OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20040510/WLURG39_RTP_20040510_001.2.txt .Arcl\ .4? 2578.755 ,RS5’2.-. V, I0’? no.3 Cr?_ 6?? MONDAY, MAY 10,2004 The lmdem‘ voice of .ll’/all/lz'7lg2‘o¢l and U6 U/lizlerlily time 7897 ,. E C hosts open forum students demand changes By ERIN JULIUS The EC intends to begin ED1TOR_]N_CH£EF discussing the issues raised in the open forum at its Monday Executive Committee night meeting, said Lane Mor- in president Marie Trimble led an gan, class of ’07 representative. open discussion about the “A lot of questions really Honor System last Wednesday made us think about why we do in Lee Chapel. Apanel ofEXeC11- the things we do instead of just .«,I tiVe Committee membersbegan following procedure,” said EC by answering pre-submitted President Marie Trimble, questions and addressing com— Questions submitted mon concerns regarding the prior to the open forum helped Honor System. the EC understand what issues ‘O The floor Was then opened are important to the student to discussion. Brett Kirwan, ’04, body. “We could see main ar- Was the first Student to speak. eas of concern and we were able KirWan expressed Concern to address them,” said Morgan. I about the two—thirds rule in hand— Trimble said a few ing over guilty verdicts. Only changes would be made in the two—thirds of the EC members short-term_ Freshmen EC can- must vote ‘guilty.’ Kirwan said didates will hold “candidate plat- a guilty verdict should require forms," called by the EC ppm- it a unanimous decision on the dent, in order to students a part of the EC. chance to see who is running , Kelly J o Larsen, ’05 then and to force candidates to think spoke about accountability and about why they want to get in- A the difficulties in holding EC volved, - members accountable in Honor Budget allocations will trials. also change next year. “We will “My question is how are I hold groups very accountable we supposed to know if our for what they did and what they STEVEN MAINS) R,-,,g_,,,,,, p,,,« 4 elected representatives are Out spent this year,” Trimble said. Open Forum. Students listen as EC President Marie Trimble speaks at the EC Open Forum held last Wednesday afternoon in Lee Chapel. of touch with the values of the EC Secretary Justin - Student b0dy...do We purge the Arnold, ‘05L, said the most concerns raised by students, he postings, “about the White ing the open forum at a “more sees the open forum as only the entire EC?” Larsen said later. common concerns raised in the said, ‘ Book” on the EC board next year, opportune time.” beginning. “While I feel the “Unless they give us the num— open forum were in regards to “Better communication “Our Honor system is only “Lately I’ve been con— open forum was successful, I A hers and names of the Vote or the confidentiality clause. between the EC and the student as strong as student, faculty, ad- cemed about the campus opin— was disappointed in the low provide some other way of 216- Also, “the openness of the body,”is alsoanEC goal for next ministrator and alumni trust in ion of the Honor System and I turnout and encourage all stu- countability, they Can’t just say Executive Committee’s opera— year, Trimble said, “Confidenti- it,” said class of ’05 representa- was hoping that the open forum dent to maintain and open dia- _ We have the poWer to Vote them tions and the secretive nature ality is a legal issue,” she said, tive Thomas Worthy, who said would provide a good discus— logue with EC members,” he 4 out.” 4 of EC hearings,” were important but the EC plans to put more the EC had difficulty inschedul- sion,” he said. Worthy said he said. Pl Beta Phi remains highest GPA HWCWALK it BY CALEY ANDERSON Rounding out the top five were The biggest drops were by OPINIONS EDITOR sorority Chi Omega, with a GPA of Lambda Chi Alpha and Chi Psi. - 3.363, fraternity Sigma Nu, the high- Lambda _Chi.Alpha...which. was last Today, the Phi takes a look at est placing fraternity, and fraternity term’s highest ranked fraternity, was Winter Term grades, and reports on the Phi Gamma Delta, 3.309. only the 7th highest-ranked fraternity 'l standings of the various Greek orgarli- With Pi Phi and Sigma Nu tak— this term with aGPA of 3.229. zations. Greek organizations are also ing the top places among the sorori- Also performing notably well compared to last tenn and as compared ties and fraternities, the other end of were the independent men and women. to Independent men and women. the spectrum was occupied by the Independent women tend to finish in .t_ Grades overall took a slight lowest ranking sorority, Kappa Kappa the middle of the pack, while indepen- boost afterFall Term, acommon occur— Gamma, who finished 14"‘ overall, be— dent men are usually slightly below rence as students (especially freshmen) hind the other four sororities and the average. get habituated back to W&L and be— independent women with a GPA of VVlth GPAs of 3.269 and 3.225, I come more comfortable with their stud— 3.205. the independent women and men, re- "‘~ ies. The dubious distinction of last spectively, finished 7”‘ and 12”‘ over- Leading the pack among the 20 overall went to Chi Psi this term, a all. This represents a gigantic leap for social groups (including the Indepen— disappointing setback after the independent men, who last term fm- dent men and women) was, as has be— fraternity’s strong Fall Tenn. Vlflth a ished with a GPA of 3.085, and who I come habit, sorority Pi Beta Phi, with a GPA of 3.049, Chi Psi finished behind finished with a GPA of only 3.197 last I remarkable GPAof 3.399. all of the other Greek organizations as Winter Term. Sorority Kappa Alpha Theta well as the independent men and Thecurnulativefema1eGPAwas came Very close to knocking Pi Phi off women. 3.304, while the cumulative male GPA their number one throne with a GPA of Among the biggest gainers over was 3.200. Overall, students at Wash- ‘ 3.385. last term were Sigma Chi and Sigma Nu. ington and Lee scored a GPA of 3:249. 1- Pi Beta Phi (3-399) 12. Lambda Chi Alpha (3.229) 2- Kappa Alpha Theta (3385) 13. Independent Men (3.225) -’~ 3- Chi Omega (3.363) 14. Pi Kappa Alpha (3225) 4- Sigma N11 (3321) 15. Kappa Kappa Gamma (3.205) 5. Phi Gamma Delta (3309) 16. Kappa Sigma (3.165) 6- Sigma Chi (3-286) 17. Beta Theta Pi (3.136) 7. Independent women (3.269) 18. Phi Delta Theta (3.119) wt 8. Kappa Delta‘ (3.263) 19. Sigma Alpha Epsilon (3.106) 9- Pi Kappa Phi (3-257) 20. Kappa Alpha (3.073) 10. Phi Kappa Sigma (3.250) 21. Chi Psi (3.049) STEVENMAR1 "Wm Pb,- “' P1“ Kappa PS1 (3239) Graduation. LawCommencementoccl1redlastSaturday forthe firsttimeirlfrontofLee(Ihapel ood D Ve feeds 40 families Students plan summer ‘ HRA F ri ' ' BY EMILY EDWARDS “We encourage every— By CATHERIN SWAN ‘ PRODUCHON ASSISTANT one to come out and SENIOR STAFF WRITER ' volunteer...[The food drive] In late December and gives everyone in the W&L As the school year draws to a close, many students find early January Melanie Barr, community and Lexington resi— themselves confirming summer plans and ensuring that their 4 Serena Smith, and Marinda dents the chance to help those summers will be fun and rewarding. For many students, this ‘ Harrell began planning for a in their community in need,” involves seeking out a summer internship in the area of their Spring “Thanksgiving” Food said Barr of this Spring’s drive. major or future career. Because Lexington is limited in terms of Drive sponsored by the Human Barr hopes to raise six internship opportunities, students often find themselves trav- Rights Alliance. tons of food and encourages eling to metropolitan areas in order to find a position that inter- r» Barr and Smith got the any monetary or food dona— ests them. idea from a Washington, D.C. tions. Donation boxes are 10- Employers use internships as a means of identifying tal- high school that raises over cated in the fraternity and so! ent. This process can pay off; approximately 38% of company’s 40,000 pounds of food each rority houses and throughout interns become employees. The journalism department is the year for area food banks. _ . campus. only