OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_001.2.txt Arch <9-375.155 I‘/\o,lS R 553.. v. we c»7.-I 1 -‘l Students, faculty disappointed with GMA’s image of W&L BY KATIE JENKINS ST.\l"l" WRITER Approximately 400 Washington and Lee University students turned out for the Nov. 11, 2002 broadcast of ‘Good Morning America’—live from Lexington. The show began at 7:00 a.m. on the VMI campus, despite what officials said was inadequate lighting. Seven W&L students joined Lynchburg affiliate employees as well as the 100 member traveling staff to set up and prepare for the production. The show was appreciative of W&L students for their help; “I was generally disappointed with the type of coverage that W&L received ment about where they live and where they are . . . what that be- speaks is neat. It really is an ex- traordinary pride,” commented GMA anchor Charlie Gibson after the show. While this was Good Morning America’s first trip to Lexington, Charlie Gibson is familiar with the area. Working with ABC’s affiliate in Lynchburg, he covered W&L’s Mock Convention in 1968. “Nixon won,” he said. “I love being back on the two campuses.” When asked whether he preferred Wash- ington andLee or VMI, Gibson said, “Were I to “W636 really on GMA.\We hadplied themwith apply to 0116 Or grateful for their lid rth id b t the other, I think help because we many Very 50 HGWSWO y eas u I’d be one of the cou1dn’t pull it tl1€yWCt?€ justlooking for Generals.” off without ' ' >2 Unfortu- them,” said Lisa ememlmnem’ Pure and Simple. nately, W&L was Finkel, media re- TOM WHITE not the primary lations represen— _ reason GMA de- tative with the DIRECTOR OF (’OMMUNICATl0NS cided to broad- i‘ Good Morning castfromLexing- 4! America show. Students began appearing on the front lawn as early as 6:00 a.m., although students were still arriv- ing after 8:00. Many students brought signs or banners, hoping for the chance to show their love for W&L, Greek organizations, ath- letic teams, relatives or significant others back home. The women’s Cross Country team showed up in their uniforms; the tennis team waved tennis rackets with balloons attached. A poster proclaiming, “Canada=Axis of Evil” was particu- larly noticeable. “People’s excite- ton on Veteran’s day. The real appeal, they admitted, was VMI. This was evi- dent in the lopsided coverage of the two schools—an hour and a half at VMI, with the final half hour from W&L’s Front Lawn. Many students also complained because they did not feel that the show accurately represented Wash- ington and Lee. The mountain boarding exhibition, in particular, angered students. “That wasn’t W&L. Nobody here mountainboards,” commented Christi Palazzolo, ’O6. Others students were shocked BY KYLE WASS srirr RRITER Students will have a chance to bowl frozen turkeys, have their palms read and go to pseudo casinos on Washington and Lee’s campus next spring as they compete for a trip to St. Thomas. ‘A Night to Remember’ re Most of the current undergraduate student body at Washington and Lee are not old enough to remember the last time organizations came to- gether for the event called “A Night to Remem- ber” (N2R). The last time LIFE and other organi- zations arranged the carnpus—wide event was in the winter term of 1999. It is unclear why the WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY NG-TUM ON AIR. Allison Gruenwald, Martha Frankfort and Delia Boone respond excitedly to ABC cameramen on the Front Lawn last Monday moring during the ‘Good that the University allowed the broad- cast to abuse the Front Lawn for. the mountain boarding scene. Grounds Supervisor at W&L John Wise is not worried about the grass. “Mountain boarding normally leaves ruts, but there were not lots on the Front Lawn,” Wise said. “The grass will come back on its own. Pres- sure on real wet soil packs the soil, so when its dry we’ll get some irrigation CVCIH. _lEE BR()Ol{S / T/JP Ringtiim P/Ii VILLIAGE PEOPLE. Other carnpus-supported alcohol-free events included A Night Abroad in the GHQ. board soon.” Physical Plant plans ‘final solution’ for bugs ‘ BY MEGAN MORGAN .\SSlST.\\’l‘ \’F.\‘("S IZDITOR As residents of Davis Donn prepare to head home for Thanksgiving, many are aware that upon retuming to Wash- ington and Lee they may be met with an unexpected surprise: an end to their cock- roach problem. While all of the college dorms have their share of bugs, residents said the problem has become increas- ingly acute in the Davis Domis. Raid has become as common as hairspray as more and more cockroaches are spotted, and many residents, such as freshman Chris- tina Snowden, have had up—close en- counters with these pests. About a month ago, “something fell behind the head of my bed and I reached down to pick it up. When I reached for the object, I almost picked up a 2 1/2 inch roach,” Snowden said. Since then she has covered her room in mach traps and sleeps with the lights in the hope of keeping these bugs away. Stories like this have become in- creasingly common within the build- ing, and freshman Jacob Spencer swears that this is because “The cock- roaches are getting bolder. At first, they would just laugh from a distance, but the other night I was talking on the phone and I looked down and there was a cockroach on my knee. If I dis- appear, you all know why.” The breaking point was when Dorm Counselor Ann Bailey Lynn found a bug floating in her closed bottle of Vanilla Coke. With no end in sight to this infes- tation, residents such as George Awk- ward IH began calling the Building and Grounds Department to complain. “Cockroaches in your soda, cock- roaches in your bed, cockroaches in your bowls or even cockroach nest in your dresser. These are the scary tales of most freshmen dorms. We kill one here or there, but there are millions left. We need action to get rid of these pest,” he said, echoing the sentiment of many in the building. When Building and Grounds be- came ‘aware of the problems in Davis Dorm, they immediately called Tenninex, whom they contract out for all bug-re- lated problems. Terminex already sprays several of the freshmen buildings on a regular basis, but this is the first time that Davis has had problems severe enough to warrant their being called. The procedure they perform is not an actual fumigation, which would re- quire all of the occupants of Davis to be relocated, and it is not harmful to resi- dents of the building. The process en- tails a poison being sprayed along key spots in the building where the bugs tend to reside, such as along the pipelines and baseboards. Davis has already been sprayed once since the complaints be- ‘ gan to come in, but the procedure does not kill all of the bugs in the building and so it must be repeated on a regular basis in order to be effective. tums to W&L event has not taken place annually since then. However, it has come back into effect this year, since the members of LIFE decided to bring it back “because of its unique approach to alcohol use on campus,” said Kathleen Gibson, a member of LIFE who has been helping to organize the upcoming With what seem to be so few chances to en- gage in many alcohol—free social activities, this event provides an opportunity to do just that. The event is unique because it does not punish students for misusing alcohol; it also does not exclude fraterr1i— ties and sororities by offering alternative activities only outside the Greek system. Rather, it seeks to include members of all organizations throughout campus, including all Greek organizations — fratemi- ties and sororities alike — who would like to partici- pate. Gibson said N2R is unique in that it “seeks to include the Greeks and other organizations in a sub- stance—free night of fun and prizes.” The organizations currently participating by giving money and participating include the Execu- tive Committee, the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic, Minority Student Association, the Resi- dence Life staif, and LIFE. Gibson said, “We’re hop- ing that other organizations on campus will jump on N2R is currently set to take place the night of March 215‘, and “will involve. games, contests, or and fertilize and reseed.” A Good Morning America provided national publicity for the university, but everyone does not agree that the publicity was positive. While VMI cadets were interviewed and given the chance to discuss their school’s rig- orous academics and tradition of honor, Washington and Lee was only shown superficially. Students were shown goofing off and having a good see NZR, page 2 PHI T/it student unite of Wudnngton and In Uniuertny one 7897 (D On/int ut: pntuu/u.edu MI, not dra boadcast . . - VOLllllE_C.V, N0.XV MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18,2002 _]l:B BRO()l{.< / T/IFR/V/lg-//I/lip/J1’ Morning America’ broadcast. For more information and pictures about the Lexington event, please see page 5. time, with the focus primarily on moun- tain boarding and making apple but- ter. The overall impression was that Washington and Lee is nothing more than a Southern, mountain university. “I was generally disappointed w/ the type of coverage that W&L received on GMA. We had plied them with many very solid, newsworthy ideas but they were just looking for enter- tainment, pure and simple. But the Searches for BY CALEY ANDERSON .\S.\'l.\"l'.iNT .\'F.\\'.\' EI)lT()R As another year goes by, Wash- ington and Lee will soon find itself searching for new leaders. Three ad- ministrative positions, the offices of the Dean of Students, Dean of the Col- lege, and the new office of University Commons Director, will soon be open- ing up. As these new leaders are sought, the W&L Women’s Forum will be pushing for women to be hired. Dr. H. Thomas Williams, Acting Dean of the College, and Dr. David Howison, Dean of Students, both noted figures on campus, will both be stepping down from their posts by the end of the year. These leadership po- sitions, which are critical and impor- tant in both the day-to-day operation of the university as well as in the ef- fort to create long—range direction and planning, will thus soon be empty. The W&L Women’s Forum, led by sophomore and Chair Becky Skaggs and advised by University Counse- lor Anne-Schroer-Lamont and En- glish Professor Lesley Wheeler, would GMA was not without its positives. Our web traffic seems to be up five- fold, said Tom White, Director of Com- munications and External Relations. He believes that “[Viewers will] see Washington and Lee as a school in a beautiful setting serving as the host for a television program that was re- sorting to entertainment for its audi- ence . . . I was very pleased with the overall increased interest in W&L that he GMA progrBgeneratei .” . eans egln like to see women placed into these positions. “Research shows that ev- eryone benefits when women and Ini- norities are in a position of leader- ship,” said sophomore Susan Sqmers, KEWL secretary. The effort to hire the new Deans is being handled through the office of Laurent Boetsch, the University Pro- vost, though President Thomas Burish has the final say in who is hired. The final decision will likely be made before the end of the year, and not over the summer, so that the new Deans can prepare for their duties. Additionally, the Dean of Students traditionally lives in the Lee—Jackson house, located next to the co-op. The new Dean of Students will likely re- quire time to move in. W&L is an equal opportunity em- ployer, so there is a distinct possibility that one or more of the new admir1istra— tors will be female. Currently, of the eight deanships and associate deanships at the Uni- versity, four are occupied by women: Dean of Freshmen Dawn see DEANS, page 2 Diversity event gains mixed reviews ‘ll/lix don’t match’ vanes D-ha/I seats BY MATTHEW MCDERMOTI‘ EDITOR lN CHIEF Contrasting clothes and random seating would pro- mote greater student interaction, PRIDE hoped as it kicked off its ‘Mix don’t match’ night in the Dining Hall last week. “Students were encouraged to dress up funky or in something different,” said sophomore Tran Kim, who wore a Vietnamese outfit. Additionally, upon swiping their cards, students picked up one of six colored cards and sat at the tables marked in a similar hue. More than one dozen professors, previous ap- proached by PRIDE officers, guided discussions. “It was a pleasure meeting some new students,” said Religion Professor Harlan Beckley. “It was good for students who hadn’t met each other to talk.” Though he did not wear contrasting colors, Beckley said, “a number of students thought I did.” “A component of PRIDE is to promote discussion of how people interact,” explained senior Patrice Wedderburn, past PRIDE president. school.” #5 jE.B Bkoolgs / T/Jt’ Ring-I/rm MELANGE. Avery Gholston, another PRIDE member and Kyle Meehan initiated the diversity program in D—Hall. To further festivities, the D—Hall simultaneously held its annual Wok Night. “Everyone (in PRIDE) thought the event was a success,” Kim said. “Next time we’d like to move the event earlier in the year, to maybe the second week of OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_002.2.txt ""’ "’~ V6 F. G Mr“ PAGE 3? 