OCR::/Vol_094/WLURG39_RTP_19950421/WLURG39_RTP_19950421_001.2.txt If ‘I Meet new basketball coach See page IO ([0 6 \*»\a'C .v. ..¥.‘1"$3i.‘V‘il‘l l- hihl M‘ ix‘, 9 gig...‘ fl L)“ \,fiI'\.¢’mlT‘;’ ,"fl“?:"l."._‘l’rl, V9‘ /at 241995 LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA APRIL 21, 1995 Faculty raises standards for honor roll, Dean’s list more people causing the lists to lose their usefulness, said Sessions. We’ve raised honor requirements before. A few years back, the stan- dards for graduating summa, magna, and cum laude were raised,” said Sessions. Sessions believes some students will be perturbed by the change. He said they might see this as a move by the faculty to take something away from them. However, Sessions believes they will not be right in thinking that. Hodges believes students will understand the need for the changes. At Sessions’ request, University Registrar Scott Dittman said he will include explanations of the changes on the back of official transcripts begin- ning this summer. Sessions hopes to ward off cosmetic problems for stu- dents who had once been on the honor lists and after the changes were not. While the W&L faculty seems to be in overwhelming support of the new requirements, students have already voiced opposition. Both student mem- bers of the University’s Courses and “I believe the students are going to flip,” said Sophomore Paul Saboe, one member of the Courses and Degrees Committee, “Raising the Honor Roll requirements would put it beyond the reach of most students.” Saboe also believes students would cease to strive to make the Honor Roll because the standards are too rigorous. “It used to be obtainable — some- thing to shoot for — now it’s too de- manding,” said Saboe. Senior Brad Meier, also a member of the Courses and Degrees Commit- tee, agreed. “I’ve been here four years and it’s going to be hard to see my friends who can’t meet the stricter standards let down,” said Meier, “How can you ex- plain to your parents why you don’t make Dean’s List anymore?” Before the current resolution was passed, Saboe and Meier presented an original plan which was defeated. it called for raising the Dean’s List re- quirement to 3.25 and leaving the Honor Roll requirement at 3.5. “The faculty simply did not take the Degrees Committee opposed student’s opinion into consideration,” that resolution. said Meier said. a matter of debate to decide these issues, says Howison; the only area in which students have complete autonomy is the operation of the Honor system.“There is a tendency for students to take autonomy and apply it to other organizations,” he said. Senior Kelly Brotzman said students often fail to distinguish between au- tonomy and self-govemance. Autonomy means that students make decisions involving the university without any accountability to the faculty or administra- tion. Self-govemance, on the other hand, means that the Board of Trustees students power over certain areas, Brotzman said. Howison cites the Student Activities Board, Student Conduct Committee, Mock Convention and Fancy Dress as pockets of student autonomy in other areas. The problem comes when something such as housing becomes an institu- tional issue. Under the W&L by-laws, the faculty or the Board of Trustees must intervene. He used coeducation as an example. When the faculty and the students were butting heads over whether to allow women to attend W&L, and alumni were threatening to stop contributing money to the school, students and alumni argued that coeducation would destroy the school’s tradition, but the faculty and the Board of Trustees voted for coeducation because they believed it would benefit the school, Howison said. Waddy believes most students are aware of the faculty ’s and the administration ’s authority to decide such matters. However, Waddy believes many students think the administration is abusing its power and not paying any attention to their opinions, “They have the legal authority, but they should think about what the consequences will be in terms of student opinion.” Brotzman said students should be consulted when the faculty or the Board of See AUTONOMY, page 8 Gay Republican 0 0 1 act1v1 st counse s . 25 g.i93 d ' ° t 1Vers1 y 3.145 3.138 3_ 13 3 By ALEX CHRISTENSEN 3. 1 15 Phi Editorial Page Editor 3.106 . The Washin ton and Lee Committee on Gay and Les- 3-040 - g ‘ii dL T fel bian Legal Issues presented a speech by Ric ar . 3 , 3 '034 executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, at the Law 3-"23 s hool on Tues. April 18. 2.999 C His topic was“We’re here, we’re queer, and 2.983 we’re Republican?” _ 2 971 Conservative in his political outlook, Tafel earned a 2. 93 4 Masterof Divinity degree and was ordained by the Northern ' Baptists. He says his religious training still comes in handy 2'924 when debating members of the religious right, who often 2'91; claim that the Bible condemns homosexuality 2 -90 or homosexuals. _ 2.904 There are only three openly gay congressmen in the 2.888 House of Representatives now: Barney Frank and Gerry 2 3 7 3 Studds, both Massachusetts Democrats, and Steve Gunderson . of Wisconsin, aclose political ally of Speaker Newt Gingrich. 