editions of both newspapers, however, I don’t know how well we are doing our job. Recent editions of the Trident neglected to finish an article, had an unreadable black box for a sidebar, and spelled their own Executive Editor’s name wrong in a photo credit. Not to be unfair to Ms. McConnell (spell- ing?) and Ms. Nelson, my own publication is not in the least bit less guilty, presenting weekly some of the most irrelevant articles published on campus. While news does seem to be a bigger focus than our counterpart, the same basic errors are ever present. Typographical errors, spell- ing mistakes and general miscues that most likely should have been caught. Contrary to popular belief, however, this isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, otherwise more of you might give it a try. We all have as many classes as you do, we all have other activities and lives outside of working at a school P 18 E. NELSON ‘ST. LEXINGTON (540 ) 464 -4483 ,, ,‘ (b g.Edi[Or since freshman year, I have seen many people come and go; report- Mike Cdttenden 01 ers, photographers, copy editors, general help etc.— all who have ended up not sticking with it. I am sure the same is true for the Trident. Part of the reason is that there is no reward to be gained from joining. At larger schools, reporters and editors for school newspapers are paid for their services. Here we can’t even be sure people are reading what we write. With reduced staffs, we have fewer people checking mistakes, fewer people involved in the process, and in the end, less input into the journalism process. This is bad for we practicing journalists and you, the readers. We aren’t able to, or encouraged to, cover stories that students on this campus need to know about. The administration is slowly trying to change what this school is, its identity, who goes to school here and what the rules governing you will be. You’d barely know it, however, because we don’t have the time, resources or reader demand to let you know, which is a sad, sad thing. I can write a colunm reviewing beers week in and week out, cover the latest band the SAB has had come play, but the most important stories I have written since I started working for a school newspaper were about alcohol-free hous- ing in fraternities and the car crash earlier this year. Those were real stories that had the potential for some impact. We have journalism students who can write, students who can cover real stories and students who can provide you with the information you need to know. We just don’t have the readership. Students are content to complain about how awful the newspapers here at Washington and Lee are. They have never written for a newspaper, have never written a Letter to the Editor, and have never even considered what they would do differently if given the opportunity to make what- ever changes they would like. Instead they are happy to complain and loudly let us know that they don’t like what we are doing. I know the papers here aren’t great, and I know there are many changes that need to be made. We need more student involvement, more resources, and more time. We, as joumal- ists have to continue to get better at our craft, and to do as best we can with what we have. I would like to offer you, the people who think we aren’t doing a good job, a challenge. Write an opinion piece. Write a Letter to the Editor. Hell, come to a meeting and write an article. It won’t kill you, and in fact maybe you’ll enjoy it, seeing your name in the paper, your friends complimenting you on your work. And maybe, slowly, with more students like you getting involved, the papers will be more up to the high standards at which we would all like to see them. THE PLACE FOR FOOD AND 1-‘um LEXINGTON COFFEE ( u : I .) ./l,()1‘l.S‘.(Il‘I(/I ()I)llI;1(II(il/' LINGER AT A FIRESIDE TABLE COFFEE 0 ESPRESSO - CAPPUCCINO 0 PASTRIES - BAGELS 9 WEST WASHINGTON STREET ' LEXINGTON 0 464-6586 TUESDAY - 8 BALL TOURNEY $ 100.00 CASH PRIZE weomesmv ~ 9jBALL rouizzvrv $ 100.00 CASH 7’RIZE .. ..