Home Blog Page 430

Citing accuracy concerns, Middlebury history department bans Wikipedia

By
-

After increased frustration caused by their students citing and using Wikipedia on academic assignments, Middlebury College’s history department passed a unanimous ban on using the online encyclopedia at the end of January, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported Jan. 26.

p. Middlebury College, a small liberal arts college in rural Vermont, is the first college to take a stand against Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone.

p. For history professors at Middlebury, this ban includes not only citing Wikipedia as a source in papers or assignments, but also reading articles on the online encyclopedia, explains Bill Belew, in an online article for “The Biz of Knowledge.”

p. Some professors view the ban as too extreme, holding that students shouldn’t be prohibited from using any resources, as long as they bear the responsibility of checking the accuracy of their facts.

p. The chair of the history department at William and Mary, Professor James Whittenburg, agrees that banning Wikipedia “seems extreme.”

p. “My feeling is that one can seldom completely trust information on the web,” Whittenburg said. “It makes a good first stop, and there are some excellent and reliable web sources, but without some means of judging the input — some sort of peer review — information in online databases and encyclopedias must remain suspect until verified.”

p. Wikipedia spokesman Mathias Schindler was reported to have suggested that students were recommended to check facts found on Wikipedia “against other sources.”

p. “It’s usually not advisable, particularly at the university level, to cite an encyclopedia” Schindler added in a Jan. 26 Daily Pennsylvanian article.

p. At the College, citing Wikipedia is often discouraged in classes on the grounds that more in-depth sources are available for student use.

p. Professor Tom Linneman, chair of the sociology department at the College, had reservations about Middlebury’s decision.
“Personally, I’d be highly suspicious of any attempt to ban Wikipedia. I believe one of our goals as a community is to learn how to become more critical consumers of information, and one does not accomplish this by banning access to, or the use of, this information,” he said. “As the College moves toward a model whereby more and more students are conducting their own original research and creating their own knowledge, it will become less likely for a student to be able to rely solely on Wikipedia.”

Health costs rising, students come to aid of local immigrants

By
-

A federal deficit reduction bill has made it harder for immigrants — legal and illegal — to gain access to health care. Students from the College have recently taken action to assist Williamsburg, a city that has only recently received a large influx of immigrants, to cope with the legislation.

p. The students, sophomores Katie Ball and Allison Corbett, heard about the measure when it was passed last year.
As a result of the change, low income citizens are required to provide two forms of identification in order to receive the benefits of Medicaid.

p. “It is not in the best interest of our community to not allow these people access to health care,” Ball said. “Services in Williamsburg are not growing to meet the need. This requires an awareness of the issue from a health aspect.”

p. Ball, a Sharpe community scholar, emphasized the negative externalities associated with failing to subsidize the health care of these people. Externalities, an economics concept, result from a mismanagement of resources, and lead to negative spillover in society. As Ball explained it, people in the community are at greater risk of contracting an illness from someone unable to receive preventative health care.

p. “It’s just something that affects everyone, regardless of your opinions about immigration,” Ball said. “If you have an opinion about illegal immigration, you should attack it in a political realm. It’s a separate issue.”

p. Ball and Corbett, along with students Danielle Neale and Kim Parker, have started a letter-writing campaign, soliciting local businesses for money to create a fund to “offset recent changes in Medicaid.” Some local businesses contacted include the Williamsburg Homebuilders association and the Annheiseur-Busch Company.

p. As a Sharpe Community Scholar, Ball spent her freshman year working with the Virginia Department of Public Health to create culturally appropriate public health services in Williamsburg.
Also a Sharpe Community Scholar, Corbett spent last year teaching English as a second language. She also worked as an interpreter for a medical mission trip to the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

p. “Everybody does deserve the right to education and health care regardless of legal status,” Corbett said.

p. Corbett could not confirm any numbers more recent than 2000 on Hispanics of either legal or illegal status, but did say that an influx of immigrants in Williamsburg is a relatively “new phenomena.” The Hispanic population in Virginia doubled between 1990 and 2000, from 2.6 percent to 4.7 percent.

