OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_001.2.txt
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_A&L / page 7

‘WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY    -  

' THE RING-TUM PHI.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS" SINCE 1897 VOLUMECXV||,NUMBER10

Crunch time for intern applicants

By Krysta Huber
STAFF WRITER

With final exams approaching and
winter term around the corner, the Ca-
reer Development Center is anticipating
an increase in the number of students
contacting the office for assistance with
job and internship applications.

According to Assistant Director of
the Career Development Center Ms.
Kimberly Phillips, prime internship
recruiting takes place from January to
March. As soon as students return from
winter break, the internship process is in
full swing.

' Phillips said that while the majority
of students begin to visit the office after
the first of the year, this year she has no-
ticed an influx in the number'of students
seeking help from the Career Develop-
ment Center in the fall.

“Students see classmates who are
looking at investment banking and po-
sitions in finance, which typically hire
very early,” Phillips said. “Students in
other disciplines start thinking about it
earlier because their classmates are get-
ting offers and already have internships
lined up.” .

Phillips said that she is pleased to see
this type of proactivity from students be-
cause deadlines approach very quickly

and there are several steps that make up
the internship application process.

‘‘In general, students who are looking
for internships need to be thinking about
putting together their resume, network-

of the College. The Johnson Opportunity
Grant is also an option, which Phillips
considers to be one of the best grants
that a student can apply for.

According to wlu.edu, the Johnson

(K

- n general, students who are looking for internships

need to be thinking about putting together their resume,

networking with other people and coming into our ofiice

to have a conversation about what they need to be doing

right now to meet deadlines. ’

J

KIMBERLY PHlLLIPS,‘Assistant Director of Career Development

ing with other people and coming into
our office to have a conversation about
what they need to be doing right now to
meet deadlines,” said Phillips.

in addition to internship applications
and creating a resume, students also
have the opportunity to apply for vari-
ous grants and fellowships to support an
unpaid summer internship. According to
Phillips, there is a list of several grant
and fellowship applications on the sec-
tion of the school website for the Dean

Opportunity Grant is available to sopho-
mores and juniors participating in spring
or summer experiences across the globe.
Between 20 and 30 students who are, se-
lected each year by a committee of fac-
ulty, staff and previous grant winners,
receive an award between $1,000 and
$4,500.

Phillips said that the award is put
toward a variety of expenses, such as
transportation to and from the location
of the internship or living expenses if the

student is working in an area outside of
their hometown.

“Some students find great opportuni-
ties where they can learn a lot and‘ it’s
just something that is relevant to what
they want to do in the future, but is un-
paid,” said Phillips. “The students are
looking for funding to get them where
they want to be — to have this great expe-
rience that could really help them."

Another benefit to the Johnson Op-
portunity Grant, according to Phillips,
is that the grant is exclusively for Wash-
ington and Lee students, narrowing the
competition and increasing the likeli-
hood of receiving an award. Phillips said
that while there are a handful of students
who take advantage ofthe grant, she be-

lieves that not enough students are aware ~

of it, but should take the time to apply.
“The application process isn’t very
lengthy, but there are several coInpo-
nents: a professional resume, a personal
statement about why they want to have
this experience and the money, and how
this will help them down the road," said
Phillips. “They also need recommenda-
tions from faculty,” Phillips said.
Previous grant winners have stud-
ied and interned across the globe, from

Shanghai, to Ghana, to Costa Rica, ac-
cording to wlu.edu. Junior Dillon My-
ers applied for the Johnson Opportunity
Grant to intern at a financial company in
Shanghai, China, and according to wlu.
edu, used his grant to pay for the high
cost ofliving and travel. Myers not only
gained professional experience as a fi-
nance intern. but also had the opportu-

,nity to polish his Chinese by conversing

with subway passengers during his daily
commute.

Senior Jina Park, another Johnson
Opportunity Grant winner, used her
grant award to participate in a clinical
service opportunity in San Jose, Costa
Rica. According to wlu.edu, Park said, “I
thought that volunteering in developing
countries such as Costa Rica would not
only offer me a better understanding of
the clinical and medical dynamics ofthe
country, but also provide another pur-
pose of pursuing a career in medicine.”

Phillips added, “The Johnson Oppor-
tunity Grant is a great oppoitunity for
students who find experiences that could
really benefit them, not only academical-
ly, but ,in ways that fit with their personal
and professional goals.”

Mock Con1O

By’ Randy Karlson
STAFF w R ITER

On the morning of Nov. 7, Presi-
dent Barack Obama was re-elected to
a second term, which means one thing
at Washington and Lee: the next Mock
Convention will be for the Republican
Party.

First-years will have the chance to
lead this event.

Mock Con has been a Washington
and Lee tradition since 1908, the'second
oldest in the country to the convention
at Oberlin College, which dates back
to pre-Civil War times. Our convention
predicts the winner of the primary elec-
tions of the out-of-power party for every
Presidential election.

The students in charge of Mock Con
are able ‘to predict the nominees using
research. Since 1948, the only times that
the committee has gotten a prediction
wrong was in 1972 when they chose
Edward Kennedy over George McGov-
ern, and in 2008 when they chose Hilary
Clinton instead of Barack Obama.

Last year, the delegates correctly
chose Mitt Romney, with 1781 votes,
more than 1500 votes more than Newt
Gingrich, the runner-up in the conven-

. tion.

Not only is Mock Con an extremely
accurate and serious event, it is also full
of fanfare and revelry. The first event
leading up to the convention is the

spring kickoff, during the spring prior to
the event. The Presidential gala follows
in the fall. There is also a big parade
through the streets of Lexington during
convention weekend.

The separate events leading up to
Mock Con are coupled with famous
speakers and debatesjln the past, the
event has drawn names such as Jesse
Jackson, Jack Kemp, Lamar Alexander,
Jon Huntsman, Jr., Herman Cain, Mike
Huckabee, and James Carville and Ann
Coulter in a debate.

For students interested in being a part
ofthe next Mock Con, applications will
be accepted until Dec. 7 for both Politi-
cal and General Chair and the Executive
Treasurer. All three of these positions
are up for grabs this year. Students in-
terested in accounting are encouraged to
apply for Executive Treasurer, the nerds
among the group are encouraged to ap-
ply for Political Chair, and those inter-
ested in management are encouraged
to apply for General Chair, according
to Ali Greenberg, senior and Facilities
Chair from last year’s convention.

The Executive Treasurer is a new
member of the Tri-Chairs and is in
charge of all monetary funds for the
event -- the unofficial “CFO” of the
convention.

Greenberg said they are looking for

“an extremely motivated and attentive
student to oversee and implement [their
large budget] as the Executive Trea-
surer.”

“It is a large responsibility, as the Ex-

ecutive Treasurer manages every single -

financial aspect of the convention,” said
Greenberg. The position is extremely
important in terms of the convention
and will provide great experience for
anyone looking to enter an accounting
field after graduation.

The position of General Chair is the
head of the whole convention, which has
many different responsibilities. Some of
those responsibilities include managing
people and many moving parts, running
meetings, maintaining a unifying vi-
sion for the organization and making all
parts of the organization cohesive.

The position of Political Chair is the
ideological leader of the organization.
This person must have “a passion for
politics” and a “vast understanding of
the current and past political landscapes
as well as an intense desire to learn,”
said Greenberg. Some of the respon-
sibilities of the Political Chair include
running the political research process,
overseeing the political team and con-
ducting extensive research.

Attention!    

[F C announced that new member education
activities will not be permitted on Tuesdays

By Hamlet Fort
STAFF WRITER

     
         
 
    

      
     
   

The Washington and Lee Inter-Fraternity
Council took a step towards improving New ;
Member Education on Monday, electing to A
eliminate all pledgeship activities on each

Tuesday during the winter.

