OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061102/WLURG39_RTP_20061102_001.2.txt 0.DACTitleTime Despite a ;ioss{ last” week footbali can ea pture the league title withiaiewmfseturday. T WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY -- P33? 1.0 ‘ i.;‘.%3‘{f’t anti §li;‘s}‘§‘itZS'?eZ'lf.I Re.pa::*;< ’ ‘l l,I:E3<;3, .sX.:'{f?, C<;>:n§)t.tte'r Bi . aj<::;' 5-Zrtgitz-e Reoaziz’. B2; H-'13::-:55, Trzgtnsmisszlett €".'.’t>t:>E;1i‘2t’ :?‘v‘l‘If’:€}?' and :‘t’l'ah§t:«.t "inane ~L3§3.’+‘§. Mon - Fri I0~5:3O Sat 10-5 “semper ubi sub um” ale :5. Welcome Back ;§a_t.:tt:s:t*§.' ;u:tI.'.éotftze::§ 3.”t"a£t§32I!:*i",=;t3 jwttz’ ittztna \7t‘=i§lI"§v;;:§§~l £7 east: %'E’§t' florist garden Washington and Lee University and it’s Alumni, we only get better with age. ‘I I 9 gezéey e E eetaoazaet O - PEDAL CAR DINER & Tm Toy CAFE Order from our complete menu Or Join usfor one ofour ALL YOU CAN 1ZATBu[fet.sx' ~ Friday Night Seafood Buffet with Crab Legs 5pm-10pm ~ Saturday Night Buffet 5pm-10pm ~Sunday Baked Chicken, Pork Loin, & Pot Roast 11am-9pm . ~Breakfast Bar 7 Days a Week 6am-Ham it ~DaiIy Hot Country Bar 11am-10pm ' ~DaiIy Soup, Salad, & Fruit Bar 11am-10pm Write for The Ring-Tum Phi. Come see all our wonderful changes today! Home (Tfooked Meals & Southern Hos_pitaliIy.-’ ., 0 d_ B akf t 24 H t I D Q ‘ d, t ‘ . Mk, Gift Baskets, Sorority Ribbons, Live Plants, ., I‘ 81' 1'6 33 .0Ul'$ d. dy, -. €\tI1 dyb d \»Vt;.L.. . LOC3lC(l at ___A_’ 47§V(('W Mi" I I I Travel Plaza O Call, Click, or (Iomc in and see us today I-81 & I-64, EXIT I95, 2516 NORTH List: uwv, 1.r—:x ING'I‘(')N, VA 5 40 . 46 3 . 9 8 4 1 540-463-3478 /VIOI7 day 603 North Lee Highway, Lexington, VA 24450 Gnu, Food ,3 Q 9"“ comm-on of email: thejet‘t‘et'son@adclphia.nct Antique Pedal Cars at Tin Toys! www.thejeffersontIoristandgarden.com OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061102/WLURG39_RTP_20061102_006.2.txt ' THE RING-TUM PHI THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2,2006 IIIIIIIIIIIIS staifeditorial Student apathy on election day Why college kids will stay home from the polls America goes to the polls Tuesday. Students at Washington and Lee will be doing lots of things that day: sleeping off hangovers, catching up on homework, and spending time with friends in the Co-op. Most of them will not be voting. And the vast major- ity of other college students around the county will do the same thing. This fact may disappoint parents and the politics de- partment. But really, why should Virginia college students care about what Senate candidate Jim Webb wrote 25 years ago? So he put some sex into his novels. Sexually explicit pas- sages in a novel probably are not going to bother your typi- cal W&L student. Sorry, we just do not shock as easily as the average 50-year-old voter does. Even if college students cared about the issues, a vi- cious year of mud-slinging in -almost every close race has completely obscured the true nature of each candidate. Few Virginia residents know how the senate candi- dates feel about expanding I-81. But almost everyone knows by now that George Allen called one of Webb's staffers a “macaca.” Nearly all the voters know that Webb once argued that women should not be allowed into the Naval Academy. These incidents — whether recent or decades-old — might tell voters something about the character of each man. But do they offer a compelling reason for a Virginia college student to head for the polls? That does not mean there are no issues of interest to students. But since students rarely vote, candidates see no point in talking about these is- sues. Consider the rising cost of college education. W&L stu- dents may not have to worry about this themselves, but many of their parents certain- ly do. The federal government provides Pell Grants to help low-income students attend colleges. In recent years the government has chosen to give _more grants but less money per grant. When is the last time Allen and Webb — or any national candidates for that matter — took up the issue? Finan- cial aid is something many students and their parents care about. But candidates from both parties would rather squabble over “values” issues like abortion and gay mar- riage. Too bad a college educa- tion is not considered valu- able enough to talk about. If students are not worried about college prices, perhaps the war in Iraq might concern them. Regardless of personal opinions, every student should realize that the new Congress will shape America’s policy on Iraq. This is the last chance vot- ers will have before 2008 to decide how the United States will light this war. Want the United States to keep troops in Iraq indefinite- ly? Or do you want American troops to leave Iraq in the next year? The new Congress will be deciding that. America goes to the polls Tuesday. Even if we do not go, perhaps we should know what the voters are deciding without us. -—-—--—-—-—-—- WASHINGTON Am) LEE UNIVERSITY —--—----—-——- THE RING-TUM PHI. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS&LIFE EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN DIRECTOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS BUSINESS MANAGER KATHERINE GREENE JACOB GEIGER STACEY GRIJALVA JESSICA SHAW MIKE FAHEY GRACE ANDREWS CODY BEAUCHAMP ABEL S. DELGADO BRIAN DEVINE MIKE HUNTRESS LARA JORDAN ADAM LEWIS NICOLE MOORADIAN WES 0'DELL JOEL POELHUIS KEVIN TREMPE JULIE VON STERNBERG ALDEN WICKER QUEENIE WONG MELISSA CARON MORGAN HARRIS MICHAEL KEENAN LENORA NUNNLEY DAVID SHUBICK MISSION STATEMENT: It is the mission of THE RING-TUM PHI to accurately, truthfully, and thoroughly report news affecting the Washington and Lee community for students, faculty, parents and alumni. Our goal is to look deeper Into news affecting campus life and hold leaders accountable. Through our reporting, we aspire to spark discussions that lead to discovering information that prompts change. THE RING-TUM PHI is published Mondays during the undergraduate school year. THE RING-TUM PHI is a member of The Media Board, which can be reached at mediaboard@wlu.edu. but is otherwise independent.THE RING-TUM PHI welcomes all letters. We reserve the right to edit submissions for content and length. Letters and advertising do not necessarily reflect the opinion of THE RING-TUM PHI staff. This newspaper observes current court definitions of libel and obscenity. THE RING-TUM PHI UNIVERSITY COMMONS ROOM. 341 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450 TELEPHONE: (540) 458-4060 FAX: (540) 458-4059 EMAIL: PHl@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 Traveller driver abuse intolerable Homecoming weekend harassment an isolated incident By Abel S. Delgado c o L u M N IST Last Wednesday, I was the quintessential Washington and Lee student. I woke up early to study. I went to class, read, read, and read some more. After dinner I went to a club meeting where religion, philosophy, and social life were openly and respectfixlly discussed. I Then I got on a bus filled with fully inebriated people and partied until it was no longer Wednesday. They call it Traveller, and as we might be reminded of soon, it is a privilege, not a right. As nearly everyone I know would ar- gue, Traveller is an integral part of campus life. I’ll admit, being a student that openly abstains from getting in- toxicated and likes his parties close to the dorm, I don’t use Traveller much. But after hear- ing what happened homecoming weekend, my curiosity got the best of me. For those of you who haven’t heard, during homecoming week- end, numerous students and alurn— ni harassed, verbally abused, and even assaulted Traveller drivers with beer cans. One driver quit following an incident. Frankly, this came to me as lit- tle surprise. It’s always bothered me that a community that can be so gentlemanly and ladylike by day could flip the switch and by night forget how to act with the help of a few drinks, from a trash can of course. It’s something about this cam- Those who act like jerks, whether drunk or sober, should get the mes- sage: we don ’t want you. pus that everyone knows but no one likes to talk about, or at least not with authority figures. Stu- dents get drunk on a regular basis and many aren’t 21. No Alco- ho1Edu or subsequent programs have or will stop this. But as I was reminded Wednes- day night, homecoming was not a case of students being drunk. This was a case of students being jerks. “Even if I were plastered, like I am right now,” one student said on a bus ride, “I wouldn’t do that s-. Whoever did that was an a- be- fore he got drunk.” On that bus ride I heard vari- ous students talk about why R.L. Stine was a better author than C.S. Lewis, why raising cheetahs after retirement would be fun, and why the word hypothesis is so difficult to pronounce. On a second ride, my friend, who was in a state our genera- tion would call “tipsy,” and I dis- cussed health care, education, and the need for Traveller on every campus. On both these rides, every single person getting off the bus would first say thank you to the driver, whether they were drunk or sober. Many others would make conversations with the driver, and still others would