OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_001.2.txt /. .1 3 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY THE RING-TUM PHI. M0NDAY.APR|L24.2006 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 /;.f/ /’ VOLUME cue, NUMBER 1-e whafsinside Dazed at the Derby After Kappa’s dramatic vic- tory in Derby Days, check out the Phi’s full coverage of the entire week. Check out pic- tures and the final standings. Pages 4-5. Extra innings on tap The baseball team has wrapped up their regular season and is headed. for the ODAC tournament as the number six seed. Details v from the regular season’s final weekend and a look at the up- coming toumament are inside. Page 8. goingson Sitting with Jeb Students from Florida State University, Florida A&M Uni- versity and Tallahassee Com— . munity College wrapped up a 33 hour sit-in at Governor Jeb Bush’s office to protest the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson. Anderson died after being beaten by security guards at the juvenile boot camp he had been sent to. Last Friday Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson joined Ander- son’s parents and the student protesters in a march at the capital. Anderson’s parents and the protesters are calling for action; 105 days have now elapsed since their son died. Gov. Bush ordered a sec- ond autopsy performed on Anderson’s body; the original one said the 14-year-old died of a sickle cell trait. Prelimi- nary results from the second autopsy appear to indicate An- derson did not die of natural causes. No arrests have been made in the case. Cops feeling foxy This weekend’s Foxfield Races will be patrolled by over 200 officers from vari- ous Virginia police agencies. Plainclothes and uniformed cops from the Virginia ABC department, the Albemarle Po- lice Department and Virginia State Police will be patrolling the event site and taking a no tolerance policy. The depart- ments will be monitoring race visitors when they arrive, checking for signs of intoxica- tion or indications of underage drinking. Anyone found to be in violation of Virginia alco- hol laws will not be allowed into the race area. I-81 expansion Debate continues over the proposed expansion of I-81. Officials from the Virginia Department of Transporta- tion have been hosting public meetings up and down the I-81 corridor, which includes Lexington. Some proposals involve creating “truck only” lanes, while others would make the highway a toll road for cars and trucks. The col- lected tolls would help pay for the cost of the interstate’s repair and expansion. Op- ponents of the expansion say it will destroy the Shenandoah Valley’s beauty and dramati- cally increase air pollution. One other proposal calls for the expansion of the area’s rail corridor to reduce the amount of truck traffic on I-81. hettieket On Wednesday and Thurs- day, April 26-27, students can donate a portion of their meal plan cost to the Cam— 4 pus Kitchens by paying for a meal in the Marketplace and then only eating bread and soup broth. Reservations are due no later than Tuesday. Protests rock UVa University police arrest seventeen students at living wage sit-in Though University of Virginia President John Casteen says he cannot fully change some staff wages, students, faculty and staff continue to protest outside the school’s Madison Hall, say- ing workers should make $10.72 per hour. By Jacob Geiger NEWS EDITOR The arrest of seventeen Uni- versity of Virginia students on April 15 has brought intense con- troversy and debate to the school’s normally apolitical grounds. Stu- dents arguing that the university should pay higher wages to entry- level staff staged a four day sit- in at the school’s administration building Madison Hall. The sit-in began on Wednes- day, April 12 and ended Saturday evening when the students were arrested by university police of- ficers. One faculty member was also arrested for trespassing when she tried to enter Madison Hall early in the standoff. Each stu- dent faces trespassing charges and, if found guilty, could be fined $2,500 dollars or sentenced to a year in jail. The Washington Post, Rich- mond Times-Dispatch, The Daily Progress and other Virginia news- papers have covered the protests and debates extensively, and local television stations have also been spending time on the grounds of UVa. Todd Rosenbaum, a spokes- man for the UVa Living Wage Campaign, said the arrests will not stop continuing student pro- tests. “We’re looking to keep public pressure on John Casteen. This movement started with 15 people and has grown to over 500 hun- dred. We’re looking to engage in other forms of direct action and will have more protests.” The UVa students argue that the university’s lowest paid em- ployees need a salary of $10.72 per hour plus benefits to live in Charlottesville, where the school has been located since it was founded by Thomas Jefferson. The university currently pays its lowest salaried employees $9.37 per hour and says that other ben- efits, including health care, raise the hourly wage to $12.66. One of the students’ chief complaints is that the university employs a large number of con- tract workers. Companies that work with the university, includ- ing food service provider Ara- mark, are not required to pay the $9.37 minimum wage. In March the university asked the Attorney General’s office if the school could force contrac- tors to pay certain wages. The Attorney General replied that the school did not have the legal authority to impose a minimum wage on their contractors. Carol Wood, Assistant Vice President for University Relations and the school ’s spokeswoman on the issue, said the school is con- strained in its choice of contrac- tors by the state’s Procurement Act. K “As a public institution we’re required, in most cases, to take the lowest bid,” she said. Rosenbaum disputed the school’s assertion that they can- not affect the contractors’ wages. “The Attorney General’s opinion is just that — an opinion. There’s no legal precedent, and Alexan- dria and Arlington have living wage ordinances. We don’t think the Attorney General will chal- lenge them. The city of Charlottesville has a minimum hourly wage of $9.36. George Mason University, located in Fairfax, Virginia, has a minimum wage of $10.40. That See ‘PROTESTS’ on Page 2 Photo from http://www.cavalierdaiIy.com/. Used with permission Student protesters are led out of Madison Hall in handcuffs on Saturday, April 15 after being arrested and charged with trespassing. The students staged a four day sit-In to protest the wages UVa pays Its entry-level staff. Students examine gender relations Gender Relations Committee plans special barbeque and future upperclassmen luncheon By Stacey Grljalva STAFF WRITER A common complaint of up- perclassmen is that men and women do not interact as much as they did freshmen year. One student group, the Gen- der Relations Committee (GRC) has decided to tackle the issue head on. “The GRC wants to give students more opportunities to hang out together on campus, broadening their selection of activities,” said Kristen Powell, assistant director of student ac- tivities. On Tuesday, the GRC will have a campus-wide volleyball game along with a barbeque on the Canaan Green. People can either sign up to play or jump in during a game. Then in May, the fratemi- ties and sororities will have a chance to eat lunch together in Evans Dining Hall. On that day, the Greek houses will not offer lunch for the day. Instead upperclassmen can eat in Evans, recreating the fresh- men experience of guys and gals eating and interacting in d-hall. “It’s something different,” said Powell. “It’s a chance to eat with different folk.” FIJI President Andrew Rothey, who has been working closely with the committee on the luncheon, agreed that it was a great opportunity. “Everyone can take advan- tage of it to eat as men and women,” said Rothey. “You can also eat with other fratemities or people that you don’t see any- more.” In the past, students repeated- ly brought up the idea of forming an occasion for men and women to eat together instead of sepa- rating at lunchtime to eat at their respective houses. The idea came up at the Day of Dialogue in both 2005 and 2006 and at the most recent Greek Summit. “[For upperclassmen,] it’s not the same as when you were a freshman and just had to go up or down a floor to see the oppo- site gender,” said Matthew Loar, the incoming chair of GRC. If this trial run of the lun- cheon goes well and students support the event, then co-ed lunches may become a monthly “Normal gender relations are a way to get to know each other and talk when not intoxicated. It can be a meal, a walk together or going to the movies. How well can you know somebody when you ’re drunk? ” JAN KAUFMAN, Director of Health Promotions opportunity next year. The luncheon will be open to all upperclassmen. For indepen- dents, the meal can swiped. One past function of the GRC is Date Night. At the most recent Date Night, held in November, stu- dents swiped home vouchers for restaurants around town. “Date Night was our most popular event,” said Loar. “Ob- viously people like the idea of a date. There’s something roman- tic about it.” ' In fact, Powell said that one student told her that it was his “first real date.” That’s great news for the GRC, whose primary mission is to improve gender relations on campus. “Normal gender relations are a way to get to know each other and talk when not intoxicated,” said Jan Kaufman, Director of Health Promotions. “It can be a meal, a walk to- gether or going to the movies,” she said. “How well can you know somebody when you’re drunk?” As part of its mission, the GRC also focuses on sexual as- sault on campus. A current proj- ect is a comprehensive booklet on sexual misconduct, includ- ing what to do if it happens to you, what to do if it happens to a friend, information about con- sent and statistics. It will be given to incoming freshmen but should be avail- able to other students at matric- ulation. “Sexual assault is a big is- sue,” said Loar. “It shouldn’t happen as much as it does. The hooking up culture fosters a lot of the problems that lead to sex- ual assault.” By providing opportuni- ties to interact without alcohol, GRC hopes to reduce the high number of sexual assaults at Washington and Lee. The results from a recent stu- dent health survey will tell the GRC how great an impact they have had. No matter the results, the GRC will keep working to help W&L students. Jennifer Sayre, co-adviser of GRC and school counselor, is hopeful about the the changes the committee will bring to campus, mostly because the or- ganization is student-run. “It has been my experience that most important changes at W&L are student driven,” said Sayre. “When students become in- volved and concerned, great progress is made,” she said. OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_002.2.txt G. LEVBIJRN Llu'rr. ‘lNGTON'& LEE umvsfiaft «. _rj~.::,'\5i";]“\fl/i'\‘il VA 24450 2 ' THE RING-TUM PHI ' ( fir?