OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_001.2.txt /‘trek 5 375-755 T‘? 55?... ‘I./.[g5 "}"!C’, 2 4 CR2.’ W&L attorney shedstunher light on Brief BY MATTHEW MCDERMOTT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 4 Y The W&L Board of Trustees had to swifily decide whether to file an amicus brief on behalf of race-con- scious admissions policies, said Uni- ' versity Attorney Leanne Shank. An aniicus brief is advice offered to a court by a party not involved in the litigation. “President (Tom Burish) and I < brought the matter up to the Board at the February Board meeting,” said Shank, who summarized the briefs they had been requested to join. ._, At that time, the trustees empow- ered the Board’s Executive Commit- tee to choose one if any brief before the Feb. 18 filing deadline. The Executive Committee was V aided by an informal working group composed of Dean of the Law School David Partlett, Shank and eight to 10 trustees, most of them lawyers. The Board wanted to find a brief in line with W&L’s values and cul- ture, Shank said. It also wanted to avoid misrepresenting itself to the public. V “This is a case that can easily be misunderstood,” Shank said. “We wanted it to be clear that we supported taking race into consider- ation, but only as one of many fac- tors.” For that reason, W&L joined the McGough brief, named alter its coun- sel of record, W. Thomas McGough, ‘Y a partner in the Reed Smith law firm. The brief stresses that it does not support the University of Michigan’s preferential “point sys- tem.” Rather, it states that all signa- tories “in their support of excellence in education (support) meaningful di- versity.” The brief supports Supreme -4 Court Justice Lewis Powell’s decision in University of California v. Bakke sEE AMICUS, PAGE 2 DO YOL' RFMEMBERP from clay Buddhas to a nip to St Thomas. NG—TUM PHI Sp if JEE BROOKE / The Ring-tum Phi SOBRIEIY? Campus and Greek organizations came together for a night of sobriety on Friday. The night culminated at Leticia Evans Pate Hallwhere Dean David Howison acted as auctioneer distributing all kinds of prizes BY KATIE HOWELL EDITOR IN CHIEF A new proposal concerning faculty teach- ing loads, class sizes and graduation require- ments may bring the future of spring term back into the campus spotlight. The proposal will be announced today and posted on the Wash- ington and Lee Web site, said Student Leader- ship Committee member Mavia Brown. The Faculty Advisory Committee is mak- ing the proposal in response to late Presi- dent John Elrod’s decision that all faculty workloads be reduced by one course every two years. W&L faculty members each currently teach seven courses per year, according to the University registrar’s Web page. Elrod, however, wanted the teaching load lowered to six courses every other year. Brown said in order to do this, the Uni- versity must consider the overall calen- dar so that class sizes remain small and students are still able to take all the gradu- VOLUMECV,NO.XXlV MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003 ring erm may be in question again ation and general education requirements needed. The Student Leadership Committee as well as other students and faculty around carn- pus think that the future of spring term may be an issue raised in the proposal. Once the proposal is made, President Thomas Burish will debate it with faculty and students before the faculty will make the final decision. The proposal should be placed on the University Web site to- day. WAR. Students gather around the television in the Co—op Wednesday’ night to ‘( watch President George Bush speak shortly after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein Mock Con spring kickoff approaches BY KYIE WAss AND KATIE HOWELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR IN CHIEF The first black woman to manage a political campaign will be a keynote speaker in the Mock Convention Spring kickoff this May. Donna Brazile, who managedAl Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000, may possibly be joined by Rev. Al Sharpton, University of Virginia politics professor Larry Sabato, Cook Political Report founder, Charlie Cook, and the country-rock band Wilco for the Kick-off, said Mock Convention General Chairman Noah Rhodes. “The Kick-off will revolve around an Issues Panel, a Media Panel and a band on Friday night,” Rhodes said. The Spring Kick-off, scheduled for May 8 and 9, will feature several keynote speakers such as Brazile and possibly Sharpton on Thursday and Friday, an Issues Panel on Thursday afiemoon featur- ing Sabato and Cook and a band Friday night. Rhodes said Wilco will most likely be the Kick-off performers. Rhodes said the committee is waiting to hear back from both Sharpton and Wilco before final plans for the Kick-off can be made. “We’ve been in contact with Sharpton,” Rhodes said. “We’re just trying to negotiate an honorarium right now.” Over the past few months, Rhodes and the other two Mock Convention tri-chairs, Jacquelyn Clark and Michael Denbow, have arranged speakers and events, chosen regional chairmen and state chairmen, started a fund raising campaign and made general plans for the event to be held next January. Rhodes said the State Chairmen are currently seeking committee members to serve as delegation vice chairmen, secretaries, treasurers and float chairmen. Interested individuals should contact their appro- priate state chairs over the next two weeks if they want to get involved. “We’re ahead of schedule in a lot of regards,” Rhodes said. i “We’ve had fimd-raising trips across the country and talked with alumni. We’re taking a very pro-active approach. When it all comes together, it’s going to happen in a flurry. Everything is going to fall together in a big way.” Washington and Lee is well-known for consistently holding a realistic mock convention for the political party out of office in a given election year. United Press International was quoted in 1976 as saying that it is “the nation’s most accurate mock con- vention.” Furthermore, their Web site boasts that “in a decade when America’s youth have been dubbed ‘disengaged,’ ‘unmo- tivated,’ and ‘apathetic,’ the Mock Convention of Washington and Lee University contradicts these generalizations with its raucous realism and its remarkable prediction rate,” and former Senator Bob Dole has also said that W&L “[has] got a great record. . .you don’t miss very much at all.” Dole was one of the featured guest speakers at the 2000 Republican Mock Conven- tion. This year, the mock convention will be for the democratic party. While Oberlin College in Ohio claims the oldest mock con- vention — theirs dates back to pre-Civil War — W&L’s has been in existence since 1908. W&L holds the best record for con- tinually correctly predicting the actual candidate, however, with a record 17 correct predictions out of 22 attempts. The school’s first mock convention — the 1908 Democratic Mock Convention — drew the first correct prediction, naming the democratic can- didate William Jennings Bryan, who was later selected at the actual Democratic National Convention in Denver. In addition, since 1948, the convention has been mistaken only once. The Mock Convention’s Web site is quick to note the correct pre- dictions Washington and Lee has made in this area, including Nixon in 1968, Carter in 1976', Reagan in 1980, Dukakis in 1988, Clinton in 1992, Dole in 1996, and Bush in 2000. W&L contrib- utes the consistent continuation of perfect forecasts to the great amount of research that participants undertake to fully under- stand the political convictions and probable decisions of all fifty states, and thus “even personal political preferences are put aside in preparation for an accurate convention,” according to the website’s history of the event. Washington and Lee’s mock convention currently attracts cov- erage from papers like The Washington Post, who in 1996 called the convention “one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious mock conventions,” to news stations like C-SPAN, with media interest steadily growing, according to the convention’s Web site. Thus, students can expect to see comparable and growing media coverage in January of 2004. As in previous years, this will be a festive event, with a spring kickoff in 2003, a fall 2003 presidential gala, and the grand parade the week of the event in 2004. Also, the event usually boasts keynote speakers like Jimmy Carter and Bob Dole. Univ. pulls out all stops for Scholars TALLIEJAMISON / T}IeRmg-t1m1Pbz' failed to meet Bush’s ultimatum and leave Iraq. A brief survey showed mixed feelings among W&L students and faculty about the war. . Stop-in s ,/‘<. A 4;’ € , _ 9: . 2 2,. _. Ffi§§»¥‘~ ” W12.» BY MEGAN MORGAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Ifyou passed the Lexington Stop-In in recent weeks, you probably noticed the shamrocks that cover its walls. These shamrocks are not just decorations for St. Patrick’s Day, but instead are part of a muscular dystrophy fimdraiser hosted by the regional Stop-In stores. Each store sells paper shamrocks, which are signed by the customer that purchases them and hung on the wall of the stores. The money fi'om these sales is used to send regional kids with muscular dystrophy to Roanoke MDAcarrip at Smith Mountain Lake 4-H center. Forevery $525 they raise, they are able to send one kid to camp. In addition, some of the money will also be used to give complete diagnos- BY CAIEY ANDERSON ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR F rom all over the country, poten- tial honor scholars from the future class of 2007 came to Washington & Lee last week to compete for scholar- ships at W&L ranging from half-tu- ition to full tuition, room and board. The honor scholars stayed in the dorm rooms of current W&L fresh- men, most of whom were either honor scholars themselves, or members of the Student Recruiting Committee. Thebusyschedule ofthe honor schol- ars included three interviews with three difierent panels, one comprised of stu- dents, one of teachers, and one of admis- sionsofficeofiicials. Theyalsoparticipated in a plethora of on-campus events, includ- ingtours, meetingswithfacultyandsports officials and other activities. To be considered for an honor scholarship, aprospective student must fill out an addendum to his or her Wash- ington & Lee application. This adden- dum is effectively one additional essay. This year, students could have selected from one of four topics, one on Thomas Jefl‘er_son’s quote “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a gov- ernment without newspapers or news- papers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the lat- ter,” one on federal government in- volvement in national poverty, one on any profound work of art, literature, or music that had affected the student, and one on what the student believes to be the most significant technological ad- vance of the Twentieth Century. This year, just under 100 students came to W&L to compete for an honor scholarship; roughly half of the com- petitors every year will end up receiv- ing merit-based aid of some sort, ac- cording to the Admissions office. Stu- dents from 34 difierent US. states, and three different countries