OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_001.2.txt Fiji house corps tells of wrongdoing BY PATRICIA BALLANTYNE SENIOR STAFF WRITER The 2004 pledgeship season has been plagued with Washing- ton and Lee security investigations. Security will now be investi- gating hazing allegations against Fiji for the second time this year. After F ij'i's first investigation in February, the IF C cleared them of all charges concerning sleep deprivation. But this second time around, Fiji admits to instructing pledges “to drink a ‘treat’ which included teriyaki sauce, ketchup, mustard, ' and other household condiments. ” A statement from the president of F ij'i’s House Corporation also lists other potential hazing oflenses involving alcohol, eggs, and water balloons at off—campus houses. Fiji, however, is still under investigation. The IFC will hear their case soon. Fiji is not the only fraternity to face hearings from the IF C, which cleared Chi Psi after an investigation earlier this year. Three other fraternities are currently under investigation. Fiji is the only house to give details of ongoing investigations. We want to acknowledge that the IFC will be opening an investigation mtoaHegedhazingacfivifiessponsoredbycenainhidividr.1alsfiomthePlfi GamrnaDeltafratemity. Wewaritthe schooltohearfiornthehouseleadership fliatweareveryomceniedaboutflieseaflegafimisaridwiflnothideariydfing fiomtheadministIationortheIFC. We haveoonductedanintemal investiga- tion that included comprehensive interviews of all members of the fraternity. We areveiy concerned aboutthe security and safety of ourpledges. Wehave uiedtosetanexmripleforaHGreekorgmnzafimsbysendinganBssage&Iatwe don‘t take any hazing allegations lightly and that we have made all of our information available to the IFC. The following is what we have concluded following our investigation An unscheduled, unauthorized pledge training event took place witli— outthe supervision of the house ofiioers. Alcohol was present by certain R WAsH1NcEi:i\; AND'iFiE UNIVERSITY Tloestutleot ooice ofll’/osliirzgtoo ortdlee Uoioersizysioce 1897 BY CHRIS LAUDERMAN I EH MONDAY,MARCH 15,2004 Mb 3' VoLuME@v'lll,No.Vlll ~« Historic State Theater underin ajor changes ASST ARTS 85 LIFE EDITOR Students will only have to wait about another month or two before the State Theatre reopens after renovations totaling almost $500,000. Major construction plans include repairs on floors and improvements in heating and air conditioning. One major feature the State Theatre was lacking was a handi- capped accessible bathroom. That will be added as well as a new concession stand. Don Hasfurther, Executive Director of the Lexington Down- town Development Authority (LDDA), plans on working with 10- cal people who will be involved in construction as well as the management group to help them with financial decisions. The State Theatre qualifies for both federal and Virginia historic tax credits since all of downtown Lexington is a federally registered historic district. The State’s three cinemas currently hold 700 people, but after the renovation, it will hold only 600. The theatre will retain three cinemas, but the seats will be further spaced further apart. “By ‘ taking out the current seating in there, and it is very cramped. . .they are going to increase the number of people who come to that the- ater in the evenings and therefore are going to benefit," said Hasfurther. “It really is‘a very important project for a downtown,” said architect Kathy Frazier, “There aren’t too many downtowns in Shenandoah Valley anymore that have theaters.” She went on to say that a theater is a business establishment that brings people into downtown. While waiting on a movie, they will shop or go get something to eat at a café. This renovation is the first major project since the theatre was rebuilt after a fire. Warner Brothers actually hired architects to .. . 1 ]EB BRooxs/ 7heRmg-tumPbz rebuild the burned State Theatre in 1938. In the late thirties, the- atres were very ornate places. Until 1987, the State had one theatre with a balcony. The balcony was converted into two separate theatres. R/C Theatres of Maryland, a theatre group that owns cinemas in five states, currently owns the State_Theatre. Honor Scholars descend on campus this week upperclassmen, which is a violation of University policy on pledge ed1ica- tion. It went directly against instruction from the House Corporation and rides set forth by the chapter leadership. We are apologetic to all pledges present who were forced to We acknowledge that calisthenics were enforced, and that the pledges were instructed to drink a ‘ ‘treat’ which included teriyaki sauce, ketchup, mustard, and other household condiments. This is in direct violation of the H‘C’s regulations and can be construed as hazing. We acknowledge that the pledges were involved in some sort of egg tossing and water balloon activities that are strictly prohibited by fraternity and University policy. The chapter leadership is concerned that these activities took place without o1Ir knowledge, and we want to ensure the pledges that these actions will not be tolerated in the flIl1lIB._ We have concerns for the freshman who did not file a formal allegation aga.instthehousebutwhowasdirectedbyDeanLeonardtoanswerhon— estly regarding the night’s activities. The Zeta Deuteron leadership and fraternity will strongly support this freshman, who did nothing wrong but respondedhonesflytouiquinesfiomDeanLeonmdbasedontheUniversity’s Honor Code. Chapterleadershipplanstoimposeseveieperialflesagamstfiiemdivithr als involved in this unauthorized event to prevent oifcampus activities like this fromtakingplaceinthefutuie. Inaddition,theHouseCorporationandleader- ship will implement ‘comprehensive changes to pledge training that will ensure propereducafiomuaimng,andfiaternalbon(firigdiatwfllbmefltdepledges, fiateinity, University, and suirouriding community. We are aware that history has played a part in influencing our pledge activities. We want to make sure that future pledges will not need to experience inappropriate rituals that have been passed down through the ages. We look forward to the IFC’s response to these irnproprieties, and ‘ promise to work with the IFC at improving our recruiting, pledging, and education protocols. In summation, we want to acknowledge our grati- tude to Deans Watkins and Leonard as well as Matt Jacobs’ staff for their support in completing our internal investigation. ( Sincerely, Jack Norberg, President of Zeta Deuteron House Corporation BY KATHERINE SHELL STAFFWRITER From Tuesday to Thursday of this week, ninety five prospectives will travel to W&L’s campus to compete for an honor scholarship. The prospectives are from thirty different states, and will compete for W&L’s highest scholarship, the George Wash- ington Honor Scholarship. The tuition for four years. “The com- petition is designed not only to select the scholarship recipients, but also to provide a snapshot of Washington and Lee life,” says Kristen Binette Assistant Director of Admissions and Scholarship Coordinator. The seniors in high school will stay with current Washington and Lee students and will attend classes and experience daily life on campus. Binette said, “We with a strong understanding of what makes Washington and Lee such a unique place.” Ap- plications to house prospective horior scholars were distributed through the Admissions office last week.‘ In order to be selected for an Honor Scholarship, the pro- spective must undergo a com- petition held next week. Students will be selected by a group of admissions staff, selected, will be expected to maintain a GPA of 3.0 over the next four years. Activities for . the prospectives next week include tours, meals with current stu- dents and faculty, interviews, and meetings with faculty and athletic coordinators. On Wednesday night, Mike Supor, a magician and illusion- ist, will perform in the Com- mons Theater at 9:00. Refresh- Honor Scholarship pays for all hope they will leave Lexington faculty, and students, and, if merits willfollow. Truck driver implicated in Owings’ death receives 30 days in jail, fine BY ERIN JULIUS NEWS EDITOR A judge has handed down sentencing in the trial of the driver of the rig that killed Cullem Owings last year’s car crash. The driver, Steven Mark Rodger, was declared guilty of reck- less driving and received a sentence of 120 days in jail, a $1500 fine and he lost his driver’s license for a year. All but 30 days of the jail sentence was suspended, Rodgers began serv- ing his sentence last Monday. _ Following their son’s tragic death, Steve and Susan Owings founded Concerned Americans Advocating Interstate Roadway Safety. C.A.A.I.R.S.’s website, www.caairs.org, the organization exists to, “educate the general public regarding the unnecessary and unacceptable dangers that exist on the vast majority of U.S. highways where “big rigs” are concerned...the effective steps other civilized countries have taken to protect their citizens from these threats.” C.A.A.I.R.S. proposes that all “big rigs” have electronic governors that limit their speed to 56 miles per hour,that truck drivers should be paid wages so that there are no incentives to drive longer, faster and more recklessly. C.A.A.I.R.S. pro- poses that the,federal government regulate the trucking in- dustry, as it is inter—state, and therefore within federal juris- diction. Washington and Lee friends of Owings are memorializing Owings through the Cullem Owings ’03 Fellowship. The Fel- lowship will be awarded to juniors who are good scholars, are articulate, “with some grace and poise in demeanor while at the same time being sensitive to the values and opinions of others.” Recipients of the Fellowship are expected to go off- campus to discuss the University from a student’s point of view. Anti—Ignorance campaign planned to hit campus in April BY KATIE HENDERSON STAFF WRITER V Students on campus are fighting igno- rance. Another event that is in the works is an event called Mix ‘Em Up Dinner. The idea is that when everyone goes into the dining hall for dinner they will pick a number out of a hat and sit at the correspond- ing numbered table instead of sitting with their friends. “The idea is to encourage people to step out of their comfort zone,” said Harmon. ‘ “When people get out of their own bubble it is amazing to realize that you might have things in common with people you have never talked to before,” she said. According to Harmon, there is a misconcep- tion that Washington and Lee is not a diverse cam- pus. ' “We are diverse in so many ways; the way we look, act, think, and the activities in which we are Junior Kaela Harmon began thinking about involved,” she said. starting the Anti—Ignorance Campaign when a stu- dent wore a swastika armband to a costume party in February. “The swastika thing made me realize that people don’t know or pretend that they do not know that [an emblem like that would] offend some people,” Kaela Harmon said of the catalyst of the Campaign. The goal of the Anti-Ignorance Campaign is to provide students with information about diversity on campus. Pamphlets are circulating, which show facts and figures including campus organizations based on diversity, examples of hate on cam- pus, and percentages of minority groups. The figures describe Washington and Lee diversity in concrete terms. ’ “Our ultimate goal is to create a dialogue,” Harmon said. The campaign will kick off on April 19 and will last for a month. Various groups on campus are spon- soring events such as the Judy Shepard lecture and The number of women on campus