December 9th

WEDNESDAY | 12.9.2015 | MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 58, Issue 11

The Mace & Crown

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M&C| WEDNESDAY | 12.9.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM

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Mace & Crown

Staff Sean Davis Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@maceandcrown.com David Thornton Copy Editor Dthor013@odu.edu Josh Whitener News Editor news@maceandcrown.com Amy Poulter Arts & Entertainment Editor artsandentertainment@maceandcrown.com Josh Boone Photography Editor photo@maceandcrown.com Ross Reelachart Technology Editor technology@maceandcrown.com

THE FINAL WOR DS FROM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SEA N DAVIS

Dear Reader, Thank you for picking up the last issue of the Fall 2015 semester – or, more likely, for visiting our website.

On behalf of the Mace & Crown, I’d like to offer congratulations to all those who are graduating. I’d also like to wish a winter break full of rest and relaxation for those who will be returning in January.

This issue is not only the last of the semester, and of 2015, but also the last one I will have the privilege of presiding over. After two incredible semesters as editor-in-chief, I am retiring.

Until a few weeks ago, the future of the Mace seemed a bit uncertain; there was nobody that was positioned to take the helm. That fear was relieved while we were in Austin attending the annual ACP/CMA College Media, when our arts and entertainment editor, Amy Poulter, agreed to take it on.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Mace is in more than capable hands. Working with and getting to know Amy over these last months has made that clear. She is one of the most creative, dependable and driven people I’ve ever met, and I cannot wait to see what direction she takes this paper.

The Mace also welcomes Stef Wasko and Adam Flores to the editorial team as copy editor and arts and entertainment editor, respectively. Having read and edited their work quite often, it’s obvious to me that both are naturally gifted writers who possess the kind of passion that it takes to push this publication even farther.

Walking into the Mace office halfway through my first semester at ODU was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made. I was as terrified as one can be but somehow I knew that I HAD to write for the student paper.

I wouldn’t have even been able to dream up the events I would witness, the people I would meet, or the experiences I would have. Because of the Mace & Crown, I’ve been able to have an incredibly rich and meaningful college experience, and for that I will always be grateful to this 85-year-old student journal.

Sabrina Brooks Senior Graphic Designer sbroo029@odu.edu

WODU alumn and Sirius XM Senior VP Jeremy Coleman once told us that the biggest lesson he took from working in college media was learning how to work with and rely on people he couldn’t pay. That is definitely a big part of running the Mace – most of the people that create the content, that write the stories, conduct the interviews and shoot the photos do so for free – however, the biggest lesson I think we’ve all learned is how to pursue, develop and maintain ambitious goals in the face of extremely limited resources and access in a jungle of red tape.

Jason Kazi Advertising/ Social Media Manager advertising@maceandcrown.com

From an outside perspective, the Mace might not seem very different now than it did two or three years ago.

We still produce a weekly tabloid and maintain a website, the events we cover are generally the same and we still hold open, physical meetings on Tuesdays during activity hour.

Jugal Patel Digital Strategist jpate016@odu.edu

On inside, however, this organization is radically different. Over the last three semesters, we’ve transitioned from a print publication with a website to an innovative, digital-first outlet with a robust social media presence and quality online content.

Matt O’Brien Sports Editor sports@maceandcrown.com

Staff Writers:

I wanted to foster a culture of boundary pushing that would allow us to try radical new things and ask important, but not always obvious, questions. In pursuing that, our failures have been equally, if not more so, meaningful to learn from.

I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished, and the analytics numbers that tangibly prove we’ve progressed by leaps and bounds. Very little of the digital changes we’ve made would’ve been possible without the genius and vision of our digital editor/content strategist/coding guru, Jugal Patel.

Adam Flores Alex Brooks Connor Norton George Plank Julius Ayo Zach Moeller

By far the most critical piece to keeping this ship afloat, there would be no Mace & Crown without the extreme level of dedication Jason Kazi has shown week after week after week. Although his title is ad manager, he wears at least a dozen different hats including devoting countless hours to maintaining our social media.

Staff Photographers:

David Thornton was also integral to our successful operation. As copy editor he strived to take on a lot of extra responsibilities which made everyone’s lives easier.

Brian Vliet Diana Macaraeg Jonathan Harding Joshua Caudell Naomi Luking Schyler Shafer Shamon Jones

Additionally, without Jason and Jugal handling a lot of print design issues very late into our production nights (or, often, early into the next mornings), some of our print editions would’ve never even hit the stands.

I’m extremely grateful for their help and expertise, although I don’t think I’ll miss leaving the office at 4 a.m.

I’d also like to express my gratitude to all of the advisors we’ve had: our fearless leader, Dr. Joyce Hoffman, Nicole Kiger AKA DJ Penny Baker and the nicest man in the world, Vamsi Manne If I even tried to give everyone else I’ve had the privilege of working with, both on the editorial board and at the writer/photographer level, due credit, I could fill this entire newspaper. Thank you so much for contributing your hard work, ideas, and time to this publication.

In closing, I thank you, the reader. Without you, our work is meaningless and it’s for this reason that we’ve strived to create captivating, compelling and engaging content. As always, your feedback is extremely important.

Please enjoy our look back at 2015 with our editors’ picks of the top stories of the year.

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NEWS

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CRIME LOG

NOVEMBER 21ST A burglary was reported to have occurred on November 21st around 1:30 a.m. at this approximate location.

NOVEMBER 28TH

An assault was reported on November 12th between 11:57 p.m. and 11:58 p.m. at this approximate location. The assailant was cleared by arrest.

DECEMBER 5TH A shooting was reported to have occurred on on December 5th at 3:55 a.m. at this approximate location.

DECEMBER 1ST An assault was reported to have occurred on December 1st at 6:43 p.m. at this approximate location.

Date/ Time Reported

Date/ Time Occurred

DECEMBER 5TH A shooting was reported to have occurred on on December 5th at 3:55 a.m. at this approximate location.

Location

Category

Incident Number

Disposition

11/20/2015

11/20/2015 12:16am

700 Blk W 48th Street

Liquor Law Violation

2015-ODU-001354

Investigation by other Agency 11/23/2015

11/20/2015

11/20/2015 12:16am

700 Blk W 48th Street

Assault - Simple

2015-ODU-001354

Investigation by other Agency 11/23/2015

11/20/2015

11/20/2015 12:16am

700 Blk W 48th Street

Disorderly Conduct

2015-ODU-001354

Investigation by other Agency 11/23/2015

11/20/2015

11/17/2015 10:00am - 6:00pm

4600 Blk Hampton Blvd

Larceny

2015-ODU-001355

Active 11/23/2015

11/20/2015

11/17/2015 10:00pm - 11/18/2015 1:30am

4800 Blk Hampton Blvd

Larceny

2015-ODU-001356

Active 11/23/2015

11/20/2015

11/20/2015 8:57pm

4400 Blk Killam Ave

Warrant Cleared by Arrest

2015-ODU-001357

Clear by Arrest 11/23/2015

11/20/2015

11/20/2015 9:25pm

4000 Blk Colley Ave

Warrant Cleared by Arrest

2015-ODU-001358

Clear by Arrest 11/23/2015

11/21/2015

11/21/2015 1:10am - 1:25am

4700 Blk Powhatan Ave

Burglary

2015-ODU-001359

Active 11/23/2015

11/21/2015

11/18/2015 7:00pm - 11/21/2015 8:25am

800 Blk W 46th Street

Hit and Run - Property Damage

2015-ODU-001361

Active 11/23/2015

11/21/2015

11/21/2015 4:45pm - 6:08pm

1000 Blk 49th Street

Burglary

2015-ODU-001362

Active 11/23/2015

11/21/2015

11/21/2015 7:27pm

1700 Blk W 48th Street

Narcotics Violation

2015-ODU-001363

Judicial referral 11/23/2015

11/22/2015

11/22/2015 12:41am

1700 Blk W 48th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001365

Active 11/23/2015

11/22/2015

11/22/2015 1:53am

4700 Blk Powhatan Ave

Assault - Simple

2015-ODU-001366

Active 11/23/2015

11/22/2015

11/22/2015 1:53am

4700 Blk Powhatan Ave

Narcotics Violation

2015-ODU-001366

Clear by Arrest 11/23/2015

11/22/2015

11/22/2015 11:30am - 12:25pm

1000 Blk W 45th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001367

Active 11/23/2015

11/23/2015

11/23/2015 1:15-1:19pm

1400 Blk W 49th Street

Assault - Simple

2015-ODU-001369

Active 11/24/2015

11/23/2015

11/20/2015 6:59pm - 11/22/2015 11:00am

4300 Blk Monarch Way

Larceny

2015-ODU-001370

Active 11/24/2015

11/23/2015

11/23/2015 3:41-4:38pm

1700 Blk W 48th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001371

Active 11/24/2015

11/23/2015

11/23/2015 12:11am

4700 Blk Elkhorn Ave

Tamper with Fire Alarm

2015-ODU-001368

Clear by Arrest 11/24/2015

11/24/2015

11/24/2015 12:05am - 12:06am

1000 Blk W 38th Street

Robbery

2015-ODU-001374

Investigation by other Agency 11/30/2015

11/24/2015

11/24/2015 11:52am - 11:57am

5200 Blk Hampton Blvd

Larceny

2015-ODU-001378

Active 11/30/2015

11/24/2015

11/20/2015 8:30am - 12:00pm

1000 Blk W 45th Street

Hit and Run - Property Damage

2015-ODU-001379

Active 11/30/2015

11/24/2015

11/23/2015 11:30am - 7:00pm

1300 Blk W 43rd Street

Hit and Run - Property Damage

2015-ODU-001380

Active 11/30/2015

11/24/2015

11/23/2015 9:15 - 11/24/2015 4:40pm

800 Blk W 42nd Street

Motor Vehicle Theft

2015-ODU-001382

Investigation by other Agency 11/30/2015

11/24/2015

11/24/2015 4:56pm - 5:11pm

1500 Blk W 39th Street

Warrant Cleared by Arrest

2015-ODU-001383

Clear by Arrest 11/30/2015

11/25/2015

11/25/2015 10:30am - 10:42pm

4100 Blk Hampton Blvd

Narcotics Violation

2015-ODU-001386

Judicial referral 11/30/2015

11/25/2015

11/25/2015 6:30pm - 6:50pm

1200 Blk W 43rd Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001389

Active 11/30/2015

11/25/2015

11/25/2015 10:17am - 10:18am

1000 Blk W 49th Street

Narcotics Violation

2015-ODU-001392

Judicial referral 11/30/2015

11/26/2015

11/25/2015 2:50pm - 11/26/2015 1:00pm

4200 Blk Killam Ave

Tampering with automobile

2015-ODU-001390

Inactive 11/30/2015

11/28/2015

11/27/2015 12:41am

1000 Blk W 48th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001393

Active 11/30/2015

11/28/2015

11/28/2015 3:43pm

1200 Blk W 49th Street

Liquor Law Violation

2015-ODU-001394

Clear by Arrest 11/30/2015

11/28/2015

11/27/2015 7:30pm

1000 Blk W 48th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001395

Active 11/30/2015

11/29/2015

11/28/2015 11:57pm - 11:58pm

1000 Blk W 40th Street

Assault - Simple

2015-ODU-001396

Clear by Arrest 11/30/2015

11/29/2015

11/29/2015 8:00pm - 8:30pm

1300 Blk 49th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001398

Active 11/30/2015

11/30/2015

11/29/2015 11:30pm - 11/30/2015 9:40am

1000 Blk W 48th Street

Larceny

2015-ODU-001399

Active 12/01/2015

11/30/2015

11/30/2015 5:18pm

1000 Blk 49th Street

Trespassing

2015-ODU-001400

Active 12/01/2015

11/30/2015

11/29/2015 6:00pm - 11/30/2015 10:00am

1000 Blk 49th Street

Burglary

2015-ODU-001401

Active 12/01/2015

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M&C| WEDNESDAY | 12.9.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM

NEWS

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ODU ADJUNCTS SPEAK OUT

Photo by Jason Kazi

In February, adjunct professors organized a walkout on campus to protest unfair working conditions. It’s an issue that still resonates today. Well written, well researched, this article was a wakeup call to the dilemmas of adjuncts, especially in the English department (the largest at ODU). David did his homework. He asked the right questions. Of all the issues we covered this year, this one is especially unique because most students didn’t really know how much work goes into being an adjunct professor and how little is given back in return.

