OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_001.2.txt Thoughts on pledgeship. OPINIONS / page Go back in time. Check out this Sports Illustrated story that ran exactly half a century ago. Spoiler: it's about our football team. I SPORTS / page 8 ' TH WASHINGTON mi) LEE UNIVERSITY RING -TUM PHI. MONDAY,NOVEMBER7,2011lV ‘IHE SIIIDEHTS All! FOR THE SIUDEIIIS SIIIEE 1851 VOLUME CV, NUMBER 7 The battle begins: Student organizations canvas, work the polls and prepare for debate By Victoria Bell STAFF WRITER Afier spending the past few weeks reaching out to area voters, Washington and Lee’s College Democrats and Col- lege Republicans will spend Election Day working the polls end Tuesday. On Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Lee Chapel, the College Republicans and Col- lege Democrats will go head-to-head in a political debate. and continuing to raise awareness. On Nov. 17th at 7p.m. in According to Lee Chapel, the College Robbie Day, their Twitter page, R n 0 Smith-Scho- College Demo- epub lea S C liege enwalder, crats have had DQWZOCVGIS Wlll g0 h€Cld-l0- Zain Raza, their “boots on the - - - and Leah , ground” for Senator ‘.’Le.i’L’e_ Gose will Creigh Deeds in his represent re-election campaign in the local commu- nity. College Republicans, meanwhile, will be volunteering at the polls on Election Day for the local Reynolds for Sherriff campaign. The groups’ political activity doesn’t Elephants fighti 0' the College Democrats. Ty— I ler Grant, Matt Simpson, ’ Tim McAleenan, and Con- nor Perkins will be the face of College Republicans. Questions will be drawn from the audience, the moderators, and the opponent Each group will front four individu- als as representatives. Todd teams. can contact senior Robbie Day or senior Tyler Grant. Students who would like to submit a question for the debate or are looking for ways to get involved in politics at W&L,_ Election Day ng over ica Conference at VMI focuses on American and Chinese economic, political and ideological policies toward Africa ByThomas Kent STAFF WRITER At a multiple panel conference held last week in the Center for Leadership and Ethics Building at VMI, ambassa- dors, professors, high-ranking military personnel and other leaders discussed United States and China policy toward Africa. The conference,‘entitled “The Eagle and the Dragon in Africa”, focused on stability and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Major General Donald Leins, a key- note speaker at the conference, currently serves in the office of the Joint Chiefs of "Staff and previously served as Dep- uty Commander, Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa in Djibouti. He addressed the issue with the question, “Is China’s policy toward Africa altruis- tic or neo-colonial?” The answer to such a question was debated and several times a reference was made to the old East African prov- erb: “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” During the confer- ence, the proverb was metaphorically applied to China and the U.S. interaction on African soil. Leins discussed various possibili- ' ties for United States collaboration with China in Africa, including multilateral agreements, economic “hooks” and col- laboration on transnational issues, such ounting New program allows students to prac ice interviews when By Drew Carlos STA F F w RIT E R Washington and Lee’s Career Ser- vices’ newest program allows students to prepare for upcoming job interviews in a new way. The program——InterviewStream— enables students to practice interview- ing for a job in the field of their choice, answer thousands of questions and see their interview replayed immediately on the screen. Students can find Interviewstream through a link on the Career Services website. The next step is to create an account and then take advantage of the entire program. InterviewStream is free for all W&L students. InterviewStream is exactly like a real interview. Students can choose the as the proliferation of WMDs, natural disasters, pandemics, and humanitarian intervention. The “hooks” refer to situa- tions with “mutually good outcomes” for both parties that facilitate collaboration. Ambassador Priscilla Clapp, a retired minister-counselor in the U.S. Foreign Service, brought a different perspective. “We need to look at how China can al- low Africa to profit,” Clapp said. She said China’s position is not analogous to the Soviet Union’s position in the Cold War, because China “recog- nizes its dependence on the rest of the world.” A “China’s rise can help other coun- tries,” Clapp said. The fact that China and the U.S. have difiiculties collaborating in Africa was addressed. Charles Horner, a panel chair and senior fellow at the Hudson In- stitute, said that “almost all of the issues have to do with differences in political systems.” Dr. Raymond Gilpin, a director at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said the in- teraction between the United States and China should not be stated as the actual struggle depicted between the two el- ephants. Referring to such a competition, Gil- pin said, “We are not in a cold war envi- ronment or a bipolar world. ‘The world field they are interested in pursuing in the workforce, click on as many or as few questions they would like to an- swer, partake in an interview with a real, but recorded, person, and review their interview once it is over. Only the stu- dents will see their interviews, or, if they would like, can send them into a career services advisor for critiques. One of the unique features of the program is the ability to count the num- ber of times one uses “umm,” “like,” “I mean,” and “you know.” While these filler words may not seem like a prob- lem, they can cause an interviewer to think one is unprepared or trying to make something up, Martine said. This tool not only gives students the ability is more globally integrated. For both China and the US, Africa is not a strate- gic property. Adversarial competition is not inevitable.” Gilpin said, “Would you become ad- versarial over 5 percent GDP of trade.” According to the African Development Bank Group website, “China-Africa trade comprises only 4 percent of the to- tal Chinese imports and exports,” but is likely to continue to grow. In terms of trade, Gilpin said, “China and the US need to come to grasps with market access. Africa does not and will not account for 25 percent of U.S. oil. For China, Africa is more ofa long-terrn strategic engagement issue.” Gilpin suggested that one of the el- ephants might have an intrinsic advan- tage. Referring to the Chinese company bids taking place in Africa, Gilpin said, “Competition is good. It would good for China, the U.S., and Africa if everyone played by the same rules. We need each bidder to be on the same playing field. We need to disentangle the package that gives Chinese companies an advantage.” Gilpin said we need to find ways to “ensure that what is expended on the Chinese and United States side is not just complimentary but also shares the same goal of prosperity in Africa. Chi- nese and U.S. relations are important, to check themselves, it also can lead to students who use filler words in excess to eliminate them all together. ‘Christian Martine, a student intern at Career Services, said the goal of In- terviewStream is to practice. There are thousands of interview questions at the fingertips of W&L students, and they are not only helpful but accessible too. Martine also noted that a student can customize their interview, picking the specific questions they want to answer. Along with this, Martine pointed out a feature of the program, Expert Tips, that will give students hints on how to answer those generic questions, such as, “Why should I hire you?” Martine said he wanted students to yet they are clouded by misunderstand- ing and suspicion." Yun Sun, a visiting fellow from the Brookings Institute, offered 21 Chinese perspective. She said China has eco- nomic, political, security. and ideologi- cal interests in Africa. She said China’s desire for raw mate- rials, for African support in multination- al forums, specifically for its one-child policy, for the safety ofChinese compa- nies and citizens in Africa, and for the prosperity of non-Democratic systems in Africa, establish these respective in- terests. She said that non-democratic systems in /\frica would be “an external support for communism.” “The United States has more security interests in Africa than China does,” Sun said. She mentioned cases of extremism, terrorism, and piracy, and the United States’ desire to see “strengthening of democracy, human rights, and good gov- emance.” The question of whether or not the two elephants can work together was also addressed. In terms of possible collaboration between the United States and China over development projects in Africa, Yun said the Chinese view is, “We have the cash and we can do it alone. Why bother collaborating with the US?” She said that China follows know that the program is not only a pow- erful feature, but one that works with a college student’s schedule as well. Pre- viously, a student would have to set Lip an interview, come into Career Services, and practice with an actual person. Now, students can practice when and where they want, and they will have access to their old interviews. Having access to these pre-recorded interviews permits students to see the progress they have made as the year goes on. The ability to see their recorded in- terview lets students focus on things other than purely answers: eye contact, posture, etc. Students may be told they divert their eyes after every answer, but it is easier to believe once it is actually a non-interference policy toward Africa and said that Africa is not a “policy pri- ority for China at all.” When giving his keynote speech, Leins said he was “struck by the contra- diction of China’s policy of non-inter- ference contrasted with the