OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_001.2.txt Scottsupporte right it y _ , ..i;Jfag$ pants I . ._a.ndi_eays‘ touisiana law‘ against’sagging ,5 ridiculous. t t A or-mions / page 3 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY E RING-—TUM PHI. ~ MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE VOLUME OXI, NUMBER 5 1397 Homecoming Weekend MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Students and alums support the football team at last Saturday's homecoming game. numbers Year when Dick Stuart, this years oldest General, graduated from Washington and Lee. Stuart crowned senior Quiana McKenzie ——n-an-nu-nnu-uunnuunuua-an-um-us». Final score for W&L’s Homecoming victory against Catholic University. The Generals are now 3-1 overall The high temperature in Lexington Saturday, reached around 3:30 - pm. The normal high temperature for Octoberfi is 73 degrees. Bythe 1937 homecoming queen. 28-21 and 1-1 in ODAC play. " -86 '. See more photos on page 6 . Quadrennial convention Alums recount significant Mock Con experiences By Jacob Geiger MANAGING EDITOR When Sam Syme remembers Washington and Lee’s famous 1956 convention, he remembers the front row seat he had for all the action. “I was Secretary of the Student Body, which made me secretary of the convention," Syme, a member of the Class of I956, said. “Mainly that meant I called the roll ofstatesz Alabama, etc.” Syme, who also served as editor of The Ring—tum Phi, was sitting on the podium when Sen. Alben W. Bark- ley, a former Vice President who had returned to the Senate as Kentucky’s junior member, came up to speak. Such a prominent Democratic speaker had attracted huge crowds to Doremus Gymnasium. Syme remembers that the students were joined by local residents and a large press delegation. The governor of Virginia was in the audience as well. “Barkley got up to make his speech, and he was using lots of revival.” Barkley’s next — and final — words are well known. As he described his 50 years of government service to the cheering crowd, he said, “I would rather be a “Barkley got up to make his speech, and he was using lots of biblical quotes, being very folksy. He was working himself up, and he sort of spoke like a revival preacher. You didn ’t know if you were at a convention or a Baptist revival. ” SAM SYME, Class of 1956 Biblical quotes, being very folksy,” Syme said. “He was working him- self up, and he sort of spoke like a revival preacher. You didn’t know if you were at a convention or a Baptist servant in the land of the Lord than sit in the seats of power.” As the crowd cheered, Barkley suddenly collapsed. “He staggered, caught himself and then hit me in the knee as he fell down,” Syme said. Doctors hurried out of the crowd, but Barkley was pronounced dead at the scene. The next morning Lexington ap- peared on the front pages of newspa- pers across America. The press corps covering the convention raced to call in their stories. Barkley’s body was taken to Washington, D.C., where it would lay in state at the Capitol. Syme and sev- eral other students traveled to D.C. as an informal escort for the late Sena- tor. “There were four W&L students and four VMI students” Syme said. “It was good because the cadets knew what to do with these sorts of things.” see “Mock con memories" on page 2 Beta offers 12 bids to former Kappa Sigs Frat alum expresses enthusiasm, support for recolonization of Alpha Rho chapter By Sarah Kientz STAFF WRITER Adam Porter Price, Beta Theta Pi’s Senior Leadership Consultant, has no problem closing chapters. “We enjoy closing chapters,” Price said. “We’re not willing to accept me- diocrity and we stand for the things we believe in. It helps us live up to our standards.” Recolonization of Beta chapters under this philosophy has been oc- curring around the country. Price said that in the last five years, Beta has closed 60 chapters and done “ex- pansions,” or recolonizations, in 40. Bill Kientz, a 1976 alumnus of Alpha Rho chapter who spoke with Ring-tum Phi Managing Editor Jacob Geiger, was in Lexington for a re- union at the time Beta was dismissed from W&L. He said, “I don’t think anybody was incensed by it. Some of us were told why. As adults, you scratch your head and go, ‘Geez guys...”’ Kientz sympathizes with the freshmen pledging Beta at the time of dismissal. He said, “The [freshmen] probably didn’t have a lot to do with it and then lost their chapter.” Currently, Price is looking to fill the new chapter with both freshmen and upperclassmen who are either in- dependent or have disaffiliated. Kappa Sigma was removed from campus this past year, creating an entire fratemity-worth of potential Betas. Price has already extended 14 bids to upperclassmen, 12 of whom are former Kappa Sigs. “We enjoy closing chapters. ‘We ’re not willing to accept mediocrity It helps us live I up to our standards. ’ ADAM PRICE, Beta representative “We’re looking for guys who are in tune with the experience of fraternity life, but the experience we’re looking for is much different than what that fraternity was,” Price said, compar- ing Beta to Kappa Sig. “While we’re not going to be necessarily better than any other fraternity, it’ll be different and unique and not like the former Kappa Sig chapter and certainly not like the former Beta chapter.” ‘ Junior Rogers Crain, a former Kappa Sig, has accepted his bid to become one of Beta’s Refounding Fathers. He is excited to create a new fra- ternity. “I chose to join Beta because I thought it would be a very unique op- portunity that I would never have been able to do otherwise,” Crain said. “The chance to build a fraternity See “Beta Returns” on page 2 LeXPo cracks national theft Internet sites like eBay used as unconventional tools for criminal investigations By was 0’DeIl srnrr warren This summer, Sgt. Mark Riley of the Lexington Po- lice Department solved a national crime using eBay. Riley said that while browsing eBay for leads was not standard procedure before, he’ll be “checking it regularly” from now on. Following a trail that threatened to go cold, local officers helped bring to justice a William and Mary stu- dent who is now charged with the theft of somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 worth of property. The student, Curtis White, is accused of master- minding a crime spreethat stretched from Maine to Mississippi and affected between six and eight sepa- rate colleges, including Washington and Lee. W&L’s involvement began on July 17, when eight overhead projectors valued at nearly $45,000 were stolen from several locked 200-and 300-level Huntley Hall classrooms. Flash Floyd, who oversees the projec- tors, was shocked. “It is just old fashioned police work I ’m most happy to just get the equipment back It makes you proud to be from Lexington. ” MARK RILEY, Sergeant at Lexington Police Department “You simply don’t expect something on this scale to happen on our campus,” Floyd said. The police were similarly baffled. “We had no leads, no suspects, no witnesses,” said Riley, the investigator in charge. The case remained stalled until July 31, when Riley decided to check the intemet auction site, eBay.com, to “cover his bases” and see if the missing projectors had turned up there. Sure enough, Riley found several projectors up for auction that matched the description of those stolen from Huntley Hall. They also lacked remote controls, an oddity that quickly drew the investigator’s attention. Riley proceeded to contact the seller of the items, who had purchased them from a second party and knew nothing of their origins. According to eBay’s website, it strictly prohibits the sale of stolen property and “strongly supports law enforcement efforts” to recover such items. In this case, the seller confirmed that the ID num- bers of the projectors matched those stolen from W&L and then turned them over. The case was far from closed, however, as the po- lice proceeded to track the check that the seller had written to pay for the projectors; it led them to Curtis White, a resident of Stafford, Va. and a student at Wil- liam and Mary. Using both evidence obtained from the seller and security camera footage from George Mason Univer- sity, which also suffered a break-in earlier in the year, police obtained a warrant and searched White’s home. There, they found a lock core from Huntley Hall. According to Riley, White employed the same scheme at many colleges: he would scope out the facil- ity a few days beforehand and remove a lock core from one of the doors. He would then make a key that would allow him to infiltrate classrooms with ease and make off with the valuable technology inside. Further investigation revealed that White had ac- complices, and that he may have even hacked the W&M computer network to raise his grades. White himself was arrested in Philadelphia not long after and is currently in the Fairfax jail awaiting trial. For defense, White has hired Peter Greenspun, a prominent attorney whose past clients include sports- caster Marv Albert and John Allen Muhammad, the D. C.