May 1, 2008YMCA wants student trashIt's that time again. Blacksburg's YMCA wants students to toss the items that won't fit in departing students' vehicles to them. From May 3 to May, they'll have drop-off spots around town. They're asking for televisions, rugs, furniture and more. You can find out more and a list a bin locations here. April 30, 2008What does GI Bill rally mean?A day after hundreds of veterans and lawmakers rallied on the Capitol steps in favor of the 21st Century GI Bill, no one knows when it will actually be given a vote. Lots of people have been behind it though. According to a news release from the Speaker of the House, the bipartisan legislation has 58 co-sponsors in the Senate and 249 co-sponsors in the House, as well as the endorsements of the nation's leading veterans' organizations. I also attended a conference this weekend where Patrick Campbell, legislative director of the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, spoke about the need for the bill. He pretty much echoed the thoughts of these local students, too. What do you think? April 9, 2008My sister, your bitchWhen's the last time you called a woman a bitch and why? That's the question two Virginia Tech men ducked last night at the "Candid Confab: My sister, your bitch" talk show in Haymarket Theater. The show, sponsored by the People's Coalition and hosted by Tech student Jamel Toms, was designed to start a conversation about racism and sexism and featured a five-person panel. Here's one take on it. What's yours? So, out with it. When is the last time you referred to someone as a bitch? Why? April 7, 2008Police: No choice to use teargasPolice said they were forced to use teargas on a crowd at the annual spring party near Michigan State's campus yesterday. Here's some local coverage of it all. Blacksburg solicits student inputHave something you'd like to see in downtown Blacksburg? The town wants to hear from you -- Virginia Tech students, staff and faculty. The Town Gown Community Relations Committee plans to discuss the happenings in town on Wednesday. The round table starts at 8 p.m. in the Graduate Life Center. Town administrators, including comprehensive planners, will be on hand. You can check out more here. March 31, 2008Fish fight at VTClearly, somebody thought this was a good idea.
Time and Place Description Free Beta Fish on the Drillfield, everyone can have one free beta fish!!! *while supplies last (300 Beta Fish) Come out and win lots of free prizes including: -Reel Big Fish concert tickets March 25, 2008Does engineering really stink?The good people over at Wired have not so fun things to say about being an Engineering student. From drab textbooks to less-than-supportive professors and monotonous assignments, this guy takes it all on. That article got the real geeks at Slashdot up in arms, too. One irate poster even listed the top five reasons to hire engineering grads. Engineering kids, check out the squabble and let us know what you think. New Jersey investigates gossip siteI posed the question about how harmful college gossip site Juicy Campus is the other day, and now The Chronicle of Higher Education is reporting an investigation into the site. New Jersey, the state, not a school, wants to know if the site violates consumer fraud laws. March 18, 2008The juice on Virginia TechFor the past couple of months, people have been posting tidbits of gossip from Virginia Tech on Juicycampus.com. This site has a bunch of people across the country up in arms because it's anonymous and even the creators won't do any talking. At least one school has worked to block the site, while one poster's threats ended up biting him. Most of the posts have no replies, unless they relate the shootings from last April. Interestingly enough, people do seem to think it's OK to joke about the shootings on the gossip site. So, I'm curious just how much students around here take this place seriously. Let me know your thoughts about the online gossip and if it's hurt you or people you know. March 7, 2008Hokie Cheer contest detailedOK, folks. They're finally here. Head over here to enter the Hokie Cheer Contest we've been telling you all about. Or, take a peek at this The Graduate Student Assembly and Student Government will accept entries until April 5. As they say give 'em the Disney version, but have fun! March 6, 2008UNC student president killedEve Carson, the student body president at the University of North Carolina, is dead. Carson's body was found about a mile from where she lives in Chapel Hill, according to the Daily Tarheel. Police said they think the shooting was a random act, and they have no suspects. The university has published this. Carson was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. The John Motley Morehead Foundation's web site has a nice multimedia presentation about Carson's work with the poor in Ecuador. March 4, 2008Drunkenness explained away?Hey Radford students, while you put the finishing touches on your Spring Break travel plans and hunt for the perfect bikini, pick up a copy of today's New York Times. They've got an article taking a look at the different research behind binge drinking, consuming five drinks or more in 24 hours. It explains that your behavior after drinking may have more to do with your own expectations than the beverage. In a series of studies in the 1970s and ’80s, psychologists at the University of Washington put more than 300 students into a study room outfitted like a bar with mirrors, music and a stretch of