Many supporters of the SOPA and PIPA legislation argued that both bills were actually in defense of to free speech and free exchange. Cary Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Recording Industry Association of America wrote in the New York Times “[that the anti-online piracy legislation] is specifically designed to focus on the worst of the worst sites whose model is predicated on theft.” Coincidentally, the histories of content industries do not support Williams. Over the last twenty years or so, content industries have made broad, assertive claims of what constitutes their intellectual property.

Indeed, both bills illustrate an example of the increasing collusion between government and business. Companies such as Time Warner Cable, a staunch supporter of SOPA and PIPA, lobby Congress for legislation that would have made it difficult for low-priced or free websites to compete. This drives companies with new technology and lower prices out of the market. For example, Qwiki.com, an online encyclopedia which uses audio and video multimedia content—a great deal of which are taken from Time Warner affiliated sites—to display Wikipedia pages would have been shut down. Furthermore, other websites such as those which allow users to search for a broad range of content such as Google, Yahoo, and AOL could have plausibly been fined or challenged by SOPA and PIPA. Search engines neither censor nor scan for pirated content and can lead users to websites where they can download copyrighted material—a violation of SOPA and PIPA.

The broad language included in SOPA and PIPA may have effectively ended public domain. This is a confrontation to the original purpose of the internet. The internet is a perfect spontaneous market. Free speech thrives. Good, services, and information exchanges between individuals. Entry and transaction costs are low. Innovation is not centrally planned, but is driven by entrepreneurs. Individuals employ their knowledge and capital productively without an understanding the entire system. People make decisions on which websites to use based on their desires.

Accordingly, when the influence of corporate lobbyists enters the political process, policy can raise entry costs for competition. Companies try to maximize profit, but it is protectionist and crony policies that can lead to decreases in innovation, ideas, and free speech. At any rate, perhaps something good did come from the brief scare caused by both SOPA and PIPA that was felt by college students, professionals, businesses, and other individuals alike. When both bills were taken up as national issues civil protest unfurled. Numerous websites, in order to display what may happen if SOPA and PIPA were passed, initiated a blackout of their respective sites for a number of days. Numerous online petitions were created and signed by hundreds of thousands of people. Here, the power of ideas, innovation and individuals were released. Perhaps this is a progressive sign that we are finally tired of the government cronyism.

Related posts:

1. The United States Government is Not a Business
2. Why We Can’t Stimulate, Quantitatively Ease, or Twist our way to Prosperity

Last fall, the Habitat Golf Event raised over $2,500 to enable them to “continue building homes and building hope.”  Included among the 32 golfers were two H-SC teams: the Circle K team of Tim Shen, Patrick Lynch, Scott Cutler, and Steven Ellmann; and the Phi Gamma Delta team of Conner Rund, Andrew Near, Eric Rutherford, and Samson Canovos. Faculty golfers included Drs. Curt and Susan Smith, along with Dr. Jerry Bryce. After a round of golf at the Manor, there was a lunch with silent auction to raise additional funds. The Inter-Fraternity Council provided financial support for the event, as did the Habitat Club and H-SC’s ARAMARK donated snacks and drinks.

The Habitat Club, meanwhile, has been reorganized and is actively looking to help with construction and deconstruction projects, as well as fund-raising events.  So far the club has held cookie sale fundraisers and has done deconstruction work to support the Habitat Women’s Build that is currently taking place. In early February the Habitat Club is also participating in Habifest, a music festival held by Farmville Area Habitat to raise money. Next weekend, the club will be inviting students to come help with the current house-building project in Farmville. There are lots of ways to become involved!