2'850 Tafel worked as the campaign manager for Republican 2 '848 Michael Duffy Massachusetts’s first openly gay candidate 2-770 for the state assembly. Duffy did not win, but garnered 44 2.562 percent of the vote in a district where Democrats outnum- 2 604 bered Republicans eight to one. The race is now taught as a . case study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. ‘ _ _ The thrust of Tafel’s message is of inclusion, education and political activism by gays and lesbians, not just in the Democratic party. _ _ During the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, Tafel said, to making people M u SI c , Food , « l 2 / , L . . 0 ~ is :3 is L. . i -:. VOLUME 95.’N0.)9’ WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY ‘‘There’s not much honor in being in BY DA" ODENWN-D the top 53 percent. We ought to make Phi Executive Editor it a real honor,” Hodges said. _ r _ Hodges first became interested in Washington and i«eeUnIVers1ty Im- the issue at a December 1994 faculty del3T3d“3te5_3l’e 8°lh8 ‘°_ h3Ve '0 eel“ meeting in which Sessions delivered a heheT8{3de51hihe“P°°lhlh8 F3llTe1'm report on the Dean’s List and Honor 10 3ehleVe the Same h°h°l'5 they Roll. He distributed an e-mail letter to d0 ll°W- _ _ the faculty proposing changes in the The faellhl’ P355e‘l3l'e5°l“h°hT3l5' cun'ent standards. Of 31 responses, ing thfi standards thC Dean’s List only two werg ncgative_ and HonorRollattheirApnl3rdmeet- The faculty eievated the require- lh8- lhsiead °f ‘he 3-0 ‘flllllehily Te‘ merits so as to only include about 21 ‘llflled f°l’ the De?h’S _l-155 Shldehis percent of the student body. Under the will need a 3.4. Likewise, instead of new standards and current grade distri- ‘he3-5 elmehtll’ Teqhhed f°"he H°h°T bution Sessions estimates 10 percent Roll. Students Will need 3 3-75- The of all undergraduates will make Honor new standards go into effect next R011 and 11 percent win make Fall 'l:e1'hl- Dean’s List. “Flflfihlee Peleem Of all Shhlehis Hodges explained that if over half made the Dean’s List last Fall Term. lt of the students were making Dean's shouldbeaspecial honor. It shouldbe List it wetiid become a selective. This is an honor roll after rneaningiees distinction, all,” said Associate Dean of the Col- “we must protect the students who lege W- Lad Se55l°h5- _ _ . really do achieve something, The proposal was initiated by "Hedges said, Fletcher Ofey Th°m35 PT°fe55°T 0f Sessions was also concerned with l31ble LOUIS W- Hodges becahse Of what he termed ‘grade inflation.’ concern over ‘half of the students mak- with the rise of the average grade "18 Dean's Llsh point average, the honor rolls include Student autonomy On your mark, get set, go! By MICHAEL HEWIEIT Chairman of Empower America Jack Kemp will.speak in Phi Associate Editor Lee Chapel on Tuesday headlining the Spring Kick-off of the 1993 Republican M001‘ C°nVent‘°n' Listening to Washington.and_lJ;e University students talk about Winter Rush, " o 3 you might think that the school has a long tradition of student autonomy. In k k_ 0 contrast, University historian Professor Taylor Sanders explains that until 1865, e | I h p O students had no autonomy or self-govemment at all. Previous to1865, students couldn’t play sports, leave campus, or party. They had Saturday classes. Lee changed that when he became president and gave students more social freedom, l I H 1 Sanders said. MO ( e Administrators, including Dean of Students David Howison, maintain that students don’t understand the autonomy issue and the university by-laws that give faculty the authority to decide on such issues as Winter Rush. Kemp Served as 3 New Yqrk Ewe" Students, including junior Nick Waddy, believe the administration wants to By SH.El§U fl:§vN1.)tERSoN Semative in Qongsress for n'1_.nex_¥:;’3: strip away the traditions that have made W&L great. _ _ . Pl" ta " °r hef°le b°°°"““g ecre aw 0 d “It’s clear [administrators] want to change the character of the university in a . mg and Urban Development un er specific way’, Waddy said. Alihough -leek Kelhi’ ls h°‘ "lei" Presldem Bush‘ d t the In recent months, student autonomy has becomeamajor issue on campus. The lhgwashlhgmh and Lee“) glVeP°1h" Kemp was expeme “I: en Board of Trustees passed a sophomore housing requirement in which students as to the Generals’ football team, he 1996, la?‘ and Seek the eflflu dig" will have to live in university housing for their first two years. Will be ltleklhg Off the 1996 Mock nommanonx Howelfer’ 1:: reb Se t ;. Last month, the faculty gave a non-binding vote in support of Winter Rush, Convention providing lnslghi lhlo the cause he belwved lflmse to. etoléalfn despite the fact that most fratemities and the lnterfraternity Council support Fall “P°°mlhg Pfesldemlal e3lhP3l8h-_ t°“°h . Wm‘ t C mams I Rush. While most professors and deans believe they have the school’s best “KemP l5 ‘me Of the most Pl°m_l5' Repubhcan Pally’ be cfivist for interest in mind, many students think that the administration are not listening to ing conservative Republicans with KemP Temalhsg h if“ “an of Em_ their opinions, all lhlP1'e55lVe 1'e5“m°»” Sald M°°k the Repubhcfna C am". h.nk_ The university by~laws give the faculty and the administration the authority Con Media Chairman Jeff Zeiger, p0W°1' Amen“: 3 °°hs‘?’