OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_001.2.txt Y“ '-‘.-tl ‘V H vvvrv" ' - A 1 Sleeping on the lawn Wondering why there were tents scattered in front of the commons and Williams School? Sophomore Elliott O'Brien was camping out to raise awareness for Hunger and Homelessness Week. WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY THE RING-'rUM PHI. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 Faculty 1n favor Ruscio is controversial proposal approved by a majority of faculty By Andy Rubln and Grace Wang ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR AND ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR After weeks of intense debate, Wash- ington and Lee faculty ultimately support- ed President Ken Ruscio’s new academic plan by a wide margin. The proposal will take effect during the 2009-2010 academic yean The largest and most controversial change introduced by Ruscio reduces the Spring Term from six to four weeks and requires students to take one intensive aca- demic course. This downsizes the current . Spring Term, which requires two academic courses. Because students will no longer have to split their time between multiple courses, Ruscio believes the new Spring Term will promote deeper academic ex- ploration and immersion, goals that were initially sought after at the term’s incep- tion. Faculty response to Ruscio’s plan has been largely positive as evidenced by the plan’s passing last week. - 1} Dr. Daniel Kramer of the German De- 7 partment believes the new plan will further strengthen foreign language departments in a meaningful way. He pointed to innovative, immersion- “T he main challenge will be to find a meaningful and . important course of study that can be accomplished in only four weeks. Many col- leges went down the road that we are headed back in the 1970s only to abandon the effort after a few years. ” . Rlchard Bldlack, Associate Professor of History like courses on campus as well as a new four-week study abroad experience, simi- lar to Washington and New York Terms, as areas of growth. Kramer added, “We also think it may lead to good discussions about introduc- ing minors and International Studies at W&L.” The plan also includes a measure to reduce faculty teaching load. Professors will now teach 5.5 courses per year, which means five one year and six the next. This change will make W&L more comparable to other top liberal arts colleges, most of which require faculty teaching loads of 4.5 or five courses a year. Finally, Ruscio’s plan reduces the num- ber of credits students will need to gradu- ate. Currently, students need 115 credits. In 2009, this number will be six credits less, or 109 total credits. Although the new Spring Term will shrink in duration, already-established six-week study abroad programs such as . Washington and New York Terms have been widely endorsed by both faculty and students. Dr. Richard Bidlack of the History De- partment said he looks forward to the op- portunity to work intensively with a small group of students during a four-week term. He said, “Creative options for faculty will increase significantly with students taking only one class. The only schedules See “New plan” on page 2 By Allison Chopin STAFF WRITER College women across the country will be affected by an increase in the cost of prescription contraceptives that they can obtain from their ' campus health centers starting this year. Schools rely on discounts from companies in order to provide inex- pensive birth control to their students. The Deficit Reduction Act was passed in 2005 and went into effect last January. This federal law affects Medicaid discounts for drug companies and makes it difficult for these companies to offer low rates to colleges. At Washington and Lee the increase in cost has caused the health center to stop carrying some brands of contraceptives. “The health center stopped getting [NuvaRing] and couldn’t sell them for $5 anymore. Now I have to get a prescription from the health center and go to the drug store to get NuvaRing,” one female student said. She now pays between $50 and $60 each month. Rates‘ that were about $5 per month last year have now risen to any- where from $12 to $50 per month on some campuses. At the University of Iowa, students are paying $53 per month for Ortho Tri-Cyclen-Lo, a brand name birth control pill. This adds up to $636 spent in one year on contraceptives. Dr. Jane T. Horton, the director of Student Health and Counseling at W&L, explained that two types of birth control pills are currently offered at the health center. Solia, the generic name for Desogen, costs $12 per month. Ortho Tri-Cyclen L0 is $5, but supplies of this brand will soon run out, and that price will rise. The health center does not yet know what the new cost will be. To obtain prescription birth control from the health center, students See “Rising Prices" on page 2 Number of students using birth control 39-40% of undergraduate college women in America Number of visits for contraceptives at W&L 0 2004-05 : 1,037 (visits) and 247 pap tests 2005-06 : 1,043 and 216 pap tests 2006-07 : 892 and I 77 pap tests current cost (per month) of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (brand name birth control) at various cofleges University of Pittsburgh: $42 University of South Florida: $40 University of Arizona: $43.20 University of Iowa: $53 Duke: $46 W&L: currently $5 but will go up MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor ARTS 8: LIFE / page 6 ‘ VOLUME CXI, NUMBER 8 OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_002.2.txt UNNERSFTY LIBRARY WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VA 24450 O 2 0 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 HEW NOV 132007 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 Rising prices ma ke pill harder to obtam Horton and health center work to help students get birth control at affordable prices contlnued from page 1 must make an appointment with one of the doctors. They will un- dergo a women’s health exam and pap test if needed. “We will discuss contracep- tive options and dispense one of the ones we have here at the stu- dent health center if appropriate,” Horton explained. Students can also receive a prescription from the health cen- ter and take it to a pharmacy if the particular contraceptive is not carried by W&L. “In the past, we were able to offer [Ortho Try-Cyclen Lo and Desogen] and the NuvaRing for New plan will start in 2009 continued from page 1 that faculty will have to work around, and this is an important exception, are those of varsity athletes.” ' Although response to the ap- proved plan has been largely positive, as evidenced by the plan’s largely unanimous pass- ing last week, faculty predict there may be significant kinks to work out. Bidlack said, “The main challenge will be to find a mean- ingful and important course of study that can be accomplished in only four weeks. Many col- leges went down the road that we are headed back in the 1970s only to abandon the effort after a few years. But I hope that we are determined enough and suf- ficiently thoughtful to succeed where others have failed.” Dr. John Wielgus of the Biol- ogy Department believes similar difficulties may arise in the sci- ences. He said, “Some disciplines — molecular biology, biochemis- try, neuroscience, and engineer- ing, for example — are already hard-pressed to teach the mini- mum foundational information as is. Some traditional courses predictably will be lost in the new schedule and so will the op- portunity to teach courses funda- mental to\the major in the spring term.” Moreover, Wielgus worries about Ruscio’s plan to reduce the number of courses required for graduation. He said, “The biology major, for example, requires eight cog- nate courses in math, chemistry and physics in addition to at least 34 credits in biology courses. None of these courses can be dropped without jeopardizing our graduates’ ability to remain competitive and gain entrance into top post-graduate programs, and fitting them in over fours years is difficult as is along with FDR requirements.” Overall, however, Wielgus is optimistic. He said, “Despite these chal- lenges, which must be addressed successfully, the new curricular plan will, as President Ruscio noted, help re-establish W&L as a premier liberal arts institution — one that graduates whole peo- ple, who are capable of viewing world problems holistically and eager to contribute to the human enterprise.” $5 per month, but the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 ended our discount