OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091207/WLURG39_RTP_20091207_001.2.txt Love’s.labour’s laughs New student-run Shakespeare group gives C its first performance. ARTS & LIFE / page 4 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY RING-TUM PHI. MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 VOLUME CXIII, NUMBER 9 Students call on W&L community to contribute ideas on new policies and ideas to help end sexual assault on campus By Eric Gehman smrr warren The Women’s and Gender Studies department is holding‘ an open forum on sexual as- sault policy reform this coming Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. as part of a project for WGS296A, the Sexual Assault Prevention Work- shop. They have also started a new student group on campus called END IT. which seeks to end sexual assault at Washington and Lee over the next 20 years. Professor Melina Bell, who developed the course with se- nior Emily Coyle over last sum- mer, said that the purpose of the WGS296A course is to “not only study the problem” of sexual as- sault policy at W&L, but to “find some solutions and start a con- versation about implementing [them].” Students are preparing for the forum by studying “academic lit- erature... addressing how, why, and under what circumstances rape and sexual assault occur," as well as surveys and studies conducted locally by former and current W&L undergrads about the prevalence of sexual assault within the W&L community. Other members of the com- munity, such as Project Horizon director Judy Casteele, univer- sity counselor Jennifer Sayre, Dean of Students Dawn Wat- kins, Sergeant Miles Kelly of the Rockbridge County Sherriff’s Office and more visited the class throughout the semester to help the students gain a better un- derstanding of the problem on campus as they put together their own ideas and opinions about reforming policy and changing culture at W&L. Dr. Bell hopes that the fo- rum can “provide information about the nature and prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, and at W&L in par- ticular.” Her students will present dif- ferent proposals to reform school policy for sexual assault with the hope that those in attendance will offer their own opinions and suggestions as part of an ongoing dialogue within the community about how to end sexual assault at W&L. Bell wants “to get some good ideas from the commu- nity... about how to_improve or implement [policy recommenda- tions].” The group also hopes to “raise awareness... and connect with supporters who might be able to work with them as they work to end sexual assault at W&L,” according to Bell. The class has already met with the Student Faculty Hearing Board Ad-Hoc Review commit- tee and discussed ways to im- prove the adjudication of sexual assault at W&L, but Bell noted that the forum will be the first time the class presents a uni- fied set of proposals for both the SFHB and the administration. She hopes to submit the class’s proposals to the Student Affairs Committee once the class has re- ceived some feedback and input strategies, which is incredibly energizing.” Coyle herself pro- posed that the course be offered this year, and described herself as “thrilled” that other students signed up to join her cause. The class, comprised of all fe- male students, has members from all 6 NPC sororities, two athletic teams, the Captains Council, merit for sexual assault preven- tion and policy reform. As a part of the class, a rep- resentative from the national organization Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) visited campus and hosted a training seminar on political action and sexual assault prevention on col- lege campuses. “We ’re on the brink ofdiscussing concrete prevention strategies, . which is incredibly energizing. ...It is only with broad community support that we have "any chance of changing the prevalence of 1 sexual assualt here. ’ EMILY COYLE, senior from the community forum. Coyle urged the importance of “spreading the dialogue [about sexual assault] to all demograph- ics at Washington and Lee.” “Sexual assault isn’t simply a women’s issue,” she said, “and this will take a community-wide effort [to put an end to sexual as- sault on campus.]” Coyle called the class “a lot of work, but very rewarding” and believes that “we’re on the brink of discussing concrete prevention Student-Athlete Mentors, the Bonner Leaders program, Resi- dential Life, Peer Counselors, KEWL, SPEAK, Project Horizon and more; the group represents a wide variety of majors and many other campus organizations. Both Bell and Coyle felt that while the class represented a broad range of interests academi- cally, politically and socially, the lack _of male perspective caused some difficulties as they work to incorporate men into the move- Other members from the W&L community were invited as well and the group decided to coalesce into an organization known as END IT. to continue their efforts after the semester ends. Regarding the role of END IT. in next week’s forum, Coyle said that “it will come up, and we’ll certainly pass around a sign- up sheet for those interested in getting involve. However, what we’re presenting is really what the class has found. At this point, END IT. is an entity in itself and I’d hate to represent what the class is doing as the thoughts and feelings of the whole organiza- tion.” Coyle said that the new group is seeking to “extend member- ship, especially among first years, faculty and staff and male students,” and “start to work with other groups on campus who might share similar inter- ests in preventing sexual assault at W&L.” She stressed, “it is only with broad community sup- port that we have any chance of changing the prevalence of sexu- al assault here.” Calling in and speaking out Student organizations team up to call representatives and voice opinions for (or against) contested Stupak amendment By Eric Gehman STAFF warren A group of students orga- nized by Voices for Choice, the College Democrats and KEWL spent their past Wednesday eve- ning calling local representatives to protest the hotly debated Stu- pak Amendment to congressio- nal healthcare reform. The amendment, put forth by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), would restrict the so-called “Public Op- tion” government run-healthcare program from covering abortion procedures except in the case of rape, incest, or danger to the mother’s life. Plans purchased on the healthcare “exchange” with federal subsidies would also be restricted from including cover- age for elective abortion proce- dures. Democrats and pro-choice op- ponents of the amendment point out that while it would only le- gally limit those who buy health exchange on the federally sub- sidized healthcare exchange or those who elect to receive direct coverage from the federal gov- ernment, the economic repercus- sions- of such a restriction would cause private healthcare insur- ers to drop coverage for elective abortions as well, limiting wom- en’s options for reproductive choice through economic chan- nels rather than legal channels. Voices for Choice President sophomore Hallie Janson said she felt it “necessary that people on campus get involved with politics because we live in such an insulated environment.” She also had concerns that this legislation went beyond a simple disagreement in morality, but rather that it “limits and leg- islates women’s bodies.” For her organization, the call- in was a chance to promote a pro- choice cause on campus and help effect change at the federal level for an issue her group members are