WEDNESDAY | 4.22.2015 | MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 57, Issue 23
Three of “Fantastic Four” win SGA Election, Ndiritu keeps Presidency. TechCrunch
Snapsolve Eases Homework Woes Rashad McDowell Technology Editor
Artist and author Justin Hall and artist Phil Jimenez speak at a panel on LGBTQ characters in comics on April 15, 2015. Josh Whitener | M&C
“Out! From the Pages of Queer Comics:” Gay Comic Author/Writer Speaks at ODU Josh Whitener Assistant News Editor The Old Dominion University Institute of Humanities co-sponsored “Out! From the Pages of Queer Comics” featuring comic artist, author and historian Justin Hall and comic artist Phil Jimenez on April 15. The panel focused on the development and progression of LGBTQ characters and themes inside both underground and mainstream comics. Hall explained (via Skype, due to an unexpected illness) the genesis and development of queer comics. By providing illustrations, students and guests were presented with a visual timeline of comics created by gay writers that were originally published in exclusive queer magazines and newspapers. Hall gave the timeline of how gay writers voiced their advocacy through the medium of comics. Jimenez spoke openly about his personal experience as a gay comic book writer and artist. He described how his childhood and early awareness of his homosexuality influenced his desire to draw.
“Growing up being gay and not really knowing what that meant, but knowing I was different and that that difference was wrong was a really sort of driving force for finding someplace else where I could be who I was and be ok with that,” Jimenez said. Jimenez grew up in Los Angeles with this mother. From an early age, he utilized his talent as a form of escapism to deal with the prejudice he received as a child for being homosexual. Eventually, Jimenez persistently presented portfolios to major comic book publishers like Marvel and DC. Jimenez came out publically while working on a tribute graphic novel, “The Tempest,” dedicated to Neal Pozner who died of AIDs in 1994 with whom he had a close relationship. “Neal had a terrible fear of being forgotten, so I think if anything the tribute to him that I wrote, the miniseries that I wrote, dedicated to him was as much about a relationship as it was about making sure that he was honored and that part of his legacy [was to],” Jimenez said. Pozner served as DC Comics Creative Editor before his death, helping
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Jimenez publish his first illustrations in a 1991 miniseries “War of the Gods.” Jimenez’s career flourished as he went on to various titles for DC’s “mature readers” imprint Vertigo, and also titles such as “Infinite Crisis” and “Wonder Woman.” He’s also known for his illustrations on Marvel’s “Astonishing X-Men” and “The Amazing Spiderman.” Additionally, Jimenez also opened up about his experience “coming out” and working in the industry as an openly gay man. “The editorial staff at the time was really young, incredibly diverse, people from all different kinds of backgrounds – incredibly tolerant and so it was really a nonissue there behind the scenes. The company was incredibly supportive, the president, the publisher, they were all very supportive,” Jimenez said. Students with varying majors in Art and English attended a brown bag lunch discussion with Jimenez before the event. The roundtable discussion touched on topics pertaining to the comic book industry. Jimenez gave students advice on the most successful
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way to enter into the industry based on his own success working with major comic book publishers. Students received answers to questions about the approach to submitting work to comic book publishers and the differences between traditional artwork versus digital art. The presentation concluded with Hall and Jimenez taking questions from attendees regarding the nature of LGBTQ characters in modern comics. The discussion focused on how current writers handle the portrayal of gay and lesbian comic characters such as Wildstorm Comic’s Midnighter or Batwoman and Marvel’s X-Men characters Mystique and Rictor. “When it comes to creating content, i.e. gay characters, typically mainstream superhero comics… gay characters are ok if they fit within a very sort of, I’d like to say, heteronormative paradigm,” Jimenez said.