3%? I E.-mall news briefs to Noted work/fami/y author to speak in Leyburn Auditorium Dr. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a nationally known author on jug- gling work and family, will discuss professional and personal life issues on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Leyburn Lib1ary’s Nortlien Auditorium at Washington and Lee University. Hewlett’s talk, “Making Smart Choices in Work and Life,” is sponsored by the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics and W&L’s William Lyne Wilson Lecture Fund. Her talk is open to the public without charge. Hewlett is the author of Creating a Life: Pmfessional Women and the Quest for Children, a book that inspired the controver- sial Time magazine cover article last spring, “Babies vs. Hewlett’s book was based on a survey of men and women in high—powered careers, including investment banking, law , and academia. Among her other books is The War Against Parents, which was co—authored with acadernician Cornell West. Hewlett, an economist by training, is the founder of the National Parenting Association, a non—profit group dedi- cated to developing farriily—friendly policies in the work- place. She has taught economics at Barnard College in New York and was a 1999 fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Study of Values in Public Life. Fechnay Leadership Development Program and Ftopes Course available Washington and Lee University’s new ropes chal- lenge course is now available to W&L groups and organi- zations seeking to advance teamwork and trust through adventure learning. The course, part of a gift from Scott Fechnay ’69, is the centerpiece of W&L’s Fechnay Leadership Develop- ment Program, which provides classroom and experiential opportunities for athletic team captains. Fechnay was a soccer team participant in his four years at W&L, serving as captain of the team his senior year. The course was built by Karl Rohnke, a 1960 W&L graduate, author, and a founder of High 5 Adventure Learn- ing. Rohrike received a dozen varsity letters as a W&L student (four each in soccer, swimming and track and field) and was in the first class of the 1988 inductees in W&L’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Wendy Orrison, W&L‘s field hockey coach, James Dick, director of the Outing Club, and W.C. “Burr” Datz, director of Leadership Development, are trained course facilitators. They will provide workshops filled with ad- venture, fun and learning opportunities for campus groups and organizations seeking to increase personal self-confi- dence, trust and mutual support within their membership. Information on the ropes course is available at http:/ /athletics.wlu.edu/leadership/. The Web site includes dates available for use of the course, a registration form and risk waivers. The documents, which must be completed a week in advance of an event, also may be obtained at the Uni- versity Center, room 207. News courtesy Wllt.€dLt Date Temperatures fl-3318 Mostly Sunny 51°/35° % 19 Partly Cloudy 56°/30° ‘%\f‘20 Partly Cloudy 52°/35° % 21 Partly Cloudy 54°/36° '';—’(‘W 22 i 9' Partly Cloudy 54°/31° 3%: 23 Partly Cloudy 55°/35° fifi-E 24 Partly cloudy 52°/36° WEATHER COURTESY OF WE.\THER.COr\l Lexington Weekly Forecast Chance of Precip. 0 °!o U °.-"o 2U °/o 20 °/o 20 °/o 20 °.-to 20 °/o DEANS, from page 1 Watkins; Associate Dean of Stu- dents Anne Schroer—Lamont; Asso- ciate Dean of the College Jeanine Stewart; and Associate Dean of the Williams School Elizabeth Oliver. Womens groups would like to see more women fill full dean positions, instead of just being associate deans. “We are trying to promote women candidates in the search for open positions,” said sophomore Becky Skaggs, Women’s Forum president. After Christmas, Women’s Fo- rum will run a letter from KEWL in the first issue of ‘She Says,’ their annual or biannual publication. “We’re facilitating (KEWL’s) work,” Skaggs said Women’s Forum is considering dedicating a January discussion to the advantages of a female dean. Groups plan for NZR NZR, from page 1 other parties at whichever organiza- tions choose to have them,” Gibson said. There were many popular activi- ties from the event in 1999 that will probably be carried over into 2003, including Frozen Turkey Bowling, a Palm Reader, Casino Night held at various fraternities, and Mocktails — non-alcoholic cocktails — sponsored by the members of LIFE. In addition, Gibson said that “people (who) go to each event will win tickets that they can use at an auction that will be held at the end of the night.” The smaller items lined up for auction have yet to be announced, but the grand prize this year in the auction is an al1—expenses paid trip to St. Thomas. All in all, Gibson said, “I think it’s really going to be a blast.” evetop ski,l~lSl,:yo.§i.i,canLisle’ your caree ‘harge to epre nra * “We are also going to have a poster campaign in the next week or so,” added Somers. “We’re consid- ering a petition, but that’s not yet decided.” W o m e n s groups believe such work is necessary, as even since the University be- gan hiring women to fill ad- ministrative po- sitions, most hirees to those positions have H0wIs()N been men. Additionally, the new Univer- sity Commons will likely be open- ing next year. A new administrative position will be created to oversee the day to day operation and man- agement of the building, which will I MONDAY. NOVEMBER 18, 2(lL2 Administrative replacements sought include, among other things, a small theatre, the new Dining Hall and Co- op, and various other facilities for student use. In charge of this hiring project is none other than the office of the Dean of Students, Howison, who will also likely come to a decision be- fore the close of the year. Construc- tion on the Commons, which was originally slated to be ready by Spring of 2003 Fall of 2004, has pro- ceeded much faster than antici- pated, and the new director of the Commons will need to be hired far earlier than was forseen. Overall, of the 18 appointed administrative positions in the Uni- versity, 10 are women, but most are in associate or assistant positions. If a woman is appointed to the Deanship of Students or the Col- lege, it would set a remarkable pre- cedent in W&L history. THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, GIVE THEM JUST COFFEE I7 LEXINGTON COFFEE .‘/a’nu-.sIi1_Ig (w’un¢uq9v EXCEPTIONAL COFFEES GROWN & PROCESSED IN A SOCIALLY & ENVIRONMENTALLY JUST WAY 9 WEST WASHINGTON STREET ‘ LEXINGTON 0 464-6586 OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_003.2.txt THE; RING-TUM PEI OPINIONSEDHOR PINIONS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2002 . PAGE 3 ’I’r%ERiNO-'II,I.;i’I-II STARE EDITORIAL Let’s AstroTurf the Front Lawn Besides branding W&L coast-to-coast as apple-butter-loving bumpkins, ‘Good Morning America’ did W&L the disservice of tearing up our historic Front Lawn. This was a bless- replace two acres of Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Rye. It is also no small task, how- ever, to water, mow and reseed said lawn ev- ery eight hours. During the recent ‘drought, for example, who knows how many scholarship funds were slashed and how many assistant Visiting pro- fessors fired because of the high costs of sur- reptitious night-time watering. When you stroll across the Front Lawn, be aware that you tread on the buried dreams of dozens. AstroTurf, in contrast, is not watered with the school’s life blood. ’ The Phi particularly recommends AstroTurf Series 12, “a finely tuned, highly engineered sur- facing system which incorporates the Very best of current sports turf technology,” according to the AstroTurf homepage. Without a doubt, AstroTurf’s unique diamond extruded nylon 6.6 fiber will offer a better shock absorbency, wet/ dry traction and naturally porous material than grass does. After all, if grass (a plant) were so great, not just anyone could have it on their front lawn. No, only a premier liberal arts college, helmed by a young and charismatic new president, could have the foresight to spend money to save money. There are reasons outside the fiduciary. Take Freshman Dean Dawn Watkins, who lives in the Hollow, the row of houses on the Front Lawn’s far side. “Lawnmowers make a lot of noise,” Watkins sagely observed. No doubt both her office and her home routinely fall prey to the sonic bombardment emitted during these machines’ destructive circuits. Danger does not stop at the eardrums, how- ever. Readers who have had the misfortune of catching a hand inside‘ a Sears Model 917 26- ‘' horse power garden-tractor know what we mean. Yes, the moment your hand enters the path of the twelve stamped-steel cutting scythes, driven by a hydrostatic drive and 725cc Kohler V-T‘win engine, it’s “goodbye, arm.” The Model 917 will spit out something the color and consistency of tapioca, while you fervently wish l\rRANNAEEviDiLAE Democrats not devastate On November 5, millions of voters went out in droves to pro- fess their desire of leadership — whether or not the Democratic Party was the party of vision or obstructionists that stand in the way of the Bush Agenda. Demo- nesota, Missouri, New Hamp- shire, North Carolina and South Dakota. The voters clearly wanted change in Washington as many saw the GOP gain seats in the House of Representatives and regain control in the United States Senate. Many Republi- cans saw this midterm election as a “mandate” from the Ameri- can people that Washington “needs new leadership and to stop the partisan wrangling.” I agree with the assertion that we need to see bipartisan- ship on many issues but the Democratic Party is by no means in a “state of shock.” First, Democrats pulled even with the GOP in the governors’ races with each party holding twenty-five seats. One of the most surprising races came out of the state of Geor- gia, where Republican Sonny Perdue won the governor’s race against popular incum- bent Governor Roy Barnes which most viewed as Gover- nor Barnes’ race to lose. How- ever, the Democrats gained seats in more conservative states such as Tennessee, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyo- ming while losing in traditional Democratic states such as Mary- land and Massachusetts. We should keep this in mind as the 2004 Presidential race is concerned; the party that is in the Governor’s Mansion during a presidential year usually gets the edge in very close elections. Second, the field for pro- PHOIO (DURIESYOF Ll'Ii"W’L.ilIT.E[)l 7 THEIR SAVIOR. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is one of the Democrats’ few hopes of regaining the presidency in 2004, as well as stirnulatin party morale and fundraising. spective presidential candidates has gained some momentum. The lash of criticisms against Bush Administration’s policies while pointing out that the economy has flagged for almost two years as well as warning Americans that the ideological balance in the judiciary may move to a conservative bend from the district court level on up to the United States Supreme Court . Other prospectivecandidates in- clude Senator John Edwards (NC), Senator John Kerry (MA), Rep. Ri- CENIER-LEEI ANDRAE ANDERSON The voters clearly wanted change in Washington as many saw the GOP gain seats in the House of Representatives and regaining control in the United States Senate. Many Republicans saw this midterm election as a “mandate” from the American people that Washington “needs new leadership and to stop the partisan wrangling.” <06 Al Gore. chard ephardt (MO), and Sena- tor Tom Daschle (SD). Should President Bush’s approval rat- ings go downward, these people may have to make their claim to the Democratic establishment as to why they should represent the Party. Third, the Democrats scored some major upsets in races across the country. One surprise was in the Arkansas Senate race where Attorney General Mark Pryor won against incumbent Senator Tim Hutchinson by a margin of 54% to 46%. Pryor is the son of former U.S. Senator David Pryor who served Arkan- sas from 1979-1997. Another shocker came from Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District, where State Senator Chris Van Hollen defeated incumbent Rep. Constance Morella by a margin of 52% to 48%. The two challengers both went to the cen- ter to define themselves with the voters. Both parties targeted both races as critical in their quest to capture control in either house. Get ready everyone, the Democrats may pull out the stops come 2004. leader of the pack is former Vice-President Gore has maintained a BSA discriminate against atheists 19-year old DarreH Lambert is amember of a minority member of the organization, but the stubborn refusal to W&L as good or better than Harvard, er al. Asoiirmuch-anticipatedThanksgivingBreakiollsaroi1rid the corner, my mind is filled with visions of Starbucks, home cooked food, and the prospect of being able to go into a decent mall without having to make a 2-hour pilgrimage. . . . . _ . highly Optimistic» Thanksgiving ing in disguise. we must carpet the newly-bare “am We’? . _ . . . 