OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_001.2.txt This Is not a new Vietnam Columnist Abel Delgado has heard, enough. Hve’s‘tilré,dA“ of reading about quagmires. The links between lracj’ Vietnam? He says they don’t exist. " ' Page?‘ WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY THE RING-TUM PHI. M 0 N DAY, OCTOBER 2, 2003 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 what's going - the school yearjust started, and tempers s to reign in noisy s and rowdy country parties are re-flaring over the noise issue. ' - the Board of Supervisors has drafted a new noise ordinance, but not yet passed it. - the school, feeling pressure from the community, wrote a letter suggesting some policy changes. - the sheriff has said that the current noise ordinance is strict enough—if only he could enforce it. - the judge finds students guilty—but neighbors say the $50 fine is not steep enough. 0 the population of Rockbridge County is growing, and the new neighbors are not used to the party atmosphere. - neighbors are starting to organize as they make their complaints. 0 students are not responding to neighbors‘ requests for peace. By Katherine Greene EDlTOR—|N-CHIEF The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors have put off voting on a ’ proposed noise ordinance—for now. The proposal, which includes pro- visions for a permitting system and litter pickup, was set aside at the su- pervisor’s meeting Monday, Sept. 25. The debate over the ordinance stems from a dispute between the students living in the Pole Houses on Furrs Mill Road and Windfall on Greenhouse Road. Several neighbors at the meeting complained openly about the noise from student parties, saying that it has disrupted their lives. “It’s not that big a deal~until you have to live with it,” said Cindy Wise- man, a Hunter Hill resident. She said that students yelling, loud music, and even the noise from the Traveller buses all make her nights miserable. Wiseman said that neighbors have to deal with noise from student parties late into the night, which is especially hard because she has to wake up early for work. . Some have even resorted to taking out hotel rooms for the night to hide from the noise, Wiseman said. The neighbors say they want the ordinance to help protect them from" the students’ partying. “If we have the ordinance in place, at least we would have something we could work with and use," Wiseman said. Sheritf Bob Day, who spoke at the meeting, said he wanted the board to hold off on their vote until the three county noise ordinance charges for the month of September went to court. All three charges were against Washington and Lee students. Two of them, John Parker and Matthew Leis- man, pleaded guilty to the charges on Wednesday, Sept. 27. 1 Both men were ticketed at the same house, but on different consecu- tive nights. Sgt. Hugh Ferguson said both men were polite and understanding about the situation. They will each have to pay court costs and were fined $50. But both men now have misde- meanor chznges on their records. . . Senior David Olchowski was also charged with violating the noise ordi- nance earlier this month. He pleaded no contest, he said, because he had tried to stop the party when the officer warned him. If his house has no more problems until Dec. 19. the violation will be dropped from his record. Neighbors say that isn’t enough. “That’s all the judge is going to dofslap them on the hand," Wise- man said. The university has made some strides to try and close the gap between the students and the community. Dawn Watkins, dean of students, and Jane Horton, director of student health, launched the Campus-Com- munity Coalition last year. The coalition was started to help students and their neighbors come to understand each other, said Watkins. “The problem was that no one was talking to each other,” she said. Watkins and Horton recruited neighbors with flyers, and the coali- Soe “NOISE” on page 2 VOLUME OX, NUMBER 4 Quirky election finished Freshmen get a bit goofiz to win votes By Wesley 0’DeIl STAFF WRITER ashington and Lee’s campus has been a bit more colorful despite the construction work for the past few weeks, as signs bearing slo- gans like “Pick Corn” and “James Dick: He’s got BIG plans” have appeared on pretty much any sur- face to which tape will adhere. The ground itself has even be- come an advertising medium for a certain “Kiwi.” Freshman elections never fail to entertain. The class of 2010 voted last week to select their class presi- dent and their representatives to the EC‘and SJC. Elections held Monday pitted no fewer than 25 candidates against each other in elections for three diflerent posts. The large number of candidates forced two runoff elections which were held on Wednesday and Fri- day. Voting Regulations Board Co-Chair Kathleen Morphis said the fierce competition and high voter tumout — in the 70%-range — “indicates the eagerness of [the class of 20 10] to become an active part of the W&L community.” The final tally of the votes was not available as of press time. While the run-offs may be typical of freshmen elections, this year’s contest was atypical in the campaigning methods the candidates employed. In addition to the customary posters and not- so-customary chalk, several EC candidates participated in a forum with their potential constituents in the BDG quad on the Saturday before the elections. For over an hour, candidates Abel Delgado, Daniel Haycrafi, Elizabeth Micci, Elliot O’Brien, and James Dick gave prepared opening and closing remarks and also took questions from an audi- ence numbering over 30 students. see “CANDY” on page 2 Schools prepare for comingflu Health experts and administrators at W&L and VMI are preparing for a possible bird flu pandemic By Dane Davls STAFF WRITER As health officials and com- munity leaders around the country prepare for a possible pandemic flu outbreak, Washington and Lee is getting ready, too. W&L’s Office of the Provost and the Deans Academic Speak- ers Program at the Virginia Mili- tary Institute are hosting an open discussion on ramifications of an influenza pandemic. Pandemic flu can be devastat- ing. The last great pandemic, the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, lasted for only 18 months but caused the deaths of at least 50 million people. The influenza pan- demics of 1957 and 1968 killed 2.7 million people. The worry of a flu pandemic is so great that the U.S. Congress has appropriated 2.3 billion dollars for pandemic readiness. The attention now being paid to the possibility of flu pandem- ic is largely due to the rise of the influenza virus H5N1, more commonly known as “bird flu.” The H5N1 strain is a new influ- enza subtype, first causing human deaths in Hong Kong, China in 1997. This new strain has caused over 200 human deaths. Current- ly, it can only be contracted if a person closely handles a bird car- rying the virus. The greatest concern is that the virus may mutate into a high- ly transmissible human form, in- stigating another influenza pan- demic. Estimates from the United Nations place possible death tolls for a H5N1 outbreak between 5 and 150 million people. All of the information concern- ing an influenza pandemic begs the question ~ is W&L ready? Jane Horton, director of the Stu- dent Health Center. says the uni- versity is not fully prepared. She also said schools and institutions around the country are also still in the planning stages Since pandemic flu only re- cently became a pressing issue, authorities made few major prep- arations. The possibility of an outbreak has prompted authori- ties to begin preparations for an outbreak. In conjunction with VMI and local health authorities, W&L has begun to develop a plan of prepa- ration and action to deal with an influenza pandemic. The plan, still in draft form, takes a multi-level approach to dealing with an outbreak. Differ- ent degrees of pandemic severity would yield different responses from the university. For example, if the pandemic strain were dis- covered in the region, the univer- sity would begin stockpiling food, supplies, and vaccinations. Details concerning how much should be stockpiled and when to act have yet to be answered. Decisions on stockpiling are expensive, considering the im- mense cost of vaccinations and other goods. Dr. David Copeland, VMI’s physician, states: “We of- fer flu shot every year and that costs about $10 per shot. Prepar- ing for a devastating pandemic flu is another matter. If we follow all the federal guidelines, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to prepare for it.” The open forum is titled “Pan- demic Influenza: Ethics, Law, and the Public’s Health” Guest speaker Lawrence 0. Gostin, JD, LLD will discusses how to make difficult ethical choices when posed with the scenario of a flu pandemic. Questions concerning who receives vaccinations, how quarantine should be handled, how much aid can be expected from state and federal govem- ment, and l1ow to avoid facility overload. Ultimately influenza pandemic preparation is an individual effort. Dr. Horton stresses the need for awareness, communication, and education. Basic practices, such as washing one’s hands, can go a long way to stopping the spread of the virus. If a pandemic does occur, following guidelines and cooperating with medical authori- ties will improve the situation for everyone. A flu pandemic in the next generation is considered almost inevitable. Dr. Horton and Dr. Co- peland are vigorously preparing their schools for that eventuality. Want to learn more? check the followlng websites for Information - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Site for Pandemic and Avian Flu Information www.pandemicf|u.gov/ - US. Department of Health and Human Services Pandemic lnfluenza Plan www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/ plan - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/ - CDC Emergency Preparedness & Response Site www. bt. cdc.gov/ OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_002.2.txt ~.IHiVlE~b (3.l.EYBURN ‘ ' WASHINGTON & LEE uuwsnslfl l,_E.