Difficult homework assignments, meet your match. On April 14, the creators of StudyRoom, the world’s largest social network of college students collaborating on assignments and tutoring, released a new app called Snapsolve. As Emerson Malca, co-founder and CEO of StudyRoom, reiterated several times in an interview, Snapsolve is designed to provide on demand help to anyone who needs it. Snapsolve is designed to allow users to find near instant help with homework assignments. This is achieved by taking a picture or by typing a question in manually. The moment the app is opened, it asks for permission to use the camera and that’s about all there is in terms of set up. There is an option to create an account and sign in, but it’s not required. Once you have the question you want to ask in mind, there are four options, or bounties. Easy is the free option, which matches the user with one a StudyRoom tutor as quick as possible. Decaf, the $1.99 option, encourages questions that are more challenging and assures to have a response within 20 minutes. Coffee shop, $4.99, promises an average wait time of 16 minutes. The most expensive option, Energy Drink, has an average wait time of 11 minutes at $9.99. All paid options have a money back guarantee if the services rendered are unsatisfactory. Snapsolve is an extension of StudyRoom’s Student Tutor Program. A network of over 5,000 college students is available for cross collaboration on all degrees of schoolwork. Cont. D1
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Face In The Mace Mace & Crown Staff : Sean Davis Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@maceandcrown.com
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Hashtag #ODU to see your face in the Mace. Instagr a m
Brian Saunders Copy Editor briananthony93@gmail.com David Thornton News Editor news@maceandcrown.com Veronica Singer Arts & Entertainment Editor artsandentertainment@maceandcrown.com Nate Budryk Sports Editor & Distribution Manager nbudr001@odu.edu Zachary Chavis Photography Editor photo@maceandcrown.com Rashad McDowell Technology Editor technology@maceandcrown.com
Elijah Stewart Senior Graphic Designer estew010@odu.edu Jason Kazi Advertising and Business Manager advertising@maceandcrown.com Noah Young Digital Content Manager webmaster@maceandcrown.com Jugal Patel Digital Editor jpate016@odu.edu
Staff Writers: Alex Brooks Alyse Stanley Amy Poulter George Plank Jasmine Blackwell Jessica Perkins Josh Whitener Libby Marshall Michael High Matt O’Brien Ross Reelachart
Staff Photographers: Dawit Samson Jason Kazi Joshua Boone Joshua Caudell Nicolas Nemtala Schyler Shafer Shamon Jones
Mace & Crown is a newspaper published by and written for the students of Old Dominion once a week throughout each semester and once in the summer. Originally founded in 1930 as the The High Hat, the paper became the Mace & Crown in 1961. The Mace & Crown is a primarily self-supporting newspaper, maintaining journalistic independence from the university. All views expressed in this collegiate paper are those of the author, not of the University, Mace & Crown, or the editors. Phone: 757-683-3452
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NEWS
For even more campus crime information, visit maceandcrown.com.
Crime Log
Credit: Veteran’s Today
ODU Remembers the Holocaust Christian Chance Contributing Writer Hearts wrenched in the Chesapeake/Portsmouth Rooms of Old Dominion University’s Webb Center as Jay Ipson shared his experience of tragedy and triumph in Lithuania during the Holocaust. Ipson’s speech was part of a reception honoring Yom HaShoa, the official Holocaust remembrance day, which serves to remind the world of the nearly six million European Jews murdered in the genocide of World War II. In June of 1941, an airplane appeared in the sky over Jay Ipson’s home in Kovno, Lithuania. It was a special treat for six-year-old Jay, who had rarely seen an airplane. But when Jay noticed objects coming from the plane’s wings followed by explosions on the ground, his excitement turned to fear. The pilot was shooting at him. His mother ran out of the house and pulled him back inside where the family was huddled around their AM radio. The news on the radio confirmed that the Germans were invading. The Russian soldiers who had been occupying the country were ordered to retreat back to Russia’s borders. Jay’s life would never be the same. The relationship between Jews and other Lithuanians had been contentious for many years. Jews in
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Lithuania were blamed for Russia’s invasion of the country, and when the Germans arrived, they received more mistreatment. Within three years, 88 percent of Lithuanian Jews would be dead. “The Germans claimed they were creating peace between the Jews and their Lithuanian neighbors by forcing them into ghettos. As we were ushered into the ghetto, Lithuanian soldiers cheered and sang the national anthem,” Ipson said. Ipson and his family narrowly escaped being sent to a concentration camp with the help of a family friend who was a Jewish police officer in the ghetto. Later, they escaped the ghetto and were taken in by a Catholic farmer in the countryside. For six months, Ipson hid, with his parents and ten others, in an underground shelter dug by Ipson’s father. In 1944 the country was liberated by the Russians, which spelled the end of the German occupation and freedom for Ipson’s family, but the beginning of a second Russian occupation. “Can such an atrocity as the holocaust happen here in the United States?” Ipson asked. The crowd gave mixed responses of yes and no. “The Germans also had a democracy, they elected a party, the leader of that party became the speaker
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of the house, the collective house, and he appointed himself Furher,” Ipson said. “He took everybody’s rights away. Soon the courts were doing his bidding, the government did his bidding, and the military did what he said. So we can have a Holocaust right here right now.” The truth is that the Holocaust of WW II was the first of several modern genocides, including Darfur, Rwanda and possibly even Syria. As with most things, the key to prevention is education. People have not learned the lessons history has to offer and, under the right conditions, something like the Holocaust could happen in the United States. “We have a perfect example of oppression right now in the form of school bullying. What should the rest of us be doing when someone is bullied? We should stand up for them. We should tell the bully that what they are doing is wrong and we should protect the person who is being picked on,” Ipson said. During closing remarks, local rabbi Gershon Litt quoted Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. “Whenever and wherever human beings are enduring suffering, we must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor never the tormented,” Litt said.