exceeds 1,000 for the first time Students hail from 48 states and the Distrct of Columbia" Virginia is the most largely represented state, with 363 students. Maryland follows with 155 students, Texas with 144 students. North Dakoa and Montana are the only states with no representation Students live in 38 other countries, with citizenships in 50 different countries Diversity on Washington and Lee ’s Campus: Facts and Figures At least 13 students with an alternative sexual orientation campus 25%,of students identify themselves as Catholic, 18% as Episcopalian and 37% as Christian of another denornination...3% as Jewish and at least 5 students are Muslim Bulgaria is the best—represented country, with 10 students There are 89 Asian/Pacific Islanders on There are 117 black students on campus There are 25 Hispanic students on campus There are 4 Native Americans on campus “People try not to be diverse and they also think that diversity is a bad word,” she said. As a result, this is what the campaign hopes to change. And therefore, the Anti- Ignorance Campaign is trying to get every- ' one on campus involved, even fraternities and sororities. The campaign, according to Harmon, is open to the entire campus. “As W&L is trying to increase diversity, it is important that we become a more educated cam- pus,” said Hillel Vice President and Chair of Shabbat Leah Greenberg of the educational component of Harmon’s program. “When we open the doors of communica- tion so much can happen,” said Harmon hope- fully. _ Everyone is welcome to the Anti—Igno— rance Campaign’s next organizational meet- ing on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the University Commons. Harmon’s committee already includes students from many other student organizations. For more the Gospel Fest that coincide with the campaign. Infographic by ERIN ]U1IUs/ TbeRzng-tum Phi information, contact Kaela Harmon. OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_002.2.txt Leadership conference slated for March 27 Washington and Lee University’s Office of Leadership De- velopment will host its inaugural spring conference on Saturday, March 27. This Conference will provide a vibrant vision of lead- ership through its keynote speaker, Herb Rubenstein, an orienta- tion and transition for newly elected organization officers, and leadership skills and capabilities for individuals with a wide range of responsibilities on campus. Herb Rubenstein is an attorney and President/Founder of Growth Strategies, Inc., a leadership and management consulting firm. He is co-author of Breakthrough, Inc. High Growth Strate- gies for Entreprenurial Organizations. He also serves as an Ad- junct Professor of Entrepreneurism at George Mason University, is a founding director of the Association of Professional Futur- ists, and is the author of numerous articles on futures studies, leadership and strategic planning. He is President-elect of the International Leadership Association. He has his law degree from Georetown University, his Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, a graduate degree in sociology from the University of Bristol in Bristol, England and was a Phi Beta Kappa,/ Omicron Delta Kappa graduate from Washington and Lee Univer- sity in 1974. He will speak on “Being a Leader of Leaders” at l 1 a.m. in Lee Chapel. Following the keynote address, conferees will attend a vari- ety of breakout sessions beginning at noon in the Elrod Com- mons. Topics for these sessions are: Stress Management, Carn- pus Services and Facilities, Executive Committee Regulations and Policies, Business Office Orientation, Groups and Goal Setting, Effective Risk Management, Self Awareness and the Personality Compass, Ethics-A Constraint or Enabler, Listening and Leader- ship, The Community as a Resource. Each session will last for 50- 55 minutes. Lunch will be provided for all participants in the Marketplace at 1 p.m. There will be a brief closing at 4 p.m. in the Commons Theater. A $10 fee will cover the cost of all handouts, lunch and a conference gift. Brochures and registration forms are available in the Leyburn Libraryy and Elrod Commons and from the Leader- ship Development Office, Room 343, Elrod Commons. The public is welcome to attend the Lee Chapel keynote free of charge. Celebrated author reads on campus Ann Pancake, recipient of the 2003 Whiting Writers’ Award and the 2003 Glasgow Prize, will read from her collection of short stories, Given Ground, on Tuesday, March 16, at 4:30 p.m. in room 345 of W&L’s John Elrod Commons. The reading, which is sponsored by the Glasgow Endow- ment and Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee University Re- view, is open to the public free of charge. Since its publication in 2001, Pancake’s Given Ground has been heralded as a richly complex exploration of cultural change and class conflict in the communities of rural West Virginia. Television journalist keynotes Ethics Institute Lowell Bergman, a television journalist whose high profile break with CBS’ “60 Minutes” was the subject of the film, “The I Insider,” will present the keynote speech at Washington and Lee University’s 37th Institute on the Ethics of Journalism on Friday and Saturday, March 26-27. Bergman, a founder of the Center for Investigative Reporting and a frequent New York Times contributor, will speak on “The End of News” at 5 :30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, in the theater of the John W. Elrod University Commons. The speech is open to the public without charge. His talk will detail the uncertain future of news in the increas- ingly commercialized setting created by market driven prograrn— ming decisions and entertainment goals. ' Bergman also will be a panelist at the Institute’s case study seminar on ethical choices in newsrooms beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday and continuing Saturday morning. The seminar with W&L students will include 10 other journalists and academics from Wash- ington, D.C., and states including New York, Kentucky and West Virginia. A simultaneous session Friday will feature a screening of the new documentary, “Nuclear Proliferation and Pakistan,” by Sharon Tiller, senior producer and designer of PBS’ Frontline/World pro- gram. That session, which is open to the public without charge, is at 2:30 p.m. in Room 345 of the Commons. TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2004 Hidden Hero Sarah Yakots ensured financial success of Fancy Dress Ball BY SARAH MURRAY STAFF WRITER When Sarah Yakots ’04 attended this year’s Fancy Dress Ball, she looked past the candy canes and lolli- pops to the hard work and success that lay behind them. Yakots served as auditor for FD 2004. Un- der her management, the event not only met its budget goals, but posted a $2,000 surplus-theresult of months of effort. ' “I enjoyed every minute of it because I think it turned out wond'er- ful,” Yakots said. Students started an- ticipating the ball in the weeks leading up to it, but Yakots began preparing at the beginning of the school year. She and other officers began selecting steering committee mem- bers during fall term. It also fell on Yakots to keep track of each commit- tee member’s hours. Mem- bers must work 30 hours to receive a free memorabilia package for this year’s Willy Wonka-themed event. Yakots’ major responsi- bility was setting the bud- get for all aspects of Fancy Dress. Once that had been fixed, she decided on peri- odic revisions while keep- ing a tight rein on invoices and purchases. For Yakots," the task was difficult because the ball doesn’t receive a spe- cific amount of money from the Executive Committee. The university directly funds the ball, and the steering committee “is ex- pected to pay them back with memorabilia sales.” If the committee spends more money than they raise, the next year’s committee must take up the slack. Most of Yakots’ time was‘ spent in the week leading up to the ball it- self. The senior worked long hours on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sat- urday to make sure the gym was ready for Satur- day night. Butonce the crowds began streaming into the Warner Center, she knew that the result had made ef- fort worthwhile. Yakots said, “I have not seen the big gym look so _ good in the four years that I’ve been here, and I’ve been on the committee for three of those four years.” The decorations pale in comparison with good financial planning. At the end of the day, the steer- ing committee topped its $48,000 expenditure with $50,000 worth of T—shirts, tickets, and shotglasses with clever slogans. PHOTO oouarrsr SARAH YAKOTS THINK FD. Without her efforts, Fancy Dress would have flopped. The senior is also a mem- ber of the Student Recruit- ment Committee, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Kappa Alpha Theta. Yakots doesn’tjust ex- ercise her budgetary skills for Fancy Dress—she’s also the treasurer for Nabors Service League. Research Conference planned for fall BY IMRAN NAEMULLAH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR That pesky term paper you’ll be desperately finishing up two __ weeks from now might just turn into your hit presentation next fall. Perhaps the thought hasn’t occurred to ‘most Washington and Lee students, but now that possibility exists. This fall, Washington and Lee will be hosting an undergradu- ate research conference called “Science, Society, and the Arts,” where students will present original research to an audience of peers and faculty. The conference will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13 on the Wash- ington and Lee campus. Serving as guest speaker will be MIT professor Alan Lightman, the best-selling author of Einsteins Dreams. It is being organized‘ by a group of W&L professors and stu- dents, including Chair Robin LeBlanc of the Politics department, Michael Anderson of the Economics department, Sascha Goluboff of the Sociology and Anthropologyldepartment, Helen I’Anson of the Biology department, as well Adrienne Norwood, Anne Rochfort, and Alex Schaerrer, all class of 2005. Research is being sought from students in all majors, so for example, Goluboff represents not just the Sociology and Anthro- pology department, but also the other departments in Newcomb Hall: History, Philosophy, and-Religion. The idea behind the conference, according to Professor Goluboff, is to “get students interested in sharing their intellec- tual work with other students. We want to help them get over what we perceive as a fear of presenting intellectual work in pub- lic.” A - She adds that students are already good at expressing their opinions, so adding a research component is a value-added ben- efit. Goluboff emphasizes that students will mostly be presenting work they have already done for class, so the amount of extra effort required will not be a hurdle for students. Another benefit that Goluboff sees is the greater integra- tion of classroom instruction and less formal learning experi- ences. Schaerrer, representing students on the committee, is enthu- siastic for the conference’s potential. She said, “I think that this conference will be a great intro- duction to and preparation for graduate presentations and thesis presentations, as well as the spring conference being jointly hosted by VMI and W&L. According to a press release by the organizing committee, students may present in a variety of ways, including traditional oral presentations, posters, or creative work, such as multimedia presentations. _ In addition, there will also be a colloquium organized around se- lected readings, in which both students and faculty will participate. The conference organizers’ goal is to get around 100 stu- dents involved in total. This will not only help to make this con- ference a success, but will also serve as valuable feedback for the spring 2005 conference that will be jointly hosted by VMI and Washington and Lee, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Organizers and students alike will get a better feel for how to run the conference smoothly and ensure participant satisfaction in order to make the spring conference a success. Funding for the conference is coming from the Williams School, the Provost’s Office, the Dean of the College, and Phi Eta Sigma. The deadline for submitting colloquium reading proposals is Friday, May 7, and panel presentation proposals are due Friday, Sept. 25. Interested students should contact Professor Robin LeBlanc at leblancr@wlu.edu or x8612. Don’t drink and ‘drive... Call Traveller 540-458-8900 - Celebrate Spring Time Mother’s Day ~ Father’s Day Brides ~ Graduation Witha Relaxing Massage by Kelly Harris (540) 264-0063 Gift Certificates, Packages Speaking Engagements Certified through VA Board of Nursing 13Years Experience FORALL OF YOUR DRY CLEANING NEEDS: University Cleaners 7 North Jefferson Street 463-3622 dry cleaning, laundry, alterations Happy St. Patrick's Day! Remember to wear something green... Drink something green while you’re at it. ALL AUTO SERVICES Brakes - Exhaust — Tune—up A/C Services — Oil Change - Engine & Transmission Replacement/Rebuild General Service & Repair Car Wash In/Out & Detailing U-Haul Truck & Trailer Rentals Blue Ridge Auto Center 1973 Magnolia Ave. Buena Vista, VA 24416 (540) 261-9377 DISCOUNT! ! federated OPEN Mon-Fri. 8 — 5pm Sat. 8 ——N0on .