contracts about a year ago,” said Horton. The health center no longer offers NuvaRing because of the increased cost. The doctors will also soon be carrying more gener- ic pills rather than brand names. Since the increase in cost for oral contraceptives at W&L has not been extreme, Horton said that most students have not been severely affected. “Students seem to have been able to cope with the increase from $5 to $12 per cycle-—they just may not get as many cycles at a time,” she said. “We can sometimes get free sample packs of pills that we can give a student who really can’t afford the other options.” If students wish to use insur- ance, they can get a prescription from the health center and fill it at a pharmacy instead of purchas- ing it at W&L. Another option is to send a receipt to the insurance company for reimbursement. The price at a drug store will vary, but at CVS Pharmacy, Ortho Tri-Cyclen L0 is $53.99 for a one- month pack without insurance. “We can usually find a contra- ception option that students can afford,” Horton said. According to Time Magazine, @2007 US. Cellular Corporation. even though the law went into effect in January, many campus clinics did not feel the effect of rising costs until the spring or fall because they are now running out of their supplies from last year. Obtaining health insurance to cover the new costs is an option, but health care experts claim that many women choose to pay for their prescriptions on their own because they cannot afford insur- ance or do not want to involve their parents. Thirty-nine percent of fe- male undergraduates used birth control pills in 2006, according to the American College Health Association (ACHA). Others use U.S. Cellular is wireless where you matter most?“ A US. Cellular getusc.com 1-888~BUY-USCC U.S. Cellularf introduces the MOTOROKR”-—a phone and MP3 player in one simple, stytish plug~and-play form. It comes with everything you need to get started right out of the box, along with a 30-Day FREE Napster To Go trial. Which makes it, literally, music to your ears. the patch, the shot, or NuvaRing, which are also affected by rising costs. At W&L in 2005-2006, there were 1,043 visits to the health center to seek birth control, and in 2006-2007, there were 892. One reason for the decrease is that the doctors have begun to provide re- fill prescriptions through e-mail rather than in person. Some students are concerned for their fellow college students who may be putting themselves in danger if they choose not to use birth control because of the cost. “[High costs] will only make young women more vulnerable and more likely to find themselves in bad situations of which they are no longer in control and may ultimately dramatically alter. the lives of those involved, including the innocent child which may be produced,” freshman Kristin Ad- ams said. If students are still concemefi about the cost of birth contro , Horton offered a suggestion. “There is currently a Con- gressional House Resolution under consideration that would restore. . .discount pricing on con- traceptives. I would like to‘en- courage students to contact their representative and encourage them to support this resolution,” Horton said. i— MOTOROKR” 26m 1 U OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_003.2.txt MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007. " THE RING—TUM PHI '3 opinions =¥iHook-ups not gentlemanly acts :ffEveryone does it, but maintain your dignity by avoiding dance floor makeouts 7 3y Joan ogunflmejn are crossed is the subject of gos- .;,—coLuMNIsT Sip- The hook-up culture pervades .. Hook-ups. the student body. Though not ev- ‘, This 5011001 i3 iT1fam011S f0Y eryone is directly involved in it, “these socially ambiguous actions. _ Almost everyone engages in them ._‘,;.and almost everyone has a differ- : [lent definition. After nights of hard partying ligand hard drinking, hookups are ,;,almost always inevitable. As alcohol flows through your i-ilisystem and begins to cloud your ' judgment, you start to feel tipsy. Soon you not only start to lwblackout the memories of your -'3?-irfliight but also your personal 1:;/boundaries. The boundaries are fcrossed, but when and where they we all play a role, whether as by- standers or as gossipers. I will be the first to admit that I enjoy having talks to discuss the latest news in W&L’s “The Young and the Reckless.” Seriously, this school is small and whether we like it or not, we are all heavily involved in each other’s lives. Though I am not trying to raise moral questions about hookups in and of themselves, I am criticiz- ing the hypocrisy that comes the morning after. After the‘deed has been done and the people involved have washed away their doubts of the night, they meet with their friends to discuss the misdeeds of others. They conveniently forget what they themselves have done behind closed doors. It’s almost as if you didn’t do anything at all if you did it behind closed doors. I applaud you for the sensibility to conduct your private business discreetly but this does not change the fact that you have probably engaged in unbecoming acts. You are not a saint. Now, it’s perfectly understand- able why DFMs or DFBs would be the paramount topic of discus- sion the day after a wild Chi Psi late night. I mean, they occur in public, in plain sight of everyone. So I am not, in any way, applaud- ing or condoning public hookups. Even under the influence, they are completely inexcusable. They are grossly inappropriate and quite embarrassing, for both the lustful participants and the lurking viewers. Though everyone is entitled to having a grand, wild time, espe- cially after a long, arduous week, of academics and athletics, there is a point where you must draw the line. Not everyone wants to be invited to your personal party. Remember, this campus is" small! The heart of the matter is that we are all different. We know that some of us oper- Looking past Quiana’s skin color ‘f§§}4pplaud minorities not for their heritage but for real achievements :::;,: By Celeste Cruz-carandang :3_:C0LUMNlST There has been a storm of '3 controversy surrounding Quiana McKenzie’s election as home- coming queen. Rather than the university reacting with a simple and well-deserved congratula- tions, McKenzie’s coronation has warranted the questioning .of diversity on Washington and Lee’s campus. Furthermore, the administra- tion’s and student body’s actions towards the increasing amount of multicultural students has been placed under unnecessary and unjustified scrutiny. This unfair criticism regarding diver- sity leads me to conclude that our progress as a community has been overestimated. Any article meant to congrat- ulate Quiana referred to her as W&L’s first black homecoming queen. By adding “first black,” Quiana is separated from the rest of the past homecoming queens and is onbut a different, not a stems from a tendency to over- complicate the problem. Our community’s goal is to be ac- cepting of all races and cultures. But this acceptance cannot be misconstrued with the acknowl- edgement of different view- points. It must go further than the so-called assimilation of multi- cultural students and address a revolutionized attitude towards those of diverse backgrounds. This new state of mind defines a person by, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Unfortunately, Quiana has been placed in the middle of a politically correct tornado. I find that despite her numerous ac- complishments, she only serves as the faceless poster-child of W&L’s progress towards diversi- ty. It is quite abhorrent that a dis- putation occurs because the only identifiable feature of this poster- child is the color of her skin. I admit that I am also a multi- cultural student. Up until the de- aging attitude towards students such as myself. I am compelled to conclude that W&L has not progressed as far as previously thought. We still cannot get past race and see the actual person. This pedantry has manifested itself in a different way. Rather than condemning the multicul- tural student body, W&L con- gratulates us. But these congrat- ulations are not for our grades or accolades or for our sense of integrity and honor. Rather, we are congratulated because we are black, we are Asian, we are Hispanic, or we are different. While we are ex- tremely proud of our heritage, we do not want do be identified by the deeds of our ancestors. Quiana is homecoming queen. Yet, with the addition of one word, “black” or perhaps even two, “African-American,” Quiana gets lost and is buried under the rubble of political-cor- rectness