_‘’‘}"‘'° ‘,1 “He started and shaped a lot of Re- tank, Ke_mp regularly criticizes widely publican policy influencing President held beliefs Ofihe Ugh‘ ‘"1"? , Reaganas Supp1y-S;de eeenemic Student reactionto Kemp scoming policy in the 1980-S-” ‘° °‘““l’“s “as ‘’““‘’‘l' Winter Term Grades Kemp will begin w&L’s 2131 Some students were angered at the Mock Convention wéth a speech on fee Which man)’ 90"" P‘ B t PM the Re ublican agen a. ' . e a Zeiger is excited about Kemp beg act$1(l:§IIS(£0n(:gS6d on the dynamicchar- sigma PM Epsilon cause of his national prominence an “ - , _ _ _Fratemtt women believesotherimportantspeakerswill ‘Although l _m hfoi Sthfjilty :‘;‘:i‘: gal: omega y follow Kemp’s lead and come vative,l m loolr_ifiti_g orwar 0 We 0% H W to campng _ Kemp offer a di erent h A omen “The possibilities arestaggering,” the 96 C¢§n1palgn_1SSUCS. S31 _ P °' All Fraternity Women Zeiger said. “'0” P°_l‘“°S ma-l°l Amy F°m'c°la' Kappa Kappa Gamma Senate Majority Leader Robert _ PYCVIOUS M0Cl< C03 §Pe3l‘eIl'5 llgge Lambda Chi Alpha of W are" "°“i§ ;‘:.i:"‘;::*.;:‘:.*‘.::::;: .::a..::. .2 K...» At... xix:2ilsnlli%ue‘li:alilr%n:itliai)fEl:anll)1a:l?)lilal South Dakota. JackIs(o_nkspptl.v- X OCR::/Vol_094/WLURG39_RTP_19950421/WLURG39_RTP_19950421_003.2.txt ‘t The Ring-tum Phi, April 21, 1995 CAPNIVAL GIVES ALL jcHANcE To By COURTNEY E. MILLER Phi Features Editor Free is a very good price. Especially when it 1' includes such amenities as snowcones, cotton candy, I X ¥ and soda. The Campus Carnival takes place this evening from 4 to 8 p.m. at the W&L law school field. Besides free food, there well be additional free activities for the students to participate in. “I love the free snowcones, especially grape then again with the rainbow snowcone you get a chance to taste all the flavors,” said freshman Erica Pelletier. Many students are eagerly awaiting a chance to participate in the carnival. Offering such activities as the Moonwalk, Velcro Flytrap, and Sumo Wrestling has peaked the student’s interest. Cumutte and Maher return By MICHAEL HEWLE'I'I‘ Phi Associate Editor Cumutte and Maher will play again at the Pit on Tuesday at 9:00. Their first album was Think Again. Their most recent album is Rumble of the Ages. They cite Bob Dylan, John Prine, and Paul Simon as major influ- ences on their music. The band has played Lincoln Memorial University, Andrew College, Gordon Col- lege, and other schools. Cumutte is originally from West Virginia and Maher hails from New Jersey. They met while at- tending Wake Forest University. They now reside in Nashville, Tennessee. Maher majored in English while Cumutte ma- jored in English and Philosophy. Although they have not any formal musical training, they have taken several private guitar lessons. Scott's ‘I/l/@“Li e LET LOOSE The carnival is sponsored by W&L Student Ac- tivities Department, and the proceeds will benefit the local chapter of the American Cancer Society, and the Outing Club willbesupporting efforts to preserve the rainforest. “This is the first year we are having an actual carnival. In previous years, the dining hall has had an outdoor barbecue with dunk tank. This year I helped organize it into a larger event,” said Michelle Richardson Student Activities Coordinator. Some students are more interested in the varia- tions in music that will be offered at the concert tonight. Four different student bands will be per- forming between 4 and 7 p.m.. Each is slated to play for one hour. At 8 p.m. the much acclaimed W&L natives Brian Boland, Tommy Esposito and Pat White, collectively known as The Outsiders, will be playing. The six carnival booths will be manned by W&L student organizations. The Minority Student Asso- ciation, the International Club, Dorm Counselors, Resident Advisors, Freshman Leadership Council and the Campus Ministries are all donating time to the carnival. Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity will be selling tickets for the booths. Tickets are two for one dollar, and can be used for the carnival games such as, milk can toss, star darts, basketball toss. A surprise addition to the carnival is the fortune telling booth. For most students, their only experi- ence with fortune telling has been Hunan’s ‘special’ Chinese fortune cookie. There will be an opportunity for many students to revenge their most ‘hated’ professors. Many faculty members will be participating in the Dunk Tank. For just $10 many students jumped at the chance to participate in the volleyball tournament. Pre- registration was required, but teams may still check with Richardson, or Matt O’ Brien for extra spaces in the tournament. In case of rain, the carnival will be held at the Pavilion. Due to space limitations at the rain sight, the volleyball tournament will be canceled. fivening with Madame F. I A work of By COURTNEY E. MILLER Phi Features Editor theater with music performed and written by Claudio Stevens those involved. camps. performance. Cohen. studies. The Holocaust touched many generations across the world, and numerous dramatic works have been central in raising consciouness about the plight of At 8 p.m. on Monday, April 24, 1995 at Lee Chapel, “An Evening with Madame F” will be presented. This is a work of theater-with-music exploring the life-or-death experience of music performance in Nazi concentration This performance is sponsored by the Hillel Chapter of W&L through the Weinstein Memorial Fund. Max and Silvia Weinstein established the fund to promote Judaic studies. “An Evening with Madame F” provides an