OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20041011/WLURG39_RTP_20041011_001.2.txt <4 THE BY ERIN JULIUS EDIT()R—IN-CHIEF In a meeting with Greek Presidents Friday after- noon, President Burish and Dean Watkins expressed concern about the prevalence of sexual assault on Wash- ington and Lee’s campus. , “Sexual assault is a serious issue that we will not ignore or address with anything less than determined resolve,” Burish said. A “I was really impressed with the manner in which they approached us,” said Celia Landgren, president of Kappa Delta. “They were in no way trying to come down on the Greek system. They in no way said you are part of the problem.” The IFC and Panhel agreed to lead initia- tives against sexual assault on campus. Adminis- p y The student voice of Washington and M University time 7897 Presidents hold emergency meeting about alleged abuse trators called the meeting as, “an attempt to stop it right now, at the beginning of the school year,” said Tim Kolly, Interim Director of Communicationsand External Relations. Burish and Watkins met with Greek leaders first because, “Fraternity and sorority leadership are leaders of 75 to 80 percent of our student population,” Watkins They were in no way trying to come down on the Greek system. They in no way said you are part of the “I don’t think the administration in any way wants to blame Greek organizations for this problem, but rather encourage them to help find solutions for it,” said Susan Somers, president of Pi Beta Phi. - “We didn’t go in there with a particular agenda," Watkins said. “It was a meeting where we were say- ing we want this to be of concern and we want you to help us.” said. “We wanted to go to them problem‘ Watkins said that the Stu- to say you are the leaders in these CELIA LANDGREN dent Faculty Hearing Board has areas and we want your help.” PREHDENT OI,-KAPPA DELI/I not found anyone guilty of sexual The meeting was called on ' assault in her time at Washington short notice because, “if you’re really concerned and get reports...you don’t wait for a regular meeting,” Kolly said. Popular Chinese restaurant falls short on routine health inspection BY ERIN JULIUS EDlTOR—IN—CI-IIEF “There were live baby roaches crawling on the walls in the kitchen.” The Department of Health’s Inspection Re- port recorded these observations after a routine inspection of Hunan Garden. This first inspection, dating back to June 18, 2004, listed eleven critical and six non—critical health violations. ' Critical violations pose a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served. Non critical violations represent a failure of cleaning or maintenance. When Health Department officials returned to Hunan’s on July 13, they listed two critical and four non—critical health violations. Hunan Garden’s manager said everything has been fixed. He also said that the Health Depart- ment has not returned for any more inspections since its July 13th inspection. Hunan Garden has been a popular student destination for years. Some Greek Organizations even use the venue for social gatherings. “It’s disgusting,” said Kelly Jo Larsen, ’05, “it very much grossed me out. I will not be visiting Hunan Garden any time soon.” Larsen received the Health Department’s in- spection report about Hunan Garden’s violations through an email forwarded to her by fellow Wash- ington and Lee student Joseph Franzen. The Virginia Department of Health’s website cautions that, “An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-terrn cleanliness of an establishment. Also, at the time of the inspection violations are recorded but are often corrected on—the—spot prior to the in- spectqr leaving the establishment.” “The mechanical dishmachine was not sani- tizing. The final rinse must reach a minimum of l80°F in the final rinse,” and “Observed the use of gar- bage bags to store food in the walk-in units,” were the remaining critical violations observed by the Department of Health Flu Vaccine shortage prompts rationing BY ERIN JULIUS EDITOR—[N—CHIEF Because the national sup- ply of influenza vaccine has been cut in half this year, the Center for Disease Control is- sued recommendations for distribution. According to Dr. Jane Horton in the Health Center, Washington and Lee received about half of its vaccine order. The Health Center will pro- vide vaccinations to members of the University community who fall into the priority groups. After Washington and Lee’s priority groups are vacci- nated, Dr. Horton plans on tum- ing the University’s extra vacci- nations over to the Lexington community, which does not have vaccinations. “We will work with people in the community about * who else needs it,” she said. In the past, Washington and Lee has not achieved better than a 25% immunization rate. The University has never achieved “herd protection,” Horton said. While it is likely that there will be more flu illness this sea- son because students on this campus, “live, work and study together,” Horton said, “it won’t be especially ba .” Horton recommends washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizer so that germs are not spread to keyboards and door- knobs. “I would buy stock in Purell if I were you,” Horton said. “'3 _ SAHAR KAMILI THE RING -TL/‘M PHI LIPTING A LEG FOR SERVICE. As part of the Fall Service Challenge, Addy Ng Volunteers with the SPCA by taking this pup for a walk. Over one hundred fifty students participated in the Nabors sponsored event. and Lee. Watkins served two years asDeanofFreshmenandisinhersecondyearasDean of Students. P1 1 VOLUME CVlI.,No. 11 MONDAY, Ocrosnr 11,2004 Brent Beshore, president of Lambda Chi Alpha, said that the incidence of sexual assault was presented, “very vaguely” at the meeting. A According to Beshorc, everyone at the meeting was, ‘—‘in agreement that that has no place on campus and shouldn’t happen ever,” he said. “The fratemity leadership on campus is grateful that the University trusts its leaders enough to share its concerns and confront the problem head on,” said Thomas Pickering, IFC President. “I was excited to hear the‘IFC offer up the sug- gestion of working along with Panhel,” Landgnen said. The IFC and Panhellenic Council have commit- ted to presenting a report making recommendations by November 8”‘. Individual presidents will talk to their Greek chapters about possible solutions and convene again to write up their report. I BY KATHERINE SHELL ' ASST. NEWS EDITOR This week, the W&L Law School celebrated Coming Out Week sponsored by GayLaw. Na- tional Coming Out Day falls on October 1 1 in cel- ebration of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Events included pre- sentations during the week, and a drag show last Friday night. “We’ve done Coming Out Week stuff this week so as to avoid the mass exodus produced by fall break,” says Tammy Graham Law ‘O6, a Tri—Executive Chair for GayLaw. Monday night, GayLaw sponsored speak- ers Jill Lowelland Patricia Jones, who discussed -their study of Transgender and Bisexual issues in the Law. On Wednesday, students were invited to a presentation given by Project Horizon on domes- tic violence from a same-sex perspective, as well as a film presentation later in the evening of finches patches: a non-scripted conversation /Drag show features W&L students GayLaw sponsors Coming Out Week \ about a man’s lifetime.” . . Thursday night, GayLaw presented the film “Juggling Genders” with a discussion following led by Professor Theresa Braunschneider, As- sistant Professor of English at W&L. The Drag Show Friday night was held on the Law School Lawn. GayLaw’s Coming Out Week attempted to make the W&L community more aware about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender issues. Gra- ham said, “As for coming out, I seriously doubt we’ll have any of that.” The theme for Coming Out Day 2004 is “Come Out. Speak Out. Vote.” Students interested in learning more about GayLaw should contact Graham at graharnt@wlu.edu. Those interested in becom- ing part of an undergraduate organization dedi- cated to increasing awareness of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual issues on campus should contact the Gay Straight Alliance at gsa@wlu.edu. —Photos by Sahar Kamali of the Ring—tum Phy Nabors brings out over one hundred fifty student Volunteers for Fall Service Challenge BY SARAH MURRAY NEWS EDITOR Over 150 student volunteers flooded Rockbridge County last Saturday for Nabors Ser- vice League’s second annual Fall Service Challenge. Nabors collaborated with Habitat for Human- ity for the first time this year, a move that