Related posts:

1. An Appreciation for Hampden-Sydney Sports
2. Finding a Place in the Hampden-Sydney Culture
3. All in the Hips

Last week the Wall Street Journal pointed out, “Ron Paul didn’t win Iowa. He didn’t win New Hampshire. He won’t win here [South Carolina] on Saturday, and he won’t win Florida. The Texas congressman will not likely be the first choice for Republican nominee in a single U.S. state.” This journalist seems so perplexed with Paul’s campaign strategies that she asks “What does Mr. Paul want?” (WSJ, Strassel, Jan 20). Despite his enormous popularity, Ron Paul doesn’t have the kind of traction that the front-running candidates have. There are large philosophical differences between Libertarians and Conservatives. And though they agree on some things, the polls show that the GOP is not changing. I tend to take a libertarian stance on most political issues, and even though I like him, I don’t really pay much attention to Ron Paul. After all, his ill-fitting suits and rants on the FED are off putting to a lot of voters, and I don’t think he has much of a chance at winning the nomination. However, after spending Winter Break in Peru and Chile, I learned that we shouldn’t analyze Ron Paul’s success as in a purely political context

In South America whenever I met someone new, after asking where I was from, the next question was always ‘do you like Ron Paul?’ The question came almost systematically. I always replied, “Sure, he’s cool, but he won’t win.” My acquaintances seemed to be disappointed with my lack of enthusiasm.  In many conversations, my college aged friends quoted things from Ron Paul’s newsletters, and during breaks from a class I took in Chile, my fellow students asked me if I had seen what Ron Paul ‘tweeted’ during the class. I don’t even follow Ron Paul on Twitter.

I was shocked to see so much enthusiasm for U.S. Presidential Candidate from students on a different continent, not even eligible to vote in the U.S. election. The illegal drug trade, and the violence stemming from it, is such an important political issue in Latin America, that I figured Ron Paul’s ‘pro-legalization’ stance was the root of his popularity, but that’s really only part of it.  A libertarian candidate as popular and as seriously acknowledged by the general public as Ron Paul is not something that public opinion would allow in stereotypically left-leaning Latin America. They highly respect the support he has.

Despite my first reactions, I realized this respect is not unfounded. We tend to judge Ron Paul’s success like the Wall Street Journal did last week: via his performance in the election. His chances in the election don’t look so good, but he is succeeding in another realm. After he came in fourth place in the South Carolina primary he remarked, “The message of liberty is being received by more people every day,” and in this realm Paul is succeeding.

You don’t have to win elections to promote social change. In fact, President Wilson’s Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan was the Democrat party’s candidate for President in the 1896, 1900, and 1908 elections. He lost every time- even after 500 speeches. However, he managed to change the Democratic Party’s platform to the big-government-oriented, progressive-leaning character that we know today. Bryan, the person, failed, but his ideas succeeded. Winning elections is only one metric of success.

Ron Paul is succeeding in spreading ideas about liberty. Other campaigns have accepted his positions on monetary policy, students in other countries know his name, he is the second most popular presidential candidate on Facebook, and there are over 500 University-based Ron Paul groups. Paul might lose the GOP nomination, but one can’t deny his huge social influence- in fact, his ideas seem to be winning. Even if he loses the GOP nomination, Ron Paul is leading a movement to renew an American political ideology based on individual, civil, and Economic liberty.  Just like William Jennings Bryan, Ron Paul can lose and still succeed. We shouldn’t let his lackluster political performance lead us to underestimate his power as a social influence.

Related posts:

1. Marco Rubio: Republicans’ Obama?
2. Virginia Election Results Keep to the Pattern
3. Palin in Wonderland: Why the Tea Party Must Kick Out Sarah Palin

Whenever I look for a story to cover or assign, I do so after thoroughly reflecting on Civil War journalist Charles A. Dana clever line: “When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.” Unless I have been completely oblivious, which is not entirely impossible, students (or faculty members and staff, for that matter) have not been biting dogs or other newsworthy creatures recently.  So what are we to do? Throw in the towel and desperately wait for someone to bite a puppy. No, we find stories that are important to us, and we explore them one by one. And that is exactly what the Tiger Staff is setting out to do this year.

Whether it is intentionally or unintentionally, a good investigative article often steps on some toes. After all, there are a lot of disputable issues on our campus. And all sides should feel free to voice their opinions, especially when they are of the opinion that certain issues are not getting a fair treatment. That is how a conversation is created.

