OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20100118/WLURG39_RTP_20100118_001.2.txt V‘; ’r‘v'‘- ‘‘ I I ‘ ‘ Yl'lt"..' ."7.‘~"i-‘ -I’ i ‘' ‘fit? ,. .. u.;».»s~ AV.M\)l&M:KJ.| _' maavl Looking to expand your music taste this year? tells readers hieh listen in ARTS & LIFE / page 5 1! WASHINGTON AN LEE UNIVERSITY I THE RING-TUM PHI. MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2010 BY THE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 VOLUME CXIII, NUMBER 10 By Klrsten Kyne STAFF WRITER 300 students’ Winter Break was postponed when the largest snowstorm in 100 years hit Lexington. Many students who were expecting to leave after their last final late in the week were disappointed upon hearing that I-81 was completely inaccessible. The University did not have any been made to students on campus, but it was fun.” Some students were able to walk to Kroger, which remained open despite the storm, and used the kitchens in Gaines residence hall. Other students’ families were with them so they went to local restaurants. F irst—year Zachary Huey was able to dine at local favorite Southern Inn “Some of my friends were also snowed in so we were able to hang out and unwind from the stress of finals week. We went sledding and took pictures. ” ANNIE ZHANG, flrst-year plan to deal with a situation as serious as this unexpected snowstorm. The dining hall had already shut down for the break so students who lived on campus had no access to food. “I understand that the workers at D-Hall probably couldn’t get there either, but there was no food at all,” said first-year Matthew Coburn. “More accommodations could have with his dad and brother. Dominos pizza was a big favorite among those remaining on campus. “The buffalo chicken pizza is ‘noice,”’ said first-year Alex Schuyler. Although there wasn’t food available for the first few days, students agree that the University did a good job of making sure the sidewalks and roads were clear. “They kept the roads fairly clean and had people working hard to keep the sidewalks usable, every available shovel was on the job of keeping the situation livable,” said Huey. Schuyler felt that the University did a good job keeping their students informed about the situation. “They sent out plenty of e-mails warning us about the weather.” Students made the best of their less than ideal situation. “I built a giant snowman, took pictures, made hot chocolate, and watched Christmas movies,” said Coburn. Huey was able to build an igloo with his brother. “Luckily, some of my friends were also snowed in so we were able to hang out and unwind from the stress of finals’ week,” said Annie Zhang. “We went sledding and took pictures.” The city of Lexington had not been anticipating the severity of such a large blizzard heading their way. “I got stuck in a ditch Friday and I had to wait for a tow truck that didn’t come for three hours,” said Schuyler. “I was supposed to wait by my car for eight hours the next day for a tow truck, it was still snowing outside. Luckily, I found someone to tow my car quickly.” See “Snow” on page 2 COURTESY OF EW MALACHOSKY The freshman quad and Lee Chapel peek out from under almost two feet of snow. Parts of Rockbridge County experienced snowfall total- ing up to 28 inches during the storm on the weekend of Dec. 19. Winter fun in the sun...and sand Taglit-Birthright program sends four W&L students to Israel for winter break, giving them the experience of a lifetime By Eleanor Kennedy and Levl Throckmorton STAFF WRITERS For most Washington and Lee students, the question “What did you do over break?” yields a fairly boring answer. But for seniors Emily Martin and Zach Segall and sophomores Josh Posner and Lev Raslin, the answer was anything but boring. These lucky students spent 10 days in Israel over break through Taglit-Birthright Israel. The Birthright program is free for Jewish students. Private philanthropists, the Israeli gov- emment and Jewish communities fund it. In order to participate in the program, students must fill out an application, write and essay, and be interviewed. According to Segall, the pro- cess is not particularly demand- ing but “it does really- almost entirely- on luck, as spot on most trips are in pretty high demand.” While in Israel, the W&L students travelled with 40 other students from around the country, as well as seven Israeli soldiers in civilian clothes, according to Posner and Raslin. Posner said he enjoyed travel- ling with the Israeli soldiers. “It was cool to get to know them as peers rather than soldiers. They wereour age,” he said. The students traveled through almost every part of Israel dur- ing the trip. They visited some famous and memorable sights such as The Golan Heights, the West Bank, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. They also rode camels in the Negev desert and went to the Dead Sea. saw what Segall describes as “the single most moving tribute to the holocaust I have ever seen in my life.” “My favorite part was bonding with other Jewish people my age and the Israeli sol- J ders. ’ Josh Posneri soghomore For Segall, one of the most amazing parts of the trip was Yad Vashem, the Israeli holocaust memorial and museum. While visiting the beautifully constructed museum, the students Raslin said the Ein Gedi, a waterfall oasis in the middle of the desert, was his favorite site among the places he visited. “It is also a sanctuary for vari- ous animals and was definitely a refreshing break from the hot sun,” he said. Raslin said the trip was also a cultural learning experience. “We were there for the last day of Chanukah as well as Christmas, so we felt very honored to spend the day in Israel and see the relationships between different cultures,” he said. Posner also enjoyed learning about Israeln from a different point of view. “My favorite part was bonding with other Jewish people my age and the Israeli soldiers,” he said. “It was good to get an insider’s perspective on the country.” The students said they formed friendships with the other Jewish students and the Israelis quickly and easily during the trip. “The best part of the experi- ence for me was coming away with a new sense of Jewish pride, as well as the speed with which we made friends,” said Raslin. “It’s usually difficult for me to make friends quickly, and the fact that everyone was there for the same reason sort of facilitated the speed of making new friends.” W&L Hillel has participated in the Birthright program for seven years. OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20100118/WLURG39_RTP_20100118_002.2.txt I‘ v_-,:_:' Imumcrou I LEE umvsnsnv §"u"t61l)‘f‘ ° THE RING-TUM PHI MONDAY, JANUARY 18,2010 TOP: Over 1,200 cadets from Vlrglnla Mllltary Insti- tute travelled to Rlchmond to march as the last unlt In the parade outside the capitol bulldlng followlng the lnauguratlon of Bob McDonnell as governor of Vlrglnla. VMI was the largest group of partlclpants in the parade, whlch also Included Vlrglnla Tech’s marchlng band, several hlgh school bands and the 1 Washington Redsklns cheerleaders Alumnl. LEFT and BOTTOM LEFT: VMl’s band played and . marched towards the end of the corps. BOTTOM RIGHT: Family members and frlends of VMI travelled to Rlchmond to watch the parade from the street. I ALLISON CHOPIN / Managing Editor Snow