polished pine. The researchers served alcoholic drinks, most often icy vodka tonics, to some of the students and nonalcoholic ones, usually icy tonic water, to others. The drinks looked and tasted the same, and the students typically drank five in an hour or two. The studies found that people who thought they were drinking alcohol behaved exactly as aggressively, or as affectionately, or as merrily as they expected to when drunk. “No significant difference between those who got alcohol and those who didn’t,” Alan Marlatt, the senior author, said. “Their behavior was totally determined by their expectations of how they would behave.” Have fun! Just try not to be those comm majors referenced in the top. February 25, 2008Hokie Cheer competitionIf the beach, tanned bodies and blaring sun of Panama gets too much for you during Spring Break, bust out the video camera and create a cheer for the Hokies. Starting March 10 (the day Spring Break ends), Hokie fans will be able to submit their homemade cheers to a YouTube group for a chance to have that cheer featured at football games in the fall. A panel of students will choose winners and award them prizes. Those winners are slated to be picked by April 19, in time for the spring football game. Ultimately, Virginia Tech's athletic committee, including Athletic Director Jim Weaver, will review the top entries. And, if they fit the "Hokie Respect," campaign and can be conform with the band and cheerleaders, a new Hokie Chant could be born. The cheers must be original and refrain from vulgarity. Pretty much anything that wouldn't violate the Hokies Respect policy. February 23, 2008Hokies on IceI checked out Virginia Tech's ice hockey team beat the skates off the University of Virginia last night at the ACC Hockey League tournament. The Hokies won 10-1, in what I thought had to be the highest-scoring hockey game ... ever. Tech takes on Duke tonight at 6 in the Roanoke Civic Center. From my experiences at the games, not a lot of people know about this club sport. The ones who do are loud and opinionated. The rants can do nothing but help you learn about the sport. For $10 you can see two hockey games, and while the refs are fairly stringent on the checking, fights do erupt. Watch video: February 22, 2008Photos document college transitionA rotting pumpkin, Wes Anderson film fest and half-naked protester are all a tell-all of sorts to the student experience. At least that's the idea behind a new exhibit at the University of Washington's Odegaard Undergraduate Library. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a group of about eight freshmen took a photography assignment that peered into their first-year lives and now it's on temporary display. If you had to choose, what would the definitive freshman-year shots be to document your college life? Let us know here
February 11, 2008Forever facebookApparently, it's a little more difficult to erase your presence on Facebook than you may have thought. The New York Times said it took one man two months to remove his info, and even then, a reporter found him. Perhaps this should be a lesson for you folks who worry about life after college. Then again, I did just reopen a 10-year-old hotmail account, so maybe it's the same thing. February 6, 2008Hokies flock to RichmondA group of about 20 Virginia Tech students was expected to lobby in Richmond today in favor of carrying concealed weapons on campus. Ken Stanton, a graduate student at Tech and member of the school's Graduate Student Assembly, said the student government associations chartered a van to take the group to the capital last night. Stanton and other traveled there on MLK day for another round of lobbying. February 4, 2008Hokie Effect sloganThose hokies love their contests (hey, who doesn't?) Here's another one: Picking the Hokie Effect slogans. In about half an hour, voting will open on what the Orange and Maroon Effect slogans should be for 2008. Cast your ballot here by Feb. 15. Apparently, the winer takes home $200. Good luck! February 1, 2008Student arrogance studiedIf you're tired of your parents complaining that you're too self-absorbed, throw this their way. A professor at the University of Western Ontario has found that today's college students and youth are just as arrogant as those from the past 25 years. According to reports on the research, Dr. Kali Trzesniewski studied more than 26,000 California college kids over the past couple of decades, then compared them with high-school students. The surveys found about the same rate of self-absorbtion then and now. The study has been published in the February edition of Psychological Science January 31, 2008The price of free speech?A student government association cut off a student newspaper's funding because the paper hired a lawyer because the SGA often meets in secret. The SGA has relented. Sort of. Temporarily. Read about it here. January 30, 2008RU, meet your deanOr, at least, someone who wants to be your dean. This just in -- well, just a few hours ago -- from Radford University: A couple of dean candidates will be on campus meeting students and faculty on Jan. 31. One of them will still be doing that on Feb. 1. The schedule is below. January 29, 2008Beat Indonesia!Martin Sayer, a member of the Highlander tennis team, is heading to Jakarta to play in the Davis Cup. Sayer, a Hong Kong native with a 9-0 Davis Cup record, will be playing against the Indonesia national team for the Hong Kong Tennis Association. Learn a little more about Sayer here.
