OCR::/Vol_099_100/WLURG39_RTP_19980209/WLURG39_RTP_19980209_001.2.txt J J ~X§.TiS%$og3f‘i‘é‘é”uili$‘eA$‘s‘.n ~ V‘/5/0? D ‘F’: .TON.VA 24450 P W 0:1. Is YOUR IDEA OF COOKING W D: 13 F WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DEFEATS PB&J 7 EFHCA P305353 O 1998 M LYNCHBURG COLLEGE To TAKEA COM- TAKES A 3'75 OUT OF THE E I | l O MANDING THREE GAME LEAD FOR FINAL MYTH THAT STUDENTS ARE W A C . PLAYOFF SPOT. CLUELESS IN THE KITCHEN F 5 I5 E Q) OVER FOR THE PERFECT MOVIE ~ in “ PAGE 4 PAGE 3 —| PAGE 6 ‘ ~ Q . Bulk Rate US Postage . Lexington. Va. * I I Pcnl:l’i\‘I£°'7 Washington and Lee University Monday VOLUME 100, NUMBER 14 FEBRUARY 9, 1998 «Hodges quits ,office over smoking ‘policy “edict” ‘BY W111. HARDIE AND HEATHER MCDONAID News Fprrons Knight Professor of Journalism Louis Hodges an- nounced Wednesday that he is quitting his campus office because of the smoking ban imposed Jan. 12. He will work ‘gfrom home from now on, he said at a press conference in the Reid Hall library. “President Elrod’s recent edict prohibiting smoking in this office has forced me to work elsewhere as much as ‘possible,’’ reads a notice on his office door. “ I will, of course, remain readily available, especially to all students. This office will remain open. Appointments may be made through Mrs. Murchison I regret this minor change as much as I lament the policy that forced it.” 3,, “There is no way my smoking is going to bother any- one,” Hodges said at the press conference. He said he had two air filters in his office, and would not smoke in front of students unless _.they suggested it. Hodges said that not being able to smoke in his office was disruptive, since he had to get up and leave his office, interrupting his work. President John Elrod said, “As we have said before, Washington and Lee has had a long history of faculty being in available to students in their offices. It is an hon- orable and well-respected tradition, and I hope all profes- sors will abide by it.” Hodges said that the problem was not just about to- bacco. “It’s further loss of individual liberty,” he said. ,, Hodges also said that the smoking policy wasia part of a growing trend for W&L to be governed from the top down. He said that W&L is now more hierarchical than when the previous president, John Wilson, arrived. He calls the policy change an “edict.” *v( When asked to respond to that allegation, Elrod said, “The new policy is in the best interests of the students.” Why was the issue not put to a faculty vote? “It was an academic decision,” he said. . Hodges said he was disturbed by the lack of published " response from students and faculty. He said that he re- ceived support from smokers and non-smokers alike, but no one came forward to protest the policy. “I don’t expect the policy to be reversed. To undo the g policy would be to admit a mistake,” Hodges said. Hodges will now be working out of his home. Buildings and Grounds workers moved his belongings out of his office Thursday and Friday, and his new “office” will be ready to- day. His new home computer and phone will be hooked up '. to the University network. It was unclear whether the Uni- versity or Hodges will pay for the new computer. Claudette Artwick, Associate Professor of Mass Com- munications and Journalism, moved into the office vacated ‘ by retired Professor of Journalism Ronald MacDonald at the ‘ start of the academic year. He smoked a pipe regularly in the office. Artwick requested that B&G deep-clean the rug and re-paint the walls. She said that afterwards there was no de- tectable odor of smoke. fl Louis W. Hodges, Knight Professor of Journalism, stands on his porch. He will now be working out of his home, because he cannot smoke in his office due to the ”e"’ 5’"0/“"3 P°“Cy- HOLLISTER HOVEY/PHOTO EDITOR FLYING AWAY TO NEVER-NEVER LAND Sophomores Kelly “Wenay " Stewart, Kappa Delta, and Jason "Peter Pan" Nichols, Phi Delta Gamma, at the “Famous Lovers” mixer between KD and Kappa Kappa Gamma. HoL1.1sTER HOVEY/PHOTO EDITOR Ala. visitor charged for making himself at home (I) Sweet Home Alabama: felony burglary charge for confused Sigma Nu WILL HARDIE Nsws EDITOR Ryan Stephens thought he had a good reason for breaking into law stu- dent Jessica Janov’s apartment and crashing out on her couch. He told police he was so drunk he thought he was at home in Alabama. Stephens, a student at Jacksonville State University, had come to Lexing- ton for a Sigma Nu party. At 1 1:10 p.m. Saturday, after heavy drinking, he found himself on Henry Street and decided to try to get into J anov’s apart- ment. She was out. When he found the front door locked, he smashed a six-by-three-inch pane of glass in the door open it, ac- cording to the police report. W&L law student Jason Mayfield, who lives in the next apartment, heard the glass breaking. “I went out and said to him, ‘what are you doing?’, and he said something to the effect of, I’m getting in my window,” Mayfield said. “When he turned round and talked to me, I could tell he was pretty wasted.” Mayfield called police, and officer Michael Hess arrived at l l:l5. He saw the broken glass and the open door, and went inside to find Stephens sprawled on the couch in the front room. “I asked ifthis was his house two or three times, and he said, yes.” said Hess. But it was clear that Stephens did not live there. “I saw a bunch of ladies’ hair curl- ers in the bathroom and I asked him how often he used them,” said Hess. According to the police report, Mayfleld has straight, short hair. Stephens was speaking rapidly and slurring his speech, and had blood- shot eyes. Hess said Stephens told him that he thought he was at his house in Jacksonville, Ala., and that he had for- gotten his keys so had had to break the window to get in. Hess charged him with felony burglary, trespassing, and public drunkenness. Janov was at a lawyers’ ball at VMI at the time, and found out about the break—in when police turned up there asking for her. She was unshaken by the break- in, but was not sure whether to believe Stephens’ story. “What makes his story very shaky is that he had looked at my bills and he knew my name,” she said. “It makes me wonder whether he really thought this was his apartment. If his story is true and he really thought it that it was his home then he has got a real prob- lem, if he was drinking that much.” Hess said that Stephens had not stolen anything, but agreed that his story sounded odd. “He was drunk, but he knew who he was, he knew what frat house he had been at and he knew what hotel he was going to,” said Hess. Janov is not eager to press charges. “I would rather he went into an alco- hol program than any action was taken against him,” she said, “but it’s really out of my hands now.” _ Stephens must return to Lexington to attend court on Feb. 24. Though it is unlikely he would be given the full guideline sentence, if found guilty of burglary and trespass- ing Stephens could face between six and 21 years injail. ‘Margand clarifies rape issues at Women’s Forum BYSARAH MELDRUM I STAFF \WRlTI'-R “Rape is a single sanction offense at Washington and Lee.” With that statement, Nancy Margand, chair of the Stu- dent Faculty Hearing Board started Tuesday night’s Women’s Forum meeting. ii Confusion and misunderstanding surrounds the pun- ishment for rape at W&L, Margand said. . According to the page 32 of the Student Handbook, rape, defmed as forced sexual intercourse, will result in a dis- r missal from the University. Other forms of sexual miscon- duct may also be grounds for dismissal, although no one at W&L has been convicted of rape for over five years. And many rapes go unreported on this campus, Margand said. The SFHB hears and judges cases of sexual misconduct, but many victims do not know what to do after an attack. “People will come in and say, ‘I didn’t know where to go, so I didn’t say anything,” Margand said. She empha- sized where to turn for help, and how to turn someone in, needs to get out to the student body. If students are victims of sexual assault, they should seek medical attention regardless of their intent to pursue charges. The school’s