OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_001.2.txt WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY E RING-TUM PHI. Goodbye, Spring Term as we know it Next spring promises new, intensive classes, but will professors come through? Will we still have tim tube down the Maury‘E’mN|0Ns/ 3 page _ THURSDAY, APRIL 30,2009 BY THE Long overdue After over I 50 years, one book has made its way back to the Leyburn shelves By Victoria Taylor S TA F F W R IT E R And you think you hold on to your library books for a long time. After 52,858 days, the first volume of “History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France” by W.F.P. Napier found its way back to the shelves of Leyburn Library. The book was taken by Union solider C.S. Gates on June 11, 1864, when General David Hunter and his army of West Virginia looted the area and set fire to the Virginia Military Institute. Mike Dau, the head handball coach at Lake For- rest College in Illinois, returned the book in Febru- ary. He inherited it from Myron and Isabel Gates, a childless Lake Forrest couple and Dau’s long-time friends. While visiting relatives in the Washington area, Dau and his wife Paula took the trip to Lexing- ton to deliver the book in person. “It was a handshake and here’s your book,” Dau said. “From that point on, this story has taken on a “All I did was return a book that was long overdue. It is really [the Gates ’] story, not mine. I just hap- pened to be the [book is] caretaker ” Mike Dau, head handball coach at Lake Forest college In Illinois life of its own.” Although Dau returned the book a few months ago, the story has recently garnered a lot of media attention. Major newspapers like The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune published articles about Dau’s story. It was also covered by the British Broadcasting Company’s radio show, National Pub- lic Radio’s “All Things Considered” and by CBS, to name a few. Dau said that the media attention was a little un- expected. “All I did was return a book that was long over- due,” he said. “It’s really [the Gates’] story, not mine. I just happened to be the [book’s] caretaker.” Dau got in touch with Laura Turner, Leybum Library’s technical services librarian, through W&L alumnus Harry Goodheart ’66, a North Carolina book dealer. Turner determined that the book be- longed to W&L, despite a note inside the book in which Gates remarks that he stole it from VMI. In addition to having Washington College written on the cover page, the book also matches volume two of the four-volume set of “History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France” in the library’s vault. Although the library catalog did not indicate that the book was missing, Turner noticed that the origi- nal volumes must have been replaced because vol- ume two was not a gift to the library like the others in the vault. Volume two also had a different spine than the others that matched that of Dau’s book. Turner said she thinks the story fascinates a lot of people because of the time period it involves. She said that the library lost more than half of its vol- umes during Hunter’s Raid but was able to get over 1000 back right after the Civil War. As far as she knows, Dau’s book is the first one since the years following the war that has been returned. _ Dau did not have to pay any fines and joked about the fact that he gave back a stolen book. “I was happy that they weren’t going to press charges,” Dau said. STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE Students worry their interests are not protected, start petition to call student body meeting with EC By Allison Chopin MANAGING EDITOR Students may get the chance make sub- stantial changes to Washington and Lee’s honor system policies and make history this Spring Term, if student leaders and the Ex- ecutive Committee manage to call a student body meeting and draw a quorum of 1,000 students. The March 30 issue of the Ring-tum Phi, containing opinion pieces that questioned re- cently elected EC President Eric Hoffman’s campaign promises, was a factor in prompt- ing seniors Anthony Ives and Regina Mills to start a petition to call this meeting. But Ives said it also came from a “feeling we’ve been getting all year” that the EC and other bodies protecting the honor system were failing to fully represent the student body. Ives and Mills said they feel that there is a lack of communication between the EC and the student body. They acknowledge that some information cannot be shared publicly, but they do not believe that the judicial body charged with protecting W&L’s honor should be shrouded in mystery. “Things that could be transparent are be- ing totally swept under the rug,” Ives said. Ives admitted that new EC Secretary Bill Larson has done a better job in keeping and publishing the minutes of EC meetings, but he pointed out that no honor investigations have been made public since February 1. The White Book states that this informa- tion should be posted on the first day of each month. They added that the EC does not publi- cize that they are willing to be more trans- parent. “I’m a senior, and I never knew that EC meetings were open,” Mills said. Another troubling point for Ives and Mills is the process of amending the White Book, which details procedures regarding the hon- or system. A White Book Review Commit- tee is appointed by the EC to examine the honor system and suggest changes every three years, including this year. The com- mittee is expected to consider the opinions of the W&L community in this process. This could be a valuable chance for any student to propose a change, but according to Mills, this year’s committee held few public meet- ings, and the meetings were not adequately advertised and were poorly attended. “They assumed no one would come," See “Honor” on page 2 VOLUME CXII, Amendmentstothe A. Strike out the following language In the Philosophy section of the introduction: "The Honor System condemns only acts that the current student generation views as breachesof the community is trust, and although dishonorable conduct cannot be codified, lying, cheating and stealing have historically been found to be examples of breaches of the Honor System. " Replace with: “The Honor System condemns acts that the current student generation views as breaches of the communi- tyiv trust and cannot be codified. Although the system has historically given examples of dishonorable acts this has given rise to the impression that those ex- amples represented an exhaustive list of dishonorable ' conduct. This is NOT the case. lnfact, ANY breach of the communityis trust represents an Honor Violation. ” 3. Add the following line at the conclusion of the first . paragraph of the confidentiality and Harassment section of Enforcement Procedure: “Any Executive Committee member who is removed from ofiice shall not be eligible to run for any Execu~ tive Committee position in the first election subsequent to his or her removal. ” C. Replace: “The Executive Committee shall give consideration to any proposal for amendment to the White Book that is submitted on proper motion by any member of the , Executive Committee, any student with an accompa- nying petition signed by at least fifty current students, or the White Book Review Committee. The Executive Committee may adopt such an amendment to the White Book by a two-thirds vote of the quorum present in two consecutive votes, provided that such votes are at least one week apart. ” ' With: “The Executive Committee shall VOTE on any pm- posal for amendment to the White Book that is submit- ted on proper motion by any member of the Executive Committee, any student with an accompanying petition signed by at least one-hundred current students, or the White Book Review Committee. The vote MUST occur within two (2) weeks of its proposal, excluding weeks in which the school is out of session. The Executive Committee may adopt such an amendment to the Mite Book by a two-thirds vote of the quorum present in two consecutive votes, provided that such votes are at least one week apart. ” Homegrown, produced and served Campus Kitchens Project expands by mainting a campus garden benefiting the project 3120 NUMBER 19 ByJam|e Kim smrr wrmrn Receiving help from its clients, the Campus Kitchens Project (CKP) has been working on an on-campus gar- den that is located behind the Pavil- ion. The garden was originally used in biology experiments, but starting last school year, it has been used to grow fresh produce for the CKP. Environment Management Coor- dinator Chris Wise and Biology pro- fessor Bill Hamilton are in charge of running the garden, said CKP Coordi- nator Jenny Sproul. “They have a lot of vision with the garden,” she said. “It’s looking more like a garden than it was before.” Before, the CKP was not involved in the actual garden working but sim- ply received vegetables that were produced in the garden. But this year, it has taken some initiatives and has been taking a group of students to work in the garden for about 15-18 hours each week. “The coolest part of the garden is that it’s not just students but clients ;. are also helping out,” said Sproul. Clients from the Robert E. Lee low-income apartments join the stu- dents every Thursday morning and contribute to the garden working. James West, a resident of the Rob- ert E. Lee apartments, has also been “The more food we have access to and the more volunteers we have, the more people we can I serve. ’ Jenny Sproul, Campus Kitchens Project Coordinator helping the garden work since Febru- ary. “It’s hard work, but it has been nice,” said West. “I’ve got nothing else to do. I don’t mind working.” Sproul said it is a rewarding expe- rience for the clients to work on the garden from which they receive the ingredients that make up their meals. So far, they have planted tomatoes, squash, corn, herbs and peppers. The CKP plans to grow more food such as blueberries and carrots. In addition to the garden work- ing, students are also building a fence around the garden so that ground hogs would not rummage through the garden and ruin it. “The hope is that we’ll get more out of it,” said Sproul. The CKP usually receives prepared food from dining services, and the fresh produce from the garden will be a fun experiment, she said. For agen- cies that are too far from Washington and Lee to come to the garden regu- larly, Sproul said the CKP is planning to organize field trip activities, which would be a good way to reach out to the Rockbridge Area community For the upcoming summer, a time when there are fewer volunteers, the CKP is recruiting students in re- search, Shepherd Poverty interns, Bonner leaders, cadets from work- release program, and youth groups of church. “I feel like the summer will go re- ally well,” said Sproul. Another on-going program of the CKP is the work-release program in cooperation with the Natural Bridge Juvenile Correction Center. A cadet came to Washington and Lee at the end of last November, and he has been working 17 hours a week with the CKP and 8 hours a week with the Co-op. He is to be released in June and will; receive a certificate from ServSafe program that provides com- prehensive food safety training. Sproul said the work-release pro- gram intends to teach cadets life-long skills that they will be able to use af- ter their release. The CKP will contin- ue working with cadets one at a time until they are released. CKP’s other future plans include holding nutrition classes for clients and receiving food from Virginia Military Institute. “The more food we have access to and the more volunteers we have, the more people we can serve,” said Sproul. OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_002.2.txt unwrnsnv LIBRARY WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON. VA 24450 MAY‘ 5? -<7» 2 0 THE RING-TUM PHI THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009 Tying the community together One senior and C C C work to ease relations between students and residents By Ted Moore STAFF WRITER If Dean Dawn Watkins of Washington and Lee University had another child, she said, she would name him after Garrett Clark. Clark, a W&L senior, teamed up with Watkins and local retired attorney Fred Massey to lead the Campus-Community Coalition (CCC). The CCC, which origi- nally started in 2004 through a Virginia ABC grant to promote alcohol education and prevention at W&L, now takes on a much larger mission which many W&L students are unaware