—area sniper. However, between the lock core and evidence re- covered at George Mason, Riley said he is confident that there is a “real strong case” against him. As for the projectors, the University quickly filed an insurance claim and had them replaced. According to Treasurer and Vice President for See “Stolen projectors” on page 2 OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_002.2.txt ° THE RING-TUM PHI 0 WA8l'fllBTON&l.EEUNlVERSl'l'V -flfi INERfi'WI.flIMY O MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 OCT 0 9 2907 Stolen projectors eBay helps Le2rP0 crack the case continued from page 1 Finance Steve McAllister, the re- covered projectors are thus the property of the insurance company and will soon be transferred. According to Floyd, security up- grades are already underway to pre- vent fiiture thefts. He also praised the investigators for the unlikely recovery. “I don’t think anyone thought there was a chance of recovering the projectors,” Floyd said. < “Our Public Safety Office and the Lexington Police Department did a tremendous job in investigat- ing this incident.” Riley is taking particular pride in the leading role the Lexington Police took in this multi-state inves- tigation and in the fact that W&L’s projectors were the only stolen property recovered. “It’s just old fashioned police work I’m most happy to just get the equipment back,” Riley said. The investigation is soon to be featured on “America’s Most Want- ed.” Riley added: “It makes you proud to be from Lexington.” Mock Con memories continued from page 1 Syme and the other students spent the night at the house of Edith Wil- son, the widow of President Wood- row Wilson. Fifty-one years later, Syme re- members the entire spring vividly. Later that spring, at Mrs. Barkley’s urging, the convention finally recon- vened, eventually selecting Adlai Stevenson. Fifty years after graduation, Syme still comes back to campus twice a year. He’s enjoyed watching the cam- pus change. “I like seeing how the univer- sity has been able to accommodate change but still maintain a thread of continuity [to the past].” Beta returns 14 bids handed out continued from page 1 from the ground up was just too ' good to pass up.” He added, “The experience will be unique because the undergradu- ate members will be in the driver’s seat. [It] will allow us to build exactly the kind of organization that we want without any negative qualities.” Kientz is similarly optimistic. He believes that the current recolo- nization of Beta at W&L has been successful thus far and is moving in the right direction. He said, “[Price] seems like a nice guy and is doing it the right way. I think all the alums alfiliated with a fraternity want to see their chapter on campus.” Most importantly, Kientz wants current students to have the same experiences as he and his brothers. “Fratemities were great places to . get together. It was an interesting group of people,” he said. Like Price, Crain said that Beta is looking for individuals who are “leaders, scholars and gentlemen” but that the upperclassmen, who will be initiated in December, will not have the final decision on the freshmen pledge class that will be initiated in March. “The upperclassmen will have‘ some say in who is chosen, but ul- timately Adam Price will be making all decisions on who gets a bid,” Crain said. Price said that the chapter will be satisfied with 20 new members, but will not be disappointed if they receive less than quota. “We’re focused on finding the right men, not a certain amount of men,” Price said. “We’re more con- cerned with quality than quantity.” Defining Lee’s place in history Scholars gather to consider Lee as a general, leader and teacher By Alexandra Scaggs STAFF WRITER Washington and Lee will con- tinue its celebration of Robert E. Lee’s 200* birthday today with a full-day symposium at Lee Cha- pel. The program will begin at 10 a.m. with keynote speaker Peter S. Carmichael, editor of “Audac- ity Personified: Essays on the Generalship of Robert E. Lee.” His speech, entitled “Truth is Mighty and Will Eventually Pre- vail: Why Americans Disagree about the Historical Legacy of Robert E. Lee,” will discuss the representation of Robert E. Lee at museums and historical sites, Lee Chapel included. Carmichael is the Eberly Pro- fessor of Civil War Studies at West Virginia University. Since Lee’s 200th birthday on January 19, the university has hosted nu- merous panels and discussions to consider Lee’s legacy. The rest of the day will be a discussion of Lee’s three most important roles: a general, a leader, and a teacher. At ll:l5 a.m., A. Wilson Greene and Gor- don Rhea will speak on “General Lee’s Overland Campaign.” Greene has written six books and over two dozen articles on Civil War and Southern history. He also worked as a historian for the National Park Service for 16 years. His most recent book focused on Petersburg, site of a nine month siege in 1864-1865. Rhea is a co-author of “In the Footsteps of Grant and Lee: The Wilderness Through Cold Har- bor.” At 2 pm., Lee’s leadership abilities will be the subject in “General Lee and the Rank and File,” presented by Dr. J. Tracy Power, a South Carolina histori- an, and Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean, a history professor at University of North Florida. There will be a short Q&A session after the two historians speak. The author of “Robert E. Lee: A Biography,” Dr. Emory Thomas, and Virginia Historical Society representative John Mc- Clure will speak last, with “Lee and Education.” They will give insight into Lee’s identity as an educator and his relationships with the stu- dents and faculty of then-named Washington College. They will also discuss the 7/? US. Cellular: 1-888~BUY-USCC fallout from Lee’s loss in the Civil War and the seizure of his plantation for the Freedman Bu- reau’s village, a settlement for freed slaves. Monday’s panel coincides with last week’s reopening of th chapel’s museum. Lee’s base- ment office is once again open to visitors. The crypt where Lee, his wife, children and other family members are buried is also open again for public viewing. The program is free and open to the public. Donations are en- co_uraged. US. Cellular” offers you a 30-Day Network Trial that gives you the space and the freedom to make sure your phone works where you want to use it and not just where you're forced to use it. US. Cellular is wireless where you matter most?“ getusocom 30-Day Guarantee: Customer is responsible for any charges incurred prior to return. © 2007 US. Cellular Corporation. Kyocera Strobe rs OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_003.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 8,2007 THE RING-TUM PHI '3 opinions 7I:I-IE — WASIIINGFON AND LEE UNIVERSITY RING -TUM PHI. MANAGING EDITOR JACOB GEIGER NEWS EDITOR JESSICA SHAW ASST. NEWS EDITOR GRACE WANG OPINIONS EDITOR STACEY GRIJALVA ARTS&LlFE EDITOR SACHA RAAB SPORTS EDITOR MICHAEL KEENAN COPY EDITOR CATHERINE CARLOCK ASST. COPY EDITORS WILL DORRANCE ANDY RUBIN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CELESTE CRUZ- CARADANG MICHELE FARQUEHARSON SARAH KIENTZ WES O’DELL JOAN OGUNTIMEIN AMOR NEILL THUPARI ALEXANDRA SCAGGS KATHIE SCOTT NEIL SHEAFFER KIMBER WIGGS DESIGN EDITOR LARA JORDAN DESIGNER JORDAN MCCONNEL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER LENORA NUNNLEY BUSINESS MANAGER CHARLES PERSONS DISTRIBUTION MNGR. STROCK MOORE ADMINISTRATIVE ASST. JULIANNE MIATA 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@wlu.