and a slow progression towards true diversity. « This article is not meant as a simple commentary or rant to- wards the state of mind on this campus. Instead, this is supposed to act as a catalyst for a change in this mindset. Do not congratulate us because we were born a differ- ent color than most. Commend us because we excel in academ- ics and athletics, but praise un- der the same circumstances you would applaud a white student. I contend that diversity does not simply encompass cultural differences, but must also rec- ognize the diversity of thought. The expansion of this definition "inspires students to see them- selves not as multicultural or as white, but simply see themselves as students, united under one stu- dent body. I concede that we all come from different backgrounds, some more similar than others. But diversity and acceptance is not rooted in the celebration of similarities. It comes from a cel- ebration of differences. So I want to say what has not been officially said: Congratula- tions, Quiana. You exemplify and you are the title of homecoming queen. ate under a different value system than most but we should build on the fact that we are a community. We should support rather than condemn our fellow students. If someone is doing something in- appropriate, let them know, or at least let one of your mutual friends know. The person might simply not know any better. So while we gossip and giggle about the bad life decisions of others, let’s not feel morally su- perior to our peers. Don’t feel any better because under intensely intoxicated cir- cumstances you might have done the same thing. But we’ve never stop to ask ourselves if we did the right thing. For a school with so many honorable traditions, it seems our honor doesn’t translate to parties on the weekends. Sure we don’t lie, cheat or steal but what else constitutes honor? Our school was founded on Robert E. Lee’s principle that we have but one rule; to act as a gentleman or a lady. Does making out on the dance floor constitute acting as a gentleman or a lady? Or how about hooking up with someone you just met? Our honor should not only ap- ply to academics, it should tran- scend all aspects of our lives. Maintain your dignity. Maintain your honor. Respect yourself. 3' . saw, a 2 l’1i1"IAL CAR Olsen & TIN 'i“mr CAFE Order from our complete menu Or 395:: rwjkzr one tgfozr1'.«4Ll. Y(}UC1~1NE.4TBuj}fets! Friday Night Seafood Buffet with Crab Legs 5pm-10pm Saturday Night Prime Rib Dinner 5pm~10pm Sunday Baked Chicken, Pork Loin, 8. Pot Roast 11am-9pm Friday 8. Saturday Late Night Breakfast Bar iClpm~2am Breakfast Bar 7 Days a Week Sam-1 tam Daily Hot Country Bar iiarn-‘ifipm {Deity Soup, Saied, 8. Fruit Bar item-“ltlpm {Jrder Breakfzist 24 Piours a day, 7 days a weeki Harrie Cooked zieieais & Srmtheri: Hospitrrfity.’ l...ocate:l at LEE HI mm PINE Hi} I-64. i3L..\;§i I95, 25l6-?"~i(}t'il'i i..c.'.e E-iwyw l.exingl.on_, VA 540-463-3478 Sweat food :3: :1 great caliectian of ‘ Antique Pedal Cars :3: Tin Toysi .~l ,f t" h h d - . . . .s:‘1:er oomgt an er pre 6065 velopment of this s1tuation,Ihad Perhaps this dispute Simply yet to find evidence of a dam- ........................................................... .. WASHWGTQNANDLEEUNWERSITY THE RING—TUM PHI. MANAGING EDITOR JACOB GEIGER NEWS EDITOR JESSICA SHAW ASST. NEWS EDITOR GRACE WANG OPINIONS EDITOR STACEY GRIJALVA ARTS&L|FE EDITOR SACHA RAAB SPORTS EDITOR MICHAEL KEENAN . COPY EDITOR CATHERINE CARLOCK ASST. COPY EDITORS WILL DORRANCE ANDY RUBIN KATHIE SCOTT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CODY BEAUCHAMP ALLISON CHOPIN KEVIN CORN CELESTE CRUZ- CARANDANG BRIAN DEVINE JOAN OGUNTIMEIN JESS STEINMETZ CHRIS TUTOR DESIGN EDITOR LARA JORDAN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS MANAGER DISTRIBUTION MNGR. ADMINISTRATIVE ASST. LENORA NUNNLEY CHARLES PERSONS STROCK MOORE 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 TELEPHONE: (540) 458-4060 FAX: (540) 458-4059 EMAIL: PHl@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 editorial Endless Spring Possibilities Ruscio gets it right with his quick action on Spring Term, but don ’t change policies to aflect students ’social lives After a fall of discussion and debate, Pres- ident Ken Ruscio and the faculty made the right decision on Spring Term. By an overwhelming majority the faculty approved a new four week term, where stu- dents will take one intensive class. The plan covers more than Spring Term, of course. Ruscio says this proposal will help W&L lead a discussion about liberal arts education in America. We know some students are disappointed that they’ll lose two weeks of tubing, Goshen trips and volleyball in the frat front yard. Still, four weeks of Spring Term are better than no Spring Term. But Ruscio was right when he insisted that the current Spring Term could not survive. We simply don’t have enough professors to make students take two classes. And there is no indication that a signifi- cant students are willing to go abroad each spring. That’s why Ruscio’s plan is the best com- promise. It protects Spring Term for posterity and makes the term an economic reality. And if faculty really do design new class- es rather than just condensing an old sylla- bus, then Spring Term may be better than it is now. The possibilities are literally endless. Art History classes that take field trips to Washington, D.C. and New York. Civil War classes that travel across Vir- ginia and up to Gettysburg or down to Vicks- burg. Not only is the new plan a great way to protect Spring Term down the road, we also like the way Ruscio handled the debate over this new proposal. Other discussions have dragged on for a year or even 18 months. This year the faculty voted less than two months after the initial proposal. Sure, the faculty may have wanted more time to study the plan and consider its long- term implications, but we needed direction and change immediately, not a year down the needs to fix. The requirement that students take two classes this spring needs to be dropped. Why was this measure introduced? Because faculty felt that we weren’t get- ting enough of an academic challenge. Oh, and because they think we party too much all spring. Memo to the faculty: keeping us ofl‘ the river on Tuesday afternoons is not a good reason to tweak academic requirements. If faculty really do design new classes rather than just con- densing an old syllabus, then Spring Term may be better than it is now. The possibilities are literally endless. Art History classes that take field trips to Washington, D. C. and New York. Civil War classes that travel across Virginia and up to Gettysburg or down to Vicksburg. road. Shortening the period for discussion may also have helped keep the debate civil, some- thing that hasn’t always occurred in past Spring Term discussions. Now the faculty on both sides of the de- bate need to come together, put aside their disagreements, and prepare for this plan so it can hit the ground running in April 2010. There’s still one more thing the faculty You focus on academic life; let us and the Dean of Students worry about everything else. In any case, Ruscio has won a major vic- tory with this plan. Students should be excited that future generations will get to enjoy the same Spring Term experience we have. OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_004.2.txt THE RING-TUM PHI -4 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 pinions editor IM football obliterated Rule changes hard to enforce, fail to benefit anyone, and ruin the integrity of the game Editor: I am 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weigh 135 pounds. If anyone stands to benefit from the new rules governing IM flag football, it’s me. Under the new rules prohibit- ing contact, I do not run the risk of broken bones or other bodily harm from contact with another competi- tor. Under the new rules, I should be perfectly happy with my IM experience. Yeah. Right. What are these new rules designed to do? As far as my team and I can tell, the purpose of these new rules is to eliminate the integrity of the game. What we are playing on the turf field can hardly be called football. If we wanted to run around on the turf field without touching anyone or hitting anyone, All I hear are excuses Website sells fake notes for $25 to avoid work or classes By Jess Steinmetz CO LU M NIST I remember classmates having the most ri- diculous excuses in school for not doing their homework. “My dog ate it” was one that al- ways came up from one not-so-bashful third grader. , As I entered high