‘. V 4‘ \_“ OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_003.2.txt _,A TUESDAY, MARCH 15,2004 ’ ‘R1N<;+'1ttAiI’iii AFF EDITORIAL S.A.B. needs to get on the ball The Students Activity Board needs to do something, anything. With only a few viable weeks left in the school year, it’s about time to bring some activity to campus. What did the Executive Cornmit- tee fund? An organization whose job it is to hold money? The SAB is not a bank. Spend it already. Officers, where is your budget going? At least the one thing the Stu- dent Body can be grateful for is the lack of bands from the “jam” genre. It is a welcome break to not see the overabundance of posters advertis- ing noodle-dance-worthy music. We would like to hear something, though. Just bring some music to carn- pus. Students want activity. Contrary to popular belief, the Stu- dent Activities Board did not contribute supportto Mock Convention. The orga- nization did, however, bring Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe to campus this year. Yet is that all we have to show for an entire year’s worth of funding? One band and a few miscellaneous magicians and hypnotists are hardly wor- thy of multiple tens of thousands in Ex- ecutive Committee dollars. The moral of the story is that the Executive Committee must take a more active role in making sure that organiza- tions spend money more wisely. Over- sight will be the crucial factor in deter- mining whether or not the SAB will de- liver a repeat performance next year. EC oflicers, please watch our cash carefully. We have faith that next year’s committee will work hard on that front. “What we’re simply asking for is that smoking be treated by Hollywood as seriously as it treats offensive language.” — Dr. Stanton Glantz of the University of California at San Francisco, who thinks smoking in a movie should merit an ‘R’ rating. te of the Week Editor in chief Assistant Editor News Editor Opinions Editor Asst. Opinions Editor Arts & Life Editor Asst. Arts & Life Editor Photography Editor Asst. Sports Editors Jeb Brooks Kyle Wass Erin Julius Caley Anderson Anne Finley Megan Morgan Chris Lauderrnan Cody Gabbard John Hyland Chad Kiewiet de Jonge Emily Edwards Kelly Jo Larsen Alexa Moutevalis Kate Zawyrucha Sarah Beth Campbell Vanessa Amess Aubrey Miner Production Assistants Copy Editors Paul Seifert David Seifert Stuart Presnell Rob Rain Business Manager Asst. Business Mgr. Circulation Director Distribution Dir The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee Univer- sity, Lexington, Virginia The Rirtg—n0n Phi is a member of The Publications Board, but is otherwise independent. The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible sub- missions 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 submissions for content and length. Letters and columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Advertising does not reflect the opin- ions of The Ring-tum Phi or its staff. This newspaper observw current court definitions of libel and obscenity. The Ring-tum Phi University Commons Room. 341 Washington and Lee University Lexington, Wrginia 24450 Telephone: (540) 458-4060 Fax: (540) 458-4059 Email: phi@wlu.edu Subscription rate $40 THE RING-TUMPHI “ CAiErANuarsoN OPINIONSEDIIOR mn m PINIONS PAGE 3 Abstinence—only sex ed dangerous, unrealistic STDS ARE MESSY ENOUGH. It’s doubtfulwhetherthejuniorhighschoolstuderrtswho createdthisposterwillaauallybe abstinent, andwhentheyhave sex,theywon’tbeprepared. Let’s be honest with ourselves, shall we? There are teens out there who, no matter what we tell them, are going to have sex. It’s a fact. We’re college students, aren’t we? We were there not too long ago, and we know what it’s like. Those of us who went to public schools also know what “standardized” sex education is like, with its references to diseases, anatomy, and above all its focus on prevention and protec- tion. Abstinence is certainly a part of this standard sex ed. With all the forms of birth control and prevention, students are already taught in these programs that nothing but abstinence guarantees safety from disease and unwanted pregnancy. Yet, despite the fact that the Victorian Era ended more than a hun- dred years ago, there are those who argue that references to anything but abstinence in sex education are either immoral or harmful to the adolescents who hear ‘it’. ‘They believe that telling students “just say‘ no” is the best way to stop the spread of STDs and to keep the adoles- cents in question from having unwanted babies. These individuals, who are frequently members of highly conservative Christian groups, think that educating teens in the “practical” aspects of sex only leads to an enablement of what they con- sider to be immoral behavior. Whether or not premarital sex is immoral is some- thing I won’t discuss on a college campus, but please understand this- no one is arguing for the removal of abstinence from current sex ed programs. Nor is anyone trying to say that abstinence isn’t, in fact, the best way to halt STDs and prevent pregnancies. All I wish to get across here is that programs that talk about abstinence, and only abstinence, are put forth despite an overwhelming amount of evi- dence. The Center for Disease Control, the National STD Prevention Con- ference, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Develop- ment, as well as an overwhelming majority of the world’s health profes- sionals all agree- abstinence-only programs are more than likely worse for teens than standardized sex education, and are certainly no better. Let’s take the most recent study, shall we? A joint Columbia-Yale study looked at over 12,000 adolescents aged 12-18 divided into two groups. One group took an abstinent sex education course, and all of them pledged at the end not to engage in premarital sex. The other group received the standard sex education course and made no such pledge. The results? STD and unwanted pregnancy rates for each group were about the same, with the students who pledged abstinence having a statistically insignificant increase in STD rates and pregnancies over the non-pledgers. The more disturbing statistic is that 59 percent of males who did not pledge abstinence used a condom during sex; only PHOTO oouruasr or ' timol9on.oom 40 percent of male pledgers used a condom. On the female side, STD testing was used as the standard, and there 28 percent of female non- pledgers were tested for STDS in the previous year, compared to 14 percent of female pledgers. The only category in which the pledgers could be construed as being “better” is in the incidences of actual premarital sex. 99 percent of non-pledgers engaged in premarital sex, whereas 88 percent of those who pledged not to engage in such sex, did. What does the creator of this unbiased, scientific study have to say about his data? “It’s difficult to simultaneously prepare for sex and say you’re not going to have sex. The message is really simple: ‘Just say no’ may work in the short term but doesn’t work in the long term.” This from Peter Bearman, the Sociology chair of Columbia Uni- versity, who conducted the study along with Hannah Bruckner, from Yale. And what do I draw as the main point from this study, besides the fact that teens who promise to abstain are mostly liars? Abstinence- only educations actually persuaded only 12 percent of those who pledged not to engage in premarital sex to, in fact, not engage in premarital sex. The other 88 percent were aban- doned without an education in prevention, sexual health, birth control, .and the facts of life in general. Is this the way we want to conduct sex education in this country? I hope not. Even President Bush, one of the more conservative Republican Presi- dents of the last 100 years, agrees. During his most recent State of the Union address, he outlined his plan to halt the, rampant spread of STDs in Africa. His plan is based on a successful Ugandan program that emphasizes marital fidelity, disease education, and use of condoms, ALONG WITH abstinence theory. Whatever they may say about do- mestic sex ed, the fact is that the Bush administration, when it wants practical results related to STD prevention, relies on a synthesis of abstinence and technical education. And who’s to blame the President for that? So let’s get real- why would anyone support abstinence—only edu- cation? Beats me. Adherence to an antiquated morality, perhaps, or maybe a desperate clinging to attitudes about sex that prevailed in the 1800s. Either way, the blind “just say no” strategy is foolish. It ignores certain realities, namely, that teens are going to have sex. You don’t need a Ph.D in medicine to tell you that. The best program for America’s teens is to tell them why abstinence is their best course, but then to also let them know about their options should they choose to engage in premarital sex. Knowledge is power. Sticking your head in the sand and hoping for the best is not the way to knowledge. Negative ads typical of Republican pols I watched some advertisements on the Bush—Cheney reelection site today. President Bush peered out from the Windows Media Player box and told me that “Now we face a choice. We can go forward with confidence and resolve and hope...we can continue to work to create jobs, reform education, and lower the cost of health care.” —~—~——~A—.—~»~— If President Bush has been OUTINLEFTFIELD .