 
     
      
 
     
   

The IF C, at the suggestion of the
Student Affairs Committee, took a
survey of all fraternity presidents and
the new measure was passed by a ma-

 
 
     
     
 

jority. The SAC, concerned with the

 
   

quality of life of New Members as 
it pertains to grades, sleep patterns 
and overall health, presented a re- .
port to the IF C that contained rec— V.
ommendations for changes to the .
New Member Education system. '
The SAC’s major initial rec—-

ommendation was shortening

New Member Education from
its cur‘rent"eight weeks to six
weeks, a motion rejectedpby

the IFC and fraternity presi
dents. ‘

Instead, the IFC formed a
New Member Education Task

    
 
      
        
 
     
 
        
      
 
    
      

Force, with the goal of formulating new
ideas and potential initiatives for improving pledgeship.
Eliminating Tuesdays during New Member Education is
a recommendation of the Task Force. ,
Danny Murray ’l3, IFC President, released a statement on

behalf of the IFC.

The statement reads: “This decision follows the ongoing
suggestions of the Student Affairs Committee to address the
numerous inefficiencies inherent in the current system - pri-
Inarily, students’ quality of life. The IFC decided this mea-
sure, along with several other initiatives spearheaded by the
NME Task Force, will help address the changing dynamics of
the W &L student body and overall rigors of the new member
Greek experience for first-year men.”

This change to New Member Education follows previous
changes to daily hours (now 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.) and the
minimum GPA for New Members (now 2.3).

— Current and potential fraternity men can expect more chang-

es in the future.

 

OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_002.2.txt
 

DEC 0 6 zoié

  

 

  

2 ° THE RING-TUM PHI °

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

I16

 

Wakin

Happiness: how do we get there?

By Graham Colton
HEAD COPY EDITOR

Charles Taylor, emeritus professor of
philosophy at McGill University, talked
about “Relating Morals to Ethics” in the
Commons last Thursday.

“What makes a life really worth-
while?” asked Taylor, the third speaker
in the “Questioning the Good Life” in-
terdisciplinary seminar series.

Unlike morals and ethics, Taylor
pointed out that happiness is often con-
ceived today as something that just hap-
pens to you.

But before considering the modern
interpretations of happiness, Taylor
urged that we “step back, look into his-
tory and see how we got here.”

Aristotle thought that if someone
does all the right things, then they de-
serve the good life.

“What is the wisdom of the ancients
that’s worth carrying forward?” Taylor
asked the audience.

The central concept of Plato and Ar-
istotle pushes for a certain kind of ful-
fillment or completion. The paradigm of
this case, Taylor said, is “living things,
such as the potential of an acorn to be-
come an oak.” Similarly, there exists a
vast chasm between our potential and
realization thereof.

In the end, an “internal direction of
growth” makes the acorn an oak tree,
said Taylor.

The relationship between potential
and the realization thereof can be seen in
love and death.

Love, Taylor said, has a component
of what happens and turns out. Perhaps
a couple “met in Paris,” Taylor said.
This is a “happening accident from the
outside; the kind of happening of an
organic process.” It comes from the in-
temal dynamic of this couple’s relation-
ship, said Taylor.

After a happenstance meeting, a
couples love relationship has an inor-
ganic growth. “It’s like the growth of a
garden,” Taylor said. “Unless we fail to
water the garden or pull the plants out,
you see the person more ful_ly and realis-
tically for who they actually are.”

As to death, Taylor said, to die well is
to have some sense of completing one’s

life. Death creates a sense offulfillment .

because before death, one is inclined to
repair a relationship with children or of-
fer insight into what is truly important
in life.

To do so, Taylor said, there “has to
be some kind of uptake by the person
whom you’re leaving behind.”

Left unanswered today is the ques-
tion of how you can do all the right
things while still being happy yourself.

This conflict has resulted in a clash
between egoism and altruism, which
Taylor called the “axes of modern think-
ing.”

These axes can be restated as desires,
the fulfillment of which constitutes hap-
piness and, on the other hand, the right
thing to do. Morality and happiness are
“rivals,” Taylor said.

For example, ifa father gambles and
his children starve, the father is happy
but immoral.

Similarly, sometimes we see “people
as severely addicted to something as not
real candidates for happiness,” Taylor
said.

In spite of the short-sightedness
which prompts happy but immoral de-
cisions, there remains, Taylor said, “a
sense of the larger order in the light of
which one works out one’s idea of the
good life. Good life choices are taken‘ in
the context of the larger picture.”

By Graham Colton
HEAD COPY EDITOR

. 

Ging in 

 

g magic for mature mul

In the Northen Auditorium last
Wednesday, Lev Grossman read an ex-
cerpt from his fantasy novel The Magi-
cian is Land, the yet-to-be—published and
final installment in a trilogy that began
with The Magicians, followed by The
Magician King.

The New York Times bestselling au-
thor also fielded questions from the au-
dience on other writers in the fantasy
genre, a television adaptation of his
books, and the writing process in gen-
eral.

Currently, Grossman has complet-
ed one-third of The Magicians Land.
When writing, Grossman said, he cre-
ates his fantasy world by first basing it
in reality. This basis does not exclude
profanity. Due in part to his penchant
for the profane, Grossman, according to
The New York Times, writes “Harry Pot-
ter for adults.”

“I was very conscious that the first
time I wrote... I could hear ten thousand
middle school library book sales evapo-
rate,” said Grossman. “But I stood by
my integrity.”

Grossman confessed his struggles
with how he ought to end the series. “Is
this book the end of the world? I’ve

been looking at the way people end a se-
ries,” Grossman said. “You play a funny
game. You’re ending the story. Burn
the place down; everything that’s been
hanging there I can finally lay off.”

To do so, the novelist has taken in-
spiration from The Last Battle of C.S.
Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. “A
lot of people don’t like The Last Battle;
l’ve been looking a lot at what Lewis
did there. I wondered if he succeeded in
theilogic of what he did there by having
Aslan’s world fall apart,” he said.

On the other hand, Grossman learned
his writing from Philip Pullman, the au-
thor of The Golden Compass and argu-
ably Lewis’ harshest critic, which seems
to refute the Christian overtones in
Lewis’ works. “I actually met him and I
had this conversation that was incredibly
liberating,” Grossman said. “He was so
angry at Lewis, even at breakfast early
in the morning, that he turned purple at
8 am.”

Despite the mentorship of Lewis
books and Pullman himself, Grossman
admits to sometimes writing poorly. “I
want to insist for everybody who’s inter-
ested in being a writer that everybody’s
first drafts are crap.”

9

But there is a method to his madness.

First, he “start[s] with action, then
dialogue to allow [characters] to talk to
each other.” His first drafts tend to be
skeletal rather than “morbidly obese.”
In these drafts, he is primarily concerned
with plot and action, saying, “I like the
narratives to be very well laid out, orga-
nized, and nicely paced.”

To lengthen a draft, Grossman at-
tempts to fully immerse the reader with-
in a fantastical world. “It’s very easy to
write about sight and sound, but I tend
to focus on the other senses,” he said.
“Then I make everybody react to what’s
going on. Then they react to their reac-
tions. Then I make up what people say.”

Sometimes, though, his draftsjust are
not long enough. Grossman said, “When
you’re making a living by writing, you
become obsessed with word counts... I
try to hit 145,000, but after the first draft
I come in at around 100,000.” Eventu-
ally, he added, “The thing starts grow-
ing and it sort of magically becomes the
proper length.”

Grossman’s fantasy fiction may soon
be adapted for television by Showtime,
Syfy, or AMC. Look out for The Magi-
cian s Land, coming soon.

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By Andrea owe" .
S“‘F.F- WRITER

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OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_003.2.txt
 

 

 

M 0 N DAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

 

3 - THE RING-TUM PHI '

 

Pure eats, pure bea ?

By Graham Colton
STAFF WRITER

Pure Eats might soon be as musical as
it is mouthwatering.

The popular local eatery is in nego-
tiations with a landlord to agree upon a
lease and other legal obstacles that would
convert the restaurant’s basement into a
music venue.

Owner John Blackburn hopes to plug
in the amp and get the party started.

“I want to create a performance space
down there for plays, storytelling and
concerts,” Blackburn said. “I’ve talked
to so many people in Lexington who are
musicians, DJs, performers of various
kinds, and they really feel the need for a
place in Lexington for performance.”

Blackburn seeks to bring together
“different constituencies” in the heart of
Lexington. “The jet-set DJ crowd, old
time musicians, rock guys, teenagers,
poetry, storytellers and really any other
performing artists,” he said.

Blackburn said he is not in it for the
money.

He said, “I would be really surprised
if I make any money off of it and I prob-
ably won’t.”