passionate about. A recent George Washington University study concluded that “...the terms and impact of the Amendment will work to defeat the development of a supplemen- tal coverage market for medical- ly indicated abortions.” The study also notes that “. .. the House legislation contains no direct economic incentive to create such a market... because supplemental coverage must of necessity commingle funds with basic coverage, the impact of Stupak/Pitts on states’ abil- ity to offer supplemental Medie- aid coverage to women insured through a subsidized exchange plan is in doubt.” Yet proponents of the amend- ment argue that it merely seeks to preserve the status quo with respect to the usage of federal funding for elective abortion pro- cedures. The Hyde Amendment, the current legislation barring the use of Medicaid funding for elec- tive abortion procedures, was the template for the Stupak amend- ment, according to its creator. Representative Stupak sought to maintain the government’s cur- rent policy without allowing for any new abortion legislation to become a part of the healthcare reform bill. Students For Life president senior Sarah Keckler comment- ed on the call-in, expressing her concern over the wording of or- ganizer senior Summer Sterling’s campus notice. According to Ke- ckler, Sterling’s notice read that “private insurance companies would be prohibited from fund- ing abortions.” “That is not the case,” Keckler said. “The amendment does not prohibit funding. In fact if you read it, you will find that it em- phasizes about five to six times that [prohibiting private funding] is what it’s not going to do.” Keckler also expressed con- cern over the unawareness that surrounds the Stupak bill, citing that she had trouble finding the actual amendment online. How- ever, Keckler mentioned that Students For Life have plans in the works for supporting aware- ness and the bill itself. “We would like to do a cam- paign increasing the awareness of the campaign,” she said. “The problem is timing, though. We’d like to do something in January, seeing as that is a month that is a big month for pro-life organiza- tions, with events like March for Life, etc. We just have to see ifit will be relevant enough by then, seeing as it’s backed-up in Con- gress at the moment.” Sterling, other members of KEWL and members of the Col- lege Democrats were unavailable for interviewing. The GW Study mentioned earlier can be found at http:// www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/de- partments/healthpolicy/dhp_ publications/pub_uploads/ dhpPublication_FED314C4- 5056—9D20-3DBE77EF6— ABFOFED.pdf. OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091207/WLURG39_RTP_20091207_002.2.txt n -' :1!" WASHEHGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VA 24450 DEII 0‘ 8 2398 2- THE RING-TUM PHI MONDAY, DECEMBER 7. 2009 opinions Gift ideas that woflf get you in troufie Struggling to think of the perfect gift to buy your cherished ones? By Stockton Bullltt OPINIONS EDITOR The holiday season is already upon us. Christmas Weekend is already over, the Lexington holi- day parade is next week and finals start right after that. Now, while you are most like- ly spending most of your time left at Washington and Lee studying your brains out and worrying how many points exactly it will take for you to reach a passing grade for each of your classes, you need to remember that with the holiday season comes presents, and now that you’re an adult, you actually have to buy some presents your- self. After doing some “intense research” (otherwise known as browsing the intemet during the SEC Championship Game), I have discovered all the perfect gifts for each treasured person in your life. But hey, maybe you don’t like my idea for a gift, so I’ve also thrown in what not to buy for each trea- sured person in your life. Why do I do this? Well, you’d be surprised at the mistakes some people make with their choices in Christmas gifts. Nothing is more awkward than seeing your mom unwrap the Victoria’s Secret San- ta lingerie while the whole family watches. Trust me. So, without further ado, here is what to get and what not to get for each person you might possibly buy presents for: Dad- The best gift a child can give their father is a gift that si- multaneously makes your dad feel more like a man and benefits your life in some way. Using this meth- od, the perfect gift for your dad this Christmas is the Big Green Egg. The Big Green Egg is a kind of charcoal grill that was original- ly used in ancient Japan and more or less makes the perfect man grill. Plus, now your dad’s burnt steaks won’t taste too bad. Sure, it costs about $500 or so, but you love your dad, right? The sure-fire gift you don’t want to give your dad is a letter from Dean Dotson detailing how you recently got a strike. Nothing really ruins the spirit of family love on the holidays like your dad berating you for needing to talk back to security while you were wasted. A letter like that is best saved until after New Year’s. Mom- The best way to not only earn a little extra love from your mom over the holidays but also to reassure her that you are actually doing some work in Lex- ington is to give her a new copy of a book that you recently read in either your History or Eng- lish classes. That way, you can talk about the book like you ac- tually know something about it, and even if you didn’t read the book, you can simply regurgitate the notes that you jotted down in class. Just tell her that you saw this book in the bookstore, and “it just screamed you.” This move will buy you a good amount of love over the holidays. If you’re pressed for time and desperate for a present, please do not buy your mom the new Eminem album, “Refill,” which is released on Dec. 21. Although he may have inspired you by get- ting out of 8- mile, I have a hunch that your mother probably doesn’t identify with his plight. Brother- You want your broth- er to think you’re cool, whether he be older or younger, so why not properly impress him with something he definitely wants no matter how old he is. Once he hits puberty, the one real present your brother wants from you pe- rennially is alcohol. So why not appease him and get him a nice handle of Jack Daniels? If he’s older than you, he’ll nod silently in gratitude, and if he’s younger, he’ll probably build a shrine to you in his closet. Conversely, your brother prob- ably won’t think you’re very cool if you get him “Hannah Montana: The Movie” on Blu-ray. He es- pecially won’t think you’re cool if you tell him about the special new features and awesome ‘de- leted scenes featuring Billy Ray Cyrus’ hilarious acting while he’s unwrapping it. Sister- Since I personally have no idea what my sister likes when it comes to gifts, my choice is a Bath and Body Works gift certifi- cate. That way, I won’t embarrass myself by buying her the wrong kind of scent that all the losers in her school apparently wear. She tends to appreciate picking things out herself anyway, so I’m not going to get in the way of her shopping capabilities. Ladies, you might have a more specific pres- ent in mind for your sister because you probably have taste, but re- member that the gift certificate is always a good bet. It’s never fun to unwrap a pres- ent and see a big box of condoms, especially if you’re family is around. I know that you’re actual- ly trying to give your sister a nec- essary gift that will keep her safe, but the nice gesture makes for an awkward Christmas present. Even as a stocking stuffer, giving con- doms to your sister on Christmas is pushing it. Boyfriend- Now