Election Connections

The Cavalier Daily is committed to the best election coverage possible. Today’s coverage of the South Carolina primary coincides with the unveiling of our online presidential coverage, which offers a schedule to the primary season and profiles of the candidates for the White House at www.cavalierdaily.com.

Students have an even bigger responsibility to vote in next week’s spring elections, which run from Feb. 28 until March 2. These elections directly affect our community in significant ways, and it is the duty of each student to learn about the candidates and to take the time to vote. Students will be voting for the guardians of self-governance: Votes will be cast for Student Council representatives and executives and for representatives on the Honor and University Judiciary Committees. Along with these three very important bodies, students will be able to vote for their class president. Students also will vote on whether or not to amend the honor system, and may be voicing their opinions on formal rush.

In the coming week, we will help inform you about the decisions you’ll face on the ballot. Our student election coverage starts today, with our endorsement of a candidate for fourth-year class president, below. Endorsements for the Honor and UJC members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the executive committee of Student Council will appear in this space over the next three days.

The Focus section of The Cavalier Daily will appear on Thursday this week, a departure from its usual Wednesday slot. This one-time change is meant to provide a service for our readers. The Focus page will feature a comprehensive look at the candidates for leadership offices, featuring pictures of the candidates, biographical information and their stands on key issues. Our Web site will expand on the coverage in the print edition, with a more complete outline of each candidate’s views. The Cavalier Daily will link from the front page of its Online Edition to the Student Council voting site, to ensure that everyone in the University visits the polls. We will look to guide our readers through the process, and to bring the issues to the people that must make the decisions.

Vote Collins and Olsen

In an amazing group of candidates for fourth-year class president, two stand out far above the rest. Because the second-place finisher will serve as vice president, we’ve chosen to endorse the two candidates who will best serve the Class of 2001.

Marc Olsen has a wealth of experience from serving on past class councils, and his work as a Student Council Representative and a member of other groups only adds to his glowing resume. His ideas for the Class of 2001 are clearly thought out and are both practical and exciting. Olsen is committed to increasing class giving and has plans for a creative, service-oriented class gift.

Ryann Collins is a charismatic, devoted worker who has stood out in her University career as an organizer and superior programmer. Collins has a broad base of invigorating ideas, and her ability to innovate is unparalleled. Collins’ activities give her a diverse perspective of the University, and her enthusiastic commitment to fostering class unity will make her an indispensable player in shaping an unforgettable fourth year.

Both candidates are strongly committed to finding a diverse group of Class Trustees and believe in letting fourth years give back to the University institutions they have served.

Both Marc Olsen and Ryann Collins would make great class presidents, and their enthusiasm to get started shows. While their competitors are well equipped for the job, Olsen and Collins stand out. We encourage you to listen to Olsen and Collins and determine which one you support, but we strongly believe that these two candidates should lead the Class of 2001.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-Finally.

It took a bright class of new players, a new coach and even a new millennium, but the Virginia men’s basketball team finally broke its 19-year losing streak at North Carolina.

Junior reserve shooting guard Keith Friel sparked the Cavalier offense in the second half to spur a 90-76 Cav victory over the Tar Heels yesterday at the Dean Smith Center.

The win marked Virginia’s first victory at the 14-year-old Dean Dome. The Cavaliers (18-8, 8-5 ACC) had lost all 14 games they had played against the Heels (16-10, 7-5) at their state-of-the-art facility. Yesterday’s triumph was the first win in Chapel Hill since 1981 for the Cavs, who improve to 4-56 all-time at Carolina.

“This was a tremendous win for us,” Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. “The guys played with tremendous courage and aggressiveness. Our biggest concern coming in was convincing them that we could win. We never said that we’ve never won here. We always believed that we could win.”

Friel, a transfer from Notre Dame, entered the game with Virginia up eight with 10:48 to go in the second half. Right off the bat, the 6-foot-4 guard hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to 11. After Carolina power forward Kris Lang made two free throws, Friel struck again from long range, this time off a dribble. Another three and two free throws by the Durham, N.H., native added to the Cav lead. Friel’s 11 points in a mere four minutes put Virginia up 17 with only 7:40 to go.