1aWninAStmTuI_f about their chances in many bnngsfam1ly,firends MYNORTHFACE . .' battleground states such as Ar— and the potenilalto , Admittedly, it would be no small task to kansas’ Colorado’ Georgia, Min_ run into those KAM COEN ()4 people in high school you thought you’d never see again. For rrie, Thariks— giving also entails a New-Eiigland- style high school football game, on the morning of such a great holiday. Every year, my town plays its big rival and people fiom both towns flock to this fieezing social event. Where I live, people don’t know too much about Wash- ington andI.ee. Idon’tblarne themfortheirigrioiancelarnthe only person from my high school ever to attend W&L. In fact, I’m sure many students outside the realm of Texas, Georgia, MarylandandVirginiahavetodealwiththisa1lthetime.Ionce was asked why I chose to attend a community college. Dining my senior year of high school, I often followed up where I was attending college with the defensive sound bite, ‘It’s a good school, really!’ Then you have the confused iriquirers, who just simply confuse the school you go to with about five other colleges with similar names. ‘You go to William and Mary? Washington University? The University of Washington? Washington and Jefferson?’ It’s hard for rrre not get somewhat annoyed when people assume that since I don’t go to a school with an Ivy League brand name or attend a well—kriown New England liberal arts school, that I’m not getting as good of an education. My smug classmates who attend Harvard, Princeton and the like have made cracks about how easy I have it I disagree. I once read in a college guidebook that at W&L the woridoad is like the conflict with Iraq: never ending. That quote has stuck with me throughout my three years at W&L, because the amount of work that has been assigned to me embodies that statement. Students at Washington and Leeworkjustashard,ifnotharder,thanstudentsatmore prestigious universities. The small classes we go to make it exceptionally hard to skip class without a solid reason behind it. I’ve never worked harder to get an A then I have at W&L, since we boast some of the most demanding and intelligent faculty members around There aren’t any gut courses at this school where you can just sit there and expect the As to roll in. Unlike other schools of ‘higher caliber,’ the phrase ‘grade inflation’ is a foreign concept here, since last year’s Honor Roll had about as many students as there were people who actually had dates to Chiistrnas Weekend We may spend a good deal of our time mountain-board- ing on the Colonnade and consuming vast amounts of apple butter in the Co—op, but W&L students also stay up late in the T C-SchoolperfectingtheirPowerPointpiesentations,whiletheir friends sleep in the Science Center struggling to break the average on their impossible Organic exam while their roorn— mate watches the sun rise overI_ee Chapel memorizing histori- cal dates of the Fianco—Piussian War. Wehavetoworktwiceashardasthosewhoattendlvy group of Americans that is regularly scorned, dismissed as a fringe section of society, and generally not accepted. As a result of his belonging to this group, the Boy Scouts are about to expel him from their ranks. You might think that he’s gay, but he’s not. Nor is he an ethnic minority. Darrell Lambert is an atheist. He has been a scout since his earliest childhood, work- ing his way from Tiger Cub to Cub Scout to Boy Scout, abandon dogmas of the past is leaving the Scouts in a sticky mess. Leigueschoolstosliowfiitureernployersaridgiadschoolad-. missioriscommitteeshowsrnartwearewithouttheaddedbenefit‘ ofanarnebrandonourdiplomaW&Lmaynotbeninnberorieor1 . anybody’s ridiculous lists of the best colleges, but I wouldn’t waritto experience my undergraduate education anywhere else. . So this Thanksgiving, when you go home to see your family, friends, and anyone else who wants to know how you 3 are enjoying school, be sure to let them know just how thank- ful you are for the education you are receiving at W&L. that you had agreed on AstroTurf (which doesn’t, we might point out, need cutting). )1 To be sure, AstroTurf could cause abra- sions on those who slipped on it, or tried to sun- bathe on it, or fell on it during an Ultimate Frisbee match. Athletics Director Mike Walsh, how- ever, told the Phi that no one could be injured merely by walking across it. , gm} Although the Boy Scouts do have some- MODERATE S MUSINGS _ thing of a history for intolerance, as they also _._h.gCALEYANDEP~%0N ‘06 1§.kp.hZTs°§°;‘i’§i.SI§” 21.3??? Eamlifiiilifii‘ TE flagrant disregard of the first amendment. While it is within the Boy Scouts’ rights to exclude whomever it wishes, it is showing more and more that it is neither a tolerant nor a well—managed If for no other reason, do it for the chil- dren. Editors in chief Katie J. Howell Matthew B. McDermott Imran Naeemullah Catherine Guy Jeremy Franklin Jeb Brooks Caley Anderson Megan Morgan McQueen Calvert Sharyn Regan Dave Crowell Erin Julius Barrett Daws Cody Gabbard Tallie Jamison Donny Banks Jit Shrestha Kyle Wass Paul Seifert Thomas Worthy Opinions Editor Arts & Life Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Asst. News Editors Asst. Arts & Life Editors Asst. Sports Editors Photographers Copy Editor Production Assistants Business Manager Asst. Business Manager Circulation Director Henry Grimball Advertising Assistant McQueen CalVel't The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the I lieve in God, they gave him an and recently received his certi- fication as an Eagle Scout, the elite of the Boy Scouts of America. Yet when it came to the attention of high ranking BSA officials that Lambert did not be- ultimatum— profess belief in God or leave the Boy Scouts. The absolute ridiculous- ness of this ruling is astound- ing. Is Darrell, who has worked hard his entire life to attain the prestigious title of Eagle Scout, inferior to a Boy Scout who joins for two weeks and then quits merely because he does not be- lieve in a higher power? Is there anyone who can sanely think that any atheist is inferior to any theist simply by their unbelief? The Boy Scouts think so. In fact, they’ve stated that they will wel- come Lambert back into the Scouts if he merely “professes a belief in God.” Lambert, who PHUIOCDL RELIGIOUSLY INTOLERANT. The Boy Scouts, their outdated requirement of faith, are in danger of becoming outdated and irrelevant in this new era. could have easily professed his way back into the Scouts organization. Membership in the Boy Scouts is rapidly declining, and the organization may soon find it- selfin quite a fix if it continues hold- ingtoapolicy drawnupintlie 1800s which dictates “No man is much good if he does not believe in God.” Atlieistic, agnostic, or other sorts of unbelieving Boy Scouts cause no disruption in troops through their lack of religion Darrell was previously praised by various fellow scouts and scoutrnasters as being “a young man with tremen- dous positive energy,” a great leader always ready to help others,” and “someone I could always count on.” Yet now the Scouting website is mysteriously silent on the sub- ject, though various other news sources are abuzz with stories of this . .. . . illogical exclusion. mm’ W”L"‘”t‘{Jf§§{',‘§}‘§ The solution? The BSA must accept the fact that religious diver- sity includes the right not to prac- tice religion. It’s that simple. The Boy Scouts should try to bring themselves into the 215‘ Tradition trumps ephemeral fads This weekend, Washington and Lee students showed that despite this year’s skewed calendar, they value tradition above any sense of seasonality. Despite Thanksgiving’s be- ing two weeks away, we celebrated Christ- mas Weekend with our traditional gusto and fervor, to the de- light of nearly the entire campus. Trivial, perhaps, but I think it points to something else: we at W&L value tradition. While it would be ridiculous to suggest that this year’s calendar reflects any social engineering at work (rnoie likely, it has sorriething to do with getting us home in time for Christ- mas), this does touch upon the broader issue of how irnpor— tanttraditionistous. Forexarriple, Tailgating: farfrom eliminat- ing the presence of drunk students at football games, banning alcohol at Tailgate has merely shoved its usage underground It seems that there is a certain “Law of W&L”at work, which goes something like this: for every action taken by the administration to undemiine tradition, the student body reacts RIGHT—WlNG RESPONSE IMRAN NAEEMULIAH ‘O5 undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee Univer- sity, Lexington, Virginia. The Washington and Lee Publi- cations Board elects the Editors in chief, but The Ring- _ tum Phi is otherwise independent. 5 The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible submis- sions and letters. All submissions must be e-mailed to phi@wlu.edu or in the University Center mailbox by 5 p.m. Friday to appear in the following week’s edition. The Ring-tum Phi reserves the right to edit subrriissions for con- H tent and length. Letters and columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Ad- veitising does not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum Phi or its staff. This newspaper observes current court defini- tions of libel and obscenity. I The Ring-tum Phi I Mailing Address: University Center Washington and Lee University ( Lexington, Va. 24450 Street Address: 31 Washington Street Lexington, Va. 24450 - ~ - ‘ Telephone: (540) 462-4060 "U15 I "3 ”’ Fax: (540) 462-4059 “[Expletive deleted]” “The essence of Washington “Diane Sawyer...NAKED !” “Introduced by N orthemers to “What the hell is mountain Email". phi@WI"'edu and Lee.” make Southerners look stupid.” boarding?!” http://phi.w1u.edu AI/m.,,’,1 §l,b‘_.__,\.,.;(..iI,,_p Q?,,.,. Q35 —ROBR.lF Cl ARKF. ‘O6 . A vrv R AI".’\QT(‘\\U ‘()6 J‘ A'I‘uI:DY\l'F (‘Ann I FTT1 ‘()6 while still not actually believing, refused, saying that the honor of a scout would not “allow [him] to lie.” The indi- vidual clearly has clearly proven himself to be a worthy Century. With their exclusionary policies, they currently reside in the 19”‘, and if they continue on this road, they will soon find themselves a relic of the past. by not only upholding it, but taking it further than ever before. Love it or hate it, it certainly holds true. TN-KBACK: -MARY HOLLOWAY ‘O6 --Al17\.’.(‘A{i\Pp in-4 OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_004.2.txt MONDAY. N0VEirBERl8. 