that we’ve moved on past family members, we can get to age appropriate gifts. Now I know that you prob- ably want your boyfriend to spend more time with you, but I guaran- tee that he will love you forever if you get him “Call of Duty: Mod- em Warfare II” for the Playsta- tion 3. In fact, his utter shock and surprise that you knew what the “Call of Duty” video game series is might cause a proposal right there and then. Be forewarned. Girlfriend- Chicks dig dia- monds. It’s not a mystery. There really is no substitute for the joy that will be added to both your lives by simply going to Zales, manning up and giving her some bling. It’s not exactly rocket sci- ence. There is no better way to ruin Christmas than giving your girl- friend an unexpected surprise. Now, I know that present won’t really be opened until around Au- gist or so, but I’m pretty sure that your girlfriend will not appreci- ate thegesture and will spend the next nine months wishing that her brother had actually bought her that inappropriate box of con- doms. And you never want that... Lacrosse Bro- You may be hanging around the lax field and feel the need to give your bro friend a present that can properly better his bro lifestyle. Well, with the new 2010 Duke Burn Speed 3.0 cleats, your friend can a much faster bro. He can now live out his bromosexuality feeling light as a feather while he runs train on the lacrosse field. Dweeb— When they’re not in the science center, dweebs love science fiction movies, so your geek friend will no doubt appreci- ate some 3- D “Avatar” tickets for opening night on December '16. This movie apparently cost around half a billion dollars to make and it seems like it could have the big- gest cult following since the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. It might be a little too much to buy your dweeb friend the accompanying “Ava- tar” costume, but you never know. It might work better than the “Re- venge of the Nerds” box set you got him last year. C-School Major- You’ll prob- ably want to buy your friend in the C-School something long and time consuming to get him to stop talking about how Obama is or is not ruining the nation as a whole. There is no book that will get him to shut up faster and keep him consumed for longer than the new sequel to “Freakonomics,” “Su- perFreakonomics.” Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner’s 288 page follow up will last your C-School friend at least until mid- January. Please, under no circumstances buy your C-School friend a copy of the proposed health care bill that is slowly but surely making its way through the Senate right now. Not only will he read this in record time, but he will assault you with information concerning the problems with it. Trust me, you do not want to hear sixteen more hours of footnoted material about the public option. It’ll cause your head to explode. On that note,HI hope that these ~ gift ide’as'ha've prov'idéd”you with ‘ ‘ at least some insight in what to get your loved ones this holiday season. Enjoy finals and the much needed vacation! --———-—~—~ WAsHmomN AND LEE Umvsusm THE RING -TUM PHI. MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS 8i LIFE EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR COPY EDITORS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN EDITOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS MANAGERS DISTRIBUTION STAFF ALLISON CHOPIN DIANDRA SPICAK STOCKTON BULLITT STEPHANIE HARDIMAN BROOKE SUTHERLAND LUKE ANDERSEN LEVI THROCKMORTON ADAM CANCRYN TORY DICKERSON NEVILLE FOGARTY ERIC GEHMAN STEPHEN PECK HANK NATHAN WIT ROBERTSON IONATHON SALM KATIE HATFIELD STEELE BURROW ROB GEORGE STROCK MOORE MATT GOSSETT SHAMIRA IBRAHIM TRANG NGUYEN VALAREE TANG ROBERT UHLMAN 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. 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OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091207/WLURG39_RTP_20091207_003.2.txt MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 3 opinions The BCS should change from a bowl system to p a offs It is early December, time for Christmas trees, Menorahs, and the obligatory college football p ayo By Jonathon Salm COLUMNIST As the fall semester comes to an end at colleges across the nation, students have a number of things to look forward to: in- sane amounts of studying, the final parties before break, and of course, the beginning of college football bowl games. While I, like every true red-blooded American male, love college football, it re- mains an indisputable fact that there are essential problems with the NCAA’s Bowl Championship Series and its bowl-centric post- season format. Despite the excitement and pageantry that comes with the conclusion of college football’s regular season, rivalry week- end and the ensuing conference championship games only serve to usher in the irrational mess that is the bowl system. While I am not completely against the A strong idea of bowl games, the way the BCS handles'*marquee matchups among the nation’s best teams is completely illogical. Before you start screaming, “HE WANTS A PLAYOFF!” and quit reading, hear me out. I am not alone in my hatred for the BCS system. Think back to the years since the BCS system was established in 1998. Each year, there have been multiple con- troversies that leave at least one team crying foul. Ok, so maybe I do want a toumament-style playoff system, albeit a modified one that would allow losing teams to participate in bowl games. Take the sixteen highest ranked teams at the end of November to the tournament, and begin the first round the first weekend of December. Have the tournament run for three con- totheecilnr semester Recapping sexual assault at W&L Dear Phi readers, We’ve heard you’re tired of seeing our posters, tired of us “beating the dead horse” when it comes to rape and sexual assault on campus, tired of shoving the issue in your face. Well, good. We’ve spent 12 weeks im- mersed in the issue that’s affect- ing countless people on campus and unfortunately, statistically, will somehow touch your life as well. You’ve likely heard the sta- tistic that W&L’s sexual assault rate is twice the national average, but have you really ever stopped to think beyond those numbers? They aren’t just percentages or statistical numbers on a graph. Those numbers represent real people and a real problem on our campus. We are all victims of sexual assault, whether we are the ones who are physically violated or we are the friends, sisters, broth- ers, roommates and classmates of someone who has been bro- ken by this crime. Injustice anywhere is a threat ' issue is crucial. to freedom everywhere. Let’s start working to make W&L a safe place for everyone. The Sexual Assault Preven- tion workshop will be hosting a community forum on sexual as- sault on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. in Commons 345. We will be presenting our recommendations for altering W&L policy as well as suggestions for other practices relating to sexual assault. We encourage you to see what we have been working on, to ed- ucate yourself on this important campus issue and to make your questions and opinions heard. Voicing your own questions, complaints, suggestions and doubts about our sexual assault This problem is a campus-wide one, and the entire W&L community must be part of the solution. We all have a stake in this. Together we can. END IT. Sincerely, The Pink Team Stephanie Hardiman Kara Karcher secutive weekends, leaving two teams to face off in the champi- onship. Those teams would then have two weeks to prepare for the championship