undercutting of the local workforce by selling its own commodities.” The theme of collaboration was pres- ent throughout the conference. A point was made that distinction between co- operation and collaboration, cooperation between China and the U.S. in regard to Africa described as being less likely. Leins said the old proverb of the two elephants fighting is inappropriate to de- scribe China and U.S. interaction. Dur- ing the questioning period afterwards, Leins said, “We are just grazing on the same grassland.” Dr. Gilpin responded to this state- ment by saying, “But what does that say about the grass?” Previously during the conference Leins had said, “We cannot look through [China’s] actions or intentions with our own binoculars. Partnership is impor- tant so we can all share the same grass- land together.” your “urns” online convenient and record them for later review observed by the students themselves. Martine said its “easy to perceive your- self doing one thing and then actually seeing it, and its completely different.” Martine said so far, InterviewStream has received an extremely positive reac- tion from students. Josh Posner, a W&L senior, recently tried the program and his response was that it had “great user-interface.” He also said “because you can use it anywhere, you can practice over-and—over again, and get comfortable and familiar with the questions, the timing, and your way ofresponding.” OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_002.2.txt 2 - THE RING-TUM PHI- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY WASHINGTON & LEE uuxvensrrv LEXINGTON, VA 24450 NEWS NOV 0 8 2011 Run like 21 ° Track team sponsors clinic for local girls By Leigh Dannhauser 5 TA F F w R I T E R Nearly 60 young girls showed up at Wilson Field at 9 Saturday morning ready to run. They were there to participate in the Run Like a Girl clinic presented by Washington and Lee’s women’s track team. Girls as young as 3 and as old as 14 ran, hurdled, and long jumped over the course of the ninety-minute clinic. The first hour was dedicated to four different stations. These stations were nutrition, hurdles, motivation, and long jump. The girls remained at each one for about fifteen minutes. “It was definitely a little hectic mov- ing the groups so quickly, but the all of the girls caught on really fast and had a blast,” said first-year Jillian Katterhagen. Katterhagen helped run the hurdle sta- tion. When the music started to play, the girls moved on to thenext station. After the hour was up, the girls all grouped together for some stretching and then divided back into their age groups for some running around on the track and turf. Overall, the members of the track team who ran the clinic said the event . ' ' V- was a success. “It was a great opportunity to in- troduce younger girls to running and healthy lifestyles,” said sophomore Julia Murray. “It was great seeing the energy of the young girls,” added first-year Jennifer Friberg. “They all said they liked to run because it was fun and you don’t hear that from a lot of teens or adults.” Murray and Friberg were age group counselors. Those working the stations agreed. “The clinic was awesome as a whole, it was fast—paced and fun, and everyone there was super enthusiastic,” Katterha— gen said. “Besides the cold weather, it was a great morning.” Nearly 60 young women turned out for a morning of running,jumping and learning about fitness. Briefly: Operation Christmas Child Alpha Theta Omega and Quest Scholars to sponsor “packing party ”for organization that helps children By Victoria Bell STAF F WR ITER If you’ve never heard of Operation Christmas Child...get excited. Operation Christmas Child is an organization that is part of the Samaritan’s Purse interna- tional relief efforts. lndividuals pack shoe boxes full of personal essentials and fun stuff for children in foreign countries that go without things they need on a daily basis. Without the efforts of Samaritan’s Purse, these" children would not have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas. On Friday, Nov. ll from 7 p.m. to midnight, Alpha Theta Omega and Quest Scholars are sponsoring a “packing par- ty” for Operation Christmas Child in the Commons Living Room. Tables will be set up in commons this week with vol- unteer sign-ups, donations, and supply drop-offs. Those that plan to participate in the event are asked to bring supplies (see suggested list of gifts) and an extra shoe box. Be sure to drop by the Com- mons Living Room between 7 p.m. and midnight on Friday (attendees are free to come and go as they please), grab some pizza and cider, listen to Christmas mu- sic, and join in on the holiday spirit of giving! K/Oz;/"5 tfale/ar/.9 Toys .1/i//1///(‘(1/av. an//3’, (/0//3', oi‘/(It!//("I/(I/II‘/III!/S’, -.’(1:'oo.s', at//‘//m///('(/.53‘ yr)‘-yr)», /'/////J /*o.)(¢s', .s'//m// ('3/c/1. » /Z'('/('/I/¢. /(()y.s' //I(// 1/.) 0/‘ /)l(I/.’(’ /10/.'s'(* fl0//// 1'. 1 '//‘(I 6(///(*/'/my School Supplies 1 Ii‘/1.5’, /Jam’//5' 1///(/.s‘//(1//2c/ze/2 cm‘/yo//.s*, /1/(//' -.'('/55', .5‘/(////M’ (///1//'/1/.'/)(/1/M’/.5’, //1/*/7/2‘/g /mt/s', /10 26/‘, .5-o/a/' (7//c///1//o/‘.3’, ('o/o/v}(/(/ A004;-, /2/c/1//to 600%»- Hygiene Items .*/7/)///5/t//.s' ms-, /oo//y)(r.s'/(I, //1/W/an/' .w)(I.) /}'/1 (I [)/(/A'//.(' A((((/}, (7)/ll&rS', (l)(IeS’/l('/(}//M’ Other .(/{rl//*(/('1///1///, /o/I///)r)/2.://2/¢'(1.s'e 1/0//5/c-a(I( (r// (71//1/y/. ///////.s’.( (////1/, .“/-.5’/1//*/.3’, .s*o('é.s'. an /{'((.)»s*, J‘!//(I(//((»$'-$’('.s', //(//'/< c/ym-, /((1//(/ezoe/{'y, m(n‘¢'/1('.s', //(/.s'////////.s' /(o/M (’.l'//‘(I 51///e/v'e.sj ( ( A Personal Note .(/1l (1 .s'(/)0/'1//e e/we 726,‘ //on may (’/l('/(I-9’(’ (I /mfe /0 Me ca/717/(1/It/U I0/0 ((/(’}/(//I/ss'§*/ "01; I 011/‘ ( /1}//1//y. .((//'/rm //1('/m/e( yo///‘ //(1/11¢’ (1/zcflrt/1//‘em’ ///e (%/%////((/y (I)/‘I./(’ aacé Do Not Include: ‘/Ks-er/or z/(1/1/1‘/ya//'/e//1.s*, m(I/*—/‘('41/er//Ye/11.5’ .91/rfi my /ray‘ (////1.9, /.*///‘mas’, o/< /11/7//(I{*q/(/(/I//'e.s', cfloco/(1/c of/oor/, ()1!/((/"I/(I/(3 ca//((14/, //(/(//'(/s' 0/‘ /o//'0/1.9, ///er//ca//'0/z.s' 0/‘ 0//(1//11'/1.5‘, 5/'e((é(IJ/e //c/11.9 .9/(ca rm’ .s‘/mzot//oam 0/; (//(law co/1/'(1()1e/$3’, (1e/'o.s'o/ ca/1.9 1012, Ca.A*~a.po.rSn Slogan.“ brmnstorrmw/Q] 5:, «TIM ‘re as’: we we hit I C-:=<~esc_.¢” lyliw kiwi:/xj t,,..,r¢"».r¢: goiili ___. /"' _x'“77 Peace Corps on campus Thejob market is global. You should be too. Find out how you can gain personal and professional Life is Callln9- experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer. How far will W90? Wed nesda Nov. 9 Information Session 80o_424_8580 Career Services Center Huntley Hall 323 5:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m. peacecorps.gov Contact Ben Burnes at 202.692.1051 or bburnes@peacecorps.gov. g - ' 5;’/i*“?l‘”:;v t y. I eéifc USSERY / staff cafipfiist OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_003.2.txt MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011 3 - THE RING-TUM PHI - opinions In defense of pledgeship... Do boys benefit from living in misery for8 weeks of freshman year? Columnist Stockton Bullitt thinks so. I probably should’ve saved this article until January or Feb- ruary, but my other ideas this week weren’t quality choice. See, I wanted ‘ to write about good new tele- vision shows, but since I ap- parently don’t have enough au- thority to send a reply all email to the “Pink to Drink” email chain, I don’t think I have enough authority to convince you that “Dan Lebatard is Highly Questionable” is a good show (even though it’s better than any other non-PTI afternoon show on the ESPN networks). Therefore, I think I’ll talk about pledgeship and hope that freshmen don’t read the Phi. I’ve always had a problem with how the school characterizes pledgeship at W&L. I never could understand why, but despite being a dirty, stinking liberal, I always seem to find myself defending fratemities on this campus. The problem is, when you are arguing against profes- sors and administrators, it’s often hard to develop a solid counter-argument to the whole “How is putting freshmen (sorry, first years) through pain and hardship a good thing? How is that helping them?” Honestly, when you phrase it like that, there really isn’t much justification for the process as a whole. So, despite having this general discussion many times over the course of four years, it wasn’t until I had a Mountain Dew Amp (by the way, Mountain Dew is a much better energy drink than Monster, Full Throttle, and maybe even Red Bull; Mountain Dew knows how to make drinks that hype you up and add no ad- ditional value) on the way back from Richmond, that I developed some sem- blance of a defense. Yeah, I’m an apolo- gist, but I think that this can be at least relatively useful when justifying to your parents why you need to bring your car to school and borrow $5,000+ to join a club that adds no significant value to the rest of society. Just to be clear, I am not speaking in defense of pledgeship at oth- er schools,_nor am I speaking in defense of pledgeship ten years ago. Let’s face it, pledgeship nowadays is more watered down than my parents’ vodka when I was in high school. I don’t want to ar- gue whether or not this is a good thing Bystnclttonflrullitt cmumusr (again, since I am a dirty, stinking lib- eral, I tend to think progress is good, but that’s my bias), mostly because I don’t_ find it that relevant to this argument. I am only arguing about how the current W&L system functions, and after seeing the successes and failures of pledgeship for three years now, I think I have a rea- sonable idea of what pledgeship really is and why it functions the way it does. When debating over the merits of pledgship, the two opposing forces tend to be adults and college boys. Most adults tend to argue that pledgeship, at least how it’s practiced at W&L today, is a bad thing that taints (haha taint) the innocent souls of pure, developing