OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19970519/WLURG39_RTP_19970519_001.2.txt 4 7 v VOLUME 99’, NUMBER 4 he ‘fling-tum Ifllii WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY wienim. .» -. l.EXfiVGlU!\, vr-u .n—‘;-_ MAY 2 3 1997 Bulk Rate US Postage PAID Permit No 7 Lexington. VA MAY 19, 1997 H INSIDE FEATURES .— &a. Photo by Guy lolyncux A few weeks ago, a guest eaker told W&L students that 3 inking destroys brain cells. “Fhis week, humor columnist I cManemin says it probably esn’t matter. Deep Blue’s ctory over Kasparov com- eilices the dominance of ma- 11116 over humanity. sEE PAGE 3 OPINION ;lell—O, the General Lee and e view from the Liberty Hall ins all make W&L a memo- ble experience. Betsy de- ’bes why coming here was Te’ of the best things she has er done. ‘ How will a liberal point of elw affect W&L? Laura napp proposes to turn her at- ntion from national politics to mpus issues. '5! The Fund for Public Interest fers an opportunity to get in- lved in the democratic pro- qs and to make bucket loads ' money. sEE PAGE 5 SPORTS Photo by Hollister Hovey *- Learn how to defend yourself J, PE 120 and The Big Fan has J hing but raves for PE soft- 11. A sEE PAGE 6 hangin’ out the creek. Photo by Hollister Hovey/Photo Editor Some attendees of this year’s Buffalo Creek Music Festival frolic with their dogs in VMI cadet dies of heart attack and was actively involved with St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. VMI held a memorial service for him 5 p.m. Thursday in Jackson Memorial Hall. While heart attacks in young people are uncommon, they are not impossible. In the fall of 1995, Olympic champion ice skater Sergei Grinkov, 28, suffered a heart attack while rehearsing a routine. Often, when someone young dies ofa heart attack, the problem can be traced to a genetic disorder or an independent disease that affects the heart. An un- healthy diet high in cholesterol and a relatively seden- tary lifestyle can also aggravate the risk ofa heart at- BY SARAH MELDRUM PHI STAFF WRITER Lexington has lost another college freshman. Early in the morning, Saturday, May 1 1, a Virginia Military Institute freshman died in his sleep ofa heart attack caused by coronary blockage around 5 a.m. Nathan John Kowrach, 19, was visiting the home of “Brother Rat” Edwin L. Clarke at Fort McNair in Wash- ington, D.C. The students were between exams and the time they had to be back for the New Market Day activities and graduation. After staying up Saturday night playing board games, the cadets slept late the next morning. Although Clarke and another student, Ryan Mahoney, woke up between 11:30 a.m. and noon, they did not go in to wake Kowrach until 1 p.m., at which point they dis- covered he was dead. “Only extensive testing could have discovered the prob- lem before Kowrach had the heart attack,” Director of Pub- lic Relations Colonel Michael Strickler said. Kowrach, a history major, was from Benton Harbor, Michigan. He was a member of Hotel Company at VMI tack at an early age. The American Heart Association has warned of several likely signs that one is suffering from a heart attack. The signs include uncomfortable pressure; fullness; squeezing; pain in the center of the chest lasting longer than a few minutes; pain spreading to the shoulders, neck, or arms and chest discom- fort combined with lightheadedness, fainting, nau- sea or shortness of breath. People can also experi- ence these symptoms after a strenuous workout, though, and can miss the warnings. T Photo by Gu Molyux/Photogrpher To serve or not to serve at W&L BY DAN ODENWALD P115 from which I0 PH] STAFF WRITER choose. From Alpha Phi Omega to Big Brother/Big Sister, stu- dents can spend as much or as little time as they can afford to help out. “Organizations like Habitat for Hu- manity and fraternity/ sorority philanthro- At a recent summit in Philadelphia, President Clinton and Colin Powell praised volunteerism. But a recent editorial in The Washington Post questioned their “inspiring words about volunteer- ing.” Students at Wash- pies have increased the ington and Lee and other level of volunteerism universities take both sides on campus,” the ofthe issue. president of APO Campus advocates of said. “But we could volunteerism remind stu- definitely do more.” dents that there’s a buffet of organizations on cam— SEE SERVE PAGE 2 lutzax pews eatures I pinion -pods xv eneral Notes I’ eviews reenland he Big Fan One killed, 20 injured in balcony accident CHARLOTTESVILLE -~ One person was killed and 20 others were injured when the balcony of a faculty residence collapsed yesterday. The incident occurred 15 minutes before the University of Virginia commencement was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on The Lawn. Those on the balcony fell 20 feet, and most of the injured were on a walkway below the balcony, a spokeswoman said. «Matt Craig, Phi Stqfi" Writer I PI.EAsE vlsljir OUR’ WEBSITE AT Cadets steal alumni flags BY DAVID BALSLEY PHI EDITORIAL EDITOR Thanks to a recent act of vandalism by three Virginia Military Insti- tute cadets, the Washing- ton and Lee campus has recently become a little bit cleaner. . The cadets were caught taking some ofW&L’s blue and white alumni flags around midnight April 30. Ca- dets have customarily taken the flags every year since the deco- rations were first introduced five years ago. “I personally ii observed them take flags from our poles,” W&L Di- rector of Security Michael Young said. “I called for assistance and we ran them down.” On May 12, three VMI seniors began to perform community service here as part of their punishment under the supervision of W&L Security and Traffic Control Officer Thomas “Baner” Bane. “They spent part of one day painting curbs around the Woods Creek apartments and the law school and cleaned the Woods Creek apartments one day,” Young said. While some consider the practice to be a serious act of vandalism, Others dismiss it as little more than a prank. An anony- mous VMI cadet described the Inost recent theft as a “practical joke." Ipersonally observed them take flags from our poles. Michael Young, Director of Security “They were going to return them. There was nothing malicious about it.” Whether a destruc- tive crime or a harmless joke, the administration ofVM1 and the security staff of W&L have both responded strongly to the practice. VMI found the actions of the three cadets to be serious enough to merit a number one penalty, the institution‘s most se- rious punishment short of suspension or expul- sion. VMIpun- ished the three cadets by awarding them a 30 hour pen- alty tour, 30 hours of commu- nity service and confinement to their barracks until graduation, ,’ Young said. “I guess it’s kind oflike being in jail,” Young said. Young has re- sponded to the most ‘re- cent theft by taking steps to ensure that no alumni flags will be sto- len in the future. He re- turned the cadets to VMI with instructions to warn their fellow classmates that they will be arrested if they attempt to take any- thing from the W&L campus in the future. “if we catch them again,“ Young said. “well put them injail.