game. This year more than ever, a college football playoff system makes the most sense. There are currently five undefeated teams: Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise State. While the latter three have less of a claim to participate in the champion- ship game than the former two, it nevertheless takes an impressive team to go through a season com- pletely undefeated. On top of the undefeated teams, there are nu- merous quality one and two loss teams that could give the top five a run for their money — Florida, Oregon and Ohio State to name a few. A tournament is not only the fairest way to determine the nation’s best team, but also one of the most exciting ones. Under my quixotic playoff system, bowl games would con- tinue. The toumament’s losers and all other teams deemed bowl eligible (read: have a winning re- cord) would participate in bowls. Ideally, the four BCS bowl games would be reestablished as “ma- jor” bowl games, filled with the eight highest ranked losers from the tournament. Three more pre- mier bowl games would host the rest of the toumament’s losers. Despite the obvious ingenuity of a playoff system, BCS support- ers nonetheless find reasons to criticize a playoff. One, it would make the eventual national cham- pions play an extra four games. However, consider taking away conference championship games as well as one in-conference game and one out-of-conference game during the regular season. That leaves only one extra game, possibly two if the champion’s conference does play a confer- ence championship game. ' The other popular criticism of a playoff system is not as easy to debunk. The main problem with the playoff system is that right now changing the bowl structure is currently unfeasible. Why? The complex structure involved with bowl sponsors, conference tie-ins, and television coverage makes the bowl system a lucra- tive and profitable institution. Unfortunately, it means that we are unlikely to see a playoff sys- tem anytime soon. We’re certainly getting closer. Just this year, the Mountain West Conference collectively proposed an eight-team playoff, which was debate then quickly rejected by the BCS presidential oversight committee. Even politicians are getting into it. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has announced that he will likely be suing the BCS as an anti-com- petitive trust under the Sherman Anti—Trust Act. The Senate is slated to begin anti-trust hearings on the BCS in the spring. While I am not a fan of mixing politics and sports (shouldn’t politicians be fixing healthcare, social se- curity, etc?), I admire Senator Hatch’s dedication. However, in all likelihood, little change will come from the government. As for now, it seems that all we can do is sit back and watch what happens. And for the next month, that means watching un- healthy amounts of college foot- ball. I’m alright with that. Sexual assault problems at home An anonymous writer tells her story of being raped by a former boyfriend Sometimes people can con- vince themselves that they weren’t raped until they share their story with others. That’s how it was with me. I convinced myself that being treated the way I was treated was normal. It’s not. I didn’t get my first boyfriend until the summer before my se- nior year of high school. I had always felt like there must be something wrong with me, that no boys would take notice of me. But he convinced me that there wasn’t anything wrong with me, at least for a while. He was a year younger than me, and our rela- tionship went steadily downhill all that year. I was crazy about him, though, and didn’t think I would ever find anything bet- ter. He_even told me that no one else besides him would ever care about me the couple times I tried to stand up for myself. He broke up with me before I left for college, but he contin- ued to drain me emotionally, always calling on me when he “needed me” and always giv- ing me conflicting answers as to whether or not he still loved me. I was confused and strained by this relationship and by the way he treated me, but every time I came home he acted like we were still together when we were alone and convinced me to engage in sexual activities with him. I complied because I’m the type of person who would nev- er do something like that with someone I didn’t care about, and the fact that he was willing to do it with me made me think he still cared. When I came back to school after Christmas, I realized I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was sick of being lied to and ignored and expected to drop everything when he wanted me to, and I be- came really close friends with a guy who made me realize that maybe it was possible for some- one else to care about me. He treated me like I was special and made me feel safe, and I started to build up my confidence and _ realize I was better than the boy back home. When I went home for Feb- ruary Break, I tried to maintain my friendship with my ex be- cause I have a hard time letting go of people, and I didn’t want to feel like I had wasted the last two years of my life by being de- voted to someone that I was en- tirely cutting out. I politely told him that I didn’t want to keep things going the way that they had been, and that I had feelings for my friend at school who had taught me that I didn’t deserve to be treated the way my ex treated me. My ex said that he respected that. He lied. We were alone together on his birthday, and I had been texting my ‘crush,’ I guess you could call him. My ex didn’t take very well to this, and he grabbed me and started trying to kiss me. I told him that I didn’t want that, and he told me I didn’t really have a choice. He said I couldn’t fight it and that I couldn’t change what was meant to be, and that my crush didn’t really care about me because no one but him ever would. He told me Iwasn’t worth people caring about and that I was lucky he still did after how ungrateful I had been by spend- ‘ ing so much time getting close to my crush. I tried again to get him to stop, but at this point he was tak- ing my clothes off. I realized that no wasn’t an answer, and when I tried to push him off he threw me against the floor so hard that my body started to ache. I made my- self stop feeling because I didn’t want him to see me cry. For a long time after that I told myself that it couldn’t possi- bly have been rape, just because the act was something that I had participated in with him before. But that doesn’t change the fact that I said no, or the fact that he had told me he would respect that I didn’t want that. That doesn’t change the fact that I regret it and that I want to cry every time I think about it. It doesn’t change the fact that I feel sick inside now just like I did then when my head smashed into the wall when he threw me down. That should have never happened to me, and I hope it never happens to anyone else. Never let someone convince you that you have to do what he or she says because no one else will ever care about you. It’s not true. I know it’s hard to feel that way, when your first relationship is all that you have to base your experience off, but if it doesn’t feel right, it’s not, and don’t let anyone tell you you’ll never be able to do better. This is real. End it. To submit an anonymous story to END IT., go to go.wlu.edu/endit. To con- tact END IT., please email en- dit@wlu.edu. Anonymous Submitted by Emily Coyle and WGS 296A Friday Dec. 11"‘ 8 a.m. -‘F p.m. WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY STORE ANNU K YOU HOLIDAY SALE In time for that special holiday gift! 8 DAYS 