OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_001.2.txt Parents WeeI_(end survrvalgurde , How to lie to your parents, win their approval and get betterichristmas presents OPINIONS / page 3 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY ' THE RING-TUM PHI. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 VOLUME CXIII, FiVe-Star '' Generals W&L lzostsfirst annual festival for alumni of 50 years or more By Chelsea Stevenson 8 TA F F W R I T E R What do a former D1 scholarship football player, a Pulitzer Prize winner for his book on news media and a 1939 college graduate have in common? Along with 75 other men, these three distinguishable W&L alums were all on campus last week for the first annual Five-Star General alumni festival. This is an honor- ary festival for W&L alums who have previously celebrated their 50th college reunion. During these three days, 75 W&L alums came from all over the country, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, to attend a serious of programs and a concluding dinner in Evans Hall, with students and President Ruscio. One panel in particular was focused on the changes in W&L athletics. W&L alum Bill McHenry, who at- tended W&L on a D1 football scholarship in the 1950’ s and who became the W&L athletic director from 1971-1958 sat on this panel with the current athletic director Janine Hathom and the director who served between their terms. Following this presentation, several alums raved about the new Wilson Stadium. A second outstanding program was presented by Alex Jones, ‘68. Mr. Jones, a current news media and journalism professor at Harvard, is a 1987 Pu- litzer Prize winner. His presentation focused on his current role in media today and his views on serious reporting. The alumni office put a significant amount of planning to make this event happen and to make it stand out among their other alumni events. Executive Director of Alurrmi Affairs Mr. Waller Dudley said the office, “tried to create a very different, custom-made event, and give [it] all the attention we can muster.” Dudley said the alumni office wanted to create a separate festival for the Five—Star Generals because the annual Reunion Weekend in May was becoming too large and too difficult to program for alums rang- ing from 25 to 85 years old. Now, the alumni office hopes to host three reunion weekends a year. The first will continue to be over homecoming, but will be focused on alums from the past ten years, with a special plan to increase the engagement of young alums. This year’s Young Alumni Weekend was a large success, with an attendance passing several hundred. The all-time single class record was also broken this year, with 128 members of the class of 1999 celebrat- ing their tenth-year reunion. Following homecoming will be the Five-Star General Festival, which will be held sometime in the late fall each year. Finally, the traditional Reunion Weekend will still be held in May for alums who are celebrating the years between their tenth and fiftieth reunions. Although very successful, the alumni office cannot complete all of these successful events without the help of W&L students. Kathekon is a group of approximately 50 W&L juniors and seniors who are affiliated with the alumni office. These students also implement the SPEAK tradition at the annual barbecue for first-years. In the alumni office, they are educated on special events and on becoming well-connected alumni so that upon their graduation, they become active in the 90 W&L alumni chapters across the country and in the United Kingdom. Senior Julie Sanders said Kathekon is a way to connect with alums. “I hope to stay connected with the school after I leave, and [Kathekon] is a fun group of people to work with and a way to connect to the professors,” she said. During the F ive-Star General festival, Kathekon members served as greeters to the visiting alums, making them feel comfortable. Sanders said it makes it easier for the alums to know there is a specific group of students they can talk to. Additionally, the Kathekon members played a large role in the transportation of the alums around campus on golf carts, ensuring that they get to and from each planned activity and that they see the parts of campus they want to see. Kathekon member junior Emmy Mathews said she loved her role during the festival. “It was great to meet a lot of alumni and get their insight. It’s surprising how similar their student ex- perience at W&L is to ours,” she said. By Eleanor Kennedy STAFF WRITER Washington and Lee students will soon face a slew of changes in re- gard to winter registration and class times. As students may have noticed while planning their winter term schedules, the registrar no longer lists letters for the times of class. The actual time spans are listed instead, due to the fact that some class times have been altered. ' In addition, students will regis- ter for two classes during the first week of registration, and register for another two the following week. The changes were proposed by the Registration‘ and Class Scheduling Committee and approved by the Uni- versity Registrar and the Faculty Ex- ecutive Committee. Classes are now listed by actual times because certain classes will now only be scheduled for 85-minute blocks. The class time changes stem from the need to use the available space effectively. Many Tuesday/ Thursday classes which are currently scheduled for two,hours only actu- ally take an hour and half. University Registrar Scott Dit- man explained that the change to 85- minute classes is necessary because in the current system, “We’re basi- cally wasting that half hour.” With the new system, five classes can take place in the middle of the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays in- stead of four. Also, due to the cur- rent construction on the Colonnade, there are fewer classrooms available for use, so shorter blocks allows for more classes to take place in the available space. The decision to change the meth- od of registration from all at once to two at a time came about due to the positive results from last year’s freshman and sophomore spring term registration. Unlike juniors and seniors, freshmen and sophomores chose one class they wanted to take in the spring of 2009 and then chose a second the following week. Although the change will obvi- ously increase freshmen and sopho- mores’ chances of getting in to class- es they need, Ditman says that some juniors and seniors were also miss- ing out on upper level classes they needed, especially in the business department. Some upperclassmen are not par- ticularly -happy about the changes. The class of 2010 has had to deal with being the last class subject to general education requirements, and is now facing changes to spring term and their last winter term on cam- pus. “I’m annoyed that the class of Changes include new time blocks and diflerent registration procedures 2010 is not enjoying privileges that past senior classes have had,” senior Andrew Sackman said. ' Ditman said he understands that the large number of changes may be overwhelming and that it is totally coincidental that they are all happen- ing at the same time. “People’s tolerance for change is beginning to reach a limit,” he said. Still, he does not see any major problems coming from the changes. Not only does he point out that the “culture of negotiation,” such a get- ting into a class with the professor’s permission even ifthe class is filll, is a tried and true tradition at.W&L, but he also thinks more changes could come. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there is even more negotiating,” he said. While students focus on pre-reg- istering for winter term, they must also keep in mind that that spring term pre-registration is right around the corner. Students will pre-register for their top 3 spring term choices after Thanksgiving break and actually reg- ister some time early in winter term. Ditman cautions students to pay close attention to the time require- ments of new spring term classes, because classroom time may not be fully reflective of the amount of time actually required for the course. Faculty members may post syllabi to give students an idea of what the classes will demand. Along with the changes made to the class times and dates, students will see different methods of choos- ing courses. There is the new two- and-two method, and there is what- ever practice the Registrar decides will work best for new Spring Term. However, in regards to the future of W&L class registration, Ditman does not anticpate chanigng back to the former method. “The changes that we’re imple- menting this year are probably going to stick,” he said. Students concerned about how the changes might affect their aca- ‘ demic career should be pleased to hear that the Ditman is making him- self more accessible. He was in the Marketplace Wednesday afternoon, answering quick questions from stu- dents and advising them on any short concerns that might have. He plans to continue this practice in the future, especially during preg- istration and registration periods. Students should be on the lookout for similar opportunites to briefly discuss how the changes to registra- tion might affect them. Death of a newspaper 1968 alum Alex Jones speaks on the future of journalism By Jessica Strait STAFF WRITER Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and 1968 W&L graduate Alex Jones discussed the future of newspapers last Wednesday in a program that was part of the Five-Star Alumni Festival. - Jones’ biggest concern in the decline of newspapers is a parallel decline in the hard-hitting news, or what he refers to as the “iron core,” that is vital to our successful self- governing as a people. The problem is that newspapers do roughly 85 percent of this re- porting, but these same newspapers are shrinking in size at an alarming rate—The New York Times plans to cut 100 jobs by the end of the year. Throw the digital revolution and cur- rent economic climate into the mix, and newspapers are in hot water. Released earlier this year, Jones’ book, “Losing the News: the Future of the News That Feed Democracy,” is aimed at an audience concerned with the effects of the changing news industry and curious about what can be done to save it. Jones said he fears that‘ without newspapers, traditional journalism values essential to democracy are in jeopardy. “We’re moving toward valuing voice, point of view and subjectiv- ity over genuine objectivity,” said Jones. Jones said most news today relies on entertainment, and in the digital world, people value speed over ac- curacy to the point of addiction. In- depth reporting is now undervalued, and although he sees the importance of convergence media, Jones thinks it may just be a phase. He stressed to students that the most important thing to do in classes is learn how to write and to be wary of becoming a jack-of-all-trades and a master of ‘ I10I'1C. Jones, a self-proclaimed “tra- ditional news guy,” does not think newspapers will disappear anytime soon, because many people like‘ him are willing to pay to have their paper on their porch to read how they want it, when they want it. In Jones’ case, that means with his cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Although Jones said he un- derstands that news must enter the digital age, his main concern with the transition is finding a way to de- liver the news so it has an impact and does not get lost in the “maelstrom of what’s online.” J This “bloody time for news” is not only affecting big papers like The New York Times; community jour- nalism is struggling aswell. And it hits close to home—The Greeneville Sun, Jones’ family newspaper, just experienced layoffs for the first time in its history. According to Jones, 10- cal papers are becoming more like local television in that they do not write about anything that might drive readers away. Instead, papers choose to avoid politics and instead focus on weather, features, sports and other light topics. As a result, newspapers that once claimed social responsibility to pro- vide information to citizens are now faltering in their commitment. At the same time, a disconnect exists in readers—they may say they want someone to be a watchdog at the statehouse, but the same people will not read long investigative articles on the subject. Nevertheless, to en- sure a counterweight to power, Jones said we need strong, accountable re- porters to tell it like it is. “Newspapers are giving people what they want as opposed to what they might need,” said Jones. Despite the downward spiral of newspapers, Jones is hopeful that news and select newspapers will survive. He said that The New York Times has made a market-driven decision to remain strictly a news source, and he believes the paper will stay the course. Jones said he bets on the quality of the paper, trusts in a democracy that devoted readers will offer sup- port and hopes the Times will serve as a model for other papers. Jones comes from a strong jour- nalism background—his family has owned The Greeneville Sun, based in Greeneville, TN, for four genera- tions. But when he came to W&L in 1964, he was in “full rebellion flight mode” from this family tradition and instead majored in history. But last week when he came back to W&L, a place he “reveres,” Jones simply could not stay away from the pull of journalism. Jones said he was thrilled to be back on campus and shared a vivid memory of the beautiful spring day in 1967 when he was walking up the Colonnade and thought with a start, “Oh my Ggod! In another year, they’re going to make me leave!” He was awarded a W&L honor- ary doctor of humane letters last May and currently directs the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Pol- itics and Public Policy, part of Har- vard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Jones is also the author of two other books. The discussion was held in Stack- house and moderated by Professor Richardson, head of W&L’s Journal- ism Department. NUMBER 6 OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_002.2.txt I'll‘ '1 . " §;iru.