“ IFC considers risk management BY KATHRYN MAYURNIK PHI NEWS EDITOR The Washington and Lee rumor mill is at it again. Ever since the lnterfraternity Council met last Monday with fra- ternity house presidents in a closed forum meeting, rumors about exten- sive curbing ofthe W&L drinking scene have been ripping through campus. But nothing like that is going to happen. The IFC and the fraternity presi- dent did meet last week to discuss new ways to address alcohol concerns. Changes will be made, but nothing has been decided yet. “Students will have to adapt to a new policy,” IFC member Colin Connolly said. “But it won’t be anything that drastic that will com- pletely alter the W&L social scene. In no way is IFC or the school go- ing to outlaw drinking.” Fraternity presidents were given a week to discuss risk management with their houses after last Monday’s meet- ing. They will meet with the IFC and Pi Kappa Phi National President Mark Timmes today. Timmes is also a law- yer who specializes in fraternal liabil- ity and risk. “After this meeting. some defini- tive policy might be decided on,”1FC President Jason Callen said. “But it might not be until next fall.” The policy change relies on the decisions ofthe fraternity presidents, Callen said. In the end, they will have the final vote on the issue. “It's always good for the IFC to review policy every now and then and review the present policy,” Callen said. “We’re looking to address two questions. ‘Does it protect fratemi- ties liability wise and does it protect the students who go to the parties?’” Something does need to be PLEASE SEE IFC PAGE 2 BY KATHRYN MAYURNIK PHI NEWS EDITOR The rain poured down as al- most 500 people filed into Lee Chapel last week for Jack Bowden’s memorial service last Wednesday. Bowden’s parents were in attendance, along with their 27-year-old daughter Jenni- fer and her husband. The haunting sounds of the University Chamber Singers per- forming “Lay A Garland” filled Lee Chapel with a sense of peace and closure to this tragedy. “I think that the service ful- filled the need for individuals to express sorrow for this tragedy,” Dean of Students David Howison said. Readings from the Old and New Testament were given by Beta Theta Pi President Tom Fallace and Catholic Campus Minister William “Burr” Datz ’75. Freshman Daniel Hayes, one of Bowden’s best friends and pledge brothers, delivered a speech that attempted to capture Bowden’s youth and exuber- ance. Hayes stressed the impor- tance of fraternal bonds in his friendship with Bowden. Hayes described the bond as one that was closer than no other. “We were fraternity blood brothers,” W Chapel last Wednesday. Students, faculty gather for memorial service W&L says good-bye A memorial service for Jack Bowden was held in Lee Hayes said. “Jack shined during pledgeship.” Hayes cited that some of his fondest memories of Bowden in- cluding smoking cigars in the fresh- man quad, watching girls in the Dining Hall and the way Jack would dance in his distinctive way at ev- ery fraternity party on campus. “We were a bunch of guys who liked to have a good time,” Hayes said. “At the beginning of the year, Jack was on top of the world, and the rest of us were there with him.” Bowden was planning on major- ing in Spanish and was going to try out for the tennis team in the fall, Hayes said later in an interview. Dr. and Mrs. Bowden have shown an extraordinary support for Washington and Lee, Howison said. “I think that is what had sus- tained them,” Howison said. The Bowdens are setting up a memorial fund in their son’s memory. It has not yet been determined what the money will be used for. They will return in the fall to plant a tree on campus for Jack. Bowden died Saturday May 3, after falling out ofhis second floor Gilliam Dormitory win- dow around 9:38 p.m. Friday May 2. The 19-year-old was a member of Beta Theta Pi frater- nity and was from Darien, Conn. Photo by llollistcrilloycy/Photo Editor HrrP://www.wLu.EDu/~PHI/ OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19970519/WLURG39_RTP_19970519_002.2.txt PAGE 2 FRENCH STUDENTS TAKE OVER LENFEST Students in Professor Radulescu’s advanced French theater course present “Le Roi se Meurt” (“Exit the King”) and “En Attendant Godot” (“Waiting for Godot”) on Wednesday, May 28, Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30. This original perfomance will be an integration ofthe plays on the same stage as part of the same show, adding an additional layer of discourse to the production. “Theater lovers will find some- thing for all tastes...who knows, maybe they will pick up some French along the way,” Professor Radulescu said. The two plays have been translated into many languages and performed on stages throughout the world. They illustrate the human condition and man’s basic relation- ship with his fellow mortals. All shows begin at 8 p.m. in the Johnson Theater of the Lenfest Center. Admission is free, and the public is in- vited to attend. ALUMS PRESENT BENEFIT CONCERT Robert Vienneau ’87, ’90L, a pianist popular with Lexington audi- ences, will present a concert on Wednesday, May 21, at 8:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel. Vienneau’s perfonnance includes Debussy’s Claire de Lune, Shuman’s Arabesque and Scenes from Childhood and Lizst’s Mephisto Waltz. Rob Mish ’76 and Nick Leitch ’84, ’87L, will also perform selections from the musical