department that requires an internship to complete the K Harrell and Barr also co- . I c0RBIN13LAcKp0RD/ TR,” -13, b, When the drive ends on major. Still, many other W&L students seek out internships on ordinated a Thanksgiving drive MY CUP RUNNETH °VER- The Nabors Sowice League Suite OVC‘ °“’5 May 14, 40 needy families in their own time. For those seeking an internship, visiting career in November that raised 7,000 With food donflnons for noon)’ Lexington fnnnnon Lexington will have a month’s services can be the perfect place to start. pounds of food, 2,000 of which . worth of food and a turkey. “From our perspective, it’s a very important part of the I went to the local food bank. delivered bags donated by given date in the next two weeks. The remaining food will be career development process,” said Beverly Lorig, Director of This month’s Spring Drive Kroger to most houses in the Volunteers will then take given to the local food bank. Career Services. Long emphasized that career services can help started on April 27. Barr, Smith, area. Attached to the bags were the food to the Nabors Service Contact Melanie Barr at students market themselves to different companies. They also and student volunteers mapped fliers asking for food donations League suite and will weigh and barrm@wlu.edu for further in- have a wide variety of resources available for students begin- out the city of Lexington and that would be picked up at a sort the food accordingly. formation. ning their search, including alumni resources, that are free of cost )4. OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20040510/WLURG39_RTP_20040510_002.2.txt Q. LEYBURN LIBHAH tr ‘rt est-ilriG”i??DN is LEE I’! it: K,’-“t_‘_"\.”~?»T‘;’,“tlltl, VA 24450 :-':i.irl’ni PAGE 2 MONDAY, MAY 10, 2004 l >‘f.'j,l,l\‘ EWS r Fortune writer to visit campus Tuesday Bethany McLean, a senior writer for Fortune magazine, will dis- cuss “The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scan- dalous Fall of Enron,” on Tuesday, May 11, at 4:30 p.m. in the Elrod Commons Theater at Washington and Lee University. Her talk, which is open to the public without charge, is spon- sored by the Donald W. Reynolds Chair in Business Journalism and W&L’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communications. McLean, who joined Fortune in July 1995, has covered Wall Street and investing, along with a wide range of industries and com- panies, including Enron; Moody’s; Eli Lilly and the pharmaceutical industry; Winstar; Lucent; Internet car salesmen; and the business of professional wrestling. In 2001, she was one of the first reporters nationally to raise questions about Enron in her piece, “Is Enron Overpriced?” She has continued to cover the Enron story for Fortune and, in conjunction with that work, has appeared on news shows at NBC, CNN, CNBC and other broadcast networks. Before joining Fortune, where she also contributes to the “Street Life” column at fortune.com, McLean worked at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wilhams Col- lege. Fmr. Gov to hold Town Meeting in Lee Chapel Governor Linwood Holton will give a brief address at a Town Meeting in Lee Chapel at 7:30 P.M. on 17 May. This is the date of the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision. At that time, there will also be brief reflections by Wanda Early of Lylbum Downing High School, Class of 1962, Rev. E.T. Burton of Roanoke, the Vice President of the NAACP at the time of desegregation, William Perry, a former princi- pal in Waynesboro, Margaret Walker, the school secretary at Lylbum Downing for her entire career— she was at both the segregated and the integrated Downing, and Peggy Hayes, government teacher at Rockbridge County High School. Joseph Mormon, former Lylbum Downing football coach will possibly be on this program. Psychology Alum to address students Captain John Schmidt ’81 will discuss Aerospace Experimental Psychologists. The talk, sponsered by the Psychology Depart- ment, will take place in Science Addition 214 on Friday, May 14, at 3:15 p.m. Phi Eta Sigma inductions Phi Eta Sigma, the Freshman Honorary, will be having induc- tions this Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel. Phi Eta Sigma is a national fraternity with a minimum GPA requirement of 3 .50. Wash- ington and Lee requires a 3.70 cumulative GPA for students to be inducted. Students are chosen based on their performance in the Fall and Winter terms. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to speak at VMI VMI will hold its Commencement exercises Saturday, May 15. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard B. Myers will address the 250 Cadets graduating this year. Myers is the highest- ranking uniformed member of the military services. He acts as the principal military adviser to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council. Mens Lacrosse to host Messiah College Next Sunday, at a time to be announced, the men’s lacrosse team will be hosting Messiah College in the second round of the NCAA division III Men’s Lacrosse National Tournament. It will be the last game of the season to take place on Wilson Field. Messiah received the automatic qualifying bid after winning the Mid—Atlan- tic Conference championship. Messiah’s Lacrosse team has only existed for eight short years. Washington and Lee is making its eighth trip to the NCAA tournament. W&L places at the IHSA National Championships Last Saturday at Middle Tennessee State University, W&L com- peted in the IHSA Equestrian National Championships. Senior Sa- rah Michaels placed third in novice fences and Sophomore Caitlin Lane placed fourth in the open flat. Housing search burdens students Upperclass students struggle to find roommates, affordable, quality housing in Lexington BY ERIN JULIUS‘ EDITOR IN CHIEF Every winter, Washington and Lee sophomores struggle to put together housing arrangements for the next academic year. Upperclass and Law students rriight find housing on-campus, but preference is_ given to freshmen and sophomores. So most upper- classmen must find housing in Lexington or Rockbridge County. Other upperclassmen choose to live in fraternity or sorority houses, but space in these on—campus residences is also limited. 749 undergraduate students and 347 law students live off—campus, for a total of 1096 Washington and Lee students who must find (I) News housing each year. Locating suitable living arrangements is a challenge for most students. Lexington zoning policies affect students’ house—hunts. According to Lexington City Manger Jon Ellestad, the city’s zoning ordinances limit the number of unrelated people living in a single—family home to three. Christy West, property manager for Re/Max Realtors in Lex- ington, said that students can get around Lexington’s zoning ordi- nance by obtaining a conditional use permit, which must be ap- proved by the Board of Zoning Appeals. Most students who en- deavor to find off-campus housing work through a realtor familiar with the area and with student needs. West serves about 120 students each year, she said. In» her experience, most students want houses in Rockbridge County and look for properties with rent that falls between $750 and $1300. West said that Re/Max holds about 75 rentals within Lexington’s city lirriits, many of which are rented by students. Many students have found that finding a quality home within Lexington’s city limits is diffi- cult. Landlords often frustrate undergraduate students’ attempts to _ find housing because they prefer Washington and Lee Law students to live in, “the nicer, smaller apartments,” said West. Some students find apartments that are a viable option, “We couldn’t find a house for the right number of people that was nice enough,” said junior Rachel Chisolm, who lives in a three—bedroom apartment with two of her friends. Most upperclassmen say they enjoy the chance to live off—cain— pus. “After living on-carnpus freshman year and sophomore year, I love the freedom of living off campus and carmot imagine moving back v on campus,” said junior Kristine Calderone. Hidden