§'€....a\J A COME ON DOWN AND TEST . t QM 33 ;\_,\j Q YOUR SKILL ' A The Elephant A Man DIRECTED BY 3.0. MARTINEZ FEB. 9,10, 12 8: 13, A2001, - 3 RM. . FEB. 11, 2001 - 2, RM. JOHNSON 9 LENFEST Tickets and Information 0 S40/463-8000 OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_005.2.txt W i FEBRUARY 5 , 2001 PAGE 5 C Q ~ ingers take their show on the road By Katie Howell V A C . ‘ STAFF WRITER While many students will travel over February Break, few will be able to boast of visiting as many _. ' r cities as Washington and Lee’s a capella musical - - " ensembles, Southern Comfort and JubiLee, which By Mlchael Cnttenden will tour the Southeast region, performing for CONTRIBUTING EDITOR alllmni Chapters in nine different Cities. Like a neon—technicolor blight on society’s back- “lwe are excited ab011t the l1’lP because] the side, Mardi Gras is looming, rising out of the Louisi- f : alumni chapters in ‘the South really love the a ana swamps ljke the phoenix from its own ashes, New ; Capella groups, and It’s fun for us to be rock stars ‘Orleans, the City of Sin, once described by a visitor 1 for a week,” said senior Colin Tate, student musi- as collecting all the evil and sin from the states along Cal €llfeCt01'0fS011the1'n COInf0IT, W&L’S all-male a the Mississippi River, and serving as a basin for all 2 “P6113 gT011P- the drunken revelers to sate their thirsts in the bac- V Alumni Director for Online Communications ehanai they can Fat Tuesday, with this in mind 1 ; Chris Edwards helped to plan the trip and said presentalager borninthis somewhat demonic atmo- the groups will leave Lexington on Feb. 17. From sphere; Acadian Brewing Cofs Vienna Amben ; there they will travel to Louisville, Ky.,Nashvi1le, ABronze Medal Winner at the 1998 Great Ameri- h ; Tenn-,MeII1phiS,Tenn-, Little ROCK, Ark-, ShIeVe- can Beer Festival, Vienna Amber is modeled after p011. La-, laCl(S0n, MiSS-, Birmingham, Ala, At- the Marzen and Oktoberfest styles pioneered by ; lanta, Ga-. and ChafleSt0n, S-C. l3ef0fe returning the Germans centuries ago, which were brewed in t0 W&L 011 Fell 24- March and served in October. Brewed in the classic ‘ j ‘‘[The Alumni Office plans this trip] because it Viennese amber genre, Acadian’s lager combines I helpS them and ITS,” Edwards Said. “When We , , _ _ Rl”’*"””' M” We Ph°‘° primarily Munich and Caramel malts forasatisfying Sponsor programs like this’ it helps the Smaller DUBYUNELL D1vAs. Jub1Lee performs in Lee Chapel during Parents? Weekend in November. deep amber colon Pound Correctly with amedium j [alumni] chapters have events that they could “A lot of people are involved in the planning of head, Vienna Amber has a rich bouquet that avoids 7 not otherwise have. Also, the alumni like to see this trip,” Edwards said. “Those of us at the univer— the fruity characteristics of most ales. The presence Q _ the people come from the university because it sity rely on the alumni chapter presidents to set up of Hallertau hops really makes this lager, however, ‘ makes them feel connected to the school.” places for the events and to find housing for the making the first taste as pleasant as the last. Edwards said that the tour has been a bien— students. Also, people have to make and send out Amember of the Carrollton Brewing Assoc. LLC, nial tradition for the past 10 years. Other re— the invitations. There is a lot of work involved in the Acadian Brewing Co. offers a number of fine la- gions that the groups have visited include the planning these types of events.” gers. The brewery produces five year—round beers '\ Northeast and California. The groups did not The groups practice several times a week to pre- including the Pilsener, Helles Bock and Hefe Pilsener travel two years ago because most of the bud- pare for the concerts and tours like this one. styles. The brewery also produces one specialty beer ; get went toward the celebration of the 250th “We have been practicing two or three times a monthly, as well as various seasonal beers, all of anniversary of the university. week all year with several songs from last year and which are available in the greater New Orleans area. . “We’re really excited about this trip. It is fun several new songs,” said Heatherington. “We are My recommendation is to give this beer a try if . because we get to put on so many shows per week. especially excited about the trip because it will give you are in the New Orleans area any time soon It’s great to get that many chances to show off,” us good practice for the CD we are going to put out (e.g. February Break). Knowing the penchant for said senior Sarah Heatherington, student musical once we get back.” Washington and Lee students to flock to various director of JubiLee, the school’s all-female group. Students impatient for new releases from Jubi- locales south of the Mason Dixon when there is V The alumni chapters in the various cities that lee and Southern Comfort can pick up their earlier even the slightest hint of a party, I do not think this the groups plan to visit have all arranged luncheons, CDs in the Bookstore. should be a problem. Though I do not know if you receptions or dinners followed by entertainment from Heatherington and Tate both said that students will find Acadian while stumbling around the Quar- the musical groups. Alumni, guests and current stu— interested in becoming a part of one of these musi- ter, I suggest you sober up, take a shower and stop ~. dents from the area will attend the performances. cal groups will have the opportunity to try out early hm, w,,,.,w E“,_,,,,,.,h HL,”,,,,,,,, by a nice restaurant to give it a try. Remember, qual- Alumni will also house the students each night be- during Spring Term and once again at the begin- BETTER THAN ’NSYN C. Southern Comfort sings for enthusi- ity is favorable to quantity. Until next week, whenl fore they travel to another city. ning of Fall Term. astic new members and actives at the Chi Omega house. review a special Valentine’s Day beer for all you star-crossed lovers out there, adieu! V ever, they recently sold the name to Bronco Wine Co., which will receive only the name and labeled cased goods I _ in inventory. The Napa Ridge winemaker, David Schlottman, will stay on with Beringer as a liaison to I other Beringer subsidiaries. ‘ ' The Napa Ridge Chardonnay is a great buy at only $13 a bottle. The agreeable, medium-bodied palate makes this a good wine for people just beginning to appreciate S U I ‘ i I i N e r : h 0 I O wines, especially since white wines are generally easier ‘ to start on than reds. Chardonnays are also by far the most popular of the white wine Varietals. ' re This pale yellow-gold wine presents with a firm appley O U n O r S By Alexis Yee_GarCia nose and subtle cream aromas. The crisp acidity bal- ~ . p H q _ H ances nicely with the plush buttery texture. Sweet, but I FM’ UR“ E—1—”—/-OR — » —----——— - ---- - not overbearing, vanilla flavors provide a good equality J u ' J u ’ ll Despite the dangers of changing this page into a two for delicate mineral notes and well integrated oakiness. part dissertation on the joys of quality alcoholic bever- Overall, the dominant fruit characteristics make this an ages, I have made an executive decision: It is entirely too easy wine to drink. ,' a much fun to do reviews to leave all that play to Mr. Keep this wine in mind for that romantic, Valentine’s A ' Crittenden. Like Michael, I also have a hometown bias and Day dinner (unless Michael’s Valentine beer proves too G g C n 0 represented this week with my wine choice: Napa Ridge tempting to resist), especially if you are enjoying alighter . - . . 1998 North Coast Chardonnay from California, of course. entree, such as chicken picatta or pasta primavera. If , O Though the name suggests that this Chardonnay comes you have developed a new love for wine, e-mail me at W . _ _ from Napa Valley, Ca., Napa Ridge is not, in fact, an actual yeegarciaa@wlu.edu and let me know, especially if there __ h I g h I n g L location. Beringer, a company whose main label winery is is a wine out there that you want me to review. Until next , I _ actually located in N apa, created the brand for their wines time, remember, drink responsibly and try not to be afraid J u I n G produced at an old Asti facility in Sonoma County. How— of exploring your non—beer options. H‘: v . . , 5 Lee Summer Scholars Porgram is an Are you computer—literate? We re not! “ exciting four week academic program for The phi ‘ I I I I 35 appmxlmalely 150 "Smg mgh school is in search of an online editor :2 seniors. We are looking for responsible ~22 - - - to update our web page every week :; students to help guide participants and to I _ _ ' plan extracurricular activites such as talent If YOU |‘e I hterestedz 9 We "5 3 Ca ll at e ' - - 4060 ,_ shows, lip syncs, weekend hikes, trips to X, I ‘ '- ~ :; G0-‘then Clnd m0le- or email us at phi@wlu.edu V . . For further information and to obtain LV’L°L 'E”D”"° ii; I _ I _ , .. . applications, please contact Jennifer Lotts, Summer Scholars, Hill House at 463-8722. What are you giving this year? 1. ' ' N‘ 1.‘ ' Why not the timeless beauty and symbolism of the Claddagh? Available in rings, earrings, bracelets, &,necklaces in gold and silver F b I See our knotwork jewelry, Scottish Luckenbooths, and Welsh Lovespoons tool ‘t 9 "-'C"Y = - CELTIC CONNECTION _ I ‘ 19 W. Nelson V 10AM-5:30PM M—SAT T 464-6545 V www.ce|ticconne‘x.com OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_006.2.txt PAGE 6 Men’s hoops endures tough week By Jeremy Franklin 1 SPORTS EDITOR The Washington and Lee men’s basketball team expe- rienced perhaps the most tumultuous times of their sea- son this week, dropping three close Old Dominion Ath- letic Conference games and having two players dismissed 9 from the team. The Generals sandwiched overtime losses to Emory and Henry and Lynchburg around a 66-60 home defeat to nationally ranked Hampden-Sydney. Sophomores Will Cotter and Scott Hettermann were removed from the team following the Wednesday loss to Emory and Henry. Senior Chad Braley’s 21 points, a season high, and classmate Will Ballard’s -16 weren’t enough against the