February 2008
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Tale of Two Halves; Tech Crushes Boston College 67-48  The Hokies have been notorious this season for getting off to slow offensive starts. With a game as critical as Tuesday night’s hosting Boston College--not scoring a field goal until the 15:47 mark didn’t bode well for Virginia Tech. Add to that Tech’s leading scorer A.D. Vassallo put up a donut in the scoring column—and you may have a problem. You may have a problem, that is, unless you hold your opponent to 32 percent shooting in the first half and zero free throw attempts. That allowed Tech to hold a 25-20 lead going into the half. History In The Making At Radford
A creative infusion of historic and present culture met in the form of Radford’s first-ever Harlem Renaissance. The event kicked off Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Muse Hall with approximately 100 people in attendance. Food and a live Jazz band were available to all. The two hosts opened the event reminding the audience that the NAACP is not an organization for blacks only but one that represents diversity. Artists and speakers performed on a stage with a projection screen that ran a slide show of influential African Americans. The slides included people like Zora Neal Hurston, Billie Holiday, Marcus Garvey and James Van Der Zee along with many more. Opinion: Ban on Public Smoking Rears its Head…Again The set of four smoking bills passed in the Virginia Senate this month are now on their way to the Republican-controlled House of Delegates – and that’s probably as far as they’ll get. The bills, which would ban smoking in restaurants, bars and many other public places, would also give cities and counties the authority to pass additional ordinances banning smoking within their boundaries. Similar legislation never made it out of House sub-committees last year, and the next few weeks will show if history will repeat itself. Hokies Win Over Georgia Tech In The First Of Three Game Home Stretch (Video Included) The Hokies got revenge on the Yellow Jackets Saturday afternoon with a 92-84 win in the battle of the Techs. Virginia Tech executed in all areas of the game and needed to grab the crucial victory and improve to 7-6 in the league. The Hokies committed fewer turnovers, fewer fouls, scored more points off free throws, grabbed more rebounds, and scored more second chance points than their opponent. Total Lunar Eclipse Blocked By Clouds If you missed the total lunar eclipse last night, as many did due to cloud cover, you won’t get another chance to see another one until 2010. “I thought it was going to be really exciting, but I couldn’t see anything because of the clouds,” said Diana Brown, sophomore engineering major. Many students were anticipating the eclipse; a large facebook group formed last week informing students of it. Blacksburg weather did not permit a good viewing of the eclipse. Many across the United States experienced similar difficulty due to rain, snow or other adverse weather conditions. SPJ To Host Job Fair For Student Journalists Interested in a career in the media field? The Society of Professional Journalists will host its 7th annual Media Net career fair on Monday, Feb. 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Graduate Life Center on Virginia Tech’s campus. This year's Media Net will provide students from around the area the chance to obtain connections, available internships, and career opportunities. With this opportunity, professionals are available to answer any questions students have about a specific career and students are able to submit resumes for consideration. Energy Speech Gets Heated Reaction The CEO of American Electric Power Co. received sharp questions and criticism from students and community members during a presentation at Virginia Tech on Monday. After a speech on the future of energy, both globally and within his company, chief executive officer Michael G. Morris encouraged the audience to ask questions. With that invitation, Squires Student Center’s Haymarket Theater and the Deans’ Forum Energy and Environment Speaker Series turned into a showdown between Morris and two groups: the Blacksburg Mountain Justice and the Concerned Citizens of Giles County. Hokies United Holds Candlelight Vigil for NIU