all came to Lexington to compete, including a 10 SEE SCHOLARS, PAGE 2 hamrocks sponsor students for summer camp tic test, flu shots, dystrophin test to diagnose Duchenne, a complete set of chest and spine x-rays, an initial and follow up clinic visit as well as to buy wheelchairs, leg braces and com- munication devices and repairing existing equipment. So far the Stop—In stores have raised more than $23,000. Lexington Stop-In has done particularly well, raising more than $1270. Theyarethe secondliighest fimdiaiserinthe region, and employee Mike Hudnall says this is in large part “through the generosity of the kids at Washington and Lee.” The Lexington store hopes that by the time the fimdraiser ends on March 31 theywillhave raised$l,575, enoughto sendthree kids to camp. SHAMROCKS. (right) Community members helped sponsor local children to camp these shamrocks for $1 each. Stopln employees then hung them on the walls and windows for all to see. OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_002.2.txt PAGE 2 Dittman makes sure we have classes BY IMRAN NAEEMULLAH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Trivia question: which Washing- ton and Lee administrator affects the lives of virtually everyone on campus, yet strives to make his job as invis- ible as possible? The answer is Scott Dittman, the University Registrar. Dittman has served as W&L’s regis- trar since 1985, coordinating every- _thing from institutional research to registration to transcripts. His office, located in the University Center, is home to four other staffers, in addi- tion to various student workers. Dittman stresses that the Registrar’s Office seeks to minimize its impact on everyone, meaning that if his job is done properly, most people shouldn’t even know he’s doing it. Dittman was raised in upstate New York, and attended Colgate University in Canton, N.Y., where he was one of the first four computer science majors in Colgate history. He recalls that it wasn’t even a speci- fied major, and that he and the three others had to put together their own major from an assortment of courses offered. An unusual aspect of Can- ton is that it is a small town of ap- proximately 6,500 people, located off of US-11, with two colleges within its borders, much like a certain town in southern Virginia. However, Dittman did not go straight to W&L after graduating in 1975. Instead, he served for a brief pe- riod in the Peace Corps, working with the Boy Scouts of America in Barba- dos. On the flight from Miami to Bar- bados, Dittman met a woman named Susan, and it turned out she, too, was going to be serving in the Peace Corps. The two were married a couple of years later, in 1978. After returning to the United States, Dittman was hired as the reg- istrar at Muskingum College in Ohio, alma mater to astronaut John Glenn. He also pursued graduate work at Western Illinois University in Macomb, lll. Around the rnid—l980’s, however, Dittman wanted to move to Virginia. His parents had moved to Williamsburg, and Susan was origi- nally from Alexandria, so they headed south, and Dittman began looking for a job. When the position at Washing- ton and Lee opened, he took it, and has been at W&L ever since. He re- members that his predecessor didn’t even have a computer on his desk, and PC’s were very rare at the time, so part of the reason that Dittman was hired was because he had a back- ground in computers. One of his im- mediate objectives was to help mod- ernize the campus and move it forward. One of Dittrnan’s favorite things about his job is the fact that he gets to interact with so many people, in- cluding negotiating with faculty mem- bers which classrooms they get to use and advising students with their de- gree work. That’s where Dittman some- times has to be very careful, because he says that every year he has to hold a couple of uncomfortable conversa- tions with students where he informs them that they may not be able to graduate with their class because of unfulfilled credits. Fortunately, they are often able to resolve it, but Dittman says that there are cases where a student finds out two nights before graduation that he will in fact not be graduating, and this is some- thing Dittman hates doing. In addition, Dittman serves on various University committees, in- and grades jI=.B BROOKS / T/re Rrrrg-rm P/yr DITTMAN. Dittman supervises from drop / add to the five—year academic calendar cluding the one on Courses and De- grees and Faculty Executive Comniit— tee. He is in fact a standing member of these, serving as Secretary, and has served on committees like the Foreign Studies Committee. Through these, and his work in the office, Dittman has gotten to know many faces around campus. This, he says, is the best part about being at Washington and Lee, getting to know so many different people. Going forward, Dittman would like to see W&L continue to modem- ize its computer systems. He would like to see the registration process continue to improve, offering, for ex- ample, drop/add facilities online in- stead of on paper. He wants to see new software installed that lets stu- dents view their business office ac- counts and see their financial aid pack- ages online. He emphasizes that his office’s goal is always to be as unob- trusive as possible, conducting an efficient operation day in and day out, so that the W&L community can ex- pect a consistent experience whenever they visit the Registrar’s Office. Outside of work, Dittman enjoys spending time with his family. He has three children, daughters Sarah Anne, 19, and Griffin, 17, as well as his son, Clay, 13. Sarah Anne is a sophomore at Texas Christian University, while Griffin and Clay are in high school and middle school, respectively, right here in Lexington. Susan, his wife, is the president of the Rockbridge Area Recreational Organization (R.A.R.O.), and was the founder of the women’s volleyball team at W&L. Dittman is also involved in General’s Christian Fellowship, and enjoys volunteering in the community on a regular basis. Although he may not see most people on a daily basis, Dittman’s work certainly affects nearly every- one on campus, and the W&L com- munity is certainly grateful for the great service he and his office pro- vide. AMICUS, FROM PAGE 1 (1978). Powell earned both his 1929 B.A and 1931 J .D. from W&L. Shank has been following these cases from the appellate level on a le- gal listserv. “There’s been a tremendous amount of discussion among attor- neys about recent rulings,” Shank said. The Supreme Court likely decided to hear the Michigan cases after sev- eral of the federal courts of appeal re- turned conflicting opinions, she said. For example, the fifth Circuit’s Hopwood v. State of Texas (2000) Monday- Sunny, 67/41 I Lexington Forecast ruled that it was unconstitutional “to elevate some races over others,” while the sixth Circuit’s Grutter v. Bollinger (2002) recognized “compelling state interest in narrowly tailored” diversity programs. The 12 federal courts of appeal are second in authority only to the Supreme Court. ’ , pE-mail news briefs to z'@rvlu.edu “Sometimes the Supreme Court will wait until there has been a num- ber of briefs filed and research done before hearing a case,” Shank said. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments before the Supreme Court on April 1. Its decision will likely be made before the July 1 end of its cur- rent terrn. I IH MONDAY. MIRCII 24. 2003; _ SCHOLARS, PR()l\l l’.~\(}H 1 cal student from Lexington. Reactions from the honor scholars were overwhelmingly positive. Ben Accinelli, from Dubuque, Iowa, said “The school really is a great place. you could really ask for.” “During the interviews, it didn’t seem like a grilling session, just like the people were trying to talk to me and get to know me,” said Matthew Loar, of Litteton, Colorado. When asked what their favorite part of their trip to W&L was, the honor scholars were fairly unanimous. Katie Bray, Westminster, Maryland- “Salemo’s.” Dave Kronenfeld, Greensboro, North Carolina— “Salemo’s.” Christina Chick, Newmarket, New Hampshire- “Salemo’s.” Kyle Vinson, Whitsett, North Carolina— “Definitely Salemo’s.” congratulations! The Ring-tum Phi won the following awards at the 2003 Virginia Press Association college journalism competition. lst place—Picture story or essay, J eb Brooks. 1 st place—Column writing, Timothy Smith, “Absolute Fratlord.” 2nd place-Headline writing,-Katie Howell. 2nd place—Column writing, Sam LaGrone, “The Guy Next Door.” T . 3rd place-Art--Informational graphics, Katie Howell. E 3rd place—General news writing, Andrew Latirner. 3 3rd place-Editorial writing, Nicholas Ramsey. 3rd place—Sports pages, Sports staff. 5:1 - '53.fl@0 for your Gemr.q:II= in just 3 h-ours! " lzztlrridr ”=sz:'ng ii I4, as 2;. " ,' _j asicélixzxée I§.l‘¥!3,§.'-.'.3.iZ%l§“l,£{ ta 3:» %'.».3 anus §'i.IToR University School of Law, was constructed in 1976. Since its construction, students from the two schools have not Tuesday- Partly Cloudy, 72/44 Wednesday- Partly Cloudy, 70/45 Thursday— Partly Cloudy- 51/31 Friday- Partly Cloudy, 58/41 Saturday- Partly Cloudy- 65/42 Sunday- Partly Cloudy- 64/43 MONDAY, MARCH 24. Future of Medicare Conference, All day, Moot Court Room. Early Modern England lecture, 7:30 p.m., Northen Au- ditorium. TUESDAY, MARCH 25. Alice Steinbach will speak at the Women at Work se- ries, 12:00 p.m., University Center Room 114, R.S.V.P. University Wind Ensemble concert, 8:00 p.m., Lenfest Center. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26. Woodrow Wilson Fellow Alice Steinbach will speak, 7:30 p.m., Lee Chapel. THuRsDAY, MARCH 27. . Celebrating Student Success Gala Awards Announce- ment, 7:00 p.m., Lee Chapel. One Acts, 2003, 8:00 p.m., Johnson Theater, Lenfest Center. FRIDAY, MARCH 28. Public Lecture at 35th Institute on the Ethics in Jour- nalism, Tim McGuire, 4:30 p.m., Williams School, Room 327. One Acts, 2003, 8:00 p.m., Johnson Theater, Lenfest Center. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2003. One Acts, 2003, 8:00 p.m., Johnson Theater, Lenfest Center. SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2003. One. Acts 7.003 R-00 n m lnhnsnn Theater I pnfegt Bidlack receives grants Richard H. Bidlack, a Washington and Lee University associate professor of history and Russian area studies, has been awarded a sabbatical fellowship from the Ameri- can Philosophical Society for the 2003-04 academic year. The grant, as well as a second one he has received from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will support his writing of a long-researched book on the 872—day siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany and its allies in World War H. lim McGuire will speak Nationally acclaimed ethicist Tim J. McGuire, also a columnist, speaker and consultant, will deliver a speech, “Ethical Stewardship: Expanding Our Notion of Ethical Choice” on Friday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. The talk will take place in Room 327 of Washington and Lee University’s Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. The lecture, which is the centerpiece of a two-day symposium, involving students and practicing jouma1- ists from wide geographic and diverse professional areas, is free and open to the public. George Singleton will speak Author George Singleton, a fiction writer and teacher whose most recent collection of short stories, “The Half- Mammals of Dixie,” has received national acclaim, will be presenting a reading and book signing on Monday, March 24, at 4:30 p.m. in Northern Auditorium. The reading is sponsored by The Arthur and Marga- ret Glasgow Endowment Committee of Washington and Lee University. The event is free and open to the public. Environmental racism panel approaches A panel discussion on “Environmental Racism and the Rise of the Environmental Justice Movement” will be held Wednesday, March 19, at Washington and Lee University’s School of Law. The discussion is at 6 p.m. in Classroom A at the law school. A reception will follow the event, which is co- sponsored by W&L’s Environmental Law Society and the Black Law Students Association. Run for law on Saturday This Saturday, W&L and VMI students and statf as well as Lexington residents, will participate in the Public Interest Law Students Association’s run for the law, a 10k race benefit- ting up and coming law students. Warm-ups start at 7: 15 at the Rockbridge Library, and the race will finish at the Ruins. Proceeds will benefit the Public Interest Law Stu- dents Association Summer Fellowships — a non—profit Across the world’s longest single span concrete arched footbridge is the Washington and Lee University School of Law. Lewis Hall will be opened to undergradu- ates on Tuesday, March 25, 2003. The Student Leader- ship Committee will match interested undergraduate and law students for a day of classes. Lewis Hall, the third home of the Washington and Lee mingled much. Event organizers hope to increase interac- tion and help undergraduates learn what law school is all about. Tuesday’s festivities are part of the larger “Get Across the Bridge” initiative. The program is designed to “better law and undergraduate student relations.” The proposed bar in the John W. Elrod University Commons aims to accomplish this same goal. Executive Committee report, March 17,2003 BY CALEY ANDERSON ASSISTANT NW3 IIDITOR The Executive Committee spent most of its Mon- day, March 17 meeting discussing modifications to the curremt organizational funding policy. It was decided that the Executive Committee will now be able to fund organizational expenses related to telephone usage and mileage for car transportation. Also discussed was the possibility of funding religious organizations, how- ever, the EC did not act at this time to either approve or disapprove the funding of such clubs. The Cadet Program Board is proud to present The Pat McGee Band March 28, (83 at 8 p.m. in Cameron Hall Lexington, VA /I Nice brick buildings and lots’of friendly people, I don’t know what more 1 OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_003.2.txt BRETT ‘ 1‘. KIRVCAN OPINIONS EDITOR - .E'DU Mom, MARCH 24, 2003 Sing Snabes as Unsung General The competition for the John W. Elrod Un- sung General of the Year is again upon us and chances are that the winner won’t be all that unsung. The nominations are in and many of the nominees are the same faces we see again and again on the school’s website, in university pub- lications and in admissions material. Truly, these people are many of the brightest lights in the Washington and Lee community, but is not the purpose of the competition to recognize those students who “work hard, behind the scenes, to make W&L all that it is?” Samantha Snabes is, far and away, the nomi- nee who best fulfills the vision of a hard-working student who donates her time both on campus and in town to make W&L and Lexington better places. Her dedication to acaderriics, athletics, extracurricular activities and volunteering in the community, combined with her low profile, sets Snabes apart as an example of a General doing good work without sufficient recognition. Snabes is a team leader for Young Life at Rockbridge County High School. Amy Blevins describes her as “very dedicated” and adds that she “pours her life out for those kids.” Andy Dewhurst comments that “it seems as if Young Life is her only activity. She is totally committed.” Snabes saves in other ways as she volun- teers for the Lexington Lifesaving Crew where she is on call from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. up to two nights a week. She is also a student manager at the Snack : Bar. Her supervisor, Isca King, praises her as “an example” and “a good worker who cares about her job.” King’s only complaint is that Snabes has not “been too good about punctual- ity,” but “probably because she is so involved.” Athletics, too, are a Snabes specialty. She is a star of both the cross-country and track teams. In fact, she is featured this week in the Phi for her excellence in the Roanoke Invitational. But the long list of involvement doesn’t end there. Snabes is second chair viola in the or- chestra, a Peer Tutor, a Resident Assistant in Gaines Hall and a volunteer for Women in Technology and Science (WIT S). Finally, Snabes is not a traditional student. She transferred to W&L from Evangel Univer- sity in Springfield, Mo., after her freshman year. We urge W&L to celebrate a truly unsung General this year and honor Samantha Snabes. ‘ troops as liberators -4. 'te of the Week “The criminal little Bush has committed a crime against humanity.” ~Saddam Hussein, orhis double, on Iraqi state TV J. Sam Slicer, 1898L Katie J . Howell Brett T. Kirwan Catherine C. Guy J eb Brooks Erin Julius Caley Anderson Tallie Jamison Founder Editor in chief Opinions Editor Arts & Life Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Asst. News Editor Photographers Copy Editor Donny Banks Business Manager Circulation Director Advertising Assistant Thomas Worthy Henry Grimball McQueen Calvert The Ring-tum Phi is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee Univer- sity, Lexington, Virginia. The Washington and Lee Publi- cations Board elects the Editor in chief, but The Ring-tum Phi is otherwise independent. The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible submis- sions and letters. All submissions must be e-mailed to phi@wlu.edu or in the University Center mailbox by 5 p.m. Friday to appear in the following week’s edition. The Ring-tum Phi reserves the right to edit submissions for con- tent and length. Letters and colurrms do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Ad- vertising does not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum Phi or its staff. This newspaper observes current court defini- tions of libel and obscenity. The Ring-tum Phi Mailing Address: University Center Washington and Lee University Lexington, Virginia 24450 Street Address.‘ 31 Washington Street Lexington, Virginia 24450 Telephone: (540) 462-4060 Fax: (540) 462-4059 Email: phi@wlu.edu http://phi.wlu.edu “Tar: :R.l}{'(}.l~"i“i_7??~.i Pa: PINIONS Op. Iraqi Freedom: “You just arrived. You’re late. What took you so long? God help you become victorious. I want to say hello to Bush, to shake his hand. We came out of the grave,” wept Aj ani Saddoun Khlis as U.S. Marines liber- ated his city of Safwan. “Americans very good,” added Ali Khemy. “Iraq wants to be free.” The liberation of Iraq has begun and the tragedy of America’s under- taking is that we waited 12 years to correct the mistake we made in 1991. Around the country, Iraqis are greeting American RIGHT OF THE AISLE BRETT T. KIRWAN ‘O4 and sharing with them pictures of their relatives who had been tortured and killed by Saddam’s murderous regime. Although ignorant protesters around the world may not recognize it, America’s invasion of Iraq is bring- ing freedom to the Iraqi people. In fact, several former human shields who have returned fiom Iraq have changed their tunes. Kenneth Jo- seph, who recently returned to Jordan, reports that his experience with actual Iraqis has “shocked him back into real- ity,” and that they “told (hirri) they would oomniit suicide ifAnierican bomb- ing didn’t start. They convinced (him) that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler.” Another writes in the United Kingdom’s Sunday Telegraph that he was told by a Baghdad taxi driver, “Of course the Americans don’t want to bomb civilians. We want America to bomb Saddam.” Our men and women in uniform have been training specifically to avoid civilian casualties and the record so far has been one of unprec- edented success. There are no— ab- solutely zero— reports of consider- able civilian casualties. Only Iraqi State TV has accused coalition forces of targeting schools, hospitals and Iraq’s infrastructure. Our purpose was highlighted when the war began, not with a mas- sive bombing campaign or a swift in- vasion, but a surgical and limited strike targeted at Saddam and other top lead- ers. Truly, this is not a war against Iraq, but a war against Saddam, his sons, their cabal of cruelty and the depraved, brutal regime they lead. This war is a just war and one that will hopefully be only the first step in remaking a free, democratic, secular Middle East. Moreover, a former Middle Eastern prime minister told UPI, “If the U.S. can get a new Iraq to recognize Israel as a quid pro quo for a final Palestinian settlement, others will fall into place—— Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the other Gulf states. Iran would then have to pull back its military support for Hezbollah.” Now that the liberation has be- gun, one wonders what will happen after the bullets stop flying and peace has finally come to Iraq after 24 years of Saddam’s rule? “Bates.” -Ricky Busby ‘05 “Pat Casey, a.k.a. P-Dolla.” Firstly, the United States has pledged that it will work closely with the United Nations and non-govem- mental organizations in post-war Iraq to bring humanitarian to the belea- guered nation as swiftly as possible. The UN’s Oil for Food program will be kept in place in the immediate fu- ture to provide the Iraqi people with the necessities of life. Secondly, America has already spent $76 million dollars on prepositioning hu- manitarian aid, di- ’ saster relief and refu- gee assistance mate- rial with an addi- tional $170 million “in the pipeline.” The government has already set aside $90 million worth or over 121,000 tons of food. Additionally, the government has a strong and sensible plan to oversee the rebuilding of Iraq and her transi- tion to a stable, pro-Westem democ- racy. Initially, Iraq will be run by the U.S. General Tommy Franks is the commander of all forces in the region and Lieutenant General Jay Garner has been appointed the head of the Pentagon’s Office of Recon- struction and Humanitarian Assis- tance. He is already in Qatar building his team. Lieutenant General John Abizaid, an Arabic—speaking graduate of West Point, will be the top military commander in Iraq. Also, teams of ex-ambassadors and other diplomats will oversee each of Iraq’s ministries and will form a sort of shadow government to run Iraq in the interim. Michael Mobbs has been appointed to oversee the creation of a civilian government and Barbara Bodine has been named as one of three regional rulers. Of course, the American govem- mental apparatus that will control Iraq after Saddam is defeated has the goal of returning Iraq to the Iraqi people as soon as possible. Immediately, an Interim Iraqi Administration will be created to assist the Americans and begin the process of drafting a new Constitution, freeing the schools, re- building the nation’s infrastructure, bringing the oil fields back to full ca- pacity and increasing women’s rights. The process will not be easy. Iraq has no recent tradition of civil government and there is no emperor to lend authority to an American mili- tary governor such as McArthur en- joyed in Japan. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and other nations who are threatened by the prospect of a free Iraq will not support or assist America or the Iraqi people in the rebuilding effort. Minority groups in both the north and the south of the country may present serious challenges to the territorial integrity of Iraq. However, American ingenuity and good governance combined with the will of the Iraqi people to build a free nation will bring about a demo- cratic government worthy of the long- suffering Iraqi people. o COURTESY mun/faxnav.r.w/tr GOODBYI-:.Major David Gurfein tears down a portrait of Saddam in Safwan. -Drake Staniar ‘05 “Anyone but me.’ ’ -Elizabetli Falco ‘05 PAGE 3 Liberation or Invasion? Beginning last Wednesday, missiles struck Baghdad and the invasion of Iraq began. Is this war justified or a power grab by oil interests? Freedom comes to Iraq PHOTO COIllll=5\ arrrgwrii FIREPOWER. Soldiers assigned to the 377th Field Artillery Regiment prepare for the invasion of Iraq. War’s effectiveness uncertain War is wrong. But just because I feel this way does not mean that I think the converse action is appropriate, either. At the risk of sound- ing horribly rhetorical, the question that befalls us on this grave occasion is, which action is less wrong: action or inaction? Neither action is “right.” War is never “right.” But recent events have shown us that Saddam Hussein is not to be trusted. He heads a truly brutal regime, and the things President Bush made mention of in his speech to the NICK RAMSEY ‘O3 flashy war graphics on the likes of CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. Our generation has not really seen a full- scale conflict of this caliber in our lifetime. Our nation has never seen a military campaign of this magnitude in which we were the first to strike ever in its history. The results remain to be seen. The White House has dubbed this crusade as Operation Iraqi Freedom. Television news broadcasters continually refer to this as “the war to liberate Iraq.” God only nation, e.g., torture chambers, rape rooms, the cutting out of tongues, do exist. However, is this really the full explanation of this military campaign? I doubt it. The truth is that, on the way to deliver their payload on the cities of Iraq,’ British and American planes are traveling through the airspace of another coun- try where similar problems exist. The abuse and rape of prisoners in custody, especially women, is a widespread problem in Turkey. Truly, at least two other things are at stake in making sure Saddam Hussein is removed from power. The first is the fact that this man does clearly have weapons that were outlined as ille- gal by the rulings of the United Nations Secu- rity Council. The fact that Iraqi missiles have been fired at Kuwait proves this point. The second of these unnamed motivations is clearly the rich oil wells of the country. Halliburton, the company formally run by Vice President Dick - Cheney has already been named as one of the companies that will rebuild oil wells destroyed by this military campaign. The company will make a large sum of money from this venture, just as it did when it rebuilt these same oil wells following Op- eration Desert Storm. You know what they say about history repeating itself. However, this is not the facet of the war that I like to dwell on. It merely leaves me scratch- ing my head. I recently watched “The Rock” with my housemates tonight and could not help but no- tice something. The music in the movie was strik- ingly similar to that I have been hearing with “Saddam Hussein.” -George Singeltary ‘O5 knows, and only time will tell. I am hopeful that the end result of this campaign will lead to a better life for the people of Iraq. Hopeful, but not yet convinced. But the fact is that we, in the protective bubble that is Lexington, cannot even fathom what life is like for the typical Iraqi. We cannot understand the fear of the 5 million in Baghdad that listen as the bombs fall around them. We cannot know what it must feel like for the 24 million citizens of this Arab country to hear that those dropping bombs on them feel they are actually liberating them. And who can blame them for doubting? So much of what will follow this war is uncertain. The only thing we can do is treat it with the reverence it deserves. Flashy graphics and dramatic music aside, there are only a few things we can do. We can pray that our actions are indeed the lesser of two wrongs. We can pray for the safety of our soldiers and of the innocent civilians of this nation who must be feeling a fear I doubt I will ever know. It is a fear of living in a country that is at the center of a worldwide conflict started by but a few. It is a fear of not knowing what will become of one’s nation or if they will live to see it. So if you happen to be praying for the safety of those fighting in this war, please also remember to say a few words for the people on the other side who have so much more to lose or gain than we do. Operation Iraqi Freedom should not be about the war, but the rebuilding of a broken nation once the smoke has cleared. “Dean Watkins.” -Anonymous Dorm Counselor OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_004.2.txt MQNDAY,MARCH 24, 2003 OPINIONS Protesters, Dems all wrong This week, as America begins its war with Iraq, President Bush will face opposition on two fronts. Not only will he encounter a spirited, although probably unsophisticated, counterat— tack from Saddam Hussein’s forces, but he will also see considerable anti- war contention, both at home and abroad. Undoubtedly, this barrage of opinion will consist largely of inap- propriate protest. Of course, loyal opposition to war, regardless of its effect, benefits the country as whole. It presents the nation with an alternative, honest per- spective to a conflict, which can re- veal flaws in motive or tactic and ben- eficially alter a war’s course or even bring its run to an end. Most of the opposition to the war in Iraq, how- ever, is disloyal in motive or substance. The Democratic politicians who oppose America’s involvement in the Middle East, for the most part, do so in order to exploit an opportunity to chip away at President Bush’s cred- ibility and popularity. However, war is the most inappropriate of situations in which to seek a forum for political advancement. When politicians relentlessly at- tack the leader of our country over a conflict which, unless you oppose the removal of an abominable, violent re- gime, seems rightly initiated, it shows not only disrespect or discourtesy but disloyalty. Their beleaguering of such a leader reveals nothing but selfish ambitions of personal power and demagogic methods of achieving such filthy aspirations. It is always the easier task to try to impugn the advocate of an unprovoked war. Presi- dent Bush and others who defend America’s involvement demonstrate not only bravery but keen foresight for the positive consequences that will come of this war. Similarly, expressing distress for the Iraqi people offers no more an ac- ceptable an excuse for opposing the war. With the exception of those per- manently and universally opposed to war in general, most of today’s liber- als protest simply because it is the most popular, safe, seemingly kind route. They argue that they oppose the war in order to pr_,o—’ V tect the safety ‘of ‘ Iraq’s civilians. First of all, this conflict ultimately intends to protect her citizens through the removal of a dictator who ruth- lessly and arbitrarily punishes his subjects. Therefore, thwarting the war effort in fact undermines their very purpose for contradicting it. Secondly, America’s military trains with the sole purpose of injur- ing as few of civilians as possible, nmnanmwm ARSENAL or DEMOCRACY. Two thousand pound joint Directional Attack Munitions GDAM’s) are lifted up to the flight deck of the USS Harry Truman in preparation for bombing sorties in the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. and, despite the recent sensational- ized arguments otherwise, it has done so in modern years. So often today, famous artists stand against the war. Often they oppose it simply in hopes of gaining notoriety advocating peace. This igno- ,.DQE1:l¥_li;l1}ll£§:Q§_......._._ seems as pugnant as protest- ing the war due to ulterior political mo- tives. Finally, there are those who op- pose the war because of the belief that the United Nations is the authority that should be disarming Iraq. While those who oppose the U.S. and coali- tion efforts on this basis have good motives, they are naive. The United Nations has had more than a decade to force disarmament. It has become clear that there will be only one way to manage the problem of Saddam Hussein. Other countries, despite their at- tempts to make it seem as though they have some ideological qualm with war in Iraq, oppose the war simply be- cause it is a difficult, dangerous, ex- pensive task. They understand the imminent threats poised by Hussein’s regime and they realize that, at some point, his government must be toppled for the safety of the world. But they would rather America risk its men, its resources, and its reputation to get the job done for order. Fortu- nately for these countries and the world, some nations are willing to ex- pend the effort necessary for peace. crowd.” CORRECTIONS from Issue 23, March 17, 2003 The bylines of “W&L will host race conference” and “Meeting draws crowd” were incorrect. Megan Morgan is the author of “W&L will host race conference” and Kyle Wass is the author of “Meeting draws Che Guevara’s last name was rriisspelled in “Tasteless campaign poster brings porn to campus.” Do you have opinions? Do you want everybody know what they are? Do you want to be an editor next year? If so, the Phi Opinions section is the place for you! Contact Editor Brett T. Kirwan at X5129 or kirwanb @ wlu.edu. E H! II-TU“. IITIUJ I. lI'f’l.-II- DIXIE DIVAS BOUTIQUE I07 .El.lieWood Ave. Winter Madness Sale fiflfsr’ Jon:/Joe’ juicy Couturev BCBG" ' “Cl"l.r\.i‘3CiIN(§ C i""lz’\Rl.,OTTl.:.S\"l l..I..E ONE. DRESS AT A TIME!’ On the UVA Corner 245-2217 There are now quite literally bombs over Baghdad, and it appears that “Iraqi dictator” may be the most endangered species on the planet, if not already extinct. It seems that “UN Diplomat” may not be far behind. The early stages of this war have proved the perilous position not only of the Iraqi dictator, but also of the United Nations. Its obstinacy in refusing to enforce their own reso- lutions smacks of hypocrisy and fecklessness. Saddam was in “mate- rial breach”— as defined by the United Nations— of Resolution 1441, yet, because of the personal motivations of a few countries, the diplomats did what diplomats do— talk, and above all, avoid action. These “fearless diplomats” were led by none other than the French, who couldn’t fight their way out of a pa- per bag. I mean, you know how you can identify a French tank, right? It only goes in reverse. Ironically, France’s determina- tion to stand in the coalition’s way at the diplomatic table may have proved France’s irrelevance. France used its veto power to force the United States from leading the war with the UN’s blessing, but the United States and its coalition partners will still accom- plish its goal of ridding the world of Saddam Hussein. In the end, the only thing France proved was that it has no justification for its status as a Secu- rity Council permanent member. They can complain about the United States all they want, but, in the end, our government will not be cowed into foregoing the maintenance of its safety to satisfy a European also-ran suffering from an attack of jealousy. France has proved that diplomacy is only ef- fective as the sheath for the sword. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that the United Nations diplomats faced a test: they could enforce their own mandate (by forcing Saddam to disarm) "or face the fact that the only things diplomats were good at is double—parking. Despite the United Nation’s initial opposition, America and its allies seem poised to give the United Nations another chance by building a UN—lead coalition to re- build post—war Iraq. The UN has been offered a sec- ond chance at redemption; unfor- tunately, early signs suggest they will be following the old adage, “the PAGE 4; United Nations commits suicide only second chance in life is the 0 chance to make the same mistake twice.” Predictably, our old friends, the French, are promising to veto any plan that includes a United States or British team leading the humanitar- ian effort. Jacques Chirac claims that not - doing so would be to if RIGHT ON! ioHN HEATH ‘O4 justify the war after the fact. All the . needed justification? for war, comes when .- one looks at the Scud missiles the 3 Iraqi forces fired at the coalition-led troops last week. According to the 4 UN weapons inspectors, those mis- siles were to have been destroyed. The United Nations has proved a total failure in the Iraq crisis. If the member nations carmot stomach the courage to stand up to a schoolyard bully, who, by the way, can’t back up his rhetoric, then the Untied States has no reason to continue to support the diplomatic black hole. Ifyou need further proof of the UN’s current lu- nacy, look no further than the incom- ing chair of its disarmament comniit— tee— Iraq. Hopefully, the world will begin to understand that the UN couldn’t ‘I i Letters to the Editor Peace cranes not anti-war Dear Editor, , Has the Phi ventured so far to the Right these days that reality and research count for less than whatever happens to be on the prejudiced editorial staff ’s mind at the moment? I’m referring to the Staff Editorial in last week’s (March 17) issue. Had the editorial staff bothered to actually talk to Professors Ujie or Ikeda, they might have discovered that asking students to fold origami cranes was not an anti-war statement, but a pro—peace statement. This is not a difficult distinction. The arrogance and inflexibility of thinking dis- played in your staff editorial is the reason most of the nations of this world choose not to support our inva- sion Iraq; it is what makes the world believe we are the terrorists. If they are right, and we truly are a nation against peace, then count me out of this war and of this country. Sincerely, David Hicks ‘03 Peace cranes appropriate political statement DearEditor, The Staff Editorial of March 17 criticized the W&L Japanese Professors Ikeda and Ujie for pub- licly expressing controversial views as a Depart- ment, and labelled their action “academic irrespon- sibility.” I disagree with this editorial because the facts are distorted and because it shows a poor un- derstanding of academic responsibility. The editorial accuses the professors of “ac— tively pressing” the students “by asking them to participate in this activity.” What the professors did was merely to call attention to the project; the students were never forced to fold a crane. They had the freedom not to participate, and there was no threat posed on their grades for doing so. Suppose this was a political statement of the Japanese language and literature faculty, express- ing opposition to the government’s standing on war. Should faculty members refrain from publicizing their political views? Is this “academic irresponsibility?” I do not believe that faculty members violate their responsibilities by expressing their political views in public, whether controversial or not. If a politics professor publishes a book on one issue or another, isn’t this what he or she is doing? ‘Open discussion is critical, not just from the viewpoint of freedom of speech, but also for Washington and Lee as a liberal arts university. One of the advan- tages of a liberal arts education is that one is ex- posed to various perspectives. Even if the profes- sors’ expertise is “far removed from the issue at hand,” as the editorial phrases it, I do not see this as a reason to refrain from displaying opinions on peace. Peace is a concern for us all; there is no lay or expert on this subject. Sincerely, Junko Kannami -Exchange Japanese prof.’s unfairly maligned Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the staff editorial in the March 17 issue regarding the origami peace cranes. I am the primary student who helped plan this activity. While I could potentially comment on almost every remark made in the editorial, I believe most rational persons are per- fectly capable of fomiing their own opinion regarding most of the arguments presented by the author. There are a few issues I would like to address directly, however. First of all, I believe the author has misconstrued this activity as an anti-war statement. We are not “mounting a politically—charged campaign in opposition to the libera- tion of Iraq.” The origami crane is a universal symbol for world peace. I take offense to the claim that we are arbi- trarily assigning a Japanese cultural practice to “contro- versial politics.” I wonder at the logic of transforming the phrase “world peace” into an “unmistakably political opin- even govern a banana republic. ion.” Are we not all for world peace—pro—war and anti- war alike? I would imagine that there are very few, if any, individuals in this community who oppose the concept of world peace. All sides want eventual peace——those who support the war, those who oppose it, and everyone in between. The argument comes down to a matter of the method. Folding origami cranes is a Japanese cultural activity that has always encouraged the folder to wish for a peaceful world. We thought it was a rather relevant cultural activity considering the time and wanted to ex- tend an invitation to the university community should they have a desire to participate. For one person, folding a crane may be his way of protesting the war. For another,‘ it may be in support of the peace that she believes this war will bring. The political statement that each individual may attach to the crane is not justification for the author’s" criticisms. ‘ The author states that it is “wrong and ill—considered: for any department. . .to display its opinions so publicly.” An invitation to fold origami cranes does not express any opinion with regard to the Japanese program (no “Japa- nese Department” exists at Washington and Lee). Fur—i therrnore, it is erroneous for the author to make assump- tions as to either my stance on the war or the individual ~ stances of the Japanese language and literature profes- sors. I have no knowledge of either Professor Ikeda of Professor Ujie’s personal opinions on the war with Iraq on any other political leanings, and I have taken practically every class that they teach. This leads me to the aspect of the editorial that angered me the most. 1 Thus far I have argued against the author’s claims‘ that the cranes are a political statement, but the author’s’ objections go beyond the activity itself. Finally, and per— . haps most importantly, I am upset that the author felt the need to attack the Japanese program and its professors so maliciously and unjustly. I am the person who has sub- mitted all of the campus notices regarding the cranes. All notices stated “students of Japanese language and cul- ture” were inviting the community to take part in this ac- tivity. As the only person who has publicly attached her name to the cranes, I would have been more than happy to, discuss any concerns the author or anyone else had about , the way the event was presented. I was not aware that I_ needed to attach a disclaimer to every poster and campus notice. I am sure had the author felt the desire to talk to the professors directly about his or her concerns, both would have been extremely open to suggestions. I am saddened that instead we were all made aware of the author’s discomfort only through an editorial. Sincerely, Jaime Muscar ‘04 The Phi responds: Our StaffEditorial did not insult Professors Ujie or Ikeda.It is our position that academic departments have a responsibility to be neutral to students in mat- ‘ ters of opinion and should never support a contro- versial opinion, however tangentially. Lackmann letter should not have been printed Dear Editors, I write in response to your decision to print— and your chosen headline for—Jack “Jackie” Lackmann’s letter in the March 17, 2003, issue. Your decision to print such an inarticulate letter was a poor one. Lackmann’s letter lacks comments that start or further communal dialogue; his incoher- ence brings him, and this institution at large, little l credit. More seriously, I criticize your choice of head- line. “Alumnus blames war on Jews” is in my mind clearly inflammatory. Lackmann covers at least four topics (most of them of interest only to himself). For you to foreground his weak comments linking “weap- ons of mass destruction,” “misunderstanding of Is- lamic mentality and motive,” and his “freres” betrays a lack of critical judgment. In the future, I hope you use your positions as editors of a Washington and Lee publication to pro- mote loftier goals than recent issues suggest. Sincerely, Sarah Wilson ‘I’ OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_005.2.txt CAIHHRINEC.GuY ARIS&l.IPEEDIIOR V EMAlI.'GUY(@WIlIEDU MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003 i& LIFE PAGE 5 I ‘Senior Meriggi distinguishes himself as unsung hero of Lenfest He’s the unsung hero of Lenfest - the phantom Vbehind the scenes, the silent conductor of the 5! orchestra, the producer of endless possibility. He takes what would appear to be a seemingly impossible task and, with style, ease and finesse, places it within the grasp of W&L’s Theater Department. He is the driving force that makes everything in the arts happen, and his name is Jeff Meriggi. Meriggi, a senior history major and dorm \y' counselor, devotes his entire heart and soul to our school’s fine theater department. His efforts include all aspects of theater