of—bring- ing the community together. Local residents, police, and W&L student and administrative leaders have monthly meetings to discuss conflicting interests in the Lexington community, including problems arising from W&L’s social scene. Watkins, who is W&L’s Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, said Clark approached her at the end of his freshman year about joining the CCC with the positive mindset of I get it, I see how it can work, I want in. At this time, Clark worried about the future of the W&L so- cial scene as Rockbridge County proposed a noise ordinance that would have made it a county law to cut off loud music at mid- night. “I was surprised by this ex- treme measure,” Clark said. The following fall, Clark ac- companied Watkins and W&L’s EC president to speak at the Rockbridge Board of Supervi- sors meeting when the proposed ordinance was discussed. Clark said the noise ordinance did not get passed with the understand- ing that W&L students would be assuming more responsibility to neighbors through the expansion and development of the CCC. “I view it as a balancing act,” said Watkins. great goals with enthusiastic leaders who say they want an “open forum” for discussion, many W&L students have never heard of the coalition that is now in its fifth year. Some students even believe that the relationship between 10- cal police and W&L students is worse than ever with recent po- lice visits to the Windfall Hill area that have resulted in drink- ing related tickets and arrests. “There is always going to be tension with students and residents and the police. Our goal is to recognize it, be proactive about it, and have it be a healthy tension. ” Dawn Watklns, Dean of Students and Vice Presldent of Student Affalrs The balancing act consists of students’ desire to be lefl alone on the weekends, neighbors’ desires to limit trash, noise and traffic violations and the police’s responsibility to safety and en- forcing the laws. “There is always going to be tension with students and resi- dents and police,” Watkins said. “Our goal is to recognize it, be proactive about it, and have it be a healthy tension.” Although the CCC has Although Associate Dean of Students Brandon Dotson said the number of drinking viola- tions among W&L students has not gone up this year, Clark agrees with the general student view that the local police can be tough on W&L students. Clarke hopes students living in off-campus houses will im- prove relations with their neigh- bors and reach the point where there will be no need for anyone to call the police. “In general, especially in [Rockbridge County], the police do a really good job of targeting W&L students for drinking vio- lations,” said Clark. “The point of the CCC is not to please po- lice, but to avoid interacting with police in the first place.” Ted Kingsbury, a W&L se- nior who also has attended CCC meetings for several years, agreed with Clark’s priority of improving neighbor relations in the county. “The biggest problem is the disconnect between students and neighbors,” Kingsbury said. After recruiting neighbors from student partying areas to regularly attend CCC meetings, Clark says the CCC has expand- ed a lot since his freshman year. “This is a young organization that is now on its feet,” Clark said. At last Thursday’s CCC meeting, Clark, Massey and Kingsbury worked out an agree- ment with neighbors to compile a list during the spring term of all the names, phone numbers, and housing addresses of stu- dents living off-campus for next school year, so neighbors can contact students directly with their problems instead of going to police or a landlord. In addition, neighbors have agreed to accompany Clark to fraternity and sorority houses this spring around dinner time to meet students and spread aware- Throwing a flag on the economy NFL Commisioner Robert Goodell responds to a panel on the trying times By Holly Suthers sun: warren The troubled economy cre- ates problems for national sports leagues, just like any other in- dustry. NFL Commissioner Robert Goodell addressed this and other questions from Washington and Lee students in a panel in Lee Chapel last Tuesday, April 21. Three student athletes and onephilosophyprofessorformed the panel, directing questions to- wards Goodell. Catherine Reed, a sophomore tennis player, Josh Gonzalez, a senior swimmer, James Parrino, a senior football player and Professor Bernard Jackson participated. Goodell answered a wide va- riety of questions ranging from his experience with profes- sional athletes, the NFL’s ethi- Honor contlnued from page 1 said Ives. “But they didn’t give the opportunity for stu- dents to get involved.” Mills said that part of the problem lies with students who do not seek out the chance to voice their opinions, but she also blames the EC for not en- couraging discussion. “The EC has a much bigger platform to get people involved,” she said. In addition to transparency and student input, the two would like to reexamine the definition of honor at W&L. Honor violations are typically defined as encompassing “ly— ing, cheating and stealing,” but Ives said this “minimal defini- tion” is “not acceptable.” “We have lowered our ex- pectations,” he said. Other concerns the two have raised range from voter turnout in elections to the treatment of sexual assault within the honor system. cal standards and the effects of the economy on the industry. He also discussed his career path It enabled me to learn how to learn, and to learn how to deal with people,” said Goodell. “Having a liberal arts education exposed me to a variety of ways to think about the world. It enabled me to learn how to learn, and to learn how to deal with people. ” Robert Goodell, NFL Commlssloner and how graduating from a lib- eral arts school helped him he achieve such a respected posi- tion. “Having a liberal arts educa- tion exposed me to a variety of ways to think about the world. Ives and Mills collected 109 signatures over three days dur- ing finals week, and they start- ed a Facebook group to gather support for the meeting they hope will be called this term. For any changes to be officially made, however, 1,000 students He discussed future changes of the NFL in order to continue to produce a solid product for a smaller expense. The NFL has felt the pinch of the current eco- nomic situation and is trying to not diminish American’s love call this meeting, and he said it could happen as early as next week. He said in an e—mail that he looks forward to this oppor- tunity for a “meaningful dia- logue” between the EC and the student body. “As increased transparency “Things that could be transparent are being totally swept under the rug... We have low- ered our expectations. Anthony Ives, senlor will have to be present. Logis- tics are an issue as well. Ives suggested the Colonnade lawn as the ideal location, but money for chairs and a sound system will be required. It is now up to Hoffman to J) is one of the EC’s priorities for this term, we are excited to have this chance to speak with members of the student body and to answer questions and hear suggestions regarding the Honor System and student life for professional football because of budget cuts. “It is my responsibility to protect the game. I want to im- prove the NFL product by cre- ating a valuable experience for the fans.” Goodell’s visit was a unique experience for Washington and Lee students and was enjoyed by all who attended the question and answer session. The Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity was re- sponsible for bringing Goodell to campus. at W&L,” he said. He said the EC plans to ad- dress the topics that Ives, Mills and others have raised, such as the recent elections, sexual assault and EC accountability. Ives added that Hoffman plans to give an explanation of his campaign e-mails that were cited in the Phi. Ives anticipates the arduous task of gathering 1,000 students for a quorum, but he believes that students care enough to make it happen. “It’s difficult but not impossible,” he said. ness of the CCC and its mission. Clark also has responded to one of the neighbors’ chief con- cerns of trash in the county by leading several massive pickups throughout the year. Although Clark has encour- aged neighbors to help out in these efforts, male W&L stu- dents alone have outnumbered local participants this year by a ratio of 20 or 30 to one. Neighbors who initially com- plained in March about the trash near the Pole Houses were reas- sured after Clark announced an- other student pickup was sched- uled for the following Saturday. “We have come a long way but [seeing trash on the ground] eats away at the good feeling,” one neighbor said. “We don’t want to lose goodwill on either side.” Massey, who brings a neigh- bor’s perspective to the CCC leadership, defended the efforts of Clark and other students who have been instrumental in im- proving community relations. “When we started getting student leadership in Garrett and Ted, things started getting a lot better,” said Massey. Clark, who graduates this spring, said that the CCC is now established as “the jaws of the operation” for dealing with com- munity tension, and he hopes students involved in the coalition will speak on it from a student’s perspective during next year’s Orientation Week to raise aware- ness. Watkins believes that contin- ued strong student leadership in the CCC will help W&L students living off-campus become better neighbors. “We will always be teaching [the principle of] ‘town-gown’ or living together,” Watkins said. “If there wasn’t room for im- provement, I would not be em- ployed.” gab; la Peatazmozt PEDAL CAR DINER & Tm Tor Cm’: Order from our campl.ete menu Or Join usfisr one ofozrr ALL YOU CA1‘v’EATBuffets.’ Friday Night Seafood Buffet with Crab Legs 5pm-10pm Saturday Night Prime Rib Dinner 5pm~%0pm Sunday Baked Chicken, Pork Loin, & Pot Roast Ham-9pm Friday & Saturday Late Night Breakfast Bar iOpm~2am Breakfast Bar *2’ Days a Week 6am~1 lam Dally Hot Country Bar Ham-10pm Daily Soup, Salad, 8. Fruit Bar t1am—10pm Order Breakfast 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week! Home Cooked Meals & Southern Hospitality’ Located at LII ll IMIII PM l~§.§§ & E434. Exit $95., 2536 North 1.:-2c §lwy.._ Lexingiori. VA 540463-3478 Great food ti <1 great collection of Antique Pedal Cars 6; Tin Taysi Profiles 1n Leadership: Hila Yashar She serves as the co—president of Hillel, a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, a member of the Health Professions society, the Brit- ish studies ambassador on campus, and as a peer-counselor What energizes you about taking on the responsibilities of Campus leadership? “Interactions with people energize me. I love taking part in activities that involve interpersonal connections, and this is why I love being a peer counselor and a leader at Hillel - I get to talk to people and learn about their worlds.” What has been one of the most rewarding aspects of leadership at W&L? “It has been very interesting and valuable to work with people who come from very different cultures from the one I was raised in; also, W&L has given us so many opportunities and options for new ideas and innovations. It is wonderful that many people on this campus are will- ing to get involved in new activities that we create.” What legacy of leadership do you hope you've left for oth- ers at W&L? “I really hope that by my interactions with people here I have left them with a little taste of my culture and world view, and with the sense that the key to tolerance and understanding is ingrained in opening one's mind to another's views and ideas.” Any words of advice for those who follow? “Open your mind, observe, listen, and share.” Tuesdays: Lessons In Leadership “Environmental Strategies” With Emeritus Professor of Geology Ed Spencer May 5th 6:30 PM Room 214 Elrod Commons OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_003.2.txt ./ THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI ° 3 pinions W&L students need to end their apathy towards advocacy Too many efforts to support minority groups at the school are ignored; it is sad only the controversial grab our attention By Jean Chapman COLUMNIST I recently had a conversation with a fiiend of mine who is a very active member and organizer of the MSA. She was frustrated at one point by what I would describe as this campus’s homogeneously- focused attitudes, and during our conversations she noted that “everyone has culture.” It