It takes a hard working group of guys to put together a good newspaper. For example, the staff explored some interesting topics this issue. Parker Dunaway sat down with Frasher Bolton and members of the Board of Publications to explore the story behind the Student Finance Committees’ decision to cut the allocations that goes toward the H-SC yearbook, the Kaleidoscope. Though the Committee argues that the lack of student involvement and interest led them to the decision, the question remains how does it reflect on us as an institution of higher learning when we refuse to fund what should be one of our most prized publications.

Andrew Stoddard covers a topic that has needed desperate attention for quite a while: classroom renovations. A lot of our classrooms and laboratories are in desperate need of renovation, yet we continue to spend money setting fake dorm rooms on fire and rebuilding unnecessary buildings.  Which poses an important question: where are our priorities?

Clay Brown takes on the newly formed and quickly growing H-SC swimming team and their goals for the future. While Dylan DelliSanti reports on the triumph of UPLS debate society over UVA. As always, the guys on the opinion section keep us entertained with their take on issues close to home.

Related posts:

1. Letter to the Editor,

Despite a relatively small student body, Hampden-Sydney College boasts a rich and diverse group of international students and professors. Although some of these individuals are half a world away from their home country, many of them quickly come to think of Hampden-Sydney as a second home. Two such people are Professor Ciaran Buckley and Lorcan Duffy, both of whom hail from the island of Ireland. Buckley, who was born and raised in the Republic of Ireland, was Hampden-Sydney’s Visiting International Scholar from the fall of 2007 until the summer of 2009. Duffy, a native of Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), is a junior who is attending H-SC through a one-year exchange program, a program under the auspices of his alma mater, the University of Ulster. Buckley, back at H-SC for a week-long visit, and Duffy, starting his final semester on the Hill, were kind enough to sit down with me, and say a few words about their experiences at Hampden-Sydney versus their experiences in their respective home countries.

When he was living and working at Hampden-Sydney, Professor Buckley was particularly struck by how remote and small the College is. This seclusion stands in stark contrast to his hometown of Dublin, Ireland’s largest city. In addition, Buckley noted some of the geographic differences between Ireland and Virginia. “If I drive one and a half hours from Dublin, I pass through four or five major cities,” said Buckley. He continued, “but here, a similar trip will take me through open country and only get me to Richmond.” Although things are smaller and much more spread out, Buckley found the Hampden-Sydney community to be extremely welcoming and courteous. Duffy echoed Buckley’s sentiments—“the people around here are so helpful and friendly and the alumni connections are fantastic…” he said.

The Irishmen also discussed some of the similarities and differences between European and American social life. In Duffy’s mind, attitudes towards collegiate sports vary greatly between American and Ireland. Duffy, a member of the H-SC golf team, noted that in America, there is a heavy focus on winning; in Ireland, the focus is more on fun and participation. Accordingly, Duffy has found American college rivalries to be quite spirited. “Macon Week was crazy,” he said, “and it was a great experience.” Despite the intense rivalries in American sports, Buckley found the Irish to be the more intense partiers. “Hampden-Sydney students tend to study during the week and party on the weekends. In Ireland, there is raucous partying just about every day of the week among university students, especially in larger cities.” In addition, public drinking is permitted in the Republic of Ireland, unlike in the United States.

Although there are notable differences between life in America and life in Ireland, both Buckley and Duffy agreed that the people of the two countries are surprisingly alike. Buckley even went so far as to call Ireland a “mini-United States,” because it has emulated American culture in many ways. Indeed, many Irish have developed a taste for America’s staple beers, Budweiser and Miller. Regardless, Ireland will always have characteristics which give it a special place in both men’s hearts. Even so, Buckley and Duffy have both enjoyed their time in states and are thankful to have found Hampden-Sydney. “This place is special and it feels like home to me…” said Buckley. “I’ll have no hesitation,” said Duffy, “to come back to this school in later life, as a proud and grateful alumnus.”