‘ MONDAY, APRlL24,200( a ,’ ‘(I BHID BARS Here is the latest update on who ran afoul of the law during the last few weeks. We took a peek at this weeks police reports to see what you ’ve been up to... DUls on the rise? Wesley Whagner was ar- rested and charged with a DUI Sunday, March 26. Whagner, who lives near the Natural Bridge area, . was stopped for driving 42 mph in a 25mph zone. Mind the signs Mark Cruciani, a resident of Clarks Summit, Pennsylva- nia, was arrested on Friday, March 24. Cruciani was ar- rested around 11:30pm out- side of Malone’s restaurant. He was charged with public drunkenness and damage of property less than $1000. The responding officer ar- rived at the Palms, where a person reported that Cru- ciani was damaging property at Malone’s. After exiting the restaurant, Cruciani re- portedly ripped a banner off the side of the building and began tearing it up. He then kicked in a window on the wall of the Malone’s build- ing. Double trouble The residents of 106 Tay- lor Street continue to have problems with the police. In December one person was charged with a DIP and another was charged with a DUI on the same night. This time Emmanuel Harris was charged with a DIP. The ar- rest was made around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1. Not just a young person’s pastime Goshen resident Paul Reth- ford was also arrested and charged with a DIP on April‘ 1. Rethford, age 75, was ar- rested around 7:20 p.m. Always get the proper Hcense Lexington resident Mar- tin Nicholas was charged with attempting to obtain money by false pretense, a felony charge. According to Lexington Police Chief Bruce Beard, the arrest was made on Wednesday, April 5 around 8 p.m. Nicholas was also charged with attempt- ing to practice bail bonding without a license. That charge is a misdemeanor. The offenses were commit- ted in Rockbridge County, not Lexington, but Lexing- ton oificers served the war- rants. Drunk walkers beware 26-year-old Jonathan Strumb was arrested around 9 p.m. on Friday, April 7. He was charged with public drunkenness. Unfriendly fisticuffs Linda Lasley and Katrina Zirkle have charged each other with simple assault. Police Chief Bruce Beard said the two had filed what is called cross warrants against each other. Essen- tially each woman claimed that the other woman as- saulted her. The incident was reported around noon on Saturday, April 8. Lasley is a Lexington resident, and Zirlke listed her address as Harrisonburg, Virginia. The one way sign strikes again Thomas Clarke, age 25, was arrested on DUI charges on Saturday, April 8. The ar- rest occurred around 9 p.m. Beard said Clarke was ar- rested on Jackson Avenue. He was stopped because he was traveling the wrong way on a one way street. He was issued a ticket for that as well as for failing to obey a “Do Not Enter” sign. Driving recklessly won't help you hide Richard Clark was arrested and charged with driving un- der the influence on April 8. The time of arrest was listed as 11:22 p.m., and Clark was also charged with reckless driving. Furthermore, he was ticketed for failing to have registration. Back to back Fairfield, Virginia resident Edgar Bryant was ar- rested two days in a row and charged with public drunkenness. The first DIP arrest came on the morning of Sunday, April 9, and the second arrest came Mon- day night. Beard reported that both arrests came in a parking lot garage. During the Sunday arrest, Oflicers Stewart and Coffey reported that Bryant showed signs of public intoxication, and on Monday, Officer Fitzgerald said Bryant showed indica- tions of intoxication, in- cluding slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Protests continue at UVa despite student arrests continued from page 1 school’s wage reflects the high cost of living in the Washington, D.C. area. Virginia Military In- stitute and University of Virginia at Wise, in contrast, have a mini- mum hourly wage of only $6.83. Wood said reports that the students were going hungry were overblown. “President Casteen asked them if they needed food and at least one said they were fine. They lat- er voted to accept some food and we delivered it to them.” Once the sit-in began, UVa police officers limited access to Madison Hall. “We limited the people coming in,” Wood said, “because with seventeen people in the lobby it made daily opera- tion difficult.” Casteen eventually order the students to be arrested because of the disruptions the sit-in was causing for university employees. “I’d say if we combined po- lice and staff maybe 60-80 people were working,” Wood said, “but that’s around the clock. Not all of those people were there at one time.” Wende Marshall, an assistant professor of Anthropology, was arrested on Wednesday, April 12 when she tried to get inside Madi- son Hall. Wood referred ques- tions about Marshall’s arrest to the university police, saying that the arrest was “really a police matter.” University professors have been largely supportive of the student demonstrators, holding teach-ins and speaking at the daily rallies. On Wednesday, April 19, 223 UVa faculty members issued a press release urging Casteen to approve the proposed wage in- creases. “Luckily professors and facul- ty have been tremendous and very supportive. The students inside [Madison Hall] haven’t faced any academic punishments and sanc- tions. Thankfully the movement is big enough for other people to cover for you when you need to go get things done,” Rosenbaum said. Mo Nichols, a recycling techni- cian at UVa, provided an insider’s perspective on the issue. When asked if she thought UVa would meet the protesters’ demands, she offered an interesting answer. “I don’t like to think of them as bending so much as I think of them as standing up and say- ing everyone who works at UVa -— contract or regular workers — deserves to make a fair wage.” Nichols said that very few of her colleagues are getting in- volved with the issue. “What I’ve noticed is that very few [employees] are en- gaged. There’s a real culture of fear among employees. People in poverty don’t know the power they have.” she said. Washington and Lee’s acting- president, Harlan Beckley, is well aware of living wage and poverty issues. Beckley helped found the W&L’s Shepherd Poverty Pro- gram. Beckley said the school pays a minimum hourly wage of $9.00. “The difference [between UVa and W&L] is that [UVa is] con- tracting out some jobs. We don’t have very much of that,” Beckley said. “By design this is a com- munity staff.” “I don’t know how productive communications are if they exist,” Nichols said. “Things move very slowly and people don’t have a lot of faith in getting action.” Beckley said he could not imagine ever having to arrest stu- dents camped out in Washington Hall. “I wouldn’t say never, but I can’t imagine it,” he said. While UVa does offer some * courses on poverty, acting-Presi- dent Beckley said that the Shep- herd Poverty Program has im- proved understanding of poverty issues at W&L. “I’d like to think that because of the poverty courses students ' and faculty have become more conscious of the issue,” he said. “Does that mean our compensa- tion is adequate and we don’t need to do anything more? No.” Charles Shackelford, a first year student at UVa, said that stu- dents are conscious of the issue but not all are involved. “We had our school elections last month,” Shackelford said, “and about 80 percent voted to have the school use a living wage of take the issue to the General Assembly. People agree with the proposal but don’t realize some- body has to pay for it.” “People like to avoid poor people,” Mo Nichols said. “They don’t realize how bad it is and how many full—time employees at UVa have two or three jobs and are part of the working poor. As all parties involved in the debate look ahead, serious dis- putes remain between the differ- ent parties. On Thursday, April 20, Cas- teen issued a letter to the commu- nity regarding competitive com- pensation. Casteen met, without success, with the sit-in protesters on several occasions. A student forum on poverty will occur on Tuesday, April 15. MONDAY, 06!. 31 -- FRIDAY, NOV. 4: Living wage week at We draws coverage from the school's independent _ student paper, The Cavalier Deity. ‘ Wtbflfsfisk AND THURSDAY nae. 1 - 2: Opinion articles in The Cavaiier Dailylcall on the university to consider raising staff wages. WEDNESDAY, ‘Over 109 FEE. 22: people gather at the Ulla Rotunda ta campaign.-for A *1 I a livingwage ' of $1_0.'_I2 per noun 1 .ngAncn.’r:L1vm_g; _ Wage Campaign: t students] celebrate an V I announcement .. V by Presi lit: Casteenvt-liiat tiiinlimuni hourly“ wages at UVa w‘li _ $8.33 to $9.37. Living Wagee ate: Timeline of UVa protest do inside ".6: 2 scare arvasatojrf ,, ‘ to campaign for arrive; .dresseci in , ’ ‘‘‘-‘gm. an is later “If [the activists] are interest- ed, the president is very open con- tinuing dialogue. He’s been clear about that,” Wood, the university spokeswoman, said. “We’d like to move from an adversarial role to joint advocacy.” Wood and Rosenbaum both commented on why this issue has captured the attention of an oflen apolitical campus. “This issue puts a human face on the issue. It makes it very per- sonal,” Wood said. “This takes people from both sides,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s not a liberal versus conservative issue — it’s more a moral issue. People feel genuinely about this as a hu- man rights and human dignity is- 99 sue. OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_003.2.txt If : IIIIIIIIIIIIS —--»-—- —_ .- .-, .-. .. ,; - y’I‘lL7¢ 5 -~.—-. mu .