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 Your God- given right to sag Beware: The idea of a fashion police is no longer a silly notion, its a reality By Kathie Scott COLUMNIST A fashion “faux pas” refers to a social blunder. And within the fashion world this term can be de- fined as wearing chocolate brown with black, white after Labor Day, or cropped pants with boots. Some fashion experts claim that rules were meant to be bro- ken. After all, sometimes brown and black don’t look so bad to- gether. However, some cities in the U.S. feel one fashion faux pas that should be avoided is that of visi- ble undergarments, usually paired with baggy pants. In Delcambre, La., wearing anything that allows your underwear to be visible is punished with a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail. The baggy pants tradition be- gan in jails when prisoners were not permitted to wear belts for fear of injury. The trend shifted to the community, spread nation- wide, and became a fashion trend. They’re concerned that if crimi- nals wear baggy pants, then those who wear baggy pants must be criminals. Supporters of the ban fear that the baggy pants phenom- enon will carry down to small children, thus introducing a life of crime and violence early on. In my opinion, I think baggy pants are ridiculous. I won’t lie, I can definitely appreciate a guy who wears a natural sag, which falls just around the hips (Note: Since the idea of sagging might be a foreign concept to some readers on this campus please note that “sagging” is the verb for producing baggy jeans. “Baggy” is merely the adjective involved in describing this final product. “Sag” can be used as a noun as well as an adjective). In fact, I enjoy the natural sag. This natural sag usually involves a little boxer Visibility; 1 can deal with a little. However, there are more ex- treme methods of sagging. This sagging usually involves a lot of underwear visibility and you can usually tell how bad the sagging is by checking the alignment of the back pockets with the person’s body. For instance, back pockets aligning with the back of one’s knees equals too much sagging. Pretty much anything that goes below mid-butt range is too much sagging. All opinions aside, how ridic- ulous is this law? Does anybody else feel this might infringe on First Amendment rights? Granted it’s the right to look stupid, but everybody should have that right! Previous generations had the right to look stupid when legwarrners, tie dye shirts, and shoulder pads were “in.” Let’s think about this logically with regards to the Constitution. America guarantees freedom. Is- sues only arise when person A’s freedom infringes upon person B’s freedom. Maybe showing un- derwear infringes upon the rights of others. But if were to be sen- sitive to those rights, this brings about an entirely new set of ques- . Speaking out for common courtesy Don ’t greet others simply because it is tradition but because it is the right thing By Celeste Cruz-Caradang and Joan Oguntlmeln C O L U M N I S T 8 Two letters. Just two, making a word that makes a world of difference. “Hi.” One syllable made in one breath. Yet people on this campus find it so hard to say this simple word. “Hi.” Why? We’re not really sure. May- be they’re talking on their cell phone, running and therefore out of breath, detached, spaced out, or simply just don’t care. Washington and Lee holds .not only an academic reputation of greatness, but also possesses one of the most coveted histori- cal legacies in the nation, which is immersed in traditions. One such tradition has be- come less precious to our com- munity. The Speaking Tradition, as its name implies, is a time honored custom that simply speaks of the civility that all members of the_ W&L community possess, or rather should possess. Indeed, despite the sense of community that it gives our school, the Speaking Tradition has gone unpracticed, unnoticed, and undervalued. Our late president John W. Elrod said it best in his 1995 in- augural address: “The Speaking Tradition calls for the ordinary courtesy of greeting each other in our daily commerce. It is a simple act but one whose mean- ing and value we should not un- derestimate.” So if the Speaking Tradition calls for common courtesy of greeting, why do people find it so hard to practice it? Why do students find it so easy to practice the Honor Sys- tem, our other major tradition here at W&L, but not the Speak- ing Tradition? They both boil down to the same thing; respect for each other. I think we all have to realize that the phrase “common cour- tesy” is a rather curious oxymo- ron. Courtesy is not as simple as the preceding adjective implies. In fact, it is what makes a per- son different and noticeable in today’s society. But despite the lack of good manners in the “real world,” at W&L it is common courtesy that makes this student body have such a pleasantly refreshing am- bience of welcome and commu- nity. This school has only 1700 students, a much smaller popula- tion that that of the high schools many of us attended. You’ve probably met, seen, or know al- most everyone on this tiny cam- pus. To refuse to greet someone as they pass you by is purely rude and quite frankly, it shows a serious deficiency in character. Now, please don’t misunder- stand us. We’re not asking you to walk around like an annoying happy machine, getting in every- one’s face for a chance to say hi. We know everyone has their bad days where they just don’t feel like being around people or engaging in a conversation with anyone. However, greeting someone or at least acknowledging his or her presence with a simple head nod, hand wave, or slight upward curl of your lips, won’t make your day any worse. In fact, their possible kind and polite response to your civil gesture might be exactly what you need to make your day a little brighter. Now I know that this can be a tiresome task. We will be the first to admit that we do not always behave courteously and actively practice the Speaking Tradition. It does take a small amount of courage to start that awkward sidelong eye contact, continue into the instinct of looking down as the other person approaches, and the progress somewhat re- luctantly into gazing upward and giving the salutation of choice. The latter portion in itself is difficult. Afler all, there are the head nod friends, the high-five group, and then the regular old vocal hello students. Yet, as heart-wrenching as this second long process is, may- be all we have to do is take a step back and realize that hi is just hi. If the other person does not reciprocate our reception, social suicide is not inevitable. If we want W&L to continue to be the tight-knit community that it aspires to be, we must each do our part to uphold this tradition. The Speaking Tradition and the Honor System give W&L its singularity and superiority. We visit and experience a community in which we are wel- comed, accepted for our individ- uality, appreciated for our integ- rity and valued for our intellect and creativity. Yes, academic prestige did contribute a lot to our college decision, but it was this afore- mentioned sense of comfort that made W&L more of a home than a large state school or larger pri- vate schools. I In short, we were all drawn to this school because from the minute we walked on campus and saw the sweeping white an- tebellum columns and red clay buildings, complete strangers greeted us, As much as the architecture may make it seem, W&L is not simple a place of history and tra- dition. The founding date of our uni- versity does not define our sense of honor or our sense of cour- tesy. Therefore, do not feel com- pelled to great that fellow stu- dent because of that trident on your flip flops or the Generals emblem on your polo. Say hello because it is the right thing to do. We appeal to you: Please don’t let the Speaking Tradition die. Revive it once again. Let it awake from its defunct depths of dormancy to show the world its power and potential to inflict change. Let us practice civility. tions. If others feel it is unbearable to witness the exposure of some underwear (namely, boxers which are really just shorts anyways) then maybe I shouldn’t have to go to the beach and shield my eyes from the inappropriate bathing suits worn by those who didn’t prepare/tone up for the season. Should I have to