Related posts:

1. Finding a Place in the Hampden-Sydney Culture
2. Obama’s War of Necessity

After a little more than six months on the job as Special Assistant to the President, Drew Prehmus ’08 is still enthralled and excited to be helping President Howard further the mission of Hampden-Sydney College.  The former student body president and four-year basketball starter recently took time to sit down to reflect about his time since coming back to The Hill.  

TIGER: A little over six months on the job–is it what you thought it would be?

DP: When Dr. Howard asked me to work, I asked him what it would be like.  Dr. Howard said that he was going to work my butt off, and he has.  The diverse responsibilities and involvement in a range of activities has been exciting and working for Dr. Howard has been awesome. 

TIGER: What is the best thing about the job?

DP: Being able to observe how Dr. Howard executes efficiently, manages an organization, and develops real relationships with people. 

TIGER: What has been the most challenging part of this job?

DP: Working outside of my comfort zone.  It seems like at least twice a week, I have to go out of my comfort zone in order to get something done.  While this may not be easy, it is a great long-term skill for me to develop. 

TIGER: What are your main duties as Special Assistant and what have you been tasked with doing?

DP: First, I work to make Dr. Howard’s life as easy as possible so that he can focus on running Hampden-Sydney College.  Second, I strive to work with others to improve Hampden-Sydney wherever I can in order to further the mission of the College.  For example, last fall we organized the Tiger Walk—

which went so well that we hope to make it an annual event.   I enjoy working to ramp up school spirit in order to get students excited and build the community atmosphere on campus. 

TIGER:  What is it like working for someone of Dr. Howard’s status–Rhodes Scholar, Harvard MBA, distinguished military career?

DP: Dr. Howard truly does have an incredible resume, and the people who he speaks with on the phone each day are mind bending.  But I have been most impressed that Dr. Howard is very personable and connects remarkably well with people from all walks of life in a quick and meaningful way. 

TIGER: What do you miss most about being a student here at Hampden-Sydney?

DP: The camaraderie and hanging out with the other men.  

TIGER: What is an average day like on the job?

DP: Dr. Howard works out around 6:45 at Tiger Rec so I normally start my day there and am in the office by 8.  Normally, I check my list of both long and short term projects that need to be done.  The job primarily consists of me researching, handling correspondence, writing letters, and talking to people, and doing whatever needs to be done to keep Dr. Howard functioning at peak capacity.  If Dr. Howard is traveling, normally I will drive.  He will have a Blackberry in one hand and a folder of materials to review in the other.  Once both have been caught up on, it is a great time for some mentoring and just talking.  At alumni functions, my main job is to be sure Dr. Howard speaks to everyone and that is great because I also get to meet a number of really interesting people. 

TIGER: Dr. Howard is big fan of great quotes. What is one of your favorite quotes?

DP:  “Go ‘til someone stops you.”

TIGER: What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

DP: Working for Dr. Howard provides me with great exposure to all the opportunities that are out there in the world. I don’t have any definite plans, but ten years from now I would like to have gone to graduate school and worked abroad in either Europe or South America.  But so far I can’t give anything too definite–I am the type of person who hesitates to make decisions until I know that I truly want to do something.  

TIGER: You are in charge of the Hampden-Sydney Facebook page–how is everything going with that?

DP: We have 50% more fans than any other school in the ODAC and the main goal is to get every Hampden-Sydney student to be a fan.  I am eager to hear any suggestions anyone has to help me make the page a place for community interaction. 

TIGER: You were recently a guest columnist in the Richmond Times Dispatch with a piece titled “Young Men in Crisis.” What do you believe Hampden-Sydney is doing to better the position of young men going forward?

DP: Hampden-Sydney recognizes men as individuals.  Young men are able to get our particular brand of individual attention in small classes and by living in our close–knit community.

TIGER: Tell me something that most students would not know about Dr. Howard?

DP: They say that General Sam is the most interesting man in the world, and I will not dispute that. But Dr. Howard is a machine, much like Chuck Norris.  For example, he doesn’t sleep at night—he waits.   Also, when he thinks through a problem, he always asks: “What would the Greeks do?” And then “What would GE do?”
TIGER: You have been compared to Reggie Love, the Duke basketball player who is now President Obama’

s body man in the White House. Do you think that fits your description?