counselors can tell students their options. During freshman orientation, all students receive wam- ings about rape and violence and advice about how to respond to them. In the confusing rush ofinforrnation that week, though, most papers are forgotten or shoved in a CD SEE RAPE PAGE 2 Professor Conner skids on ice, rolls sport utility BY KATHRYN MAYURNIK MANAGING EDITOR Although sport utility vehicles are extremely popular, they come with some excess baggage. Most jeeps and trucks bear a warning, stating that the vehicle has a ten- dency to flip. Assistant Professor of English Marc Conner and is family found that out the hard way last week. Conner, his wife and his 18-month—old son were making their way to Lexington from their farm in the Timber Ridge area through inclement weather Wednesday around noon. Although Lexington‘ received a less than an inch of snow last week, accompanied with rain, Conner’ s area received six inches of snow Wednesday, two inches Thursday and six more inches Friday. Conner lives about 6 miles from the city of Lexington. As the drove down a steep hill, Conner drove his 1995 Ford Explorer cautiously. However, when he hit a patch of ice, the truck went into a skid and hit an embankment. “Then we flipped over and skidded about 10 feet,” Conner said. “I was kind of wondering how long it was going to last before we would stop. But I was mainly wor- ried about my son and how he was doing.” When the car finally came to a halt, they couldn’t get the doors open. “I was able to crawl out the driver’s side win- dow. My wife crawled in the back seat to get my son and I helped them out one of the back windows,” Conner said. “My son was crying and he looked a little wide-eyed, but once we got him out of the car he started to laugh. I think he wanted to go for the ride again.” Conner said that he knew that Explorers have a propen- sity for flipping over. ‘ “It isia trade off between how the car will handle impact and its tendency to roll. And although my car did roll, it didn’t collapse and we were all uninjured.” Conner canceled his classes for Wednesday and Thurs- day. On Friday, he attempted to drive into Lexington in his Toyota. On his way off the farm, he slid into a foot-and-a- half snowdrifi and got stuck. “I just left the car there. Some of the farm hands helped me tow it out later,” he said. Conner said that he was usually very comfortable with driving in the snow having lived in Washington, New Jer- sey and Indiana. Conner and his family did not leave their farm from Tues- day night until Saturday morning. “We were all going nuts! We couldn’t stand it,” he said. “The worst part of all of this was that I had to miss class for three days. I also had to move a paper date and a midterm.” Students left out in the cold BY ERICA PROSSER STAFF WRITER Every winter, grade school children press their noses against windows at the first flake of snow, hoping for a day without school. Washington and Lee students do the same thing, but while Rockbridge County grade schools close for just a few inches of accumulation, W&L classes are never canceled for such a small snowfall. “Ice or a blizzard are the only conditions that we will cancel school for,” said Scott Beebe, Director of Build- ings and Grounds. “The road conditions and campus conditions have to be judged unsafe before we’ll close.” Who decides what “unsafe” is? President John Elrod would make the ultimate decision to close the school, but he would consult with Beebe before doing so. , “The President asks if I can make the campus safe,” Beebe said. “We confer in the morning, about 5:30 a.m., on days [when the weather is questionable].” W&L students may get annoyed that the few inches of snow that keep them trapped in the country are not enough to cancel classes. That doesn’t bother Beebe. “We’re not like the Rockbridge County schools,” he said. “We don’t need the whole county to be cleared before we can open.” Some students are disgruntled about how rare class cancellations are. One junior said that the policy seems like a way to maintain W&L‘s “macho reputation.” ‘‘It isn’t necessary to make everyone drudge through a ridiculous icy mess just to be able to say that W&L never closes,” she said. Junior Megan Carleton agreed. “I believe the weather policy is a bit extreme,” she said. ‘‘I value my life more than my education. When I hydro- plane to class at 20 miles per hour, there’s gotta be some- thing wrong.” CD SEE SNOW PAGE 2 OCR::/Vol_099_100/WLURG39_RTP_19980209/WLURG39_RTP_19980209_002.2.txt Perhaps Dan was too busy with making hislown , ' Valentine’s Day plans this week to write his column. ‘, , As an alternative, we otfertwo handy top-ten listsyo, - jump-start your February Break. ‘ « " ’ TOP TEN PLACES FOR W&L STUDENTS To HOOK UP AT 3 A.M. 10. The 50-yard line ofwilson Field ‘9. The Lexington Post Office . 8._ Graham-‘Lees/Gilliam laundry rooms 7. I Libra:ry’locked~study carrels 6. 'I‘heJ-school computer room -5. Moot Courtroom 4., Chi Psi late night i 3.('Thelibrary roof , , ~ 2. virgmia Military Institute academicflbuildingsg9:; I. The Ring-tum“Phi office * ‘ I I Q TORIEN PICK-UPLINES To use AM. 9‘ 10. Nice shoes..... V‘ , . 9.’ Was it love at firstsight, or should Iwallt by 8. Would you like to have breakfast tomorrow? Should, A I nudge you or call you? A‘ "I 7. ‘My name isn’t Fred Flintstone, but I could sure) I I . make yourBed—rock., , ' _ I H’ A A 6. Damn! [thought Very Fine Ionlycamein acanl‘ _ V 5. I Pardon me miss, Illseem to have lost my phone , number. Could I borrowyours? . L I A , 4. ’I’ve had a pretty bad day, and it usually makes Inc I 9 feel better to see a pretty girl smile. SoL..wouldyou' . I. careto smile forme? , . V . “ll 9 . v 3. That dress looks,nice.;,O‘f course, it would look : even better crumpled in the of’ . can see myself‘. in your pants! 1. Take me drunk;I’ni home. Needrnore?Checkoutht1p://www: .ithaca.edu/oI*gs’pIW I 2. Do you wash clothes in Windex?- Because 7 I snow IICWS FEBRUARY 9, 1998 E CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Beebe said he was surprised by how many W&L students don’t dress appropriately for the weather. He suggested that students wear clothing designed for walking in the snow, since there is no chance the school will close for flurries. “I see students in high-heeled pumps walking through the snow,” he said. “I mean, get some boots!” According to a popular campus rumor, when the school closed for a few inches of snow in 1962, the students all left to go skiing. The administration‘ got so angry that they vowed never to cancel classes for just a few inches of snow again. Beebe, who has heard that rumor, cannot confirm its truth, but he said that any past closing problems have no bearing on current school closings. The last time W&L closed was in January 1996. The Blizzard of ’96 had just deposited three feet of snow on the ground, and stu- dents and faculty could not make it back to W&L from Christmas break. Classes were canceled for two days. Before that, W&L closed in January 1995. In that case, ice was the culprit, keeping roads and side- walks dangerous. That closure was also due. in nart. to Virginia Power. They asked W&L to close down that day to conserve power in the freezing Rockbridge County. “I got complaints from faculty who did manage to make it in that year,” Beebe said. “They’d get out of their cars and slip, then complain about the ice.” When the school actually does close, the word needs to be spread to students and faculty. Brian Shaw, Director of Communica-_ tions and Public Relations, has the job of notifying the W&L community. “We want class to continue, but not at the expense of safety,” he said. Shaw maintains a weather line that anyone can call. He is not sure how popular the weather line is, but he has one good clue. “We can’t count the number of calls on the weather line,” he said. “But there’s a woman in Lexing- ton whose phone number is one digit off of the weather line. She complained that she got over 100 calls from students last week, ask- ing her about the weather.” Just in case the weather is threat- ening, the weather line number is 462-GOOD. Students can call any- time to hear an automated response detailing W&L’s operating hours for that day. member. Thankyou. ECADDRESSES. oursioe _ A .