continued from page 1 While there were many students remaining on campus, there were also a fair amount of students stranded at the many regional airports such as Roanoke and Richmond. . One such student was first-year Steele Burrow. “I slept in the Richmond airport on Friday night, but managed to get a hotel on Saturday and Sunday night. I finally was able to get a flight back on Monday morning.” The same situation happened to Melissa Horadam. “I slept on the floor in Richmond airport and I woke up and there was a horrible rash on my face. It was terrible.” “I watched movies on my laptop and read a book,” said Horadam. Others ventured out into the cold to play in the snow while it was still fresh. These students were able to eat at the restaurants in the airports, but Burrow reports that he “did manage to find a Qdoba near the hotel, . which was quite a blessing.” (Side note: he does not recommend eating Applebee’s four times within a weekend.) Though the situation was not what others were hoping for, students still did the best with what they had. Most students were able to leave Lexington Sunday night or Monday morning but then had to tackle the long lines and chaos at airports. “Sunday night, I had to travel to Richmond, navigate more flight cancellations and deal with unplowed interstates,” said Cobum. By Tuesday, all students were able to make it home to their families for the holidays. Though they didn’t make I home when expected, many still had fun during their few extra days on campus. This goes to show that Washington and Lee students are capable of making the best out of any situation given to them. ~ OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20100118/WLURG39_RTP_20100118_003.2.txt MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2010 THE RING-TUM PHI 0 3 opinions Gilbert Arenas: a truly funny observation Basketball player Gilbert Arenas is facing jail time for taking a practical joke a little too practically By Stockton Bullltt OPINIONS EDITOR While most of you spent your Winter Break hanging out with friends, sledding down Lexing- ton’s hills or making one too many mistakes on New Year’s Eve, I spent the break religiously following ESPN. Yeah, maybe there were other things going on in my life, like friends and family for example, but none of these people were nearly as entertaining as the Washington Wizards’ guard, Gil- bert Arenas. For those of you who didn’t spend their break following this story, Arenas was recently ac- cused of bringing guns into his team’s locker room during prac- tice in December. Because of this accusation, he is now suspended indefinitely by the NBA and has recently pled guilty to a felony weapons charge, and the Wizards franchise might void his $111 million contract. Most of us, if placed in his situation, would feel an over- is Lil Wayne human? whelming sense of regret and personal remorse for getting into that kind of trouble. Gilbert Are- nas on the other hand seemed nonchalant throughout the entire initial process of getting caught with the guns. In fact, David Stern chose to suspend Arenas only after seeing a photo of him making fake guns with his fingers during a pregame warrn-up. By the way, he chose to do the “shooter” pose a day after releasing a statement for- mally expressing his regret for what he did. Predictably, media has been outraged at Arenas’ bravado fiom beginning to end. They openly and rightly condemn Are- nas for bringing guns into a pub- lic arena, but they go further in codemnig his actions. The Wizards are now re- vamping their entire marketing campaign around the apparently heinous issue and have profusely apologized to fans for what hap- pened. Arenas has now fully achieved the public pariah status that will make him completely basketball game on a flight, Are- nas, guard Javaris Crittenton and bench warmer JaVale McGee I know that gun violence is a problem that America must fix, but the most violence that Arenas could have caused with those guns is a bruised thigh. unmarketable in the NBA. His future is a now a bleak one with certain jail time and countless losses in earnings to come. Nevertheless, I loved the joke. According to multiple sourc- es, here’s what more or less what happened that led to Gilbert Are- nas bringing guns into an NBA locker room: returning from a were playing a high stakes poker game. Arenas and Crittenton lost the game; however, Arenas didn’t have the money on him. He inferred that Crittenton would cover him for the mo- ment. Jokingly, Crittenton said he would shoot Arenas in the leg if he didn’t pay up. The next day in practice, Arenas brought three or four unloaded, licensed guns Lil Wayne is on top of the music industry, and he is doing it with an alien-like work ethic, says columnist Jonathan Salm By Jonathan Salm c o L U M N I s T Every decade or so, select in- dividuals have come to dominate the American musical landscape. The hippies and beatniks of the sixties and seventies had Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Gratefiil Dead. The eighties had Michael Jackson, and the nineties had Kurt Cobain. For the first decade of the new millennium, that individual is unquestionably Lil Wayne AKA Weezy F. Baby AKA Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. However rev- olutionary his rhymes and flow may be, there remains something a little off about Lil Wayne. Nevermind the fact that Wayne already sets himself apart from other modern entertainers be- cause of his overwhelming domi- nance and constant presence on the Billboard charts. It still seems like Wayne is a little too good at what he does. Granted, so were Hendrix, et al, but Wayne takes it to a whole new level. The man records nearly every hour he is awake (he famously installed a studio in his tour bus to take his beats on the road), and he manages to consistently put out both underground mixtapes and platinum selling studio al- bums while still finding the time to make guest appearances on tracks by artists from Birdman to Weezer. Even GQ noticed, nam- ing him the workaholic of the year in 2007. And the most ridiculous part: -Wayne dominates the rap industry in an era of falling sales and less big name starts, while also man- aging to be in a certain level of incoherence. The man raps about his love for swishers and codeine cocktails and lives his life exactly marijuana, but it hasn’t stopped him from enjoying a little mother nature. Because Lil Wayne manages to be one of the world’s hottest and most prolific hip-hop artists while simultaneously ingest- In fact, despite likely heading ofl to jail for a weapons charge, 2010 is looking like the year of Lil Wayne. like his songs. Don’t believe me? Check out any YouTube video of Wayne hanging out on a tour bus. The amount of substances consumed on his bus can rival W&L tear night festivities. Furthermore, Wayne is a bona fide gangster. It doesn’t matter to him that he can legally buy a gun — it’s much more badass to get one on the streets and then get ar- rested for it. As for his love for a certain green plant, it still remains il- legal for him to light up. But for someone as dedicated to his passions as Lil Wayne, quitting is not an option, and his persis- tence is not only evident in his music, but in his substance abuse as well. Wayne has been arrested countless