OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20130121/WLURG39_RTP_20130121_001.2.txt l '. i . l. ;. A o :(_~z,.75S V. e57. Illa h 0-- ‘? .0" ‘ii’ ‘ll‘*at»fish1($/érb) , . « SPORTS/pagel9‘ acpamdwei horizons ' Six Generals share their abroad experiences and beststories. MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2 0 13 ODK celebrates By Graham Colton HEAD COPY EDITOR t On Founders’ Day last Friday in Lee Chapel, 24 Washington and Lee juniors and seniors, seven Law School students and four honorary initiates were in- ducted, or “tapped,” into Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national leadership honor society founded here at W&L in l9l4. Dr. Andrew H. Delbanco, Director of American Studies and Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities at Co- lumbia University, spoke at the event. ’ Author of the 2012 book “College: What It Was, Is and Should Be,” Delban- co presented a speech entitled, “What is College For?” In light of the mass media’s recent characterization of college as a bad in- vestment, Delbanco endorsed college as a venue for maturity, diversity, argument and, most importantly, change. College is a place where young adults should “take time for reflection, self-dis- covery, contemplation," Delbanco said. “We want to be a society where you aren’t told who you are, and are not con- strained by the circumstances of your birth; that you have something to say about who you will be in the world,” said WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY - - - ° THE RING-TUM PHI. BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 VOLUMECXVll,NUMBER12 Delbanco. College is also a place of diversity of not only gender and race, but also of thought and character. in addition to learning “vertically” from professors, students can learn “horizontally” from their peers, said Delbanco. Third, Delbanco said. collegians ought to learn how to engage one an- other in rational, yet civil discourse, all the while listening with discernment and tolerance. “The college classroom,” Delbanco said, “is the best rehearsal place for democracy that we have yet invented.” Lastly, college should never lose its ability to change one‘s mind. “Most of all,” said Delbanco, “the classroom is a place where you can walk into the room with one point of view and walk out with another, or at least with some productive doubt of what you were sure of when you walked in.” If this can be said of any college, it can be said of W&L, according to Del- banco. At W&L, “there is an incendiary capacity in every teacher and a flamma- bility in every student,” Delbanco said. It is this flammability to which stu- ATHENA CAO) photographer §-u I\>M:.u¢.v.xu . , l : ' I dents strive, yet must always try to at- tain. ( “It doesn’t matter what the subject is. Sometimes the sparks will fly and the students will catch fire,” Delbanco said. “Other times it’s like you’re pouring wa- ter down the proverbial well or talking into the void. it’s as if there is a third force in the room that makes the decision about whether the student will catch fire or not. it’s a mystery.” Delbanco’s speech was followed by remarks from Wayde Marsh ’l3, Presi- dent of the ODK Alpha Circle, and the Tapping oflnitiates. Founders’ Day occurs annually on the birthday of Robert E. Lee, W&L’s President from 1865 to 1870. ODK rec- ognizes achievement in scholarship, ath- letics, campus or community service, so- cial and religious activities and campus government, journalism, speech and the mass media and creative and performing arts. The ODK honorary inductees are Loranne Ausley. of Tallahassee, Fla., James J. Livesay of Houston and Mark H. Grunewald and Pamela K. Luecke of Lexington. personal learning CLASS OF 2013 Kendré Simone Barnes (Omaha, Neb.); Alicia Owen Bishop (Jacksonville. Fla. ); Megan Elizabeth Bock (Holnidel, ,N.J.).' Samuel Lee Brett (Raleigh. N. C. ): Elizabetl1_Rebeeea Engel (Lexington. Ky.): Kerriann Elise Laz/bae/2 (lW(’ll’l1II‘/‘((_).', Pa): Andrew Clzanning Martin (Midlotliian. Va.).' Brett L. A/lurray (Lookout Mountain, Tenn.).' Nathaniel Wilson Reisinger (Urbana, Ohio): Betlianj‘ Anne Revnola's (Timonizim, Mcl.),' Eric Robert Rosato (Cortland. N. Y): Kelly Mae Ross (Endieott. N. Y); Emily S/in (San Jose, Cali_'f.'),' Kathr_)'n DeArmon Stewart (Charlotte, N. C. )5 Robert Griffin Vestal (Memphis. Tenn. ): and Isaac Daniel Webb (Portland. Maine). ( ‘LASS 01*‘ 201 -1 Emilia Rose DiGiovanni (Franklin. Tenn. ).' Nicole Samara Gzinawansa (Portsmouth, -Va.): Morgan Elizabeth Luttig (Lake Forest, _[ll.); Annelise A. Madison (Roea, Neb.).' Eric M. Shaman (Black Mountain. N. C . ); Jake Elijah Strz/ebing (Amherst, N. Y.): Alvin George Thomas (Sko/tie. Ill); and - Victoria Hart Van Natten (Towson, Mil). limv (?L.»