OCR::/Vol_095_096/WLURG39_RTP_19950901/WLURG39_RTP_19950901_001.2.txt Jr“-.i.ri_Q; ‘: §5*.:;‘\ :._.‘*.L '-..'9; 3/ WAu"i’l-NG"t".Nl I L.‘ t.D«UV“iT‘/ Vfl M-ll) Siiii 0 5 1995 More to Lexington than meets the cue Strong returning class guides fall sports teams he ‘fling-tum {flirt THE FRESHMAN ISSUE I z . , t ,1 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA hat a ush! Fall Rush 1995 officially begins September 7. This Rush will be the last conducted during Fall Term. A Winter Rush is scheduled for the Class of 2000. Open container law made stricter By DAN ODENWALD Phi Executive Editor Open the unofficial Washington and Lee University handbook and find Freshman Orientation Week. The defi- nition reads: 400 alcohol-swilling youths in search of the eternal buzz (and perhaps a little lovin’). Every year, the new crop of W&L kiddies do their best to out-party their predeces- sors. The Class of 1999 will undoubt- * edly follow suit. On August 10 the Lexington City Council, prompted by the police department, threw a wrench into their mission. lt’s called City Code Section 3-3. Previously, a police officer would have to see you drink from an open alcohol container before he could make an arrest for violation of Lexington’s open container laws. In theory, you could legally be in possession of an open container as long as you did not drink from it. Not so, anymore. Police are now entitled to arrest someone simply for being in posses- sion of an open container regardless of whether he is drinking or not. The police department urged the city council to adopt this ordinance in response to complaints from Lexing- ton residents that public parks and rec- reation areas were becoming hot spots for outdoor drinking. The law was not specifically de- signed with students in mind, said Po- lice Chief Bruce M. Beard. The in- tended purpose was to curb drinking in public parks by townspeople during the summer. Despite the initial goal of the ordi- nance, students should take notice. Beard does not expect the change will adversely affect students, although he does caution them to take more care. “Students should not take alcohol with them when they leave a party for another,” Beard said. Beard also advised the members of the freshman class to watch the use and abuse of alcohol. Because most are probably minors, he urged them to refrain from drinking altogether. The most common alcohol-related offenses forwhich students are arrested are minor in possession and drunk in public. Beard was pleased to add that the number of drunken driving arrests continues to fall every year. With the influx of students into Lex- ington this week, police patrols will be increased to monitor the “welcome- back” parties. Beard also warned stu- dents to be mindful of the increased police presence on Rush weekends. “Party smart and safe,” Beard said. F I police department. K Attention to all students who brought bicycles to campus: Washington and Lee students have experienced problems with stolen bycycles in previous years . In order to aid in theft prevention and recovery of stolen bicycles, Lexington Police Chief Bruce M. Beard reccommends that all bicycles be registered with the Swiping a card through Seventeen of the out- , By EMILY BAKER Phi Executive Editor An electronic entry sys- , '...i will go online for the first time in the freshman tdorms on Saturday night. The class of 1999 will be the first to test the card-ac- cess system, which may ex- pand to include academic buildings. “We wanted a pet project to test the system on,” said Director of Security Mike Young, “and we thought the freshman dorms would be a good place to start.” Once the system goes online Saturday night, only those with Washington and Lee University cards will be able to enter the dorms. the electronic card reader will disengage the magnetic force that keeps the door locked 24 hours a day. Once a student enters the door, it shuts and locks behind him Inside the building, a motion detector disengages the lock when a student ap- proaches, and again shuts and locks when the student exits. Only the doors to-the buildings will be locked. Hall doors will not be locked, as they have been at night in the past. if an outside door is kept open for more than a few seconds, the computer that monitors the system will note the open door, and an officer willbedispatchedtotheopen door. side doors will have card readers. The other seven them.” Students who lose their cards will will be exit-only, and will need 30 1'ePl3Ce them lockagainuponshutting. i m m 6 d i a I 6 1 y The object of the new through the business system is not to restrict Office, and may be access tocampus, Young waned 3 temP0T3TY said,buttocurbthe num- card by security out- bers of thefts. 