DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, THE BREEZE WILL PRINT A COMMEMORATIVE FRONT PAGE FROM THE SEPT. 13 ISSUE IN OUR SEPT. 20 ISSUE.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID LONNQUES
DAVID CASTERLINE / THE BREEZE
TOP LEFT Football coach Mickey Matthews raises his visor to the JMU student section after the Dukes win. TOP RIGHT Redshirt junior linebacker Pat Williams (right) rejoices after sophomore cornerback Leavander Jones defends a pass in the end zone. CENTER LEFT Junior cornerback Taveion Cuffee tackles Va. Tech senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor. BOTTOM LEFT JMU fans celebrate amid thousands o Hokies at Lane Stadium. BOTTOM RIGHT Sophomore Sarah Everett impersonates James Madison for the home celebration at Bridgeforth Stadium.
Serving James Madison University Dukes accomplish the unthinkable bybreezejmu.org beating theSince Va.1922 Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium.
Shocker in Blacksburg Celebrations at JMU
Vol. 87, No. 6 Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thunderstorms 87°/62° chance of precipitation: 50% BLACKSBURG
RELIGION
Va. Tech tailgate crime low
By THOM MARTINICCHIO contributing writer
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Coming into Saturday’s game between James Madison and Virginia Tech, the only thing as bleak as the weather was the Dukes’ odds of beating the mighty Hokies. In the past two meetings between the teams, Tech had outscored the Dukes by an astounding -, and won all six games in the Saturday’s game against Virginia series. The Dukes had also not beaten a FootTech was an average weekend for crime, ball Bowl Subdivision (formerly according to Deborah Morgan, Virginia-A) team in years, while the Hokies had not lost Techalmost Police’sspokeswoman.
feast to share
to a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly -AA) team since . Va. Tech was expected to use JMU as whipping boys to unleash its frustration of losing a nail-biter to No. ranked Boise State earlier in the week. But the Dukes never received that memo. JMU shocked the world, outplaying the Hokies on their home turf and winning the game, -. JMU’s spirited fight was spearheaded by sophomore cornerback Leavander Jones see GAME, page 14
Morgan said that the police department did not receive any reports of vandalism. There were, however, two reported thefts of a wallet and a cooler. The Va. Tech police department’s Quarterback Drew Dudzik crime log for Saturday reported eight drunk in public charges andfinally charg-earns respect. es for underaged possession of alcohol. page 11 Three of these incidents included both a drunk in public and underaged possession charge and seven of those violations occurred during the game at Lane Stadium. Blacksburg Police’s crime log cites four charges of underaged possession, two charges of public intoxication and a DUI between p.m. Saturday and a.m. Sunday.
By AARON KOEPPER The Breeze
The surprise victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday was two hours south of Harrisonburg, but that didn’t stop the party from starting immediately back at JMU after the game ended. Students ran out of dorms and apartments, screaming with excitement about the Dukes’ victory over Tech, while rushing along South Main Street, on the Quad and at the corner of Bluestone Drive and Duke Drive.
JMU’s football team returned to campus to find about students, faculty and alumni gathered outside Bridgeforth Stadium, cheering their victory. Players met and talked to fans, relishing in the historic win, the upset and the JMU triumph. JMU President Linwood Rose, who attended the game in Blacksburg. “It’s not peace in the Middle East or a cure for cancer — it’s a football game, but it’s a wonderful football game,” Rose said after the team arrived outside the stadium back at JMU. see HOME, page 14
All Breeze coverage of the Va. Tech game breezejmu.org/jmu-vt-special/
More Va. Tech game photos. page 13
— staff reports
CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
D parking lot closure Effective Monday, the gravel parking lot located between the Physics and Chemistry building and the East Campus Library will be shut down permanently. JMU will begin construction on Centennial Hall, the new biotechnology building. According to an e-mail from Parking Services, the spaces in the lot, which is a faculty and staff lot during the day, have been reallocated to the D lot, across from ECL. Commuter students can use the overflow parking spaces in the Blue Ridge Hall lot or the Convocation Center lot. Commuter students parking in the Convocation Center lot can ride the Convo Express bus to East Campus. Centennial Hall will house biology and biotechnology, which is currently located in Burruss Hall on the Quad.