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Date/Time Reported
Location
Category
04/07/2015 1:34am
W 41st & Bluestone
Disorderly Conduct
Active 04/08/2015
04/07/2015 3:12am
1200 W 49th St.
Driving Under the Influence
Arrest 04/08/2015
04/07/2015 3:10pm
Raising Cane’s
Fraud
Active 04/08/2015
04/07/2015 4:21pm
Garage D
04/09/2015 1:18pm
2000 Blk Granby
Fraud
04/09/2015 7:23pm 04/09/2015 9:26pm
800 W 46th St. The District
Assault - Simple
04/09/2015 11:00pm
Powhatan Apts
Assault - Simple
04/11/2015 2:22am
1400 W 43rd St
Vandalism
04/11/2015 3:07am
41st & Killam
Hit and Run Property Damage
Arrest 04/13/2015
04/11/2015 3:07am
41st & Killam
Driving Under the Influence
Arrest 04/13/2015
04/11/2015 12:38pm
Village Lot 2
Vandalism
Active 04/13/2015
04/11/2015 4:23pm
Village 8
Burglary
Arrest 04/13/2015
Concealed Weapon
Arrest 04/13/2015
Hit and Run Property Damage
Robbery
Disposition
Active 04/08/2015 Active 04/10/2015
Investigation by NPD Investigation by NPD Declined to prosecute Active 04/13/2015
04/11/2015 4:23pm
Village 8
04/11/2015 4:23pm
Village 8
Possession of Stolen Property
Arrest 04/13/2015
04/11/2015 10:34pm
5000 Blk Woodbury
Trespassing
Active 04/13/2015
04/11/2015 10:37pm
Constant Center
Trespassing
Arrest 04/13/2015
For more details, visit maceandcrown.com
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Steve Haddock: Aliens of the Deep Jacob Hall Contributing Writer
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A great fact about the Hampton Roads area is the close proximity to aliens. At least that’s what scientist Steve Haddock from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute believes. Haddock, who gave a lecture on April 16, is currently on a tour that talks about aliens on Earth, the ones found in the deep sea. Haddock and the institute observe and study the creatures found deep down in unexplored parts of the ocean. The lecture took place in the North Cafeteria of the Webb Center. Haddock began by explaining the specifics of his job. By using advanced tools, they are able to observe these deep-sea creatures and learn more about them. Of course, there are much more apparent applications of this for Old Dominion students. “The lecture sparks interest in an area to possibly study more,” Ariane Walter, a junior biology major, said. The lecture has helped Walter to open her eyes to the many fields of
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study available in this major. Events like this help students realize the potential possibilities when they graduate. Out of these deep-sea creatures, a concentration is put on the jellyfish. This focus comes from the bioluminescent molecules inside them. In simpler words, it’s the stuff that makes them glow. This ability seems to come right out of the pages of science fiction, but researchers are starting to understand how it works. “Why go there when we can go to the moon?” Haddock asked. As it turns out, the answer is pretty simple. These jellyfish in the deep sea are just as alien to us as anything in space, except they’re on our own planet. In addition to discovery, there are actually practical uses that are being found by the research. This research has helped to advance many fields, ranging from everyday tools to tools used in surgery. It’s even a possible field for ODU students to go into. This research has many uses, and is located right in our oceans.
Arts &
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Visit maceandcrown.com for area concert photos and reviews.