p. The Olde Towne Medical Center, located in James City County, provides medical care to uninsured, Medicare or Medicaid residents. However, without Medicaid coverage, some residents cannot even afford the relatively low-cost treatments available at the Medical Center. This becomes particularly problematic when residents must choose between preventative care and basic necessities.

p. “While Congress is dealing with whatever they’re planning to do with immigrants or decreasing illegal immigrant flow to the United States they should still be aware of the fact that we do have a strong presence of immigrants both here legally and illegally,” Corbett said. “And they are a real part of the economy and are a real part of the community and are going to affect us all.”
In addition to their letter-writing campaign, Corbett and Ball are planning a campus thrift sale to support the fund. They are currently seeking donations.

Law school alum suing College to return cross to Wren permanently

By
-

A federal lawsuit has been filed against College President Gene Nichol and the Board of Visitors that seeks the permanent display of the cross in the Wren Chapel and extended hours of operation for the Chapel, including all times when Swem Library is open and all day Sunday.

p. According to the Feb. 10 online edition of The Virginian-Pilot, George Leach, J.D. ’75, filed the complaint in the Norfolk office of the U.S. District court. The lawsuit, which cites the Civil Rights Act, is the most recent action in the nationally escalating Wren Cross controversy.

p. The Pilot reported that the lawsuit says that the new policy of displaying the cross every Sunday and by request violates the freedoms of religion and speech. He also asserts that Nichol was influenced by the American Civil Liberties Union in making his decision.

p. “The building is now sterile and dead,” he wrote, referring to Nichol’s actions as “anti-Christian bigotry.”

p. A search of the Federal courts database indicated that summons had been issued to Nichol and the BOV this Monday. As of press time, The Flat Hat had not obtained a copy of the complaint.

Rural schools attempt urbanization

By
-

According to the Feb. 7 New York Times, numerous rural colleges plan to urbanize their campuses for a more modern feel that many current students are seeking. Many campuses that had previously advertised a bucolic environment to appeal to prospective students have found that students today are looking for more urban surroundings.

p. The majority of the universities with urbanization plans have large tracts of unused land that they feel can be successfully developed not only to benefit the social lives of students, but also to help build their endowments.

p. These universities include the University of Connecticut, the University of Notre Dame, Furman University, Hampshire College and Hendrix College.

p. Hendrix is about to begin construction on a large village that has stores, restaurants and offices on 130 acres of land across the street from the campus. A student fitness center is also under construction.

p. The land was previously open woods and fields, but administrators have determined that students at the college would rather have a wider variety of social activities than a scenic view.

p. “I think students crave the kind of vitality you have in an urban space,” J. Timothy Cloyd, Hendrix president, told the Times.
These universities hope that by developing a downtown area, the rural colleges will appeal to more students. However, they have also realized that in addition to benefiting the social lives of students, these new developments can appeal to an older crowd. Additions such as the one at Hendrix include single-family houses, town houses, apartments and condominiums.

p. “It’s part of a pattern of colleges and universities realizing that they have elements that are appealing to a population far broader than 18- to 25-year-olds. It’s often said of a college education, ‘It’s a shame it’s wasted on the young,’” Ralph J. Hexter, president of Hampshire College, said.

p. The recent opening of the New Town development in Williamsburg seems to be a similar attempt at urbanization to improve the variety of social activities for students at the College. New Town’s attractions include stores, restaurants and a movie theater.

p. The downsides of New Town are that it is far away from the campus and students have to drive to get there.

p. “The culture of William and Mary is extremely pedestrian-oriented,” Student Assembly Sen. Matt Beato, a sophomore, said. “You can see this by how often students go to Wawa to get something to eat as opposed to, say, Food Lion … As a result, entertainment needs to be in the areas that are within walking distance of the campus.”

p. Beato says that the best option for improving social activities on campus is by developing the areas on Richmond Road around the delis and on Jamestown Road near the Campus Center by putting in more student-friendly businesses.

p. However, the general consensus among students at the College is that, despite the drive, New Town does provide more of a variety of social activities.

p. “I think that New Town has had a very positive effect on students at [the College]. A movie theater is much closer, there are more restaurants, stores and social outlets for students to go to, and it connects the campus to something beyond Duke of Gloucester street,” Jess Vance, senior class president, said.