theatre as well as works by Bach, Handel, Vaughan Williams and Schubert. The concerts benefits the Todd D. Jones Memorial Scholarship. The concert begins at 8:30 and is open to the public. Donations of $5 or more will be accepted at the door. FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL The W&L Film Society and the Department of Romance Lan- guages will present “Cafe au Lait” and “Ma Saison Preferee” as the next selections in their ongoing French Film Festival on Tuesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 22. Screenings begin at 7:30 in the Troubadour. Cafe au Lait is a high-speed, high-spirited comedy about race and ro- mance in the Parisian melting pot. “Ma Saison Preferee” is a powerfully unsettling film which gives us characters full of surprising reverberations and behavior that can’t be psychologically fixed or neatly resolved. Both films are in French with English subtitles. The public is invited to attend and admission is free of charge. HONORS THESIS PRESENTATIONS E. Lucinda Barnett and Kathy Lu will present their senior honors theses on Thursday, May 22, at 3 p.m. in Reid Hall, room 108. Bamett’s thesis is titled “White Columns and Red Bricks: 250 Years at Washing- ton and Lee University.” Lu’s thesis is titled “Grace, Gumption and Superwoman: How the Press Covered Jackie, Lady Bird and Hillary.” The public is invited and refreshments will follow the presentations. A BARREL OF LAUGHS The General’s Monkey, W&L’s only improv group, will perform on Tuesday, May 20, at 3:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. in duPont Auditorium. The General’s Monkey is famous for involving the au- dience in their antics. ‘INTO THE WOODS’ OPENS FRIDAY Tickets are selling quickly for “Into the Woods.” Performances are May 23, 24 and 25 at 8 p.m. and May 25 at 2 p.m. The musical is a collaboration of the music and theater departments. SPECIAL GUEST STAR ON RADIO SHOW Glenn Miller will be the special guest star on Alex Christensen and Cathy Resmer’s gay and lesbian talk show on WLUR tonight. Miller will talk about G&L from his conservative viewpoint. Resmer says that the show will not be confrontational. Resmer’s and Christensen’s show is called “Keep it to yourself’ and airs Mondays from 10 p.m. to mid- night. Miller’s interview will air between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. — Compiled by Peggy Stuntz NEWS MAY 19, 1997 . Connolly, along with IFC member Sacha from page I done about alcohol risk management, "There is out—of-control drinking at some times on this campus.“ The focus on risk management was not entirely sparked by the recent alcohol-related death of freshman Jack Bowden and last year’s death of senior David Thompson in a drunk driving acci- dent. “We have had two accidents in the past two years," Connolly said. “But this has been some- thing that we have been working on for a while.” Connolly said. from page 1 Schweninger advises students to call APO members to find out about service opportunities, reminding them that the time commitment is small. “A lot of service happens within two hours on a Saturday afternoon. That’s not a big time investment, but it has a huge impact,” she said. Senior Jay Ingram of Oceanport, N.J., agrees. A basketball coach for the Rockbridge Area Recreational Or- ganization. he devotes about three hours per week working with the community’s youth. After graduat- ing in June, he hopes to continue help- ing those in need. Despite the altruistic tendencies of some W&L students, many young people balk at the idea ofgiving freely of one’s time to help others. Some argue they just don’t have enough time. One anonymous senior said that between schoolwork, extra- curricular activites and a part-time job, he can’t find the time to volun- teer. “W&L is a tough school. Ifl didn’t spend every Sunday through Thursday night in the library, maybe I would volunteer somewhere,” he said. While some students lack the time, others reject volunteerism on prin- ciple. The Coalition of Students against Servitude, proponents ofAyn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism, which puts self-interest first, picketed Opening this weekend: ‘Into the Woods’ Websites of the Week “ Bv MATTHEW CRAIG Pm STAFF WRITISR Montas and former IFC President Anthony Mazzarelli met with Timmes over the sum- mer to discuss possibilities. “A lot ofstuffgoes on at this school that is against fraternal and school law," Connolly i said. “We are going to have to address some We all have some memory ofbeing forced to per- ofthese things." form a science experiment in elementary or middle The IFC is researching other schools and school. Experiments ranged from the classic volcano I I their policies on risk management, “We’re project to the invisible man. This week’s selections f still learning about what works and what ofsites is dedicated to these projects. These webpages,‘ doesn’t,” however, are accounts of science experiments gone awry. Perhaps the theme for this week should be mad science projects. the president’s summit. Nicholas Provenzo, a senior at Student m__m___.1T-W-I-N-K-I-E-5 P|‘0'€€t I George washington University, Said VOIIIHITCCI‘ www.owlnet.rice.edu/~gouge/twinkies.html in an interview with the Washington Programs ' post, “wetre easy to marglnallze as This page recounts experiments performed upon 5e1f.lndll|gelltbastal-dgtbllttl-lat’s not everybody’s favorite snack cake by two engineering). what we’re really about]: Alpha Phi students at Rice University. The tests performed in- Objectlvlstg claim that putting om- Omega clude a radiation test (microwaving a twinkle), gravi- ers’ interests‘ above your own is in- tational response test (throwing a twinkle out of a herently destructive lfeyeryone put 462-4404 seventh story window) and a rapid oxidation test his own interests first, then we would (Call 3“)/0”‘? 53)’ “PYT0ma“l3”?)