DP: Sure, that is an interesting comparison, Reggie Love is in a similar position to the one I currently occupy, and I don’t mind be compared to the 38th most powerful person in Washington according to GQ Magazine. But I may have been a more athletic basketball player.  He was pure finesse, and I was all about bruising people. 

Prehmus is off to a great start working for Dr. Howard, and the College community is looking forward to what their team has in store for us going forward.

Related posts:

1. An Appreciation for Hampden-Sydney Sports
2. Why Hampden-Sydney Works
3. Finding a Place in the Hampden-Sydney Culture

PC has changed the world. No, I am not referring to the personal computer, but rather that other PC, political correctness. Individuals that societies anoint as leaders and role models must always be wary of saying particular words, phrases, and generalities. Uttering politically incorrect expressions often unleashes the whirlwind of modern media, the violent unrelenting twister of 24-hour cable news channels, twitters, blogs, and Youtubes videos. Political gaffes and blunders are nothing new, but the digital age and the easy access to information has made the political gaffe more costly, simply because the gaffe never disappears.

Political correctness is unmatched in its ability to deliver humorous situations. In politics, few things are funnier than watching an overtly cautious politician tiptoe through the minefield of reporter’s questions after having stepped over the PC threshold. Senate majority leader and Democratic whip Harry Reid (D-NV) is the latest politician forced to tap-dance around potentially explosive questions and remarks.
Game Change, a new book about the 2008 presidential campaign, accuses Sen. Reid of saying several politically incorrect things about Pres. Barack Obama. Most of the controversy centers on Reid’s description of Obama as “light-skinned” and “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” The internet and cable news shows are aflutter with discussions about Sen. Reid’s racially insensitive remarks. Some of Sen. Reid’s political rivals even suggest the Nevada Senator step down from his post. Democrats, however, are not too keen on that suggestion. The Democrats attempt to sweep Reid’s remarks under the rug points to a bigger problem with political correctness and PC’s growing importance in society.

Remember Don Imus and his nappy-headed hoes? How could you forget? The Imus controversy dominated the news cycle for what seemed like weeks. Al Sharpton and his crusaders for political correctness marched and protested outside Don Imus’ studio, demanding that the network reprimand Imus for his unbridled rhetoric. To no one’s surprise, Al Sharpton has not so much as lifted a finger to point and chastise Sen. Reid for the comments the Senator made about Obama. But one has to believe that if a Republican had been quoted as saying these words about Obama, the PC machine would be in full swing, calling for an apology and for Sen. Reid’s resignation.

There are many problems with political correctness as an ethic, but the most aggravating aspect of PC and politics in general is how relative and flimsy its ethical principles are in practice. Republicans only apply rules to Democrats and Democrats only apply rules to Republicans. Remember Monica Lewinski? How could you forget? Bill Clinton and the blue dress dominated the news cycle for months. Republicans love to throw platitudes against the wall of American media. Occasionally something sticks. The “family values” kick has been around for decades, but Clinton and his infidelity gave the Republican value new use. The Republicans demonized Clinton for his relationship with Lewinski. Clinton brought “shame” to the White House. But as this past decade has shown, Clinton is not the only handsy politician. Self-described born again Christians have been caught with hands in someone else’s cookie jar. What has been the Republican party-line defense? “It’s a private matter and none of your damn business!” You have to love hypocrisy.

The same Republicans calling for Sen. Reid’s resignation also cried foul when Democrats complained about Rush Limbaugh’s “Barack the magical negro” song. The Democrats defending Reid are the same who lambasted Rush for playing the tune on the radio. This type of relativism devalues American politics. The only time politicians “stick to their guns” is when politicians aim those guns at political adversaries.