boys. I themselves. consistently, and that is why they come down the hardest on fraternities who get caught for hazing. Nationals are truly deplorable organizations who use the argument of adulthood development to milk money from chapters and fundraise money that really should be going to educational or charitable organizations. Their only real value added is serving as a risk management institution, which schools are already better at handling If Nationals were to be wiped off the face of the Earth, the only negative result would be the loss of some erroneous jobs. So, why do they stay in power? Because they argue that they are the ones dictating the correct policies for Since guys can only handle one task at a time, they save rush for the fun part of being a bro and reserve pledgeship for the hard part of being a bro. Michael Kimmel’s book Guyland is the essential sociological study of males in between I6 and 26. Kimmel interviewed hundreds of college students, and devel- oped his own theory of pledgeship and why it’s perverse. Luckily, he shares the same view that most adults do, and that is why his book is one of the most ac- curate and detailed pieces of shit I have ever read. This is because despite pin- ning down the adolescent male’s life experience down to the last detail, he fails to understand what the male is re- ally about. His description of guys is like someone who tells you that “Inception” is a movie about dreams. He’s just miss- ing the point. And so, what is so wrong with his ‘de- scription of pledgeship? Essentially, his and every other argument posed by most adults is that pledgeship is a college male’s way of making boys into men. The reason pledgeship is so perverse is that the frat stars aren’t men yet them- selves, so their test of manhood has no basis in reality, and therefore, no merits. When it comes down to it, most adults use this form of reasoning. They tell freshmen that the older frat stars telling them what to do don’t really have the au- thority to boss them around because they aren’t all that old themselves. It doesn’t help that other adults at- test to the idea that pledgeship is about turning boys into men. National frater- nity organizations use this argument turning boys into men, thereby legiti- mizing their version of pledgeship and making it easy to kick off chapters who don’t follow their policies. However, if you look at their policies and outlook on life, they are basically Mormons, which is why SVU doesn’t need fraternities. But I still haven’t gotten to what is wrong with Kimmel’s argument. It’s an incorrect definition. Pledgeship, at least how it’s practiced at W&L now, isn’t about turning boys into men. We aren’t bringing freshmen to Brooks Brothers and making them purchase “How to be a Gentleman” because we are not inter- ested in that aspect of the society. Our idea of being a man is taking a shot without a chaser and jumping into the Maury in January, so it’s not like we actually think that contributes anything to real manhood. Furthermore, fratemi- ties aren’t adult producing institutions. That isn’t their purpose, no matter how many pledge manuals you read. There is no emphasis on adulthood in most fraternities at W&L, so how is the goal of pledgeship to make boys into adults? And if the adults think I just proved their point, what frat stars are claiming that fraternities are bastions of adulthood? Fraternities are just organized bro cir- cles. I would use friendship circles but‘ that sounds way too effeminate and is therefore designated for sororities, which I will get to later. The point of pledge- ship is to prove that your newfound bros will stick with you through thick and thin. Simply put, it’s an organized way of guys collectively asking select fresh- men 50 Cent’s “2l Questions.” College boys are simple folk. They just want to find bros and hang out with them. Until the Investment Bank Phase (yeah, I’m referencing my own article), guys don’t care too much about aca- demics, and they don’t particularly like showing their outward affection for women in public, even though they ob- viously enjoy their company. Fratemi- ties are guys’ way of hanging out with each other at W&L. Princeton has eating clubs. Yale has colleges. Harvard is evil. And W&L has fraternities. So where do freshmen come in? Well, W&L guys for the most part believe that most of their fraternity brothers are their bros. Obviously, there is some in- ner fraternity dissention, but the reason fraternities still have merit here is that W&L guys believe that their fraternity members are their bros. When they get to campus, freshmen are not yet anyone’s bros because frat stars and freshmen have yet to kick it together. So, because guys are stupid, they spend an entire year going through the mating ritual of test- ing whether or not select freshmen are their bros. Rush is the glorious process of frat stars collectively saying, “Look how awesome it is being my bro.” It’s a fun time for everyone because being bros is a fun experience. That’s why dur- ing late nights at every rush date, there is a frat star going up to some freshman and saying something that sounds like, “I love you, Bro Montana.” But then, why is there a need for pledgeship? Can’t we just do it like the girls do? No, because (breaking news) girls are different. For girls, the discov- ery of friendship is always a two-sided coin. Girls don’t separate the simultane- ous enjoyment and difficulty of being someone’s friend. They don’t need a pledgeship to test their future friends be- cause girls are smart enough to both sell girls on themselves and decidediwhether or not they should buy the freshman’s proposed friendship. This is why the level of mental commotion that goes on during girl rush dates is always too much for guys to handle. Guys, on the other hand, heed pledge- ship because they need to show the freshmen, their future bros, that being someone’s friend is not only fun, but it is also very hard. Since guys can only han- dle one task at a time, they save rush for the fun part of being a bro and reserve pledgeship for the hard part of being a bro. All pledgeship is currently at W&L is a bunch of frat stars collectively asking select future bros, “If I was stuck out at Pink Palace, would you take the time to sober drive me back home?” It’s done in an organized fashion, but that’s basically the gist of it. Depending on the fratemi- ty, the demands for what constitutes how far a bro will go to be your bro varies, but that’s how differing friendships work in the first place. Some guys will literally get your back in all circumstances, and others will only get your back only when the times are good. Pledgeship deciphers which bro fit into which category under the assumption that life is always better and manageable when you know who you are dealing with. The problem with this whole process is when the bromance becomes negative. Frat stars don’t like finding out that their newfound bros only liked them for the free beer. Frat stars are sensitive beings, and they don’t like feeling used. Like- wise, freshmen don’t like being taken advantage of (use whatever definition you want for “take advantage of”) as fellow bros. Think about it, how many times have you stopped being friends with someone because ultimately, the times you spend having to serve their needs instead of yours gets to be a little too much. When freshmen decide that the frat stars weren’t really their bros to begin with, that’s when parents start find- ing out and sending letters to deans. And ultimately, that’s the frat star’s problem, not the freshmen’s because you can’t be someone’s bro if you’re always being a f***ing dick to them all the time. However, this does not mean pledge- ship is not necessary. Every guy needs bros who will help him when he needs help. Pledgeship is the process of find- ing those bros. People in general put their friends through different forms of W&L’s pledgeship all the time. As long as frat stars and freshmen are willing to put in some effort in order to develop the bromance and that system is not hor- rifically abused, then W&L’s pledgeship should continue unabated but monitored, like it currently is. If you don’t want the structured process of finding a bro, then go to a NESCAC school where fresh-_ men aren’t respected and bromances are harder to come by. I like it this way, and that’s why I came to this school, even though I haven’t been able to say why until now. Reflections of the Real Madrid: ;Vamos a Tapearl Want to lose five pounds? Francesca Wilson describes what living in Spain has taught her about portion control The easi- est five pounds you’ll ever lose is ,when you move to a ma- jor European city. Trust me, I despise for- eign chitchat about the ever- sensitive top- ics of America and obesity as the much as the next patriot but the Spanish, they really might have a point. As every American college student knows it’s almost impossible to not to gain five, ten or, heaven forbid, the fresh- man fifteen when you arrive at universi- ty. Campus culture is conducive to rapid weight gain. For the first time in many students’ lives they have easy access to copious amounts of alcohol at least three By Francesca Wi son co LU M N In . .» Andrea stso iv‘ ‘Halli? CDILUHNIST I learned to dance in the in- formal dining room of Quinta Clovis, my grandmother’s house in Caracas. An outdated cobalt- . grey boombox would belt out the rhythms of salsa and meren- gue, thumping them through the white marble floor and diffusing them into my feet. Mamama, my grandmother, would guide my steps—uno, dos, uno, dos; ca- dera cadera cadera!,—-punctuat- ing the fluid motion of moving nights a week, not to mention unrestrict- ed dining possibilities in the dining hall or their respective fraternity or sorority house. Let’s be serious, it’s easy to reach for the first peanut butter/chocolate Rice Krispie Treat and it’s even easier to