Jamie Graham, a former student arrested as a result of Operation Equinox, a 1991 drug bust of several University fraternities, spoke with students about finding an alternative method to the war on drugs in Clark Hall last night.

Graham spoke in an event sponsored by Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Students for Individual Liberty at the University.

“We need to wake people up and tell them [the war on drugs] is something that can affect them,” Graham said.

Graham, a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, spent over 11 months in a Petersburg, Va. federal prison for selling two doses of LSD to an undercover police officer. Graham said he actually thought he was selling mescaline, a natural hallucinogen made from cacti extracts. Tau Kappa Epsilon later lost its charter with the University and the national chapter.

One of the purposes of Graham’s speech was to “humanize the effects of the U.S. drug war and local drug war” to University students, second-year SSDP member Brandon Joyce said.

Graham urged students to “keep pushing in every way possible” to end the war on drugs, which he believes is corrupt and ineffective.

The war on drugs is not really an attempt by the government to get drugs off the street, but rather it “is about getting as many arrests as possible and seizing as much property as possible,” Graham said.

The government and police “want people to do drugs,” because of profits involved, he said.

Drug raids are profitable to the police because police departments are paid part of the revenue collected from seized property, he added.

To combat drug use more effectively, Graham encouraged initiatives focused more on medical problems. Now, there is “no real drug treatment” involved in the drug war, he said.

His story is fascinating, said Systems Engineering Prof. James W. Lark, adviser to SIL and chairman of the National Libertarian Party.

He is “a classic example of someone who is not hurting anyone whose life gets turned upside down,” Lark said, citing Graham’s drug conviction.

Students and community members gathered in New Cabell Hall last night to hear Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of the political magazine The National Review, share his unique and pun-filled views on politics and issues conservative Americans face in today’s world.

“It’s great to be back at U.Va.,” said Lowry as he thanked The Virginia Advocate and the Jefferson Issue Foundation for inviting him to speak. Lowry graduated from the University in 1990 with a degree in history and English and was the editor-in-chief of The Virginia Advocate. At 35 he is now the youngest editor-in-chief in the history of The National Review.

Lowry began speaking about the recent presidential campaign and what he saw as follies of former Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign advisors.

“Finding out Gore slept in the nude was perhaps the worst news we’ve had since we found out Dole was on Viagra,” Lowry said.

Lowry also outlined the three greatest problems he sees facing modern conservatives. He said Republicans need to stop the government’s over-taxation of Americans and help America rediscover the concept of masculinity.

“We live in a world of weeping politicians and drugged-up youth,” Lowry said. “John McCain was refreshing because he appealed to that underground hunger for tough manliness in politics.”

Lowry also took questions on a wide range of issues.

In response to audience questions about David Horowitz’s controversial racial reparations ad, which appeared in college newspapers Lowry said, “This was a gimmick to make campuses look bad and colleges fell right into the trap. But, it also illustrated liberals weaknesses to debate controversial issues.”

“We look up to people at The National Review. Lowry is an icon and a role model for us,” Second-year College student Ben Belilies said.

Eliminate legacy advantage

For students applying to public schools in Texas, legacy status soon may not be any special status at all. And it shouldn’t be. Colleges have a duty to admit students based only on their own merits, without regard to their parents’ achievements. It’s time for the University to stop using legacy status as a factor in admissions.

Tuesday Texas state representative Lon Burnam, a Democrat, presented a bill which would prohibit consideration of legacy status in admissions at Texas’ public universities. Burnam said this practice is racist because it predominately benefits white students.

Burnam is right to criticize colleges for giving an edge to their alumni’s families, but labeling the practice racist doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. Most universities have pasts as white male institutions, but through affirmative action and the desire for diverse student bodies, those demographics have and continue to change. In the future, legacy status likely will benefit minorities as much as white students – but that doesn’t mean it should remain as a consideration.