E N T ER T A I NM E N T
Xavier Adams
“Q&A with Xavier Adams; SPZRKT ‘Spazzy Rocket’ ” Dee Mohamed Contributing Writer The ability to grab the attention of an audience through outstanding vocality and melodic brilliance is truly a gift and Xavier Adams, also known as “Spazzy Rocket,” exemplifies just that. Born in Monterey, Calif., Spazzy is a 25-year-old recording artist residing in Warner Robins, GA. He debuted his first album last year in September with the release of “Bonfire,” which showed off a more experimental side he wanted to give his fans. Better known for his R&B/Hip-hop style, Spazzy released a collaborated EP project with a well-known producer by the name of Sango entitled “Hours Spent Loving You.” The EP release was a gesture to their fans on the immense support and allowing them to create and tell their stories. The release has received great reception and is steadily building with hundreds of thousands plays on Soundcloud. The journey is far from over for Spazzy Rocket but he is certain that his music will continue to affect the lives of others. When did you first get into music? and When did you know that this was something you wanted to do? Spazzy: I was born into a family
of singers and musicians. My first musical love was the drums. I learned to play by watching my brother play. I played drums in church until just recently, now I just sing. When it comes to creating music, I knew I wanted to do this as a career by age 12. A year ago on your Soundcloud you released your first song on your page Entitled “Laminin” followed by a couple other tracks such as “Best of your love,” talk about that process and everything that lead up to your single ‘Share the world’ which was the lead single from your debut album “Bonfire.” Spazzy: Actually I released the first song in their 3 years ago, and ‘Laminin’ 2 years ago. It’s been a grind, ha-ha. I think people kind of create in their mind that artists go through these huge and elaborate processes to create music, but for me it has always been simple. In the case of ‘Best Of Your Love’, a producer sent me the beat and I wrote and recorded to it. In the case of ‘Share The World’, I wrote the song and recorded it with how I wanted the music to sound. I sent that reference to Jay Cardec and he put the real music around it. If I’m lucky, I get to sit with the producer but in this internet age, the people I work with live so far that it’s rarely possible. Talk about your project “Bonfire” which you released last
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September and the overall vibe/ sound you were going for. Also your collaborations with Elhae you have on the project and on the song ‘Take Care’ which was featured on LaToya’s Season 3 Vlog. Spazzy: ‘Bonfire’ was a bit of an experiment. I wanted to see if I could do pop as well as be able to fuse it with my better-known R&B/ Hip-Hop style. The theme was love bringing everyone together around the fire in unity. Elhae and I have been friends since we were 4 years old. We’ve written a lot of music over the years so it was a no brainier to put him on the album as both a producer and an artist. The song ‘Take Care’ was never supposed to be a big deal. I was at his place and he asked me to write a chorus for the record. I recorded it and we left to go eat. He didn’t even record his verse to when he sent it to LaToya. He only released it because people demanded it. Finally, the “Hours Spent Loving you” EP, how did the collaboration with Sango happen? And talk about the sound/feel going into this project. Did you possibly endure heartbreak? What caused this project to be so heartfelt and deep? What did you want your audience to take away from each song off the project? Spazzy: Sango found me in Janu-
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ary of 2013. He messaged me saying he loved my song ‘Laminin’ and wanted to work together. I had no idea who the guy was but was open to it. Two months later, we released ‘Middle Of Things’ on my short project, and down the line ‘Middle of Things, Beautiful Wife’ on his album ‘North’. Most of my music from ‘The Loner’ we’re old beats by him and after seeing how well our styles meshed, we decided to do the EP. He sent me over a file of beats, and we had the first five songs done in a week. There was no initial story, but we realized we had one once we finished. There was no heartbreak on the project it’s all-uplifting. There was only one moment of uncertainty in ‘Winter Toes’ but even that resolves to wanting the love to last. We didn’t have a particular sound we aimed for, we only knew that we wanted to talk about God at some point, which we accomplished in ‘Loneliest Times’, ‘How Do You Love Me’, and ‘JMK’. We just want people to feel lifted in love and in life. Quick questions: Whats one thing most people might not know about you? Spazzy: “I sing on the praise team at my church every week.” What are your hopes and aspirations with music? Where do you see yourself 5-10 years from now? Spazzy: I want to go as far as possible. There is no particular ceiling in