The recruiting game

By
-

Wednesday, Feb. 7 was the NCAA’s national signing day for prep football players and college transfers. Fifteen high school players and one transfer student signed letters of intent to play for Head Coach Jimmye Laycock and the Tribe in the 2007 season.

p. Signing day marked the culmination of a whirlwind period for Laycock and his staff, as they traveled throughout the country to convince possible recruits to attend the College in the fall.

p. “You start working at recruiting in the spring and the summer and it’s broken down into different phases over the year, but it’s something that you are basically working at year round,” Laycock said.

p. The recruiting game is vital to the success of all football programs at the collegiate level. As standout players graduate and move on, the onus is on a college’s coaching staff to ensure that their teams don’t miss a beat. The irony of developing a strong program is that recruits want to attend a school with a storied history in their sport, as well as a school with a proven track-record of success. However, without the right recruits in the first place, colleges have trouble fielding winning programs. The College has not had to worry about this over Coach Laycock’s tenure, as the Tribe has compiled 18 winning seasons over the last 23 years, but unlike other schools recruiting similar players as the College, academics is a major factor.

p. “Our pool of candidates is much smaller then the other people we play because of the academic requirements, but once you find somebody in that pool, if they are looking for a quality education it is going to take precedent over how many games you won or lost each year. Grades are very important,” Laycock said.

The Tribe fielded a young team in 2006, as 14 of their 22 starters will return for the 2007 campaign, but only six of those will come from the defensive side of the ball as defensive standouts Josh Wright, Alan Wheeling, the McLaurin brothers and others have all wrapped up their careers for the Tribe. The College will suffer three losses on offense as tight end Matt Trinkle, center Cody Morris and running back Elijah Brooks have exhausted their eligibility. Kicker/punter Blair Pritchard is also graduating this spring.

p. By signing 13 players who have had some experience on the defensive side of the ball, Laycock has taken strides to address the loss of five of the team’s defensive starters. In fact, the only incoming players not to see time on defense in high school are quarterback Terrance Schmand, punter/wide receiver Bret Ploucha and running back/wide receiver Ryan Woolfolk.

p. “We felt our numbers were getting skewed more towards the offense then the defense so when push came to shove we [recruited more defensive players],” Laycock said. “A number of guys that we signed have the flexibility of going either way, but we wanted to make sure they could play defense.”

p. Five of the 16 signees are offensive/defensive linemen, with the largest being Jake Marcey of Gainesville, Va. Marcey, who is listed at 6’4’’ and 280 pounds, was named first team all-state by the Virginia Independent School Football Association during his senior year. Linemen Dan Donker of Voorhees, N.J. and Harold Robertson of Richmond, Va., weigh in at 285 and 295 pounds, respectively.

Linebackers Marcus Hyde of Manassas, Va., and Jake Trantin of Severn, Md., carry perhaps the highest accolades of the 2007 recruits. Hyde was named the AAA State Defensive Player of the Year by the Virginia High School League Coaches Association and named a first-team all-state pick by the Washington Post. Trantin was named a first-team all-Met linebacker by both the Post and Baltimore Sun while the Post also named Trantin their county defensive player of the year.

p. Despite every recruit’s solid credentials, Coach Laycock doesn’t feel like there is a clear-cut first-year starter among them.

“I’m pleased with them all, but I don’t know if there is anybody I can jump out and say he is a definite player as a freshman. I’ve been surprised too many times,” Laycock said.

p. This past year, the Tribe’s roster sported 50 players from Virginia, constituting 52 percent of the team. While Laycock and his staff have taken strides in recent years to recruit more from outside the Commonwealth, as evidenced by ten of this year’s 16 recruits coming from out of state, the coaching staff’s main focus will continue to stay in the region.

p. “We are going to look at the Virginia [recruits] first and then we are going to expand out and try to find as many as we can. The Middle Atlantic is probably the biggest area for us because that’s where players know about us and parents can come down and see games,” Laycock said.

p. Every new recruit will begin workouts with the team over the summer, and by the time the College’s late August opener nears, expect each freshman and the rest of the Tribe to be ready to play.