«;.7 WASHINGTON 3. LEE UNIVERSIW » LEXINGTON. VA 24450 2 ' THE RING-TUM PHI OCT 8 G 2009 . THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 Bright lights, small city: Lexvegas Lexington ranked as one of the “coolest” small towns, locals ecstatic about the recognition By Jessica Strait STA F F W R IT E R Lexington’s small-town size classification is common knowl- edge to its visitors and residents, but most people are unaware that Lexington was also recently cat- egorized in a new way: cool. In a CNN.com article released online Oct. 19, Lexington was named one of the “Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America.” out, it can be easy to forget what a ‘cool’ place it is. I think that this article serves as a reminder . to us all of what a special place our town really is and how im- portant tourism is to our local economy.” A1 Hockaday, co-owner of the The Shenandoah Attic, said he also sees the ranking as good gift shops (if he says so himself) as reasons why Lexington is a wonderful place to visit and an excellent place to live. But the biggest contributing cool factor of Lexington, Hocka- day said, is “the people; abso- lutely, positively, number one, the people.” Rick Beville, who works “Lexington has a pulse to it that a lot of small towns don ’t, and a lot of that is due to the colleges... The town isn ’t stale and dead, and it hasn ’t lost its orignal flavor. ” RICK BEVILLE, worker at Cocoa Mllls Chocolatlers The article, based on rankings by Budget Travel magazine, said locals often describe Lexington, population 6,867, as “right out of a Norman Rockwell painting.” It names Hull’s Drive-In Theatre, George and Bob, Pumpkinseeds and The Red Hen as favorite lo- cal attractions and quotes resi- dents who adore Lexington for its history, sense of community and safety-net atmosphere. The Lexington Tourism Of- fice said it is is “ecstatic” about Lexington’s newly bestowed title, and that visitation to their website has already risen dra- matically since Lexington made the list. “We receive inquiries on a daily basis as a result of this ar- ticle,” said a representative from the tourism office. “When you live in Lexington day in and day news for Lexington and hopes that it will bring more business to the town and his gift shop. “I think it could very well have an impact,” he said. “If you lived close to one of the top 10 coolest small towns, wouldn’t you want to visit?” Lexington, which has also been named a “top place to live” and a “top place to retire” by oth- er publications in the past, tops residents’ own personal lists for varying reasons. Hockaday has lived in Lex- ington on and off since 1974, when he moved here to help start the Naval ROTC program at VMI. The town opened its arms to him back then, so when he and his wife were deciding on where to retire, the choice was easy. He cites the superb hotels, wonder- ful restaurants and tremendous at Cocoa Mills Chocolatlers, agrees. “Lexington has a pulse to it that a lot of small towns don’t, and a lot of that is due to the col- leges,” said Beville. “There are also a lot of musicians, artists, and creative people. That creates a good feeling. The town isn’t stale and dead, and it hasn’t‘lost its original flavor.” Beville, originally from Rich- mond, moved here eight years ago and prefers the small-town life to the big city. As a cyclist, the geography of the area was a key determining factor in why he choose Lexington, and like many students and residents, he takes advantage of the “beautiful hikes” and mountain views. Wade Bell, a biology pro- fessor at VMI, said he sees the ranking as a tourism-boosting Q Looking For A Lexington Pied-A-Terre? For Your Students or Yourselves? Thoroughbred circle townhomes - New 3 bedroom, 2 bath units just minutes from Lexington! Special features include a 1st floor master suite and 1 car garage. All appliances are included and the House Mountain View is free! $184,950 makes this a great investment for your student or your pied—a—terre! The Pinnacle townhomes — 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a full basement. Close to Lexington, all ap- pliances convey, back deck with Blue Ridge views, front porch with House Mountain view. Like-new condition, 2 parking spaces included! $194,000. 884 Borden Road - Spacious brick home with 4 bed- rooms, 3 1/2 baths, and gorgeous views! On the edge of Lexington, convenient to W&L, a place for your student and you when you come to visit! Just reduced $75,000 to $384,000! Carolyn Kuper Associate Broker carolynkuper@rockbridge.net (540) 460-4147 800—772—7629(RMAX) www.remox-town<:ntry—|ex-va.com Welcome to W&L, Parents! Enjoy your visit and call ‘ me at (540) 460-4147 to see property! TOWN & COUNTRY Each Office Independently Owned & Operated 3! South Main Street Lexington, VA 24450 540-463-7629 ploy but acknowledges that tour- ists are great for the town and “help our bottom line.” Bell also said most of the town’s coolness stems from college students at W&L and VMI. “College students make any town a neat place to be,” said Bell. “They give youth and ener- gy to older people who otherwise might only have work.” Whether or not Lexington’s ranking will result in a‘ surge of W&L applications has yet to be seen, but Dave Leonard, Dean of First Year Students, said he has high hopes for the article’s im- pact. “Such positive press can only aid in the cultivation of greater prospective interest,” said Dean Leonard. “I suspect the positive profiling of lovely Lexington may resonate even more deeply for their parents in terms of vaca- tion and travel.” Dean Leonard has lived in Lexington for seven years. He said Lexington is cool because “it’s a great location in which to live, learn and for those of us a little older, to raise a family.” According to’ the online ar- ticle, the criteria for a cool small town is one that’s gotten every- thing right—“great coffee, food with character, shop owners with a purpose”—and residents of Lexington appear to be prouder than ever of their charming, his- toric town and its new title. “I think it makes the entire town and all of its people spe- cial,” said Hockaday. Other small towns that made the list are Cayucos, Calif., Breaux Bridge, La., Tubac, Ariz., Wallace, Idaho, Saugerties, N.Y., Mount Vernon, Iowa, Jackson- ville, Ore., Rockland, Maine and Whitefish, Mont. career W88I€ 2099 November 2 First Year Class Meeting Stackhouse Theatre 5:00pm — 6:00pm November 3 Resume Pop-In Career Services Office 4:00pm — 7:00pm National Internship Survey All Day Event November 4 Sophomore Networking Reception Reeves Center 5:00pm — 6:30pm November 5 Etiquette Dinner Evans Dining 6:00pm — 8:00pm November 6 Junior Class Meeting Career Services 12:15pm—1:15pm *Bring your lunch* WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY CAREERSERVICES OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_003.2.txt THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI - 3 Opinions A comprehensive guide to surviving Parents Weekend Stockton Bullitt gives advice on impressing the visiting parents and hiding the bad stufl this weekend By Stockton Bullltt OPINIONS EDITOR The dreaded Parents Week- end is finally here, not coinciden- tally on Halloween, the scariest holiday. For all of you blissfully ignorant first-years who are ex- cited to see your parents after two months away, be prepared for quite a weekend. To brag, I am one of the school’s foremost experts on Parents Weekend. I have sur- vived five since high school started, and I even earned recog- nition as a child prodigy when I hit kindergarten’s Grandparents’ Day out of the park. What can I say? Some people are born to do math. Others are born to survive Parents Weekend. The real problem with Par- ents Weekend is that it is basi- cally 72 hours of time that your parents get to find out everything bad about your life. Further- more, Parent’s Weekend gives parents 72 hours to make sure that you are earning every bit of the tuition they are paying. Trust me, you do not want this. If your parents had their way, you would be doing your Advanced Physics during a rousing game of chess. Oh, and all of this would be done sober. Fortunately, you have an ex- pert to help you out. The first thing you need to learn about Parents Weekend is that surviving Parents Weekend is built on the same foundation that makes families thrive in general: lots and lots of lying. Really, you can’t have enough of it. And that is what this weekend has to be all about. You need to paint a picture for your parents. In that picture, you are not only a respectable student, but also a clean, polite, respectful, estab—' lished member of society. If you are anything like me, painting this picture takes a Blagojevich level of lying. From Friday until Sunday, you should be primar- ily concerned with deceiving your parents into loving you that much more. Let’s start with the bedroom. Now, obviously you want to clean your room before your par- ents come. Everyone knows that. But there are some details of which you need to be aware be- fore you let your parents in. First of all, you should clean your room a day or two before your parents come, not much sooner. If you clean it up too soon, there may be a couple of stray shirts or pants that drunkenly end up on the floor. This is the weekend when you finally break the plastic off those textbooks that you bought in early September. You should probably throw them around the room a little bit or color on them for a little while so they look suf- ficiently used. Make sure you place them neatly--not too neatly, your parents don’t want to enter a museum--on your desk. Also, stop by the library and pick up a book by a famous in- tellectual to put beside your bed. If you are out of ideas, go with Proust, Hemingway or Dickens. My mom always falls for Dick- ens. Go to somewhere between pages 100 and 200 in the book and make an ear mark. That way, when your parents ask you what the book is about you can accu- rately respond, “Well, I’m in the middle, but I still don’t really get it.” If you make your fake inden- tation too far along in the book, you’ll probably have to explain the plot, and unless you antici- ever going to happen, especially if your teacher has yet to get the chocolates you sent her. You al- ready ordered the chocolates, right? Amateur. Anyway, there is only one right way to portray yourself to your parents with regards to aca- demics. They should leave this The real problem with Parents Weekend is that it is basically 72 hours of time that your parents get to find out everything bad about