Hero Celia Landgren Landgren actively involved in campus programs such as University Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra BY CHRIS LAUDERMAN MANAGlNG EDITOR Celia Landgren, a junior Eco- nomics and Politics major, contrib- utes in many ways to the Wash- ington and Lee community. She describes herself as being like the “energizer bunny” because she is always “bouncing off the walls.” She is actively involved in the University Shenandoah Sym- phony Orchestra. She has served as Concert Master for the past three years. Landgren said that it only seemed natural to get in- volved with the symphony or- chestra. Both of her parents are professional musicians. As Con- cert Master, she coaches all the sections on various techniques. Sorority life plays a major role in Landgren’s Washington and Lee experience. As president of Kappa Delta, she oversees all 140 plus girls on a day to day basis. This number includes eight execu- tive officers an,d_,40_appoirited of-g ficers. Before being president, she 1 served as the Vice President for Publicity. Landgren is a member of the Nabors Service League. She has participated in the last two Nabors ;, ,_fam_ily. Service Days where she went to the Mayflower and talked to resi- dents. Landgren also acts as the Chief of Staff of the College Re- publicans. She was responsible for planning the Party for the President. Landgren works in a secretarial role, working with the other three executive officers. Upon graduation, she wants to go to law school. “lipray every night that someone will take me,” said Landgren. She would like to go to University of Maryland, Case Western Reserve University, or George Washington Univer- sity. “The most important thing anyone can do is have a family,” said Landgren. In ten years she would love to be on her way to having a big family with many children. “I am definitely not here to get my MRS degree,” said Landgren. She wants to work; she just emphasized the importance of. ‘ Celia Landgren is the type of leader that makes W&L great. Her orderliness, excitement, and unique musical talents make her an important piece of the Wash- ington and Lee puzzle. JEB BROOKS / The Ring-tum Phi Star Queen. Landgren is behind-the-scene Hidden Hero MUSIC OUTSIDE GRAHAM—LEES Spring Time! Wheeler Sparks and Peterjones, members of Red Letter, perform for freshhrnen at the FLC barbeque outside Graham-Lees STEVEN MARINO The Rz'r1—tum Phi Student Discounts Creating solutions. Changing lives. U. SUMMER CAMP JOBS Looking for the best summer of your life? Camp Easter Seals in Virginia has job openings for camp counselors and program leaders (aquatics, horseback riding, music, nature, sports and more). Work with children and adults with disabilities at one of our beautiful camping facilities. Staff members come from across the U5 and around the world. Room, board and salary provided. For information contact Lauren Lightfoor at (804) 633-9855 " or IIightfoo‘l'@va.easter'-sea|s.org Need a ride? Call Traveller! 458-8900 .11. OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20040510/WLURG39_RTP_20040510_003.2.txt ~. CAIEYANDERSON OPINIONSEDIIOR aridersonc@wlnedu MONDAY, MAY 10, 2004 THE Ride-run Pin PINIONS A 0 . Increasing University name recognition a big deal W&L, and further, almost 50% of recruiters thought W&L was not one of the Top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation.” That is truly frightening news for those of us that are here to get a good educa- tion that will lead to a good job. Unfortunately, it seems like not all of us are here for that reason. Some are here for a four—year party PAGE 3 8 run RING-IUM Pm‘ TAFF EDITORIAL is There has been a lot of talk around campus for a while about I Listen up how Washington and Lee University is changing and heading in a new direction. There have been many public outcries denouncing Ourlgxecutive Committee did well the evils of “the administration’s” efforts to improve the school’s to h 01 d an Open Forum for concerned national standing. Everything from cracking down on fraternity vio- A Students last week. Open dialogue be lastions to encouraging minority students to apply is seen as the before getting a cushy job set-up by daddy or one of his friends’ , warthmorification of W&L. W&L is unique, we must hold dear companies, or marrying the recipient of the latter. For those of us tween upseft smd_emS their elected to our traditions and not conform to US News and World Report!” that are using a W&L education as a stepping—stone to future great- representatlves W111 ceftanfly Sflengtilen Oh, yeah? Then why the current attack on the EC and honor system? ness, we desperately need that name recognition and higher ranking. k our Hon“ SY5tem—1f the EXCCUUVC The single greatest, most unique and time-honored attribute of our W&L has been an excellent institution for centuries and yet we are ‘ Committee takes students; lSS1lCS to school is the honor system and I hear rumblings of _m..___ still ‘not well-known, obviously it is time to try some- heart. whole-sale reform? What other school offers un- M135 lNDEPENDENT thing different. Accountability, confidentiality and locked doors, unproctored exams (heck, my spel1- ALEXA MOUTEVELIS (06 The honor system, though, is one tradition communication between the EC andstw check even says that “unproctored” isn’t a word, T»; that is to be kept, as it only reflects well on the school. I‘. that’s how unheard of it is!), unattended belong- The fraternity system is another animal. Iam not against dent body are all important issues. Changes to the EC election process, for example, open “Candidate Platforms” are a step in the right direction. Ideally, Can- "‘ didate Platforms will help in two ways. Candidate Platforms will introduce po- tential EC members, and their issues, to the student body. Candidate Platforms "* will also demand that candidates exam- ine their motives for rtmning. Through A this more formal election process, we hope some level of accountability can be A achieved. 0 While it is understandable that con- fidentiality is an important legal issue, we also hope that the EC devises some way A‘ to communicate its individual members’ opinions to the student body. General confusion about what constitutes an Honor Violation seems widespread. EC ,, members should be clear and logical about their views regarding Honor Vio- lations. As a campus publication, we prom- ise to do our part by ensuring that the Ring—tum Phi is represented at events such as the open forum. In our capacity as a student newspaper, we understand that it is our duty to facilitate communi- cation between our EC and student body. This year, there has been much de- bate about, and disappointment in, the Honor System. We firmly believe that the Honor System is one of the most re- vered of Washington and Lee’s traditions, and we hope that the EC truly listens to the student body’s concerns and endeav- ors to make improvements. ings, and teachers that trust your word? I’m sure if it was the admin- istration that was hinting of a review of the honor system, there would be an uproar! Why are we so willing to change this tradition, but not other less important ones that tarnish our image? I think it’s because people here just want to be comfortable and have a good time instead of taking college seriously. They are upset about “changes” coming to W&L because they don’t'want to see their little country-club world threatened in the name of (gasp!) greater visibility and recognition. In the limited wealthy Southern world, Washington and Lee is a name associated with excellence, honor, and tradition, but in the rest of the world it is a name that is not associated with much of anything. One report noted that “Four out of five [professional recruiters] were ‘completely unfamiliar’ with Naturalized as well as natural-born citizens the fraternity system, Ijust don’t think the whole drink-and-party- 24/7 thing looks good to future employers and grad schools. Obvi- ously in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, there isn’t much to do outside of frat parties, but