Wasps, who shot 52 percent from the field to pull out an 84-77 win. Emory and Henry led 78-66 with 3:21 remaining, but an 11-2 General run trimmed the lead to three. However, the Wasps preserved their lead from the free throw line, where they shot 91 percent for the game. W&L shot a season-high 52 percent from the field against Hampden-Sydney at home on Saturday. Ballard provided his best offensive output of the year with 20 points, but the Generals also turned the ball over 26 times against the Tigers. The Generals led 41-39 with less than eight minutes remaining, but Hampden-Sydney rolled off a 10-0 run. Freshman David Bode fouled out during the run, also com- mitting a technical foul, and the Tigers hit all four of the ensuing free throws. Lynchburg forward Dennis Brown scored 39 points and snagged 17 rebounds to lead the Hornets to a 77-68 overtime win over W&L on Sunday. Lynchburg overcame a five-point deficit in the final 29 seconds of regulation, and then shot 64 percent from the field in overtime to win the game. After hitting just 27 percent of their shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes, W&L stormed out of the locker @112 King-tum lfllit S PORTS photo by Mary Guy/Photo Editor PERIMETER GAME. Freshman Michael Denbow (14) veers around classmate John Saxon in the Generals’ 66-60 loss to fifth-ranked Hampden-Sydney at the Warner Center on Saturday. room in the opening minutes of the second half. Bode scored seven of his nine points in a 1:48 span early in the half as W&L built a five-point advantage. Ballard’s three—point play at the 7:23 mark pushed the lead to 44-37, but the Hornets ran off a 9-0 run to take a two—point lead with 4:47 remaining. W&L regained the lead on Bra1ey’s field goal at 3:38, and built their advan- tage back up in the closing minutes before the late Coming next week... The Phi continues to preview W&L spring sports with a look at the baseball, golf, men’s lacrosse and women’s tennis teams. Also, continued coverage of W&L winter sports as ODAC and Centennial Conference tournaments draw near. Ring-tum Phi File Photo Britain - Aus“ alia - WHY BUNAC - We take care of the Work Authorlsatlon Pll Iiux 113’! Suutlilmrv [Ill l]fiA88 I flllll Ali? 85?‘) - Help with Job hunting: career or casual - Resource centers In each country - We are non proflt with 38 years of experlencel / Lynchburg rally. Braley scored 17 points and Ballard added 16 points and a career—best 14 rebounds against the Hornets. Junior Bob Bustamante chipped in 1 1 points, and freshman John Saxon finished with nine points and five blocks. The Generals (3-18, 3-13 ODAC) step out of confer- ence play on Wednesday with a 7 p.1n. road contest against Greensboro College. Generals young butrady Unseasoned men’s tennis team sports a plethora of talent and a national ranking By Ian R. Mcllroy SPORTS WRITER This spring, the Washington and Lee men’s tennis hopes to make a serious run at the Division III national championship. V Positioned 25th in the country in a preseason Inter- collegiate Tennis Association Division III ranking, the Generals are considered by many to be a strong out- side contender. Ranked seventh in the competitive Southern Division, the Generals must be among the top two in the season by season’s end to qualify for the national tournament. The strength of the squad lies in the talented youth of the team. On a squad of 16 players, there are no seniors. Furthermore, six out of the 16 players are freshmen. Yet this is not new for the Generals. Last year’s team had no seniors and only one junior. This year, there are six juniors on the team, including number one seed Rhys James. Having played in the top positions last year as sopho- mores, these players have the experience that any con- tender needs. “The true strength of this team is our depth,” said team captain Rob Moynihan, a junior who plays in the number five position. “The experienced players from last year have been bumped downto lower positions while positions two, three and four are all new.” These three new players are Andrew Roberts, a junior who took off his sophomore season, and freshmen Aus- tin Kim and Graham Nix. As they haven’t competed against these new faces, opposing teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the division will have trouble preparing fully to meet FEBRUARY 5, 2001 Upcoming events in W&L athletics Baseball 1 Feb. 19 at Olgethorpe 3:00 p.m. Feb. 20 at Emory 2:00 p.m. Feb. 22 at Olgethorpe 3:00 p.m. Feb. 25 Muhlenberg (2) 12:00 pm. Men’s Basketball Feb. 7 at Greensboro 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 Eastern Mennonite 4:00 p.m. Feb. 12 at Bridgewater 7:00 p.m. Women’s Basketball Feb. 7 Eastern Mennonite 7:00 p.m. Feb. 10 Randolph—Macon » 2:00p.m. Feb. 13 at Emory and Henry 7:00 p.m. Feb. 15 Virginia Wesleyan 7:00 p.m. Feb. 17 Hollins 2:00 p.m. Feb. 18 Roanoke 2:00 p.m. Golf Feb. 23 at Guilford ODAC Invitational TBA Men’s Lacrosse Feb. 25 Elmira 1:00 p.m. Women’s Lacrosse Feb. 17-18 at South of the Border Toum. All Day Men’s Swimming Feb. 15-17 at Grove City Invitational TBA Women’s Swimming Feb. 16-18 at ODAC/Atlantic States Inv. TBA Men’s Tennis Feb. 15 VMI 3:00 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track Feb. 9-10 at Christopher Newport Inv. TBA Feb. 24 at ODAC Championships TBA Wrestling Feb. 10 at Albright Quadrangular TBA Feb. 17 at Centennial Championship 10:00 am. Ring-tum Phi File Photo CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED. The Washington and Lee men’s tennis team is ranked 25th in the preseason ITA Division III poll. them. However, this factor could also be seen as a two- way street. “Possibly, the naivete of our freshmen can pose as an asset,” Nix said. “We’re not as intimidated by the higherrankcd teams, because we do not know what to expect of them.” Besides the newcomers, the team already boasts a clear advantage in individual matches, with such latent talent possessed by the more experienced players lower in the roster. Combining experience, talent, and determi- nation, the Generals have positioned themselves for a highly successful 2001 season. OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_007.2.txt FEBRUARY 5, 2001 S Ellie ifling-tum ilflhi PORTS ., & sea Ring-tum Phi File Photo COUNTING THE DAYS. Senior Martha Combrooks and W&L open the season on Feb. 17. ‘ Generals knock off Southern Virginia ' W&L sports roundup By Jeremy Franklin SPORTS EDITOR 5 The Washington and Lee wrestling team defeated Southern Virginia, 26-15, at home on Wednesday, and then finished third out of eight schools in the Newport News Apprentice Invite on Saturday. .{~ , Against Southern Virginia, senior heavyweight John Sensing and junior 125-pounder Ben Segal recorded pins to lead the way for the Generals. Senior Josh Chamberlain (149 pounds), freshman Steve Saks (157), senior John Valentine (184), and junior Ezra Morse (197) also won 1 ,their matches for W&L. _ The Generals scored 60 points in the Apprentice Invite, ;;,finishing.behind Longwood at 122 and North Carolina- g;Pembroke at 90. Morse and freshman Joe Mueller (184) ‘both finished second in their respective classes, and Cham- gberlain and Saks both ended the day in third place. iv Sensing, Valentine, and freshman Cory Little placed ' fourth for the Generals. W&Lis now 4-5-1 overall and —l-3~invtheCentennial- A 1 _,Conference. The Generals take the road again on Satur- "day for the Albright Quadrangular in Reading, Pa. iWomen’s hoops team drops yilopsided game to Guilford Guilford overcame a 26-point night from Washington , and Lee junior Jessica Mentz to knock off the Generals, 89-51, at home on Wednesday. A Jennie Keichline scored 14 of her team-leading 16 points in the second half as the Quakers extended a 40-23 halftime advantage. ; Junior Megan Babst scored 11 points and grabbed 12 ‘rebounds for W&L, whichlfell to 6-12, 4-10 in the Old { Dominion Athletic Conference with the loss. The Generals meet Eastern Mennonite at home on Wednesday. ~Women’s team By Geoff White SPORTS WRITER ' The Washington and Lee women’s swimming team improved to 4-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Confer- ‘ence on Thursday in a dual meet against Radford and Hollins. With the wins they also improved their overall ‘ record to 7-7. 5- Senior Allison Harvey led the Generals with wins in the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle events. Sopho- C ” C rip-On. Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Brussels Dublin London Madrid Paris Rome UNBEATABL PRICES! PACKAGES INCLUDE: *1 0 Student roundtrip airfa"r 0 Accommodations 1 1, 0 Airport transfers " and Travel Card* 0 Camera, document organizer, discounts, guidebooks, maps and more ‘Select cities only. By Geoff White SPORTS WRITER The Washington and Lee women’s lacrosse team comes off a successful 2000 season in prime position to con- tinue this trend in 2001. The women only lost four seniors from last year’s squad: their goaltender, two attackers and one defender. One of those lost attack players, Katherine Riddle, was second on the team in scoring. However, the Generals return their leading scorer, sophomore Leslie Bogart, who fin- ished with 55 points. The women were 8-5 overall last year, and were 7-1 in the Old Do- minion Athletic Conference. They reached the conference semifinals in the postseason tournament, but lost a defensive battle to Lynchburg, 8-4. “I think we’re going to be great this year,” said sophomore Laura