1" time» the 5Y5‘ “The numberofthefts ‘em may eXPa"d ‘O of money have been in- creasing in the past sev- eral years,” he said, “es- pecially in the freshman dorms.” The card system may cut down on the number of lost university cards as well. “Their card is going to be their key to their building,” Young said. “We’re going to insist that they have it with Gaines and Woods Creek, and academic buildings with a need for higher se- curity. “i could see the system installed in the library, and maybe the computer labs.,” Young said. The total bill for the system is not in yet, Young said, but it does exceed the Dorm. initial budget of $60,000. The system was installed over the past week, and Young said that security of- ficers are still looking for expected electronic glitches. “lt may take a while, but we’ll get the bugs ironed The card readers for the dorms are part of the same system that operates the card readers in the dining hall, laundry rooms, copy ma- chines and drink machines. Also new are two secu- rity phones, one by the infir- mary and the other in the breezeway of Graham-Lees Phone directories of stu- dents living on campus will be posted above the phones. “That’s for if someone comes to visit and they don’t SEPTEMBER 1, 1995 Class of 1999 continues tradition of excellence By ANNE ALVORD Phi News Editor The graduation of the class of 1999 will coincide with the 250th anniver- sary of the founding of Washington and Lee, and they certainly seem to be worthy of such a distinction. There will be 434 freshmen, includ- ing 251 men and 183 women. They represent 39 states and nine foreign countries. Virginia (54), Maryland(32), Georgia (32), New York(29), and Texas (26) are the most widely represented states. The foriegn countires repre- sented are Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Jamaica, Mauritius, Poland, Spain, and Switzer- land, each with one student. There are 369 secondary schools represented. There are 48 children of alumni. Twenty-nine percent of the class receives need-based financial aid. The freshmen have among them an astounding academic and extracurricu- lar record. The class of 1999 had an average class rank of 91%. The average SAT verbal score was 612 and the average Young said. off.. on campus. heating plant. know your phone number,” The phones also have an emergency button that dials directly to security. The phones have a two minute limit, after which they cut There are other emer- ge my. phones on campus that dial straight to the security office, but will not dial rooms A dispatcher will be posted in the security office between 4 pm. and 8 a.m. Previously, calls that came into security at this time were answered at dif- ferent places on campus, such as the library or the “Now there will be one person whose only job is to answer the phone and SAT Math score 663. The Freshmen averaged 585 on their English Achieve- ment Test, There are 25 National Merit Scholars and 48 Valedictoians and Sa- lutatorians. Fourty—five Freshmen completed one Advanced Placement course, and 338 completed two or more; all to- gether, 88% ofthe entering class com- pleted one or more AP Classes. The Class of 1999 also speaks or has studied 12 languages (English in- cluded). The languages are Spanish, French, Latin, German, Japanese, Rus- sian, Italian, Chinese, Greek, Dutch, and Portugese. Sixty-two percent of the freshmen have completed at least one year of Calculus, with 69% of the class com- ing from five or more years of math background. 96.7% ofthe class has had three or more years of laboratory sci- ence background. The freshmen include IO4 presi- dents of major student organizations, 37 student body or class presidents, 133 sports captains, and 51 editors of high school publications, including newspapers, yearbooks, and literary magazines. ’ ...g.gg.....;l35 New security system put in freshman dorms dispatch the officers,” Young said. Young emphasized that these new security features do not eclipse the need for students to be responsible for their valubles,. “We need student sup- port,” Young said. “Some- timcspeopledon’tlocktheir doors because it’s an incon- venience. But that’s just foolish.” The Honor Code has a tendency to encourage stu- dents to be too trusting, Young said. "Don't get me wrong," Young said. "The Honor Code is a wonderful thing." "We're sopolite to people, which is nice. but it's not always appropriate." OCR::/Vol_095_096/WLURG39_RTP_19950901/WLURG39_RTP_19950901_002.2.txt ALL OF THIS 0 iuooltof... 