witness had highlights, bad makeup, and out- fits consisting of polka dot prints AND stripes? If others feel its un- bearable to witness the exposure of box- ers, maybe I shouldn’t have to shield my eyes from inappropriate bathing suits. Well, hell, let’s all just wear the same thing. That would make things easier. l’ll wait for the government to send me a list of appropriate clothing. Who knows, maybe they’ll also be kind enough to tell me who I should marry and how many kids I should have! Weird how that reminds me a lot of that one form of government, oh yeah, COMMUNISM! If anti-baggy pants supporters will make the huge jump in corre- lating baggy pants with criminal activity, I too would like to make a jump in saying that regulations of this nature will only escalate until the government is involved in every aspect of our lives. What’s next?! As for baggy pants spreading to the wardrobe of small children, instead of asking the govem- ment to create rules concerning dress, why not act like a parent and enforce these rules in your own household? As a parent, you know what your child is wearing and will not have to be concerned that the minute you turn your back, your 7-year-old son will whip off his belt and pull down his pants. Teenage rebellion usually starts during the teenage years. If you cannot exhibit control in your home regarding what your child is wearing before those rebellious years hit, maybe you should join Britney in a parenting class or two. I understand that crime is an issue in this country. I also under- stand that one of the best places to start is within youth. However, I don’t understand how, after close analysis of the nature of crime in this country, the first appropriate place to start is pants. If baggy pants began in jail and the punish- ment for wearing baggy pants in public can be jail time, isn’t this just an infinite loop? I suggest someone re-assess the elements involved in creating a criminal and realize that people who don’t wear baggy pants can commit crimes too. editorial Cracking the case Local police ofilcer solves school thefts In the past few years we’ve taken our fair share of shots at the Lexington Police Department. From a student perspective, there are weekends when it seems like the entire department has nothing better to do than sit outside the most popular off-campus houses. There are few things that look as strange as three young police officers doing a field sobriety test on a 22-year-old driver who then blows a .018 BAC. Hopefully Chief Steve Crowder will eventually help his new of- ficers learn to avoid the heavy- handedness that has plagued so many interactions with students this year. Many of the force’s veteran officers could teach the young bucks a few things about building trust and good will with the people you serve and protect. But for all the criticism we’ve leveled at the police, we know how to give credit when it’s due. Sgt. Mark Riley has already been lauded in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and other daily newspapers. But we don’t have a problem with repeating the praise. Working from his office behind City Hall, Riley is proof that the intemet lets small-town detectives solve crimes they might never have resolved in the past. It was Riley, not an officer from a larger, more prestigious department, who went online to look for the stolen projectors. Riley’s smart use of Ebay cracked a sophisticated, multi- state crime ring that had stumped police up and down the East Coast. This type of difficult investiga- tive work is exactly what Crowder and his predecessor, Bruce Beard, want from Lexington police. The department has state ac- creditation, making it one of the smallest accredited departments in Virginia. And as Washington and Lee officials will tell you while they prepare for our accred- itation process, earning that status in any line of work is nothing to sneer at. It’s an oft-repeated cliché that students forget they’re not always safe on and around our campus. The dorm intrusions last month and the break-in at Pi Kappa Al- pha this summer were certainly stark reminders of that. And stu- dents living off campus forget that the late-night police patrols help keep their houses safe, especially during the long breaks when some neighborhoods are half—empty. Most of this work goes unno- ticed. Students and police will probably never get along perfect- ly. We simply have very difier- ent goals and opinions. Many of us choose to drink alcohol, even though we know the age is 21. Police are charged with enforcing Virginia’s laws, even the ones we break on a regular basis. Maybe we’re never going to get along well with the Lexington police. Maybe the newer officers won’t be willing to change their style. Mark Riley reminds us that the police really do make Lex safe. Campus should provide for the possibility of pregnant student Students for Life should push for options for a pregnant student, such as continuing classes editor Reading last week’s article on the Student’s For Life vigil made me wonder if they had a point — this issue does need to be brought to our cam- pus. Now personally, I am pro-choice, and I respect that everyone has a right to their own beliefs, but wouldn’t it be more constructive to their cause to open options and resources to help someone who might be in that situa- tion on this campus rather than eliminating other options that are safe, but controversial? I No student, at least in my experience, has ever been visibly pregnant on this campus, so it’s hard to gauge what it would be like. Not many can deny the extreme difliculty of handling the stress of classes and being pregnant, while also still being a part of the W&L community. The most loved characteristic of W&L is its culture and campus life. The education combined with its social traditions is what makes this school what it is, what makes it unique. But currently, we have no support system for a student to continue her education on this campus and be pregnant. So, what is she to do? Drop out? Leave behind the experience and ben- efits of going to college at a place like W&L? Then what happens to the child with a mother who does not have a college education or is struggling to finish it? That child’s quality of life is reduced. But if that child had a mother who was supported by her university’s community and finished her top notch education, then the quality of life would be greatly improved. W&L offers us so much already for our futures, and maybe efforts Katie Hager should be redirected so that W&L could also offer a female student in the position of being pregnant during her four years, something for her child’s future as well. OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_004.2.txt 4 ° THE RING-TUM PHI 0 M 0 N DAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 arts&|ife 0 COM? Gui“ Alums hit prepares for a of town for World-class art , The University Concert Guild brings talented musicians to campus By Michele Farqueharson surr wanna The Washington and Lee Concert Guild brings in internationally recognized classical musicians to campus and makes their concerts available to Washington and Lee students. Professor Tim Gaylard, the adviser to the Con- cert Guild, answered some questions concerning the Guild, how students can get involved and what we can expect this year: - Q: What kind of music does the Concert Guild bring to campus? A: [It is] always mainstream classical from the Ba- roque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods. Q: How do students get involved in the Concert Guild? A: Music majors and students interested in mu- sic [such as] performers and students who have taken a lot of musical classes are invited onto the Board. Q: What do we have to look forward to over this Concert ’s season? A: There are three events this season: Pianist Marc-André Hamelin on Tuesday, October 9th, the a cappella group, King’s Singers, on Sunday, February 10th, and the Brentano String Quartet on Tuesday, March, 18th. Professor Gaylard’s role on the Board is to meet with the students periodically throughout the year to suggest artists to hire for the next season, to organize hosting the artists, and to find support for their performances. This is where the student body can get involved. Ushers and people to work back-stage