January 4, 2008UNC- Greensboro to simulate attackThe University of North Carolina, Greensboro, will simulate a gunman's attack on its campus Monday. Volunteers will pose as victims and some as parents pleading for information. The idea of the four-hour "attack" is to test the school's emergency response plan. "There are a lot of systems that we want to practice so we know how to do the right things," Bruce Griffin, assistant vice chancellor for environmental safety at UNCG, told the Greensboro News and Record Apparently, the university started looking at the mock incident after the manhunt for William Morva in 2006. December 5, 2007Students rob bank for tuitionStressed before finals? Looking for creative ways to scrape together cash for next semster's tuition? You might want to think twice before following the lead of two Ohio students. Andrew Butler and Christopher Avery are both facing to prison for 20 years after pleading guilty this week to aggravated roberry charges. Butler told a judge in Hamilton County (Ohio) courtrrom that he was "stressed" and needed quick cash to pay for school when he decided to rob a bank in mid July. Butler and Avery are scheduled to be sentenced two days after Christmas. West Virginia student leader steps downThe president of West Virginia University's Student Government Association resigned from his position after being arrested this weekend for drunken driving. David Kirkpatrick, known for speaking out against driving under the influence, delivered a hand-written note to the school's student newspaper saying he didn't want his court proceedings to interfere with student government affairs. Kirkpatrick, from Fort. Myers, Fla., also was a student representative on the school's governing board. Greek life coordinator leavingThe man who runs Radford University’s Greek Life programs will leave the school next month. Rosenberg has worked at Radford for the past two years, and was at the helm when one of the school's fraternities was put on probation after hazing allegations. KDR has 76 chapters, including a provisional one at Virginia Tech. Rosenberg starts his position on Jan. 9. October 12, 2007Chili ChallengeI’m a little worried about a group of roommates from Blacksburg that I met today. All three completed Virginia Tech’s Chili Challenge, scooping up spoonfuls of habanera, jalepeno and pablano-laced chili in an effort to win a bright-red T-shirt designed by one of their fellow students. All I can is I hope their house has more than one bathroom. More Facebook troubleHere's yet another example of Facebook causes folks problems. A Regent University student is facing disciplinary action after school officials objected to a posting on his Facebook page. Adam M. Key, a second-year law student, copied a picture of televangelist Pat Robertson appearing to offer an obscene hand gesture, according to a news article. The same picture had been circulating on YouTube. Regent, a private Christian university that Robertson founded, told Key he could publicly apologize or offer a legal brief in his defense. Key chose the latter, citing First Amendment protection. But, the school tossed out his brief. He still faces expulsion. October 11, 2007Design your own rideMove over Xzibit. Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg are hunting for local people to "pimp" their buses. The one that travels from the university's bookstore to its Oak Lane complex at least. Students, faculty and staff have one more day to submit their designs to the "Design Your Ride: Show Hokie Pride" contest. The winner will have his or her artwork displayed on the Hokie Express bus for at least three years, according to Fiona Rhodes, a town marketing rep. October 2, 2007Vote for the best flims50-plus people. 24 hours. 4 minutes of fame. The race to complete a four-minute film started with a posting on a Web site at 4 p.m. last Friday. Now you can help pick a 4-star film among those Virginia Tech students who entered the school's Four Minute Film Festival. If you've already seen the short takes, go straight to our poll. If not, watch the movies here then vote. The young film makers will love to claim bragging rights -- and a prize. Vote by noon Thursday! The winner will be announced late Thursday afternoon at the Four Minute Film Festival awards ceremony. Beware: some of these films touch on mature content. September 28, 2007Google may create virtual worldThe biggest rumor in the social-networking world this week is that Google may create its own virtual world, ala Second Life. I, for one, am shocked. I mean, Google, already an Internet powerhouse, going after the most popular online zones? So, it's all rumors for now. September 27, 2007Computer club tries "nerd auction"A computer club at Washington State University has come up with an interesting idea to increase female enrollment in their field, and maybe play the field. Listen close, Virginia Tech engineers ... The Linux Users Group is looking to hold a “nerd auction,” in which members will offer their computer prowess to sorority students in exchange for a makeover, and maybe a date. Court: Woman can pump breast milk during examA Harvard University medical student will be permitted to break during her state licensing exam to pump breast milk, an appeals court has ruled. Sophie C. Currier, 33, of Massachusetts, had sued the National Board of Medical Examiners to get an additional 60 minutes of break time in the exam. She argued she risked medical complications of her own if she did not breast feed her child every two to three hours, according to an article in the New York Times. Usually students only receive 45 minutes of break time during the exam.