2002 - Tibet exemplifies Chinese problems RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. The Chinese have a long way to go in this departrnent. The fifties were a bad decade for Tibet. In 1951, Tibet “voluntarily” signed the Seventeen Point Agree- ment with China that forever joined the two nations. In 1955, the PLA moved in and started making the place a whole lot more Chinese than it ever was or wanted to be. By 1959, the Ti- betans had decided that making nice with an oppressive Communist regime was a raw deal, and they rebelled. The PLA, as it is wont to do, cracked down and killed 10,000 Tibetans in Lhasa alone. Across Tibet, monks and nuns were murdered and temples were de- stroyed. The Dalai Lama fled to India, never to return. At the time of the crackdown, more than 95% of Tibetans practiced Buddhism. A province with so many devout believers didn’t exactly jive with the official atheism of the gov- ernment, so the Communist govern- ment set about disrupting Tibet’s re- ligious life. The tombs of previous Dalai Lamas were desecrated and their bodies were dismembered and scattered. Monks were forced to break their holy vows or face execu- tion. Golden statues and other sa- cred objects were melted down and shipped east. Since then, the situation hasn’t im- _ proved very much. In : 1988, in a presage of the Tiananmen Massacre, there was a student uprising in Lhasa. Hun- dreds were killed in the carnage that followed. Interestingly, the man who, just this past week at the 16”‘ Party Congress, was anointed Jiang Zemin’s successor as General See- retary of the Communist Party, Hu J intao, then- governor of the Tibetan “Autonomous” Region, orches- trated this slaughter of students. Deng Xiaoping liked what he saw and called Hu to Beijing after this incident beginning China’s newest dictator’s career in the big time. In 1989, the Panchen Lama, sec- ond only to the Dalai Lama in Bud- dhist hierarchy, passed away. As is their custom, the Buddhists sought out the child in whom he had been reincarnated and, in 1995, found a six-year—old boy from eastern Tibet. As is their custom, the Communists appointed their own Panchen Lama and imprisoned the real one and his entire family, making him the young- est political prisoner in the world. At Yonghegong, a Buddhist mon- astery maintained in Beijing so the government can claim that China has freedom of religion, one can see pic- tures of the Communist Panchen Lama being installed with a smiling Jiang Zemin in the background. Somehow, I doubt Siddhartha imag- ined atheist dictators choosing the leaders of his religion. To this day, monasteries are forbidden to dis- play pictures of the real Panchen Lama, but instead, must put photos of the Communist imposter in places of honor. This is tantamount to a government mandating that its , LIVE FROM CHINA BRETT KiRwRN‘04 Christian population display all cru- cifixes upside-down. Many Tibet- ans expect a similar scandal when the current Dalai Lama passes on. So, even a brief trip to Tibet will reveal that the WTO’s newest member, the latest country to be granted permanent “Most Favored Nation” trading sta- tus by the United States, the most recent entrant into the community of responsible nations is actually no more responsible than Hannibal Lecter at a morgue armed with bar- becue sauce. The Communist Party can’t seem to satisfy its appetite for bloody butchery and abusive, op- pressive laws. Friday’s seamless appointment of the next generation of leaders was good for the Chinese Communist Party, but bad for China. Past suc- cessions had included purges and fights for power among the party’s top leaders. Now, the CCP has ma- tured enough that it can perpetuate its rule without such self-defeating, messy politics. China faces a bleak future for exactly the same reason. Without in- ternal strife, and with external com- petition outlawed and brutally dis- couraged, the CCP faces no imme- diate challenges to its supreme au- thority. Moreover, the newly-ap- pointed leadership came of age dur- ing the Cultural Revolution when the universities were closed and the nation was in the grip of a Maoist psychosis. Hu Jintao and his lieu- tenants may prove even more insu- lar and backward than Jiang Zemin’s generation. And, they have already demonstrated their willingness to use the army to crush dissent. So, while the rest of the world enters the 215‘ Century, as its record in Tibet demonstrates, the CCP is eager to keep China in the l960’s. PAGE 4 Campus funding should follow free market model Lately, there hasn’t been much dif- ference in reading the student newspa- pers at Washington and Lee and the na- tional newspapers. At W&L people are all asking for more money forsober driverprograms a n d multicultural centers; even the City of Lex- ington wants a new courthouse. This seems eerily similarto the national situation when we hear people asldng for more money for education, roads, and na- tional defense. The comrnon bond between allthesethingsisthattheywouldfulfilla needanddo somegoodforthecommunity, butwea1lmustaskourselves,“Atwhatcost?” It may be possible to have free sober rides available with minimal wait, but that might require a tripling of the current bud- get for GASD. Wouldn’t it be better to give every student the number for Franks CabCompany (464-3198) orDumis’Taxi > FREE Tnoucrns _;li_Y:IVflEFfl.‘(l3_ Servioe(463—l056)andlettheprivaIemar- ket take care of how many taxis are out there and their cost? This is certainly a better solution than the University try- ing to meet the students’ demands at a cost of zero. The City of Lexing- ton handled the court- house issue very irresponsibly. Ifthe state law saysthatthecourthouse mustbeup to a certain standard, they need keep the courthouse up to that standard. They have put their own selfish goals of being reelected above the welfare of the city by calling for a referendum They took the easywayoutratherthansteppingupto theplate andtakingcareofwhatneeded tobedone.Theircowardicewilllikelyend up costing the taxpayers (i.e., you and me) much more through frivolous law- suits and increased bureaucracy, than would have been necessary had they done the right thing in the first place. The Executive Committee’s solution to the perceived lack of funding for cam- pus organizations is to raise the Student Activity Fee to $200, an increase of fif- teen percent This certainly will make more money available to organizations, but it does nothing to change the fact that there are problems in the way they currently allocate funding. It is important that the hearings are open so that people can see why money is being spent. More importantly the University and the Executive Committee need to stop the practice of the Deans’allocating money to organizations that are perceived as being under-funded. Let the market take care of the short falls. If someone really wants to be a part of an orgar1iza— tion, they will find a way to pay the dues of that organization. Just ask the three quarters of the Washington and Lee stu- dents who are members of a Greek Orga- nizaiion. Letters to the Editor- Goshorn clarifies position on MLK petition Dear Editor, I would like the opportunity to clear up some misun- derstandings published in Tran Kim’s most recent article in the Phi. I was one of the two students mentioned who declined to sign a petition recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. However, unlike Kim’s account, my reasons for doing so are not compatible with those she assigned me in her article—in fact, she offered‘ her ear to me for all of two seconds before engaging the gentleman seated across from me in the D—Hall in a minor debate. I had been offered a chance to sign this petition two or three times before Kim approached the group I was seated with at dinner. Each time I had been solicited, I had thoroughly reviewed the entire content of the petition (something which, I rrright add, was not offered to my compliant dining partners) and took issue with the lan- guage of the petition, and thus declined to attach my signature. The language of the petition, if anyone else bothered to read it, argued that Washington and Lee’s failure to recognize Martin Luther King Day was not rep- resentative of our status as a top-flight liberal arts institu- tion, nor with our supposed commitment to diversity. There are innumerable worthy reasons to celebrate Mar- tin Luther King Day. Kim even listed some in her article. However, the petition’s argument focused on none of these, but rather on diversity initiatives and U.S. News & World Report standings. As nice as it would be for Washington and Lee to rise in college rankings, as long as recognition of holi- days is prioritized over grade inflation, what do those rankings mean anyway? Furthermore, if diversity and its merits are represented by an official ceremony sanctioned by the University, we in fact should begin celebrating the lives of important figures from any and all viewpoints present or potentially present on campus. My point is not that we should have ceremonies for all of these holidays, for anyone whose capacity doesn’t quite agree with satire, but that if we are to accept that college rankings and diversity initiatives justify the rec- ognition of holidays, then it opens up the doors for this university to be subverted into a mockery of its own some- times-noble goals. Re-write the petition, and I will gladly sign it. As it-stands, my name will remain absent, as I’d rather not advertise my views with its particular brand of persuasion. Sincerely, John Goshom ’05 KIM RESPONDS: In writing this petition, we did not deem it necessary to explicate the heroic efiorts of Dr King in a long list, believing everyone to be aware of his actions. It is understood that the holiday is to represent his life, his achievements, and his legacy. It is called MLK day for a reason. We made references to the efforts of other universities to recognize MLK day but this does not imply that we only want to celebrate MLK day to boost our rankings. To suggest this as our impetus shows some negligence in not being able to interpret our primary goals. Furthemiore there are many other celebrations that deserve recognition as well because they aflect other groups of students, but changes occur slowly, and they occur even more slowly in a conservative environment such as W&L so we must take things one at a time. But for now PRIDE is working to recognize MLK day, and it is not merely because we want to be the number one liberal arts school. Simply adding one holiday would do little to afiect our placement. McDermottbidsadieu After five terms at The Ring-tum Phi’s helm, I have been assumed into Editorial Valhalla, where, alongside Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, I gaze down with benign concern EX CATHEDRA on the frantic scrambling of my l\’LiTll{EWMCDERiVlOlT‘04 successors. As of this issue, I in full favor and confidence leave the keys to the kingdom to Katherine Janiforth Howell. The Pax McDermana began in mid-April 2001, and has ended 44 issues later. Although halcyon, those days were also hectic, in a controlled, masterful sort of way. A few of the major improvements: The Phi moved from one—and-a—quarter rooms in the University Center’s attic to a five—room off- campus complex, sextupling our working space and giving us a modest private bath. The space was further improved when I pried desks loose from The Law News, picked out the demi—tasteful art in the Reeves Center, and bought new computers with hoarded, forgotten Pub Board funds. The paper’s layout changed from Railroad Gothic to a lighter, more modern look. Our press-color front-page, the first ever, testifies to the vitality of our advertising and new subscription programs. Our photographs have never been better, and we are no longer afraid to print large pictures. Meanwhile, the ongoing Phi Digital Archive Project preserves important moments from the last 50 years. Lastly, a visit to Special Collections will convince you that the quality of news and sports writing has not been seen for decades. Without a doubt, this year completed the Phi’s reestablishment as the predominate campus publication. We have at last exorcised the specter of the early 90s, those days when our excesses and deficencies led (hard as it is now to credit) the campus’s better writers to create and to work for an alternative paper. No more. Ancient wrongs have been made right, the upstart trodden under, and the Phi reclaims its seat at the head of the Pub Board table. Our successes, however, have encouraged my resignation. I always have preferred the bad times: when the computers crashed, or a law suit threatened, or a rotten staff member quit. These times are mostly behind us. Things run as smoothly as they ever do on a paper. We have rationalized the thousands of acts that collectively create the week’s Phi. There is now less to construct and more to maintain. Because I have done what I could for the Phi, it would be churlish of me to hold on to power for another year and a half. It’s time for those waiting on the wings to make their contributions. My last week as editor in chief has seen the admission of seven talented new additions. I have no doubt that they, who will have only the most tangental knowledge of my editorship, will carry on suitably. It is impossible to sum up the many memories of crises, talented co—workers, untalented co—workers, triumph, achievement