school, I met people who came up with more creative excuses and actu- ally used their parents to sign their fake excuse notes. They would claim their child had been sick the night before, the intemet was down so they could not finish the research for the gov- ernment term paper, or their cable was broken so they could not watch Spanish television or the news. Others would go even beyond making ex- cuses and straight out lie by verifying that their child had completed the required number of service hours that they knew their teenager was just too lazy to complete. I never understood that. Why would a parent sign a note that lied to the teacher of his or her child? I was due for a real shock when I heard about www.myex- cusedabsence.com. Can you imagine making money by giving people excuses to get off work? Darl Waterhouse and John Liddell do exactly that. Their website charges custom- ers $25 for excuse notes to get outof work or class. “Dr. Sicknote” sells templates with fake notes intended to fool professors or employers. Customers simply type in their name and any applicable personalized information such as Dr. Sicknote sells templates with fake notes tofoolprofes— sors or employers. After press- ing print, they receive what looks like a genuine document. the doctor’s name and business address. After pressing print, they receive what looks like a genuine document. The excuses sold include a visit to the doc- tor or dentist, emergency room, jury duty, and funeral service. They will even sell a funeral service program with names of pallbearers and poems to honor the dead. Seriously, how sick can you be? It is bad enough someone would pay to lie to their boss, but why in the world would you make up a death and show fake evi- dence to ‘prove it’? The website actually features a picture of someone skiing with the following quote as background text: “Yea, grandma’s death came as such a shock to the whole family, and we all really appreciate you’re being so understand- ing.” Is this really what the world is coming to? The website of course claims it is for enter- tainment use only. If this is true, why would it sell a funeral service program? How depraved would someone have to be to pay $25 to receive a funeral service program as a joke? I think that person would have to be about as depraved as someone who would actually use it to get time off work. Additionally, one of the founders stated in an interview that “if employers would treat people the way they need to be treated, people wouldn’t be using these notes.” If this was all an elaborate joke, why would the founder say this in an interview? Naturally, the owners refused to reveal the amount of money that their sick enterprise earns but stated that each month the website has approximately 15,000 hits. Hopefully, the vast majority of these are from people like me who cannot believe such a business would even we would do that, and call it — I don’t even know what we’d call it — running around on the turf field like fools, maybe. It’s the newest sensation that’s sweeping the nation! Perhaps there’s some other purpose that we don’t know about. Apparently the winners of the league get to go to Maryland over Thanksgiving Break and play in the regional flag football championships. Apparent- ly, they play this emasculated version of “football” at these “championships.” If I had a choice between going to Maryland to play “football” for Thanksgiving and going home for Thanksgiving and being with my family, I believe I’d choose my family. In fact, I’d choose my family over real football. What’s worse, the officials can’t enforce these rules. They’re trying their best, but there is such irrita- tion about the rules amongst the teams that whenever anyone is touched on the field and no flag is forthcom- ing, a whining starts up the likes of which haven’t been heard since the Israelites traversed the Sinai. It honestly sounds like a couple of 8-year-olds in the back of a car. “DAAAD! He touched me!” “Yeah, well, she touched me first!” “Yeah, well, he looked at me funny!” And the poor person who has to be the adult in this situation, the official, has no recourse but to finally shout the equivalent of “If I have to stop this car, God help you both!” They don’t get paid enough to stand out in the cold and put up with our crap, crap that wouldn’t be forthcoming had it not been for the ridiculousness of these rules. Nevertheless, we whine at the officials. Why? Frus- tration in football is meant to be taken out by hitting someone on the field. Frustration will come out, and since it won’t come out on the line of scrimmage, it comes out of competitors’ mouths toward the unde- serving officials. The IM office fails to understand that it is subject to the free market. IM flag football is a product that caters to two markets. The first market is people looking to play football. The second market is people looking to make an extra buck by officiating. The first market is surely irritated with the prod- uct, and I have heard the “news on the street” that the groups that participate in flag football will set up their own alternative product next year, if the rules package is not reversed. The second market is being infected with the irrita- Lion of the first market. lfl were an oilicrui, and l l.;~.d to deal with the whining teams, I wouldn’t do it beyond first night. Suddenly, IM flag for‘-tbill is without players and without officials. When the IM office decided to stick its hand in the machinery, we ended up with a product 1000 times worse than before. I challenge the IM office to give me a good reason why the rules were changed. Getting the opportunity to go to Maryland over Thanksgiving Break does not count. If the IM office cannot produce that reason, then it would be wise of it to reverse the rules package for next season. Otherwise, IM flag football is dead at W&L. In Miller High Life beer commercials, a delivery- man for Miller High Life enters establishments that he feels are disrespecting the common man by charging eight dollars for a can of tuna or, my personal favorite, eleven-fifty for a hamburger. Because of this affront to society, he removes all the Miller High Life from the establishment and says something to the effect of “l1.50 for a hamburger! You must be crazy! You just lost your right to sell the High Life.” It varies from commercial to commercial. Football without contact? You must be crazy! If the IM office doesn’t at least offer a good explanation (and even that might not be good enough), then I’m afraid that they just lost their right to run the football league. Sincerely, Sam Gilleran, 2011 Rudy’s ‘problem Do not compromise on abortion beliefs‘ By Chris Tutor STAFF WRITER “Gutsy.” “Nuanced.” “Cen- trist.” Such is Rudy Giuliani’s position on abortion proclaimed by many pundits. “America’s Mayor” has repeatedly claimed that he personally opposes abor- tion, but (and it is a big “but”) he also opposes the imposition of his values on other Americans. During the first GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Public Library on May 3, Giuliani stated, “I hate abortion; I would council against it. But as a matter of conscience, I would have to support a woman’s right to choose.” Weeks later, during the party’s June 5 debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, Giuliani declared, “My view on abortion is that it’s wrong but that ultimately, government should not be enforcing that decision on a woman.” Obviously, slavery violates an individual’s right to liberty, one explicitly enshrined in the Dec- laration. However, before the Civil War, many Southerners maintained that it was not the place of abolitionists to impose their values on other Americans. They maintained that individu- als should be allowed to choose whether or not they owned slaves. Today, such a defense would be considered unconscionable. But isn’t that essentially equivalent to the position offered by Giuliani? If one believes that abortion violates an individual’s right to life, he or she should defend that right even if others disagree. Surely, lack of consensus does not nullify the right or preclude the defense of it. Again, this is not a question of the imposition of moral values. It is a question of the protection of unalienable Southerners before the Civil War maintained that individuals should be allowed to choose whether or not they owned slaves. Today, such a defense would be considered unconscionable. Although lauded by many, Giuliani’s position is, simply put, illogical. This is not intended to question his intelligence or char- aeter, only