- This Site Pr°VIde5V create a society of contributers and laughs intennittently interrupted by questions about achievers, thus rendering community Habitat for the “scientists” sanity. It also provides some inter- service a moot point. Humanity esting facts. For instance, a twinkie is 68% air. In _ The coalition argrues that it’s fine the words of one the experimenters, “Twinkies sure‘ to do community service as long as taste gOOd fOI' S0lTlC[l1lI'lg that IS air.” you do it for yourself. Doing it to please others, in their opinion, is _M Bull" SlH'ViVaI Test wrong Live Drive www. pcola. gulf net/~irving/bunnies/index. him] They especially loathe some 7 school systems who are trying to 462-4055 This site has many similarities to the make community service mandatory/_ T.W.l.N.K.l.E.S. Project. The test subjects this time, For example, in order to graduate however, are marshmallow bunnies. These particu- from a public high school in Mary- Outing lar quacks have decided to see how marshmallow land, students are required to perform Club bunnies respond to lasers, and their gravitational re- a certian number of hours of comrnu- sponse test involves strapping a bunny to the bottom nity service. 462-4066 of a brick and then dropping it. Humorous accounts “once it’s required, it’s no longer are also provided for the control subjects (bunnies volunteerism," Gwu freshman philip that weren’t experimented on, for you non-sciences. Klein told the post. S.A.R.A.H. types out there). An example of such an account is ln the end, oblectivists claim that that the control rabbits developed an extreme fear of the president’s call to arms for more 462-8596 heights after the gravitational response test. volunteerism is dangerous because it . t , might ultimately have a corrosive ef- Antics and Mayhem Page T if feet on the citizenry Big www.be.com/~dbg/antics/index.html Nevertheless, supporters of com- Brother/BIS munity service stand their groud_ Re- Sister After visiting this site, I now realize that I should gardless of how you feel about com- have been a computer science major. This page details munity service, this won’t be the last 462-4271 various experiments (ways to avoid work) by members of the Advanced Graphics Division at Silicon Graph- ics, Inc. These diversions include launching small and _ not-so-small objects from a slingshot made out of five ~ feet of surgical tubing and burning holes in various; ‘ objects with a 3’x2.5’ Fresnel lens. I hope that this place is hiring when I graduate next year. cuppuacphllor . Ladies ’ Shoes, Clothing time you hear about it. Left: The Wolf (Jon Bartlett ’97) greets Little Red Riding Hood (Brittany Ahlstrom ’00). Below: Cinderella leaves Prince Charming (Aaron Brotherton ’98) a tantalizing clue. and Accessories (540) 463-5988 r 23 N. Main St. Lexington, Va 24450 GREAT Suivnvt ER COUNSELOR POSITIONS Residential summer camps seek staff in all team sports: Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, Inline Hockey, Golf, Swimming, Sailing, and RN’s etc. Located in the Mountains of Massachusetts just 2 ‘/2 hours from NYC/Boston. COMPETITIVE SALARIES + ROOM AND BOARD INTERNSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE Call Camp Greylock for Boys (800)842-5214 or Camp Romaca for Girls (888)2—Romaca This Week's Weather: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Ffiday Concert Listings! The Ring-tum Phi * Online a in l . htt:// .I.d/~ h'/ 3 . V‘ p WWWWUG U P I ’ 2 $ Over 1,200 accesses in two weeks! Saturday Sunday Lexington Carriage Company 5 Historic Tours of Lexington I Great for All Special Occasions Tours start across from the Lexington Visitor ’s Center, g . High: 73° Low: 59° High: 65° Low: 52° High: 69° Low: 48° Courtesy of the National Weather Service High: 74° Low: 49° High: 77° Low: 52° High: 75° Low: 54° and are available seven days a week (540)463-5647 OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19970519/WLURG39_RTP_19970519_003.2.txt \ MAY 19, 1997 PAGE 3 //Id//I9 ‘I/l7LI/‘ilk?/'15’/II c_1/ber5,0dcI9... ‘Create gour own l|J|JJl|J homepage Ready to make your home in «Cyberspace? The University Computing WebDesk now of- fers a pre—fab to help students and faculty start construction on their WWW homepages. On the WebDesk’s page, http:/ /www. wlu. e_a'u/~webdesk/ form.htm1, there is a form that al- lows users to input data and gen- erate a simple web page contain- ing their name, a brief section about themselves and a list of links. “It’s an excel- Doug and Robin luiilll“ ’s lent way to create a basic homepage structure, and from there I would en- courage students to learn a little HTML so they can add to their pages and make them unique Price Range: $4-$100.95 The_Pink Cadillac Diner Take I-81 to Exit 213 (Greenville) Pepper Grinder: 0; Powder Room: 2; Service: 4; Food Quality: 3.5; Food Presentation: 2.5 and personal,” WebDesk employee Robin Seaton said. Created last winter by UC employees Doug Brown and Cliff Woolley, the WebDesk is run by students interested in webpage design and development. While the HelpDesk assists the univer- sity community with hardware and software problems, the WebDesk focuses on assisting faculty and staff with webpage development. The WebDesk cre- ates and maintains homepages for academic departments, adminis- trative offices and other non-stu- dent-run entities on campus such as Shenandoah. “ ©@©D F©©®, MNUQUE DE©© FUELS WINK GADMAG Up north in the land of large commercial “" hicken houses lives a giant, The Pink Cadillac tive.‘ Thejukebox plays classic tunes to give the place an authentic atmosphere. Diner. Located off I-81 on the way to Staunton, the Pink Cadillac offers classic American food and a charming l950’s diner atmosphere. We arrived just before tainshower on a Tuesday evening. The hostess immedi- ately showed us to a large booth, which was comfortable but slightly low to the ground— Robin felt she needed a booster seat. As we ordered, the rain began to pour outside, but in- side the diner the mood re- ained cheerful and bright. We started with an appe- tizer, the Brew City Fries, which were well-seasoned without being excessively srpicy. To drink we chose milkshakes: vanilla for Doug and chocolate for Robin. The shakes arrived in tall, a tremendous II THE EESTIVE ATMOSPHERE ADDS EXTRA FUN. WHICH MAKES THE RINK CADILLAC WOTH ‘l'HE DRIVE. ;_- d‘-‘fashioned gIas's‘e's‘,'“a’r'IcftlTé3'?"