shouldn’t we do more to enhance our reputation and present ourselves as a more serious institution? We have such great potential - it’s just that the greatest things about our school are being overshadowed. by non-academic issues. We shouldn’t defend the party culture at all costs; we have to seriously examine if it is truly harmful to our future. If it comes down to it, wouldn’t you rather be an alum of “Washington and Lee: a presti- gious, world-renowned university” than “Washington and Lee: a school that thinks its greatest accomplishment will come when it reaches #1 on the Biggest Party School ranking.” must have right to run for Presidency )- te of the Week )) “The patient realized that he would be unable to crucify himself when he noted e ,t . . . . . . the impossibility of reaching over to nail in his Other ” PHOTO COURTESY or: mir/me/a4rrie.cor/I I. L ‘ CONANTHE CHIEF EXECUTIVE? Gov. Arnold Scwarzenegger (R-Calif), the foremost naturalized citizen among possible Presidential candidates of the future. “' ‘A Hartlanda Mame ERteChmC1an- The Constitution, and thus the U.S. fact that only Americans born in America (or immigrants who had just taken the test, the ' government, have always been flexible. This those Americans who had founded America) immigrants outscored the citizens by nearly is one of the major reasons for our success as could truly understand the idea of American two to one. __ a nation over the centuries we’ve existed. government. And if you really need final proof 4 Since the Constitution was written, Article II, Two and a quarter centuries later, this that immigrants are capable of high-level ex- - Section 1, Clause 5 has specified that only is obviously no longer the case. In a world ecutive governance, there is, of course, Gov-* . _ _ _ _ natural born citizens of the United States have exponentially—better educated than that in the ernor Arnold Schwarzenegger. I didn’t vote MEMO,’ '"ES’_"ef the right of aspiring to the Presidency. The late 18"‘ Century, an understanding of the ba- for him during the recall election, but if he anagmg “or an em“ time is long past due for us to sic concepts of American gov- runs for re-election, I almost certainly would. 7*" . . . make a change. ‘ ’ ernrrient is easy for most 'for- He has done a phenomenal job in office, de- Optmons Editor Caley Anderson _ _ MODERATES MUSINGS , , _ _ _ _ , _ , Ass, Op,-m-om Ed,-to, Anne Finley The reasoning in ‘ eign nationals trying to immi- fying everyone s expectations. He stood photography Ed,-to, co,-bin Blackford 1789 was an assumption that CALEY ANDERSON grate in. up for the environment while still getting the Asst. Sports Editors John Hyland natural born citizens would be There currently re— economy back on track, he’s taken social poli- J‘ Chad Kiewiet de Jonge completely unfamiliar with the American sys- mains no good reason to deny naturalized citi- cies to both ends of the political spectrum, P’0d"C’i0" 3“-95"3‘“'“5 Emi|YEdW8l‘dS tern of government, and certainly, in that day, zens the Presidency. Besides xenophobia, I and in the course of his trials, he’s managed _ K9“? J“ L‘“'““ this was true. The whole importance of the can’t think of anything that would prevent a to unify California Democrats and Republi- Copy Edm” Argess A American revolution in world history is its person from agreeing. You could make a very cans as never before. a "me wan * place as the first major modern movement to- strong argument that the typical natural-born And of course, the Governator has A Busine” Managers Paul Semen wards popular government. Even the most U.S. citizen is actually less concerned and less hinted at aspirations to the Presidency. This David seifen friendly Europeans struggled somewhat to un- knowledgeable about U.S. government than January, whoever wins the contested Cali- c,'rcu1a;,'0,,D,',ec;o, Robnain derstand the Democratic experiment. most immigrants. They, by the way, have to fornia Senate seat that’s up for grabs will Asst. Circulation Dir Leggett Kitchin Lafayette, a Frenchman and hero of the Ameri- take a rather demanding test when becoming likely go to Washington with a proposed 4 Distribution Dir. Stephen Lipscomb can Revolution, later fought to defend King citizens. When U.S. Citizenship and Immigra— amendment of just the kind I’m advocating. ’ Louis XVI in the French Revolution, much to tion services administered the test to a group So you heard it here first, folks- support The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the the chagrin of some of his former comrades in of 500 random natural born U.S. citizens and Amendment XXVIII in 2008, and vote Arnold ““d°"3"ad"‘“° 5°h°°1Y°*" *“WaShl“8‘°“ 3"“ 1“ U“i"°" the Continental Army. It was simply a given compared them to a random selection of 500 in 2012. sity, Lexington, Virginia. The Ring-tum Phi is a member of _ The Media Board, but is otherwise independent. A )‘ The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible sub— . . ' u u missions and letters. All submissions must be e-mailed R _t Ph Q k P to phi@wlu.edu or in the University Center mailbox by mg I U O 5 p.m. Friday to appear in the following week’s edition. “ _ ” The Ring—tum Phi reserves the right to edit submissions ' _ ' ' ' ' ' ,,, ,,,, ,,,,g,,,, ,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,, ,, Question By the time the Class of 2008 graduates, W&L Wlll have lost most of the things that makes it unique. It 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 _ observes current court definitions of libel and obscenity. Ute Ring-tum Phi ‘University Commons Room. 341 A Washington and Lee University Tnfxizgzom ggggjggggo Yes- 15% No- 80% Don ’t Know- 4% e ep one: - Fax: (540) 458-4059 « E"“"’{ P?"@W’"-ed“ 46 students were polled. 24 male, 23 female. This poll has 90% confidence in a plus or minus 3% margin of error. Subscription rate $40 _ OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20040510/WLURG39_RTP_20040510_004.2.txt ,walked around campus and PAGE 4 THIZ RING-TUM Pill CAIEYANDPRSON OPINIONSEDIIOR andersonc@wiu.odu PINIONS MONDAY, MAY 10, 2004 Break out of the mold— real University diversity In a school as small and homogenous as Washington and Lee, the idea of not fitting the mold of the typical student can be rather terrifying. Personally, when I was between com- ing here and another school, I could feel as soon as I visited and stayed in the suite of some re- ally great girls that this was where I belonged. I again, I am hardly atypical in this aspect. I was actually born in Richmond, though I only lived there unll I was a year old, so that explains my initial geographic and cultural ignorance. And I was raised in a Republican household, though I’m really more of a fiscal conservative/social liberal nowadays, so I didn’t break the mold too much there either. Finally, I even could see myself here in the THE BIG PICTURE Was excited at the prospect of future. Everyone was so . , joining a sorority, which I did friendly and sincere, whereas much to my satisfaction. So on a large state campus seemed impersonal and unwelcoming. You couldn’t fall through the cracks at a place like W&L; you would be supported and embraced. That is not to say that there weren’t certain surprises waiting for me. Honestly, I somehow never focused on the fact that it was fundamentally such a southern school. Coming from Texas, Virginia seemed so far north that it was practically New England to me. And though if you asked me if it technically fit into the South- ern region I could tell you that it did, I hardly imagined it could be the heart of the Deep South, strewn with confederate flags and all. Yet, once paper I think I’m a pretty darn good fit here. Yet, as the regular Phi reader may have noticed, I am also very opinionated and pas- sionate about certain issues. Sometimes, it just so happens that my opinions may not coincide with the majority of the student body’s. And I cannot tell you how many times I have heard in conversation a friend asking with regards to me or someone else, “Then why did they go here?” I’m not ultra—conservative and