brings more funding and projects to the table for future Challenges, according to co-chair Sonia Siu. Volunteers ranked 17 service projects by order of preference when signing up for the Challenge. Among the more popular are apple-pick- ing for the needy and a House Mountain clean-up, said Siu. Other projects include yardwork in Glasgow, Habitat construction, and a road race benefiting the Rockbridge . Area Transportation System. Another group visited the Manor at Natural Bridge, a rest home, to paint their dining rooms. The group previously painted the facility’s day room. According to charge nurse Angela Salinas, the Manor is always eager to wel- come N abors back. i The larger projects weren’t more important than the smaller ones. Groups with only a few stu- dents made just as much of an impact. “It’s so hard to get someone to help you," said one woman whose windows need repairing “In its second year, Fall Service Challenge continues to grow, and I look forward to seeing so many people do community service for the greater Lexington area.” NOBLE STAFFORD NABORS CO-CHAIR before winter. . Volunteers congregated at a lunch on Cannan’s Green between their projects, where they received a commemorative water bottle for their ef- forts. - Siu believes the Challenge is gathering an increasing following in the university community. “This year we’re actually looking at a bigger com- mitment,” she said, noting, “Last year about 140 [people] signed up but about 90 came.” Siu’s co-chair Noble Stafford agreed that this year’s response was stronger. “We attribute this to the com- bination of Habitat for Hu- manity and Nabors Service League for one day of ser- vice.” According to Siu, Nabors will move outward if the Challenge continues to grow. “The issue that we have is that Lexington is, after all, a pretty small community, so there are only so many projects,” said Siu. “So I don’t know how many more people we can accommodate, but we’re hop- ing it becomes a more. . .well—known day in the year, and that more people will consider doing it, and, once they sign up for it, truly commit to doing it." “In its second year, Fall Service Challenge continues to grow, and I look forward to seeing so many people do community service for the greater Lexington area,” said Stafford. OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20041011/WLURG39_RTP_20041011_002.2.txt tEYE3t.iRn' Limztm ‘u.-‘\~.“~;Hit\l‘t§ TON LEE UNNERSM : "“'V-"-‘.Tr‘9l\= :-.m_ T3/.\'z*,_I_=,‘() OCT 1 2 20% PAGE 2 m BY ASHLEY METZLOFF STAFF WRITER “Don’t be alarmed by si- rens going off and emergency ve- hicles corning to VMI.” That was the warning is- sued to the community from a VMI press release on Sept. 30. But it’s hard for an outsider not to feela little alarmed upon see- ing Lexington’s most martial in- stitution in an apparent state of emergency. Every student, faculty and staff member at the Virginia Mili- tary Institute was assembled on the Parade Ground last Tuesday. The large field was flanked by emergency vehicles— four police cars, two fire trucks, and two am- bulances to be exact. Have we been attacked by terrorists? Has George W. Bush come for a secret visit and been shot? Not exactly, said Stewart D. Maclnnis, Associate Director of Communications and Marketing at VMI. The events of last Tues- day morning were part of a new state-mandated test designed to assess the ability of all state agencies to respond to emergencies. According to Maclnnis, while the mandated drill wasn’t specifically for terrorist ac- tivities, the mandate “grew out of the heightened awareness of terrorism.” From afar, the field seemed to bristle with ca- dets at attention.. But a closer looks proved other- wise. Blue frisbees and brown footballs soared above the crowd. Cadets darting about like kids at recess. Some stretched out on the ground with their hands under their heads, like Parisians in a public park on a holiday. While cadets huddled in the middle of the Relax, VMI state of emergency just a drill News "rii:l‘iiu"r'n?~.il}i«3 field, staff members lounged on the edges of the lawn; Many brought lawn chairs, blankets, and hot beverages and are chatting and laughing. This is a crowd one might expect to see at a high school football game instead of a place where an ambu- lance with all its doors open appears ready for ac- tion on the lawn before them. Despite the emergency vehicles and air of tension they created, the cadets, faculty, and staff were relaxed. This was no emergency— it’s just an elaborate drill. While the cadets looked happy enough, not all of them were pleased about the drill. Many of Phi Q & A: Margaret Wilkins Freshman EC Representative gives her take on honor believe that every student is able to trust one another because of the Honor System. I wanted to be a part of upholding this fundamental facet of our BY WHITNEY DUFFEY STAFF WRITER school. THE RING-M PHI VEEMEE ALERT. Don’t worry everyone, the Keydets are ready to protect us if terrorists strike our conservative stronghold. ASHLEY METZLOF them were upset because the drill took up pre- cious break time they normally have in the mom- mg. While the theme of Tuesday’s drill was a gas leak instead of a terrorist attack, the same ac- tions could be applied to a terrorism situation, Maclnnis said. According to him, “The point was to respond.” p And respond they did. The exercise was ex- pected to take an hour and a half, but the exercise ' took only thirty minutes. And as the evacuated dining staff laid out lunch on the lawn, the emer- gency drill wound down into a summery picnic. W: Can you give me part of what your basic platform was? The Executive Committee - they not only act as the student govem- ment here at W&L, allocating funds to student organizations and managing the Student Activity Fee, but also hold the responsibility of administering the Honor System, serving as those students to whom an HV can be reported and as the renders of a guilty or innocent verdict. They seem distant from the student body, but in reality their decisions shape the daily life of the average W&L student. This is why it is important for the student body to be aware of and to comprehend the workings of this body and to be familiar with their represen- tatives. This belief prompted an interview with the newly elected Freshman EC representative, Margaret Elkins, about her carn— ' paign, her current activities within the EC, and her overall W&L experience. Here are some excerpts from our conversation: VVHITNEYZ So, just a little bit about your back- ground before you carne to W&L: what’s your home- town? What was your high school like - big or small, public or private? MARGARET: Houston, Texas. I went to a rela- tively small, l28 in my graduating class, private high school. W: And what kinds of leadership roles did you have in high school? M: I was involved in student government, was co-chair of the Chapel Guild, a spiritual club that organized weekly non-denominational chapel services, and was a yearbook editor. W: Why did you choose to come to W&L? M: I fell in love with W&L the moment I stepped onto the campus. Every single student that I saw seemed so genuinely happy to be here, and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I knew that I wanted to go to a small school where I would hopefully be able to meet all of my classmates and attend small classes. After seeing Lexington, I loved the small, college-town environment! And, as everyone knows, it is most definitely academically rigorous, while at the same time having a lively and exciting social scene. W: So, as far as your campaign, what made you decide to run for the position of EC Representative versus Class President or SJ C Representative? M: I honestly believe that honor is the foundation for every single aspect of W&L. From inside the classroom to parties on the weekends, I “I think that truly being a representative for one’s class means getting to know people so that you are able to represent their opinions.” MARGARET ELKINS FRESHMEN EC REPRESENTATIVE M: [From her official platform] . .I will be the classmate that you come to if you suspect dishonorable behavior among other persons in our community. I will be present at the Executive Committee Hearings, and guar- antee that I will be unquestionably fair and impartial in all of the decisions that .1 make. Honor defines the character of our school, and I give you my word that my objective will always be one of upholding honor. In addition to overseeing the Honor System, I will also be the face that you can ap- proach with questions, opinions and complaints