Favoring legacies favors students who have been fortunate enough to grow up in households with college-educated parents. These parents had college degrees that helped many of them land high-paying jobs, which in turn allowed them to raise children in middle- to upper-class environments. Most legacies already have had the benefit of growing up in comfort, with all the advantages this brings. They don’t need the added bonus of a boost to their college admissions application.

Whether legacies are white or minority students, their families probably still fall into a fairly well-to-do category. Many of these students have parents who can afford private schools, SAT prep classes and other opportunities that already strengthen their children’s applications. Students who want to be the first from their family to go to a prestigious university may not have had these advantages. They don’t need the added fact that they’re not legacies to count against them.

Even though many universities claim that legacy status is only a minor factor in admissions, this doesn’t mean that it’s not the deciding factor sometimes. Burnam said that at Texas A&M, legacy policy was the determining factor for 200 applicants in 1996. That means the university rejected 200 other students solely because they weren’t legacies.

At the University, legacy status is sometimes cited as a tiebreaker between two equally qualified applicants. But by granting that edge to legacy students, the University discriminates against other applicants on the basis of their parents’ accomplishments. The Admissions Office should stick to considering what individuals would bring to the University community in the future, without regard to what their parents brought in the past.

It’s possible that by eliminating legacy preference, the University would lose some monetary donations. One reason alumni contribute to the University is to make sure it stays strong for their children. But most alumni give to the University because of all it already has done for them. Besides, University graduates should be confident that if they instill in their children the work ethic and educational values of their alma mater, they will be more than worthy of acceptance. If children of alumni are admitted, they will know the University accepted them on their own merits, not on their parents.’

The principle of granting legacies preference is wrong. Although Burnam wants to make it illegal in Texas, the University shouldn’t wait for the state legislature here to make a similar proposal. We encourage the University to take a proactive stance and stop considering legacy status on its own.

In a special meeting last night, the members-elect of the University Judiciary Committee selected their executive committee. Third-year College Rep. Paul Gigante, who ran uncontested, was elected chairman.

“I think [UJC is] probably the most important student self-governing body on Grounds,” Gigante said. “We maintain a community of safety and well-being … we’re really trying to help people.”

Gigante currently is finishing his term as vice chairman for sanctions.

“I don’t know what I would have done this past year without Paul,” current Committee Chairwoman Lissa Percopo said. “I can’t imagine any other outcome for that position … he is very prepared.”

Gigante said he hoped that, with the support of the Board of Visitors, the new Committee would be able to pass its changes to the Standards of Conduct, which would include revising Standard One relating to sexual assualts. He also said education and an efficient turn-over of cases were among his top priorities.

Before serving on the Committee, Gigante also served as a first-year judge and a counselor.

During elections, 14 of the 15 Committee members-elect listened to speeches, asked questions, debated and voted to elect their four new executive officers.

Fourth-year Engineering Rep. Carter Sheffler was elected vice chairman for first-year students.

Sheffler, who is a returning member of the Committee, said he would work to recruit, train and oversee an enthusiastic pool of first-year judges.

Third-year Education Rep. Mary Ellen Bizzarri will serve as vice chairwoman for trials.

Bizzarri said her main goals are to schedule trials efficiently and foster a sense of community among the judges. She also is a returning member of the Committee.

Third-year Engineering Rep. Kathryn Szeliga, who has no previous involvement with the Committee, was elected vice chairwoman for sanctions. Szeliga said she hoped to use her experience with other educational organizations to develop better educational sanctions.

This position “is the greatest opportunity to positively influence someone’s life,” Szeliga said.

“I am so pleased – not only with the executive committee, but the entire Committee,” Gigante said, stressing that he hoped to include everyone’s ideas.

“These four are absolutely incredible … I’m going to be okay with handing this Committee over,” Percopo said.

The Committee-elect and its newly elected executive members will begin their terms April 1.

Because of the recent state budget freeze, the University will not be able to use its non-general or private funds for construction around Grounds.