your life. pated and read the Wikipedia ar- ticle on it, you might be in a bit of trouble. Now, obviously you don’t want any kinds of alcohol or drug paraphernalia in your room, but why stop there? You need to convince your parents. Get some Juicy Juice gallons and some of W&L’s wonderful safe drinking posters to decorate your room. It’s a safe bet. For the school aspect, you’re probably thinking that it would be best to try and portray your- self as the most intelligent stu- dent in the school. False. This is why you’re not the expert. The problem with that meth- od is that your parents are going to expect a 4.0 on every report card and gleaming reviews from every teacher. It’s not like that weekend thinking that you are the dumbest student in the school but the hardest worker. Parents, like any other adults, adore peo- ple with no brains and a great work ethic. That way, when you get an A, all of the adults can feel like they played a role in you get- ting that grade. Aren’t old people adorable? There are a couple of ways to convince your parents of your apparent stupidity and diligence. The highlighted books in your room will help but don’t stop there. You need a multi-pronged front to overcome your parents’ assumptions. Pay some people in your grade to purposefully pass by you and your parents in the quad and mention the scheduled study group that you apparently set up. Deeds gets dirty but still will not win With Virginia is gubernatorial election coming up, Abel Delgado chastises Democrat Creigh Deeds ’dirty campaigning By Abel Delgado c o LU M N I s T Next week will mark the end of the Virginia govemor’s race and, one would hope, an end to statewide mudslinging. But if this rather dirty election cam- paign has taught us anything, it is that the type of mud that gets thrown around matters. Republican Bob McDonnell’s mud has been substantive. He has labeled his Democratic ad- versary, Creigh Deeds, a “tax and spend liberal” because Deeds has actually proposed to raise taxes. Deeds would argue McDonnell is obsessed with this fact, but at least McDonnell is arguing about something in his opponent’s plat- form. Besides that, the McDonnell campaign has been primarily about Bob McDonnell and what he wants to do for Virginia. Deeds’ mud has been signifi- cantly less substantive and sig- nificantly messier. He has tried to cast McDonnell as some sort of arch-conservative sexist, bas- ing most of his "claims—and prac- tically his entire campaign—on a graduate thesis McDonnell wrote twenty years ago. Can you imag- ine being judged in 2029 for a paper you are working on now? I make arguments in papers I do not personally agree with all the time. This is not to say there are worrisome aspects of the the- sis that McDonnell might have agreed with at one time, but if the best argument you can come up for as to why you should be elected concerns something your opponent wrote twenty years ago, you might have a problem. The Deeds campaign’s heavy focus on McDonnell’s graduate thesis is to everyone’s detriment. This is not just the sentiment of party-line Republicans. Promi- nent Democrats have begged Deeds to portray a more positive message for over a month. The election campaign can be summed up in three stages. First, the candidates debated‘ on the issues and Deeds trailed in the polls badly. Next, Deeds refocused his campaign to an onslaught of per- sonal attacks on McDonnell’s views, which helped him close the gap significantly. Still, he could not manage to overtake McDonnell in the polls. Finally, the public has recog- nized the dirty Deeds strategy and McDonnell now has a com- fortable lead. The lead is so com- fortable, in fact, that Republicans are hoping Deeds brings down the rest of the Virginian Demo- cratic ticket. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Virginia has turned blue the past few election cycles, and it should, have continued on its blue swing. McDonnell is the old-school conservative type that is supposed to be a fossil in the Obama Era, not a front-runner. Deeds, the more moderate and less tarnished candidate of the Democratic Primary, was supposed to run a unifying cam- paign. However, negativity threw unity out the window. The Deeds message hasn’t just been negative. It’s been a farce. McDonnell’s oldest daugh- ter served as an Army officer and his other daughters earned mas- ter’s degrees. Does this sound like someone who wants to keep women as homemakers? The Deeds campaign had the audacity to run an ad claiming McDonnell was against funding for mammograms. This rightfully infuriated can- cer survivors who support Mc- Donnell. As Stephanie Hamlett said, “It offends me as a woman, it offends me as a breast cancer survivor, and it offends me as a Virginian. I know Creigh badly wants to be governor, but does he really want to try to win like this?” Currently, all signs point to Deeds losing. Hopefully, this will serve as a warning to politicians that if you try to win at any cost, you are even more vulnerable to losing. Profil es I 12 Leadership: Katie Boiles had the chance to meet. What energizes you about taking on leadership responsibilities? Leadership responsibilities are such an honor. Whether these positions are elected or appointed, they signify others‘ trust in my ability to lead responsibly and justly. I love becoming so involved in an organiza- tion that it becomes a part of who I am. . .it’s fun. Also, I like to see how I can make a difference to an organization in the long run. Leadership responsibilities give someone the chance to make long-term change. . .that's exciting in itself. What has been one of your most rewarding aspects of lead- ership at W&L? I have met so many people that I may have never What legacy of leadership do you hope to leave for others? Get involved. And don't be afraid to step up and take charge even when you are just a first year or a sophomore. Don't wait until you are a junior/ senior to start an organization or to run for a leadership position. A leader does not have to the "popular kid" or the "smart kid"; anyone can lead. As long as you’re passionate about what you do, fair and responsible in decision-making, and have the desire to lead...then you're qualified. Activities: Traveler Chair, women’s swim team, University Wind Ensemble and Pep Band, peer mentor in statistics and econometrics and member of Alpha Delta Pi. Leadership Tuesdays With Leadership: 12:15 and 6:30 PM, Room 216 Elrod Commons Explore the concept of adaptive leadership, in which leaders surface conflict, challenge beliefs and seek new ways of doing things without incurring too much personal risk and remaining anchored to principles. On The Line Schedule a meeting with the teacher in your token class where you do work hard. Your grade in the class doesn’t matter whatso- ever, as long as the teacher thinks . you work hard. That way, your parents will be convinced that you are a hard worker and will blame the teacher for calling you an idiot, and you will look like ' the good guy. Next, give your parents the tour of your favorite classrooms and lecture halls on campus. Re- member to show them the carrel in the library you never used un- til you planted folders and bind- ers there, and remember to show your parents the writing center where you never go. Just make sure you show them at a time when there is nobody in the writ- ing center. You also need to emphasize the extracurricular group you belong to, whether it is factual or fictitious. There’s no South American Appreciation Club on campus? There is now. There‘ are also some unused club sports at W&L that your par- ents could easily be duped into believing in. Imagine, you could be the captain of your very own croquet, badminton, or cricket team! Just hire some fiiends to be your teammates and a home- less guy to be your coach. And the reason you are not playing this week is because “UVA can- celed at the last minute. That’s the problem with playing [insert club sport here] in the state of Virginia.” The dinner is probably the easiest thing to take care of. All you need to do is book one of the expensive restaurants in Lex- ington (in other words, anything above Hardee’s), and make a sad glance at your empty wallet once the check comes. Pity is the best way to get free stuff. Oh, and re- member to read the Wall Street Journal before going to dinner. That way you can pretend to have some idea about mergers and acquisitions and have your parents actually approve of you for once. The last thing you need to worry about is the late-night par- ties. Remember, you never have more than three beers in a night because of a DARE commercial you saw on alcohol poisoning. They don’t need to know about Windfall later that night. Also, first—years, you are rushing the particular fraternity or soror- ity because of the value they place on GPA and’ philanthropy events. So, now you have a pretty good guide to get through this weekend. If you follow my ad- vice, I can’t guarantee an obnox- iously nice Christmas present, but since grades won’t be report- ed until the presents are already bought, kissing some major ass this Parents Weekend can get you far in life. ......................................................... .. WASHINGTQN AND LEE UNNERSM THE RING-TUM PHI. I MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR COPY EDITORS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN EDITOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS MANAGERS DISTRIBUTION STAFF ALLISON CHOPIN DIANDRA SPICAK STOCKTON BULLITT STEPHANIE HARDIMAN BROOKE SUTHERLAND KATHERINE ROBERTS JORDAN ROTHMAN LEVI THROCKMORTON ‘ANrHoNY BALLOR ADAM CANCRYN MEGAN DAILY ABEL DELGADO LIZZ DYE NEVILLE FOGARTY ELEANOR KENNEDY DREW KOENEMAN FINDLEY MERRITT BECKY MICKEL TED MOORE STEPHEN PECK CHELSEA STEVENSON JESSICA STRAIT KATIE HATFIELD STEELE BURROW ROB GEORGE STROCK MOORE MATT GOSSETT SHAMIRA IBRAHIM TRANG NGUYEN VALAREE TANG 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, BUT IS OTHERWISE INDEPENDENT. QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THE PHI SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE EDITORS AT PHI@WLU.EDU OR TO THE MEDIA BOARD AT MEDlABOARD@WLU.EDU. THE MEDIA BOARD IS AN INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN EDITORIAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WORKING WITH ALL MEDIA OUTLETS ON THE WASHINGTON & LEE CAMPUS. ALL INQUIRIES WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. THE RING-TUM PHI WELCOMES ALL LETTERS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT SUBMISSIONS FOR CONTENT AND LENGTH. LETTERS AND ADVERTISING DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION OF THE RING—TUM PHI STAFF. THIS NEWSPAPER OBSERVES CURRENT COURT DEFINITIONS OF LIBEL AND OBSCENITY. THE RING-TUM PHI UNIVERSITY COMMONS ROOM. 341 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450 TELEPHONE: (540) 458-4060 FAX: (540) 458-4059 EMAIL: PHI@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_004.2.txt THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29,2009 THE RING-TUM PHI pinions * Other colleges don’t, but you guys have it good When other universities are having a tough time making ends meet, W&L students should appreciate what they have By Jordan Rothman COPY EDITOR Right now, countless uni- versities across the country are experiencing trouble due to the ongoing financial crisis. This is especially a problem for endow- ment-dependent institutions, which have seen their invest- ments diminish without being able to fill their budgetary gaps with the open purses of donors. Coming from a university that is experiencing particularly intense problems due to the fi- nancial downturn, I know first- hand the trouble that this crisis has created in higher education. Yet it seems that this campus has not been as greatly affected by the downturn as other institutions and we should all be thankful for the luxuries we enjoy at W&L. All told, I thought I would write my article this week about how awesome we have it here at Washington and Lee despite the economic downturn. Other col-' leges are not so lucky and we should be really happy we are so privileged. I graduated this May from Brandeis University, a Jew- ish-sponsored college located in Waltham, Mass. There are many reasons why Brandeis is experiencing the full impact of the economic crisis. Since