\ss 014‘ 201:; LutlierR. Aslzwortli ll (Meelianiesville. Va. ): Douglas L. Dzia (Morris Plains, N../.).' Kyle R. Hos/ner (Brighton. C0l_o._); Alexander‘ M. S1./gzda (Old Greenwich, Conn); and Alan James Waiger (Buena Vista. Va. ). LAW’ CLASS OF 201-} Joseph Tyler Black (Orinda, Calif ) and Thomas L. Short (Lexington, Va.). Pre-meds go international By Krysta Huber STA FF WRITER Several Washington and Lee students returned to campus after studying abroad in Scotland during the fall term. Applica- tions are already being accepted for next year’s fall term abroad program at St. Andrews. Although the program is open to non- science majors, the partnership between W&L and St. Andrews was created with W&L students interested in the sciences and health professions in mind. It is one of the few study abroad programs in which pre-med students can participate. According to wlu.edu, pre-med stu- dents are able to participate in a special seminar taught by a member of the St. Andrews Medical Faculty. The seminar includes visits to hospitals and clinics in the area. , The partnership allows students on the science and pre-med tracks to receive a grade toward their W&L transcripts in the classes that they take abroad. How- ever, non-science courses only receive course credit and grades are not included on a student’s W&L transcript. Many science majors and pre-med students choose this study abroad op- tion, but understand that it comes with a price. According to junior Kelsey With- erspoon, the St. Andrews program is quite demanding academically. “You have to sacrifice a lot of the experiences that other study abroad stu- dents have,” said Witherspoon. “You are not having the same abroad experience as your friends who are in other pro- grams because the emphasis ofthis pro- gram is on the study.” Other participants echoed With- erspoon’s sentiment in terms of their academic experiences at St. Andrews. Sophomore Katie Price and Junior Da- vid Hsu said that the course design was much more independent at St. Andrews, with very few or no assessments before the final exam. “The biggest challenge academically was being disciplined with yourself to study the material even though there were no assessments until final exams,” said Hsu. “In the European academic system, it isn’t uncommon for the final exam to be worth 60 or 70 percent ofthe entire class.” Sophomore Jordan Edgren also said that she felt the courses at St. Andrews required a lot more independent learning and that the final exam strongly indicat- ed your overall grade in the course. However, Edgren said that such a class structure did not apply to the or- ganic‘ chemistry class she took. The or- . ganic chemistry course was essentially a W&L class in a different setting. “Organic chemistry was structured more like a W&L class in that only W&L students were enrolled and we were taught by one professor for the entire term,” Edgren said. Edgren added that her other courses frequently changed professors — some- times with ‘a different professor for ev- ery lecture - so that students were taught by someone who specialized in a given topic. Although students found themselves busy with school, they did have time to get involved in extracurricular activities at St. Andrews and travel to other parts of Europe. Hsu said that his favorite experience was the club sports program on the St. Andrews campus. Because St. Andrews is relatively larger than W&L, Hsu said that there were many different sport op- tions available at all levels of competi- tion. Price said that her favorite memory of studying abroad was the traveling she did all over Europe. Following their organic chemistry midterm, a group of students spent the weekend in Paris. “It was probably one of the best trips of my life,” she said. free time studying in Europe. Every student who chose this option strongly encouraged it for pre-med stu- dents wishing to travel abroad. Hsu said, “I highly recommend this program as a last chance to see the rest of the world before spending the next de- cade of your life in medical school and &L students Ellie Stoops, Hannah Crowder, Katie Price and helle Ponder visit Paris during thei residency.” Applications including a $50 non- refundable application fee for Fall 2013 are due no later than Feb. 15 to The Cen- ter for International Education. photo courtesy of Katie Price ”A&'L / page 6 OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20130121/WLURG39_RTP_20130121_002.2.txt .. ‘-JERSSTY "flirt 2 ' THE RING-TUM PHI 0 JAN 2 4 2013 M 0 N DAY, JANUARY 21, 2013 Rememberin By Mark Gensburg GUEST wn ITER Civil rights "legend Martin Luther King Jr., in the midst of one of his tough- est protest campaigns, almost came to give a speech at the very place where Robert E. Lee is buried, Washington & Lee University. In 1961, Associate Professor of The- ology Dr. Lou Hodges took two vans full of students over the Blue Ridge Moun- tains to Lynchburg to watch a speech of Martin Luther King Jr. Not long after that, these students asked King to lead a seminar on Christian ideals at Washing- ton and Lee. Yet the University Christian Associa- tion (UCA), which was in charge of the seminar and of which Hodges was the faculty advisor, decided on a 7-2 deci- sion to first seek the formal approval of the Board of Trustees to invite King. Much to the dismay of Hodges and the UCA, the Board of Trustees denied the group permission to invite him. With no justification for its decision, the board quickly came under fire from both the faculty and students alike. And Dr. Hodges led the charge. Quoted in the Oct. 20, 1961 issue of the Ring-tum Phi, Hodges said, “The board gave us an answer, but no excuse.” Soon a firestonn of contempt aimed at the Board» of Trustees swept across ‘campus. The decision was decried in five different issues of the Ring-tum Phi and in a survey presented on Oct. 27, 1961, no student on campus could be found who supported the board’s apparently arbitrary decision. The controversy spread