are needed to produce the shows and, as Professor Gaylard pointed out, “The concerts are of very high quality and provide a wonderful opportunity for all the W&L community to enjoy fine‘ musical performances.” The Concert Guild is bringing some amazing artists to campus this year. Marc-Andre’ Hamelin was born in Montreal and is an internationally re- nowned French-Canadian pianist. He has toured all over the globe from Germany to New York to Japan and has played with the BBC Symphony, Royal Concertbouw, Australian Chamber Orches- tra and Les Violons du Roy. International Piano Quarterly claimed him as “one of the most adven- turous and certainly the most courageous pianist of recent times.” If you missed Marc-André, have no fear! You have plenty of time to prepare yourself for the a cappella group, King’s Singers, in February. It is a group of six men who graduated from King’s College in Cambridge and who during their time there were honored as choral scholars. While the founders of the group are no longer performing, the tradition has been upheld and the group has been on tour for over thirty years. They have per- formed with groups and artists such as Placido Domingo, The Boston Pops Orchestra, and Paul McCartney. Currently, the members include Da- vid Hurley, Robin Tyson, Paul Phoenix, Philip Lawson and Chris Gabbitas. Maybe February isn’t a good month for you? The final performance coming to W&L is the Brentano String Quartet. The group has per- formed all over the world in venues such as Cam- egie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Concert- gebouw, the Konzerthaus and the Sydney Opera House. The current members are Mark Steinberg, Serena Canin, Misha Amory and Nina Lee. All four members have degrees from the prestigious music school, lulliard, and have taught at institu- tions such as Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia Universities. The New York Times remarked, “The Brentano String Quartet is something spe- cial...their music making is private, delicate and ’ fresh, but by its very intimacy and importance it seizes attention.” As you can see, these performances are of the highest quality and provide Washington and Lee students with an amazing chance to hear some of the most well-known musicians in the world. Most small universities do not have this kind of opportunity, so please take advantage of what your school has to offer. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the.music! Online Sources: Hyperion Marc-André Hamelin http2//www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artist_page. asp?name=hamelin King’s Singers http://www.singers.com/kings.html Brentano String Quartet http1//www.music.princeton.edu/~brentano/ vi party-time MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Dick Stuart, class of 1937, was the oldest General at this year’s Homecoming. He crowns Homecoming Queen, Quiana McKenzie, with King Kevin Corn. Washington and Lee gives a huge welcome home to both young and old alumni By Kimber Wiggs STAFF WRITER This weekend W&L welcomed back some of our long-lost compa- triots. Our fallen comrades-in-arrns returned from the graduation grave to grace us with their presence once more. Their homecoming began with the usual display of enthusiasm and revelry, so now it is time to look back on the days leading up the actual events. Homecoming is an interesting time on campus. Seniors finally got to partake in the Alumni Wine Tasting, while freshmen scrambled for dates and tried to decide which frats they like the most at this moment. For those in-between, Homecoming was, at the least, an opportunity to look at some banners and see a pretty good, if inadequately attended, concert in the Pavilion. The Homecoming banners went up Tuesday, amid a wave of anti- Catholic sentiment. Last week was certainly a good time to be a Prot- estant on this campus. Robert Randolph and the Family Band played Wednesday night. The turnout for the opener, Rose Hill Drive, was less than encouraging; though the band played a great set and deserved more attention. Hap- pily, when Robert Randolph took the stage, an enthusiastic crowd had gathered and was ready to bring in both the noise and the funk. Robert Randolph got the crowd going with their perennial favor- ite, “I Need More Love.” Everyone appeared to be having a good time,because when Robert Randolph’s little sister asked if they were, they all replied in the aifirmative. As for the weekend festivities, inital attitudes varied from sheer eu- phoric excitement to anxious apprehension. Sophomore Meghan Keane was “pumped to see her old friends and excited for the freshmen to attend a classy W&L function that doesn’t involve beer in basements.” Not to begin with, at least. All in all, Homecoming was a good experience for the freshmen and pretty much business as usual for everyone else. Now it’s time for the cocktail dresses to go back into hibernation until Christmas Weekend rolls around. 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Oil Exchange & Lube 754 North Lee Hwy. Across from Tractor Supply 540-463-5020 Save $1.00 —— Show W&L ID Lexington Animal Hospital Welcomes You and Your Pet!! 20% of your first visit with this cui New clients only/limit one per visit. Expires 06/30/2008 Dr. Sheryl H. Carls C 28 Bones Place Lexington, VA 540-463-2715 0 Diane’s Hair, Beauty & Wellness Salon Visa, Master Card & Discover Behind KFC & Beside the DMV at: 166 Walker Street Lexington, Va 24450 540-464-4247 9:00 — 6:00 Mon-Sat Walk-Ins Are Welcome Perms Tons of Retail Products < Waxing Services Men’s & Ladies Cuts Manicures & Pedicures Conditioning Treatments Arbonne Facials and Makeup Hair Straightening and Relaxing Silpada .925 Sterling Silver Jewelry Vitamins and Weight Loss Products l. Coloring, Foiling and Bleaching Artificial Gel Nail Services Shampoos, Sets & Updos Consultations are Free Corrective Coloring Gift Certificates Hair Extensions Ear Piercing Retouch OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_005.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 8,2007 THE RING-TUM PHI arts&l|fe W&L beat Catholic University 28-21 in Saturday’s Homecom ing game Right: Skip Wood (No 64), Chad Austin(No. 32), and Jason ZeIe- snik (No. 40) watch the game. Mid-left. an enthusl astic Abhmav Kapur gives a new meaning to coat and tie. Bottom right: Fans watch the men's soccer team defeat Roanoke 1-0. N N LEY / Staff Photographer E $4 MIHAEL KEENA /ports Editor LENORA NUNNLEY/ Staff Photographer MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_006.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 6 0 THE RING-TUM PHI sports EMU remains unbeaten 4 MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Sophomore Stephanie Mansey dribbles around a Roanoke defender during the first half of Friday night's 4-2 victory. Field Hockey rebounds from tough loss with scoring outburst against Roanoke By Mlchael Keenan SPORTS EDITOR This week posed two tough ODAC matches for the Washing- ton and Lee field hockey team. After suffering a tough 2-1 loss to the Royals of Eastern Mennonite University on Tuesday evening, the Generals returned home to take out their frustration on the Maroons of Roanoke. On Tuesday evening the Gen- erals took on EMU in an ODAC showdown between the two un- beaten teams in conference play. Twenty-five minutes into the first half, sophomore Alyssa Der- stine scored her first goal of the game on a penalty stroke to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Less than ten minutes into the second half, Derstine struck again to extend the lead to 2-0. The Generals refused to quit. Less than four minutes later, sophomore Stephanie Mansey scored an unassisted goal to bring the Generals within one. Howev- er, that was as close as they would The Generals continued to was 4-2. come as the Royals defense held on for the 2-1 victory. “We need to play the entire 70 minutes to beat EMU,” said soph- omore Sallie Armstrong. “We had a chance on Tuesday, but we played with too much anxiety and were so nervous to lose that we didn’t play together as a team.” The Royals improved to 3-0 in ODAC play, 4-5 overall, to lead the conference while W&L fell to 1-1 in the conference. It didn’t take long for the Generals to shake off Tuesday night’s loss. Just 70 seconds into the game, Armstrong broke