and companionship. As I sink into the comfortable obscurity of contributing editors, I have no doubt that there are still more memories to make. Plan Commons events As the John W. Elrod University Commons takes shape, many have wondered how it will influence campus life. Will there be a decreased emphasis on Greek life? Will it bring students together? There are plenty of questions to ask, but we can be assured that the Commons will be nothing more than another large, CoMMoN SENSE brick facility 0 er- looking worms ONATHAN WORTHAM ‘O4 Creek if we do not have innovative ideas for its use after opening next fall. Although a proud member of my fraternity, I do think that the University does need more carnpus—wide activi- ties. And, undoubtedly, some of these would come at the expense of Greek—system parties. Carnpus-wide activities promote campus involvement, which leads to higher re- tention rates, increased student morale, and a closer com- munity. All of these were probably reasons we chose a small campus. Sometimes our fragmented, somewhat elit- ist social scene causes us to miss some of the perceived advantages of a small campus, which carnpus—wide events would help enhance. Clearly, the Commons should be a place for everyone to enjoy, and those who plan for its use should definitely not overlook interesting university-wide programming. Programming in the Commons must also be attractive and innovative. Students should want to come to events and Greek members should want to forgo parties to come. This is often not the case with our current array of campus programming events. Some research should go into find- ing out exactly what students enjoy, and some efforts should be made to pursue programming ideas that reflect these themes. A committee should be formed (if it hasn’t already) to look at ideas for Commons activities and make recommendations to existing organizations for potential programs. Hopefully, this plan will lead to more organiza- tional collaboration and higher attendance at organiza- tional functions. Even if we don’t have more campus—wide activities, increased organizational participation will bring our campus community closer together. . . . Cur- Sometimes our fragmented, somewhat elitist remly’ S0_ social scene causes us to miss some of the cial life is perceived advantages of a small campus, which C entered . in the fra- cainpus-wide events would help enhance. t C I n i t y Clearly, the Commons should beaplace for 11011 S6 5- eve one to me and those who lan for its While I ry l _y’ . agree that use should definitely not overlook interesting the frater- uni ri -wid r arninin. “M65 are V6 8 ty ep Ogt g valuable and nec- essary institutions, I think that everyone would benefit from some Commons activities. We should plan now for the opening of this wonderful facility so that students will not simply walk through on their way to the parking ga- rage. We have an opportunity to have interesting events in a spectacular new facility. We should plan now so that we can enjoy the fruits of campus involvement later. Democrats save face I VV1th the November 5”‘ election over and done with, we Democrats, admittedly, have a bit of face to save. There are multiple reasons and excuses that can be cited for the election’s outcome (for those of you who do not pick up a paper or watch anything but E! or ESPN, the Republicans now control both the House and Senate, and still the Presidency). The biggest problem was that the Democratic Party had no real identity following the wake of the 2()00 Presidential election. \V1th the party siding with President Bush on so many issues following 9/1 1, it was difficult for the crucial swing voters in the middle to see any reason why they should not vote Republican. “What, you support the President, too? Well, then I’ll just vote for the people on his team.” Plus, Tom Daschle has done plenty since the election to leave abittertasteinthemouthsofeventhemostLeftofDemocrats. Seriously, just ask me. 4_~ _€__ H53 like ‘hat guy that LEFT OF CENTER candarnpenyournight _ ‘ ‘ atthernoviesseeingthe ; NICR Ri.\isEY 03 newest Harry Potter bycomplaining aboutwhatthemovie1eftoutfromthebookThe moviewasneadythreehours.Whatrnorecouldyoucraminthere? Thus, it was a breath of fiesh air to see the Democrats wisely name Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco as their leader in the House. The fact that Pelosi is the first woman chosen to lead either political party in either chamber of Congress is a triumph itself. But there is much more to Pelosi than the fact that her gender will be good PR for female voters. Just one trip to Pelosi’s website and one can see that issues important to her include AIDS Awareness, Women’s Issues, and Human Rights in coimtries like China. Pelosi’s record of serving as San Francisco’s Representative since 1987 also illustrate her pas- sion for issues like education, the environment, and healthcare. But this was not the only smart move by the Democrats in the wake of the election. Rep. Robert Menendez of New Jersey defeated his opponent Rep. Rosa L. Delaro of Connecticut to become the highest-ranking Hispanic in Congress. Furthermore, Rep. James Clyburn (SC) was elected his second in command, makinghimthehighest—1ankingAfrican—AmericaninCongress. These three officials are not only very different from one another in their backgrounds but also represent voters from three very distinct geographical regions of this vast country. However, this is more than just a way for Democrats to appear that the members of their party better represent a population that is becoming more diverse all the time. It is a way for the party to appoint some of their best politicians who have the overwhelming support of their constituents to prove that the Democrats are the party that better represent America’s diverse population. It is much more than a PR stunt. It is a statement of fact. Democrats have finally realized this is the time to put on their best face. A face that has many colors and represents this country as a whole. Here on the campus of W&L, it is easy to forget this point. There are even still a number of students that frown upon this campus embracing students that do not fit the “status quo.” Really, what the hell is the status quo any- more? Why would anyone choose to think with such tunnel vision? Those who do should really consider poking out their mirrd’s eye. » Teach carefully. We can .- Cali 8,77-ACT—WlSE or visit W OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_005.2.txt CATHERINE C. GLY ., Yilfifi. RljN<7;~Tl,“Ml)l- AR,,&L,.EEm R I '8 IF‘ 3 g fwgi EAIA1EGuI‘@wIr.EI)L' PAGE 6 ’ _ _J MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2002 1 V ‘. W . JEB BROOKS / T/JeRin(g—/1///1P/if FIRESIDE CHAT: Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer escape the dreary weather by talking inside of Lee Chapel. '1 W ‘W T}2eR1r1g-I1/In PM W A BIRD’s EYE VIEW: As seen from above, spectators gather around to watch the actions of the mountain boarders on the front lawn. _lEB R()()l\.\ Y 4 V 1. _lEB Bl{t)()K.\‘ / T/J? R[1/g-t///2/ [W J53 BR00 / WK/’Q€”/"”P’”' UP, UP, AND AWAY! A visiting mountain boarder takes flight in front of \X/&L’s Tucker Hall. V, SMILE FOR THE CAMERA! Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer Good Morning America introduced this new sport to countless viewers across the nation as well address the nation, while the camera crew focuses in on them. as to the Washington and Lee University community. jl~.'B Bxoos‘ / T/JeR1'21(g-ft/II1 P/ii OUT OF MANY, ONE: Tony Perkins, a member of the Good Morning America crew stands before a crowd of spectators and the colonnade. BY SAM LAGRONE \'.\[I DESK Soggy and cold — outside a bowl of day-old Lucky Charms— are not two parts of a good morning in America. Now, one would think that the stoic spirit pervasive here at VMI would frown on me for complaining about the massive invasion of ABC’s Good Morning America of our sleepy rural Virginia hamlet of Lexington. But I can safely say that a good number of the Corps were, as a grizzled mountain—man would say, “right ornery,” to be lined up for the cameras at 6:45 a.m. Cadet pupils were getting adjusted to the morning when they were violently turned into pin-pricks by lights that would have been better suited for stupefying deer. I can only assume any other student body would be ecstatic to have their campus graced by the likes of Charlie Gibson, Diane Sawyer or that weather guy that’s down with all the old people. According to the spotty polling I conducted, most of us could care less. You have to take a step back and admire the purity of the cynicism. Now if we cadets had been given a choice between sleeping an extra 15-minutes and being parading around on national television odds are that we’d pick sleep (Maybe the freshmen would pick TV, but they don’t know any better.) But what we lose in sleep we more than make up for with righteous indignation. Oh, if only the microphones were placed in the formations... All the bitterness, all the grumpy faces and oh so many swears. I personally find it rather uproariously funny that Diane and Charlie were scant feet from such cursing that would make a longshoreman wink approvingly under his eye patch. Huddling under an umbrella Charlie and Diane stood in the middle of the formation while the bagpipe band marched the corps to breakfast. I forget the song but it was close to a chorus of dying cats. Diane, bless her heart, was appeared to be blissfully unaware of where she was and what she was doing as she kept talking I (IAN ONLY ASSUME ANY OTHER STUDENT BODY WOULD BE ECSTATIC To HAVE THEIR CAMPUS GRACED BY THE LIKES OF CHARLIE GIBsoN, DIANE S.-\\x/YER OR THAT WEATHER GUY THAT’s ooxw WITH ALL THE OLD PEOPLE about some scary cave that she went to earlier that week. Charlie: These cadets are really something. Diane: Brrrr. Dark...cold...ropes...orangejumpsuit...hat with a light on it. They seemed impressed with the school, with the mettle of the cadets, but for some reason the most dazzling feature of their visit was our hats. If you haven’t seen them, cadets wear hats that look like we bought them in bulk from a bus-driver supply store, and since our figure—flattering uniforms don’t have pockets, all our stuff gets shoved in the lining. When touring the dining hall, Charlie took an interest in the hats that we all wear. This development threw a wrench into VMI’s and ABC’s well—oiled media plans. Cadets have a tendency to tape off-color pictures or subversive declarations like, “VMI SUCKS,” up there. One of the quick-thinking VMI officers, in an attempt to save face, made a mad dash to a big pile of hats that were about to be filmed and dumped out the contents to weed out all of the potentially huminliating bad apples. In the process, countless pairs of black gloves, along with pencils and pens were cast hither and yon, and tragically lost to the sticky floor. Eventually, they found some hats that had been sanitized and appropriately G—rated and showed them off for the camera. Diane informed us that if she had the opportunity to keep stuff in her hat, she’d stash some Diet Coke up there. So, as you can see, the clear moral of this story is apparently as follows: Is anyone gonna ask me to a party? Send all of your invites and questions to lagronesr@mail.vmi.edu This column is dedicated to my good friend Mr. W. Thomas “Jaunty” Johnson, without whom this week’s installment could not be possible. And also to all of those countless pairs of gloves that are now missing in action somewhere behind the juice machine. May you rest in peace. ‘ What I think: commentary from a bitter independent BY S’11»\x1 .1-‘A’ Toouc ST.