apologize for the actions that were commit- ted on homecoming weekend by other students. Although I hadn’t seen them drink, most of these people seemed to be drunk. None of them were jerks. Traveller has become such an important part of campus life that we couldn’t stop talking about what happened homecoming weekend. People were upset and with good reason. And worse yet, they were wor- ried what would happen if there were no longer a Traveller bus system. Campus life as we know it would have to’ be changed dra- matically. The party habits many of us have would not be sustain- able. I’m not even going to talk about how many lives would be put in dangerous situations on a regular basis without Traveller. I’m not going to condone or condemn those who drink more than they should. That’s their call, and as long as they don’t hurt anyone in the process, then I’ll live and let live. But those who act like jerks, whether verbally or physically, whether drunk or sober, should get the message: we don’t want you on our campus. We want Traveller. No excuse for Limbaugh Medicated Fox not playing up Parkinson is shakes for stem cell research By Cody Beauchamp c o LU M N I sr Rush ‘Limbaugh just might be the most callous idiot alive. I don’t care how conservative you are. There’s absolutely no excuse for his recent attacks on Michael J. Fox. In case you hadn’t heard, a brief introduction: Fox, who has had Parkinson’s disease for 15 years now, recently filmed a series of television ads encouraging people to vote for Clair McCaskill and Ben Cardin, Democrats running for the Senate in toss-up races in Missouri and Maryland, respectively. McCaskill and Cardin both support stem cell research, while their opponents, Jim Talent and Michael Steele, don’t. In the ads,‘Fox, shaking and clearly having trouble control- ling his movements, pleads that people vote for McCaskill and Cardin in the hopes that they would use their offices to support the research, which Fox said “of— fers hope to millions of Ameri- cans with diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer ’s and Parkinson’s.” Enter Rush Limbaugh, stage (extreme political) right. On the Oct. 23 broadcast of his conservative radio talk show, Limbaugh charged that Fox was acting during the television spots. “In this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease,” said Limbaugh. “He is moving all around and shaking. And it’s purely an act.... Either he didn’t take his medication or he’s As dying men and women, Parkin- son ’s sufferers absolutely deserve to hope and work for a cure. acting, one of the two.” Limbaugh even had the brass ones to call Fox “shameless” for doing the spots. Limbaugh based a large part of his charge that Fox purposely wasn’t taking his medications on what Fox actually did while tes- tifying before a Senate subcom- mittee examining Parkinson’s’ effects in 1998. In his autobiography, Fox ex- plained that the reason he chose to testify without medication was because “it seemed to me that this occasion demanded that my testi- mony about the effects of the dis- ease... be seen as well as hear .” Let’s get one thing straight-— Michael J. Fox IS an actor. And he has done some fine acting be- cause of his Parkinson’s. But the acting I’m talking about is the acting he did for years to hide his disease, not to exag- gerate it. Anyone familiar with Fox’s personal story knows that for years he did everything in his power to hide his disease from the public. From 1991 to 1998, Fox was very much in the public eye thanks to the success of his sit- com “Spin City.” . He gave what may be the performance of a lifetime-—he hid from the world that he has a disease with symptoms that are almost impossible to hide. To Fox, the person he was in public, the man who did not have an incurable disease, was the act. The man who could barely control his movements, who shook and bounced all over, was the real person. When Limbaugh attacked Fox for “exaggerating the effects” of Parkinson’s, he was confusing something. Fox. wasn’t being an actor. He was being himself. People afflicted with Parkin- son’s really do behave like that, even medicated. I should know—for the last 5 years of his life, I watched my grandfather die of Parkinson’s. I watched him shake uncon- trollably even with medication. I watched him become bed-stricken because of loss of muscle control. I watched my mother tear up when her father couldn’t even recognize her because of the memory loss that afflicts Parkinson’s sufferers in the last stages of the disease. I watched my grandmother cry at his funeral. As dying men and