161 E’ I FEEL as «F 7-5: \ IUE FORGOT \-S 5omETHmCv Z; _._./----' Phi m r1 9 How to be cool: a survival guide for freshmen GREEN LAND Betsy Green I doubt I’ll be the first person to say this, but welcome to W&L! So, what’s your name? Where are you from? I know, I know... you feel like you’ve been in Lexington for mere minutes and already you’re overwhelmed. At this time two years ago, I was frantically trying to cram all of my belongings into my teeny room, figuring out how to work my phone, and think- ing, “Who the hell are all these people?” (Mean- while, my mom was resting on my newly made bed, probably enjoyingthose springs that poked me in the back for the duration of my first year at school.) So, what should you do? How can you, to put in simplest terms, be cool? Read on, little freshmen. I like to tell myself I know all the elements of a cool freshman year. ‘ Your clothes: You’ve probably already figured out that W&L looks like the J Crew catalog exploded on it. Polo shirts, khaki pants, barn jackets, and roll-neck sweaters abound. If you want to look like everyone else, grab your will congregate there at any given time of the day; Guys: throw in a Sega and you’re set. It’s also good to add plenty of comfy places to sit and sodas in the fridge. The drawback? Tum- navy blue blazer ing your orPatagonia pull- room into a over and put on A lounge will your new w&L You are a freshman. You are far have a nega- hatifuéwiijlgou away from your parents. These rea y on ave o - . ,owe,,P,,,dsh,,,s realities mean that the first few conside, ex- everyday. we weeks ofyour freshman year will ploiting one "°"" °‘"° "““‘ notbedescribed with thesewords- °f Y°“’ much how you , ' friends in- dress, As long as Decorum. Moderatwn. Modesty. stead. you’re comfort- ’ Your able in what you social life: wear, any teasing Here are you’ll get will be affectionate. And leave your some basic high school letter jacket at home. * Your room: You are automatically cool if you have a TV and VCR in your room. People facts: You are a freshman. You are far away from your parents. These realities mean that the first few weeks of your freshman year will not be described with these words: Decorum. Moderation. Modesty. Just calm down. You don’t have to hit every single party every night. If you have a headache, go home early or (shudder) don’t go out at all. Relax - there will be another party soon enough. You’re probably also wondering: what’s up with this Rush thing? Guys, I’m sorry, but since I’m a woman, I don’t have too much advice for you. It seems effective to go out, have fun, and not vomit on anyone you’re trying to impress. But I could be wrong. Women: Take advantage of all the band parties and free drinks. Stay clear of all the male bonding— you don’t want to get in the middle of that. You may have also no- ticed that Rush is an odd time for romance. The men are more interested in each other than in you (in a fraternal way, of course). This will pass...to some extent. Which brings me to our next concern. * Romance: Romance? What’sthat?W&L students are not known for dating. You meet Mr. or Ms. Adequate at a party, then some other stuff happens. A few weeks later, you might have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Or you might not. No telling. W&Lparties are also populated with women from Our Fine Neighboring Women’s Col- leges. Some of them are really cool. Some of them are not. (The same could be applied to W&L students). W&L women and women from down the road historically don’t get along. Let me be the first (and perhaps only) to admit that this is because (1) They are competition F is i and (2) We are jealous. What about the stereo- . type that they come to W&L to drink beer and meet guys? Well, think about it: wouldn’t you? ‘ The Final Word: After having read this. whole thing, you’ve probably come to one ‘ conclusion: I have no idea what I’m talking about. So be it. No one can tell you how to be cool. Just relax. Have fun. Muddle through the best you can. And avoid taco bar at Letitia Pate Evans Dining Hall. /ll'E YOU iI1l'El' E5l'Ed ill bl.I$il7E55, finance, OI‘ advertising? Contact Bob Nelson, Phi Business Manager at 463-4059 or come Visit his office in the University I.