- ; fIfhe‘Executive Committee has received.queriresl,w tltepiiiitjlica-;7,’ tions of the Honor System with regard to the ”tise"6f false . . tions. While it is not customary forthe Exject;nyé‘t:ommieeé to tea /I spend to hypothetical inquiries regarding potentialvlionor V19, atiohs; , the Committee will, on occasion, comment on-certain issues‘ where I . some confusion or much discussion exists. , 9", lg, V, I ‘ I f Students should note that the use of a fake ID, whetltef ‘ ‘ j,Lexiiig'ton, may be considered an Honor Violation. Executive Comn‘iitt?:e.merely seeks to have} students consider‘ :*stIs1‘ej consequences of using,a.faI €.~¢~ I HOUSING Q&A SESSION TO BE HELD TONIGHT A Question-and-Answer Session about the Housing Application process will be held to- night at 8:00 p.m., in the Commerce School, Room 327. Rising sophomores are reminded that they are required to live in University housing, and no matter what their housing plans-frater- nity house, theme house, Gaines Hall, or Woods Creek Apartments-they must submit a Hous- ing Preference Fonn no later than noon on‘Friday, Feb. 13, in Payne Hall 4. EATING DISORDER SCREENING AFTER FEB. BREAK '- W&L will be participating in the National Eating Disorders Screening Program. Students will be able to take a brief screening test for eating disorders and have an immediate evaluation from one of our professional counselors. The screening will take place between 9:00 a.m. to 3 :00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Room 108 of the University Center. The scoring will be done by a I nurse from the Health Center. Anne McThenia, University Counselor, and J an Kaufman, Health Educator, will be available for consultation and evaluation after the screening test. An infOrma- I tional slide show will also be presented by LIFE on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 8:30 p.m. in the University Center, Room 109. Questions? Please call the Counseling Service at 463-8590 or Health Education office at 462-450 1. I PHI ETA SIGMA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS DUE All current members of Phi Eta Sigma are eligible to receive scholarships for graduate or ‘ undergraduate work. Scholarships of $2,000 and $1,000 are available for undergraduate work; for graduate work scholarships are in the amount of $2,000. Washington and Lee will nominate one student for the undergraduate work scholarship; applications for the graduate scholar- ships are unlimited. All applications are due March 1. Interested students please see Dean West-Settle on or before Feb. 16. I y — compiled by Heather McDonald RAPE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 desk drawer. “What frustrates me is that when you need it, people don’t know where to look,” Margand said. The high alcohol consumption rate on campus aggravates the problem of acquantance rape and 1'‘ assault, Margand said. If a woman is incapacitated, she cannot give consent. Margand said that those cases can be difficult for the SFHB to decide, especially if both parties are drunk. “How are they to know if he’s telling the truth, and so is she?” Margand asked. “He may think she gave consent, she may think she refused, but then both are drunk, no one can be sure.” Many students are brought forward on conduct charges, which carry lesser penalties, such as social probation, if an accused is found guilty. When the SFHB hears a case, it posts its findings on campus in the same manner used by the EC. The SFHB must trust the convicted student to obey the probation because the names of students involved are kept confidential. The student body must rely on the honor of the convicted student. If he is caught breaking the probation, he is dismissed from ,. school. Only people who were involved in the investigation are the only ones who can catch him. Margand agreed that social probation seems like a minor punishment for some forms of sexual misconduct. “We ought to be treating [sexual misconduct] more seriously than we are,” she said. , « Apt for RENT, , . . . V T // 0%,, EXCELLEN 72‘/E MAJORS 54/? /5 C0/W/V5,. , LOCATION, CUTS , cry-°>ta' 5010 3 BEDROOM’ @ Are you still confused about choosing a major? ‘ Tower 73 MICROWAVE Building . ' h 131 Wes, CORRECT/ON FOR MORE Would you like to have a chance to talk Wlt r ¢:..v.::::II F0/U/V6 INFORMATION’ V faculty and explore SEVERAL majors? Rea-_-o_ke. CALL 465'76q) ® Does your dayplanncr always seem to overlook ' };';:',',";:,i‘;’1;,, UWENCE this IMPORTANT activity? NOT TO WORRY.’ 3 Bed Apt 93-99 Music Indus")! —The MAJORS FAIR is coming to your rescue!——— School Year Opportunity. , Vl‘é?SSr:‘V€\=,;‘/grzlél:-‘V Breaking Join your favorite members Of the faculty and a Microwave e(eA;::“' star senior from each Of the majors: 1‘ : Short walk from _"998 cones’: T d F b 10 1998 W&L _ e 1- a 308 McLaughlin Relprest-e:tatIv¢tes. “es ay9 u 1y 9 ’ St t npal grea _ . , _ - - Cafifany be,,e’fits 5.30 — 6.45 p.m. Evans Dining Hall Swisher Call Mr. Wilkins , :66§’:97§§§)((l:;fri::)) at (803) 7793803 The format is informal, remember this is a FAIR! There will be PRIZES, GIFTS, and a DRAWING FOR " DINNER FOR TWO at the WILLSON—WALKER House! OCR::/Vol_099_100/WLURG39_RTP_19980209/WLURG39_RTP_19980209_003.2.txt FEBRUARY 9, 1998 Lenfest Center’s _|atest production showcases women ‘BYCOUR’INEYMlI.LER 4 B1rRr;vrwnz Although “Crimes of the Heart” is a refreshing ve- hicle to showcase the talented actresses at Washington and Lee, the two-and-a—half-hour play needed a jump start during the first act of Saturday’s performance. In con- trast, the final two acts bristled with electricity and energy between the Magrath sisters. Currently playing at the Johnson Theater in Lenfest Center, “Crimes of 3 the Heart” centers around the Magrath women, who are eccentrically southern. The sisters, Lenny (Holly Estes ’00), Meg (Megan Johnson ’98) and Babe (Cassie Ritter ’0 1) have come together to support Babe, who hasjust shot her abusive husband. Johnson fiilfills the production re- quirement of her senior thesis with this * production. She is confident and sin-. cere in her portrayal of Meg, the middle sister who returns fiom California. Estes makes her debut on the Lenfest stage as Lenny, the older sister who, at age 30, is stuck playing mother to "' her sisters and nursemaid to her grandfather. While Estes is strong when interacting with other sisters, she was over- HOLLY ESTES, Megan Johnson and Cassie Ritter are the Magrath sisters in Crimes of the Heart. 0:” whelmed in the first act. However, by the end of the play, she had come alive thereby giving Lenny the charm and vitality she lacked in earlier scenes. While part of this is due to Beth Henley’s script, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1981, Estes seemed to lack presence and confidence on stage during the first act. Ritter as Babe, “the prettiest and most perfect of the three...” makes her debut in W&L theater. Ritter is con- vincing as the sweet, juvenile sister and the scenes be- tween her and Johnson are the best in the play. Especially in the second act, when Babe confesses to Meg her affair with a 15-year-old black boy. The supporting cast includes Chick (Alyssa Sellers ’99), Doc Porter (Ryan Truax ’0 1 ) and Barnette (Peter Duvall ’00). Sellers, who most recently played the narmy in “Uncle Vanya,” is a fabulous character actor. She milked the part of Chick and seemed to genuinely enjoy the role, especially being chased out the door with a broom. Truax and Duvall seemed lost among a cast of such strong females. Duvall’s weak accent and Truax’s dis- appearing limp did little to strengthen their contribution to the cast. The actresses’ costumes were par- ticularly fun, especially for a play set in the early 1980s. Overall ,“Crimes of the Heart” is a strong play. It sold out its weekend perfonnances. It is refreshing to see women dominat- ing the Lenfest stage. Johnson should be more than satisfied with her senior thesis performance and Ritter and Estes should look forward to more fine