women, Parkinson’s sufferers absolutely deserve to hope and work for a cure. ' That’s what Fox is doing by promoting stem cell research and those elected oflicials who also support it. Stem cell research is a contro- versial issue for very good rea- sons. People have the right to decide where they stand on the issue. But before they decide to oppose it on account of their morals, they had damn well better look into the eyes of someone dying from a disease it can potentially cure. If you can do that and still be against stem cell research, fine. Even after watching my grand- father die, I don’t support it. And ’ that’s a perfectly justifiable deci- sion. But to do what Limbaugh did and accuse these dying people of “acting” and playing up the real effects of their diseases is not jus- tifiable. Even if they do go without medication to show the full ef- fects of their afllictions (which Fox says he didn’t do for the political spots), they are still not acting. Even if you don’t agree with them, people like Fox still de- serve to be treated honestly. They still deserve respect should they decide to let the realities of their diseases be seen. Otherwise, you are being as ig- norant and callous as Limbaugh. And that's what’s really shameless. OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061102/WLURG39_RTP_20061102_007.2.txt THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2006 THE RING-TUM PHI ° 7 arts&life Sophomore Alden Vllleker palnte ahheart on the hand of JeesieAF-ails at the Chi 111111 J uuu ii‘; riari: .2;e:uuo1r1 .='’5 ..i anovns I10 1?2ii‘J'~’I»‘I3' ‘M71 Lauri all {4AL4 pa. :3? v .. ..;.. . DC’ 1.; ,y1. ,3. . ' A4 ., 1.4 :u1I:’"‘.'* -Omega booth at the Halloween Carnival in the Wal—Mart .. . 4 LENORA NUNNLEY/ Staff Photographer parking lot last Saturday_aft_ernoon.! .,r_. yr , ». > « ~ .. .. r-.- 5.: ‘,i}Ir;V, . A 1 :;r-av»-in ' '...,« ,~w.>-. Students reach out Vdlunteei?s"‘cie'v0ié iime to Lexingidit community by y hosting, participating in numerous Halloween events By Julie von Sternberg sm FF w R I T E R . ashington and Lee students offered their , time and efforts to the Rockbridge community for festivities surrounding Hallow- een. ,- Last Saturday, students showed up in large numbers last Saturday to volunteer at the first Halloween carnival of the sea- son. Junior Kelly Boss said she was glad she took advantage of the opportunity. “I especially had a great time playing with the kids. It was nice to see them having so much fun.” The carnival was held Satur- day afternoon in the parking lot of Wal—Mart. . The store worked together with the area’s Young Life Group and W&L students Lau- ren Travis and Justine Dargahi to coordinate the event. Wal—Mart donated the con- cessions and Young Life pro- vided all of the carnival equip- ment. In return, all the proceeds of the carnival went to the Rock- bridge Young Life ministry. I Travis and Dargahi said they I were pleased by the event’s turnout. - 1 “I think everything went very well,” they said. I am excited to see that so many Greek organi- zations showed up. I’d say that’s success in itself.” Each sorority and fraternity was assigned a certain booth, which they set up and managed during the day. I A variety of different games and activities were provided such as musical chairs, face painting, putt-putt and pumpkin painting. Kappa Kappa Gamma Phi,- lanthropy Chair Brooke Segod- nia was in charge of the treasure chest booth, which was a popu- lar activity among the younger children. Segodnia spoke positive yv . about the event. “It was nice for once to fo- cus on something besides scho work and W&L social events. ’ she said. “I enjoyed doing sonic- thing good for the community.” W&L students were not thk only ones enjoying themselves. Eight-year—old Brianna Sears was very enthusiastic about the carnival. “This year is definitely better than last year,” Sears said. “My favorite is the dunking booth. I hit the mark three times because I’m a girl, and girls rule.” Last Saturday’s carnival was followed by another on Monday night at the Natural Bridge Ju- venile Correction Center. NBJCC is a more relaxed prison for juveniles who have proved themselves responsiblr at other facilities. . It has no walls and provid education and discipline lessor for its inmates. V At the carnival, cadets were" able to relax and enjoy the holi- day by participating in activities that are not usually allowed. “It’s kind of like a reward for good behavior,” said sophomore Kelly Bundy. “The guys work hard in their classes and on jobs they are as- signed, and this gives them a chance to