and was headline news in local papers as far away as Nova Scotia. Closer to home, it was publicized in the Roanoke Times and Virginia Inquirer. The school and its reputation, it seemed, was being dragged through the mud. Critics from inside and out called the decision to prevent Dr. King from speaking as a decision to restrict the students’ “freedom of inquiry.” Many charged that the board was politicizing the students’ education and the Ring-tum Phi cried that the decision violated the students’ “liberty of mind.” It was at this point that Hodges was summoned to speak privately with Fred g a fight for free speech Cole, President of the University. “Well this will be the dismissal of me,” Hodges recalled in a recent inter- view. “I had only been on for one year. I thought that I would be fired.” Hodges was not fired. In fact, he went ‘on to get tenure and teach at W&L for another four decades. He pioneered W&L’s ethics-in-the-professions series, which spawned the journalism ethics chair that he held until retiring 10 years ago. He came to be known nationally as one of the pioneers of journalism ethics education. , President Cole was not even upset with the controversy the King invitation had caused, said Hodges, who turns 80 this month. “Invitations of speakers should never need to go to the Board of Trustees,” Hodges recalled President Cole saying. “A new rule was created which dealt with the board and got it fixed that the board would never again do what they did to me.” I p Eventually the controversy faded and life on campus returned to normal. Yet, Professor Hodges remained in contact with Dr. King. He said he even received a letter from King from the Birmingham jail in 1963 — not the famous one King wrote from that jail cell to moderate white Birmingham ministers, criticizing them for seeking patience from protest- ers. While the decision to prevent King from speaking was never reversed, the conflict resulted in the availability of two new theology majors and a slew of expanded freedoms for the Department of Religious Studies. Although the Board of Trustees nev- er released a reason for their decision, Hodges suspects that it was based in ra- cial prejudices. “The group seemed to think ‘Negro’ speakers were inferior to white people,” he said. That is only his hypothesis. But this is a fact he could utter with a smile on his face: “Now faculty can invite whomever they want.” Lee-Jackson D By Yejean Kim 7 . STA F F w R I T E R This past weekend, Lee-Jackson Day was held by The Stonewall Brigade Camp, Lexington’s branch of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A celebration of both Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, the day was dedi- cated to honoring both figures’ military feats as well as their characters. This year’s Lee-Jackson day will see the continuation of a controversy that emerged in 2011, when Washington and Lee’s Associate Professor of Russian ’ ATHENA”CAO'/iiliotrographer \ \_ ‘ ,. , \ .2» ._‘ 1 Anna Brodsky began to question the traditional flying of Confederacy-related flags for the holiday in Lexington. A pe- tition protesting the flags, bearing about 350 signatures of students and staff from W&L, made its way to city council. The petition’s front page, which was read to city council by Professor Brodsky, stated “For many of us, the Confederate flag symbolizes slavery, civil hatred, vio- lence and state disunity.” A ban on flying any flags but the ‘s American flag, the state flag and a mu- nicipal flag was decreed by City Council as a result ofthe petition, drawing the ire of the holiday’s ardent supporters. Brandon Dorsey, commander of The Stonewall Brigade Camp, said that “those who are most vehemently against the flags in Lexington are older, aflluent, liberal, white people who have bought into the notion that they are somehow guilty of society’s ills and therefore must discredit their family associations with ay flags a tra that past in order to cure past wrongs.” This year, opposition to the decree continued as flag supporters protested the flag ban. F irst-year student and North Carolina native Nicole Kasica, who wit- nessed several protestors bearing Con- federate and Confederacy-related flags downtown, said that “today the flag sym- bolizes Southern pride more than any- thing else, but since it still has a negative connotation, I definitely think there’s a better way to express that pride.” iti O D However, the historical significance of flying the flags was also defended by Dorsey. “Flags are power icons of symbolism and identity and most nearly everyone would immediately associate the flags with the holiday, Lee and Jackson,” said Dorsey. “Their purpose was to promote the holiday in the same manner covering an area with U.S. flags does during the 4th ofJuly celebrations.” OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20130121/WLURG39_RTP_20130121_003.2.txt VAu M 0 N DAY, JANUARY 21, 2013 3 0 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 By Andrea Owen STAF F WRITER Stepping onto Traveller, many Washington and Lee students may not realize that they could be saving the cost of an ignition interlock device. Virginia’s»new DUI law, effective last July, requires that first-time DUI offenders install this device that pro- hibits them from operating their vehicle if their BAC is over the legal limit4.08 percent for those 21 and over and .02 percent for those under 21. The device will be installed for a minimum of=six months and must be paid for entirely by the offender. However, in addition to the even ‘more serious threats of drunk driving, driving under the influence could now incur fines of over $200 for installa- tion and $100 of monthly rental—not including maintenance costs——as well as the hassle of constantly needing to blow into the device. “This new law was designed to be strict, in order to discourage people from becoming repeat offenders,” said DontBlowItVA.com, a website spon- sored by Mothers Against Drunk Driv- ing (MADD). “I don’t think they are [aware of the law],” said Officer Ron Condry of the Lexington Police Department in re- gards to W&L students. He explained, however, that because W&L students are smart in using Traveller and sober drivers, the law might not have the largest effect on them. “I don’t think it’s going to have as big of an effect on the student body as it will for the local popula- tion,” Condry said. He explained, though, that because Lexington bars are a gathering place for people in sur- rounding areas, drunk driving is an is- sue for the community. With the success that ignition inter- lock devices have had in other states, the effects that the new laws may have in Virginia might create a safer envi- ronment for students. According to pdates DUI law Even if drunk driving is not a large issue on the W&L campus, it still ex- ists, said Michael Young, Director of W&L’s Public Safety Department. “Drunk driving is still an issue,” said Young. “It’s always going to be an issue as long as we have vehicles and people who drink.” Young said that approximately 15 W&L students get charged with DUls every year. “Drunk driving is still an issue, ” said Young. “Its always going to be an issue as long as we have ve- hicles and people whodrink. ” MICHAEL YOUNG, W&L Director of Public safeg MADD, other states that adopted the interlock device laws saw a 52 per- cent decrease in alcohol-related deaths. Studies “show that interlocks reduce repeat drunk driving offenses by an average of 67 percent,” according to MADD, Considering that one in three people will be involvedin an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime, these new laws might have positive outcomes for the Lexington communit . By Randy Karlson STAFF WRITER The campus was abuzz with anticipa- l ’tion on Tuesday with the impending visit of former Congressman and Presidential nominee Ron Paul. The monumental stop was the first for Paul on the beginning of his speak- ing tour after his recent retirement from politics. Paul spoke at LeevChapel after his agent reached out to the W&L Con- tact Committee about being the first stop on his tour. . Paul has served many years in Con- gress, beginning his career as a politician in 1976 as the Republican representa- tive from Texas’s 22nd District, when he won a special election to replace a former Congressman. He was defeated in 1977, but ran again in 1979 and won the seat back. He maintained his position until 1984 when he stepped down and decided to run for the U.S. Senate. After Paul lost in his first run for Sen- ate, he stepped away from politics for a few years. He reemerged into the politi- cal scene in 1987 when he resigned from the Republican Party and joined the little known Libertarian Party in order to run for President under his new affiliation. Paul finished third in the popular vote in the 1988 election with over 400,000 votes and brought national attentionto the up-and-coming party. He decided not to run in 1992, and instead endorsed Republican Pat Buchanan. Paul stayed away from the political scene until 1996 when he ran for Congress yet again, and won in a difficult campaign. Paul held this office until this year when he retired from law making. Dur- ing his tenure in his last stint in Congress he ran for president in both 2008 and 2012 in the Republican Party primaries, but he was not able to grab enough states to gamer a nomination. Greeted with a standing ovation in Lee Chapel, Paul spoke mainly about the current state of the American gov- ernment, almost exclusively about the troubles that are facing our policy mak- ers today. True to his nature, Paul focused mainly on the aspect of law makers that everyone seems to be criticizing: the amount of truth they are telling. In specific he said, “We need to bring the Honor Code to Washington!” ility is to not let poli- ticians getaway with lying to us,” said Paul. “This was followed by a criticism of the job that we have done thus far. We have politicians that continually lie to us, and bend the truth, yet we continue to re- elect them,” said Paul. Along with the idea of receiving truth “I think the penalties are as strict as they should be,” said Young in speak- ing about safety. Condry told of a time when he had to inform a young man’s parents that their son had died in a drunk driving accident. The boy had been a long-time classmate of his daughter. “l’ve had to do that,” he said. “I don’t want to do that at all.” By Hannah Howard STAFF WRITER The end of 20 1 2 did not mark the end of the crisis in Mali over territory and governmental power. The slow collapse of state control that has occurred over the last few years culminated in March 2012 with a military coup that ended a twenty- year democratic rule. Denis Kennedy, a Visiting Professor