performances on the stage. Final shows are tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Puaucnr Prroro W&life rimes he Heart Mil“ 3 Hey goodlooking, «Whatcha _got cookin’? BY ERICA PRossr~:R STAFF \Y/iznnz unior Elizabeth Huston eats on Y campus and in restaurants, but she never cooks. “The only thing I ever make for my- self is tea, which I don’t think counts as cooking,” she said. She has a full It kitchen at her disposal. She does not use it, but she is completely happy with her lack of cooking habits. Is Huston typical, or do college students actually cook more than most " people expect? The widespread myth is that Huston is typical. Students are not expected to be gourmets, or even 'slightly adept in the kitchen. Even ‘Julia Child, the famous chef, didn’t have her first bite of French cuisine un- til she was 37 and long out of school. Writers make fortunes from books 1 like “The Student’s Cookbook” which feature recipes any well—trained dog could manage. Do all W&L upperclass- men leave their own kitchens empty while they dine out, as Huston does? Against the expectations of most people, some students actually cook, and often. Senior Jake Sewall cooks every day, and he never uses a boxed 4 mix like Hamburger Helper. “I make salad, steamed vegetables, broiled steak, and homemade bread,” he said. He uses a ten-meal plan for lunches and dinners during the week, I but weekday breakfasts and weekend meals mean breaking out the cookbook. One dessert he made recently for a date was ‘ C a French custard recipe which called for con- I Iwasamacand ” and his breakfasts are grand affairs consist- ing of waffles, pancakes, or biscuits, all prepared from scratch. He even ‘uses pure butter and pure maple syrup. He, like Huston, is the excep- tion to the rule; most students fall somewhere in between. Jerry Darrell, director of Dining Ser- hfvices, said that most upperclassmen take advantage of meal plans and food debits on campus, even though most of them have kitchens of their own. “80 to 85 percent of the [upperclass] SOPHOMORE ADAM HENRY in the kitchen. student body uses the food debit declin- ing balance system,” Darrell said. Stu- dents keep money on their university cards which they can use to buy food tax-free on campus. It is the most popu- lar meal plan among upperclassmen. Still, Darrell said, about 150 upper- classmen take advantage of the five- and ten-meal plans. These plans al- low students to buy meals at all three W&L dining spots. The students re- ceive five or ten meals per week, but unused meals from one week do not carry over into the next week. Both plans feature a “plus” option, as well; that means that a set food debit bal- ance can be maintained along with the five or ten allotted meals. Freshmen are required to use the 20- meal plan, which is the most restrictive of the plans. All 20 meals must be used in Evans Dining Hall, and the plan does not include a food debit. Only a dozen upperclassmen use the 20-meal plan, Darrell said. Dining on campus, then, is a fre- quently-used choice, even among stu- dents with kitchens. Huston’s cooking abstinence, however, is an exception, not a rule. Most students do make use of their kitchens, though not usually with the flair of the Frugal Gourmet. Junior Sarah Meldrum said that she uses her five-meal plan for lunches on campus and cooks dinner with her roommates in their stant stirring for more cheeseconnolsseurr Woods Creek apart- than two hours. Sewall but over winter break merit. stirred dili entl , and “ Wedo thin slike «the dessertg carrl/e out my mom bought sourl, rice,] potftoes, perfectly. me “C00kZ'7’1g F01‘ pasta, frozen pizza, but Sewall also bakes Dblmmies. H sometimes we go all loaves of bread from out with a real meal,” scratch every week, T" Nathan Hager she said. A real meal, 97 according to Meldrum, includes a meat dish, vegetables, bread, and other well-balanced courses. She said that the four of them sit down together like a family and enjoy dinner. Junior Rebecca Fitzsimmons’ eating habits are just that: habit. She eats the same dishes nearly all the time, but her dinners do require the use of a kitchen. “For dinner I will have one of the fol- lowing things 99 percent of the time: macaroni (easy to make—just boil wa- ter), a fat free hot dog, or two bagels H0u1srF1z Hover/Puoro EDIIUR with fat free cream cheese,” she said. Junior Nathan Hager said that this year has brought about an increase in the amount of cooking he does, but that last term, he was less capable than Fitzsimmons. “Last tenn, I didn’t know how to make mashed potatoes. I was a mac and cheese connoisseur,” he said. “But over winter break, my mom bought me “Cooking For Dummies,” and it has a recipe for mashed potatoes. Now I’ve progressed enough in my cooking skills so I can follow very simple recipes, but I still rely a lot on reheating frozen food.” Why don’t students cook more of- ten? The expectation here is that students simply don’t have the ability to cook. W&L students disagree, however. “The cooking part is fun,” Meldrum said. “It’s the clean- ing up later that’s a pain.” Cleaning is indeed a cook- ing deterrent, but the most prevalent de- terrent is the time necessary to fix some- thing nicer than pizza. “I don’t have time to fix the kinds of food that I want; they take too long,” junior Jessica Simpson said. “I’m usually way to hungry to wait for something that I have to put in the oven or on the stove.” Fitzsimmons said that cooking comes down to time priorities. “I would rather sleep later than get up and cook a big breakfast,” she said. Are students happy with this ar- rangement? Huston is happy just mak- ing tea, and Simpson and Fitzsimmons are both content with their arrange- ments. In fact, the only person who expressed any discontent was Sewall. “I wish I cooked more,” he said. Students may want to take cook- ing a little more seriously, though; some students find cooking ability at- tractive in members of the opposite sex. Sewall’s idea ofa date is to make a full gourmet dinner for his guest. Hillary Coombs said that cooking is an odd choice for a first date, but a great idea afier a few dates. Clean- up, again, is a major concern, though. Coombs’ roomates threw a dinner party for her birthday. “I said, ‘This is a really nice idea, guys, but ifl have to clean this stuff up, it’s not nearly as nice.’ Everybody stayed and helped clean up afterward.” PAGE 3 CRIMES OF THE HEART, Beth Henley ’s Pulitzer prize—winning play, centers around three passionate, eccentric southern women who harbor secrets they are cgfaial to share. Tonight and Tomorrow at 8 p. m. PI/Bucnr P1-I070 HELP FD Committee needs WANTED; more contract workers BY KHLEY TOITH\I STAFF Wizrraz t’s money, baby, money. For all those Washington & Lee swingers who think they can’t afford to go to the Fancy Dress Ball this year, think again. Power tools and paintbrushes can finance your FD. The FD Committee is looking for contract workers to help build and decorate Doremeus Gymnasium for the ball. “You can’t build the whole FD with just 50 people,” said Carolyn Lee, the committee’s auditor. The committee hires students to help with the actual construction de- signed over months of planning. Contract workers also paint sets, sell memorabilia and do various other odd jobs. Contractors are expected to work 25 hours between now and Friday, March 6, the day of the ball. In exchange, they will receive tickets for two people and a memorabilia package for one. ’ The work started in the Pavilion on Saturday and will continue there until the week before FD, when everything will be moved to the gym. “It’s a really fun way to get involved in FD,” said Jenni- fer Justema, president of the committee. “It doesn’t take too much time and energy and [students] can have a really firn time with it.” One of the perks for contractors includes finding out the secret theme before the rest of the W&L community. Lee hinted at a “particularly intricate construc- tion” that will require a lot of talented carpenters. She refused to comment further. “It’s something that they’ve ne‘ver"seén before,” said construction co-chair Christine