times for possession of mg insane amounts of a variety of substances, the only logical conclusion to come from this is that Lil Wayne is not human. Honestly, who can get away with doing exactly what they want at all times of the day? No one. It’s physically impossible. The world just doesn’t work that way. Well, except for Lil Wayne, that is. Wayne wakes up and immedi- ately does what he loves ~ make music and smoke weed. Not only is he able to do what he loves; he is wildly successful too. Perhaps I’m just jealous and unfairly questioning Wayne’s humanity, but his wild success makes this question necessary. In fact, Wayne must have even anticipated this article, as he begs the question and answers it himself in a succinct four-minute blast in a new track aptly named “I’m Not Human.” Lyrics like “Re, Re, Reporting from another world/Look up in the sky and see me courting with a cover girl” and “I am not a human being” only support my theory. And the song, a rumored cut from Wayne’s up- coming rock debut, “Rebirth,” is actually good! What human hip-hop artist can actually produce an instru- mentally solid rap-rock track that doesn’t disappoint? While yes, Lil Wayne’s debut rock single, “Prom Queen” might’ve been a step in a more human direction, it hasn’t hurt his success at all. In fact, despite likely heading off to jail for a weapons charge, 2010 is looking like the year of Lil Wayne. His rock album “Re- birth” will finally be released and so will Tha Carter IV, the heavily anticipated follow up to 2008’s triple platinum “Tha Carter III.” This whole ‘going to jail and remaining awesome’ concept is something that just doesn’t hap- pen. Is any human really able to do that? The indisputable answer to that question is no, and fortu- nately that answer paves the path to the truth regarding Lil Wayne’s humanity. If Wayne does in fact go to jail yet remains a chart-top- ping artist, the answer is plain and simple. However, we must wait, as only time will tell. into the locker room and laid them out in front of Crittenton’s locker with a note attached that read, “Pick One.” And that ladies and gentle- men is why Gilbert Arenas is losing nine figures and going to jail, and you know what, it was worth it. Gilbert Arenas has had a his- tory of missed jokes with bad tim- ing, but I think this one finally hit the spot. Crittenton was clearly fronting on Arenas’ manlihood, so what better way to throw it completely back in his face? But seriously, Arenas is losing a lot of his life over nothing. Yes, he does own multiple weapons, which probably aren’t completely needed, but consider- ing how gun happy America re- ally is, I find it pretty strange to criticize Gilbert Arenas for hav- ing an unloaded gun when foot- ball superstars Marvin Harrison and Plaxico Burress have both fired loaded weapons (Harrison allegedly fired at others while Burress only fired at himself). I know that gun violence is a problem that America must fix, but the most violence that Are- nas could have caused with those guns is a bruised thigh. Furthermore, Arenas was widely criticized for seeming not to care about the whole or- deal. The media tends to side with people who seem like they care deeply when they make a mistake. Mark McGwire has re- cently been forgiven by his fans for caring about cheating for _ more than ten years, while Barry Bonds continues to be reviled for cheating for half that time. You already know that we live in a society that tends to blow things out of proportion, but maybe for once, we can all take a little joke. Taking a different look at everyday eroticism Using classroom experience and definitions, Aleisha Butler reexamines the true meaning of the word “eroticism ” By Aleisha Butler c 0 L U M N IS T It’s the middle of January, and I’m sure that you’re all feel- ing the winter ho-hums as much as I am. Perpetually overcast skies and treacherously wet, icy sidewalks do nothing to lift your mood when you’re struggling to an 8 a.m. class. The layers of clothes that make you waddle like a tod- dler on his first sled riding trip don’t do much for your body image, either. After the fun and the calories of the holiday season have passed, it’s pretty hard to find something to excite you, let alone to feel sexy about. In my English class last se- mester we were exploring themes of the erotic, what its overarching definition is, and what it means for each of us in our lives. Erotica is defined as literature or art pertaining to sexual love or sexual desire, while eroticism is defined as sexually suggestive symbolism or an abnormally per- sistent sexual drive. However, the definition that most interested me was one that defined eroticism as a “heightened aesthetic sense.” This, to me, seemed the most positive and inclusive definition, leaving room for an erotic inter- pretation of everyday life... and maybe something to make the winter months a little more inter- esting. Sex and sexual desire are very often interpreted as taboo, and not a whole lot of emphasis is placed on achieving a sen- sual understanding of the world around us. We get Very caught up in our busy, stressful, day-to-day routine; a few extra moments of eroticism would go a long way towards alleviating the pressure created by the daily grind. So what do I mean by “mo- ments of eroticism?” What are they and how can one find them? Alter our English class ended, I was still confused but very in- trigued by the idea of the erotic in everyday life. After a lot of thought and actual out-of-class discussion with some friends, I a boiling pot as cleansing and re- freshing, the heat rising up from a toaster to warm your icy nose and fingers on a winter morn- ing: each of these, and infinite other examples, offers an avenue for connecting to your body in a And, as one of my roommates has said, chicken noodle soup really is a hug for your insides. came to the tentative conclusion that that “heightened aesthetic sense” is a way of giving your- self the opportunity to find the erotic in the world around you. It’s a change in perspective that you must consciously make. The act of painting as soothing or exciting, the steam clouds above mundane, earthy way. These little erotic interludes are not necessarily sexual in na- ture, but they make us aware of ourselves in a way that we nor- mally are not. Appreciating the texture of rain on our skin or the smell of wood smoke in our hair the morning after a bonfire is not inherently connected to sex, but by being more aware of our- selves we are only more aware of the possibilities that our bodies offer us. I would like to return to the notion of eroticism as an “ab— normally persistent sexual drive” and offer a different perspective. A sensual, perceptive understand- ing of your body and the way it moves through space, the way it interacts with other elements and people around it, is critical for a healthy, self-aware existence. Sexual desire is not evil, and acknowledging the slightly sexu- al pull that you feel for a cup of hot coffee, a pair of designer sti- lettos or that vintage Aston-Mar- tin is not weird. It’s human. It is human to experience desire and excitement over the things that make us feel alive, and we perceive those sensations with our bodies. Trying to build some eroti- cism into your everyday life is not abnormal; it just requires a little patience, as we never really think about interpreting everyday life in a sensual, charged way. This winter, think about your favorite cozy sweater more like an old, reliable lover. Think about how much ass you could kick in those thick, heavy snow boots. And, as one of my roommates has said, chicken noodle soup re- ally is a hug for your insides. Last semester I wrote about finding passion in your life, for the little or the big things, and this idea of everyday sexuality is very much the same. OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20100118/WLURG39_RTP_20100118_004.2.txt 4 ' THE RING-TUM PHI MONDAY, JANUARY 18. 