was a valid point, and that one quick comment stuck with me for a while. It’s really easy to think of our culture as something defined by the color of our skin or our native country. To be honest (perhaps harsh), we also live in a country that likes to define things that way. If you are not a white, male, native-born American you are considered different from the expected norm. A norm, I might add, that doesn’t really exist. The past few weeks (and the past months) have been laden with reminders of and celebrations of the “othemess” in culture that can sometimes get lost in mainstream American society. The entire month of February was dedicated to the remembrance of Black History and Black heroes; in March our campus celebrated Love Your Body Week; National Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed on April 21; and from April 27-May 1 the GSA will be engaging its annual “Gay? Fine by me” campaign. Many of these things were somewhat ignored by the campus, or at least it feels that way to me. I don’t really recall any awareness of Black History Month as it occurred, though perhaps something was occurring in commemoration. Though Holocaust Remembrance Day was celebrated in DC with speeches and solemn vigils, I didn’t know it had happened until I Googled it. Love Your Body Week, as many of us know, caused something of an uproar on campus. What it did do, however, was galvanize a lot of previously apathetic people and get people talking. People saw post secrets and sympathized, then shared their own; people saw real women’s bodies outlined on campus with important information, and reacted when they were taken down. For once in the two years I’ve been at this university, we did not sweep issues under the rug. Sketch comedy group WNL’s fabulous tour guide skit (look it up on YouTube if you didn’t go see it) gave the drama of the week a humorous twist, but it also showed the impact that Love Your Body Week had. As the “Gay? Fine by me” campaign comes up, I would love to see some of the same impact. Obviously, I don’t want to see signs taken down or people disrespected, but I would love for people to take notice and actually give a damn about what the campaign means. I would love the same thing to have been true for Black History Month and Holocaust Remembrance Day as well. I know as well as any that we’re busy as students; we all have a lot of work, a lot of extracurriculars, and then we’d all like to unwind and have a bit of ftm. I get that, but having a busy schedule is no excuse for apathy. Though I’m in danger of sounding a little trite, I want to go back to what that friend of mine said: “everybody has culture.” That is to say, everyone has their own story, their own experiences, and their own background. We have to realize that every one of us is probably a minority in some way. You can tell race and gender by looking at someone, sure. But you can’t see their religion, their political views, their sexuality, their family’s heritage, or what they’ve been through in their life. As our post secrets showed us, we don’t always know everything about the people who are closest to us, either. So, whenever you see another poster on campus trying to raise your awareness, let it. Read the signs, think about them, and internalize what it means when you read about women on this campus, LGBT suicide rates, or even historical events. Respect different cultures, different genders, and different sexualities, but take one step more by paying attention and really involving your emotions. It doesn’t really take any time, it just takes a little effort. Farewell, wonderful six week Spring Term, we’ll miss you! Although we all know the shift to the shorter Spring is for good reasons, we can ’t stop mourning the end of the old term By Jacob Geiger c 0 L u M N I s T Whether you’re a senior enjoying a last bit of escapism before facing a job or graduate school, or a starry-eyed freshman who’s just discovered that tubes, beer and the Maury River are a great trio, Spring Term is a wonderful time. After all, when else in your life can you go tubing at noon on a Monday? But when spring rolls around next year, it looks like underclassmen will be enjoying a very different spring experience. Next year marks the beginning of new four week spring terms, and the university is embarking on an intensive plan to remodel and revitalize our famous spring semester. With the exception of a few well-established programs like New York or Washington Terms, as well as a few overseas trips, nearly every class offered in the new spring term will be a new and improved. The current option of taking three or six credits will disappear; all students will take one intensive class that meets 8-10 hours a week and will involve 20-25 hours a week of work outside of the classroom. So I guess it falls to all of us to make the best of our final six- week spring term. Go tubing on that Monday (I did last week). Buy a pool at Wal—Mart and set it up in your front yard for afternoon hang-out sections. Move that “Ping Pong” table to your deck or porch. Take a road trip in two weeks and watch the baseball team make their first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. Intellectually and objectively, I know the change should be a good one for Washington and Lee. Let’s face it; if you just take one three credit class, these six weeks can often be a bit of a joke. The new, more intensive classes should offer students and professors greater opportunities for research, field trips and other activities that often get left out during the longer terms. But if this going to work, professors need to embrace the school’s call to create new courses rather than taking the current six week courses and condensing them into four weeks. Some of the proposed courses have been posted on the school’s Quality Enhancement Plan Web site — qep. wlu.edu. And while many of them look interesting, the majority of the courses up there are currently offered in our six week term. I fully understand why President Ken Ruscio pushed last fall for the switch to a four week spring term. Since students can take two classes under the current system, the school was having trouble getting enough professors and courses to meet the required spring load. Ruscio, recognizing that he would either have to change or abolish Spring Term, proposed this tighter, more intense term. I know the increased class time and homework load — when coupled with two fewer weeks of tubing, camping and strolling around in seersucker — will make students unhappy. Heck, if I were going to be around next year, I might be unhappy too. Hopefully students will manage to keep some perspective about the change. After all, the choice was really between a four week spring term or no spring term at all. And, as much as it pains us to think about this, we really don’t come to college for tubing on the Maury. Our parents are paying all of this money so we can get some sort of education, and I think the new term will be a more effective was of helping students learn. If professors will put in the effort needed to design new courses that take advantage of our uniquely flexible schedule, you could see American history students spending their term at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the National Archives in Washington, D.C., learning about the Declaration of Independence on site instead of in a Colonnade classroom. Language students can go to D.C. for a foreign language film festival or a play without having to worry about missing their other class. If this new plan works, the possibilities really might be endless. I know all of this. I understand it. But yeah, deep down in my heart, I’ll still feel bad for those students who will miss two weeks of tubing, grilling and getting away from reality. Spring term as we know it is coming to an end. Don’t let this last one go to waste. Dialogue very important in ensuring the Honor System lives The newly-seated EC I/ice President responds to the recent furor over EC transperancy, welcomes student discussion By Scott Centorlno c o L u M N I s T 200. That is how many students have joined a Facebook group titled “We the People- Student Body Meeting.” It is the equivalent of about 15 fraternity pledge classes. It is not a number to be ignored on such a small campus. At W&L, if only single a student stands up and offers concern or an idea about the Honor System or student life, the EC should listen. In this group, there are 200 concerned students. The EC should listen. I have heard the EC described as “a responsive body.” Well, it’s time to respond. I do not agree with every proposed phrase nor every statement of concern. However, I do agree that a student body at rest is a student body regressing. This is an opportunity for student leaders to take account of an alert student body, one which genuinely has the capacity to care and the will to act. Many have described the student body or even the EC as apathetic - willing to push aside real dialogue about student governance for fear of looking ‘uncool.’ I disagree. I believe students have a genuine faith in their representative trustees on the EC and have faith that good people will make good decisions. Also, as someone who has been through countless hours of parsing over the placement of a single word in the White Book, I can tell you there is more often too much dialogue, rather than too little, on your Executive Committee. As a member of the Executive Committee, I see this group not as an attack, but as a simple question- “What are you doing to improve W&L?” That is not a question any EC should be afraid to answer. Of course, such questions become easier to answer when an EC can point to tangible accomplishments. This year, I believe the EC has an opportunity to make genuine progress. Some of that progress, you should see. For example, the EC should lookintoconcemsaboutprocedure regarding the University Board of Appeals. But more important than possible technical problems, the EC should think of the big picture in terms of student self- governance. Similarly, sexual assault has been a buzzword on this campus for as long as I’ve been here. However, nothing ever seems to change. Obviously, it is a difficult problem to solve, one which one person or one plan could certainly not fix. For the most part, it is a cultural and social issue. This EC owes it to students to help administrators and students increase the effectiveness of the Student Faculty Hearing Board. However, some genuine progress may be lost in the meeting minutes outside the Co-Op. The greatest work for the Honor System is often lost to most, either in the sensitive confidentiality of Honor hearings or in the technical jargon of the White Book. However, in that which is lost, we can find strength. The White Book Review Committee has offered almost 40 amendments to the White Book, almost all of which would make it a healthier document. During this EC’s tenure, I plan to propose amendments to the White Book which I believe will strengthen not only the document, but the Honor System. While I support these amendments, reasonable minds may differ and I encourage opposite viewpoints. One amendment changes the system by which EC presidents appoint members to fill positions on the EC during closed hearings. Currently, EC presidents can appoint anyone to fill a vacant seat (often due to recusals) during a closed hearing. While I have never had any issues with past appointees, I believe the Honor System deserves a better method. My amendment requires the EC president to nominate a student to be appointed, and then approved by a majority of the remaining members of the EC. This rejuvenates the democratic nature of closed hearings and helps future ECs defend verdicts in which appointees were involved. At best, this will only improve the caliber of appointees and, at worst, will serve as a comforting and important formality. Another amendment I plan to propose creates a “Community Outreach Committee” to help improve student awareness about the Honor System. I was impressed when a group of Honor Advocates offered the idea originally, and I have altered it to streamline its purpose so as to not overlap with the White Book Review Committee. While the White Book Review Committee does address community outreach, it only convenes every three years and already has its hands full sifting through the White Book. The Community Outreach Committee will serve to inform students every year about all aspects of the Honor System. It will deliver a consistent and coherent message to students and, simultaneously, better inform the EC of student opinion and knowledge. These changes may seem small, but considering the enormous historical success of the Honor System, small changes are often the only right changes. Some may call me idealistic for writing an article in the Phi about these things, perhaps believing students do not care or simply will not understand. We can understand and we will care when we realize we should. If you have an opinion about any of these ideas, contact your Executive Committee representatives and share your feelings. EC members deserve your opinion and you deserve their open minds. Our student generation has received the gift of the Honor System from the students who came before us. The system does not survive by chance, or luck, or because it perpetuates itself. It only survives because each generation collectively sets out to maintain and improve upon it. For the thousands of students who follow us, students we may never meet, we must continue that enduring tradition and firm commitment to honor. The gravest threat to the Republican Party is in Arizona If Chris Simcox can ride a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment to primary victory over McCain, kiss Hispanic votes goodbye By Abel Delgado COLUMNIST If I were a wealthy Democrat looking to destroy the Republican Party, there is one senatorial cam- paign I would donate as much as possible to: Chris Simcox’s Arizo- na Republican Primary campaign against Senator John McCain. Simcox is the co-founder of the Minutemen Defense Group, the anti-immigrant organization that has volunteered to watch the U.S.