\(lNGTON, VA 24450 2 ° THE RING-TUM PHI four 0 421191 MONDAY, OCTOBER 2,2006 IIBWS arly decision stays for now Harvard is dropping its early admissions program, but W&L and schools may not follow their lead By Cody Beauchamp STAFF WRITER Harvard University is hop- ing to see early admissions pro- grams disappear from the world of college admissions. In a bold move that grabbed the attention of institutions na- tionwide, the Ivy-league icon announced Sept. 12 that it would be doing away with its own Ear- ly Action program starting for applicants to the class of 2012. “The college admissions pro- cess has become too pressured, too complex, and too vulnerable to public cynicism,” said Har- vard’s interim President Derek Bok in a statement released on Harvard’s website. Bok cited specific concerns that programs such as Early Action (“EA”) and the binding Early Decision (“ED”) tend to “advantage the advantaged,” a reference to one of the most common criticisms of EA / ED programs. The “advantages the advan- taged” concept argues that EA and ED programs put students from poor and rural back- grounds at a disadvantage when compared against typically wealthier students attending re- source and counseling—rich elite high schools. The crux of the argument is that these “disadvantaged” stu- dents do not have the necessary coaching to get in to colleges during the EA / ED acceptance cycles, when many colleges will fill a large portion the slots available in their incoming class. More privileged students often have better access to sup- port and coaching. Bok also pointed out that binding ED programs eliminate the ability for poorer students to compare financial aid packages between various institutions, which potentially forces com- mitted students to go with less aid. Harvard’s decision launched a wave of debate on the nature of admissions practices for top colleges. The debate only intensified following Princeton University and the University of Virginia’s recent decisions to follow Har- vard’s lead and do away with their programs last Monday. However, many College Ad- missions Directors are urging caution. Vanderbilt Dean of Admis- sions Dr. Douglas L. Christian- sen said, “If Harvard, Princeton and UVA can switch, I applaud them for that.” But, said Christiansen, “what There are, needless to say, a lot of traditions here that we hold very dear, and its very nice to have nucleus of students in every class who understand and cherish those traditions. JACOB SPENCER, W&L admlsslons counselor we’re all trying to look at is how do we ensure that all students have accessibility to the most competitive institutions in the US? “We need to ensure that people from high schools where college counseling isn’t strong don’t get hurt in the process of applying because of early ad- missions programs.” Washington and Lee Admis- sions Counselor ‘Jacob Spen- cer said he thinks “that other schools are going to have to take a look at their Early Admissions programs and see if they work in their particular situations. “I don’t think other schools are simply going to look at Har- vard and hop on some band- wagon.” Spencer said that he didn’t believe early admissions pro- grams were likely to be dropped oise ordinance changes tabled The proposed noise ordinance: - bans noise disturbances between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. - requires a $10 permit, which lists the location, time, number of guests, parking, and the person responsible. - includes a provision requiring litter be picked up by 9 a.m. the following day. - defines a gathering of 30 or more people not entirely enclosed indoors a “large party public nuisance." It used to be 15 people, but the rule was changed so that some county family functions would be excluded. - denies a permit to any location that has violated the noise ordinance more than three times. - sets the punishment for a first offense as a Class 3 Misdemeanor. The second offense is a Class 2, and the third is a Class 1—which could lead to up to a year in V jail. continued from page 1 tion eventually included membership from sheriff’s deputies and student leaders. Watkins said students living in problem areas were disinter- ested in the project, but several students on Windfall Hill said they had never heard of it. Watkins said that the uni- versity started the project in response to pressure from the community, but that the school could not control off-campus life. “We’re not saying, ‘Don’t have a party,’” she said. “We just want to have them put some guidelines in place.” Watkins and Horton wrote a letter to the supervisors in June suggesting several changes to the current noise ordinance— many of which were included in Monday’s proposal. In their letter, they said, “Complaints by private citizens that do not result in formal cita- tions are nearly impossible for the university to handle effec- tively.” They pointed out that a per- mit system would allow the university to handle the com- plaints through the Student Ju- dicial Board. “This has been an incred- ible lesson in local gov- ernment,” Watkins said. But, she said the university is trying not to get involved. “There’s this perception that the university is cracking down,” she said. “We’re just trying to mediate.” The coalition has not yet met this, year, because partici- and i'aned.i At the meeting Monday, Harvey Hotinger said that the work the university was do- ing “didn’t amount to a hill of beans.” ‘ Hotinger is the representa- tive from Kerr’s Creek, the dis- trict where both the Pole Houses and Windfall Hill are located. Sheriff Day said that if the ordinance passes, his office is going to be tougher on student parties. “We’re going to be doing a lot more enforcing,” he said. He said that he and his depu- ties are responding to the grow- ing pressure from the commu- nity. His office has seen a lot more complaints from citizens, he said. Day said that the decision on the noise ordinance is up to the students. If students would be good neighbors and obey the law, the problems would go away, he said. Olchowski, who lives on Windfall Hill, said he wants his neighbors to approach him be- fore calling the sheriff to com- plain. “We’re doing everything we can to keep the parties low- key,” he said. Some neighbors said that they feel the students can work the problems out themselves. Glenn Sager and Ed Bauer, who both live in houses near Windfall, said they did not want to see laws passed exclusively against students. “The last thing we want is more laws,” Bauer said. Sager said that if the stu- dents got together and tried to understand their neighbors, the tension between the community and the students would lessen. “I think there are enough sensitive young people out there,” he said. “I have faith in them.” at W&L anytime soon. W&L has the binding Early Decision program only. “There are, needless to say, a lot of traditions here that we hold very dear, and it’s very nice to have nucleus of students in every class who understand and cherish those traditions,” said Spencer. “Early decision gives us that core because it shows us the students who genuinely want to be here and want to be a part of keeping those traditions alive.” W&L is not alone in this regard; interviews with admis-. sions offers from schools na- tionwide all reflected a common attitude of “wait and see.” Some institutions are uncom- ‘ fortable with the philosophy of Harvard’s decision. Dave Wottle, Dean of Ad- missions at Rhodes College, said “Every school has the right to make a statement by their actions to say, through their actions, that they have philo- sophical problems with early programs because they place some applicants at a disadvan- tage in the admission process.” But, continued Wottle, “that doesn’t mean that all other schools share that same belief and that they must, or should, or will follow suit.” Wottle also had difficulty understanding one rationale be- hind Harvard’s decision. “I would question whether a school with an acceptance rate of only about 10% can signifi- cantly reduce the stress associ- ated with the selection process by simply eliminating its early admissions program,” said Wot- tle. Still, Harvard’s actions — and Princeton and UVA’s response — have set admissions offices across the nation to work on evaluating their early admis- sions programs, W&L included. “I know that Dean Hartog, Provost Williams and Presi- dent Ruscio will be meeting in the coming year to consider the state of Early Decision at W&L,” said Spencer. “I’m sure they will consider input from the Board of Trust- ees and others.” Still, many admissions offi- cers doubt that, despite the fresh scrutiny, early admissions pro- grams will suddenly be elimi- nated. Said Spencer, “Harvard is in a very different position from other schools in the country in regard to admissions.” “What’s right for Harvard may not be right for everyone else,” said Wottle. “The popular press has a tendency to fixate on the