of Global Politics at Washington and Lee, said, “One of the true tragedies is that, prior to the crisis, Mali was an established democracy, one reasonably well-regarded by human rights NGOS for its press and political freedoms.” The end of democracy in Mali is proof of the incredibly uncertain times that the state is currently operating in and has been dealing with for the last year. Despite the recent attention in the inter- national scene, the tensions have been brewing for quite some time. Kennedy said, “The rebellion in the north began as a Tuareg rebellion in Jan. ' 2012; this is the latest in a series of rebel- lions dating back to the colonial period.” This rebellion was different than those in the past because it was assisted by other factors. According to Kennedy there is no monocausal explanation. BBC reports stated that the Tuaregs, a nomadic tribe in the north of Mali, be- gan an insurgency over land and culture rights in the 1990s. Dubbed the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the Tuareg nationalists con- tinue to seek independence for the north of Mali. The MNLA rebellion was aided in its efforts during the 201 1 Libyan Civil War. “What makes this rebellion different was the influx of armed and trained Tuaregs who had served on the side of Gaddafi in the Libyan Civil War,” Kennedy said. “This is the precipitating factor.” The nationalist rebellion occurred in conjunction with the rebellion of the Islamist group, Ansar Dine. Ansar Dine joined the Tuareg forces and is controlled by a Tuareg rebel leader. According to BBC, its goal is to impose Islamic law across Mali. Ansar Dine is also linked with al-Qaeda. The addition of systemic factors, such as colonial legacies and underde- velopment, and internal factors, such as unpopular leadership in the’ capital of Bamako, only increased unrest. Kennedy explained the timeline of rebel control in Mali afier the coup in March. “By April, these groups con- trolled the north; by June, the MNLA- Ansar Dine alliance had fallen apart, and by July Ansar Dine had taken control of northern Mali,” said Kennedy. Ansar Dine’s control of the northern area of Mali has led to multiple human rights violations. The lack of account- ability for abuse on both sides escalated the aready present ethnic "tensions, ac- cording to Human Rights Watch. “The Islamist groups have committed. ex- ecutions, floggings and amputations as punishment, recruited children into their forces and destroyed religious and cultural shrines,” according to—Human Rights Watch. Kennedy said, “Mali is a good ex- ample of a ‘complex humanitarian emer- gency’ - emergencies owing to multiple causes, involving multiple actors and compelling an international response.” In an effort to regain state control and alleviate human rights issues, the government of Mali asked France to in- tervene. Officials in Paris sent military forces into Mali earlier this month. According to BBC reports released on Jan. 14, French troops were successful in stopping the rebel forces from invading Bamako. However, they are now faced with the task of how to hold together the dividing state. “They had initial success with their airstrikes, but the situation is already showing signs of turning into a stale- mate,” Kennedy added. “The interven- tion was successful in preventing the fall of Bamako — a success that we should not understate - but retaking territory is go- ing to be incredibly difficult.” Oflicials are hoping to be able to see some progress in the coming months. “A critical priority will be to ensure that military progress for the government forces and their allies is rapidly followed by humanitarian assistance and develop- ment support,” BBC reported. . Pul ne traions of honor from our policy makers, Paul also spoke ofthe individual liberties that we, as citi- zens, receive. He believes that we should receive all individual liberties that are guaranteed to us in the Constitution, be- cause the Constitution is the most impor- tant document in our country, and should be followed as such. Paul said that the Constitution “is not a living, breathing document,” and sim- ply something that ‘has been laid out for our society to use as guidelines. Paul also spoke about the recent issue with Lance Armstrong and the idea of government intervention in athlete hear- ~ ings. He believes that the government should not be spending their time on athletes who use performance enhanc- ing drugs, because, as he says, “almost all Congressmen use drugs as well... alcohol.” Paul brought up some very contro- versial points that have given him his reputation as a politician thus far. Some of those points included the abolition of the Federal Reserve and the TSA, as well as staying on the side of “freedom of choice” in the marijuana legalization issue that has been a hot topic since the Nov. 6 elections. Paul finished the night with criticiz- ing the governmental system that is now in place in our country. He stated that “the system we have now is just not working,” and “the evidence is clear that the system is failing, which means that we need a new system.” The new system that he envisions is spearheaded by col- lege students and young Americans like ourselves. The Contact Committee said that the night was an absolute success consider- ing it was the first time in several years that the Committee filled Lee Chapel. The Committee also had a few words to say about the congressman himself: “The Congressman is extremely kind and down-to-earth in-person. He in- spired us at the dinner with him prior to the event and I know he inspired a cha- pel full of people during his speech.” Twitter @berkysfood am 2 at LEE lll “Hands Down the Tastiest Truckstop in America” - The Travel Channel, Most Extreme Truckstops Home Cooked Meals & Southern Hospitality.’ Order from our complete menu 0r Join usfor one ofour ALL YOU CAN EATBuffets.’ Daily Breakfast Bar Monday - Friday 6 am - 10:30 am Saturday & Sunday 6 am - 1:30 pm Daily Hot Bar Monday - Thursday 11 am - 10 pm Soup, Salad, & Fruit Bar All Week 10:30 am - 11 pm Friday Night Seafood Buffet 5 pm - 10 pm Saturday Night Pork BBQ Buffet 5 pm - 10 pm Sunday Baked Chicken & Pork Loin11 am - 9 pm Friday & Saturday Late Night Breakfast Buffet 11 pm - 2 am Order Breakfast 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week! I-81 & I-64, Exit 195, 2516 N. Lee Hwy., Lexington, VA 24450 540-463-3478 www.leehi.com See our menu online E Find us on Face book I OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20130121/WLURG39_RTP_20130121_004.2.txt 4 - THE RING-TUM PHI 0 M O N DAY, JANUARY 21, 2013 opin \ ions State of the University: a note from the E.C. By Steele Burrow GUEST WRITER Besides its commitment to the Honor System, the Executive Committee has committed itself to a number of other initiatives this year with the goal of im- proving campus life and bettering the opportunities for the student body as a whole. We have worked to address pressing student concerns, such as wire- less access, as well as to improve more nuanced parts of the campus that will have the greatest effect upon the under- classmen. Our most tangible accomplishment during the fall term was the beginning of upperclassmen brunches, which we hope will become a regular tradition. We helped to organize four last semes- ter, most of which had an attendance of about 400 students, and we plan to in- crease the number held this term. They began with a simple thought: add a Sun- day brunch for those who are not first years, grant students a chance to catch up with friends in a community din- ing experience, and make the all-you- can-eat meal available for the price of a burger and shake at Kenney’s. With coordination from the administration, we have been able to adapt each from student feedback, and we welcome other thoughts or recommendations. Technology has been another focus. For about two years, it was hardly a se- cret that wifi on campus — particularly with Macs — often fell short of stu- dents’ needs. Disconnections occurred randomly, and speed tended to dimin- ish during times we needed it most, like exam week. Through significant coordi- nation with ITS and the efforts of several EC members, those issues are now large- ly gone. Room for improvement on the technology front will always exist, but the major wireless problems have now abated. This semester, we hope for more improvement in the on-campus printing options, with the possible addition of a printer in the commons entryway, a con- venient option for those on the way to class. Two other dimensions in which we are currently engaged are housing and mental health. A number of students have had questions about the nature of the proposals on upperclassmen housing within the administration and the Board. We will be publishing more details on the specifics of those soon. An informa- tional survey from the E.C. will also be distributed within the next month, and student feedback on that will be incred- ibly helpful. Regarding mental health, the EC has worked with Active Minds to explore additional resources on campus for those challenged by stress, depression and other conditions. We also are consider- ing a proposal to add peer counselor sup- port for students faced with a potential Honor Violation. This change would add a training program for a small group of peer counselors who could offer help to accused students as an optional addition to Honor Advocates. Closer to the honor-related business ofthe E.C., we have considered the role of the Honor System on campus from several dimensions, and the concern has arisen about limited student exposure to it after their freshman year. Tests, papers and final exams certainly remind us of the role we all play in the Honor Sys- tem. But how often do we discuss the broader context of it? After the first year Lee Chapel speech, how often do we consider the larger institutional role of the Honor System here on campus? Or the role it has in shaping the lives and careers of W&L alumni? To encourage dialogue on this topic beyond the classroom, we have ad- dressed those questions three-fold. First is a series of open talks and discussions on honor in its various forms. The IFC began a panel discussion for first year men during winter term last year. This semester we intend to repeat that, with improvements to make it more interac- tive. Further, we hope to partner with a number of faculty to develop a more per- manent group of professors and students committed to dialogue on the Honor System and organizing discussions, speakers and programs that bridge the topic of honor with other realms of cam- pus, both academic and extracurricular. Also in progress is a recommended reading list to be published on the EC’s website as a resource