emotional picture of an aspect rarely connected with Nazi concentration camps-—musical Besides writing the production, Claudia Stevens will perform in “An Evening with Madame F.” Music and electronic sound will be provided by Fred Judaic education plays a small but important part at W&L. Productions such as this hope to raise students interest in the historical relevance of Judaic autobiography ,explores life within a gang By MICHAEL HEWLE’I'I‘ Phi Associate Editor One day in my high school English class, a substitute teacher went into the politics of color in gang culture. He talked about how wearing the wrong color in the wrong place could put you in a hollow grave. A few years back I watched a documentary about L.A. gangs. I have long forgotten the details, but one image stands out in my mind: an 8-year-old girl who was shot because she waved. A gang took her wave as a marker for another gang. That image burned into my mind. Plenty of images burn into my mind as I read Monster: TheAutobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur, a.k.a. Monster Kody Scott. In the introduction, he says, “I propose to open my mind as wide as possible to allow my readers the first ever glimpse of South Central from my side of the gun, street, fence, and wall.” And open his mind he does. Scott joins the gang when he’s 11-years-old. He doesn’t have much of a choice: Either join or die. To him, the gang represents his family, the people who protect him. When he joins, the gang jumps him in. In other words, they beat the living hell out of him and then bring him into the family. Monster’s overridding ambition is to retain O.G. status (Original Gangster). There are three steps to attain this status. “1. You must build the reputation of your name, i.e., you as an individual; 2. You must build your name in association with your particular set, so that your name is spoken of in the same breath, for it is synonymous; and 3. You must establish yourself as a promoter of Crip or Blood, depending, The bottom line: Build your reputation to the point where people will think twice before they mess with you. Scott does this with much relish. He puts a hole in anyone who even looks at him funny, anyone from another gang, anyone who messes with his gang. His conscience doesn’t bother him anymore. He kills without thinking. He becomes Monster, known for committing acts of violence that even shocks his own gangmembers. Being shot himself doesn’t stop him from attaining his ambition. Going to prison only increases his reputation. Yet, when he goes to prison, he begins to transform himself. He reads, turning from a gangmember to a black nationalist. He renames himself Sanyika Shakur and commits himself to fighting the causes of gansterism. Monster writes a disturbing book. He takes the reader into a world where territories are set and being in the wrong neighborhood could get you killed. He describes a place where a wrong word or a wrong color will put a bullet to your head. A dangerous world, a world where right and wrong are not as important as simply surviviving. He details the mind-bogglin g organization of these gangs and how they have progressed to the place where it’s not Crips killing Bloods but Crips killing Crips. Reading the book will not make you necessarily love Monster. The violence he committed revolted me. But he is honest, and his honesty gives the book its credibility and its power. We complain about how boring Lexington is. We don’t know how lucky we are. Monster describes a place where violence is an everyday occurrence, a place where 5-year-olds see dead bodies, a place where teen-agers start planning their own funerals. He describes a nightmare where only survival matters. This is not a comforting book. Readers will not close this book and peacefully fall to sleep. The violence will shock you because its real. It’s graphic and presents a terrifying portrait of gang life in South Central L.A. But it provides a rare inside view of - of course, on which side of the color bar you live.” what it is like to be in a gang. HflVE SITESS? HY E kayak By RACHELLE ROWE Phi Contributing Writer Kevin Batteh first witnessed kayaking from the same place most of us probably did : from that cool guy on Sesame Street. But what he did after seeing this was probably very different from us: he made kayaking -a part of his life. Batteh first kayaked while at Boy Scout Camp at age 12. There he learned the most basic but important form of rescue for any serious kayaker, the “eskimo roll.” This is when the boater maneuvers his kayak to the upright position after it has been turned upside down and saves himself from drowning. Kayaking has played an active roll in Batteh’s life ever since then. Three years ago he became certified to teach kayaking through a class in North Carolina and teaches classes for the Outing Club every spring term. However, Batteh is a senior now so if you’ve been interested in learning to kayak, this spring term will probably be your last chance to learn from a pro. Batteh has spent his last two summers making a small profit doing what he loves most. He spent the summer of 1993 in Colorado video kayaking on the Arkansas River, or becoming what ‘many call a “vidiot.” He made and commentated videos of people white water rafting. First he would kayak ahead of the white water rafters