the validity of his po- sition. First, Giuliani states that he hates abortion and that it is wrong. Simultarirw-sly. he ""- gues that the government cannot defend the right to life because of a woman’s right to choose. It is one thing to believe that a fe- tus is not an individual and. thus, does not possess the right to life “endowed by [the] Creator.” That is a completely respectable posi- tion and entails no contradiction. But Giuliani, in his own words and their obvious implications, believes otherwise. Therein lies the problem. This inconsistency is derived from Giuliani’s mistake of con- fusing the imposition of values with the protection of rights. Val- ues (i.e. morals) lack consensus. However, the belief in unalien- able rights and the equality of men enjoys almost complete con- sensus. Most, if not all, Ameri- cans subscribe to such a belief. Indeed, it is the most fundamen- tal unit of our social contract. Surely, Giuliani believes that the government is obligated to pro- tect those rights. Therefore, how can the right to choose supersede the right to life? It is illogical. Let us construct an analogy. rights. In fact, the Declaration states emphatically, “That to se- cure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.” In- deed, it is bold for Giuliani to dis- agree with the anti-abortion base of the Republican Party. It would be bolder for him to stand by his convictions concerning abortion. Senator Charles Sumner, the audacious abolitionist from Mas- sachusetts once noted of the slav- ery issue, “This will not admit of compromise. To be wrong on this is to be wholly wrong. We must defend freedom unreservedly and careless of the consequences.” Sumner chose to fight for the un- alienable rights of slaves, whether it was an imposition on the values of the South or not. He believed that a slave’s right to liberty su- perseded a slaveholder’s right to choose. His position was not popular. It was not nuanced. It was certainly not centrist. Thus, it might be popular to ignore the right to life in defer- ence to the right to choose. Giu- liani has received much positive press on his position. But legiti- macy is not conferred by popular- ity, and boldness is not a replace- ment for reason. Giuliani should reconcile his currently conflicting beliefs. Now that would be gutsy. It would also be right. Oil Exchange & Lube 754 North Lee Hwy. Across from Tractor Supply 540-463-5020 Save $1.00 — Show W&L ID T'Em_ber "Ridge _..d_L_u.tu Center Eff: E ‘v’a3Ee}=“ itike .l.e;x;iiigton, '\.==’;’\ Z4450 :54o}4as-iaa7 r3f§E C 9 ~ £3 .H¥‘J%{3l.r‘%f’s°':8 E-7ar'eig_‘ii and E}a:niiest'ie Repai.r°s ffliil £)i”ti§[§§_=_~‘.‘,t3 anti. .l;.tzhs;:?.. A.-"=t'f.7_, {.‘oitigiLttr;;.-r’ l;'}=izi;.¢;iir>stér:-s. ’§\z£in.o‘r" and lv§ia§ti.i‘ girie E?.epaiii, lE3:'a.i-aes, Fae? it’-§j%;3t‘2‘§§t§.3l"i Service, "ll!F€lI'§$1T}l&t?§(}'tVt. Serv-ice, C£.“rIL}.iE1:3‘“£l. §*7§t1sli, l‘vlitia;?t' amt ?\2i:.-ijm‘ 'Ti.ri‘:i;-*». v----ups. We can giwvirive §"actor3«' auilioriézetl 7tl:‘3.2ll31l’€IE-Eiitsziti WEtEt.0Ltt veitziirzg }"‘i3L%.§’ rii2*:t:t2faetu.z‘e’s t-s.~‘ar:‘;-“stage. Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors: The Summer Experience Thursday, November 29"‘ 7-8 pm Commons Theater For information about _ internships, research opportunities, and summer employment. VVASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY CAREERSERVICES OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_005.2.txt MONDAY, NOTEMBER 12, 2007 THE RlNG~TUM PHI ' 5 arts&|ife a smallerverszon ofFancy Dress with a slightly erbualget --ago way to get students pumped ‘ I for2007Mock Convention in Jammy COURT ; This past Friday, students flocked to Evans Dining Hall for a mini Fancy Dress-style Gala celebrating this year's Mock convention. Considering this event only occurs Q : once every four years, there was considerable hype for the dance. Because of maximum occupany mandated by Evans, only 1,000 tickets went on sale. As a result, stu- I dents rushed to get in line as soon as tickets went on sale in the Commons this past Wednesday. For $35.00, they received a ticket, a Mock Convention tumbler, a W&L shaker and a chocolate bar. Students still have more to look forward to with speakers, float construction, and, of course, the actual Convention itself in January. TOA D S PLACE Where The Legends Play rmnn EYE BLIND @j\ TONIT: with Matt White... .11I12 BraverylIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII11!16 *StrayIight Run *conshafler wl Sludge from y101 , Streetlight Manifesto.........................11/18 . *Suburban Legends *The Stitch Up The Hold Steady with Art Brut.................11/19 *1990s Regina Spektor.................................11I20 *0nIy Son Hot Topic Presents: Avenged Sevenfold. . . . ....11I21 *operator *The confession *Blaek Tide Y101Snowbal|.................................11/29 *Paramore *Silversun Pickups *Anny of ME Little Brother.....................................12/5 *Evidence *D. Folks & The Movement cAKE’s Unlimited Sunshine Festival........12l9 *Detroit Cobras *0akley Hall *King city *Agent Ribbons Boyzll 0 Toad’s Place New Year’s Eve Party with carbon Leaf *speeial guests: Me And Her Wu-Tang clan...................................1I18 www.ToadsPlaceRVA.com 804-648-TOAD (8623) 140Virginia St. I Richmond, VA I 23219 Redford disappoints Lions for Lambs both title and impression of new film By Cody Beauchamp STAFF WRITER Robert Redford usually makes good films. Sure, Redford films are typi- cally on the subdued side — you won’t get action-packed thrill- ers or over the top performances with Sundance behind the lens. For that matter, many of his movies are just the opposite of loud. The Horse Whisperer or A River Runs Through It are practi- cally case studies in great movies that require very little dialogue. Maybe that’s why Lions for Lambs, Redford’s latest, might seem a little out of its element- it’s a “talky” film. No, seriously, the whole thing feels like a lec- ture. The movie essentially follows three different plot lines, occur- ring more or less concurrently across the globe. At an unnamed California university, Redford’s college pro- fessor is attempting to motivate a talented and bright but lazy stu- dent. Professor Redford’s mo- tivation stems from the fact that he had earlier inspired two other talented students (Derek Luke & Michael Pefia) into enlisting in the US Army to do some good in Afghanistan. Enter the second plot line — Pefia and Luke’s soldiers fall out of their under-fire helicopter and are stranded in the Afghani mountains. The Taliban are clos- ing in quickly. Things aren’t too chipper. Meanwhile, back in D.C., Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise, of all people) is trying to sell reporter Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) on a new military strate- gy for Afghanistan. Irving, inci- dentally, is a Republican favorite to run for the Presidency. Given the three stqry lines, the movie starts with definite zeal and interesting scenes. The three plots have great potential of inter- I twining and informing each other in breathtaking, thrilling twists. But, after about 30 minutes, the audience realizes that’s prob- ably not going to happen. Strap yourself in folks, you’ve got a lot of talking to listen to. It’s not that Redford, Streep, Cruise, Pefia and Luke don’t try— valiantly. Streep flexes every Os- car-winning muscle she can think of to infuse her reporter character with more than one dimension. Alas, even she falls short, leaving us with the image of Meryl Streep sitting, scribbling on a note-pad factthat he spends most of the film simply talking. A college professor is expected to lecture, so his performance fits. But be- cause it is just a lecture, it’s not what most would call compel- ling. That, more than anything, is the film’s flaw—~nothing hap- pens. Allthe technical elements that support the script and perfor- mances are fine. It is the script that is the problem. It’s just so damn. . .talky. Filming an office-hours debate in the C-school on Bush’s foreign policy would have just about as much plot momentum. There would be compelling ideas, sure, “That, more than anything, is the film sflaw— nothing happens...Fz'lming an ofiice—hours de- bate in the C-school on Bush 3 foreign policy would have just about as much plot momen- J) tum. Cody Beauchamp, Staff Writer and clucking at Cruise—a pretty bland reporter. Cruise also looks trapped in first gear. Jasper Irving, as the earnest politician who believes he’s doing the right thing (and probably isn’t), could have been one of the great