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mind on either the artist or business side, which I hope to transition to one day. In five years, I hope I’m still thriving and at the highest level possible. Ten years from now, I’ll likely be an A&R for STRT TRBL Music and helping to find the future of music. If you could collaborate with anyone currently, who would it be? Spazzy: James Blake. Do you have other interests other than music? Spazzy: I’m a huge sports fanatic. If I wasn’t into music I would be a sports writer. What is your overall message to your fans? Spazzy: Never lose hope, and anchor your hope to Jesus.” Twitter/Instagram: SPZRKT
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Continued from A1 Hall expanded on the differences between LGTBQ underground comics and mainstream comics and how they two are meshing over the progression of society’s views. “The distinction between the mainstream and the underground of queer comics has always been [blurred]; a couple of creators obviously crossing over, but very few… however I think that’s changing now… this new generation of queer cartoonists coming up through Tumblr and the Internet generation. I would say the majority are women and a lot of gender-queer people… I think we’re starting to see the mainstream pull from that pool of talent,” Hall said. Jimenez also commented on why readers would start to see the inclusion of gay characters into mainstream comics. “I think we will continue to see LGBTQ characters in mainstream comics…I think the people behind the scenes are interested in telling stories with those kinds of characters, I think they see them as important and viable,” Jimenez said. As the world of comics changes coinciding with the way society views the LGBTQ community, more and more queer comic writers and artists are introducing or expanding characters that can be seen as symbols and inspiration. Issues facing the LGBTQ community have and continue to be addressed in the pages of comic books to bring an understanding to society and to break the boundaries that queer characters are confined to. What the future holds for gay superheroes is uncertain, but what is anticipated is further exposure and boundary pushing.
Evening Around the World David Thornton News Editor Multi-culturalism was the theme of Norfolk’s Second Annual Sister Cities event, “An Evening Around the World.” Diverse groups of individuals from local organizations and institutions, like ODU and WHRO, mingled with citizens from around the world at the Waterside Sheraton, enjoying cocktails, international cuisine and entertainment from a variety of cultures. A bagpiper stood outside the entrance of the hotel, signaling the beginning of the international experience. Inside the lobby, live Japanese
Koto music provided an exotic touch of class. Upstairs, as attendees mingled, sipped drinks, and browsed the international bazaar outside the ballroom, the Happy Dutchmen created a festive air with German oompa-style music, grabbing random members of the crowd and dancing with them energetically. Inside the ballroom, 12 booths were set up, each one hosting a different local restaurant. Each restaurant represented a different sister city, and provided small, tapas-style dishes representative of common cuisine from that region. ODU had two tables reserved at the event, and a diverse group of
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faculty and administrators mingled around the tables and sampled the cuisines. Nawab’s Alleppey Fish Curry, representing Kochi, India was an early favorite, especially with Sharon Pitney, an international student advisor, and David Silvis, director of the English Language Center. But opinions changed frequently as attendees were able to sample more dishes throughout the night. Attendees were allowed to cast three votes for their favorite dishes but the choices were difficult. “First, I wanted to cast all my votes for the sushi. Then I wanted to cast them all for the French coquilles. Then I wanted to cast
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them all for the curried fish,” Carol Simpson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said. David Selover, an associate professor of economics, favored Fin Seafood’s gourmet sausage with truffle mash potatoes (representing Norfolk, England), and discussed the economic implications of spicy food with Dr. Shaomin Li, professor of international business. Li explained that the less developed a region is, the spicier their food tends to be. This is because the quality of ingredients available to the average person is lower, so heavy spicing serves to mask the inferiority. Silvis praised the event and reflected on the diversity and
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multiculturalism at ODU. “The university has made a lot of efforts to internationalize the campus,” he said. Later in the evening, it seemed as though everyone discovered the pork dumplings from Croc’s at the same time, as the line suddenly grew long and chefs had to scramble to keep up with demand. Most agreed that the dumplings were worth the wait, and the dish became a late favorite. Each of Norfolk’s ten sister cities stood out through their cuisine, but what was really showcased that night was Norfolk’s place in the international community.
M&C| WEDNESDAY | 4.22.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM
Sports
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For updated Monarch sports coverage, visit maceandcrown.com.