The House of Delegates and Senate clashed over provisions in the proposed budget regarding the car tax. The House wanted to keep the tax cut at 70 percent, and the Senate wanted to see the tax cut reduced to 50 percent.

“Because the General Assembly couldn’t agree on an budget bill we couldn’t receive permission to build these non-general funds buildings,” University spokeswoman Louise Dudley said.

A state law requires all public funds, whether appropriated by the Commonwealth or privately donated, to be approved by the General Assembly. Since no budget was passed, the use of private funds for capital projects was not approved. Thus, until the General Assembly passes a budget, no privately donated funds can be used for the start of construction and renovation at the University.

“A total of $132 million non-state [funded] projects were held up because [the General Assembly] didn’t agree,” Dudley said.

Twenty-five projects, including a new Materials Science building, a Commerce School addition and the renovation of Garrett Hall, are affected by the budget freeze. All were to be funded by non-general grants.

“The state must approve the appropriations for both general and non-general funds for capital projects,” said Nancy Rivers, University director of State Governmental Relations.

The restrictions on non-general funds for capital projects was a budget freeze consequence, said Colette Sheehy, Vice President of Management and Budget.

“It is not because the Assembly didn’t support the spending of the non-general funds but because spending could not be approved if the budget did not pass,” Sheehy said.

The University is working to solve the problems posed by the halt in the budget legislation.

“I am very optimistic that the governor will try to solve this situation,” said Leonard W. Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operations officer.

There are two ways the non-general and general funds could be used. First, the General Assembly could reconvene and pass a new budget. This could occur if Governor James S. Gilmore III (R) called a special session or the General Assembly convenes under a two-thirds vote.

Secondly, the University could appeal to Gilmore for permission to use the private funds.

Unless the Assembly reconvenes, the balanced budget Gilmore issued March 12 will be used until next year. If this occurs, University can receive approval to use the non-general funds through the appeals process.

Gilmore spokesman, Kevin Sheridan, said the governor will call the General Assembly back into session if it appears that it will agree to keep the car tax cut at a 70 percent.

“We’re working with the governor’s staff to understand the possibilities involved with solving this problem,” Rivers said.

Despite the current lack of funds from the state budget freeze, the Board of Visitor’s Buildings and Grounds Committee passed its 2002-2008 plan for construction and renovation projects around Grounds and the U.Va.-Wise campus.

The six-year plan will be submitted to the state for approval.

In December 2001, Gilmore’s staff will review the Board’s plan. The six-year plan’s cost totals $947.7 million. This includes improvements for the “Academic Division, the Medical Center, and the College at Wise.”

General funds total $337.3 million while, non-general funds total $610.4 million.

As part of the Democratic Primary Debate Series, three of the four candidates for the Democratic attorney general nomination met last night in the Chemistry Auditorium in a debate sponsored by University Democrats.

Consensus on many key issues characterized the debate. Candidates Del. Donald McEachin of Henrico County, Sen. John Edwards of Roanoke, and Sylvia Clute of Richmond participated in the debates. Del. Whitt Clement, who is also a candidate, did not attend. The four candidates are competing for a position on the ticket that will include Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner.

The candidates debated a broad spectrum of issues including gun control, abortion, the death penalty, the war on drugs and genetic privacy.

Edwards criticized the fiscal policy of the Commonwealth’s Republican leadership. “The Republican takeover in Richmond has squandered resources,” Edwards said.

Edwards stressed the need to assert Democratic values more clearly by taking a hard stance on reproductive rights, crime and the environment.

McEachin spoke about the need to defend civil rights and to keep guns out of schools. “We need to provide child safety locks that work,” McEachin said.

Clute commented on the growing problem of the Commonwealth’s response to crime. “I am concerned about our response [to crime] that is increasingly punitive.”

Clute stressed the need to increase the scope of “drug courts” given low costs and effectiveness at deterrence.

The debate moderators, led by Alexander Theodoridis, chief of staff of the Center for Governmental Studies, questioned candidates regarding the role of current Republican Attorney General Mark Earley in the car tax reduction and the ensuing budget freeze at institutions of higher education in Virginia.