Hokies United sponsored a candlelight vigil Monday night for the Virginia Tech community so that students and residents of Blacksburg could pay their respects to the fallen Northern Illinois University Huskies. The twenty minute service began with Hokies United member Scott Cheatham thanking everyone for coming out to show their support for the Huskies. Cheatham introduced President Charles Steger who gave a brief speech. Followed by Steger was Student Government Association President Adeel Khan. Khan spoke of uniting with the Huskies and the unfortunate fact that Virginia Tech and NIU now share a common bond. “We will all prevail,” Khan said in his closing remarks. Radford To Hold Harlem Renaissance The spirit of the Harlem Renaissance is alive at Radford University. Instead of listening to the same Martin Luther King speech this Black History Month people may look to attend an event where the spirit of the month is visible. Radford will hold its first-ever modern day Harlem Renaissance, which promises to cultivate people about African American culture, as opposed to the traditional Black History programs. Opinion: Knuck If You…Have A Dream? On January 21, 2008, Martin Luther King Jr. day, I was driving in my car and got an opportunity to hear the remix to the “I Have a Dream” speech. But wait! There’s a remix? This particular radio disc jockey decided that he and his listeners should take the time out of their day to remember the man who is supposed to be celebrated during our beloved four-day weekend. As Dr. King begins to speak, I notice a song playing in the background. I notice that his speech is being played to a catchy, up-tempo beat. I notice that Dr. King’s speech is being played over top of the hip hop song, “Knuck if you Buck” – a song in which the artists threaten to beat people up for talking to them wrong or questioning their authority. Now, if the title and description don’t do enough for you, the artists who created this song go by the name “Crime Mob.” Both just scream “freedom,” don’t you think? Hokies Fall, 62-53 To Cavaliers The Hokies came out strong defensively looking for their second ACC victory against rival Virginia (19-7, 7-3 ACC). Tech’s mixture of zone and half court trap defense early on kept the Cavaliers to a season low 18 points in the first half. However, the Hokies couldn’t hold on down the stretch. “I felt like the first half we were definitely thrown off by the zone a little bit, we weren’t in any sort of flow and our shots weren’t falling,” Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan said. Virginia Tech to Hold Vigil for NIU Shooting Victims RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Tech plans to hold a candlelight vigil on Monday to show support for those affected by the shootings at Northern Illinois University. Hokies United, the student group that formed after the April shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 dead, organized the vigil and has asked the university community to wear NIU's school colors of red and black as a sign of support and solidarity on Monday. Ethics Committee Finds Footsies Unfitting The verdict is finally in from the Senate Ethics Committee on Sen. Larry Craig’s conduct last year in an airport men’s room; an event that had Senate members shuffling their feet (at least one of them literally) to find a proper response. The committee said Wednesday that Craig brought discredit on the Senate with his improper actions, according to a USA Today report. Craig’s attempt to withdraw his guilty plea once the scandal became public was also denounced by the committee. Plenty of other things were mentioned in the committee’s letter to the senator, including improper usage of campaign funds to pay legal bills and admonishment of Craig’s attempt at trying to receive special treatment because of his Congressional status. The Misunderstood World of Sorority Recruitment Her last name starts with an M, placing her at about the center of the line that is forming outside the Alpha Alpha Alpha house. The girls in front of and behind her are checking their lip gloss, hair and make-up one last time, nervous about the first impression they are about to make. The line starts to move as the door opens and they are hit with a surge of overwhelming enthusiasm from the smiling, clapping and chanting sisters of Tri-Alpha. His last name starts with a B, but that doesn’t matter. He heard about a barbecue that Beta Beta Beta was hosting from a flier in the dorm, so he and a few friends interested in rush decided to check things out. If he likes the brothers, he’ll go to an interest party the next night at the fraternity house. If not, he will drop them and venture elsewhere. PBTV: Hokie Hookup
Virginia Tech’s Graduate Engineering Program Goes Nuclear What does nuclear mean to you? For Virginia Tech, nuclear means the future. Currently Virginia Tech’s graduate engineering program is ranked 33rd in the nation, according to the 2008 U.S. News and World Reports on America’s Best Graduate Schools. However, new additions to the engineering program may strategically place Virginia Tech ahead of other schools Hokie Comeback Falls Short Against Miami, 71-74
The Miami Hurricanes stormed into the Cassell and handed the Hokies only their second home loss of the season Saturday afternoon. Led by the sharp shooting of junior Jack McClinton, who was 3-4 from behind the arc in the second half, Miami grabbed their first ACC road victory of the season and sent Virginia Tech to 5-5 in league play. PBTV: National Signing Day 2008