Courtesy: ODU Athletics
Roadrunner’s Defeat No. 58 Monarchs, 4-2 in C-USA Semi-Finals Michael High Staff Writer
The No. 3 seeded Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners men’s tennis team ousted the No. 58 nationally ranked and No. 2 seeded Old Dominion Monarchs (16-3), 4-2, from the CUSA tournament, Saturday afternoon, at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. The two teams met in January, which resulting in a 5-2 Monarch victory. Saturday started in similar fashion , with the Roadrunner’s winning 2-of-3 doubles matches, grabbing a 1-0 lead. Javier Jover Maestre earned ODU’s first point when he claimed a swift
victory over UTSA’s Joel Rubio in straight sets (6-0, 6-1). They would grab the lead, 2-1, when Adam Moundir (ODU) def. Yannick Junger (UTSA) 6-2, 6-4 , at the No. 2 position. In a matchup between two of the conference’s best players, UTSA’s nationally ranked #82 Tomas Stillman, avenged the earlier season loss, with a straight-set victory, 6-3, 6-3, over Carlos Lopez Villa, 6-3, 6-3. They would pick up wins in the next two matches at the No. 3 and No. 5 positions, to close out the Monarchs. ODU was undeafeted at home (7-0) before the loss.
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Tennis Match Results: UTSA vs Old Dominion Apr, 18 2015 at Norfolk, Va. (Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center)
UTSA 4, #58 Old Dominion 2 Singles competition 1. #82 Tomas Stillman (UTSA) def. Carlos Lopez Villa (ODU) 6-3, 6-3 2. Adam Moundir (ODU) def. Yannick Junger (UTSA) 6-2, 6-4 3. Tito Moreiras (UTSA) def. Michael Weindl (ODU) 6-3, 6-2 4. Javier Jover Maestre (ODU) def. Joel Rubio (UTSA) 6-0, 6-1 5. Joao Riquelme (UTSA) def. Theophile Lanthiez (ODU) 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
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6. Zvonimir Podvinski (ODU) vs. Diogo Casa (UTSA) 2-6, 6-3, 5-5, unfinished Doubles competition 1. #67 Tomas Stillman/Tito Moreiras (UTSA) def. Adam Moundir/Michael Weindl (ODU) 8-4 2. Carlos Lopez Villa/Javier Jover Maestre (ODU) def. Yannick Junger/ Diogo Casa (UTSA) 8-2 3. Joel Rubio/Jake Rother (UTSA) def. Zvonimir Podvinski/Theophile Lanthiez (ODU) 8-3 Match Notes: UTSA 16-8 Old Dominion 16-3; National ranking #58 Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,2,1,3,5)
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Meet the 49ers: ODU plays Charlotte in Week 7 Nate Budryk Sports Editor In week seven of the 2015 football season, the Old Dominion University Monarchs will play its second opponent of the season who recently made the jump from FCS to FBS. Two weeks ago, it was the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Week seven’s opponent is in a similar position, as the 49ers of the University of North Carolina Charlotte will come into Norfolk to test their mettle in their first season of Conference-USA membership. Not only is UNCC new to FBS and Conference USA, their football program itself is still very much in its infancy. After a vote to institute a football program in 2008, UNC Charlotte’s football team took the field for the first time ever at the beginning of regular season play in 2013. After going 5-6 in their inaugural season, the 49ers duplicated that record a year ago, winning five
games in 2014 and bringing the program’s overall record to 10-12. Despite their less-than-impressive overall record, for a team that has literally just come into existence, the 49ers have plenty of reason for optimism, as they are a young team that looks poised to improve from its 2014 campaign. Tailback Kalif Phillips, who racked up 1,436 rushing yards to go along with 20 touchdowns a year ago, will be returning for his junior season. Additionally, Matt Johnson, Charlotte’s starting quarterback from a year ago, will also return. Johnson accumulated 1,941 yards through the air last year with 13 touchdowns. Despite Charlotte’s perception as a run-first team, they had one extremely bright spot from last year in the passing game. Austin Duke, a 5’ 9”, 155 pound wide receiver was Johnson’s favorite, and effectively his only target. Duke caught 79 balls last year good for 1,373 yards.
The team’s second-most prolific receiver caught 33 passes good for 365 yards. Duke will return for the 2015 season, certainly to the delight Johnson. Assisting with the offense’s growing pains from last year was Charlotte’s ball-hawking defense, which combined for 13 interceptions, led by Greg Cunningham Jr.’s three. Charlotte is a team that is clearly only going to improve from its back-to-back 5-6 campaigns of the past two years. It remains to be seen if they are ready to come into the hostility of S.B. Ballard Stadium and hold their own, but their players are a year older, a year stronger and a year more experienced. They will need all strength and experience they can get as they continue their foray into the highest level of competition that college football has to offer.