and find a spot on the rocks that . he could sit with his camera and use his English skills commentating the adventures of the rafters. They call these people “vidiots” because if they get in trouble, they are all alone, and this of course is very dangerous. On his days off, Batteh would travel and test the rocky rivers of Colorado. His most intense kayaking experience was in Independence Pass on Lake Creek. He describes it as “hairboating” or just a “hairy” experience in that the rapids were quite intense. He remembers his time in Colorado very fondly and obviously had a really great time. “I was getting paid to do something I love and Colorado is so incred- ible!” Batteh spent last summer kayaking in West Vir- I ginia. He says his dream is to kayak the Grand Canyon. In terms of difficulty, it isn’t any more intense than anything he’s kayaked before, but it’s every serious kayakers' dream. It takes about 2-3 weeks and there’s a waiting list for the permit. Batteh manages to keep kayaking a major part of his life while staying active here at W&L. As an English major in pursuit of a law degree, he divided his spare time between his position as former IFC President, and his fraternity. He considers Goshen Pass his “home river” since he is most familiar with it from his years of school here. He admits kayaking is a good stress reliever, but concedes his love stems from its “adrenaline rush.” %_. ‘ Batteh hails Goshen Pass as his ‘ho :1 me river.’ OPAGE3 Farley, Spade compensate for Tommy Boy's nonexistent plot By KIRK SUSONG Phi Movie Reviewer _ Tommy Boy — tkfirl/2 It seems that the writers and producers of Saturday Night Live have caught some sort of terrible disease. All of their scripts and creations fall into one of two categories: they are eitherfantastically hilarious or embarrassingly desperate for laughs (remember “Tiny Elvis”?). Luckily, Tommy Boy falls mainly in the former. Brian Dennehy plays a successful car parts manufacturerwho wants to bring his fun but none-too-bright son Tommy (Chris Farley) into the company. But when his father dies unexpect- edly, it is up to young Tommy to save the company, his fortune, and the jobs of his employees. This means he has to hit the road to sell thousands of new brake pads the company has staked its future on. Going along with him is the smart-ass know- it-all no one liked in high school, Richard Hayden (David Spade). The film is most successful when those two are dominating the screen. They fonn a good duo reminiscent of the best two-somes of the past (Hope & Crosby, Martin & Lewis, Burns & Allen, etc.). The writers provide them with plenty of barbed witticisms, wise-cracks and put-downs to fling at each other. For example, when Farley asks if his jacket makes him look fat, Spade responds, “No. Your head makes you look fat.” David Spade has perfected the quick, muted, under-his-breath insult and the indignant sarcastic reply, like his “Hollywood Minute” on SNL. As funny as Spade is throughout the film, it is really Farley who comes into his own. Although the film is light in tone and subject matter, I was surprised to see what a quality actor Farley could be. During the film’s few sensitive moments, it is amazing the range and depth of emotion Farley coaxes from the limiting script. Peter Segal (Naked Gun 33 1/3) directs with only the barest effort, staying out of the way and letting the comedy do its own thing. Written by a cast of SNL regulars (Bonnie & Terry Turner and Fred Wolfe), the script is truly hit-and-miss. The good moments are easily laugh-out-loud funny, and the slow ones come so infrequently it is easy for us to wait them out. Don’t expect any exciting plotting or character developments — here every- thing serves the rapport and tension between Farley and Spade. There are also some distracting side-plots involving Bo Derek, Rob Lowe and a love interest for Farley which could have easily been left out. Nevertheless the film is, on the whole, very funny. It is the sort of humor you would expect from the SNL bunch, and hopefully we will see more films from the Farley/Spade duo in the future. I am not sure if Tommy Boy is worth going out of yourjway to see. But let me put it this way: it is not as funny as Wayne ’s World, but funnier than Wayne ’s World 2. . The Rating Scale t5t*13n’§r1’§r - Gobuy this as soon as it comes out on video. It is an instant classic. “You’ll laugh; you’ll cry; and maybe, just maybe, you’ll learn something about yourself.” rfnértir - Go see this film now, while it’s still on the big screen. It’s worth a few Oscar nominations and the seven bucks you’ll pay if you see it outside Lexington. Overall, “Better than Cats!” 1&7} - Okay, so there have been better films. Nevertheless, it is a good example of its genre, and you should probably see it on videotape. Still, probably “Better than Cats!” {fr - It happens to be on HBO, and you’re blowing off tomorrow’s reading. Although your time would probably be better served on your education, its free and you’re bored, so go ahead and watch it. Q — Even if its free and your best friend said he never laughed harder, trust me, this one sucks. Don’t waste your time, or at least don’t waste it on this. (There’s always MTV.) He currently teaches students the basics of kyaking. -at‘ OCR::/Vol_094/WLURG39_RTP_19950421/WLURG39_RTP_19950421_004.2.txt PAGE 4 SHOE by Jeff MacNeI|y “‘ll/‘tll."