for those interested in learning more about the history and context of the Honor System and vari- ous forms of its principles. We plan to include a variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. Recommendations and selections will be sought over the next six to eight weeks, with the final product completed by Spring Break. The third project focuses specifically on the history of the Honor System here on campus. Building upon past research, archives, and articles, we plan to produce a comprehensive history of ‘the Honor System that can be read and downloaded online. From Robert E. Lee’s earliest conception to the interpretations by stu- dent generations from World War I to today, we hardly lack material. A W&L student wrote in a newspa- per column from l9l9 that, “The Honor System in operation is a high tribute to the fundamental sense of honor in hu- man nature, but a higher one to the at- mosphere of Washington and Lee.” We hope to continue in that spirit and tradi- tion. Hacktivism: heroism or terrorism? ByA|lie Weiss DESIGN EDITOR It is known asa new frontier, charac- terized by unruly vigilantes, gold mines, thievery, and dubious governance. No, it’s not the backdrop to a John Wayne movie. Today’s picture of the Wild West takes place on a different kind of WASHINGION AND I1-I UNTVERSTFY THE RING—TUM PHI. EDITOR IN CHIEF NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS&L|FE EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR HEAD COPY EDITOR DESIGN EDITOR SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR STAFF WRITERS GUEST WRITERS BUSINESS MANAGERS HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION , ANDREA OWEN MISSION STATEMENT: It is the mission of THE RING- TUM PHI to accurately, truthfully, and thoroughly report news affecting the Washington and Lee community for students, faculty, parents and alumni. Our goal is to look deeper into news affecting campus life and hold leaders accountable. Through our reporting, we aspire to spark discussions that lead to discovering information that prompts change. THE RING—TUM PHI is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year. THE RING—TUM PHI is a member of The Media Board, which can be reached at mediaboard@wlu.edu, but is otherwise independent.THE RING—TUM PHI welcomes all letters. We reserve the right to edit submissions for content and length. Letters and advertising do not necessarily reflect the opinion of THE RING—TUM PHI staff. This newspaper observes current court definitions of libel and obscenity. THE RING—TUM PHI UNIVERSITY COMMONS ROOM. 341 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450 TELEPHONE: (540) 458-4060 FAX: (540) 453-4059 EMAIL: PHl@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 JULIANNA SATTERLY NEIL HAGGERTY ALLIE WEISS CYNTHIA LAM . LEIGH DANNHAUSER GRAHAM COLTON ALLIE WEISS SARA J. KORASH-SNCHIFF HENDLEY BADCOCK LINDSEY BURKE CAROLINE HAMP HAILEY HARTLEY HANNAH HOWARD KRYSTA HUBER . RANDY KARLSON YEJEAN KIM BAILEY RUSSELL JOSH WHITE YATES WILBURN STEELE BURROW MARK GENSBURG DAVID WILSON DILLON MYERS KANE THOMAS screenficomputers. Hacktivism is a form of protest done via computers in order to make a politi- cal statement. The earliest known act of hacktivism occurred in I989, when the WANK worm first appeared in objection to nuclear killers. The worm, believed to have been created by two Australian students of Julian Assange, invaded _ the computer network used by NASA and the US Department of Energy just as a spacecraft" powered by plutonium was about to be launched. Protestors believed that the risk'of the spacecraft’ combusting, thus spilling the plutonium and resulting in the death of all those near the launch site, was unacceptable. The worm caused the lyrics of a popular Australian band to appear on computer screens which read, “You talk of times of peace for all, and then prepare for war.” Since then, hacktivism has been ram- pant in countries all over the world. In 1999, a group called the Hong Kong Blondes launched 228 cyber-attacks against the Chinese government in protest to what they called unfair busi- ness practices with America which trampled upon human rights. In 2007, Estonian organizations were victims of cyber-attacks believed to be the result of the country’s actions in relocating the Bronze Soldierof Tallinn and exhum- ing Soviet soldiers’ remains; Russians, obviously unhappy with the Estonian government, flooded the computers ‘of these organizations so that use was next to impossible. And in late 2012, a group calling themselves the “Cutting Sword of Justice” wiped clean the hard drives of three quar- ters of Saudi Aramco’s computers, replacing the data with an image of a burning American flag, in order to speak out against oil policies in the Middle East. . The issue of hacktivism has come to the foreground of American news once again, as Aaron Swartz, the man responsible for download- ing and distributing millions of arti- cles from J STOR, attempting to give people free access to the digital library’s material, killed himself on Janu- 313’ 11th. As computer hacking constitutes a felony re- gardless of the hacker’s political agenda, Swartz was looking at decades of prison time. , The news of Swartz’s death has once again brought about the question of whether or not hacktivism is an essen- tially moral act. Swartz believed that academic research