My biggest beef with PC and the controversies it brings concerns political correctness’ domination of the news cycle. Important issues are cast aside because some politician clumsily refers to a “Negro dialect” or is discovered to have slept with some intern. Last time I checked, America is involved in two costly wars (with a third brewing in Yemen), owes China more money than should be legally allowed, and has a wholly inadequate public education system. Real problems exist, yet we focus on the exposés that political correctness brings forth. Political correctness has clearly evolved into Masochistic American Cautiousness (MAC), masochistic because it diverts attention from the real issues, thus causing harm to America. Politicians do not discuss issues freely for fear of stepping on a PC landmine. Together, MAC and PC can destroy our political systems of operation. Who cares what Harry Reid says about Obama? Is it important?

Americans expect politicians to be perfect. Single character flaws and slippages are blown out of proportion. Is Harry Reid an idiot for what he said? Yes. Does he deserve to be ousted from office because of it? No. If Republicans want Harry Reid ousted, then they should focus on the monstrosity of a health care package that he just muscled through the Senate. The news media should do the same. If it wants to discuss Senator Reid, focus on the legislation he has passed. Let TMZ.com cover the gossip.

Related posts:

1. Virginia Election Results Keep to the Pattern
2. Backbones, Teeth, and Reason
3. Palin in Wonderland: Why the Tea Party Must Kick Out Sarah Palin

I have been a huge sports fan my whole life. When the Falcons don’t do well, I get angry. When the Braves don’t do well, I get livid. But I could never understand why when Wake Forest lost a football game on their way to a 6-4 season, my brother (who went to Wake Forest) screamed so loud you would have thought he had broken his arm. After four years of doing everything I could to never miss a Tiger home football game, I understand.

We all have friends at big schools. Football is a very big deal at places like Virginia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, etc. But how many of our friends at schools like these can say they have never missed a home game? Not many. How many of our friends at schools like these can say they roomed with the starting linebacker freshman year? Probably none. The point is that while the Tigers may not mean much to people who did not go to Hampden-Sydney, they mean a lot to us.

There are so many good things about sports at Hampden-Sydney, but here are a few of the best. (My friends and I have come to refer to Hampden-Sydney sports as Tigerball, so that’s what I will refer to it as for the remainder of the article.)

The Tailgate

Whether up in the Founders’ Lot or down behind the Circle, a Hampden-Sydney tailgate is truly a one of a kind event. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure this is close to how most people’s mornings go on game day… After a long Friday night, one of my roommates or housemates has woken up around 9 am and blasted the stereo. After everyone wakes up, some sort of breakfast is usually consumed and then it’s shower time. Once I pick out what classy outfit I am going to wear to woo the ladies that day, it’s off to the tailgate. By this time it’s around 10:30 and my friends begin to trickle down to the tailgate area into the sea of beautiful girls in sundresses. I usually start the morning with a vodka and orange juice because I like orange juice with my breakfast. Next I begin to look around for my friends’ parents who have made the trip from Richmond or Lynchburg and brought Chik-fil-a party platters with them. A source of loud music is usually found and you begin to get looks that say “are they really drinking already?” Yes we are; today is Tigerball. Once the visiting team has made their way to the field and heard screams of “Go Tigers!” (and I get even more of the aforementioned looks) it is time to make my way to the game. The tailgate is one of the best parts of Tigerball.

Great Seats

When one goes to a sporting event, one of the first questions that is asked is “How were your seats?” This question has never been asked about Tigerball. Any Tiger fan can sit on the fifty yard line, on the floor of the basketball game, or right behind home plate. When Duke plays UNC the Cameron Crazies have to camp out in freezing temperatures to even get in to the game. When Hampden-Sydney plays Randolph-Macon I can show up at game time and be a Kirby Krazy on the front row. Even if you don’t prefer to be on the front row, there is never a bad seat for Tigerball. The best part about these great seats: they are free!