hand- ful of ‘Ivy League’ schools and think that what they do can or should be transposed onto the Vast majority of other selective institutions, and that’s just not the case. [But] what works for the Harvards and the Princetons and the UVAs may not be what is best for every institution, or for their students.” “Can there be abuses?” Vanderbilt’s Dean Christiansen said. “Of course. But what’s im- portant is that each institution look at the programs they have in place and ask themselves what can be done to ensure that any student who is qualified, who does want the education the institution provides, gets it regardless of background.” Candy for Votes at election time continued from page 1 Freshman Zaq Lawal moderated. Candidates discussed a wide variety of topics, from codification of Honor Viola- tions to complaints about EC secrecy. The candidates advo- cated for some serious depar- tures from standard practice, including candidate Elliot “Kiwi” O’Brien’s call for a transparent budget process in the distribution of fimds to student organizations. All the candidates agreed that forms of sexual assault should be considered an honor viola- tion. Upperclassmen present were impressed with the de- bate for this often issueless race, which was organized and sponsored by the can- didates themselves through campus notices and Facebook messages. “I have not seen anything like this before. [This is] the most dialogue [in a student election] in four years,” said Head Dorm Counselor Sam Wilmoth, who commended the candidates “for being can- didates instead of just making posters.” The forum highlighted an unusual facet of student elec- tions: issues. Said “Kiwi” O’Brien of the audience at the forum, “their questions were insightful and really challenged the candidates to explain their positions at the beginning of the elec- Its hard to claim, ‘I am going to do this or that if elected, ’ because almost everything is reviewed on a case—by-case basis. ” JOHN TWOMEY, Class of 2010 tion process I think there was a feeling that there weren’t any issues. Now I’m impressed by the number of freshman talking about them.” O’Brien’s calls for change in the EC budget process and in how the University handles sexual assault have sparked controversy. Said O’Brien’s opponent in Friday’s runoff, John Twomey, “the uniqueness of the Execu- tive Committee position hin- ders what would commonly be referred to as a platform...it’s hard to claim, ‘I am going to do this or that if elected,’ because almost everything is reviewed on a case—by-case basis.” Of course, debates aren’t the only way of winning votes; SJC candidate James Wolff was spot- ted making his rounds around the freshmen dorms Thursday night handing out handshakes in addition to candy from a large bucket. For many freshmen, the game is still all about name recognition. Freshman Kelsey Walsh, who attended the Satur- day forum, said people for the most part still “vote for who they know.” Twomey is betting his campaign on just that. “Talking to people at the d-hall, in—between class, or just walking around cam- pus makes it possible for me to actually convince people I am the right can- didate,” he said. Regardless of which strategy brings victory, the candidates have been uni- form in their praise of their supporters and the class as a whole. Said O’Brien, “[those who have] discussed ideas and issues with me, worn my shirts, taken up chalk and attended debates and speeches are the ones who have made this election process so productive and fun.” The Voting Regulation Board’s Morphis concurs, saying “the candidates have definitely worked hard to get their names out there, and I think it has been a good experience for the class to come together and think about what they would like to see happen for the year.” OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_003.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2006 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 3 IIIIIIIIIIIIS Hating Hugo Tired of listening to Hugo Chavez? Use less 01']. By Dylan Merrlll co LUM msr For the past couple of weeks, the national media has been ra- bidly reporting on the vituperative remarks that Hugo Chavez deliv- ered to the U.N. General Assem- bly on Sept. 20. The Venezuelan president fervently waved a Noam Chomsky book as he commented on President Bush’s recent pres- ence at the same rostrum. “Yesterday, the devil came here,” noted the avid critic of the Bush administration, adding that the podium “smells of sulfur.” Chavez then made the sign of the cross and prayed silently to him- self, making sure that all of the at- tendees were aware of his piety. I guess the two presidents do have some things in common... Needless to say, media up- roar ensued. Many journalists pounced at the prospect of report- ing on the hostile language di- rected toward President Bush, es- pecially because the criticism was so overblown and scandalous. Obviously, Chavez was guilty of first-degree exaggerated rhetoric. Even bleeding-heart liberals like me don ’t think George Bush came from Hell. Maybe Purgatory, but definitely not Hell. President Bush himself has been known to use extreme rheto- ric to label his enemies. Both parties have unabashedly used fire and brimstone politics to their advantage. Unsurprisingly, some ra- bid Bush supporters have been foaming at the mouth at the op- portunity to chastise Venezuelan president for his remarks. His comments were blatantly disgust- ing. How could someone come to our country and say whatever he wishes? Can’t we do something about this? Bush advocates can eas- ily discard Chavez’s exagger- ated remarks by arrogantly noting George W’s lack of Satan-affili- ated anatomical parts. Where are those spiky devil horns, they may ask? Wouldn’t we see his forked tongue hanging out as he struggles to answer a tough question? Quite obviously, the podium’s sulfuric smell must have come from something other than Presi- dent Bush. It was probably that Noam Chomsky book that the Venezuelan president was waving so furiously. Or maybe Chavez had egg salad for lunch. In all seriousness, though, if Chavez’s comments seemed a lit- tle too close to home, they were. New York is a much closer venue for criticism than the oil fields of Venezuela or the caves of Af- ghanistan. Perhaps the United States is still not accustomed to such a local threat, even after the attacks of 9/ l 1. This close proximity, coupled with the exalted position of the United Nations stage, has induced quite a bit of trepidation for many Americans that worry about the security of the country’s foreign policy. Frankly, I’m very frightened by the hostility that America’s business partner has brought to our nation. Venezuela is the fourth largest producer of foreign oil in the world; unfortunately, our country absolutely must have Chavez’s cooperation. This gives him theability to hold American foreign policy hostage and to con- form the United States’ energy status to his wishes. Regrettably, our nation has been held captive too long by countries that are only our allies because their oil supply is so vast. If North Korea struck it big and suddenly had a huge supply of Texas tea, do you think we would continue to criticize their nuclear proliferation so aggressively? We haven’t converted to an alternative energy source because we find it “too hard” to make the transition. As Americans, it is both unpatriotic and irresponsible to compromise our values for the sake of maintaining the status quo. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have start- ed to realize the extent to which America’s energy security is en- dangered. Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) has repeatedly comment- ed on the energy problem and how it has become the “albatross of U.S. national security.” We cannot claim independence from the influence of rogue coun- tries until our country’s livelihood is no longer contingent upon their cooperation. Alternative energy sources have been researched exhaustive- Iy, and their potential is promis- ing. It is up to the American peo- ple to support the government and push for a better country, a nation that is secure and independent of the influence of our enemies. ditorial Noise distortion Community and students need to work this out Last Monday, members of the community gathered in public and tore Washington and Lee students to bits. They talked about how we are inconsiderate neighbors and how we are slowly mining their property values and their lives. They trashed us. What doesn’t make sense is that we are supposed to be ex- emplary citizens. We are great athletes and compassionate vol- unteers. We are supposed to be ladies and gentlemen. But at the Board of Supervi- sors meeting, we were a bunch of drunks looking for ways to cheat the law. We were spoiled rich kids hiding behind our parents’ coat- tails and their wallets. We were awful. The Board of Supervisors is looking at some proposed revi- sions to the county noise ordi- nance, and students don’t even know it’s happening. The ordinance will end weekday parties in the country, and it would eventually phase out all parties at the standard places——the Pole Houses and Windfall Hill. It would require a permit system that would allow the university to take formal action against individual students for throwing parties that get out of control. _ The community is all for it. And one could easily un- derstand why. At the meeting, Iraq: not another Nam Whatever your stance is on Iraq, stop calling it the next Vietnam