Blackburn said he would like the per-
formance space to exist as a community
resource, which musicians, bands and
performers would reserve for art open-
ings, performances and practices.

If all goes well, the venue would
be paid for by $100 passes that would
grant patrons access to a year’s worth of
events, Blackburn said.

“If we get enough of those people,
then we should be able to finance the ba-
sic outfit of the space.”

The space should not cost too much to
finance. “It’s not going to be fancy or de-
luxe,”_Blackburn said.‘ It will consist of
“four concrete pillars, a concrete ceiling,
and old metal windows,” he said.

Washington and Lee students might
be able to help create the space. “I’d love
for art students or area artists to adopt a
section of the wall for a period of time

to do murals and participate in creative
expression,” said Blackburn.

In addition, there might be students in
physics and engineering who could work
with the acoustics of the concrete base-

ment.

The timeline for completion is fast ap-
proaching.

“I would love to get outfitted this
winter and early spring so we could start
having shows in early April,” said Black-
burn. “That’s based on my hopes rather
than a concrete schedule.”

Blackburn made a final gesture to
W&L students.

“We could start a fundraising cam-
paign and I would love for W&L sup-
porters of good music...either to donate
toward it or to shore up some help and
volunteer.”

Blackburn encourages students to
email him with their thoughts at info@
pure-eats.com.

V 5’;
-7 *‘~~
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  , \~‘
0” - 51:1 0'19 "6

By Hannah Howard
STAFF WRITER

Unrest in Mexico under new President

The new president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, is dealing with public un-
rest before his term even starts. Just before his inauguration on Saturday, protest-
ers clashed with police outside of congress. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails
while police forces fought back with tear gas. At least 25 people were injured.

Communications blackouts spark
controversy in Syria

Communications blackouts occurred across Syria earlier this week in the
wake of some of the worst fighting since July. Many people suggested that the
government was behind the blackouts. Internet access was restored to most of
the country on Saturday.

Bus accident devastates in Bolivia

A passenger bus overturned on a major highway in Bolivia early Saturday.
Eight people were pronounced dead and at least 36 others were injured. The
injured were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities are waiting for
more information on the state of other victims.

New settlements approved in Jerusalem

The Israeli government approved the construction of 3,000 new settlements
in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday. The Prime Minister also approved
the establishment of 1,000 homes in the area connecting Jerusalem and Ma’aleh
Adumim. The approval of the construction follow a UN vote to improve Pales-
tine’s diplomatic status.

Tokyo tunnel caves in

A tunnel‘ near Tokyo caved in on Saturday morning. The tunnel is one of the
largest tunnels on a major highway in Japan. The accident trapped at least three
cars and authorities suspect that five or more people were trapped inside. Three
others who were able to get out are injured. Smoke surrounding the area was too
thick for rescue teams to get closed immediately.

Somali refugee camp shut down

Somali refiigees seeking asylum set up a tent camp in Amsterdam two months
ago. On Thursday, the mayor of the capital city ordered that the camp be shut
down. Police entered the area after breaking through a group of activists. About
95 asylum-seekers were arrested.

Taliban behind explosions at US. base

Explosions were heard late Saturday night at the United States military base
near Jalalabad in Afghanistan. The Taliban admitted to being behind the attack.
However, their entrance onto the base has not been confirmed. Gunshots contin-
ued to be heard after the explosions ended. Reports of casualties have not been
released.

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OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_004.2.txt
 

 

 

4 ° THE RING-TUM PHI 0

M O N DAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

opinions

 

Walkin

By Yates Wilburn
STAFF W R ITE R

As many of you know, Dec. 21 ofthis
year is considered by many to be the day
of the Apocalypse/Arrnageddon/End of
the World, pick your poison. This belief
is based on a loose understanding of the
ancient Mesoamerican calendar~specifi-
cally the Mayan calendarwthat places
the date at the end of a 5,125-year-long
cycle and the start of a new one.

i There are many theories as to what
this “new cycle” means. Theories range
from a “positive physical or spiritual
transformation” to alien contact to an
Earth—ending event, despite the fact that
all apocalypse theories have been de-
bunked by researchers from almost ev-
ery scientific discipline. Just in case, I ’m
here to help you prepare for the poten-
tial doom awaiting us at the end of the
month. So, gather up as much food, wa-
ter, gas, guns, ammo, and spiky shoulder
pads as you can now, because the world
of Mad Max is brutal and unforgiving.

President Obama Royally Screws Up
There’s really nothing you can do
about that now, just be prepared.

   
    
  
   
  
  
 
  

The “6-Mile-Wide Astero'
This one is by  "
able. Even if the I

The Nukes G0 Off

Assumptions: Enough nukes are
detonated to send the world into nuclear
winter without total global extermina-
tion, you’ll be able to live in the waste-
land left behind, and you have time to
make a run to somewhere safe before the
bombs drop.

I. Figure out what you need to sur-
vive all that radiation cancer and muta-
tion free. No need to grow a third arm

and lose everything’you’ve ever known
in the same day! . ,_ .  I ., , I " L
2. GCL 35:3,,  , T
targets of arn  
large cities, ma“ 
nuclear niisbife
centers of- I
3. Get as
in a structure a I V
sible. Forget that ‘50’s‘ 5 . I.
crap, which was a complete lie. If ’ ..
can see the explosion, you’re pro
done. I K _
Ok, now that you’ve survived as _, ;
clear holocaust, you’d probably thi F
hard part is over...and you’d be 
This part of the soul—crushingly lo

existence you will call “life” is rnucil-ii

easier if you’ve played agiy of the Fallout»: ‘t at‘ ' .
:,+»j_ ,-- ‘~= . .

      
   

games. ’f.*f‘  <35‘
The America fhats
harsh, unforgiving wasteland filled with
mutated animals, radioactive water, and
ruthless bandits eager to kill you and

.5

take your precious supplies. Given that, A

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
  
  

have impenetrable force fields protecting

them from all »forms of modern weap-

‘uh

 out a nice
' I new alien

    
 
  
   
   
   
  

, ‘I o siimes that the apoca-

Fe will take the form of a nearly 100%
al virus for which there is no hope
v _ ‘Vaccine or cure. In this case, you’ll
V.-3 get as far away from super popu-
, ' areas and just try and wait it out.
ere isn’t much you can do except buy
’~.,j AZMAT suit, a box of Kleenexes,
. ‘-71 boards for your windows. Beyond

could t  gamble on the ru-
 g, 7* rsist about the vi-
‘ O

‘ _ rvive above certain
altitudes, above/below certain tempera-
tures, or in certain parts of the country.
These will all likely be cruel lies created
by desperate people unwilling to accept

    

    
    

' ’'‘‘p;pods-  Approach:

9. Attracted to: minorities exhibiting
offensivelystereotypical behavior, peo-
ple without love interests, those stingy
with bullets, selfish/pragmatic surviv-
alists, people with useful skills, people
who breathe a sigh of relief, and people
too selfless for their own good.

10. Repulsed by women with: a lik-
able demeanor, concern for her_ fellow
human beings, blonde hair, a love inter-
est spurned by a lack of options, an un-
willingness to “go on without you,” and/
or large breasts.

ll. Repulsed by men with: strong
chins, six-pack abs, a loner attitude, a
“reluctant leader” mentality, perfect hair,
a love interest spurned by a lack of op-
tions, and/or an interesting backstory.

12. Fast.

13. Near instant conversion rate.

14. Increased strength, athleticism.

15. Heightened senses, minus pain.

16. Can breakdown doors, climb bar-
ricades, and outrun some vehicles.

 

'91.,

H '  l raider.

lmn unstoppable alien aittny comes

we-*“few rednecks, you’ll have a.

be sure to link up with said bandits as
..

quickly as possible. If post-nucl 
ies have shown me anything, it’s

i

_ 1 to your acceptance as an al

Alien Invasion!
wn hoping to do more than abdu

available to you:

1. The “Tom Cruise” Appro;
cally just run around screamirl
kids hoping Earth’s germs and
Freeman kill the aliens.

2. The “Jeff Goldblum” Ap
Learn to program a virus, find a bl
lot (preferably Will Smith), grab a '
ship, and hope that the alien mothe 1
uses the same operating system as
virus.