‘”"“""""‘l"‘"‘“'“'”’°""I L ere thick and rich, with whipped cream and a cherry on top. The Pink Cadillac also offers a wide selection of other beverages, including foun- tain drinks and Bud and Coors on tap. We admired the colorful Elvis decor while sip- ping our shakes and eating fries. The predomi- nant colors inside the Pink Cadillac are pink and teal, and the entire restaurant is well-lit and fes- Our waitress returned quickly with our entrees. Robin chose the Elvis Burger, a double-decker with everything, including a “special sauce” that gave the burger a great flavor. The Elvis Burger came with a side of regular fries, not the Brew City variety but al- most as enjoyable. Meanwhile, Doug opted for the Pink Cadillac’s unique prime rib offer: Pick your own size of prime rib, ranging from 5 ounces for $5.95 to 100 ounces for $100.95. Doug selected 12 ounces, with a baked potato and fried apples on the side. He raved about the prime rib and rapidly cleared his plate. The Pink Cadillac Diner also serves desserts, including deli- cious ice cream concoctions, but after a full meal we were inca- pable ofinvestigating further. Dinner at the I>'Ink”‘c5dI’IIa‘¢ ” never fails to please both the stomach and the wallet. The menu offers a wide variety ofAll- American fare, including omlettes, burgers, sandwiches and, of course, the prime rib. Prices are very reasonable, and the staff is attentive and friendly. The festive atmo- sphere adds extra fun, which makes the Pink Cadillac worth the drive. Grosse Pointe Blank: Hollywood? Funny? 1 fir fir * 1/2 of 4; darkly comic The pitch: “lt'|| be like ‘Say Anything’ meets ‘The Professlona|.’" BY ALEX CHRISTENSEN Pit/1MovIE CRITIC John Cusack is a smart man. I; More than that, he’s a fine ac- II tor—see “Better Off Dead,” “Spy Anything,” “The Grifters.” So why has he recently been rel- egated to bit parts? It’s a ques- tion there’s no good answer for. ‘E- IIIII 'a', Gl:0ssE Polivrrz _f BLANK *_**‘I of4 Apparently, Cusack himself couldn’t think of a good an- swer either, so he took a page from independent filmmaking, -rodlhded up some friends and colleagues and wrote and pro- uced a film with a wonderful role for him to showcase his owp numerous talents. "Grosse Pointe Blank” (un- fortunate title) is the story of Martin Q. Blank, a professional ‘pl it man who is undergoing a life risfis. The professional killing usiness is becoming compli- .ated because of the interfer- nce of fellow hitter “Grocer” ‘Dan Aykroyd, hilarious), ho is trying to form a union fkillers (“more like a club”) 0 maximize profits and re- uce.what can turn into very angerous competition. Blank n’t interested in becoming a ember—ifyou become a hit ran to be outside of ordinary It» society, why would you want a boss? To further stir up Martin’s angst, his therapist, Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin, brilliant), is so ner- vous about having a profes- sional killer for a patient that he’s no longer helping Martin. “Did you ever think that some of your problems might stem from the fact that you keep kill- ing people?” Now it’? .ime for Martin’s ten-year high school reunion, which brings up a whole other boatload of issues. Returning to Grosse Pointe to complete a hit and attend his re- union, Martin discovers you can’t go home again, meets his old girl- friend Debi (Minnie Driver) and finally figures out what’ s important to him. It’s not as pat as all that, and the whole point of Grosse Pointe Blank is to watch great ac- tors riff on life, death, killing for money, and midlife crises. In addition to Cusack, Aykroyd, Arkin, and Driver, Cusack’s sister Joan shows up as Blank’s secretary, and Jeremy Piven (ofTV’s “Ellen”) is great as an old high school chum. It’s not just one-liners and over-the- top situations, though those are there as well. Martin Blank feels real, and the situations he gets into build and build until you’re not just watching a movie with a neat structure and efficient pacing, but one that completely draws you in so you need to see what’s going to happen next. Director George Armitage is very smart. He stays out of the actors’ business, shoots the ac- tion like action, very cleverly, in fact, and generally makes sure that nothing gets in John Cusack’s way. I’m not sure exactly why, but Cusack’s acting fills up a lot of holes and inconsistencies in “Grosse Pointe Blank” so that it all seems to come together be- lievably (in context). It has something to do with perceiv- ing that Cusack is extremely in- telligent and always on top of things. You get the feeling that he gets it, and it creates an in- credible audience identification with him, however outrageous the character he is portraying. I get the feeling that nobody else could quite have pulled off the complexities and quirks of the role of Martin Blank to create such an enter- taining, funny film. In fact, Cusack’s perfor- mance really transcends “Grosse Pointe Blank” to such an extent that thoughts of Tom Hanks in Big or Steve Martin in Roxanne pop up. Hopefully, the success ofthis film will similarly put Hollywood on notice notjust that Cusack can bring in the bucks, but that he can deliver dead-on perfonnances in a vari- ety ofmajor “leading man” roles. He’sjust ajoy to watch perform. “Grosse Pointe Blank” is a black comedy which crass-proofs itself. lfyou didn’t laugh in Pulp Fiction, stay away. If you’re of- fended by disrespect for human life being played for laughs. this is not for you. Otherwise, grab your popcorn and head in for one ofthe most original films you’ll see this year. H TTP://WWW. WL U. EDU/~PHI (‘um I Kl ll\l|.\(.\ RI \| \lIl<\\l RI \'I| \\.\ lIII |(i(I\|\ ll|\ \\'I l%.