the university is only 61 years old, Brandeis cannot rely on donors due to the fact that its alumni base is both young and small in comparison to peer institutions. Furthermore, this situation has led the university to rely heavily on its endowment, but because of All of these conditions dras- tically affected how the school operated this past year. Several stations in the dining hall closed and meal options were cut in order to slash operating costs. Furthermore, our golf and swim teams were suspended and nec- essary repairs on the university’s swimming pool have been halted All told, countless schools across the nation are cutting programs and staff in order to deal with the damagingieconomic crises. the financial crisis, the dividends derived from these investments have decreased markedly. Since Brandeis is Jewish- sponsored, it has historically re- lied on the financial support of -the American Jewish community. Because of the Madoff scandal, many Jewish philanthropists find themselves without expendable money and this has further hurt the institution’s ability to fund- raise. indefinitely. Operating hours at the library, gym and dining fa- cilities have been shortened and programming money for various activities were capped. Almost all holiday parties last Christmas were cancelled and, in order to save money, the univer- sity even tried to take away paper towels from bathrooms that have electric hand dryers. Further- more, Brandeis has decided to increase its enrollment consid- erably in order to receive more tuition money and will begin requiring students to spend a se- mester away from the university in order to facilitate this growth. The changes don’t stop there. The Bernstein scholarships, funds designed to bring excep- 4 tional musicians to campus, have been suspended indefinitely. Ad- ditionally, the number of PhD. students at the university has been reduced because of the cost associated with having these scholars in residence. Also, contributions to retire- ment funds have been halted, new hiring has ceased and other measures have been taken to nar- row the impending budget gap that the university now faces. Perhaps the most drastic and most widely advertised endeavor to reach financial solvency was attempted when the university tried to close down its campus art museum and sell the artwork valued at roughly $400 million. After experiencing huge national pressure and even lawsuits from various donors, this action was not taken. Nevertheless, attempt- ing to take this monumental step indicates the desperate financial condition in which Brandeis cur- rently finds itself. The economic crisis has af- fected not only my beloved alma mater, but schools across the country. The University of Cali- fornia is now in the process of implementing tuition increases, lay-offs and furloughs in or- der to work themselves “into the black.” Mount Holyoke has stopped serving hot breakfasts in order to save money. LSU, Dartmouth and countless other schools are all laying off staff workers in order to balance their smaller budgets and reach finan- cial solvency. Countless schools across the nation are cutting programs and staff in order to deal with the damaging economic crises. Now, I have not been at this university long enough to notice any appreciable differences in how the institution has been op- erating since the financial slow- down. What I can see is that relative to other schools, we have it pretty good here at W&L. For instance, there is still money to keep the lawns green and well-manicured, a luxury that has been sacrificed totheetilnr With no consent, rape is rape Some see gray areas, but Karcher thinks this attitude prompts rape victims to blame themselves Washington and Lee is known for its “work hard, play hard culture.” Students dedi- cate time to their classroom studies, knowing that when their work is done there will be plenty of parties to choose from on any given Wednesday, Friday or Saturday. Of course, party at W&L is synonymous with alcohol—and lots of it. The prevalence of alcohol at parties means that alcohol is also involved with most hook- sires very clear and told him she did not want their hookup to proceed to sex. Her date agreed, and they kept going. Not long after, he pushed her down, climbed on top of her and started to have sex with her. Alicia said “no” again and told him to stop, but he ignored her and eventually she gave up and let him finish. Afterwards, Alicia felt like she had been raped—she had not given consent and had told Stepp defines “gray rape” as something between consent and denial, something not easily defined. For me, rape is unde- . niably black and white... if any person has sex with another person against that person is will... it is rape. ups taking place between stu- dents. Alcohol fuels many of these hookups and leads to a lot of ambiguous situations in the process. Devotees of Cosmopolitan may have read a recent article where in which writer Laura Sessions Stepp outlines the so- called growing trend of “gray rape” among young men and women. She told numerous stories of hookups after late night parties, and I immedi- ately thought of W&L. There was just one prob- lem: the situations and read- ers’ stories Stepp shared all sounded like full-fledged, un- deniable rape to me. She describes sorority girl “Alicia,” who, after her for- mal, wandered back to her date’s room where they started to make out. She made her de- him “no” and “stop” out loud more than once. She wasn’t sure, however, whether other people would perceive it as “real” rape, es- pecially since she had been drinking and agreed to go back to his room in the first place. In her eyes, it fell into a gray area, because she thought she should have done more to stop the rape from happening. Stepp defines “gray rape” as something between consent and denial, something not eas- ily defined. For me, rape is undeni- ably black and white. Under Virginia law, if any person has sex with another person against that person’s will using “force, threat or intimidation,” . or if the person is “mentally incapacitated or helpless,” it is rape. physically What many W&L students don’t realize is that “mentally incapacitated” includes drunk and blackout. Heavy drinking at W&L is a huge part of the reason why our sexual assault and rape rates are twice the national average. And, unfor- tunately, these ideas of “gray rape” and using alcohol as an excuse are why our numbers of rape and assaults that are actually reported are so abys- mally low. Relying on this idea of gray rape is likely to lead a lot of actual rape survivors, like Alicia, to blame themselves and say, “if only I had less to drink” or “if only I didn’t go back with him to his room,” rather than acknowledge that they did not give consent to sex and their partner had sex with them anyway. This happens far too often on our campus, and the idea of gray rape, especially involv- ing alcohol, is used to excuse away countless rape and sexu- al assault situations. Other crimes never seem to be as murky. When someone murders a person or steals a car while intoxicated, being drunk is never an excuse. I’ve certainly never heard the term gray murder or gray robbery. Why is sexual assault any dif- ferent? END IT. Kara Karcher, WGS 296A by many other institutions. In ad- dition, there is free food at many campus events such as movies in the Stackhouse theatre, and all the facilities seem well-kept. All told, this institution is enjoy- ing the luxuries forgone by many other universities and we should truly be thankful for this situa- tion. I am not saying that things haven’t changed at all here as a result of the financial crisis, nor that this school has not made sac- rifices due to budget shortfalls. What I am saying is that, from my experience, we have it pretty good here at W&L. Overall, I just thought I would illuminate this fact and describe the problems experienced by other universities around the country. By noting this, I hope that we can all better cherish the luxuries and comforts we enjoy here at W&L. What happened to “Hello?” W&L is cherished speaking tradition is sadly dying Hi, there! Haven’t seen you in a while, but I’ve got to run to class. It’s in Wilson, so I’ve got a hike ahead of me. See you around. Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? I can’t help but feel that the Speaking Tradition here at W&L is dying. Until recently, I’ve been responded to amicably by most ev- ery student and professor I’ve said hello to on campus, and that’s over the course of over three full years. Just a simple “How’s it goin’?” or a maybe a “Hey, Strock” (or what- ever your name happened to be) was all that it took, and I’d get a similar response, if not a deeper conversation. Either was fine with me. A few weeks ago, though, I was stricken with a cold so bad that it made it nearly impossible for me to talk. Nevermind the difficulty » it presented in keeping up in—class participation grades. I wasn’t able to say hello to people. But I had a solution: I’d wave, smile and mouth a greeting in response to people. This solution didn’t work, thoughmit never even had a chance. I discovered that, with the exception of people that I knew fairly well, people wouldn’t speak to me. I would walk to classes, meals in the dining hall and to my room in Gaines without h.earing a simple hello. I wouldn’t even get a wave or a nod. Nothing. Now, this was no scientific ex- periment—nor an experiment at all. But when I got my voice back, I asked a few of my friends if they had noticed this, and they had. They said it’s been like this for a while. One friend—a fellow senior —remarked that she had recently said hello to someone who, instead of being cordial in any way, just stared at her like she was some sort of mutant. This shouldn’t be happening. In his 1995 Inaugural Address, University President John Elrod re- marked on the speaking tradition: “It is a simple act but one whose meaning and value we should not underestimate. A greeting can be a phony gesture concealing indif- ference or disdain, but it can also express genuineness, warmth, con- cern, delight. Our daily greetings should reflect the commitment that we will not be strangers to each other; that we will know and care for each other as friends and not as strangers.” It’s simple: it’s the same respect and civility that pervade the honor system that drive the speakipg tra- dition. It’s nice to not be strangers with everyone else in class. I un- derstand that a lot of students here go to parties to meet people—~it makes sense. But there’s no reason why you can’t meet someone for the first time when you’re wait- ing in the halls of the C-School or in line at the Co-op. For a school whose student body puts so much emphasis on having social connec- tions, it seems ironic that so many of us won’t even say hello. Neville Fogarty The generation that cares Abel Delgado takes a proper look at our generation Dear Editor, I realize the underlying silli- ness of a columnist writing a letter to the editor in regards to a piece I his own opinions editor wrote, but I believe Stockton Bullitt has once again written an op-ed worth a re- sponse. With all due respect, Mr. Bullitt’s argument has so many holes in it, I am have trouble de- ciding which one to drive through first. I figure the headline is as a good a place as any. My first reaction to being la- beled part of the “we just don’t care” generation was the prover- bial “what the —?