life: planning, organizing, and funding new social events, gaining support from the community at large through outreach and public relations, building sets, assisting in the cooking for the gourmet receptions, and designing commemorative T-shirts for various programs and productions. But his greatest success has been, undoubtedly, his work in Public Relations. From ONTHEARTS SP°“S°”“g 3 AURA LEIGH BIRDIX/ELL‘03 luncheon at the ‘ Sheridan Livery with the help of his fellow Chi Psi brothers to spreading the word around Graham-Lees and the quad, Meriggi’s efforts, with the aid of Tom Anderson, have significantly increased student interest and attendance as well as the success of productions. M Anderson, who acts as Meriggi’s advisor, is the assiduous, devoted and hard-working theater staff ‘V member who, according to Meriggi, seriously “deserves a raise” for all he does for the theater department. “He ‘has guided me the entire way, by consistently offering me his opinions on what would N or would not work.” The two work hand-in-hand and together, making the productions at Lenfest possible and professional. The two have grown to be good friends. Theater is Meriggi’s passion, and his efforts are I for no other reason than the pursuit of his dream. “I love to attend theater and I am involved because I enjoy it.” He relates it to athletics and emphasizes the amazing 4 and beneficial effects that student attendance has on an actor’s performance. Seeing one’s peers in the audience of one’s performance enhances the acting experience and intensifies the moment. Meriggi recognizes this and therefore dedicates much of his efforts to filling in the seats and selling out the Q’ performance. Yet Meriggi does express one serious concern in regards to his efforts. This is the issue of the lack of much—needed pesos. Because of Meriggi’s V overwhelmingly successful efforts in boosting the toward success, Meriggi does not falter. He founded the student organization “Theatre Outreach,” as well as increased his lobbying to the Executive Committee and Director of Student Activities. Along with all ofthis, he also often sober drives to garner more theater funding. “One of my long-term goals is that W&L will recognize the theatre as an enjoyable non—alcoholic activity that provides a respite from the rigors of academic life.” He adds, “The Department should receive more funding from the administration.” In an earlier column of mine, I mentioned a certain incident that occured here three years ago when a senior expressed his feelings of pessimism about the production of musicals at W&L. I think I can justly assert that he would be in complete disbelief at how far the Theater Department has grown in these recent years, in support and attendance, as well as the quality and type of productions. Yet it was not necessarily because of an a suddeniandidramatic increase in the interest or talent of the newly matriculated students. Quite on the contrary, these two characteristics have probably always existed here within the W&L community - they were just waiting to be discovered. I feel sorry for that senior three years ago - he truly missed out on Jeff Meriggi, who has found, reconized and tapped the potential for interest and talent here at W&L and brought the theater department new respect, prominence, and popularity. LENFEsr’s UNSUNG HERO IN THE ACT: Jeff Meriggi has done an enormous amount for the theatre department here at W&L. He is shown here (left) with his theatrical advisor Tom Anderson while they are both involved in theatrical construction. The two have worked together closely since ]eff’s matriculation here. Seen below is a Parent’s Weekend benefit held at Lenfest, which was organized by Meriggi in an attempt to gain money and support from parents as well as the rest of the W&L community. Lenfest, the theatre departrnent, and Washington and Lee University as a whole will surely miss Jeff when he graduates this June. B011-I rHmr)soIzI‘HsYt>F]IzH=MI:kIccI Class: Through God’s grace ‘'5 amount of student attendance, the Theater Department has actually lost money with its recent productions. How is this possible? When the students attend ..- for free, the Theatre Department loses revenue they would have gained from selling tickets to the many interested people in the community of Lexington at large. V Though this is a burdensome bump in the path ,1. As a freshman, I couldn’t remember, so that you do not allow believe how unlucky I was. The yourself to‘ fall into the abyss of school year was nearing an end, but spring term depression. if I realized, to my horror, that I would not be through with exams until the and the blessing of the University first weekend of June. All my Registrar, it is perfectly legal to take friends at Marshall and WVU were only one class during spring term. V home for the summer, while I was Only three credit hours are still rotting away in the drabness of Leybum or in the stuffy chambers of Newcomb Hall. The thought seemed unbearable. Why did I f have to be in school for so much V What’s the point of longer? How was I going to get a summer job when every other college student was already back working at home? trimesters anyway? Why can’t W&L be like the other , 1,, schools? All of these questions were left ringing in my frustrated mind. And then I experienced my first spring term. ‘‘ For a school in the middle of nowhere, W&L sure keeps us busy. In the fall term, its Rush, Rush, Rush. Then in the winter term, it’s the many X joys of pledgeship and the build up to Fancy Dress. By the time all that’s all over, it’s on to worrying about finals again. But, at the end of it all, we reach the proverbial light at the "7 end of the tunnel - the joys of Spring Term For six glorious weeks, we finally are given the opportunity to V. truly enjoy the place where we spend the best years of our lives. Six months of stress are forgotten in favor of six weeks of relaxation and fun. But in order to properly enjoy '7, your spring term experience, there are a couple of things you should required. Use this privilege wisely. I certainly recommend taking only one class ifit’s within your means, but just as a warning— having only one class seems to correlate with a general loss of motivation. Ask me, I know. Goshen: It’s peaceful, beautiful, and reminds me of beloved .................................................................. .. my ABSOLUTE FRATLORD boondocks back in TIM SMITH ‘04 W.V. And it shouldn’t be missed. Just about any excuse can be used to justify a Goshen trip. You want a nice place to study. Or you don’t have anything to study and just want a nice place to relax. Or you want to get wet. Or you want to see Kappas in their bathing suits. No matter the reason, Goshen is a wonderful place to visit, and you should go as much as possible. Alumni Weekend: Iused to think it would be the most boring weekend of the year. But rest assured, some alumni are even crazier than current students, so the potential for ridiculous fun is high. If you can overcome the challenge of having a drunken conversation with someone from your fraternity who is 20 years older than you, then you’re certainly doing something right. ' Intramurals: Spring term represents the climax of a long and intense intramural year, and the final events are nothing to pass off. Spring term provides light at end of tunnel Softball is an annual classic. The turkey trot brings individual competition to its apex. And of course, ultimate frisbee intramurals is as good as it gets— and to all you fraternities hoping to beat Lambda Chi this year, keep practicing. Road Trips: A key for spring term scheduling is to leave yourself those long weekends primed for road trips. By playing your cards right, you can have no class from Thursday to Tuesday, leaving yourself 4 full days to drive wherever your heart desires. . In a classic spring term weekend, the fabled Mr. Denbow and I took the poop truck to Baltimore, catching an Orioles game and eating crabs with some random Denbow relatives. And though my truck leaked about eight quarts of oil during the trip, there was much fun to be had. Daily Irresponsibilities: All of these things listed are fun in their own right, but perhaps the greatest aspect of spring term is the unlimited freedom to do whatever you want. Unless you’ve been cursed with tons of work, you usually find yourself with plenty of time to kill. Throw a baseball. Have a beer. Go watch Java in the Quad (especially when Drunken Rusty plays). The potential is there‘ its your job to maximize it. Spring term is not without its cons. Inevitably, there are some gloomy students who would rather be home instead of living it up in Lex Vegas until summer is in full swing. But for the majority of us, going home simply makes us want to be at school, with our friends and our freedoms. And, without a doubt, going home makes us realize how glorious spring term really is, and how much we look forward to doing it all over again. Film Society shows acclaimed drama Hrrr. www.oNrnoN.coM Auaurs AIBHMOZ AM.jP(3 ONE DAY TO LIVE: Edward Norton plays a convicted drug dealer with 24 hours to get his life in order in Spike Lee’s 25th Hour. FROM STAFF REPORTS The Washington and Lee Film Society will present the acclaimed drama 25TH HOUR (USA, 2002), directed by Spike Lee. . Screeningswill be at 7:30 PM on Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, in the Troubadour Cinema. There is no ' charge for admission, but contributions are welcome. The film is rated “R” for violence, sexual references, profanity, and drug use. Adapted by David Benioff from his novel, this is an elegiac account of the last day of freedom for a convicted drug-dealer in contemporary New York City. Edward Norton is superb as a man who has 24 hours to say goodbye to his father, his girlfriend, his best friends, and his dog, to find out who betrayed him, and to regret his own greed. Set against the background of post-9/ 11 New York, the film is beautifully photographed (by the cinematographer of F rida and Amores Perros), set to a score by Terence Blanchard, and features a marvelous cast, including Philip Symour Hoffman, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Rosario Dawson, and Barry Pepper. Critics have lauded the f1lrn’s sense of atmosphere, and A.O. Scott wrote in the New York Times that “Mr. Lee approaches the overwhehning reality with sensitivity and tact. His model, unlikely as it may seem, could be ‘The Rising,’ the Bruce Springsteen album that supplies a song for the closing credits. An arnbience of sturmed grief and a slightly giddy, slightly guilty feeling of survival float through the film.” OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_006.2.txt &LIFE ere in the world 1S Presi lAoNDAY,lJ0VEMBER 18,2002 dent Burish? p PRESIDENT BURISH TAKES OVER THE WORLD! President Burish is in the process of a whirlwind tour of the United States with goals of increasing W&L’s financial merit as well as national acclaim. All information is INFOGMPHIC BY KATE ow ANDJEB BROOKS / THE KlNG—lUM PHI courtesy of Matthew McDermott (contributing editor for the R.ing—tum Phi) and Betsy Cossaboon (Executive Secretary to the President). Stay tuned for further updates as Burish’s