\lll \(ll IIII lll’(l{\l SI'III.t. jun”... THE‘/'LL_ Sfurb OUT ‘DE-m4ND|N(r HAD “'5 { Tuer-E 7 Rea//libs‘. matters are not important to W&L students; in a recent interview for a position on the Contact Committee, I commented that there is simply a lack of activeness——-political or otherwise——on campus. Of course, I was rebuffed by the EC, so maybe I am wrong, but I think that most W&Lstudents don’t feel too strongly about too much. Students don’t even feel strongly about conservative subjects. For example: There are over 200 members of the College Republican Club. Do you ever hear about their activities? Why not? We are all wasting away in our inactivity and passiveness. We are young and damn smart, and we have the world before us. We have the ability to effect great change. So why don’t we? We need to get active. Let’s havea Right-to- Life rally on the Hill. At least it's a sign of life! One of the most fascinating events on campus this year was the Miller vs. Christensen debate. The sheer number of people who attended was . amazing and the event was not even school- sponsored. Students simply came out to hear and consider both sides because they were interested and not because a professor made them. Unfortunately, Alex did a disservice to those supposed “subversive” elements of the campus by being unprepared. But wouldn’t it be great if we could have that type of critical- thinking exercise more often? Before it is too late, before we all gooff to be doctors, lawyers and investment bankers, Iet’s get active. Let’s get involved. Let’sstand up for what we believe. Jell-O and scenic Lex make for fond memories I cannot believe that I only have two weeks of school left for the rest of my life. Without a doubt, going to Washington and Lee was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. it’s going to be hard to leave for a lot of reasons, reasons I might GreenLand Betsy Green ’97 good prices. Navy blazersas farastheeyecan see. Whatcan lsay? I love it when guys are all dressed up. Clearly, I chose the right place to spend four years. suspected then that this would notbethe case. Fancy Dres never fails to vividly prove them wrong. I*lneDiningOptions. Stop-In dogs, free popcorn at The Palms and the General Lee can’t be beat for good food at hadn’t lived in Lexington, I’d have no idea how funny it isto put a sticker on the back window of your truck depicting Calvin peeing on Dale Earnhardt’s number. Foxfield. A wise W&Lalum once told me that life is nothing more than periods between Foxfields He may have had a point. For me, the opportunity to wear a straw hat is reason enough to love Foxfield. 8 am. classes. l’ll sure miss 8 a.m. clases, kind of like how The Colonnade. When I’ve been as well write about in this, my second to last column ever. So here they are, things l’ll miss about Washington and Lee. The D-hall. There is such a comfort in knowing that any time of any day, Jell-O will be available in a greater array of colors and flavors than I ever imagined. . The hike to and from the freshman parking lot. Having to trudge 300 miles to get to my car sure helped me decide whether or not I really needed to go to Wal-Mart, but the view at Liberty Hall ruins sure made it worth the trip. Fancy Dress. When I was a senior in high school, the post—graduation HaveFunAndDon ’tDoDru gs party was pro- and life is perfect. away from Lexington forawhile, see- ing the Colonnade again makes me feel at home. W&Listruly one of the most beautiful places in the world. My friends. Enough said. . Spring term. The classes I’ve taken in spring term have been among the most interesting I’ve ever had. Pairthatwithasunny day Lexington. Sure, it’s no Paris, but Lexington has acharm all its own. Lexington’s tree-lined streets, historic homes and I ofien missed 8 a.m. cla$es when I in theiworld. W&L is truly one of the most beautiful places had them. My column. Writing GreenLand has been a great oppor- tunity for me. Thanks to everyone who has complimented my column mg arrdpnoouraged me along the way, Ian Levy and Edye Poecker, who with special recognition goingout to shamelessly requested that I men- tiontheirnames. ldoubtthat l’ll ever be able to write about whatever I feel like rambling about again, and I sure will miss it. I hope I’ve made you all laugh along the moted as “probably the best party you’ll ever go to!” I Improving the Phi We here at The Ring-tum Phi have finally realized that our paper is pretty darn lousy. But don’tblame us...blameourparents. My psychiatrist certainly does. Anyway, the point is that we’re not going down without a fight. We’re working to make our paper better, better even than that other one. (I’m referring, of course, to The Washington Post.) Here are a few of the new The Looney Bin Kevin McManemin ’00 features to watch for in upcoming issues: Grossly inaccurate weather forecasts. Snow in May. 98 degrees and slight chance of tornado in the middle of January. You’ll never know what we’ll make up for the week’s wacky weather in the Phi. Unfounded rumors. Which deans are sleeping with which freshmen this week? What circus animals are going into the vats at the D-hall? Which member of the Math Department just married Princess Di? Hey, they may not be true, but you’ll have loads of fun reading these lies. Stupid headlines. Just wait until you see what we have in store: “Mean Dean Seen In Keen Jeans,” “Savvy Sophomore Sells Seven Seats to Shakespeare Stage Show” and “This Week, Greek Freaks and Meek Geeks Seek to Sneak Peaks at Roof Leaks.” That’s right, the content of articles will no longer matter, as long as the author can come up with a rhyming and/or alliterative headline. Apathetic political columnkts. No matter what’s going on in the crazy world of politics, you can count on one thing: our political columnists won’t give a rat’s ass. Left wing, right wing, it’s all just a bunch of meaningle$ claptrap to these guys. They don’t keep up on the news, so if you want indifferent opinions on last year’s headlines, look no further than the Phi. Better pictures. Soon we’ll print the first of our “scratch and sniff’ pictures. Also, there will be more pictures of naked supermodels. Now, if we could only combine the two... New title. We decided that the only way people will read our paper is if we change our name to The Trident So from now on, lock for us under our new name. Tighter editorial control Weill make sure failed humor columns don’t go on too long. We’ll cut them off mid-sentence if countless little gift shops "pretty much define quaint. And if I way. One more to go! Letter to the editor: Dear Phi Editors, On the front page of last week’s Phi, you ran an article about a study on educational funding done by that vigilant environmental and con- sumer watchdog, the U.S. Public Interest Re- search Group (U.S. PIRG). For the past three summers, I have had the privilege of working for the state PIRGS through their national campaign network, The Fund for Public Interest Research (generally referred to as “the Fund”). The Fund is the largest grassroots campaign network in the country, and this summer, they will be running offices for groups like