After the onslaught, Carolina never pulled closer than seven points for the remainder of the game.

“We did well in the second half,” Tar Heel Coach Bill Guthridge said. “We went with a smaller lineup, and we were doing a good job until Friel hit those threes.”

Freshman bruiser Travis Watson dominated Carolina 7-footer Brendan Haywood with an 18-point, 11-rebound performance. The big man’s giant game, combined with 16 points and 12 rebounds from sophomore forward Chris Williams, gave Virginia its eighth Conference win. The last time the Cavs won eight ACC games was 1994-95, when they tied for first in the Conference and made the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

“We knew Travis could play with Haywood,” Gillen said. “On the road, we’d rather go inside than shoot jumpers. We try to get the ball in to the block, and if Travis is double-teamed, then he kicks it out.”

The Cavaliers took hold of the game midway through the first half with a 13-4 run highlighted by Watson’s smooth inside maneuvers and long-range jumpers by junior point guard Donald Hand. Down 37-24, a frustrated Guthridge called on his reserves to try to stop the Cavalier charge.

Carolina sophomore forward Jason Capel contributed 17 points in the loss. Freshman star Joseph Forte, who poured in 27 in an 87-85 Tar Heel loss Jan. 18 in Charlottesville, was held to 13 points by freshman guard Roger Mason Jr., a Good Counsel (Md.) graduate who faced Forte when the latter starred at DeMatha High.

“We’ve had our battles,” Mason said. “I played with him all summer. It’s a back-home thing. I know his game and he knows my game.”

Cara Lane and the Virginia women’s swimming and diving team put together a handful of record-setting performances this weekend at the ACC Championships in Chapel Hill, but host North Carolina bumped the defending champion Cavaliers from the Conference throne, winning by nearly 150 points.

No. 8 Virginia, which failed in its quest to capture a third straight ACC title, scored 693.5 points to No. 16 Carolina’s 842.5. None of the other five teams in the field came close to challenging the Tar Heels and Cavaliers.

Lane was named Most Valuable Swimmer after winning four events – all in ACC meet record time – and setting Virginia records in the 200-yard butterfly, 500 freestyle and 1,650 free. She teamed with fellow freshman Mirjana Bosevska and seniors Emily Trakas and Emily Carrig to set a Conference meet record in the 800 free relay with the second fastest time in Virginia history.

Cavalier junior Megan Iffland broke the school record in the 200 backstroke, placing second and cutting nearly a second off her previous personal best time.

Bosevska also set an ACC Meet record, breaking her own mark in the 400 individual medley. She finished second to Lane in the 1,650 free, only 14 seconds off the winning time.

Freshman speedsters by land

The Virginia women’s indoor track and field team earned a fifth place finish at the ACC Championships over the weekend in Blacksburg while the Cavalier men finished eighth.

Freshman Kiamesha Otey finished third in the long jump and sixth in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash on the way to an All-Conference nod. Fellow rookies Jeanna Composti and Eliese Mitchell, who set a Virginia record in the 20-pound weight throw, also earned All-Conference honors.

Senior Rob Pearce finished fourth in the 800 and fifth in the mile. Sophomore Jarrett Hagwood took sixth in the 60-meter hurdles, followed closely by junior teammate Marion Mason in seventh place.

Women’s tennis edges Hokies

Tied at three with Virginia Tech after singles, the Virginia women’s tennis team (4-0) won two of three doubles matches for a 5-4 victory Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg.

Cav sophomores Amy O’Donnell and Christine Kim won their doubles match 8-1, while junior Kelly Weaver and freshman Jennifer Tuchband grabbed a narrow 8-5 win. In the singles matches, Tuchband and juniors Christie Schweer and Leslie Cook were victorious.

Cremins announces retirement

Georgia Tech men’s basketball Coach Bobby Cremins announced Friday that he will be stepping down at the end of the season.

The Jackets have struggled over the last four years, unable to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, and have struggled to meet expectations again this season. Cremins led the Jackets to the 1990 Final Four and made 10 NCAA appearances in his 19 seasons in Atlanta.

Thursday against Clemson, it seemed everyone on the Virginia women’s basketball team had a hot shooting hand, but when the offense turned cold yesterday against No. 7 N.C. State, the Cavaliers used their defense to nail down a 60-51 win.