David Thornton News Editor Bells rang out across the snowy landscape of ODU as professors and students marched to raise awareness for the plight of adjuncts Thursday.

The “ring-in” was staged in conjunction with the first International Adjunct Walkout day on Feb. 25, part of a grassroots movement bringing attention to the low pay, long hours and lack of benefits endured by adjunct professors.

According to Caleb Magyar, an adjunct in the English department who helped organize this event, a single adjunct proposed the idea last fall, and it gained traction on social media, especially when Inside Higher Ed ran a story on the idea. “We’re hoping to raise awareness among the students.

It’s unclear exactly how many universities and adjuncts are participating, mainly due to the fact that the event has no central organization. The idea was proposed, and adjuncts, professors and students across the US, Canada, UK and other European countries picked up the idea and ran with it.

Adjuncts currently make up 41 percent of the teaching staff of ODU, while the national average is 48 percent, according to the website for the ODU protest, Adjuncts for Justice.

Yet they are consistently underpaid

and over-worked. Adjuncts at ODU earn between $1000 and $1200 per credit hour taught.

Adjuncts also receive no health benefits, and as their contracts must be renewed each semester, they also have no job security.

“Many adjuncts are on food stamps because they can’t earn a living wage,” Melissa Sipin, an adjunct in the English department who also helped to organize, said.

“If the university could just offer basic health-care, it would make a world of difference,” said Peter Adams, an adjunct in the Communication and English departments.

“Our working conditions are such that we would like to have conversations with upper administration about ways we could improve them, and ways that we can better be there for our students,” Magyar added.

Many adjuncts laughed and shrugged when asked how many hours they work each week. “That’s an interesting question,” Lane Dare, an English and Foreign Language adjunct said. “We should ask our adjuncts to quantify their hours.”

She said she spends 12 hours in class, six to nine in her office, and another 20-40 hours grading and interacting with students online each week.

16460866290_bd435db0b9_z“It’s pretty much a full time job when you

have three classes,” Adams said. “I do it because I love it. I do it because I’m passionate about teaching.”

An adjunct would have to teach about 12 three-credit classes in one year in order to make the same amount as the lowest-paid associate professor at ODU. That’s roughly 120 students per semester.

Although they are required to teach a certain number of hours and maintain regular office hours each week, they also spend a good deal of time outside of the mandated time grading papers and meeting with students. Many adjuncts also work at multiple institutions and are not compensated for their commutes.

“I would love to make this my full time job,” Magyar said.“The reason we’re doing this is to create situations in which adjunct faculty can devote their full attention to the students that they have.”

Magyar and Sipin insist that the last thing they wanted to do is disrupt the function of the university or classes.

We’re doing this ring-in so that we can show people that we all care, and we all just want a better way to be able to do our jobs,” Sipin said. “I have a class at noon, so I’m going straight to my class right afterwards.

Other campuses have taken different approaches. Some universities held teach-ins, where adjuncts

devoted their class periods to educating their students about the plight of adjuncts instead of the usual class material. Other schools staged actual walkouts, although “right-to-work” laws in many states forbid public employees from striking.

Participants hoped to gain the attention of the university administration, and are asking for the opportunity for a town hall meeting in order to discuss the adjunct situation. Magyar and Sipin both said that the university had already shown some support during the planning stages, including Vice Provost for Faculty and Program Development Chandra DeSilva.

During the march from BAL to Koch Hall, the group encountered Carol Simpson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Your voices have been heard,” she said.

“President Broderick and I are absolutely delighted to meet with you… and hear your concerns.” She also thanked participants and organizers for taking a non-disruptive approach.

When the march reached Koch hall, students and professors alike rang their bells for one minute, then posed for a group photo. Afterwards they quickly dispersed, most heading to class.

“We’re not abdicating our responsibilities here. We’re here because we care,” Dare said. “But we are asking for… open talks with the administra-

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tion so that heretofore we will have a voice.”

Adjunct walkout! pic.twitter.com/ EaPqPksYA0 — ODU M&C News Editor (@ ODUnewsed) February 25, 2015 Editor’s note– Some comments made by Melissa Sipin have been removed at her request. These statements pertained to contract professors taking on extra volunteer work.

Unfortunately, my statement was taken out of context and puts ODU in a negative light. I was not referring to ODU’s adjunct/contract professors working conditions. I was talking about the plight of contract professors in general nationally, where many contract professors feel obligated to perform volunteer work, which ends up rolling into their job descriptions once their contract ends I want to make sure an apology is issued from me to Dana Heller and the Provost. We at ODU are lucky to have Dr. Sarah Appleton, our Writing Program Administrator, who has set up many fantastic professional development programs and committees in the English Department. It has only helped many adjuncts and full-time professors alike,” Sipin said in an email

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NEWS

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KAUFMAN MALL SEAL MISSING, SECRET GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY

Nobody knew where the sacred ODU seal had gone. We were in the newsroom when a tweet was sent out from the self-styled “Seal Bandit,” posting demands for its return. Sean and I wrote this in the spirit of “The Daily Show” fake news reports. I got a serious reaction quote from someone who really believed our great seal was being held for ransom.

It was a good lesson in how fast news can travel, even if it’s just bullshit. In reality, the seal was never stolen and was in fact being repaired after a snow shoveling accident… or so we were told.

Josh Whitener Assistant News Editor & Sean Davis Editor-in-Chief

Graphic designed by Elijah Stewart

Word spread quickly through campus Wednesday that Old Dominion University’s official seal had been stolen. Students passing by the sacred spot in the middle of campus paused to snap pictures of the shallow hole

where the seal once resided. Instead of the large shield of St. George’s cross, a large cone and road black signs cover rusted bars and chipped mortar.

“People are crazy. I guess they’ll do anything for attention. I don’t know why they would steal it. I don’t know what they’re going to do with it,” Malik Graham says.

A twitter account, “Seal Bandit,” claimed responsibility for the miss-

ing seal and laid out a list of demands for its safe return.

“Whoever did it is really trying to get back at ODU or something.

Maybe it’s the meal swipes they’re mad about, the outrageous prices at The Pod,” student Markel Persoa said.

A Facebook post by the university appears to refute these claims, although the exact location and wellbeing of the seal remains unknown.

ODU COUNSELLING HELPS AT-RISK STUDENTS

Newer writers tend to take some time getting their bearings. Jacob put together all the elements of good journalistic writing that proved his ability to catch on quickly. He went after a story he felt needed to be told, especially considering the rise of student issues with depression and anxiety. With solid research and a gripping narrative, Jacob tied one student’s struggle into an informative piece that readers could relate to and possibly benefit from. Some students may feel apprehensive about utilizing counseling. We hoped this article lessened that worry.

Jacob Hall Contributing Writer

Almost all students will feel stress, anxiety or depression at some point during their school career. For one student last year, those feelings became too much as events led him to a decision: to overdose.

“I was prescribed to take two [Xanax] a day if needed,” an ODU student who wished to remain anonymous said. “One day I took 20 all at once and didn’t care what would happen. I was ambivalent to the consequences.”

Anxiety and depression, in addition to the stresses of college, can lead to serious dangers when left unchecked. ODU counseling services offers help for students with problems such as depression, anxiety and drug abuse.

Incidents like overdosing aren’t uncommon; the counseling services had a total of 62 crisis interventions last year.

“Depression, anxiety, and Phase of Life are all up at the top here at Old Dominion,” Andrew Jatau, a counselor, said. Phase of Life refers

to the overall move to college and the stress and problems that can come with that.

Out of the students diagnosed at the counseling center last year, 36.41 percent have anxiety disorder, 40.98 percent have depressive disorder, and 15.93 percent struggle with Phase of Life. Both depression and anxiety are blanket terms for a number of more specific problems that students could face.

While these may seem like large percentages, it is important to note that the total number of students seeking help last year was 672, compared to 742 the year before.

After finding out about the overdose, the student’s girlfriend immediately called 911. The student, who was still coherent, willingly left with the ambulance to head to the hospital.

“The doctor said because my metabolism was so fast, that’s what kept me from being in serious danger,” said the student.

He was involuntarily admitted to the Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center after a psychiatric screening at the hospital. After about five days he was sent in front of a magistrate to deter-

mine whether he should stay longer.

“I told them I want to stay voluntarily,” said the student.

Once the student got out of the psychiatric center, he knew he had to keep things up to prevent another incident from occurring. Even though he had been participating in therapy previously, he realized it hadn’t been working as well as it should have.

“I figured ODU has services available to me,” said the student. “I might as well take advantage of them.”

The student soon entered the counseling center on campus and sought the help he needed. After entering the center, he had to fill out a questionnaire to describe his problems as well as to help the center see the severity of them. After this, he was able to speak to a counselor.

“It was a professional and somebody to talk to that knew the situation I was facing,” the student said.

“I was able to vent and that’s what I needed at the time. Nobody outside of my close circle knew, and talking to a new person about it helped.”

Any student is able to schedule a consultation with the counseling services. The student is able to meet

with a counselor where they can discuss their problem and receive help on it. After the consultation they may be advised to return for more intake appointments. It is always up to the student on whether or not they want to return at any time.

In addition to walk-ins, the center participates in a number of outreach services to reach the student populace such as dorm visits for screenings and open houses.

“We want to let people know the counseling center is here, and what services we offer,” Brent Vallee, a counselor who is also in charge of outreach, said.

The counseling center is aware of the difficulty that can come with using the center for the first time. The outreach programs aim to get students comfortable with the staff and

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also inform them about the different types of problems they can face. They work to assure the students that these are not inconsequential issues.

The student has seen a large turnaround in his life, with most, if not all, of the problems being resolved. He is now finishing up his last year at Old Dominion and is on the right track to graduating.

“If you are struggling with anything they can help you with, it’s free and an easy process to get help,” the student said. “I would say they really do care about the students’ well-being.”