adventures throughout America continue. BY CATHERINE C. GUY ARTS & LIFE EDITOR President Burish has embarked on a nationwide tour ever since his arrival at W&L this fall. He has visited 29 cities since August, some of which he has been to more than once. His aims on these excursions have been manifold. The original idea behind these trips was fundraising, but it has evolved significantly since the beginning. While on the road, President Burish spends the majority of his time addressing and meeting with local alumni chapters in the various cities. Burish has also met with several of the school’s larger donors to discuss plans for Washington and Lee’s present and fiiture. These meetings have been mutually beneficial, as they have provided Burish with feedback from those with a love and allegiance for the school while providing the alumni with connections to the school and an opportunity to stay active in University affairs. Interestingly, while in Chicago, Burish was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune. The interview occurred as a result of his participation in a conference. Overall, by untertaking in these voyages, Burish has been working hard to garner publicity for school. By increasing national awareness, affairs here at W&L can only improve. Contributing Editor Matt McDermott and Betsy Cossaboon, Executive Secretary to the President, contributed to this report. President Burish’s Travel Schedule Charlottesville, VA Atlanta, GA August 2002 through April 2003 Dallas, TX February 2003- Burish began in August 2002 in.... November 2002- Chicago, IL A Washington, DC San Diego New York Los Angeles March 2003- the current excursions... San Francisco Tuscaloosa, AL September 2002- New York San Antonio, TX Roanoke,VA Dallas, TX Sweet Briar, VA Portland, OR Greensboro, NC New York, NY December 2 002- Winston-Salem, NC Tampa, FL Chattanooga, TN Charlotte, NC Boston, MA April 2003-coming up in the near Richmond, VA Washington, DC future... Memphis, TN Charleston, WV October 2002- Hampden-Sydney, VA Houston, TX Birmingham,AL Louisville, KY Washington, DC January 2003- Honolulu, HI Hot Springs, VA Atlanta, GA Roanoke, VA Atlanta, GA New York, NY BY KATE GUY ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Washington and Lee’s theatre department will be presenting one of its most popular and entertaining events of the year this coming week. That’s right, the One Acts will be performed once again. The One Acts have played a crucial role since the l970’s, when W&L first got its now strong theatre department. This years productions include the following; “Zoo Story”, written by Edward Albee and directed by senior Neal Willets, “Black Comedy”, written by Peter Shafer and directed by senior Emily Pace, “Who Made Robert DeNiro King of America?”, by Jason Katims and directed by senior Kris Pollina, “The Most Massive Woman Wins” by Madeleine George and directed by senior Bart Peters, and “Paper Flowers” directed by junior Annie Estrada. The plays will be performed this coming weekend, and will be split into two separate bills. Bill A, which is composed of “Who Made Robert DeNiro King of America?”, “Most Massive Woman Wins”, and “Black Comedy”, will be performed on Thursday at 8, Saturday at 2, and Monday at 8. Bill B, which is composed of “Paper Flowers” and “Zoo Story”, will be performed on Friday at 8, Sunday at 2, and Tuesday at 9. The bill was split because if all five were performed at once, “it would have been way too long’,’, says senior director Neal Willetts. The two bills are each at least two hours in length, and the directors decided that splitting would be more beneficial in gaining student response. This year, students can look forward to an entertaining and complex mix. There will be a great mix of comedy, farce, slapstick, and drama. “We have a little bit of everything,” says Willetts. This idea of a mix also extends to the students involved in the productions. This year’s actors include everyone from senior Theatre majors to freshmen with little or no acting experience. There will be student involvement from all walks of campus life. The students involved have put in an enormous amount of effort throughout the moths leading up to this week. The Directors have been preparing for this weekend since the beginning of the school year, as the Directing class that they are all enrolled in is a two semester course. They have been planning and preparing for this since September. The Directors held auditions before Feb. break, and have been rehearsing since. The actors and directors receive a tremendous amount of help from other classes in the design department, particularly the lighting and costume design classes, both of which have been preparing all semester. In all, a lot of people have done a lot of work to make the One Acts wonderful. Willetts says that, as a director, he is most looking forward to seeing the initial reaction of the crowd on opening night. He is anticipating seeing the audience response to characters, blocking, and dialogue. This year will be unique in a number of respects. For one thing, One Acts will once again enthrall crowds four of the five directors are new to the directing capacity and thus are extremely excited and enthusiastic about their directorial debut. Many of the actors are making their debut on the stage as well. Also, the One Acts this year will encompass “a broad spectrum of issues all at once,” says Willetts. “Most Massive Woman Wins” deals with the issues of body and self image in women and society, while “Zoo Story” addresses relationships and “Paper Flowers” examines social class. The One Acts have had a notoriously strong student turnout and response for years, as a result of the widely varied and massive amount of student involvement. Willetts feels certain that each of the night performances will come close to selling out, if they do not sell out completely. There are no tickets required to see the One Acts, and the performances are free for all who are affiliated with the Washington and Lee community. So come out and support the One Acts. You will certainly enjoy It. Pulitzer winner lectures FROM STAFF REPORTS Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Alice Steinbach will deliver a lecture entitled “A Short Guide to An Interesting Life” on Wednesday, March 26, at 7 :30 p.m. in Lee Chapel. The lecture is free and open to the Living Ertmp or 463-9180 HOUSE FOR RENT 6 Tucker Street 3 BR/1 Bath Large Kitchen, Washer/Dryer, Large Eeekyanfl w/ Eeck $800/mo. Call 458-5001, (Please note: Phone numbers have changed since the last issue.) public. In a recent Booklist review, Joanne Wilkinson said of Steinbach “Like any skillful writer, she can make you laugh, and she can make you cry, and she sometimes does both, all within the limitations of a column fonnat.” 458-7157, for details OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_007.2.txt PAGE 7 1,) ‘ll-El’.l3.E{(r'l‘=.?.tl‘la>tRrEsvoEc-uniNIA\tE HIGH JUMP. Open Rider Caitlin Lane won the High Point Rider Award at the UVA Invitational on Saturday and earned two first places at the Oak Ridge Medal earlier this year. PHOTO RIEWOFC*.Tl*lY\)l’AN(3 RIDING TEAM.(back row) junior Sarah Michaels, senior Liza Tucker, freshman Caitlin Lane, freshman Natalia Maxwell, senior eather Lancaster, freshman Sarah Murray, Coach Carolyn Hedrick—\X/illiams. (front row) Sophomore Kathy Wang, Karly Williams. Participate in trivia tourney to help Hospice The Washington and Lee Law class of 2005 will be hosting a cam- pus-wide Sports Trivia Tournament called “The General’s Cup” from April 1-3. Proceeds from the entry fees will be benefiting the Rockbridge Hospice. Two people can enter the The General’s Cup for $10. The win- ning team will receive a prize pack- age worth more than $200. The package will include gift certifi- cates to the Sheridan Livery, ll Pallazzo, University Sportwear, Pete’s BBQ, Frank’s, Salerno’s, City Subs & Steaks, Main St. Mar- ket and a music store. All students are encouraged to participate in this fun event, rais- ing money for a worthy cause. West Virginia University held a tour- nament similar to this last year and was able to get more than 100 stu- dents involved. Vote Samantha Snabes for unsung General! ‘ an a new Scooter * sew .ti:agne_t¥a Awe aauma Va. zu.-re ., rmarzemaaa ma Atoms: or ,, arm: an ‘E6 to mum mhtuwaww‘ ‘I V Looking for something bigger? 3 Check out the new Alpha 250 V- Twin Men’s tennis loses its first match, Men’s lax falls to Roanoke, Ritter at NCAA finals FROM STAFF REPORTS Men’s lacrosse Washington and Lee’s men’s la- crosse team fell, 8-4, to Roanoke Col- lege on Sunday in a match played in Salem, Virginia. The win dropped the General ’s record to 3-2, 0-1 ODAC as it improved Roanoke’s record to 5- l , 1-0 ODAC. W&L is ranked seventh while Roanoke is ranked seventeenth. Roanoke shot out to a 6-0 lead before the W&L’s midfielder, Rob Brown, ’03, recorded a goal to get W&L on the board at the half. Roanoke then improved its lead to seven, making it an 8-1 lead in the third. The Generals held a 43-32 advantage in shots, scor- ing one goal in the third and two more in the fourth. Rob Brown, Matt Fink, Dustin Martin, and Jack Murray each recorded one goal. W&L takes to the field again when it hosts Guilford on Wednes- day in a 3:30 pm contest. Men’s tennis Washington and Lee’s men’s tennis team met its first loss on Saturday in a match played at Mary Washington in F redericksburg, Virginia. The team lost, 6-1, dropping its record to 11-1 overall. Mary Washington’s record improved to 5-3.W&L did have a few out- standing matches. In singles play, Graham Nix defeated Tim Ryan 7-5, 6-0. In doubles play, the combo of K.C. Schaefer and Chris Kimmel de- feated Tim Ryan and Nate Hathaway. The Generals next take to the court in a home match against Averett on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The team also has home matches on Friday, against Rhodes at 3 p.m, on Saturday, against Swarthmore, at 12 p.m., and on Sunday against Washington College, at 11 a.m. Ritter competes in NCAA Championship Eric Ritter, ‘O3, ended his. 2003 swimming season by fin-1 ishing 22nd in the 200—yard backstroke on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Swim Cham- pionships at Emory University., Ritter finished with a time of 1:55.67 among a field of 29 swim- mers. tive season in the 100-yard back- stroke on Friday. Though seeded. 14th in the 100-yard backstroke after the morning preliminaries, finished the race with 52.06 to fin- ish sixteenth. On the first day of the NCAA Division III Swim Championships last Thursday, Ritter finished forty- eighth in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of22. 