“. First problem is with the “we.” Not only does it attempt to stereotype an entire generation but, Mr. Bullitt also manages to completely misrepre- sent what a generation constitutes. A generation is not people born within a four year period, my friend. Our generation does end ‘ around 1992 but it also begins in the late 70s. “Generation ADDer- all,” as he refers to us, already has two fitting names, “Generation Y “and “The September 11th Gen- eration,” since the last members of our generation were still old enough to understand what was happening on that day in 2001. It’s also highly doubtful that the brunt of mass media marketing would be geared toward a group of people who born just four years apart. I’m pretty sure every advertising ex- ecutive still cares about the 18-40 age group regardless of what exact year people were born. But the most disturbing aspect of Bullit’s article is the prepos- terous idea that our generation doesn’-t care about things. If any- thing, our generation cares about actual important matters and there- fore doesn’t sweat the small stuff mentioned in his article. If anything, it is the generations before us that didn’t care. They voted in low numbers. They bor- rowed money against our future. They also did their best to com- pletely mess up the environment. We will carry the burden of their mistakes, but many of the solutions for those mistakes have come, and will continue to come, from our generation. C We are also a generation that has bravely fought two wars. Whether you’re like me and believe they are wars of liberation, or like oth- ers and believe they were wars of choice, you should recognize that mostly older men in Wash- ington sent mostly younger men and women into harrn’s way. The men and women of our generation who serve have done so with great courage and care and just because we don’t see them around campus. that doesn’t mean they don’t rep- resent our generation as much as /we do. Our generation faces greater challenges than any generation since the Great Generation that grew up during the Great Depres- sion and fought World War II. With ballooning debt, climate change and inept politicians on both sides that claim to be~but really aren’t— part of our generation, we have a lot of messes to clean up. If Mr. Bullitt were to look around campus, he would see we already started the cleanup process. Obviously, we really do care. \ Abel Delgado -4 OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_005.2.txt THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI ' 5 arts&life Unique play pushes the envelope Edgy play directed by senior Marquita Robinson brings lesbians, sex to W&L to Keller Theatre stage By Anthony Ballor STAFF WRITER Lesbians, pot and incest, oh my! This year’s Floumoy Play- wright Festival features “Where We’re Born,” a play by Lucy Thurber that focuses on life in a small, working-class town where “family relationships are main- tained by a delicate balance be- tween desire and dependency.” Thurber is an acclaimed au- thor whose plays have been workshopped and staged by several nationally acclaimed companies, including the Man- hattan Theatre Club, William- stown, Rattlestick’s Playwrights Theater and the Atlantic Theater Company. In “Where We’re Born,” Lilly (played by senior Jenna Wor- sham) returns from college to her small, rural hometown in Mas- sachusetts, where her cousin, Tony (senior Brian Devine), his girlfriend Franky (senior Melissa Szumlic) and their friends Vin (junior Dave Curran) and Drew (junior Johnny Coyle) await her. Lilly’s life before college was decidedly fractured: due to an unpleasant relationship with her mother, she depended on Tony to shelter her from other stu- dents who made fun of her intel- ligence. Her homecoming is com- pletely alienating and nontradi- tional. Senior Marquita Robin- son is directing the play for her theater thesis. “Lilly’s journey is a struggle to reconcile two worlds,” Robin- son said. “While her classmates are probably greeted at home with cookies and homemade sweaters, Lilly comes home to a can of beer and a cigarette.” Lilly’s return causes chaos in the lives of her cousin Tony and his girlfriend Franky, whose relationship is made tense by Tony’s repeated philandering and Franky’s feelings of abandon- ment. Lilly falls into the middle of this situation. Fueled by both alcohol and marijuana, Lilly .and Franky sleep together and then begin a loving but secretive lesbian rela- tionship. When Tony discovers the truth and violently confronts Lilly, they too give in to their passion for each other, creating a love triangle which culminates in the destruction of both of the relationships. “Where We’re Born” is an unconventional, unsettling play, and the natural question to ask would be why such a production was chosen and if the theater de- partment expect students to at- tend it. " “When you take a look at why theater exists in our society in the first place... it gives us per- mission to look into the lives of others. . .Audiences want to leave the theater changed and enlight- ened,” Robinson said. “To say that a play like ‘Where We’re Born’ is not rel- evant to W&L students is to say that the struggles of human life are not relevant to us,” she said. While most students at W&L may not have a personal connec- tion to the world in the play, it may be for this reason why we should attend the performance: to help us to understand the lives of others. Consider attending such a well-written, moving play to be part of your cultural educa- tion. “Where We’re Born” is part of the Floumoy Playwright Festival, which includes perfor- mances of this work Nov. 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Keller Theatre as well as a special reading of Lucy Thurber’s play “Scarcity,” di- rected by Rob Mish, which will take place on Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. in the Johnson Theatre. There will be talkbacks fol- lowing each performance of “Where We’re Born,” featuring Thurber and several other mod- erators, including 2009 graduate Melissa Caron and Professors Mayock, Ristau and Radulescu. Bonding with parents: beer pong Annual tournament inspires quality father-son time through the time-honored medium of competitive teamwork By Findley Merrltt STAFF WRITER The age-old image of fa- thers coaching their sons to play America’s favorite pastime takes on a whole new meaning during Parents Weekend. There is no better example of this phenomenon than Pi Kappa Alpha’s annual father-son beer pong tournament. And it’s an excuse for parents to relive their college days. The tournament has been a standing tradition for four or five years, said senior Pika member Adam Cancryn. More specifically, it’s been around as long as fraternity members have resided in 108 East Henry Street. Every Parents Weekend, par- ents rush out to the house known as “Velva” on Friday to either brush up on their skills or play for the first time. “It lasts until they find a win- ner or the cops come,” Cancryn said. The event is surprisingly or- ganized given the nature of the tournament. The night before, the frater- nity creates a list of all the mem- bers, parents and freshmen who want to play. That information is organized into brackets and assigned to three different pong tables. The winner is announced af- ter playing through the quarterfi- nals and the finals. Cancryn stressed that the tournament is completely open TEX LEX REMEMBERS DARROLD A. CANNAN, JR. November 19, 1931-July 19, 2009 CLASS OF ‘53 FRIEND OF THE UNIVERSITY CANNAN TERM PROFESSORSHIP CANNAN GREEN TEXAN to everyone, not just fraternity members or fathers. There is even a free table for those who come late or happen to wander inside. The real novelty of the tour- nament is watching parents transform into their 20-year-old selves. “It’s really surreal,” said Can- cryn. He was surprised when his father had complete accuracy as he played for the first time in his life. “You see a different side of parents,” Cancryn said. This is especially true when it comes to, winning the touma- ment. Fathers get competitive hop- ing to claim bragging rights at the tables. Fame and glory comes in the form of a plaque in Velva’ s kitchen. « Mr. Bunn, father of Pika members Stevenson and Nelson, is the reigning champion. According to Cancryn, Bunn has won for the past two years and probably hopes to win again. Bunn’s title will be put to the test once again this Friday at 8 p.m. Crossword of the Week Family Affair by Neville L. Fogarty and his mom, “C” Fogarty For the solution to this puzzle. visit phicrosswordstumbhxcom. ACROSS 1 Tree fruit (sp. var.) 6 Left band's home‘? 10 “Sheik of the burning sands," In song 14 Pong maker 15 LaBeouf of 2008's "Indiana Jones" 16 Spanish bovine 17 Softballs? 18 Almost a Denver 20 Company name found early in the yellow pages 21 "Dear Genevieve" network 23 l9 1 8'5 _____-Litovsk Treaty 24 Last year of the 29”‘ century 26 Food slogan "It's notjust Alrighta... it‘s _!“ 29 2009 CBS horror/mystery series 35 Like Angela on "The Office" 37 ‘ Ballpark figs. 38 Juliette. to Madeline 39 Not ‘'E for Everyone" 41 Sausage meats home 43 America's favorite cookie 44 Foot in the meter? 48 "Como ___?" 49 2.5 oz Scotch, 1 tsp each dry and sweet verrnouth 52 Certain capsule ‘ 53 Nordic name meaning "young warrior” 56 Gp. supported by Sarah McLachlan (not Michael Vick) 60 Put your John Hancock on 62 Meanie Amin 63 Don't take it 66 How Texas Hold ‘em ends 68 Crevasse 69 Spacewalks, briefly 70 Sweetly. in music 71 T00 72 Peer follower? 73 Helps a criminal . 1 DOWN lt flies no more |\)o—n George Peppard series. with ..ThC.. He drops in‘? Sandy‘s remark Genie‘s specialty Where bats come from‘? Electric grooming tools Like TV's Rose Nylund __ Schwarz ("Big" store) Attest to Actor AlaI1 or patriot Nathan Makes l00°/o Power source: Abbr. ;\OOO\l,¢\Ut4‘-xb-3 pa t_t .- N ii DJ Id *0 Execs‘ degs. lts mascot is the elephant: Abbi‘. 25 Created from 27 Suffix with panel or sex 28 It could be compact 30 Cranes "The __ Badge of Courage“ N N 31 Riatas 32 There's horror there 33 One of Columbus‘ ships 34 Circles have 360: Abbr. 35 8 to vote on 36 Not ubiquitous 40 Pinky and the Brain 42 "__,_ Lingus" 45 Money maker? 46 Body check‘? 47 Most like a cadaver 50 Mild curse for Major Hoople 51 1924 Edna Ferber novel "So 54 Nantes had one 55 Things to get dressed to 56 Magician's start 57 Spinnaker or jib 58 Acrobat‘ s files 59 _ Institute (American libertarian think tank) 61 Nothing in Nuevo Laredo 64 Side dish, in short 65 Graduation song "Halls of _" 67 Hit in a high are OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_006.2.txt 6 - THE RING-TUM PHI THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 sports Generals face tough Week, seniorday loss The men ’s soccer team dropped a 3-] loss to Eastern Mennonite on -Wednesday before falling 1-0 to Hampden Sydney on Saturday By Brooke Sutherland SPORTS EDITOR When you commit to play on a var- sity college team for four years, there is one game you always hope you win: senior day. But that final home victory is something the three seniors on the Washington and Lee men’s soccer team will just have to live without. _ The Generals fell, 1-0, to Hampden Sydney on senior day this Saturday. The Generals’ defense was able to hold off the Tigers until the 34th minute, but Hampden Sydney needed only one goal to close out the victory. The Tigers outshot the Generals 13- 11 and controlled the momentum for the majority of the game. W&L goalkeeper sophomore Alex Lambert played all A 90:00 minutes and recorded four saves against the one goal. “We were unlucky,” said senior cap- Generals’ players express their frustration in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Hampden Sydney STEELE BURROW/ Staff Photographer tain Drew Crowley. “But we played a great game and kept fighting.” The men’s soccer team has had a rough couple of weeks. Coming off a 1-0 loss to Roanoke over Homecoming weekend, the Generals rebounded with a much-needed 2-0 win over Emory and Henry. Junior midfielder Ben Belair contributed an unassisted goal and soph- omore midfielder James Paldino scored off an assist from Crowley. Junior goal- keeper Ben Bartlett played all 90:00 for the Generals and earned one save in the shutout. The Generals came close to another win facing off against Ferrum Oct. 18, but couldn’t close out the victory, end- ing the game in a 0-0 tie. They then dropped a 3-1 loss to Eastern Menno- nite last Wednesday. The Generals’ sole goal in the loss came from Crowley off an assist by first-year midfielder Collier Wiseman. Two losses, one tie and the lone win over Emory and Henry have dropped the Generals to 4-6-4 overall and 2-5- 2 in conference play. But the Generals remain optimistic as they head into tour- nament play. “It’s been really frustrating because all season long we have proven that we can play with any team in our confer- ence,” Bartlett said. “We just haven’t been able to get the results. No matter how tough the loss, we’ve kept our head up and kept fighting. Right now we are focused on making the playoffs because we know we can do some damage.” Women’s soccer continues to shine with defens'we dominance The Lady Generals have recorded 12 total shutouts on the