\l-l~ WRl’l‘I9IlI After three and a half years as a student at this so—called fine institution of higher learning, 1 have decided that the time has come for me to share my experiences with you. I am a proud member of the Gamma Delta Iotas, or the “Gosh Darn” Indepents, for those of you not quite up to my own intellectual level. As I look back upon these wasted years, a few particular items stand out in my mind. Here are some of my musings, crafted for your reading pleasure. Campus Living: Do you have any idea what it is like to live down in the oh—so—luxurious Woods Creek Apartments for three years? I can never find anybody who actually wants to live with me, so I keep getting put in the rooms with RA’s. The apartments smell, the carpets are moldy, and they give you your years supply of toilet paper all at one time. I don’t need to consult calendars or make notches on the wall like prisoners do, through careful observation and measurement I just figured out that I go through 4.35 rolls per week. Except when D-Hall serves Mexican food—that throws my whole system off. The climate in Woods Creeek is completely different from that of the rest of campus. It is colder and damper each and every day. There are strange woodland creatures with which you have to contend whenever you want to venture to class, the library, or the Troubador. Worst of all, my neighbors are all sophomore sorority’ girls, who throw raucous parties on random week nights, and who, not surprisingly, look at me as if I were something about as appetizing as month—old pond scum. The only cool place they did have for us the independent population, the Delt House, got shut down because some of those Four- Square tournaments they had were a BRY \,\’ E.AR1,\' / Tbs Ring-////)1 P/ii Embittered W&L senior Stanley Toole bit too out-of—control. So Woods Creek it is. New Advances in Personal Hygiene: Since admissions gave me a full—scholarship to attend W&L instead of my dream institution, MIT, to raise the school’s US News Ranking and to detract from the number of potential Greek affiliates, I have plenty of money to try all the new products “guaranteed” to get the ladies. What has it ever gotten me? Nothing. In fact, now [have to shake out my night—gown every night before I go to bed because the cockroaches that inhabit my cozy Woods Creek abode are potently attracted to the scent of my new AXE body deodorant. In the commercial attractive ladies jump you in elevators, but in reality bugs just try to lay eggs the arm-pits of your clothing. Dating: The prissy girls at this school won’t talk to me and the townie girl cashiers set my change down on the counter so they won’t have to touch me. Thank God for Everquest. Right now I’m seeing this charming character that I hope is a girl. Her name, at least in the game, is SkaOrcKiller69. I first met her wl1ile I was busily attacking the dangerous and powerful level 9 wildebeests outside of the Gnome Imperial Embassy in the small, troubled nation of Qakurkistan. An evil wildebeest wizard had cast his dastardly “Rain of Cud” spell on her and she was about to die. Luckily for her (and for me, for that matter), I dashed in to rescue her like a knight atop a white steed. Her Everquest character is totally hot, too——on the binary scale,*she is most definitely a 1. Fraternities: Frat guys think that they are all so cool and tough with their loud parties, binge—drinking, unkempt hair, and bizarre accents. Yeah, well we have a name for those people back in Minnesota— Wisconsinites. I went to a few frat parties when I first matriculated here, but I kept getting ushered to the couches in the comer with the people who couldn’t speak English. Fraternity men’s GPAs are just barely scraping the bucket, but they get to live in mansions and eat special food made for them, while I have a 4.29 (damn Bibliographical Resources) and am forced to live with some guy who calls himself the “Goose—Daddy,” while getting indigestion from the D—Hall’s fiesta surprise casserole! Christmas Weekend: Only at a place like Washington and Lee, where tradition runs so deep that there’s a two—inch tread dip through the side columns in front of the Graham—Lees corridor, would the entire Greek system put on the charade of a Christmas-themed party weekend in the middle of . November. The only thing “white” about this Christmas here in Lexington is the powder—mustaches sported by the narco—philes and rush at a few fraternities. Disclaimer: This article does in no way represent the views of the Ring-tum Phi staff as an entirety. It is a fictional piece, created by junior Bryan Early, who is, in actuality, a resident of the previously maligned state of Wisconsin and is not an independent. OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_006.2.txt PAGE 6 M% MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVE BETA Irs CHRISTMAS TIME IN THE CITY: Beta Theta Pi shines with the Christmas spirit this week.‘ Each of W&L’s fifteen fraternities decorated their houses this weekend in celebration of the long-standing tradition of Christmas Weekend. Due to restrictions set by the calendar, there are no available weekends after break, thus pushing the holiday festivities up to the weekend of November 15- 16. As in previous years, the weekend consisted of cocktail parties, band performances, and general holiday fun. Although this year’s events occurred &hm#4«w MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2002 Com‘ G.\BBARD/ The Ring!/wt P/21' significantly earlier than in the past, the inventive use of Christinas lights and decorations was as creative and eyecatching as ever. Much like years past, both Red Square and Davidson Park have been transformed into jungle of electical light and plastic Santas. Each fraternity does something a little bit different to decorate its house. Despite all chronological difficulties, Christmas Weekend is a Washington and Lee tradition that has remained strong and will continue to so for many years to come. Coal towns are wild, wonderful BY JEI3 BROOKS PHOTO EDIIOR Coal keeps the lights on. Without it we would be in the dark and very cold. The story of West Virginia and Eastern Ken- tucky is not limited to the pro- duction of coal. This area is, without a doubt, worth a visit, and you should certainly make the trek, if you have the oppor- tunity. Here in Lexington, we are only on the cusp of Appala- chian culture; it becomes much thicker and more exciting as you travel further to the west. Before a trip, it is important to have a grasp on the character of the population. They are a unique group with many inter- esting perspectives and stories to share. Before the l960’s, hundreds of thousands of men and women were living in the many towns of southern West Virginia and east- ern Kentucky. Many of these resi- dents were working in the mines, while the remainder relied upon that industry in one way or an- other. All of a sudden, because of many factors including the ad- vent of the union culture in the region, the jobs disappeared. Those who were able to left the area. But many could not go. The 1,000 residents of War, WV are still there for several rea- sons. Located in the extreme south of West Virginia, War is the state’s southern most city and is located in McDowell County. Most can simply not afford to leave. Because there are no jobs, about 40% of the population of the free state of McDowell (a holdover from the county’s neu- trality during the Civil War) do not work and receive monthly checks from the government. 80.1% of the population own their own homes; this is nearly 20% higher than the national average. The figure is high because nearly all of the houses are substandard. Once a family moves into a house, they are unable to afford its up- keep. The second reason that people stay in the area is because their families are there. Some people even come back to the area to take care of family mem- bers. It is more likely, however, that residents who remain in counties like McDowell are there because their family has existed in the re- gion for generations. This is an extremely strong reason for people to remain; they feel a strong identification with the re- gion. Many experience a strong attachment to the area. Despite the negative im- ages of the “hillbilly,” some West Virginians are proud of the uniqueness their Appalachian heritage provides. From moun- tain music to mountain board- ing and apple butter churning, the unique culture of Appala- chia is reason enough to stay. Most residents can’t leave. Many want to seek new oppor- tunities but can’t. I sincerely suggest that you visit the area and speak to resi- dents. To my West Virginia friends, I salute you. Thanks for sharing your culture with us; it is truly unique, intriguing and exciting. There is no rea- son for the rest of us to mock West Virginia; a visit to the area will prove that there is so much more to it than simply “rednecks.” The Phi wishes the W&L community a happy and safe holiday season. See y’all in January! Write for Americas #1 Student Tour Operator Information/Reservations 1-800-648-4849 or www.ststravel.com Spring Break 2003 with STS Sell Trips earn cash Travel Free the Ring- tum Phi! CDCID phi@wlu.edu Reflections Howison reflects on top athletes of recent years BY DAVID HOWISON DEAN OF 5'Il'Dl3N’IS Last week I offered my most memorable athletic moments at W&L. Here are the most memorable athletes from the past thirteen years. Josephine Schaeffer ’96 ~ Cross Country/Track. A tiny wisp of a girl with the heart of a lion. Unbeatable. Mikel Parker ’99 — Soccer. The best and classiest soccer player of them all. Ansley Miller ’00 - Basketball/Lacrosse. Although basketball was her primary sport, Ansley dominated a lacrosse game just by her presence. Christian Batcheller ’00 — Football/Baseball. The best all-around athlete. Quarterback and ODAC triple crown winner. Ashoulder injury ended his baseball dreams. Pope Hackney ’0l — Lacrosse. An exceptional talent with surpassing leadership skills. Universally respected by teammates \ .-\RlYH(E(I1\l and opponents. Jessica Mentz ’02 — Basketball. W&L’s all-time leader in points and rebounds. Tough and tenacious. A joy to watch. Jenny Thomas ’03 — Soccer. Her somersault flip-throw is unlike anything ever seen at W&L. It’s probably not a good idea for me, as Dean of Students, to pick a “favorite” athlete but, what the heck, I’m retiring this year so here goes. Chris Sullivan ’03 — Footballl Track. It’s not merely Chris’ extraordinary record—reaking career that puts him at the top of my list of achievers. lt’s the fact that he’s a “little guy,” just like me, measuring in at about 5’8”or 5’9”. OK, I’ll admit it. He has about forty extra pounds of solid muscle, can bench press 350 pounds, run the 40 in 4.3 and long jump 22 feet. Even so, when I watch him take off on one of his breakaway runs, I think, “Hey, I could do that.” Live exam week to the fullest At W&L, we work hard and we play hard. Every week, we find ourselves in a repeating cycle of five nights of work and two nights of fun. Our expectations are simple — during the week, we do all those things that our parents think we are here for, and after the week ends, we do all those things that we think we are here for. And it’s a good life. But there is one week out of every tenn that breaks this cycle. It is the one week when all W&L students close themselves in their rooms, or in their Carrels, or in a Leybum fishbowl, and try to make up for every hour they’ve spent procrastinating over the previous twelve weeks. For some students, it is pure hell. It is the last hurrah — a final academic battle before we go home and prepare for the next term of fun. Of course, I am talking about Exam Week. Tragically, most students are stuck into thinking that Exam Week exists only to bring stress, tears, and sleepless nights. These students are dumb. Surely, we all want to succeed on our finals. But Exam Week should not just be about finals. Despite the tests and the studying, Exam Week has the potential to be the greatest week of the term for every student in Lexington. Think of it — there is no other week in the term when you have so much freedom to manage your own time. There are no classes, and you can schedule your own final times. And even then, after you’ve scheduled your tests, you can punt. Certainly, the exam punt is the greatest finals week tradition. We’ve all done it once. The punt represents the highest level of academic freedom. For any reason — maybe you didn’t study enough, or your car broke down, or you drank too much at the Palms the previous night, or you wanted to throw Frisbee in the Quad — you can simply skip your test and take it some other time. During Exam Week, there are simply no commitments. When you are not actually taking a test, you can do whatever you want. So why would anyone want to _ waste this freedom by studying all the . ABSOLUTE FEIILORO TIM SMITH ‘04 time? Do something fun! Try studying during the day and partying at night — then you can wake up with plenty of time left to take an afternoon test. Maybe you could go on a road trip for two days, and then return to take your tests in the second half of the week. Or perhaps, with all your freedom from daily commitments, you can become a night- person. . .this is the joy that I discovered during one Exam Week last year. For no reason, one night I decided to not go to sleep until 6AM. Then for the rest of the week, I started every day at 3PM and ended every day at 5AM. Every student should try this — you can work alone in the computer labs, you can watch late night TV, and you can meet the wonderful W&L Buildings and Grounds staffers that you never see during the day. Exam Week allows us to see aspects of W&L life that most students never experience. The possibilities are endless. Then, of course, you always find those students who ‘shotgun’ their finals and hurry out of town as soon as they can. What’s the point behind this? What does home have that Lexington can’t offer? A much better plan for these students is to finish their finals and to let the parties begin. In this way, Exam Week once again allows an opportunity for unequaled fun — there is no better feeling than having a night of fun and debauchery after finals are done. Before rushing home, why not celebrate the end of the term with your friends? I am not downplaying academics at all. Obviously, we are all here to succeed as students. But in a school known for its amazing parties and fabled Greek system, I find it disturbing that we let the fun slip away for something as inconsequential as a final exam. If anything, Exam Week should be the greatest week of every term. It should be something we look forward to as one final celebration of the term, our tests, our friends, and our lives in Lexington. Don’t let your term end on an anticlimactic note. Go home knowing that you’ve ended the semester well. So for this upcoming Exam Week, study hard, do well, and save the best for last. i # 1 Spring Break Vacations! Cancun, Jamaica, Acapulco, Bahamas, Mazatlan, Florida, SPadre. 