§ABECHAPMAN,‘96_ working to create jobs, he doesn’t have much to show for it. The last three White House job projections were embarrassed by the harsh reality. People have been dropping out of the labor force, as average unemployment time has ballooned to 15 or 20 weeks. The result is that the Labor Force Participation Rate has decreased; that is, people have al- together stopped looking for jobs since the job market is so tough. Since the unemploy- ment rate only counts people actively look- ing forjobs, it has hovered in the mid 5 per- cent range. If we include the people who have dropped out of the labor force in just the last 2 years, however, the unemployment rate would jump to 7.4 percent. Every few months ter new fields. school. Well, the White House produces another rosy job projection, saying that its tax—cuts will only take some time to produce job growth. Well, they’ve said it before, and they’re saying it again. And it isn’t true. The President of Goldman Sachs has said that none of their current models predict what is happening now: a jobless recovery. George W. Bush has old so- lutions for new problems. John Kerry is ready to think on his feet. Like extending support for workers so that their families do not lose health insurance from their smaller—business employees, or while they’re between jobs. John Kerry wants to increase the funding to train workers to en- While the advertisement is claiming that one of Bush’s messages is to “reform edu- cation,” children on-screen are shown frol- icking briefly in front of a nice suburban since Bush massively ‘underfunded his own education program, I think that his reputation as the “Education President” will ring hollow. Lower the cost of health care, eh? Surely Bush did not mean to lower the cost for the taxpayer, because the bill he signed into law this year was not much more than a windfall for health—insurance and phar- maceutical companies, companies which were quite profitable before the Republicans decided to give them 600 billion dollars or more of our money over the next ten years. Let me remind President Bush that you don’t shrink government unless you shrink spending. You and the Republican leader- ship have managed to shrink government revenue, but you’ve gone nuts with deficit spending. I am infinitely pleased that mod- erate and conservative Republicans alike defected from the Congressional party lead- ership on late Friday night by approving a budget that would take greater pains to bring the deficit under control, while mak- ing it harder for Bush to make his tax cuts permanent. Perhaps the more sensible Re- publicans will permit Bush to cut taxes again only after he shows that he can cre- ate a balanced budget. Four years later, we’re still waiting. OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_004.2.txt PAGE 4 ’nrlra; TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2004 Bush’s newest immigration policy less than enlightened PHOTO CDURTEY or viamtefoxmgnix PART OF THE PROBLEM? President George W. Bush, whose immigration policies might be false compassion is seen here with Vincente Fox, who presides over Mexico, which sends more immigrants to the U.S. than any other country.. How could I have been so blinded? In January, I wrote a piece praising Bush’s new immigration policies, believing they were truly beneficial to immigrants, but they are not. I initially applauded these changes, but now the more I think about his policies, the more I believe them to be nothing more than a half—assed attempt at appearing compas- sionate (please excuse my language but cor- diality would not get my point across as well). Bush would have it appear as though his policies would make it easier for illegal immigrants to live in this country because he is allowing them to come forward and unveil themselves without incurring any penalties. But it’s all political rhetoric that merely aims to appeal to the immigrant population, especially the Hispanics, without offending his conserva- tive constituents. Bush’s immigration policy is deceitful, cruel, and unfair to the immigrants whom he claims to help. The policyallows illegal immigrants to re- ceive a temporary legal status after which pe- riod they can try to stay in the United States permanently, but that will be discouraged. In- stead, immigrants will receive financial incen- tives to return home or else they will have to compete with outside immigrants for a limited number of immigration slots. In essence, the U.S. would allow immi- grants to come here, remain here to work for a period of time, and then strongly encourage them to leave and return home. Where is the sense in that logic? If these immigrants had the same opportunities that are available in the U.S. in their native countries, they would not have come here I in the first place. The ma- jority of the immigrants come to America to escape poverty, political instability, and other problems in their country, so why would they want to go back? To ask them to kindly leave America’s premises would mean that we were merely using them for their hard and cheap labor until their services were no longer re- quired. That is as unkind as bringing a little boy into a candy store and saying that he cannot eat any of the candy——he can only look. Likewise, Bush’s policies would let an immigrant see all of the sweet treasures that America has to offer but not give him the chance to enjoy any of them. Not only would the adult not have the chance to enjoy these fruits, but neither would his children or the younger members of his family. To want some- thing that you see everyday but never have the ability to attain it is possibly one of the most debilitating forms of deprivation. Not only does Bush’s policy cruelly tease immigrants with things they can never have, it also removes their only form of advantage in this country: anonymity. Being recognized by the American government seems wonder- ful on the surface, but in reality, it completely destroys an immigrant’s only chance to actu- ally survive here. Once an immigrant is iden- tified by the American government, he will be on the tax roll and he will be tracked by immi- gration officials, whereas before he could make money without being taxed and stay in this country as long as possible. It seems unfair to allow these immigrants to make money without paying taxes, but let’s not for- get the wages that they are earning. These are not $40K—a—year salaries. They are work- ing for the lowest of the low wages and are able to somehow get by with so many finan- cial restrictions, but if they were forced to pay taxes, would they still be able to subsist? And how would they benefit from the taxes that they would be forced to pay? Will they get their share of the Social Security benefits? No, be- cause they will not be living here long enough to receive what they put into the American economy. Americans cannot support such measures and must push for more tolerant policies if they are true Americans. America is composed of people from all over the world and was founded by immigrants so immigration is the founda- tion of its existence. Just because we have made it as a thriving society doesn’t mean that we do not require the assistance of others. To believe that we are completely independent is a dangerously stupid notion that will only alienate us from valuable resources found in people from other countries. “As a nation that values immigration and depends on immigration, we should have im- migration laws that work and make us proud,” Bush said. But I don’t feel so proud as an American. The policies are a great example of good political rhetoric, but we need to do much more before we can have an immigration policy that we can be proud of. Write opinions for the Phi.’ , The Ring-tum Phi is currently seeking to hire new opinions writers! If you’re interested in applying for an Op/Ed position, please e—mail phi@wlu.edu, or e—mail the Opinions Editor at andersonc@wlu.edu. Student Discounts Project Ilnriznn Emergency Hotline I 54Q—463—2594 AVEWIIIIII 24 lIlIlll‘8 II day. 7 days 3 WIIIIK. Every day, people have birthdays. On March 17, Brett Kirwan is one of them. Congratulations, Brett. (3 ma. twee»:-;:£ Rm»: L $"’::.m:e3:’Ai M l'_eXJ'ngtor1, VA 24450 540-461-3447 309 N. St. OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_005.2.txt JOHNHYlAl\D A$IlANl‘SPOR"lSEDIl0R mm m TUESDAY, MARCH 15,2004 'lllE Rlxls-rpl»lPl-ll PORTS PAGE 5 Womens’ lacrosse picks up two wins during past week Generals defeat Sweet Briar, Franklin & Marshall Senior captain wants to stick with lacrosse for the rest of her life BY KIM GUNST STAFF WRITER Many athletes spend only a short period of — _' their lives playing sports, often competing only throughout high school or college. But some de- cide they want to be involved with their sport for- ever. . Senior lacrosse captain Kelly Taffe has already made the latter decision. “I knew I wanted to pur- sue [lacrosse] as soon as I picked up a stick,” she said. “I love lacrosse and want to spend the rest of my life either playing or coaching it.” Since Taffe’s father is W&L’s Director of Spe- cial Events, she’s been familiar with the school for a long time. It was actually the school’s lacrosse camp that became Taffe’s deciding factor for at- tending W&L. Coaches Jan Hathom and Laurie Stagnitta saw her talent then and convinced her to come here. Taffe, who has been playing lacrosse since the 6th grade, simply cannot get enough of the sport. She spent her sophomore summer playing lacrosse in Adelaide, Australia for the Sturt Lacrosse Club. This summer, Taffe will coach lacrosse and field hockey camps at UVA. In August, she leaves for London to play and coach lacrosse for a year. When she returns to the U.S., she plans on coaching on" becoming an athletic director someday. But for now, Taffe is focused on helping the lacrosse team in her last season at W&L. She fore- sees success on the field and says she “can’t im- aging anything but spectacular things hap- pening.” Taffe, whose point and goal totals last season I love lacrosse and want to spend the rest of my life either or were the second-high- , , ” est season totals in C0aCh1I1g 1t- school history, was also KELLYTAFFE the captain of the General’s field hockey team. She finished holding the school’s records for career goals ( 15) and points (34), as well as earn- ing All—ODAC, All-State And All-Region honors. However, Taffe says that managing two sports hasn’t always been easy. “Athletes make a lot of sacrifices at this school, and it is really hard to keep up with everything,” she said. It’s the quality time spent her teammates and co-captains that Taffe believes makes it all worth it in the end—that and her two ODAC titles and bids to the NCAA. And just two days ago, Taffe recorded three more goals for the Generals during their win against ' ' » Franklin & Marshall. But at the end of the day, Taffe recognizes her teammates for her achieve- ments in W&L lacrosse. “Any accomplishment I’ve made has been the result of a team effort, starting with the coach,” Taffe said looking back on the past three years. “No individual can take credit when it’s a team sport.” BY CAMERON GARNER STAFF \Y/RITER The hits just keep on corrling. The Generals’ scoring woes continued Saturday as they notched just three goals in the second half in an attempt to rebound from allowing 5 unanswered in the first. The statistics don’t accurately reflect the outcome of the game. As usual, co—captain Senior goalie DEVOTION. Senior lacrosse captain Kelly Taffe wants to devote her life to playing and coaching lacrosse. This pas.‘ week, she helped lead the Generals to two wins. The team defeated Sweet Briar and Franklin 8C Marshall. COURTESY SPORTS lNFORMA'I'.