Courtesy: UNC Charlotte Athletics
Say NO to the exploitation of Adjuncts at ODU! Adjuncts, like every other constituent group on this campus--students, full-time faculty, and staff--deserve fair pay and a voice. Now is the time to stand up!
Adjuncts deserve:
Planning to be in Richmond this summer?
• A fair and living wage. $50/hr sounds like a lot. But, if you only get one class a semester you qualify for food stamps and Medicaid. • Humane benefits: healthcare, time off, retirement. These are human rights. • A seat at the leadership table, just like every other group on campus. • Limited class size. Smaller classes = more learning.
Why not earn some credit?
Take that math class you need as a prerequisite or explore a new subject. With over 2,500 courses, you can indulge in topics like Curiousness, Field Archeology, or get credit for watching films in a History of Motion Picture course.
Summer classes run
May 18 through August 7.
Visit www.summer.vcu.edu for course listings and registration information.
The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. Che Guevara
Summer Studies Office (804) 827-4586 summer@vcu.edu
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Students: Show your support for ODU Adjuncts, and willingness to pay a little more for tuition, at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, April 29 at 2 p.m. in Mills Godwin Building 102.
www.gread.org
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Technology
Visit maceandcrown.com for video game reviews and more.
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Tech Breakdown: What is 4K?
Ross Reelachart Assistant Technology Editor
In the 1980s, the display resolution of televisions and computer screen topped out around 640 x 200 pixels, with other common resolutions of 320 x 200 pixels or even 160 x 200 pixels. When Microsoft released Windows XP in 2001, it was capable of running at 800 x 600 pixels. Right now, the iPhone 6 Plus display runs at 1080 x 1920 pixels, which is fast becoming “standard” resolution despite technically being high definition. Nowadays, 720p resolution, which translates to 1280 x 720 pixels, is considered the lowest resolution for any TV on the market. Anything lower than that is reserved for buffering YouTube videos, before enough has loaded to jump up to 720p. Now the big push by technology companies and proud PC users is the new 4K Ultra High Resolution or UHD, which is around double the current HD. There are even higher resolutions that are gradually being made available to consumers and will no longer be exclusive to digital cinemas. But what exactly does the increase in pixels mean, and does it really make a difference? As a general overview, when referring to “resolution” in TV, movies
and computers the numbers are in reference to how wide the screen is by how tall it is, measured in pixels. Pixels are individual points of color that produce an image on the screen. The greater the pixel density on a screen, the sharper and clearer the image will become. However, simply having more pixels does not mean a better image, as the size of the pixel itself when compared to the size of the screen can increase or reduce the sharpness. 4K resolution itself is easy enough to understand. The name “4K” comes from the fact that 4K screens have roughly four times as many pixels on the horizontal axis when compared to the “full HD” of 1080 screens. Where current HD screens have over two million pixels, 4K has over eight million. While there is still some casual consumer debate over whether or not that makes a difference, and whether or not people can even tell the difference, that there the jump from Full HD to Ultra HD is noticeable. Setting aside other factors like aspect ratios and color richness, the 4K resolution is definitely sharper. The lines of contrast between shapes and colors is thinner and less blocky, producing smoother lines and allowing more detail to show through the image. With the right color settings, a
flat image can take on the qualities of 3D without needing any special glasses or actual 3D technology because the depth of the image is easier to see and sense at higher resolutions. However, all of the “upgrades” given by 4K resolution come with a myriad of additional factors that can complicate the idea that it is a straight upgrade from 1080. First of all, the human eye can only sense so much change in resolution, and the eye itself has functionally finite resolution. The best illustration of this concept is counting grains of sand on the beach. Try counting grains of sand at your feet, and then try counting them beyond ten feet away. Even accounting for differences in eyesight, the human eye has an eventual limit based on distance. This is the biggest argument against the push for a 4K standard. The full benefits of 4K is dependent on both the viewing distance and the physical size of the screen. Technology blogger Carlton Bale provides a handy chart that illustrates the concept. Beyond the ability of the viewer to actually discern the differences in resolutions, there are other factors that can put a damper on the hype generated by entertainment technology companies. As mentioned previously, aspect ratios and color richness