/ It//l,';”’l DE YOU'VE BEEN HIT BY THE THUNDERBOLT. 7/242715 2&POA’5 © I 995 TIdt1¥tr.t Immnmr: mu) A/inuily A.i.-nriutimi /Col/(yr Rzlirtnmil [iqu1'Ii}.r I"mi3. F-IEY. WHERE ARE THE BEER NUTS? V DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST «Eris '99: Tribune Media Services. lrx. in Rights Reserved /9 S. Eewalaéeé St. 463-2742 995 'l'rlIiunA Media Services. Inn. All Rights Reserved W&LIF E ; I .».-.-.. .’ I ».”~..; UNLESS YOU COUNT SHAVING IN THE MORNING. ALL I'VE EVER FELT I5 STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM THE OCCASIONAL HAIRPIECE. 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Belgian waffles and cheese fries with gravy are delicious, regardless of the hour. Visit a local court of law. Plenty of seating, unique conversation and drama thatimproves the later it gets. Be the gym night janitor. Work out at your leisure and never wait in line for lat pulldowns or the erg. Get a Citibank Classic card. For your peace of mind, operators are on call 24 hours a day, 7' days a week. WE'RE LOOKING OUT FOR YOU." y, call |—80O CITIB/\Nl(. © I995 Citibank (South DalumoN ? PAGE 5 ‘Amherstization’ threatens university A" ‘ NICHOLAS L. WADDY, ’96 Two recent events, in my perhaps not-so-humble opinion, should give all true Washington and Lee gentlemen (and ladies) genuine cause for alarm. I am thinking, first of all, about the re- cent decision to mandate that sopho- mores live in University housing. Ob- jections to this policy differ in their rationale: some say the policy is unfair to W&L women, some ‘that it is a scarcely concealed attack on the frater- nity system. In defense of its policy, the administration contends that a sophomore housing requirement will help build a sense of community Uni- versity-wide and will provide W&L with needed funds. Whoever is right, the fact remains that the policy is a direct assault on the principle of stu- dent self-govemment. And if the sopho- more housing requirement does end up developing a sense of solidarity among . the students, one suspects that that ca- maraderie will probably find its basis more in a shared resentment of Big Brother in Washington Hall than in anything else. A parallel case is the appointment of a dean of student activities to supervise what we optimistically label ‘fun’ at Washington and Lee. Again, detractors insist this move is just one more at- tempt to reduce the power of fratemi- ties at W&L. The official justification, to be sure, would be phrased quite differently- the purpose of the student activities dean, the administration might say, is to give the social scene at W&La depth it has never before had. With a ‘dean of fun’ in place, it might be claimed, students will have for the first time a truly free choice about whether or not they wish to affiliate themselves with any Greek organization. Which argu- ment one accepts,«pro or con, depends largely on how one evaluates the work our fraternities and sororities are doing in meeting the social needs of the W&L student body. In any event, what is more distress- ing about the Student Activities Coor- dinator is not her feelings toward the fraternities (whatever they maybe), but her remarkably poor judgment and highly questionable taste. The University’s new social standards, ex- emplified by the recent talk, “Hot, Sexy, and Safer,” are, in fact, an affront to any civilized concept of decency and decorum. l freely (indeed, proudly) admit that I did not attend this “memo- rable and entertaining lecture,” but ev- erything l have heard seems to indicate that, if such a thing as taste still exists, Ms. Landolphi violates it. lt is in many respects an insult to the intelligence of the student body that the University now believes we need to be goaded by a dean in order to have anappropriate level and variety of ‘fun,’ but it is even more distressing what ‘fun’ is now considered to be. Getting to the heart of the matter, I want to suggest the following: that all planning for the future at Washington and Lee is divided into two parts— two paths, if you will, and we show every sign of choosing the lesser of the two. On the one hand, there are many professors, administrators, alumni, and even students who exalt the pontifications of U.S. News & World Report as the definitive standard on which the success of our University ought to be judged. By this line of reasoning, Amherst and Williams are the nearest thing to perfection that any liberal arts college can hope to achieve, and we ought to concentrate our efforts on following their esteemed examples. It is, in the final analysis, more through policy inertia than by conspiratorial design that our University has drifted slowly but inexorably in this lamen- table direction, but, whatever the cause, it should by now be obvious that the “Amherstization” of W&L is an unde- niable fact of life. Forcing students to live on campus, restricting fraternities, and promoting a social agenda disre- spectful of traditional civilities, after all, are policies entirely consistent with the Amherst approach to Univer- sity governance. There is, however, a second ideal for W&L, one infinitely better suited to our history and character, that of Robert E. Lee. The University envisioned by Lee, a community of pious and morally un- impeachable scholars, united in