3. The “Falling Skies” Appro

Gather up as many people and guns’, 4 a
you can and kick them off the plM% 
Also, be sure to pray the aliens don '

     
    
  
  

at
ing a lone hero or a morally soil1nd' ‘
lage is not the way to go; better to ~. »
‘forms-a roving band of raiders e ,_-, .
life to remember those spikey I '

few optio

the reality they’ve been thr into.

I .

        

horror music is available.

       
    

  
   

  
 
 
 
   
  
 
   
 
  
  
  
 

9

‘ y0u7

 ‘ without checking them an riéfiinfgcting

it

.,le eople "I71"

g in a winter zombieland

the whole place, plus everyone will be
thinking the same thing

DON’T GO TO THE CDC

Pick a safe house with a maximum
of two ground entrances, minimum win-
dows and is away from a lot of activity

Should I try to find a safe zone, refu-
gee camp, or other oflicial area of pro-
tection?

No! There is no way to tell if such a
place is real, and whoever told you about
it could be trying to get your precious
hiding place!

Assuming you’ve already found a
safe house/room, best to stay put, let the
, government come to you

TRUST NO ONE

How do I kill/defend against a zom-
bie?
Fire is always fim
If fire is unavailable, use a blunt ob
ject like a bator crowligr
Keep gunfirdito 31 mini " ‘ you’ve
only got so Ipany b_ and guns
Q ac , V ies

  
    
  

  

   
  
  
 
  
 
 

about all you can do to
pending doom waiting for
inal note, be sure to grab

 
   
    

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

THE RING-TUM PHI.

EDITOR IN CHIEF
NEWS EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR
ARTS&LIFE EDITOR
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BUSINESS MANAGERS

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news affecting the Washington and Lee community for
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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.

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1.. .5.

Eating together, coming together

By.lP Beall
OPINIONS EDITOR

With a school as closely knit as ours, we
can always be evaluating, exploring, and
expanding the ways and means the people
of Washington and Lee connect, whether
it’s here at Evans for upperclassmen, pro-
fessors and the town, or even in other parts
of the country for W&L’s extended corn-
munity.

We have been doing many things pretty
well. D-Hall’s recent makeover to expand

' selections for students was both well timed

and well done (although the glass shields
on the food cart are a consistent obstacle
for anyoneabove 6 feet tall). The expan-
sion of Co-op hours to reach 2 a.m. is a
fantastic slice of Sausage Sunrise heaven,
and Hillel serving on Sundays is just one
more reason why Hillel is awesome.

However, one major drawback about the
extension of Co-op hours was that it is now
closed all day Saturday and Sunday mom-
ings, which is pretty difficult to maneuver
for an upperclassman with partial meal
plans and flex dollars.

This is why some major congratulations
are in order for our Executive Committee
(EC) for coming up with the best idea since
putting sliced bread in a toaster, and that is
their Executive Committee upperclassmen
brunch, which has been held several Sun-
days over the last term. Not only is this a
great option for Generals without their 60
swipes per week to eat a great meal for 5
bucks, but it’s also an opportunity to bring
together the fragmented upperclassman
community.

This is a great solution to the weekend
“food desert” for upperclassmen. When
you have the Evans Dining Services cook-
ing, and are almost certain to see a group of
people you know, the positives are pretty
substantial. In particular, it is a great spot
to see friends of both genders who you may
not normally have a chance to hang out
with. This is something you do not always
have with other venues. Opportunities that
bring a large portion of the different pieces
of the W&L community together are lim-
ited and valuable.

Another benefit is that we get to put Ev-
ans Hall to good use. The former first-year
dining hall before the Commons came in
is probably one of the most awesome ven-
ues on campus, and sadly one of the lesser
used. It is a great venue for bringing people
together, whether that is students or other-

 

wise. For instance, some other small liberal
arts schools have a special venue for dinner
lectures, for students, faculty, alumni and
community members to get a little dressed
up to hear distinguished lecturers and
alumni speak on a variety of topics. Great
food, lively Q and A, and the opportunity
to eat with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg
and Condoleezza Rice has become a uni-
versity touchstone for those schools that
unites the various sections of campus.

We already have a large amount of lec-
turers coming to W&L, whether it’s be-
cause of our fantastic Contact Committee
or the various lecture endowments of de-
partments. Heck, being close to Washing-

'ton, D.C., we have unparalleled access

to lecturers. Expanding to a single venue
like Evans can only help to cement such a
W&L institution, and further academic and
networking opportunities.

Along another line with Evans, how
many opportunities and venues are there
for professors to get together and have dis-
cussions as a community‘? I have spoken
with several professors about the grow-
ing sentiment of having a Faculty Club,
whether to go sit someplace to read a book,
have a discussion about research, or recon-
nect with a friend in another department
to talk shop over coffee. Professors don’t
really have anything of that kind to bring
them together, and something tells me that
fraternity parties (as awesome as they are)
are not going to be the way to start. Even
alumni have the Hotchkiss House! Why
not put the Fairfax Lounge (the one place
everyone knows, but does not know what
it’s for), or Evans to good use there? Some-
thing of this sort is only one more amenity
and selling point to continue to bring the
best and brightest faculty to one of Ameri-

ca’s best and brightest schools.

And what about a club for the extended
W&L network? This Thanksgiving, I had
the experience of staying with my cousins
at an Ivy League club up in New York. The
first thing that ran through my mind was
that if there was one university that ought
to have a club, it’s Washington and Lee.

There are probably those who wonder if
such an idea is past its prime, but the new-
est of those clubs up in New York is the
Cornell Club, which was only founded in
the l970’s. With the second highest Greek
participation rate in the country, in addi-
tion to a large, active, loyal base of the top-
ranked alumni in the country, the people of
Washington and Lee are among the most
clubbable people on the face of the planet.
If they found life on Mars, I would be will-
ing to amend the statement and, say, solar
system. To have a venue of that sort, say in
Washington, D.C., where Generals could
stay the night, eat meals, or meet at the bar,
library or squash courts would be invalu-
able.

In particular, D.C. would be a great loca-
tion for all those students here whose trav-
els to and from W&L sometimes exceed
one day’s time. Having a home base to stay
at would be fantastic. And if the club had
reciprocal agreements, these opportunities
could be open across the country, whether
someone is in a city for an interview, or
simply looking for a meeting place for
school friends.

Civility and hospitality are at the core of
the W&L cultural tradition, and thereare
many ways that we can allow this tradition
to evolve. One of these ways is to expand
the discussion, just like the EC has done.
Are you going to join the conversation?

  

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012 V _ 5 ° THE RING-TUM PHI -

pinions

I . Black-eye Friday 93:1” Mittens

_ _ STAFF WRITER
By Allie Weiss , , _ ,
DESIGN EDITOR  Its been almost a month since the Presidential

Election. I expect that many of the Romney support-
ers on campus are still clinging to their bumper stick-
ers and yard signs. I understand - losing is hard and
you certainly can’t win them all (and you really didn’t
win this one). 4.3 million votes and 6 big swing states
short of the Presidency, Mitt almost had it in the bag
(and by that I mean he took a shot from the 3-point-
line and it was an air ball).

While I could take the politically correct stand-
point and blame his loss on fractions in the GOP and
the alienation of minorities and the lower-class, the
true culprit is America. See, it isn’t I or the liberal
media elite (because we all saw the atrocity that was
FOX News on that “terrible” Tuesday night when
polls closed). It’s not even you, the dedicated conser-
vative who wanted so badly to “believe in America”
(albeit, what were you believing in before‘?). America
is the “Plastics” clique from the movie “Mean Girls”
and poor Mr. Mitt was not invited to wear pink on
Wednesdays (or to be the President).

Since the dawn of time (and in this case that would
be the beginning of Twitter), America has taken to de-
stroying any and everything via the “Intemets” (and
then you remember President Bush’s comment). What
is our obsession with nit-picking people’s comments
and quotes via 140 character battles online? I honestly
have no idea, but my guess is that people would rather
have a “Best Bushisms” day calendar than one with
Norman Rockwell paintings. We enjoy a good laugh

_ at the expense of other people’s mistakes. And unfor-
tunately, in the eyes of many Americans, Romney has
made a potent number of errors.