The Front Door Of Blacksburg If home is where the heart is, then what is considered the heart of Blacksburg? During the planning commissions meeting Tuesday, a debate ensued following the request to rezone and change a proposal from an “office with conditions to [a] general commercial with conditions for tax map parcels”. The request would allow a grocery store and offices to be built in the town Blacksburg. The location of these buildings brought up a number of concerns. Ovechkin, Capitals Showing Grit
When the NHL season began, critics were skeptical on whether or not Alexander Ovechkin could lead the Washington Capitals to the playoffs. After 21 games it looked to be another down year when the Caps started 6-14-1. Washington’s front office made a change though, firing head coach Glen Hanlon. Looking for a fresh start, the team promoted Bruce Boudreau, the coach of the Capitals AHL affiliate to the position of interim head coach. He is still coaching the team and has led them back into the playoff race. Commentary: Start Spreading The News, New York Is Back On Top New York City is celebrating a championship for the ages. Boston is reeling from another heartbreaking, came-so-close-to-championship-glory moment. Alas, all is right with the world again. For a century, Boston played second fiddle to New York in the sports world. Yes, the Celtics did parade out an unparalleled run of 11 championships in 12 years in the ‘50s and ‘60s (plus five more in the ‘70s and ‘80s) but the joy of their basketball bliss was overshadowed by baseball blunders. Commentary: America Rises Again Welcome back, Cap. Well, sort of. Marvel Comics brought Captain America back to its pages this past week after almost a year of the character’s inactivity. It’s good to see the Sentinel of Liberty is back in action, even though the alter ego behind the character is no longer the beloved Steve Rogers, but instead his old sidekick, Bucky Barnes has taken the reins. If you don’t know what happened to Steve Rogers last year, you’ve probably been living under a rock. It didn’t take a geeky comic book nerd to notice the storm of media coverage when Captain America himself was killed and taken from the pages of Marvel Comics after 66 years. In case you were under a rock, I’ll give you a quick rundown. Hokies Sweep ‘Hoos, ‘Just Like Football’ (Video Inluded) As senior Deron Washington headed to the free throw line with 15 seconds left in overtime, the Cassell Guard chanted in victory over their fiercest rival. “Just like football” rang out over and over as the Hokies completed the basketball sweep of the Wahoos and secured their third place standing in the ACC. While the overtime game in Charlottesville last month came down to an at-the-buzzer layup by Washington, the Hokies ran the fast break and distanced themselves early in this extra period to win 72-65. |
PBTV: Hokie Hookup
Softball Captures Hokies United Memorial Tournament Title The Virginia Tech softball team won the Hokies United Memorial Tournament held this weekend in Botetourt, Va. Tech overcame a rough first day where it went 1-1 to win both of its games on Sunday and capture the tournament title. The Hokies started tournament play on Saturday facing Robert Morris. Tech fell behind early but rallied to go into the seventh inning up 3-1. Pitcher Elly Gosby then gave up a two run homer to tie the game up and was eventually won by Robert Morris 4-1 when the Hokies committed an error allowing the winning run to cross the plate. Commentary: Top O‘ The Holy Week To Ya In the latest ridiculously religious wreck of decisions involving the Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will suffer somewhat. The you-better-wear-green-or-you-will-get-pinched holiday falls during Holy Week for the first time since 1940, a rare event that will not happen again until 2160. The holy overlap means Catholics are not allowed to celebrate the saint with the usual Mass this March 17. PBTV: Hokie Hookup On this week's Hokie Hookup, Caroline and Justin recap a rough week for the lacrosse team, softball's Angela Tincher's drafting, Alexis Hatfield reports on the women's basketball team's effort to raise awareness for breast cancer, and much more. “Hokies for Huskies” – Students Give Back The tragedy of April 16th brought the nation together as Hokies. Now, Hokies strive to become Huskies. A sea of faces illuminated by candlelight and the need to pay respect to those lost is a scenario all to familiar to the Virginia Tech community. On Feb. 18, students, faculty and community members gathered to memorialize the five students murdered at Northern Illinois University. Chants rang out of “Let’s go Huskies,” voices sang “Amazing Grace” and Student Government Association President Adeel Khan revised a phrase that touches the heart of every Hokie: “Well will ALL prevail.” Tincher Selected Third In NPF Senior Draft