By Abel S. Delgado CO LUM NIST In just the first year of major battles, American forces suffered 5,800 casualties. The war seemed to have no clear direction or pur- pose. Our men were dying to prop up a corrupt government that had nothingyto do with what we call democracy. No, I’m ‘ not talk- ing about Iraq. I’m talking about Vietnam, and those who think the two wars mirror each other need to pick up a better history book. Some opponents of the second Gulf War have long relied on the Vietnam War as a crutch to con- vince others we’re wrong about Iraq. But whether you agree with the current war or not, you should be able to set them apart. Just look at the numbers. It took three years for us to even sufi°er half of the casualties in Iraq that we suffered in Vietnam in 1966. No reasonable person thinks 58,000 Americans—the number who died in Vietnam— will lose their lives in the current conflict. Look at the reasons we went to war in both places. Say what you want about the missing WMDs, but the mission is called Operation Iraqi Freedom. Last I checked, there is no longer a homicidal dictator who hires rap- ists to torture the young daughters of political prisoners. Last time I checked, the Iraqis are voting in one election after an- I other. Unlike our elections, where people face no threat of dying at the polls and still don’t vote, people are voting in Iraq, lots of people, and they’re not going to let some car bomb stop them from dyeing their fingers purple. In Vietnam, we went in to contain communism, not spread democracy. We had no intention of liberating the Vietnamese. If we did we would have fought both the communist north and the comipt south. We assumed that the enemy of our enemy was our fiiends and soon ended up with- out any friends. Look at the progress we’ve made in Iraq compared to our country. In less than three and half years they have had open elections and have written a con- stitution. It took us five years to have any form of government between the states (which failed) after we declared independence in 1776, and our constitution didn’t come until 11 years after that fate- Dr. Sheryl H. Carls Lexington Animal Hospital Welcomes You and Your Petll 20% qfi‘ your first visit witfi tflis ad New clients only/limit one per visit. Expires 06/30/2007 Dr. Martha L. Tubman 28 Bones Place Lexington, VA 540-463-2715 9‘ ful day in July. And yet we say there is no progress in Iraq. Did you know there are cur- rently more women with seats in the Iraqi Parliament than there are in our Congress? And we say they don’t value women’s rights. You’d be hard-pressed to find any “success stories” like these from the Vietnam War. And yet we continue. We keep on making false comparisons be- tween a war fought with meaning and a war that never had a good meaning. We ignore the prog- ress and pay attention to the car bombs. Why? Because it’s easy. It’s easy to throw in the Vietnam card, call it a quagmire, and give up once things get rough. Thomas Paine once wrote about “sunshine patriots” who supported independence just as long as they didn’t have to suf- fer for it. And if the argument is that we shouldn’t make sacrifices for other people’s freedom, then the French and Spanish shouldn’t have helped us during the Revo- lution and we shouldn’t have liberated Europe from the Nazis, right? In no way am I saying the ca- sualties suffered in Iraq are okay. One dead is one too many. But if the opponents of the war really cared about the soldiers like they claim to, they would give their lives, and their mission, its due significance. In many cases,'the soldiers in Vietnam had their lives shattered. In many cases, the soldiers in Iraq are saving shattered lives. E\=’iin.<:r Zl.'I'}i§ ;r_;‘r3.z. Timber” Ridge .5916-.§.t5§® Center test it ls.{i??’\2l.i"l.§{§{3‘i‘:. “».x",;"‘x. {Ls i;,5.;:t:; art-t~_1%}é>? i73orei_gn anti i".}:;nns:st.ia:f §.“3..=%.;3§‘}2"1Ii.?i.‘S Oil eirattge £33":-ii Ltstvc. tZ‘:::i:ep't:tt:>r i;}i23..grostit:s. Fae? iinjsctitin E§a:':rx2it:e, Z"’r2':." {:i}€}i§,Z1l3‘l Eiiusti. Minor and ?‘*«r‘i;L_;er Tar.-e -e‘p::«;. We can §:::'<:>x°i'<.Et-': :i’Eit:t‘t>:.’:y" ziazttza. wiriftoitt teirsiing }»-"i3£.§t‘ ttar-::‘s w;>i.:‘.rer3.t}r. .C§g?~..=”'iEf3 wakes. j mi:->.;Eritenauce neighbors talked about how they couldn’t sleep at night. They talked about their small children. They talked about the trash that ends up in their yards. The university supports it, too. They need formal complaints in order to punish students for off- campus parties. It’s just another way they can control student life. This noise ordinance guaran- tees more complaints and stricter punishments. The only person who stood up for the students was the sheriff. He asked the board to wait before passing the changes to the ordinance. He said he thinks the students can make a difference without changing the law. The sheriff is willing to give us a chance——so why aren’t the residents? Because relationships with the community have gotten that bad. Or is it because the sheriff doesn’t live next ‘to Windfall Hill? ‘ Students did not show up to argue for themselves. Half the students we talked to didn’t even know about it. In the meantime, the board is slowly honing a law which will exclusively attack student party- ing ofi“-campus. And no one is doing anything about it. What is important here is to make sure that everyone’s rights are protected——on both sides. Those neighbors have been here a long time, too. They pay high taxes to live in those homes, which they bought for the peace of the surrounding mountains. They are senior citizens and families with small children and people who have to wake up early for a hard day at work. At the same time, it’s ridicu- lous to call the sherifl°’s office at 11:30 on a Saturday night. They have better things to worry about, like meth labs and drunk drivers. College students have a right to recreation just like everyone else. When you’re 21 in a town with no clubs and only one bar, what exactly are your options? That doesn’t mean we’re tell- ing the student body to stop be- ing neighborly and party like it’s 1999. We’re just saying that we all need to work at this together. How many W&L students living off-campus actually know who their neighbors are? Would you recognize them at Wal—Mart? Do you know where they work or who their kids are? Maybe if we would reach out to the neighbors, they would be more understanding of us. Maybe they wouldn’t mind so much that we’re students having a party on a weekend, and maybe we would have more compassion for a pregnant woman trying to get some rest. " If both groups can understand each other, then we won’t need such draconian laws. -—-—-———--— WASHINGTON AND LEE UIIIVERSITY THE RING -TUM PHI. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWS & OPINIONS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR ARTS&LlFE EDITOR .COPY EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN EDITOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS BUSINESS MANAGER KATHERINE GREENE JACOB GEIGER JESSICA SHAW STACEY GRIJALVA CATHERINE CARLOCK CODY BEAUCHAMP WHITNEY BURNS DANE DAVIS ABEL S. DELGADO MIKE HUNTRESS LARA JORDAN SARAH KIENTZ ADAM LEWIS DYLAN MERRILL WESLEY O’DELL JOEL POELHUIS MELISSA CARON MORGAN HARRIS MICHAEL KEENAN DAVID SHUBICK MISSION STATEMENT: It is the mission of THE RING—TUM PHI to accurately. truthfully, and thoroughly report news affecting the Washington and Lee community for students, faculty, parents and alumni. Our goal is to look deeper into news affecting campus life and hold leaders accountable. Through our reporting, we aspire to spark discussions that lead to discovering information that prompts change. THE RING—TUM PHI is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year. THE RING—TUM PHI is a member of The Media Board, which can be reached at mediaboard@w|u.edu, but is otherwise independent.THE RING-TUM PHI welcomes all letters. We reserve the right to edit submissions for content and length. Letters and advertising do not necessarily reflect the opinion of THE RING—TUM PHI 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 $45 OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_004.2.txt 4 - ma nme-rum PHI ADVERTISEMENT MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2006 Fun Time P::*esenta»:%enE Om“ m.0nf1em;m11 is your acivaiimtage. T1;2.(-3;‘:<;§.:»1," {‘)<':t<1’<)z=zr .1’? 2>{}(}8 , . , . , , . , , . . .' 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Without participation requirements, some frats solve the problem with yearly events like Derby Days. By Sarah Klentz smrr wrmsn When Washington & Lee stu- dents think of fraternities, most think of boys using their creative genius to generate the best party, the preppiest outfit, and the most imaginative way to get drunk. Yet in most of our fraternities’ mis- sion statements, the words “com- munity service” are prominent. Senior Tye Haeberle was the Campus Outreach Chair for the Nabors Service League during his sophomore year. He said his job was to get the fraternities more involved and encourage them to do fraternity- wide service events. “We had the hardest time get- ting frats out to do stuff,” Hae- berle said. “We would try to get people to do things, and it was like pulling teeth.” Some fraternities do incorpo- “.?e2s:11s; {.“h:t°istiat'E1e:< same §fi:;':':?’{:.$‘ He‘ . 