PAUL JONES / THE BREEZE
On Monday night, Transitions fills with students, families and guests celebrating the Eid dinner, which represents the end of the Ramadan fast. By CAITLIN HAWES The Breeze
The sky had long since darkened, but guests had not eaten since before sunup. Eager faces glanced at tables laden with delicacies. When the time to eat finally arrived, the line stretched around the room. On Monday night, the Muslim Student Association hosted the Eid dinner in Transitions. Eid is a holiday that Muslims celebrate after Ramadan, the ninth month of their lunar calendar. Fasting lasts from dawn to dusk for the whole month; participants abstain from food, water and sexual relations. The start and finish times change as the days grow shorter. Before and after fasting, one may indulge oneself as much as one likes, although, according to fasting attendants, stomachs often shrink from the fast and lead to smaller appetites. For $, guests could spoon curried chickpeas, chicken and potatoes, beef and chicken kebabs, roasted potatoes with peppers and onions, vegetable pasta salad, pakoras (potatoes), fried rice, Iranian Barbary bread, mixed vegetables dishes and Biryani, rice with chicken and veggies. The dessert vanished quickly: baklava, fruit, rice pudding, qunafa (nuts and raisins), chocolate chip muffins, watermelon, cheesecake, chocolate cake and sawaiya, a sweet cream dish. Guests forked the food down, and then
returned for more; most dishes were emptied clean. Half of the dinner’s proceeds went to flood victims in Pakistan, where more than million people have been affected. A steady crowd trickled into Transitions and filled every round table, until chairs became scarce. The room became packed with hungry guests. Laughing and chatting, both faithful Muslims and curious non-Muslims mingled at each table. Families and students from other universities also arrived. At a long table, volunteers translated names into Arabic and drew flowery henna tattoos, which, still puffy, ran down people’s arms like ornate jewelry. “Look at all these great people,” said Rachel Sibley, a junior international affairs and French double major. “The fact that they open [the dinner] up to anyone, I just think it’s really cool. Even though I’m not Muslim, I find it very inspiring.” People of all religions and nationalities attended: people from Pakistan, China, and Ethiopia to Kurdistan, France and India. Sara Ibrahim, a junior art major and MSA treasurer, said the group has hosted the dinner for about seven years. “It’s encouraged to share the dinner,” Ibrahim said. “It’s a special time. People are always open to other people coming.” see DINNER, page 10
— staff reports
POLITICS
JMU’s place in midterm elections By MOLLY HAAS contributing writer
JAKE THIEWES / THE BREEZE
Bathing in the purple rain
Saturday’s win against Virginia Tech sparked an initial outburst of school spirit from students. A Facebook event titled “PURPLE OUT ON CAMPUS! JMU 21-16 VTech!” tallied more than 11,500 students attending Monday.
9/16 INSIDE
3
NEWS Hate crimes
Students gather to remember victims through a film screening and candlelight vigil.
With midterm elections less than seven weeks away on Nov. , JMU students again have the opportunity to cast their votes in Harrisonburg. In Harrisonburg’s district (the sixth) Congressman Bob Goodlatte, the Republican incumbent, is facing challenges from Libertarian Stuart Bain and Center Party member Jeff Vanke. Bob Roberts, a political science professor, said the congressional race for Harrisonburg’s district is seemingly uncontested because it’s in a heavily Republican region. Harrisonburg’s local government is also holding elections during the midterm. Six candidates are running for two
5
OPINION Returning to values
A sophomore warns against drifting from our founding documents.
open seats on city council. “Harrisonburg has something for both sides, because the city holds a Democratic City Council while Rockingham County is mostly Republican,” said Melanie Goff, president of College Democrats, in an e-mail. Midterm elections are also occurring in home states for many JMU students, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Each state has house seats and house seats at stake, along with a Senate race in Pennsylvania. Goff, a junior political science major, said she has noticed that students are interested in the upcoming election. “More students are informed about the issues surrounding the troubling economic situation and want to have their opinions heard,” Goff said. With contested races out-of-state and
9
LIFE Delving within
Guest speaker Greg Hoeflicker interprets dreams of students.
in other Virginia districts, some students will choose to use absentee ballots while others will choose to register in Harrisonburg. In the past, most students who voted used absentee ballots from their home districts. According to Roberts, students are registering to vote as Harrisonburg residents in record numbers. “In , a surprising number of students voted in Harrisonburg rather then using absentee ballots,” Roberts said. “It’s been a new trend.” According to voter registration records provided by the Harrisonburg City Registrar’s office, the number of registered voters in Harrisonburg increased . percent from . That increase includes both JMU see ELECTIONS, page 4
11
SPORTS The aftermath
Following the Dukes’ shocking victory over Va. Tech, the program is facing unprecedented popularity.