OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19960510/WLURG39_RTP_19960510_001.2.txt J‘; x J U112 fling-tum Ifllti JAMES’ '3. ’ :- WAS H INC‘. {'1 ‘_ L — VOLUME NUMBER 2 WASHINGTON 8: LEE UNIVERSITY LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA MAY 10. 1996 GENERAL NOTES Louis W. Hodges, Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Bible at Wash- ington and Lee University and di- rector of W&L’s program in applied ethics, will present a lecture entitled “‘India: Problems and Promises in the Land of Shiva” on Monday, May 13, at 8 p.m. in Northern Audito- rium. Hodges has lectured extensively, On Sunday, May 19, the Hon- orable Patricia McGowan Wald will deliver the address for com- mencement exercises forthe Wash- ington and Lee University of Law. Judge Wald currently serves as United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. She is also a council member and first vice president of the American Law Institute, and a Fellow of the Ameri- can Academy of Arts and Science. W&L expects to award juris doctor degrees to 121 third-year students in the university’s 141st graduating law class. The cer- emony will begin at 2:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the bee House. One week prior to commence- ment, W&L’s law professors Allan Ides and Ann Massie will appear on WVPT’s “Blue Ridge Journal” where they will comment on the DEVELOPMENTAL Thursday, May 16, at 7:30pm the lecture, “Enhancing Children ’s Intelligence: A Biosocial Ecologi- cal Perspective,” will be given by Craig and Sharon Ramsey in Northen Auditorium.The lecture is open to anyone and is antici- pated to be of special interest to students concerned with child de- velopment issues. A second lecture takes place Friday, May 17, noon entitled,” The Impact of Headstart and the Future of Human Sciences.” This Thursday, May 9 at 8 p.m. in Johnson Theater, Madeleine Shapiro will perform “Voices”, a mulnti-media event highlighting a mixture of recent cello works in- troduced by the composers. The concert features the works and voices of many people and closes with Yannay and Marie Mellott’s collaborativepiececoncemingvio— lence against women, I Can’t Fathom It, for cello and slide- projection. Professor Miller of the W&L English department will be giving a reading from her works next week. Miller has a vast array of written materials to draw from. She has written 12 books, In the Funny Papers (1995), and is the author of over 100 stories, poems, and essays published in numerous “Fragmentation of Body in Varlam Shalamov’s Prose” is the topic of Ivana Vuletic’s lecture Thursday May 9. Vuletic is an assistant profes- HODGES TO LECTURE ON INDIA: both in the United States and in India. He recently returned from a four-month visit to India, where he taught on the ethics of journalism at Osmania University in Hyberabad, India, and also lectured at fourteen otheruniversitiesin IndiaasaFulbright lecturer. Hodges has written exten- sively on ethics and profe$ionalism and lectured throughout the U.S. MCGOWAN TO GIVE LAW ADDRESS: VMI case. The show will air lo- cally on Ch. 11, the PBS station, on Friday, May 10 at 8:57 p.m.; Satur- day, May 11 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sun- day, May 12 at 9 a.m. Ides and Massie teach constitu- tional law at W&L and have fol- lowed the VMIcaseclosely. Massie commented that she had the oppor- tunity to view the oral arguments at the Supreme Court, where her ob- servation of the judges helped her to form predictions of what would be important in the case and what its outcome may entail. With re- spect to the case, Massie stated that there is a strong argument against single sex education at VMI, com- menting that it will probably be more difficult to provide a solution for the equality crisis than it will be to decide the case itself. Ides was unavailable for comment. PSYCH LECTURES: second lecture will be held in the Alumni House. The two guest lectureers are both professors at the University of Ala- bama at Birmingham. They are both on the editorial boards of numerous professional publications and main- tainpositionson manycomrnitteesand boards. The Rarnseys are also found- ing directors of the Civitan lntema- tional Research Center in Alabama. Their visit to Washington and Lee is made possible by the economic and psycology departments. FINAL SONOKLECT COfN,CERT’:” Shapiro has been the cellist and director of the New Music Consort since 1975 and with the ensemble has toured the United States, West- ern Europe, and Russia. Specializ- ing in the performance of Twenti- eth Century music, Shapiro has been a part of numerous premier perfor- mances of a-wide range of works by many different composers. She has also been recorded and teaches at the Marines College of Music where she is an adjunct professor. W&L PROF TO READ HER WORKS: different places. Miller came to Washington and Lee in 1992 and continues to teach courses in the area of creative writing and American literature. The reading will take place in room 21 of Payne Hall at 4:30pm on Wednesday May 15. UNC PROF TO SPEAK AT C-SCHOOL: sor of Slavic languages and literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The lec- ture will take place in room 221 of the Commerce School. Compiled by David Balsley and Rachel Goddu 5 OPINION GENERATION Llx Check out Generation Lex, an application to write for The Trident’s back page and Josh Hes|inga’s newest master- piece, all on page 2. P FEATURES Dan Odenwald checks out a nun against the :1 death penalty. Primal “Gere” is livin’ good as a lawyer guy. C.E. Miller examines the “Mother’s Day Syndrome.” Youngtells about Nathan Sheppard, frequent _ x. frat band, releasing their second album and playing at Sigma Nu tonight.. s sponrs And Cindie . page 3 Women’s tennis is one step from the national title. Men’s lax wins their eighth straight Lee- , Jackson Classic. The baseball team is elimi- nated from ODACs. Men’s tennis heads to regionals today. page 6 Storm crashes alumni party BY DAVE BALSLEY PHI STAFF WRITER he tent housing last Saturday’s concert for the Class of ’71 fell victim to the strong gusts of wind