Yes, I understand! Romney was supposed to save
America! But sadly, McKayla and the 65 million peo-
ple who voted for Barack Obama were not impressed.
I wonder though how you couldn’t be impressed by
a man who has binders full of women. Does that not
show a tactful and organized character on Romney’s
part? What about Big Bird? I mean we all know some
money-minded children’s network on cable would
have picked up the government budget-draining
show. The 47% percent - they’ve got their bootstrapsl
What are they waiting for?

_ . __ I am quite aware that the majority of Mitt Rom-
?‘ " ' " " j ‘ L I . V V’ "S. ‘ ney’s comments were taken out of context, but this is

“ ’ ’ ' if ' ‘ America and we never follow rules (The Revolution-
ary War, anyone?). It isn’t fair that Romney got the
short stick and Obama had only one (really) bad de-
bate! America, what were you doing subconsciously
attacking Mitt Romney? Shame on us for not giving
Mitt a chance. Obama said we didn’t build our busi-
nesses but we sure built the failure that was Romney’s
bid for the White House. So my dear conservative
friends, I understand your pain. I almost sympathize.
You were smacked down by your country, but that’s
how democracy works. As a consolation prize I will
be offering hugs until your chance again at the Big

 

Two thousand years ago, December 25th was a 2012 was possibly the worst Black Friday that At another WalMart in Tallahassee, Fl., a not-so-
date of little consequence to most people. It was a America has experienced in recent years. In many friendly dispute over a parking space led to gun-
day just like any other, and came and went with- places, it was a scene right out of film noir, char- shot wounds being inflicted upon two customers.
out event. These days, December 25th is for many acterized by suspicion, guns, and murder. In San Fortunately for the customers, the injuries are not
people a day on which to celebrate family, friend- Antonio, Texas, a man tried to cut in line at a Sears life-threatening. Unfortunately, they lost the park-
ship, and faith. In other words, it is a looming store. When confronted by another customer, the ing spot.
deadline to have gifts wrapped, cards signed, and man punched his accuser in the face, only to find To top the evening off, a man in Springfield, Ma.,
packages shipped. And the culmination of all this himself looking down the barrel of a gun a mo- was babysitting his girlfriend’s tod_dler when he

. stress: a marathon shopping day that comes with ment later. Because the customer had a permit, he had a sudden desire to purchase a flat-screen TV
' its own warning label. was not arrested. The line-cutter was last seen as at the local Kmart. I-Ie buckled the child in, drove

.‘

For years, Black‘ Friday has been dedicated to he was fleeing the scene. to the store, and then reached a dilemma: would

. outrageous deals and aggressive marketing. The Meanwhile, at a WalMart in Lithonia, Ga.. a man it be smart to take the boy inside? Apparently, he

day’s history dates back to the late 19th century, decided to steal two DVD players. While he was decided against it, Somewhere between locking

when the major Thanksgiving Day parades would casually strolling from the store, loot in hand, em- the child in the car and purchasing the television,

conclude with an appearance by Santa Claus, sig- ployees attempted to prevent him from leaving the the man lost track of where he had parked. With a

nifying that Christmas mania officially begins the premises. A fight broke out between the shoplifter shrug, he called a buddy to pick him up, and drove

moment Thanksgiving ends. Sure enough, the next and the employees, resulting in the man being put home with the fiat-screen. The two-year-old was

morning, stores would open their doors to reveal into a pretty serious chokehold. After the ambu- still sleeping hours later when the police finally
bargains unparalleled during the rest of the year. lance had dropped him off at the hospital, doctors broke the car window to rescue him.

And thus the mania would begin. pronounced him dead. House in 2016.
s .. ~ 1’ ’
. “" : it 1 "ii 5 t‘ ‘ B " I: v “is ,4‘ I J 3 P
. .3, Q
4' -an ‘-

WASHINGTON and LEE
v UNIVERSITY STORE

..   ANNUAL THANK YOU     

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OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_006.2.txt
 

6 ° THE RING-TUM PHI 0

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3,2012

arts&life

ByJosh White
STAFF wnm-zn

What are you doing this weekend? If
the answer is “I don’t know” or “just
going to another party,” you should con-
sider checking out the Outing Club as an
alternative.

 

The Outing Club at Washington and
Lee offers students a variety of outdoor
activities and classes, acting as a gate-
way for people with similar interests to
meet each other and get involved.

“Sometimes I think college students
just need a little nudge,” said Outing
Club Director Mr. James Dick. For
many people on campus it may seem like
all that’s happening on the weekends is
partying, but that’s not the case. Stu-
dents are doing activities in the outdoors
all the time, whether it be rock-climbing,
fishing, mountain biking, or just going
for a leisurely hike. As the weather gets
colder, more winter activities will be
possible too, such as skiing.

“People come to college to explore
life;. .the outdoors should be included in
that experience,” said Dick. Since we are
all going to be old some day, we should
take advantage of our youth now, and go

places and do things that we might not be

able to do in the future.
“Everything is okay in moderation,”
said Dick, “but if you’re only drinking

every weekend, or only rock climbing

every weekend, that’s bad.” The Outing
Club philosophy promotes a well-round-

a ’ ’

ed college experience in accordance with
the liberal arts nature of the school.

With excursions organized almost ev-
ery weekend so far in the fall semester,
the Outing Club’s activity is only recent-
ly reaching a level of relative tranquility
as we approach finals week.

But it’s never too late to start planning
ahead! In the upcoming winter term, ski
and snowboard trips to the Homestead
Ski Area and others nearby will be or-
ganized through the Outing Club with
outstanding deals.

Looking further ahead, sign-ups for
a 14-day trip to Tanzania this summer
have just opened this past Wednesday,
with fifteen spots available. Dick de-
scribed the opportunity as “the trip of
a lifetime.” There is also an upcoming
sea kayak trip to the Everglades during
Spring Break that is “perfect for an inex-
perienced enthusiast.”

Weeklong break trips can get costly,
but there are always opportunities for
scholarships. One anonymous alum
who donates funds every year to spon-
sor one break trip has only three criteria:
any recipient must “positively contribute
to the group, share the experience, and
[not] suck!”

If you’re looking for a less time-con-
suming way to get involved, there are
shorter weekend and even day trips or-
ganized by students within the Outing
Club. Joining is as easy as coming to
one of the biweekly Wednesday meet-
ings at 7 p.m., or simply stopping by
Dick’s office in Commons 115 to ask
what’s going on.

Membership to the Outing Club is $40
for all four years. This fee includes un-
limited use of gear from the Outing Club
barn - from kayaks to tents to scuba div-
ing gear - discounts on organized trips,
and the latest updates on all the latest
happenings in the club.

 

t I oig Cubi Path offers

By Josh White
STA F F w R IT E R

Looking for an escape from the stress-
es and chaos of school and life? Bodhi
Path is an international organization of
Buddhist centers which provide a non-
sectarian approach to Buddhism. The
Meditation Center is open to all visitors,
with the philosophy that “leaming to
meditate is of benefit to everyone.” It
offers a sanctuary for relaxation, peace
and quiet, and self-reflection.

My interest was sparked by a friend
who told me that his political philoso-
phy class had visited the center. He said
it was a great place to relax, and having
some free time over break, I resolved
to check it out for myself. I decided to
make my trip a two-wheeled endeavor.
I departed on Thanksgiving morning at
8:00 a.m. with vague directions, a bike

 
 

with meagerly inflated tires, some warm
clothes, and a liter of water. My inten-
tion was to meditate a bit before I ate
myself into a coma later that day.

I found out the hard way that (in what
was an astonishing revelation to me) an
ll-mile bike ride with flat tires is no

t : joke. I considered turning around mul-

tiple times on the trip, but came to think
of it as a sort of metaphorical mountain,
ifyou will, that I had to climb in order to
reach the temple. Don’t get me wrong; I
think the commute is well worth the ef-
fort if you’re seeking a spiritual journey
of sorts.

The beautiful Lee-Jackson Highway
will take you about eight miles south
through scenic country landscapes filled
with unsettlingly observant cows and
the occasional prancing doe. You then
take a right onto Broad Creek Church
Road for about a mile, and another right
onto Galloping Path. Follow the signs
for another mile and you will find your-
selfin a peculiar cluster of cottages. Pay
close attention to the signs, because they
will direct you to the actual Meditation
Center (which just looks like another
cottage).