1 rate service into their agendas. Ju- nior Robert Walker, Philanthropy Chair for Lambda Chi Alpha, said his fratemity has several orga- nized events they participate in throughout the year. These include volunteering at a haunted house in October, a food drive around Thanksgiving, and sponsoring gifts for a Head Start class during Christmas. In addition to other assorted projects throughout the year, a few of Lambda’s members adopt- ed a youth football team that they are currently coaching. Walker said that although Lambda sponsors these events, they. do not set a requirement as far as the number of events their members attend. “The fraternity doesn’t require anything, but I personally encour- age as many people to come as they can,” Walker said. He added that most members fiervices: Saz,'i:te.}* §l.:4i§t3t am & 7:.{}t} Wednesclay ’;':"{}t} pm l.'}‘ir'ecn'=ons.:: fit: it Nnrrh {sheet 5 miles em town} Ea-ett an Rt 6345 {at gift snap} Straight up hill on Lee-Eli. Acres Pisces: 463»-5-’3:55 Pastor: (".3-. léinnter P‘ii:llii.§a day and yes and forew:r.“ LN ' .z attend at least one or two events each year. Walker said most fraternities have “signature events” to either raise money or give back to the community, whether it is some- thing more social like Sigma Chi’s Derby Days or a blood drive. Sophomore Jack Fisher, Chi Psi Philanthropy Chair, said that Chi Psi’s most popular service event is the blood drive which they put on twice a year. “You’re not just giving money for some obscure thing,” Fisher said. “You’re giving literally part of yourself, your blood, to help somebody. It’s a pretty important thing.” Haeberle said that FIJI en- courages members to participate in service, but the fraternity does not have any set events “And I hate to say that,” Hae- berle said. One of the largest problems in trying to get fraternity boys in- volved, Haeberle said, is that very few people associate the fratemi- ties with service. “How many guys decide where to [rush] based on how many hours they’ve put in?” Hae- berle said. “Guys don’t join frats for the service thing.” Haeberle added that it does not mean that fraternity members have no desire, but that “there’s a 7 \ FZNE l.$Nfi:£€RtE§ Welcome Back big divide between social events and service events.” Fisher said he hopes more fraternity members will become more involved so they can change the image that the fraternities cur- rently hold. “Aubrey [Shinofield, faculty adviser for Nabors] and [Jason] Rodocker [director of Campus Activities and Greek Life] are get- ting together and trying to make it easier for fraternity members to get involved so the image of frats is less parties and beer cans and more getting involved in the com- _ munity,” Fisher said. Walker agreed that the frater- nities can work together to change their image. “Since there are so many of us here, there’s a large opportu- nity for us all to get involved,” Walker said. “The frat system has a stereotype we can work to eliminate.” Senior McNeel Keenan, a current Campus Outreach Chair, said that Nabors is trying to set up projects for groups in order to encourage fraternities to get involved together. I “What we’re trying to do is set up projects that are orient- ed to groups so that they can sponsor something or work on something together,” Keenan said. “It’s good because we can help the fraternity out by bringing them together while helping out the community.” Keenan added that a lot of fraternity brothers do commu- nity service on their own. Nabors is trying to make it easier for groups to come out together by coming up with group projects so that all fra- ternities have to do is contact Nabors instead of having to come up with service activities on their own, Keenan said. “Since there are so many of us here, there is a large opportunity for us all to get involved. T he frat system has a stereotype we can work 1 to eliminate. ’ ROBERT WALKER, Lambda Chi Philanthropy Chalr Honeydew .Pa:zties flay 2-Get Z Free reg. $32-$14’ each 31 W. Nelson St. 463-6963 lx/ion - Fri l{}-5:36 Sat l{}~$ “sampler abf std) abi” Read the Phi The best newspaper that comes out on Mondays 30% aft prirkage oriiy wire‘: this ad fitter ggoorl z.:m‘i! £3ec?em£7e>r 1.51:, 2t7{.l6 Achieves Permanent Hair Reduction. Cools and soothes the skinias it removes unwanted hair. Non-invasive treatment al|ows,.._,_..,t_,2u to resume your normal activities immediately. . Call 46 3-7 3 6? today for a consultation and see how we can have you looking better fast! lntroducing Cutera’s CoolG|ide® asting Results 1 Lexington Ob/(Syn 110 Houston Street Lexington, VA 540.463.7361 The Mnrtday - 10:O0 a.m. - 6:38 pm. Sunday 11:08 a.m. - 6.1% p.rn. ntique fll/tall‘ 769 N . Lee Tc} ”l§‘rar:t<.:ar §3'%.1;3§}§}"” in the E—ls=:ar‘t. of Letsringtriii, ‘VA {$43} 454-5555 Selling Z£§‘l§t§1it3_fEZl“?“l§l?;£?“§ and {lC€'f€SS{Itl”l:§S‘}%§¥“" th 3: Drrrrm - .Apg:rri‘m..ant —=: House Saturday {Great Pinata re E_rtterta,z‘n .Pa;re:*i.tsf!? ’T}t€:‘?’£’. E.§‘=a»meiizir‘2:g‘ for Ez;eryor2.ef.»’l V I Living la Vida Latina W&L celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month By Whltney Burns s TA rr w RITE n Aside from the ever—present tacos in the Marketplace and gen- eral education Spanish classes, many of Washington and Lee’s students are not exposed to a culture that differs from their all- American values. Within the next month, how- ever, the opportunity for such ex- posure will present itself. The Multicultural Student As- sociation, with three co-sponsors, including the Elrod Commons, are honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. This celebration of Hispanic’ and Latino culture kicked off on September 15, and the festivities have been occuring ever since. One of the first activities was a showing of “The Lost City”, a film documenting the Cuban rev- olution in which power transfered from Batista to Castro. There was also a potluck din- ner at the International House. This dinner was an opportunity for members of MSA and Stu- dent Association for International Learning (SAIL) to prepare and share different Hispanic dishes with one another. These activities, however, are not limited to MSA and SAIL members. All members of the commu- nity, including residents of Rock- bridge County, are invited and encouraged to participate. MSA President Quiana McK- enzie elaborated, saying, “While [the celebrations] are largely for the W&L community, we really want to open it up to everyone,” she said. “We understand that the Lex- ington and Rockbridge areas could benefit from it as well.” In the coming weeks, the His- panic American Youth of Day- tona, ‘Florida will be performing traditional and contemporary cul- tural dances in Lenfest. W&L students will also be given the opportunity to show off their own dancing talent, or lack thereof, when salsa dancers show up to give lessons in the Market- place on October 6. “They will be playing for four hours, so you can come in and dance your heart out,” said McK- enzie Afler the break for reading days, there will be several more weeks of activities, including a showing of the Oscar-winning movie “Frida”, the artist and wife of Diego Rivera. The 2002 movie is known for its star Salma Hayek. Zenaida Mendez also is giving a lecture, sponsored by KEWL, at the end of October. Mendez in the founder of the National Do- minican Women’s Caucus and is expected to speak on femicide in Latin America. “This is a topic that many peo- ple don’t talk about,” said McK- enzie. “She will show a film and then give a very powerful lecture. It should be exciting.” More information on the events of Hispanic Heritage month can be found online on the Calendar of Events [httpz//events. wlu.edu]. There are also reminders for upcoming events in campus no- tices. So now that the door to a more culturally exposed life has been opened, what will you do? McKenzie recommends, “Bridge the gap between academ- ics and true cultural experience.” OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_006.2.txt 6 0 THE RING-TUM PHI MONDAY, OCTOBER 2,2006 snorts deck Mon Tues WED Tnuns FR: M SAT Sun I at vs. at illolleyball L’Burg Ferrum Averettlnv. 7:30pm 7:00pm 5:30pm atstate cross Meet country TBA at Men’; at VMI G Ilf d ll 0! Soccer 4:00pm 1:00pm V5 V5 Women's Gullford cathollc soccer 4:00pm 1:00pm at at at Mary Flold Roanokei |-'BUI'g Wash Hockey 4:30pm 1:00pm 3:00pm at Football cathouc 1:00pm Women’: at Vlrglnla Tech Tonnls TBA Men's at ITA Tonnls TBA at at 3°" G'Boro G’Boro TBA TBA or numbers 35 The distance in feet that Tiger Woods putted from on the 18th hole to secure a birdie on the second to last day of competition of the American Express Champi- onship. Tiger had become frustrated with his putting performance at this tournament, missing several in previous holes. iF78 The number of yards Rando|ph—Macon College was held to by the Generals’ defense on Saturday. With an offense led by freshman quarterback R.J. Vamer, Washington and Lee stole the game 33-10 in front of a home crowd. 