accompanying a summer stonn. The tent partially collapsed when spikes anchoring one of its sides were torn from the ground. On Saturday, May 4, W&L’s Class of ’71 planned to celebrate their re- union by enjoying dinner and a con- cert on the baseball fields. The Coast- ers, the Drifters, and the Marvellettes were scheduled to appear, and a large tent, suitable to the size of the affair, had been erected to house the dinner and concert. The other returning classes were , invited to attend as well, and Robert W.H. Mish, Associate Director of Alumni Programs, noted that both stu- dents and residents of Lexington ar- rived at the field in the hopes of attend- ing the concert. After the alumni dinner, the Coast- ers took the stage. Shortly thereafter, “a huge gust of wind came and started rocking the tent,” Mish stated. “Huge sixty foot poles in the middle were swaying.” The strong winds tore the stakes which supported one side of the tent from the ground, causing the tent to partially collapse. Mike Young, Director of Security, determined that it would be unsafe to attempt to continue the concert on the baseball fields. The celebrations were moved to the local Howard Johnson. The three bands who scheduled for the evening delighted their audience by performing a cappella renditions of their songs at the hotel, treating every- one to a special version of “Good Pitching a tent concert on May 4. Alumni attempt to resurrect their ten at the Class of '71 Sam Levine, Phi Photo Editor Night, Sweetheart” in which all three groups performed together. According to Mish, the evening’s attendants pulled together to turn an otherwise horrible situation into a great time. The unusual situation plans helped achieve a great success, bring- ing together the alumni in a bonding celebration. “From our standpoint,” Mish re- marked, “it was still successful.” This sentiment was echoed by the alumni who enjoyed themselves so much that they proposed to have another party next year, complete with the gust of wind. In fact, plans have already been made to host a similar party next year. The Coasters, the Drifters and the Marvellettes have already agreed to re-appear on W&L+s campus again next year. Certain aspects of last Saturday’s festivities will be notice- ably absent from the planned reunion, however. Mish commented that they probably will not take the risk of host- ing the event on the baseball field a second time. Forum examines merits of women’s studies BY MICHAEL HEWLETI‘ PHI STAFF WRITER the event is designed to provide information about - Women and Gender Studies. “The goal is to promote discussion about Gender cross the nation, women’s and ethnic stud ies have beem denounced by conservatives as politically incorrect. They argue that such majors detract from what a liberal arts educa- tion should be ‘arid serves asa rjoliticaltoolofthe left‘ to indoctrinate students with their “agenda. It pro- vides no room for individual thought, they say. Today, students and faculty will have a chance to debate the merits of such study during a panel entitled Gender & Women’s Studies Panel. The panel will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Northen Auditorium of the Leybum Library. Women’s Fo- rum is sponsoring the event. Sakina Paige, the coordinator for the event, said . and Women Studies and see how faculty and stu- dents feel.” Paige also sent out a survey to nearly all faculty members during the final exam week Winter Term. At the beginning of this term, she sent surveys to about 25 percent of the student body. ' Responses are still coming in so Paige said she cannot make any conclusions yet. But one thing that did strike her were some of the answers. “Answers such as ‘don’t know’ or ‘want more information’ is exactly why we’re having the panel.” The panel consists of students and faculty from Washington and Lee University and other schools. Heather Schweninger, a junior Evironmental Stud- ies and Geochemistry major, and Betsy Blunt, a senior Business Administration and East Asian major, are the students from W&L. Professor of English Edwin Craun, the head of the English and Medieval Studies Departments. and Associate Pro- fessor of Psychology Tyler Lorig round out the panelists from W&L. Other panelists include Elisabeth Gruner, Assis- tant Professor of English and coordinator of 5 Women’s Studies at the*University of Richmond; Elizabeth Mills, Associate Professor of English and coordinator of Gender Studies concentration at Davidson College in North Carolina; Meagan Koch, Doctoral candidate at the Center of Higher Educa- tion and minoring inWomen’s Studies at the Uni- versity of Virginia and and a 1991 W&L graduate; and Stephanie Jo Hudgins, a senior psychology major who is minoring in Race, Class and Gender at Radford University. W&L Dance anticipates first performance BY ROBIN SI~:AToN PHI STAFF WRITER ashington and Lee’s new dance troupe, W&L Dance, will hold its first performance on Sunday, May 12th at 8 p.m., in the I..enfest Center’sJohnson Theatre. The program, which includes a wide variety of pieces, from classi- cal ballet to funky jazz, is the culmina- tion of a year’s work for the dancers. This free performance is open to the public. Missy Smithgall of Glasgow cho- reographed three ballet pieces for the performance. One of her original pieces, entitled “Ave Maria,” will fea- ture graduating senior Margaret Fitts. Set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the piece will be part of Fitts’ final performance in the Lexington area. Fitts began dance instruction at age three and has taken ballet classes in the area throughout her W&L career. She also assisted Smith gall by helping to organize the ballet ensemble’s re- hearsals and leading some sessions. Of the newly-organized dance pro- gram on campus, Fitts says, “W&L needs this,” and she encourages those involved in theatre and other areas of the performing arts on campus to take advantage of the opportunity. Smithgall also adapated choreog- raphy from Petipa, added to her own, to create “Minkus Variations.” In addition to Smithgall and Fitts, the pointe variations feature freshmen Leah Hall and Sarah