The center is always open, and is usu-
ally occupied by the Resident Teacher
Tsony, who was nowhere to be found

 

 

that morning (I assume he was celebrat-
ing the holiday). The facility is warm
and inviting, with pamphlets available
to pique your interest. Also available is
an overwhelming assortment of tea and
snacks, complimentary, of course. of
which I took full advantage.

After you satisfy the appetite ybu’ve
conjured up from your journey, pick a
cushion from the copious assortments
and find some inner peace. The atmo-
sphere really is conducive to relaxation
and was a refreshing chance for me to
calm my mind and connect with myself.

Once you’re finished at the center,
make sure you find the outdoor monu-
ment (it’s right up the hill), and check it
out. There’s a large statue with a Bud-
dha encased in glass, and a nicely mani-
cured garden area surrounding it. The
view from which the monument stands
serves as a nice accent to the tranquility
of it all.

If you have some extra time and any
appetite left after you’ve ravaged the
snack table at the Meditation Center,
stop by Layne’s Country Hams off Lee
Highway and grab something to eat or
drink. They have all kinds of cool nov-
elty foods, plus the guy at the counter is
really nice - always a benefit. I

4

 

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

7 0 THE RING-TUM PHl -'

 

arts&|ife

Will “The Hobbit”

By Janey Fugate
s TA F F w R IT E R

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is
considered to be one of the greatest cin-
ematic works in the history of live action
films, a reflection of the trilogy’s status
among fantasy books. However, whether
or not the upcoming Hobbit film will rise
to the standard set by its predecessors
remains to be seen. For most fans and
critics, the movie’s potential to be one of

‘ the classics depends on the quality ofthe

character development and how well or
not it clings to the spirit of J.R.R. Tolk-
ien’s vision.

For those of you who are unfamiliar
with the story, the events of The Hob-
bit take place about 50 years before The
Lord of the Rings. The story begins when
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, is visited by the
wizard Gandalf and a company of 13
dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. The
unlikely company sets out to reclaim
the legendary Arkenstone, the dwarves’
most valuable treasure stolen by the red
dragon Smaug. They encounter goblins,
trolls, giant eagles and shape shifters

v on their way to the Lonely Mountain,

Smaug’s lair.

l was one of the many fans who
breathed a sigh of relief when Guillermo
del Toro stepped down as director in
2009, turning thejob back over to Peter
Jackson. Del Toro directed Hellboy and
Pan 3' Labyrinth, so who knows what
kind of shenanigans the dwarves and
Bilbo would have gotten into. At the
very least, Middle Earth would certain-
ly have looked a bit wackier and more
steam punk under his aesthetic. But even
with Peter Jackson’s tempered and trial-
tested vision, The Hobbit as a movie will

be considerably less conservative than
The Lord of the Rings films were.

For one, The Hobbit is not just a
single movie, but will be split over three
separate films. The three movies are
titled An Unexpected Journey, The Des-
olation of Smaug, and There and Back
Again, respectively. Fans usually fall
into two camps: the first consists of those
who are ecstatic that the excitement will
be prolonged, and the other is comprised
of people concerned, and rightly so, that
by adding so much material, the movie
will move’ away from Tolkien’s original
vision.

So what exactly is Jackson adding?
Much of the extra content is inspired by

,Tolkien’s Appendices. We can expect to

see some background on the fall of the
dwarven kingdom (the Lonely Moun-
tain), the workings of the White Coun-
cil, Gandalf’s solitary adventures when
he leaves Bilbo and the dwarves, and
the addition of several characters not

1 in the book. Legolas, Elrond, and even

Galadriel will make an appearance. And

. from the trailer, we know that the story

will be told Princess Bride-style with
an elderly Bilbo reading his story to his
nephew F rodo.

Even more worrisome are the subtler
controversial liberties Jackson is taking.
Attractive beardless dwarves? A sexy elf
warrior woman? Jackson and Philippa
Boyens, the screen writer, say they have
no problem bringing the book “up to
modern times,” hence the inclusion of
a female warrior, and such. However,
those of us who consider the book to be
a universal classic don’t feel the need to

have a fiery woman leading the Mirk-
wood elven guard. This is not a question
of sexism. Rather, it’s a question of re-
specting the brilliance of Tolkien’s vi-
sion and the timelessness of his story. As
for the beards... come on.

How Jackson will balance the light
storytelling style of the book with its
more serious themes is another area of

concern. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit as a
children’s book, and therefore its prose
is simpler and more humorous than that
of The Lord of the Rings. Translating this
humor without cheapening the story will
be a challenge given the book’s more
complex themes, such as humanity’s de-
sire for comfort versus our innate long-
ing for adventure.

be as precious?

     

Overall, I believe The Hobbit will be
an outstanding film on its own. Howev-
er, the extent of its loyalty to the book
and how it treats the scenes that diverge
from the original remain questionable. I,
along with all of the Lord of the Rings
junkies across the country, will be hold-
ing my breath until December 14th,
when The Hobbit will be released at last.

Rush

By Christian Kennedy
STA F F w R IT E R

lf you are a first-year‘ male student,
it is most likely that you are interested
in joining a fraternity, and _it is equally
likely that you have no idea what goes
on during formal rush week. So before
all the confusion, here is a little descrip-
tion of some of the festivities. ’

On either Sunday night or Monday of
formal rush week, a list will be posted in
the dorms with your name that has you
set up with four separate dinner or des-
sert events to take place between Tues-
day and Wednesday, located at four dif-
ferent fraternities. The location is based
on your top four fraternity preferences.
You can see where all of your friends
are scheduled to go as well, so you can
plan to go to certain places with friends
beforehand.

After attending these events, which
almost always require formal attire, if a
fraternity wants to give you a bid, they
will let you know on either of those two
days, and invite you back for dinner on
Thursday. Thursday is bid night, where
you receive your actual bid from the fra-
ternity, and engage in the fraternity’s tra-
ditional festivities. Some people will go
to multiple fraternities to get bids ifthey

0:]; What you need to know

have not yet decided on one.

After you get a bid or multiple bids on
Thursday, during the day on Friday, you
will go to Student Affairs in the Com-
mons and officially sign your bid card
for the fraternity you have chosen. That
Friday night is No-Contact Night, where
your prospective pledge class will get
together for an evening of completely
sober activities, board games, and such.

And finally, Saturday evening, Tear
Night, is the last day before the begin-
ning of pledging, and is usually a mixer
with another sorority, and possibly the
most life-threatening night of your first-
year experience. Prospective pledges
have quite a blast on this last night of
freedom to kick off what is sure to be a
fun and educational eight weeks of New
Member Education.

Overall, the rush process for male
first-years is a bit less stressful and dra-
matic than the female equivalent; how-
ever, it is still important to know what is
going on so you are not caught unaware.
So good luck to all the first-years, and
may the Greek gods be with you during
this fantastic week.

By Leah Gose

5 TA F F w R IT E R
Congratulations.’ Ladies, you have
reached the last weekof informal rush.
After what has been essentially a four-
month-long girl-date, you can probably
name the six sororities whose houses
you will visit during formal rush week.
You might (okay, you probably do) have

    

an idea about what sorority you would
like to be a sister in - right‘? My first
piece of advice: walk into formal rush
with an open mind.

The different processes that all the
sororities use to build a pledge class (aka
the girls who will become sisters with
you) work. I have no idea how (and trust
me when I say no one does), but rest as-
sured that you will most likely end up
where you belong. Formal rush week is
singularly yours - always consider your

Top 10 Wags to iemcvnstévvnte stuola for Fi.v\.aLsf

1) Iwastesomuchtimecom. You’re welcome.
2) Following #studying, #finalsweek, and #co||egeproblems on Twitter. lt’s never been
more thrilling to see all your stress condensed into 140 characters or less.

3) Deck the halls - literally. Its time to break out the boughs of holly, partridge on the pear
tree, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and dreidel, dreidel, dreidel (yes, all three of
them!) to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. 1
4) Stalking all your friends’ photos from Christmas Weekend on Facebook. You’re using"
your research skills, so that’s productive, right? ,
5) Been naughty or nice? Write your wish list for the holidays, and while you’re at it, your
letter to Santa (we know who you are). You deserve it.
6) Updating your Pinterest with everything you couldn’t fit onto your wish list.