free down the right side, ripped a shot to the far post, and found the back of the net to give the Generals a 1-0 lead. “It was great to set the tone of the game with a shot in the first two minutes,” said Armstrong. “It is also one of our team goals to score in the first seven minutes of awarded a free hit just outside the circle. The ensuing shot was redi- rected just wide of the net and the score remained unchanged. The Generals had an opportunity on pressure the Maroons, almost expanding the lead to 3-0 if not for a Roanoke defender swatting the ball out of midair to deny the We have always had a huge rivalry with [Lynchburg], and both of our teams have the skill to win, so we need to get our team mentally prepared to play the best game that we can. Christina Merchant, junior forward the counterattack but Armstrong’s centering pass rolled harmlessly across the goal mouth. With just over seventeen min- utes to go, the Generals were awarded a free pass of their own just outside the circle. Senior Generals another goal. The pres- sure led Roanoke to use its time- out with 11:09 remaining in the first half. Though the Maroons were able to stall the Generals attack tempo- rarily, the Generals wouldn’t have finished for her second goal of the half with 2:20 to play in the half. The Generals weren’t finished. With time winding down, Korte found sophomore Stephanie Man- sey just inside the circle. It took a kick save by Roanoke goalie Lindsey Paz as time expired to prevent another W&L goal. Though giving up four goals, Paz would finish with fourteen saves. The Generals came out ready to play in the second half, scoring almost as fast as they had in the first half. Just over three minutes in, sophomore Alex Caritis assist- ed junior Guada Suarez to extend the Generals’ lead to 4-0. The Maroons refused to roll over and die. With eighteen min- utes to play, Roanoke was award- ed a penalty comer and nearly scored but sophomore goalie Caroline Habliston made a kick to prolong the shutout. However, the Maroons would find the net “Tuesday’s loss made us want to really beat Roanoke and really come together as a team to beat them,” said Armstrong. “Our passing was the best it has been all season, and it looks like we are really coming together and know where our teammates are at all times.” With the win, the Generals im- prove to 5-3 overall. The Generals return to action at home against preseason favorite Lynchburg on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. “Tuesday’s game against Lynchburg is definitely going to be one of the toughest games of our season,” said Merchant. “We have always had a huge rivalry with them, and both of our teams have the skill to win, so we need to get our team mentally prepared to play the best game that we can. I think for us, we need to find a balance between being overly the game.” Ten minutes later Roanoke had one of their best opportunities to tie the score when they were- Kendall Korte found freshman Poppy Hall in front of the net for the score, extending the Generals’ lead. to wait until the second half to score again. On a set play from a penalty comer, junior Christina Merchant found Armstrong who twice in the final eight minutes to erase the shutout and close the lead to two. They would get no closer, though, and the final score confident and being too nervous in order to play to the best of our abilities.” Volleyball extends win streak to 10 Women tally six victories during the week including a 4-0 showing at Averett Invite MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Senlor Jess Hudock blocks an attack against Gullford durlng Wednesday nlght’s victory. By Michael Keenan SPORTS EDITOR The Washington and Lee Uni- versity women’s volleyball team won all six matches it played this week to run its winning streak to ten matches. After traveling to Fer- rum on Tuesday, the Generals took on ODAC foe Guilford at home on Wednesday evening and then trav- eled to Danville, VA, to participate in the Averett Invitational, where they swept all four matches. On Tuesday evening the Gener- als took on Ferrum. Without much trouble. the Generals corralled the Panthers, sweeping them in the games: 30-24, 30-15, 30-27. The Generals were led by junior Abbey Wi1son’s six kills and five blocks and sophomore Kristi Stevens’ 20 assists and 12 digs. Wednesday evening the Gener- als returned home to face Guilford in their fifth conference match of the season. The match got off to a rough start as Guilford quickly opened a sizeable lead, but the Generals re- mained unfazed. Down 27-19, the Generals won a side out and junior Jess Ulrich served ten in a row to steal the first game for W&L, 30- 27. Guilford stayed close early in game two, but with the score tied 4- 4, the Generals opened up an eight point lead with a 9-1 run and then finished the game 30-16. In game three, the Generals jumped out to an early 9-4 lead but Guilford closed to within two points at 10-8. The Generals responded with a 9-3 run to go up 19-11 and were never threatened again, winning the final game 30-21. The Generals were led by junior Laura Maurer’s 13 kills and Stevens’ 25 assists. On Friday and Saturday, the team participated in the Averett Invitational, taking on ODAC ri- val Randolph-Macon, host Averett, Queens, and Greensboro. On Friday evening, the Gener- als opened with a quick 3-0 sweep of the Yellow Jackets of Randolph- Macon. The Generals became pro- gressively more dominant, winning by a score of 30-24, 30-23, 30-17. Sophomore Rachael Phillips led the way with 16 kills and eight digs and Maurer chipped in 18 digs in addi- tion to six kills. The Generals would be glad their first match was only three games because the nightcap against Averett would go the distance. The match was back and forth through- out. After dropping the first game 27-30, the Generals fought back to take the second game 30-21, the only game of the match decided by more than three points. However, the Cougars refused to roll over and die, clawing their way to a 30-28 win in the third game to put them just one away from the victory. However, the Generals dug in and won the fourth game by the same score and then sealed the win with a 16-14 fifth game victory. Splitting time at setter, Stevens and senior Lauren Rudolph com- bined for 56 assists and 35 digs. Phillips and Maurer continued their strong play, tallying 20 and 16 kills, respectively. Senior Jess Hudock also added five aces to go along with 14 kills and 17 digs. In the morning, the Gener- als awoke to take on Queens and Greensboro. In the morning match- up, the Generals downed the Royals of Queens in three games. After a relatively easy first game win, 30- 14, the Royals awoke but came up short, losing the second game, 31- 29. Their spirits crushed, the Gener- als cruised to a 30-17 win in game three, sealing the 3-0 victory. The Generals carried the mo- mentum into the second match of the day against the Pride of Greensboro, downing them in three straight: 30-23, 30-19, 30-23. On Saturday, offensively the Generals were led by Maurer’s 22 kills and Hudock’s 19 kills while Rudolph and Stevens amassed 37 and 36 assists, respectively. Defen- sively, Maurer’s 19 digs were tops for the Generals. The Generals return to action this Tuesday at the Warner Center when they take on ODAC rival Roanoke at 6:30 p.m. OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_007.