characters of this year, ‘a case study of what it’s like to be a Bush, a Cheney, or a Rumsfeld. Instead, the audience gets a performance from Cruise that he apparently wasn’t fully committed to. He pretends to be the Bushian Republican, but he won’t let you forget that he’s only pretending. He doesn’t want to completely give in to the role. Redford, however, acts well and creates the most multi-di- mensional character in the film. Yet, his acting can’t change the but not compelling filmmaking. It’s a shame. The film’s title comes from a quote attributed to a German soldier during World War I. The soldier was praising the courage of his British Army opponents, saying that their courage, valor and bravery only made their of- ficers’ disastrous waste of their lives more horrible. It was lions being led by lambs. In many ways, Redford aptly named his film—for all potential and promise the film’s concept presented, its script criminally wasted it. Redford’s directorial skill, a cast chocked to the rafters with talent, poignant timing—it’s all cinematic lions for lambs. OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_006.2.txt 6 ' THE RING-TUM PHI ° MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 arts&life O I MICHAEL KEENAN/ Sports Editor . Tents outside of the Wllllams School and the commons show students’ awareness and concern for the hunger and homelessness problem that plagues the nation. Week of razsm g awareness brmgs everythm g from lectures to tent czly on campus By Celeste cmbcarandang lelntist, Rebecca Blafnk, will give tigioufs poslitions fit the hUniver- how the current hforms of mea- Dependence on this line pre— measurement of poverty. STAFF wn HER er interpretation 0 these stories sity o Mic igan, om w ich she surement fail to s ow the gravity vents Americans from seeing the Blank contends that the United in a lecture entitled “Improving is on leave this year. She is the and immensity of the problem. extent of the problem, Blank ar— States’ view of poverty is depen- Eniett O’Brien has a perfectly Poverty Measurements in the Henry Carter Adams Collegiate Interestingly enough, the United gues. The line has no way of dis- dent on a standard. In the same niee room in Davis Ha11_ United States.” Professor of Public Policy as playing data related to the depth way that Blank wants the United ’ But he 1eft the Comfort of his Blank received her BS. in well as a professor of economics. “R I h I of those in poverty nor how long States to expand its views, her room iast week and spent severe] economics from the Univer- Blank also served as the co-direc— ea Ome ess pea‘ they have been in poverty. lecture inspires the expansion of nights eainping in front of the sity of Minnesota. Upon further tor of the National Poverty Cen- le don It have Slee _ Furthermore, Blank will con- minds. As unique a microcosm wiiiiatns school and ceininens, study, she received her Ph.D. in ter at the Ford School at Michi- p p tend that the data going into the as W&L is, our small world is 0nMenday,Q’}3iien’s yeiiew the same field from Massachu- gan. From 1999-2007, Professor ing bags and tents, construction of this line is inaccu- willing to go past the acceptance tent eat aiene andfol-101-n, Bnthy setts Institute of Technology. Blank was also the Dean at the rate in and of itself. This number of the entire world’s problems. Friday, other tents had sprung up Blank is the author and editor of Ford School. They m jgh 1‘ only have is multiplied by a factor of three Even more admirable is the fact next to his in a Show of support, several books addressing the is— She was also a member of the in order to obtain the family’s ac- that our education encourages us O’Brien says he eatne up with sue of poverty and its measure- President’s Council of Economic blankets. ” tual income. to act as the leaders of tomorrow the idea ofsleepjng out while sit- ments. Her works include “It Advisers. The lecture will take However, this method has and solve today’s problems. ting in 3 Nabers service League Takes a Nation: A New Agenda place on Monday, Nov. 12 at 7 James Dlck camper not been adjusted for changes While Blank will provide . meeting for Fighting Poverty,” along with p.m. in Northen Auditorium in ’ in spending pattern since 1965, an academic view of poverty, “1 brought it up at Nahets as “Working and Poor: How Eco— Leyburn Library. Blank will dis- when many non-cash assistance O’Brien’s gesture drew a more an idea,” he said_ “Everyone said, nomic. and Policy Changes are cuss how this country can more programs were still small. The visceral reaction. ‘Yeah, that’s a great idea, but no- Affecting Low Wage Workers.” accurately measure poverty and States is the only country with a lecture will present B1ank’s so1u- “It got people thinking about bedy’s ever been wining to do it Blank also held several pres- the depth of it. Blank will address standardized poverty line. tions for the problems with the the issue,” O’Brien said. before.” 3,233 And O’Brien said that while . NH temperatures hita low of28 de- U.S homeless estimates by state grees on Wednesday night, he I 927 wasn’t too cold. 0 VT “Because of the sleeping bag *’ I got from the Outing Club, I was 1343 655 2775 OK”, he Said" f 16,221 MT ND 7,313 ME 14 739 ‘ Sophomore James Dick OR _ MN “gm camped out with O’Brien on 5:424 §—.‘*‘-- 1 029 5,773 Tuesday, Nov. 6. 'D 487 'sD Wl 26,124 61,094 , After hearing what O’Brien WY M1 "Y 6.866 ‘ was doing, Dick got a tent from 8,130 15,298 5,357 m the Outing Club and set it up on ‘$332 3,350 IA 16,165 PA 19,385“ the“gLra:S' f 1 t d d 170370 21 730 NE 16:99 gliiiw 0” 522 N’ o s o peop e s oppe an CA , , asked, ‘What are you doing?’” 5° 5,273 7,135 4934 109146 r9l9)513:8 Dick said. “But some people KS M0 ’ . ’ were confused because they \ KY 10,755 5'5"’ pointed out that homeless people 12,254 4,869 819,36 NC Dc wouldn’t have tents.” AZ 5.256 OK 5,626 7 958 The low temperature in Lex- NM AR EC ington was 30 degrees that night. 4,73, 27,151 . Dick said the number doesn’t do 43 630 1,652 AL G the cold justice. .;.x 5'35 M5 “It was absolutely freezing,” he said. “But it enhanced the ex- °‘ perience to see what it’s like to ~»«- not be totally warm. Real home- 60,357 less people don’t have sleeping 2,749 FL bags and tents. They might only AK D 5-943 have blankets.” Q "I The tent city was just one in a string of events scheduled last A week by Contact, Campus Kitch- ens3:dNI:?11g:t :(,))r,;I,u:::11.1;y'SC,_ LARA JORDAN/ Design Editor . Spring Break 2008- L - A- 1H -tl ForRent2008-9 Sell Trips. Earn Cash exmgton mma Ospl a 2BR,2BAHouse at 114 N. a n C! G o F ree - Call fo r Welcomes You and Your Pet!! Randolph $1200 _ group discounts. Best 0 , L3 e 3 ' S_ G U a("3aa“nt e e d 9 20 A 0153 Olgfirz? 2BR Apartment at 112 N. a r'n a I C a C u n - - 1 - ’ ’ zszt wzt t 15 a , Randol h $800 [A68 p [J I CC) ’ B 8 I“. 8 r‘_r1 8 S ’ Nefllients only/limit one per visit. Expires 06/30/2008 P 3- Padres F'Or'da- Largelsuiteapartmentat 8OO_848_4 (3 r DI‘. Sheryl H. Carls 7w,McD0well $900 vvwvv- ststravel . corn . 28 B01198 P1309 LeX1I1gt0D, VA 540-453-2715, Call 463 2521 . OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_007.2.txt Q MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 7 0 THE RING-TUM PHI sports MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Goodman scores a layup against VMI in a preseason scrimmage. Baller turned “SAACer” Junior Isaiah Goodman was selected to serve on the NCAA SAAC By Michael Keenan SPORTS EDl_TOR Before this year, Washington and Lee did not have a campus Student—Athlete Advisory Committee, much less a repre- sentative on the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This year, both of those are changing thanks to junior Isaiah Goodman, a business major from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is captain of W&L’s basketball team. “I wanted to join the national SAAC because I thought I could provide valu- able feedback to the NCAA,” said Good- man. “I thought it would be a great expe- rience to meet athletes from around the country and share ideas and thoughts.” Last spring, Goodman was nominated to serve on the national SAAC. “Last spring I was nominated by Ian A Rosman and thought nothing of it until I returned on campus,” said Goodman when asked about the selection process. “We assumed that I had not been select- ed and I was excited to start the campus SAAC. I later received a phone call and was notified that I was a final candidate for the national SAAC.”