-Mexican border and build walls that do a better job of keep- ing Hispanics out of the Repub- lican Party then they do keeping illegal immigrants out of country. My first column for the Phi over two years ago dealt with the Minutemen and their supporters, a small but vocal segment of the party with overtly racist messages and intentions that made Hispan- ics across the nation feel unwel- come. These thinly disguised bigots who portrayed themselves as pa- triots for deciding who had the right to call themselves Ameri- can, these people who thought that having the last name Roberts made them more deserving of the American Dream than someone with the last name Rodriguez, these people who thought a wall would solve our problems as if Jericho’s, China’s, and Berlin’s did any good - these people made my blood boil. I’ve always been teased and even ridiculed by my liberal friends for being a Republican but the only time I ever felt ashamed to call myself a Republican was when the anti-immigrant wave swelled through my party’s ranks. Of course, it wasn’t like the Democrats were exactly “pro-im- migrant” either and a few Repub- lican Senators tried their hardest to come up with a workable solution to immigration issue. Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Mel Martinez (himself an im- migrant) were some of the most influential supporters of com- prehensive immigration reform. McCain especially had plenty to lose back in 2006 and 2007, when a pro-immigrant record could have easily cost him any chance of winning the Republican Presi- dential Primary. That didn’t keep him from standing up for what he believed in. No doubt Chris Simcox is now standing up for what he believes in. He believes we are in serious danger because of our lack of border security. It is hard to ar- gue with him given recent events in Mexico. But Simcox misses the point completely. If you want to fix the immigra- tion problem, the drug problem, the human trafficking problem, and every other border problem, the solution starts in Mexico, not the U.S. And if you want to stop terrorists, you are paying atten- tion to the wrong border. Even if you build a 20 foot wall across the Mexican border, the only thing you will get is plenty of twenty- one-foot ladders. Republicans should also look at this practically. Arizona was blue enough to elect Janet Napol- itano its governor. Its population is 30 percent Hispanic. Senator McCain won reelection in 2004 with 77 percent of the vote, due in large part to his support within the Arizonan Hispanic community. If Simcox somehow manages to beat McCain he has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning in the general election. Looking at this from a national perspective, the more attention Simcox gets the next two years, the worse Republicans will look in the eyes of Hispanic voters. And if President Obama manages to pass comprehensive immigra- tion reform without the support of Republicans, the GOP can forget about winning the Hispanic vote for decades. Anyone with a grasp on US demographics knows that no party or candidate will suc- ceed nationally without Hispanic support. Hispanics should be a natural constituency for Republi- cans because of their social val- ues, strong ties to the military, and love of the American Dream. But because of Republican mistakes, they are not. It would be an absolute shame to see such a principled public servant like Senator McCain go down in his own party’s primary for a state he has served honor- ably. But beyond being a shame, it would also be political suicide for any Republican who actually wants to win elections. OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_004.2.txt 4 0 THE RING—TUM PHI THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009 opinions Welcome back alumni, we hope things are as you left them Although much has changed at W&L, the current students are making sure our honor and traditions are untouched By Crlghton Allen cow M NIST Alums, welcome back. I have no doubt that you are definitely planning on it, but I encourage you to take a stroll through cam- pus. See what’s changed since you last ventured to Lexington, like the snazzy renovations done to the main floor of the library or, if you missed it in the Fall, the new, the state-of-the-art Wil- son Field. If you lived in Baker Dorm and want to show your kids your old room, you may be surprised to find a Religion or History professor‘s office occu- pying the space you once called home while he waits for New- comb Hall to be renovated. Things are definitely chang- ing around here - or are they? These days, I frequently seem to hear students saying that W&L seems to be moving away from the old traditions that used to define our school. I’ve thought about W&L, its history, and its place in the future a lot lately, and have come to believe that, as the old adage goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. True, maybe the fraternity system in coming under more fire these days than it used to, and certain aspects of our school, such as gender relations, need serious attention. But I firmly believe that our school and the students that comprise it have never been better. Take a min- ute and reflect on the things that define our school, the charac- teristics that make W&L differ- ent from every other school out there. The things that make our school unique, things like the su- perior education we receive, the Honor System and student self- governance, and a general atmo- sphere of civility and respect are still here, alive and as prevalent as ever. Our school has always been about the first—class education it gives its students. That has not, nor ever will ceased to be the case. Thanks in part to the gen- erous support of alums like Mr. Lenfest, the school can provide its current faculty with excellent salary compensation and hope- fully, this will continue to bring in even more outstanding pro- fessors to W&L. The nation’s best and brightest students have always chosen to attend W&L, but now with the Johnson Schol- arship Program, this further en- sures that the nation’s top high school seniors will fight for the privilege of walking along the Colonnade as a W&L student. The new academic minor pro- gram now will give students fin- ther room to take advantage the liberal arts education. W&L kids rack up scholarships and fellow- ships, great jobs, and admittance letters into top graduate schools like the Cincinnati Bengals foot- ball team racks up police reports. It was as true now as it was in 1940; W&L gives its students an education that can take them as far as they want to go in life. For years, a diploma from W&L has signified that its hold- er is not only a person of great learning, but a person of even greater character. This is due to the culture of honor that our school cultivates through the unique Honor System. Every day, students take tests unproc- tored and leave their belongings out in the open; these actions that are so commonplace here are unheard of at almost any other campus in the nation. The glue that holds this Honor System to- gether, the mutual trust we have in each other, has been cemented by the decades it has proven to be true and effective. In the rare instances where a breach of this trust occurs, neither the faculty nor the administration handle the infractions. This is left to the students themselves, via the Executive Committee of the Student Body. As long as there is a W&L, there will be a community of trust. Nothing, not the passage of time, nor the changing values of our society at large will be able to change this. When the Class of 2009 cel- ebrates Commencement in a few short weeks, the diplomas they receive will reflect as strongly as ever the features of character and honor that animate every gradu- ate of our school. While this community is not perfect, I place my utmost in confidence in our students to ad- dress the issues that merit atten- tion and to work to solve them in order to enhance our school. Alumni young and old, those present here for the Alumni Weekend, and those far away, I write this column mindful of W&L’s great past and hopeful for future bright with prom- ise. If we here now can achieve great things, it will be because you have left us strong legacy on which to build. If I have one hope for the returning alumni, other than you closing down the party at your old fraternity house, it is that after interacting with the students here, you will continue to be as proud of your school as you were the day you graduated. The defining features of our school that were in born in its past are still here and the stu- dents of today are up to the task of keeping them alive and strong. We promise so on our Honor as Washington and Lee students. Undergrad voter apathy, not rude e-mails, are the problem Undergrads have little room to be upset over Eric Hoffman is EC election - only 24% of them bothered with voting By Jacob Geiger COLUM NIST It’s been a strange few years for the Honor System at Wash- ington and Lee. April 2007 saw the first open hearing in 12 years, with the accused student win- ning his case and being allowed to stay at W&L. Last year was partially con- sumed by a discussion about whether or not the Executive Committee — rather than the Student-Faculty Hearing Board ~ should handle sexual assault cases, and whether sexual as- sault could be prosecuted as an honor violation. And now we find ourselves facing the first Student Body Meeting in at least five years. Student body meetings, for he Frankly, nearly inconceivable those of you unfamiliar with the arcane workings of the White Book (i.e. almost everyone) can be called if 100 students sign a petition requesting a meeting. If 1,000 students show up, then the meeting can do everything from chang the White Book to‘im- peach members of the EC. Senior has Anthony Ives or- ganized such a meeting, which will be held this coming week. Ives was upset by E-mails sent by new EC President Eric Hoffman to several different law school groups during the March EC campaign. In the E-mails, Hoffman and his friends argued that he should be elected presi- dent because law students “can provide a more informed and mature point of view” in honor ttolheetilnr student body must meet Failure to muster a quorum will be a failure to care about ourselves group adequate opportunity to reach hearings. Now Ives and the other stu- dents organizing next week’s meeting have said they won’t necessarily try to impeach Hoff- man. And I think it’s a good sign that Hoffman will appear at the meeting. He told the Phi that he will address the campaign E-mails when he speaks to the group. But if undergraduates are unhappy with the new EC Presi- dent, they have only themselves to blame. Only 40 percent of students voted in the