that need to be voiced to the Executive Committee. As your advocate, I assure you that I will be absolutely trustworthy in keeping things appropriately confidential. I will publicize what is going on and report back to y’all the important happenings and the progress being made.” W: So, in your campaign, what do think was your most effective tool? M: I think that truly being a representative for one’s class means getting to know people so that you are able to represent their opinions. I think my most effective campaign tool was intro- ducing and talking to people that I had never met. - W: Well, it obviously worked because you won! In spite of your victory, would you have campaigned any differently in hindsight? M: No, I honestly think that I campaigned to the best of my ability. W: Thus far, what have you and the other EC members been up to? M: On Monday and Tuesday of this past week, I spent many hours in Budget Hearings. In addition, we have weekly meetings on Mondays. I actually just got back from doing Community Service with other EC.mem- bers. W: So in conclusion, what do you expect your role to be in the orga- nization? M: I think that my role on the EC will be to bring in the freshman viewpoint to all situations. I, along with the rest of the class of 2008, am still a new student at W&L and am still learning new things every day. I will bring this perspective to the table. In addition, every class has its own personality. I believe I will be able to represent the interests and concerns of the freshmen. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2004 McPherson focuses on male behavior BY MICHAEL PATTERSON STAFF WRITER A former NFL player, Don McPherson, came to campus last Thursday to speak on violence against women. Several W&L organizations col- laborated to sponsor his presentation in the Com- mons Theatre, entitled “You Throw Like a Girl,” focused on stimulating discussion among men, rather than using scare tactics or other preventa- tive approaches. .« McPherson’s speech on Thursday addressed a broad range of topics. He spoke about racism, alcoholism, drugs, and gender stereotypes, find- ing ways to tie all these issues together with the problem of domestic violence. McPherson talked about his own personal experiences with alcohol- ism and drugs, and how they helped them to deal with difficult issues like violence against women. He stressed the need to open up the discussion of these concerns before it becomes too late. “We wait for bad things to happen before we start to address the problem,” he said. McPherson even gave out his personal email address, DGMAC9@aol.com, and encouraged students to send him comments and questions about any is- sues related to domestic violence. McPherson also brought to light society’s dangerous view of acceptable male behavior. He said, “You know why we say ‘boys are just being boys?’ Because they’re doing something stupid and we don’t want to call them on it.” He wants men to change their attitudes toward all aspects of life, not just women. Despite some armoying technical difficulties at the beginning of his speech, McPherson kept tlie.large crowd in the Commons Theatre engaged throughout the presentation. He continually called on audience members to add to the discussion, and localized many of the issues in his speech to the W&L campus. He also used humorous anec- dotes effectively I to introduce un- comfortable is- sues. The audi- ence roared with laughter one sec- ond and was dead silent the next, as McPherson ex- plained the onii— nous conse- quences of the situations we of- ten overlook or find funny. McPherson was an All American Quarterback at Syracuse Uni- versity, and went on to play professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Houston Oilers. He has been active in community service since his days at Syracuse, where he gave speeches to local high school students about the dangers of drink- ing and driving. Since his retirement from profes- sional football in 1994, McPherson has devoted his time to several community service organizations. He is the International Chairman of Athletes Help- ing Athletes, the co—director of Athletes in Service to America, and is currently the Executive Director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi Uni- versity. McPherson has appeared on N i ghtline, Court TV, MSNBC, Fox News, and the Oprah Winfrey show to discuss a variety of issues like domestic. violence, racism, and the role of professional ath- letes in society. For the past several months, he has been traveling to Universities around the coun- try to speak about domestic violence. McPherson was brought to campus in part by a new student organization called One in Four. -This all—male group of about twenty W&L students ‘was recognized by the EC this fall. According to One in Four member Lucas Gredell, the group is dedicated to helping men talk to other men about changing harmful attitudes towards women. They are hoping to schedule more presentations about violence against women in November. Project Horizon, SAMS, and the Office of Health Promotion also helped sponsor the event. 1.s\\\B-T5 "°"° ‘filler .9 (D€I)(I>d>¢>(l>d>d>(I> Travel with STS, America’s #1 Student Tour Operator to Jamaica, Cancun, Acapulco, Bahamas and Florida. Now hiring on-campus reps. Call for group discounts. Information/Reservations 1-800-648-4849 or www.ststrave|.com. Spring Break 2005 8 EMBROIDERY 464-9042 . 637 Waddefl St. Lexington Va. Spring Break Bahamas Celebrity,Party 5 Days $299! Includes Meals, Parties! Cancun, Acapulco, Nassau, Jamaica Panama City & Daytona $159 Cruise! the news section! Write for e-mail m Jrrays@wlu-.-edu From $459 MAKE YOUR OWN HOURS All you do is sell the Hawaiian Tropic Break 2005 Travel Program Represent an American Express “Student Travel" Company Guaranteed Highest Commission, Free Trips & Great for www.Spring BreakTravel.com 1-800-678-6386 Resume Your pay equals your efforts AMERICAN STUDENT Vacations 1-800-336-2260 www.grnericanstiideminfg OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20041011/WLURG39_RTP_20041011_003.2.txt 4 A MoNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2004 5 " SiifAi“E!iiPED1ToRrAL Administration must crack down on sexual assault As Dean Watkins said in W&L’s press release, a sexual assault is a viola- tion of human rights. Arecent meeting of officials (including the Dean of Students, the University President, IFC and Panhel reps, and several Greek presidents) sought solutions to what has obviously become a significant issue on the W&L campus. In the press release, Panhellenic Presi= dent Mary Jacob Rankin acknowledged sexual assault as a “very real and important situation that the W&L campus cannot and ‘ will not tolerate.” Although suggestions have been made to correct the problem by learning from programs established at other schools and supporting other initia- tives like One in Four and education pro- grams, we believe that decisive and imme- diate action would not be out of place. The simple fact is that when something as serious and as widespread as sexual as- sault becomes a problem, specific measures must.be taken. No one should question, given the frequency of allegations that we’ve seen thus far, that sexual assault has become a serious problem on the W&L campus. Thus, we would like to see some mean- ingful action taken immediately on this mat- ter. .While education, Day of Dialogue, and so forth have their place, they neither im- mediately prevent nor deter sexual assault and rape on our campus, though they may - lessen its frequency gradually over time. Severe punishments need to be handed down to individuals who initiate sexual as- sault. Not only that, we need to create an environment where victims feel free to re- port such crimes, and that means taking equally harsh measures against individuals who intimidate and harass victims who come forward. We urge the adrr1inistration,as well as the vafious Greek orgatiizations, to take quick action on this matter to resolve this urgent campus issue. “One secti tells students the equivalent of how many cheeseburgers they ‘drank”’ ~Unive1sity ofTexas onlinestudentdrinldng survey, from an article dealing with the dreadedfreshman 15 Editor in chief Managing Editor Erin Elizabeth Julius Chris Lauderman News Editor Asst. News Editor Opinions Editor Asst. Opinions Editor Arts & Life Editor Sports Editor Photography Editor Layout Editor Asst. Layout Editor Sarah Murray Katherine Shell Caley Anderson Anne Finley Emily Edwards Marshall Rule Corbin Blackford Chad Kiewet de Jonge Emily Hulen Copy