Moore, sopho- more Robin Seaton, and guest dancer Natalie Biggs, a Rockbridge County High School Senior. Hall, Moore, Seaton, and Biggs all began dance training in early childhood, at the ages of three or four, and have studied ballet for many years. Hall is enthusiastic about this opportu- nity to dance for the W&L community. She believes that “every liberal arts col- lege needs a dance program,” especially oneaswell-known and'respectedasWash- ington and Lee. Moore meanwhile hopes that “one day theater majors can take dance” at W&L, and she would like tosee various types of dance offered for physi- _ On their toes Lenfest Center. Margaret Fitts, Leah Hall and Sarah Moore prepare for their May 14 performance in the Photo by J.B.Redenbaugh cal education credit. The finale in Sunday’s program will be a 17-minute ballet entitled “Rhapsody in Blue.” Choreography is also by Smithgall, and the music of the same name isby George Gershwin. The piece will feature all members of the ballet ensemble. Smithgall teaches classical ballet technique and pointe both for the W&L ballet ensemble and within the com- munity. Beginning her ballet instruc- tion in Pennsylvania at age three, Smithgall started intensive training at the age of six at schools including the School of the Joffrey Ballet and the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She began performing at an early age with such groups as the Bux-Mont Dance Theatre, the Dance Theatre of Pennsylvania, Dance Del Bello and Dance Elite. Smithgall’s past instruc- tors include Victor Moreno, Gloria Govrin, Michael Loupasanski, Lupe Serrano, and Cherie Noble. Upon moving to Rockbridge County in early 1991, Smithgall be-. gan teaching and performing with the Rockbridge Ballet. Her past perfor- mances include principals roles in most of the major classical ballets and fea- ture roles in original ballets. Washington and Lee students Cheryl Puzon, Kathy Dussé, and Chris- tine Bragg also choreographed jazz and lyrical pieces for the program. Puzon, a sophomore, created two pieces, “Funk-O-MegaMix” and “Kiss From a Rose.” Puzon has two years of jazz training, and she also participated in her high school dance team for three years. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” will be a solo number featuring sophomore choreographer Kathy Dussé. Dussé’s background includes nine yearsof bal- let and jazz instruction. Freshman Christine Bragg also cho- reographed a piece for the perfor- mance. Bragg, a sixteen-year student of ballet and jazz, will perform “Ubiq- uitous Mr. Love Grove” during the Sunday evening exhibition. Sophomore Dana Hood and fresh- man Heather Bradley are also mem- bers of the jazz ensemble and will dance Sunday night. Those interested in Sunday’s per- formance or classes may contact Smithgall at 540-258-1516. OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19960510/WLURG39_RTP_19960510_002.2.txt > PAGE 2 Letters to the Editor Midshipmen ashamed Paul Saboe’s “Absolut Tradition,” editorial in the 3 May Ring-tum Phi prompts me to comment since it in- volves my alma matter, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Washington and Lee University, where I have had the privi- lege to serve since 1976. During the period of June 4-5, I will return to Annapolis for my 50th reunion with great pride. But like many graduates of the Naval Acad- emy, I am deeply concerned and most disturbed with the recent turn of events that go to the very heart of the institu- tion. The reasons therefore must be corrected. If not, the Academy will have betrayed the many graduates who have made the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps the finest of fighting forces, and it will cease to exist as an institution worthy of the trust it has so long en- joyed. I will not take issue with the com- ments concerning Professor James Barry nor the “bilging” of classmates because they are beyond the scope of “there have ap- peared chinks in the systems armor.” this commentary. But I will take issue with the comments that the vital sense of honor no longer exists at the Acad- emy. In support, Ioffer, from personal contact, the expressions of utter dis- gust on part of the vast majority of midshipmen for the violations of rules and regulations of the Academy plus the breaking of state and federal laws by the few. What are the causes of the break- down in the system? It is my opinion that the Naval Academy does not op- erate under the strict discipline of ear- lier years. Too many offences that were cause for immediate dismissal receive the Nelson’s blind eye treat- ment and the guiltymay “get away with it” in this litigious society. The Naval Academy cannot be like civil- ian universities because its mission is to prepare the graduates for participa- tion in combat should the need arise. There is no other reason for the exist- ence of the service academies. In preparing the prospective officers, i honor and truth have to be inviolate , because they are the most important 5 aspects of military and human en- deavor, failure to know the truth can I lead to disasters of immense propor- 1 tion. Closer to home - the honor system of Washington and Lee. It is one of the major selling points of the school. In recent years there have appeared chinks in the system’s armor. Let me cite an incident that occurred several years ago when a W&Lstudent struck and killed a fellow student with his automobile. He kept silent for almost a year before his identity came to light. Three of his fraternity brothers knew of it but chose to remain silent. In the trial where the student pleaded guilty, the judge said the following to the man after his plea: “This is a mark against you, your associates, and the institution where you attended. This tragedy is a low point for an institu- tion known for its honor and integrity. This tragedy is complicated by the attempts to cover up the truth.” Unless these chinks are removed and the new armor reburnished, the very lifeblood of Washi ngton and Lee will slowly ebb away. All agree this must be avoided. But how? Very simply, we can do General Lee no greater honor than to live by his code