~ MONDAY, APRIL24,2006 THE RING-TUM PHI" 3 to the editor : Parent questions double standard I! V To the Editor: I have attempted to “join the conversation" on the strategic plan and provide some feedback in an effort to help point out what I believe is a policy that is detri- mental to the University. I received no response. After three weeks, a follow-up email and telephone call, I was brushed off and advised that since I dis- agreed with University policy that I need not join the conversa- tion. The Provost’s response, or lack of one, to my e-mails speaks volumes. To the Provost: I emailed the Admissions De- partment about this issue and I was advised by Jonathan Webster, Associate Dean of Admissions, : that “W&L’s Board of Trustees sets the institution’s admission policies and has aflirmed the val- ue of ethnic diversity on campus and its consideration in our (the) admission decision-making.” Sarah Kientz’ article, Minor- ity Report, in the Ring-tum Phi, published on Parents’ Weekend, reported that at Washington and Lee “many believe that minority students are favored in the admis- sions process.” However, Admis- sions Counselor Charlie Boisky admitted that the Admissions De- partment gives many incentives, including financial, to minority students to expose them to the campus and to get them to apply; however, everyone is on equal ground when it comes to applying to W&L. He further added that no students are accepted based on ethnicity and that “minority stu- dents are every bit as qualified as everyone else.” Erin Hutchinson, Assistant Director of Admissions and Coordinator of Minority Re- cruitment, said that minority sta- tus often comes into play when the department is “separating equals.” I strongly suspected that the quoted Adrnission’s Officers were spinning their responses and not being forthright in regards to black and Hispanic applicants. Also, during Parents’ Week- end, Harlan Beckley gave the President’s Report to Parents, in the Lee Chapel, with a large fo- cus on diversity. Afterwards, in a question and answer session, he responded to a parent’s question ' Alumnus no Y If V k To the Editor: I was very unhappy to receive an email promoting the “Celebrat- ing Women at W&L” event. At first glance, I truly thought it was a joke. With topics such as “Be ’ Comfortable in ‘your GENES” and “Honor and Feminist Eth- ics,” I was sure that W&L could not have become just another university, catering to those who worship at the altar of political correctness. This event purports to cele- brate coeducation at W&L, but by its very existence further divides the sexes. Celebrating half of the student body is as offensive and discriminatory as having a “Men’s Day,” or “Celebrating White People at W&L” day. Why not celebrate the accomplishments of men at W&L? Certainly, men have done SOMETHING worthy of celebration in the first 90 per- cent of W&L’s history? Why is there a “women.wlu.edu” and no “men.wlu.edu?” Isn’t that a huge double standard? Why not cel- ebrate the admission of African Americans? Or homosexuals? Or Jews? Haven’t these groups also added to the W&L experience? Without question, the admit- tance to women was one of the most significant improvements to Washington and Lee over the course of its 250-plus year his- tory. As a member of the Class of 1989, I saw the transition first hand. The women who enrolled were not trail-blazing feminists %———~—~— WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY THE RING -TUM PHI. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS&LIFE EDITOR COPY EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN DIRECTOR DESIGNER PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS MANAGER THE R/NG-TUM PHI IS PUBLISHED MONDAYS DURING THE UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL YEAR AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY, LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA. MEMBER OF THE MEDIA BOARD, WHICH CAN BE REACHED AT MEDIABOARD@WLU.EDU, BUT IS OTHERWISE INDEPENDENT. THE RING-TUM PHI WELCOMES ALL LETTERS. ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE E-MAILED TO PH/@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 DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION OF THE RING-TUM PHI EDITORIAL BOARD. ADVERTISING DOES NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF THE RING-TUM PHI OR ITS STAFF. THIS NEWSPAPER OBSERVES CURRENT COURT DEFINITIONS OF LIBEL AND OBSCENITY. THE RING-TUM PHI UNIVERSITY COMMONS ROOM. 341 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450 TELEPHONE: (540) 458-4060 FAX: (540) 458-4059 EMAIL: PHI@WLU-.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $40 KATHERINE GREENE JACOB GEIGER AMANDA THOLKE TIM LIVINGSTON KATHRYN KRALL DAN HARRIS MADELINE GENT STACEY GRIJALVA BREE MELTON ABRI NELSON JESSICA SHAW MELISSA CARON JESSICA SHAW MORGAN HARRIS DAVID SEIFERT THE RING-TUM PHI IS A about that same article, Minority Report, in a rather unsatisfactory manner. The questioner asked if minorities are given preference in the application for admissions process. In fairness, President Beckley acknowledged that he had not read the article, but he went on without answering the question to express repeatedly how important he believed racial diversity is to the University with- out substantiating the benefits or expressing what costs there might be to increasing racial diversity. After this event concluded, I overheard more than just a few other parents in discreet and po- lite conversations discussing this issue. Jonathan Webster and I had a brief discussion at Glenelg Country School about that article. He acknowledged that numer- ous types of incentives, includ- ing financial, are offered only to minority students in an effort to have them gain interest in the University and apply. He went even further by analogizing the preferences the Admissions De- partment offers minority students in admission by expressing, “It's no different from how we treat athletes or legacies.” Those were his words, not mine. So that there was no misunderstanding he fur- ther explained “that it is the only way we can get them in.” In the Strategic Plan, the Ad- missions Task Force lists one of their charges as follows: increase American racial and ethnic diver- sity on campus to a level approxi- mating the mean among rural, na- tional liberal arts colleges. What discemable difference is there be- tween this goal and a quota? I emailed Dean Hartog request- ing standardized test score data for the entering freshman class for the past ten years, broken out by ethnicity. Unfortunately, Dean Hartog very courteously declined to honor my request. A different member of the Administration, who shall remain anonymous in- formed me, in writing, that the in- formation I requested is regularly tabulated and readily available. So what is any reasonable person to conclude? If the Admissions Department is unwilling to release this information it is because they celebrating with an agenda to “right a wrong” at W&L. They didn’t enroll to end 200 years of oppression. They enrolled to be a part of the tradition, not to end it. They were well-rounded, intelligent women who were there for the conserva- tive, honorable,‘ highly respected education. The very reason they came to W&L was to become a part of the community, not to cre- ate a separate group at the Univer- sity. They didn’t get upset when Professor F utch made them wear ties to class. It didn’t bother them when the campus watering hole was called the “Cockpit.” They were not there to be a separate class but to be a part of the Uni- versity. Clearly, the addition of women has greatly enhanced the univer- sity in many ways. Some of my best life-long friends are women from the first class. It is extremely upsetting and disappointing to see how PC W&L has become in 20 short years. The unfortunate thing is that this shift in attitude is permanent, as there are a great number of alums being alienated by these positions. I received an email from a fraternity brother of mine last week. It was short, but prophetic. “Our W&L is dead, never to retum.” I hope that is not the case, but I fear that W&L is becoming just another PC liber- al arts university. Resist the urge to follow the flock. Chris Wood Class of 1989 stafleditorial It’s protest season Ah, spring. The time of year filled with sunshine and flowers brings with it something worse than allergies: Protest season. It seems to be a nation-wide phenomenon. Suddenly, as students emerge from the confines of their cinder- block living structures and realize that there is, in fact, a world out- side of exams, they realize injus- tice around them. Locally, the protests at the Uni- versity of Virginia sprang up after students had been fairly stagnant on the issue all winter. But that is not the only place students have taken up a cause. In Florida, students from three colleges held a sit-in in the state capitol, demanding investigation into the death of a 14-year-old boy at a boot camp. In Washington, several groups are meeting, including some from Washington and Lee. There are Earth Day protests, and vigils against oppression, and marches against genocide all month. Could be that this is coinciden- tally a very politically—charged time in our lives. Or, the weather is nice and it beats going to class. The Phi is certainly never against using your Constitutional rights to help institute change in your government. By all means, get out there and shout--but only if you believe in the cause. The students at UVa seemed surprised that they were actually arrested for holding a sit-in. They thought it was not fair that they were denied food and comfort. For some reason, the glamor- ized image of protesting has led students to think it’s easy. Throw a fit, get what you want, right? Not in the real world. The students at UVa should have considered other routes be- fore going off the deep end. For example, could they, for a moment, sit down and reasonably consider the implications of their demands? How would the school pay higher wages to its employees? By raising the students’ tu- ition, of course. But because the students do not actually pay tuition, it becomes an imaginary number: largely con- fusing and easy to ignore. Without fully understanding the implications of their actions, students will like the idea of mak- ing a difference and rush to make posters and camp out in public lobbies. The school was probably wrong, but more just stupid, to ar- rest the 17 students camping out in their administrative buildings. Because now they have an army of stir-crazy students just waiting to jump on the bandwag- on of anything touting goodwill. And during protest season, anything can happen. This represents the majority opinion of the editorial board. have something to hide and are not being forthright. If there is nothing to hide, you put it on the Institutional Research site. So what do I make of this? The Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) com- piled and shared SAT scores, and other statistics, on entering class- es at 26 of the nation’s top col- leges and universities with those member schools. The difference between black and white scores was less than 100 points at only one school, Harvard. It exceeded 200 points at nine schools. So, to think that at W&L, which has increased black enrollment more than 100 percent in the last de- cade, is only using race as a way of “separating equals” is