(ON BY SARAH BLOOM SENIOR STAFF WRITER It was ‘a week of double sweet success for the W&L women’s lacrosse team. The Gen- erals took home victories against Sweet Briar and Franklin and Marshall. The women started off the week strong when they played Sweet Briar on Wednesday. Se- nior Kelly Taffe led the team, scor- ing four goals and assisting on two others, to a win 12-2. The Vixens scored once in the first half, but the Generals proved the stronger team, leaving half-time with a seven point lead. Also adding to the Gener- als twelve points were senior Lee Wheeler, freshman Mallory Lobisser, and fresh- man Avery Lovejoy. Senior Joanna Perini made two saves at the net. “We were very confident going in to the game,” said Lobisser. Despite a clear win by the Generals. She said, “I think they surprised us a bit. Their defense played well and they were much improved from last year.” The stronger defense was a good warm-up for the General’s next game against Franklin and Marshall on Sat- urday. \lVlth only 28:01 left in the game, the General’s found them- selves trailing the Diplomats 7- 3. “We were biting our nails at half-time,” said Lobisser. “but we never lost confidence and we knew this was our game. The juniors and seniors played them two years ago and lost so we were there to win this year.” Senior Kelly Taffe started the Generals on their comeback when she scored off of an assist by sophomore Amanda Strickler. Strickler and Taffe led the gener- als in scoring with three goals each. Sophomores Rachel Wallick and Kate Lester each also scored to position the Generals only one point behind F&M. After half-time, Washington and Lee quickly pulled ahead to a 7- 2 victory with goals by Taffe, Strickler and junior Erin Rathbone. Perini again stood at the net, this time making 15 saves. The women next host Guilford College at 4:00 PM on Tuesday. The aim to keep the momentum going for another win. Stayin’ on the St. Joseph’s‘bandwagon BY RYAN GRITTER STAFF \X/RITER Normally at this time of year, we’re talking about two or three teams that are clearly the top contend- ers going into the NCAA Tournament. What makes this particular year so interesting though is the fact that there are at least eight teams that have a legiti- mate shot at winning the title. Though it may sur- prise many after their recent loss at Xavier, I still feel that St. Joseph ’s has the best shot at winning the title this year. The critics have much to say about St. Joe’s; yes they are in a weak conference, yes they have only average inside players, and yes they did get spanked by Xavier in the conference tournament, but I feel that if anything this loss will help the Hawks. The loss they suffered revealed weak- nesses that they need to address namely the inside game and the need for guards Jamir Nelson and Delonte West to penetrate. It has become clear that this team relies almost entirely on the play of Nelson and West, but jumpshooting doesn ’t win championships. Learning of their weaknesses be- Ansel Sanders played well for the Generals, allow- ing just 5 goals and totaling 10 saves in net. The defense was strong again, shutting down F & M’s extra—man unit all four times they took the field. The Generals won the faceoff battle convincingly, controlling 70% of the draws. They had a sparse 3 minutes of penalties as opposed to F & M’s 9; unfortunately, the scoring touch, escaped the Gen- erals until the game was all but decided. fore the tournament gives them a chance to make the necessary adjustments. The loss also relieves them of the pressure of an undefeated season, which is always underrated by media and fans. When a team has a run like that going, they can become so tense that a loss is just what they need to loosen up and play at an even higher level. The fact that they are in a weak conference, the Atlantic 10, I feel is not enough to consider them a fraud. For one, their conference isn’t even all that weak, Xavier and Dayton are perennial tournament teams and Temple and George Washington are both solid teams. I’m not saying it’s the SEC or ACC but it’s not like they’ve been playing high school teams all season and are going to be shocked at the level of competition in the tourney. As for the other elite teams, I feel there isn’t another team with as good ofa claim as St. Joe’s. Kentucky and Duke are both very safe picks; and if Kentucky beats Mississippi State for the SEC championship, they are pretty much a lock for a nurn— ber one seed. However, Duke suffered a recent loss to Georgia Tech and Kentucky has not exactly blown away the competition (except Vanderbilt. . ..but then, Frustrated by recent inefficiency, the of- fense began to show signs of life only during the last stages of the game, finally making good on the exorbitant number of penalty minutes they were handed. Junior attackman Gavin Molinelli tallied the Generals first score in an extra—man opportunity off a feed from el cuerpo (the Body for those of you who don’t habla espafiol) with 4:09 left in the third. From there, who doesn’t beat Vandy lately?). Stanford is over- rated and plays in a conference that is almost at the same level as the Atlantic 10. Over the past couple of years they have shown a tendency to come up short in the tournament — and this year’s team is in no way comparable to the 2002 team led by the Collins twins. Pittsburgh is still a bit of an unknown; how- ever a victory over UConn would certainly give them a legitimate claim, but UConn with an injured Emeka Okafor if at all. Having said that, if Okafor can play at almost full strength throughout the touma— ment, UConn is definitely a contender - but without their best player (arguably college basketball’s best player) they don’t have much of a chance. Okla- homa State wants a number one seed, but they have been upset by average teams like BYU and Mis- souri. Oklahoma State will get knocked off in the tournament and probably will not get the number one seed, since they still have to get past Texas again to win the Big 12. Mississippi State is a bit hard to predict, ST. JosEl>H’s See page 6 Mens’ lacrosse scoring problems persist, drop one to #15 Franklin & Marshall the Generals went stagnant again until around 2 minutes to go in the fourth, when Senior midfielder Dustin Martin hooked up with Molinelli twice in extra—man opportunities. The Generals, despite outshooting the Diplomats 30- 29, were slowed by F & M’s junior goalie Mike Sartorius’ 13 saves. The Generals return to action at home against Colorado College on Wednesday at 3:30. THIS WEEK’s SCHEDULE Tuesday, March 16 Wednesday, March 17 Thursday, March 18 Friday, March 19 Saturday, March 20 Sunday, March 21 O W Tennis vs. Randolph- O Baseball vs. Roanoke-- O M Tennis at Lynchburg- O Track at VCU Invita- O Baseball vs. Eastern O W Tennis vs. Macon Women ’s, at 3:00 -3:00 tional--TBA Mennonite (DH )--12:00 Muhlenberg--10:00 Roanoke--4:00 OM Lax vs. Colorado O Baseball at O Golf at Golden Isle OM Lax vs. Mary Wash- O WI.ax vs. Colby (at OW Lax vs. Guilfor -- College--3:30 Shenandoah--4:00 Invitational--TBA ington--1 :30 University of Richmond)- 4:00 O W Tennis vs. Sweet O M Swim at NCAA’ -- O WLax vs. Mary Wash- -12:30 Briar, at Rand0lph- All Day ington--1 :30 O Golf at Golden Isle Macon--4:00 - O Track hosts W&L Invitational--TBA Invitational--9:30 O M Swim at NCAA’s--All O M Tennis vs. Mary Day Washington--2:00 O W Tennis vs. Kalamazoo--9:30; vs. Agnes Scott--2:30; vs. Mary Washington--2:30 O Track at VCU Invita- tional--TBA O Golf at Golden Isle Invitational--TBA O M Swim at NCAA’s--All Day OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_006.2.txt PAGE 6 OS I-E ING-TUM STRIDE. Junior Steve Chambers runs in an event during this past weekend at \W8CL’S Track and Field Invitational. W&L hosts track and field invitational W&L SPORTS RELEASE LEXINGTON, Va. — The Washington and Lee men’s and women’s track‘ teams kicked off their outdoor seasons by hosting the 2004 W&L Track and Field Invitational on Saturday at Wilson Field. On the women’s side the Generals finished fourth, while Susquehanna took top honors with 156 points The Crusaders were followed by Roanoke (97), Mary Washington (80), W&L (54.5), Sewanee (49), Bridgewater (43.5), Southern Virginia (3 8), Christopher Newport (26) and Berea (11). In men’s competition W&L placed sev- enth, while Susquehanna won the invitational with 165 points. The Crusaders were followed by DeSales (78), Sewanee (72), Berea (59), Mary Washington (53), Roanoke (44), W&L (30), Bridgewater (29.5), - Southern Virginia (19.5), Christopher Newport (6) and William Penn (1). The W&L women’s team was led by sophomore Mary Christo- pher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) and freshman Sara Behmerwohld (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Dana Hills). Christopher won the 800 meter run with a time of 2:26.37, while Behmerwohld won the 400 meter hurdles with a school record time of 68.65. Sophomore Betsy Frayer (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rap- ids) emerged as a top W&L distance runner with third place in thel500 meter run (5209.76), while’ junior Emily Barker (Clifton, Va./Mount Vernon) led the throwers with points in three events. Barker took third in the javeliri (107’5”), third in the shot put (36’5”) and sixth in the discus (102’3”). On the men’s side junior Chris Walker (Centreville, Va./Paul IV) was W&L’s lone event winner, taking top honors in the shot put with a distance of 43 feet, 10 inches. Junior Nathan Johnson (Lexington, VaJRockbridge County) placed second in the 1500 meter run (4204.30), while senior Rusty Meyer (Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Prep) took fourth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:02.76. Both W&L.squads return to action on Fri., March 19 at the VCU invitational. ST. JOSEPH’S From page 5 they’ve played some phenomenal games against good teams and played close with some poor ones. Like Kentucky, if they win the SEC they’ll be all but assured a number one seed, but they already lost to Kentucky earlier in the season and I feel they could do so again. The possibilities are almost endless, and as a bitter Florida/Michi- gan fan, I have no feelings toward any particular team that affect my judgment. J amir Nelson has been called T.J. Ford with a jump Shot, and T.J. Ford carried his team to the semifinals last year. Give him a jumper and Delonte West by his side and Texas could have won it all last year. Furthermore, there is no team with the skills capable of exploiting this weakness except UConn if Okafor is healthy. There are no real wrong answers, but I feel that St. J oe’s has the best chance of all these teams to win it all with spectacular veteran leader- ship, two great scorers and the pressure of going undefeated lifted from their backs. House for Rent In The Country 4 Bedrooms 2 Baths Lease goes from June 15, 2004 to June 15, 2005 1.5 miles on Rt. 60 East “Jaws” Daytime Phone: 540463-5383 Nighttime Phone: 540-463-5654 TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2004 Generals’ baseball remains perfect in ODAC against Randolph-Macon BY JOHN HYLAND ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR The W&L baseball team re- bounded from a tough non-con- ference loss last Wednesday. by sweeping Randolph-Macon on Saturday to remain perfect in the ODAC, improving their record to 10-4, 4-0 ODAC The Generals faced Pied- mont College on Wednesday. The game was scoreless through two innings when Piedmont was able to get two runs off Generals starter Mike Wert in the second. Piedmont would go on to score seven runs over the next three innings to take a 9-0 lead. Wert surrendered 8 runs over 4 2/3 in- nings -and suffered the loss to even his record at 2-2 on the sea- son. The Generals bats did not fair any better. Piedmont starter Austin Denvew allowed only two hits and zero runs over eight in- nings. All of the Generals offense came by way of a two-out, three run homer by sophomore first baseman Taylor McConnell. But it was too little, too