10% STORE Sat. 3: Sun. Dec. 12* 8:: 15th Ill a.m. — .5 p.m. Mon day OFF - Friday Dec. I4''‘— 13"‘ 3 am. -7' p.m. Select ‘Vera llradlev llatte rns I5Il"l"o ID“: (except nextbio -oks, suzulries, some technology, and selected items) 50%- 75% OFF SPECIALLY SELECTED ITEMS Free girl‘ Wrappr'.ng!' Sale applies only to purchases in the store OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091207/WLURG39_RTP_20091207_004.2.txt 4 ' THE R|NG=TUM PHI MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009 arts&|ife Shakespearewith a W&L twist W&L Shakespeare Society sfirst performance is a modern interpretation of “Love :9 Labour 3* Lost” By Allison Chopin MANAGING EDITOR Frats and srats, Hawaiian grass skirts and pot-smoking Elizabethans? That doesn’t sound like your typical production of Shake- speare. The Washington and Lee Shakespeare Society gave Shake- speare a W&L twist with its first production on Saturday in the Johnson Theater. The brand new, entirely student-run the- ater troupe performed William Shakespeare’s comedy, “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” In this play, the king of Na- varre and his three companions promise themselves to three years of study and take an oath to avoid the company of women. But a princess and her three la- dies are on their way to the court, and in comedic fashion, the king and his nobles fall in love and conspire to woo these women. Junior Jean Chapman, direc- tor, said in a talk-back following the performance that the script reminded her of W&L’s Greek system, since a group of girls in- trude on the house of men who have sworn off relationships, and hilarious courting rituals ensue. The Shakespeare Society’s modern interpretation of the play brings these elements to life, in- corporating modern dress and props and subtly portraying the king’s court and the princess and her ladies as stereotypical frater- nity and sorority members. In one scene, for example, the princess and her ladies and envoy, played by Emma Patrick, Danielle Maurer, Adriana Gon- zalez, Sharon Chu and Ellen Val- entine, get drunk from bottles of Smirnoff and a Solo cup before meeting with the men. In anoth- er, the king (Levi Throckrnorton) and his men (Gobind Moore, Tony.Kelly and Paul Nguyen) attend a party dressed in tropical grass skirts and leis, mimicking the tropical themed parties held by W&L fraternities. The cast featured a mix of tal- ent and experience. The intent behind the Shakespeare Society, according to Chapman, is to al- low students who are interested in Shakespeare and acting, but may not have the time to act in a performance by the theater department, to get involved in a production. Chapman also gave credit to many of the actors for contribut- ing their own ideas and adding bits of new humor to the play. Considering that the cast only rehearsed for about four weeks, she said she was pleased with the production. Better option for buying books F irst—year plans By Tory Dickerson s TA F F w R IT E R As fall semester is wrapping up, winter semester is not far away. The start of a new semester means new classes and hundreds of dollars worth of new books. Though Washington and Lee students have the option of sell- ing back old textbooks at the end of each semester, the options the school offers for buying new text books is fairly limited. to start textbook First-year Amy Heard is try- ing to change that. Heard’s plan is to start a book exchange option for W&L stu- dents; this way, students have another option as opposed to spending tons of money at the bookstore. She hopes to have people turn in their books from previous semesters, and the quality and number of books they turn in will determine how many they are al- lowed to take out. “It takes a lot of coordina- tion,“ Heard says. ' Heard hopes to gather a team of people who would help with the management process. When students turn in books, the rough value of the books will be con- sidered before students will be ms were SON PER NIGHT‘- allowed to take books out. For example, if a student turned in four books he will no longer use, he is entitled to take four new books that they would need for upcoming classes that someone else had turned in. In the event that the exchange program didn’t have a book a student needs, Heard hopes to create some sort of credit sys- tem, so that for the next round of exchanges that student would be ensured a book he needed. Heard has pitched her idea to the Executive Committee (EC) and she says they seemed enthu- siastic about her idea. She would need to form the exchange as if it was a club and get it approved by the EC in order to get the ex- change up and running. exchange program so students can save money on books “The biggest [issue] will be getting people to actually do it,” Heard says. Anyone who has more ques- tions or wishes to be part of the management team can contact Amy Heard at hearda13@mail. wlu.edu. Crossword of the Week Holiday Sing-along by Neville L. Fogarty For the solution to this puzzle, visit phicrosswords.tumblr.com. 51 Country since 1947 53 Big discovery of 1990 56 Crime on the road, briefly 57 ' -V =5: when swung 62 Dickens alias 63 You can waggle its remote 64 Madison, e.g. 65 Itchy issue 66 Swamp thing 67 Went underground 68 Net-using fisherman 8 Loughlin on ”90210" Pendulums‘ paths 10 Foul humors 11 Second cousin of Cortes 12 Mark Spitz, once 13 Batman and Robin, e.g. 18 James Herriot. notably 21 "Fear of Flying" singer 25 Put forth 27 Mousse alternative 28 Either actor Mackenzie or Sean 29 Part of VM1 VD l 2 R 4 5 6 7 8 9 I0 ll ll 13 1 Clean with cotton M is :6 S Zahn and Deen 1, Us ,9 11 Sort of candidate: Abbr. 14 Henry VlIl‘s sixth :0 2‘ - 15 Congenital 2? ~‘ 3* 35 16 Promise to pay 3,, . 1,, _,, 3,, ,, 17 "Adieu!" 19 Cagey place? Q ” M “ ab ‘ 2° ‘-1- -5---—-rggirg-= an 4: 42 4* 44 g _ I -35 46 4'7 43 4° 50 0.2 22 Nat‘l Novel Writing Mo. 5‘ " ‘l 5‘ ” "’ 23 Place kicker’s need 57 53 so 1:0 (ll 24 Bashar al-Assad is its president M 26 Molten dross 28 Help our M '” 6° 31 Mars, to many 67 68 on 32 With 38- and 43-Across. 69 __ St. Vincent Millay 30 Family heads 33 Bus. card abbr. when swung DOWN 34 Tabloid twosome 37 TV Plane‘ 1 Makes Salm0I17 35 Longtime Yugoslav president 38 See 32~Ac1'oss 2 Lichtenstein's contemporary 36 Took first 40 __ caritas 3 Airport information 39 Chinese vessel 43 See 32-Across 4 Hugh Laurie, e.g. 40 Gun Since the 505 45 Suit 50” 5 Pullle bit 41 "You Give Love a Bad Name" 47 "Hey __" (Jamaican greeting) 6 "___ shall reign forever..." band 48 Hot spot ("Ha"€lU.lah Ch0TUS" 1)’FiCS) 42 Like some salt 7 Like Nietzsche's mensch 44 With no husband. maybe 46 Sn on a table 49 First science fiction author 50 First name in Communism 52 Moorehead of "Bewitched" 53 "Now you ___..." 54 __ nerve (funny bone) 55 Antiquity, in antiquity 58 Hairy problem? 