so sta- tistically improbable, bordering on impossible, that it can’t help but stir up suspicion and resent- ment. Do I have a problem with minorities attending W&L? No. Unequivocally, if a student of any race is the best academically qual- ified and merits a position I salute him. But, I do have a problem with helping one group of people by hurting another group. What I do believe with every fiber of my body is that skin color should not be a factor, one way or the other. I appreciated Jonathan Webster’s candor. And I respect his sincer- ity, though I do not agree, that an admission’s policy of preferences for minorities is necessary to en- rich the educational experience of all. I received the Feb. 27 copy of the Ring-tum Phi, which con- tained the article Urban Devel- opment. It describes the Posse Foundation Program. How is it that the youthful, inexperienced founder of the Posse, Deborah Bial, has miraculously developed an alternative way to judge a stu- dents capabilities? I ask that you revisit these policies. The Posse program should be summarily re- jected. Please know that I have a sophomore in high school that will be making her college deci- sion in the not too distant future. I would love for her to attend W&L; however, your consider- ation of this matter will rightfully be a consideration for her. A Concered Parent Rugby ad Writer examines his choice of Words To the Editor: I am writing this article A in response to the attention I’ that was brought to a campus notice written by myself sev- _ oral weeks ago titled, “THE ‘RUGBY TEAM WANTS TO I BE YOUR B*TCl-II RUGBY _, AUCTION TODAY!” When I V asked by members of the ' team to write a campus notice, ' . publicizing our fundraiser for our trip to Argentina, I made . a. decision to use provocative " language, obnoxious capital- . ,. ization and anecdotal content in order to draw attention to A the cause. The Rugby Team { has a standing tradition of us- ., ing an “off-the-cuff” means of addressing the school in I ‘public advertisements or ar- ‘Z ticles. After‘ all, it is a Rugby .. Team, composed of a group "H. 7;, of hardworking thought ste- "reotyped college aged men, —. -j'rno_st of whom do not take I I . themselves too seriously. As a result, I felt that the campus . ‘ ’-notice was in keeping with the ' cotnicquature of the auction .. and the general disposition of ~ [the team; Because-of this, the subject of concern of this ar- . ticle is not theboisterous ap- ’ ’ _pr,0acl_1 taken to the notice or , the teams decision to auction V I offourj time and labor, but my " 3 choice of the word “bitch?” __ When I first heard that the .‘‘—title had -drawn some public attention, I was less than con- ; .:.cerued. After all, my objective “ T was to advertise our auction, ' ' and I quickly discovered that H student and faculty awareness _i of our cause as well as sales j were up significantly. 7 I ’ However, I was forced to ° -rethink my unabashed resolve up upon receiving a strongly “worded e-mail from a faculty .. member for whom I have a great deal of respect; Inthe ' communication, the profes- A , sor reeniphasized to me that ‘»the‘title contained a degrad- epithet for a woman to ' - describe someone who obse- I A-quiously performs serviceilatii someone else’s whim. The . fensive indignation. ‘ ofessorv explained’, how, the ‘most; 2tired and] trite A V [my notice] "tal<:e_s for" granted women’s subservi- ence and our worthlessness beyond our usefulness to oth- ers; in the most tired and trite way, it feminizes and vaguely sexualizes anyone who per- forms degrading work at oth- ers’ behest.” . My initial response to this criticism was one of de- After all, one need look no further than the top rated shows on Comedy Central, the lyrics of popular urban music or even the ”frident.’s own prestigious “Raging lntellectuals” article for verification of the word’s foundational place in popu- lar culture. Why then was l ‘unjustly’ being singled out, among all these others, for such a mundane thing as a title to a campus notice? “I would not call myself a chau- virtist,” I thought to myself, “I am not even. referring to women, but to myself and my own teammates!” Yet, the more that 1 ratio- nalized with myself and con- sulted other female students about the situation, the more I realized that perhaps this is the very problem. ‘I began drawing parallels between the word and other equally derogatory epitaphs for other groups. Why then, I asked myself, is the word “bitch” so different? Does itnot denote a similar inferiority or sub- servience? Was the indigna- tion felt by myself and others who joked about the campus -notice completely hollow and baseless? Yes, I think it was. The entire situation has forced me to rethink not only certain preconceptions of appropriate -and inappropri- ate behavior, but the level of - considerationtlrat I allot the vocabulary _of.my every day» conversations. Perhaps this is a topic that we as a school i and society need to consider more fully. By analyzing the offhand remarks’ or habitual‘- slanders common in our dai- ly speech, we might all find soxnetluug Worthy of. change. ’ . ’ 3- Tucker Lattitte Class of 2007. OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_004.2.txt 4 a THE RING-TUM PHI arts&lile MONDAY, APRIL2-1,2006 PHOTO: ELLIE HANSO Chi Omega freshman form an intimidating offensive line during the sorority football tournament on Thursday Down and Derby Derby Days is for a good cause, but the competition can be brutal By Bree Melton smrr woman Hosted by Sigma Chi chapters across the nation, Derby Days is a week of events coordinated with the intention of reaching out to the community. lt seems of late, though, that the original aims of promoting brotherhood, the spirit of commu- nity service and a positive Greek image have fallen by the wayside for exclusive parties and inter-so- rority rivalry. The first week of spring term finds the five sororities on campus pitted against each other despite a yearlong campaign encouraging Panhellenic unity as they vie for the affections and approval of the brothers of Sigma Chi. All in the name of good fun and fundraising for Campus Kitchens, sorority women began the week by participating in field day activities ranging from dizzy bat to egg toss to tug of war. The week continued with a cook-off, powder puff football and skits. In addition, the soror- ity women competed in a banner competition and penny race. Each event was scored, and the sorority with the most points won Derby Days. This year Kappa came out on top with Theta in a close second. Though most people find it hard to believe that there is, in fact, a philanthropic motive be- hind the events of Derby Days. There was an entrance fee for the cook—off. Each sorority donated $150 - and all of the proceeds went to Campus Kitchens, “a ground- breaking initiative that brings colleges and universities together with student volunteers, on-cam- pus dining services professionals, and community organizations to combat hunger in cities across the United States.” Final , standings of Derby Days 1. Kappa 2175 2. Theta 1850 . 3. KD 700 4. chi~0 615 5. Pl Phi 400 ,r"/5 -....,x 3, ,,... Q V x, I "u __//’/C .2’; ‘:§\\. w. P, “ "~I°‘~», ./i 3 V. .5~.\l.‘».f..»’%.E.. {‘l,ti;‘~.‘lE’f till" ¥>il.iifi§§‘l§iEl}£ 5MAl,..,L. ANlM.43s1.., PET CARE Mcdiciuelfiurgeryfflexrtls:ryflloardingtfirooming Is your pet alrme while yet: time at L'ltl.3’S€.'9° or sgmrts? Briitgyoztr pet to our duycrzre.’ I12‘ Ir}:-'5 tire (,if£"il'£?f(1l3‘ ’ pets.’ 'l{3‘5’a '3!/‘F FIRST VlS.lT ‘WlTl~l THIS ('."(}EfPON Rrmte 3] North, ‘/3 mile baytmd Walwmarf. 8}: l...:)rs-ea 463~2f3lS N. _ 5 E 3.; With such a visible and nation- ally recognized event, the frater- nity has the opportunity to use Derby Days as a way to promote a positive image of Greek life and really give back to the commu- nity. But somehow the true mean- ing of Derby Days is lost among the drive to put on great parties, chug beer and make fools of the sorority women, especially the new initiates. Says one junior, “[Derby Days] is a fun relaxing way to start off spring tenn and a good way to spend time with your sisters.” Not all would agree with this statement. For most soror- ity women, it can be stressful coordinating an impressive skit, organizing a football team with little or no help from the assigned Sigma Chi coaches and painting a banner all in the first week of a new academic term. One of the biggest problems the sororities face, especially with the administration moving to make spring term more academi- cally rigorous, is encouraging at- tendance not only to participate in the different events, but also to provide support and spirit for their sisters. Dean Watkins commented that she did not know much about Der- by Days because, even though she was aware of it during her own college years, it was not nearly as ‘consuming on her campus as it is here at Washington and Lee. She believes that this is a function of the predominance of the Greek system among the student population. Unfortunately, this means that there is a significant group of students noticeably left out ' of the festivities. While Derby Days is tradi- tionally a good time remem- bered for aftemoon bands, hilarious misadventures and sorority tomfoolery, the true goal of Derby Days seems only secondary. As it departs more and more from the charitable objective, the events of Derby Days fall dangerously close to exploiting the sorority women who par- ticipate in the competition. Spring term should be a time for enjoying friends and exploring new opportunities. And Derby Days should serve as an example to the rest of the campus by setting phil- anthropic goals and creating awareness for important issues all the while encouraging rela- tionships between Greek orga- nizations. If Sigma Chi focuses on ncouraging friendly competi- tion, Derby Days can still fos- ter the sense of fun and relax- ation with which spring term at W&L has become associated. rl-frttjtvt“ N “et , _ ‘err % 2 ‘lit €.“t2I°r:?s z‘f<‘repzerl Timber Ridge Atxto Center £6 E 9 ‘Valley Pike l..cx'i2tgt<)n, Vi-\ 2445f} {$40) ~<:t.r;»»:t—19*;r‘*.t AsE"CEarr:F'2£.r: Tacuzqteiaus Foreign and Domestic Repairs. Oil change and Lube, A.»-‘C3,, Computer E}iajguostic;s., Minor and l\«’lz~:jr:.2r Engirze Repair, Braltes, Fuel Irajeetion Service, T-rarrsmission Service. Cocrtlatit Flush, Minor £l;¥l.