Editors Dane Boston ' Shane Wilson David Seifert Rob Rain Legget Kitchin Stephen Lipscomb Business Manager Circulation Director Asst. Circ. Director Distribution Dir. The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee Univer- sity, Lexington, Virginia. The Ring—tum 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 emailed 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 observes current court definitions of libel and obscenity. The Ring-tum Phi I _ University Commons Room. 341 Washington and Lee University Lexington, Wrginia 24450‘ Telephone: (540) 458-406‘ / Fax: (540) 458-4059 Email: phi@wlu.edu Subscription rate $40 / /' ll RlNG—TU%;\='l CAtEYANoursoN OPINIONS EDIIOR FivrAn;ANDEitsoAo@wtnE)tr INI PAGE *3 Live a life above and beyond fraternity parties I’m not so dense, as a student at this school, to suggest to the student body that fraternity parties aren’t exciting and a fundamental part of one’s college- experience. I get the lure, honestly: drinks, dancing, and members of the oppo- site sex. But I do think that people should realize, espe- cially the ones I al- ways hear talking about how “there is nothing to do here besides go to frat parties” that there are indeed other things to do on a Fri- day night, or even a Wednesday for that matter. There actu- ally may be life be- yond fraternity par- ties, for those who are willing to look. Don’t get angry. I’m not saying that people should stop bid, a little culture? You may be wondering where this is coming from, what spurred me to question a cherished W&L “tra- dition” of trying to maintain a perpetual state of drunkenness. Case in point: we had an international film festival come to our school a few weeks ago and only a handful of students attended. I always thought college students loved movies! Besides the defense that it just wasn’t advertised enough and people didn’t know it was There has been an interesting phenom- enon lately — this whole time, really — that is starting to get to me. I’ll be out or I’ll be in the Co—op, or some- where, and this boy that I swear I’ve never seen in my life, comes up to me and is like “Hey Mary Childs! How are you?” You’ve got both of my names. I got nothing. Or it’s that girl that you see everywhere and God knows you’ve met her about six times, and for the life of you all you can recall is that supercute pair of shoes she wore a week ago. “Hey, Mary!” “Hey, SuperCute Shoes!” That doesn’t re— .. ally work. I’m starting to be em- barrassed by this. The other day in Psych class, which is a class of 30 or so, the professor gave a stack of papers to my friend and me and told us to pass them out. Boy, was that an awful experience. We sat there and we were like, “Do you know a Jonathan? Caitlin? Is there a Caitlin? Meredith? No? Anyone? LOOK, I know her! !” And we’d hand out about every 14th paper. It was terrible. My Psych class is FULL of people I know. Or rather, I know their faces very well, and I know that they are in my psych class. I know I should know them. I mean, it just feels kind of stalkerish to go buy a yearbook, but that may be the next step. The all—time—best I—Don’t—Know-You mo- ment for me was a few weekends ago when I was at some house, having a lovely time as always. Some guy I would have bet money that I’d never met before joins a conversa- tion, laughs at something I did, and says: “Oh, Crazy Mary." As if that was my name. Crazy Mary. Like I had introduced myself to him as that. I think I stared at him for a while, just A ou, MARY CHILDS ‘08 THE BIG PICTURE _ ANNE FINLEL‘QL completely confused. Who are you? How do you know my name? And most of all, how did I get that prefix? Possibly worse than the Dear-God—I— Know—I—Know-You is the HEY!—Oh—you- don’t-remember-me? It’s happened to all of us. You see that girl that you totally bonded with last weekend 5- it’s possible you’re go- ing on a road trip together soon - or that re- ally nice guy you talked to for like an hour on Monday, and you jaunt up all cocky-like, and you’re like oh my god, hey. How have you been. And you re—embark upon that oh-so- special conversation that you wrote in your journal about. And there’s that blank stare. The blink. The look to the friends - do you know this girl? Oh God. Now you’re the Stalker Freshman. Don’t admit to owning the yearbook... Is there any graceful way out of that situ- ation? All I know to do is the desperate scramble for words, a quick scan to see if you’re among anyone remotely known to you that will remember, and the Turn-and-Sprint. That last one is my favorite. Then they re- member you. But how can one tell the difference be- tween the ones that remember your last name, high school, mother’s maiden name and sister’s favorite ice cream, and the ones that blocked out, or blacked out, the entire spec- tacular conversation where you were totally on your game and proved the epitome of witty and wonderful company? There’s no way to tell. There’s no one to help you. It’s a Russian roulette, and the odds are worse. I propose that upperclassmen wear signs. There would be the “Excellent Memory," “Slight Stalker Tendencies,” “We-Went to School Together, Idiot,” “You Had Dinner With Me,” versus the “Sometimes I Don’t going on, which I buy to some extent, there is no excuse in my mind for such a pitiful turnout. We are lucky enough to have a rich alum bring an in- credible opportunity to our rural campus of 1600 students (se- riously— like Cannes Lex-Vegas style) and I find it extremely dif- ficult to talk more than a couple of my friends into skipping one night of parties to come. To me, something is wrong with this picture. At any other school, the A theater would have ‘ _ been packed. Is the typical Washington and Lee student’s idea of culture con- fined to watching - drunken students on photo 50147169’ of armada ' GOT CULTURE? See the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company act in the only replica of the Blackfriars Theater going entirely, or even stop going every week. But every once in a ~ while, when there isn’t anything too terribly exciting to attend, would it kill you to give up one night of hard partying in favor of a relaxing evening with friends or, God for- a frat basement stage? By all means, continue going out four times a week if that’s your scene. Only you won’t know what you could possibly be missing out on unless you give something completely different a try. You could go to Staunton’s Blackfriars Playhouse, the only recreation of Shakespeare’s original indoor theater. Or maybe a concert is more your style, or a camping trip or scenic hike? Hell. You could just drive around for hours and get lost. At least it would make for meaningful conversation that you would actually remember the next morning. Resist being sucked into the whirlwind that can be the W&L party scene. Or at least do yourself a favor and come up for air once in a while. A freshman by any other name would still be forgetful Remember MY Name,” “You Are Not Impor- tant To Me Today,” and “Were You the One Hitting On My Boyfriend?” What scares me about this problem is not the hatred from the upperclassmen who can totally tell that I’ve forgotten their names, but the fact that I think it’s spread- ing. This amnesia has now moved to other parts of my brain. _ ’ For example, a few friends from UVA came to visit a while ago. Upon seeing them, I looked at one and stood there for a few seconds and had NO IDEA what his name was. I’ve gone to school with him for thir- teen years, and after a month I’ve lost any knowledge of ever having been friends with him. It was more of an “Oh, Don’t I Know That Kid?” and a quick memory scan of the past week to see if I had a name to match the face. I Thirteen years, erased in one month. Amazing. But thankfully, there are always the Safe ‘ People. These are the ones that for what- ever reason, you always know their name, and they usually get yours right too. I have only a couple of these. I cherish them. Safe People, you know who you are - when I see you, I probably point and say your name very, very loudly, as if to show out that Yes, It is possible for me to retain so’meone’s appellation. Thank you. Sometimes I get a little overzealous with the name thing, and I might kind of scare you — “Hey, LILLY!” Whoa, there, tiger. You got it. If you’re a Safe Person, though, don’t be scared by my excitement over your name, and the fact that I probably don’t leave you alone. You may think I’m stalking you. Please take comfort in the fact that it’s not you, it’s your name. Boston Sports - «-9 for disaster, anyone? answers? GoogIe- T