that extends to all parts of our lives and not just those restricted to campus classrooms. Be mindful of the fact that the keystone of honor is obedience to lawful authority. Also be mindful of another of Marse Robert’s tenets. For every right there is a duty. To be true to this patron saint, I think it important to ask one- self before taking any action in any instance if it will bring honor to you, your family, the University and the United States of America. If the an- swer is in the negative, halt, rethink and only press on if the green affirma- tive light says go. We are privileged to be part of an institution with a great tradition. Make the most of it for without the Honor System Washington and Lee is just another small southern college. It need not happen and pray that it does not. The matter is in your hands. - Robert C Peniston Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Director, Lee Chapel Trident exercised poor judgement ing from the "Letters" page of The Trident never ceases to amaze me. The Trident printed, apparently with- out reservation, the letter-to-the-edi- tor entitled "Student says that most W&L Women are Lesbians." The letter served no purpose and was, most of all, completely incorrect. Even in jest, this letter represented a pathetic attempt at humor. One must wonder though . . . you guys will run a letter like this, but refused to run the G&L ‘ organization's ad? A little journalis- tic bias, maybe? — Jay White ‘96 Quote of the Week: “This school is like one big sorority, they print t-shirts for everything!” - freshman after seeing their new class t-shirts The Ring-Turn Phi, MAY 3, 1996 ,. OPINION GENERATION Lax 4 -5 , ' C AcTuALL't,wE iiiii ’ E”§l’:A|TE .iusT N559 .u 6 soutow ‘ I'M Nor mt‘ ‘5";'£E::'j: Tb tour: 3': - ONLY ONE M-IDS mm W; Accouurme °° coiItEtlNEl> goog? ABOUT csrrmfir ‘ AN EDHCATION ‘ ’ 11-I15 $PR|”°- A I. W°l{M.WW\M , .5-5 , ' P The defenders of the realm . Joshua Heslinga ’98 s Republicans prepare to tackle other fiscal year, one of the areas in which . they differ most from the Clinton ad- Again, the absolute crap emanat- -- ministration continues to be national defense policy. The crux of the dis- pute lies in the belief of congressional Republicans that America's defense policy must undergo some policy changes in order to prepare for the beginning of the 21st century. Philosophically, there can be little doubt that defense must remain the key policy of government. Government’s first duty, which the Declaration of Independence pro- claimed, has always been to protect the lives of its citizens. Without life and liberty, social welfare policy is a luxury citizens cannot afford. Nonetheless, that philosophical commitment leaves many practical questions of defense policy open to debate, so here are three of the key arenas where Republicans in Congress will clash with the White House. The first concerns the overall lev- els of defense spending. Democrats have leveled charges of pork and ex- cessive defense spending against Re- publicans, but such charges fall apart under careful scrutiny. As Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye recently wrote in an article for Roll Call, forfiscal year 1997, defense spending will be only 15.1% of fed- eral spending, an 8% decrease since 1980 and half the level of 1950. By comparison, uncontrolled social spending on entitlements like Medi- care and Social Security dwarfs this level of funding, and Republicans even drew flak for suggesting that the growth of Medicare should be reduced to a mere 6.5%. g The president’s budget provides less than two-thirds of what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili declared must be spent on procurement and modernization and falls woefully short in other basic ar- eas like housing maintenance for per- sonnel. The Joint Chiefs’ 1996 Force Readiness Assessment concluded sol- emnly, “We can no longer afford to push procurement into the outyears.” The second area is missile defense. A quick look at the world situation provides ample justification for the expansion of these programs, as well as for maintaining vigilance by ad- equately funding the Defense Depart- ment. Nuclear proliferation poses the greatest threat of the 21st Century to U.S. security. Russia is currently ac- tively marketing “converted” SS-25 intercontinental ballistic missiles as satellite launch vehicles to any nation willing to pay the price. The CIA verified earlier this year that China violated U.S. law by passing nuclear technology to Pakistan. And intelli- gence reports that North Korea’s own missile program may have the capa- bility to hit the U.S. as early as 2000. Accidental attacks remain as seri- ous a risk as rogue attacks. Russia’s military is demoralized and poorly organized, thanks to massive underfunding. Furthermore, intelli- gence agencies admit the oft-cited platitude that Russia's missiles are no longer pointed at U.S. targets cannot be verified. This new world situation makes a missile defense system more needed and feasible. Congressman Curt Weldon, the chairman of the National “We can no longer afford to push pro- curement into the outyears. ” Security subcommittee on research and development, reports that the Penta- gon has stated that a system capable of defending the U.S. against a limited attack could be produced in the next several years for around $5 billion, not the hundreds of billions that missile defense critics routinely charge. And in view of President Clinton’s recent commitment to increase U.S. aid for Israeli missile defense sys- tems, one has to wonderwhy the Presi- dent thinks missile defense is good enough for Israel but not for the Ameri- can public. Finally our defense plans for the future must find a reasonable way of limiting the costs of peacekeeping and N other contingency operations. President Clinton’s repeated com- mitments to these unbudgeted opera- tions in places of questionable na- tional interest like Bosnia and Haiti cost U.S. taxpayers more than $4 bil- lion in 1995, money that comes from other needed defense programs. At the same time, the President’s budget ) underfunds the National Guard and " military"reserves, despite their huge contributions to such operations. While isolationism is not the an- swer, this spend first, ask questions * later policy cannot continue. The Presi- dent must develop a coherent foreign policy based on national interest that can reduce such expenditures. 