Bragg. The design of this year’s FD has been a collaborative effort between the con- struction and decoration committees, said Bragg, who en- visioned this year’s gala along with co-chair Matthew Kirby-Smith, junior, and decoration committee chair Jenny Stone, junior. “Any help from anybody would be great,” said Bragg, who mentioned that contractors could even have a say in some of the final decisions and decor. “It’s not all set in stone —— we’re still using new ideas.” Approximately $70,000 will be spent on this year’s FD, said Lee. The majority of the funds will be spent on the decorations and the bands. Invitations, which will reveal the theme, will be sent out over the Washington holiday. Tickets and memorabilia will be available starting March 2 in the University Center. So far, approximately 30 people have signed up to help. Ideally, the committee would like to have at least 40 work- ers. Anyone interested should call either Justema at 464- 5220 or Mary Michael Pettyjohn at 464-5924. “We’re not going to be able to pull this off without teamwork,” Bragg said. “It will be a roaring good time.” BY ROBERT SEIN ——-—-—-—-—— smut/am Sadly, Valentine’s Day (along with St. Patrick’s Day and, if you stay on campus, Thanksgiving) seems to be one of those holidays that fades into unimportance once you get to college. As grade school students, reminders of the prevailing holiday surrounded us in the form of paper cut-outs, dioramas and posters. Most of us remember our elemen- tary school teachers demanding that we cut out little red hearts to give to our moms. dead.” Scarcely more ro- Cupid comes to campus liberately or accidently forgotten. Many students seem to think that giving a Valentine’s Day feature article space alongside “legitimate” articles is to give it undeserved status. This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday —the day af- ter Friday the l3th — a black omen for some students. Vanessa Hall, senior, numbers among those disenchanted by the holiday. “In the Neitzschian sense,” she said, “God, and Love, is more Angelo DiStefano hopes to score big this Valentine’s Day with his pick-up line: “I may not have the best body, but you know what? You do.” When asked to sum up his Valentine’s Day plans, Junior Pat Driscoll stated mat- ter-of-factly: “Just shag, baby.” Some prefer a more sensitive ap- Cé Some girl gave me chocolate boobs one proach. Anurag . , Chandra, senior and Valentine sDay. dOrm_counSel0r —BlllWarn0Ck extraordinaire, ’? thinks women are best appealed to As far as I know, few professors at Washington and Lee suspend their scheduled lectures to make Valentine’s Day cards. So, for the W&L student who hasn’t been stung by Cupid’s arrow, the holiday is most often de- Ho1.I.Is775R Hoi'r;r/PHo7o EDIIUR mantic, “a blank check” is sophomore Mike Healey’s prefered method to convey his undying passion. Stephanie Frank,junior, thinks of her- self as one of the casualties of this mentality. “My male and female friends never give me Valentine’s Day gifts,” said Frank, “because my birthday is the next day.” The student body as a whole, however, seems eager to throw away the apathy and get a little crazy. Just ask Bill Wamock, a senior who, speak- ing only in vague terms, claimed that “some girl gave me chocolate boobs one Valentine’s Day.” Senior Kris O’Neal suggested a similarly direct route: “Just ask her to come home with you” was his advice to aspirants for a lady’s heart. Sopho- through their stomachs. “Have a romantic dinner,” he said, “but don’t go out — cook it yourself.” Marisa Frost, senior, agreed. She thinks the best Valentine’s Day gifi is food. When pressed to be more specific, she qualified it by saying “anything but soup; and nothing you consume with a straw — that’s not sexy.” Junior Jeff Mitchell, quite the Don Juan, suggests that the best way to ro- mance a girl is to “take her to some cul- tural event.” A poem is the way to a woman’s heart insists sensitive man Geoffiey Haydon, sophomore. Whatever your style, Valentine’s Day presents a unique opportunity to make spur-of-the—moment moves fqr that special someone. OCR::/Vol_099_100/WLURG39_RTP_19980209/WLURG39_RTP_19980209_004.2.txt PAGE 4 REsuL1's Men’s Basketball (9-10) Mon.: W&L 57 Va. Wesleyan 68 Wed.: W&L 57 Bridgewater 53 Sat.: W&L 70 E. Mennonite 87 Worrien’s Basketball (9-11) Tue.: W&L 69 E&H 79 Thur: W&L 65 Va. Wesleyan 74 Sat.: Lynchburg 48 W&L 55 Wrestling Saturday: Finished third of three teams at Va. State Tournament AHEAD Monday Men’s Basketball - Randolph-Macon 7:30 p.m., Warner Center Tuesday Women’s Basketball - at E. Mennonite, 7:00 p.m. Women's Swimming — Hollins 6:30 p.m., Warner Center Wednesday Men’s Basketball —- at Lynchburg, 7:30 p.m. Thursday Women’s Basketball — Hollins 7:00 p.m., Warner Center Saturday Men’s Basketball — at Roanoke, 7:30 p.m. Women's Basketball - at Roanoke, 4:30 p.m. Men’s Track - at Va. Tech Invitational. Sunday Women’s Track — at Dickinson Invitational Give your intramural or club team’s pictures and results to Ellie fling-tum lflliil Drop them in our mailbox in the University Center Women take three- game lead for last playoff spot BY BRENDAN HARRINGTON —"“"""""“""‘? STAFF WRHER The Washington & Lee women’s basketball team came up with a huge victory on Saturday afiemoon at the Warner Center as they defeated the Lynchburg College Homets 55-48. The win snapped the Generals’ four—game losing streak and put them one step closer to securing a birth in the ODAC tournament. Of the eleven teams that compete in the ODAC in women’s basketball, only eight qualify for the toumament. W&L (6-1 1 ODAC, 9-1 1 overall) now stands in eighth place in the ODAC and has a three-garne lead in the win column over ninth place Lynchburg (3-1 1 ODAC, 4- 13 overall). The Generals got off to a fast start and led 20-8 midway through the first half but soon ran into problems against the Homets’ zone press. The Generals went scoreless for over 8:00 and Lynchburg closed out the half with a 20-4 run which gave the Hornets a 28- 24 lead as Julie McClure banked in a long three-pointer at the buzzer. In the second half, the Generals came storming back to take the lead behind the hot shooting ofjunior Amber Hinkle and sophomore Ansley Miller and led Lynchburg 50-41 with less than five min- utes left in the game. The Hornets then went on a quick 7-0 spurt to cut the Generals’ lead to 50-48 withl :57 remain- ing, but the Generals scored the last five points of the game to come away with the victory. The Generals, ranked first in the na- tion in free-throw shooting, shot 10-1 1 from the line including a pair of clutch free throws from Hinkle in the final minute of the game. Hinkle lead the way for the Generals with 17 points despite turning the ball over eight times, and Miller had 15. Heather McLandlish scored a game-high 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Hornets in the losing effort. The Hornets shot a dismal 21 percent from the field in the second half and shot only 26 percent for the game. The Generals dropped a pair of games on the road earlier in the week, losing to Emory & Henry 79-69 on Tues- day night and Virginia Wesleyan 74-65 on Thursday night. On Tuesday night at E&H, the Gen- erals led 60-50 with 11:19 lefiinthe game before the Wasps put together a 29-9 run to pick up the win. Miller led the way for the Generals with 18 points and shot 8-11 from the field. Three other Generals finished in double digits: Hinkle had 16, junior Chrissy Burghardt had 13, and senior captain Tonia Dean had 13 points and 9 rebounds. Jaclyn Dickens led the way for E&H with 16 points as the Wasps improved to 5-8 in the ODAC and 8-9 overall. On Thursday the Generals trailed the Marlins by as many as 10 points but came back to takea57-56 lead with 6:00 to play. However, the Marlins outscored the Generals 18-8 down the stretch as Virginia Wesleyan came away with the 74-65 victory inNorfolk. Freshman Leah Sawyer had another huge game for the Generals as she scored a career-high 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the field. Dean added 14 for the Generals in the losing effort. The Generals shot a solid 