14. Ritter earned All-America honors for the second consecu-_ OCR::/Vol_105/WLURG39_RTP_20030324/WLURG39_RTP_20030324_008.2.txt PAGE 8 BY JOHN HYLAND SPORTS WRITER Washington and Lee’s baseball team completed another undefeated stretch last week to improve its school record-winning streak to ten games. The Generals took both games of a doubleheader last Sat- urday at Randolph—Macon and fol- lowed it up with a victory over ODAC power Bridgewater last Wednesday at Cap’n Dick Smith Field. The three conference victo- ries elevated W&L’s record to 12-2, 6-1 ODAC and moved them into sole possession of second place be- hind Virginia Wesleyan who is 5-0. In game one against Randolph- Macon, the Generals opened up an early lead with a five run first in- ning, led by sophomore designated hitter Zack Bausch’s three run double. W&L would remain hot as they would go on to score in six out of the seven innings that they came to bat, never relenting in a 17-4 dis- mantling. The Generals pounded out 15 hits and every starter reached base safely. Senior shortstop Michael Hanson went 4 for 5 on the after- noon with four runs scored. Senior centerfielder Bobby Littlehale also finished 4 for 5, setting a school record with four doubles; he scored twice and added five RBIs. Junior second baseman Austin Allain and junior catcher Bryan Mulhern belted homers in the victory. Junior lefthander Peter Dean pitched well on the mound, allowing only one unearned run over five innings and stuck out five to earn the win and improve his record to 3-1 on the season. The second game of the doubleheader would prove to be much closer. Once again, the Gen- erals opened up the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by se- nior first baseman Bryan Gladysz, who finished with three hits on the night. W&L would score again in the second and twice more in the fourth to open a 4-1 lead. Randolph—Macon would not go down as quietly as they did in Game 1. The Yellow Jackets scored two runs in the sixth to close the gap to 4-3, prompting manager Jeff Stickley to call on the right-handed Mulhern to relieve his starter, junior righthander Dan Kagey. Muhern responded by not allowing a run over three innings and striking out the side in the ninth inning with both the tying and winning runs on SPORTS Baseball remains undefeated at 10-0 10-game winning streak a school record FllEPHO'l'() base to earn his first save of the year. Kagey got the win for the Gen- erals, pushing his record to 3-1, giv- ing up three runs over six innings. Hanson and sophomore leftfielder Warren Hunter each finished the game with two singles and two runs scored. The two losses dropped Randolph-Macon’s record to 3-5, 1- 3 ODAC. The Generals hoped to main- tain their momentum heading into Wednesday’s game against Bridgewater, who entered the con- test tied for first place in the ODAC with a perfect 4-0 record. For the eighth straight game, W&L scored in the first inning, a statistic that has without a doubt contributed to their success. Hanson led off the inning with a triple and scored on Allain’s double. Gladysz followed with a single and Littlehale loaded the bases with a walk for Mulhern who delivered with a two-run double to left. Littlehale scored on an error to round out the scoring. The General’s bats would cool off after the explosive start as hard-throw- ing Eagle starter Todd Lewis settled down and did not allow a run for the rest of the game. But W&L had already done all the damage that they would need. Junior righthander Michael Wert started the game on the mound for the Generals and pitched solidly, permitting two runs, one earned over five innings, but the team would need its bullpen to finish the job. In a rare relief appearance, Dean was called on in the sixth inning and pitched three scoreless innings. With the game standing at 4-2, Mulhern got the nod to try to earn his second save in a row, coming through to pitch a perfect ninth in- ning. Wert received the win and improved his record to 3-0. The vic- tory was the Generals first over Bridgewater since the 2000 season. Stickley attributes the team’s hottest stretch in school history to a combination of “good play out of the seniors, solid pitching and timely hitting.” Yet, he seems de- termined not to let the team get too comfortable amid their success, commenting after the Bridgewater game, “It doesn’t hurt when you win but you’ve got to let it go and move on.” Clearly, the team has no time to relax as it is in the heart of its conference schedule. The Gen- erals had a doubleheader this past Saturday against Eastern Menno- nite before facing Bridgewater once again on the road on Tuesday. SCVCII. ittlehale Player 0 the eek, Hanson sets records FROM STAFF REPORTS Washington and Lee centerfielder Bobby Littlehale, ’03, has been chosen as the Old Do- minion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Player of the Week for the week end- ing March 16, 2 0 0 3 Littlehale was 6-for 14 on the week, scoring three rims and driving in a team-high of H e also recorded four doubles set another Washington and Lee benchmark in the first game of a double-header with Randolph- Macon. He hit his 38th career double to move ahead of Patrick Hall in the career double category with two doubles in five bats. Hanson is followed by teammate B o b b y Littlehale, who connected for a W&L game record of four doubles in the same game, going 4-5, foraca- reer total of 32 doubles. Hanson is one and one sto- len base. In the first game of a double- header with Randolph—Macon, Littlehale went 4-for-5 with a Wash- ington and Lee record of fr‘ ,ir doubles and fives RBI’s. Shortstop Michael Hanson, ’03, PASS. Leslie Bogart prepares to pass in \l(/ednesday’s game against Hollins. Bobby Littlehale has been chosen ODAC Player of the Week RBI away from tying the career RBI mark held by Matt Kozora. He is also approaching hits and and at-bats career marks. Hanson currently holds W&L career marks in stolen bases (44), triples (13) and runs scored (124). FIIEH-1011) Women’s lax 3-1, in ODAC BY JOHN HYLAND SPORTS RRITER The Washington and Lee women’s lacrosse team easily handled ODAC foe Hollins last Wednesday opening up a 10-0 lead just 7:36 into the game, finishing with 18 goals in the first half on 26 shots to take an 18-0 lead. The Generals did not even attempt a shot in the second half, easing to an 18-2 vic- tory. The team has now won three games in a row after dropping their opening game to fifth ranked St. Mary’s 8-4. W&L’s record now stands at 3-1, 2-0 ODAC, totally dismantling their two ODAC opponents, Guilford and Hollins, by a combined score of 38-6. The Generals are cur- rently ranked thirteenth in the country. The barrage of first-half scoring on Wednesday was led by freshman midfielder Katharine Lester, who had four goals. Senior attacker Leslie Bogart chipped in three goals and an assist while junior midfielder Kelly Taffe added three goals. Freshman attackers Laing Humphries and Amanda Strickler each contributed two goals and an assist. The Generals defense did not allow a shot in the first half and only four in the second as junior goalie Joanna Perini only had to make one save in the victory. After the loss, Hollins’ record fell to 1-5, 1-4 ODAC. The team seems to be gelling at the right time as it heads into the middle of its schedule. Sopho- more defensive midfielder Maggie Speasmaker agrees with this per- ception, commenting after the game that, “We had problems ear- lier in the year adjusting to a new offense but the difficulties seemed to have worked themselves out and everything is kind of coming together.” Clearly, anytime a team scores eighteen first half goals, any notion that a team is strug- gling offensively is erased. There is no question that the Generals faced a much tougher opponent this past Saturday when it traveled to face eighth ranked Mary Washington, a team that it lost to 14-3 last sea- son. It is the‘ first of four straight road games for the Generals. ER1N]uuUs SPORIS EDHOR ‘r MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003, Women’s tennis wins 4, is now 16-O ’ BY ALLISON PERRY SPORTS WRITER The Washington and Lee Women’s tennis team came out with wins against Eastern Mennonite, Randolph—Macon Woman’s Col- lege, Roanoke, and Mary Wash- ington this past week. The women improved their record to 16-0, 10-0 in the ODAC. The second ranked Generals shut down Eastern Mennonite 9-0 at home on Tuesday. Eastern Men- nonite is 2-3 overall, 1-2 in the ODAC. Sophomore Marie Trimble led the women with a 6-2, 6-4 win in the No. 1 singles match. Freshman Megan Curran defeated her oppo- nent 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 2 spot. In the No. 3 singles match, freshman Patty Roberts won her match 6-1, 6-0. Freshmen Ingrid Easton and Laura Neller both shut down their opponents 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 4 and 5 singles, respectively. Freshman Lauren Peters won by forfeit at No. 6 singles. In doubles play, Curran and Trimble teamed up to defeat their opponents 8-0 at No. 1. Easton and Roberts also won their match 8-0 at No. 2. Neller and Peters won their match by forfeit at No. 3. . Also on Tuesday, the women defeated Randolph—Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, 9- 0. Senior captain Laura Bruno easily won her match 6- 1 , 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Freshman Laura Mabry played in the No. 2 spot, shutting down her opponent 6-0, 6-0. Sophomore Meredith Bailey also won her match at No. 3, 6-0, 6-1. At No. 4, sophomore Lora Farris de- feated her opponent 6-0, 6-1. In the No. 5 and 6 singles, junior Emily Taylor and sophomore Kristin Crawford won their matches 6-0, 6- 2 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively. In doubles action, Bruno and Mabry teamed up to shut down their opponents 8-0 at No. 1. Bailey and Farris also defeated their op- ponents 8-0 in No. 2 doubles. Crawford and Taylor won their match with an 8-2 victory at No. 3. On Thursday, the Generals de- feated Roanoke at home, 9-0. Sophomore Lindsay Hagerman led the Generals with a win of 6-1, 6 at No. 1 singles. Senior captain Erika Proko knocked off her opponent 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2. In the No. 3 singles match, Trimble defeated her opponent 6-1, 6% 1. Easton won with a victory of 6-3, 6- 2 at No. 4. Sophomores Bailey and Catherine Torrey Stroud both shut down their opponents 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 and 6, re? spectively. In doubles, the fifth ranked doubles team of Hagennan and Proko easily defeated their opponents 8—()r at No. 1. Easton and Trimble won their match 8-1 at No. 2. At No. 3, Bailey and Stroud teamed up to win their match 8-2. On Saturday, the Generals der feated Mary Washington, 8-1. Mary Washington is ranked 23'“ in the na- tion and 6”‘ in the Atlantic South. Hagerrnan led the women with at win of 6-2, 6-3 over 17"‘ ranked Karli Schneider at No. 1 singles. Hagennan is currently tied for 13"‘ place in the nation. ‘ Bruno defeated her opponent 63 1, 6-1 at No. 2. Proko also won her match at No. 3, 6-2, 6-0. Senior Brandi Jane Wedgeworth and Mabry each shut down their opponents 6-0, 6-0 as No. 4 and 5 singles, respectively. Junior Liz Law rounded out the top six with a 6-1, 6-0 victory. In doubles play, Hagerinan and Proko teamed up to win their match 8)! 3 at No. 1. Bruno and Mabry also defeated their opponents 8-3 at No. 2. Law and Trimble were defeated in their match at No. 3, 8-4. The Generals are on the road to- day against Sweet Briar at 4:30 p.m. They do not play again until Friday when they travel to Emory University in Atlanta to play in the Fab 5 tourna¥ merit. The Generals will meet up against 15' ranked Emory, 4"‘ ranked Trinity (TX), and 10”‘ ranked Claremorrtp-, . Mudd-Scripps.