59 Wyoming Senator Mike 60 First column Bingo call 61 Whip it? 62 "__ humbug!" '1. OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091207/WLURG39_RTP_20091207_005.2.txt l 5 . l MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 5 sports How Warner and Gary changed the league Columnist Adam Cancryn looks at the evolution of NFL offenses and the eflect on fantasy football By Adam cancryn COLUMNIST 1999. Y2K threatened to paralyze the world. Ricky Martin was your favorite singer’s favorite singer. The dotcom frenzy was the new gold rush. And whether we real- ized it or not, a revolution was occurring within the NFL. Kurt Warner and Olandis Gary are, at first glance, strange bedfellows. Warner quarterbacked the St. Louis Rams to a world championship, the ringleader of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” Ten years later, he remains a force in the league. Gary emerged from training camp in ’99 as the Denver Broncos’ top back. He rushed for 1,159 yards despite playing for a 6-10 team. Within four seasons, Gary was out of the league. Despite their diverging trajectories, the two combined to leave a lasting mark on the NFL. Warner showed that a Super Bowl could be won through the air, dispelling the belief that a team was only as good as its running game. And Gary demonstrated that it didn’t take ex- ceptional talent to rush for 1,000 yards, just a skilled offensive line. Ten years later, we’re seeing the effects of that ‘99 season. Teams are throwing more and succeeding. And while the running back position is still important, no player is more valuable now than the quarterback. The NFL has become a pass—first league and, by asso- ciation, so has fantasy football. One. The round in which all knowledge- able fantasy football owners draft a run- ning back. It’s the golden rule for the 18 million Americans that play the country’s most popular online game. To win, you draft a running back first. The reasoning behind such a strategy is simple. Elite running backs receive the most touches on the team. The more touches a player gets, the more chances he has to gain yards and score touch- downs. More yards and touchdowns means more total points, and more points means more wins for the respec- tive fantasy team. But that was before. Like the one-bar helmet and the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, the golden rule is on its way out. Five. The number of quarterbacks with a passer rating exceeding 100 through 12 weeks. In a league featuring increasing- ly complex defensive schemes, it’s as- tounding that so many quarterbacks are doing so well. The passer-rating statistic is not the only way to measure the po- sition, but a rating over 100 equals ex- cellent play on the field no matter how you cut it. And this year is setting a new precedent. Over the past 10 years, there have never been more than four 100+ rated passers. In that same time, only 2004 featured more than nine 90+ rated QBS, with 11. This year there are 12. So what’s to explain the sudden im- provement? In short, it all goes back to Kurt War- ner. Once the Rams rode their QB ’s arm to a championship, other teams began to shed their run-first philosophies. Since then, the percentage of plays run from the Shotgun Formation has steadily in- creased. Teams replaced running plays with shorter, smarter passes. And most importantly, the college game has trickled into the pro ranks. While the Wildcat offense grabbed head- lines, the Spread offense is making the real impact. NFL teams have poached elements from schools like Florida and Texas Tech and incorporated them into a pass-happy game plan. Teams like the ‘07 New England Pa- triots only served to reinforce this new philosophy. And 2009 is set to complete the revolution. The top four passing teams in the NFL are a combined 30-14 through 12 weeks. 154/792/9 147/648/8 The number of carries, yards and touchdowns accumulated by Miami Dolphins running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, respectively. Before Brown’s injury sidelined him for the year, the two were on pace to become the first 1,000 yard rushing duo since 1985. It would have been a rare feat, one for which the tandem have Olandis Gary to thank. Like Warner, Gary transformed his position. A no- name running back plugged into Mike Shanahan’s offense, he demonstrated that success on the ground isn’t depen- dent on the quality of the runner, but of the offensive line. While the carousel continued in the backfield, the Broncos’ line remained the same. Since then, the concept of a hier- archy at running back, with a defined starter and back up, has been under siege. First there emerged the special- ized role of pass catching, 3rd down back. That spawned the goal line back. Now, coaches are using up to four backs interchangeably. In 2003, 13 running backs averaged more than 20 carries per game. Only Steven Jackson and Adrian Peterson make that cut this year. It is an approach that makes sense. There is no reason to wear down one running back when the same total pro- duction can be had from three. But while it has worked out well for NFL teams, there is no worse feeling for fan- tasy owners than deciding between two players on game day, and then watching your benched back score three touch- downs. Which brings us to the last two numbers: Eight and Four. The number of respective quarter- backs and running backs among the top 12 fantasy football point scorers. The key to winning in the NFL and in your fantasy football league is the same: find players that provide the most value. Traditionally, this has meant grabbing a top running back. But survey today’s NFL landscape, and that thinking looks mighty outdated. Quarterbacks are the new sure thing. ESPN’s preseason rankings listed Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Warner and Aaron Rodgers as the top five QBs. In twelve weeks, those rank- ings have barely changed, with Rodg- ers at one, Brees three, Manning four, Brady six and Warner 13 in total fantasy points scored. Compare that to the preseason top running backs: Peterson, Michael Tum- er, Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forteand Jackson. Of those, only Jones-Drew and Peterson are currently in the top 20. And this year isn’t an anomaly: just ask 2008 LaDainian Tomlinson owners or 2007 Larry Johnson owners. All of this is not to say that running backs are no longer valuable to fan- tasy owners. Chris Johnson is a savior for thousands of teams and Peterson is steady as ever. But there is simply no guarantee either will reprise their star- ring role year after year. Meanwhile, top quarterbacks con- sistently excel no matter their situation. Rodgers has been sacked a league lead- ing 44 times. Manning’s number two option is Pierre Garcon. Brady is com- ing off a crippling knee injury. Yet fanta- sy owners of a top-five quarterback are likely cruising into the playoffs. Remember that as the NFL evolves, so does fantasy football. Pro teams aren’t crippled by the absence of a top- flight back and your team shouldn’t be either. Lady Generals look to improve after tough early losses W&L is 1-3, after defeating Hollins University in between losses to Mary Washington, Christoper Newport, and Guilford By Stephen Peck surr wnmza The Washington and Lee University Women’s basketball team has stumbled out of the gate, beating Hollins Uni- versity but dropping matches to Mary Washington, Christopher Newport and Guilford College. The team’s out-of- ton back on November 17th. Typically a very solid program, the Eagles had some troubles with W&L, with Mary Wash- ington leading only 30-29 at half. Unfortunately, the Generals could not keep up with the depth of Mary Wash- “The 1-3 record is a little deceptive. We were very competitve and we ’re still very excited about our poten- tial. ” Meg Ingram, guard conference games were both against top 25 opponents so the women knew the start of the season would be a big test. “The 1-3 record is a little deceptive,” said sophomore guard Meg Ingram added. “We were very competitive and we’re still very excited about our poten- tial.” The Generals opened up the year with a home contest against Mary Washing- Generals basketball looks to first-years ington. Ten different players scored for the Eagles. The Generals’ attack was led by the big three of sophomore forward Becca Bolton (16 points), Ingram (16 points) and junior forward