If you feel you need help with any issues related to mental health contact the Office of Counseling Services at 757-683-4401. The counseling center is located in room 1526 of the Webb Center.

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Ray Vittum stands alongside a homeless man

Photo courtesy of socksandsandwiches.com

HOW ONE STUDENT IS HARNESSING THE INTERNET TO HELP THE HOMELESS

I thought the idea Ray had was great and his altruistic personality was refreshing when I interviewed him. Although this article is recent, what makes it so great is that because of it www.socksandsandwiches.com gained a lot of exposure and Ray was able to raise enough money to register the organization as a nonprofit.

Josh Whitener News Editor Ray Vittum, an Old Dominion University student, has developed an e-commerce site to help assist homeless residents in Norfolk along with surrounding areas of Hampton Roads. “Socks and Sandwiches” is an online donation site that allows contributors to purchase essentials for homeless residents that are personally delivered by Vittum and volunteers.

The site launched on Oct. 12, and 10 days later has over $300 worth of donations.

“Socks and Sandwiches” was created by Vittum, a junior, along with two longtime friends, Josh Underdown and Nick Gritta who attend North Carolina State and act as directors of the program. The site operates similarly to an online shopping site. Donors can browse through a collection of items such as cases of water, toiletries, blankets and socks and shop to donate them.

Once items are donated, Vittum and volunteers help deliver the items personally to shelters or individuals.

The idea was planted when Vittum and Underdown donated clothes one day to a homeless man they saw daily at Vittum’s job at the Oceanfront.

“He lit up,” Vittum said. “He cried on the spot when we gave him the stuff and that was so easy and so rewarding.”

This gave them an idea.

The three embarked on a road-trip across the United States in the summer of 2014 to deliver clothes and other goods to homeless residents in American cities.

“We took a coast-to-coast trip and went to all the big cities along the way,” Vittum said. “We found people mostly around homeless shelters.”

Their trip, chronicled in the blog, “Drive for a Cause,” took them to major cities along the Southern, Midwestern and Eastern areas of the country. After they had completed their drive, Vittum wanted to

do more.

According to the 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Virginia Beach alone has 189 documented homeless families.

“I think it’s a really good idea actually,” Billy Ashford, a homeless man in Virginia Beach, said. “I’ve been homeless for about a year and a half now.”

Ashford said he is simply struggling to make ends meet. He said he was in need of basic supplies that “Socks and Sandwiches” could provide, notably a tent.

“I go to shelters sometimes. There are too many drunks. My stepfather was a drunk,” Ashford said.

“By the end of it we kind of wanted to keep going with it. We wanted to see what else we could do,” Vittum said. “So I had the idea to bring the act of helping the homeless to the world of online e-commerce and to give everyone a personalized way of giving. It’s not like writing a check to a corporation.”

Vittum, a carefree guy with a genu-

ine aura of serenity, explained his ambitions for the site.

“I don’t want this to become a mega corporation type thing, but I do have big aspirations. My goal overall is to be able to have my own shelter instead of just having to take it to various shelters,” Vittum said. “It’s going to take awhile to get there, but it’s definitely in the realm of possibility.”

Andrea Butler is director of Mission Advancement for Virginia Supportive Housing, a non-profit that provides initial transition for homeless into affordable, permanent housing.

Butler said shelters are the best way to get donations to the homeless in large groups.

“Some people do not want to go to homeless shelters. They may be chaotic, noisy and the person may have developed their own coping mechanisms,” Butler said. “But with winter coming people need food and blankets and it’s important they get them.”

Butler commented on the impor-

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tance of a site such as Vittum’s to be set up as a non-profit.

“As a non-profit you are held to a certain standard and deliver on a promise. A lot of donators aren’t doing this for themselves, but would like a receipt to be able to write off at tax season. Being a non-profit allows them to do this,” Butler said.

Vittum said he intends to register as a non-profit soon.

“The application to apply for a nonprofit is expensive,” Vittum said. “We plan to do it, we’re just waiting for more revenue.”

As the site undergoes its initial launch, Vittum encourages visitors to take a different look at those struggling to make ends meet.

“We all should act like brothers and sisters. The problem with the world right now is financial differences can equate to social differences,” Vittum said. “That doesn’t have to be the case.”

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MUMFORD & SONS • KINGS OF LEON • FLORENCE & THE MACHINE • DEADMAU5 ELLIE GOULDING • DISCLOSURE • BLINK-182 • DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE • TAME IMPALA • M83 A$AP ROCKY • MAJOR LAZER • THE 1975 • OF MONSTERS AND MEN • CHVRCHES

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB • LUDACRIS • THE NEIGHBOURHOOD • EARTH WIND & FIRE • GROUPLOVE PORTER ROBINSON • FITZ & THE TANTRUMS • FETTY WAP • FLOGGING MOLLY • VINCE STAPLES TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE • MØ • TCHAMI • CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN • ST. LUCIA ATLAS GENIUS • ALUNAGEORGE • NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS • GUSTER • ELLE KING SAINT MOTEL • THE WOMBATS • ROBERT DELONG • THE STAVES • OH WONDER • THE STRUTS THE WHITE PANDA • PEPPER • WET • JACK GARRATT • RÜFÜS DU SOL • GOLDLINK • FELIX JAEHN PELL • PARSON JAMES • MOON TAXI • CHAIRLIFT • BOY & BEAR • GALLANT • NIGHT RIOTS • JAI WOLF VANIC • CIRCA WAVES • LOUIS THE CHILD • SIGALA • HIPPIE SABOTAGE • PVRIS • COLEMAN HELL

Plus many more!

June 16-19, 2016 THE WOODLANDS OF DOVER, DE

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ODU CRIME “DISTRICT”

The District’s website hardly conveyed the reality of living there; the broken gates, deficient security system and resident complaints gone unheard. Incoming freshman and new students needed to know the risks of living off campus in this problematic complex. Recently, The Virginian-Pilot ran a similar story which illustrated that problems still occur and whether ODU will maintain its connection to the apartment complex in the future.

Josh Whitener News Editor Students have launched complaints over social media regarding the effectiveness of security in The District in light of the home invasion, robbery and assault of an ODU student on April 9. Security in The District has been brought into question by students and their families. The lack of timeliness of reporting crimes committed in The District has also worried some.

The District is covered in ODU’s crime report because both Norfolk and ODU police departments share jurisdiction of areas immediately surrounding campus.

The District’s Facebook page has 27 reviews giving the complex a one out of five stars. 24 people have given it five out of five, although very few explanations as to why are given.

ODU’s expansion throughout the years has caused concern over the safety of students who reside outside of the university. As long as student housing expands into neighborhoods like Park Place and Lamberts Point, crime will still be an issue the university must address. The Norfolk neighborhoods surrounding ODU are deemed unsafe according to Neighborhoodscout.com which reports crime rates by neighborhood statistics.

The District is owned by Asset Campus Housing, a corporation based in Houston, Texas, whose web-

site advertises that their “approach to property management is to provide responsive and professional services.

We continually strive towards excellence in delivery of those services and hold that expectation with every member of our organization.”

Christian Graves, The District’s property manager, declined to comment on recent crimes within the complex due to corporate policy.

Several phone calls and messages to Stuart Davis, the Senior Vice President of Asset Campus Housing, were placed without any returned.

A resident, who identified herself as Lauren H, expressed a strong concern about the lack of communication between the management and the residents.

“When I first moved here there [were] a whole lot of problems with the security and they don’t tell you anything about what’s happening… they don’t tell you, they don’t give you warnings or alerts,” Lauren H said.

She highlighted the current state of The District by pointing out repairs needed to cameras and outside gates. She said that even the working cameras are often turned, obscuring the view. She noted one in particular inside one of the buildings’ South entrances.

“This camera right here was turned back for the longest time.” Lauren H. said.

The District recently purchased and installed new computers in their computer lab and study room despite faulty cameras and door locks. This

has residents like Lauren seriously concerned. When reached for a comment on the date of installation and number of computers purchased, Christian Graves, property manager, refused to provide any information.

“I’m still trying to figure out how come they can’t figure out who some of the [assailants] are that assaulted the [student]. They still haven’t found them. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t… you supposedly have all these cameras,” Lauren said.

“I have a love/hate relationship with it,” Ilana Davlin, junior, said.

“I didn’t want to live on campus my freshman year. I kind of wanted my own space.”

Davlin described her first experience moving into the complex with the idea that being separated from campus dorm life would foster more independence and confidence. Instead, she said she experienced worry and frustration over The District’s ability to provide adequate security.

“There was a four bedroom available; I moved in, loved it and then the management changed three months after I moved in and it’s gone downhill ever since. The security’s gotten bad, the crime went from bad to worse.

[Crime] was always an issue there,” Davlin said.

With limited personnel, the security has become more reactionary than proactive. The trust and assurance in The District’s security has also been broken in recent years when Michael Spearman, a former District security guard, was charged with raping a resi-

dent in April of 2014.

“There’s a lot less security. I moved in two and half years ago. At first there were security guards there all the time, then they switched to cameras and only having a security guard at the parking garage and now they don’t even have that. They have an automated system where you have a pass so, realistically, anyone can just take the pass from a car and just wave it in front of [the sensor] and you’re in,” Davlin said.

Davlin also expressed frustration with regular noise complaints made to management.

“It’s almost like they’re gun-shy to do anything,” Davlin said.

Davlin has also voiced her concern over the lack of communication between residents and management in response to the April assault and robbery of an ODU student.

“They didn’t give a response at all. I found out on Twitter that something had happened and I want to know what’s going on around me… I don’t like being in the dark about things like that,” she said.

Many solutions have been suggested for improvements in both the communication between the property management staff and security.

One of them proposes the complex be integrated into the same style of alerts that ODU provides for students living on campus.

“They should treat it like it’s on campus,” Davlin said.

In the meantime, however, students like Davlin are forced to adjust

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to the susceptibility of crime. Vigilance while living in The District has been an unspoken activity for residents.

“It’s tolerable, I mean I’ve learned to lock my door and just be careful of my surroundings because you always see people running the halls. They’re never the residents; they’re always guests. You never know what could happen,” Davlin said.

A security guard with Silbar Security, a firm subcontracted to The District, who wished to remain anonymous, was assigned at the time to monitor incoming and outgoing residents due to a broken gate. He explained that when incidents like this are present, there is a guard on duty 24 hours a day. Regarding the high crime rate in and around The District, he seemed unaware.

“There’s a lot of crime that happens inside of here?” he asked.

Uncertain if their safety is guaranteed, residents have become more wary of their vulnerability to potential break-ins or assaults. Yet The District management continues to opt out of sending alerts to crimes committed within its property in favor of advertisements and social events hosted within the complex.

If the District intends to advertise to the ODU community, students should, at the very least, be alerted to criminal activity in their housing complex by management.

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ODU STUDENTS

DESIGN NATION’S FIRST CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTED NEIGHBORHOOD Digital Editor Jugal Patel has spoken about this issue in many different media. What makes a story good is not only how it’s written, but why it’s written and with solid, reliable information at his fingertips, Jugal gave a plethora of detail about the ever-growing risk, and what solutions we may be able to apply in our area. It was solid reporting and in-depth research which is what readers need on a large scale topic like this.