I don’t have an extreme amount of Southern pride, “Then why did you go to this school?” If someone doesn’t drink excessively or feel the need to party five nights a week, people wonder why they chose good old Washington and Lee. And if a student doesn’t choose to pledge a sorority or frater- nity, there's that same question again. One of my favorite personal anecdotes for this was at the Guerilla Girls presentation (which if you don’t know was an impressive feminist comedy troupe). Sometimes I would be nodding at what I thought was a particularly valid point only to look around and see the audience seeth- ing and glaring up at the stage. Ok, maybe the topic of Mother Theresa should generally be avoided. By the end, though, I was feeling kind of energized and proud of being a female. I turned to one of my best friends and semi-jok- ingly said, “I’m gonna become a huge feminist now, what do you think?” I will never forget the look of horror on her face as she quietly replied: “If you wanted to be a feminist, why would you come here?” This conversation was not particu- larly upsetting, nor was my friendship harmed. I don’t love people simply because they agree with my views of things, and a compatible rela- tionship is based more on common interests than ideology anyways. And, relatively speaking, this situation was tame compared to other incidents I’ve en- countered. I’m only a freshman, one who has written only a handful of editorials, and already one student has told me that I “go against the entire W&L community every week in my ar- ticles” and a fellow staffer informed me I should write all the controversial topics from then on because all the readers ‘already hate me.’ Dif- ferences are what make us unique and worth knowing, but if everyone at Washington and Lee was exactly the same wouldn’t it be rather boring? Just think of all the fascinating human specimens you would never get to meet if they were deterred from attending our fine institu- tion out of a sense that they wouldn’t fit in. I’m extremely proud of the fact that our school is academically such a selective university, but a student desire for selectivity based on exclud- ing people with different life experiences, socio- economic backgrounds, sexual preferences, or ideologies is called elitism and cultural igno- rance. So I say come all ye feminists, northemers, liberals, and sober drivers; we’d be lucky to have you. GSA thinks about self-isolation, “We’ve come so far,” is a slogan I hear a lot when people talk about the Gay- Straight Alliance. “Yes, yes we have,” is usually how I reply. I like to think so. But have we? Last Spring Term I took Dr. McAhren’s gay and lesbian history course. It seemed to be an especially odd grouping of people; among my “Kelly Jo, if you could only hear my frat house dur- ing dinner time. Think about it. It took me four years to get here, and I’m probably doing better than most people on this campus. You just sur- round yourself with people who think like you do,” he replied, or something to a similar effect. ' c l a s s m ate s R e a l i t y was one MORETHANMAINSTREAM check. Did I gentleman wear blinders whom I KELLY IO LARSEN ‘05 to the true cam- w ould de - pus community scribe as exceptionally at W&L? fratastic. You know the type— frat hair, collar up, “good” fra- ternity (is there really such a thing?), etc, etc. He was a his- tory major and I had been in class with him several times prior to this one. Always en- tertaining in any class, he con- sistently offered a unique and interesting perspective. To- wards the end of the term our class had a discussion about gays and lesbians in college fraternities and sororities. Naturally, that led straight into a conversation about the GLBT community at W&L. I made the comment that I thought things were really changing at W&L; that there was a noticeable dif- ference in the climate at W&L over the last 2 years. My fratastic friend, shook his head and gave me ‘this placating smile from across the circle. “What?” I asked. NSL After completing a sec- ond year as GSA Co-Chair, I wish I could talk to my dear fratastic friend again. “Sure,” I would say, “things might not seem great now, but they’re better than they were. There’s a lot we can ac- complish yet, but we’ve come great strides.” Over Alumni Weekend, KEWL and the GSA hosted a panel of two openly gay al- ums. Multiple gay alums at- tended, each with their own story to tell. One thing be- came abundantly clear—they all believed a discussion of this type could not have hap- pened while they were here. They could cite change from one generation to the next, and our generation at W&L proved no different. We seem to be on an uphill climb towards the acceptance of E-mail perinij@wIu.edu for more information, or visit http://shepherdapps.wlu.edu/nabors/about the gay community at W&L. The ‘90s were better than the ‘80s which were better than the ‘70s and so on and so forth. Sure, the differences might be slight in some in- stances, but they most assur- edly were there. Change doesn’t happen over night. W&L is not go- ing to become UC— Berkley- esqe at any point in the near future; nor the distant future; nor probably ever. And that is not a bad thing. W&L is ' more ,diverse than most people think it is. I reference you to the General’s Aware- ness Program brochure to gain some interesting statis- tics. It’s not that we are void of all diversity, we just need to acknowledge, accept, and celebrate what makes mem- bers of our campus unique. Sure, there’s room for im- provement, but isn’t there al- ways? So, Mr. Fratastic, as I complete my tenure as GSA Co-Chair, I say to you, we have made a difference. While I might not hear the frat house dinner conversation, I will rest assured that they too will change in time. Someday. Progress is slow, but it is progress nonetheless. I in- vite you to look around, Mr. Fratastic, maybe you’re the one surrounding yourself with people who think like you do. Nabors Service Day This coming Saturday, May 15th, be a good citizen for a day. It’s fun, and you can make a difference in the community. makes a difference on campus GSAAccoMy1_1sHMEN-rs, One of the Gay-Straight Alliance’s most controversial recent accomplishments was the institution of the Safe Place Program. ' From the Multicultural Life website- “The Safe Place symbol sends a message to students, faculty, and staff. Posting this symbol represents your willingness and commitment to providing a Safe Place for all students—an atmosphere of acceptance, respect, and assistance. Posting this symbol does not indicate anything about your own sexual orientation. We recommend posting the symbol on your office door, although any prominent location will do.Why do we need this program at W&L? Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are some of the most marginalized members of the W&L community. In an effort to rectify this, the Safe Place Program was conceptualized in the 1999-2000 school year, and is not a response to any particular incident. 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Pamclvnlori n this Dmrnasion constitutes orrtrarlrs Mi and unconditional qioemant to and acceptance of the wmplete Official Rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR OTHERWISE RESTRICTED. If you do not wish to receive notice of future Kapian Test Prep and Admissions promotions, contact us at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. Marketing Department, 1440 Broadway. 8' Floor. New York. NV 10018. OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20040510/WLURG39_RTP_20040510_005.2.txt JOHNHYIAND Asst-rANr SPOKIS EDIIOR hylandjb@wluedu MONDAY, MAY 10, 2004 THE PI--ll PORTS Womens’ lax lose in NCAAS BY SARAH BLOOM STAFF WRITER The Women’s Lacrosse team entered the sec- ond round of NCAA division III nationals Satur- day, but unfortunately, this was the end of national competition for the Generals. The Gettysburg Bul-i lets defeated the Generals 13-8. Senior Kelly Taffe accounted for 4 of the Gen- erals goals to lead the team in scoring. The high- light of the game for the Generals was certainly ()UR'I'ESY SPORTS INFORMATION Top PLAYER. Senior goalie Ansel Sanders was named ODAC Player of the Year. - when Taffe broke both of her own school records again to make her final record tally 182 goals and 238 points. A Other point-earners for the Generals included senior Lee Wheeler (2) and junior Kristen Brown (1). Senior Joanna Perini knocked away 10 goal at- tempts by the Bullets. 