reach for the second. would know, I’ve done the legwork. At Washington and Lee, all food is presented in buffet style, mak- ing the concept of portion control futile. Therefore, it is very easy for students to subconsciously overeat. In contrast, Spanish eating culture- is rarely excessive. Here, you’ll sel- dom find a Madrilenos fridge stocked with diet sodas and low calorie snacks. I don’t think Sprite Zero even exists in this country. Instead, the Spanish drink whole milk, desert is a must and no one raises an eyebrow at cooking with oil. While paella is certainly rich and jamon is salty, you’ll be hard pressed to come across a Spaniard eating super-sized por- tions of their country’s scrumptious cui- the thirst. lull?” " ‘night, together, driven by the same melody and lyrics: Agiiita de coco, lo tienes que beber. Agiiita de coco para matar Ia sed... Coconut water, you must" imbibe. Coconut water, to slake I would finish each repeti- tion of the song with the ques- tion “Esta bien?” Is it okay? But she would only reply with “Casi, casil” Almost there! The golden lights cast the sine. Walk into any casual bar and you’ll find a list or menu “raciones” which directly translates into “ration” or “por- tion” in English. A “racio'n” of paella will provide you with just enough food so that you‘ are comfortably full but not “racion” of meat and vegetables around 2 pm. And, by your typical 6 pm chow down you’ll find that you’re not hungry, and, instead by 9-ish you’ll be craving some tapas con amigos. To tapa or “a tapear” is probably my A “racion ” of paella will provide you with just enough food so that you are comfortably full but not stealthily sliding your hand to the top button of your jeans... stealthily sliding your hand to the top - button of your jean. Not only are portions smaller in Spain but also the Spanish eating schedule cer- tainly contributes to a slender populace. For breakfast swap waffies and syrup for a “tostada con marmelada”. At lunch- time, forget the noon co-op sandwich to go, sit down and enjoy a healthy » of Mamama on the walls.) The a smell of the night we were fall- ing into pervaded, as the door to the terraza was left open to the tropical air. The mirror fac- ing us, and topping the chest of drawers holding the‘ resting sil- verware, reflected our spins and steps. Mamama wove her café con leche fingers with mine, lay- ing her long red nails on‘the backs of my hands. She would lead me across the ruddy road of salsa, un- favorite verb in the Spanish language. Not only is going out to eat tapas a fun, social way to accustom oneself to Span- ish culture, but it is also the perfect way to eat a light and delicious dinner. The best part about eating tapas is that you get to try multiple dishes. At non-family style restaurants, I am the quintessential moocher. I usu- my spirit. But, truly, my goal was not to succeed in doing the steps cor- rectly. » . I relinquished this purpose in favor of relishing the feeling of being given another part of Ma- mama; a new addition to my self, my essence. And so, though my feet were aching with my exertions, I con- tinued to dance throughout the night. Mamama and I held onto ally spend more time eating off of my friend’s plates than my own, inspiring one or two irritated looks or comments. I always want a little bite of something salty, something meaty, and something sweet. When I’m “tapeando,” I get to try everything and I always leave satisfied. Europeans, especially the Spanish, get the reputation for being downright attractive because, let’s face it, they re- ally know how to take care of their bod- ies. Not only does everyone walk ev- erywhere in Madrid but delicious, and not always heart-healthy food is a non- negotiable part of their lifestyle. Spain is practically free of the ever-pervasive national preoccupation with weight that stresses almost every American I know. Here, people eat exactly what they want in normal, not verging on binge-sized portions. America could certainly do with a little more Iberian influence. - each other until we forgot that we would be separated again, soon. “Dancing is the language of our hearts; music is the language of our souls,” she said. OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_004.2.txt 4 - THE RING-TUM PHI- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011 opinions Reasons to spend Spring Term in Lex Do ou like tubing? Beer? Free food? If so, Columnist Sally Platt suggests staying on campus for Spring Term Should you. . ..study cooking in Italy? Cul- ture in Spain? Coral reefs in South America? , Spring Term can really take you anywhere. Ap- ~ plications are in, and soon there will be screams of joy or frowns of disappoint- ment as people discover whether they got into the vaca- tion (oops, “class”) oftheir choice. (And let’s be honest, these are really 4-week holidays, with a bit of reading thrown in here and there. But hey, who says sam- pling German _pilsner isn’t a valuable cultural leamingexperience, right?) Yet despite all the allure, there are some serious reasons for staying on cam- By5a|IyPltt cotumiisr pus, especially if you’re a freshman. So before you commit to that far-flung es- capade that could (potentially) have you eating dog or something equally nasty for four weeks, check out these ten tips for navigating a successful Spring Term. It may be your best month ofthe year. 1. The class you pick. This is abso- lutely crucial. Some classes are very very hard, and some are very easy. It is hard to tell from the syllabus. Guess carefully. I took an English course, got an A, and never had to read a book. It all depends... 2. On that note, do not take a lab. I have not personally experienced it, but I hear it is absolutely killer. Imagine spending ten extra hours a week dissect- ing a sheep’s brain when you could be having fun with everyone else. A 3. Class can be a real blast. Focusing on one subject is novel. As sophomore Jeromey Mann puts it, one class “makes you focus and gives you more freedom to choose how to spend your time.” 4. The weather. It is so beautiful here during the spring. There’s sunshine ev- erywhere. I highly suggest tanning on the Colonnade. (Fun, but a little awk- ward when your profs walk by). jack a car, and spend the morning float- ing, tanning, and gossiping, while you slowwwwly make your way down to the Poles. (Allow at least three hours. The river is rather slow, like your hung-over So before you commit to that far—flung escapade that could (potentially) have you eating dog or something equally nasty for four weeks, check out these ten tips for navigating a successful Spring Term 5. Parties! Duh. They are very nice. Start early. Sometimes go all day. Lots of sunshine and beer. 6. Partying in the daylight. This de- serves its own category. No more dark basements filled with masses ofgrinding bodies. Now it’s all in the sunshine - the good, the bad and the ugly. 7. Floating down the river. The Mau- ry is wonderful. Grab a few friends, hi- True Life:I go to Dubyunhell Student Found Living in the Library Senior John Schwartz emerged from Leybum Li- brary on Oct. 16, for the first time since 2008, after spending the last three years living on the fourth floor. First-year Sophie Game- Va, a work study student, found Schwartz cook- ing a cup of instant noodles in a comer study room, which he had converted into a fully functional living space - complete with an air mattress, Xbox game system, mini refrigerator, stereo set, and EZvboy recliner - just over the course of the past few years. “I was in middle of shelving books for the 900 section when I suddenly heard Wiz Khalifa coming from a study office,” said Gameva. “At first, I thought I was going insane, but then I smelled the ramen. That’s when I knew By Cynthia Lam I COLUMNIST ’ something was up.” By using her nose to detect the source of the smell, Gameva was able to de- termine the exact location of the room. She knocked on the door, and after three minutes of no-response, kicked it down. The sight was astonishing. “I could not believe my eyes. There was this guy walking around in his box- ers and blasting ‘Black and Yellow,’ like 4 he was at home or something. He had run, and I’m happy with it. Can’t say I have any regrets.” ‘ According to Schwartz, he moved into the library exactly three years ago, while studying for midterms during Reading Days of his freshman year. “It had been kind of a gradual thing,” he said. “I had been doing work in the library before that, but then exams hit, and I basically started living there.” “When John left to study for econ that According to Schwartz, he moved into the library exactly three years ago,’ while studying for midterms during reading days of his freshman year a bed and everything too. He was just, like, living there,” said Garneva. She immediately reported it to authorities, who ordered an immediate evacuation of the room. “I knew the gig was up when that . chick came in... her nose was twitch- ing like crazy,” said Gameva. “Allin all though, it’s been a good time. I had my I ‘fI'i.'£':i.’{.'\‘CJ. '{.'.‘.-. ,!i.\Jf;i Iii l.31".?3.‘=s"I'i' THE RING-TUM PHI. DIANDRASPICAK MANAGING EDITOR day, he said, ‘I’ll see you in a few years.’ I thought he was joking. Apparently not,” said senior Jackson Stark, who was Schwartz’s freshman year roommate. Schwartz ' started out sleeping in his carrel and camping out on sofas at night. As he began to spend increasing amounts of time at the library, he decid- ed to relocate to one of the study rooms, brain). 