“For the most part, I think we played great defense today,” Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan said. “I was just pleased that we played well enough that we were able to win today.”

The Wolfpack came into yesterday’s game shooting 45 percent from the field, good enough for the best in the ACC, but a tenacious Cavalier defense held the ‘Pack to just 26 percent from the floor. When the two teams met Jan. 17 in Raleigh, N.C. State shot only 33 percent in a 80-73 Cav upset. Only one Wolfpack starter scored more than four points yesterday.

Virginia also shut down the ‘Pack from behind the arc, allowing just one Wolfpack trey the entire game. The Cavaliers played man-to-man defense at the start of the game but switched to zone midway through the first half. With the zone, they were able to pressure N.C. State’s outside shooters.

“This was a fairly ugly game shooting-wise,” Wolfpack Coach Kay Yow said.

Virginia shot 44 percent from three-point land, but only 33 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Telisha Quarles hit a game-high four treys, all in the first half. Junior forward Svetlana Volnaya, owner of the best three-point percentage in the ACC, missed all five of her attempts from downtown.

Freshman forward Schuye LaRue made her presence felt down low with six blocks, batting a few shots all the way into the crowd. Virginia finished the game with nine blocks, while N.C. State was unable to swat down even one Cavalier shot attempt.

The Wolfpack owned the boards with a 56-35 rebounding advantage, but converted only 21 second-chance points.

“It’s amazing that we had 24 offensive rebounds and less than half the time we capitalized on them,” Yow said.

LaRue’s 11 rebounds made up almost a third of the Cavalier total. The freshman star chipped in 10 points to earn a double double. Starting forward and defensive stalwart Lisa Hosac was benched early due to foul trouble.

“Lisa being out of the game hurt us, because Lisa will … block out,” Ryan said.

With such an all-encompassing defensive effort, Ryan could somewhat forgive her team’s offensive struggles.

“Today I didn’t care what they looked like, or how they did it,” Ryan said. “I just wanted to win.”

With busloads of fans from her hometown looking on, Virginia guard Telisha Quarles led the No. 21 Cavalier women’s basketball team to a 60-51 victory over No. 7 N.C. State yesterday at University Hall, keeping the Cavs atop the ACC.

On “Telisha Quarles Day” in her native Louisa County, Va., the sophomore guard shot 4-for-6 from three-point range in the first half and finished with a team-high 17 points for Virginia (21-6, 12-2 ACC).

“My teammates noticed that I had the hot hand, and they kept feeding me the ball,” Quarles said.

“There aren’t that many people in the Conference that can guard that kid,” Cav Coach Debbie Ryan said.

Freshman forward Schuye LaRue added 10 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks for the Cavs. Senior point guard Renee Robinson chipped in with 10 points.

LaRue played most of the second half despite taking an elbow to her nose early in the second half, which opened up a cut that required stitches following the game.

“From the first minute of the second half on, [LaRue] didn’t hear a word I said” because she had been hit in the head, Ryan joked. “Not that it matters. Every time the ball went in [the post], she would [block] it into the stands.”

The Cavalier defense held N.C. State (20-6, 11-4) to only 26 percent from the field, including 1-of-20 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Amy Simpson came off the bench to lead the Wolfpack with 18 points in 19 minutes, but no other N.C. State player scored more than eight points.

“The offense didn’t come today, so the defense had to win it,” Ryan said. “There are nights when you can’t throw it in the ocean.”

N.C. State’s starters shot a combined 7-of-43 from the field. Simpson made eight of 20 shots, but the rest of the ‘Pack bench scored only nine points.

“I’m not sure we’ve ever shot that low before,” N.C. State Coach Kay Yow said. “Our shot selection just wasn’t there.”

The Cavaliers were not much better from the field, shooting only 33 percent. Starters Quarles, Robinson, LaRue, Svetlana Volnaya and Lisa Hosac shot a combined 15-of-36 from the floor. The Wolfpack also pounded Virginia on the boards, holding a 56-35 rebounding margin.

“We came out a little too excited, a little pressed to do too much,” Robinson said.