5‘, Senator Inouye recalled the detri- mental financial and security effects of the hasty demobilization after World War II that left the U.S. unprepared for the following war in Korea. He cited a Army General Matthew Ridgeway’s observation after that war that, “Our armed forces had been economized almost to ineffectiveness." Jubilance over the end of the Cold i War is understandable, but we cannot let such feelings cause us to neglect our national defense or ignore critical world threats to U.S. security. We A should follow the policy of peace through strength that kept America safe for more than 40 years in the face of such danger. The security of our nation is too important to * the U.S. to ever be caught asleep on the watch. ab- dent. and obscenity. @112 filing-mm ifilit Executive Editor ............................................................... ..Anne Alvord Managing Editor .................................................... ..Christine Gamavish News Editor .................................................................. ..Hillary Coombs Editorial Page Editor ........................................................ ..Jason Zacher Sports Editors ............................... ..Scott Bookwalter, Bethany Bauman Features Editor .......................................... ..C. E. Miller, Dan Odenwald Photography Editor ............................................................. ..Sam Levine Editorial Cartoonists .................................. ..Phil Flickinger. Tom Fallace Business Manager ......................... .. Assistant Business Manager .......... .. Advertisement Composition Artist. . .. .................................. ..Will Hershey .............................. ..Doug Ghertner ................................... ..Tarah Grant The Ring-tum Phi is published Fridays during the undergraduate school year at Washington and Lee University. Lexington. Virginia. Funding for The Ring-tum Phi comes primarily from advertising and subscription revenues. The Washington and Lee Publications Board elects the executive editor and business manager, but The Ring-tum Phi is otherwise indepen- The Ring-tum Phi welcomes all responsible submissions and letters. All submissions must be in the Phi otflce. room 208 of the University Center. by noon on Tuesday to appear in that week's edition. Letters. columns. and “My Views" do not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum Phi Editorial Board. Advertising does not reflect the opinions of The Ring-tum PM or its staff. This newspaper observes current court definitions of libel The Ring-tum Phi Post Oflice Box 899 Lexington, Virginia 24450 Telephone: (540) 462-4059 Fax: (540) 462-4060 amongst a stack of issues of last week's Trident. Most intriguing. I thought I ’d share it with you all. —B.G.] So, you want to write on the Back Page! Who could blame you? It is, without a doubt, one of the best parts of our newspaper. Who at W&L doesn't love to be reminded that Friends is on every Thursday at 8:00? And even more so, who doesn't love to read the random venting of a bitter student?!? That bitter student could be you! Just fill out this application and return it to The Trident office. 1. Name: 2. Major: 3. Major that you think sucks: 5. Area of the country you'd like to mock (ie: Texas): 6. Do you think it is cowardly to print controversial ideas anony- mously? No __ Hell NO! 7. Please list 25 things that really bother you, that you could vent about in approximately three paragraphs, and that would probably never occur to anyone else. For example: - the blue and white flags B&G dis- plays for special occasions - theme nights in the d-hall - the color of the parking stickers — the fact that most W&L dogs are either brown or black - that W&L serves Pepsi instead of Coke - that the library does not architectur- - the law school - Dean Leroy "Buddy" Atkins - the grey shirts the VMI cadets wear don't look good with their white pants - W&L women - women from other schools - faculty women - other women - the resemblance of Cyrus McCormick to Robert E. Lee - Dean Schoer-Lamont - the frames on the portraits of Wash- ington and Lee in Lee Chapel - people who use perfect grammar - bow ties - people who wear a lot of khaki - people who are not as cool as you are - date functions - the new logo on Natty Light cans - no more Natty Light pitchers at The Palms . - the cost of Jack Kemp's speech There, that's twenty-five and if you bother to count and find out that there aren't exactall y twenty-five things, you Application for back page ‘ columnist of The Trident ’ ously (a quality we are looking for in new columnists) 8. Asaback page columnist, you will berequiredtousethe followingwords t or phrasesasmuchaspossible: chafe, loser, insecure, lame, student au- tonomy, cheese, tool, Natty Light, and sell out. Does this pose a prob- lem for you? i‘ 9. The Trident will also require you to write at least one column a term on the following subjects: how the administration sucks, how people ' act stupid at parties, how lame the Phi is, and how people who object to something you wrote are a bunch of tools who take themselves way too i, seriously. Okay? [A special note to the fine columnists at The Trident: if this parody offends you, gee, it's a joke. You need to take P yourself a lot less seriously. ] OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19960510/WLURG39_RTP_19960510_003.2.txt 5 The Ring-tum Phi, MAY 10.1996 YOU'D THINK THEY LIVE HERE at AL Pi PAGE 3 &life CINDIE YOUNG PHI STAFF WRITER hey listen,” Nathan Sheppard Band drummer Mike Rizzi says of W&L partygoers. The students that have jammed to the Nathan Sheppard Band have indeed listened, and they’ve liked what they’ve heard. As a result of W&L’s enthusiastic reception, the band has played here again and again throughout the year. “Fratemities parties