Jugal Patel Digital Editor When Skip Stiles set out to prepare a 175-home, near-century-old Norfolk neighborhood for climate change and sea level rise, he didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. After searching for ideas, however, Stiles came back empty-handed.

“This is the first street level adaptation project happening before a storm hits in the United States,” he said. Stiles is the Executive Director of Wetlands Watch, a statewide nonprofit environmental group based in Norfolk, VA. After securing funding from the Virginia Sea Grant, Wetlands Watch gathered interest from the Hampton University Architecture department and the Old Dominion University Civil and Environmental Engineering department, to have students design the neighborhood’s adaptation.

According to Stiles, the only similar adaptation work has been done in St. Augustine, Florida—though the work was much less comprehensive in comparison to Chesterfield Heights’ parcel by parcel adaptation. While the work in St. Augustine was oriented towards preserving various structures in the historic city, the Chesterfield Heights project involves a whole suite of issues.

To design the adaptations, the group had to address the neighborhood’s coastline, streets, storm water drainage system, codes and regulations, utilities– even the individual homes. “We quickly discovered that there is nothing ‘off the shelf ’ that works—first, no one had done this kind of work before… anywhere,” Stiles said.

The neighborhood chosen was Chesterfield Heights—which sits along the slowly expanding, regularly encroaching Elizabeth River.

The historic status of Chesterfield Heights was one reason for it being chosen as the site for climate change adaption work. Created in the early 20th century, most of the neighborhood’s development occurred between the 1920s and the 1950s. In 2003, Chesterfield Heights was added to the national historic register.

Much of the neighborhood’s infrastructure has aged with passing years, and is already impacted by rising water. The nearest tide gauge at Sewell’s Point has measured 14inch sea level rise since the 1930s.

Although the neighborhood experiences problems now, future projections provide more reason for concern. In the next 30 to 50 years, sea levels are expected to rise by about 1.5 feet.

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Storm water outfalls that should drain water out of the neighborhood during flood events are already submerged—even at low tide. Drainage pipes installed in the 1920s and 1930s are also undersized and in poor condition to handle large amounts of water that arrive through high tides, rainfall events, and storm surges. The coastline, once a beach for recreation, is heavily eroded with little room to accommodate residents. The coastal erosion has also been worsened by wakes created from shipping lanes existing just off of Chesterfield Heights’ coast. The beach now lies close to the neighborhoods infrastructure, allowing scarce room for water to advance until it meets the waterfront homes.

Getting in and out of the neighborhood is another issue. Only two roads lead into Chesterfield Heights—both of which regularly flood. The main road, Kimball Terrace, is wavy and frequently holds water within its troughs. During winter, that water turns into ice, causing dangerous driving conditions for residents of the neighborhood. Culverts near the road, which allow for water to drain beneath structures, are also eroded and backed up with sediment. For students to conduct such novel adapta-

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tion design work, Wetlands Watch put together a team of professionals to provide support to the students throughout their design process.

“Getting a team of mentors and advisers was a result of early work with the Hampton Roads Green Building Council,” Stiles says.

“We specifically recruited some talent we needed and people we knew we wanted—a commercial real estate developer, a historic property consultant, a really good local landscape architect, etc.”

Since the project’s conception, many others have expressed interest in getting involved as well. “As word got out about the project, others joined in asked to be part of the team,” says Stiles. “People wanted to be a part of it because it is unique – no other project like it.”

ODU’s involvement in the project comes through a senior engineering design course taught by Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Mujde Erten-Unal. Prior to the work done through the course, ODU’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers was involved in the neighborhood adaptation project.

The students’ initial involvement began with surveying residents of the community so that social dynamics could be central to the de-

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sign. Students then had to collect data and conduct a water budget, in order to understand how much flooding comes through rainfall, tides, and storm surge. Stiles also mentioned that the project would better integrate the neighborhood with the natural environment.

Students were tasked with coming up with designs to make that work for both the residents, and for the ecosystem.

Apart from the assembling support from the Hampton Roads Green Building Council and about 35 professional environmental engineers and architects, the project has gathered involvement from the City of Norfolk, the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic at William & Mary, the American Association of Architects, the Elizabeth River Project, and others.

On April 28th, students presented their designs for the capstone project at the Slover Library. They are also expected to give a presentation to the City of Norfolk’s Watershed Task Force on May 6th.While the seniors are preparing to graduate and take their experience to the real world, the Chesterfield Heights project will continue as the designs are finalized and funding for implementation is sought after.

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E N T ER T A I NM E N T

Editor’s Note:

As the end of the year quickly approaches, it’s an excellent time to reflect on what ODU students are doing outside of the classroom.

This year, we’ve spent time talking to many Monarchs about their off-campus passions and creative endeavors. From musicians to authors, filmmakers to artists, these students prove that there is an immense amount of talent on campus.

- Amy Poulter

ODU STUDENT SIGNS BOOK DEAL Larenz Johnson Staff Writer

moving to New York for school, where he wanted to pursue a degree in film-making. However, family issues led to eventual attendance at Old Dominion.

“I did get accepted to all the colleges I applied to up north, but due to family issues we had to move to Virginia Beach and then I was just like ‘I’ll go to ODU and keep working at this video stuff and hopefully before I graduate get something popping off,” Samson said.

Samson’s background in photography began with the Mace and Crown, after hearing the university newspaper needed photographers and videographers. Samson showed his interest in videography, but the position was no longer available.

“When I went in and asked if they had any videographer jobs they were like, ‘Actually we aren’t doing that anymore, but we do need photographers,’ so I was like I’d just rather be a photographer,” Samson said.

Samson says that directing is his favorite out of his three talents, with his influences being Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and David Fincher.

“You’re basically a god in your own movie, because you control every single aspect, like a lamp in a film can mean a lot of things because I chose what type of lamp,” Samson said.

Samson has directed music videos for artists such as Tone’s “Franco,” and El Pavich’s “Bando.” Samson has also done album artwork for Old Dominion artist Doug Finesse’s song “House Music,” as well as his “Humble and Hungry” EP. With directing and photography, Samson’s ultimate goal is to help kids in third world countries after he gets a little more exposure. Although he has not started yet, Samson intends to use his talents to showcase the reality of the dangerous life kids in Africa live, as well as poverty stricken children in the United States.

“To be honest, if it wasn’t for my dad joining the military and bringing us to America, I would have been that kid in a third world country, I would have probably been dead or starving…I just want to help those kids out,” Samson said.

Follow Dawit’s work on his website dawit.co or on Twitter @Dawit_nm.

It is not every day that someone’s dream comes true, and when it does, it can be life changing.

This was the case when Old Dominion University senior Lauren Farley received an email from Tennessee publishing company Omonomany Press offering her a contract for her novel.

“I’ve been going through a lot lately, and when I got that email I broke down crying in BAL and everyone was asking if I was okay, and I told them I’m just happy, this is the break that I needed,” Farley explained.

Farley’s contract with Omonomany allows her to print and release her novel, entitled “Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me,” which will be distributed under the pen name L.M. Haluck.

Farley was raised in Watsontown, Pennsylvania, where she graduated from Warrior Run High School in 2005.

After attending Lock Haven University for four years, she joined the Navy, where she earned the rank of petty officer third class.

Throughout life, Farley maintained an interest in writing. She never thought of writing something of this magnitude until she was stricken with intense sleeping problems during her time in the Navy, leading to the creation of “Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me.” “While I was in the Navy I couldn’t

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STUDENT PROFILE: DAWIT N.M.

Larenz Johnson Staff Writer

Old Dominion student Dawit Samson, 19, is a director, photographer and graphic designer who goes by the name Dawit N.M. The influence of the name stems from familial ties as well as the military acronym – N.M. — for not having a middle name. student Dawit Samson, photographer and videographer Following his move from Virginia to Maryland, Samson discovered graphic design as well as directing while in high school. He got involved with graphic design when the device he used to record video game gameplay broke.

“I got into video gameplay like recording and putting it on YouTube, then junior year my recording device broke, so I just started editing video gameplay, and that’s when I started graphic design,” Samson said.

When senior year came around, Samson bought his first camera, a digital single lens reflex, and began shooting home movies.

Originally, Samson planned on

sleep, so they gave me sleeping pills, and those sleeping pills gave me the craziest dreams,” Farley said.

After writing the dreams down, the ideas spread into a full length project, with its title coming from the phrase, “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

“It was just something that I thought fit really well with the theme of the story after I wrote most of it.

Life throws a lot at you so you know how the saying goes,” Farley said.

“Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me” is about Petty Officer 2nd Class Logan “Lo” Easton, who is administered a new drug following a car accident.

The drug is intended to speed up the healing process in hopes of getting her back in the field quickly, but multiple attempts on her life make her ponder the truth behind this vaccine.

It has only been a little over a year since landing the contract, but Farley already has talks of future projects.

“I do have to write a second book because of how the first book ended.

It’s definitely a cliffhanger, so expect more from me,” Farley said.

As of now, “Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me” does not have a release date, but Farley is looking at a Spring 2016 release, with plans of doing a book signing at a local bookstore.

“It should be coming out in March or April, just in time for graduation,” Farley said.

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ODU STUDENT WINS

‘BEST FILM’ AT

LOCAL FILM FESTIVAL Cecilia Yeager Contributing Writer

ISAIAH WILLIAMS,

A MONARCH MUSICIAN WITH MOTIVATION Larenz Johnson Contributing Writer Isaiah Williams, known by his stage name Isaiah Jeremiah, stood outside of the University Webb center looking around. There was something surprising about him; he didn’t have the cliche rap image of gold chains and cockiness. Instead, a shy and humble confidence was present, wrapped in a black 3 Strikes shirt and matching hat.

Isaiah is a 21-year-old senior at Old Dominion University where he majors in communications. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he later moved to Virginia, but his New York upbringing led to his musical influences.

“It’s just the culture, in my household all you know is the hip-hop scene and the R&B scene,” Williams said.

Rap came to Williams at a young age, with his earliest memory being a freestyle performed when he was in fifth grade. While rapping with some friends, his mother caught him using profane lyrics, which he called “one of the scariest moments” of his life.

Williams recounted his mother’s response.

“She just laughed and walked in the house, but it was scary because I thought I was going to get the craziest beating of my life,” Williams said.

Music took the back burner when he went on to play football with dreams of making it to the NFL, though he maintained his interests in music.

As a senior in high school, Williams was scouted by Coastal Carolina and Norfolk State University. His decision ended up being Norfolk State, where he played football for one year before transferring to Old Dominion.

This transfer led to the return of music as his primary focus, feeling the urge to be more involved with music.

Williams didn’t start recording music until January 2015, taking time to study the craft of making music and getting comfortable with an original flow.

“I was trying to make everything connect, everything cohesive, so it didn’t sound like I’m a new artist,”

Williams said.

His influences range from New York rap icons like Fabolous and 50 Cent, to new age artists Kendrick Lamar and Virginia rapper GoldLink.

The main goal of Williams’ music is to make people smile.