At halftime, with the Cavs clinging to a 32-25 lead, Ryan told her players that if they won the game, they would be spared the usual practice regimen of sprints as punishment for turnovers and poor rebounding.

“As long as we don’t have to run, we’ll keep on winning,” Robinson said with a smile. “We don’t like sprints.”

In the second half, the Cavaliers stretched the lead to as high as 11 points and never let the Wolfpack closer than six. The Cavs clinched the game in the last three minutes by making six of 10 free throws.

Quarles’ fan club was only part of a crowd of 5,808, the largest attendance for a Virginia women’s home game since 1996.

“The crowd was energized from the tip,” Ryan said. “This is one of the first really big games we’ve had here in a long time.”

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-What do you do when you have to counter a 7-foot, 264-pound menace with a 6-foot-7 freshman who is 14 pounds lighter? You run.

Right past him, that is. That’s exactly what Travis Watson and the rest of the Virginia men’s basketball team did to Brendan Haywood and North Carolina yesterday. They strolled into the sold-out Dean Dome and blazed their way to a 14-point win, leaving Haywood, his Tar Heel teammates and 21,572 rabid fans behind in a cloud of smoke.

The Cavaliers used their speed to breeze past the taller Heel lineup, making it clear that bigger isn’t always better.

“They are such a quick team and they did everything right,” Carolina Coach Bill Guthridge said. “They know how to use their speed and they came out very well-prepared.”

Guthridge tried several tactics to drench the Cavalier fire, including yanking all five starters and substituting five seldom-used reserves – two of them freshman – for three minutes at the end of the first half. The substitution came with 5:25 left in the half, and the starters could only watch from the bench as Virginia put together a 9-4 run to jump out to a game-high 18-point lead. The Cavaliers went into the locker room with a comfortable 46-33 lead but by no means a surefire victory.

“North Carolina is traditionally a second half team, so I was worried that they would make a comeback in the second half,” Cav Coach Pete Gillen said. “I just told the team to keep playing aggressively and to not back down.”

Virginia hit a small bump early in the second half, allowing Carolina to shrink the deficit to eight. Gillen immediately went to instant point-producer Keith Friel to put some fuel back into the offensive fire. Friel bounced off the bench, nailing 11 points in four minutes to regain the momentum for the Cavs.

“It’s difficult because sometimes [when I come off the bench] it’s been an hour since I’ve shot the ball, but it’s my job to go out there and score,” Friel said. “When I have an open look, I have to take it whether I’ve been in for 20 seconds or three minutes.”

After Friel’s frenzy, Virginia managed to keep the lead in double digits until the last two minutes of the game.

Gillen said he was confident the Cavs could match Carolina’s bulk with their speed.

“They were bigger than us, but we’re quicker jumpers,” he said. “They’re stronger and bigger, but we’re faster, and we thought we could hurt them on the boards.”

Haywood’s presence was noticeably absent in the second half, and the Heels’ leading rebounder registered only four boards to Watson’s 11. Sophomore forward Chris Williams grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for Virginia.

Guthridge went with a smaller lineup in the second half to combat the up-tempo Cavalier offense, but the wear and tear on the Tar Heels was obvious as they committed 16 turnovers, while Virginia only coughed up the ball eight times. Junior Donald Hand led the Cavs with three steals, while Williams, Adam Hall and Willie Dersch contributed two apiece.

The Heels were left wondering what hit them.

“We’re not a slow team,” Guthridge said, “but we certainly looked slow tonight.”

After two seasons as Virginia’s starting placekicker, Todd Braverman will not be back for his final year of eligibility with the Cavaliers.

The decision came as a surprise to the redshirt junior, who said he assumed all was well after hearing nothing a few weeks ago when Cav Coach George Welsh was bidding goodbye to those players he had decided to let go.

At a Feb. 4 press conference, Welsh rattled off a list of players who had not been asked back – including redshirt junior quarterback David Rivers – but indicated Braverman most likely would return.

“Right now, Braverman is coming back,” Welsh said at the press conference. “I don’t know. I haven’t made any final decisions yet.”

Braverman, who is on schedule to graduate in May, said he had thrown himself headlong into the team’s offseason strength and conditioning program when he got the news.