Pats going for the time winning streak record, and it might finally be the year for the BoSox. Only problem- a Yankees team with a knack for pulling off weird, fluke plays. Recipe Debate Pictures- h Have we really gotten to the point, as a nation, where we LOOK for our President to have a wire on him to get fed V-Ball- T Chrstine Gladyz is a setting MACHINE. CDC- 1, Their JOB, aside from killing Ebola breakouts, is. to not rim out of flu vaccine. And they ran out of flu vaccine. . Apparently now it’s being used by detectives assigned ‘ to cold cases to solve crimes. What CAN ’T it do? Ups and Downs Opinions Editor Caley Anderson gives you his take on what rose, what fell, and what stayed about the same this week at W&L and the world. Congress- L Now, I know politicians can’t escape from money and its influence, but isn’t demanding a set amount of money to propose a cer- tain piece of legislation a bit over the top? Firing your longtime manager and mentor, then getting married- l Didn’t work for Tiger Woods, not going to work for Britney Spears. Indy IM Football ‘f First place this year. Oh yeah, you heard me. Cafe 77- .1. Only retail items after 9? Iwant my Colonnade Club! Lex Chinese Food- «-9 Eat at Crystal’s. Trust me on this one. Staunton- T For shopping-hungry W&L students, it’s the new Roanoke. Hardee’s- .1. Used to be unique southern fast food, now it’s just a clone of what we in the west call “Carl’s Jr.” And whose great idea was it to call a piece of food a “thickburger”? A c " PlayingAce-Seven off—suit in Texas Hold ‘Em- 1 You’ll get a flop of Ace, Queen, Seven, and I guarantee you someone has Ace-Queen. OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20041011/WLURG39_RTP_20041011_004.2.txt PAGE 4 Exam Stress Staggers Sophomore photo toufiegr afp/Jotograp/.301/ei't. mm ALLTHE LEAVESARE BROWN. And exam time is gray for many Generals. Fall Break is coming just in time. After arriving at school refreshed from summer vacation, I had no problems getting right back into the swing of things. I was a little stressed, but was able to stay on top of all my work and still have time to spare. I was really on top of things and had the grades to show it. This was before, like many other students, I caught one . of the bugs that have been going around. I spent 3 whole days in bed just trying to recover enough to get to class. I only missed one day of school, but I realized that the amount of work I typically get done on the weekend really carries me through the rest of the week. It has now been two weeks since I got sick and I am still trying to catch up from only three days off. As the term progresses, there seems to be more work to do. I’m not sure if professors are actually assigning more work, if the material is just more complex and so it requires more study time, or if the work load is the same, but I’mjust meeting it with less enthusiasm. No matter which is true, I’ve noticed that students have begun missing more class, doing less studying, and have become more tired in general. This is why I feel that it is important for reading IN THE IRONS days to really become , more of a fall break. I CARISSA SHIPLEY would rather get mid- terms over with during the beginning of that week and be able to really relax over break than have to feel my nagging conscious tell me that I need to study for tests all while trying to catch up on sleep and relax in general. Even having only one or two tests be- fore break would‘ help relieve stress and allow me to try to make the most of the time off. ~ I realize that not everyone may agree with me and a lot of students need and want those days to really study. This is where the uniqueness of Washington and Lee comes in. Be- cause of our wonderful honor system, most professors seem to feel comfortable allowing students to schedule their own exams. It also seems that professors here have a genuine interest in the well—being of their students and are very will- ing to help their students learn and do well in any way pos- sible. Thus, I feel that professors should allow students to take their midterms whenever they want. Any time after that last class before break on Tuesday or Wednesday, professors should make the exam available. It could be dueby the end of the class period when the professor normally would have it scheduled. This way, students could decide when they want to study, how they want their break to be structured, and the order in which they want to take their mid-terms. This would allow students ‘to be on top of their work and refreshed and ready for the second part of term. If, like me, you are feeling a little stressed right now, here are some tips for reducing stress. Everyone online seems to have a tip, but these seem like the best to me. 1) Get enough sleep, rest, and relaxation time 2) Eat a well balanced diet, including breakfast 3) Drink a lot of water, and not a lot of alcohol 4) Don’t smoke 5) Exercise 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week »6) Plan out how much time you will spend on each activity or assignment 7) Make a schedule for the day 8) Talk with a friend or write in a journal 9) Take deep breaths and stretch throughout the day 10) Avoid getting too hungry, angry, alone, or tired Letter to the Editor Ot3fiiiit)Ns MONDAY, OCTOBER 11,2004 Amerians shouldn’t fret overlbal imge photo mtmtegr of /r/mo4p.org ALLONS ENFANTS DE IA PATRIE. A joint Franco-American protest over American foreign policy, in Paris. Many young minds today, concerned with America’s global image, are fixated on what seems to be an overwhelming amount of anti—American senti- ment overseas. It seems that every day on the news (even if you do watch Fox), there is mention of an attack made on Americans and their allies, and the general consensus is that it will not end any time soon. Liberals blame Bush’s foreign policy and the War in Iraq.’ Conservatives counter that this is untrue and that Gore wouldn’t have done any better (and neither would Kerry if he gets the chance). So what can we really attribute this blame to? Some say that the coun- tries opposing us, especially those in the Middle East, are so backwards in their religion, society, and politi- cal beliefs that they will always be against democracy and thus hate Americans. If you ac- US aid to their own countries very much, giving rise to a widespread suspicion that much of it ends up in private bank accounts rather than in the hands of those who need it. As a result of this, and much unquestioned anti—American propaganda, democracy has long been stigmatized as a product of the West. Combine these with leaders willing to blame the US for crises of their own making, and you get this hatred for Americans that we see in the Middle East. And then there is France. Boy, do we,love those freedom fries. The near sophistication bf the anti- Americanism we find there does little to make it more bearable. How ironic, for no other country benefited more from American security in the twentieth cen- tury. What do we do in retaliation for such under- handed snobbery? Why grant them cept this as true, you are exactly the a permanent, veto—wielding seat on ignorant American that the French ‘ the UN Security Council, of course. laugh at while sipping their café au WHHNEYDUFFEY While we may have different values lait. This is not to say that we shouldn’t in many ways resent anti-Americanism, but we must realize that this is an issue that is bigger than a culture clash. It is not based on who we are so much as what we are perceived to do in the global commu- nity. The Middle East has always been a hot spot for the United States, but what has particularly aggra- vated such anti—American feelings is our support of Israel. For the past fiftyyears, the United States has stood behind Israel in every conflict against Palestin- ians and Arabs. After all, Israel is our only reliable strategic partner in the Middle East. However, this has resulted in an erroneous perception of unity in US and Israeli policy which often creates issues. Another aggravation is that Israel has been receiving US tax money since 1949 and is currently the largest recipi- ent of US foreign aid, -receiving about one-fifth of our ‘ total allocations. This causes a considerable amounts of resentment. However, it is worth being mentioned that America is financially and militarily committed to the security and existence of many Arab countries. Interestingly, Arab regimes and media do not discuss when it comes to security and mili- tary issues, French resentment comes more from a suspicion of America’s power and perhaps a sense of vulnerability in a major nation to American he- gemony. So, while it may be an outspoken, irritat- ing annoyance, it is merely that-an annoyance. Maybe in some way, their resentment comes from some knowledge of this fact. The United States has been down this road be- fore, battling with a tarnished image and fighting off both old allies and new enemies. Bush has be- come a lightning rod for these anti—American senti- ments, but the issue goes farther than him. No mat- ter who is President, there is little doubt that the US will strongly support Israel, will wage war against terrorists, and continue to pursue its own interests. So, we must not hope for an end to all anti—Ameri- can feelings; the only way that couldever happen would be if there were no America. 