season and only one loss as they look ahead to the ODAC tournament By Adam cancryn s TA F F w R IT E R Finding the back of the net is often the result of good timing and offensive skill. But against the Generals this year, scoring a goal is more like a stroke of luck. Anchored by its back line, the W&L women’s soccer team, which is 13-1-2 and 8-0-2 in the ODAC, has turned its matches into a study of frustration and futility. They have allowed goals to just three opponents this season, with last week’s victories over Emory & Henry and Ferrum giving the 21st-ranked Gen- erals 12 total shutouts. The key to such defensive dominance begins in the middle. Senior midfielder Maggie Sutherland and sophomore cen- ter back Corinne Smith direct the action, locking down their opponent’s best strik- er while keeping W&L’s bevy of skilled defenders synchronized. They are com- plemented by a rotation of at least seven different backs and defensive midfield- ers, a luxury of interchangeability that coach Neil Cunningham has utilized to keep his players fresh and focused. The result is something similar to watching Forrest Gump play ping-pong: attack after attack is calmly yet abruptly turned away, the back line working with a fluidity of motion that belies its ma- chinelike efficiency, until the opponent tires of the fruitless back-and-forth, giv- ing the Generals a swift counter-attack opportunity before dropping back into their defensive shell. It is a system that has come to rely more on solid fundamentals and risk management than sheer talent. Each player recognizes their role in a strat- egy that forces opposing forwards into double teams and takes away the middle of the pitch, eliminating high percentage shots. Cunningham’s tactics and the team’s execution have produced the Generals’ best defensive season since 2006, when the Generals gave up just three goals en route to finishing atop the ODAC. Through 16 games this year, opponents have taken 103 shot attempts, an average of just 6.4 per game. Of those attempts, only 42 were put on goal. By compari- son, W&L has more than tripled those statistics, averaging 21.2 shot attempts per game while putting 160 of their 339 shots on goal. J Stout defense has also provided time for the offense to gel. On track to score less than 50 goals for the first time since 2001, W&L lacks the go-to scorer they’ve relied on so heavily in the past. But a lack of consistency has been remedied through quantity. First- years Ainsley Daigle, Katie Howard and Hannah Sackfield have stepped in ably and bolstered the Generals’ speedy of- fensive corps. As of press time, 11 dif- ferent players had scored at least twice, a consequence of an opportunistic style of play that turns turnovers into high- percentage counter-attacks. However, even the most efficient ma- chines can break down. And in one of the country’s deepest conferences, one slip-up can unravel a season’s worth of work. Despite outshooting Guilford 33-4 and leading for most’ of Saturday’s match, a 71st-minute equalizer forced W&L to settle for a 1-1 tie. The draw, coupled with Virginia Wesleyan’s win at Hollins, dropped the Generals one point out of first place in the ODAC as of Oct. 26. Virginia Wesleyan has now won 10 straight games since losing to W&L on Sept. 19, giving them a conference-lead- ing 27 points on the season. With the ODAC Tournament set to kick off this Saturday, the Generals have likely lost out on a No. 1 seed. But based on past history, seeding means little once the games begin. Though W&L’s defense brings to mind that of the ’06 team, that’s where — the players hope the similarities stop. Despite going undefeated in conference play that year, the Generals’ ODAC championship hopes flamed out in the semifinals with a 1-0 loss to Virginia Wesleyan. This time, tournament success de- pends on the steady play of the expe- rienced back line. Having allowed all seven goals this year in the second half, it will fall to Smith and Sutherland to keep the defense focused throughout the , entire match. Given time to find its footing, W&L’s offense can create chances around the net, where the team has made the most of its opportunities. Despite the drop in total goals scored, the Generals are still capitalizing on their chances, finding the net nearly once out of every two shots on goal. As long as W&L does not have to rely on the offense to play catch-up, the team has a good chance to break its ODAC championship drought. They dealt Vir- ginia Wesleyan their only conference loss, stymied Lynchburg’s dangerous scorers and have not lost to Bridgewa— ter in nine years. The Generals might not have the firepower of years past, but if the defense comes out focused, they won’t need it. Last minute drive gives Generals a 28-21 win over Guilford Football improves to 3-5, 2-2 ODAC with a 28-21 victory over Guilford last Saturday By Ted Moore ' STAFF WRITER Washington and Lee secured a 28-21 ODAC victory over Guilford last Satur- day after sophomore quarterback Char- lie Westfal ran for a 21-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Generals led the Quakers, who are 1-6, 0-3 ODAC, with the halftime score at 14-0. This was following a pair of scores from sophomores Harrison Hudson on an 18-yard pass from Westfal and Johnathan Clemo on a two-yard run. However, mistakes in the second half let Guilford back in the game. The Quakers capitalized on three Generals turnovers, scoring 21 points in the second half. “Offensively and especially person- ally, we made too many major mistakes, turning the ball over and giving the oth- er team a short field,” Westfal said. “The defense played really well, though.” Westfal was intercepted on the Gen- erals’ first play of the third quarter. A two-yard touchdown run from Quakers’ quarterback Billy Watkins capped the ensuing drive. A Generals’ fumble gave the Quakers the ball just 33 yards from the end zone at the beginning of the fourth quarter. A 27-yard touchdown run from Quakers’ running back Mike Williams tied the score at 14-14. , The Generals responded on the en- suing kickoff with a 99-yard return for a touchdown by sophomore linebacker John Kavanagh. “The kick was back to the goal line and I saw some [green in front of me,” said Kavanagh. “I made one or two peo- ple miss, but other than that it was just a great blocking scheme with everyone , staying on their blocks.” The Quakers tied the score at 21-21 with 6:26 remaining in the game, as Quaker’s linebacker David LaPlaca re- turned a General’s fumble 42 yards for a touchdown. Despite the frustration of three sec- ond-half turnovers leading directly to Quaker scores, a composed Westfal led the Generals down the field on the game’s decisive drive. The Generals compiled an eight-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in Westfal’s 21-yard run and put the Generals up by seven with 3:39 remaining. ' “The final drive was us really com- ing together and putting together a nice string of plays,” said Wesfal. In addition to his game-winning touchdown on the ground, Westfal fin- ished the day with 95 yards through the air, completing nine passes in 15 at- tempts. Clemo and Hudson had 83 and 84 yards rushing, respectively, as the “Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs.” Columnist Drew Koeneman discusses the excessively long post—seasons in the NBA and NFL By Drew Koeneman c o L U M N IS T As tried-and-true mass market teams the New York Yankees and the Philadel- phia Phillies prepare to face off in the 106th World Series, one might wonder the basic question: who cares? The answer: over 20 million people, which has been the average TV audi- ence per game of the fall baseball classic since the year 2000. The World Series will beat this fall’s series premieres of Sunday Night Football (18.2 million) and Grey’s Anatomy (17.1 million), two of the nation’s most watched shows And all of this depends on one word: playoffs. The postseason of any major sport team is undoubtedly the most exciting time of the season. After all the hard work and early morning practices, and all the screaming and bratwurst grill- ing by the fans, the whole season comes down to one game, one moment, one play-—or in some cases, two months. The 2009 NBA playoffs, which lasted from April 18 to June 14, and the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, which lasted from" April 16 to June 12, were the two most unnecessarily long months of the sports year. In both the NBA and NHL, where 30 teams compete over a long season, 16 teams earn the right to compete in the playoffs. Not only does this make each regular season game less and less meaningful, but it takes away excite- ment from the playoffs. In the NBA and NHL playoff systems, teams compete in four rounds, each consisting of a best- of-seven series. This creates the possi- bility for a single team to play 28 games in the playoffs. With so many games, the playoff atmosphere is often dull and drawn-out. Teams try to salvage some excitement in the championship series, but unfortunately usually fail. There is a reason why the Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event in America, with 98.7 million Viewers huddled around TVs last win- ter to watch Santonio Holmes squander any hope for the Arizona Cardinals’ first Super Bowl victory. That is because the NFL playoffs are set up in a way to make it exciting. The NFL playoffs, the most-watched playoffs in America, are the ideal sys- tem. Throughout the season, the 32 teams of the NFL battle day after day on the gridiron for the highly coveted 12 playoff spots. I would not have wanted to be the one to tell Bill Belichick that his Patriots were not good enough to make the 2008-2009 playoffs with a ll- 5 record. With only one game per round, the four rounds of the NFL playoffs seem to fly by, lasting only a mere 29 days in 2009. Not only does that carry the open- ing round excitement all the way to the grand finale of the Super Bowl, but the proclivity for upsets to happen through- out the playoffs adds the excitement that is lacking in the opening rounds of the NBA and NHL. No one wants to watch bad teams get creamed by NBA all-stars. But in the NBA, higher-ranked teams often embar- rass inferior opponents who probably shouldn’t have gotten in to the playoffs in the first place. There are rarely good . matchups in the opening rounds. In the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs, which were watched only by an aver- age of 2.9 million people per game, only two out of the eight series went to seven games. In the case of four out of the eight series, the higher-ranked team won 4-1 or 4-0. In the NHL, where sadly only 0.4 million people tuned in each A first round game, it was a similar story. Where is the excitement? You need to remember that people like underdogs. In the first round of this year’s NFL play- offs, which were watched by an average of 29.8 million people per game, not one team with the better record won. Now let’s not forget about America’s pastime, baseball, whose playoff system falls a close second behind the NFL’s. Major Leagie Baseball playoffs, which are the second most watched of any ma- jor US sport, usually only last within the month of October. This short time is just enough to allow the excitement to build throughout the month. The MLB has done it right; with only eight teams making the playoffs, everyone is good, and anyone can win. And that is what people want to watch. The first round of the MLB playoffs are only a best-of-five series, which not only speeds up the playoffs, but also adds to the unpredictable nature of the series. Looking back a couple weeks, not too many people would have thought that the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox would be heading to the golf course running game continues to be a focus for the Generals’ attack. The Generals’ defense was led by se- nior linebacker Gus Cavanaugh and se- nior safety Donovon Sawyer, who each recorded nine tackles. Junior comerback David Stemlicht contributed eight tack- les in addition to two pass-breakups and a forced fumble. The Quakers finished with 338 yards of total offense, passing for 209 yards and rushing for 129. W&L will next host the Bridgewa- ter Eagles (5-2, 2-1 ODAC) Saturday at 1:00 in the General’s last home game of the season. after getting swept in three games. Compare that to the