a com- mitment to honesty, integrity and gentlemanly conduct, remains a laud- able, if not entirely practicable goal. Many administrators, for their part, rightly condemn the rampant abuse of alcohol at Washington and Lee. But instead of doing as Lee would have done—-instead of directly enforcing whatever new regulations seem to be required in order to purge our commu- nity of such disreputable conduct—our administrators insist on duplicitously extending their control over such mor- ally neutral questions aswhere the W&L student body chooses to live. The truth is, of course, that fraternities are offen- sive to some left-leaning bureaucrats for reasons other than simply their ten- dency to promote the irresponsible use _ of alcohol; many members of the W&L community also want to abolish frater- nities in order to help exorcise any lingering ghosts of gender distinctions frorri our society, which is, it goes with- out saying, far afield from the primary purpose of a liberal arts college. The crux of the issue is this: if our University and its unique ethos are to survive, then we, the students, must demand of our administrators that they lay bare the full implications of their vision for W&L’s future (or lack thereof). 1, for one, came here,’ and forswore more typical liberal arts col- leges, for a very good reason: W&L is unique among American universities for its high academic, cultural and ethi- cal standards. If this uniqueness is to be preserved, then now is the time to make our voices heard. @112 itiing-tum ifllii Executive Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emily Baker, Dan Odenwald Associate Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Hewlett News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Alvord, Cindy Young Editorial Page Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Christeruen Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Bookwslter Features Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Garnavish, Courtney Miller Photography Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Betsy Green Editorial Cartoonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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The Ring-tum Phi Post Office Box 899 Lexington, Virginia 24450 Telephone (703) 462-4059 Fax (703) 462-4060 Affirmative Action for ‘angry White males’ THE FAR MIDDLE Alex Christensen As a white male myself, and one who is fre- quently angered by the hypocrisy and incompe- tence, not to mention the widespread, outright venal- ity of the interests which seem to be controlling Washington these days, I hesitate to lampoon or dismiss certain views just because someone calls them the domain of “angry white males.” But, to be honest, many of the defenses of these views written by white males seem to be little more than whining about the erosion of a system that has made the government a proprietary defender of their interests alone for most of our history. Some white men in this country seem to be willing to violate the first principles of our country in order to defend a status quo that keeps them on top. Witness Proposition 187 in California, Pete Wilson's promotion of a constitutional amendment excluding the children of illegal immigrants, born on American soil, from citizenship (upon what other basis does his own claim to American citizenship, or anyone else's, rest? It's a modem Dred Scott provi- sion) and widespread discontent about alleged re- verse discrimination in the application of Affirma- tive Action programs, despite study after study docu- menting very little actual reverse discrimination taking place. Quite a bind. For instance, it would not take anyone long to find a white male on the Washington and Lee campus, probably a C-school major, who would fume about the injustice of judging people on anything other than merit, then turn around and defend the 60/40 male to female ratio this university uses to “ease the transition” to co-education, but which really has the effect of both promoting some less qualified men in the admissions process and unfairly denying opportunities to some more quali- fled women. The next time you hear this Affinnative Action-bashing from a man on campus, consider the fact that he may be here not because of his merit or ability, but simply because the admissions process at - W&L brings in less qualified students simply be- cause of their gender. The origin of Affirmative Action was never some liberal conspiracy to promote unqualified people. To make that argument is racist in itself: it assumes that every time a minority person has been promoted over a non-minority candidate, the non-minority candidate has been more qualified. It is also revealed as faulty by Justice Department surveys which have shown that this kind of so-called “reverse discrimination” has only occurred in about 1.5 percent of cases. Now let's all count on our fingers how many times real discrimination against minorities has occurred. No one likes to talk about that. It cannot even really be documented, because, unlike Affirma- tive Action programs, it is insidious and originates in hate and contempt rather than any motive of levelling the playing field in this country—so no official records can be kept. Affirmative Action was designed to open up The next time you hear this creaky and awkward, a