9 Instead, we, as the world’s most powerful na- tion, must learn to cope with both the inconve- niences and the great tragedies that result from this status. YES 77% Phi Quick Poll “Does the White‘ Book, as it exists today,, need substantive changes?” 57 students polled, 30 male, 27 female. Poll has 95% confidence in +/-5% margin of error. No 23% phi@wlu.edu with your correction. Errata t - In last week’s Phi, Caley Anderson mistakenly quoted “sound and fury, signifying nothing” to F. Scott Fitzgerald. William Faulker was the author who, in fact, referenced this quote, originally from Shakespeare’s MacBeth. — It was reported last week that the Honor System at the University of _Virginia is older than that of Washington & Lee. In fact, the exact relative order of each university’s creation of an Honor System is unknown as of yet, and so, we cannot be sure when, or even if, President Lee established the single sanction. - While errors are inevitable, it is the policy of the Ring-tum Phi to attempt to avoid them, and to correct and acknowledge any mistakes of fact as quickly as possible. If we have made a mistake that you feel needs correcting, please e—mail GSA President criticizes Phi for assertions of political partisanship Dear Editor, realm of political partisan- dents, administrators, and As per the staff editorial in the Monday, 0ctober49' is- sue of the Ring—Tum Phi, I personally would like to com- ment on the accusations of the Phi’s editorial staff. The editorial was titled “EC- funded student organizations must remain non—partisan,” and with this statement, I whole—heartedly agree. However, the Phi insinu- ates through lies and half- truths that the W&L Gay- Straight Alliance has devi- ated from its goals and has crossed the line into the ,Alliance has “the echoes of ship. Nothing could be more faculty committed to in- .wrong._, W 1 77 W N creasing tolerance and ac- The editorial coiitinfiiéé” Eejiiahbiéiof the gay, lesbian by stating the Gay-Straight and bisexual members ofthe W&L community.” Where is this political echo? As far as I am con- cerned, tolerance and accep- tance are neither Republican nor Democratic ideals. Both Democrats and Republicans find community in the GSA, and if you were to ask any one of them, I seriously doubt any would suggest that they feel politically threatened. partisanship” in its mission. Since I highly doubt anyone at the Phi has ever actually read the GSA’s mission state- ment, here it is: “Each member of the W&L community benefits from any and all measures to increase tolerance and ac-, ceptance of the differences within it. GSA will serve as an organization for stu- The authors of the edi- torial offer some “evidence” to prove their point. They state that “the GSA, for ex- ample, had Kerry-Edwards signs at the Student Activi- ties Fair.” This is simply in- correct. The GSA shared a table with the Young Demo- crats, who were in posses- sion of the signs. The GSA, however, was sitting behind a rainbow flag. Where are the staff editori- als condemning whichever club happened to be sitting next to the College Republi- cans? This is sloppyjournalism at best, politically motivated hate-mongering at the worst. The EC budget hearing for the GSAtjust’ so happens to be the day after the Phi was released, so now ‘the GSA will have to defend its good name in front of the EC with- out any time for a rebuttal to appear in the Phi. How con- venient for the staff of the Phi. Could it be that the Phi is trying to slander other EC- funded student clubs in a bid to get more money left over for themselves? See, I can make unsubstantiated claims, too. It’s easy! This mix-up could have been easily avoided. All the staff had to do was contact me oreany of the other offic- ers in the GSA, and this situ- ation would have taken care of itself. Instead, the Phi de- cided to take a page out of the Dan Rather book on jour- nalistic integrity and make accusations first and check the facts second. Shame on you Ring—Tum Phi. Sincerely, Allen Barry President, W&L GSA OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20041011/WLURG39_RTP_20041011_005.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2004 / o I \ Walker Williams / The Ring-Tum Phi Dodds on a roll Freshman came from out of nowhere to dominate team . BY JOHN BovAY STAFF WRITER Freshman soccer phenom Josh Dodds jour- neyed almost 1000 miles from Cedar Rapids, Iowa with no guarantee of playing college soccer. Now, he leads the W&L team in goals and averages about 60 minutes of playing time per game. The athlete of the week after his three goals in two games against Hampden—Sydney and Emory & Henry, Dodds has defi- nitely proved that he’s earned his place on the team. Dodds discovered W&L through US News rankings and decided during his col- lege search that he would only look at schools where he could potentially play soccer. Although he was -not—~re-~ cruited to play soccer here, a former assistant coach watched him play part of a game during a tournament during his junior year of high school. He had to try out for the team once he arrived at school in August, and found that the competition for a spot on the roster was more diffi- cult than'he’d expected. Dodds described the ma- jor differences between play- ing club soccer in high school and college soccer is the strength and quickness of col- lege players. Dodds enjoys all his teammates, and describes them as “a strong team” that’s had “some unlucky breaks” so far this year. He says the men’s team has the potential to “get on a roll and surprise some people and go pretty far’ ’ in ODAC and NCAA play later this fall. He calls senior captain Peter Miller “intense”. Dodds plans to major in business, and he has a younger brother who also plays soccer, in addition to a - -' -‘ sister who plays volleyball. The Generals return to action Tuesday at Eastern Mennonite, and play their next home game Saturday against Catholic. IKDFKFS SINCE Wednesday ° M Soccer at Emory arid Henry--4 ' W Soccer vs. Ho1lins——4:30 1897 THE RETURN OF titan: (540; 464-2253 COSTUME PARTY Oct. 31 2-6 p.m., ages 2-12, Toy Museum; 540-458-3772 <5?-FEATURll&G%s» our ammo uousrzn t............. ' OCT. 21-23 and OCT. 28-31 at ‘..(NEw) psycflo Room -, g 91.00 are : Anmssiou I for GACH member of your group with this coupon I .I www.naturaIbridgeva.com NEW THIS YEAR....Tl-IE LIVING TORSOI (It's Really Alive) $05511” 7-10 pm — Q00 (SCAR! ER) FREAKOUT FOREST I iol(NEW) : I SPECIAL EFFECTS I 1.0 (NEW? RETME. 3001'?! Sponsored by: w“*mART ...-. -— .._ % PAGE 5 Women victorious at tennis tournament Hagerman leads the victory at ITA Southeast Region Championship BY SARAH BLooM STAFF WRITER On Monday afternoon, Washington and Lee participated in the ITA Southeast Region Championship hosted by Mary Washington. Senior Lindsay Hagerman, leading the Generals, stormed the competition, winning the singles championship for the second year in a row. Hagerman’s win earned her a trip to Florida Gulf Coast Uni- versity in Fort Meyers, Florida from October 14-17 for the ITA Small College National Charnpi- onship. ‘ “This is a great opportunity for her to see where she is with all other top players in east re- gion. We all wish her the best of luck and can’t wait to see how she does,” said sophomore Ginny Wortham of her teamn;iate’s accomplishment. In order to earn this mini va- cation to Florida, Hagerman had to defeat teammate, sophomore Kristen McClung, in order to ad- vance to the championship match. McClung also advanced to the finals after defeating the second seeded player. Over the weekend, the Gen- erals took a turn as the home court team, hosting the W&L Fall Fes- tival. On Saturday, Hagerman again maneuvered her way into the championship round by de- feating her opponents from \ Emory and Carnegie Mellon early on. Hagerman