late and the Generals finished on the short side of a 10-3 score. W&L resumed their ODAC schedule on Saturday by host- ing the Yellow Jackets. The Gen- erals sent their ace Peter Dean out to the mound. The senior lefthander got all of the offense he would need in a three run sec- ond inning, capped by senior shortstop Austin Allain’s two run double. The Generals scored insurance runs in the fourth and fifth innings to round out the scoring for a 5-1 win. Dean pitched the complete seven in- nings, allowing two hits and just one uneamed run. He improved his record to a perfect 5-0 on the year and with the victory tied the ODAC career wins record. Sophomore second baseman Scott Gosselink joined Allain as the only Generals to have multi- hit games. The nightcap proved to be even easier than the first game for the Generals. The game was close after four innings, with W&L having assumed a 2-0 lead. The Generals’ bats came alive in the fifth, however, as they scored six runs to break open the game. The inning was led by McConnell’s RBI double and jun- Mens’ tennis dominates Salisbury, Eighth ranked Generals win 6-1, 7-0 to improve record to 9-4 BY ALLISON PERRY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR The Washington and Lee men’s tennis team dominated Salisbury and Denison this Sat- urday at home with a 6-1 win over Salisbury and a 7-0 win over Denison. The 8th nationally ranked Generals improved their record to 9-4, 4-0 in the ODAC. Salisbury is now 2-2 overall. Saturday’s match was the first of the season for Denison, putting them at 0-1 overall. Junior Paul McClure led the ‘Generals in the match against Salisbury with a 6-2, 6-3 win over senior Nick Peel in the No. 1 singles match. Peel is ranked 27th nationally while McClure is ranked 21st. Sophomore David Shay de- feated senior Scott Mayberry 6- 3, 6-2 in the No. 2 spot. In the No. 3 singles match, Salisbury senior David Finlayson had a 6-4, 6-7 (2) (10-8) win over freshman Jon Malooly. Senior Graham Nix won his match against sophomore Tyler Robinson at No. 4, 6-3, 6-1. In the No. 5 spot, senior K.C. Schaefer defeated junior Jaime sophomore Chris Kimmel also won their match with an 8-5 vic- tory over Cook and Engles at N o. 3. In the match against Denison, McClure started off in the No. 1 spot again, shutting Engles 6-1, 6-2. down his oppo- SeniorAuStin Kim nent, senior Cory rounded out the Stewart, 6-0, 6-0. singles play with a Shay defeated 6-2, 6-1 win over junior Ethan senior Jacob Cook Branum 6-0, 6-2 in in the No.6 match. the No. 2 match. In doubles In the No. 3 Spot, play, McClure and sophomore Jor- dan Eichenberger teamed up to de-. feat the 10th na- tionally ranked doubles pair of Peel and Mayberry 8-5 at No. 1. Kim and Nix shut down their opponents, Finlayson and Robinson, 8-0 in the No. 2 spot. Schaefer and RTS INFORMATION Nix Shut down sophomore Eric Messick, 6-0, 6-0. Schaefer also won his match against sopho- more Nick Pellegrin at No. 4, 6—0,6-2. In the No. 5 and 6 singles matches, both Kim and sopho- more Charles Anderson shut ior leftfielder Chris Chaplin’s two-run triple. The Generals scored three more runs in the seventh inning to take an 11-0 lead.-The Yellow Jackets would score one meaningless run in the ninth and the game finished 11- l . Senior righthander Dan Kagey started on the mound and pitched eight shutout innings, improving his record to 3-0 on the year. Of- fensively, freshman designated hitter David Miller went 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Gosselink and McConnell each went 2 for 4 ' with two runs and two RBIs apiece, and senior rightfielder Bryan Mulhem finished 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. The Gen- erals continue their ODAC schedule with a home game against Roanoke on Wednesday. Denison down their opponents, sopho- mores Noah Arenstein and Chris- topher Henderson, respectively. In the doubles matches, Kim and Nix shut down Stewart and Branum, 8-0 at No. 1. McClure and Eichenberger teamed up again for an 8-3 victory over Messik and Arenstein at No. 2. Schaefer and Kimmel also de- feated their opponents, Pellegrin and Henderson, 8-1 in the No. 3 spot. The Generals travel to Lynchburg on Thursday for a conference match-up at 3:00 p.m. The Hornets are currently 1-1 and ranked second in the ODAC be- hind the Generals. Washington and Lee then hosts the 9th nationally ranked Mary Washington Eagles on Sat- urday for a 2:00 p.m. contest. This match will be an important one for the Generals after losing to Mary Washington 1-6 last year. The Eagles are currently 6-2. Women’s Lacrosse 1. Washington and Lee (8) 2. Roanoke 3. Randolph-Macon 4. Virginia Wesleyan 5. Lynchburg 6. Sweet Briar 7. Bridgew iter 8. Guilford 9. Hollins Baseball 1. Virginia Wesleyan (9) 2. Bridgewater (1) 3. Guilford 4. Washington and Lee 5. Lynchburg 6. Hampden-Sydney 7. Eastern Mennonite 8. Emory & Henry 9. Roanoke 10. Randolph-Macon ODAC announces spring sports preseason polls Generals picked to win womens’ lacrosse, mens’ and womens’ tennis W&L SPORTS RELEASE Men’s Tennis 1. Washington and Lee (7) 2. Lynchburg 3. Hampden-Sydney 4. Emory & Henry 5. Virginia Wesleyan 6. Roanoke 7. Eastern Mennonite 8. Bridgewater 9. Randolph-Macon Golf 1. Guilford (8) 2. Bridgewater 3. Washington and Lee 4. Randolph-Macon 5 . Hampden-Sydney 6. Virginia Wesleyan 7.'Roanoke 8. Lynchburg 9. Emory & Henry SALEM, Va. — The Old Dominion Athletic Conference armounced its spring sports preseason polls as voted on by the league’s coaches in each particular sport. Washington and Lee was chosen to finish first in women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. Additionally, the Generals’ men’s lacrosse team‘ was picked third, the baseball team was picked fourth, the golf team was picked third, and the womeifs and men’s track teams were picked fourth and fifth, respectively. Below are the 2004 ODAC Preseason Spring Sports polls (first place votes in parenthesis): Women’s Tennis 1. Washington and Lee (11) 2. Hollins 3. Sweet Briar 4. Bridgewater 5. Emory & Henry 6. Randolph-Macon 7. Roanoke 8. Virginia Wesleyan 9. Eastern Mennonite 10. Guilford 1 1 . Lynchburg 12. Randolph-Macon Woman's Men’s Track 1. Bridgewater (2) 2. Lynchburg (3) 3. Eastern Mennonite 4. Roanoke 5. Washington and Lee Men’s Lacrosse 1, Lynchburg (4) 2. Hampden-Sydney ( l ) 3. Washington and Lee 4. Roanoke (2) 5. Virginia Wesleyan 6. Randolph-Macon 7. Guilford Women’s Track 1. Roanoke (2) 2. Lynchburg (3) 3. Eastern Mennonite 4. Washington and Lee 5. Bridgewater 1~800«648- -38%? I wvm.:?smnrcL(om Support Generals Athletics 9 Fraternities -- Sororities Clubs -- Student Groups Earn $1,000-$2,000 this semester with a proven CampusFundraiser 3 hour fundraising event. free programs make fundraising easy with no risks. Fundraising dates are filling quickly, so get with the program! CampusFundraiser at (888) 923-3238, or visit mmmm It works. Contact Our -:E"U L ¥’/ .. OCR::/Vol_106/WLURG39_RTP_20040315/WLURG39_RTP_20040315_007.2.txt PAGE 7 Depression is a rising trend on col- lege campuses across the nation. Stud- ies from the American'Mental Health As- sociation and the National Institute of Mental Health show that between 10-15% of all college students are diagnosed with depression. Depression can be a terrify- ing battle to fight alone, but there is help available to W&L students 24 hours a day. “Arts LIFE Washington and Lee student struggles with depression Thankfully, Matthew did seek help. First he turned -to W&L Counseling Ser- vices. Though he had been seeing a coun- selor earlier in the year, he realized that he had not as fully worked through things as he thought he had. The Health Center is also “pretty phenomenal,” according to Matthew. “When I was really at rock bottom I would go there at odd hours of the night. I didn’t Freshman Matthew Loar hails from Littleton, Colorado, a town of MORETHANMAINSTIKEAM KELLY Jo LARSEN ‘O5 feel safe alone at night.” Matthew worked through “middle class, white col- lar suburbia,” according to Loar, but more widely known for its school shooting in 1999. Matthew came to W&L after applying early decision, but the college transition did not go quite as‘ smoothly as he had hoped. In early Feb- ruary, Matthew was formally diagnosed with depression. The depression presented itself in many ways: Matthew slept over nine hours a night, but found he couldn’t make it through a day without a nap. He would go long periods without eating. “The stomach says its hungry but trying to eat is like trying to swallow an orange, whole,” Matthew recalls. Then there were the suicidal thoughts. Matthew finally decided to seek help after a late night trip to the Cadaver footbridge——a trip he had no intentions of returning from. his depression with the help of both the Counseling Center and the Stu- dent Health Center. He is now taking an- tidepressants, continues to see a coun- selor, and has started the long battle to a complete recovery. Now that he has been emotionally stabilized, “its time to figure out what caused it [the depression].” The unpacking process has begun,” Loar said. Depression can have many triggers in- cluding a hereditary predisposition or major emotional stress. “For me it was an accumulation of a lot of different stresses,” Matthew explains. During his senior year of high school he was exposed to a lot of death and terminal illnesses. To complicate matters, during the begin- ning of Winter Term he also made the de- cision to depledge from his potential fra- ternity. “I already was not fully emotion- ally stable and I couldn’t handle the stress of pledgeship,” Loar explains. “Depledging is not an easy decision to make. Depledging was just the straw that broke the camel’s back and I don’t blame the Greek system as a whole.” In talking openly about his battles with depression, Matthew hopes to help others seek help. “If I come out into the open and I come clean, maybe others will seek help. The initial ‘acceptance is the hardest step to make,” Loar explains. “It’s not normal to be feeling depressed feel- ings all the time and people need to know its OK to get help. In talking about it, maybe other people might stop, take a sec- ond and check their pulse to see if they’re really doing OK or if they’re re- ally holding something back.” “A lot of people are afraid to go see a counselor. There are stereotypes about shrinks and they’re embarrassed, but it’s amazing what can happen when you open up to someone,” Matthew says. “Every- body has a bad day now and then, but if you start to see a pattern, and you go weeks, maybe months, without a good day, don’t keep it to yourself. Depression is a ravaging beast that will consume your life if you let it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” Symptoms of depression include: sad- ness, anxiety, loss of energy, sleep distur- bances, appetite or weight change, feelings MEGANMORGAN ARl‘S8CLIFEEDll"OR FMAi;MoRcANM1@Wrui~13rJ TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2004 BYSTEVENMARINOS RING-TUMPI-II of hopelessness or guilt, thoughts of death or suicide, difficulty concentrating or mak- ing decisions, difficulty remembering, ex- cessive crying or irritability, or chronic aches or pains (National Institute of Men- tal Health 2001). If you think you might need help, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Health Center at X8401, the Coun- seling Center at x8590, a dorm counselor or a peer counselor. The naked truth: social criticisms and confessions from a nude model BY COURTNEY E. PERRY ‘O4 STAEFWRIIER I realize that, in publicizing the fact that I’m a nude model and writing an opinion column on a