Mann, Payton seal victory

By
-

For the first time in 13 years, the Tribe defeated the University of North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks on the road, 61-55, Saturday night. The College’s win improved its record to 14-11 overall and 7-8 in the CAA. With the win over UNCW, the team becomes just the ninth in school history to amass 14 Division I victories in a season.

p. “I couldn’t be happier for this team. To come in this place on Homecoming weekend and get a win is pretty special,” Head Coach Tony Shaver said in a post-game radio interview.
The College spoiled UNCW’s homecoming game thanks in large part to the efforts of junior guard Nathan Mann. He matched his career-high with 25 points and has now reached double figures in four consecutive contests. His 18 second-half points allowed the Tribe to take the lead and hold on for victory.

p. Trailing 27-29 at the half, the College retook the lead for good with 17 minutes, 19 seconds remaining on senior guard Adam Payton’s layup. The Tribe’s lead was tenuous the rest of the way. After Mann’s fourth three-pointer of the game pushed the College’s lead to seven at 51-44, it appeared that the Tribe was going to pull away, but UNCW responded with a 10-3 run to tie the score at 54-54 with 3:22 left. The teams traded empty possessions until Mann’s jumper broke the tie at the 2:08 mark. UNCW had its chance to tie the game when Tribe sophomore forward Peter Stein sent the Seahawks’ Vladimir Kuljanin to the foul line with just under a minute left.

p. Kuljanin stepped to the line and missed both free throws. The Tribe, however, could not capitalize and committed a turnover. Seahawks’ Head Coach Benny Moss called a timeout with 29 seconds remaining in order to set up a final play, but after the timeout, Payton stole the ball from UNCW’s Todd Hendley and was fouled. Payton’s two free throws pushed the Tribe’s lead to 58-54 with 18 seconds left. The College gave the Seahawks another chance when Mann fouled Montez Downey as he attempted a three-pointer; however, Downey converted only one of three free throws and Mann sealed the Tribe’s victory with two free throws.

p. The College will look to add to its win total when the Drexel University Dragons visit Kaplan Arena tomorrow at 7 p.m. Drexel is riding a three-game CAA winning streak, including an impressive road victory at Hofstra University. Additionally, the Dragons have won several tough non-conference games against Big East Conference foes Syracuse University and Villanova University. The Tribe has never defeated Drexel in conference play, but after two consecutive road victories, the College will be ready for the challenge.

Tribe takes down no. 1

By
-

The Tribe women’s tennis team has continued their strong spring season, improving to a 5-0 record. Last weekend, the team defeated the University of Illinois, no. 1-ranked Georgia Tech and Purdue University.

p. Against the Fighting Illini, the team won all of its doubles matches before going on to win its first five singles matches. The doubles pair of senior Megan Moulton-Levy and sophomore Katarina Zoricic, the top-ranked team in the nation, beat out Emily Wang and Bryce Marable, 8-1. This marked the 13th straight success for the duo and improved their record to 22-1 for the year.

p. Three Tribe freshmen gained victories in the third, fourth and sixth singles positions. At number three singles, Ragini Acharya beat Marable in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-3, and earned her seventh win in a row. At the fourth singles position, Magdalena Bresson defeated Kristina Minor, 7-6, 7-5, gaining her 14th victory of the season. Finally, Carmen Pop defeated Wang, 6-3 and 7-5 in straight sets, improving her record during the 2006-2007 season to a perfect 11-0.

p. After defeating Illinois, the Tribe scored an upset over top-ranked Georgia Tech, 4-3. The Yellow Jackets came into the contest as the reigning USTA/ITA National Indoor Champion. The win also marked the first time the Tribe has defeated a no. 1 nationally ranked team since 1995.

p. “Obviously, we are excited about beating the no. 1 team in the country,” Tribe Head Coach Kevin Epley said. “With so many freshmen and sophomores in our line-up, it was a huge task, and I was impressed with the ladies’ ability to believe in themselves throughout the match … I can’t say enough about our team and the effort they put forth against one of the best teams in the country.”