“If you’re bobbing your head and smiling and saying those are dope lyrics and a dope beat at the end of a song, that’s my goal, I can check that off,” Williams said.

Along with this goal are hopes that he inspires people to get up and do things, instead of letting life pass them by.

“I don’t know who said it, but you really do miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, and I came to grips with that this summer. I felt like I was taking chances with my music, but now it’s to a point where I can’t let my shyness prevent me from talking to someone that can make me a better person,” Williams said.

To hear Isaiah Jeremiah, head to his website, SoundCloud, or check his Twitter.

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Over the summer, Christy Stevens and her friends entered the Hampton Roads 48-hour Film Project, a contest where filmmakers from the area produce and edit a short film in exactly 48 hours. The event took place from August 14 – 16, and 26 teams signed up for the challenge.

“It was the most anxiety-ridden experience of my life,” said Stevens.

“But it was awesome.”

The event tests the ability of filmmakers to creatively work together under pressure.

“We learned what we were made of,” Stevens said.

On Friday, Aug. 14, teams randomly chose a movie genre and were given three elements to include in their four to seven minute film: a line, a character and a prop. Teams then had two days to shoot and submit their product before the deadline on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Stevens, a native of Virginia Beach, always knew she had a love for film.

“It’s something I developed on my own. I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I could remember,” Stevens said.

In high school, Stevens was a photographer for the school yearbook and newspaper. Her passion for filmmaking deepened, but she took a different route in college pursuing a degree in economics at James Madison University.

“I’ve known that I’ve wanted to make movies for a long time, basically all my life. But you’re told from many different sources that it’s not feasible, that’s not possible. You have no connections to Hollywood,” Stevens said.

Stevens left JMU after one semester and returned home before starting her film studies at ODU.

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“It was the best choice I ever made.

I don’t want to be in school for something I don’t love,” Stevens said.

Stevens finds inspiration from many famous filmmakers, including the Coen Brothers, who directed the movies “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” and “No Country for Old Men.” Film screenings for the 48-hour Film Project began on Aug. 25 at the Naro Cinema and continued until Aug. 29. Families, friends and the public were invited to attend. Stevens’ team, the Screaming for Orange Productions, submitted their short horror film, “Glimpse,” and took home six awards including “Best Film Overall.”

Stevens also won for “Best Cinematography,” which requires setting up lights, choosing the right lens and overall, preparing the set exactly how the director wants it to look and feel.

The road to Hollywood is not easy, but Stevens’ advice for future film students is not to quit.

“When you know what you want to do you just can’t fight it off. You’ll try to, but you just always end up on the path you’re supposed to be on.

Dedicate everything to it and crazy little things are going to happen.

Those little things add up, and one day what if you’re at the Oscars? You never know,” Stevens said.

Now a senior at Old Dominion University, Stevens is debating between grad school and the opportunity to work for a non-profit organization. She’s content with making any type of films from music videos to commercials, but her dream goal is to travel and shoot social and cultural documentaries.

“I think they’re so powerful and under-appreciated. When you use a talent to help people, it’s the definition of purpose,” Stevens said.

You can check out Stevens’ winning film “Glimpse” below.

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E N T ER T A I NM E N T

GRADUATE STUDENT ZACH GEHRING TALKS DEMONS AND DREAMS

Shannon Jay Contributing Writer

Zach Gehring’s graduate assistant office door was wide open, and adorned with existential-themed coloring pages. He waved to me from his desk, where he was scrolling through Tumblr on his laptop. In front of him sat The Existential Coloring Book, where his door decor derived from, and a box of crayons. Gehring’s office illustrated what his latest project DEMONS is all about – music that’s inspired, philosophical, but still easy-going, fun and very much his own thing.

One of the posters on the office wall was an original print from the 10-year anniversary tour of Gehring’s other band, hometown heroes Mae. The band stopped touring in 2010, and Gehring’s priorities took a major shift. He’s married, back in school and working at a local coffee shop – the first place he’d worked since before Mae began touring.

In this time, music has been on

Larenz Johnson Staff Writer Doug Davis, 20, a student and artist on campus, is creating his own style of music. Born in New Jersey, he later moved to Prince George, Virginia and now attends Old Dominion University, pursuing a degree in fashion.

Davis and I met outside of the university’s Webb center to talk music and aspirations.

Larenz: Alright, so do you prefer Doug or Doug Finesse?

Doug: My stage name is Doug, but my alias is Doug Finesse.

L: At what age did you start rapping?

D: From the time I was able to speak the English language I was rapping. I was 9 years old with journals

the back-burner but still prevalent in Gehring’s life. He still played nearly every day, and soon began to index lyrics along with guitar riffs. Soon, he had his first batch of songs he’d ever completed independently, and began recording an EP in 2013 after raising funds on Indiegogo, a popular crowdsourcing website.

“I would go into the studio about once a week to write and record songs,” Gehring said.

After dealing with major recording studios, this new approach was relaxing and became a fun project without a mission. This process allowed these individual tracks to be free of what Gehring refers to as “conceptual framing.”

“That’s one thing that Mae was always good at doing,” Gehring said.

“I just wanted to focus more on this self-absorbed expression.”

School became a huge influence for Gehring’s songwriting.

“What I learned in school affects and informs what I do in music,” he said. This makes working in both

worlds easier, with both school and music playing off each other.

“In a good way, I hope,” Gehring said. “Too soon to tell.”

Themes of self-doubt and criticism are very prevalent throughout DEMONS’ first EP, “Great Dismal.”

Gehring wanted to “explore the theme of being subjective towards oneself, and not giving oneself the benefit of the doubt.”

Gehring’s Christian roots allow him to explore a unique framework of guilt. He admits this self-indulgence might sound “easily overdone, kind of narcissistic and very millennial when done wrong.” Through this EP, Gehring attempts to learn how to avoid these faux pas when writing songs about himself.

Throughout Gehring’s time in Mae, he yearned for a sleaziness he couldn’t fully express through the band’s carefully produced sound.

DEMONS draws influences from grittier and harder stuff that reflects Gehring’s more punk background, such as bands like Rancid, Mudhoney

or the Melvins.

This time around, Gehring compiled a group of guys who enjoyed similar influences, with whom he could take the reigns and be the driving force of the band’s sound. Chris Matthews joined DEMONS after the EP was recorded. From what he heard in Matthews’ hardcore band Moutheater, Gehring knew him well enough to know what Matthews liked and what he was into.

“I knew if I asked him [to join the band], he’d be able to get it,” Gehring said.

DEMONS has played a few shows around the area. In June, they opened for Fucked Up!.

“That was really cool because Fucked Up! is a great band,” Gehring said. “They’re a band that’s been around for a while, so I was really stoked and excited to get that opportunity.”

While Gehring is getting used to his new-found place at center stage, the self-proclaimed introvert still finds it an uncomfortable place to be.

ODU’S DOUG FINESSE TALKS MUSIC WITH THE MACE

full of raps, but didn’t start recording music until 2011. From 2011 to 2014 I recorded about four amateur mixtapes, but it wasn’t until late 2014 that I went from being a rapper to an artist.

L: What artists inspire you?

D: Currently, I’m inspired by the Fetty Waps, the people who are coming out of New Jersey, a place that isn’t really popping right now in the music scene, and being one of the biggest artists out. Overall though, some of the artists I like personally are Tupac, a lot of Wiz Khalifa, and Drake. I also listen to a lot of ‘90s music so ‘90s rap definitely influences me a lot.

L: You have a song called “House Music,” which isn’t a traditional rap song, so what inspired the sound of that song?

D: In rap music nowadays, I’m see-

ing a lot of crossover records, a lot of R&B and rap fusion. But now there’s an emergence of rap with EDM and dubstep mixes, and I feel like in order to compete with the top dudes in the game, I have to make the same music as them. I love a challenge too. I wanted to challenge myself to make a song like that. The beat is produced by my personal producer JackTP. He made the beat and I finessed it.

L: What subgenre of rap would you classify yourself as?

D: I never thought about that, but if you want to go into subgenres you could just say Virginia hip hop, we’re calling the wave “ReVAlution” and that’s the sound behind my music. I feel like nowadays you have a lot of artists in Virginia, but not enough people have their own sound, they

try to sound like other cities and other artists. I’m not trying to sound like anybody. I’m trying to sound like Doug, trying to sound like Virginia.

L: What was your first performance like?

D: About two or three years ago in a club called the Lit Lounge in Manhattan. I performed with my cousin T.Rip, and it was a great experience. I was nervous when I went up there but we rocked the house, and after that I did a show in Brooklyn. My first Virginia show was with 785 records at The Edge and we ripped it. I love performing; I look at every performance as an opportunity to showcase my art.

L: Do you have any advice for up and coming artists?

D: First, nothing happens overnight. I started recording music in

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“I don’t have control over the stage at all, but the band is very encouraging. This support allows shows to be more like hangout sessions than anything else,” Gehring said.

With a pregnant wife at home and an ever-growing stack of homework, Gehring admits an absence of time, money, or patience to put into DEMONS, which he had a plethora of in Mae’s heyday.

“I knew that whatever I were to start outside of Mae, in my mind, wouldn’t get to even half of what Mae was able to accomplish,” Gehring said.

While hopes of future success are in the back of Gehring’s brain, he realizes the level of commitment dedicated to playing in a popular band isn’t possible like it was in his early twenties. “[It] helps the mood of what’s going on with DEMONS, and it’s just a lot of fun,” Gehring said.

2011 but I didn’t become an artist until this year. It’s going to be trial and error, never give up. Two, in order to be a great rapper, you have to have a good producer behind you.

Leave them YouTube beats alone; you need to write to YouTube beats but don’t put your records over them beats. Also, originality, originality, originality, that’s key. There are a million A$AP Rocky’s, a million Wiz’s, a million Kendrick’s, but there’s only one you.

L: Where can readers find your music?

D: My Twitter and Instagram are @DougFinesse, you can find me on SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/ DougFinesse.

M&C| WEDNESDAY | 12.9.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM

Sports

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PHOTO FEATURE A LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR IN SPORTS

Freeman’s buzzer beater sends ODU Men’s Basketball to the NIT semifinals on Mar. 25.

Bacote reaches 1000 on Alumni Night, Monarchs get 18th win on Feb. 8.

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The Monarchs cruised to a 79-48 win vs. Morgan State, extending their home winning streak.

Raw Lawry has 200 yard day against Norfolk State on Sept. 13, 2015.

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Sports

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IVAN MILITAR’S DECORATED JOURNEY AS A MONARCH SOCCER PLAYER

Matt O’Brien Sports Editor

Photo by Jonathan Harding

RAY LAWRY BECOME’S MONARCH’S FIRST 1000 YARD RUSHER Charles Sims Contributing Writer Having

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1128 total rushing yards while averaging just under six yards per carry and 11 total touchdowns this season, there is no question that Old Dominion University’s Ray Lawry is the clear-cut workhorse for the Monarch football offense. To put this into perspective, he trails top caliber opponents such as LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Alabama’s Derrick Henry by roughly 300 yards a piece, while still averaging only a yard less per rush. He is now ODU’s first 1000 yard rusher, which is no small feat.