Wil- son, who finished third on the team with 23 points in 2000. “We have a lot of depth in the midfield.” Notable additions to the team in- clude two freshmen goaltenders to replace Girmy Jernigan, who gradu- ated last year after finishing her ca- reer second all—time in saves at W&L with 505. Joanna Peiini and Annie Tompkins will compete for the start- ing goalie position this season. “The incoming freshmen are really good,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of support through all the positions.” Seniors Ellen Ritsch and Martha Combrooks and junior Eloise Priest are the captains for this year. Ritsch, who plays attack, had 16 goals last hes for success formula W&L looks to build on a successful year by adding a deep and talented freshman class year. Combrooks and Priest will lead from the defensive end. Combrooks concurs with Wilson about the strength of the freshmen. “They’re going to make fantastic additions to the team,” Combrooks said. “We have a great balance of ex- perience, skill and fresh players.” The Generals are coached by Jan Hathorn, who has run the program since its inception in 1988. Laurie Stagnitta, wife of men’s lacrosse coach Jim Stagnitta, will also lend her expertise. W&L will begin their regular sea- son on Feb. 17-18, when they travel to North Carolina for the South of the Border Tournament. They will play at North Carolina and Duke against other Division III teams. “This will be a chance to test the waters,” Combrooks said. The Generals’ first home game will be an ODAC match on March 10 against Randolph-Macon. photo by Mary Guy/Photo Editor OFFENSIVE HOLDING. Freshman 141-pounder Cory Little wrestles against Southern Virginia on Wednesday. The Generals won the match, 26-15, to improve to 4-5-1 on the season. Indoor track teams compete in VMI Winter Relays The Washington and Lee indoor track teams competed in Lexington for the first time in 2001 at the VMI Winter Relays on Saturday. For the women’s squad, sophomore Burke Duncan swims through mores Blair Huffman and Kelli Austin continued their dominance with two wins apiece. Huffman placed first in the 200 backstroke and the 200 breaststroke, and Austin won the 100 and 200 freestyle events. Fresh- man K.C. Wilson contributed to the effort with a win in the 200 butterfly. The cards have been stacked against the Generals this season. Huffman and Austin have had to shoulder most of the burden for top times, as the team lost record-setting swimmer Katie Kennedy and last year’s graduates Lauren 800 meters. placed second in the 3,000 meters, followed by senior Jes- sica Parrillo in third place. Freshman Lucy Frick recorded a fifth-place finish in the one-mile run. Freshman Andy Schorr led the men’s team on the after- noon, finishing ninth in the 3,000 meters and 10th in the The Generals travel across the state on Saturday for the Christopher Newport Invitational in Newport News. turbulent times Beckenhauer and Lezael Haynes. Most of the top times this season are slower than last season’s, although many of last season’s top times were earned during the ODAC/Atlantic States Invitational. The Generals are undefeated in the ODAC, and if last season is any indication, they should do well at money? OR I Would you prefer a job that gives you training in personal success, where you can have fun in a stimulating and family-like atmosphere, make a good income, and spend the summer in the mountains of Wyoming? .-‘ SEl|IOllS:wHA1' mun or SUMMER JOB WOULD YOII I.||lE BEFORE YOU GO TO WORK III THE “IIEAI. WORLD?” A job where you can make a lot of the upcoming ODAC/Atlantic States Invitational. They will look to repeat as champions when they re- turn to the tournament as the Washington Holiday begins on Feb. 16. Check out our staff web site at wvvw.coolworks.comIabara Or call us at 303-838-1950 to set up an interview. WATERLOO HOUSES FOR RENT 10 student apartments available June I, 2001 One house with 6 bedrooms. One house with 4 bedrooms. 8 Enjoy country living at its finest. Just ten miles west of W&L on Waterloo Drive. Please call Tim Wilhelm at 540-463-6575 or 540-463-2868. OCR::/Vol_103/WLURG39_RTP_20010205/WLURG39_RTP_20010205_008.2.txt PAGE 8 As always, over 90 percent fact free @112 ‘itltng-tum lfllrt LASTWORD FEBRUARY 5, 2001 -5. Point vs. Unsubstantiated Point Everyone needs political correctness By Alf INTERPLANETARY M OOCH The last time I turned on the television, I came across the show South Park I was both shocked and offended by the amount of filth that was present. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally assaulted by images of intolerance towards womyn, birds, Mother Earth, and vegetarians. I quickly ran to my life-partner and ACLU lawyer, Serinooka Rainbow Hugger, who comforted me with a hot glass of environmentally friendly tea and several poems from Jewel ’s book, A Night Without Armor: Poems. Listening to Jewel ’s wistful, lyrical musings of womynhood pulled me back up from the depths of chauvinistic rancor that popular culture used to batter me. I grabbed onto my Mayan beads and said a quick prayer to Shesus Christ, and then looked deep into Serinooka’s eyes and said, “I feel deeply hurt and oflended by that program. My inner-womyn is telling me that we must sue the evil purveyor of filth on television to compensate me for the irreparable harm it has done. Besides, we need a new waterfall in the Zen Garden.” If you truly believed that this was what the ferninst movement and the movement to support political correctness was all about, then you better check yourself be- fore you riggity wreck yourself. Political correctness is about ensuring the rights of every person to live and work in an envi- ronment that is ergonomically and emotion- ally healthy. ? ' For years, those who have had the money and power have had the ability to adjudicate what was appropriate and what was inappropriate no matter what the con- sequences were for those who had to live under their rules. Now that our voices are starting to be heard, we are portrayed as outcasts and radicals who don’t care about rights, laws, or freedom of expression. Being an alien, I have a unique perspec- tive on the situation currently facing our www.tvshows.main.de ' country. Due to the intolerance of most Americans, I have had to live my life solely within the confines of a suburban house- hold. I have had to sleep in a pallet made of fuzzy blankets, eat bland and unwhole— some foods like Cream of Wheat, and re- main at the whim of a rniddle—class family that is just barely scraping by. My people mastered the intricacies of space travel and have advanced far beyond the primitive needs of clothing and I’m stuck here in this suburbanite hell with noth- ing better to do than watch Oprah. If any- one truly deserves political and social equality, it’s me. But until humans have advanced to the level where they can ac-. cept everyone in their own species, how can they hope to accept me? Political correctness is not about point- ing fingers and suing people for your own profit, well at least not wholely, it is about giving every person the dignity and respect they deserve, be they African American, Anglo American, Asian American, Native American, Indian-American, Inuit American, Pacific American, or some strange combi- nation of all of the above. Maybe if every- one tries a bit harder and shuts up a bit more, people can find it in their hearts to love a little brown-furred alien like me. The case against politcal correctness By Bryan Early LAST WORD EDITOR In the last 10 years, our country has been assaulted by a vileness so vicious that it threatens the very fabric of our soci- ety. What is this scourge? None other than the policy of political correctness. The policy of political correctness was formed out of an attempt to enforce toler- ance and universal acceptance of diver- sity. In reality, it attempted to sterilize free- dom of thought and action and homog- enize public opinion. It is not the govemment’s job to keep its citizens from being mentally challenged or remove all discomfort they might feel at interacting with other citizens who are very much their equal. One might not agree with everything a person says or does, but that does not give that person the right to stop the other person from speaking. The First Amendment gives people the right to hold and voice their own personal opinions. The most ludicrous principal behind the policy of political correctness, is that when one changes his or her phrasing from “I disagree with your statement” to “I am of- fended by your statement,” that person is (true or untrue) would bring. It gave rise to the plethora of sexual harassment, discrimi- nation, and intolerance legal suits that marked the ’90s. All of a sudden, the work- place was laid under seige by groups of radi- cal leftists and moochers whose very jobs became to look for infractions on the part of employers. Soon, courts were handing out multi-million dollar settlements for bosses complimenting female employeees on look- ing nice and workers having Howard Stern on the radio. One has to wonder where the line will be drawn. The approval of John Ashcroft to I the position of Attorney General is a poi- gnant example of political correctness at work. While Ashcroft is perhaps not the most liberal fellow in the world, his tough stances on abortion and crime, coupled with the actions he took to prevent the approval of Ronnie White to the Federal Circuit Court, became a political liability for him. He was accused of being both sexist and racist, two terms that strangely gained immense popu- larity with the rise of political correctness. Of what was Ashcroft truly guilty? Noth- ing. Not a single group that opposed Ashcroft’s nomination could prove or even make a legitimate case any cause to reject his automatically entitled nominafiom The battle to receive some sort C ‘ W35 f°l1ghtWi"-h hints» of compensation from _ 311033110115» and Vague the offending I I Of Just What does it outside without feeling‘ like Whf:‘th§°l‘)‘1db°d":“Y mean to be offended? - - - T5 9 903"“ CY I am being held under serge. According to ha.