Go, Hokies!

Juan P. Espinoza '04
Blacksburg, Va.

I can appreciate the worth in a building for the arts, but why does it have to look like warmed-over Bauhaus? For those unfamiliar with this sort of architecture, let me offer a little history. The Bauhaus was conceived during the Weimar Republic, Germany's failed attempt at democracy that followed World War I. It was a school founded in the city of Weimar, where the republic had also been founded. Walter Gropius was the leader in this effort to amalgamate all visual arts into one school. It later moved to Dessau, where it had a profound effect, especially on architecture. The guiding principle of Bauhaus architects was "form follows function," which led to plain, box-like structures. I personally do not admire them and had hoped that Bauhaus had faded away. The Nazis considered these designs decadent, so the school was shut down as the republic was extinguished.

The System X supercomputer
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I wonder how fast iTunes loads at 10 teraflops?
Kevin Zhan '10
Charlottesville, Va.

Hereditary Hokies
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My infant son is a fourth-generation Hokie. We decorated the nursery in Hokie colors largely to honor my dad, [a member of the] corps of cadets and Class of 1951.
Joe Hoggard
Oak Hill, W.Va.

Me, hubby, three of our four kids, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, one niece, two nephews, two cousins, and their spouses. One U.Va. grad, but he works for Virginia Tech and always cheers for Tech over that other school!
Karen Torgersen '78, M.B.A. '86
Raleigh, N.C.

I was the first and proud to say so. Even more proud that my daughters are turning it into a tradition! Bloodlines or not, we are all one big Hokie family, and few understand how strong the ties that bind are!
Todd Dale '86
Eagleville, Pa.

Fellow alumni:

You may have noticed some changes to Virginia Tech Magazine over the past several issues. Concurrent with the Fall 2008 issue, we merged Alma Mater, a semi-annual publication of the Alumni Association, into Virginia Tech Magazine. This change afforded university relations and the Alumni Association cost savings and a streamlined production process.

With this issue more changes appear. You now will see paid advertising throughout the publication. Formerly only the alumni section was ad-supported. We adopt this new business model reluctantly. However, university finances demand that we reduce costs or find supplemental revenue.

For many years, we reduced costs and expanded distribution. I fear that those days are over. For almost two decades we have distributed the magazine free to all alumni. We remain one of the few large universities to continue this practice.

You have repeatedly told us through survey after survey that Virginia Tech Magazine is your primary source of news and information about your alma mater. While alumni magazines remain expensive programs and I sometimes hear a clamor to replace print with some version of electronic distribution, our experiences, research, and feedback continue to support a traditional print magazine approach.

We hope that this periodical just might have some small role in the legendary affection and support the Hokie Nation repeatedly expresses for Virginia Tech.

And if your business needs exposure in front of 180,000-plus highly educated American consumers with a penchant for strange color combinations, we've got just the ad vehicle for you. Learn more at www.vtmagazine.vt.edu/advertising.html.

Larry Hincker '72
Associate Vice President for University Relations

Corrections and clarifications

The first name of Bennet Cassell was misspelled in "Tech's gutsy go-to guy," a summer 2010 story about Stuart Cassell.

The spring 2010 Hokie Stone article referenced a board of visitors resolution during the 1990s requiring Hokie Stone on all campus buildings. Although this sentiment clearly was the direction from the board's building and grounds committee, a resolution never went before the full university board for action.