should be made pub- licly available, and that charging inter- ested parties a fee would only inhibit our progress as a species. Those who rallied around him believed in the nobility of his ideas, painting him as something of a hero. Similarly, Julian Assange has been construed as a human rights activist, though he is now wanted by govern- ments of Britain, Sweden, and the Unit- ed States. The founder of WikiLeaks has been accused of stealing U.S. military documents, and is living as a free man only because he was granted asylum by the government of Ecuador. Meanwhile, in 2011, his website was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize because, according to one Norwegian legislator, “WikiLeaks wants to make governments account- able for their ac- tions and that contributes to peace.” So what is the ac- tual moral nature of if hacktivism? Is it a necessary guardian of human rights, or is it the shadowy under- taking of online-terrorists? In my opinion, hacktivism is today’s version of the vigilante antics ofthe Old West. Sometimes, these cyber-cowboys get a little too high on their horses~cer- tainly, attacks on foreign governments for the sake of individual vendettas are not heroic. But for the most part, I think that the Norwegian lawman was right. Hacktivism is simply the modem-day version of protest, much like the March on Washington or the Orange Revolu- tion. It is the citizens’ way of holding their government accountable for the general wellbeing of its people. In a world that functions by use of the in- ternet, political statements made online are merely the logical way of making those in power pay attention. While not all acts are reasonable—Swartz’s ideol- ogy may have been honorable, though it seems that he did not take capitalism into considerationgl believe that the at- titude which causes one to defend their beliefs and to stick up for the oppressed is what constitutes America’s greatness. OCR::/Vol_116/WLURG39_RTP_20130121/WLURG39_RTP_20130121_005.2.txt 3 0 THE RING-TUM PHI ° MONDAY, JANUARY 21,2013 Where do we go from here? Graham Cohen and Yates Wilburrz give their take on the recent tragedies, and the future of gun control in America _ Taking aim at gun control By Yates Wilburn STAFF warren The recent mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Conn. have once again brought gun ownership into the limelight of our political discussion. As has already been proven, simply pro- hibiting weapons doesn’t work. Hand- gun bans in Chicago and Washington D.C. were in place for nearly 40 years before being ruled unconstitutional, and had little to no demonstrable effect on those cities’ murder rates or the amount of crimes in which a gun was used. Even ifone pointed to the rapid drop in violent crime nationally through the 1990s and claimed that these handgun bans were responsible, one would still have to ex- plain why it took nearly two decades for them to have any noticeable impact. Fur- thermore, the same person would have to explain why there are more guns in the hands of more Americans today than at any time in history (not to mention the highest rate of gun ownership since 2001), and yet murders involving guns nationally are at their lowest since 1981, while robberies and assaults involving guns are at their lowest rates since 2004. Mexico’s gun laws prohibit carry- ing firearms outside the home, allowing only for certain guns to beikept inside the home, and have resulted in only one govemment-run store in Mexico City being; authorized to-s‘ell firearms to the entire-population. On top of this, the pro- cedure to acquire a firearm makes ours look like a cakewalk. The result? A 2012 murder rate of 16.9 per l00,000—com- .‘x isi>oNso1§Eo, BY, s_T if AGAINST RQCKBRIDCE AREA". HUNGER (SARAH) pared with 4.2 in the US. Many reading this will claim comparing Mexico to the United States as unfair, but l’ve never heard the argument made that banning firearms works “in certain places.” , Am 1 making the claim ‘that more guns or fewer laws will result in less crime? Ofcourse not. I am simply show- ing that the common liberal argument that-more guns results in less crime is just as flawed. Neither side has the evi- dence to prove causation. Now if one were to make the claim more guns in the hands ofcriminals results in more crime, you would hear no disagreement from me or the National Rifle Association for that matter. Criminals don’t get their guns through legal avenues; they don’t walk into a gun store and give up when they fail a back- ground check. Banning gun sales does one thing: it keeps guns out ofthe hands of law-abiding citizens. It does nothing to stop criminals from getting them. 1 am by no means saying that we should allow anyone anywhere to purchase any r gun with zero accountability, that’s fool- ish and irresponsible. There are certainly several things that can be done (closing the gun show loophole, stricter account- ability on private sales) to make the sale of firearms in this country safer. But to say that simply banning the purchase of all firearms (or just assault weapons for that matter) by law-abiding citizens is the answer to all of our problems is equally foolish and naive. A horrifying l *8:OO l’.M. - 930 Em. A I 1"“: FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 1 Eoooksv OPEN Ar 7:30 PM ' S if *T1c1’EN'rs.woiL1L1): Like To ENTER A TEAM, CONTACT r>ER1_