NBA, where no teams in the bottom half of the 16 have ever advanced past the second round of the playoffs since the playoff format moved to 16 teams in 1984. Where is the incentive to watch when you know what is going to happen? This is why only 13.4 million fans are sticking around to watch the NBA finals: there is no excitement at the start of the playoffs and by the time NBA finals have finally rolled around, the two months of wait- ing has hurt interest. Unfortunately, the annoyingly long and uneventful playoff systems of the NBA and NHL will not change due to media contracts and having to pay the ridiculously high player salaries. We will all just have to accept the fact that this is the way it is. Let me know when the fourth quarter of game seven of the NBA finals is on; maybe I’ll watch. OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_007.2.txt THURSDAY, (OCTOBER 29,2009 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 7 sports Volleyball on 12-game Winning streak after Weekend Victories The Generals defeated Bridgewater, 3-1, and Marietta, 3-1, to improve to I 7- By Llzz Dye smrr wmnzn The Washington and Lee volleyball team extended its winning streak to 12 with a 3-1 victory over Bridgewater and a 3-1 victory over Marietta on Saturday. The wins brought the Generals to a 17- 10 overall record and a 7-2 conference record. The winning streak first started with the Generals 3-2 defeat of Lynchburg. Since then W&L has dropped only five games, earning a 33-5 advantage over their opponents. “We struggled earlier this year with some ODAC teams, but have really hit our stride and are playing quality vol- leybal1,” said sophomore hitter Megan Daily. “We have gotten some help from some teams losing and now are in a po- sition to control our destiny. If we win out, we can finish second and have a great seed going into the tournament.” The Generals took their streak into full force when they notched two shut- outs in 3-0 victories over Sweet Briar and Guilford. Against Sweet Briar, junior middle blocker Louise Brooks led the ofi°ense with seven kills, followed by senior out- side hitter Rachael Phillips with six kills and six digs. First-year libero Cameron Hill also contributed 12 digs and three service aces to the victory. Two days later against Guilford, Brooks and Phillips again led the charge for the Generals. Phillips posted in the double-digits with 12 kills while Brooks added 8 kills. A 3-2 win over Christopher Newport was sweet revenge for the Generals, who lost to them earlier in the season, 3-0. Brooks led the offense with 20 kills, followed by Phillips with 16 kills. Daily also added 11 kills. Senior setter Kristi Stevens regis- tered 50 assists in the game and tied for a team high with 13 digs. “The Christopher Newport game was a big match,” Daily said. “They are always a good team and every year is competitive. We lost a rough one last year and one earlier in the year, but we didn’t focus on past losses. We stuck with our philosophy and game plan, and were able to beat a good team.” The Generals next faced Roanoke ,and again came out victorious with a 3-0 sweep. This was the second time in eight days that W&L defeated the Ma- roons. Philips showed a strong offensive front again with 13 kills while hitting .433. Brooks added 9 kills and hit .500 for the match. Stevens led the team with 28 assists and 14 digs, while Hill added an impressive 11 digs and a pair of ser- vice aces. The Generals continued to dominate as they took on Mary Baldwin. Hill led W&L with 20 digs, complemented by 13 digs from Stevens. Junior Marah Schmitz drove the offensive with 11 kills and junior Summer Goldberg add- ed an impressive four service aces along with four digs. With 10 straight wins behind them, the Generals were confident and poised heading in to their weekend match-ups against Bridgewater and Marietta. Taking down ODAC foe Bridge- water, the tandem duo of Philips and Brooks was at it again. Philips led with 16 kills while Brooks put up 12. Daily and first-year right-side Bailey Walker added eight kills apiece. Hill led the Generals with 15 digs, while Phillips and defensive specialist Jenna Finger contributed 12 digs each. In their second match of the day against Marietta, the Generals showed no signs of slowing down. Brooks and Philips again led the way with. double- digit stats. Philips posted 19 kills and Brooks added 11 to give the "two 30 total kills for the game. Philips and Brooks had a combined 58 kills for the weekend. Senior setter Megan Steinhardt added 48 assists to the offensive effort. With the Generals’ recent success, Head Coach Brian Snyder has every reason to be smiling. “All of those matches were big for us to continue to play well and im- prove, which has been our goal in each match this season,” Snyder said. “[The win over Christopher Newport] was big since we had lost to them earlier in the year, so that gives us a lot of posi- tive reinforcement that the time we have spent in the gym trying to get better has played off” Snyder already has his sights on ODAC tournament play and believes that his team has a chance to make a real run in the tournament. “In general, we need to have great effort on defense, make smart decisions on offense, and serve and pass the ball well,” he said. “If we do those things on a consistent basis, I think we can beat any of the teams that we might face the rest of the season.” But Snyder is cautious not to look too far ahead. “As for the ODAC tournament, I think we just need to keep working to get better every day until we get there,” he said. “We have improved a great deal this year, but we still have two weeks and five regular season matches to play before we get there, so we are just going to focus on using those opportunities to improve as individuals and as a team. Once we know who our opponents will be in the tournament, we will begin to prepare for them.” The Generals played their last Men’s basketball ready to improve The men is basketball season ofiicially kicks 0]?" Nov. 15 with a home match-up against Greensboro By Brooke Sutherland sponrs EDl'l’0R Don’t expect them to break out into song and dance during practice, but the Washington and Lee men’s basketball team has their head in the game. Last year, the Generals overcame a mid-season slump and five-game los- ing streak to make a run to the ODAC Championship game and post a 16-13 record, marking the first time in 20 years the Generals have earned back-to-back winning seasons. As the team prepares for their season opener, they aren’t wast- ing any time getting back into a winning mindset. “We had a great year last year,” said junior guard Jason Cimino. “We had six seniors who really didn’t want to lose and made a run for the championship in the ODAC tournament... We learned a lot. A lot about focus, and that every day means something. You can’t ever take days off You can’t relax at all.” As head coach Adam Hutchinson begins his seventh season at W&L and seeks to build on his 55 career wins, all he asks for is the very best his team can give. “We’ve got to understand it’s got to be every guy, every game, 100 percent focused,” Hutchinson said. “I think one of the lessons we learned last year was that you can’t be 96 percent in today and expect to do well. It’s got to be 100 per- cent.” . That’s the kind of work ethic that got the Generals to the ODAC Champion- ship last year, and the players are look- ing to keep the tradition of hard work and preparation alive. The team graduated six seniors last year, but a new batch of upperclassmen leaders and freshman up- starts is eager and ready to fill the void. “The loss of one person is an oppor- tunity for somebody else,” Hutchinson said. “Those guys graduated, so it opens up playing time for every guy who’s looking for an opportunity to prove themselves.” The Generals will return co-captains senior forwards Ben Goetsch and Zach White, the third and fourth leading scor- ers respectively for the Generals last year. “I’m trying to take a big leadership role,” White said. “We’re a young team and we need everyone to step up and show the way. We’re trying to build more leaders for the next year and the year after that.” Hutchinson also cited the leadership qualities of Cimino. “[He] has begun showing leadership in terms of executing, knowing what he ’s ODAC conference game against Roa- noke last night, but the scores were not yet available as of press time. They will next travel to St. Mary’s City, MD for the St. Mary’s Tournament over Oct. 30 I 0 overall and 7-2 in conference play and Oct. 31. STEELE BURROW / Staff Photographer Left: Senlor setter Krlstl Stevens cheers on her teammates after a kill Above: Flrst-year llbero Cameron Hlll celerbrates a polnt for the Generals supposed to do on a consistent basis,” he said. “It’s very encouraging.” Other returners for the Generals are sophomores Jonathan Guest, Will Smith and Kyle Bond.. Returning players will also receive support from a talented first-year class looking-to make a serious impact in their first season at W&L. “[The first-years] are good,” Cimino said. “We only have six returners so they’re going to play a huge role. And I think they’re ready. They’re very talent- ed and they’re very deep, very athletic. They’re working hard; they’re learning everything. We’re expecting a lot out of them.” ' _ The team faces their first opponent on Nov. 15 in a home match-up against Greensboro. Field hockey dominates competition in five straight shutouts The Generals haven ’t dropped a point since falling 6-0 to Eastern Mennonite on October 7 By Stephen Peck STAFF WRITER The field hockey team is on a roll. W&L has posted a five-game winning streak and pushed its overall record to 9-6 and 5-2 in conference play. The General’s recent wins haven’t just been victories, they’ve been dominations. Over the past two weeks, the Gener- als have beaten Roanoke, Rhodes, Se- wanee, and Virginia Wesleyan by scores of 7-0, 1-0, 3-0, and 6-0 respectively. Add the game prior to Roanoke, a 5-0 win over Bridgewater, and the Generals have a five game shutout streak going. Date back even further to the Eastern Mennonite game and the Generals have not allowed a goal in a little over 360 minutes. Facing off against Roanoke Col- lege on their home field, senior forward and W&L career goal leader Sallie Armstrong opened the scoring for the Generals off an assist from sophomore forward Christina Benedetti fewer than three minutes into the game. Junior defender Kelly Tran and se- nior forward Steph Mansey closed out the half with two unassisted goals to give W&L a 3-0 lead going into the break. Roanoke could do nothing but watch as the Generals sealed the deal with four more goals from Armstrong, sophomore defender Susie Giampalmo, and two from first-year forward Katherine Price. When the dust settled, the Generals had scored seven goals and fired 34 shots on the Roanoke cage. Roanoke posted no goal; no shots even made it through to senior goalkeeper Caroline Habliston. “It’s almost more nerve-wracking to play in a game where there’s not a lot of . action in the defensive circle,” Hablis- ton said. “Getting caught daydreaming becomes a prime opportunity for the other team to score a fast-break goal. My mindset is to treat every minute of the game like the score is 0-0.” The Generals’ next scheduled game against St. Mary’s was rained out so the team had to wait until next Sunday to resume action. Rhodes made the trip to face W&L and gave the Generals a run for their money. Seventy minutes of regulation play was not enough to decide a win- ner, so the game was sent into overtime with the two teams deadlocked at 0-0. A little over two minutes into overtime, Armstrong scored the winner unassist- ed, sending the Generals and their fans into a frenzy. As evidenced by the score, both teams played stifling defense, with W&L getting 12 shots on the cage and Rhodes making only four. The team looked to continue their hot streak when they hosted Sewanee last Tuesday. The Generals again blanked ' the opposition, garnering a 3-0 win. Armstrong bookended the scoring for the Generals, with Price also tallying a goal. Armstrong has seemingly put this team on her back as the Generals rocket towards postseason play. She has scored eight goals in only six games. “My teammates have just set me up with some good shots, and I am