initial elec- tion, when Hoffman led the five candidates with about 272 votes. Turnout in the runoff between Hoffman and undergraduate junior John Twomey was even more pathetic, with 719 students ure to communicate (on the part of — about 33 percent of the total student body — showing up to vote. And those numbers are re- ally deceiving. Only 24 percent of undergraduates voted in the runoff, while turnout among law students was 74 percent. How on earth can the under- graduates explain a turnout gap of 50 percentage points? Ives argues that the voting stations were poorly located on the Hill, closed early and weren’t open long enough. I’m not buying those claims. Selwyn Turner and Kathleen Morphis have been running EC elections for the past three years. We’ve never had problems in the past, and I’ve seen no evidence that this year’s election was con- ducted in a different fashion past runoffs. Ives said he believes far more than 24 percent of undergradu- ates wanted to vote on Election Day. I think he may be engaging in wishful thinking. Apathy has clouded our EC elections for each of my four years at W&L. Turnout has rarely been above 50 percent, especially on the undergraduate side of campus. In fact, some of the highest turnout rates usually come in the freshman EC elec- tions each fall. So why do students stop vot- ing? Why do undergraduates not care about who will be settling honor cases and handing out hundreds of thousands of dollars in school money twice a year? When this student body meeting finally does occur, maybe Ives shouldn’t focus on Hoffman’s E-mails. The new president’s attitude was rude and condescending — that’s true. It appears that many law students look down on those of us across the creek as intellectual inferiors who aren’t as mature or thought- ful as them — that’s also true. But rude E-mails — while disappointing ~ are not nearly as problematic as terrible voter apathy. We have an undergradu- ate student body that apparently doesn’t care who its leaders are or how they operate. Maybe we should fix that problem before we worry about impeaching the EC president. THE ----- -- WASIIINGTONAND LEEUNIVERSITY RING—TUM Pm. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR ALLISON CHOPIN DIANDRA SPICAK CODY BEAUCHAMP STEPHANIE HARDIMAN WILL DORRANCE things are happening on this cam- pus. Indeed, during the most dreaded part of the worst academic term, 109 of your classmates signed a petition calling for a Student Body Meeting. As the name would suggest, the entire student body is invited to con- vene in one location and is invested with certain powers. Specifically, upon reaching a quorum of one half of the total enrollment of Washington and Lee University (slightly more than one thousand students) we have the fiill power to rescind non—honor related decisions of the EC or to re- move “unsatisfactory” oflicers elect- ed to the EC. Why would so many of your fellow students petition for a meeting equipped with such serious powers? You likely know of the first reason because it has been reported exten- sively here in the Phi. We believe, and we understand that EC President Eric Hoffman also agrees, that an as- semblage of the student body is an excellent venue for him to explain the e-mail that was posted in this paper before Spring Break. Moreover, and this has not been reported previously, the actual elec- toral returns from the EC Presidential Election were similarly problematic. Examining the turnout in the elec- tion it has become apparent that while only about 24% of undergrads voted in the election approximately 74% of law students voted. This led to a his- torically low (even for W&L) turnout of around a third. Ultimately, the sum of all these numbers means that only 6% of the undergraduate student body voted for current EC President Hoff- man. The meeting will also present an excellent venue to ascertain whether a mere quarter of the undergraduate student body really sought to vote or whether electoral regulations will have to be redeveloped to give each the polls. Unfortunately, and similarly in- conceivable, are the policies, proce- dures, and general student climate on the topic of sexual assault. According to ofiicial statistics published by the school and mandated by Federal law there has been one forcible sexual of- fense (includes anything from rape to unwanted sexual touching) on this campus in the last four years. Dean Dotson confirms that in the past four years there has been no sexual assault case heard by the SF HB. Given the problem that we know exists on campus, these numbers are simply impossible. Whether it be formally defining sexual assault as an honor violation or taking some other action the meeting will enable the student body to firmly decide that this issue will be neither skirted nor swept under the rug any longer. Further and perhaps more incon- ceivably, this school remains com- the EC AND the student body) and in so doing begin to solve the previ- ously addressed problems. The true aim of the meeting is to re-establish a dialogue about what it means to be honorable and what it means to truly be part of a campus in which student self-govemance is of critical impor- tance. If no officers are removed and no decisions are revoked the meeting will not end in failure. In fact, that would be the desirable outcome. However, nothing about this de- sire for cordiality and discourse in any way reduces the need for ac- countability. The framers of our Stu- dent Body Constitution realized that sometimes accountability can only be accomplished through the powers vested in the Student Body Meeting no matter how regrettable it might be to utilize those powers. This underlies what a true failure of the meeting might entail. If we the Student Body fail to convene in CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN EDITOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS MANAGER DISTRIBUTION MNGR. CRIGHTON ALLEN SCOTT CENTORINO IEAN CHAPMAN KEVIN CORN MEGAN DAILY ABEL DELGADO LIZZ DYE NEVILLE FOGARTY JACOB GEIGER KATIE HATFIELD JAMIE KIM TED MOORE BROOKE SUTHERLAND HOLLY SUTHERS VICTORIA TAYLOR RUSS WEEMS LARA IORDAN MORGAN HARRIS STROCK MOORE ROB GEORGE pletely in the dark as to the number of honor investigations undertaken since February first of this year. Though this is through no fault of current EC Secretary Bill Larson, who thus far is producing excellent and detailed minutes of EC meetings, the current environment on campus between the students and their representatives might hardly be seen to be one of mu- tual trust and respect. Truly the problem of transparency runs deeper than even the previous EC. It stems from a generalized lack of communication between the stu- dent body and our leaders. Despite the best efforts of many, I still believe the vast majority of students to be un- aware that all scheduled EC meetings are open to the public so long as the EC does not adjoum into Executive Session. Ultimately the Student Body Meeting is about remedying this fail- sufiicient numbers we prove the nay- sayers right. We miss an opportunity for redressing past problems and pre- venting new ones from occurring. We even defeat the very possibility of accountability by failing to arrive in the numbers necessary for a quorum. On the other hand, success will not result in the end of sexual assault on campus or an instantaneous creation of a responsible EC or student body. But it will be a start, an inconceivable Signed, We the People By Anthony Ives and Regina Mills For more information see the Face- book group “We the People -- Stu- dent Body Meeting” at: http://www.facebook.com/ group. php?gid=6743065 3090 WLU.EDU. 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, BUT IS OTHERWISE INDEPENDENT. QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THE PHI SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE EDITORS AT PHI@WLU.EDU OR TO THE MEDIA BOARD AT MEDlABOARD@ THE MEDIA BOARD IS AN INDEPENDENT, STUDENT—RUN EDITORIAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WORKING WITH ALL MEDIA OUTLETS ON THE WASHINGTON & LEE CAMPUS. ALL INQUIRIES WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. 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 I FAX: (540) 458-4059 EMAIL: PHl@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_005.2.txt THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI ° 5 arts&life ‘ GAB Comedy: a hoot and a half Top comedians bring their “ha ha is ” from the big leagues to the Colonnade .) By Katle Hatfleld smrr WRITER “My mouth tastes like Tris- cuits, weed and loneliness,” Jas- per Redd began. If it sounds edgy, it was. Known for pushing the enve- lope in terms of political incor- rectness, Redd was the most re- cent performer that the General Activities Board brought for its comedy division last Wednes- day. A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Redd has performed on Comedy Central, “Last Call with Car- son Daly,” “Def Comedy Jam,” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” GAB was formed to attract a wide range of entertainment for the Washington and Lee commu- nity by booking concerts, come- dians and other activities. GAB Comedy, the brainchild of senior Morgan Harris, has only grown in popularity since it began three years ago. Part of the program’s suc- cess can be attributed to its sizable budget used to attract well-known or soon-to-be-well- known talent. “Sophomore year I was grant- ed $5,000, and due to the success of events, I now have $20,000 at my disposal for a year of quality comedic entertainment,” Harris said. And quality was what the W&L audience received. “Jasper was ridiculous!” first- year Ryan Henner said. “You have to be good to have a whole show about racism and not make it uncomfortable, but he pulled it off.” Redd discussed with abandon the not so gracious origins of the Whopper Jr., the absurdity of the McDonald’s mascot, Grimace and receiving pajamas as a 30th birthday gift. He even poked fun at W&L’s mor from things he determines as forms of “subtle racism.” But despite the taboo subject matter, Redd had Stackhouse Theater cracking up at the prospect that “white chocolate” was revenge “You have to be good to have a whole show about racism and not make it uncomfortable, but he pulled it off ” Ryan Henner, flrst-year beloved mascot, the General. “The Generals? More like the Masters,” Redd said, referring to the fact that both Washington and Lee owned slaves. Redd derives much of his hu- for “chocolate milk.” W&L senior Matt Harkins warmed up the crowd for Redd with some jokes of his own. He earned many laughs through his frank discussions of P.E. require- ments, the people of Lexington and the W&L population. Harkins was a pleasure to listen to because he is a member of his own target audience, and therefore everyone could relate to just about anything he dis- cussed. Whether it was having a rough night and not knowing what kind of hangover he was dealing with, meeting “interesting” towns- people while running errands or the potential illiteracy of the student body, Harkins poked fun at aspects of W&L life that most people found amusing. First-year Kelli J arrell, a first- time attendee of a GAB Comedy event, became a fan of Harkins almost immediately. “I really enjoyed it. It was funny to hear a lot of the ri- diculous things about Lex and W&L,” she said. Despite the laughs and GAB Comedy’s success, don’t expect Lexington to host the likes of Dane Cook anytime soon. When asked whether or not GAB Comedy would ever try to elicit such a top-billed performer, Harris said he doesn’t think so. “The comics we bring in for $3,000 often put on a better show,” he said. But GAB does plan on bring- ing Arj Barker this term. Barker, one of the “best in the business,” according to Har- ris, plays “Dave” on the popular HBO series “Flight of the Con- chords.” GAB Comedy’s future should be a treat for comedy connois- seurs and fledgling fans alike. Hillel honors, remembers Holocaust victims Annual Holocaust Remembrance Week plans speakers and events to raise awareness for genocide and injustice By Llzz Dye STA FF WRITER Tonight Hillel will present Holocaust survivor George Salton as the keynote speaker for Holocaust Remembrance Week. The week-long event strives both to remember the horrifying murder of six million Jews and to raise awareness to prevent future acts of genocide. Salton lived through 10 different concentration camps throughout Germany, France and Poland before he was liberated by American