55 percent from the field for the game but were plagued with 30 turnovers. sports FEBRUARY 9, 1998 PHOTO BY H01.I.1srI;R H0VEi//PH0'1'0 E[)l'l'()R freshman Leah Sawyer gets a few hands in her face as she attempts a shot in W&L’s 55-48 win over Lynchburg College on Saturday. Men’s basketball ends tough week with two losses BY BRENDAN HARRINGTON T STAFF Vt/Rnni If a basketball game ended after the first half, the Washington & Lee men’s basketball team would have rode back from Eastern Mennonite on Saturday with a convincing upset victory over the Royals. The Generals seemed to do no wrong in the first half and took a 39-32 lead into the locker room behind Se- nior Kelly Dyer’s 15 first-half points. Unfortunately for the Generals, there are two halves in a basketball game and the second half of Saturday’s BEST HOTELS, LOWEST PRICES. ALL SPRINGBREAK locations. Florida, Cancun, etc. from $89, regster your group or be our Campus Rep. Inter-campus programs 800-327-6013 SEMESTER ABROAD IN COSTA RICA The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and Duke University are accepting applications For the Fall 1998 semester tor a field-oriented, science based semester abroad program in Costa Rica. Students earn 16 credit hours in tropical ecology, environmental science and policy, field research methods, and Spanish language and culture. Credits may be transferred from Duke University. ° hands-on experiential learning ° independent field project: ° cultural immersion 0 extended stays at remote field sites ' home stays - extensive travel to diverse ecosystems For brochure and application materials, contact Organization for Tropical Studies, Duke University Tel.: (919) 684-5774; Email: http://www.ols.dul(e.edu Application deadline for 1998 Fall semester is March 20, ‘I998. ‘OTIS . . . A consortium of universities providing leadership in education. research and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics. game was dominated by EMU. The Royals scored 55 second-half points against a Generals defense that is ranked second in the nation and went on to down the Generals 87-70 in Harrisonburg. In the first half the Generals trailed the Royals 25-18 midway through the half before going on a 21-7 run to take the lead at halftime. Dyer ended the half with a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Generals the seven-point halfiime lead. Dyer scored 15 points in the first half and finished with 26 points to lead all scorers. EMU used a combination of deadly three-point shooting and up tempo play to outscore the Generals 55-31 in the second half as the Royals im- proved to 8-5 in the ODAC and 13-6 overall. The loss dropped the Gener- als below the .500 mark for the first time since December, as they now stand at 6-7 in the ODAC and 9-10 overall. The Royals finished the game with four players in double digits with se- nior guard Carey Keyes leading the way with 21 points. Senior forward Troy Gerber had 12 points for the Roy- PH0r0 Bl’ HOLLISTER HOVEY/PHOTO EDITOR THE RIVALRY CONTINUES. W&L’s ice hockey team lost to VMI last week, bringing W&L’s record against VMI to 0-1-1. Junior George Urban (left) and VMI captain Matt Wilson pose after the battle. db: Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m rubber. You’re glue. l’ll always love you! -pooh! als and broke the 1,000 point mark for his career. Scott Hudson added 1 1 for the Generals and freshman Eric Owsley had 12. The Royals shot an impres- sive 60 percent from the field in the second half and was 21-24 from the free throw line. Va. Wesleyan 68, W&L 57 W&L traveled to Norfolk on Wednesday night to take on Virginia Wesleyan but couldn’t get past the Marlins as they dropped an important ODAC battle 68-57. The Generals trailed by double digits for most of the second half but managed to put to- gether a late run to pull within four points with under 2:00 to play before the Marlins scored the final seven points to pull offthe 1 1-point victory. Junior forward Jason Nickerson led a balanced a scoring attack for Virginia Wesleyan as he finished with 14 points and three other Marlins finished in double digits. Senior forward Kelly Dyer led the way for the Generals as he finished with 16 including 12 points in the final 6:00 of the game. Rich Peterson added 13 for the Generals in the losing effort. OCR::/Vol_099_100/WLURG39_RTP_19980209/WLURG39_RTP_19980209_005.2.txt 4 1 K is O ion rial PAGE 5’ FEB 9, 1998 A fine line between date and rape Friday afternoon a man, who claimed to have been identified by one of the personal accounts in last week’s Ring-tum Phi, verbally abused a staff member. The man accused the woman in the article of lying. He stressed that his conviction was not for rape, but for sexual misconduct. The Student Faculty Hearing Board voted unani- mously to convict him and place him on social probation. When he violated social probation he was asked to leave the school and no longer attends Washington and Lee. The man also intimated that the Phi had ruined his reputation and had clearly identified him in the account. He said, she said. It’s an old story, one often repeated on this campus. The line becomes especially fuzzy when alcohol or drugs are involved. _I Nancy Margand, professor of psychology, said at Tuesday’s Women’s Forum, “How are they to know if he’s telling the truth and so is she? He may think she gave consent, she may It think she refused, but when both are drunk, no one can be sure.” The Phi doesn’t want to make that call. We just know that women across this campus are having unwanted sexual encounters —— espe- cially after drinking. In both accounts from last week’s issue, alcohol was involved. How can women keep themselves out of a situation that could result in an unwanted sexual encounter? According to the experts, women need to decide before they go out, before they drink, what they want to do. - A woman needs to set her limits, she needs to know where her boundaries are before she meets a cute intoxicated boy with a good line and a nice look. Women and men on this campus need to realize that sex is not a casual act and can have serious consequences. If either party feels too drunk to consciously make that decision, there’s only one real option. C6 uote of the week: The guys beat their pledges. The girls just give their pledges candy to make them fat so they’ll stop stealing upper-class men. — Anonymous Vixen 77 @112 Ring-tum lfllit Executive Editors Courtney Miller Jason Zacher Managing Editor Kathryn Mayurnik Associate Editor Andrea Ewing News Editors Will Hardie Heather McDonald w&life Editors Liz Detter Tarah Grant Opinion & Editorial Editor Frances Groberg Sports Editor John Stewart Last Word Editor Polly Doig Copy Editor Will Hardie Photo Editor Hollister Hovey Online Editor Tom Wadlow Business Manager Jill Jamieson Assistant Business Manager Brian Rogers Circulation Manager Matthew Craig Advertising Editor Steven Klotz The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Funding for the Ring- tum Phi comes primarily from advertising and subscription revenues. The Washington and Lee Publications Board elects the Executive Editor and Business Manager, but the Ring-tum Phi is otherwise independent. The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible submissions and letters. All submissions must be in the Phi office, room 208 of the University Center, by noon on Saturday to appear in that week’s edition. The Ring- tum Phi reserves the right to edit submissions for content and length. Letters, columns and “My Views” do not reflect the opinion of the Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Advertising does not reflect the opinions of the Ring- tum Phi or its staff. This newspaper observes current court definitions of libel and obscenity. The Ring-tum Phi 208 University Center Washington and Lee University Lexington, Virginia 24450 Telephone: (540) 462-4060 Fax: (540) 462-4059 E-mail: phi@wlu.edu According to St. Hallmark As I sit here looking at my lovely and free Washing- ton & Lee school calendar, I can see that this upcoming Saturday the 14'“ is a very important day. Yes, besides being the date of the