“There is no room in the attorney general’s office for politics, and that is what’s been going on for the past eight years,” McEachin said.

Edwards also criticized Earley’s role in the budget freeze as “politicized.”

“The attorney general is the person who can set standards of accountability,” Clute said.

She said the office of attorney general should be more responsible to the people.

“Any one of us will be better than the current office holder,” McEachin said.

The tradition of the North Carolina-Virginia rivalry is no secret, but one of the tightest competitions between the two schools is often overlooked: women’s lacrosse.

The No. 9 Cavaliers will travel to Chapel Hill on Saturday to face the No. 8 Tar Heels in one of the ACC’s closest competitions.

Virginia (4-3, 0-1 ACC) has something to prove after falling to Carolina in 1999 and 2000.

“We’ve only beaten UNC once since I’ve been here,” senior midfielder Mills Hook said. “But we’re definitely pumped for UNC. It should be an exciting, huge team effort.”

“Our kids are sick of” losing, Virginia coach Julie Myers said. “They’re ready to put their foot down.”

Both teams are coming off tough losses: Carolina fell to in-state rival No. 4 Duke on March 17 on a last-second shot from the Blue Devils’ Laura Gallagher.

Virginia battled No. 6 Princeton on Sunday, but after a trying Spring Break when they played four games in nine days, the Cavaliers crumbled, and lost, 9-6. Virginia hung with the Tigers through most of the first half, but Princeton went on a 5-0 run that proved too much for the Cavaliers to overcome.

“It was a big week,” Myers said. “We played some good lacrosse during the week, but that last game was one game too many.”

In its other matches over Spring Break, Virginia beat Richmond, 16-10, and Penn State, 15-11, but fell to conference rival Maryland, 8-7.

“Maryland was a huge disappointment,” Hook said. “But it was positive in the sense that we know we can beat them now.

Facing a game that can make or break its winning record, Virginia now will try to make use of its high-scoring offense and tough defense that has helped them against ranked opponents Penn State and Syracuse.

Behind the quick sticks of the Cavaliers’ Aumiller sisters and midfielder Jamie Haas, the Virginia offense has outscored their opponents this season, 80-70.

Midfielder Lauren Aumiller leads the team in goals scored, with 15 goals and six assists, and her sister Lacey has added 13 goals and three assists. Haas has posted 13 goals.

North Carolina has “big guns” of its own, according to Myers. Midfielder Christine McPike leads the ‘Heels with 16 goals and three assists, while attacker Kellie Thompson has 15 goals and six assists.

“McPike has great speed and a heart of gold,” Myers said. “And Kellie is one of their most dynamic attackers.”

On the other end, Virginia can be confident with sophomore goalkeeper Liz McCarthy, who has 9.77 goals against average and has played the vast majority of games for the Cavaliers.

“I think we’re coming together all over the field,” Myers said. “Our defense is getting tough and the offense is scoring a lot of goals every game. In practice they’re pushing each other.”

“They’re going to be tough,” Hook said. “UNC’s always tough.”

With a little grit of their own, the Cavaliers hopefully will be able to become the tough kids of the conference as well.

Virginia baseball will face a team gathering momentum when N.C. State rolls into U.Va. Baseball Field this weekend for a three-game series. After a lackluster first two weeks of the season and five consecutive losses, the Wolfpack (11-11, 3-3 ACC) have worked their way back to a .500 conference record.

“Dad gum, if they haven’t started playing well,” Virginia coach Dennis Womack said. “They took two out of three from Georgia Tech [in Atlanta], one from Florida State … We’re going to have to play well.”

The Cavaliers certainly are capable of it. After dropping a three-game series to Florida State, Virginia (13-9, 2-4 ACC) bounced back to take six of its next eight contests, including victories over Duke and UNC-Greensboro.