2010 opinions Seniors should enjoy their last few months, not fear them As graduation approaches, law student Jordan Rothman advises the seniors to relax during their last days on campus By Jordan Rothman COLU M NIST One year ago, I was in the shoes of many seniors at this university. I was scared at the uncertainty of my future, and a little bit saddened by the thought of my impending graduation. I had classes to tend to, a the- sis to write, and through it all, I had to try and have a good time through all the stresses and anxi- eties of senior year. One year older and wiser, I realize that much of this trepida- tion was unwarranted. Life does not end when college ends, and graduation does not have to be such a saddening and depressing event. Furthermore, experiencing my senior year has given me first—hand knowledge about what the seniors at this university can expect in the upcoming months. I’d like to convey this infor- mation along with a little advice about how to tackle one’s senior year. In many ways, graduating can appear to be a lot like dying. Tru- ly, it may seem like graduation is the end of one’s existence, and I can reasonably see why someone who has spent the past 4 years at the same enterprise would deem this viewpoint to be the case. People try to console seniors, try to tell them that everything will be alright. Yet, as they fran- tically search for something to do post-graduation, and are bur- dened by pressing academic con- cerns, it appears like graduation is something to be feared. V At my alma mater, I even youth, nor is it the cessation of your “blank check” to be free and wild. If anything, it repre- sents the cutting of your shackles ‘ and the release of your academic fetters. Attached to the weight of one’s studies, and the endless parade of papers and exams, one One piece of advice that I would like to give to the seniors is not to worry about what they will be doing post-graduation. Few, if any, students know early on in the year what their exact plans will be after COI’I’lI’I’Z€I’lC€I’}’l€I’ll. had friends who didn’t even like it when people said the word “graduation,” because uttering the word itself conjured in them extraordinarily intense feelings of anxiety and trepidation. Let me assure you that ev- erything is going to be alright! Graduation is not the end of your Iiotheetilior ----- --—-———-—-—--~ WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSl'I‘Y THE RING -TUM Pr-C1i.'CC MANAGING NEWS OPINIONS ARTS & LIFE SPORTS COPY ASST. COPY EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DESIGN EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGERS DISTRIBUTION STAFF /' LEE CAMPUS. ALLISON CHOPIN DIANDRA SPICAK STOCKTON BULLITT STEPHANIE HARDIMAN BROOKE SUTHERLAND KATHERINE ROBERTS LUKE ANDERSEN ADAM CANCRYN NEVILLE FOGARTY ELEANOR KENNEDY KIRSTEN KYNE STEPHEN PECK JORDAN ROTHMAN ALEISHA BUTLER JONATHAN SALM HOLLYSUTHERS LEVITHROCKMORTON KATIE HATFIELD 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. 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 MEDIABOARD@WLU.EDU. IS AN INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN EDITORIAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WORKING WITH ALL MEDIA OUTLETS ON THE WASHINGTON & 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 FAX: (540)458-4059 EMAIL: PHI@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 THE MEDIA BOARD may be unable to pursue what one truly desires in this world while a college student. Yet, all this changes at graduation, and I can’t stress enough how positive commencement can be. One piece of advice that I would like to give to the seniors is not to worry about what they will be doing post-graduation. Few, if any, students know early on in the year what their exact plans will be after commence- ment. I Still, there is no need to have a “quarter-life crisis” because you are unsure of your future plans. In fact, I have had friends who didn’t get jobs until right around graduation or later, and they are perfectly happy at their current vocations. Furthermore, I can’t stress enough how good it might be to take a break between graduation and the next part of your life. Truly, you cannot underestimate the power of a “gap year,” as this time is a unique opportunity that you may never again have for the rest of your life. Five, ten or fifteen years from now, you will probably be in a long term relationship, have a job, have a mortgage, and be bound by a number of other obli- gations. These obliogations will seriously impede your capacity in the future to travel, dedicate yourself to national service, or do something that you have always desired. Do not feel pressured by fam- ily, societal influences, or other forces to simply go straight to graduate school, for if you do, you will be wasting a valuable opportunity. Personally, I could not see myself taking time off between undergrad and law school, and I have seen first—hand some dis- advantages of taking this path. All told, these are the last years of your youth, and don’t waste them away through additional study and toil. As your senior year progress- es, you will find that everyone’s inhibitions begin to lower. Con- fronted with the impending graduation, people are especially sincere to others about their feel- ings, and are willing to do wild and crazy things. I would take full advantage of this. Now, I don’t mean to imply that you should utilize this condition in a nefarious way. What I do mean is that you should reconnect with your class- mates in an honest fashion dur- ing your last months of college. For instance, close to graduation last year, I had people come up to me and tell me how much they appreciated my presence in their lives. I in turn was also sincere about my feelings, and used the last vestiges of my “collegiate immunity” to do the wildest and craziest things of my college ca- reer. All told, the closer it is to graduation, the more inclined people will be to have fun and loosen up. I hope you take full advantage of this situation, so that you can enjoy the last days of your college experience to the fullest. Graduation is not the end of the world, no matter how you may feel about it now. In fact, it can be the beginning of a won- derful chapter in your life, and I encourage all who are capable to use their post-graduation years toward attaining experiences they will be unable to have later in life. You know, most people say that these are the best times of your life, and I would add to this by defending that senior year is probably better than any other part of the college experience. In the end, I hope you enjoy this time to the fullest, and don’t let