campus such as this, I’m setting myself up for all sorts of criticisms, objectifying remarks, and vari- ous other comments, rumors and stories. How- ever, if I’m comfortable enough with myself and my body to pose naked in front of a room full of people, then I can certainly withstand the dissent- ing opinions of others when I insist on being open about my own. I charge you to say what you will. I now bring you (drumroll please!) The Naked Truth: Social Criticisms and Con- fessions from a Nude Model. Without ques- tion there exist many stereotypes, customs and social norms on our dear W&L cam- pus. We’ve all read the numerous articles which have so expressly articulated what were generally known stereotypes seemingly ingrained in the very letters which decorate the houses of the Greek organizations. However, this is not meant to be an article about the “cool kids” and the stereotypes of the various associations. Rather, I have found that somehow, some way, the students, specifically the girls, on campus have been brainwashed. The result is a shockingly skewed perception of social status that has left male students in a ‘grossly advantageous position which they still seem to take for granted. I feel as though the women on campus have come to view them- selves, their worth, and their bodily images “We’ve all read the numerous articles which have so expressly articulated What were generally known stereotypes seemingly ingrained in the very letters which decorate the houses‘ of the Greek organizations.” ' through distorted male eyes. The already dan- gerous levels of eating disorders present on campus have no doubt been exacerbated by ig- norant, pompous frat boys who don’t know the damaging effects of their own derogatory com- ments. Furthermore, as the ever-classy Tim Smith pointed out in his enlightening article sa- luting the women of Washington & Lee, one of the best aspects about spring supposedly is (survey says!) mini—skirts. Now, I’m going to guess and say that anyone—pledges ex- cluded—wearing a mini-skirt on campus is not trying to impress me or any other girl. So, what is all of this for? Girls across campus are liter- ally making themselves sick in an attempt to gain the perfect figure, and then objectifying themselves by wearing next to nothing to show off such unnaturally obtained illusory beauty. And for what? To impress... whom? Them?! No thank you. For the guys out there who make such afore- mentioned derogatory comments, or who expect girls to dress in mini—skirts for their viewing plea- sure, or who even expect girls to put out during a “random hook-up” and excuse you for not doing so much as saying ‘hi’ on campus per the speak- ing tradition afterwards (and, of course, not all W&L guys are such barbarians), I ask you: why should 1? Or why should any other girl for that matter. What about my viewing pleasure? I don’t see an overwhelming amount of guys——-or at least certainly not as large a percentage as girls—bring— ing themselves to the brink of death and/or physi- cal exhaustion in order to obtain such Herculean ideals of masculine physical perfection and then walking around with their shirts off in 'order to please me. Instead, I see an awful lot of “frat” boys drinking copious amounts of beer in order to seemingly assert their masculinity upon one another rather than as an attempt to impress those belonging to the female sex. Hey, “why have a six pack when you can have the whole keg?” The double standard is atrocious, and I, for one, am not falling for it. I have one final complaint to wage against the male student populous (or at least those deemed cooler than me on the social ladder). Honestly, would it melt you to take a shower be- fore class? Comb your hair? Cut your hair? Shave? Anything? Not only is your filthy, un- kempt, unhygienic body an immense tum-off, but frankly, I find it insulting to the integrity of the highly—ranked and admired professors to say to them in such a blatant and disrespectful manner that they are not worth your cleanliness or the extra time (what? 15 minutes for you boys?) it takes for you to make yourself presentable in the morning. How rude. However, having said that, there will always be the occasional alarm clock malfunction, late night study session, etc., that will prevent any student from arriving to class in the prettiest possible state. These instances should be limited to just that—occasions. Now that I have verbally abused the male student body, I feel it is highly necessary to offer an apologetic disclaimer. This article is meant to attack a general stereotype to which, as with any stereotype, there are numerous exceptions. I like to think, anyway, that an institution of higher learning with a prestigious reputation such as this one can boast at least a few intelligent men who know enough to have some decency and respect and thus not make horrid, offensive and inappropriate remarks, especially as regards fe- males, but in all respects as well. In fact, I hope and urge all you boys out there to prove me wrong and show that such pigs are in fact in the minority! And I know there are boys out there who do in fact shower and shave daily . Also the superficial obsession with physical ap- pearance is not merely an unfair judgment placed upon females, but, of course, males as well. There are plenty of Casanovas out there who may not be the hottest flames ever to light the fire of a young fair maiden’s heart, but who, nonetheless, possess infinite number of redeeming character- istic qualities—sense of humor, chivalry, intelli- gence, eloquence, affability, etc. (in case you wanted a few hints as to what you should work on). And these are just a few examples of the vast number of stereotype exceptions. So, back to the task at hand: girls, stand up for yourselves! Know who you are and that you do not have to settle for some rude, over- weight, unattractive, unclean, underachiever any longer! No matter what fraternity or other cam- pus organization he may be involved in or what his social status on this campus may be (trust me, such “cool kids” may not be so highly ad- mired once they get out into the “real” world). Marilyn Monroe, one of the most gorgeous women in American history was a size 12. Guys, take a look at the world around you and appreci- ate life’s small favors (even if they are just mini- skirts-—thanks Tim Smith) and know that these privileges are just those—favors, not entitle- ments. Ideals of physical appearance, for both men and women, are subject to trends, cultures, fashions and seasons and are thus, fleeting. And if you do choose to “beautify” yourself, make sure your goal is an equal and worthy cause. To everyone, I say, cast off the stigma of your Greek affiliation, and shed your expensive designer (yet, in some cases, less covering) clothes and take a good long look at yourselves. Are you satisfied with what’s left underneath? 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After last year’s finals loss, IFIJI is looking to go all the way and-should, so long as their early season dorrli— nancel doesn’t lead to overconfi— dence. Odds towinitall-3to2 Faculty — Last year’s charnpi— ons, the faculty has a completely different team this year. Coach Snyder is hurt, and potential IIVI power- house Kadlubowski leaves them without an inside force. As a result, they have adapted a high-octane run—and-shoot offense, with the likes of Head Coach Adam Hutchinson, Professor Casey, and Alumni Of- fice All-Star Eric Owsley. When they’ve got the hot touch, this is a dangerous team, but without a pres- ence inside, back—to-back championships may be a tough order. Odds to win it all — 8 to 1 Law 2 (A) — The most dangerous law team, these guys simply out—powered all the teams in their group, j breezing to an easy #1 seed. Overwhelmingly ath- letic, these guys like to run, drive and kick, and shoot the three. Their only hurdle was a Phi Psi team that played a tight first half, but then the law guys ran all over the place in the 2”“ half and won by twenty. Probably the best starting five in the tourney, this team can only be beaten in a slow—tempo, grind-it- out game. Odds to winit all—2 to 1 Lambda — The greatest Cinderella story in IM B—ball history, Lambda surprised everyone with a leg- endary undefeated regular season run, complete with a last—second miracle win over Team Trotter. In the playoffs, they will depend on post—play dominance from wunderkind Adam Kowalsky and the Frat Lord himself, as well as the outside touch fiom Pittypat Jones, Marshall “The Miracle” Rule, and floor gen- eral Moms Beshore. How far will this miracle story go? Odds towinitall—8to 1 SAE — Plenty of size on this team, with Saxon, Bode, Geist and Co., the E—dogs are the most power- Hazing a THE iiiiiii THER1l\lG-TUM Pln ful #2 seed in the tournament. They will out—rebound their opponents and own the paint, but run—and-shoot teams may give them a spot of trouble. Also, SAE does not boast a lot of great outside shooters, leav- ing questions about their ability to come from behind — if needed, that is. Odds to win it all — 4 to 1 Phi Kap — Team Skulls plays physical basketball, having survived some close games with Sigma Chi and Chi Psi. The team boasts valuable role—players, includ- ing Hy-land-o and downtown—threat Warren Hunter, but it’s no secret that the key to this team is Chris Carlson. He takes a variety of floaters, running-jurnpers and treys, and if he makes those shots, Phi Kap will win. Otherwise, they’ll be going home early. Odds to win it all——20 to 1 Pi Phi —A#2 seed courtesy of a win over PIKA, Pi Phi slipped late in the season with a loss to the Indy 1 Panthers. Deceptively deep, Pi Phi is led by combo- guard Adam Heinhauer and surprising post-man Whit Whitfield. But does Pi Phi have the athleticism to compete with bigger, faster teams? To get anywhere, they’ll need some trey bombs from Volbrecht and Baluk to help the cause. Odds to win it all— 50 to 1 Phi Delt— The definition of a running team, Phi Delt will look to Billy DeBuys, Greg Tweardy, and Joel Carter to lead their high-octane offense deep into the playoffs. While they can score a lot of points, AST ORD Official guide to W&L’s intramura their defense is still unproven, as seen in their only loss to Law 2 A. So long as they can get a bunch of easy opportunities on offense, and aren’t forced to shootjump—shots, Phi Delt is a dangerous team. Odds to win it all — 7 to 1 Sigma Chi — Team Trotter was stunned in two last I second losses, thanks to Chris Carlson and Marshall Rule. In the tourney, Sigma Chi will live and die by the three—pointer—if Trotter, Rob Rain, and early First—Team candidate Chris Davis can drain the tllree—ball, Sigma Chi has a chance to win. But the real question for Sigmachee is their defense. This team has next to no help inside — if Femald has to guard someone like Neurnan, ouch. Oddstowinitall—30to 1 PIKA — The most underachieving team in the regular season, PIKA should be dangerous come play PH PO no From left: Chris Caramore, Wes Kimmel and Patrick Newman. Can Fiji’s triple threat take them all the way? off time. Wltll Kerry Kellogg, Joe Lenoir, and the versatile A.J. Manett, this team has plenty of fire power. Mayson, Fasio and Treco add some size in the paint, but are they physical enough to compete with the big boys? Rebounding will be the key as PIKA looks to make their championship run. Odds to win it all 20 to 1 Law I — This law team has size and power, but still struggled at times against SAE and the quicker Faculty team. Nonetheless, they should beat smaller teams simply by rebounding and outworking their opponents in the