8. Free food everywhere. I don’t know why, but something about Spring Term makes the school think we need to be fattened up. Look out for Sweet Treats ice cream in the quad every few days. 9. Derby Days. Whether you are too old to compete and simply an observer, or in the middle ofpowder puff duking it which he gradually filled with several pieces of furniture and various stashes of food. Once that happened, the transition was complete. “I had everything I needed: my books, a bed, Call of Duty, snacks, music, a laptop, clothes, you name it. What else could I possibly want?” said Schwartz, who has managed to maintain a vibrant academic and social life throughout the past three years. According to economics professor, Paul Soley, Schwartz was a model stu- dent in his 300—level course. “John was a stellar scholar in every sense of the word,” said Soley. “He always emailed me his assignments on time and consistently went above and beyond the requirements. His work was so outstanding that I could overlook the fact the he never showed up to my class.” Outside of class, Schwartz continued to maintain strong relationships with his peers. “John is one of the friendliest guys I know. He waves to me every time I see him at the library, which, now that I think about it, is every single time I go there,” said Junior Sarah Martinson. “He . just out—this is a fun event. 10. The crazyness. People tend to go a little cray cray. First-years realize it is their last few weeks to be freshmen. In a few months, they have to be grown-up upperclassmen! Better get all those little indiscretions out of the way now. Se- niors, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. That’s where the fun really starts. . .. 11. Oh yes, did I mention the 5th week of Spring Term? If at all possible, stay through the week for graduation. Your internship can wait. You have no cares in the world, only sunshine and se- nior-fueled parties to attend. Fun times. Have I sold it? I certainly hope so. So even if you didn’t get into that Brazil- ecology-beach program, even if you won’t be promoting international peace or saving the world, you can still have a great Spring Term— right here in Lex. And, I would argue, the best Spring Term. So here’s to floating down the river, Derby Days, and partying in the sunshine. See you there. happens » to always be there! What a coincidence, huh?” Schwartz also managed to have a steady, long-distance relationship with senior Helen Sweeney, his girlfriend of two years, whom he met while checking out a DVD at the library one aftemoon. “I tell people we’re in a long-distance relationship, but we’re technically only 300 feet away from each other,” said Sweeney. “We mostly Skype and text, but whenever we do meet up, it’s always in the library. I think it’s so romantic, because that is where we first met.” After a. series of interrogations and counseling sessions, Schwartz moved into a Woods Creek apartment last Thursday. ‘ “It was great seeing the sun again, but I’ve had so many great memories in the library and I’m really going to miss it. I feel like I’ve spent half my life liv- ing in there,” he said. efending gay marriage NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS&L|FE EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR COPY EDITORS STAFF WRITERS DESIGN EDITOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER STAFF CARTOONIST BUSINESS MANAGERS DISTRIBUTION STAFF ELEANOR KENNEDY CAMPBELL BURR PAIGE GANCE JAYNA JOHNS ERIN SCHWARTZ ALI GREENBERG CYNTHIA LAM SALLY PLATT STOCKTON BULLITT THOMAS KENT VICTORIA BELL ’DREW CARLOS FRANCESCA WILSON ANDREA SISO ALEXANDER MARAGOS STEPHEN PECK RYAN JOHNSON COLLEEN MOORE JULIANNA SATTERLY COY FERRELL GREG USSERY MATT GOSSETT DAVID WILSON KANE THOMAS DILLON MYERS AN,S|.MPSON MISSION STATEMENT: It lsBtFiiie 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 M0n.days during the undergraduate school year. THE RING—TUM PHI is a member of The Media Board, which can be reached at mediaboard@wlu.edu, but is otherwise lndependent.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) 453-4059 EMAIL: PHl@WLU.EDU SUBSCRIPTION RATE $45 ColumnistAli Greenberg explains when what is “right” is not right I am, undeniably, a total liberal. I go in and out of phases where I like to pre- tend I am some flow- er child from the six- ties, or Penny Lane 0 following a band ' around the country and leaving a trail of patchouli. This means that I I am quite left of cen- ter, and social issues tend to hold more importance to me than fiscal ones. Universal healthcare, legalizing marijuana, repealing DADT, closing down Guantanamo—I am all for it. However, just because I am a Democrat does not mean I am always 100% pleased with our president or his government, and I do not believe that Obama has been always been en- tirely correct or efficient with all his choices and policies (or sometimes lack of policies). There are areas in which I am frankly dis- appointed with our president’s inaction and I had hoped that our government would have come through on some big promises they made that have not been fulfilled. I am sick of hearing about change, and I am ready to see it. Yet, through thick and thin, I will stand by my man. I believe in the platform Obama ran on and I believe that for the majority of this term he has earnestly tried to deliver. Things are sometimes simply easier said than done. So while I could go on about a dozen hot button topics, I am respecting my word count limitation and am picking just one that I be- lieve needs an imperative change: the legaliza- tion of same-sex marriage and the increasing of gay rights. While we made incredible progress with the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” there is still much work to be done on the front of marriage equality and true equality across the spectrum of sexual and gender orientation. Progress in this fight is especially difficult to if " 5 :‘ Byhlifireleinb-erg CULUMNIST in “Almost Famous”, - achieve since this is a topic our president has sometimes shied away from, openly saying he is not a proponent of legalizing gay marriage, yet is not against the potential for civil unions with similar legal rights. I do not treat this issue with as much mod- eration as our president and believe that in twenty years we are going to look back and won’t understand how we managed to success- ple is made up of. Marriage inequality is a dark mark on the history of the United States. There is some- thing to be said when our peer countries like the United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Canada, France and Germany (among others) all recognize same- sex marriages, civil unions or domestic part- nerships with legal rights, and yet the United In twenty years we are going to look back and won ’t under- stand how we managed to successfully segregate an entire community without reason fully segregate an entire community without reason. Denying basic rights such as marriage to a perfectly law-abiding subset ofAmerican society is inexcusable and unjust, and this is a lesson we have learned time and time again. So while over I5 individual states have stepped up and passed laws recognizing same- sex marriage, civil unions or domestic partner- ships, these relationships are not recognized by the federal government and are essentially null and void ifthe couple moves to a state that does not recognize their union. According to the Human Rights Cam- paign, “Because same-sex couples are denied the right to marry, same-sex couples and their families are denied access to the more than 1,138 federal rights, protections and responsi- bilities automatically granted to married het- erosexual couples.” These rights range from the ability to make emergency medical decisions for your partner to receiving health insurance benefits gener- ally granted to an opposite-sex spouse, among others. These are rights heterosexual couples take for granted. At the end of the day, this is a moral is- sue, but not the kind that the religious zeal- ots would like you to believe. Regardless of whether marriage, in the Bible, is a sacred act between a man and a woman, the legal rights of that recognized union need to be extended to all couples regardless of what sexes the cou- States, who is supposed to be at the forefront of all things democratic, doesn’t take a stand for what is right. So how does this fit in to the upcoming election? Four of the candidates for the GOP nomination have openly shown their oppo- sition to gay marriage. Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman and Rick Santorum have all signed the National Organization for Marriage Pledge that affirms that if they are elected they will “promise to defend DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), support a consti- tutional amendment to protect marriage (be- tween 21 man and a woman), appoint judges who will be faithful to the Constitution, and protect the religious liberty of marriage sup- porters.” While I would love for us to get the predic- tion right come February, I dearly hope that ’ the incumbent wins regardless of the GOP nominee. The election of one of these candi- dates guarantees a huge blow to the fight to legalize gay marriage in the U.S. With state after state stepping up and mak- ing actual progress, it would be a shame to see another four years go by without Federal ac- tion, and that means you too, Barry. It is time to see positive action forward with this issue; we need to fight for it instead of against it. And to end with a joke: Everyone should have the legal right to marry, and subsequently divorce, whoever they please. But seriously. ‘at OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_005.2.txt ‘ Airwave live othe radi MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011 S - THE RING-TUM PHI- arts&life What’s hap enin’ in art World Current events prove that artists are as quir By Ryan Johnson 5 TA F F w R 1 T E R The visual art world is a quirky, self- perpetuating place. It is sometimes dif- ficult to understand and always impos- sible to predict. What follows is a quick outline of some eccentric people and no- table events in the current scene. Polish artist Roman Opalka wanted to paint every number to infinity. He reached 5,607,249 before he passed away in August. Opalka would paint all the numbers he could in horizontal