110% Best Prices! Book Now & get Free Parties & Meals! Group Discounts. Now hiring Campus Reps! 1-800-234-7007 endlesssummertourscom Fraternities . 30I'0I'iIiflS CIIIIIS . SIIIIIGIII Iil'0llI|S Earn $1,000-$2,000 this semester with a proven CampusFundraiser 3 hour fundraising event. Our programs make fundraising easy with no risks. Fundraising dates are filling quickly, so get with the program! It works. Contact CampusFundraiser at (888) 923-3238, or visit wwwcampusfundraisercom msetaeo or HT “SUV; DARWIN. '5 rtmg‘ at $ -.15, I55. Mao's! fitrnmr Seats fire, has 53 cubic feet of cargo space. and is available with 183 hp and a 6-speed manual shift. Evan evolution can’! fully explain it. Etlilll ll}-‘.I'CIl.in #3709: L145 9!», IE3}, LE7! DU P58 Tirtfi-E ‘K150 {CHE ‘§‘U%J. "MSW F32-LLEES l3't§%.faE5l'% FR1)§’5§il’¢'.} ti. iltttifibitfi FE. E¢§}U.EElE’f$ Tait OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_007.2.txt K ]EREi\/IYFRANICLIAI SPORTSEDHOR EMAII; PlLil\II\lll\1]@\3tIlJlEDU nth Rli\?{'3~”i‘t1lt~i PE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2002 PORTS- PAGE 7 W&L falls to UT-Dallas in NCAA 2nd round Footbal It CAREER ACHIEVEMENT. Senior tailback Chris Sullivan received the Falcon Award, named for former W&L coach Gary Fallon, at halftime of the Generals’ Nov. 9 game. Against Greensboro, Sullivan rushed for 96 yards and the game’s lone TD. ‘. FROM STAFF REPORTS GREENSBORO, N .C. —-Wash- ington and Lee finished the 2002 foot- ball season at 5-5 with a 6-0 win over It Greensboro College at a rain-soaked J arnieson Stadium on Saturday. Senior Chris Sullivan’s touch- down with nine seconds left in the first half was all the offense the Gen- erals would need against the Pride. Sullivan rushed 29 times for 96 yards, giving him 1,123 yards for the season. He also set a new W&L 5/ record for career rushing yards with it 3,140, breaking the mark of former teammate Marc Watson, who gradu- ated a year ago with 3,112 yards. Greensboro managed just 151 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times as the Gener- als’ defense recorded their first shut- out since beating Catholic 34-0 in 3 1993. ' Junior linebacker Ben Krasnoff amassed 16 tackles to lead W&L, while senior linebacker Matt Stavish ‘and freshman cornerback Joe Swimmers top Hollins reaches.500 ~ with win over Geenboro FlIEI‘HO'lO Greenhill each intercepted a Greens- boro pass. W&L competes at regionals FREDERICKSBURG —— The Washington and Lee cross country squads traveled to Mary Washing- ton College on Saturday to compete in the NCAA Division III South/ Southeast Regional. The Generals finished fifth of 23 teams in the men’s race, while the women’s team placed seventh in a field of 27 squads. Sophomore Wes Bell placed ninth with a time of 26: 16.09 to pace W&L, while junior Andy Schorr fin- ished close behind at 26:20.05, good enough for 12th place. Sophomore Stephen Chambers ran the course in a time of 26:43.02 and finished 25th overall. Senior Burke Duncan led the W&L women by running the race in 23:28.01 to finish 16th. All four runners were named to the All-Region squad for placing in the top 25. V trolled possession of the ball, lirriiting the Pride to just three shots on the In 1st-ever tournament afternoon- » ;; ‘‘It’s good that we controlled the game, then fall to Comets midfield with the condition of the BY JEREMY FRANKLIN field,” Marcoux said. “They like to get the ball and take it down the flanks, SPORTS EDITOR and the fact that our midfield could ‘Y The Washington and Lee control it helped us out a lot.” women’s soccer team concluded the Cunningham was also pleased best season in school history with an with the performance of his defense, NCAA Division III Tournament win as sophomore goalie Emily Barker was i and an appearance in the regional forced to make- just one save in al- semifmals. most 88 minutes of play. The Generals, seeded second in “We played great at the back,” the NCAA South Region, ended the Cunningham said. “We had one spurt 2002 season at 17-2-3 witha 1-0 loss at the end of the first half where it to No. 3 University of Texas-Dallas at (Greensboro) played real well, but our the Comets’ home field on Saturday. defense controlled the rest of the W&L began its first-ever playoff game.” appearance with a 2-0 win over f1fth- The Generals took nine shots seeded Greensboro College, the Dixie against Pride goalkeeper Adrienne T Conference champions, at the Liberty Buttino, who recorded four saves, and Hall Fields on Wednesday. finally secured some breathing room Both teams struggled early with with justover nine minutes remaining. B.nuoitrs };‘l)lT()R ATLANTA —— The fourth-seeded Washington and Lee volleyball team dropped a 30- 17, 30-22, 30-18 decision to top seed Trinity (Texas) University in the NCAA Division HI South Regional Semi- final on Friday night at Emory Univer- sity, ending a season in which the Gen- erals won a school-record 32 matches. W&L also reached the regional semifinals for the second straight year despite graduating five seniors, in- cluding three-tirne Old Dominion Ath- letic Conference Player of the Year Lindsay Ruckert, from last year’s squad and starting five underclass- men throughout the season. This ability to overcome the huge changes led sophomore outside hit- ter Michelle Chastain to look optimis- tically towards the future. “We have a great team and I think we have a great shot at winning regionals next year and advancing further in the tournament,” the First Team All—ODAC selection said. “Los- ing (Stacey) Kirmnel next year and this past week was tough, but we really fought through. I think we’ll do some great things in the future.” The Generals reached the semifi- nals by earning an impressive victory over Christopher Newport on Thurs- day night, a squad that defeated W&L, 3-2, on both Sept. 7 and Oct. 10. W&L won the first two games, 30-19 and 30-27, before dropping the WARNER CENTER. Sophomorejennifer Lux sets the ball for freshman Taylor Gibson (2) in an early-season match as (from left) sophomore Michelle Chastain, freshman Susan Gaillard third game, 30-28. The Generals came back for a 30-20 win in the fourth game to take the match. Sophomore outside hitter Emily Wolfing led the Generals with 15 kills and 20 digs, with Chastain adding 12 kills and 14 digs. Freshman setter Christine Gladysz tallied 34 assists and four aces. Chastain said the difference be- tween the earlier losses and Thursday’s victory was in the team’s attitude. “We’ve been playing a lot better as a team in the past few weeks, so I think that helped our confidence,” she said. “We went out with a lot of con- fidence and weren’t intimidated." Unfortunately, Chastain admitted that the Generals were a bit intimidated by the Tigers, who surprised W&L’s defense with its quick offense. “They’re a great team and they’re the No. 4 team in the nation for a reason,” she said, “but we also made some errors on things that we have control over.” Chastain provided a bright spot, however, as she broke Ruckert’s single-season record for kills, tallying 13 to finish the year with 475. Chastain FIIE PHOTO and sophomore Erriily Wolfing look on. The Generals set a school record for wins with a 32-8 campaign and won their fifth Old Dominion Athletic Conference title in six years. also added 10 digs but was modest about her record-breaking year. “I try my best and I worked really hard this season,” she said. “I went through a rough spot about the midway point of the season and my teammates really picked me up. I always attribute any of my success to my teammates.” Wolfing contributed five kills and 11 digs while Gladysz finished with 27 assists and eight digs. The Generals finished the season at 32-8 and won their second straight ODAC championship. stroke and 200 breaststroke — and also won the 100 backstroke. Senior Kelli Austin won the 200 and 500 freestyle races, while junior Jackie Green won the 100 and 200- yard butterfly events. Jacobs also mixed up the relays. “We divided them up by years. The se- niors swarn one, the juniors another, and so on, and that made it a lot of she said. ‘They all swam good, quality races, and that’s what I wanted to see.” “This meet was a definite con- fidence builder after the loss to Randolph-Macon,” she added. The W&L women will return to action when they travel to Bryn Mawr on Nov. 23. It BY MICHAEL LEE SPORTS WRITER Wednesday evening brought the women from Hollins to Twombly ‘V Pool for an Old Dominion Athletic Conference swim meet. In a decisive victory, the Generals brought home the win with a 176-81 score. Coach Kiki Jacobs noted quality swimming from her team, “We swam pretty well today. There were a lot of people swimming off events, but in spite of that, it was a good meet.” d Senior Blair Huffman led the ', Generals, winning three events. Huffman swam to two victories in successive events —- the 200 back- ’ II ‘N OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20021118/WLURG39_RTP_20021118_008.2.txt \ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2002 ._ BASKETBALL TAKES COURT FOR 2002-03 1 K)L'R'lE.\\'Ol7bl’()Rl.\‘ lNK)K\l\"ll( ).\ TWO-GUARD. Sophomore Ian McClure contributed 6.2 points per game from the backcourt as a freshman for the W/ashington and Lee men’s team in 2001-02. BY DONNY BANKS Sl’()lt'l'S \‘i’RlTl7.R The Washington and Lee men’s basketball team, which finished up last season with an 8-17 overall record, was picked to finish eighth out of 10 teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference coaches’ poll released on Oct. 3 1. The Generals, however, haven’t been frightened by this or by their losing record in 2001-02. In fact, the team seems to carry a lot of confi- dence going into the new year. And rightly so. The Generals lost no senior dur- ing the offseason, and, not surpris- ingly, this year’s team should be re- plete with experience. Most of the Generals’ leadership will stem from its three captains, se- nior Scott Hetterman and juniors Michael Denbow and Hamill Jones. Hetterman, the squad’s lone se- nior, has led the team in rebounding the past two seasons and averaged 10.5 points per game last year. “This is Scott’s senior year and he will be playing with a certain sense of urgency,” head coach Jeff Lafave said. “He is very talented and will do a lot for us this season. He’ll be espe- cially valuable in bringing along some of the younger guys. He knows how things work in the league and will be able to offer important advice.” W&L combats small roster with talent BY ERIN JULIUS .\SSlSTv\.