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 THE RING-TUM PHI ' 7 sports Defensive Domination MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Senlor Ted Sheedy makes a save in the first half against Roanoke. The win gave Sheedy his 13th career shutout. Men extend unbeaten streak to eight By Michael Keenan SPORTS EDITOR Washington and Lee’s men’s soccer team chalked up vic- tories over in-town rival D-I Virginia Military Institute and ODAC rival Roanoke. On Wednesday afternoon, the Generals welcomed VMI to Watt field for the 35th meeting between the two teams. The Generals struck quickly. Less than five minutes into the contest, junior Tommy Pignatel- li’s shot was deflected to senior Jack Palmer, who finished the close range opportunity. The Generals kept up the pressure through the first half, firing 15 more shots, but failing to add a second goal. Just three minutes into the second half, the Generals struck again when Pignatelli scored a goal of his own off another de- flection to extend the lead to 2-0. In the 73rd minute, Pi gnatel- li’s comer kick was finished by senior Travis Short to extend the lead for the final time to 3- 0. The win gave W&L their first victory over VMI since 2001 and improved their head- to-head record to 17-14-4. On Saturday, the Gener- als took on the Maroons of Roanoke in a battle of two top ODAC teams. Roanoke’s Michael Rouha- na was shown a red card in the 32nd minute, forcing his team to play down a man for the re- mainder of the match. However, the best chance of the first half still belonged to Roanoke when a shot clanked off the inside of the post. It wasn’t until the 57th min- ute that senior Jack Palmer scored an unassisted goal to give the Generals a 1-0 advan- tage, which they clung to for the rest of the game. The loss was Roanoke’s first in conference play this seaon, while the Generals improved to 7-1-2., 4-0-1 in ODAC. The Generals return to ac- tion on Wednesday when they travel to play Ferrum at 4:00 p.m. Junior Kiki Moreo makes a save with six seconds remaining in the game to preserve the win. The shutout was her 31st, making Moreo the all-time leader in shutout wins at W&L. Women tally two more shutout wins over Guilford and CN U to play, junior Marisa Van Brunt headed home a Katie Kern corner kick to make the final score 4-0. On Saturday; the women struck quickly when Van Dev- ender passed to Kern, who found the back of the net less than six minutes into the game. The rest of the game proved to be a defensive struggle, with nei- ther team scoring in the remain- der of the game. Junior Kiki Moreo played the entirety of both games, tallying six saves and was credited with the two shutout wins. The two victories gave Moreo her 30th and 31st shutout wins of her ca- reer, which moved her into first all-time at W&L in that category. The Generals return to action on Tuesday when they take on Sweet Briar at 4:00 p.m. at Watt Field. By Michael Keenan SPORTS EDITOR The defense of the Wash- ington and Lee women’s soccer team once again led the way as the Generals tallied victories over Guilford and Christopher New- port this week. On Wednesday evening, the Generals travelled to Greensboro, NC, to take on the Quakers in an ODAC match. Though the Quakers were able to hold the score to 0-0 at the end of the first half, the second saw a flurry of goals for the Generals. Junior Kate Corr started the scor- ing less than five minutes into the half. Within fifteen minutes, junior Anne Van Devender and freshman 'Taylor Garrett also found the back of the net to extend the lead to 3- 0. With just under fifteen minutes The ntique Muff 760 N. ext. ’i°‘n ’E‘ra::t:?:.e::2_r“ :§j:”;:~u 13 Eeiiv Lee Hwy "in i,.i"l.Ef _i~ieari.: :.'>§"' i..<£'3ff~£it'?.,f;i'.{')t"1, VA $24 is-4-o} nee-.3555 ..S2ai.i:Efri.g tmitjgi.te,fii:"i’iitcii::e and G£?£:?é?SS£??’i€S ;::::r tile.’ Beam -~ A_pr:n*t'meni‘ -- ..i*it3iz..se Monday -- Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 pan. Stmday 11:00 a.rn. - 6:00 p.:m. A {Ereat Pinata: to .ii%Zz’:.‘riiertt:.2in;. ..%"i;i.rae~ets.i:”f "I‘hara’s~3 St}t’tt€E'i"i'i?'t§§ fizszr Everyoneiigi Check out: W&L ./oblin/< 0 Search employers, jobs, and internships 0 View a calendar of all information sessions and interviews 0 Upload your résumé 0 Set up interviews All this and more on the Career Services Website: careers. wlu. edu Visit the “Passwords” and internship sections of the Student page. WASHINGTON AND LEE UN}VERSiTY CAREERSERVICES 540-458-8595 careers@wlu.edu The N ei1(l)s break down the first four weeks of the NFL Season By Neill Thupari and Neil Sheaffer STAFF WRITER AND GUEST WRITER What are the best and worst surprises thus far in 200 7? NT: Best surprise this year for me has got to be the revival of the Green Bay Packers. For anyone who has seen Brett Favre in the mid 90’s during his prime, it is absolutely invigorating to see him leading a contender once again. I only hope that they can continue their success and find a running game to complement Favre’s gunslinger mentality. Being from Baltimore and having to hear the non-stop commentary from Ravens fans with Super- Bowl aspirations, I have to mention them as being one of, if not the, worst surprise this year. Highly overrated, the Ravens are 2-2 coming off a loss to Cleveland; and if they do not right the ship in the upcoming weeks, Brian Billick will immediately be placed on the hot seat after failing to build on the success of last year’s AFC North Champion squad. NS: l’ve been pretty negative about the NFL this year, so it’s tough for me to think of a pleasant surprise, so I’m going to start negative. Worst surprise: the San Diego Chargers. They abso- lutely stink, and this is coming with someone who would take multiple bullets for LaDainian. I think plenty [read: all] of the blame should fall on the coaching staff because they were work- ing with almost the complete roster from last year’s team that went 14-2. There are reasons that Ted Cottrell and Norv Turner were unemployed last season. Okay, now for my best surprise. I haven’t ever really liked Tony Romo, maybe because he plays for the Cowboys and maybe because he made the Pro Bowl roster after only playing half a season, but the guy is legitimately good. And that’s a surprise to me. I always find it odd that a guy like him can fly so far under the radar for a while and then suddenly be an upper tier player. How does this happen? It’s not like he got that much better while sending in the signals to Drew Bledsoe. Which teams’ record doesn’t accurately- reflect theirn .-oath, overall performance? NT: I feel that something has to be said here for your Char- gers, Neil. Yes, San Diego is 1-3, and yes, they don’t appear to have the hunger they did last year, but this is still the Chargers team that was an absolute juggernaut last year on their way to a 14-2 record. They are insanely talented on both sides of the ball, and if the coaching staff can get it together and make the players believe in the Norv Turner and his assistants they can still turn it around. Phillip Rivers at QB. Reigning MVP LaDainian Tomlin- son. Antonio Gates as the best downfield tight end in the league. A defensive attack led by Shawne Merriman that possesses the ability to play physical and shut down any offense that comes its way. These don’t sound like the ingredients to a 1-3 team, and I don’t think it has to stay that way. NS: I think it will stay that way. With Norv Turner as their’ coach the Chargers will not win more than 6 games. As for a team whose record is nowhere near where it should be: Tampa Bay. They are awful. Or at least they should be awful. If I were a fan/ coach/teammate, I would not want my team’s destiny in Jeff Gar- cia’s hands. Yes, the guy tends to win, but I still don’t know how. I think he’s the quarterback that we all saw in Detroit a couple years ago. They definitely aren’t going to stick around at 3-1. The Cadillac is out of commission for the year and their starting left tackle Luke Petitgout is also on the injured reserve list. Who is the league MVP thus far? NS: Randy Moss. In my mind, this is a very simple pick. He and the Patriots are playing at a whole different level than any team in the NFL, and he is the primary reason. True, they’ve won a few SuperBowls without any deep receiving threat. True, Tom Brady makes almost anybody he plays with a lot better, but in this case it is Randy Moss that is making Brady better. This is the best Patriots team that I’ve ever seen, and I think they have a legitimate shot to go undefeated. I’m going to quickly touch on Moss’ stats before I turn this over to Neill for his round of Moss bashing. He has 505 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is going to threaten or break every major, single season receiving record. Moss is a player that a quarterback can put complete faith in as he is still one of the fastest receivers in the league and his hands are unparalleled. If they win the Super Bowl this year, most of the credit needs to go to Moss. . .and this is coming from a Michigan fan that basically worships Tom Brady. . .so there. NT: I cannot believe you actually think Randy Moss is this year’s MVP. I suppose the fact that he has been an absolute head- case for the majority of his career and all of a sudden buckles down and appears disciplined has nothing to do with the fact that Brady is his quarterback. Tom Brady has already built a dynasty in New England with three Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVPs, and at the end of his career when all is said and done, he may be the best quarterback to have ever played the game. If you take out Tom Brady and put an average or mediocre QB in the Patriots scheme, what’s their record right now? 2-2? 