graduation or an uncertain fu- ture wear you down. Sexual assault articles are detrimental Writer takes issue with series of sexaul assault accounts that appeared last term. Rape and sexual assault at Washington and Lee are serious problems that warrant close ex- amination and demand our every effort to provide an effective so- lution. An environment where sexual assault and rape exist is the exact opposite of what should define the Washington and Lee commu- nity. This problem will be solved primarily through awareness, and the forum that has been cre- ated by campus programs such as One-in-F our, End It, and the Red Flag Campaign have been an im- portant step towards creating a better informed and more visible discussion of the problems on W&L’s campus. That being said, there are both effective and ineffective ways to promote the discussion that will be central to ending sexual assault on campus. Publishing graphic accounts of rape in the Ring-Tum Phi every week is not an efficient way to promote this important discussion. The victim’s accounts of rape and sexual assault are tackling an important issue that makes steer- ing away from a culture of sexual assault difficult: many people do not truly believe the egregious terms that the statistics dictate. But these accounts, intended to raise awareness, are graphic to the point that they seem to be an accusation that stifles the same open forum on sexual relations that they aim to encourage. It has become easier to talk about the graphic nature of the accounst published in the Phi each week than the underlying problems in the culture that are the cause of the behavior. Con- versation tends towards the vul- garity of these stories, and not what can be done to better gen- der relations. Because these stories are so frequent and graphic, they have come to dominate the discussion of sexual assault and rape on campus. This carries the discus- sion to the extremes of what is going on, and can prevent mean- ingful actions from being taken. Changing a culture that pro- motes sexual assault will require meaningful interactions from, and participations by, both of the genders. Making men read stories about rape while using the re- stroom does not encourage any participation. In fact, doing so creates an extreme image of the situation that discourages par- ticipation and makes it much easier to say, “That type of thing does not apply to me.” This is a huge problem; sexual assault is an issue that applies to the entire community at W&L. The Red Flag Initiative has been a successful method of in- creasing awareness of sexual assault and gender issues on campus. The Red Flag posters describe a situation that could easily occur on campus and then point out what is wrong with a certain behavior. The posters have challenged issues that are present at W&L, such as students trying to get their dates drunk so they will hook up with them, without resorting to the frequent and graphic images that characterize the stories of rape across campus. These posters encourage conversation and participation of people from both sexes and all sexual orientations because they don’t portray one group as the problem and the other as the victim. It would be convenient to write that these stories do not be- long in the Phi because they rep- resent things that do not happen on campus. Hopefully, someone will be able to argue that in the future. Unfortunately this is not the reality at our university. The victims accounts are necessary because they bring at- tention to the fact that this type of behavior exists and is a real problem. What is not necessary is pub- lishing them in the Ring-Tum Phi every week, and placing copies in men’s rooms across campus. Doing so is counterproductive; it detracts from the very conversa- tion on our campus that they aim to benefit. Anonymous Profiles in Leadership: Emibl Coyle What energizes you about taking on leadership responsibilities? I love being able to give back to the organizations that I’m involved in, and to help rising classes of W&L students derive the joy and benefits that I have found in these organizations. Riding, for instance, has completely framed my life here. Through Captains Council I can serve as a resource to other captains in other sports. Ultimately, we all face similar leadership challenges and development even though W&L boasts upward of 20 very different varsity sports. Greek life gives me a similar energy: I enjoy helping first-year women navigate the Greek system here. What has been one of your most rewarding aspects of leadership at W&L? One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership at W&L is that leadership here comes in all forms and in a variety of both traditional and unconventional ven- ues. Although being captain of an athletic team is a pretty conven- tional leadership role, riding outside of the collegiate setting is an individual sport. It is exhilarating to work with my teammates to foster a team dynamic and to work towards a common goal, some- thing that as varsity college athletes they may actually never have done before coming to W&L though many of them have competed in our sport for twelve or more years. What legacy of leadership do you hope to leave for oth- ers who follow you here? I hope to leave my unique perspec- tive on the issues that I have tackled here. We all bring something different to the conversation and that shouldn’t disappear when we ‘graduate. Any words of advice for them? If you want to be involved here, you can be, and if you want your voice to be heard, there are people who will listen. Simply do what energizes you I Activities: Captain, riding team, Captains Council, co—chair Panhel- lenic Head Recruitment, Coun- selor: Studentil-iaculty Hearing Board; Phi Eta Sigma, Omicron Delta Kappa; University Scholars OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20100118/WLURG39_RTP_20100118_005.2.txt O 5 ' THE RING-TUM PHI MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2010 ' arts&life Fresh new music picked by WLUR W&L s only campus radio station tells us what five artists to watch in 201 0 for new sounds, releases and hot concerts ByWLUR staff surr wnmzns It’s impossible to know what other wonders Lady Gaga will grace us with this year, but here are WLUR’s picks for some oth- er artists to watch in the first part of 2010: 1. Vampire Weekend While early 2008 saw the re- lease of the group’s much-praised self-titled album, the buzz sur- rounding Vampire Weekend continues to swell thanks to the release of the group’s sophomore record, Contra, on XL Record- ings last week. And what a way to ring in the new year. With songs that blend delicate guitar picking and keyboard twiddling with Afro-pop percussion, Con- tra sets the bar high as far as in- die pop goes in 2010. While a lot of folks go either way about this band ~ some see these Ivy League prepsters as endearing for their lyrics that question the importance of the Oxford comma and somehow bookend the words “Cape Cod” and “Kwassa Kwassa,” while others blast them for their preten- tiousness and as little more than copycats of what Paul Simon did on his classic 1986 album Grace- land — this new record is most certainly a step forward in their songwriting. Contra is sure to please old fans and find a place on the iPods of plenty of new lis- teners too. And for those willing to make the trek up to D.C., the band will be playing DAR Con- stitution Hall in early April. 