the PlRGs, the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society. Working for them has been the most rewarding job experience I’ve ever had. I’m writingto tell other W&L students about job opportunities available through the Fund and to tell my fellow classmates why they should consider working in the ass-kicking non-profit community while they are still young and able to enjoy working hard for something they love. The most compelling reason to work forthe Fund is because right now our environment and the nation’s health are in trouble. Half of our lakes and a third of our rivers are too polluted to fish or swim in. Millions of Amereican breathe air every day that doesn’t meet minimum health standards. Unfortunately, special interests give millions of dollars every year to our Congress to weaken our environmental laws. That’s ridicu- lous. So how does this whole job thing work? I started working for the Fund as a political canvasser during the summer of 1994. As a political canvasser, I spent my afternoons and evenings engaged in the radical act of going door- to-door and actually talking to people I’d never met before about environmental protection. This might seem like a crazy thing to do, but it turns out that canvassing is not only a whole hell of a lot easier than it looks (since the Fund has .7. great \, training program), but it’s also a lot of fun. I met lots of really great people, I got concerned citi-; E zens involved in the environmental movement, I learned how to effectively and succinctly com- municate ideas, and I learned a lot about how democracy works. And I made enough money to buy a car. Sound like fun? It was. So much so that I returned the following summer as the Assistant, . Director ofthe Indianapolis Sierra Club office. I ‘ was twenty years old during my first summer as a director. I couldn’t legally drink alcohol, but I was able to meet with members of Indiana’s congressional delegation, organize and conduct a televised press conference, run petitioning tables at rock concerts, and most importantly, I was able to recruit and train a citizen outreach staff that added over a thousand new members to the Indiana chapter of the Sierra Club. These are the kinds of experiences available to you through the Fund, and believe you me, they look mighty darn impressive on a resume. You can also feelgood about the work you’re doing. Plus you’re work- ing with other intelligent and motivated young people who are sincerely dedicated to and enthu- siastic about their jobs. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Fund and the jobs available for the summer campaign season, you should call their toll-free number 1-800-75-EARTH. Working for the Fund has taught me to be a better leader, a better organizer and a better citizen. I can’t recommend the experience highly enough, especially since they gave me a paying job after graduation. Sincerely, Catherine Resmer ’97 the Colonnade club by +,.n.-5..., ho.-., 0lll.1/cl‘./*’f£1*5 .2EML-Y fit-A3‘ L//~'¥i"‘k”7'3£Z glib W-iii-'. We ”‘E*“W““F:i ZC /»At~l *1‘ eetleve r UFIEL-D. 1-lei" AL«WlW’: . ... 3': de»’le‘1'r"A-«'1; Aiw-an/e‘:_ I lnxlaw R6“; A-rug, 51/1” Atlrite an . a Vt':«N U? 0N : E: wuoarr WME ‘fie-my D. I new 4 Mr‘ 06152» You (7E’:"t"1"0 wow PM Ht?"‘z éfifttle 99291" eeixlecj; 0F Hutvloe. .. tie-'9 Woemtr one 5’? 7% ‘zM P<'.2r'r:cn' MV4 IN the 6t£lwL- »- ' AND 1 99:4; H1_-ac, Vt‘-'7t\Ll/Y 4'E—,"{\]5/lfll(9‘- -» ' tlvw area I vmyev ~ IN Vi’-Amt? 1?«‘W.l'. W P6929? N " we Aweeouel OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19970519/WLURG39_RTP_19970519_006.2.txt SPORTS THE BIG FAN, SELF-DEFENSE, AND TRACK PAGE 6 MAY 19, 1997 Self-defense class teaches more than karate Division In National BY ERICA PROSSER years. It is taught ‘by security officers Melvin Tennis Championships PH; STAFF WRITER Davis, Shannon Stiltner and Scott Rowe. The class is provided through the Rape Aggression Tomorrow: For every woman who has felt helpless, Defense organization, based in Poquoson, VA. there is a class that can change that. Officers must go to the R.A.D. headquarters 9 '<1-m- Slflgles Quaflfirfinals Washington and Lee offers PE 120, Self- and spend three 12-hour days in an ofiicial program N000 Singles 5emlfiI1alS Defense for Women, every term, and the thatteaches them how to teach self-defense to others. 3 P-m- Doubles Quanfifflnals course is an incredible success. W&L pays for the program, and Young mentioned ' “The class teaches young women to be that the PE department is always very helpful and Wednesday: aware of their situation and to be able to take accomodating to the program. 9 a m Sin leg Finals the steps necessary to escape from a rapist,” “(The department) provides the equipment,” he ' ' g . Director of Security Mike Young said. said, including. “red man suit”that the officers wear Noon Doubles Semifinals . ,, . Twelve women are admitted to each class, to protect themselves when the women beat them 3 p.m. Doubles Finals ,, . . . and up. The program IS good hands—on training, Young Menis -I-rack. At NCAA Young admitted that often, women “beg remarked, and it “certainly gives women a skill they - Championships to be let in.” can use the rest oftheirlife." Hand-to-hand combat is Uwiacrosse, The class is being offered at W&L five alarge part of every class. Thursday times per year (2 classes every fall and win- According to Young, the program will be ex- ter, 1 class each spring) for at least two full panding for the 1997-98 school year. Instead of only 12 women per class, 18 will now be able to sign up, increasing the number of women who can take the class by fifty percent. No plans exist now to train another officer, but Young in- dicated that this expansion is certainly a posi- tive step. He strongly advised that every woman participate in the program to gain the skills they never forget. Sophomore Nadiyah Howard, who took the class her freshman yearat W&L. She called the program enjoyable and helpful. “I learned a lot of things that made me more confident in my ability to protect myself.” Howard remarked that the teachers were ex- ceptional. “They made it clear that the class was to be educational, but it was also fun,” she said. Not all students are ecstatic about the pro- gram, however. One sophomore male was an- gry that a similar program is not offered for men. ‘I| “Why should (a woman) get credit for some- thing I can’t even take?” he asked. He contin- ued that the class sounded interesting, full of good techniques. “What if there were a cool academic class only offered to men, with no equivalent class available to women?” he asked. “What would women think?” Young was surprised at the idea of a men’s self-defense class. However, he said that such an idea is not impossible. A men’s program could be started in the future if a demand for it existed. V R.A.D. is a defense program that operates na; tionwide. The organization claims that no woman who has taken the class has ever been raped afterward. The class, Young said, “makes women more aware of their surroundings” and teaches them escape venues when a rape situation arises.