Alumni Loyalty

The Alumni of this college care a whole lot about Tigerball. The Randolph-Macon game this year (at Randolph-Macon) was packed with H-SC alumni who took away the Yellow Jackets home field advantage. At any home basketball game it is not hard to find a fifty year old man who has thrown his blazer on the court and is yelling at the ref. But my favorite story of all comes from the playoff game against Johns Hopkins. I was at the tailgate in the middle of my normal routine (which, by the way, had to be started an hour early because of the 12 pm kickoff) when I introduced myself to a fellow fan who was probably about 75 years old. He had gone to Hampden-Sydney and he was telling me very entertaining stories about his time here. The stories must have triggered some great memories because next thing I know he asked me to pour him a vodka drink (which he had previously declined). Now here is the best part of the story. I half jokingly asked him if he was going to High Point that night for the Tigers first basketball game of the season. He pointed to a group of his friends and informed me that they were all making the trip right after the football game. They love Tigerball.

The Athletes

When you think about it, the Tigers are no different from the Hokies, Bulldogs, or Crimson Tide. Sure, the athletes from these schools are bigger, stronger and faster, but do they sweat more than the Tigers? No. Do they bleed more? No. Do they care more? No. And neither should their fans. Tiger athletes deserve as much loyalty from their fans as the big schools, and they are on their way to getting that. The football and soccer teams both made great runs this year, and the excitement and support was certainly felt from the student body.

As I move toward the end of my career at Hampden-Sydney I will not be ashamed to call Hampden-Sydney my favorite college team, and I hope you aren’t either. Go Tigers.

Related posts:

1. Hampden-Sydney Football Tigers Look to “Prove It”
2. Hampden-Sydney’s Reggie Love
3. Tiger Sports Look to Build on Past Year’s Success

This Monday, a group of students in coats and ties will be walking the campus. This is an ordinary sight on our campus. But so are cigarette butts. These men—members of the Rotaract Club, Pre-health Society, Jongleurs Club and SCRAP Committee—will be cleaning up cigarette butts.

But why in coat and tie?

“It defies intution,” says Ben Brown ‘10, president of the Pre-Health Society. “It sounds like a dirty job,” but wearing a coat and tie, Ben says, “will create a professional image behind doing something admirable and simple, because it’s not really that dirty of a job to bend down pick up a butt and throw it away.”

No, smokers, this isn’t about quitting.

Jason Ferguson ‘96, Director of Admissions, told The Tiger, “If you want to smoke, that’s fine, but if there’s a smoker’s tower right there in front of you and you still want to flick your butt on the ground, to me that’s just like throwing a piece of trash out.”

Maybe you’ve noticed the appetizing jars of cigarette butts on the table at the top of the Settle Hall staircase. There’s a paper too, and it says something like “Kick the Butt.” That’s what they’re calling the campaign to pick up cigs.

It started when Assistant Dean of Admissions, Berkeley Leonard ’07, was walking on campus. “One day Ferg and I were walking from the parking lot by the church, and we were just noticing all the cigarette butts.” That’s when they decided to play a game.

“We just thought, ‘how many steps can we take before we see another cigarette butt?’ We got to the point where it was every two or three steps we took there was a cigarette butt on the ground. We just thought we needed to do something about this.”

So they did. Ferguson and Leonard took to the campus with trash bags—large ones—and latex gloves. In barely an hour, they collected enough butts to jam three large jars full of cigarette butts.
These alumni want us to think about it from their perspective, an admissions perspective. “When you give a tour, and you can’t walk more than three steps on campus without seeing a cigarette butt, it’s just not good,” said Ferguson.

For Leonard, the Homecoming opening house “was the kicker.” “We walked out from the Dining hall going towards Morton. You looked to the right, you looked to the left, and it looked like an ashtray.” The beauty of the Hampden-Sydney campus—not tobacco use—is really the issue here. As Leonard says, “That’s the thing that really gets kids here… The one thing everyone says is ‘this is such a beautiful campus,’ so we gotta do better than leaving cigarette butts on the ground.”

Drew Prehmus ‘08, Special Assistant to the President, made it clear that this is about making students “conscious” of the issue, “without them thinking, ‘this is the administration coming down on us.’” He remembers his days as a student—back when tobacco sales were temporarily halted in the T.I. and Bookstore—when students thought they had to “fight the administration.”