September 25, 2007Radford boots students more often than mostVirginia's colleges aren't quick to boot students from their schools. \ Rather, they like to focus on rehabiliating inappropriate behavior first. A newspaper's analysis found that Radford University and Old Dominion have some of the higher rates, sending home about 50 students each in the past five years. Schools with more strict honor codes than RU and ODU, such as UVa and VMI have even higher rates -- 115 at U.Va. and 67 at VMI -- according to the analysis. The Virginia Tech Review Panel, which reviewed the events surrounding the April shootings at Tech, suggested the state's colleges look at their conduct and enforcement policies. How far should poor, or alarming behavior go? What do you think should get students expelled? September 10, 2007$10,000 blogging scholarshipThink your rants about life might be worth some cash? You can write a 300-word essay, submit your thoughts and site here, and hope your friends -- and the rest of the world -- votes for you. For the second year, collegescholarships.org is handing out money to the best full-time college student/blogger. You must be a U.S. citizen and willing to put your name out there, if you win. So, think about the most inspiring blog you've ever read, or any else on this list. Send it in by Oct. 6. and let us know when you win. Winners will be notified by Oct. 28. August 26, 2007Hugh Hefner goes to collegeAnd, this time he's not hunting for the hottest girls on campus to plop in his print product. It'll be interesting to see how many people sign up for the latest social-networking site. August 2, 2007Objections to Tech concertA securty consultant who says he's spokesman for up to seven families of victims of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech is voicing concern over the free concert announced on Wednesday. Vincent Bove specifically takes umbridge to lyrics to the song, "Shoot 'em up" by rapper Nas. August 1, 2007"A Concert for Virginia Tech"The long-rumored concert featuring major stars who wish to help the Virginia Tech community in the wake of the April 16 shootings is official. The Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Nas and Phil Vassar will perform in Lane Stadium Sept. 6. The show is free to students and employees of Tech, but is not open to the general public. July 20, 2007Changes to Facebook?Facebook has announced its purchase of little-known company Parakey. What this means for the social-networking site, or its users, is not certain. But, most tech-savvy folks are pointing to positive new routes for Facebook. It's already the fastest-growing site of its type. Facebook was started by Mark Zuckerberg while he was an undergrad at Harvard and Parakey by Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt, two of the creators of the Firefox browser. Hewitt and Ross hope that they'll make people's lives easier and simplify some of the common computer applications, according to their Web site. The pair calls their product, "a Web operating system that can do everything an OS can do." That could mean better sharing technologies, too.. Some people have reported that the Parakey would allow offline access to web applications. That doesn't necessarily mean you won't need an Internet connection, though. We'll keep an eye out. July 13, 2007Orientation videoVirginia Tech's in the middle of its annual new student orientation. Even more fresh faces will come to Blacksburg next week. Check out what some of the first week here. Made my college orientation seem pretty lame, and we didn't even get to include all the activities. See what we did include, and let us know what you think.
May 23, 2007Get to know your local stripperHow far would you go for the sake of research? A sociology student in Nebraska wrote her honors thesis based on her after-school job as a stripper and earned a degree. Her professor says the idea could help shed light on the life of sex workers. |