paint. With not a lot of outside lVlK}ANMORGAN Alus&LlrrEolToR EMAmlAoRoANnl1@uUlDU TUESDAY, MARCH 15,2004 1 basketball playoffs threats, this team would post—up every possession if they were smart — in that sense, they control their own destiny. Odds to win it all — 20 to 1 Phi Psi — The Frat Lord’s early season dark- horse pick, Phi Psi has the dynamic duo of Todd Chatham and Harnbone Hamilton. When these two get going, it’s tough to slow them down, but de- fense is the real key to Phi Psi’s playoff run. If they manage to slow down the faster, more talented teams, they’ll have a chance to make a decent run. Oddstowinitall—50to1 . Law 111 — A #4 seed thanks to a close win over Indy 1, Law III will rely on their big man (you know, the one with all the kids running around) and Paul Pittman for any chance to make it anywhere in the playoffs. Not very deep or talented, this team will have to grind it out for a chance — they simply don’t have the athleticism to compete with the more tal- ented teams in the pool. Odds to win it all — 100 to 1 Kappa Sig — With two forfeits in the regular season, Kappa Sig is now looking to prove them- selves in the playoffs. Trey Hart is one of the better big men in the tourney, but other than Tyler Wolf, who provides excellent hustle work, K- Schwag probably doesn’t have the depth or talent to compete far into the tournament. Look for a first round exit. Odds to win it all — 200 to 1 KA — Probably the best #4 seed, KA did rea- sonably well even without the presence of Mos- cow Franceski for most of the games. Whether or not he plays in the tourney will help determine the Order’s chances. Hunter Baird will shoot the three anytime he chooses, and KA also boasts some decent rebounders. However, this team doesn’t play a lick of defense, and that will be their down- fall in the tourney. Odds to win it all — 150 to 1 Law 2 B — The fourth and final law team in the tourney, Law 2 B slipped in through a three-way tiebreaker with Chi Psi and Irldy 2. While not a very well—rounded team, they do have scoring threats, especially with the slasher—,shooter Kelsy Simcox. While not terribly successful in the regular season, this team could be dangerous if their opponents take them lightly. Odds to win it all — 175 to 1 ways wrong, administration right to investigate allegations BY JEB BROOKS EDITOR IN CHIEF I don’t think the administration is out to get us. You can call me an “ass- kisser,” “brown-noser’ ’ or “suck-up.” I call myself realistic. Hear me out. Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe I’m wrong. But, it seems to me that when a parent or student accuses a fraternity of a potentially serious hazing violation, an investigation must be conducted. For the sake of the safety of the student, the house and the community, no stone may be left unturned. Washington and Lee University has a duty to ensure that people’s lives are not being put at risk under its watch. Sony y’all, but W&L can’t allow us to injure — whether physically or mentally — each other. Further, if no hazing occurred, an investigation can clear up any misunderstanding. ’ RecentlyI’veheardmanystudents saythatadministratorsarehell-berlton destroying allthatweloveaboutthisplace. Ifwelovetheopportunitytodernean and even beat younger students, tllere’s something severely wrongwith us. Weretheoneswhoneedtobeinvestigated What sort of message does it send when these men are maggots on Friday and suddenly exalted on Saturday? Call me a'fool,.but folks, this simply doesn’t make The administration wins nothing by destroying a sys- tem that we love. I don’t mean to put words in anyone’s mouth, but I would be willing to bet that neither the Ofiice of Student Alfairs nor the Interfratemity Council want to make otlr Washington and Lee experience negative. They want students to enjoy their time in college. Their goal is to ensure that these are the best four years of our lives. The folks on the second floor of the Commons want the Greek system to exist for its positives, not its negatives. They want all the benefits of fraternities without the dangers. Can you blame them? Fraternities are wonderful. Fraternities are great. There are count- less benefits. Trouble starts when Greeks‘ cause problerrls. When students are made to feel uncomfortable or are_injured, some- another student at risk, someone must step in. If we are unable to police ourselves, other groups must check on ‘us. Washington and Lee allows a tremendous amount of student au- tonomy. How many other schools permit students to adjudicate nearly every offence themselves? Not many. From what I’ve heard, the IFC is doing a fine job. Keep it up. It’s thanks to their hard work and maturity that students are allowed to continue governing themselves. BynowifsclearthatldonotsupporthazinginanyfashiorrIdon’tcare wheflrersomeorlecaflsafieshmananameorbeatslnmwithabasebaflbat it’s wrong. I believe a new member education pro- remernber getting to know everyone in your fraternity in a positive and healthy environment? Apledge program that unites a class, but divides a house is not successful. It makes more sense to bring an entire house together and not leave freshmen hating sophomores because of cruel interaction among classes. Ifeelcompelledtomakeitknownthatlhavenothadmuchtodo withthe pledgeperiodat my house. Callme abadbrother, butlhave spenttime irl other endeavors. I can only write intelligently about my own pledge period [remem- _ ber that it was a positive experience. I learned about my pledge class as well as the othermembers of the house. Unlike my fiiends at otherhouses, I did not join my fraternity with any hatredforthe oldermembers. Instead, I gram should be focused on bringing a group of ac— ' - joined a group of friends sparmirlg four academic classes. I quaintances together as friends. It should not in- Fraternity or no fratermty’ certainly hope that the freshmen who have just joined my clude any sort of physical orrnerrtal punishment Af- You 31' 5 the Same Per 5011- house had a similar, positive experience. ter a brief the stllderlts whom you demean Whatsortofrrlessagedoesitsendwhenthese men are maggots on Friday and suddenly exalted on Saturday? Call me a fool, but folks, this simply doesn’t make sense. My definition of hazing is a great deal more broad than most. I’ll be the first to admit that. I ask this: would I do this to my best friend? If the answer is “yes,” it’s not hazing. If it’s a “no,” that’s hazing. That seems simple, right? There are other ways to unite a group. Try hikes and basketball games. Start a poker tournament, watch a movie together or go out to dinner. Do community service. Pledge classes can bond without being made to feel less than their future brothers. Sure, there are the hazers who say “I wouldn’t trade my pledgesllip experience foranythingintheworld They don’tkrlowitnow, butthey’lllook back on it fondly.” How much more fondly would you look on memories of SCIISC. ' Bottom line: Hazing is wrong. Period. End of story. Anyone who says differently is confused. Whether you tear someone down emotionally or physically, it is wrong. Membership in a fraternity — no matter how cool — is not worth being hazed for. I’d look somewhere Q else for a set of friends before I joined a group who insisted on beating me down. Those aren’t very good friends, at least not according to my definition. Fraternity or no fraternity, you are the same person. Freshman fratemity members: I would like to ask that you please not haze next year. I’m not certain, but I think that the situation will be a little different during the next pledge period It’s about time changes were made. Guys, follow the rules and use common sense. Act maturely. It will pay olf. There is no need to demean anyone for the benefit of pledge class urlity. If there is someone out there who can convince me that I’m wrong, please do it. I’ll gladly change my mind if I’m not in the right. I will happily provide you the space in The Ring—tum Phi to make your point. I’m often wrong and I’ll gladly admit it if I am. I don’t believe I am in this case, though. Please feel free to shoot me an email at brooksj @wlu.edu. Con- thing is really wrong. When a peer puts the health and well-being of more positive interactions with your “brothers?” Wouldn’t it be better to vince me. “'7 Q I want to do dirty things with Matt Fink. Q You know that movie, “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton?” They should change it to “Win a Date with Matt Fink.” Q Shady Viktor is in love with Lena, and so is shady Sasha. They think she is “ochen krasivaya.” But Lena is hitting on Jim, the American graduate student— and so is Tanya! What will happen in this twisted love square? Find out next week in the TMC! ‘ Q Has anyone else realized how beautiful Mallory Calhoun is? Q Drew Hotaling and Emilee Johnson are the cutest couple ever. Q Peggy Altman is my hero! Q Emma Burris’ roommate is looking for informa- tion concerning her library hideout. Monetary re- wards will be offered. Q You can’t be a nonconforrnist if you don’t drink coffee. Q Can someone please explain to me the logic of wearing a heavy winter coat if your skirt is eight inches long? Cover your damn legs. No wonder you’re cold. ‘ Q Best line from a prospective: “Do you want a beer?” “No thanks, I’ve already had one.” Q Of all the soccer players, Scott Pittman is the hottest in his pink jersey. Q “Piss is just like salty water.” —Jirn McDougal1 Q I’ve heard about this: it’s spontaneous com- bustion, but it only happens to fat people near flames. Q “Kody” by Matchbox 20, W&L theme song anyone? Q Travis Smith earned an 800 on the math sec- tion of the SAT. Q A certain Kappa in a blue dress needs to cut down on the party pics. As well as on her time in the tanning bed. Q Norman Senior is soooo hot! I wish he had danced with me at Fancy Dress. Q Tim Smith, I think we had better girls before we went co-ed. Q More: Tim Smith, I’d rather go through hell weeks than be stuck in a room with three W&L girls for three minutes. Q Still more: Tim Smith, did you lose a bet? Q Yet still more: Tim Smith, I guess you missed the little man running rampant with the ugly stick. He kicks more ass than Chesbrough. Q Finally: Tim Smith, what kind of sick sarcasm are you trying to use to make fun of the terrible girls here? Q People should start saying thanks to those working in dining services. Use those Southern manners your mommy and daddy taught you and say, to the people at the cash register or cooking your food. P Q The next girl that pushes someone out of the way in the D-Hall line is going to get slapped. Q Thank God for Erik Sivertson and Colton Ward. Q First exploiting Campus Notices, now Quick Hits. SAO needs to give it a break. Q Reasons Gilliam is better than Graharn—Lees: 1) We can pee in our sinks at night. 2) Gilliam is TFC— free. Q “Raging Intellectuals”~— little more than an entertaining, sharp, hilarious editorial. Lighten up. Besides, the world always needs more John Basedow. Q Decagon? More like Upperdeckagon. Q The Decagon is holding informal recruitment interviews. Applicants are encouraged to be to- tally sweet. Q You have to wait in line to use the comput- ers at the kiosks just like everyone else. Don’t butt in. Q You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. Q Congratulations to the newly initiated Kappa Delta Pledge Class of 2004! Q Does anyone else feel that Quick Hits is be- coming just another editorial by Jeb Brooks and Brett Kirwan? (1) This is the only Quick Hit written by Jeb and Brett this week. Q E-mail your anonymous Quick Hits and plans A for Spring Break to phi@wlu.edu. 4" /‘A.