leftover from the sixties and the Johnson and Nixon administrations. But so was the whole government, until Bill Clinton showed up. The intervening administrations did not seem to have time ‘to actually run the government. Affirmative Action has a proud history. It has accomplished what it was designed to accomplish. Stack that up against the Rural Electrification Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or the Post Office, and you'll see that for a government program, it is the equivalent of a Ferrari Testarossa transmission. President Clinton is on- the right track with Affir- mative Action, as he has been with much of the federal bureaucracy. Fewer people now work in the federal government than at any time since JFK was in the White House. Pro- cesses have been stream- lined andwaste cut. all in traditionally closed fields to minority candidates. lt has done so. It has had the ancillary effect, also emi- nently desirable, of help- ing to create a larger black middle class than has ever existed before in this na- tion. Why? Because mi- nority candidates were unqualified? On the con- Affirmative Action-bashing from a man on campus, con- sider the fact that he may be here not because of his merit or ability, but simply because the admissions process at W&L brings in less qualified students simply because of extremely effective. sen- sible ways. Now his ad- ministration is running a comprehensive reviewof all federal Affirmative Action programs, with an eye towards elimi- nating its more egre- gious misapplications. This is how government should work. trary, it is because minor- ity candidates have been able to develop their abili- ties in careers for which they would not have been considered before, and have been able to demonstrate ability and competence once that barrier was overcome. However, l do understand criticisms of specific applications that have resulted in unfair practices. Hard quotas are especially pernicious. But the angry white male does not understand that that is not what all Affirmative Action programs are about. Minority out- reach, integrating outlandishly discriminatory strong- holds through the courts, promoting fair employment practices and non-discrimination policies are also the fruits of Affirmative Action, and they protect the interests of every American. It is true that old-style Affirmative Action is a hit their gender.” As for the 60/40 ratio, if you are for it, you should certainly be for Affirmative Action. Both have promoted noble ends by encouraging real results over individual "equality," as if such a thing has ever or could ever really exist. I believe the ratio, while it may exclude some qualified candidates, actually has had very beneficial effects: preserving the gender balance in our little Shenandoah Valley college belt, moving slowly to promote an orderly progression from all-male to co-ed, and producing truly outstand- ing female alumnae who have been a credit to the reputation and legacy of Washington and Lee. But, like Affirmative Action, the gender ratio, 1 ' believe, has become creaky and outdated. It is prob- ably due for a Clinton-style bureaucracy-busting, mindset-challenging overhaul. - OCR::/Vol_094/WLURG39_RTP_19950421/WLURG39_RTP_19950421_006.2.txt OPINION The Ring-tum Phi, April 21, 1995 Y Spring room-cleaning year in making D REAM LAND Richard Weaver l’ve been meaning all year to clean my room, and I figured that spring term, with only two classes, was a really good time to start. It’s not as if my room started off messy at the beginning of the year; in fact, I’ve been very organized. I put everything in separate piles based ei- ther on subject matter, date, or if it’s the same color as other things in the pile. The problem arises when the piles over- flow or when you run out of floor space and start having to store things in the bathroom (or in the Phi office). I decided it was time to go through the piles and make more compact piles out of them. As I was sorting, I found some interesting things, like several boxes of World’s Skin Critters Tattoo and Candy, which I bought at a dollar store in Florida. Each box contains about 20 pieces of gum shaped like cigarettes, as well as several dragon tattoos. As a college student in per- petual search for food and entertain- ment, this was a two—fer. No more empty Friday nights. I also came across something I bought in an extreme fit of boredom: Totally Uninhibited: TheLife and Wild Times of Cher by Lawrence J. Quirk, the shallowest book I have ever read. You may also recall that Quirk wrote Fasten Your Seat Belts: The Passion- ate Life ofBette Davis. The Cher book cost me $2; my standards for reading museum curator gazing approvingly at the wax postman. The wax postman gazed back. Just like in the real post office. I also found a great picture from the News Gazette called “beaming How do lower with to Milk A price. Who can Cow.” It fea- beat passages tured four like, “After ?‘“—“‘— “'*:“—" kinderganeners awhile, you get _ attempting to tltile fieling that if Each box contains milk a W0t(1)den s es owed some - cow, w ose expression, she’d about 20,plec_eS Ofgum painted facial wrinkle or Shaped like cigarettes, expression crack...Sheisn’t as well _aS Several seemed to in- the undead — dicatehedidn’t she’s the unold.” dragon tattoos‘ AS a appreciate the That’smy):