Lawry acknowledges the hard work it takes to accomplish such a feat. “Practice during the week, as well as watching film, and my receivers do a good job blocking for me too,” he said.

“Coach Dee helped me a lot in the filmroom and on the field by constantly motivating me, and teaching me new things, so he played a big role.”

Lawry must be able to swiftly and effi-

ciently communicate with his teammates in order for him to produce these results. From the beginning of the season, he knew he had his work cut out for him, with Assistant Coach Brian Scott saying that the Monarch offense would be centered on Lawry.

Lawry has certainly improved his run game since last year, and attributes it to experience, and being able to pick up and read blocks better, as well as the fact that he feels stronger and thus more confident and efficient at breaking tackles.

The sophomore tailback, who was just 60 yards away from the 1000 yard mark last season, knows there is always an area of his game he can work on.

“I can still improve on pass blocking, that’s a big thing, as well as being more flexible on my hips,” he said.

With the vastly increased workload he has taken, on pass blocking is definitely something he will have to become more accustomed to if he begins seeing less touches, but for now

it’s full steam ahead.

ODU could very well have a bowl game coming their way in the near future if they keep the momentum from their back-toback wins alive. A big win against the UTEP Miners last Saturday afternoon put this dream right on their doorstep, as they are now one win away from a highly sought after Division 1 bowl game.

Lawry knows what he has to do, and fully expects to make this possibility a reality for himself and his teammates.

“I just have to get through these last games, and get to a bowl game, play somewhere hot, and win it in December,” Lawry said.

As a sophomore, he is surely making a name for himself as the cornerstone of ODU’s football program, and will hopefully continue to proudly lead the Monarchs to victory.

ODU faces a tough match-up against Southern Mississippi on the road next week, where Lawry anticipates adding to his already season high statistics.

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The year is 2011. Ivan Militar is preparing for his second week of soccer practice at Old Dominion. Although he had made it to practice on time, his roommate, who was also on the soccer team, slept in.

“Coach Dawson looked around at the start of practice and realized there was one less guy out there. We knew we were in trouble,” Militar said.

The practice that followed was packed with running and incredibly competitive games. Just one month into his collegiate career in the United States, Militar was being held accountable for his roommate’s late arrival.

“It was the toughest practice of alltime,” Militar said. ”In the showers that day afterwards, I thought, ‘Where the hell am I? How am I going to do this every day?’”

Ten goals and 21 assists later, practices like that one are just another day for Militar, who is now a redshirt senior.

His record of assists earned the record of fifth all-time and speaks to the kind of player he’s been at ODU. “When I came in, things were different. We have evolved in my time here, all for the better,” Militar said.

He has made his mark in setting up his teammates and establishing himself as a first-string player, but he’s made a conscious effort not to get caught up in the statistics.

“The assist column is very important to me. I want to put my teammates in the best position I can,” he said.

A personal goal Militar set for himself was to surpass other players in assists. He has succeeded in the last few weeks.

Militar was recently rewarded by his coaches. He was given the armband that signifies his role as captain of the team. He thinks back to those who were before him: Tommy Webb, Jason Gaylord and Chris Harmon. Militar still considers Harmon — who is now serving as a women’s soccer assistant here — one of his best friends.

“I learned so much from the other captains before me. I wanted to emulate them. I wanted to be respected like they were.” Militar said.

In his fifth season, Militar has earned that respect, led by example and let his

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playing do the talking. He finished this season with three goals and six more assists. His second goal of the season made headlines and went viral on social media.

The goal came at a home game on Oct. 10 against New Mexico, and was a lifetime in the making. It consisted of an incredible cutback, a beautiful touch with the right heel to create space, and a shot off his left foot to leave the defense stunned. Militar first saw the move performed by French soccer star Diddier Drogba. The video that went viral was released by Fox Soccer, but it didn’t compare him to Drogba.

Instead, Militar was compared to the likes of superstar Christiano Ronaldo.

“I have been able to pull off that move in practice before. I was very happy that a move like that worked in a game situation,” Militar said.

That goal was merely a testament at how hard Militar has worked to perfect his craft since his arrival in Norfolk. He knows that he has few chances left to leave an impact and his mindset has evolved in his senior season.

“I want to give my last drop of blood to this program and to this team. With each passing game the emotional impact is a little different. I feel the pressure more and more,” Militar said.

While his time here as a Monarch is winding down, Militar is also able to reflect on his tenure and the people who helped him get to this point.

“For Coach Dawson to bring a Hungarian kid in after only watching him play once, that’s bravery right there,” Militar said.

Militar has also worked with four assistant coaches, including Trevor Addaire and Ryan Sniegosky, who helped Militar to shape his skills throughout his early days and find himself as a player. The assistant coaches helped him pinpoint his weaknesses and improve his game over the years. Militar still remains in contact with both coaches.

“I’ve matured a lot. When I came in, I was a little hectic. I was unorganized defensively. Sometimes I tried to do just a little too much,” he said.

Some of his early issues as a player stem from the differences between the way the game is played in Hungary and the collegiate game in the United States. In Hungary there’s a large emphasis on technical skill, whereas in

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the United States there is much more physicality to the game.

“I’m not the most physical guy on the field and it was definitely a learning experience,” Militar said Militar’s journey from his homeland of Hungary to Norfolk, Virginia, is interesting. The Szeged native was in the right place at the right time by some way of fate.

Atilla Vendegh, who Militar refers to as “the greatest player who ever played here at ODU,” is an alumni who played from 2000 to 2003. Vendegh, also a Hungarian native, had just gotten a job in the capital of Hungary and came to see Militar play.

It happened to be a two-goal, twoassist game for Militar, in a 4-1 victory and his best game of that season. That performance was all Vendegh needed to see.

“This kid can definitely play here and he’s going to be [a] strength on your team,” Vendegh told coach Dawson.

While he has had many influences on his game in his time in Norfolk, his biggest role model is a different kind of sports icon.

“Kobe Bryant is my biggest idol in sports. He is everything I aspire to be,” Militar said.

Leaving a legacy of his own on the ODU soccer program is very important.

“I just really want people to remember how Ivan Militar played with the passion and commitment for Old Dominion soccer,” he said.

Militar’s future plans include soccer. He is open to playing in the United States, but also interested in playing in European leagues.

“I have a lot left to give to this game.

I’m open to playing anywhere,” Militar said.

Almost six years after Coach Dawson found Militar through one of his alumni, Militar has left a legacy as a hard working, consistent and smart player.

He only has one regret.

“My first two years, my mindset was just survival. Whenever I went into games, I was just happy to be playing.

I wish my mentality had been a little different,” Militar said. “All in all it has been an incredible ride.”

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M&C| WEDNESDAY | 12.9.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM

Sports THE PRESCENCE OF

SARA JONES IS STILL HEAVY Mitchell Brown Senior Writer Two years later, the pain is still there. Coach Karen Barefoot misses her best friend and special assistant coach Sara Jones. When she heard the news preceding the 2013 Hoops for the Cure game, it was beyond tough, but she had to coach her team. The players had grown close with Jones, the community had gotten to know her, and the fans enjoyed seeing her positivity on the bench despite her 12-year fight against cancer. With a 79-50 win on Valentine’s Day, the Lady Monarchs weren’t the only winners in the Ted; the 3400 fans sprinkled with breast cancer survivors were also winners.

“I think that they know the story.

Sara Jones, was a big community person in this area. We brought her in as a part of our program a couple of years ago, and to me, she’s still with us,” Barefoot said.

With a majority of the players moving on into new chapters in their lives, there’s only four players on the current team who felt the impact of Jones.

The Lady Monarchs (14-9, 7-5) have had some close losses, some blowouts, but have showed signs of being able to fight through adversity. A mantra that Jones carried with her was “Whatever it takes”. The Lady Miners (10-12, 5-8) of the University of Texas-El Paso were able to spoil the one year anniversary of Jones death with a 65-55 win over the Lady Monarchs last season, and it visibly hit hard.

Redshirt sophomore forward Jennie Simms didn’t get to play in the game last year due to transfer rules, but she understood the magnitude of the game when it was her turn to don the hot pink jersey.

“We fought for them, we kept the lead, it was just kind of like a statement

lead, and we know that you can keep fighting and don’t let nothing hurt you,” Simms said.

One of the four that got to be coached by Jones was redshirt junior Ashley Betz-White. From the jump, she ignited the Lady Monarchs, swishing three after three. She finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists. This is her fourth hoops for the cure game and she understands the magnitude of this day.

“It’s really powerful, it’s more to life than basketball. These people are out there fighting for their lives. It was very powerful and emotional, and like I said I think we played very inspired,” BetzWhite said.

UTEP head coach Keitha Adams was on the other side of this game last season, but she didn’t want to make any excuses for her team.

“To me, the ceremony, if anything, I think it should inspire you and raise your level of performance. Not detract from you,” Adams said.

Donning her carnation pink blazer, coach Adams is a rival to coach Barefoot during the games, but sisters in the fight.

“When you’ve got people coming to shake your hand and they’ve got tears coming down their face. It’s an emotional thing and you can tell, a lot of people there, for them they’ve crossed some big hurdles and you can see that in their face,” Adams said.

The pain may have subsided some, but it will never be gone. Coach Barefoot sees an end goal; ending cancer, for good. “I’m looking forward to honestly end the battle with cancer one day, and just put it to an end. I want to be a part of that, if I can and when we have games like this that sends a message across the nation, let’s do it, we’ve got to find a way.”

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ARLEDGE MAKING MOST OF CHANCE WITH MONARCHS

Matt O’Brien Staff Writer In the summer of 2013,Jonathan Arledge was coming off his best season ever with the George Mason Patriots.

Arledge put up double figures 13 times in the 2012-2013 campaign and was poised for a great senior season.

In June, two months after the season ended, he wasn’t sure if he would ever play collegiate basketball again.

Arledge suffered a serious back injury in a car accident that sidelined him for an entire summer. From June to September he was dealing with the injury and the rehab process.

“The pain just seemed to get worse and worse. I tried playing through it and it wasn’t working out,” said Arledge.

Determined to finish his last season of eligibility, Arledge asked for a medical redshirt and it was granted.

Soon after he learned he would have to transfer.

“It was not until that moment that it hit me that my career at Mason was over,” he said.

Now free to transfer to any school he wanted, Arledge received many offers from other schools but he was intrigued by the turnaround of the Old Dominion Monarchs at the hands of head coach Jeff Jones.

Jones and Arledge had history; Jones coached one of Arledge’s good friends at American and the two faced off against one and other from their days in the Patriot League.

“I really liked what I saw. They had great talent sitting out and practically the whole team was returning. ODU was in a great position to succeed in the C-USA,” said Arledge.

In April 2014, almost a year after his accident, Arledge signed with the

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Monarchs. He has been quick to make an impact on the program.

“You can tell Jon has been coached.

His experience has gone a long way and really is a leader to the younger guys,” said Coach Jones.

In a young locker room, where he is referred to by many of his teammates as “pops”, Arledge has assumed the veteran role and has been a solid fit in Jones’ system.

“You can see that these guys have bought into the system. The team just needed a few missing pieces to come together, that’s what you are seeing now. Imagine these guys when they are juniors and seniors.The experience is only going to help them,” said Arledge.