0 Though the Generals have ended season play with their defeat, the women still claimed a school record for a most successful season. The women claimed 15 wins to a mere 4 defeats. RTESY P PORTS NFOON Six named to All-ODAC Mens’ lacrosse team Sanders named Player of the Year, Cerino named Coach of the Year W&L SRoRTs RELEASE SALEM, Va. —— The Old Dominion Athletic Conference announced its all-conference men’s la- crosse team on Wednesday afternoon. Washington and Lee claimed six players on the first and second teams, while senior goalie Ansel Sanders (White Stone, VaJWoodberiy Forest) was named Player of the Year and Mike Cerino was named Coach of the Year. Sanders, fellow seniors Dustin Martin (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius), Lawson Grumbine (Owings Mills, Md./Gilman), Kenny Rasamny (Chappaqua, N.Y/Horace Greeley) and jun- ior attackrnan Gavin Molinelli (Northport, N.Y./ Northport) were all named First Team All—Confer- ence. Junior defenseman Eric Koch (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) was named Second TeamAll-ODAC. Sanders’ selection as Player of the Year was W&L’s first since Pope Hackney ’0l garnered the award in 2001. It also marked the first-ever selection of a W&L goalkeeper for the award. The First Team All-ODAC goalie each of the past two seasons, Sand- ers has compiled a career-high .620 save percentage on 152 saves this season. His 6.14 goals-against average ranks third in Division HI. ‘ An Honorable Mention All-American last sea- son, Sanders ranks sixth all—time at W&L with 445 career saves. Martin, a rriidfielder, earned his second—con- secutive selection to the first team after compiling 38 points on 29 goals and nine assists. An Honorable Mention All-American last season, he also ranks fifth on the team with 37 ground balls. Grumbine, a defenseman, also garnered his second—straight first team nod after spearheading a W&L defense which ranks third in Division IH (6.19 gpg). He also tallied two goals and has collected 31 ground balls. Rasanmy earned his first All-ODAC selec- tion at the long-stick midfield position. A starter in all 16 games, he is second on the team with 69 ground balls and has notched a career—high six points on one goal and five assists. Molinelli eamed First Team All-ODAC acco: ’_ ' 3 lades after receiving honorable mention status last season. He leads the team with 48 points on 17 goals and a tea.in- and career-high 31 assists. Koch was named to the second team after ' ' teaming with Sanders and Grumbine to lead a W&L defense which ranks third in Division III (6.19 gpg). He has scored one goal and claims 19 ground balls. ' Cerino earned his second Coach of the Year award in three seasons as head coach after leading the Generals to a 13-3 overall record, a 6-0 mark in the ODAC and an ODAC Tournament Champion- ship. W&L, ranked seventh in the lastest Division HI poll, has won 1l—straight games after starting the season 2-3. West still dam hates 1'11 NBA playoffs BY RYAN GRITTER STAFF WRITER The NBA playoffs are well under way now, and for the most part it’s the usual suspects. The higher seeded team won every series in the first round, which makes the bracket look like that of the women’s NCAA Tourney. The excitement of upsets that made this yea.r’s men’s touma- ment so exciting is absent from the playoffs, but it is different in the NBA, and we want all the best teams playing for the championship. So here’s a quick rundown of what’s happened so far and what I predict is to come. In the East the big three, New Jersey, Indiana, and Detroit, all advanced easily with only one loss between the three of them. The fourth series, between the Miami Heat and New Orleans Hornets, was the troublemaker in the East. As the second round got under way theses two teams were still busy playing games 6 and 7. Unfortunately, though this series was really fun to watch due to the athleticism of Dwayne Wade and Baron Davis, pretty much everyone was tliinking,_ “Are they still playing? Eh, who cares?” It’s widely accepted that these teams were merely playing for the right to lose to the Pacers,.who had to wait a couple weeks to begin the second round after sweeping the Celtics. I myself am still hoping for another Miami miracle, but there’s no way I’d predict that. . .I’m a Miami fan but I’m not stupid. Unfortunately, neither of the second round matchups in the East show much potential for excitement. The Pistons are already up 2-0 on lge Nets, and New Jersey doesn’t seem to have any answer to the i side game of the Wallace’s. As previously mentioned, the Pacers of the Pacers. I would expect the series to be close, but I feel the Pistons are the best team in the East and will advance to the finals and try to take the title back for the East. The West is as strong as ever, as evidenced by the fact that the Lakers aren’t dominating everyone with Karl Malone and Gary Payton as role players assisting Shaq and Kobe. When will sports teams learn? Signing big name players past their prime doesn’t guarantee a champi- onship (see Oakland Raiders, the Yankees the past 3 years, and the Mets). San Antonio has gone up on the Lakers 2-0 and should move on to the Western conference finals, but the series between the Tirnberwolves and Kings is much more intriguing to predict. The Kings have taken home court advantage away from Minnesota with a win in game 1, and things seem to be working in their favorinother ways as well. While they can’t expect Latrell Sprewell and MVP Kevin Garnett ' to be that cold again, they also shouldn’t have to deal with 40 points from Sam Cassell on a nightly basis. Furthermore, Minnesota is bat- tered, with Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak both out and center Ervin Johnson nursing a hurt hand. Peja Stojakovic won't be as quiet in subsequent games (14 points in game one), and the Kings just have so many scoring options. I would expect the Kings to win this series in 6, but then lose to the Spurs in the finals. The Spurs have the experience in the playoffs and have looked very impressive in the first 2 games against the Lakers, with 2 ten point wins and the emergence of Tony Parker as a t:rue leader. So back to my previous question, will the East have any chance against the West in the finals? Well, if you learned anything about me from my prediction in the NCAA Tournament it should’ve been that I Baseball has five on ODAC team W&L SPORTS RELEASE pitched this season, he recorded a 2.33 ERA and 64 strikeouts with just 11 walks. Mulhem received his sec- ‘ond—straight first-team nod after finishing the season third on the team with a .360 batting average and 50 hits, which included 38 RBI, 12 doubles and a school record—tying nine home runs. Gosselink received sec- ‘ond-team laurels after leadingthe LEX]NGTON, Va. —— Se- nior left—hander Peter Dean (Vienna, Va./James Madison) eanied Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Pitcher of the Year honors as five Wash- ington and Lee baseball play- ers were named to the 2004 All- ODAC team, announced Wednesdayafternoon. A Joining Dean on the first team was senior right fielder erage and 34 runs scored. He also Bryan Mulhem (Chadd’s Ford, finished second on the team with Pa./Unionville). Senior short— 52 hits, driving in 25 runs, includ- stop Austin Allain (Weston, ing nine doubles and five home Mass./Weston), senior right runs. hander Dan Kagey (Marietta, Allain eamed second team Ga./Lovett) and sophomore second baseman Scott Gosselink (Austin, Texas/St. honors for the second—straight season after hitting .304 with 21 RBI and 38 runs. Kagey went 6-3 Stephen’s Episcopal) were all from the mound with a 3.98 ERA named to the second team. and 58 