And the admissions staff agrees. As Director Ferguson said, “It’s just raising awareness to the guys, saying, ‘take a little pride in your home.’ We’re not saying don’t smoke, we’re just saying take a little time to put it where it needs to be when you’re done with it.” And Ferguson, an alumnus, firmly believes, “as everything should be with Hampden-Sydney, it should be a student-run, student-driven initiative, not the administration.”
Enter Ben Brown and the Poetry Society. For them, collecting cigarette butts is not only about (re)beautifying the campus, but it’s “the first event of a cascade of things.” Ben says this is “going to lead to a student art exhibition next semester” featuring “a piece of art being created purely out of cigarette butts.”

So, next week, when you see the slow walking, constantly stooping group of students in coat and tie, look at them as artists, as ambassadors for the College, protecting the beauty and marketability of the campus.
To get involved email Ben Brown at brownbm@hsc.edu

Related posts:

1. Letter to the Editor,
2. Comments on College Finances Article
3. Poetry Society Looks to Grow

It’s happened to every student. We’ve all used the wrong title when addressing a professor, and we’ve all been subsequently rebuked. The fact of the matter is that it can be quite confusing when deciding how to address them. Is it Mr., Ms., Professor, or Doctor? It seems that this may be a source of tension between some faculty members and students, but perhaps unnecessarily. It seems that the best way to find out what professors prefer to be called is simply to ask them. So, three professors were interviewed to find out their opinions on the issue in the hope to end the tension between students and professors once and for all.

Dr. Claire Deal is the Chairperson of the Rhetoric Department. She has earned both an MFA and a PhD. When asked how she feels about the subject, Dr. Deal says that she doesn’t much care how a student addresses her. The only stipulation she put on it is that “if I am with a male colleague and he is addressed as Professor or Doctor and I am addressed as Ms., I indicate my preference of Professor or Doctor.” This seems fair, and as Dr. Deal says, professor or doctor is more than appropriate in “an academic setting.” Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Deal says that her opinion of a student does not change if he or the occasional she refers to her as “Ms.”

Dr. Katherine Worley is a Lecturer in Western Culture. Although she earned her PhD from Brown in 2008, Dr. Worley prefers to be addressed as “Professor.” This is because she has always “tended to think that ‘Doctor’ refers to medical doctors, not PhDs.” Like Dr. Deal, Dr. Worley’s opinion of a student does not change if he slips up and accidentally calls her “Ms.” Another interesting point is that neither of the two professors believe that students go out of their way to refer to a professor as Mr. or Ms.

Dr. Jennifer Dirmeyer, who earned her Ph.D. from George Mason last spring, shares a similar opinion to Professors Deal and Worley. She is not averse to being called professor or even Ms., but unlike the other two professors, Dr. Dirmeyer would prefer to be addressed as Doctor, because “that is my title.” Despite this, she says that she does not think that a student is being disrespectful if he calls her by Ms. Dr. Dirmeyer says that “I have only one student that has consistently called me Miss Dirmeyer and he is a perfectly respectful person. I think it is simply habit for him to call his teachers ‘Ms.’”

While there are those that do not care what they are called, there are some members of the faculty that feel that perhaps professors should be addressed as one title or another. Among them is Professor James Simms. He feels that professors should simply be addressed professor. Professor Simms says that this is because “that’s their title; that’s what they should be called.” While there may be a lot of merit to this argument, many professors are proud of their academic achievements, and rightly so.

Deciding what to call a professor can be a tricky business. For the most part, however, it seems that professors don’t really care. When asked his opinion on the issue, General Sam Wilson, who after nearly four decades of military service is used to titular distinctions, says spending too much time worrying about titles is a sign of a weak ego. Perhaps he said it best in saying, “I don’t care what you call me, as long as you call me for dinner.”

Related posts:

1. What Makes a Leader?
2. Why Professors Love Intellectual Honesty
3. Professor Involvement Outside of the Classroom