3-1, at best, with no real shot at the Super Bowl without Brady at the helm? Would Randy Moss even be able to play for another QB? Now, let’s take Randy Moss out of the equation and let’s substitute Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson from the San Diego Chargers. The Pa- triots would still be 4-0, Vincent Jackson’s stats would be through the roof as well, catapulting him into the top 5 for widereceivers, and the Patriots would be on their way to another Super Bowl with Tom Brady as their leader. As quarterback, Brady has to take care of every single aspect of his offense when they’re on the field and he must make the according decisions to lead his team to victory. Without Brady, there is no Moss. Without Moss, Brady is still the premier quarterback in the NFL. Tom Brady is the MVP right now; to even consider someone else is sheer lunacy. OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071008/WLURG39_RTP_20071008_008.2.txt MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 8 ' THE RING-TUM PH! sports Tues WED Tlluns Fnl SM 8 Football ""’"“"'°"' Sydney 1:00 min. VS s at t at F|g|d Lynchburgj “’°° st Mary.’ Hockey 6:30 p.m. Brlar 4.00 4:30 p.m. ' pm‘ at p ‘ at Mon,‘ Ferrum rldgewater soccgf 4:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. ‘'5 at Women’! 5“’°°* lvietnodist soccer 3"" 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. ,,5_ vs vs Volleyball Roanoke Va. Wes & Elizabeth- 5:3o p_m_ Nazareth town 1 8' 5 P~m. 1:00 p.m. at womggflg DOSSIBS xc Invite 10:00 am. at Men’: xc W5” Invite women,‘ at ITA Nationals irennls at ODAC individual Tournament at Rldlng Lynchburg numbers 5-0 Washington and Lee University's football teams record when senior ' Abhinav Kapur shows up in body paint. 195 Rushing yards against Catholic byjunior tailback Tom Pacicco, a new career high. Pacicco also had two touchdowns in the win. 10 Current win streak for the volleyball team. The team has not lost since facing No.4 Emory University on Sept. 21. 3 Games dropped by the Generals during their streak. Eight of the 10 matches have been 3-0 sweeps. box “The problem was, by the time they finally located a place that had the game, I was back on the bench. So they'd get there, sit down, and it would be time to go back home. I mean, I was mostly just playing on the special teams units.” Tampa Bay Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud on how his college friends from Nebraska would scurry to find a place that showed the Tampa Bay game whenever he entered on special teams. Now Ruud is starting and being considered for a spot In the Pro Bowl. “[Marion Jones] will be remembered as one of the biggest frauds in sporting history...A lot of people believed in the achievements of Marion Jones and this confession leaves a bitter taste, and tar- nishes the image of a sport in which a majority of Lamine Dlack, president of track and field's governing body, after Jones plead guilty to steroid use. “When you’re 0-5, everyone in the country is laughing at you. The only thing you can do is do something about it on the field.” Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. Notre Dame finally got its first win of the season on Saturday. enerais struggle but best Catholic ~ Above: Junior tailback Tom Pacicco rumbles for one of his two touchdowns while sophomore tight end Daniel Kohn (No. 17) looks to set a block. Pacicco had 35 car- rles in Saturday's vic- tory and is averaging almost 150 yards per season. Right: Head Coach Frank Mlrieilo wants some questions answered by the referees during the Generals victory over MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Catholic is last Second prayer falls incomplete . By Brian Devine SPORTS WRITER Washington and Lee football was picked second in the ODAC preseason poll primarily based on the strength of its defense. The first two games of the 2007 season showed why. The Boys in Blue gave up 122 yards to Franklin and Marshall, then an outstand- ing 79 yards to a highly touted Averett squad. Last week’s 322-yard, 42-point drubbing at the hands of Randolph-Ma- con had fans wondering, was this an aber- ration or the defense’s true colors? On homecoming weekend, in front of another loud and supportive crowd at Wilson Field, the Generals sent a clear message. The Blue Menace is back and open for business. The visiting Catholic University Car- dinals gained just 45 yards rushing, and the Generals got their first conference win of the year, 28-21. The visitors went three-and-out on eleven of their twenty total drives of the game and were shut out until 1:20 left in the second quarter. In the second half Cardinal quarterback Keith Ricca began to find the holes in the Generals’ zone, defense and finished with 227 yards passing. Ricca was unable to pull his team to victory though he came close. Down two touchdowns with 33 sec- onds to go, Ricca led his team 65 yards on five plays for a 27-yard touchdown pass to Miles Sabrick. Just five seconds remained on the clock, the Cardinals now down just seven points. The ensuing on- side kick was successfiil and Ricca had the chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but his Hail Mary pass was knocked down in the end zone. As fans started to celebrate the narrow victory, referee Jeff Shears threw a flag for a questionable late hit on Ricca. This gave the visitors one last untimed play to score from the hosts’ 39-yard line. Ricca was hit by Britt Jamison and dropped the football. Catholic offensive lineman Rich Brennan picked it up and began rumbling toward the end zone. He was stopped by Bryant Fulk just 22 yards from pay dirt, and the win was preserved by one touch- ' down. Catholic’s late-game heroics aside, the Blue Menace defense was near-perfect. Catholic’s first two touchdowns came off short drives after two successive R.J. Varner interceptions late in the first half. Those interceptions helped Catholic turn a 10-0 deficit into a 14-10 halftime lead. When the visitors were not gifted with field position, they were mostly unable to gain yards against Fulk (9 tackles), Scott Russell (9 tackles, 1 sack) and Mark Snoddy, who finally caught an intercep- tion after recording nine last season. Vamer’s consecutive interceptions were the only taint on an excellent perfor- mance by the Generals’ offense. Tailback Tom “Chico” Pacicco, fresh off three 100-yard games in a row, set a career best with 195 yards and one touchdown on 35 carries. “Chico” has improved every game this season and has quickly become a fan favorite after spending most of last season as a backup to the now-graduated Colton Ward. Because of the consistent powerful running of his backfield partner, Varner was called on to pass only 19 times all game. He completed seven ofthose pass- es for 104 yards and one touchdown, to backup tight end Jason Bacaj, but threw multiple interceptions for the second game in a row. Cardinals cornerback Achilie Kolla shut down W&L’s Jack Martin, limiting the star wideout to just three catches and 65 yards and snapping his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown at three. So the “J -Mart” chants from the crowd were replaced with “Chico” for this game. and the Generals players and coaches again acknowledged the loud, standing section at the 50-yard line at the conclu- sion of the game. Most of the capacity crowd again left at halftime, but most of the alumni seemed to stick around even after the halftime festivities. The vast ma- jority of students missed out on the most exciting finish to any game this year. in two weeks, the Boys in Blue will host their biggest ODAC rival, the Bridgewa- ter Eagles, on Parents Weekend. This will undoubtedly be the most important game of the year for the Generals, and hopeful- ly students will stick around for the finish as a loud and enthusiastic crowd never goes amiss. O