Board of Trustees Winter Meeting, (contain your excitement), it is also Valentine’s Day. Now many people think that Valentine’s Day, much like marriage, was created by women to make men spend money. But nothing could be further from the truth (ex- cept maybe a White House press conference). Valentine’s Day was actually founded by a saint -— Saint Hallmark, later canonized' by the Catholic Church for his important contributions in the field of guilt. '(note.' this word is not as cool as it sounds. It actu- ally refers to the process of Sainthood. ) Legend has it that Hallmark was at a saints’ conven- tion in Antwerp when he hit upon the idea of Valentine’s Day. Now the saints were by no means the most pleasant group in the world. Most were unshaven, wore tattered rags for clothing, smelled like teamsters, and many had already been beheaded. “Wow, what a bunch of losers,” young Hallmark thought to himself as he strolled around the lobby con- verting the potted plants. There was St. Ethel (patron saint of Schenectady, N.Y.), St. Eustas the Useless (patron saint to Pat Sajak), and of course St. Saint, the patron saint of saints. Most of them simply milled around the convention trying to sell their own fingers as holy relics. Hallmark headed out the door and was about to hail a cab (considered a miracle in medieval times as cabs hadn’t been invented yet) when he noticed something coming down from the sky. He looked up, and ’twas a miniature Rolls Royce and eight tiny reindeer. As soon as it landed, elves opened the door, and a jolly old fat man stepped onto the floor. He had a white beard and a big red tuxedo, his hair was greased back like a New Jersey Guido. His fingers had rings and his outfit was slick, his name tag read “Hello, My Name is St. Nick” (sorry). “W Wow!” stuttered the stunned young Hallmark. “You’re the patron saint of holidays and crass commer- cialism! You’re not anything like the other saints. What’s your secret?” “I bathe regularly,” answered St. Nick, whose belly started shaking like a bowl full of jelly as he let out a hearty laugh. “No, I want to know your secret to becoming a rich and powerful saint.” “Find a human emotion that’s pure and decent and exploit it for all it’s worth, my boy!” So, after an unsuccessful attempt to find a holiday based on “I just want to be friends,’ Hallmark began Valentine’s Day as a celebration of romance. The heart soon became the symbol of Valentine’s Day, due to the erroneous medieval notion that love originates theheart. Scientists now know that feelings of love originate in the wallet. And so now every Valentine’s Day, the men of the world must buy flowers and candy for their sweet- hearts, and take them out for expensive candlelight din- ners at expensive restaurants where expensive waiters recommend the expensive clams in expensive sauce. Men go along with this in anticipation of later rewards, and I’m not talking about the frequent flyer miles they’re go- ing to rack up by using credit cards. Of course, this year Valentine’s Day falls over Wash- ington Break, when most of us will probably be back home. So, ladies, you may not have your W&L Valentine’s dream date with Chadwick C. Chiselchest IV after all. However, you may end up getting a call from Bobby Mudd back home. Sure, you remember good 01’ Bobby, he sat behind you in homeroom. Now he’s got three kids, twelve communicable diseases and a sweet job down at Arby’s. He’d like to take you out for a ro- mantic night in the back seatof his ’74 Chevy Caprice. Who ever said that romance is dead? 15 Minutes of Shame Press Secretary Mike McCurry’s worst nightmare: A Chinese multi-millionaire real—estate mogul with a penchant for Big Macs and oral sex. F'm_§T‘ WE'LL I-lA\f’E ccprpgfit THEN WE LL- 55-r To rue 6°00 S’I’uFF[ Swensen put out by policy This tenn, one of my four classes is every student’s dream an independent study. There are no lectures to sit through, no set time to work, and most important, the free- dom to choose what you want to study. The only class requirement (besides a lengthy paper; well, nothing’s per- fect) is that I meet with my professor once a week or so to update him on my progress and ask him any questions about or explain any problems with my research. ;F}rorn a Bar Stool 5En'c Swensen ’98 So, one day last week after lunch, I went up to his of- . fi¢¢.t0 see if he had f<.>.11I..1..d...S0.me ethics. codes .1 r1.ee.sic:.d for - my research. I knocked on his door. No answer. His door was locked. Only then did I notice the sign hanging from his door. It read: President Elrod ’s recent edict prohibiting smoking in this oflice has forced me to work elsewhere as much as possible. I will, of course, remain readily available, espe- cially to all students. This office will remain open.‘ Ap- pointments may be made through Mrs. Murchison I regret this minor change as much as I lament the policy that forced it. Louis W. Hodges On a selfish level, of course, this affects me person- ally, since it will make it somewhat more difficult for me to see Professor Hodges. I’ve talked with him in his office four or five times this term, and only once have I made an appointment. Unfortunately, as much as I’m sure Profes- sor Hodges will try to remain accessible, the fact is that nothing is as accessible as an on-campus office. More important than my inconvenience, however, is the policy that leads a faculty member to make this kind of decision. I realize that President Elrod was only look- ing out for the _general health and well-being of the W&L community when he banned smoking from every build- ing on campus except the smoking lounges in the library. I’m not going to debate the dangers of secondhand smoke. I hate breathing in smoke as much as anyone. The real problem with this policy is that it codifies something that we as a community should be able to handle with common courtesy and respect. Banning smoking from public places is one (entirely understandable) thing. But faculty offices are essentially private places where others stop to visit. When a faculty member is alone in his office with the door closed, why shouldn’t he be able to smoke? I don’t understand how that could bother anyone. If a student or someone else stops by, all that faculty member has to do is have the courtesy to stop smoking if it bothers his visitor. One of the things frequently touted by W&L is how eas- ily reachable professors are for students. Generally speak- ..-iv? ' C" E I 3 i. ‘c L ing, I’ve found that to be true. The University should be doing everything it can to make professors easier to see, not tougher, especially when another solution is available. Letters are not enough during controversy Letters to the editor will not resolve the controversy over Washington and Lee’s new smoking policy. Like the other letters that preceded it, Patrick Bradshaw’s letter in the Feb. 4 Trident conveys the dissatisfaction some feel for the smoking policy. Those .., ed Brick Row {_ David Balslg 99 letters, however, do not do as much to resolve the controversy as would a public meeting between the proponents of each side of the issue. In any campus debate or crisis, letters to the editor are helpful in several ways. First, they make it known publicly that people are upset and that current policies are not unanimously agreed upon. Second, they delineate various aspects of an issue. Third, they I What is your favoritc Valc1jLi1'ic’:;-2 “My dad used to send me flowers from a ‘secret admirer.’ It was really sweet.” — Ashley Penkava ’O0 “The guy I was dating showed up on my doorstep with the cliche tedddy bear and longstem red rose.” establish representatives for opposing sides of an issue. In the case of the smoking policy controversy, professor Louis Hodges’ letter in the Jan. 19 Phi and Patrick McCormack’s article in the Jan. 26 Phi accomplish those tasks. They are sincere and direct. They move the controversy towards its resolution. In contrast, sarcastic, insulting letters that deal indirectly with a topic accomplish little. They communicate the authors’ dissatisfaction but do nothing to solve the problems. Such letters are often little more than an excuse to take pot shots at others from the safety of newspaper print. It’s like telling someone you don’t like them without giving them the opportunity to tell you the same thing. Bradshaw’s letter is an example of this. If he has a personal problem with President Elrod, he should personally talk to President Elrod in a manner suitable for addressing the president of a university. But sincere letters, while helpful, are not enough to boatdock.” ~— Shay Ansley ’00 I “I made my girlfriend a romantic din- ner and we had a picnic on her —— Derek Dodson ’01 resolve a controversy. One-way communication between opposing parties does not allow the debate and eventual compromise needed to resolve a disagreement. So, in order to end the controversy over the smoking policy, we need representatives of both sides of the issue to meet with the intention of establishing a reasonable compromise. I suggest that Hodges and President Elrod hold a public debate, using Hodges letter to the editor to establish the issues which would be discussed. The debate should include suggestions for alternatives to the no smoking policy. The debate should be held in public because the smoking policy afl°ects more than just professors who smoke. Students, who depend on professors to be their advisers and for help with their classes, need to know that they can count on their professors to be around when they need them. More letters to editors will not help, but a meeting in Northen Auditorium will. I3:-13' T1’l.Cfll(i)l‘\\,_”.?) “I got a rose from a random person in class once. It was sweet.” — Carly Blakelock ‘O1 .- .". ‘ ~ co- 4~ -v '.-'e'o':'. ‘o'a-To .-re-'01‘; ‘c 1'0‘: ..::e:o.c .«.. .v v ~« .9 vs «-x-».v.«-1 v:.vv.w,'v.- .~ «~2:¢-p - QV'9.O « 4 9329: . . ‘ .~a.v:0.»:.ev.9.i.9.¢.4:_4.v.v.w.v.!_-:.v.v OCR::/Vol_099_100/WLURG39_RTP_19980209/WLURG39_RTP_19980209_006.2.txt PAGE 6 ahit of umor, BY ERICA PRossER _ STAFF Wrzrrnz So, how about that Washington and Lee debate team? What debate team? you ask. The one that’s one of the best-kept secrets in the school’s history. The team began in the 19505. When Professor Halford Ryan, who teaches public speaking, came to W&L in 1970, he took over as coach and has run the show ever since. “I really wish that more people knew how much fun de- bate is,” said freshman Mary Payne, a team member. She says the experience is incredible, though the team is small. “There are four, five or six members on the team at a time,” Ryan said. “This year’s team has been really suc- cessful.” Ryan said that each team member has brought home an award this season. How could such a strong W&L program fall through the publicity cracks? The team is mostly unknown because it is not open to the general student population. Debating rules call for the Lincoln-Douglas debate style, so students must take Public Speaking 203 to learn how it’s done. ‘‘It’ s a one—on—one policy debating style,” Ryan said. “The affimiative [side of the issue] must show the need, the plan, ‘£9 By Alex Christensen Phi Movie Critic Lots of movies are good. Quite a few are great. Mostly my ratings for movies come to me after some consideration after the movie is over, or even after I have seen the movie two or three times. Then there are the movies you begin to feel after the first five minutes are going to be great. Indi- vidual moments are great. You find yourself pulled in immediately. Sometimes the feeling turns out to be unjustified: in the case of “Good Will Hunting,” not only is the whole film fun and exciting to watch, but you get so totally emotionally involved by the end, you want to spend even more time with the characters. It’s a great escape. You don’t want it to end. Only “Jackie Brown” felt similar this year. “Good Will Hunting” is the story of Will Hunt- ing (Matt Damon), a janitor at MIT who sneaks around solving physics brain-teasers when he’s not starting fights or cutting faux intellectuals down to size. Despite not really being a very intrinsi- cally likeable character, something about Will and his friends (Ben and Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser) pulls you in. There’s something more going on than a bunch of useless smart-aleck tough guys making trouble. Something even more than the usual Hollywood cliché of“the genius.” What it is, fmally, is family. These guys with nothing to hang on to at least have each other. That’s the heart of the story. The complications set in when Will makes his mathemati- cal genius known. By working out a difficult problem set up by the faculty as a test for the most talented students, Will brings himself to the attention of professor and Gerald Lambeau Colonnade Club \/P~L6NTwtE’é- PM 4409 . MvMM~4,MoMM~1! Loolé MALL M‘/ vkuemwrset eveemue caves ME‘, ANYONE Ex-BE. 909%; 5-Ave flltls ‘L.A. Story.” 6L0 \lAlr-urn r.\r-( I and the solvency [proof that the plan will work].” The policy to be debated changes every year, and students are responsible for research and planning that goes into their strategies. Colleges and universities across the country host tour- naments for competing schools, and the tournament struc- ture is complicated. Students compete in four to six pre- liminary rounds upon arrival. For each round, the student has one judge and two scores: one made up of speaker point totals, and one that names the student winner or loser of the debate. Based on the preliminary win-lose scores, the student may advance to the elimination rounds. “The student usually needs a 4-2 win record [for their rounds] to break into elimination rounds,” Ryan said. “The downside is that there’s no distinction between varsity, junior varsity, and novice experience levels in the rounds.” Elimination rounds progress through quarter finals, semifinals and finals. Only one school wins, but team awards go to all schools that make elimination rounds. The elimination rounds feature three judges, who are coaches from other competing teams. The fun doesn’t end here. Team members who make elimina- tion rounds in early tournaments qualify for the national tournament, the National Forensic Association (NFA) Na- Mrs r (Stellan Skarsgard). Lambeau gets him a deal to avoid jail on an assault charge if he agrees to spend time develop- ing his mathematical ability with Lambeau and to see a therapist to help him deal with his aggression. Also complicating things is his burgeoning relationship with Skylar (Minnie Driver), a charming and beautiful British Miramax Pictures Harvard student. All of the threads come together when Will enters therapy with Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), a psy- chology professor at a local community college, who was Lambeau’s college roommate. Maguire is dealing with his own emotional issues, primarily the death of his wife. Will goes straight for that pain in an effort to keep himself at a last Debate tearn’s silent sueeess ITLDULD We t39ra~J- IPA!-60 flzétfl WELL F0? M0 011‘ /~ '\ GlZw°[l bfifif-lN'TH‘59t~1'l'lFE-6l4°\99 *‘ ' eez\rrMe A 6?¢Nknow,9vr Wow ‘T 1’l’I¢ 7:30 p.m. Men’s basket- ball vs. Randolph-Macon at the Warner Cen- ter. 131‘? 8 p.m. Outing Club presents Kayak Roll Class, Doremus Pool. 23¢ TUl$DAY *1’? 6-10 p.m. Ballroom dancing lessons ev- ery hour on the hour, in Fairfax Lounge. $40 for six hour—long private lessons. Practice for F.D.! *1‘? 6:30 p.m. Women’s swimming vs. Hollins in Warner Center. ii‘? 8 p.m. Theater Series: “Crimes of the Heart” in Lenfest’s Johnson Theatre. >145 WEDNESDAY #15? 6- 10 p.m. Private ballroom dancing lessons ev- ery hour in Fairfax. 393? 7 :00 p.m. Outing Club Meeting for February Break Trip 1% 7:30 p.m. CONTACT presents Eugene Genovese in Lenfest’s Keller Theatre #1‘? DJ Party at Phi Delt. THURSDAY 11¢ 7:00 p.m. Women’s basketball vs. Hollins in Warner Center. >1‘: MSA presents Kevin Powell of MTV’s “Real World.” 51¢ 8:00 p.m. “A Sci- ence Center Serenade,” featuring the Univer- sity Chorus and the University Chamber Sing- ers, Science Center. $5 FRIDAY $5 Wash- ington Holiday: conveniently begins after classes! Have a great break! 1%‘- By Hollister Hovey VALENTINE’? UM ~l‘l ab H64 W«1%"\—L¢r'9 ewes! I'LL Na/ee- Lér qou A/>