kind of unwind.” Bundy thought the cadets responded well to Volunteer of- forts. “It was awesome” said Bun- dy. “All the cadets loved it. They had a great time, and they were very appreciative.” A This event has inspired many students to further their connec- tion with NBJCC. Students can volunteer dur- ing the day at this facility as tu- tors for the GED test. “A lot of the volunteers want to start tutoring there now be- cause the carnival made them realize what a great place it is,” said Bundy. The activities continued with student participation at a Hal- loween festival at Effinger El- ementary School. Also-, students interacted with young children in costume as they trick-or-treated in Bak- er—Davis-Gilliam Quad. Volunteers also dedicated their time at a Haunted House at Rockbridge County library. Boss said these activities helped broaden her perspective and reach out to community members. Boss said: “It’s nice to get out of the W&L bubble and see what else is happening in Lex- ington.” MORGAN HRRIS / Staff Photogrhr LENORA UNNLEY / Staff Photorpher Junior Anthony Nardini awaits a stream of water from a young girl at the Phi Psi booth (top). Sophomore Diana Burgreen lets a girl choose a prize from her pump- kin basket (left). Sophomore Erik Ball retrieves a ring for a boy at the ring-toss booth (right). TENORA NUNNLEY / Staff Photographer OCR::/Vol_110/WLURG39_RTP_20061102/WLURG39_RTP_20061102_008.2.txt 8 0 THE RING-TUM PHI THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2006 arts&lile Arts expand to new hall University dedicates Wilson Hall to former president, celebrates fine arts education, excellence By Dane Davls surr WRITER The brand new Wilson Hall was ofiicially dedicated to John and Anne Wilson this Saturday. The dedication ceremony cel- ebrated the rich and long tradition of musical excellence at Wash- ington and Lee University. ‘ The night began with Philip Norwood, Rector of the Board of Trustees, welcoming the guests and detailed all of the work, sup- port, and time that went into the construction of Wilson Hall. Rector Norwood then pre- sented President Ruscio with the “key” to Wilson Hall, which was an oversized swipe card. After receiving the key to Wil- son Hall, President Ruscio spoke on the importance of music and art to a liberal arts education. He emphasized that despite W&L’s small size, it has accomplished great achievements in the field of music. President Ruscio then intro- duced John Wilson, the honoree of the night. Mr. Wilson rhetori- cally asked the audience: “What is it, as alumni, that draws us back to this place?” Although regretting that there were not one thousand vocalists to sing Mahler’s eighth sympho- any, Mr. Wilson was nevertheless ;impressed at the quality and skill iof the University’s musical edu- cation. After a short introduction by Professor Timothy Gaylord, the night’s spectacular musical per- formance began. In addition to a piece writ- ten by Professor Terry Vosbein entitled “Music’s Empire,” two other. musical selections were performed as a tribute to Wilson’s appreciation of Irish culture and Gustav Mahler. The University Chorus and Chamber Singers sang the excit- ing and vibrant “Music ’s Empire” with music by Terry Vosbein and text by Andrew Marvell. The traditional Irish anthem, “Danny Boy,” was conducted by Gordon Spice and sung by The University Chamber Singers. The night concluded with the Finale from Gustav Mahler’s “Sympho- ny No. 2.” It was a night of celebration, because not only does Washing- ton and Lee have a new hall, it also has the talent to fill the cor- ridors of the hall with vibrance and beauty. A piano instrument major of Washington and Lee’s music program, Shu Gao, summarized the excellence of the Fine Arts department when she said, “I am a music major because it is en- joyable and fun. Plus, the music major department is very small, so [you] get personal attention which is necessary to excel as a musician.” The idea for a new building for the fine arts department arose shortly after the construction of Lenfest Center. Dupont Hall, built in 1953, could no longer fill the needs of the University’s growing fine arts department. W&L reached out to its alumni base for the development of a new building, which together with Lenfest would, house all of the W&L’s fine arts. The architecture firm,’Zimmer, Gunsul, and Fras- ca, and the construction company, Brice Building Company of Bir- mingham, both had alumni ties to W&L. As the building began to take shape, unexpected budget costs forced W&L to again turn to its alumni base. The alumni, includ- ing the