(l l’v'Ia}o1*Ttme —'ups. We can ps"evid-e factory ztutliorized maintrzuamze without voitlirrg your maaufar:.tt2re’s wa.rranty. Remembering the Holocaust Hillel sponsors numerous events to commemorate the victims and keep us from forgetting the Holocaust By Abrl Nelson STAFF WRITER In the midst of the excitement of spring falls Yom HaShoah, the official Jewish holiday com- memorating the Holocaust, which is marked by events to celebrate diversity, and serves to remind us of the intolerance and abuse that resulted from undeserved hatred. The officers of Hillel, Wash- ington and Lee’s student-run J ew- ish community, decided to bring Holocaust Remembrance Week to campus last year at the suggestion of sophomore Arie George. Hillel groups across the nation organize events such as lectures and vari- ous kinds of gatherings on Yom HaShoah, which is April 25 this year. The Hebrew word “shoah” means destruction, and the holi- day is meant as a time to remem- ber the six million Jews and five million other victims who died in the Holocaust, but also as a time to raise awareness about hate and prejudice. “I look at Holocaust Remem- brance Week as a tool to educate people about the greater problems that are associated with hatred and bigotry,” said junior Justine Dargahi, the executive president of Hillel. Planned activities include the showing of two movies in the John Elrod Commons Theater, a candlelight vigil in front of Lee Chapel, a special Yom HaShoah service, a scroll signing event in the Commons Atrium and a speech featuring George Salton, a Holocaust survivor. “It is our hope that such a tragedy never happens again any- where, to any people,” said Hil- lel faculty sponsor Joan Robins. Robins added that the activities of the week are meant to be for all students and that anyone is wel- come at any event. Salton, the author of the well- known Holocaust memoir The 23rd Psalm, is a friend of Darga- hi’s family and is flying to Lext ington from Florida for the talk, which will be followed by a book signing. “There is no better way to learn about the Holocaust than to hear the first hand story of survival,” said Dargahi. “People become more passionate about something if they know or have met some- one personally affected by it.” The candlelight vigil in front of Lee Chapel is the newest ad- dition to the program and will be led by Burr Datz, W&L’s Coordi- nator of Religious Life. According to Dargahi, it is meant to be a way for students to speak out against oppression in any form, be it racial, sexual, reli- gious or anything else. The event is co-sponsored by the W&L Mul- tifaith Council. “I feel that everyone on cam- pus should be affected in some way by the week,” said Dargahi. “The more we work to educate people and learn about past atroc- ities that have been spawned from hatred, the less likely things like the Holocaust will happen.” , T-Tuesday, 4/25, 5:30: 6:30 V p.m., nonsmdtis ‘wearer: Tallr by George Salton. Holocaust Survivnnk book ‘ ~ Vruasday, 4/25,11» am. _ 5 1 p.m., commons Atrium: s Sign aiserollrfor someone -receive 3 nhvte;9fthe. . -- . "_.vletl£i-rand a',rfemenxjhranoe 2 napér“c=‘II_v- 7 t . S T V. 4/271 9-m-9 ' frombof Lee ‘¢l'r‘apel_:;VIgll lbarftlf; Hmfiiiitisblibenlat ” ’Kas!ufn!r. ate.) public Remembrance Week I tanrirza-April 28) .. .slgulnlgwlll. follow the talk. —_ " Religious Life. Rain site . A , «Friday, 4/28, 5 9.111., cmn- ~ - who dtedtn the Holocaust, L gaahhi Kogaa from Roanoke. __Agalnst Oppression «Take ' ‘ astamf against. mtesslon witness supporting victims andjustlce will feature poetry, reading, silence, candles and music. Led by ' Burrnatz, éoardlnator af ‘ as laslde tee chapel. mans, Room 345: Special L Yom Ha-Shoavh service. will lead. Thsservlce will laclude readings by stu- dents. remarks by the rabbi, candle llghting, music, and the Kaddish {prayer for they 1, e . dead.) All arelnvlterl to dine A net following the service. _ Orzginal Italian Restaurant 2055 Magnolia Ave Buena Vista, VA 24416 264-0029 FREE DELIVERY with 310 min order Stromboli~Pizza-Subs- Pasta»-lEtc. Open Monday thru. Thursdzryz 1 1AM» 1 OPM Friday & Saturday: 11AM-11PM Sunday: 1 2PM- l OPM . r OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_005.2.txt MONDAY, APRiL24,2006 THE RING-TUM PHI ° 5 Debauchery in denial Is Derby Days a shameless exhibition or the best part of Spring Term? SHE SAID Another spring term, another set of Derby Days which brings us another round of penny col- lecting, t- shirt buying, and pow- der-puif football. We find ourselves donning our newly purchased spring term clothing and heading out to Pole 3 or the Dojo and even out to Ja- cob’s Ladder. There we find ourselves crowded into these houses and forced to bump back and forth between people on our way to the bathroom. Ahhhh... I love spring term. Why do we do it? Why do freshmen girls fight to the death to win this competition? Is it just to hook up with the fabulous men of the Sigma Chi house? Understandable. Are you tapping into your charitable side for that wonder- ful new organization on campus known as Campus Kitchen Pro- gram? You’re a better person than me. Or do you just want to win? Yeah you do. The glory and you’re srat pledge class picture in the paper is enough to make any girl yell “(in- sert sorority here) what?” Some of these girls seem willing to do anything to win. Desperately they collect coins from the comers of couches at random party houses and frat basements. Even their domestic side comes out as they call up mom and ask her how to marinade the steaks they plan on serving on the frat lawn. All of this competition in the name of tradition. Welcome to Dubyahnell. I personally am a fan of Derby Days. Why is it that when girls play football behind the pole houses it’s a “shameless exhibi- tion of women” but when they do it for something else- like a school fiinction, people consider it ok? Let the girls play. They’re having fun. CKP is making mon- ey. Sigma Chi is hosting another successful Derby Days. It’s spring term- most profes- sors are lucky if students show up . to their afiemoon classes sober let alone at all. It is meant to be enjoyed by all, and Derby Days is the best way to introduce freshmen to these wonderful six weeks. I don’t know why the adminis- tration thinks we’ll want to spend our spring HE SAID Last year I was forced to miss Derby Days due to athletic ob- ligations, and after witnessing all of the festivities last week, I must say that I was extremely im- pressed. Of course, it wasn’t the sorori- ties or their activities that lefi me in awe. It was the power of Sigma Chi to convince girls to partake in the debauchery that was truly impres- sive. Perhaps Derby Days is merely Sigma term anywhere Chi’s way of else. proving their Well- un- frat superi- less we’re ority. going Most abroad fratemi- with fel- ties have lowWash- mixers ington with so- and Lee rorities students. in Ordéf Then we’re to get girls just taking dmnk and our spring terms d8I1C€ around, with us. v I know that those abroad wish that they could have taken Derby Days with them to their assorted locations, But alas, they cannot- making them jealous of all of us here. Not to worry--those abroad just need to thank the creators of hil1humor.com for only taking one class so they can keep the site updated. V Derby Days is just one part of spring term, but it remains one of the best parts. So thank the men of Sigma Chi for letting us partake in their tradition. Tradition is after all what makes Washington and Lee, Washington and Lee. Maybe we’re not speaking as much on the hill anymore, but we are chatting it up out at these functions such as Derby Days. So just go and enjoy yourself this spring term. I know I will. This weeks Hot Topic was written by columnists Tim Livingston and Madeline Gent. whereas the Sigma Chi’s employ the likes of Clayton Edwards to persuade girls to get inebriated and amuse the frat lords. Derby Days is a contest remi- niscent of something that would take place in a land where males contain power over their female counterparts. Last time I checked, this meta- phorical realm that Sigma Chi has created doesn’t reflect our con- temporary society. This begs the query, what makes girls participate in these events for this obviously domi- nant fraternity? Although my friend Mad- eline Gent suggested that Derby Days represents a means for the forlorn princesses of W&L to be swooped up by the classy, fratty, and sophisticated men of Sigma Chi, I feel there must be another answer. First of all, those who argue that girls partake in these silly fraternity games because the pro- ceeds go to a good cause are defi- nitely mistaken. I believe I’ve discovered the true reason why sorority women, who are used to being venerated and pampered by fratemity men, agree to take part in Derby Days. The reason does not reside in the awesome men of Sigma Chi (even though guys like Richard Simms might disprove this theo- ry); on the other hand, the spring term festivities are a result of the female desire to always be the center of attention. In reality, how would Derby Days be affected if there was no sorority involvement and the con- tests were ousted? Nothing would change be- cause for all those who aren’t Sigma Chi’s, Derby Days is not about the competitions. The week’s fun only relies on the fratastic parties. In fact, I believe all who at- tended the DOJO on Thursday would agree that the only damper on the night was when the crowd was hushed to allow the sororities to present their skits. Whoever seriously believed that a majority of the party desired to halt mingling and macking (if that’s a real word) on hotties to watch a couple of sorority girls make fools of themselves was greatly removed from the general consensus. Many contend that Derby Days is demeaning to women, and feel that is the primary reason for modifying the week’s activities. I maintain that sorority in- volvement in Sigma Chi’s week of parties is superfluous and an- noying. Maybe I’m envious that girls dislocate shoulders and puke on themselves for a cooler fraternity, but I feel I speak for the whole non-Sigma Chi male community when I say this: None of us care that Kappa Kappa Gamma won the grueling competition. Until sororities sponsor a tour- nament in which I have an excuse to drink all day and play football, I refuse to support Derby Days unless sororities are totally taken out of the picture. How to land your dream job The end of the school year is rapidly approach- ing as seniors are for employment and under- classmen are looking for internships and sum- mer jobs. A&L Editor Kathryn Krall gives you what you need to ace the interview. WHAT TO SAY Practice commonly asked questions. Ask a friend to play the part of the interviewer and go through the possible questions. Some examples: ° What have you achieved that makes you proud? ° Why should we hire you rather than the other candi- dates? - What is a weakness that could hinder your perfor- mance? Be honest. W&L students are terrible liars, probably because