later teamed up with senior Lora Farris in doubles against Mary Washington and Carnegie Melon to secure a spot in the championships doubles round. . . In number four singles, freshmen Catherine Rentschler and Kelly Will each advanced to Sunday’s rounds. On Sunday, Hagerman and Farris won in the doubles cham- pionship round in an exciting tie- breaker over Emory’s number one team. Hagerman also went on to win her singles competition. Unfortunately, top eight player, sophomore Kristen McClung was unable to recover from a sprained ankle on Satur- . day during 21 doubles match and was unable to play. Highlights for the Generals included Rentschler’s win in the fourth flight. Also, teammates Kristen Crawford and freshman Ali Chasey’s claimed absolute victory this weekend. Crawford and Chasey went undefeated through the entire tournament. “I think the tournament was I a really good experience because the top teams were there, Emory was there. It was a good chance - to see the other teams before the I ' spring season and how we might match up. Overall, it was a really good weekend, we fought hard and learned what we needed to do to get ready for spring,” said Wortham of the competition. Boston’s not out of the game yet Don’t give up on the team quite so soon, it’s not too late for success BY RYAN GRITTER SENIOR SPORTS WRITER As I read the story I couldn’t really believe it myself, the Curse of the Barnbino. . .could be over. In case you haven’t heard the story, I’ll give you a quick recap. About a month ago, after the Red Sox’s "dismal series against the Yanks but before the good one (already makes you stroke the beard, doesn’t it?), Manny Ramirez was at the plate. Quick side note, I love Manny’s hair and the way he has to squish the hel- met on top of it. Anyways, he fouled the ball off down the third base line and it hit a little boy in the mouth. So far so good. . .l2-£3113’. 2° V“-i7Ui> inspirational....” fi1'fl"""t"“ FRIENDS OF PRESTON LIBRARY CORDIALLY INVITES THE PUBLIC TO ITS FALL 2004 MEETING & LECTURE DOLLY HARDEE TURMAN MEETING ‘ROOM THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE MflflR WILL DISCUSS HOPE, INSPIRATION, AND LIFE FROM THE WRITER’S PRESPECTIVE. Her eloquent reflections on the challenges of writing, and of life, have made her a much sought-after speaker, and her poignant first novel was published recently to national critical acclaim. Ms Ba|dacci’s work has been favorably compared to that or her best-selling brother, David. A Sunday Moment has been rightly described as “[a] stunning debut novel, “ and as “[e]ngaging original, and BOOKSIGNING AND SALE FOLLOWING PROGRAM REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED DON’T MISS THIS CHARMING AND INSPIRATIONAL PRESENTATION! FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT PRESTON LIBRARY (540) 464-7228 PRESTON LIBRARY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA SHARQILBALDACCI AMPLE FREE PARKING OCR::/Vol_107/WLURG39_RTP_20041011/WLURG39_RTP_20041011_008.2.txt THE 13163 8 rn.n RI}.\i{}~’lii5i\fi PHI AST ORD FMILYFDWARIIS ARlS&I_lFEEDl'IOR Em m MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2004 Diversity at W&L: There is more than you might think It has been said that our school lacks diversity. The ad- ministration has put countless man-hours into recruiting mi- nority students especially those from foreign countries. I ap- plaud these efforts to make our school less of a rich southern school for elitists. However, Washington and Lee is not quite as homog- Hi Marshall, How are you doing? We are all fine here. Not doing much. ‘ One of Grandpa’s cousins and his wife from Fresno was here forfive days. The came on the 13 of Oct. The men went chucker hunting three days. They got eleven enous as most of us may think. Yes, most of the ».m”_,_w__--_m_ birds. Women just goofed off mostly. student body hails from Texas’ or somewhere in POTATOMAN We all went to Unity Lake fishing one the south, and yes, most of us are white middle MARSHAKL RULE day. It rained all the time we was there to upper class. But true diversity comes not in so the gals sat in the pickup. Didn’t where we come from or what color our skin is """‘“*““‘““**——‘*“’ stay there very long. The caught five but is instead determined by who we are inside and what trout. One day we went to Baker to the interpretive experiences we have been through. . My grandparents recently sent me a letter. They come from a small farming community in eastern Oregon and have never lived- anywhere else. The barely graduated high school, and my grandfather actually dropped out a few times before the football coach talked him into coming back. They had a successful plumbing business but focused on farm- ing. _ This letter was typed on a typewriter. Ijoke you not. It is framed in my room and hanging out my wall. I did not change a single thing on this letter, including spelling, lack of pro- nouns and especially content. I have underlined a few lines to pay special attention to. center. esting. Grandpa and I have been fishing several times this fall. Have done pretty good. Grandpa wants to go to Hells Canyon and do some steelhead fishing when they start running. Went and watched Jordan play soccer yesterday. They were in the playoffs. Her team took forth place. They didn’t do very good, to excited I think. Didn’t get to only one of Griffins football games this year. Seem’s like something was always ’s going on around here. Will try to do better next year. Shellv said they killed a five foot rattle snake in the First time he had been there. It was very inter- parking lot where she works last Wed. She said they have even had a couple of them inside the building. Come in on loads ofstufffrom the vard. No place for me. Grandpa is onlyfarming one field next year. Got the rest rented out. Going to put it into alfalfa hay and sell it stand- ing in the field. He is planning on doing a lot of camping and fishing next summer. We have tickets to the Calgary Stam- pede for next July. AuntArlene and her man (friend are going also. Taking our campers and doing some fishing along the way. We still haven ’t sold Granpa Jenson’s house. Guess we will come down on the price. I think maybe it’s to small for most people. _ We had ourfirst hardfrost yesterday morning. Got down to 22. That should stop things (weeds) from growing. Sending you a little money to play with. Enjoy it. Love Grandpa and Grandma. I love my grandparents. They are the most honest and true people I have ever met. I am not sharing this letter with you so that I can make fun of them. I am sharing it only to prove that every one of us come from a place that is quite different from W&L. The student body may mostly be white, upper- class southerners, but we all are diverse in our own way. Mr. Potato Man, no longer will you “rule” the back page. I’m one sentence into my article and I’ve already managed to fit in a double entendre. Your days are numbered, Idaho boy. I’m from Wisconsin, which is a far supe- rior place. We have corn fields, cows, and Milwaukce’s Best....which come to think of it, isn’t something I should lay claim to. But anyway, Mr. Potato Man, you better watch out. I have been recruited to the Phi bal- ance out your testosterone pumped prose, and I’ll even use girly alliteration if it is called for. Next week everyone is going to read MY article first. Everyone, if I haven’t met you, let me make a formal introduction. I am the girl that ate fifty—one goldfish at Tropi- cal. Before you ask: I) Yes, it’s true. 2) I didn’t chew. 3) No, I didn’t get a stom- achache. Good. That’s covered now. Please don’t ever mention it again. Now let us progress to the more vi- tal getting—to—know-you information. If you haven’t bothered to read the byline, take a sec- ond to do so now. If you al- ready did so, pat yourself on the back. Good work. I’m proud of you. No, I’m not being sarcastic. I really am proud! You deserve a cookie. ~ So now that you know my name, let me share all that other in- formation you are simply dying to know. I am a sophomore here at W and L. You don’t know me? Wait! Don’t pull out the face book just yet! You won’t find my mug shot. I am actually a first year stu- dent here at W & L, a transfer from _ Dickinson College located in the lovely city of Carlisle, PA (which is, by the way, conveniently located near Three Mile Is- land). So, because l’ve had this conversa- KRISTINE EARLY I have always known that I would love it here at W and L. I made the wrong choice not to follow my heart. THE MILKAND CHEEJE GIRL Never invite your Iil’ sis to the frat house tion