For those unfamiliar with the term, White Noise refers to a static hissing meant to confuse listeners. It's typically employed by high-tech devices in secure rooms as a countermeasure to bugs and other listening devices. Recently though, I've been wondering if the same white noise hasn't been cluttering up the college football world. It seems that more and more conversation has drifted away from points that really matter to idle chatter more befitting the chair-throwing guests of the Jerry Springer show. There certainly was plenty of "noise" evident in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Thursday night, and little of it had to do with the game. Maybe this is just the result of a changing social viewpoint. I don't know.

What's upsetting though is the amount of noise surrounding the Hokies this year. A lot of it is the result of an overflowing bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can be great, like last year when journalists and newscasters altered their opinion to match popular demand, often times with amnesic precision. "I was with you all the time, Hokies! I knew you'd go all the way!" But, the bandwagon can have its downside too, as Hokie fans have witnessed. The bandwagon brings plenty of attention - much of it unwanted. Fans from other schools troll through the HCMB baiting Hokie fans with a few well-placed jeers. This is part of the price of recognition. West Virginia saw plenty of attention focused when they romped to an undefeated season, and the fans came out of the woodwork. However, the Mountaineer bandwagon emptied last year and the same people who claimed Don Nehlen was the Albert Einstein of football wanted his head on a stick.

Webster's defines FAIRWEATHER as such: adj, loyal only during a time of success. The problem with the fairweather fan is that their voice is much louder than most. When all is well, they whoop it up, cheering at the top of their lungs with very little to say. Take a spin through the past few weeks of board traffic, and you'll find the usual insightful posts buried under an avalanche of fluff. A pity since thoughtful commentary has been a mainstay of the HCMB for years. Mostly what you'll find are posts claiming "Wow (nm)" or "We're awesome **." While I love the enthusiasm behind the posts, the high frequency of their occurrence can become mind-numbing.

Although many Hokies have grown tired of the chest-thumping cry, "We're Back, Baby," I have to admit I'm impressed with Miami's fervor. The Hurricanes haven't had much success during Butch Davis' tenure, but the followers are as fanatical as ever. Sure, it makes me all that much happier when the Hokies beat them, but I also have to give their fans props. What will happen if Tech performs poorly? I hope even then we hear a hearty, "Let's Go Hokies!"

Though there's been an increase in "noise" on the board, I'm pleased that hasn't affected Will's commentary. No matter what, I can always rely on HokieCentral to give an unbiased and realistic opinion of matters affecting Virginia Tech. Politics, Schmolitics. Though I disagree with some points in Will's article about Weaver, I praise him for speaking his mind, even if it goes against the party line. Virginia Tech may launch a competing site, but there's no way it will provide that same type of journalistic integrity. It's important to have a venue that shares the whole story and keeps fans informed. When fans are kept in the dark, suspicion breeds nasty rumors which build in volume even louder than the white noise.

BILL GLOSE is a Virginia Tech graduate and a former paratrooper with the 82d Airborne Division. He is currently a full-time technical writer and editor of the magazine, Virginia Adversaria.

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