Welsh “had made the decisions about the other guys a couple weeks earlier, and I was doing all the running and stuff with the team,” Braverman said. “I was very surprised and so were a lot of other guys.”

He said Welsh gave him a few reasons why he decided not to keep him on for another year.

With three other kickers and punters on the roster and incoming freshman Bryan Smith scheduled to arrive next season, Welsh could not justify using a scholarship on a fifth specialist, he added.

Welsh also said he did not want to have Braverman around as competition for sophomore kicker David Greene in the fall, Braverman said.

Greene, who handled kickoff duties for the Cavaliers for the past two years, stepped in when Braverman hurt his hamstring at the end of last season. With two years of eligibility remaining, he figures to be first in line to replace Braverman.

In his Virginia career, Braverman experienced the ups and downs often associated with life as a kicker. He booted game-winners against Clemson in 1998 and North Carolina last season, but also came under fire from Cavalier fans for the kicks he missed.

Four years after joining the team as an invited walk-on his freshman year, Braverman said he was thankful for the college football career he never thought he would get the chance to have.

“I started here for two years and got to fulfill a lot of dreams, like being on SportsCenter,” Braverman said. “It would’ve been nice to come back – I mean, who wouldn’t want to play college football – but it was fun while it lasted.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Despite a devastating blow in the New Hampshire primary and waning support in public opinion polls, GOP presidential candidate and Texas Gov. George W. Bush handily defeated Arizona Sen. John McCain in Saturday’s South Carolina open primary, reclaiming the coveted front-runner position as both candidates prepare for tomorrow’s Michigan and Arizona primaries.

After a record turnout at the polls, Bush received 53 percent of the votes, while McCain received 42 percent. Conservative activist Alan Keyes picked up the remaining 5 percent.

Of the 37 delegates South Carolina will send to the Republican National Convention to be held this August in Philadelphia, Bush won 34 delegates to McCain’s three.

“South Carolina was for Bush what New Hampshire was for McCain, the resurrection of a candidate and a tremendous boost,” said Larry J. Sabato, professor of government and foreign affairs.

As Bush spoke to the crowd gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia, he tried to portray himself as the candidate with a “reform agenda” on such issues as better schools, lower taxes and a stronger military – a platform he said he feels better qualifies him for the presidency and the White House.

“This is the victory of a messenger that is a reformer with results,” Bush said.

Bush conceded he still would have to fight for votes in Tuesday’s Michigan and Arizona primaries. But he seemed optimistic about the future.

“We are going to come roaring out of South Carolina with new energy in this campaign,” he said.

Many of the precincts normally opened for voting were closed unexpectedly yesterday, leaving many voters without a polling location. Both McCain and Keyes said they believe this may have hurt their support.

“We’re trying to be incredibly accommodating with the precinct problem,” Bush Media Coordinator Loretta Campbell said.

Following the New Hampshire defeat, Bush came to South Carolina with new-found energy, intent on swaying the voters of South Carolina to his camp.

“He’s a different style of candidate, more open and free wheeling,” said Warren Tompkins, southeastern regional chairman of the Republican Party.

The Bush camp needed this victory in South Carolina to restore support and momentum lost after the defeat in New Hampshire.

“It’s a good first step that may have a pretty significant impact on the Michigan primary,” Tompkins said.

Sabato agrees that South Carolina is an important win in Bush’s drive for the presidential nomination.

“It may well be the turning point of the entire nomination process,” Sabato said.

McCain also addressed a large crowd Saturday evening at Embassy Suites Convention Center in Charleston. He promised to keep fighting for the nomination during the next primaries and said his loss was not a fatal blow.

“You don’t have to win every skirmish to win the war or crusade, and our crusade grew stronger,” McCain said.

During his speech, McCain alluded to his feelings on Bush’s campaign tactics, which he has criticized as being overly negative.

McCain told voters they would have a clear choice between his message and a “negative message of fear.”

McCain also promised to refrain from negative campaigning in other primary states.

“I will keep fighting clean, and I will keep fighting fair,” McCain said.

A South Carolina victory was supposed to put McCain one step closer to securing his place as the GOP’s frontrunner. But in the wake of defeat he will have to fight even harder for support in Michigan.