at least four-hundred times in the past month, let me instruct you that now is the proper moment to insert “So why did you decide to transfer?” The first time some- one asked me this question I replied with a five minute answer, boring the poor per- son to death I’m sure. But thank your lucky stars, because I have got my answer down pact by now: “I have always known that I would love it here at W_ and L. I made the wrong choice not to follow my heart.” Let me elaborate: I was six- teen the first time I stepped on campus. It was Parent’s Weekend in 2001, and I was visiting my older brother for the weekend. My brother, in an attempt to introduce me to college life invited me to spendthe night at his frat house. That night I fell in love. My brother dragged me from fraternity to fraternity, and at one point I stood, completely sober (I was later to be cor- rupted in a return visit to Lambda Chi), in a basement flanked on all sides by sweaty, gyrating fifty year olds. I was amused, amazed, and to be honest, downright disturbed, but at that moment I realized that there is no place on earth quite like Washing- ton and Lee. It took me ,a little extra time to get here, but don’t worry, this year I’ll be around to laugh at your mom when she tries to grind with your boyfriend. So I’ll finish my very first article in the Ring Tum Phi with a word of advice for all you guys out there: Never ever in- 'vite your little sister to visit your frat house. In fact, to be on the safe side, don’t even let her know that you joined one. Leaking such knowledge can be detrimen- tal to your sanity...oh, yeah, and to those poor goldfish... Get Crunk on Friday mornings BY BLAIR CRUNK STAFF WRITER It is 7:25 AM on a Friday morning...you are probably still sleeping. And I am at work...volunteer work at that. I’m a W&L student just like you are...and no, I don’t have an 8:00 class. So here I sit in the overheated WLUR studio, groggy—eyed and exhausted, blaring music to keep my- self awake, to keep my show alive, and I am loving it. Every single minute. All of a sudden, the request line starts flaring up like a tiki torch, and so I excitedly an- swer the phone. After all, some hardcore student has somehow mus- tered up‘ the strength and energy in a hung—over state not only to turn on the radio, but also pick up the phone and dial the WLUR request line...at 7:25 in the morning. This was definitely a cause for celebration. “Get Crunk Radio how can I help you?” Upon not hearing an immediate response, I repeat’ the greeting, this time a bit more impa- tiently. “Yes....hi...is this that there radio sta- tion?” Great, I think to myself...l hope for a college kid and get an old man probably sixty years removed from his college days. I Trying hard to keep from laughing, I re- spond, “Well, yes sir, this is Get Crunk Ra- dio can I play something for you?” An- other pause. Come on, get to your point big man. I mean, I’m all for broadcasting to every sort of audience, but this is a college radio station. “Would you play me a song, son?” I couldn’t hold it anymore and I hope he was not offended,butIbeganto chuckle softly only because I hope I am this witty (and half as gutsy to call into a college radio sta- tion) when I am his age. “Of course I will, sir, that’s what I said. What would you like to hear?!” He responded quickly this time, “I want to hear some old country!” I was amused and told him I would do my best to fulfill his re- quest. The oldest country I had ever played on my show previous to this point was probably music from the late- nineties. But my conscious wouldn’t let me disregard his request. On the air, I dedicated an old Garth Brooks tune from 1989 (the oldest track I could find) to the local man here in Lex-Ve- gas who so generously tuned into my show. Sure it was fine and I didn’t mind...but come on, this is college radio...not Oldies 97.3. I even referred to him on the air as “sir.” What was I thinking? I guess Ijust felt obliged to show the man the same respect he showed me in listening to my show. While the song played, I con- templated how comical I could have made that situation. He calls in and asks for old country. Maybe I should have given the same dedication to that man but instead played a song such as Jay—Z’s “99 Problems.” I wonder to my- self, would he have called back and complained? Maybe I will try that if it happens again. A little irreverent? Maybe. A little disrespectful? Defi- nitely. But you can’t beat the sponta- neity of college radio. And there are also those calls that I receive from friends who say “Hey Chump, this is so—and—so from Phi Delt and you are playing TERRIBLE music, get some other DJ on the radio, this is the worst music I have ever heard!” ...pause...in my mind I am thinking what in the world is this guy talking about!? I have never even stepped foot in the Phi Delt house. This is the first clue that the call is a hoax. Knowing that its one of my friends trying to catch me off guard, I oftentimes thank them sar- castically for calling and hang up the phone quite violently. And then I will jokingly dedicate a song such as Ryan Adams’ “Too Drunk to Dream” to the guy from Phi Delt who called me drunk- enly and needs more sleep. The song will always fit the mood of the.request— ee. It’s all in good fun, but I would ap- preciate more...many more...legit call- ers. (I) It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. (I) You. I saw you on the Cadavers bridge. You know who you are. (I) What is it with freshman girls always talking 0 their cell phones in the Fitness Center? - (I) Subaru Mike is the Man!!!! He should shoot Subaru commercials! ' (1) Please call if you are interested in waxing Tciny’s back: (304) 650 6904 , (I) Thirteen years ago Mariah Carey topped the charts. What a difference a decade makes <1) Fendi, Pucci, and Marc Jacobs are all owned by Louis Vuitton. Does that strike anyone else as odd? (I) FOX is obviously the only biased news network... EVER... NBC, CBS, and ABC are especially not bi- ased (I) Props to LSU- Way to pull it out in the end. In “The Swamp,” no less. (I) I love this paper! I would marry the editor if I could! (1) Martha Stewart and West Virginia: two contra- dicting terms. I’m sure she misses her gardening. (I) There were scary masked, costumed people run- ning around campus at 2am. They were loud. This needs to stop. ' (I) Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand! (I) I do not heart sketchy, smelly guys in togas. I do, however, heart gorgeous, non-sketchy guys in to gas. (I) I’m a little itchy from rolling around in all the hay Saturday night. (I) My life is an endless innuendo. (I) W&L Football just may be coming back. Their second shutout in a row! Way to go, Generals! (I) SJC? C Money, how bout dem apples? (1) Where was the Foam at SAE? I came for the foam and left disheartened. (1) Why won’t Comedy Central tape more epi- sodes of Trigger Happy TV? It’s a million times better than Chappelle any day of the week and Saturdays too. (1) Happy Anniversary to the Clintons. If Bill and Hillary can make it 29 years, it kind of gives you hope for the future of marriage. (I) When is Bill and Monica’s Anniversary? (I) The Bannaconda was spotted prowling the campus homecoming weekend. It has been fero- ciously feeding before its hibernation. (I) Bring on Reading Days. (I) Srat house dessert-tasting makes me happy. And full. (I) To the freshman guy from Cleveland that I met at the car bash Friday night: You were amazing in bed, really amazing. Please call. (I) The hottestgsenior girls live at Lodell and Graceland (1) Chinese fortune cookie insert of the day: “You are almost there.” <1) I heart google (I) My legs are not made of tape. That is all. (I) Check it out, check it out, check it out, check it out!!!!!!!! (I) The coop better start carrying salted Route 11 potato chips again or there will be a student revolt. (I) Congratulations to Antonio Fernandez of Madrid for winning the world Monopoly championships last Saturday. His prize was 15,140 dollars, which is equal to the amount of play money in the Monopoly board game. I (I) Congratulations to Tiger Woods on marrying a Swedish model. (I) Is Mount Saint Helens ever going to blow? (I) Staying over? Don’t forget to pack your tooth- brush. (I) I want a cookie. (I) I wonder if Brett Kirwarr can fill out his uniform. (I) I wish the dining hall grilled paninis at dinner time too. (I) My dorm counselor is the best dorm counselor ever! Jeb! Brooks is awesome! I (1) Email your anonymous Quick Hits and crazy, wild Fall Break/Reading days experiences to phi @wlu.edu