strikeouts in 72.1 innings Dean, who is making his pitched. third appearance on the First- shouldn’t have much trouble dealing with the Heat, and they have don’t like to take the easy pick. Having said this, I feel that with the Team Aii'0DAC Squads W33 1 already gone up 1-0. So assuming the Pacers and Pistons face off in the addition of Rasheed Wallace, the Pistons have the talent and depth of harried the trip Piteher iii the .0 Eastern conference finals, who can we expect to advance? And, more a Western conference team. Also, tliey’re dominating the Nets like a eeriferehee after Setting the R importantly, will this team have any chance against the West’s cham- West team does and will actually make the finals interesting this year. I School reeerd fer Wins ih 3 Sea‘ U" pion? The Pacers won the season series 3-1 and Jermaine O’N_eal pro- don’t, however, think that they can beat the Spurs. San Antonio, as 50h With 3 9'2 0‘/eraii mark this 9’ You Want t0 go vides a strong inside presence, but the Pistons finished the season as previously mentioned, has the experience and the momentum from a Season: iheiiidirig 3 Seheei R to School, the hottest team in basketball except for the Heat, and the duo of the series win against the Lakers and should capture another title and fi- reeerd three Sh1it0iitS- in 3 g) ygu have your B_A_’ Wallaces aren’t alone, with a supporting cast that can handle the depth nally make it out of the shadow of Los Angeles. 5eh°°i‘ree°rd 88-2 ihhihgs E but the only " 5 science course hi k: h d 1 3 you’vetaken t S W66 S SC 6 U 6 ll)’ ,hasbeen in Physics for Poets. Wednesday May 12 Thursday May 13 Friday May 14 Saturday May 15 Sunday May 16 1 we have 1 ° W Tennis vs. Gustavus 0 W Tennis at NCAA’s-- ° W Tennis at NCAA’s-- 0 W Tennis at NCAA’s-- 0 OPEN lb a program Adolphus (NCAA)-- TBA TBA TBA V 3 for you. 10:00 - M Lax at NCAA’s-- 3 TBA -- n ‘L 4'U 3 University Cleaners ‘*2 coiu..ti.u........,», Ov E 7 North Jefferson Street E iii P°5ti’_a‘°aia“‘e"t" _ . 3 Premedical Program is SPORTS? PWRITE FOR THE PHI! 458-4060 Lexington, VA 24450 463-3622 University Cleaners offers full service storage for all your winter clothing and bedding. Each item is cleaned and stored, ready for pick up in the fall. Regular cleaning charges apply and are billed to your home address in July. Storage is free. It couldn’t be easier, bring in your clothing this spring and pick it up in the fall, clean, pressed, and ready to wear. Eliminates the need to carry it all home over the summer. Call or stop in today for addictional information. ' Free Summer Storage of all winter clothes and bedding America’s oldest and best. Discover why our graduates have an 85% placement rate in American medical schools. Call: (800) 8904127 Your Greens gspremed@colunibia.edu www.columbiaedu/cu/gslpostbacc C o LU MB IA School of General Studies Pinheadsl Report to the J~school comp lab or prepare to get iced — BdM Generals with a .380 batting av- ' ' OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20040510/WLURG39_RTP_20040510_006.2.txt PAGE 6 THE rHE .lil‘;\l(}~’l'EAt PHY AST WORD MONDAY, MAY 10, 2004 Fratlord praises Honor System, questions changes Spoiled Students with new found power following Spring Term Success should not be so rash in using it This school ain’t perfect. Neither are any of its students, faculty, and staff. So can’t we all just agree on this point and move on? This year, it seems like the W&L boat has never stopped rocking. Between this EC business, the demise (and rebirth!) of Buffalo Creek, the fraternity suspensions, and the Spring Term issue, there’s just been one thing after another to keep the uproar constant. Meanwhile, we’ve all lost sight of how special this place is and why we love it like we do. , As students at W&L, we are overwhelmingly spoiled. I can’t think of another college environment where students have as much as freedom as we do. What’s more, we take it all for granted. You couldn’t ask me to count all the times I’ve punted tests during Exam Week, or how many times I’ve left things lying around on campus for weeks at a time. Seriously, can you imagine a W&L without these peculiarities? I can’t. We know how good we’ve got it. That’s why there’s been so much uproar when we sense that things are slipping away. The Spring Term madness is the best example of all — I don’t think anyone could have estimated that the backlash would get as intense as it did. The students saw that one of our favorite things about the school was in jeopardy, and did whatever we needed to do to keep it. well. these people. So lets’ move on, shall we? Now, in the aftermath, we are fully aware of our power as students at this school. But things are getting out of hand. We can make a difference, but I think we can go overboard as Like I said at first, nobody’s perfect. The EC reps aren’t perfect. And many will agree that even the Honor System has its flaws and uncertainties, but no more than how every person in this community has their own imperfections. Just because you can make a difference doesn’t necessitate that change is needed. Change can be good, but apparently it can also be addicting. It’s frustrating to hear students who, in one breath, blast the administration for trying to change the school, and then, in the next breath,‘complain about some aspect of W&L which they would change if they had a choice. How do you justify the hypocrisy of worrying about the “branding” of W&L while trying to modify, adjust, or eradicate some of its most crucial traditions? It just seems silly. In my four years, W&L has managed to exist in some Case in point — the EC situation. With every passing State of day, it seems our Executive Committee is increasingly If 3 n S i ti 0 I1 . disparaged, and our Honor System is increasingly attacked. time, We’Ve That’s funny — I thought we liked how good we have it at this a1C0h01 policy, school. I thought we president, a appreciated the ABSOLUT FRATLORD benefits of a new Greek the Honor System. many Cases, a And I thought TIM SMITH ‘04 we elected many of our traditions. Yet, W&L has perpetual During this just because you can make had a new a difference doesn’t “cw new Commons, necessitate that change is ]ine_up, and, in needed new stance on T S oldest [M MITH miraculously, ‘ managed to emerge unscathed and remains essentially the same school it has been. Sometimes change has been necessary, sometimes it’s been arbitrary, but it’s happened. Now get over it. I love this school. It’s why I hope to work for the university next year. And I believe that most of the students here love this school too. That’s why many are so worried and so frantic about the changes that have taken place. But it’s time to stop worrying. It’s still W&L. We still love it. Just because we can make changes to our school, doesn’t mean we should go overboard — in the long run, we might not enjoy what we come up with. Co—ed speaking outs would solve problem of sexual assault This past Monday, May 3rd, Panhellenic sponsored “Day of Dialogue,” a program designed to bring together women on campus to discuss pertinent issues affecting female students. Last year, as my sorority Chapter Treasurer, I was re- quired to attend “Something of Value,” the previ- ous years’ equivalent, and was amazed by the dif- ferent perceptions regarding prevalent problems on campus, such as eating disor- ders, alcoholism, depression, stress, etc. This year, the program began with a speech from Dean Watkins, as well as Dr. Jane Horton, who presented the statistics resulting from the Health Center survey that went out to students just before exams last term. While I don’t particularly consider myself the ‘f ’ word (and by ‘f’ word I mean ‘feminist’ . . . gasp!) I do consider myself to be militantly anti—ridicu- lous, and the statistics which reflect widespread victimizations of women on campus are emphati- cally ridiculous. Forty—four percent of the entire female stu- dent population responded to the survey and here are some of the reported results from the past year: Four percent experienced verbal threats for sex against their