4x93 The number of sacks per game the NFL defenses have averaged in the first three weeks of regular season play. The total number of sacks is an astounding 227. box "He took care of this team when no one else really wanted to.” —Washington Nationals‘ catcher Brian Schneider referring to his coach, Frank Robinson, who will end his career with the Nationals after the season, according to www.espn.com.. “I was kind of physically sick. I think any- body that knows my personality, none of us want to go out there and do any dam- age to anybody.” -- Carolina Panthers’ defensive end Al Wallace refuting the accusation that he intenti_onally injured Tampa Bay Bucanneers’ quarterback Chris Simms last Sunday, according to www.espn.com. » Rookie makes After star quarterback Hunter Dawklns suffered a collarbone Injury late In the flrst half, freshman quarterback R.J. Varner (2) took the reigns for the Generals, leading them to victory. Vamer graduated from Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala. and has appeared on MTV’s sports documentary “Two-A-Days.” / ta p o ograp er debut loud Back to the future, again - Professional sports falter continued from page 8 Cup are the premier intema- tional competitions for men’s and women’s professional tennis, re- spectively. Well, just to throw stats out at you, the U.S. has only reached the finals in the Davis Cup once since 1997, and has only reached the finals of the Fed Cup once since 2000. Keeping this in mind, it strikes me as being quite odd that the top two career money leaders for men in this sport are American (also four of the top ten), and two of the top three women are Ameri- can (also five of the top eight). Moving on. This year was the first year of the World Baseball Classic. And if you happened to miss it, you can probably put two and two together and figure out where I’m going by mentioning it. The U.S., who claims baseball to be the “American Pastime,” barely made it out of its first round pool, and went on to lose to Mexico in the next round. Mex- ico? Quick, name three Mexican players. That’s what I thought. My personal opinion: Get a new pastime, America. I could continue, describing how if it weren’t for a certain mir- acle and a few sporadic solid fin- ishes at the Olympics, hockey is not something Americans should brag about. Or I could say that since the existence of the World Cup, the U.S. Men’s soccer team has only finished in the top four once, (in 1930). Or I could say that the U.S. has lost three straight Weber Cups to the Europeans (the Weber Cup is like the Ryder Cup of bowling). But I think those three sports speak for themselves (although women’s soccer is still a top program, so props to them). Anyway, what can we make of this? Hmm. To me, (and of course I am no expert), it seems that Americans have a tendency to underachieve in international competitions. However, we do quite well elsewhere, where there may be a good deal more money involved. Now it would be an extremely bold statement if I were to accuse Americans of caring more about personal fame and fortune and less about pride for their country, which is why I will just imply it. It just seems that the higher con- tracts get in American sports, the worse we do against other coun- tries. But again, I am no expert. So to all of you millionaire American professional athletes out there who happen to stop by Washington and Lee specifically to read a sports column in The Ring-tum Phi by a freshman writ- er, I want you to know that the secret is out. (We know you care more about pocketing your $10 million for shooting a basketball and an ad campaign then you do about our country’s athletic status on the world stage). There you go. I may have whispered it, but I said it. Monday Night Sports Beat co-hosts express dismay surrounding sore lack of attendance at W&L sporting events, ignorance of legends that defined sports Andy (a.k.a. the Blue Hen): Hi, Hello and welcome to the newest segment included in the ' Ring-tum Phi’s sport section, entitled “Outloud.” If you like what we have to say, or really don’t care for it, all I can say is thank you for taking the time to read this. And if you want more of this kind of stuff, listen in to the Monday Night Sports Beat on 91.5 FM or http://wlur.wlu.edu on Mondays from 7 — 9p.m. Neil (a.k.a the Wolver- ine): Andy, this isn’t radio. You don’t have to say Hi, hello and welcome. The Blue Hen: Oh, ok. Well, this section of the paper is go- ing to examine broad themes in sports and our opinions of these topics. So to get this kicked ofl‘, I think the biggest positive aspect in sports is that it can unite people everywhere. Whether it’s attend- ing a Washington and Lee football game or ral- lying around a local team in a difficult time, sports is a uniter, not a divider. We witnessed this after 9/ 11 in New York, with the New York Yankees and a country, and once again last Mon- day Night when the city of New Orleans rallied around the Saints and inspired them to a 23-3 vic- tory over the Atlanta Falcons. A lot of articles have outlined the recent divide between students and faculty. However, I believe this can be avoided through the world of athletics. Here at Wash- ington and Lee, we have begun to witness a transformation in how our fans bring our commu- nity together. This week, we saw a packed Warner Center help the W&L volleyball team achieve a 5 game victory over ODAC rival Randolph Macon. We also wit- nessed numerous fans stay to the very end as Washington and Lee picked up their first ODAC win of the season over Randolph-Macon, with freshmen Quarterback R.J. Vamer leading the way in the sec- ond half. (On a side note, our best wishes go out to Hunter Dawkins for a speedy recovery after break- ing his collarbone on Saturday.) However, it is my opinion that our community, and by commu- nity I mean our entire community, is not entirely united. Saturday at Wilson Field, I watched fewer students attend the game then I had witnessed the entire season. Of those that did attend, many of them lefi at halftime. In addition, I only saw a handful of profes- sors and staff in attendance. I ap- plaud those students and faculty members for attending sporting events but want to challenge ev- eryone to take a more active role in all aspects of the university. Washington and Lee is not a five day-a- week experience or job. In fact, it’s a seven day-a-week experience, with students work- ing academically, athletically, so- cially and in clubs or committees every minute of every day. I’d like to challenge the student body and the faculty to take an active role in uniting this community through greater involvement in each other’s lives both in and out of the classroom. And I person- ally believe the first step in this is supporting Washington and Lee’s outstanding athletic teams. The Wolverine: It’s obvious that I’ve lowered my standards since you now find me in the Phi, but I’ll try and make the best of this situation. While I am in no way an old sports fan, I sometimes feel like it. I know the history of the ma- jor sports. I know about and rec- ognize the contributions of men and women such as Billie Jean King, Jim Thorpe, Satchal Paige and Harry Vardon. It saddens me when sports fans these days don’t know about these people or understand their contributions to their respective sports. I call on everyone reading this (all 17 of you) to take the time every so often to learn about the history of your favorite sport or team. Learn stories, legends and lore. Not only does it make you a better fan, but it also helps these great people and teams live on for fu- ture generations. One great man that is often overlooked in conversations about all time sports greats passed away recently. Byron Nelson, known to many as Lord Byron for his gen- tlemanly demeanor and spirit, was recognized by many as having one of the most graceful swings ever, but is probably best known for having what many consider the greatest season in golfing history. In 1945, Nelson won 18 tournaments, including an incred- ible 11 in a row. Many, including the great Tiger Woods, say that Nelson’s record is safe forever (though Tiger’s win streak will continue after he finishes tomor- row’s round). Nelson retired from golf in 1946, at the age of 34, to become a rancher. With no mil- lion dollar paychecks or mega-en- dorsement deals, Nelson said that he used to look at each paycheck as a way to buy some more cattle or farm equipment. Nelson’s 113 straight cuts in his career are sec- ond only to Tiger Woods’ 146, but each those 113 cuts represents a top-20 finish, something that is unparalleled. Woods has only managed 2] straight top-20 fin- ishes during his years on tour. In 1968, the PGA Tour renamed the Dallas Open in his honor. He was the only golfer to have a tourna- ment named after them until Ar- nold Palmer recently had a tour- nament named after him. Nelson is one of the greatest golfers ever and was the last of a generation. Sports fans out there, take time to honor the great ones. Read books like “Paper Lion,” by George Plimpton, or “Ball Four,” by former major leaguer Jim Bouton. Sports now are not as they once were. In today’s wired world high school athletes can suddenly become worldwide ce- lebrities, while men like Francis Ouimet have been forgotten long ago. With Byron Nelson having recently passed away, and Buck O’Neill in failing health, sports fans are losing opportunities to learn about some of the greatest athletes ever. Without the past, there is no future. OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_007.