“ I10 T331 gT°““dS- Webster ’s Dictionary, — R0" Diddlemyer I Ashcroft 53011313’ it means, “to irritate or vex a person’s mind or feelings.” Thus,'anything that chal- lenges the thoughts, conceptions, or emo- tional state can be construed as being of- fensive. And who, if anybody, can objec- tively read the complainant’s mindset? The policy of political correctness has ensured that whoever yells and complains the loudest will be rewarded just to pre- vent the negative PR that such accusations ,3) adheres to his beliefs and is not intimidated into silence due to fear over what others might think or say. It is despicable to fight his nomi- nation on the basis that some individuals claim to have read into the motives behind his ac- tions and are offended by them. Since its inception, political correctness has attempted to smother and destroy the very rights of the citizens that it was created to defend. GREAT MOMENTS IN COMMUNIST HISTORY Russian soldiers marched around their sparsely populated and commerically inhabited country- side to intimidate poor peasants into doing the right thing for the greater good of all. QQOOQQOO t%¢M.....te..—t07 ~ Ask the Question Marquis is a sporadically produced I advice column, because proper loving takes time. It is to be Marquis are his alone and are in no way to be construed as representative of his sponsor, Questia, you American pigs. www.questia.com Also, what are sunglasses? Option 2. You can challenge her to a duel. Ask the Question Marquis Q: Dear Question Marquis: My girlfriend seems distant lately. And I can’t get her to take ofl her sunglasses. I wonder if shes seeing someone else. l/Vhat should I say to her? — Paul in Dallas A: Ah, mon ami. I think I can help you with this. Your female is probably feeling that you spend more time with the ' library than with her delicate, sensuous frame. (I am making the assumptions about her, but for your sake, I hope that I am right, you know?) But you are having many of the research papers, correct? So you have two options to send you on the path toward a satisfactory loving scenario. ~- ' Option 1. When you are writing the research papers, you can save time by going to questia.com. Listen, this is brand new. You can skip all of the tedious working, because the fi1ll text of the books and journal articles is all online. Search for the keywords, highlight the text. Also, you are not going to believe this, .but if you want to quote something, you just click a button and Questia puts it in your paper, footnotes it, and formats the bibliography auto- matically. And right now you can get two days* of Questia free. So try it. When your girlfriend sees how much better your papers become and how much more time you have for her, she will be looking at you with her naked eyes that seem to say, “Hallo. I like you. Much, much more than I like paté de fois gras,” or whatever it is these girls like now. read with a silly French accent. The views ofthe Question Challenge the pig to a duel.” “It is the joke"of an imbecile who longs to have my knowledge and looks. — Michelle in Boston Q: Dear Question Marquis: My friend sent me this photo. I don’t get Is it a joke, or is it some deeper commentary on the effect of technology on culture? — Cosmo in Grand Rapids ' c A: It is the joke of an imbecile who longs to have my knowledge and looks. Challenge the pig to a duel. Q: Dear Question Marquis: How come you know about computers and dot. coms, but you’ve never heard of sunglasses? A: Oh, sunglasses. Of course I know sunglasses. I thought you said “St. Molasses!’ I am not familiar with that one. The patron saint of sorghum? What? *Free offer expires and is limited to first-time subscribers. Internet access and acceptance of online Subscriber Agreement required. See www.questia.com for details. ©2001 Questia Media, Inc. Questia, the Questia logotype, “Better Papers. Fasten”, the Question Marquis, the Question Marquis signature, and the Question Marquis question mark symbol are service marks of Questia Media, Inc. que stfla Better Papers. Faster?‘ ‘I F .