While McCain received much of his support from Independents and Democrats, Bush won votes from those who identified themselves as conservatives or members of the religious right. The coveted veterans vote was split almost evenly between the two candidates – despite McCain’s status as a former prisoner of war.

Similar to New Hampshire primaries, South Carolina voters concentrated on the candidates’ character rather than issues. McCain supporters said they believe their candidate possesses the qualities needed to lead the country.

“It’s refreshing to hear the truth and we need that in this country,” McCain volunteer Sue Sexton said.

Both candidates now will be concentrating their efforts on the Michigan primary. McCain is expected to carry his home state easily.

University students and administrators agreed that this weekend’s diversity symposium was extremely successful and was a valuable first step towards addressing the sometimes-thorny issue of diversity at the University.

Black Fraternal Council Co-Chairman Michael McPheeters praised the scope of the event, saying, “the conference addressed a lot of pertinent issues regarding diversity and race relations.”

Asst. Dean of Students Pablo J. Davis also praised the conference, calling it “really valuable.”

Davis said it was helpful to hear from a wide range of viewpoints.

“The conference provided insight into the perspectives of a wide range of institutions. Collectively having a couple of dozen institutions present was the greatest value of the symposium,” he said.

As part of the symposium, several roundtable groups composed of students, faculty and administrators assembled to discuss various aspects of diversity, from policy and procedure to faculty recruitment.

Davis took part in a roundtable discussion of the implications for student recruitment with respect to diversity.

“We shared points of view on where we are and where we need to go,” he said.

He added that the group came to a realization that while the University’s policies have been criticized, there is a solid foundation to build on.

The student recruitment group was divided into subcommittees, which were charged with formulating suggestions for altering current recruitment policies.

Davis said the committees will intend to work to make the University a more diverse environment.

Areshini Pather, president of the University’s chapter of the National Organization for Women also praised the event.

The Honor Committee voted 14-2-1 last night to put a referendum on the spring ballot for a constitutional amendment which would eliminate the seriousness clause in cases of academic dishonesty.

The proposed amendment would remove the seriousness clause from the trial stage for the honor offense of academic cheating, yet it would remain in the Investigative Panel stage. All cases are heard first by an I-Panel which determines whether there is sufficient evidence to hold a trial.

In order for the amendment to pass, it needs a three-fifths majority in an election where at least 10 percent of the student body votes in favor of the amendment.

The Committee debated issues of when the constitutional amendment would go into effect and how it would proceed if passed.

The Committee voted on and passed two contingent bylaws that would go into effect upon the passing of the amendment.

The bylaws will help clearly articulate to students the changes that would be made as a result of passage of the amendment.

Committee Chairman Hunter Ferguson said the contingent bylaw changes will appear in pamphlets that will be printed this week.

Vice Chairman for Education Peter Leary said he saw the bylaws as a way of giving the amendment “to students in complete form.”

“We should not allow students to make an uninformed decision,” he said.

But not all Committee members agreed with the proposed constitutional amendment.

Vice Chairman for Services Cordel Faulk said he voted against the proposal because the proposed amendment is “dishonest.”

“We should ask students if they want to get rid of the seriousness clause” in the whole process, Faulk said.

“It’s not fair that the students don’t have the right to determine seriousness,” while the Investigation Panel does, he said.

“If you are going to take seriousness away from the community, you should take it away from everybody,” he added.

Ferguson questioned when the constitutional amendment will take effect if passed.

Education Rep. Jim Haley said it “should take effect with the new board” in April.

Vice Chairman for Investigations Carter Williams said he was worried about letting the amendment take effect so soon.

Williams said he wanted it to begin taking effect in the fall term because it would “give us the whole summer” to prepare for the changes.

Leary proposed the contingent bylaw because he said the Committee should outline how the constitutional amendment would affect procedure before giving it to the students to decide upon.

Architecture Rep. Scott Sottile said he voted against the two bylaw changes because he did not feel they were voted on in the proper manner. Sottile said he felt the process was too rushed.

The Committee also voted on but did not pass another proposal, presented by Vice Chairwoman for Trials Terra Weirch, to change the number of College Representatives.