‘ enter for more information. Ellie ‘tiling-tum lfllii Executive Editor‘ Fmily Baker, Dan Odenwald Associate Editor Michael Hewlett News Editors Anne Alvord, Christine Gamavish Editorial Page Editor Alex Christensen Sports Editor Soot! Bookwalter Features Editors Courtney Miller, Cindy Young Photography Editor Betsy Green Editorial Cartooiiists ..................................................... ..Alex Christensen, Phil Flickinger Business Manager Robert Nelson Advertising Manager Jenni Grant Advertisement Composition Artist Mark Tobias Advertising Staff Melissa Byrd Circulation Manager “ r‘ William A Quick Guide to the Phi News Opinion Features Sports The Ring-tum Phi is published Fridays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. Funding for The Ring-tum Phi comes primarily from advertising and subscription revenues. The Washington and Lee Publications Board elects the executive editor and business manager, but The Ring-tum Phi‘ is othenvise independent. Letters and other submissions must be in the Phi office, room 208 of the University Center, by noon on Tuesday to appear in that week ’s edition. Letters, columns, and “My Views" do not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Advertising does not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum Phi or its staff. This newspaper observes cunent court definitions of libel and obscenity. The Ring-tum Phi Post Office Box 899 Lexington, Virginia 24450 Telephone (540)462-4059 Fax (540) 462-4060 The news section always be- gins on the front page and often extends to other pages. The name of the newspaper, underlined by the volume, number, place of publication and date, is called the flag or nameplate. The front page includes the week’s most important stories with longer stories jumping in- side. When designing the front page, editors try to make several entry points, places which at- tract the eye to start reading. Teaser boxes at the top of the page highlight stories inside the paper. This section, the opinion page, usually occupies pages four and five but may extend to other pages. In the left column of page four is the staff editorial, which is the opinion of the Edi- torial Board, unless it is initialed by only some board members. The Phi administrative staff is listed in the staff box. The Phi prints several political columns and two humor columns which reflect the author’s opinions. My View columns and letters also appear frequently. We strongly encourage members of the Washington and Lee commu- nity to make their voices heard. Stories of human interest or the arts appear in this section. A story here may be light- hearted or take a deep look at a serious issue. This section usually occupies two pages. The features editors have greater flexibility than other sec- tion editors in using creative de- signs and different fonts in head- lines. This section also has regular reviews of current music and movie releases. Cartoons are also among the favorite features at- tractions. This section covers the Gen- erals athletics. Stories here are often a mix of the feature and newsstylesofwriting. lfthereis ._ ' an opinion column in this sec- tion, it usually belongs to the Sports Editor. The Phi uses a sports front format, which means that most important sports sto- ries are on the back page. Jumps and other sports stories are on the inside pages. The Phi does not have enough space to cover every sport every week, so high- lights from various sports are sometimes put together in a sum- mary fashion. OCR::/Vol_095_096/WLURG39_RTP_19950901/WLURG39_RTP_19950901_003.2.txt ANNE ALVORD ’98 Settling into W&L means more than just learning your way around campus; it also means learning your way around Lexington. Big Lex may at first seem stifllngly small, but it has a lot to offer if you take the time to look. I’ve never failed to find what I need to buy in Lexington, so I Anne “I Came, I Saw, 1 Charged” Alvord, with help from my fellow Phi staff members, am going to offer some advice on where to go for what you need. Clothes I love Pappagallo, on Main Street, for women’s clothing. Not only are the people who work there fantastic (one even knows where my home town is), but they have terrific clothes and jew- elry; they also have shoes. I also like (l_aravan’s, on Nelson Street, a lot, and I'buy all my hosiery at the College Town Shop, also on Nelson Street. Phi Executive Editor Dan Odenwald tells me that the College Town Shop is the place to go for men’s clothes in Lexington. Being a mere woman, I am n t an authority, but I lean toward vin Dennis, on Washington Street. ey have ‘The Trident Belt’. Since I’m on the topic of clothes, I have to mention TGIF, on Main Street. TGIF has lots of slightly irregular clothes from J. Crew, The Gap, Victoria’s Secret, and many others. ouowmsten’ ‘ e.[th¢.aiviai.et¢a ikeiyfibe dents ofteniforgettiiis. Learn- -g swhathappiens durins.r , rtightiidebates with young _ j‘ n"mate,ia concert you“at- end i‘at3==*Lenfest, and study ’ sessions with people from an j‘jl1l_StOI'y..‘ClaSS. 1;. It’s not necessarily ‘earn ng‘the‘A:*o;j,-3:: €h3!:.