Felice Her- man (six points and nine rebounds). As expected in the first game of the year, W&L struggled to find a consistent shot. Ingram only connected on three of 11 three-point attempts and the team shot 38 percent overall. But the Generals could not dwell on the past long as they had to board the buses just three days later to face off against Christopher Newport. Against Christopher Newport, the Generals’ sec- ond-half struggles continued; they led at the half 34-32, but a 14-2 second-half run by the Captains put the game out of reach with a final score of 71-57. Bolton notched 20 points and seven rebounds, Ingram netted 16 to go with four steals and Herman scored seven and grabbed six boards. W&L then traveled to Hollins Uni- versity to open ODAC play on the 30th. “We’re going to have to go out and compete every night to do well in the ODAC,” said Ingram. “It’s a tough con- ference, but we have great team chemis- try and strong leadership from our cap- tains: Allie long and Kaitlyn Kamp.” After struggling against Mary Wash- ington and Christopher Newport, the Generals put on a basketball clinic versus Hollins, winning by a score of 95 -60. The absurdly high scoring to- tal was made possible by a plethora of strong performances and a 32-8 run to to carry on tradition of greatness F irst-years outnumber the upperclassmen on the men ’s basketball team this year but inexperience won ’t stand in the way of the Generals ’success By Wlt Robertson COLUMNIST ' start the game that completely demoral- ized Hollins. Bolton (22 points on 8-10 shooting), Ingram (18 in just 23 minutes of play) and first-years Rachel Warrick (18 and nine boards) and Katy Wilson (12 and seven boards) led the offensive onslaught. W&L was lights-out from the field as they shot 48 percent. They also out- rebounded Hollins 49-31 and tallied 25 assists to just 18 turnovers. Head Coach Mandy King had to have been pleased with the effort she got from her team. With a win now under their belt, the Generals traveled to face Guilford Col- lege in hopes of creating a modest win streak. This was not to be, however, as Guilford dropped W&L in dramatic fashion, winning 55-52. The late-game heroics involved a clutch three pointer with 1:36 left by Warrick and two game-tying free throws by Bolton with just seconds left, but Guilford knocked down a desperation three-pointer with just six seconds left to put the final dagger in the Generals. A heartbreaking game was made harder to handle as W&L shot a mere 28 percent from the field and still almost Prgfiles in Leadership: Rachel Phillips What energizes you about tak- ing on leadership responsibili- ties? I enjoy working with others ind sharing my ideas with the ;chool. As a leader, I have the op- )ortunity to motivate others, and came away with the win. While the team has had its struggles, challenges are to be expected when you combine ranked opponents, early season shooting troubles and a relatively young team. “I think one of our greatest strengths is that our team is really balanced this year,” Bolton said. “Everyone can score and make great plays, and we all share the ball really well. It’s just a matter of playing more as a team.” The Generals will return to action on Dec. 28 in the Surf & Slam San Di- ego Hoop Classic. W&L will open with Simpson. The Generals have every in- tention of making a statement at the tournament. “We definitely want to win the tour- nament over Christmas break,” Bolton said. “We start playing the good ODAC teams as soon as we get back, so we want to improve a lot at the tournament.” Activities: Volleyball Team Cap- tain, SAAC member, member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-med honors society). The Washington and Lee men’s basketball team has built up a winning tradition over the last two seasons and is working to continue that tradition. ‘ Prior to the 2007-2008 season, the Gen- erals experienced years and years of losing records and heartbreaking seasons. Coach Hutchinson’s recruiting after the 2006-2007 season brought in a crop of young, talented players with a desire to turn the program around. But with such a young team, the older players such as Chris McHugh, Isaiah Good- man and Ben Heller knew they had to lead the youthful squad and unify the inexperi- enced players in order to win. The experience ‘ and guidance shown by those leaders led to a 15-win season, the first winning season for the Generals in over 10 years. Those players have since graduated and the Generals have circled back to another young, inexperienced team. This year’s team is composed of three se- niors, one junior, three sophomores and 10 first-years, a young team to say the least. But the inexperience on the team is excit- ing for the older players. As the upperclass- men train and guide these young players, they have the opportunity to mold their style of play into the style of a true Generals’ basket- ball player. The upperclassmen leaders have had to assume the roles of the players who taught them when they were young and in- experienced. During the olfseason the team did weight training, team led scrimmages and extra shooting sessions to prepare for the tough season ahead and to bond with the new play- ers. “We communicated with the younger play- ers through email, just letting them know the expectations of the program and how we had a lot of work to do for the upcoming season,” said junior point guard Jason Cimino. Now that the season is underway, it is clear that the hard work involved in getting the young players prepared is starting to pay off. First-year players such as J.D. Ey, Hans Harris and Taylor Gilfillan have been strong contributors to the Generals’ success so far this season. Watching the team, one can see that there are still many kinks to work out be- fore the team can reach its maximum poten- tial, but this can be expected with any young team. Each game brings the players closer as they learn to play with one another in a more fluid and productive manner. “Players who have graduated have passed on a sense of unity that will always be in the Washington and Lee men’s basketball pro- gram,” said senior captain Zac White. “The further the season goes, the closer the team gets, as always. This is because of how hard we work together. Everyone understands that each member of the team has a role and is dependent on each other to fulfill that role. That is what our team is built on.” The talent level is already higher than ever before and the unity needed for another successful season is developing rapidly. The leadership and effort of the older players is showing on the court. The lessons learned from past players have been cast onto the gifted first-year athletes. The tools are in place and the team seems eager and ready to embark on its third straight winning season. :ogether we can make a positive :hange on campus. What has been one of your most rewarding aspects of leadership at W&L? As a volleyball team captain, it ias helped me become a stronger eader and represent our school well. What legacy of leadership do you hope to leave for oth- ers who follow you here? Anyone can be a leader in their own way, and some of the strongest influence can come from leading by zxample. Any words of advice for them? A lot of responsibility :omes with being a leader, but it is also an opportunity to learn from hose you are leading. Some Positive Prayezful Ways To Best Prepare For Exams ALL ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10TH: 1-30 PM Walking meditation in the Dell below Leyburn 5:00 PM Interfaith Dialogue in Sacred Space (Leyburn 218) on “Birth/ Re-birth” 3:00 PM University Candlelight Service in Lee Chapel Vine Lessons and Carols with University Chamber Singers— doors open at 7: 15 PM OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20091207/WLURG39_RTP_20091207_006.2.txt MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2009 THE RING-TUM PHI -6 sports Tues WED Tnuns Fm SAr Women's asketbal sw".'