2. Beach House Another group that’s steadily rising in the ranks of the indie world, Beach House is known for its blend of reverb-drenched guitar and murky keyboards, not to mention the deep-honeyed voice of singer Victoria Legrand. Legrand makes up one half of this dynamic duo, formed in Bal- timore in 2004, which has since become a master of what many call “dream pop.” Appropriately enough, the group’s third record, Teen Dream, was recorded in a converted church in upstate New York that the band dubbed “Dreamland.” The new album is due out this week on Sub Pop Records, home of indie staples like Blit- zen Trapper, The Shins, and Iron and Wine. And Teen Dream is the much-anticipated follow-up to the group’s last release, Devo- tion, which definitively claimed a spot as one of WLUR’s top ten albums of 2008. Fans of ev- eryone from Grizzly Bear to the Velvet Underground will easily Smashing it: Gamers seek to set record By Holly Suthers STAFF WRITER Students aim for a spot on the list of Guinness World Records for their 24-hour Super Smash Brothers session last spring Not many Washington and Lee students can claim to have a world record, however, three students recently achieved this title through gaming. Chris Veddem, Phil Jack- son, Jennifer Pritchett, all soph- omores, and Arturo Roa, who graduated last year, performed the longest non-stop game of article. Avid Nintendo 64 gamers, the four have been playing for years. Pritchett has been this system for seven years and has played Super Smash Broth- ers for two years. Veddem has been playing for nine. The team decided to play Super Smash Brothers because it allowed Kl tsounded like a good story to tell later in life. ‘What did you do during college? ’ ‘Set a world record. 1)} Jennlfer Prltchett, sophomore record setter Super Smash Brother on Nin- tendo 64. The four students played the game for 24 hours and five minutes. Each member played the entire duration, withstand- ing the challenges. “The length of it was most taxing for me. It may not seem like it, sitting still and main- taining focus for that length of time can be quite exhausting,” said Veddem. Veddem and Pritchett said that once they initially had the idea for the world record, they had to follow through with it. “It sounded like a good sto- ry to tell later in life. ‘What did you do during college?’ ‘Set a world record,’” said Pritchett. Pritchett contacted Guin- ness World Records in Sep- tember of 2008 and finalized the paper work this past April. As part of the validation pro- cess to Guiness, the group must have a newspaper article writ- ten to validate the event. The Ring—tum Phi will serve as this each player to have infinite lives, and therefore they could play one continuous game. This past May, the four sat down to start playing and fin- ished an entire day later to room full of people cheering them on for the last five minutes. “Cheering doesn’t often happen in the world of gaming. That was by far the best part,” said Pritchett. While each student individ- ually played, the four recognize that it was a team effort from the start. “Those who aided us in the logistics of running the world record attempt and watched, you know who you are and I can’t thank you enough for sup- porting our endeavor,” Pritchett said. be seduced by Beach House’s ghostly tunes. And converts to the Beach House sound can check the group out for a homecoming show in Baltimore in May. 3. Midlake Midlake is the seasoned veteran of this short list, hav- folkier sound, inspired by British artists like Fairport Convention. Frontman Tim Smith told indie music Web site Pitchfork Me- dia that it was the “fair maiden” quality of British folk that really resonated when the band set to making Courage. Perhaps in an Check out the latest in new music reviews at WL UR is very own music blog at http:// wlurradio.blogspot. com, or indulge your ears and listen on 91.5 FM or online at http://wlur. wlu.edu. ing formed in Denton, Texas in 1999. Yet the group has only released two records, and its last record, The Trials of Van Occu- panther, came out way back in 2006. Still, Midlake’s sound has been praised for its unabashed nods to classic rock artists like Neil Young, Jethro Tull, and F leetwood Mac. According to the band’s la- bel, Bella Union, Midlake’s new record, The Courage of Others, will trade the ‘70s-era rock for a effort to get closer to their British influences, these guys have left the states for a bit of a European tour before they return to some shows in the western U.S. 4. Yeasayer Another New York act — though they hail from Brooklyn, not Broadway — Yeasayer is a staunch defender of experimen- tal psychedelic rock. The group has toured with more eccentric acts like Beck, MGMT, and Man Man, and it’s safe to say that Yeasayer is even quirkier than Vampire Weekend and gloomier than Beach House. (If it helps, the band members themselves refer to the group’s sound “Mid- dle Eastem-psych-pop-snap-gos- pel.”) While experimental and art-rock acts like Animal Collec- tive and Dirty Projectors topped many best-of lists in 2009, Yea- sayer is set to throw its name into the ring when its new record, Odd Blood, is released in early February on Secretly Canadian. If lead single “Ambling Alp” is any indication, they might be poised to claim 2010. The group is touring all over Europe and the U.S. for the next several months, with a stop at D.C.’s 9:30 Club on April 3. 5. jj Swedish indie-popper jj re- leased its debut album, jj n° 2, early last year on a label back home. The record earned jj a spot in Pitchfork’s coveted “Best New Music” list and since then, the group has signed to American label Secretly Canadian. Now, jj n° 3 is due out in early March, just before these elecro-pop afi- cionados embark on a U.S. tour with the xx (how appropriate). The group is known for being pretty secretive, but perhaps as it continues to project its own brand of pop — which draws influences from everything from Lil Wayne to Brian Eno — the members of jj will come out of their shell just a little bit. Other artists with early 2010 releases: Spoon, Eels, RJD2, The Magnetic Fields, Hot Chip, Mas- sive Attack, The Watson Twins, David Byrne & Fatboy Slim, Shout Out Louds, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The White Stripes, She & Him, Los Campesinos!, Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, Lil Wayne, and Joanna Newsom, among others. Check out the latest in new music reviews at WLUR’s very own music blog at http://wlur- radio.blogspot.com, or indulge your ears and listen on 91.5 FM or online at http://wlur.wlu.edu. Crossword of the Week Rush Right Into Things by Neville L. Fogarty For the solution to this puzzle, visit phicrosswords.tumblr.com. I 3 3 -l 5 1.: 7 K ‘.1 £0 il in l3 1 Ritchie Valens hit "La _____," I4 Is :6 6 Hand—raising deodorant L, is ,9 10 NosI.radznn'us, for one 14 Play footsie, maybe 15 Place with Swedish Crepes 16 Years abroad? 17 Columbus‘ likely birthplace 18 Not here‘? 19 Sums up? 20 Document for singing students 23 Highland Games wear 24 School with a Wash. Sq. campus 25 Make an egg 26 Hebrides island 29 Pen point 31 Tests often done on "House" '3‘ “5 "5 33 Debut on Wall St. .;,; {.3 (,9 34 Myopia Jim Backus role 36 Large keybclard key 69 An American in Paris? 