p. The Tribe opened the match with the winning duo of Moulton-Levy and Zoricic. The two defeated Illinois’ Kristi Miller and Whitney McCray, 8-4. This marked the 14th straight victory for the girls and improved their record to an impressive 23-1. The College continued by defeating the Yellow Jackets at the no. 3 and no. 1 singles positions, and the no. 2 doubles position.

p. With the match score tied at 3-3, Katarina Zoricic, ranked no. 68 in singles, was under pressure to defeat no. 25 singles player and ACC Player of the Week Kirsten Flower. Despite severe cramps in her legs, Zoricic won the three-set match; 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, and improved her record to 15-5 overall in the process.

p. After the victory over Georgia Tech, the Tribe traveled to play no. 35 ranked Purdue. Once again, the College earned a win, as they topped the Boilermakers 5-2. The no. 1 doubles pair of Moulton-Levy and Zoricic won another match, pushing their winning streak to 15 straight. Moulton-Levy, Zoricic, Acharya and Lauren Sabacinski earned singles victories for the Tribe as well.

Tribe rebounds for CAA victory

By
-

After a hard-fought loss to Hofstra University last week, the women’s basketball team secured a 56-38 victory over the University of North Carolina-Wilmington Sunday afternoon. Junior Devin James led the Tribe on the scoreboard with 17 points. Junior forward Kyra Kaylor came up big defensively, securing 17 rebounds to go along with her 12 points. Freshman forward Tiffany Benson also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

p. “We haven’t been getting the job done on the boards recently,” said Head Coach Debbie Taylor. “But after our poor team performance at Hofstra, we really held it down rebounding tonight. It was nice to see us take a stand defensively.”
The Tribe currently holds a 15-9 overall record and is 7-6 in CAA play. The College is in a 3-way conference tie for fifth place with Georgia State University and Towson University. With five more league games to go, the Tribe needs just one more victory to ensure a winning season. If the Tribe can complete this task, it will mark the first back-to-back winning seasons in the College’s Division I history.

p. From the outset, the College dominated the Seahawks. In the opening minutes the Tribe jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Although UNCW fought back, the College played outstanding defense and was very aggressive on the boards. At the conclusion of the first half, the Tribe held a comfortable 11-point lead.

p. The Seahawks came out strong after intermission, cutting the lead to 4 points in the beginning of the second half. James then responded by single-handedly scoring 10 unanswered points to push the margin back and help the Tribe command a sizable 14-point lead. From that point on, the College never looked back.
From a statistical standpoint, the Tribe held the upper hand both offensively and defensively. The College out-shot UNCW 37.7 percent to 27.8 percent and held a 44-32 advantage on the boards.

p. “It was an overall good team performance,” said Kaylor. “We played well together and finally out-rebounded our opponents. It’s also really good to have Courtney Portell back after being on the injured list. If we keep working hard and focusing on rebounding, we will continue to win games.”

p. The College is set to play Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond this Thursday. The Tribe is only two games behind the Rams and every team in the conference is fighting for the top four spots, so this will be 3-way conference tie for fifth place with Georgia State University and Towson University. With five more league games to go, the Tribe needs just one more victory to a big game for both teams.

p. “If we limit them early and continue to rebound well, we should be able to secure a win,” says Coach Taylor. “We also need to score more down the stretch, but we’ve been doing our best and that’s all I can ask for.”

Men sweep Dukes to go 2-1 for weekend

By
-

The men’s tennis team had a triumphant weekend, facing three opponents and coming out on top in two of the three matches. With their season record standing at 4-5, the Tribe is now moving in the right direction toward the CAA Championships, where they have experienced much success in the past.

p. The College first took on no. 23 University of Michigan Friday at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center, but fell to the nationally ranked team with a 6-1 final score. Michigan swept all three sets of doubles play, but senior Colin O’Brien and sophomore Alex Zuck put up a good fight against their no. 2 nationally ranked doubles opponent, only coming out 8-5 behind. Zuck was the only Tribe player to win his singles play, finishing up three sets 6-3, 6-7 (3), 1-0 (6) and saving the College from another shutout.