rows on a canvas and then move to the next one, each background progressively lighter than the last. His project began in 1965 with the number I. From 1968 on- ward he spoke each number into a tape recorder as he painted it. Opalka intend- ed his artwork to be an exercise in futil- ity. He succeeded in that goal by failing to reach infinity. Female artist Marni Kotak gave birth to a boy inside the NYC Microscope Gallery before about 20 gallery visitors. Kotak delivered nine-pound Ajax Oct. 25 in the culmination of a performance art piece titled “The Birth of Baby X.” The artist used this unconventional piece to challenge the taboos of childbirth by treating it as a work of art. In the weeks leading up to the actual birth, Kotak spent her time in the gallery chatting with visitors about childbirth and art. The gallery installed a bedroom for her to stay in and for the child birth to take place. A video of the birth will be added to the gallery installation. The upcoming Green Box Project promises to deliver a 2lst-century per- spective on art. The project involves about a thousand green boxes, each 6.5 cubic feet, which will be spread globally throughout cities. When viewers use a special app and point their smartphones at the box, a piece of art, fashion, music, or design will be revealed. The promot- ers herald these augmented reality works as a new art form. This is a chance for hundreds of artists to interact with the public sphere like never before. For some viewers it will be an adventure to view as many boxes as possible. For oth- ers, or those without smartphones, there is the exciting possibility of seeing green boxes everywhere. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei still has the art community in an uproar. Ai, an art- ist, architect, and journalist, created an international furor with his political ac- tivism in repressive China. The trouble began several years ago. Ai helped de- sign the Bird’s Nest stadium for the Bei- jing Olympics, but was openly critical of the lavishness the host nation displayed during the ceremonies. Through his blog and artwork he became a powerful dissenter in the country. After suffer- ing police brutality and intense govem- ment scrutiny, Ai was arrested April 3 under ambiguous charges. Outraged at this repression of free speech, the art world (and diplomacy in general) rallied around his cause through official state- ments and websites like “Free Weiwei.” On June 22 he was released, but hit with a $2 million tax evasion charge and rigid bail restrictions. Unfortunately for the Chinese government, he now has more infiuence than ever. Art Review maga- zine named him the most powerful art-. ist of the year, and Ai currently has over 108,000 Twitter followers, more than twice as many as any other living artist. The institution of art is by no means invincible to the weak economy. Art museums, which operate with the help of private, corporate, state, and federal funds, have felt the consequences of budget deficits. Private philanthropy is being redirected towards the “essential” aspects of the social sphere. State and federal governments have received in- creased pressure to focus funds on key institutions like welfare or education. Corporations that once provided steady endowments are going out of business or reducing their donations. At the Cooper Union, an elite art, architecture, and engineering school, fi- nancial stress is causing turmoil among the faculty and students. Through a gift by ‘Andrew Carnegie and through profits from its real estate holdings, the school has traditionally offered a full scholar- ship to every student who attends. But the new school president has considered charging full-time students a tuition fee in light of budget shortfalls. The man- agement has been unclear as to what these prices will be and who will have to pay. Frustrated by the lack of institu- tional openness and angry at the possible price hikes, students in all three schools walked out and had class outside. Financial restlessness extends to the market prices for art, which have fluctu- ated over the last year. Established art- ists, like Picasso, Johns, and Warhol tend to always sell high, while lesser-known figures, like Larry Rivers, Eric Fischl and Francesco Clemente, have seen a drop in prices. A resurgence of interest in the Arte Povera movement of postwar Italy has been followed by a surge in market prices for that era of art. and unpredictable as always, from live births and infinite numbers Two pieces by an artist of the time, Alberto Burri, recently sold for more than $8 million combined. A Land- scape by Gustav Klimt, a traditionally expensive artist, was sold on Novem- ber 3 for $40.4 million. Who has the money for this? Well, Sandra Bullock’s son, Louis Bardo, is the new owner of a notable Andy Warhol print, “Peaches.” Bullock’s agents _bought it for him as a gift, and one-year-old Louis probably thanked them by drooling on it. The much-anticipated “Pacific Stan- dard Time” initiative is upon us. A de- cade in the making, this massive event, organized by the Getty Foundation and Getty Research Institute, brings togeth- er more than sixty cultural institutions in southern California to celebrate the 1945-1980 L.A. art- scene. It involves several hundred exhibitions and events throughout the area. “Pacific Standard Time,” which began in October and will run through April of next year, is sure to be a common topic of conversation throughout art blogs and magazines un- til then. Students join music pros in special orchestra The University—Shenana’oah Symphony Orchestra allows W&L students to perform with profession musicians By Colleen Moore STAFF wmrrn Last Saturday night, the Universi- ty-Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra (USSO) welcomed a full house in Wil- son Hall. USSO is a semi-professional orches- tra in which professional musicians from Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Roanoke and Blacksburg play with local residents, advanced W&L students and professors. Under the instruction of conductor Barry Kolman, the orchestra practices every Thursday night for two hours. They pre- pare for a concert in Nov. and Feb. as well as holiday concerts in Dec.‘and a Holocaust Remembrance concert in the spring (done with the wind ensemble and choir‘ groups). The orchestra was challenged to play several classical pieces they had never played before. The first half of the con- cert consisted of a piece by the composer Nielson and another by Ariaga. In the second half, they played a Mozart piano concerto with the help of Professor Tim Gaylard who stepped in last minute to play the piano. He received a standing ovation. ~ Cellist MaryAnne Vardaman enjoys rehearsals and concerts with the USSO. “The orchestra is great because it gives students an opportunity to come together and play music with their peers and professors,” she said. “It is a unique experience learning a piece with other musicians and then being able to per- form it just a few weeks later!” , PAIGE GANCE/ arts&|ife editor At WLUR’s Open Airwaves12-year-old Sara-Jane McDonald from Rockbridge Baths was voted the evening's best act after winning first place in the Solo Music category. Drew Martin '13 & the Limelights took first place in Group Music, followed by Plank Road Express, the E. Mann Band, and honorable mentions Tanner Newsy, Kane Thomas '14 & Band (above left), and Time Ghost. Scotty Groth '13 took 2nd place in Solo Music behind McDonald, followed by honorable mentions Coy Ferrell '15 and Aaron Jeong '15. Alex Minor'15 earned 1st place in spoken word, followed by honorable mentions Jack Burks '13 and Kenny Sharpless '12‘. The year's first of two open mic nights took place in the commons last Wednesday night. The entire event aired live on 91.5 FM. OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_006.2.txt 6 -THE R|NG*TUM PH|- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7,2011 GAB presents Jazz in the Living Room. The Tom r Artwick Quartet jazzed upithe commons last Tuesday. Band members include Tom ¢ >, e . Artwick on WMWmmmWMs r vl f d A saxanda J” a Campbel on uitar, Bob owen on bass and Phil Riddle on drums. ma." -1*» “l" 5“ photos by Coy Ferrell OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_007.2.txt 7 - THE RING-TUM PHI- MONDAY, sports ALEXANIDER MARAGIIS I described in a previous column how improbable it was for the Cardinals to even be in the World Series. And now seeing them win the whole thing makes me think I’m really dreaming. They played (and Tony LaRussa managed) a hell of a series, but I still think the Rangers did more to lose that series than the Cardinals did to win it. E NOVEMBER 7, 2011 S'l‘l§l’llE1 I PECK The St. Louis Cardinals: team of destiny? For a team that was battling with Pittsburgh (I) for second place in the NL Central for most ofthe first half of the season, they certainly are unlikely champions. But an unlikely cham- pion is a champion nonetheless. If the Rangers had forfeited the World Series, or if Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and Mike Napoli had all been stricken The last three innings of Game 6 will get all the blame as the worst played innings for the Rangers in this series—-and they very well may be. Yet if we look closer, there is evidence of other advantages that Texas managed to squander in this World Series. ‘ . The Rangers had a lot of things going for them coming out of an ALCS victory over the Tigers: a fresher bullpen, extra motivation from losing the Series the year before, and a slew So, did the Cardinals actually win this year’s World Series or did the Rangers lose it? Stephen and Alex give their takes, what’s yours? - with a mysterious illness, then maybe that would qualify as the Rangers “losing” the World Series instead ofthe Cardinals winning it. To say that the Rangers lost the World Series makes it sound like they just gift wrapped four wins for