Arledge has embraced his role as a leader on this team. He is the only player on the roster with any NCAA Tournament experience and has been chasing that next tournament bid since his first year at GMU. His experience has gone a long way as he has made some big shots late in games.

“I just want to lead by example, whether that is by actions or words. I want to come out every game and play hard and lead in that way. Make sure to bring energy and everything will follow,” he said.

When the Monarchs took on rival VCU, Arledge banked a three pointer with less than a minute remaining to help seal the victory against the Rams.

“Shaka Smart has done an excellent job with that program. We came out firing, didn’t let their ranking get to us.

Didn’t stray from our game plan at all and it worked out for us,” he said.

A week later, on Dec. 3, ODU traveled to Fairfax Virginia to take on George Mason. The Monarchs had not won at the Patriot Center since 2007. Arledge contributed 4 points in

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15 minutes, but this was more than just a 75-69 victory to him.

“It was emotional for me. It was surreal to even sit on the opposing bench in that arena. But being that it was my former team, the win is all that mattered to me. The victory was a big one for this program,” he said.

In what simply could not have been more of a textbook definition of irony, the story of Arledge’s NCAA basketball career had come full circle, having faced and defeated the team that molded him.

Since the victory over the Patriots, Arledge has helped lead this team to an 9-2 record (15-3 overall) and the Monarchs cracked the Associated Press top 25 for the first time in school history.

His best performance this season came just two weeks ago against Rice where he had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Arledge is entering in the final stretch of a decorated basketball career one that did not begin until he was 14.

He only began playing when the high school he transferred to did not offer football. He credits his AAU coach J.D. Stewart and his mother as his biggest influences on and off the court.

Through this whole experience he has remained positive and humble and has certainly made the most out of this opportunity.

“It took a long time to get a straight answer from doctors, I wasn’t sure if I would ever see the court again. It’s hard to put into words really, to receive the blessing to play again has been incredible,” He will graduate in May with a degree in Coaching Management.

Arledge is hoping for a shot in the NBA and plans to start his own business when his career is over.

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Technology

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STEVE JOBS, SATORU IWATA, AND YOU

Ross Reelachart Technology Editor

On October 5 of 2011, a life among many others passed from this world.

Yet when this particular flame went out, there was a flood of mourning and sentiment, the kind normally reserved for royalty or national tragedies. Everywhere there was an outpouring of grief, and people came together to lay down flowers and candles, to say goodbyes and leave mementos of thanks to this life. The entire world was seemingly put into a state of loss, and many in media mourned the loss of this great life.

For all the single-minded business practices and harsh demands Steve Jobs insisted upon himself and others, he truly believed that the computer could be more than just a machine we use.

He believed that the computer could be a personal object (thus was the term “personal computer” first coined), and could be a method for self-expression. In his own mind, building and using a computer was akin to a new artistic medium, and he was going to be its pioneer.

Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s that was a revolutionary idea, and it’s what carried him into the founding of Apple and helped turn the company into the single biggest corporation on Earth.

This would have simply been an interest point to me on its own. But the recent of death of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata brought this point into stark clarity for me.

Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015, He too garnered a similar reaction from gamers and game developers worldwide. Many wrote about his influence not only on Nintendo, but on themselves, personally. People drew fan art and honestly mourned the passing of the man.

He too was, more or less, just an executive at a giant corporation that sold products for money. Like Jobs, Iwata also had a similar background of coming from humble beginnings to rising to the very top. Nintendo and Apple may be very different beasts overall, but both these men were big names of their respective technological fields and they both were worthy of grief at their passing.

When I remembered how I felt about the news of Iwata’s passing, I

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think I finally understood why people put flowers in front of their iPads for Steve Jobs.

Just as people had a strangely heartfelt connection for Steve Jobs seemingly through the iPhones and iMacs they bought, so did people have a connection to Satoru Iwata through Nintendo consoles. It’s a phenomenon that has been stealthily occurring to nearly everyone in the modern age.

As technology not only becomes more portable and interconnected, so does our personal connection to the technology itself and, by proxy, the creators as well. In what must be a victory for Jobs, we now see our smart phones and tablets as more than just devices to be used. They are expressions of ourselves, and they become an extension of our egos and personalities.

To make another example, it’s very similar to when people become so attached to their favorite music, movie or TV show that they become personally offended by someone who doesn’t like it or has no opinion on it. We have attached part of ourselves, our selfworth and our own sense of identity to these pieces of technology.

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The Apple community is seemingly such a strong force because it is a “community.” They are the “Apple Tribe” and so they stick together, and feel together, as is the nature of the social human.

Gamers separate themselves into a factional “Console War” because they become attached to a community centered on a Nintendo console, the Playstation or the Xbox. Though they all orbit around a soulless piece of technology, these people still find purpose and expression in being a part of that orbit.

Jobs and Iwata gave a human face to idolize and worship, as even the most fanatic still need a human face to put to their “community.” It only just so happened that Jobs and Iwata were also blessed with an amount of charisma and charm that elevated above so many others, their peers and opposition included.

Knowing all of that, the idea that so many people would be saddened by the death of a corporate executive who may or may not have had any real hand in making your favorite electronics does not sound too pre-

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posterous. People still cry when their favorite actor or singer dies.

The only difference is the medium through which this personal connection is made. On one hand there is film, song and word. On the other hand is technology and electronics.

When that connection is made, empathy seeps through.

Like all great questions of the past, and of our own time, this question of your connection to technology and its creators is best utilized as a way to reflect on ourselves. At the end of the documentary, “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,” Director Alex Gibney ponders his own reflection in the blank screen of a powered-down iPhone. In that black, reflective surface he wonders how much of himself in that device and how much does that put him in connection with Steve Jobs, or the vision of Jobs.

When you look into the blank screen of your own phone, tablet, computer or TV, how much of yourself do you see in it? How much of your identity is inseparable from it?

And how much of that is the designs of the person who made it?

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Technology

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FREEDOM ELECTRIC SOLUTIONS: A STUDENT STARTUP STORY

Ross Reelachart Technology Editor The unassuming building at 111 Granby St. serves as the starting point for many young entrepreneurs and budding businesses, including Erin Desmond Marshall and his student startup company that builds custom electric bicycles and skateboards. As the CEO and sole employee of his own startup, Freedom Electric Solutions, Marshall shares the building, and a coffee pot that has seen too many long nights, with many other eager startups. Using only his passion for the mechanical and the help provided by the Hatch program, Marshall aims to turn a love of building electric bicycles into his own business in Norfolk.

At the shared Hatch space in Norfolk, he and many other startups like SleepHug and Vinyl Mint are provided advice, resources and space to start their businesses and learn necessary skills.

The energy that Marshall, a junior, showed for his creations started before he even came to Norfolk. As a freshman in Tallahassee, Florida in 2013, Marshall sought out a way to get to and from school easier and, as an off road cyclist and hiker, a way to ease the work of getting uphill.

With no formal mechanical training and just a Dremel (a handheld metal-working tool), Marshall cobbled together an old skateboard with an electric motor he bought online to make it self-propelled. When it came time to test the skateboard, Marshall had no idea of what it would be capable of. “[It was] terrifying. Absolutely terrifying… That thing gets up to about 28 miles per hour,” Marshall said.

But that was only the “child setting” he tested with. Later, he described overtaking cars while traveling to and from school on his new creation, which became the envy of those on campus.

Coming to ODU, Marshall felt that he had a chance to put himself out there. “When I got [to ODU], that’s when the entrepreneurship started snapping in… I saw it as an opportunity to see what I could do with electric bikes… and I started reaching out at the Strome Center,” Marshall said.

During a networking event at the Strome Entrepreneurial Center, where he spoke of his custom electric bicycles and floated the idea that would eventually become Freedom Electric Solutions, he was introduced to the Hatch program. Curious, he

attended a weekly event in Virginia Beach called “One Million Cups,” a national program developed by the Kauffman Foundation “designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs,” according to the website.

“It’s like a baby Shark Tank,” Marshall said.

After giving his presentation, and answering the questions that followed, Marshall was invited to join the Hatch program to develop his business and build his bicycles. The invitation was so overwhelming that he refrained from telling his parents, because he could not believe that such an opportunity could be possible, much less that it would come so easily.

At first, Marshall described his reaction to the invitation as “skeptical.” But once inside, and provided with mentorship and even marketing help, his opinion changed to “eye opening.” While not yet at the stage of having startup capital, Marshall was provided with help from people who got his company off the ground, and even the resources necessary to shoot a commercial.

Marshall introduced his in-progress creations. Both his electric bike and skateboard looked bulkier than their analog counterparts due to the addition of motors and battery packs. They looked like they were in made in a garage, yet possessed functional and strong components that allowed them to propel a rider smoothly and quickly through the urban landscape.

They possessed a handmade charm, and Marshall alluded to custom-machined parts that would come in the future to make the bike look professional and sleek.

The bike itself is capable of a respectable distance of 20 or more miles, enough for traveling within a city or town, depending on how fast and hard the rider pushes it.

Since the motor is housed directly on the wheel it does not interfere with the bike

chain, and the bike can still be pedaled normally for an even greater range.

Marshall emphasized that his bikes are more than capable of achieving high speeds to rival mopeds, scooters and cars. But his bikes will be built with a limiter for safety reasons, and so that the rider does not need to obtain a special license.

I was allowed to try his own personal bike, equipped with a makeshift phone “dashboard” and a custom Bluetooth speaker system for riding enjoyment. Previously, I had no real experience or training with anything that involved a throttle. But his bike was simple and easy to learn. With a light push to get going and a gentle turn of the single throttle, the bike took over and I was sailing around campus.

14Not only was the bike simple to operate, the ride was smooth and always within control, even when pushed to higher speeds. The electric motor produced a low, quiet purr that sped the bike along. With no engine noise to drown out the rush of wind, there was a peaceful power to the experience. The demo rides were more than evidence that the bike was a must-have for any student. Marshall’s creation was solid, speedy, quiet and easily accessible. With a charging time of three hours in a wall plug, it could be used any day. But with the custom fast charger that Marshall was developing, the bike could be charged in an astounding 20 minutes.

Marshall’s shop and his bikes brought to mind the likes of Jobs and Wozniak, or the Wright brothers. Despite the change in technology and education, Marshall belongs to the group of people driven to create with their own two hands and whatever happens to be lying around them. Their first builds were rough, but they worked and were made with careful attention and many trials. In time, Marshall will also be one of those people who can take nothing but passion and drive, and turn them into something great.

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MAJOR

SMASH

BROS ANNOUNCEMENTS

FROM NINTENDO

DIRECT Noah Young Digital Content Manager Nintendo took the internet April 1st for their second Nintendo Direct of the year. Featured in the direct was some big Smash Bros. news.

First is that Mewtwo will be released on April 12th for those who bought and registered Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U. For those who didn’t, he will be available April 28th for $4 for either 3DS or Wii U, or the low price of $5 for both.