. The selection process is quite lengthy. After the selections are received, the NCAA committee ‘administration staff compiles the nominee information and forwards it to the Division III SAAC for review. Then the Division III SAAC forwards its recommendations to the Nominating Committee for approval. Afterward, the Nominating Commit- tee forwards the recommendation to the Management Council for approval and to the President’s Council for ratifica- tion. Finally, appointees are notified by the committee administration staff and are provided NCAA travel policies and access to the online Committee Appoint- ment Acceptance Form. Goodman represents the Old Do- minion Athletic Conference and Middle Atlantic States Conference as one of 22 members of the NCAA SAAC. He will serve until his term concludes in Sep- tember 2010. As a member of the national SAAC, Goodman will offer his perspective on a number of issues in Division III athletics, including rules, regulations and policies. “The national SAAC serves as sort ‘of a funnel for the student-athlete opinions from each institution. 1 will attend three national meetings thoughout the year, and I will continually provide feedback to all channels about any surveys, legis- lation or issues that come about.” In addition to serving on the national committee, Goodman is also playing an active role in the creation of the SAAC here on campus. “For several years W&L has used SAMs in order to perform the typi- cal duties a campus SAAC would do,” said Goodman. “It worked well until the NCAA required all institutions to have a campus SAAC. So, we’ve had one for a while, but now we have the official title, and the Campus SAAC will specialize in its duties, and the SAMS will specialize in their areas of interest.” Goodman is one of the inaugural committee members here on campus that will help shape its mission. He cur- rently serves as the chair of the constitu- tion committee that is working to lay the framework for the future. His vision for the committee is far reaching. ( “I hope to establish SAAC as a legiti- mate organization on campus. It is not just another resume builder, it can actu- ally enhance the lives of student-athletes at W&L. I would like to see SAAC get W&L athletics more involved in com- munity service efforts and promote events and activities that have not been traditionally done on campus.” “I think it is very special to be able to participate in the National SAAC and bring that experience back to a newly formed campus SAAC.” continued from page 8 Women sweep ODACODBHBI O 'sivanipllGetl)2sblarg, winning“ nine of 11 results behind a 0ne—tw0- three Sweep in the 400 medley relay ning relays. All told, twelve different swimmers finished the meet with at least one first place finish. ' On Saturday, the women crusied to another victory against an overmatched Bryn Mawr College team winning 89-6. Gettys- burg, however, proved to be much more of a challenge. Gettysburg jumped out to a fast start, winning the first eight events before junior Lindsey Strachan took first in the 200 back- stroke in a time of 2: 13.39. Strachan also teamed up with Miata, junior Susan Mahoney, and sophomore Jenna Worsham to take second in the 400 medley relay. The men had just one meet this week, facing Gettysburg on Saturday, but made the most of it by winning nine of 11 events, including both relays and the first four events of the contest. It was another total team effort with no swimmer tallying more than one individual victory. , The opening event, the 400 medley relay, was a strong indica- tion of things to come when the Generals swept first, second, and third place, giving them a 17-0 lead after the first event. The team of senior Even Fitzgeral, sophomores, lan Childers and Brandon Bamds, and freshman Brandon Wilder won in a time of 3:45.03. Wilder held off a late charge by senior Alex Sweet who swam the anchor leg for the second place relay, winning by less than six tenths of a second. In the 400 free relay the team of senior Joe Steiner, fresh- man Ryan Elsey, sophomore Nick Talluri, and Sweet came from behind to win the final event of the day. Sweet, swimming the anchor leg, entered the pool over two seconds behind Gettys- burg’s Adam Taft but completed the leg in 46.74 seconds to win the event by less than three tenths of a second. It was an espe- cially satisfying victory because earlier in the meet, Taft had out touched Sweet in the 200 backstroke by the same margin to win that event. The women improved to 4-3, including 2-0 in conference, with their performances this week while the men continued their undefeated season, improving to 4-0. Both teams return to action next Saturday when they travel to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to take on host Carnegie Mellon, Rochester, and Franklin and Marshall at 1:00 p.m. 7, for The men’s team is comlhgiotfjot a‘n.eightl} place ‘finish in last yea r’s§lNc}§A nationats.° , ' The men are off to a start this season. . 3°“°“- w A, ' *~ I-‘reshnien Tessli_ayden,a{nd Jaekieismithhave 7 made Immediate inrpactsiforjthe women. A ll-layden and .team9€$iiyrith lkmy limbertsdn V and Katie 3oli,ee tovyrgjnithe zooms retay inf ’ L » it .1 the ODAC opener. »‘ A I ' v 7 The womengaretofftojta 2~0{start_ii1ic6nterenoe Football closes year with loss in Pittsburgh Team» finishes year at-2.5-3’-"While compiling a 4-2 mark in ODA C play By Brian Devine STAFF EDITOR This was supposed to be the season. All the pieces seemed to be in place. A young and tal- ented quarterback who gained valuable experience when thrust into the starting role in his freshman year. A bruising every-down running back to wear down opposing defenses. A smothering pass defense to hold off opponents’ come- backs. Despite the early-season promise, this football season was a disappointment, marred by inconsistency and failure to execute on the road and in big games. The Washington and Lee Generals turned in what the Europeans call “a yo-yo cam- paign” -- up and down, losses following wins, no consistency. Picked second in the Old Do- minion Athletic Conference by its coaches and ranked 25th in the nation by D3football.com in the preseason, the Boys in Blue failed to live up to expectations, finishing third in a vastly im- proved conference. Last season the Generals did just what they needed to do, losing only once in the confer- ence — at defending champions Bridgewater — and inspired a revival of fan support that had lagged for at least a decade. The conference’s traditional pow- ers, Hampden-Sydney and Ran- dolph-Macon, finished fourth and last, respectively, in the fi- nal table. To put it simply, they’re back. The two faced off on Sat- urday in the 113th edition of “The Game” — a winner take all match that handed the confer- ence title to the visiting H-SC Tigers. On the same day, W&L, fin- ished with its conference sched- ule and mathematically incapa- ble of winning the title, lost to Camegie-Mellon 39-21 in Pitts- burgh. It marked the first time the squads have met since 1960 and just the third time overall. MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor The Generals celebrate the final first down in the history of Wilson Field against Bridgewater. The gutsy call to go for it on fourth down rather than punting paid dividends as the Generals got the first, allowing them to kneel down to run out the rest of the clock, sealing their 17-14 victory over Bridge- water. The game served as an oddly appropriate cap to the Gener- als’ season as it gave the team . the chance both to look towards the future and to send off its senior class. Freshman Patrick Rouse received the lion’s share of the snaps from the quarter- back position, replacing sopho- more R.J. Vamer in the second quarter. Rouse showed promise (117 yards, one touchdown) but also the need for his continued development (three intercep- tions). Aside from Rouse, the squad looked to its departing senior class for leadership. The class’s overall four-year record now stands at 26-14, tied for the third-best four-year record in the program’s history. One senior made an espe- cially significant contribution in Pittsburgh. Fan favorite wide receiver Jack Martin, who was averaging just over five catches per game this season, snagged eleven passes to bring his career total to 167, a school record. Martin surpassed another fan favorite, 2007 graduate Colton Ward, who totaled 161. With his 108 yards receiving and one touchdown on the day, “J -Mart” will also graduate as the Gener- als’ all-tirne leader in receiving yards (2,953) and touchdowns (23) and is certainly one of the finest football players to ever wear the Blue and White. The Generals defense, re- turning nine starters