The brightest spot in the Cavalier offense during its recent run has been senior shortstop Hunter Wyant. On March 19, Wyant earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors for his stellar work at the plate. Over the course of the week, he went 15-for-22 and racked up 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, four triples, three doubles and one home run.

Wyant also became the only player in Virginia baseball history to hit for the cycle with a single, a double, a triple and a homerun against High Point on March 12. Wyant has started all 21 games so far this season and boasts a .376 batting average.

Junior left fielder David Stone has been impressive at the plate as well. His .386 average is the second highest on the team and he hit safely in 20 consecutive games before he snapped his streak with a 0-4 outing against Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday.

Though offensively the Cavaliers have been solid, they have been slightly less consistent on the mound.

Senior left-hander Brandon Creswell and junior right-hander Dan Street have been the most aggressive thus far, with ERAs of 3.71 and 1.82, respectively. Creswell leads the team with 28 strikeouts, and Street is second with 19.

Freshman left-hander Joe Koshansky is working on a 2-2 record after five starts, but he carries a 5.02 ERA. ERA is a problem for the rest of the staff, including the bullpen, where percentages creep up into the 6.00s.

If the Cavaliers can pull consistent work out of their pitching staff, they will be better equipped to handle N.C. State, though not without a fight.

The Wolfpack entered the 2001 season gunning for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in 16 years. Though mostly a young team, it’s the upperclassmen who have stepped up so far this season for the ‘Pack.

Senior right-hander Josh Miller and junior lefty Dan D’Amato have done impressive work on the mound – Miller with a 1.99 ERA and D’Amato with a . 600 winning percentage. D’Amato leads the team in innings pitched and has three wins under his belt.

Offensively, four members of the ‘Pack are hitting over .300, though the team has only outscored its opponents 137-131. All-ACC junior left fielder Brian Wright has been the most reliable at the plate with a .371 batting average and a .436 on-base percentage. But if perennially crucial Cavalier pitching can shut down Wright, the Cavaliers shoul d have an easier time containing the rest of the N.C. State lineup.

Street is confident about the rotation’s chances.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I think our starting pitching will be able to hold them down.”

Staring into the welded steel forms of Melvin Edwards’ sculptures, you can imagine the callused hands, bruised and tired backs and weathered faces of the black working-class Americans who helped build this country. Or perhaps, from another angle, you see a ceremonial African mask, rendered in futuristic angled steel.

Such is the character of “Conversation with Igun,” the current exhibition of sculpture from Melvin Edwards at the Bayly Art Museum. The pieces can be described as abstract, but never cold, and always evocative. Edwards says, “This is not simple statement stuff.”

When asked what contemporary themes influence his pieces, the 63-year-old artist responds, “I’ve lived through it all, so it’s all contemporary to me.” From his experiences, Edwards has constructed sculptures of materials with connotations both universally recognizable and more personal to the artist. He encourages the viewer to “think at least double about everything in those pieces.”

Edwards was born in Houston, Texas, in 1937 and began sculpting in the ’60s during the Civil Rights Movement. During this period, he established himself as a sculptor who was not afraid to tackle charged racial issues in his work. He came to prominence as a black sculptor when doing so was still largely unprecedented.

“Conversation with Igun” is largely composed of works from the ’90s. His pieces benefit from a thoughtfully curated exhibit, which allows for a journey-like experience through his works. The piece “Archaeology”(1995-99) stands at the entrance and acts as a harbinger for the tone of the works.

In what could be the debris of a burned-out warehouse or a rock of dirty mid-January curb snow, chains, railroad spikes, padlocks, tools and a conch shell hang suspended. The collage of steel seems to be a reminder of the journey of many blacks in this country, from across the ocean and into the chains of slavery and finally into the workforce that built the nation.

The bulk of the exhibit comes from an ongoing series called “Lynch Fragments” which Edwards started while in experiencing the extremely strained race relations of Los Angeles in the early nineties. He is also continually influenced in this vein of work by his travels to Africa. The pieces have the quality of faces, as they hang at a height of six feet and seem to stare the viewer in the face, challenging him to stare back.