28 Comment before an 39 Forecast for 1/ 12th of the DOWN embamgsjng Sgatemem world , _ . 30 Showed disapproval of a refs 42 Rods with wheels 1 Sophie s abductor in a Dalil can 43 Saline stuff in the titles of two Story 32 pan 0f some co, names Songs by The Mgracjes 2 ?\:Ieryl’s "It's Complicated" (:o- 34 Clams Cousin :: ggrdljypew L 3 fonower? 35 Five-foot tall Indonesian e in ~ .. , , - , , H 47 It picked Barack in 2008. even 4 "‘.3““°‘“g Wm‘ ‘he S"“”"' 37 Paradise um’ e'g' though w&L diam wume; Burke 38 Bank take-back 48 Magma Doodws ofighml 5 "Backyard Baseball" publisher 40 ..... Speedwaeon Company 6 Watches what happens 41 Sham“ and 516335 49 3 p{S_'} 7 "Here comes trouble!" 46 Aussie P”? d"0 M... Gard“ 51 Have a cow? 8 "Fear Factor" host Joe 48 Where ‘he hear‘ is? 53 Nasty cm 9 Madison or Washington. to 49 C0mP_a“Yfhf*§ had 3“ 55 Subject of a snopescom article New York Squares featuring Tmy House 60 "My mm" 19 V01“, rim; 50 Bullets and plastiques 61 Mine“ entryway 11 "And I say no more." 52 30'" 0f P001 01' WW6 62 "King of the Hm" town 12 "Star Wars" battle site 54 Bfmg d15h°“9r “P011 64 Sprockets 13 Like the business in a 1933 56 Res ...:..1<>q}mur 65 "Bad Romance” Singer. g film 57 Latvias capital familiarly 21 Arm parts 58 '"Tis not or eye, we 66 Place to get good lobster 22 Coercion beauty can flpope 67 Dept of Labor div‘ 26 "Come on in and ,_____ spell!" 59 Lawless W3m°f7 68 his 66 mm 27 2001 Kevin Spacey film 63 Volleyball need OCR::/Vol_113/WLURG39_RTP_20100118/WLURG39_RTP_20100118_006.2.txt MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2010 THE RING-TUM PHI ° 6 sports Lady Generals on the rise After dropping to a 2-6 record, W&L women have improved to 6-7 By Stephen Peck STAFF WR ITER After struggling through their first few games over Christmas break and bottom- ing out with a 2-6 record after a tough 48-47 loss to Virginia Wesleyan on Janu- ary 5th, the women’s basketball team has turned their season around. The incredibly young, but also im- mensely talented, team has struggled to find consistency this season. This problem W&L has gone 4-1 and put itself right back in the thick of the ODAC conference race. “Our goal from day one has been to win the ODAC championship and I think this win streak is just giving us more con- fidence that we can reach our goal,” said sophomore forward Becca Bolton. After failing to pass the 50 point mark Mon Tues WED Tnuns FRI SAT at 8 M ' ethodlst Hampden- a.s.1’.1i.?... 4»-m svdnev 2 mm t Vs Em:ry 8: women’s Basketball |;°'""s Henry .m. p 4 p.m. at llllon’s swlmmlng catholic 2 p.m. at Catholic women’s Swimming] 2 pm‘ at- w t“ McDaniel res ng 11 a.m. at M Suquehannd en’s Track and °"‘°5'° Field 10 a.m. at women’s lsuquehanna Track and "old classic 10 a.m. Men’s Tennis Women's Tennis The number of touchdown passes thrown by quarterback Brett Favre in the Minnesota Vikings’ 34-3 rout of the Dallas Cowboys on Sun- day. The playoff victory advanced the Vikings (13-4) to their first NFC Championship game since the 2000 season. The Vikings will take on the New Orleans Saints (14-3) next Sunday. 1 8-0 The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team’s record so far this season. It is the third time in school history that the basketball team has been 18-0 and the first time since the 1956-66 team started 23-0. The Wildcats knocked off SEC foe Auburn University 72-67 on Saturday. 20, 18 The number of points and rebounds, respectively, put up by Washing- ton and Lee sophomore forward Becca Bolton in the Generals’ 67-58 win over Bridgewater on Saturday. The Lady Generals are now 6-7. sbox “We will not [recruit Tennessee-committed play- ers], unless a guy would call us and say he’s in- terested in us.” University of Southern California assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron on the USC football adm|nstrat|on’s plans to pursue players who committed to the Unlverlsty of Tennessee under former head coach Lane Klffin. Kiffin recently accepted the position of head football coach at USC, taking Orgeron and his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Klffln, with him. Courtesy of espn. com. “I'm not saying I’m great, but you see the great players come up with the big play, do whatever it takes, an offensive rebound, a dive on the floor, taking a charge. It doesn’t have to be a shot all the time.” Villanova University guard Scottie Reynolds on his offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer by teammate Regge Redding as the shot clock expired In VIl|anova’s 82-77 defeat over Georgetown University Sunday night. Reynolds finished with 27 points, topping 20 points for the eighth time in his last 10 games. Courtesy of espn.com. “Our goal from day one has been to win the ODAC championship and I think this win streak is just giving us more confidence that we can reach our goal. ” Becca Bolton, sophomore forward was evidenced during the Surf and Slam San Diego Hoops Classic over Christmas Break, where the Generals knocked off a highly touted Capital University team, but then were blown out by Pt. Loma Naza- rene just two days later. Washington and Lee dropped two more conference games when they got back, los- ing to Randolph Macon and Virginia Wes- leyan. The Wesleyan game was particu- larly tough to swallow as the Generals lost 48-47 thanks to a buzzer-beating jumper. The shots just weren’t falling for W&L. But since the loss to Virginia Wesleyan, in any of the previous four games, the of- fense finally exploded and the talented and youthful squad lived up to its potential.- The Generals rattled off three quick wins, beating Lynchburg (72-52), Randolph (85-48), and Eastern Mennonite (66-46). Facing off against Randolph, all 11 players on the Generals squad put them- selves on the board. The team, led by sophomore guard Meg Ingram’s 18 points, also tied a school record for three-pointers in a game with 12. The team’s success continued three days later versus EMU, with four double- digit scorers for the Gennies and the sec- ond consecutive game where the team shot above 45% from the floor. On Friday, the team suffered a minor setback, dropping a close game to Roanoke by a score of 57-54. Bolton filled the score sheet with an impressive double-double, putting up a solid 15-point, 15-rebound ef- fort. Sophomore guard Kari Pfannenstein netted 16 points as well. On Saturday, the team traveled to Bridgewater to face off against its seventh conference foe in a row. The team came back just in time to enjoy Tear Night ac- tivities with a satisfying 67-58 win. Bolton notched her sixth double-double of the year with 20 points and 18 boards. Junior forward Felice Herman chipped in with 19 points and 12 rebounds. “I think we have been playing better lately because we have finally learned how to play together,” Bolton said. “I think it took us a little while to figure out how to play with each other because we are so young, but it has started clicking lately.” The surging Generals start off the sec- ond half of the season with a home game against Hollins University on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Men’s basketball knocked off by a free throw The Generals fought Roanoke to the buzzer, but couldn ’t pull off