Also announced was the return of Lucas from Smash Bros. Brawl. His trailer shows him coming to Ness’ rescue after he gets beat around by other Smash Bros. fighters. Nintendo plans to release him in June. No price was specified, but it will likely copy Mewtwo’s price.

Also coming as DLC are new Mii fighter clothes. Some are original, such as monkey and cat suits and a Smash Bros. t-shirt, while others pull form games such as Zelda, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Mega Man. The final announcement for Smash was that Nintendo plans to make more DLC characters and want fan suggestions. Suggestions can be filled out on the site until October, and everyone can only make one suggestion.

The suggestion form consists of the character’s name, game they are from, and the reason they should be added.

It was not specified when they will be added or how many suggestions will be taken, but they all will be viewed.

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Technology

NINTENDO HITS HARD

WITH APRIL 1ST NINTENDO DIRECT Noah Young Digital Content Manager After the announcement last week that the Zelda game on Wii U was delayed with no new release window in mind, Nintendo needed to fill the void with the April 1 Nintendo Direct– and boy did they!

The biggest news from the announcement was of course for Smash Bros. The direct opened not with one, but with two “Challenger” videos. One was for the already known Mewtwo. The other was for Lucas, a character from Mother 3, previously in Brawl.

Mewtwo will be available to those who bought both versions and registered them with Club Nintendo for free on April 12. He will be available to everyone else starting April 28 for $4 on either 3DS or Wii U, and $5 for both.

Lucas will be available in June of this year.

Another Smash Bros DLC was announced in the form of costumes for the Mii fighters. The packs include fun costumes and crossover outfit pieces including Majora’s Mask from the Zelda game of the same name and Dunban’s clothes and hair from Xenoblade Chronicles.

Also announced was the opening of a suggestion system allowing Smash Bros fans to suggest new DLC fighters. Fans can go to the Smash Bros website and enter a ballot for one character to be entered, the deadline being October of this year. The ballot consists of the character’s name, the game they come from, and the reason they should be added. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s President and host of the direct, explained that they won’t be able to use every suggestion, but they all will be looked at.

The other big news is sure to please Fire Emblem fans. Trailers were shown for two Fire Emblem projects.

The first was announced two years ago, and this is its first time ever be-

ing mentioned again. That’s right; we finally got to see Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem. From the trailer, the game appears to borrow elements of the Shin Megami Tensei sister series Persona, with the protagonist being a high school student. The art style is also reminiscent of Persona, with non-player characters being colored in shadows. The Fire Emblem elements seem to primarily be in the character designs. Perhaps Fire Emblem characters are used in combat in a similar way to Persona’s titular entities.

The other big Fire Emblem trailer was for the next game, originally announced in January’s Nintendo Direct. While it doesn’t have an American title, in Japan it is titled Fire Emblem If. It features a branching story in which the player must choose which side of a war he will fight for due to having family on both sides. Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America’s marketing man, explained that choosing the “light” side will make for an easier and more accessible experience.

Splatoon was mentioned once again, this time announcing three new amiibo, and detailing new game modes. The amiibo, taking the form of a squid girl, squid boy, and green squid, can be bought together in one pack. Alternatively, the boy and girl can be bought individually. In the game, they unlock special missions, which in turn unlock exclusive outfits. The game and its amiibo will be available May 29.

The last big announcement was that Fatal Frame, a Wii U title originally released only in Japan, will be localized to America. It will be available later this year.

Finally, the next Mario Kart 8 DLC was given a release date of April 23.

Also coming to Mario Kart, by way of a free update, is the insanely fast 200cc mode, as well as more amiibo outfits including Sonic, Pacman, and Toad.

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ARCHIVE WHAT I SEE

Rashad McDowell Technology Editor

Most people don’t think about what happens to websites that they no longer visit. It’s taken for granted that the internet is eternal, a place where information thrives and lives without end. That’s not really the case.

Old information on the net runs the risk of disappearing if the demand for it drops. This adds a level of mortality to the internet that most people would never consider.

Luckily, there are people like Michele Weigle, Ph.D, and Michael Nelson, Ph.D. Together, Weigle and Nelson are working on a project that will add another layer of longevity to information stored on the web: the Archive What I See Now project.

This project, spear headed by Weigle, operates with the same principle as the Internet Archive, the largest data base of archived websites in the world. The goal is to allow the everyday person to make a record of the websites they view in real time. Right now, the target audience is humanities researchers, but the future applications are limitless. For their efforts, Weigle and Nelson have received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Currently, anyone who wants to make a record of how the web changes on a day to day or even year to year basis do so using screenshots and/or “save page as”. This creates several problems in the long run. For one, once the website is captured as a screenshot, the ability to interact with the various hyperlinks and embedded media is lost. The second issue is even more practical, it takes up a bunch of space. Over the course of a year, a researcher can amass a folder filled with thousands of images that need to be precisely organized to make any sense.

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Weigle’s solution to this problem is threefold. The piece of the puzzle is WARCreate. This program, still under development, allows researchers to click a button on any webpage and create a .warc file, which is the same format used in the Internet Archive.

All a user needs to manipulate theses files is a copy of Wayback. WARCreate has three different modes it can operate in: record mode, countdown mode and event mode. Record mode captures each page a user visits while it is active. Countdown mode refreshes and adds a new capture of a page on an interval. Event mode focuses on dynamic changes to a page, only capturing a new copy under these circumstances.

This is taken care of using WAIL. This provides the user with a very simple installation of Wayback, which isn’t all that user friendly to install.

Mink ties everything together. This program informs the user if the page they want to use WARCreate on has been archived before and how many times. This isn’t to prevent redundancy as much as it is about compar-

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ing any damage these “mementos” suffer. The web is mortal and pages can be damaged because information isn’t captured or because the live web seeps into older pages.

Mink implements the Memento protocol, which was co-developed

by Nelson.

“The trick with memento is it leverages web archives you didn’t even know exist,” Nelson said.

In essence, memento is a macro version of Mink, looking beyond WARCreate archives out into the Internet Archive and public archives of different nations. Together, all these piece coalesce into an impressive system that can prove to be the salvation of the web.

More information on the many projects and research being conducted by the Weigle and her colleagues can be found at https://ws-dl.cs.odu. edu/ .

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Technology

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FIRE EMBLEM TRIUMPHANTLY RETURNS

AT NINTENDO DIRECT

Noah Young Digital Content Manager On April 1, Nintendo held their second Nintendo Direct of the year.

Contained in this direct were two new Fire Emblem trailers.

One was the for the Shin Megami Tensei/Fire Emblem crossover originally announced in 2013. This is the first time since then the game has been mentioned, confirming that the game is still on the way.

The premise and art style clash somewhat with what shown in 2013.

The original, brief trailer merely announced the game showing art from the most recent installments of both franchises. The characters and setting seem more similar to Shin Megami Tensei’s sister series Persona. Perhaps this is Atlus’ way of making up for Persona 5 being Playstation exclusive.

It was revealed the game will be

an RPG where the player is a high schooler living an alternate Japan, where Fire Emblem inspired characters come to life in amazing forms.

The combat shown was reminiscent of Persona, seeming to have no commonality with either franchise being pulled into the game.

Atlus promises this game will be a modern RPG, evolving for the new age of consoles.

Also shown was the new Fire Emblem originally announced in January. In this next installment (currently just Fire Emblem in America, but Fire Emblem If in Japan) the player’s avatar will be the main character, contrasting with their secondary role from previous Fire Emblem games.

The character, customized by the player, was born in Hoshido but kidnapped and raised in Nohr. When these two countries go to war, the

player must choose a side. This decision is made difficult by the fact that player character has important people on both sides of the conflict.

Hoshido appears to be the “good guy” in this war, and choosing to fight for them will result in an easier more accessible game. Choosing Nohr, the “bad guy”, results in a tougher experience with a darker story.

In the Japanese Nintendo Direct, it was detailed that the two branches of the story will actually be separate games in its physical release, Fire Emblem If: Midnight Sun and Fire Emblem If: Dark Night. As a download, the player will make their choice and determine which game they will play.

The choice cannot be changed.

No such details were present in the American Nintendo Direct, implying that it may be different for America, but it’s too early to tell.

WOMEN’S CENTER HELPS

STUDENTS COMBAT CYBERSTALKERS Alyse Stanley Senior Writer In an age of selfies, geotags and social media, “technology is like throwing gas on the fire” for stalkers, Wendy White said. White hosted Wednesday’s cyberstalking information session “Facebook Stalking and Other 21st Century Problems.”

The event was sponsored by ODU’s Women’s Center and featured a panel of local detectives, ODU IT employees and one YWCA counselor.

Nearly seven million individuals are stalked every year in the United States according to The National Center for Victims of Crime. Twentyfive percent of stalkers use technology to stalk their victims.

“To this date, I have not seen a case of stalking that did not involve

technology somehow,” Ronald Janka, ODU police detective, said.

College-age women are more at risk for being stalked than any other age group. And perhaps the most alarming statistic: in 76 percent of cases involving women murdered by an intimate partner, stalking occurred at some point in the relationship.

Yet popular media often glosses over the issue. White cited movies like “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Bed of Roses,” where stalking one’s love interest is portrayed as normal, even romantic.

Women often do not realize cyberstalking in particular is serious until the issue “evolves into a restraining order,” O’Neil Hunter, Norfolk YWCA counselor, said. “In our culture, in terms of social media, it’s seen

as acceptable to stalk someone.”

To help prevent cyberstalking, the panel warned students to avoid posting personal information online, specifically information related to one’s location at any given time. Even spam posts can steal information from a computer or phone, according to Eme Ejike, assistant ISO for the IT department.

Disable or remove geotagging as well. Every post with it enabled contains metadata of the phone’s location even if the post itself does not specify the location.

The LiveSafe app, Janka explained, is one method through which ODU is combating the issue of stalking.

Adopted last year by ODU, LiveSafe is a free app that allows students to instantly contact the campus police.

If a response is needed, users can

send the police a notification of their location, though geotagging is used exclusively in these situations, the detectives assured students the app will not monitor where the user goes at all times.

SafeWalk is a function of the app that connects the user with a friend, provided they have the app as well, so they can ascertain the user arrives home safely. Geotagging is turned off afterwards to prevent any unnecessary broadcasting of the user’s location. Students can also send and receive tips concerning suspicious activity in the area.

“We wish we were getting more tips. [LiveSafe] is as useful as you, the community, make it,” Janka said.

The panel also provided advice on how to deal with stalking. Screenshot all online correspondence with the

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stalker. If the case escalates, there will be more evidence for the police to review. Additionally, blocking a stalker’s phone number can make it difficult for officers to obtain a record of the stalker’s calls.

Stalkers will often change their phone number or device to continue contacting the victim, so it’s better to block the number after you have contacted the police, the detectives explained.

“These people are completely unstable. Do what you can to separate yourself, but in reality, and not to scare you all, but they’re going to find a way to contact you,” Aaron Howe, Norfolk Police Detective, said.

Most adamantly they advised contacting the police as soon as possible.

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COMIC FEATURE A LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR IN COMICS

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THANKS

for an incredible semester, Editor-inChief Sean Davis and good luck in your future endeavors!

Photos by: Adrienne Mayfield, Josh Boone, Elijah Stewart

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