we have been out of practice for so long, so don’t even try. In addition to honesty about accomplishments, be sincere about weaknesses as well. When the interviewer asks about your faults, do not give him or her the classic “I am just too perfect,” but rather elaborate on a weak- ness that you will be able to de- velop into a strength. Research the company before- hand. This sharpens you ability to give answers that will enable that interviewer to imagine you working for the business. The more you understand both the activities and the overall business philosophy of the organization, the better prepared you will seem to fit in. Make the interview a two-way conversation. This is as much about you getting to know the company as it is about them get- ting to know you. Look around. Can you see yourself working for this company? If the interviewer asks if you have any questions, use this time to determine wheth- er you would fit in. Use lots of examples. Instead of speaking in abstract terms, use concrete examples to describe your talents. Instead of “I work well with others” say, “I worked as a member of a group to suc- cessfully complete a project.” Tout yourself, but instead of us- ing adjectives, use stories. WHAT TO WEAR Be conservative. Now is not the time to make a fashion state- ment. Go easy on thejewelry, and tone down the nail polish and make-up. Dress accordingly. Try to fit your attire to the style of com- pany, but dress a notch or two more formally. Be modest. Made sure the hemlines are not too high or the necklines too low. Remember, you are selling your brains. Girls, wear stockings. Follow conventional rules. You know, no white after Labor Day and all the other delightful rules your mother taught you. No flip-flops. HOW TO ACT Smile. Even the most quali- fied applicant can be turned away for lack of common cour- tesy. Make sure your handshake is confident. Also, a non- sweaty handshake is preferred. If you are nervous, wipe your hands on a tissue just before you begin your interview. Make eye contact. This shows your confidence and is a sign of respect to the inter- viewer. Lack of eye contact is an immediate tum off. Don’t be afraid to pause. A moment of silence may seem awkward, but the interviewer knows you need to plan what to say. A pause is always bet- ter than jumping right in or an Tum off your cell phone. And if you accidentally leave it on, never ever answer it. REMEMBER Relax. You will be more impressive if you take a few deep breaths and remind your- self that there are many other opportunities out there if this one does not work out. The worst case scenario is that you don’t get the job. If they don ’t want you, it prob- ably wasn’t the right place for you anyway. While Foxfields may be advertised as a horse race, we all know that it is actually an opportunity to flaunt your spring fin- est. So bring out your bright colors and get ready to dazzle the crowds. This silver-blue tube dress with pink trim by ruth is perfect for showing off those ”'\ toned shoulders you worked so hard for. A big bow and a wide brim makes this hat by Betmar New York essential for protect- ing your nose from sunburn. With classic lines and a full skirt, this bright pink flowered dress by ruby rox flatters a small waist line. This light pink polka dot satin halter by Laundry ls clingy In all the right places and makes your back your sexiest feature. EMILY HULEN / Guest Designer OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_006.2.txt 6 ' THE RING-TUM PHI MONDAY, APRIL24,2006 snorts Mon Tues Wrso Tuuns FRI SAT Baseball ODAC Tournament (April 27-30) I ODAC champlonshlp Golf at Poplar Grove (April 24-25) V3 VM| at Ran 7:30 -d | h. Men’: 0 P D-I11. lMacon Lacrosse :L-00 p.m. ODAC ODAC ODAC Women’: Qllatel‘ Seml Flnals Lacrosse -flnals -flnals at Penn Relays 7"“ (April 27-28) 1 numbers 4-0 Currently the age and record of hurler Greg Maddux who also holds an ERA under 1.00. .776 Slugging Percentage of Generals baseball p|ayerJames Madden who has 7 homers, 5 triples, and 9 doubles on the year. 16 Number of consecutive ODAC titles for the W&L wom-- en’s tennis team. 5 Number of points the Women's Lacrosse team has lost by in their 3 losses this season. The squad is 13-3 overall and 8-0 in the ODAC. Number of assists by Men's Lacrosse freshman Tim Skeen. His 14 make up almost one-third of the Gener- als total assists. box “I won’t say women belong in the kitchen, but they don ’t belong in the dugout.” — Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez, as reported by ESPN. com ;...___..__._......:._._._.. “My upper body is outdoing my lower body. My lower body, there’s nothing there. When you’re older and that hap- pens, it’s twice as hard to get it back. So I ’m frustrated. I'm fighting to get the strength back at the same time I'm fight- ing to stay in shape. But I can't run. How do you do it?” — Barry Bonds about his body, as quoted on MLB.com. James paves the way Sophomore is skills have the Generals rankea’ seventeenth in the nation By Kathryn Krall ARTS 8: LIFE EDITOR With straight soaring drives, consistently low scores and un- ' shakable poise, Nathaniel James is an essential contributor to the success of the golf team and is establishing a reputation for himself on the national level. He has the lowest scoring average on the team and has tal- lied the most ODAC wins this sea- Championship 50” ’ at Poplar Grove James S talent extends (Amherst: Va-l beyond stats. April 24 and 25 He provides an example of hard work and a burning de- sire to win that motivates the entire team to play their best. James was taught to play golf by his father, who began instructing him at a very young age. “I don’t remember when I started because I was so young,” said James. He competed in his first tour- nament at age six. James played at first because it was a family event, but he found the competi- tion enjoyable. “When I was young, I won a lot. That kept me interested,” said James. James’ older brother is also a golfer. As a young golfer, he looked up to his big brother, both wanting to be like him and wanting to beat him. “Part of the reason I wanted to get better was to be able to win against him," said James. There was always a good—na- tured competition between the brothers. “In some sense there is a ri- valry between us,” said James, “but we always cheer for each other.” As a freshman, James’ con- NATHANIEL JAMES ODAC Leader in Stroke Average: 72.9 Tied for eleventh at Jekyll Island Tournament tribution to the team was im- mediate. In his first year of college golf he place second at the ODAC championship. He was named ODAC Rookie of the Year, and First Team All- ODAC. James won W&L Male Freshman Athlete of the Year. His outstanding performance continued this year. For the week of March 29, James was named ODAC Co-Golfer of the Week. He has paced the team in wins, and earlier in the season he had the lowest putting aver- age of any player in the nation. James’ strength is his short game, which includes shots in and around the green. His fa- vorite aspect has also been a struggle in the last few weeks. lrrformation courtesy of athletics. wlu. edu “Right now, putting is my weakness,” he said, “I’m in a putting funk.” The highlight of the season both for James and for the en- tire team came at the Virginia State Championship, which was won by the Washington and Lee team. James was tied for first, and in a dramatic finish defeated his competitor to win the tour- nament. A low point for James was the Jekyll Island tournament. James held the lead for two rounds, but choked in the third round to finish in a disappoint- ing eleventh place. James sees golf in his fu- ture. “If I continue to improve, I would like to play golf profes- sionally, at least for a while,” he said. Due to his outstanding per- formance this year, James may possibly compete at Nation- als. The announcement will be made on May 1. - The team is currently ranked seventheenth in the nation, and will compete at ODAC Champi- onships on April 23-24, in Pop- lar Grove, Virginia. Optimistic about loss After disappointing showing, lacrosse says it can improve By Madeline Gent STAFF WRITER The men’s lacrosse team re- mained busy over break and the beginning of spring term improv- ing their record to 5-5 and 2-3 in ODAC play. With games against Roanoke, Guilford and Virginia Wesleyan during Spring Break, the Gener- als found themselves progressing while preparing to qualify for the - ODAC tournament. The generals lost to Roanoke 16-7 on April 9 but defeated Guil- ford 13-3 on April 12. Freshman midfielder Harry St. John led the Generals to a 11-5 victory over Virginia Wesleyan on April 15. St. John scored_a career-high four goals. set as a freshman... He draws the best defensive midfielders from the other team. It’s a real testa- ment to the kind of season he is having,” coach Mike Cerino said of the April 16 ODAC player of the week. Sophomore Ned Rider, who netted four goals in the three games, said of the play over break, “It was a tough loss against Roanoke. It was all mental, and I think we’ll get them if we play again. We beat Guilford, but we “He’s really been a great as- had a really good game against Virginia Wesleyan... we are building on our games and'start- ing to click as a team.” On Saturday the Generals faced the Hampden-Sydney Ti- gers. Hampden-Sydney jumped to a 4-1 lead over the Generals. The Tigers held that lead to the end of the fourth quarter when the Generals came within two goals. Freshman Tim Skeen led the Generals with four goals, two of which came off assists from ju- nior midfielder Charlie Clarke. Yet that wasn’t enough against the Tigers, who were led by Thomas Jennings and Eamon Thorton. The pair scored three goals each. - “We didn’t shoot very well, and we didn’t handle pressure well. We didn’t take enough shots and had a lot of unforced errors which is not like us,” said junior attacker Grant Martin. The Generals took 33 shots which is the least amount taken since the 29 they took against Franklin and Marshall on March 19. An overworked defense may be one reason for the General’s loss. The Tigers’ goalie made 13 saves compared to Generals goal- ie Chris Lalli, who had four. “We didn’t play well in the first half at all so our defense played the whole half which really wore them out," said Rider Rider finished the contest with a goal and an assist. “I don’t think we came ready to play, and I don’t know why. We didn’t play anywhere near our best lax,” said senior midfielder and captain Perrin Monroe. The Generals will continue their season Tuesday in the Lee- Jackson Lacrosse Classic. They will play Virginia Military Insti- tute under the lights at 7:30 p.m. on the turf field. PERRIN MONROE Midfield 3%. What his coach thinks: Hometown: Washington, D.C. I “He plays at an under-recognized position and hes one of the most attacked players on the field but has an. ajfirnsive threat in transition. He 3‘ having an outstanding season f’ what his teammates think: St. John’: “He is the ultimate leader by example. When I show up in the locker room he is already-outon-running Iapssaround -thefield. He is a I workhorse. ” Rider: “He has great leadership in such a tough spot where has oneofonly‘ two seniors on the __ team. ” Information courtesy Q/all:/e!ics.w1u.edu ADVERTISEMENTS -5: -. Z‘ J ‘Nu ~4.. '3 ’\ v -5.. ~. ~. ‘\ % § *1 'I1 '2) ~o..