the win, losing 60-59 By Brooke Sutherland SPORTS EDITOR Junior gmard Jason Cimino stepped up when the Generals needed him the most. Drilling a three-pointer with 16 seconds left in the men’s showdown against Roa- noke Saturday night, Cimino tied the score at 59-59. The Generals looked poised to charge into their second overtime game of the week after knocking off conference foe Lynchburg 63-59 in OT on Wednesday. A win would have boosted the Generals’ vic- tory count to 10 and put the team in good position to continue its quest for an NCAA tournament berth. But a lone free throw by the Maroons kept the Generals (9-5, 2-4) from victory, and Roanoke defeated W&L 60-59. The Generals finished the night making 10-11 free throws while Roanoke dropped in 11 of 21. In a game where neither team led by more than five points in the first half, the close finish was a tough pill to swallow. Roanoke led by only three at the half, heading into the locker room up 26-23. But they came out shooting in the second half and quickly jumped to an 1 1-point lead with a little under nine minutes left in the game. The Generals battled back, but their last minute charge was simply too little, too late. Senior forward Ben Goetsch led the Generals with 16 points and eight rebounds. Fellow senior forwards Zac White and An- drew Payne finished with 12 points and six rebounds and nine points and six rebounds, respectively. Cimino finished with five points and five assists. After setting up a nice three-game win- ning streak to open their games over Christ- mas break, the Generals have stumbled in conference play recently. The Generals dominated the W&L tour- nament the first week of January, knocking off Swarthmore 59-48 and Emory 76-65. But their hot streak met its match when the team took on Eastern Mennonite three days later. The 24th-ranked Royals used a 19- point half time lead to run the Generals out 8348. Tumovers and poor shooting plagued the Generals as they shot just 32.7 percent and turned the ball over 23 times. The Generals’ shooting woes contin- ued against Virginia Wesleyan as the 12th ranked Marlins posted a 16-4 run to claim a 69-64 victory over W&L. The Generals posted just one field goal. Goetsch had a double-double to lead the Generals with 24 points and 11 rebounds. White added five points and 10 boards. F irst-year forward Taylor Gilfillan stepped up with eight points and three rebounds. W&L recovered with the overtime win against Lynchburg. They improved to 45.6 percent shooting from the floor and out-rebounded the Hornets 47-36. But turnovers continued to be a problem for the Generals with 29 and they shot a dismal 5-of—l4 from the free throw line. With the Generals’ next four con- ference games on the road, they’ll need to keep their turnovers in check and their shooting up to stay in play for ODAC title contention. The Generals’ next match-up is against Methodist College at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. How bad can the Nets get? The New Jersey Nets have won only three games in a season that “is nothing short of catastrophic ” ‘ By Adam Cancryn 5 TA F F w R i T E R Can one bad year ruin an entire de- cade? For the New Jersey Nets, it is quite a possibility. The Nets are slogging through an NBA season that is nothing short of catastroph- ic. They are last in the league in defense, 25.5 games out of first, perpetually injured and already on their third head coach in four months. The result is a pathetically abysmal record of 3-36. There are few organizations in the sporting world that have ever been this bad. Major League Baseball’s New York Mets went 40-120 in their inaugural sea- son. But even as the game’s benchmark of ineptitude, the Mets still won 25 percent of their games. The Nets? 7.9 percent. Then there’s the woeful Detroit Lions of 2008. They were routinely embarrassed on both sides of the ball, by opponents and themselves. One of the team’s few high- lights is quarterback Dan Orlovsky unwit- tingly running out of the back of his own end zone to avoid pressure. Needless to say, the Lions went the entire season with- out a victory. But at least in Detroit there was a ray of hope. Calvin Johnson, a freakishly built second-year player, established himself as a top 10 receiver despite catching passes from five equally dreadful passers. All the Nets have to offer on their team of oft-injured underachievers is center Brook Lopez. While he’s a solid player, nothing short of the second coming of Pat- rick Ewing can save this season. And although the Lions were at least assured the No. 1 pick in the subsequent draft, the Nets hold no such certainty. True, they will have the best chance in the NBA’s lottery-style draft, but only four times in the past 24 years has_ the league’s worst team won the top pick. There are a number of other teams across the athletic spectrum that were similarly bad. But few, if any, found them- selves with so many things going wrong all at once. Aside from the irreparably dam- aged product on the court, the franchise is the financial equivalent of a sinking ship. Even before this year, the Nets consistent- ly ranked in the bottom five in attendance and were slotted 26 out of 30 this year in total franchise value by Forbes. Now pile on a once-lucrative plan to move to Brooklyn that currently sits dead in the water. And then add to that a new owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, who happens to have connections to the Russian mob. It’s a sad situation that will unfortu- nately overshadow what was the Nets’ most successful decade since the 1970s. Aided by the arrival of perennial all- star Jason Kidd and rookie Richard Jef- ferson in 2001, the team engineered a 26—game turnaround, finishing 56-30 and reaching the NBA Finals. Vince Carter joined a couple years later, establishing the pre-Celtics version of the Big Three. Only the dominance of the Western Con- ference prevented a Nets’ Finals victory. Nine years into the decade, the Nets had established themselves as more than just that team across the river. They racked up 348 wins, six straight playoff appear- ances, four first place finishes and played in two finals. But those accomplishments have been smothered by the stench emanating from this season, a stench likely to go down as the worst in history. Through 39 games, the Nets have just three victories, putting them on pace for a final record of 6-76. That would eclipse the previous worst of 9-73 established by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973. New Jersey already owns the league mark for consecutive losses to open a season, with 18. When coach Lawrence Frank was fired at 0-16, it seemed like more of a favor to Frank than to the team. Unfortunately, the recovery will not occur as quickly as the demise. Like ev- erything else that has collapsed in the 21st century, it will take time. A No.1 pick and the rights to precocious point guard John Wall would help. So would a major free agent signing like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or LeBron James. But none of that is certain and each loss seemingly pushes the idea of a speedy revival farther from grasp. In a year that turned the Nets’ trium- phant ‘Aughts into the sickening Aint’s, we can be sure of only one thing: it has to be better next year. Doesn’t it?