7) Hanging out on the main floor of Leybs. Maybe if you surround yourself with people w
ho are actually studying, you’ll feeling like you’re working too! .

8) Create your holiday playlist. Didn’t get enough of Mariah at X’mas in the Country?
Well, here’s your time to shine. |t’s totally cool if you’re playing “All I Want for Christmas
is You” for the fifth time... on repeat... in the last hour.
9) Watching “25 Days of Christmas” on ABC. All those Hallmark holiday specials.

And is that a Home Alone marathon?!

By Cynthia Lam
ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

So much TV, so little time.’

10) Wishing for snow. Sure, we’ve all heard of the rain dance, but what about the snow

dance? Bring it on.

BONUS: All the articles on College Humor about finals week. And all the videos. And
pictures- Okay, make that everything. i '

feelings first and,do not takegut reac-
tions for granted.

You’ve got three wonderful weeks
for Winter Break, and from this Friday
until the end of formal rush week, a
strict code of no-contact between soror-
ity and non—sorority women is assumed

(i.e. no talking outside of studying for
finals and no Contact at all during the
holidays). It will be a tad awkward at
first, but think of it like a diet from the
Speaking Tradition.

When you get back to campus on Jan.
7th, the first night is Open House - you
will visit all the houses and at the end of
the evening, you will rank the sororities
according to your desire to be a sister
there. As the week goes on, you will be
invited back to fewer and fewer houses

(to help narrow both your and the sorori-
ties’ preferences) and the outfits will get
“fancier” (remember - you’re dressing
for other women, not men).

On Thursday, you will return to a
maximum of two houses (and some-
times only one) for the last event night.
From when you go to the houses to af-
ter you “pref” your top sorority, you are
not to speak to any other women. Strict
no-contact between sorority and non-
sorority women begins after Thursday
(“Pref”) night until you possibly receive
a bid (an offer to join a house) on Friday
late afternoon.

By this point, you’ll be dead tired,
because you thought it would be smarter
to gossip and not do your homework
(seriously, don’t forget about home-
workl). Friday night is spent with your
new soon—to—be sisters and the festivities
continue into Saturday night. The all-
campus party is (to say the least) excit-
ing, so be safe and stay with your new
“family.”

My last piece of advice - don’t let this
confusing process scare you. You make
the sorority great- it is not the other way
around. So, take a deep breath and get
ready for a lot of smiles and small talk.

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OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_008.2.txt
- THE RING-TUM PHI -

arts&life

Student QIPEEEET

3

IIIIIII

Down

1. Where many band parties are held during Homecoming and
Christmas Weekend.

2. Aka Huntley. Business, econ, politics, and accounting majors
unite!

3. Craving super-sized pizza slices and gigantic platters of pasta?
This popular Italian restaurant is the place to go.

5. Home of the hummus bar, fro-yo machine, Sunday brunches, and
too many lovely first-year memories to count.

7. The center of campus, this building houses D—Hall, the Co-op,
the Living Room, and the bookstore, just to name a few.

8. Where you find the best bagels on campus. And the smoothies
are pretty good, too.

10. Abbreviation for “sorority,” or the female equivalent of “frat.”
Also used in “Girl, ~_ it!”

11. The infamous black-tie affair that sweeps over campus every
March. Last year, we went to Russia. This year, who knows?

13. Need shampoo, hangers, Oreos, or towels? Just over a mile
away from campus, this iconic superstore has it all.

Across

4. Stranded at Windfall on a Saturdaynight? Have no
fear, is here! (Actually getting a seat, on the
other hand, is a completely different story...)

6. Endearing nickname for good 01’ Lexington. Also
reminiscent of a certain famous city in Nevada.

7. Open until 2 in the morning, and here to satisfy all
your late-night cravings. (No, it’s not Wendy’s.)

9. For 98% of the student body, this is your very first
W&L party during O-Week.

12. The only time of the year when you can party with
Mom and Dad. <

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

By Mariel Pearl
STAFF wmrsa

On'Nov. 30, the S udent Association for

. International Learnin p_rese.nted”Showcase for

Morocco!" at 8:00 p.
talent show was a fu

in the Marketplace. The

' poverty-stricken you 1, ‘A
-Gir|s,”a non-profit or 

‘ .Kamara, and Renée Pr‘

lnvisibles claimed firs

was awarded second,

bronze. Congratulatio‘
articipants!

OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_009.2.txt
M 0 N DAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

By Hendley Badcock
STA F F W R I T E R

As the semester draws to a close and
you think about your plans for the new
year, keep lntramurals in mind. The
week ofJanuary l4 marks the beginning
of one of the most popular lMs at Wash-
ington and Lee, volleyball. As many as
thirty teams, men and women, generally
participate in IM volleyball each year.
Matches take place in the evenings for
two weeks in Doremus Gym.

Assistant Director of Campus Rec-

reation Ray Ellington explains that
matches are played using the standard,
Varsity set up. While Ellington estab-
lishes schedules, assigns officials, and
purchases equipment, students operate
the actual games.

“Volleyball is traditionally managed
and oificiated by a good number of the
Varsity players,” Ellington states. Man-
aging matches gives Varsity athletes “the
opportunity to be around the game they

   
   
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  

enjoy and support their sorority teams”
since they are not permitted to play their
sport at the IM level. As with.all lM
sports, volleyball fosters an entertaining
environment. that allows both students
and faculty the opportunity to stay active
and healthy, even during the harsh winter
months. i
Registration will begin Jan. 7 and con-
clude at noon on the 10th. Forms for
all lM’s can be found online. .Ellington

9 ° THE RING-TUM PHI 0

   Juniors
step up

By Shelby Flores
STA F F WRITER

‘I.

The Washington & Lee men’s track
and field head coach does not believe the
youth on his team will be a problem this
season.

“I look at the fact that we only have
three seniors as a plus for our team, es-
... pecially moving forward,” Brandon Uhl
said. “We have a very good group ofju-
nior leadership that helps our team.”

Uhl said that the primary goal for this
— season is for the team to work hard each

day and continually develop the skills
necessary throughout the season so the
. ..  team can be the best it can be.
After eight weeks of training, the Gen-
. erals opened the 2012-l3 season at the
Liberty Kick Off last weekend. Overall,
Uhl said he was pleased with how the
first meet went and that the team will
continue to focus on improvement.

The Generals will return to competition
at the Marietta Invitational on Jan. 12.

 
  

suggests teams of around 10 to 12 play-
ers, as it takes at least 6 to field a team.
Forms are to be turned in to 416 Warner
Center. A Captains’ Meeting will take
place in Doremus at 6:00 p.m. followed ‘ 7
by an Officials’ Meeting at 6:30Tp.m. El- .
lington will post match schedules online I
and at 416 Warner Center by noon on the =. -~
1 lth. For more information, contact Ray
Ellington at sellington@wlu.edu.

Junior Parker Howard
Courtesy of W&L Sports Infor-
mation

  

replace him. Both decisr
many. Phil .Ja'ckson:lwas th
the head coaching job, and the
take in hiring D’Anton _ ' ’

After Mike Brown w is " M
that Phil Jackson w_ou "
confirmed that the Laker
him. Phil Jackson
- is considered o ‘

Mike D’Antoni, on the ot_:'
reach Jackson’s level.._of_,.greaV
greatest success was his highly. en fta
en-seconds-or-less system ’_withvthe-gt lioe x Suns.
D’Antoni led the Sunsdeep ’i'nto t

after year (leading the Suns

..e‘ -.fstill,’?'l,1ave',f~'
.3-.. l.1énc¢’.t0.5¢ :*
= strong’ competi-
‘ sbthis season »
.1th_" D’Antoni i_

at the helm;

‘ad the Lak-’ I

érs -l_1ired"JaCk-
son, ‘ the. Lakers

i . would have had

back MVP Steve Nash. -Per
parison to this LA Lake A

_ami Heat, is the New

D’Antoni coached. lnlNe'v‘v ork, l)"
forced to deal with see ‘

ning‘‘recipe. Soon afier D n ‘nil ‘ "York,

the"Knicks started showing a great deal of promise.’