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and its six affiliate teams held the draft on Monday in which 24 of the nation’s best college players were drafted over four rounds via conference call. Each team has at least three picks, and the Akron Racers had a league-high six picks. Commentary: Learning to be Fearless Most freshmen leaving home for the first time are excited and nervous but can’t wait to go out and break all the rules they can as soon as possible. I was not that freshman. Of course I wanted to come home whenever I wanted and skip class if I didn’t feel like going, but I knew that the big rules were there to protect me. So I went to church to find my friends. Hokie Softball Has Big Weekend The Virginia Tech Softball team won the White and Green tournament this past weekend in Charlotte, N.C. Along with the tournament title, pitcher Angela Tincher earned tournament MVP honors. The Hokies took on UNC Charlotte in the first game on Saturday. They were down 1-0 in the fifth until Jenna Rhodes scored off a single to centerfield by Jessica Everhart to tie it up. A Fourth Glorious Go-Around Eve Ensler’s play, The Vagina Monologues showcased this past weekend at the Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center here at Virginia Tech for the fourth time. The entire theatre was packed with women and men equally excited to view the very talked about play on campus. Before watching the show, I visited Christine Dennis, the faculty advisor of the V-Day initiative to get a better feel for the content of the show. She informed me of how hard the actresses had been working and that they were ready for the opening night. Don’t Worry, Everything’s Fine It took until the second session of the 110th United States Congress, but they’ve finally done it. There are no more homeless people, everyone has affordable health care, the national budget is balanced and we’re no longer at war. When I saw Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee testifying before a congressional hearing last Wednesday, I was certain that Congress had nothing better to do. Why else would they be wasting their time on steroid investigations? North Carolina Deals Hokies Worst Loss of Season (Video Included) The Tar Heel fans were asked to “turn it blue” by wearing provided baby blue T-shirts. The Tar Heel basketball team turned the Hokies blue in a 92-53 blowout victory Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill. North Carolina dominated the glass while forcing the Hokies to their worst shooting performance of the season. The Hokies shot just 25 percent from the floor, including 22 percent from beyond the arc. Liberty’s Demand You want free speech? Earn it. You want the right to bear arms? Be worthy of it. You want protection from quartering of troops? Okay, that doesn’t really come up anymore, but you get the point. United States citizenship is one of the most precious possessions in the world and, not surprisingly, the people who have to jump through hundreds of bureaucratic hoops to get it seem to be by far the most aware of this. Despite knowledge of the selective editing involved, every showing of Jay Leno’s segment “Jaywalking” shows how little we know about our country. It would be wonderful for all Americans to be well educated on American history, but that isn’t in the Constitution. Idol Madness, Top 24 Revealed Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell determined season seven’s top 24 contestants last night. While some decisions were to be expected, others were quite surprising. Not shockingly, Australian native Michael Johns received unanimous approval from the judges. Viewers can expect Johns to progress to the final stages of the competition, as he is probably the best singer this season. Harlem Gospel Choir Keeps Blacksburg Audience on Their Feet Religious or not, the Harlem Gospel Choir will send chills from the base of your spine to the top of your head. As part of VTU’s Lively Arts season, the Harlem Gospel Choir performed Tuesday night in Burruss Hall. By the end of the first song, audience members ranging from little old ladies in their Sunday best to bearded students in skater shoes and hoodies were on their feet dancing. Is Valentine’s Day Gone With the Wind? In the days of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara women wore fancy dresses, sipped tea, relied on men for income, strength and material possessions. Today, this notion seems absurd; however, many claim that for one day out of the year women revert to this state of male dependency. Is Valentine’s Day a time for men to reclaim a dominant status and women to give up the social respect they have fought for and look to men for their needs? Every year Valentine’s Day comes on Feb. 14 and every year both lovers and critics come out to voice their opinions and contribute to debates over the holiday that symbolizes true love. Wednesdays Not Yet Off To A Wonderful Start The first Wednesday of the month was supposed to be the kick-start of Blacksburg’s revitalization. However, due to lack of public