the Cardinals. That certainly is not the case. It trivializes the fact that St. Louis cur- ‘rently reigns as the best baseball team in the Major Leagues. of players from that 2010 team with World Series experience. For me, Game 3 in Texas represents the first signs of the Rangers’ ability to collapse. I under- stand that being in the American League, the Rangers’ pitching staff rarely gets to face Albert Pujols, but they probably should have done what smart teams consistently try to do——pitch around him. Just do not ever give him good pitches to hit; I don’t care what the score or situ- ation is. In Game 3, the Rangers gave him at least five good pitches to hit, and he hit three of them a combined 1275 feet. I had always known that pitching was a soft spot for the Rangers, but I was worried it would soon become a sinkhole. Again, 1 don’t want to take anything away from Albert Pujols—-he’s as good a player as there is in baseball--but you just don’t throw him fastballs down the middle. In Game 6, the Cardinals were down to their last strike TWICE. Looking at the numbers, David Freese’s first career at—bat against Neftali Feliz produced one of the most improbable and memorable moments of the season. In his career, Feliz has limited opposing hitters to a .125 batting average after a 1-2 count, which is the count Freese had when he smashed a triple over Nelson Cruz’s head to tie the game in the 9th. Feliz has converted on 88% of save chances in his career; that may sound like a B+ to us students, but that’s pretty darned good when you’re trying to get Major League hitters out. I’m essentially asking how does this Feliz 98 mph fastball get hit hard by a guy in his first World Series who has only 667 career plate appearances? I ‘ Speaking of hot hitters, Cruz’s terrible range in right field killed Texas throughout the playoffs. And even if he hadn’t hurt his groin earlier in the game, I still don’t think he makes that catch. In the 10th, Scott Feldman’s frisbee to Lance Berkman was shot into center field to tie it in the tenth and the series was essentially over. Well...not really, but how can we expect Texas to regain any momentum on the road after seeing their lead fall apart two innings in a row? I don’t know what qualifies as a curse word for Josh Hamilton, but he probably said it when the bottom of the 10th ended in a tie. The end of that inning is when the Rangers’ team men- tality appeared to sink for good, causing Game 6 to end on a walk-off by F reese and perhaps explaining why Texas played flat for most of Game 7.. When teams choke like the Rangers did leading up to Game 7, and subsequently lose all of their momentum, that remaining game is virtually meaningless. Anyone following the series knew who was going to win, especially when the Cardinals threw Chris Carpenter out on the mound to seal the deal. But Carpenter didn’t do it all by himself; the Rangers helped him all. series in ending their season. A fan of Texas would certainly disagree with me. Not once but twice, the Rangers were one strike away from wrapping it up in game six. They were caught stealing far too often. Their ace relievers Alexei Ogando and Neftali Feliz, who throttled Detroit in the ALCS, looked exceedingly mortal against the Cards. But in all of those instances, St. Louis had to make plays to capitalize on the Rangers mistakes. Yadier Molina, the best defensive catcher in the game, still had to rocket the ball down to second to stop the Rangers from advancing, even if it was questionable to steal in the first place. Neftali Feliz, former Rookie of the year and owner of an 100-mile—per-hour heater, can have a rocky ninth inning in game six, but David Freese still had to hit a rapidly moving round ball with a round bat for a game-tying triple. I guess what I’m saying is that I hatepthe phrase “we lost it” as opposed to admitting be- ing beat. The Rangers did not forfeit. They competed. They wanted to win just as badly as the Cardinals did. ltjust didn’t work out for them. Yes, they made some errors and had some base running mistakes. Yes, they blew two saves in game six. But they had another shot in game seven to win it all and couldn’t do it. The Cardinals beat them. They made the Rangers pay for their mistakes. lt’s too bad that this is even an argument because it takes away from St. Louis’s moment. This is a team that stormed back in September from an 8.5 game deficit to Atlanta for the National League wild card to sneak into the playoffs. This is a team that knocked the Phila- delphia Phillies, the prohibitive favorite to win it all, out of the playoffs in the first round. They bested Milwaukee’s powerful sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun in round two to earn a berth in the World Series. And they cooled off the red hot Rangers to seal the deal. The 2011 Cardinals should be remembered for Chris Carpenter outdueling Roy Halla- day to defeat the Phillies, Albert Pujols channeling his inner Reggie Jackson and launch- ing three home runs in game three of the World Series, and for little known David Freese winning the World Series MVP award thanks to his .348 average and walk-off home run in game six. The Cardinals won the World Series. They are going to the White House. They are get- ting championship rings. The Rangers wanted all those things too. They just came up a little short to a better team. volleyhtlll s I orts udate opponent date result £‘£’.‘;‘{.‘f;.. Wesleyan 133% $323 .women’s soccer Randolph-Macon 11/05 L1-3 opponent date result Lynchburg 7 11/02 L0-1 ,. . . . ' ~ IIIBIIS Swllllllllllg opponent date result E . _ ootball 33252:“ 11712 ’L?f4?§’31 Catawba 11/05 w203—110 opponent date result Hampden-Sydney 11/05 L 35-42 women’s swimming opponent Randolph-Macon date result 11/05 W162-101 For a complete recap of each event, please visit generalssportscom OCR::/Vol_115/WLURG39_RTP_20111107/WLURG39_RTP_20111107_008.2.txt 8 - THE RING-TUM PHI- sports MONDAY, NO}/EMBER 7, 2011 ondeck MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN Scranton Wrestling "Wile 10:00 am Men's Swimming vs Women's sweet Swimming Bria’ 6:00 pm Men's NCAA Regional Cross Country 1200 pm Women's NCAA Regional Cross Country 10:00 am Sweet Riding Briar|HSA invite Golf in the numbers 4909 Penn State head coach Joe Paterno has won this many career college football games as a head coach, breaking the previous record for Division I wins set by Eddie Robinson. 11 Surfing legend Kelly Slater has officially won this many world championships, a new record, after Sunday's Rip Curl Pro Search in San Francisco. He was thought to have won it the weekend before, but the Association of Surfing Professionals determined it made a calculation error andhad crowned him prematurely. 0 The number of games the Indianapolis Colts have won this sea- son.They are the only winless NFL team.The 0-9 Colts lost their most recent game 31-7 to the Atlanta Falcons. At one point in the game, they went 30 minutes without getting a first down, and they have been outscored 120'-24 this season, including 75-14 in the first half. 46 Number of games Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore has won in his college career, setting the NCAA FBS record for wins _ by a quarterback. His 46th came in a 48-21 win over UNLV. soapbox “When I looked at the wire and I saw white Isaid, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Mike Smith. Ugh.”’ -chantaIsutl1erland,the]oek91whorode(iameOnDudeto aseoond place1ln|shln1he$5mlIllon Braaderwcupclaalc, wasbealnndownfliestretch byherax-1|anceM|kaSmIu1. fld|n¢DroeseImeyar.111efonnerooup|e,to¢sIheron andofl forslxyaars, bmkaup In 2010, butremaln cordial, oourlnsy ESPN.com. “The players will not be intimidated. They want to play, they want a season, but they are not going to sacrifice the future of all NBA players under these types of threats of intimidation. ” - NBA playaI'saItomeyJeI‘I'rwKaadersaId earlysunday afliaroU1thoursofne¢ouatloriswIfliNBAawriersstreuehed |ataInl:omenlglILThera|ssl:|llnoendlnslglItfor1ho Ioclout.0outrasyFuxsports.oom. 50 years ago in its Nov. 6, 1961 issue, Sports Illustrated ran a story on the football program at ' Washington and Lee, written by Walter Bingham. The Phi wanted to run it again. A Sport For Gentlemen , At Washington and Lee University, deep in the heart of the Confederacy, football is a winning game even though it is played purely for fun Standing shoulder to shoulder with the undefeated football teams of the nation# Michigan State, Alabama, Texas,Mississippi, Colorado and Ohio State—is Washington and Lee, which last Saturday won its fifth game of the season by beating Emory and Henry 27-6. While naturally proud of its record, students at Washington and Lee are quick— even happy—to admit that their team is not in the same class with those other undefeat- ed teams. At Washingtonand Lee football is strictly amateur. No athletic scholarships are given, nor have any been given for the past seven years, a decision which at the time it was taken brought screams of protest from ardent alumni. But this year’s team, made up purely of students who play football rather than football players who study, is proving that winning football on an unsubsidized ba- sis can be as much fun to play and as exciting to watch as any football anywhere. Washington and Lee, of course, is not the only college to have abandoned big-time foot- ball. The University of Chicago, in perhaps the most famous instance of de-emphasis, dropped football completely in 1940 after 44 years in the Big Ten. Carnegie Tech, a football power of the ‘20s, toned down its schedule in 1936, just as Johns Hopkins (SI, Dec. 5) had done the year before. Santa Clara, which twice played in the Sugar Bowl and once in the Orange, withdrew from national compe- tition in 1952, although it has been creeping back quietly during the past two years. Of all the schools that have in varying degrees de- emphasized their football programs