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 2,2006 THE RING-TUM PHI 1 Stifled rivalry Two remotely different cultures that border each other release tension, agression through athletics By Mike Huntress COLUMNIST Washington and Lee and Vir- ginia Military Institute coexist on what are normally perfectly civil terms. Until Saturday, my experience with them consisted solely of them jogging by as I walk the campus, and my giv- ing them an uneasy head nod of acknowledgement, and receiving an equally uneasy head nod of ac- knowledgement in return. Sports bring out that rivalry in all its intensity, and everyone at the rugby game on Saturday was witness to it. “They think we’re all rifle-tot- ing morons,” VMI rugby player Garreth Chuna said. “We think they’re all pink shirt-wearing, collar-popping queers.” Rugby is a spectacle in the same vain as a demolition derby. In the same way the demoli- tion derby takes the best parts of NASCAR (which all but the sport’s purest fans will admit is the crashes) and excludes the monotonous, circular racing part of it, rugby takes the best parts of football (the bone crunching hits) and strings them all together in one free-flowing outburst of violence without the whistles and pauses that characterize football. Both sides of the field --there is a distinct VMI side and a dis- tinct W&L side-- can stake claim to a minimal amount of rugby knowledge, but the VMI side can at least claim to be involved in the game. The quality of the sports spectatorship on both sides seems to appropriately fit each school’s stereotype. A handful of VMI fans literal- ly sprinted from end to end along with the team’s bench as the play moves on the field, wrapped up in a rugby fervor that stems not from being tied up with the intri- cacies of the game, but rather the palpable feeling of brutality and sheer aggression that the players exude. Meanwhile, the W&L side of the field looked like a subdued frat party, with small social circles forming around the keg, discuss- ing things far removed from the ggneggoing on behind them. And yeisjthere were indeed a lot of pink shirts and a handfiil of popped collars. The VMI—W&L annual rugby game is typically one-sided, and indeed this year was predicted to be a decisive victory for the Key- dets. Midway through the second half, with the score at 15-5, fresh- man player Zachary Bohm de- scribed the game’s predictions to me as such: If the game was be- ing bet on in Las Vegas and you took W&L, you probably won some money. We’d have covered the spread. In other words, W&L was ex- pected to lose big. It’s not hard to fathom why the game has so much more im- portance for VMI. Losing to a group of what I’m sure most ca- dets would characterize as “pretty boys” would seem to depreciate a lot of what they work for. Just by standing near the VMI sideline and covertly listening in on what was being shouted amongst themselves, it was clear toughness and intensity are high- ly regarded virtues. Standing near the W&L side- line, a story is told in epic fashion about an exhausted W&L rugby player who in the middle of the game ran over to the sideline, chugged a beer, and ran back on the field. Calling the rivalry solely based on geographical proximity wouldn’t really do it justice. The chasm between mutual understanding is underscored every time I hear a W&L student e..- “In much the same way you cringe when you witness a car accident, I cringed when I wit- nessed men doing all they could to tear each other apart limb by limb. ” MIKE HUNTRESS columnist say as they pass VMI’s campus, “I don’t understand why anyone would want to go there. That place looks like a prison.” Staring from sideline to side- line reveals another differing sen- sibility. Off on the W&L sideline are (already well documented and previously alluded to) pastel button downs and Ralph Lauren polos, pink ties and dress shoes, sundresses and pearl necklaces, and all other things preppy. The VMI fans are dressed in a comfortable, yet common way: jeans and a sweatshirt with their school’s name displayed promi- nently in front--none of the splash and pizzazz of the W&L sideline. For all the talk about the way the two campuses flow seamless- ly into one another, it’s more like mixing water and grease. They mingle, but in a way that only seems to accentuate the rift that exists. A true rugby expert could more adequately tell you how this manifested itself on the field Sat- urday, but to an untrained eye like myself I can only report that the game wasn’t lacking in intensity. In much the same way you cringe when you witness a car ac- cident, I cringed when I witnessed men doing all they could to tear each other apart limb by limb. The tension was at its apex when one of the sides took excep- tion to a particularly hard hit by the other side. The result was a pushing and shoving match, full of male posturing and those stares that are supposed to assert alpha status. Any further excitement was allayedby a VMI cadet who authoritatively told all the cadets to calm down and move away from the W&L players in a man- ner befitting of a future military leader. “Not every guy has a rivalry with W&L. The guy standing next to me says he has a rivalry with you guys, but personally, I enjoy your guy’s company,” first- classman Chris Guy said. There was one moment at Sat- urday’s game that would melt the heart of even the most hardened of fans: Rob Rain, one of W&L’s more prominent students and rugby players, walks off the field hand pressed tight up against the side of his head, trying to stop the trickle of blood. He looks like a war movie hero, strolling away from the field of battle, with dirt and mud mixing with the blood to create a wound every rugby player could be proud of. He walks over to the VMI sideline to ask if they have bandages, and in an act of high symbolism, three or four cadets gather around him and wrap his head in gauze. While this is going on only feet from the game behind them, they talk easily, almost like war buddies. After being wrapped, Rain walked back to his side of the field, and instantly the cadets became engrossed in the action again, screaming: “Take him down!” and “Give him a head butt!” along with the other unut- terable profanities bombarding the field from both sidelines. Yet that one moment of shining civil- ity, although fleeting, seemed to rise above all the others as the one that defines the rivalry. The game ended with a VMI win and there were no overzealous celebration by the victors and no visible ag- ony in the losers. They both got what they came for. VMI is content to go home with a win, having showed su- perior toughness and physical prowess, and W&L seem seems equally content to go home hav- ing proved their own toughness and worth in the eyes of their cross town rivals. the Hornets at 6:30 p.m. Volleyball digs deep this week Volleyball swept its competition this week, edging out Randolph-Macon Col- lege on Wednesday 3-2 and Randolph-Macon Woman's College on Friday 3-0. The Generals made a huge comeback after a loss to R-Mc last weekend at the Emory Invitational 3-0. ‘On Wednesday, the game spanned the maximum of five games with the Generals securing the flrst, second and fifth games. Each game drew excitement from the crowds, ending 30-27, 30-26, 29-31, 24-30 and 15-13. In this photo, freshman Rachael Phillips strikes against R-MC op- ponents. Against R-Mc, Phillips posted nine kills. The team now sits at 5-1 in ODAC competition. This Tuesday, the team will travel to Lynchburg to take on 2007 CAMRY HYBRID V. ' WWW.W|NAYARlSONL|NE.COM* ®ToYoTA I moving forward > *NOT All CUSTOMERS Wlll QUALIFY. CUSTOMERS RECEIVE $400 FROM TOYOTA TOWARDS LEASING OR FINANCING THE PURCHASE OF NEW UNTITLED TOYOTA MODELS THROUGH PARTICIPATING TOYOTA- DEALERS AND TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES. SEE DEALER OR VISIT WWW.TOYOTAFINANCIAL.COM/ FINANCE FOR DETAILS. COLLEGE GRADUATE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR TERMINATION AT ANY TIME. ‘NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. MAKING A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. TO ENTER YOU MUST BE A LEGAL U.S. RESIDENT AT LEAST I8 YEARS OLD AND YOU MUST HAVE A VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE. VISIT YOUR PARTICIPATING TOYOTA DEALER OR WINAYARISONLINE.COM FOR COMPLETE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND SWEEPSTAKES RULES. s-‘J buyatoyota.com OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061002/WLURG39_RTP_20061002_008.2.txt THE RING-TUM PHI snorts MONDAY,0CTOBER 2,2006 briefs Field Hockey Field Hockey picked up two wins and a loss this week, updating its overall record to 6-3. On Tuesday, the women crushed Sweet Briar Col- lege 9-0, allowing no shots on junior goalkeeper Tara Rubenstein. On Friday, the team squeaked out a win against Bridgewater Col- lege 2-1 with a winning goal from junior midfielder Kend- all Korte in double overtime. Saturday, Washington and Lee fielded a loss to nation- ally ranked (no. 14) Juniata College 3-0. Men’s Soccer The soccer team made his- tory on Saturday extending its undefeated streak to 8-0. On Wednesday afternoon, the Generals outplayed the nationally ranked University of Mary Washington 1-0. The only goal was scored by junior midfielder Josh Dodds early in the game. On Saturday, the team trav- eled to Salem, Va. to take on Roanoke College, who it de- feated 3-1. Junior goalkeeper Ted Sheedy is currently the ODAC player of the week. Women's Soccer Women’s soccer continued the tradition of success for Washington and Lee, defeat- ing all three teams it faced this week. On Tuesday, the Generals silenced Bridge- water College 6-0 with a hat trick from senior forward Anne Wiltshire. On Satur- day, the team hammered ODAC opponent Emory and Henry University 7-0. The Generals amassed a hefty 30 shots as they held the Wasps to a mere two. Yesterday, the women shut out Mary- mount University 5-0. On Wednesday, the women face Guilford College at home at 4:00 p.m. Football The Generals defeated ODAC opponent Randolph- Macon College on Saturday to a home crowd, 33-10. In the third quarter, Dawkins suffered a broken collarbone and was replaced by fresh- man quarterback