aren’t supposed to be fun” for bands, Rizzi laughs, but the combination of the Nathan Sheppard Band and Washington and Lee seems to have produced nothing but “fun”—for student and musician alike. Says Rizzi, “We’re always ready to get to Lexington.” The story of how the Nathan Sheppard Band came to be begins in Georgia with one gifted acoustic musician and three members of a night-job band. That one musician is of course the band’s namesake, Nathan Sheppard, who had established himself as an acoustic artist in Athens for almost a decade when some- one with a good ear arranged a meeting for him with the talented bass player, guitarist, and drummer from one crumbling local band. The four men just got together for a few jam sessions, and liked they sound they made. The local band fell apart, but the new band that formed is where our story interests itself, a band whose sound has attracted the interest of record labels and fans across the South and beyond. Adjectives do not come easy to describe the sound of the Nathan Sheppard Band, though—-not even for the band members. “lt’s a sound you can’t really describe,” Rizzi explains. I. '. . *. Iflfseyourtday C. E. MILLER PHI FEATURES EDITOR First of all, I am not a mother, but being achild (yes even at 20, my mother still considers me her baby—nevermind she has 6 other “children” to worry about) does qualify me to comment on the whole “Mother’s Day” phenomenon sweeping this campus. I know you are thinking to yourself, “phenomenon? I wouldn’t call Mother’s Day a phenomenon.” Well disal- lowing my propensity for hyperbole, stay with me for a second. It is truly amazing that this simple Sunday gets so much attention. I mean I know there is a Grandparent’s Day, Father’s Day, Groundhog’s Day, Founder’s Day President’s Day, basically a whole mess of days denoted to celebrate something. But Mother’s day brings out the best in our Washington and Lee Students. Walking around campus this week I have heard pleasant exchanges between fraternity brothers as follows; First Guy: So man Mother’s Day is Sunday Second Guy: No, Really? First Guy: Yeah, I’m thinking I should send a card. Second Guy: My dad usually gets flowers, and signs my name next to his so I’m covered. First Guy: Cool. This may not seem that enlightening, but stop and think how considerate and caring these gentlemen appear in this particular conversation. This just proves how wonderful the men at this school have the potential to be, maybe pointing this out will stop the tide of women who have lost hope in men, and are turning to other women for the comfort and love they seek (obligatory Trident Lesbian reference.) Gentlemen, go spend that 32 cents and mail your mother a card, it'll be well worth it. I. Sister Helen ponders the death penalty. While Nathan Sheppard himself brings to re- hearsal rough ideas for songs—music and lyr- ics—-each member contributes to the song writ- ing process, adding ideas and helping to create the final product. That participation means that every song the band performs is the result of four accomplished musicians of four different backgrounds and many different influences. Hard put to fit the band within the.Age of Modern Rock, Rizzi suggests such descriptions as “folk rock,” “alternative” or “progressive,” although he’s not too enthusiastic about any particular label. There are traces of many different bands in the sounds of the Nathan Sheppard Band. Rizzi points to Donovon and Bob Dylan; I would add Toad the Wet Sprocket and R.E.M. I‘ Whatever other bands and whatever styles the band may recall, “the chemistry works,” Rizzi says, which fact is the most important, after all. Having toured for a year, the band has been energetically putting music out. Their first compact disc, Wandering, is now in its last stage’ of printing and within a few days their new album Halflife will be available. Consisting of 10 songs recorded live and three in a studio environment, Halflife offers fans all unreleased songs. The band hopes to bring copies of their newest album to The Nathan Sheppard Band its gig at Sigma Nu tonight, but arrangements with Night 0 f - o Owl ensurethat Waynewill have plenty of Halflifes assoon a p - W1“ Pia?’ thls as possible, available to the W&L fan. p e a r - evenlng at Another month and a follow-up cd will be available, ances this Sigma Nu. summer, especially in and about Atlanta, at intimate as well as very public venues. Atlanta yes, but drummer Mike Rizzi speaks for the band in promising, “Lexington is our favorite place to Rizzi promises, featuring different versions of the songs on Halflife, and possibly some new material. The album will be called Wandering. If CDs on the shelf fail to satisfy the W&L music lover, consolation rises from the band’s plans to make a number a “It'll be like The Firm meets American Gigolo!” play.” Well, the Nathan Sheppard Band might well be our favorite band to listen to. in the Tom Cruise/Julia Roberts/Susan Sarandon role, we have Richard Gere, steeped in corruption from the beginning, not innocent of the ways in which justice is administered, who somehow finds a way to redeem himself. Most of the action takes place between two people in small, enclosed spaces, or in the courtroom. Somehow, director Gregory Hoblit manages to sustain the audience’s interest anyhow, often stunningly. A lot of the criticism of Richard Gere is that he always plays the same character. He is basically a “hair actor” like MichaeliDouglas‘-—-once you see his hairstyle, you know all the intricacies of his character. I disagree with this assessment of Gere. Anyone who has seen Mike Figgis’s Internal Affairs knows that Gere is capable of real depth. And yet, in F irstKnight, Sommersby, Pretty Woman, and others, Gere has only given us blandly good-looking heroes without a trace of realism. Which is odd, because when Gere is good, he is pretty damn good. In Primal Fear, he is pretty damn good. His character is Martin Vail, a defense attorney who sees a shot at the really big time when an altar boy is accused of killing the archbishop of Chicago. He offers to defend the accused killer, Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), pro