‘ ‘vs La ~ ~ '~ . ~ '34 “-1 - .. Q4 7: I‘- I '5‘ 35 . A "' Wfdl- I.)a.ncc 10 Year /v\,nnivcrsary Cc/chi-tttiirg “7onIen at W’(C/'1. l4.-i.. April 28, .7.()U() .-rlSp.n1. 5.11., lj\pril 2‘), _Z()()() at .7. 11.111. 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Also in that game, the Gener- als committed six errors. Two were charged to left- fielder Madden, three to second baseman David Miller, and one to senior Gosselink. “That happens,” Stickley said. ~ “You just hope it doesn’t snowball.” He pointed out that he was glad the team was able to “stop the bleeding,” and still play a close game. Meanwhile, catcher Wesley suffered an injury in the bottom of the fifth inning and was taken out of the game. Stickley said Wesley had pulled a muscle in his back or chest, and though they were not sure of the culprit, they did not want to take any chances. After the game, however, Wesley said he was feeling bet- ter. Wesley, who has caught all but a few innings this year, will likely remain behind the plate for the rest of the season. “Calling a majority of the games is tough,” Stickley said, “but he’s done a great job.” Assistant coach Eric Brookes pointed out that Wesley has done a lot of hard work, especially in the recent high temperatures. He talked about a game two weeks ago when Wesley caught 19 innings in 85-degree tempera- tures. “That is asking a lot out of a young kid,” he said, but added that he thinks the catcher can handle the rest of the season. Even when doing a job his head coach calls “physically and mentally tough,” Wesley has confidence in himself. “Even if I break a finger, I’ll still tough it out,” he said. Brookes explained that Wes- ley has played so much this sea- son based on his experience in the past two years as a hitter and backup catcher. ‘ He added that Dan Harris and Chris Bolger, the two backup catchers, have improved a great deal throughout this season. “We feel a lot better about the backup situation,” he said. Harris came into the game when Wesley was taken out. Stickley said he performed well, hitting a single in the sixth in- ning, and catching a foul bunt off the bat of Daniel Mullins in the eighth. “He did a nice job,” Stickley said. Harris also filled in when Stickley gave Wesley time to rest during Tuesday’s non—conference loss against West Virginia Tech. Another player in need of rest is first baseman McConnell, who has battled a back injury all sea- son. He was given a break when coaches sent in freshman Andrew Henderson at the end of Tuesday’s game. Stickley said that the coaches were “really on edge” about Mc- Connell’s back. “We want to try to cut down on the chances that he could hurt it,” he said. But the coaches do not want to take McConnell out in the last few games of his college career. Brookes said, “We just try to take it easy with him.” Without two of their key start- ers, the team did not perform well on Tuesday, losing 11-0. The coaches pointed out that the loss was not because of the backup players. Brookes called it “one of the few times this year when we weren’t ready to play and it showed.” Stickley agreed. “I was not pleased with that effort,” he said, “and the guys weren’t either.” Stickley said that the men lacked “mental preparedness” for the game, in part because it was played during the week. He added, though, that he ex- pects the team to bounce back. “I’m sure we’ll respond well,” he said. Brookes agreed that the team is ready to move on from Tues- day’s loss. “That’s behind us and hope- fully the guys learned from it,” he said. Looking forward to the con- ference tournament Thursday, the team seems pretty confident. The men play Bridgewater in the opening round of the tourna- ment. They lost two heartbreaking games to Bridgewater earlier this year, each by only one run. In the March 28 game, the men were making a comeback in the seventh inning when the game was called because of darkness. Despite the history, the Gen- erals do not seem intimidated by their opponents. Gosselink said he is unafraid of playing the top-ranked team in doing the shuffle: When Edwards pitches, the Generals make quite a few changes. To fill his place at third, Ray Sweeney moves over. He is replaced by Gosselink, who has played short for W&L In the past. Miller comes in from left to play second. Madden moves from rightfield to left, and is replaced by freshman Terrence McKeIvey, who has made regular rounds in the batting order this season. ‘‘All of them can play their positions,” Stickley said. “lt’s not really that big a deal.” EMILY HULEN / Guest Designer the conference. “We can beat any team in this tournament,” he said. Teammate Wesley agreed. “Overall, I’m not worried about the tournament. Every year, we come to play,” he said. Though the games were close today, he said Randolph-Macon would not be a concern. “They are not going to do any damage in the tournament,” he said. He pointed out that last ‘year, W&L was in a similar situation to Randolph-Macon’s. “No one expected us to do that well, but we got hot in the middle of the season,” he said. The Generals beat three teams in the ODACs last year, making it all the way to the third day of the tournament. Wesley said that the team this year is even better than last. “We’re deeper this year,” he said. “It’s just a matter of who is going to step up.” Hedrick said that his team fac- es the same challenge. “Our biggest handicap has been our pitching,” he said. Despite having one of the best pitchers in the state, Randolph- Macon’s other pitchers have not been as consistent, he said. He added that pitching would make the dilference in how far Randolph-Macon goes in the tournament. Gosselink said that because this is not his first time at the tournament, he is not expecting to play two games and go home. But it is exactly that lack of experience which has fueled Randolph-Macon to the momen- tum they have reached going into Thursday’s tournament. “It’s kind of a big deal for us,” Hedrick said. “I don’t think anyone expected us to do as well as we have.” Thursday should be an excit- ing day for the Generals as well. “We’re going to win the damn thing,” Gosselink said. @1- CDROLLA S STZESLRIDTZAETIE EEZELTUTESIEQZ MAOPIIERSON STRUT FRONT SUSPENSION + AM/FM/OD WITH S SPEAKERS + SIDE ROCKER PANELS + SO MPO IIWYI I ®TovoTA ANY NEW TOYOTA OF YOUR OI-IOIOE* carjmee 5 AS A OOLLEOE SRAO, YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE! *NOT All CUSTOMERS WILL QUALIFY. CUSTOMERS RECEIVE $400 FROM TOYOTA TOWARDS LEASING OR FINANCING THE PURCHASE OF NEW UNTITLED TOYOTA = YOUR NEW CAR A8 snows 317,360“ MODELS THROUGH PARTICIPATING TOYOTA DEALERS AND TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES. SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS. COLLEGE GRADUATE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR TERMINATION AT ANY TIME. IEPA ESTIMATED MPG FOR 2005 COROIIA 5 MODEL I8I2 4 SPEED AUTO. ACTUAL MILEAGE MAY VARY. IIMSRP FOR 2006 SPOR ODEL I8I2 EXCLUDING TAX, TAGS AND LICENSE FEES. DEALER SETS FINAL PRICE. 49buyatoyota.com £59 / / ®froYoTA I moving forward > Boys on the side Women 3 sports ' dominate, while men is athletics are slipping By Tim Llvlngston SPORTS EDITOR The 2005-2006 season has been an extremely successful one for Washington and Lee. With the success of this year’s sports teams, many onlookers question where the ’05—’06 season ranks among the best in W&L history. If this season is truly the most prestigious in our school’s history, it can be at- tributed to the women. The football team was one heartbreaking loss away from the ODAC championship, men’s swimming ended the season ranked fourteenth in the country, and baseball, la- crosse, men’s tennis and soc- cer remain strong programs. Who cares? When W&L allowed wom- en to attend our fine institu- tion, who would have thought that they would pave the way in athletics? Who would have believed that they would embarass almost all men’s sports in 2006? Perhaps this statistic will help all the non—believers to comprehend how thoroughly women have dominated the ODAC this season. Does anyone have any idea how many games the wom- en’s volleyball, tennis, soccer, swimming, lacrosse and field hockey teams have lost in the Old Dominion Athletic Con- ference this season? The answer is one. One game. The culprit for the only loss was the girl’s field hock- ey team, who dropped a game to Virginia Wesleyan, but later won the ODAC and advanced all the way to the NCAA tour- ney. What is the reason for the success of our women? Who knows. Of course, Hampden—Syd— ney must be feeling pretty foolish for their decision to shun the temptation of going co—ed. The truth remains that be- cause they started less than 20 years-ago, none of our women’s sports have a rich tradition. Nonetheless, our women’s tennis team is the top team in Division III, and our field hockey team, volleyball team and lacrosse team are all na- tionally ranked. Moreover, these programs continue to recruit and obtain talent from around the coun- try to bolster theit rosters. In other words, women’s sports at W&L show no signs of de- cline in the near future. Ironically, the fields that were once confined to only the male persuasion are now owned by the opposite sex. As the girls continue to thrive in the athletic realm, one can only speculate how the men will compete in the future. The truth remains that as the women flourish, the men are slipping. Guys, its time to regroup. Robert E. Lee must be spinning in his grave. OCR::/Vol_108/WLURG39_RTP_20060424/WLURG39_RTP_20060424_008.2.txt s ortsbriefs Riding Washington and Lee claimed its first ever ODAC championship in riding on Friday. The Generals posted 19 team points to defeat defending champion Bridge- water. Senior Caitlin Lane was named ODAC Rider of the Year and will compete at the Intercollegiate Horse Show (IHSA) National Championships from May 4-7. Senior Katie Goodrich was also named the ODAC Scholar-Athlete for the 2006 season. Baseball W&L split with rival Ran- dolph Macon (8-7, 6-7) to finish