In some ways the sculptures of “Fragments” can take on the character of brutal industrial collages made up of chains, spikes, hammers, shovels and steel sheets. They can suggest the brutality of work or the progress it embodies. Pieces like “To Dig Again,” “A symbol of ?” and “To Tell the Truth” stand out amongst them.

At the same time as the hard industrial quality of the shapes suggests inhumanity, the face-like arrangements of these seemingly non-human parts as well as the evocative African names of some of the pieces beg the viewer to make other connections. The sleeker steel of “Conversation with Igun” and “Enigma” easily come off as futuristic ceremonial masks.

Sculptures with names like “Deni-Malick” (farmland in Senegal) and “Atokpe” (an Ido greeting meaning “long-life”) refer specifically to Edwards’ travels on the African continent. These pieces, with their conflicting intonations of industrial American and traditional African culture, ask the viewer to make connections that are not readily visible in the abstract pieces.

“Conversation with Igun” will be on display at the Bayly Art Museum until May 13. Viewers of the exhibit should be prepared to encounter a world of history peering into these conflagrations of steel.

When things get tough, some people fold. But for the Virginia women’s tennis team Wednesday night, giving in was not an option.

After losing all three of their doubles matches to open the highly-anticipated showdown against in-state rival Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers roared back from the 1-0 deficit by winning five of their six singles matchups and shut the door on the Hokies, 5-2.

The victory was Virginia’s (6-4) second straight over Virginia Tech (7-7) and its fourth win out of its last five meetings. It also snapped a two-match losing streak for the Cavaliers.

“It was awesome,” said freshman Laura James, who won her match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, over Hokie Bridget Bruner. “Losing all our doubles matches made us focus, because we knew we had to win four out of six. Every match was important. I was really anxious to play.”

James, who played the No. 4 spot, was not the only one who came out pumped after doubles and won her singles match decisively. The top three – junior Amy O’Donnell, sophomore Henriette Williams and senior Chistie Schweer – all claimed victory in straight sets.

O’Donnell destroyed Kristen Stubbs, 6-1, 6-2, Williams overpowered Antonella Pozzi, 6-4, 6-3, and Schweer defeated Ines Khelifi, 6-3, 6-4.

“It was a mature response from the top of our lineup,” Virginia assistant coach Justin Drzal said. “In doubles, we didn’t mentally finish and close out. But they stepped up in the right moments without being told. They responded and knew what to do. They didn’t get nervous, down, edgy, or bent out of shape. Tonight they showed their experience and what they have learned.”

As expected with any contest between huge rivals like Virginia and Virginia Tech, the match resembled the many that had been played before – mental, gritty and close. Prolonged rallies and thrilling points characterized all the matches, and the contest was much closer than the final scores indicated. Endurance and mental toughness were ultimately the deciding factors.

“It really was a mental match,” O’Donnell said. “I definitely wasn’t as confident as the score shows.”

In the end, the Cavaliers outlasted the Hokies and closed the door on their arch-rivals. Schweer’s monster serve that overpowered her opponent on match point was the epitome of how Virginia ended the match – with a bang.

“Our experience shined through,” Drzal said. “For what’s upcoming and what we have to face next, this is a very important win for us. We’ve just got to keep going, and we can build on this.”

What Drzal is talking about is Virginia Commonwealth, yet another in-state rival that the Cavaliers’ will face on Sunday. The Rams currently are ranked 10 spots higher than Virginia and are sure to be a bigger challenge than Virginia Tech. Their top player, Martina Nedelkova, is the sixth-best singles player in the country.

“VCU’s going to be really tough,” James said. “They’re a really good team. It gets really intense on the court. We know we can get it done against them, we just have to do our parts and play really well.”

If the Cavaliers’ gained confidence helps give them their second-straight win when they play the Rams, the big victory over the Hokies will prove to be much more than just another win for the Cavaliers.