bono. This involves him in an actually not very complicated web of intrigue and deceit which gradually unwinds itself. The fun of the film is all in the rhythm and the interaction of the characlers. Unfortunately, even with a high-powered cast including Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Andre Braugher, John Mahoney, and Maura Tierney, there are really only two characters in Primal Fear: Gere’s Vail and first-time film actor Norton’s Stampler. So they have to sustain a lot. Fortunately, both are up to the task. Gere plays Vail as a character who acts completely despicably, always scramblirag for advantage. And he enjoys being as slick as he is. And yet, there is an underlying optimism, if not idealism, that give the portrayal depth. This performance is really very well modulated and manages to capture something about Vail that makes you believe in him. And as Gere said of Edward Norton, he “is emerging as one of the monster actors of our time.” After only one film? Yep. Without giving away too much of the plot, the demands of the character of Aaron Stampler are extraordinary. Yet, even though you can see the clichéd ending coming a mile away, you still believe absolutely in Aaron Stampler. Without Norton, the movie wouldn’t even sustain itself as long as it does. Essentially, Norton found himself, as an actor, having to play a character who is a great actor. The sophistication and layers of his performance suggest that he is already miles ahead of most first-time actors, and promise a great career ahead of him. It is very early for Oscar talk, but I think it is not overstepping to say that so far, Norton has given one of the strongest supporting performances of the year. Overall, Primal Fear is a bit too easy, a bit too shadily manipulative, but leaving the theater, you are not that upset about it. You have seen, after all, some great actors playing some pretty good roles with absolutely perfect pitch. And you even kind of get sucked in to the story, even though you know you probably shouldn’t. As an old guy coming out of the theater where I work said after seeing the film, “I don’t trust you; I don’t trust nobody.” **$r of 4 stars; solid but not exceptional ALEX CHRISTENSEN PHI M o VIE CRITIC hat can you expect from a legal thriller? Well, if you go by t h e I o h n Grisham-genre standard, not much courtroom action at all. I enjoyed The Firm, The Pelican Brief (which not many people know is a sequel to All the President’s Men with Denzel Washing- ton in the Redford role and Julia Roberts in the Dustin Hoffman role), and The Client, but there is something distinctly anti-lawyer about them. Maybe it is because Grisham was fed up with lawyers during his career as one, maybe he is just matching the national mood. His heroes are always new to the legal system and forced through events to “take it on,” of course, always triumphing in the end. The plots are tight and have explosions and fights and danger. Not to complain too much, but Primal Fear is certainly not a well-plotted movie. The pacing, the acting, the mood, are all sustained, but the actual events of the story may leave you feeling used and a bit deceived yourself. The ending is such that I hesitate to call it a “thriller,” but I think in the end the hokey final moments are not enough to spoil what turns out to be a quite entertaining ride. Primal Fear is a different kind of thriller. There is very little idealism except that which is actually generated during the film. That is, instead of a hero on a white horse The andthe Sister Helen Prejean, C.S..I. This is the story of Sister rational ones to the most spiritual and a compassionate H5160, 3 Catholic null, 1" “"31 L0UlS1ana, who finds arguments. The author clearly proves that capital punish- DAN ODENWALI) PHI FEATuREs EDITOR Imagine you are the parent of lovely teenage daughter. It’s the night before her high school graduation, and you kiss her good-bye as she leaves with her boyfriend to attend a party. You tell her to take her sweater because it’s cold outside, but she doesn’t listen. She always was headstrong and independent-minded. Later that night, you get a call from the police. Your daughter and her boyfriend have been murdered. She was raped, forced to lie face down in the mud, and shot in the back of the head. There are no limits to your rage. Thank- fully, the murderer I caught, put on trial, and sentenced to V death. Enter a nun. She works tirelessly to free your daughter’s killer from Death Row. She aggressively fights for the abolition of capital punishment. Tears drop from her face as the murderer is electrocuted. How do you feel? Betrayed? Angry? Victimized? As you may have already guessed, this actually hap- pened. It is the subject ofDead Man Walking:/in Eyewit- ness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States by herself vehemently fighting for the demise of capital punishment. Dead Man Walking has won recent fame as a critically acclaimed film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Both actors were nominated for Academy Award. Many do not know, however, that it was based on a book by Prejean, who served as an advisor to the film. The book follows the path of Sister Helen as she becomes the spiritual advisor to a condemned man, Pat Sonnier. Although she puts up a valiant fight to win this man a pardon from the governor, Prejean must prepare this man for death. She uses her skill as a counselor and nun to help Sonnier realize that murdering those two children was wrong. They agree that killing him is also wrong, but personal accountability remains an important part of her counseling. Despite attempts to bar her from Death Row by prison officials, Prejean takes on more inmates after Sonnier’s execution. In turn, she become one of the most ardent opponents of the death penalty in the United States today. In 1993-1994, she visited the campus of Washing- ton and Lee to talk about her experiences. Above all, Dead Man Walking is a persuasive attack on the Death Penalty. Prejean outlines every conceivable argument used against it including the most legal and ment is