Lenfest family, were more than happy to give, under one condition: the hall be named after one of W&L’s most distinguished presidents, John D. Wilson. Wilson, who served as W&L’s president from 1983 to 1995, and his wife Anne Wilson, both showed a love for music that con- tinues to shape the University. The completed hall now has a state of the an auditorium with excellent acoustics, studios and classrooms. The roomy 65,000 square-foot building will give current and future W&L students the space they need to achieve their artistic potential. SA|Lfundraises for Sudan crisis Karaoke, talent Show fund relief eflorts for refugees By Jessica Shaw ARTS AND LIFE canon Villages are bombed. Civil- ians are killed. Women are raped. Children are maimed. These atrocious acts are oc- curring daily in the Afiican nation of Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese civilians have been killed by an Arab militia in a com- plex ethnic and religious power struggle. While the United Nations re- fuses to define this as genocide, the conflict persists. Several Washington & Lee students have made it their mission to make a difference in this crisis. The Student Association for lntemational Learning (SAIL) strives to introduce the student body to cultural issues outside of its boundaries. It also seeks to aid others in times of natural disaster or national turmoil, according to lntemational Development and Relief Group co-Chair sopho- more Liza Njuguna. Sophomores Grace Andrews and Njuguna represent SAIL at W&L. They have organized sev- eral fundraisers to both contribute funds to Sudan relief as well as promote awareness of this crisis around campus. Money gained from these fundraisers will be donated to the CARE foundation, whichis working out of Chad, a country that borders Sudan. Millions of refugees escaping the genocide in Sudan have fled inside the Chadian borders and are in dire need of aid. According to Njuguna, CARE is trying to promote sanitation, provide food, and aid the refugees and citizens of Sudan in any way it can. It has been met with resistance from the Sudanese government. According to Andrews, Sudan has become the main effort of SAIL this year. “I think Sudan is definitely go- ing to become the focus of this year because of the exposure it’s getting at the moment and the rate at which the conflict is intensify- ing,” Andrews said. Njuguna said that Sudan is im- portant also because of the igno- rance that surrounds it. “I think we decided to focus on Sudan because we are from Africa and we think that it’s re- ally sad that nobody really knows what’s going on there,” she said. This week in the Commons, they have set up five jars with professors’ names on them. Students must place money in the jar of the professor they would like to see perform karaoke during halflime of the Parent’s Weekend football game. By Friday, the faculty member with the most money will sing on Saturday. Andrews and Njuguna are also accepting donations at the football game. Saturday Nov. 11, SAIL is hosting a talent show at 8 p.m. in the Marketplace from which pro- ceeds are donated to Sudan relief. The organization will be requir- ing a three-dollar entry fee. The show is currently com- prised of 16-l8 acts of dancing, singing, and other unique talents performed by students and faculty members. Andrews will be comi- cally hosting the show. Because this is its first year, Njuguna said that much of it is an experiment. The organization hopes to raise between 1,000 and 2,500 dollars. Andrews said that either before or immediately following the per- formances, she is going to give a brief presentation and summary of the crisis occurring in Sudan, and more specifically, Darfur. She and Njuguna both said that one of the goals of SAIL is to pro- mote campusgawareness. “We would like to decorate the marketplace with pictures from the conflict,” Andrews said. “As the judges are tallying the score, I will be giving some facts and a brief background of what’s going on in Sudan. , Everyone who attends the tal- ent show will know why we care so much and how they’re helping. This way, we can make a differ- ence and have fun at the same time.” Both students stressed that the goal almost as important as fundraising is increasing aware- ness in the W&L community and beyond. Njuguna said: “If nothing else, I hope people are aware of the situ- ation, of what is going on and real- ize that the majority of the people who are affected by the situation didn’t ask for this, don’t want this and really feel completely power- less over the situation. We’re in a position where even though we can’t physically help the situation, we are able to sup- port those persons or organiza- tions that are there.” MICHAEL KEENAN / Staff Photographer Student art is displayed In a studio in the new fine arts building, Wilson Hall. This building houses a performance hall, classrooms and various labs and studios. Do you always carry your camera with you? Do you find yourself snapping photos of everything you see? Does your photo collection run into the thousands? Send your photos to the Phi for our new weekly photo contest! email: greenek@wlu.edu The best newspaper that comes out on Monday Reduction. activities immediately. 