p. The first match Sunday was an upset against no. 74 Michigan State University, with the Tribe coming out with a 5-2 victory. O’Brien and Zuck were defeated by another ranked doubles team, but freshman Richard Wardell and sophomore Marwan Ramadan made up the only Tribe doubles team to clinch a win during doubles play, 8-5, giving Michigan State the early lead.

p. “I am proud of the way the guys competed,” Head Coach Peter Daub said. “We were as low as we could be after dropping the doubles point, but give the guys credit [for] bouncing back. We took a boxer’s punch and were flat on our backs, but it shows the character of our team to fight its way to a win against a solid Michigan State team.”

p. Five of the six singles matches went in the College’s favor, with the exception of Ramadan losing after a third-set tiebreaker. O’Brien clinched the victory over Michigan State when he defeated his opponent, ranked 51st in the country, for an upset win, 6-4, 7-5. The victory marked his fifth singles win over a ranked opponent this season.

p. Later that Sunday, the Tribe went up against CAA rival James Madison University and sent them home without a single point on the scoreboard, sweeping all the matches with a 7-0 final score.
The teams of O’Brien and Zuck, sophomore Kavi Sud and Ramadan and freshman Keziel Juneau and Wardell all took the wins in their doubles play, starting off the night with an early lead. In the singles play, not a single JMU opponent was allowed any more than four points per set, giving the College a decisive victory.

p. The upcoming matches for the Tribe will once again be hosted in Williamsburg at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center Saturday, when the College takes on Norfolk State University at 9 a.m. and Longwood University at 6 p.m.

Wolfpack sweeps opening series

By
-

Tribe baseball enters the 2007 season after a strong finish in 2006, when they won 10 of their final 13 games. With eight starting position players returning this year, including senior third baseman and all-conference candidate Greg Sexton, sophomore third baseman and 2006 all-CAA Rookie Team honoree Mike Sheridan, senior second baseman Brent McWhorter and junior left fielder Greg Maliniak, the team is prepared and ready for the season.

p. “We have a very talented team offensively, and we can use a lineup, one through nine, that has a good combination of speed and power. Coupled with an experienced unit defensively and a pitching staff that is young but talented, we have the opportunity to be very good,” Head Coach Frank Leoni said.

p. The team hit a rough patch against the North Carolina State University Wolfpack, falling last Friday afternoon in its season opener, 4-9. Junior pitcher Sean Grieve took the loss for the College on the hill. Offensively, the Tribe was led by Maliniak and McWhorter, who both had two hits a piece, and sophomore center fielder Ben Guez, who scored two runs. The College got on the board in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs on a Maliniak double to right center followed by a McWhorter single to center, and an error by N.C. State third baseman Ryan Howard with the bases loaded.

p. The second game in the three-game set proved a difficult contest for the Tribe, as the Wolfpack shut out the Tribe 0-23. N.C. State starting pitcher Eric Surkamp earned the win, while Mike LaFleur recorded the loss on the hill for the Tribe. After sending 16 batters to the plate in the first inning, the Wolfpack took a 12-0 advantage, putting the game out of reach early for the Tribe. Senior relief pitcher Warrick Staines pitched three innings in relief for the Tribe, giving up just two hits, two walks and one run. Although the College could not manage to score any runs, Sexton, Maliniak, McWhorter, sophomore right fielder Robbie Nickle, junior catcher Tim Park and junior designated hitter Aaron Hurwitz all recorded hits.

p. In the third and final game of the series against N.C. State, the Tribe had standout performances from Park, who earned two hits, an RBI and a run scored, and junior relief pitcher Pat Kantakevich, who held the Wolfpack scoreless in the final three innings. N.C. State ultimately earned the win, 6-3, with Tribe freshman starting pitcher Kevin Landry recording the loss. In the top of the third, the Tribe look its first lead of the series, 3-1, as Maliniak singled to load the bases. Park then followed with a RBI single and McWhorter with a RBI groundout.

p. The Tribe is back in action tomorrow for their home opener at Plumeri Park against Virginia Military Institute at 3 p.m.

1...429430431...456Page 430 of 456
© 1911-Present. The Flat Hat. All Rights Reserved.