forces when he was 17. He was the only one in his family to survive. Having only a fifth grade education and speaking very little English, Salton emigrated to America and earned a master’s degree in engineering. Salton has been featured on CNN’s “NewsNight” and National Public Radio to speak about his experiences. His memoir, “The 23rd Pslam,” was published in 2002. “If there is one thing you do all week, please come see Mr. Salton speak. There is nothing more eye-opening than hearing a Holocaust survivor speak,” sophomore Brian Cherry, a member of Hillel and one of the coordinators of Holocaust Remembrance Week, said. The lecture will begin at 5 p.m in the Stackhouse Theater. The week rounds out on Friday with the Yom Hashoah service in Elrod Commons Room 345 led by Dean Hank Dobin. The service includes prayers for Holocaust survivors and is a way to honor and remember their deaths. The week kicked off on Monday with the film “Defiance” in the Stackhouse Theater. -The film is based on the true story of a group of 1,200 Jews in Belarus who successfully hid in the forest from the Nazis. Tuesday night included a vigil to remember the lives lost during the Holocaust. During the vigil, students, faculty and staff took turns reading the names of victims. Cherry said that by saying the names of the victims, especially children, it made the Holocaust “more real” in peoples’ minds. Sophomore Tracy Richardson organized and planned the events for the week. She gave the opening comments at the vigil. “Let us promise ourselves and our martyrs that we shall never forget the horrible tragedy of the Holocaust; that we may remain forever vigilant against those who pursue genocide, oppression, and hate,” she said. On Wednesday night, the AcademyAward-winningfilmfor Best Picture, “Schindler’s List,” was shown in the Stackhouse Theater. The film chronicles the life of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved dozens of Polish Jews by employing them in his factories. Environmental Studies Luncheon and Alumni-in-Residence Series Sarah Tilbor ‘08 Craig Cheney '87 with Project Performance Corporation Thursday, May 7 for lunch at 12:15 Commons 114 No RSVP required Questions? Call Career Services at 540 458 8595 ‘twt 8 E51? IN GT C) N A. M 3} $3.133. LE I Y,€E.R.SIT‘l” CAREER®SERVlCES Across 6 Crystal MN locale 2 bedroom basement Private entrance Full bath, living, and kitchen 2 blocks from campus 540.463.6951 for move into. belt 1 Get a new tenant 10 Go on and on Letters and number on a telephone button 15 Diamond Heads 16 15-Across, eg. 17 "I got a and the only prescription... is more cowbell." — Closed for Renovations by Neville L. 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I 10 Power plant unit 40 Okra 5 “Q55” for one 65 Like pants needing a “mom; Shape OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_006.2.txt 6 ° THE RING-TUM PHI THURSDAY,APRll. 30,2009 sports Both tennis teams compete at ODACs ' Women win title for 19th straight year, men lose in championship for first time in 13 seasons By Brooke Sutherland STA FF W RITE R Schools from all over the region traveled to Lexington last weekend to compete in the men’s and women’s tennis ODAC tournament. The Washington and Lee women took first place while the men lost in the championship game. The women’s team made a clean sweep of its conference opponents, dropping only three games total in their three matches. The Generals defeated Hollins 5-0 in the quarterfinals, Randolph-Macon 6-0 in the semifinals and Virginia Wesleyan 5-0 in the finals for their 19th consecutive ODAC championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. “This weekend, we really had a solid team effort,” said head coach Eric Ishida. “It’s easy for us to take the ODAC teams for granted since we have been so successful against them, but I think our girls knew that we had to show up with the best team and play like the best team.” Facing off against eighth-seeded Hollins, the Generals quickly set the tone for their tournament performance. Senior Katie Tabb and junior Lauren Caire defeated Katie Dotson and Maggie Bai 8-1 in the number-one doubles spot. First-years Ann Morris and Trelsie Sadler also added a victory (8-0) over Shawnte Woodson and Lydia Coyne in the number-two doubles spot. F irst-year Lauren Lukas and senior Meg Spalitta rounded out the doubles with an 8-2 win over Peyton Brogan and Caitlyn Cooper. In singles, the equally unstoppable. Generals Junior were Blair Brzeski dominated Coyne in a 6-0, 6-0 ‘i The men’s and women's tennis teams competed in the ODAC tourna- ment this weekend, as the Lady Gener- als are seen from this aerial view from Cadaver Bridge. The women beat Virginia Wesleyan 5-0 in the championship while the men fell to Hampden-Sydney 5-3 . In the conference finals. Track competes at ODACs Men ’s team places third, Lady Generals take second victory on the fifth line, and Morris stunned Cooper at 6-0, 6-0 in number- six singles. “We all went into each match with something to work on to keep us focused,” Morris said. “Whether it was working on being aggressive at the net or poaching or for singles, just focusing on coming into the court more often. I think that really helped us.” The Generals next faced off against fifth-seeded Randolph Macon in the semifinals. W&L simply demolished the Yellow Jackets, winning every match in straight sets. Tabb and Caire defeated Windsor Tyler and Martha Vlahakis 8-0 in number-one doubles, followed by an 8-0 victory by Morris and Sadler over Leslie Hainley and Margaret Giffen for number-two doubles. Lukas and Spalitta also walked away with an 8-0 victory over Jade Thompson and Blair Kersh for number-three doubles. In singles, it was the same story of W&L domination. Tabb defeated Taylor 6-0, 6-0 on the first line, and Brzeski added to her win from the previous day with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Giffen in number-three singles. First-year Jen Snyder also contributed a 6-0, 6-0 win over Hainley for number-two singles. With two strong victories behind them, W&L headed to the finals to face off with second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan. The Generals had already defeated the Marlins 9-0 early on in the season, and this match-up would prove to be no different. Virginia Wesleyan was held without a win and without a game as the Generals charged forward with a 5-0 win. In singles, Snyder defeated Meredith Willett 6-0, 6-0 in the number- three singles s ot while Brzeski capped off her strong tournament showing with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Shannon Shabo at number-four singles. Spalitta defeated Morgan Franklin 6-0, 6-0 for number- five singles and Morris won at number- six singles by default when Virginia Wesleyan failed to provide a player. The nurnber—three doubles match was also decided by default. Finishing with a 19-4 record, the Generals also took home several individual honors. For the second year in a row, Ishida was named ODAC Coach of the Year and Tabb was tapped as ODAC Player of the Year. “Katie has just been a terrific leader both this year and last year,” Ishida said. “She played. well all season. Of course she had a couple losses, but she responded well and turned things around quickly. She is a great person to have in the number-one spot. All the younger girls look up to her for how she fights through matches.” Additionally, first-year Ellen Yeatrnan was named ODAC Rookie of the Year for her efforts this season. Yeatrnan compiled an impressive ll-2 doubles and 9-4 singles record during her first spring season. “It’s a great honor, especially since my coach took the effort to nominate me,” Yeatrnan said. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot. The team has really pushed me, and I’ve learned a lot from them.” “We knew Ellen was a very talented player as a [high school] junior,” Ishida added. “We’re excited to have her come in and develop under our program. She hasn’t been 100 percent this season because of injuries, but she continues to win matches and compete at a high level.” MORGAN HARRIS / Staff Photographer With the ODAC trophy firmly in hand, the Generals are now turning their sights to the upcoming NCAA championships. “Really what ODACs are all about is getting that automatic bid to the NCAAS,” Ishida said. “That’s what we’re playing for.” The team will find out its first opponent and location May 2 and begin NCAA play May 8. W&L will face a much harder regional than it has seen in recent years with four top 10 teams vying for a spot in the next round. But after the Generals’ stunning performance in the ODAC championships this weekend, Ishida has every right to be optimistic about his team’s chances. “Our regional is a lot tougher this year and I don’t want to look too far ahead,” he said. “But I think we’re one of the best teams in the country. If everyone plays well at the same time on the same day, I think we’ve got a great shot to do really well.” On the men’s side, the nationally 25th ranked W&L team defeated Guilford 9-0 in the quarterfinals and Roanoke College 8-1 in the semifinals, but fell to Hampden-Sydney 5-3 in the finals, breaking a string of 13 consecutive titles and marking the Generals’ first loss to an ODAC opponent since 2000. The top-seeded Generals started out strong against eighth-seeded Guilford on Friday, sweeping both the doubles and singles. At number-one doubles, sophomores Will Hall and Tim Watson took a 9-7 victory over Will Mason- Deese and Alec Chase. Junior Alex Brooke and senior McCardell followed with an 8-6 win over Ben Lewis and Patrick Childs at number-two doubles and first-years Jonathan Gaflhey and Mac Davis captured an easy 8-1 win over Garrett Tanner and Billy Dennis in number-three doubles In singles, McCardell dominated Mason-Deese 6-1, 6-3 on the first line. First-year Ben Fass echoed his victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win of his own over Chase in number-two singles. Watson contributed a 6-1, 6-0 win over Childs at number-three singles while Brooke took a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Lewis at number- four singles. Hall knocked ofi" Dennis 6- 0, 6-0 at number-five singles, and Davis completed the Generals’ sweep with a 6- 0, 6-0 win over Tanner at number six. A semifinal match-up against the fourth-seeded Roanoke Maroons posed a greater challenge for Washington and Lee, but the Generals held up under the pressure and delivered another solid victory. Hall and Watson defeated Jon Roy and Sam Sherill 8-4 in number-one doubles while Brooke and McCardell defeated DeWitt and Sam Jordan 8-1 in the number-two spot. Gaffney and first- year Jeremy Becht took the number-three doubles match at 8-2 over Alex Lyons and Drew Rogers. Although McCardell fell to Roy 4-6, 6-4, 12-10 in number-one singles, the other Generals held on to sweep the rest of the singles matches. Becht defeated Sherrill 7-5, 6-0 in the number-two spot, and junior Brent Meyers contributed a 7- 5, 6-3 win over Rogers for number-three singles. Fass won easily at number-four singles, knocking off Jordan 6-0, 6-0, and first-year Michael Freeman earned a 6-0, 6-2 victory over DeWitt at number- five singles. Watson closed out the match with a 6-3, 6-4 rout of Lyons at number- six singles. Heading into the finals against Hampden-Sydney, W&L seemed to be in control and poised to take their 14th straight ODAC title. The last time the Generals played the Tigers, they coasted to an easy 7-2 victory. But this time around things would not be so easy The Generals got off to a poor start, dropping two of the three doubles matches. Hall and Watson fell 8-3 to William Moss and Rick Pugh in number- one doubles and Brooke and McCardell suffered a tough 8-6 loss to Shad Harrell and Kevin Calhoun at number-two doubles. Gaffney and Becht gave the Generals their only win in doubles with an 8-4 victory over Tal Covington and Phillip Parrish in the number-three spot. In singles, the Generals continued to struggle. McCardell fell to Moss 7-5, 6-2 in number-one singles, and Meyers struggled against Harrell in number- three singles, losing 6-3, 6-3. The Generals stepped up to deliver victories in numbers-four, five and six singles matches. Fass defeated Calhoun 6-4, 6-4 at number four, followed by a 6-2, 6-1 victory by Freeman over Zack Pack at number five and a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win by Watson over Parrish at number six. When asked what the difference was between the