able to finish the play,” Armstrong said. On Saturday, W&L made the long trip to Virginia Beach to face Virginia Wesleyan. Proving that they are just as formidable on the road as they are at home, the Generals wiped the floor with VWC, winning 6-0. ' With yet another commanding tri- umph, the team set a school record for consecutive shutout victories. The scor- ing in this one can be summed up as the Armstrong, Benedetti and Mansey show. Armstrong notched two goals and an assist. Benedetti added a goal and an assist and Mansey led the scoring with three goals. She scored her third 58 min- utes into the game to record the hat trick. With such strong offense, the Generals’ defense was able to lock it down and post yet another donut in the opponent’s,' scoring column. All recent signs point to success in upcoming playoff action. “Our passing and defense have im- proved and with the way we have played recently, we are really excited to start postseason play,” Armstrong said. W&L starts ODAC conference tour- nament play this Saturday with the op- ponent to be determined. With the way Coach Orrison’s club is playing right now a rematch against Lynchburg or Eastern Mennonite looks to be inevita- ble if the Generals want to win it all. OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091029/WLURG39_RTP_20091029_008.2.txt THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 THE RING-TUM PH -8 sports SUN Mon Tues WED Tnuns 1 Bridgewater Football 2 p_m_ vs at ODAC Fleld Tournament Hockey Roanoke » 2 p.m. at ODAC at Tournament ODAC Tournament at ODAC at ODAC womenys Tuumament Tournament Soccer , at 5‘ at St. Mary’: Volleyban Mmyys Tournament 'ournament , at oonc ‘Mews xc champs ‘ at ODAC I w°';'g“ S Champs l vs. is Tlfhnsl Jranslvanla W mm ll 2 p.m. vs. iwomenvs franslvania Swlmmlng 2 ,,_m_ numbers 6 2 The number of shoulder injuries this season for Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner re-injured his shoulder in the Sooner’s 16-13 loss to Texas on Oct/ 17. Bradford had surgery on his shoulder this past Wednesday. Bradford plans to enter the NFL draft in April if his recovery proceeds well. 49 The number of career rushing touchdowns for University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow reached the marker in last Saturday’s 29-19 rout of Mississippi State. Tebow is now tied with the University of Georgia’s Herschel Walker on the SEC’s a|l—time rushing list. 21 The number of yards for Washington and Lee sophomore quarterback Charlie Westfal in his game—winning drive. The Generals defeated Guil- . ford 28-21 last Saturday. 58 The combined total number of kills between senior outside hitter Rachel Philips and junior middle blocker Louise Brooks in the Generals’ week- end games against Bridgewater and Marietta. The two have helped lead the team to a 12-game winning streak. box "You can’t win a championship in the first game.” Shaqullle 0’Neal on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 95-89 loss to their long- tlme rivals, the Boston Celtics, on Tuesday in their season home opener. The game snapped Boston’s eight-game losing streak at Clevland’s Quicken Loans Arena. Courtesy of espn.com. “Football, like soccer, rugby and even basketball and baseball, involves contact that can produce injuries. We cannot legislate the elimination of injuries from the games without eliminating the games themselves.” Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas on the high number of head injuries on the football field. NFL Comlssloner Roger Goodell appeared before Congress on Thursday to address concerns about the correlation between football head injuries and long term brain damage. Courtesy of espn.com. ‘ STEELE BURROW / Staff Photographer Above: A W&L swimmer makes the final stretch in Saturday’s Women’s ODAC Fall Relays Below: Sophomore Brielle Weinstein prepares to launch her backstroke With wins and losses, W&L swimming kicks 0]?’ season to mixed reviews By Megan Dally STAFF WRITER The Washington and Lee pool is sud- denly getting a lot more use. The men’s and Women’s swim teams are back in sea- son, kicking off their winter campaign with meets against Mary Washington and Cen- tre and the Women’s ODAC Fall Relays. The teams traveled to Mary Washing- ton for their first meet of the year. Opti- mism was high, but both teams fell behind and gave the meet to Mary Washington. The men lost by a score of 146-116 and the women fell behind 180-82. But the Gener- als did take home victories in six events. Senior Nick Talluri won the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.70, while fellow senior Winston Stagg finished first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2: 19.69. Soph- omore Chris Washnock took first place 200 backstroke at 1:57.09 and sophomore Jeff Stirling claimed the 100 butterfly in 53.29. First-year Rick Sykes saw his first win with the top place in the 50 freestyle with a time of22. 14. On the Women’s side, the 400 freestyle ‘relay team of seniors Sarah Simpson and Jenna Worsham, sophomore Elizabeth Stames and first-year Izzy Brassfield took first place with a time of 3:34.76. First- year Brittany Ross also added points for the Generals with a second place finish in the 200m butterfly (2: 14.35). It was a quick turn around for the Gen- erals as they went right back into the pool the next day to face off against Centre. The men earned their first victory of the season, defeating Centre 134-109. On the men’s side, the Generals took first place in nine events. Talluri, Wash- nock, and senior Ian Childers led the Generals with two individual event titles apiece. Childers won the 100 breaststroke (1204.32) and 200 breaststroke (2221.56). Talluri claimed the 50 freestyle (22.08) and the 100 freestyle (49.01). Washnock placed first in both the 100 backstroke (56.04) and. 200 backstroke (2100.44). Sophomore Ben Absher won the 1000 freestyle (10:41.04), Stagg won the 200 butterfly (2:02.83), and junior Brandon Wilder took the 200 free- style (1251.68). The relay team of first year Wayde Marsh, sophomore Brian Stirling, Stagg and Talluri took the 200 medley re- lay (1:40.48). But it was a split ticket day for W&L swimming and the women dropped their second meet, falling 142-120. Four first place victories in individual events and a winning relay team, however, helped offset the loss. Ross took first in the 200 butter- fly with a time of 2:18. 19. Stames won the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:40.43 and fellow sophomore Katie Salvati touched first in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:17.48. Worsham took the 200 IM with a time of 2:20.10 and anchored the win- ning 200 freestyle relay team that finished with a time of 1:43.67. She was joined by Simpson, sophomore Dana Fredericks and Brassfield. The women7s team rebounded quickly in the ODAC Fall Relays this past Satur- day, claiming six of 10 events and posting a score of 362 en route to victory. Fredericks and Brassfield were major contributors to the team win. The two racked up the most points for the Generals, each swimming for four winning relay teams. Simpson, Worsham and first-year Megan Bock each had a part in three winning teams. Fred- ericks, Simpson, Brassfield and Worsham claimed the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:43.09. Fredericks, Worsham and Bock finished first in the 300 3x100 IM relay with a time of 3:16.84. Fredericks, Book and senior Lynn Bazzel teamed up to win the 150 yard breaststroke relay in 1:37.86. Simpson, Brassfield and Stames won the 400 freestyle relay at 3:49.08. Fredericks and Brassfield teamed up with Ross and sophomore Brielle to take first place in the 200 medley relay in 1:58.13. Brassfield, Bock, Simpson, Stames and Weinstein combined with juniors Becky Guynn and Rachel Mensch and sophomore Jocelyn Cassada to take the 200 8x25 Relay with a time of 1:42.47. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, both teams have high expectations of good things to come. In the 2009 pre-season polls, the wom- en’s team was picked to win its third-con- secutive conference title. Back for the Generals are seven First Team All-ODAC swimmers from last year including the 2008 Rookie of the Year, sophomore Eliza- beth Stames. “We will'have a young team this sea- son, but we will not be short on talent,” said Head.Women’s Coach Kami Gardner. The men’s roster is loaded with depth and experience and Head Coach Joel Shi- nofield will be looking for his team to make big strides in the ODAC. “We have a deep and all-around strong team,” Shinofield said. “The team this year is well-balanced and will be highly com- petitive in all events.” The men’s team will rely heavily on the leadership of its eight seniors, particularly All-America recipients Talluri and Bran- don Bamds and First-Team All-Bluegrass Mountain Conference honorees Dan Aus- tin and Jonathan Giesen. Washnock, who was recognized as the W&L Outstanding First-Year Male Athlete last year, will look to capitalize on his first-year success with a strong sophomore effort. Both teams return to action this Satur- day with a meet against Transylvania. Collegiate team horse system a challenge F irst-year rider Collier McLeod talks about the aajustment to college riding By Becky Mlckel ‘STAFF WRITER lt’s every child’s dream to have her own pony, but Collier McLeod, a first- year member of the Washington and Lee University riding team, has been living that dream for 13 years. “I always knew that I wanted to ride, but my parents said I had to wait until first grade,” said McLeod, who began compet- ing in second grade and got her own horse in fifth grade. McLeod became a regular on the riding circuit, practicing everyday for competi- tions that took place anywhere from her home state of Georgia to Canada. In 2008, McLeod was named junior Amateur of the Year among Canadian and American rid- ers for best overall performance, earning scholarship money among other prizes. With so much practice time and so much success, McLeod was familiar, with her own horses. But at W&L, the riders don’t get to keep the same horse all the time. “I’1l ride a certain horse at practice one day, but everyone takes turns, so it’s weeks before I actually ride that horse again,” explained McLeod. ‘ McLeod said she found the concept of team horses challenging, but fun. And it’s something she’ll have to get used to as a rider at W&L as regional competitions op- ' erate under this system as well. The uni- versity responsible for hosting a tourna- ment must provide horses for every rider.’ Visiting teams don’t have to cart large horse trailers across the country, but the visitors are put in the challenging position of depending on horses they have never even seen before, “Competitors draw a horse, get on, and then walk around a brief circle before be- ing judged,” McLeod said. “It’s definitely different, and was slightly overwhelming at first because lots of us have never rid- den in competitions like that before.” The NCAA realizes the challenge of unfamiliar horses and competitors are judged solely on their personal perfor- mance and not on their ability to connect with the particular horse they are riding. “The NCAA judges how correctly the rider performs, which includes everything from presentation to the course itself,” McLeod said. Despite the challenges of adjusting to collegiate riding, McLeod is putting her full effort into the W&L riding team. ‘‘I wasn’t looking for a college specifi- cally for the riding program, but it was in- fluential in my decision,” McLeod said. At the Hollins Invitational on Oct. 18, McLeod earned sixth place in Interme- diate Equitation on the Flat, a category specific to the NCAA. The Generals tied for sixth place overall out of 10 compet- ing schools and were led by six finishes in the top three. Sophomore Tamara Morse claimed third place in the Open Equitation Over Fences and tied for third place W&L senior captain Emily Coyle in the Open Equitation on the Flat. First-year Molly Rountree took third place in the Intermediate Equitation Over Fences and sophomore Catherine Skitsko took third in the Novice Equitation Over Fences. First-year Kerriann Laubach rounded out the top finishers for the Gen- erals, taking third place in the Beginner Walk-Trot-Canter. The riding team will next head to the I Bridgewater Invitational on Saturday, Oc- tober 31. 9