knowledge, downtown remained empty. On Feb. 6, Blacksburg’s hot spots were as lively as ever. Just like most nights in Blacksburg, the common cluster spots attracted the same students and residents. The locations participating in Wonderful First Wednesdays did not draw a crowd. Kristina Baragona, 22, fifth-year senior at Virginia Tech, was like most other customers; shopping in the downtown stores without knowledge of any event taking place. Commentary: Youth Vote Important For Slam-dunk Performance By Joshua A. DeLung A black man with the energy of Barack Obama behind his campaign is akin to being the Michael Jordan of the 2008 presidential race. Sounds hokey at first, right? Michael Jordan changed so much about the way the game of basketball is played, from the championship-winning buzzer shots to the baggy b-ball shorts to a new standard for air-snatching sneakers. And Obama? His message for change in the way our country conducts business and his uniqueness as a frontrunner black candidate could end up in the history books as the slam dunk (can you say, “boom shaka-laka!”?) the U.S. needs to get back on track. American Idol: Ready for Hollywood American Idol season seven finished its first round of auditions and next will begin “Hollywood Week.” In past seasons the Hollywood rounds have provided us with group auditions that always create contestant drama. It takes an excellent singer to stand out in the second round of Idol auditions. Though always unpredictable, a few contestants are predicted to be favorites. The Vagina Monologues Prepares For Fourth Run At Virginia Tech V-DAY is a movement worldwide to end violence against women and girls that raises funds through the productions of Eve Ensler’s, The Vagina Monologues, and this year is its ten-year anniversary. To help celebrate, Virginia Tech V-DAY Initiative, The Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley and the Theatre Arts Department are sponsoring one of the productions with some of your very own Hokie students. This performance is made to celebrate the mystery of women’s sexuality and raise awareness and end violent acts towards women and girls. The event plays Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7p.m. in Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center. Tickets are on sale in Squires information booths: $10 for students and $15 for general public. Money from ticket sales will help raise funds for the Women’s Resource Center and the Women of New Orleans (a.k.a., Katrina Warriors) so come out and learn more about the mysterious nature of women’s sexuality while helping your community. Wednesdays Will Be Wonderful In Blacksburg A spin off of an old tradition is thought to bring Blacksburg to life, starting on Feb. 6. A tradition that disappeared into Blacksburg’s history known as “First Friday” is being revived and reintroduced as “Wonderful First Wednesdays.” This event seeks to bring together the community and make it the place to be for nightlife. The Cure for the Common Career Fair Tired of wandering around trying to find the company your looking for at career fairs? Well then the “Reverse Job Fair” on Feb. 5 is the event for you. Students can sit back, relax and let the employers find them. They will be stationed at booths where employers will come and talk to them instead. The fair will be held at the Virginia Tech Graduate Life Center on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All majors and students seeking jobs or internships are encouraged to attend. Tech Announces Ticket Plans for N.Y. Yankees Visit BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech athletics department has announced some preliminary plans for the upcoming exhibition baseball game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the New York Yankees, which is scheduled for March 18 at 3 p.m. at English Field. There will be 3,000 free general admission tickets made available for students. Those tickets will be awarded through an online lottery system similar to how students have obtained football and basketball tickets in the past. General admission seats will be located on the left-field/third-base terraces, and in temporary bleachers that will be brought in along the first-base/right-field areas. Wal-Mart Construction Goes To Virginia Supreme Court
The hearing to decide if a big-box store could be built on South Main Street was held on Dec. 18 and brought about a ruling that did not make the Blacksburg town council, concerned community members nor surrounding landowners happy. |
The Hokie Hookup is back with Caroline Stolle and Justin Cates recapping Tech's latest sporting events. The PBTV team recaps Saturday's wrestling match, Sunday's women's tennis match against UVA, Dave Ruffo recaps the men's basketball game against Miami, plus we hear from head lacrosse coach Katrina Silva on the team's newest members which should prove for an exciting season. All of that and more is on your Hokie Hookup.