will; a shocking 22.6% experienced sexual touching against their will; 8.5% experienced attempted sexual penetration against their will (at- tempted rape); and 2.6% experienced sexual pen- etration against their will (rape), none of which were reported to the university. Feminist or no feminist these behaviors are unacceptably, inexcusably ri- diculous. End of story. These are the facts of the survey. As far as perceptions go, being the stubborn, independent, and at times, overly strong willed person that I am, I was rather shocked to discover how rampant these behaviors are. Worse yet, while these statistics seem to portray helpless female victims being raped in a dark alley by an alpha—male aggressor, the situ- ation is apparently, much more complicated and not nearly as simple. For example, frat boys have threatened to ball girls from fraternities if they did not have sex, essentially destroying their social lives. Now, if this does reflect behaviors that have occurred, I’m not sure who is more pathetic in this situation: the boy , who is so desperately horny that he has to threaten _ THE NAKED TRUTH COURTNEY PERRY ‘04 girls in order to get them to have sex with him; the girl who is so insecure and whose self-esteem is so nonexistent that she would actually submit to such abuse (and yes, it is considered abuse in a court of law) rather than face even the possibility of social alienation; or the frat brothers who would dare support the idea of collectively balling a girl for merely exercising the right to protect her own body. Initially, I could not under- stand why girls would not report sexual assaults to the University, or preferably, to the Police, but was soon reminded of two past cases in which chrages were brought before the University rather unsuccessfully. The resulting mortification was so extreme and uncomfortable that the girls involved had to leave school. This was just three years ago. Fortunately, a lot has changed at W&L since I first arrived in Fall, 2000. At the time, nearly all leadership positions on campus were held by men. Currently, all student judicial bodies are headed by women and the Dean of Students is female. Times have changed at W&L, and so I think it’s time for a bit of cultural perspective. There is no doubt that the social hierarchy and one’s status within that hierarchy plays a huge role in campus culture. In my opinion, it is this culture that allows for the aforementioned situations to occur, as exhibited by the extreme measures to which one (particularly if one is fe- male) is willing to resort in order to keep oiie’s social status intact. While I have never particu- larly agreed with this culture, I must accept that this is the way the campus works. That’s not to say that one can’t fight fire with fire. After all, what is a large factor in guys’ Rush? Girls. What makes a party, a party? Girls. We have a lot more power than we’re aware of, especially if we were to join forces. I admit I’m taking a chance here, but I think that, because of all the pro-female changes that have been made on campus, we now have the re- sources and the attitude to deal with sexual as- sault on campus and eliminate such inappropriate behaviors. In the past, girls have been too afraid to report such crimes because of the resulting so- cial stigmas, and the chauvinistic attitude of blam- ing the victims, but, these obstacles are certainly ~-.3. .- .- ,A' . n, “ -. . . . _ ;., O .. ‘T. 3.?’ > ”.‘ PHOTO COUTES 0rhz'ta.rtamre 1a.m GIRL POWER! If the Spice Girls were sexually assaulted, they would report the incident. You should, too. in the process of being overcome, if they have not been surpassed already. However, we’ll never know unless some of the victims are brave enough to come forward and report these crimes. Perhaps it would only take one strong female to lead the way and tell her story before others would gain the courage to do the same. We can’t stop what we don’t acknowledge, and I strongly feel that our campus today cares about its students and genuinely wants to stop these crimes. Victims should seek help through Dean Watkins (that’s what’s great about a small school, you can actually talk to the Dean herself), or Dr. Jane Horton in the Health Center. While I have never been sexually assaulted or threatened, I feel my social status on this cam- pus would be a small price to pay to ensure the safety and awareness of hundreds of other women on campus now, and the thousands who are to come in future years. As for the guys, I apologize to all the real gentle- men out there who are reading this and are possibly just as shocked and appalled as most girls were. It down- right sucks that your sex must suffer through the bad rep resulting fiom a minority of filthy nasty pigs. As for the women, ladies, we have a choice that is ours and ours alone to make. Let’s hear it for the girls. phi@w/u.edu Q Beta’s done. The Big Four is now accepting applications for next year. Q Joel on being a conforrnist: “I’m not a con- forrnist just because I wear Rainbow sandals! You’re the conforrnist— you have an arm; everyone has arms!” ' ‘ Q Someone needs to call child’s services. I think a parent left his child to live in the third floor of the Commons to annoy many. (1) To the person who submitted a Quick Hit last week about that dude’s blue hair: Are your high- lights “natura ” or did it just say “natura ” on the box? Q Mike Homing has never won a game of Mario Party in his life. (1) Does TFC stand for Tubgirl Fan Club? Q If you haven’t listened to David W. Jacobsen’s new album, “Cubicle Wonderland,” you are really missing out! Q What did you do for your Mother yester- day? Q Don’t forget to reset your clocks and change the batteries in your fire alarms next weekend. Q Congratulations to William T. Brooks for writ- ing a BamesandNoble.com number one bestseller. Q e. e. cummings did not intend to forego capi- talization. it was a pub1isher’s decision. (I) Cosmo is such a raunchy magazine. Q Sprees are bad for my teeth. Q Overheard this.weekend outside FIJI: “This grass is really comfortable, I may make a nest here.” Q Yahoo! Skyy Vodka now comes in a low-carb version! (1) Today was a major day in exploration: 1497, Amerigo Vespucci left from Cadiz for his first voyage to the New World. 1503, Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas af- ter the turtles he found there. 1534, Jacques Cartier discovered Newfound- land. Q Always look on the bright side of life. Q The men’s lacrosse team faces Messiah Col- lege on Sunday at Wilson Field. Go cheer on the Gennies in the second round of the NCAA tournie! Q Thomas Worthy talks a lot. (1) Too much work, I have yet to see Goshen. Q Coincidence? Stonewall Jackson died today in 1863 and today is Confederate Memorial Day in both Carolinas. Q Did anyone else see Phi editor Caley Ander- son haunting the halls of the Warner Center wear- ing a black belt, a martial arts uniform, and carrying a bunch of blunt weaponry? Apparently, it doesn’t matter to Caley whether the pen or the sword is mightier. Q The buggers are coming? Must be a Velasquez thing. Q Coach Joe Lyles is ending his umpteen-year reign as Club Sports Director. He shall be missed. Q I saw some Iraqi prisoners being tortured on the news and I thought I recognized some Beta pledges. Q Raked over the coals? Burning the candle at both ends? Spread too thinly? Try Pilates! Q I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay, I sleep all night and I work all day. Q Can Bluegrass really ever be red—hot and pro- gressive? ~ ‘Q Congratulations to the LCA Ultimate Frisbee Team and good luck in the final game tonight against Phi Delt. Q Aaargghh! It is actually humanly possible for a bullpen to be as bad the Cleveland Indians’ is? ' Q So, we either have cold and rainy or blisteringly hot? Not to be a whiner, but what hap- pened to 75 and sunny? Q The Executive Committee is searching for a conscience and a backbone. Apply through e-Re- cruiting. Q Fear the turtle! Q Submit your anonymous Quick Hits (please, please, please) and tales of Spring Term love and lust to phi@wlu.edu.