from last year, seemed poised to dominate opposing offenses. At times the squad played at their potential, shutting down Guilford quarter- back Josh Vogelbach, already among D-I1I’s all time most productive QBs with a year left to play. At times they looked like a sieve, allowing 45 points at Hampden-Sydney. Safety Kyle Luby, another senior, de- servedly won the team’s annual Falcon Award, honoring former Coach Gary Fallon, finishing the season with a team-high 84 tackles. Luby and five other seniors will graduate as the pil- lars of a defense that showed flashes of brilliance but did not improve on pace with the rest of the ODAC. What, then, can we take away from the 2007 season? Ultimately it is that W&L has a short memory. Just five years ago a third place finish and a fourth consecutive winning re- cord would have been cause for celebration. But last season’s title and the accompanying expectations for this season set the Blue and White up for disappointment. Had the Generals beaten Hampden-Sydney four weeks ago they would be sharing in the ODAC title right now. In- stead, the lasting image of this season will be bulldozers on Wilson Field, a stadium that needs a serious upgrade. Perhaps as we rebuild our program’s longtime home, the Boys in Blue will rebuild them- selves into a more consistently competitive side. To challenge the conference’s new power- houses, as they say, all the piec- es will have to fall into place. OCR::/Vol_111/WLURG39_RTP_20071112/WLURG39_RTP_20071112_008.2.txt MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12,2007 8 ° THE RING-TUM PHI sports Tues WED Tr-runs FRI SAT Drew Drew askflbau 3:00 p,m_ Tournament at a'§’2i'.'I.‘i'»};‘u ""°""“ 1:00 pm. at Mon.‘ carnegle swlmmlng Mellon; vs. Rochester & Franklln wonwnvs & Marshall Swlmmlnz 1:oo p.m. aT Vllrestllng Ursmus lnvlte :30 am. at ' Women's NcAA xc Nationals at lMen’s xc NCAA Nationals numbers 167 Career receptions for seniorJack Martin. Martin had 11 receptions in Saturday’s game against Carnegie Mellon to move him past Colton Ward's 161 to set the new W&L record. 4 Consecutive winning seasons for the Washington and Lee football team. The Generals have not strung together this many winning sea- sons since they put together six in a row from 1980-1985. 136 Total number of points scored by Navy and North Texas in Navy's 74- 62 victory. The total sets a new record for most points scored in a Football Bowl Subdivision game. The 94-point first half and 63-point second quarter were also records. box “Sometimes when you stand at the line, with your teammates all around you, waiting for the gun to go off, you just know it is going to be a good race. Saturday felt like that.” Junlor Becca Taylor on Saturday's reglon cross country meet “This is something I’ve been trying to accomplish for over two years. Words can’t describe how amazing it feels for all the miles, time, and sacri- fices to pay off in such a big way.” Junlor Mlchael Welsh on qualifying for nationals at Saturday's regional cross country meet “Am I condemning the crew? Hell yeah, I'm con- demning the crew...Unless this can change, the Big 12 Conference needs to take a serious look at having out-of-conference officials officiate the Tex- as Tech-Texas games and perhaps other games where there is proven to be a bias by officiating,” he said. “It's unfortunate and does the bowl pic-- ture enter into it? I don't know. Does the money enter into it? I don't know.” Texas Tech coach Mike Leach suggesting the officials favored Texas after the Longhorns beat the Red Ralders 59-43. ARIE GEORGE / Contributing Photographer ‘ea STACY DOORNBOS / Contributing Photographer STACY DOORNBOS / Contributing Photographer Juniors Michael Welsh and Becca Taylor and sophomore Kat Telfeyan qualified for cross country nationals Then there were three , Women take third, men place third at cross country regionals at CN U By Kevin Corn STAFF WRITER The men’s and women’s cross coun- try teams sprinted through Williamsburg Saturday as they competed in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional meet. The women finished at a strong third out of twenty-eight teams while the men took fourth out of twenty-one teams. The women were once again led by the duo of sophomore Kat Telfeyan and junior Becca Taylor who finished ninth in a time of 23:32 and tenth in a time of23:33, re- spectively. These finishes qualified both Telfeyan and Taylor for Nationals. “Sometimes when you stand at the line, with your teammates all around you, wait- ing for the gun to go off, you just know it is going to be a good race,” said Taylor. “Saturday felt like that.” “I’m very excited to be going Nation- als; it’s a great opportunity to race at that level of competition” commented Telf- eyan. The women also had some very strong runs from junior Elizabeth Webb and freshman Christine Balistreri. Webb crossed the finish line in a time of24:03 to take fourteenth, while Balistreri finished thirty-third with a time of 24:54. These are high rankings considering the field of 186 runners. Telfeyan concluded, “Our team had been looking forward to Regionals all year. We had hoped to beat Trinity for a second place and guaranteed trip to na- tionals, but they raced hard and almost finished first. I was very proud of the team; we had 3 people in the top fifteen, and we blew away Mary Washington and Roanoke, which was nice since we only beat Roanoke by a point at ODACS.” Meanwhile, the men were once again led byjunior Michael Welsh who finished in a stunning fifth place out of 170 run- ners after completing the course in a time of 26:09, and qualifying for Nationals. Ju- nior Vance Berry ran a time of 26:43 to take seventeenth while senior Tom Brow- er finished nineteenth in a time of 26:52. Welsh spoke about making Nation- als, saying, “This is something I’ve been trying to accomplish for over two years. Words can’t describe how amazing it feels for all the miles, time, and sacrifices to pay off in such a big way.” And Welsh’s work has not gone un- noticed by his teammates. “The day... belonged to Michael Welsh. He ran an amazing race to get fifth and qualify for nationals. The team couldn’t be happier for him. There isn’t a more deserving guy out there” commented Brower. Berry went on to say, “Michael Welsh put forth a surreal performance to take fifth place individually. He won’t tell you this himself, but this guy is a stud.” Overall, the team did very well. “Re- gionals was one of the most important meets of the season for us” explained Brower. “We were ranked sixth in the re- gion coming into Saturday, but we knew with the right race we could get fourth or fifth, so this is an outstanding way to end the season. This was our highest finish at Regionals since 2004.” Berry attributes much of the team’s success to the coach. “Immense praise is due [to] our coach John Tucker. I attribute the lion’s share of this team’s success to his calculated training plan and constant encouragement.” Welsh, Telfeyan and Taylor will all au- tomatically compete at the NCAA Cham- pionships on Saturday, which will be hosted by St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Swimming takes four of five . Junior Julia Miata swims her way to victory in the 500 freestyle on Friday night against Sweet Briar College and Emory & Henry. By Michael Keenan SPORTS EDITOR The Washington and Lee men’s and women’s swim teams were back in action this week, winning a combined four of five meets. The women began their ODAC schedule Friday night by defeating Emory & Henry 55-39 and Sweet Briar College 71-12. On Saturday, both teams traveled to Gettysburg, Pa., where the men faced Gettysburg and the women took on both Gettysburg and Bryn Mawr. The women split, defeating Bryn Mawr 89-6 but fall- ing to the hosts 61-33. The men outswam the Bullets on their way to a 104-93 vic- tory. The women were dominant in their first ODAC contest of the season, touch- ing first in ten of the eleven events con- tested Friday night, including both the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay. Junior Julianne Miata led the way for the women winning two events. She out MICHAEL KEENAN / Sports Editor Men take down Gettysburg, women defeat SBC, E&H, and Bryn Mawr O touched Melissa Simpson of Sweet Briar by two hundredths of a second to win 200 IM in a time of 2:20.46 and later won the 500 free in a time of5:46.40,just one sec- ond ahead of sophomore teammate Tara O’Neil. However, the win was a total team effort. Seven different swimmers won individual events for the Generals and four more individuals contributed to win- see “Women" on 7