.?.'.‘.i'i‘..i Women's swimming] southern Virginia 7 p.m. Wrestling Men's xc Women's xc Men's Tennis Women's Tennis numbers 1 The University of Alabama's ranking after defeating the University of Florida 32-13 in the SEC Championship game on Saturday. The Tide will take on No. 2 Texas in this year's BCS Championship game on Jan.7. 1542 The total number of rushing yards so far this season for Univeristy of Alabama running back Mark Ingram. Ingram, in the hunt for the Heis- man Trophy, put up 189 total yards for three touchdowns in Saturday's game against Florida. 283 The number of consecutive games played by Minnesota Vikings quar- terback Brett Favre. Favre set the NFL record on Sunday when the Vi- kings took on the Arizona Cardinals. He has not missed a game since the 1992 season. 4.3 The number of seconds left on the clock when University of Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall sank two free throws to clinch the Wildcats 68-66 victory over the University of North Carolina. sbox “It was as loud as it gets in the Dome. ‘I heard the chants all through the stadium and it sent chills down my spine. They were just letting me know that people still appreciate what l’ve done.” Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick on his return to the field this Sunday after serving time in prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. Vick scored two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 34-7 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons, his first since 2006. Courtesy of espn.com. “Ten years? That’s, like, right around the corner. [In] 10 years, l’ll be 34. I’ll still be in the NBA. I think 10 years is pushing it, honestly.” Clevland Cavaliers forward LeBron James responding to NBA Commissioner David Stern's statement in an interview with Sports illustrated that he believes a woman could be playing in the NBA at some point in the next decade. courtesy of espn.com. Generals bounce back T he Generals regained momentum with Close weekend win over Averett; now 5 -2 By Hank Nathan 5 TA F F w R IT E R Following a narrow loss to Bridgewa- ter earlier in the week, the Washington and Lee men’s basketball team found a way to win another tight contest as it outlasted Averett 61-58 and improved its record to 5-2 overall. STEELE BURROW/ Staff Photographer Senior forward Andrew Payne cheers on his teammates from the sidelines in the Generals’ 68-64 loss to Bridgewater on Wednesday. Despite a furious second-half come- back attempt, the Generals fell short against the Bridgewater Eagles 68-64 on Wednesday. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Blue and White trailed 55-32. But the team was undeterred by the scoring gap and went on a 30-6 run over the course of the next eight minutes to gain a 62-61 advantage. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived as the Eagles leading-scorer, Dominic Trawick. hit a fade away jumper off of his own offensive rebound and Bridgewater went on to win the game. Although the Generals came up short in the end, it shows a lot about this team’s perseverance, said junior guard Jason Cimino. “The Bridgewater comeback was fu- eled by a lot of heart and determination," Cimino said. “We dug ourselves a huge hole and knew the only way to come back was to scratch and claw and fight our way back into the game. This team has a lot of heart; it’s just a matter of using it the whole game, not after we get down by 20 points." The last time the two teams met was in the conference tournament last year when the Generals knocked off Bridgewater in the semifinals. Seeking revenge against W&L for ending their season, the Eagles came out fast on both offense and defense. In the first half, Bridgewater shot 60.9 percent from the field, while holding the Blue and White to just 23.8 percent. in all, Bridgewater built a 34-19 halftime lead. Even though Cimino opened the sec- ond stanza with a three-pointer, the Eagles continued their offensive prowess and in- creased their lead. After the Generals were down by 23, the team changed its defen- sive philosophy and this decision helped to propel the squad. said senior captain Ben Goetsch. “In the middle ofthe second half, we re- ally started to put the pressure on [Bridge- water] with traps and an aggressive press," said Goetsch. “We were fortunate to get a . few tumovers out of that and capitalized at the other end. It was encouraging to see that we did not fold when we were far be- hind, even though we would rather have not put ourselves in that position.” With the added defensive pressure, W&L forced 20 second—half turnovers and 32 total for the game. Cimino led the team with a career-high six steals and that translated into points on the offensive end. Goetsch added 17 in the second halfto fin- ish with a game-high 27. And with 1:08 remaining in the game, it was Goetsch who nailed a three-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Gener- als the brief one point lead. However, the Eagles went on to score seven more points in the contest to close out the game. In the encounter, first-year guard Doug Poetzsch tallied 11 points, including some clutch three-balls in the come-back ef- fort. Senior forward Zac White added nine points and sevenrebounds. On Saturday, the Generals travelled to play Averett University. Once again, W&L came out of the gates slowly and fell down by double figures. However, unlike the Bridgewater game, the Blue and White battled back immediately. Toward the end of the first half, Poetzsch continued his hot shooting from the previous game and scored seven points to narrow the gap to 25-27. With 28 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Goetsch stole the ball on the defensive end and drove the length of the court to convert a layup while being fouled; this knotted the score at 27-27 at the half. The Generals carried its momentum into the second half and built a 41-32 lead. The nine point margin was punctuated with a dunk by first-year forward J .D. Ey off of a backdoor pass from sophomore guard Kyle Bond. The Cougars then chipped away at the lead and deadlocked the score at 48-48 with 5:35 left in the game. Momentum had swung back in Av- eret_t’s favor as they scored the next five points in the game. Senior forward An- drew Payne ignited the Generals after coming off the bench and scoring seven of 11 of the team’s points (and 13 total for the game) to re-gain a 59-58 lead with 37.5 seconds to go. In the end, it was W&L’s defense which forced an Averett shot clock violation on the next possession to seal the contest. The ‘Generals put an exclamation point on the game with a Poetzsch layup in the final seconds, making the final score 61-58. This year, the Washington and Lee men’s basketball team hopes that it can take the next step and win a conference title after narrowly falling short one sea- son ago. “My goal this season is the same as every other season since I have been here - to win the ODAC,” said Goetsch. “The league is especially strong this year, but we have been competitive with or beaten every team in the league over the past year. I believe that we can push ourselves to the top of the standings, especially as this year’s first-year class continues to learn and improve."