\'T SPORTS EDITOR Washington and Lee wrestling welcomes back seven grapplers from last year’s roster as the Generals look to improve on their 3-7 record from 2001-02. ' Freshman Grant Krapf has joined the team at the l33—pound class, but W&L still has a couple of weight classes to fill. “This season will be long in terms of dual meets because we will be for- feiting at least two weight classes,” said senior co-captain Alex Poor, who wrestles at 165 pounds. Despite the lack of depth, 141- pound senior co-captain John Polena believes that the Generals are in for a good season in the Centennial Con- ference. “We have a lot of talent on this year’s team, and hopefully that will translate into a number of conference victories,” Polena said. Veteran head coach Gary Franke believes that W&L’s success in 2002- 03 will depend in part on the performance of their senior leaders, Poor and Polena. “We should get a lot of mileage out of our two captains,” Franke said. The Generals opened their sea- son with the individual-only VMI Keydet Invitational on Nov. 3 and competed in the McDaniel Invitational on Nov. 9. At McDaniel, a conference opponent, W&L came away with one win and four losses. The team is also confident in the ability of l84—pound junior Joe Mueller, who won his weight class at the Cen- tennial Conference Championships as a freshman and placed third last year. “He continues to win consis- tently and has a good shot at win- Denbow, who led the Generals in assists his freshman and sophomore years, and Jones, who averaged 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, should also contribute sig- nificantly. In addition, expect a strong show- ing from the sophomores, especially the guys in the backcourt: guards Mike Stuart, Ian McClure and Wes McAdams. Stuart is an impressive scorer who averaged 9.4 points a con- test and shot a tearn-high 33 percent . from three-point range. McClure, who averaged 6.2 points per game, should add strength, shooting and toughness, as he played in all 25 games for the Gener- als last season. McAdams, who played only one minute last season due to a shoulder injury, will return healthy this year and will likely make an impact immediately. The other sophomores —Mark Franceski, who led the team by shoot- ing 53.8 percent from the field; Patrick Neuman, fresh from the football team; and Valery Yankov —will contribute as well. Ifthe team is replete with experi- ence, it is also filled with freshmen. The Generals have added five fresh- men to the roster this year, which should add some fresh ability and an optimistic attitude. “All five of these guys bring something unique to the table. I think Men’s team osn’t heed low expectations that they will follow the lead of our upperclassmen and become a signifi- cant factor this season,” Lafave said. “Also, given the talent and experience of our upperclassmen, we can give them some time to integrate into the system, and we won’t have to throw them right in like we did last season.” Freshman forward Matt Lawless shared his coach’s sentiment. “We have some good skills and bring heart, hard work and dedication to practice,” Lawless said. “We’ll try to contribute whenever we can.” The Generals have a tough schedule this year, playing nationally- ranked ODAC foes Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon each twice. “Obviously, it is always difficult to see teams as tough as Hampden- Sydney and Randolph-Macon mul- tiple times in the regular season, but we have a great team, and beating teams such as these could really give us a boost,” Lafave said. In addition, the team will face a formidable Division I foe in Davidson in only their third game. “We try to play a Division I op- ponent every. year,” the coach said. “The Davidson game should be a great experience and, hopefully, as competitive as our game against Wil- liam & Mary last season, which we lost by only 13 points.” W&L will start the season with the Tipoff Tournament on Nov. 22 at home in the Warner Center. Lafave and some of his players understand that the crowds might be scarce at the games because that Friday marks the beginning of the Thanksgiving holi- day, but the team still has its sights set on winning the toumament. “I think that winning the Tipoff Tournament would be our first goal of the season, and to have a sizeable audience certainly wouldn’t hurt,” Lafave said. With experience, talent and positive attitudes, the Generals will charge into this season with good expectations. No one is more confident and optimistic than Lafave. “We’d like to go into Christmas break with a win- ning record,” he said. “After that, we’ll aim for a good seeding in the ODAC Tournament, and ultimately, we’d like to win at least one game in that toumament.” Lafave added that these goals were made by the team itself and that the team found them very realistic. Given what the team has going for it, these goals seem very realistic, indeed. TITLE Asi>IRATIoNs.]unior]oe Mueller looks to return to the top of the Centennial Conference after winning the 184-pound ning his second conference title,” Poor said of Mueller. Junior Michael Bennett, who missed the previous.two seasons be- cause of shoulder injuries, will replace Ezra Morse at 197 pounds. Bennett and Mueller each won four of their five matches at McDaniel. “Those two look to be the most successful so far,” Franke said. Sophomores Joshua Grahe (149 pounds) and Brian Avello (174), junior Corey Little (157) and senior Jason Smee (285) round out the Generals’ roster. “While we are strongest at our upper weights, we have good wres- tlers throughout our lineup,” Poor said. “If we have a few other guys step up and really perform, especially during the conference tournament, we stand a chance of doing pretty well in the conference this year.” W&L doesn’t take the mat again until Jan. 4. They now practice “five to six days a week,” Franke said, “but they have to have a day off.” In practice, the Generals prepare for matches by drilling and condition- ing. “We work extremely hard as a team. Wrestling as a sport requires a lot of extra conditioning and dedica- tion,” Poor said. class in 2000-01. The Generals host the W&L Quadrarigular on Jan. 4 in the Warner Center. Generals enter transition year Snyder takes over interim head coaching duties for team that returns 2 starters and was picked 10th out of 11 ODAC teams BY DAVID CROWELL .tSSlSTAN'l’ SPORTS EDITOR With the sudden resignation of coach Janet Hollack in the middle of August to pursue other coaching oppor- tunities and the graduation of the school’s all-time lead- ers in scoring and rebounding, Jessica Mentz, and blocked shots, Megan Babst, the future of the Washing- ton and Lee Women’s basketball program was uncertain. When you consider the fact that only a handful of girls were willing to play in 2002-03, you’d think the desk of the new head coach would require a bottle of aspirin. But interim head coach Bryan Snyder, who just fm- ished coaching the W&L volleyball team to another NCAA Division IH Tournament appearance, seems upbeat and enthusiastic about the coming season. He understands why it was important that he accept the temporary job. “I think the most important thing is that this be- comes a good experience for the ladies, and I think that’s why they asked me to take this position, to maintain some continuity,” he said. “I’m someone that they’re familiar with and I know the program, I know the kids, I know the university.” Being a part of the program as an assistant coach for two seasons, Snyder is also familiar with the immense role that Mentz and Babst, along with Sarah Schmidt and Carter Thomas, played in molding W&L Women’s basketball. Mentz, a two—time Old Dominion Athletic Confer- ence Player of the Year, averaged 20 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season. Babst used her tall frame to dominate the inside and averaged 19 points and 10.1 rebounds a contest. Schmidt converted on over 40 percent of her three- point attempts, and Thomas was the emotional leader. The first goal for Snyder and the Generals to over- come will be an adjustment regarding offensive strategy. Snyder admits that his team lacks sufficient size to bang the ball into the middle on every possession. “We don’t have a lot of size, so offensively we’re going to utilize screens and we’ll be a little more perim- eter-orientated than last year,” he said. “We’re going to try to be a little more balanced.” He also hopes that the team can use their strength at the guard position to “free up some of our better ath- letes to drive one—on-one from the wings.” Leading the Generals on the floor will be sopho- more point guard Bethany Dannelly, who led the ODAC in assists by dishing out 5.85 per game as a freshman. The two captains of the team are also the lone se- niors, Elizabeth Igo and Austin Calhoun. Snyder de— . scribed the key role they played in the offseason. “From the moment we got beat in the ODAC Tour- nament, they took it on as their team. They have pushed everyone in the offseason workouts and were involved in the coaching transition,” Snyder said. “They have a lot invested in this program and from the work ethic standpoint, they will lead by example.” In addition, the Generals return sophomore forward Emily Barker, who started last season, and junior guard (ft lL'Kll*.\\'()l~' DR )Kl.\ l.\'l()l{\ l‘iTl0N ENHANCED ROLE. Senior co-captain Elizabeth Igo will see more playing time after averaging 13.8 minutes a contest off the bench for the Generals last year. Heather Coleman. Snyder described Coleman as a player “who goes out and isn’t intimidated by other people, plays hard and does what we ask her.” Snyder will depend on his players to do whatever is necessary, since they will be playing the first few games with only eight players in uniform. He assumes that the freshmen will get plenty of minutes — especially Louisa Feve, who will start at the two- guard position, but might need to play in the post. The Generals will also need to work together and do , what is necessary in order to compensate for a lack of size on defense. , “We’re going to need to give a lot of help, because I don’t think we are great at matching up with other teams one-on-one in the inside,” Snyder said. “We don’t have the size or experience to play with some of the better post players, so we’ll try to give as much help as possible to make teams beat us in other ways.” With the lack of pressure that Snyder has put on himself, he has some very simple goals for his team. “I want us to be as competitive as we can be,” he said. “I want to keep in place and build on last year’s good work ethic, dedication, pride in the university and our program so that whoever they hire as the full—time coach won’t have to rebuild a fresh base and can worry about on-court coaching.” W&L SPORTS SCHEDULEZ Nov. 22-DEC. 4 Friday, Nov. 22 Men’s Swimming Saturday, Nov. 23 Cross Country Sunday, Nov. 24 Salem International at W&L, 5 p.m. Women’s Basketball (Scranton Tournament) W&L vs. Stockton, 6 p.m. Men’s Basketball (Tipoff Tournament) Daniel Webster at W&L, 8 p.m. W&L at NCAA Nationals, TBA Men’s Basketball (Tipoff Tournament) Averett/Washington at W&L, 1 or 3 p.m. Women’s Basketball W&L in Scranton Tournament Women’s Swimming W&L at Bryn Mawr, 2 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Swimming W&L at College of New Jersey, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26 Women’s Basketball W&L at Randolph Macon WomarI’s, 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 Men’s Basketball W&L at Davidson, 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2 Women’s Basketball Bridgewater at W&L, 6 p.m. Men’s Basketball Southern Virginia at W&L, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4 Women’s Basketball Emory & Henry at W&L, 6:30 p.m. Men’s Swimming W&L at VMI, 7 pm Men’s Basketball Guiltord at W&L, 8:45 p.m. IIirII3s\'OI:SIx)irI.slI\I<>IIIituIOrv' McDaniel, formerly Western Iltlllnllll with liig-time olticia. use state-oi-the-an euuinment. associate with saaw GOIIIIIBIIV. exnerience Phi culture. X4060 Happy Thanksgiving & Christmas! 1 Maryland, has won the conference title the past three seasons. “They’re looking to take a fourth title,” Poor said. “But Muhlenberg has some ex- tremely talented individuals and might be ready to make a run next year.” Although W&L still has a couple of vacancies on its roster, the Gener- als anticipate a strong showing in 2002-03. “It’s a good program, and it’s going to get better and better,” Krapf said. “The captains are great guys, really motivated and trying to get the team together.” LOOK YOUR BEST Fora THE HOLIDAYS.’ Come by and see Skip, Marla, Connie and Wilson. SKIP THOMPSON’S BARBER SHOP 22 S. Main Street. Lexington, VA Open Mon., Tues., Thurs., & Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m. - noon; Closed Wed. & Sun. T 540-463-5954 ‘