“ softball valuable for future BIG FAN BY Scorr BOOKWALTER I have never been a big advocate of our PE requirements here. While it is important to keep in shape, three or four classes should be plenty to fulfill a PE requirement, not five. It is annoying to schedule them around our regular class schedules, particularly in the fall and winter terms. It is also ludicrous that inter- collegiate athletes are not exempt from taking other classes to fulfill the requirements, since they practice longer at their sports than we do at our regular PE classes. And don’t get me started on the registration process. f With that said, I’ll have to admit that the PE classes I have taken thus far have benefitted me immensely. My volleyball and tennis skills im- proved tremendously after taking those classes. This term I am taking softball along with’ 80-90 other people and it has been by far my funniest PE class. It helps to be on a good team, and I’d like to thank my terrific teammates Ericka Snyder (our captain and speedy lead-off hitter), Seth Kellerman, Jon Wright, David Ledlie, Pete Hammond, Chris Higgs, Taryn Kiekow, Kevin Alexander and Tommy Dudley for carrying us this far while I try to shake the rust off from not playing competitive softball in several years. (OK, I’m really not that great, but it sounds better to say I’m still rusty.) But at least I’m im- proving, which is a direct result of tak- ing this class, and it is clear the others are improving their skills too. After losing on opening day, we have won five straight games head- ing into the playoffs next week. The fabled PE softball championship tro- phy would certainly look good next to my Pony League baseball trophy if we can make it that far. Or maybe the A+ in the class, which as Coach Cerone pointed out, could be the dif- ference between summa cum laude and magna cum laude. There are some lessons to be learned from this class and softball in general. First, it helps to have some heavy lumber in your lineup because soft- ball games are always high-scoring and no lead is ever safe. We have won games by football scores such as 28- 27, 27-24 and 22-21. Second, it takes a lot of guts to pitch. After seeing a pitcher nearly get killed the other day after a line drive slammed into his face, that real- ization hit home. Also, hitting grounders in softball isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since infielders can have a tough time playing tricky hops on the bumpy fields. So what’s my point to all this? Take the softball PE class if you haven’t already and bring a catcher’s mask and pads if you want to pitch. You will hopefully find the competi- tion and atmosphere as fun as I have. As much as we may complain about taking PE classes, the athletic skills we learn now will pay dividends for the rest ofour lives, unlike Calculus II. If nothing else, we can show up our co-workers at company picnics with an athletic ability other than lifting beer cans. I O I "90!’ FWOUF ®l‘€SSy RV/v \ \ \ 17 9‘[e[i012 CS/reel‘ gexzlrzy/012, Uzfyzbzb 244450 (540) 46? I66’! - ll 0000310125 O I J31‘/* 01°122a[9 O 71x0/0.9 *Q7cce.s‘0r1°e O \ I A U.C. Santa Cruz’ COURTESY or SPOR1S INFORMATION . tennis Washington and Lee University player stays Director of Athletics Mike Walsh has alive in their announced that a record number of 84 first round students have been named to receive of the Scholar-Athlete Awards for the re- cently completed winter term. NCM The 84 honorees breaks the old tenmsh mark of 80 set in the 1994 fall term. champion- /;/llgépgf the stulcllents are rrinembers of Ships last interco egiate at etic teams and earned at least a 3.50 GPA for the week U'C' term. Santa Cruz) Additionally, a record total of 109 W35 Seeded Washington and Lee athletes earned No.1 at the a 3.50hGPA orbbettler in fpnelgf tw: beginning of termst is year, rea ingt e o mar _, of 103 set in 1994-95. the mum” Eleven athletes achieved at least a men_t’ but 40 for the winter term, including 10st In the sophomore All—ODAC tennis player first round. Scott Babka and senior track and soc- They fin)‘ cer captain Anthony Mazzarelli. - - The women’s volleyball team had ‘Shed H: 6th the highest team GPA at 3.475. The p ace‘ highest men’s GPA belonged to the CrOSS_COumry team with a 3087_ Photo by I-Iollister Hovey / Photo Editor V When you bank with us, you Your Bank of Rockbridge che For scream-free banking, open your personal checking account with Bank of Rockbridge. When you bank with _us you get a choice of 8 different checking accounts", including our popular student account "Campus Checking‘. . cking account gives you free, unlimited usage of our 10 area ATM’s. You can also access your account while you re at home. Just look for the HONOR, PLUS or CIRRUS signs. They re eyerywhere. Our two Lexington offices (each with 24-hour drive—up ATM ,5) are located in places you probably go everyday. Ever go to Wendy s, Frank s, Kroger or Harris-Teeter? We’re right next door - and there’s plenty of parking. ’11 be cared for by some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet - folks who’1l take a special interest in you and your acccount. I _ We’ve been doing this for 64 years - it’s a good bet we know what we re doing. r Come open an account at Bank of Rockbridge today. Mountain C " Nelson. St. Cgigyphics 1, A‘ ‘ I one; 9 5 yours with» a Bank.‘ of Rockbrid 1‘ e 3 I V. b‘f¢he¢1;i;1g-a¢¢i?niit1.£‘Open: one todayf: ‘ f. ank ofRo¢i