biased against the poor and racial minorities. Through painstaking research, she has found that the death penalty is unfairly administered and unjustly doled out. Nevertheless, we have to ask that if the death penalty existed in a vacuum, would it still be fair? Prejean answers no. God’s law is clear: thou shalt not kill. If it is wrong for the Pat Sonniers of the world, then it is wrong for the American government. Prejean also argues that revenge is fleeting and leaves you empty no matter how terrible your rage. Most striking about Sister Helen was her willingness to search out the victims’ families of the men she counseled on Death Row. Although some were openly hostile to her, many received her with open arms. They respected her opinion and were grateful that she did not ignore the victims of horrible crimes. I used to favor capital punishment. Some crimes were too heinous for me to oppose it. I even said, ‘‘In crimes against children, I support the death penalty for the death penalty’s sake.”Dead Man Walking is compelling account of the way capital punishment operates in the U.S. today. If you support it, reading this book may very well change your mind. .~ -~---\~ ee= -—,v :- —=1-.-.- .v<_-wv.-w-I .—~~..>--».«»-p— —--v«.~---_-- v - . . _. .. H __ OCR::/Vol_097_098/WLURG39_RTP_19960510/WLURG39_RTP_19960510_004.2.txt L_PAen 4 NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS ‘Extension of Liberty accounts Graduating students have the op- tion to keep their Liberty accounts through May, 1997. If you wish to take advantage of this offer, please send a request via email before June 1, 1996 to rbw@wlu.edu with “GRADUATE LIBERTY AC- COUNT” in the subject field. Lib- erty accounts for graduating stu- dents who do not request an exten- sion will be deleted on or after July Candlelight vigil,march scheduled On Monday, May 13th there will be a candlelight vigil. The candlelight march will start at 7:30 from Lee Chapel; the Speak Out will be begin at 8 p.m. in Lee Chapel; the Healing Service will begin at 8:30. All men, women, W&L students and staff are welcome. It is sponsored by Women’s Forum, W&L Life, and RACASA. Panel Discussion Go rrectio On Friday, May 10, Women’s Fo- :59 L rum is sponsoring a panel discus- sion entitled “Women’s Studies/ Gender Studies: A Major issue.” It will be held in Northen Auditorium ofThg1zgng,i;;},,}=hi*s;l..ga from 9:45-1:00. Session one, held :3;-d editiggj*.:’f;;;i,'s{‘;gl;‘¢;;"f from 10-11 is entitled “The Benefit of Interdisciplinary Studies.” Ses- sion two, from 11-12, will be on “Understanding Women’s Studies and Gender Studies Programs,” and session three will be from 12-1 and regarding “The Value of Women’s identifiedAlisen‘$immen and Melissa.'."Co;ursort‘ ':e§‘.‘-tsthi$erro‘t..* 1 1, 1996. Studies and Gender Studies Pro- grams.” The Rin -tum Phi MAY 10 1996 Burn baby burn in a Ring-tum Inferno Join us Tuesdays at 7:00 p,m. in room 208 of the University Center. Restaurant and Hobbies Lounge -. 3 3 Lounge open 4:00p.m. to ? Restaurant 11:00a.m. to 9:30p.m. Route 7, Box 99A Lexington, Virginia 24450 Near the Virginia Horse Center Phone: 464-9499 Harbs' 19 W. Washington St., Lexington, VA 24450 Monday: 8am-3pm Tuesday - Thursday: 8am-10pm Friday - Saturday: 8am-11pm Sunday: 9am-3pm Wednesday - All you can eat Spaghetti & Salad, $4.99 Thursday - 10% ofl’ food - with student ID Friday - Seafood Nite - Crab Legs, Shrimp, Trout Saturday - 8 02. Prime Rib, 2 Vegs, Salad $8.95 Everyday Muffin & Cup of Coffee $1.50 (8 am - 10 am) Daily Lunch Special with Drink $4.50 Don't Let Your Student Go Hungry! Harbs' Point Card The $100 Meal Ticket Redeemable for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner For only $90.00 Nutritious Muffins & Egg Specialties Fresh Salads & Soups Hearty Sandwiches & Mexican Entrees Candlelight Dinners '\ l Give your Stude~n.§\\ | ‘K a Homecooked Meal.‘ ' V, A With Our /’ S ‘ Point Card 19 W. Washington St., VVTEAGI-I . ENGLISH s IN KOQEA aveliable monthly. ,B.A. orB.S.I'de'gree'required.‘ Mccomodatione & round-trip airfare provided.” dtptoma and copy of passport to: Box Jl corporation he ,5_e,-13 semsung Dong, Kong Nam Gu, ,seeul,..Kotj,ee i , _j-82-2-555~JOBS(5627) r=ax:ot1-e2~2-552.—4s=Ax(4t_a ,, 93.’: CRUISE JOBS Students Needed! Earn up to $2o00+/mo. working for Crulseshlps or LandTourcompanios+ World Travel. Seasonal and Full-Time employment available. For info call: (206) 971-3550 ext. C53421 tfacarion '96 SELL TRIPS, EARN CASH & GO FREE! Student Travel Services is now hiring campus representatives. Lowest rates to Jamaica, Cancun, Daytona and Panama City Beach. Call 1-800-648-4849 Lexington, VA 24450 EESEE Employment Fishing industry. Earn up to $3000- $6000+ per month. Room and board! Transportation! Male or female. No experience necessary. For more information call: (206) 971-3510 ext. AS3421 UDBTII Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-6pm Sun. i-Spm .7/747/aha mtnowaae sroass ”’ Hardware, Paint, and Related Items V:/men % an Specializing in Unfinished Furniture and Shades 19 South Randolph Street 463-2742 at em/WW and LUBE COLLEGE SQUARE (Next to Kroger) hot . SCI university of _ is _ « fl‘IIaI1‘II mdlphdand phdprograms httmllspiderf.n1ed.miami.eduIgrad graduate programs in biomedical sciences university of rniami school at medicine p.o. box 016960 miarni, florida 331 36 phone: 305.243.6406 , email: grad@mednet.med.miami.edu D I t.-.—.. umfi _ ’ GOOD WEEKLY INCOME for national .I Process mail company! Free supplies,I postage! No selling! Bonusesli Start immediately! Genuine: opportunity! : Rush S.A.S.E.: I GMU, Suite 216 I 1861 N. Federal Hwy. : Hollywood, Florida 33020 I t.______________________.' $19.95* E. Nelson Street QUICK LUBE Lexington INCLUDES: 453"2 135 Auto Transmission Check Up to 5 quarts 10W/30 Valvoline Oil wmm: Filter Chassis Lube individuals, Student Organizations ‘most cars and Small Groups to Promote 1996 Travel _ Packages. 1 Earn Substantial MONEY ‘%w’3 and FREE TRIPS. PEOPLEWHOKNOW USE VALVOLINE Call INTER-CAMPUS PROGRAMS 1-800-327-6013 No Appointment Necessary HOURS: Mon.- Fri. 8:30AM - 5:00PM Sat. 8:30 AM- 2:00PM UNITED STATES CELLULAR Be*4i