Joining the Lakers, vD."’Ai1toni__wi|l ‘,bfe.‘f2tced with

the same task — dealing wit needy uperstars — on
a much larger scale, anjdwith much ‘more: pre"ssure.,:.
D’Antoni will crumble under. the-media‘ scrutiny, ,
because he lacks the proven‘ successand imposing’, J

toni was - i.

glyi incompatible super- ~
stars, Amare Stoudemi1:e’and‘Canhelo Anthony.’
D’Antoni’ was unableto fi_ da al " _c and a'win--

_v the ehafnce to
.»:be one 7of the
A bestteamsofall A
time..T_he vision‘ .
of what could; I
hav' been 5 a 
; super‘ team ’ of
V ffou'r_"future .all- A

V ' coa

.:!l‘hé1intl 'La.k-V ’ ' 5’

ers fans forever."

Los Angeles Lakers have some of the big-
gest names in the__NBA on their roster right
now. Steve Nash‘,’Dw'ight Howard and Kobe
Bryant arenames even the casual sports fan can
recognize. They. came together to form a top
contender, a team to beat in the West. But they
started the season 1-4. And coach Mike Brown
was fired after just one full season and five
games. The Lakers seemed to jump the gun
when they fired Brown; the team is in a period
of adjustment, and the season had a long way
to go with 77 games left. Nonetheless they had

- — ‘ a decision to
make: who
would be the
new coach of
the LA Lak-
ers‘?

The press
jumped at
the idea of
Phil Jackson
retuming as
head coach.
Jackson
coached the
Lakers for ll
seasons and
five national
champion-
ships before

 

\\\‘\.‘§.‘\ \\\\\‘§.‘\

fore he had the opportunity to send his agent
to LA to meet with the front office, Mike
D’Antoni was interviewed and offered the po-
sition. Even though Jacksonseemed to be the
easy decision, D’Antoni was the right decision.

D’Antoni is less accomplished, yes. Less
experienced, yes. But he is a better fit. This
Lakers team is not the same one Jackson had '
two years ago. and without the technicals, his
coaching style wasn‘t as compatible with this
new team. D'Antoni provides a more fitting
style. He also has experience with many ofthe
players afier helping to coach the USA.Olym-
pic team during the 20l2 Summer Olympics.
He also has experience and chemistry with for-
mer Phoenix Sun, Steve Nash, from his tenure
as Suns head coach.

The Lakers couldn’t afford to move back-
wards; they‘re a L rent team in a more dif-
ficult Western Confe nee than ever. Jackson‘s.
hesitation showed that he couldn’t have whole-
heartedly rejoined the organization. He left
the organ tion for a reason, and there is no
need to backtrack. Since D’Antoni began head
coaching. the Lakers have gone 3-3. While not
spectacular. the team seems to be getting on
the right track with an 8-8
record. ‘ D’Antoni has
high  l , expectations
for the ‘ Lakers, and
with ‘ V .  =- their roster

_V,_;:.m.-2-.,,__

Yhe Lakers recentlyfired'Head Coach
Mike Brown after the team went 1-4. 7hey
replaced him with Mike Dklntoni, but there

are many who believe that the Lakers should
have hired Phil Jackson. Who should have
gotten the job?
Kyle and Hailey give you their take.

Mike Brown
became

head coach.
Jackson was
asked to re-
join LA. but
asked for a
chance to
consider. Be-

and . ; his role as
head A ' . . coach, they

: j . > should be
met, . - A j  and the Lak-
ers ‘  - . should be the
force \ ‘ 7 ” _ in the
NBA. J 

OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20121203/WLURG39_RTP_20121203_010.2.txt
  

10 0 THE RING-TUM PHI -

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012

sports

 

in the numbers
2:39

The time that it took Andrew Luck to lead the Indianapolis
Colts to two touchdowns to come from behind to defeat the
Detroit Lions 35-33. The game winning touchdown was a

14-yard pass to Donnie Avery with no time left on the clock.

3

The total number of years since Kansas City Chiefs quarter-
back Brady Quinn has led a touchdown drive. He did it last
in December of 2309 when he was the quarterback for the

Cleveland Browns. The Chiefs defeated the Carolina Pan-

thers 27-21.

24»

Tlie total number of years since the Notre Dame Fighting ‘
Irish has won the National Championship. That was also the
last season that they finished the regular season at the top
of the Associated Press College Football Poll. They will play

for the National Championship on Jan. 7 against the Ala-

bama crimson Tide.

soapbox

“From the get—go, from the first play, it just
wasn't my day. ”

-NawYorkJel3quartarbackMarkSancliezaI'lnrttIelrnnie
varsusthehlzona cardlnalsonsundqy. sanchezthrewfor
]ust97yardswlu1thraelnheroepuonsbeforebelngbenched
In thethlnd quarter. Thlrd-suing quarterback Greg McElrw
ledtl1eJcl3tothe 7-Bvlchorywllh atouchdawn In hlsllrst
NFL drive, from EsPN.com

‘‘I’m going to tell you, I think it’s a crying
shame Georgia doesn’t get to go to a BCS
bowl game. They should get to go to a BCS
bowl game. They played a tremendous
game. out there today. That was just a great
football game by both teams, and they
could have won at the end just as soon as
us. It came right down to the last play.”

-Alabama crlmsonlldecoach Nlcksabanal'harA|abama
deI'eatndtheUnlversltyofGeorgla32-28lnthesEctllle
ame. Helalnrsaldtl1atltwasrI’tfaIrthatteamsthathavaa
worsoriaoordbutwlnthelrcorrferencetlueasttogotioaacs
bowlgarnewhen UGAdoesn't¢atthatopporlunlly.

“Just because our players don't have huge
name recognition doesn’t mean we're not
fun to watch and can't compete. Sure,
people relate to star power, but we believe
in the team aspect and‘ we’re marketing
this team as a team instead of a group of

individuals.”

- Phoenlxsuns Presldentlason Rowleyabout ‘Satisfaction
Guarantee Night’. On Dec. Gthesunsormnlmtlon will be
guararrlleelngthatfanswlll havefun attheame ortheycan
gatthelrmonejback.

ondeck

Monday

Women’s Swimming

BBa11 falls to 22nd-ranked team

By Bailey Russell
STAFF wnman

Thursday night at Mary Washington, the
women’s basketball team was defeated in a
56-38 loss to UMW. Washington and Lee se-
nior forward Rachel Warrick tied up the game
_at the 5:16 mark of the first half, but UMW’s

Senior Katy Wilson
Courtesy of W&L Sports Information

junior guard scored 5 points, carrying the Ea-
gles to a 24-19 lead going into the break.
W&L got no closer than 10 points the ma-
jority' of the second half as the Eagles pulled
away for their second straight win in the

series. The Generals were led by first-year
guard Alena Hamrick, who totaled 11 points
and 4 rebounds. Senior forward Katy Wilson
notched 9 points and 4 boards, while Warrick
tallied 8 points.

With added depth, Generals set eyes on the title

By Shelby Flores
STAFF WRITER

The Washington & Lee women‘s track and
field team is striving for an Old Dominion
Athletic Conference Championship win this
yean

“It would be amazing to take home the team
title,” said junior captain Leigh Dannhauser.
“It was very close last year at the indoor meet

 

xix-L

Sophomore Jillian Katterhagen
Courtesy of W&L Sports Information

Tuesday - Wednesday

and I think we all agree that we can come out
on top this year.”

Both Dannhauser and senior captain Lauren
Schultz think that the team has greatly im-
proved in all-around depth from last season.
The squad only lost one senior last year and
added 15 first-years this year.

l~'3*l.FlTlY

Thursday Friday

The team performed well at the Liberty Kick
Off last weekend to open up the 2012-13 sea-
son. The Generals faced competition from Di-
vision I, II, and Ill schools and were able to
make it into the Top 5 in nine events.

The Generals’ next competition will be on
Jan. l2 at the Marietta invitational.

      
  

 

Saturday Sunday

Men’s Swimming

Women’s Track

Men’s Track

Women’s "Basketball

Men’s Basketball at Ferrum 7 pm

vs. Averett 7 pm

Wrestling