R.J. Vamer. Vamer astonished the crowd as he proceeded to lead the Generals to 21 more points and a victory over the Yel- low Jackets. The team will face Catholic University away next Saturday. Men’s Tennis The men’s tennis team com- peted in the ITA Atlanta South Regional Tournament this weekend at Salisbury University. The Generals saw success with juniors Nat Estes, Tim Ross and Seth Feibelman advancing to the quarterfinals Sunday in the main singles draw. Freshman Alex Brooke qualified for the semi-finals in the B sin- gles draw. All four men were defeated, which marked the end of the men’s fall season. Rugby confronts VMI Writer investigates rules of play, rigorous training schedule of Screaming Minks By Joel Poelhuls STA F F W RITE R Rugby: the fast-paced pass- ing, unfamiliar terms, and con- stant movement of the game were enough to baffie and confuse me on my first and only day of prac- tice. ' Hailing from Southern In- diana, the only way I had even heard of rugby was from certain students’ Abercrombie shirts and vague allusions in British-themed material. Still, the sport famed for its tough physical play intrigued me, and I decided to venture to a prac- tice here at Washington and Lee. Only then did it become clear to me just how little I knew about a sport with considerable com- plexities. Rugby is a sport unlike any other. The W&L rugby team, the Screaming Minks, plays by rugby union rules. This means that each team has 15 players on the field at a time-—seven backs Score (the smaller, faster W&L 10 players) and eight bers of the pack VMI 22 mm (the larger players who scrum). The same players stay on the field for both offense and defense. Players advance the ball by running forward and throwing backwards or laterally to other teammates. Offensive progress is stopped by tackling, at which point either a ruck or maul forms, depending on whether or not the ball-carrier has gone to the ground or not. A player can also advance the ball by kicking it forward, but the player who catches it must be be- hind the kicker when the ball is kicked. Scoring is not unlike Ameri- can football. A team receives five points for downing the ball in the opposing end zone and two points for kicking through the goal posts afterwards. Three points through the goalposts can be scored either as a penalty kick or by drop-kick- ing during play. Sophomore treasurer Sean McKinley described the game Sophomore Josh Prell escapes a tackle from a Virgi Chip Cope and Ian Handerhan arrive for assistance. as “a combination between foot- ball and soccer,” because there is physical tackling, but gameplay does not stop. _ McKinley played football in high school and added that the lack of equipment is hard to get used to when tackling. Gameplay aside, one of the more unique things about rugby is the sportsmanship and more laid-back atmosphere. There is usually a keg at the Minks’ home field, Highland Belle, during half- time. “It’s a tradition that one team will always invite the other to their after-party,” McKinley said. “Sportsmanship is very important on and off the field ” Practice, however, is all busi- ness. Most practices consist of about 15 minutes of sprint exer- cises, 45 minutcs of work split up into the backs and the pack, and one hour of full-on scrimmaging. Every two weeks or so, the team finds a more unique method of conditioning. A keg is placed at an off-campus house and the team assembles and runs a roundabout way, usually at least two miles, to the keg. Leading the Minks are coach Tom Lovell, team captains Rob Wilson and Dan Ward, and club president Roberto “Tino” Tovo. Since rugby is a club, rather than varsity sport, Tovo is respon- sible for administration, travel, and organizing matches as well as on-the-field duties. XC sees success Men, women set ambitious goals for end of season By Lara Jordan STAFF warren The goal of both the women’s and men’s cross country team this year is to win the ODAC Cham- pionship, making it three in a row for the women and two in a row for the men. “Winning three years in a row for both teams from a school has never happened in the history of the ODAC, but then either did two in a row,” said women’s coach Kris Hoey. The women’s team has fin- ished seventh out of 27 teams at the Paul Short Invitational, first out of 10 teams at the Washington and Lee invitational, fifth out of 28 squads at the NYU Invitational and sixth out of nine teams at the Maroon Invitational, hosted by Roanoke College. The men’s team has placed 10th out of 26 at the Paul Short Invitational, first out of seven teams at the W&L Invitational and third out of 35 teams at the NYU Invitational. The women contribute their successes to a strong team dy- namic. “Everyone is truly out for the team and not for themselves,” said Hoey. “They know if they improve they will in turn help others im- prove too. Everyone on the team wants to succeed.” The men see their advantage as that of the practice environment. “The environment for training in Lexington is very beneficial to us,” said junior Tom Brower. “Our course is currently the high- est rated course in terms of tough- ness in the state of Virginia.” Despite a large number of un- derclassman, Hoey looks forward to a strong season. “Some other teams may look at our roster and see quite a few freshmen and take that as a dis- advantage for us, but really all of our freshmen are very mature runners who come from strong backgrounds,” said Hoey. Health has been a disadvantage to the men’s team this season. “The team’s biggest issue right now is staying healthy,” said ju- nior Steve Rivoir. “We are a little thinner than years past and cannot afford to have any injuries to our top runners.” The men’s team has been working hard to train new mem- bers. “Freshmen are expected to play a significant role on the team here,” said Brower. “We want them to learn how to race an 8K and understand how Coach Tucker’s training program works from a physiological per- spective.” The teams’ are optimistic about finishing the season. “Our team has fresh new out- look on what Cross Country at Washington and Lee can be and is becoming,” said Hoey. Both teams return will com- pete at the Virginia State Division I1-III Meet at Peak View Farms in Harrisonburg, Va on Saturday, Oct. 7. JACKIE BURNS SOPHOMORE MEEI: Paul Short invitational D%sTANcE: 6K TIME: 22:24 PLACE: 6 of 229 Tovo attributes much of the team’s dominance this year to their activities last spring. “We went to Argentina last spring break, and we played against really tough teams. Argen- tine teams are some of the better ones in football. We even had a coach from the Argentina national team train us,” Tovo said. Pushing the envelope against tough teams has enabled the Minks to post an unbeaten 3-0 record in the conference. Their overall record is 3-2 after a hard fought 22-10 loss to Division I VMI on Saturday. At halftime the score was 10- 5, VMI leading. The Keydets only pulled away in the final minutes, reflecting the ByAdam Lewls corurvnmsr Reminisce with me for a sec- ond. Remember in 1992, 1996, and 2000 when Jordan, Bark- ley, Robinson, Miller, Carter, and Mourning exercised Mani- fest Destiny against the rest of the bas- ketball world at the Olym- pics? How about in 90’s when the US. reached the finals in the Davis Cup five out of eight years? Or anytime up until the millennium when the Ryder Cup was actually a competition as opposed to the European School of Golf? All seems so long ago, right? Now let’s take a look at what American sports have turned into on the international level. Recently both the men’s and the women’s World Basketball Championships reached a close. And, despite boasting (argu- ably) the best individual basket- I MORGAN HARR|S/ Staff Photographer nia Military Institute opponent as teammates Rob Wilson, The Generals were defeated Saturday by~.VM| 22-10. tencacity of the Minks’ defense. Traditionally. VMI defeats W&L by a much larger margin. “It was amazing. They are much bigger and stronger, and we were tackling them like it didn’t matter,” said Tovo. The team aspires to win the Ed Lee Invitational this year, hav- ing already been invited due to their record. If the Minks prevail in the In- vitational, they will move up to Division II competition. With all the fine points and rules, rugby, like any other sport, comes down to conditioning, toughness, and teamwork. Said McKinley: “I still don’t know all the rules.” America falls short in realm of sports Freshman claims athletes are under-achieving globally ball talent in the world, both the men’s and women’s U.S. teams received third place. Additionally, in the 2004 Olympics, our supposed “Dream Team” finished third as well, which sounds like more of a nightmare to me. Since when are we the third best in anything, es- pecially basketball? How is it that fifteen of the top sixteen scorers in the NBA are American, yet we lose to teams like Argentina? This year at the Ryder Cup, the Europeans defeated the United States 18 ‘/2 to 9 ‘/2. And no, in this case it is not good to have the lower score. A similar score has resulted from the past three Ryder Cups (six years), and from the looks of things, it doesn’t appear that Tiger, Phil, and the rest of the American crew are looking to change their status. How is it that seven of the top ten career money leaders are American, (all of whom have par- ticipated in the past three Cups), and yet we fail to challenge the inferior Europeans? The Davis Cup and the Fed Cup are the premier international See “PROFESSIONAL” on page 6