and kept them that way,Washington and Lee, which has not lost a game since 1959, has been the most successful. Washington and Lee University is located in Lcxing- ton, Virginia, deep in Civil War Country, a school of red brick ings fronted by white columns. The grounds are hilly and crowded with giant elms. Reminders of the_ Civil War and its Southern heroes are ev- erywhere. Robert E. Lee is buried on cam- pus. Stonewall Jackson lies not far away in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. . There is a Robert E. Lee Hotel, a Robert E. Lee Church and a Stonewall Jackson Hospi- tal. No university office is considered prop- erly furnished without a portrait of Lee. Washington and Lee is a gentleman’s uni- versity. Coats and ties must be worn in class. When one student passes another on campus, it is customary for both to say hello. The honor system prevails, and violators are dis- ciplined by the students themselves. It was‘ partly to preserve this reputation that the university decided in 1954 to secede from big-time football. The 1950 team had been a powerhouse, winning eight of its 10 games, being ranked 15th in the country and going to the Gator Bowl. To maintain its emi- nence in competition with larger schools like Tennessee, Maryland, Navy andAlabama, Washington and Lee had offered athletic scholarships to boys who, in the words of one university professor, “were not Washington and Lee types.” When the football teams of the next three years did poorly, causing alumni to press for even more athletic scholarships, the time for a ' policy decision was at hand. The football pro- gram was costing the university a great deal of money. The football players, on the whole, were proving scholastically inferior. Still, it is possible that the Board of Trustees might haveyielded to the pressure of the alumni had not a large portion of the football team been caught cheating during the final exams of 1954. Somehow they had made duplicate keys to rooms where exams were kept and had bought off the janitor. Those caught were expelled immediately, but the feeling still ex- ists that many more violators graduated be- fore an investigation could be carried out. A month later the Board of Trustees an- nounced that Washington and Lee would award no more athletic scholarships and that the football schedule for that fall would be canceled. When the university resumed varsity football the next season, 1955, it was against teams like Sewanee, Centre and Hampden-Sydney. It was a lean season. The team lost all its games and scored only four touchdowns. In one game it gained only three yards. “No one covered our games,” says Frank Parsons, the university’s sports publicity man. “It was lonely in the press box. Just the P.A. announc- er, a statistician and me.” It was lonely in the stands, too. What few people would come to watch a game usually left at halftime for the warmth of the fraterni- ty house and the big game on national televi- sion. “It took guts to watch our games,” says one professor. Not many boys turned out for football that first season of unsubsidized football. During practice one afternoon Boyd Williams, an as- sistant coach, told all the ends to follow him down to a corner of the field. Williams trot- ted to the appointed spot and when he turned around found that he was being followed by only one man. The pressure to return to big-time foot- ball increased after the winless 1955 season. Campus polls favored it. “The students were embarrassed to have schools like Hampden- Sydney as opponents,” says one faculty mem- ber. One professor took his daughter to a den- tist on a Saturday in 1955. “His waiting room was crowded with children," he recalls, “but when he saw me hetook me aside and started arguing that Washington and Lee just had to return to big-time’ football. He got so worked up over it I decided right then not to let him work on my kids teeth anymore.” The weakest link ll 1 I <0 W 1%/\Cl< A lo- cal columnist urged the university to give up football entirely. “If a football team is to be a link between a school and its alumni, it had better be a stron- ger link than the 1955 Washington and Lee team.” Many influential alumni, through the press, seconded the motion. “They were like a bunch of kids who had their little red wagon taken away,” said a former player recently. After Washington and Lee won only one game in 1956, Coach Bill Chipley was fired. “It was a ticklish situation,” says one faculty member. “It didn’t look too good, firing the coach just after we had de-emphasized.” The official statement released by the university explained that Chipley had been let go be- cause he was not “a good teacher of football.” In his place the university hired Lee McLaughlin, a solidly built man in his late 30s with a grin as wide as his shoulders. When he held his first football meeting, less than 20 boys showed up. “It had become fashionable not to play football,” says Frank Parsons. “Boys used to say, T was great in prep school‘, but I wouldn’t play here.’ “ “People used to come up to me and say, ‘lsn’t it a shame that so-and-so hasn’t "come out for football,” McLaughlin says. “I’d tell them maybe, but I don’t think so-and-so could make our team. I knew we couldn’t get anywhere until we stopped making heroes out of boys who didn’t want to play.” McLaughlin traveled about looking for football players, although he could not, of course, offer anything more than a good edu- cation. He covered New England, concentrat- ing on Connecticut. “Many of our boys come from prep schools,” he says. “You can’t throw a rock in Connecticut without hitting a prep school.” McLaughlin used to get depressed when prospective Washington and Lee foot- ball players were lured away by athletic scholarships. “I’ve gotten used to it now,” he says. “Recruiting is like selling insurance. If you see a thousand boys, maybe you get 10.” What Washington and Lee liked best about Lee McLaughlin ‘is the way he ac- cepted the de-emphasized football program. He held a spring practice, but it was only for two weeks in February so that the boys were free to go out for spring sports. Daily work- outs in the fall were only an hour and a half, and if a boy could not make practice because of studies, McLaughlin understood. In fact, several times he ordered boys not to show up for practice because he knew they had impor- tant tests coming up. He held a weekly skull session, an hour every Monday night. If the session ran past the hour, McLaughlin told his boys that they were free to leave. McLaughlin’s first two seasons were no better than Chipley’s, but in that second year many of the boys who form the foundation of this year’s fine team arrived on the Wash- ington and Lee campus. One was Terry Fohs, the 145-pound linebacker who consistently leads the team in tackles. “One of the reasons" I came to Washington and Lee is that I knew I could make the team,” he says. A Quarterback Steve Suttle had no intention of playing college football. McLaughlin in- vited him out to watch a practice session one day. “When I saw that the players weren’t a bunch of goons,” says Suttle, “I changed my mind.” Suttle also went back to his dormitory and talked his friend Ned Hobbs into trying out. Hobbs became the right end and is now a captain of the team. Jerry Hyatt had never played football before he entered Washing- tonand Lee, because his high school in Mary- land had no team. Hyatt tried out anyway, made the team and is now an outstanding center. . In 1959 the team won three games, one more than it had won.the previous four sea- sons. And last yearWashington and Lee was undefeated, being tied only by Johns Hop- kins. With each victory the howls of the alumni to return to big-time football diminished and interest V in the team grew. Once again people showed up to .I watchwashington and Lee play football, and if most of them still left at half time occasionally it was because the team was winning by such big scores, not losing. - This year’s team, after barely winning its first game against Hampden-Sydney 7-6, has scored 148 points in its next four games to its opponents’ 12. There have been no outstand- ing stars, although Fohs, the little linebacker, has again led.the defense. A dozen players have scored touchdowns for Washington and Lee. In last week’s victory over Emory and Henry, for instance, the four touchdowns were made by four different men. Coach McLaughlin generally uses most of his 50- odd players, not because he is kind but be- cause the talent is evenly distributed.Wash- ington and Lee uses a running game, passing only when necessary. “When you pass,” says McLaughlin, “three things can happen and only one of them is good.” The resurgence of football at Washington and Lee has created a new worry among uni- versity officials. At the close of last season there were a few moments when it looked as if the school might lose McLaughlin. Vir- ginia was looking for a new football coach and McLaughlin had graduated from there in 1941. But McLaughlin, if he got an offer, turned it down and now says he has no inten- tion of ever leaving. “I have the best coachingjob in the world,” he says. “I have the rank of associate profes- sor, tenure and extra benefits. This is a nice town, a fine place to live. And I work with nice boys.” McLaughlin recently gave a small party for some of the faculty. One of the guests was Dana Swan, a young man who in his first sea- son as coach of the freshman team has had the unhappy experience of watching his team lose every game. In fact, the team has yet to score a touchdown. As the guests were leaving, McLaughlin came over smilingly to Swan’s young wife. “You’ve probably heard already,” he said, “but in case you haven’t, your husband is do- ing a fine job.” At Washington and Lee, even the football coach is a gentleman. goingto W&L sporting events? Email «at-pihi@wIu.edu, spicakd12@mAaiI. wIu.edu or 71johnsj12@mail.wIu.edu. I