championship and W&L’s regular-season Hampden-Sydney match, Becht said, “I don’t know, we just didn’t come out fired up, and they wanted it more.” For the first time in the last 13 years, the Generals will not receive the ODAC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. So now the men’s team must play the waiting game to find out whether it will receive an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA tournament. Becht, who was named co-ODAC men’s tennis Rookie of the Year, thinks that his team has a “very slim” chance to make the NCAAs, and summed up his first year, “It was a tough season. It was a rebuilding year, and I think we really showed that we have a lot of young talent and that we will be really dangerous in the next few years.” Environmental Studies Luncheon By Kevin Corn STAFF warren During the last weekend of Spring Break, the Washington and Lee men’s and women’s track teams competed at the 2009 ODAC championship, held here at Wilson Field. The women fin- ished second after earning 139 points while the men captured third with 103 points. Together, the teams gathered 26 All-ODAC citations, six ODAC individual champions, three school re- cords and two NCAA—qualifying marks. “The whole meet was a real nail-biter. We kept on bopping around from first to fourth to sec- ond, etc. Every event mattered,” said senior Becca Taylor. The women were led by se- nior Elizabeth Webb, who was also named the Co-Athlete of the Meet and the ODAC/Farrn Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Webb finished first in three different events: the 1500 with a time of 4:46.77, the 800 with a time of2:2l .17 and then the 5000 with a time of 18:58.30. Senior Stacy Doombos’s time of 14.89 in the 100 meter hurdles helped her to finish second, set a school record, and qualify for the NCAA in that event. Doombos earned a second qualifying mark in the long jump after a third place finish with a leap of 5.48 meters. Then in the high jump, Doombos finished third with a jump of 1.53 meters. “It was great that W&L hosted this year’s ODAC meet because it was an awesome way to cap off my W&L track experience,” com- mented Doornbos. “I was really happy with how the meet went. I was able to have some personal best performances which were really exciting and helped make the meet a memorable one.” Taylor captured the gold in the 3000-meter steeplechase, setting both school and ODAC records with a time of 11:22.19. She then took second in the 5000 meters with a time of 19:26.20. “Every time I run the steeple- chase, I love it even more,” com- mented Taylor. “The support of teammates, both on the sides and in the race with me, made all the difference. And now, my new time has really motivated me to keep on trying for that qualifying mark.” Top finishes in the steeple- chase also included senior Jess Shaw who finished second with a time of 11:34.64. In the high jump, junior Maggie Sutherland jumped 1.53 meters for a second- place finish. Junior Sallie Arm- strong finished third in the shot put after a toss of 10.89 meters. Senior Grace Andrews finished third in the discus after a toss of 33.99 meters. In the 400-meter hurdles, first-year Natalie Stier ran a time of 1:06.92 for a third- place finish. The men also had several strong performances. Senior Vance Berry finished second in the 1500 meters in a time of 4:02.49. His classmate Chip Mc- Coy also captured the silver in the 400 meters with a time of 57.49. Junior Ben Goetsch also finished second afier leaping 1.93 meters in the high jump. Junior Thomas Brandlein cap- tured third in the 400-meter race after running a time of 57.89. Se- nior Michael Welsh finished third in both the 1500 meters and 5000 meters. His times were 4:02.54 and 15:58.00, respectively. Soph- omore Jeff Giordano also earned two third-place finishes with a 11.08 in the 100 meters, and a 22.29 in the 200 meters. Junior Billy Billington was named the men’s ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He also won the hammer throw with a toss of 49.82 me- ters for a school record. He also captured the gold in the shot put with a toss of 13.70 meters and then took silver in the discus with a throw of 42. 15 meters. After the meet, Sutherland concluded, “The senior girls led the team to a great ODAC finish.” She added, “They pulled the rest of the team through, and we are going to sorely miss them. The class, as a whole, embodies awe- some athleticism, talent and lead- ership.” and Alumni-in-Residence Series Sarah Tilbor ‘08 Craig Cheney '87 Project Performance Corporation Thursday, May 7 for lunch at 12:15 Commons 1 14 No RSVP required Questions? Call Career Services at 540 458 8595 WA8HINGT{)N am: "LEE. LiNIV.I:’..R$I"I‘Y CAREER®SERVICES with OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_007.2.txt . . .-_._-.«~.— ‘>4 ...-._..\ .....—. ....r ..-.... .\..-/ _.. ,. _ i 1 I i I -3 THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 7 sports Men’s lacrosse advances to finals Generals beat Guilford 25-3 Saturday in quarters, Lynchburg I2-II Wednesday in semis MORGAN HARRIS / Staff Photographer By Megan Daily STAFF WRITER The nationally 1 0th—ranked Washington and Lee men’s lacrosse team advanced to the ODAC championship game with a 12-11 win over second-seeded Lynchburg Wednesday night. More information on the game was not available as of press time. On Saturday, the third-seeded Generals defeated Guilford 25-3 to advance to the ODAC semifinals. This is second-highest scoring lacrosse game in W&L history. Since moving to Division III in 1987, W&L has won eight ODAC championships and advanced to the NCAA tournament eight times, finishing as a semifinalist in 1987, 2000 and 2002. Even though they had easily defeated Guilford this season, 18-2, W&L came out with energy early in the ODAC tournament. W&L showed great offensive tenacity, outshooting their opponent 71-14. Fifteen different Generals were able to find the net. The Generals got a solid 9-2 lead going into the half and never looked back. They scored 10 more goals in the third quarter and in the last quarter put six more scores on the board. Senior attackman Harry St. John commented on his final ODAC tournament, “Playing in the tournament is more urgent than ever now that we are seniors. If we don’t get a bid to NCAAs, I would consider this season a failure.” Junior attackman Will Keigler had four goals and three assists to lead the offensive charge. Sophomore midfielder Drew Koeneman also netted four goals, and sophomore attackman Spence Daw tallied two goals and two assists. Senior midfielder Tim Skeen contributed two goals and an assist while junior midfielder Kevin Feeney and first-year midfielder Luke Walter added two goals each. To balance out the Generals’ attack, sophomore attackman Dan Sullivan, senior attackman Seth Fishman, sophomore midfielder Mark Wachtmeister, sophomore attackman Tom Hagner, sunior attackman Max Mancuso, senior midfielder Seldon Clarke, first-year midfielder Mike Ott, junior midfielder Chris Washington and senior midfielder Kevin Fuge all had one goal apiece. F irst-year attackman Scott Meehan had two assists. Sophomore midfielder Justin Donati, sophomore attackman Drew Mancini, first-year defenseman Alex Sturges, Sullivan and Washington each had one assist. The Generals also used four different goalkeepers during the game. Senior Connor Locke allowed 2 goals and had two saves in his 39:13 minutes of play. Junior Matt Mason was solid between the pipes for his 6:12 minutes. Sophomore Ned Lundvall had one save, and sophomore Jason Lumpkin allowed one but saved another. Overall the goalkeepers combined for four saves and only allowed three scores. With the quarterfinal win Saturday and the semifinal win Wednesday, W&L plays the winner of the Hampden—Sydney and Roanoke game in the ODAC championship Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Looking ahead to the rest of the playoffs, St. John remarked, “I would love our senior class to be remembered as the class that brought W&L lacrosse back to the national stage.” LEFT: The Generals’ bench watches as their teammates control Saturday's quarterflnal game against the Quakers. BELOW: Senior attackman Seth Fishman shoots on soph- omore Guilford goalkeeper Mark Guillen. Women’s lacrosse falls in ODAC finals Team does not win conference crown for first time since 2002 after 9-1] loss to Roanoke By Russ Weems surr warren The Washington and Lee women’s lacrosse team competed in the ODAC tournament last weekend. The Generals beat third-seeded Randolph-Macon 14-3 in the semifinals on Saturday and fell to top-seeded Roanoke 9-11 in the finals on Sunday. The second-seeded Generals came into the weekend ranked sixteenth in the nation with an 11-4 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the conference. W&L’s first test came against the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets. The Generals won the previous contest between the two by a score of 22-5. The Generals continued the dominance in the first half of last weekend’s contest. W&L played tough defense, only allowing one Yellow Jacket goal in the first 30 minutes. In one stretch in the first half, the Generals scored seven unanswered goals. The half ended with an 8-1 W&L advantage. Senior midfielder Colleen Evans and sophomore midfielder Emmy Mathews tallied two goals apiece before halftime. The second half was not much closer. W&L scored three of the first four goals, pushing the lead to 11-2. Junior attacker Meredith Freeman added two goals in this stretch. When it was all over, W&L had increased the final margin to 11 with a 14-3 victory. This win secured the Generals a spot in the ODAC finals for the eighth consecutive year. W&L’s impressive effort was led by a balanced offensive attack. Six Lady Generals scored multiple goals. F irst-year attacker Maddie McKaig led the way with three goals. Emmy Mathews. Evans, Freeman, sophomore attacker Britten Mathews and sophomore attacker Kate Speare all scored twice for the Generals. Senior midfielder Kelsi Robinson added a goal and an assist while senior attacker Katie Flippen had two assists. Sophomore Katharine Farrar played 42:38 in goal saving eight shots while ODAC championships coming into this season. The Generals also had a six-gamle win streak coming into the contest. W&L started out strong. “I think this past weekend was very chal- lenging for the whole team. The combination of expectations and good competition really tested us. ” Maddie McKaig, first-year attacker allowing three goals. First-year Jennifer Linder played 17:22 in goal and allowed no goals. This win moved W&L to the final game against the top-seeded Roanoke Maroons. Roanoke won the regular-season contest 12-8 on March 28. W&L had won the previous six straight Led by two goals from Kelsi Robinson, the Generals got out to a 5-0 lead. However, Roanoke battled back by going on a 3-1 run to close the half. This left the halftime score at 6-3. Roanoke continued the momentum into the second half, scoring the first three goals to tie the contest at 6-6. The teams then exchanged goals to knot the score up at seven. The tie was broken with 16:16 to play by a goal from Emmy Mathews assisted by Britten Mathews. After this point, Roanoke went on a run that would seal the contest. The Maroons scored four unanswered capped of by a goal from senior attacker Ella Wade with 6:27 left that gave Roanoke a 11-8 lead. Meredith Freeman would add a final goal for W&L, but it would not be enough as Roanoke walked away with an 11-9 win and the ODAC championship. However, W&L is still eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, which is set to begin May 6. Robinson led the Generals with three goals and an assist. Freeman added two goals. Evans, sophomore attacker Wilton Megargel, Emmy Mathews and first-year attacker Maddie McKaig also tallied goals for the Generals. Sophomore attacker Kate Donnelly and Britten Mathews each chipped in an assist. Sophomore Katharine Farrar played 55:13 in goal and made four saves. “I think this past weekend was very challenging for the ‘whole team. The combination of expectations and good competition really tested us. Even though Sunday’s outcome wasn’t what we wanted, we stay together,” said McKaig. The Generals return to action on Saturday when they travel to Christopher Newport for a 1:00 p.m. contest. Despite the loss, W&L looks forward to the rest of its season, with hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. “I am so ready to get back out