the ODAC with a 10-8 record for the third year in a row. The Generals were losing 7-6 going into the last inning, yet senior Taylor McConnell and sophomore James Madden homered in the final frame to give the Generals the 8-7 win. Work- ing in relief, sophomore Jefi° Pharis earned his first career win after pitching effectively for the Generals throughout the season. Women's Lacrosse A goal by Christine Bender with less than 5 minutes remaining in regulation led the women’s lax team to a 9-8 victory over confer- ence foe Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday. The win was important for the Generals who claimed the number one seed in the ODAC tour- nament with the victory. Sophomore Megan Slosson also was a key contributor and scored two consecutive goals to bring the Generals back from a 7-5 deficit. Men’s Lacrosse The Generals fell 11-8 to Hampden-Sydney on Satur- day, dropping them to 2-3 in the ODAC and threatening their playoff hopes. Fresh- man Tim Skeen led the Generals with 4 goals while sophomore Will Englehart added 2 more. Golf W&L ended the first round of the ODAC Champion- ship in third place behing Guilford and Bridgewater. Freshman Beau Allen led the way with a 74 and junior Anthony Zappin shot a 75 for the Generals. Women's Tennis The ladies tallied 99 team points to defeat the second place Emory and Henry who tallied 72 points. Senior Em- ily Applegate was named ODAC player of the year afler she defeated Elizabeth Kristofak of Randolph-Ma- con 6-0, 6-0 in the finals. The Generals are now the top ranked women’s tennis team in the country and are a perfect 24-0 (10-0 ODAC) on the season. THE RING-TUM PHI snorts Baseball finishes sixth 1 MONDAY, 6* eat-new-.ma«esa was The Generals split with Randolph-Macon in close games to end regular season W&L lost many close decisions in the ODAC this season, biutihope to reverse their fortunes in the tournament By Katherine Greene EDITOR-IN-CHIEF When the baseball double- header against Randolph-Macon was rescheduled from Saturday to Sunday due to rain, both teams started to worry about their chanc- es in the ODAC tournament. The games, which determined the Generals’ sixth-place standing in the tournament, were not other- wise important. But come Thursday, it is going to affect both teams’ pitching. Both teams planned to start their best pitchers Saturday. Now, they are concerned that the men will not have enough rest before the tournament begins on Thursday. Randolph-Macon coach Ray Hedrick said he is worried about Travis Beazley, his star pitcher. “It’s definitely going to affect our pitching,” he said, but pointed ’ " out that there was no alternative. Catcher Jordan Wesley said that the teams have the same is- sue. “Pitching is the biggest key to surviving in the tournament,” he said. The Generals have had a fairly good showing this year despite a recent slump. The success, in part, has been attributed to pitcher Clayton Edwards. At the end of the regular sea- son, Edwards carried a team-high 6/wins with a 4.06 ERA. But Beazley, in comparison, had 8 wins and only a 1.77 ERA. According to Generals head coach Jelf Stickley, Randolph- Macon has “probably the best pitcher in the league.” Despite this claim, Beazley allowed the tying and winning home rims in the final inning of the first game. The two runs were hit by se- nior Taylor McConnell and soph- omore slugger James Madden. It was Madden’s seventh home run this year. Beazley started against Wash- ington and Lee a year ago, but suf- fered an embarrassing loss 22-l. Shortstop Scott Gosselink pointed out that last year’s loss may have been an issue for the Randolph-Macon pitcher. “We hit him incredibly hard last year,” Gosselink said, and added that Beazley may have been working out of a “need for vengeance.” Stickley said that Beazley had vastly improved from that game. “He’s a different player this year,” Stickley said. Hedrick agreed, saying he felt lucky in his second year of coach- ing at Randolph-Macon to have such a solid player. “I couldn’t ask for more,” he said. Hedrick compared Beazley to W&L’s Edwards, saying that they are both dynamic and talented players. Both pitchers also play third base while not on the mound in order to stay in the batting order. MORGAN HARRIS / Staff photographer Sophomore John Parkerhurls a pitch in Sunday's doubleheader. The games concluded the team’s home season. The biggest hitting in the games came from unlikely sourc- es. In the fourth inning, senior David Mackenzie was hit on the shoulder by a pitch, but the um- pire said he had stepped over the plate into it. In retaliation, Mackenzie hom- ered on the next pitch. It was his first home run all season. He said he feels “nostalgic” about the home run, because he See ‘TEAM’ on Page 7 Tennis aces ODAC championship Womens ’team captures fourth consecutive win, awaits invitation to Nationals By Jessica Shaw surr wmran Eight girls. Nine perfect matches. An undefeated season. These ingredients fused as the women’s tennis team swept its competition at Guilford College last weekend emerging victorious in its fourth consecutive ODAC tournament. The Generals racked up a hefty total of 99 points, followed by Emory and Henry with 72 and Hollins with 70. Juniors Emily Applegate and Katie Kingsbury represented the team earning ODAC Player of the Year and ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, respectively. Applegate currently holds the number one spot on the team, and has maintained a flawless record this year. Though Kingsbury did not compete ‘in Team ranked the top eight #1 In NCAA this season, she mvklon "I contributed at , Division III fouowmg an Nationals as a undefeated sophomore, seasgn “WC d0 have a really strong team this year,” Kingsbury said. “We have the talent. We have the drive. Especially this year, there are so many girls who believe they can win.” Not only did the Generals win the ODAC tournament, but they shut out every opponent, securing victory in every set. . “Winning all nine flights was a good way to start our post- season,” junior Ginny Wortham said. Sweeping the six singles’ flights were Applegate, freshman Katie Tabb, Wortham, sopho- more Leah Weston, freshman Tori Christmas and sophomore Kelly Will respectively. Tabb and Wortham captured first in the number one doubles’ flight, followed by an identical first place performance by Weston and senior, captain Lisa Mabry. Applegate and sophomore Rebec- ca Timmis dominated their com- petition to place first as well in the number three doubles flight. “We didn’t drop a set,” Mabry , said. “We’ve had a lot of the younger girls do a really good job. I think that we‘re as close as ever, and that’s what makes us so strong.” Currently ranked first in the na- tion by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the Generals await an oflicial invitation to Nationals. - If they win the first two rounds, defeating teams within their re- gion, the girls will proceed to California for the final matches. According to the ITA Division III National Rankings, Trinity University, Sewanee, Claremont- Mudd-Scripps College and Emo- ry University occupy the second through fifth spots. According to head coach Cin- da Rankin, the team has been fo- cusing on the match at hand. “I think that helps us keep ev- erything in the present,” she said. “Once we finish with this, we look KATIE TABB Information courtesy of athleticswlu. edu on to the next one. [The girls] are definitely buying into that. They are willing take that type of ap- proach.” Last year, W&L contended for the number one spot at Nationals with rival Emory. In the finals, they were defeated 5-3, ending with second place finish. “Basically, whenever Emory is in a National Championship final, they bring another level that you’ve never seen before,” Wortham said. “I think that I, personally, was not as prepared for the moment as I should have been. But, it’s a new year, and we are focusing on what we can do this year. You can’t do anything about the past.” The team has spent time this year analyzing its mistakes and preparing both mentally and physically for the competition this season. “We’ve really focused on one match at a time, and we haven’t really thought about Nationals and getting there and how far we’re going to get,” Mabry said. “Whether that’s the next ODAC match, or whether it is the next big match against Sewanee next weekend, we really have to work hard now, because that’s all that we can control.” April 16, the Generals de- feated Emory at an Invitational in Atlanta. “It was so exciting,” Tabb said. “It was the first time in four years to finally beat them.” According to Rankin, the goal for each girl is to play every match with the intensity as though it were the most important. “Sometimes you want it so much that you psych yourself out,” Tabb said. “You want to win something in particular so much that you have trouble perform- ing. It’s hard to focus and make it seem like just another match- something you’ve done the whole season.” During Spring Break, the team underwent high intensity training in preparation for ODACs and po- tential post-season competition. “It was probably one of the hardest weeks that I’ve ever been through in my tennis career,” Tabb said. “It really paid off. We did really well at our Emory Invi- tational.” As the time before Nationals approaches, Rankin will cater more towards the specific needs of each athlete. “You have to work as individ- uals to make the strongest team,” she said. “We will be tailoring all of the practices to the individu- als.” According to Weston, the per- sonalities on the team contribute to its broad success. “We’re definitely a tight-knit group,” she said. “Overall, we had an amazing team last year, but this year, I think our team is just as strong, maybe stronger.” Kingsbury said the work ethic also strengthens the team. “We all try hard in practice,” she said. “Everyone brings 100 percent. I think that’s why we are deep. Everyone motivates each other and themselves con- stantly.” According to Kingsbury, assistant coach Curt Speersch- neider designs a theme for each season. This year, the motto is “trust”. “It can mean a number of things,” Kingsbury said. “Trust your own abilities. Trust your teammates abilities. Trust that you can win.” May 6 and 7 mark the first two rounds of Nationals with the location pending. The following rounds of team Nationals will be held in Santa Cruz, California beginning May 17. Individual Nationals will take place at the same location start- ing May 20. Individual athletes will receive bids on May 1. “We know we can perform,” Tabb said. ‘‘I think that’s our main strength in winning and competing well.” APRlL24,2006 Y‘. F . l