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A wooden bench was centered on the stage, as Master of Cer- emonies Mark Heavens Tshuma emerged from the darkness, puff- ing smoke from his cigarette. Tshuma calmly began his mono- logue from Death of a Salesman and was followed by flashes of red, black and neon lights. Danc- ers emerged act by act, as the third annual Student Showcase progressed. Audience members summed up the showcase in one word: “amazing.” Senior Eka Akpakip, who at- tended the showcase last year, said that the “diversity and over- all quality of the acts were better [this year].” ' The showcase, which offered free admission, attracted an au- dience of all different ages. Fred Massey, a local Lexington resi- dent, said that he was very im- pressed with the energy and talent of the students. “[The community] would like to see a little more advanced no- tice in The News-Gazette though,” said Massey. The showcase may have begun with Tshuma’s monologue, but it certainly wasn’t the last time the audience would see this one man showcased. Tshuma randomly emerged time and time again in various dance numbers, even per- forming to his own version of bal- let and belting Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone.” Tshuma’s comedy was well re- ceived by the audience. . The showcase displayed ev- erything from Broadway musi- cals and opera, to tap dancing. Christine Lee’s tap dancing group mesmerized the audience by us- ing glow sticks to enhance their performance. All the performers were properly dressed in attire to match their routine as the show alternated between dancing, act- ing and singing. Every audience member seemed to have their favorite act. Junior Theresa Dougherty praised Lauren Kampf, the co-director of the event, who sang “The Life of the Party” near the end of the show, as her “personal hero.” “Lauren definitely has a future career in theatre,” she said. In addition, Dougherty en- joyed the break dancing routine, preformed by freshman Rasaq Lawal. Akpakip called freshman So- phie Xiong’s contemporary dance routine to Panic at the Disco‘s “Build God Then We’ll Talk” the most original act of the show but couldn’t pinpoint a favorite. According to the Chairman of the Theater Department Joseph Martinez, the showcase was orig- inally started by Technical Direc- tor Tom Anderson, who wanted to give students, especially fresh- men, the opportunity to show the directors and the student body what they could do. A Because the Lenfest Center, usually showcases dancing, sing- ing and acting separately, the event, according to Martinez, was a good way to combine all these acts together. In its first year, said Kampf, the event only showcased talent by freshmen and sopho- mores. The event later expanded Girls & Sports ARE OVER GIRLS ARE BOYS. OUR NITH THIS DEVICE. OOH. I'VE FOUND TROUBLES NITH I CAN NON A SINGLE GIRL MEETING GIRLS DETECT NI-llCH ALREADY! © 2006 Girls 8. Sports Comics. Distributed by Creators Syndicate. to all classes. Performers were asked to au- dition, said Co-Director Jenefer Davies. The auditions, however, were inclusive, meaning that most of the acts made it into the ac- tual showcase. She said this year their goal was to have an even number of dancing, singing and acting pieces. f" ‘_’ The performers, who usually have prior experience in theater or dance, went through two weeks of rehearsal, Kampf said. The first week, they met with their directors. The second week, the performers worked on tech- nical aspects of their routines. Lenfest Center Director Rob Mish also called the showcase a great opportunity for students, who don’t have time to partici- pate in an actual play or dance performance, to demonstrate their talent. According to Mish, the event, which attracted ap- proximately 350 audience mem- bers, had a better turnout than previous years. “This year it was clearly stu- dents coming to see students,” said Mish. glrlsandsportmcom 'Ln