there on Saturday and show everyone that we belong in the NCAA tournament,” said McKaig. Golf team wins ODAC championship again Generals prepare for NCAA tournament for second straight year, look to improve on 16th-place 2008 finish By Will Dorrance sronrs EDITOR On April 20, the Washington and Lee golf team came back from six shots down in the final round to win the ODAC champi- onships for the second consecu- tive year. The three-day tourna- ment was held at the Bay Creek Golf Club in Cape Charles, Va. The Generals started off the tournament on April 18 in second place with a team score of 329, eleven strokes behind the leader Guilford. In the second round, W&L twiddled the Quakers’ lead down to six, by shooting 311. Junior Robert Womble, who tied for fourth overall individual- ly (82-77-78—237), commented on the team’s confidence heading into the last round. “Going into the final day six back, we knew we were right there. Six shots is not hard to make up in team play, especially on a course as difficult as Bay Creek. “The courses were set up very difficult all three days, making low scores extremely difficult. We knew that if we could just pay five solid rounds, we would have an excellent chance to win,” said Womble. Junior Brad Watts, who was also in the three-way tie for fourth place (82-75-80—~237), focused on the start of his final round. “Being down six, we re- ally wanted to get off to a good start and put pressure on the rest of the field from the beginning. [Senior] Andrew Green did a tre- mendous job of this by posting a great score (75) early that re- ally set the tone for the rest of the team,” he said. In rainy and windy weather, the Generals shot their best score of the tournament, an aggregate 309, on the final day to win the championship by five strokes over Guilford. Speaking of the course condi- tions, Womble said, “The team concentrated on not trying to force a good round, instead play- ing steadily and patiently, letting good opportunities come to you. Avoiding a big number was espe- “Going into the final day six back, we knew we were right I there. ’ Robert Womble, junior cially important in playing Bay Creek well.” Watts echoed his teammate’s comments, “Because of the weather conditions, the course played two or three shots harder than normal, so it was very im- portant to be patient out there, especially on the final day.” Watts and Womble paced the Generals, earning all-toumament honors with fourth-place fin- ishes. Junior Joe Gibson tied for seventh place (81-81-76~238), Green tied for 18th (91-80-75— 246), and junior Matt Langan filled out the W&L line-up in 23rd place (84-79-86-249). While in Cape Charles, Womble was named first-team All-ODAC. In addition, Gib- son earned second—team honors while Watts earned an honorable mention for his season. With the conference crown, the Generals advance to the NCAA tournament for the sec- ond consecutive year. Last year, the team placed 16th with an individual third-place finish for Nathaniel James, a current as- sistant coach of the team. This year’s tournament will take place May 13-16 at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Looking ahead to nationals, Watts said, “In any tournament, your goal is to win, but with a 16th-place finish last year, we are looking to improve on that and hopefully finish in the top 10.” OCR::/Vol_112/WLURG39_RTP_20090430/WLURG39_RTP_20090430_008.2.txt THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009 8 ' THE RING-TUM PHI sports deck Tnuns FRI SAI SUN MoN Tues WED Baseball Golf ODAC M°“'° Finals Lacrosse 1 p.m. at NCAA 1st W°"'°"’9 GNU Round? Lacrosse 1 p.m. TBA Men's Tennis Women's Tennis at at Generals Combined M°"’5 Liberty Event challenge Duke Track Twilight 3 Twilight .m. 3 p.m. P 5 p.m. at Generals Combined at w°m°"’s “hefty Event challenge Duke 7'3“ Twilight Twilight 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 5 p.m. numbers 7 The number of consecutive conference championships by the W&L women’s tennis team after it beat Hollins 5-0, Randolph-Macon 6-0 and Virginia Wesleyan 5-0 in the ODAC playoffs this weekend. The program has 19 overall ODAC championships. 0 The number of ODAC championships by the W&L baseball team before Sunday's 10-6 win over Virginia Wesleyan. It was the team’s first con- ference championship since 1972 (when the team was in the College Athletic Conference) and only the second overall in the programs 102 years in existence. 13 The number of consecutive ODAC championships by the W&L men’s tennis team before it lost to Hampden-Sydney 5-3 Sunday in the con- ference championship. 5-0 The blown lead by the W&L women’s lacrosse team in the ODAC cham- pionship game Sunday. The team ended up losing 11-9 to Roanoke, who outscored the Generals 8-3 in the second half. The program ended its streak of six consecutive conference titles. 121-63 The final score in the Denver Nuggets’ win over the New Orleans Hor- nets in Game 4 of their NBA playoff series. New Orleans’ previous worst playoff loss was by 32 points to the Atlanta Hawks in 1998. The Nuggets’ previous largest playoff victory was by 30 points over the San Antonio Spurs in 1985. Game 4 gave the Nuggets the 3-1 series lead, but the teams played again Wednesday night; results were not available as of press time. box “I think the race was an exceptional milestone to bring rowing back to W&L.” Junior rowing co-captain Denis O’Leary on his club's race at the University of lchmond this past Saturday, W&L’s flrst Intercollegiate race In over 50 years. The men’s A and B teams both placed second while the women’s boat came In third In its race. W&L rowing reestablished itself In the 2006-2007 school year, but It had only held practices and lntra-squad races until Saturday. The program will host the annual Albert Sydney-Harry Lee Regatta this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on the Maury River. MORGANH s/ aff Photographer The Washington and Lee baseball team celebrates its 10-6 win over Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Championship Sunday. The team advances to the NCAA tournament, which begins on May 13. W&L baseball wins its see0nd—ever conference title By Will Dorrance SPORTS EDITOR The Washington and Lee baseball team won its first-ever ODAC champi- onship Sunday with a 10-6 win over Vir- ginia Wesleyan. It is only the second con- ference championships in the 102-year existence of the program. The Generals won the College Athletic Conference championships back in 1972. W&L finished the 2009 regular season with an 18-12 overall record and a 9-9 conference mark, earning them the sixth and last seed in the four-day ODAC tour- nament. W&L’s post-season began last Thurs- day at the Lynchburg City Stadium contest proved to be much different than W&L’s game the day before as both teams combined for 24 runs, but the Generals fell short in the slugfest, 10-14. First-year righthander Roger Strong was credited with the loss as he gave up seven runs in just four innings of work. Senior lefthander Casey Hartman surren- dered nine runs in 8.1 innings and earned the win for the Eagles. To remain in the double-elimination tournament, the Generals had to beat third-seeded Randolph-Macon, the 2008 ODAC champions, on Saturday. The game was tied in the top of the ninth in- ning when senior second baseman Byron Pester hit a two-run home run to left cen- “It was the best feeling in the world after that last out. The pile-up in the middle of the field was like a dream —- unlike anything else I ’ve ever experienced in sports. ” Jim Plantholt unior third baseman against top-seeded Lynchburg. Head coach Jeff Stickley spoke of his reaction to the Generals’ first-round match-up. “We knew they were a good team, but we were confident going into it, and we split with them in the regular season, so we knew we could beat them. I didn’t think they were playing that great the last week or two of the season, and I knew we were playing pretty good, so I thought it was a pretty good-match-up.” In Thursday’s game, junior righthand- er Chuck Davidson battled it out with Lynchburg’s junior righthander Bryan Breedlove in a pitching duel. The Hor- nets got on the board first with a run on a passed ball in the fourth, but the Generals bounced back scoring two runs in the sev- enth and ninth innings for the 4-1 upset. Davidson threw seven frames of one- run baseball to earn the win while Breed- love lost the game giving up two runs in 6.2 innings. Closer Brendan Clark re- corded a two—inning save for the Gener- als. Of the win, Davidson said, “It is very important to win the first game. It is even more important to win the first game over the number one-seeded team. We were all confident that we could win the whole thing, and the win was just one step closer to our preseason goal.” On Friday, W&L faced off with fourth- seeded Bridgewater, who had beaten Randolph-Macon on Thursday. Friday’s ter to give the Generals the eventual 8-6 victory. Clark earned the win in 4.2 innings of two-hit, scoreless relief. Sophomore pitcher Brian Jordan lost the game for the Yellow Jackets alter giving up the two- run homer to Pester. Just five hours after W&L’s win over Randolph-Macon, the team had to play the second game of its doubleheader— this one against fifth-seeded Ha1npden- Sydney, who was 2-0 in the tournament at the time. The Tigers would not stay undefeated for much longer as the Gener- als handed them the 6-1 loss. Davidson started again on Saturday on two days’ rest and went eight innings, giv- ing up just one unearned run. Sophomore righthander Mike Blanchard received the loss for Hampden-Sydney, giving up five runs in 5.1 innings. With the win, the Generals advanced to the ODAC championship Sunday for the third time in seven seasons, still look- ing for its first conference crown since 1972. They played Virginia Wesleyan, who had beaten Hampden-Sydney earlier in the day in an elimination game. The Marlins swept W&L in the schools’ regular-season double-header on March 7. Senior righthander Andrew Henderson got the starting ball for the Generals; sophomore righthander Gary Bulman, who earned the win in one of the ' games over W&L on March 7, started for Virginia Wesleyan. It did not take long, however, for the Generals’ offense to get to Bulman on Sunday. He was pulled from the game after surrendering four runs in the first in- ning while only recording one out on a sacrifice bunt. Junior third baseman Jim Plantholt spoke of Bulman’s struggles. “We knew [Virginia Wesleyan] was down on pitch- ing, and we were pretty sure Bulman was going to get the start. He’s usually pretty good but sometimes a little wild. “He was going on short rest, so our game plan was to be very patient and wait for a good strike to hit — not being over- aggressive and anxious, and it paid off. He had trouble throwing his curveball for a strike, and we jumped on his fast- ball, which was up in the zone,” Plantholt said. The pitching change did not slow down W&L’s hitters as the team scored ten runs overall in the first four innings, all before Virginia Wesleyan could get on the scoreboard. The Marlins did begin to claw their way back into the contest, but time ran out as the Generals won 10-6. Plantholt recalled the moment the last Marlins’ batter grounded out to junior shortstop John Ditore to win the Gener- als’ first ODAC championship. “It was the best feeling in the world after that last out. The pile-up in the middle of the field was like a dream — unlike anything else l’ve ever experienced in sports,” he said. With the conference trophy, W&L ad- vances to the NCAA tournament, which begins at the regional level on May 13. Speaking of his team’s plans for the days after the ODAC championship, Stickley said, “Well, number one, we are enjoying the championship for a couple of days. Number two, then, I’ll try to get them back down to Earth and get them back in the mindset of getting ready for another tournament.” Davidson, Peyster, Plantholt, senior centerfielder Terrence McKelvey and sophomore rightfielder Anthony Cardona were all honored as members of the all- tournament team; in addition, Davidson was awarded the Most Outstanding Play- er with a 0.00 post-season ERA in 15 in- nings on the mound. Stickley thought that his team’s confi- dence throughout the tournament helped them win the championship. “We were not shocked by winning it. We kind of knew we could, and I think once we won a game or two, the guys kind of expected it. And it was a lot of fun,” he chuckled.