do matter. A screen also needs to be able to provide better color contrasts, which is the ability of the screen to give different luminance to two adjacent colors of different brightness. The screen also needs to be able to reduce or eliminate compression artifacts, which are areas of visual distortion caused by minor data lag or corruption. All of these factors are lagging behind, technology-wise, when compared to the increases in resolution that are coming so readily and quickly, and yet all these factors have a significant impact on picture quality too. Also, like all consumer technologies and electronics, 4K screens are only as useful and practical as the content they are used to view, and broadcasting standards of both traditional TV and modern streaming companies (i.e. Netflix, Hulu) are playing a game of catch-up with the increase in resolutions. A movie or TV show that is not filmed at 4K resolution does not take full advantage of a 4K viewing screen, not to mention that most distribution networks are not equipped to efficiently transfer the data necessary for 4K resolution. On the more political side, there are no set broadcasting standards that content producers need to adhere to. In fact, technology companies are
currently competing with each other to push their standards, which could lead to a world where only certain UHD TVs can receive and display certain programs or channels which fit that brand’s broadcasting standard. The net result of all this indecision and inconsistency is that there is also simply not a lot of content that actually utilizes 4K resolution. Now despite all the naysaying and debate about 4K, many are still looking forward to Ultra High Definition screens and television. However, it is very wise to consider the fact that 4K is still a very young technology that needs time to mature, and the world needs time to build an infrastructure that can properly utilize it. Like all new technologies, the current state of 4K is that the technology itself is still being improved and standardized, and the price point is too high to be considered by the vast majority of consumers. The best advice is to simply wait and not immediately fall for all the hype surrounding 4K televisions. Wait for the price drop and wait for content producers, and accessory producers, to catch up. Also, do not fall for the curved TV fad. Objectively speaking, that is DUMB!
From A1 Since college students are actively taking classes in a wide variety of subjects, Malca felt that they would make the perfect tutors. Top students in the network were asked to come on as tutors. Any grade level, from primary school on up to graduate level students, can find the help they desire through StudyRoom’s vast pool of
tutors. For their efforts, tutors do receive compensation. Malca and his partner, Pindi Albert, launched StudyRoom at 100 schools nationwide after taking part in 2014 TechCrunch Digest Startup Battlefield. Their goals have always been to connect students and make it easier to share notes, form study groups and learn collectively. Right now, StudyRoom is only available in
the U.S., but that will not always be the case. Malca’s next goal is to expand out internationally, hopefully by next year. They’ve already begun to identify bilingual tutors and are looking into what nations might have a demand for StudyRoom and Snapsolve. Another goal on the horizon is a real time version of Snapsolve. While the app is a revolutionary idea, providing on demand help with assign-
ments, there is a delay of several minutes for a tutor to provide help. Real time help would mean that there is always a tutor ready to help at a moment’s notice. The idea of Snapsolve and StudyRoom is an innovative way to take advantage of the rise of online social networking. The cross pollination of ideas and knowledge provides for a platform that could allow Malca and
Albert to take their app worldwide. However, as with all things, time will tell.
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Opinion
To submit your opinions about issues on campus, email sdavi116@odu.edu
Dan Bell
Sea Level Rise Reality Check Comes to Hampton Roads Jugal Patel Digital Editor War, disease, cycles of economic depression and recession. Norfolk seems to have seen it all. The next challenges faced by the city and region however, require that everyone – from business owners to public officials, planners, engineers and architects, scientists and civic leaders – work alongside each other. Last month, Hampton Roads leaders came together to identify the priorities, efforts, and resources needed to deal with issues related to sea level rise and flooding – perhaps the historic area’s greatest challenge. The conversation was the kick-off to an Urban Land Institute’s Reality Check series of annual events. “The goal of the Urban Land Institute’s Reality Check events is to allow diverse groups to have a say in visioning and planning a region’s future,” said Michelle Covi, Virginia Sea Grant extension at Old Dominion University and organizer of the event. “This is the first time this diversity of opinions and perspectives were shared in one room.” According to Chris Bonney, Chairman of the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement, the event signified a meaningful step to address the region’s problems. Bonney mentioned that he and most other participants expect “the region’s local elected leaders will learn to work better together, rather than separately, to address these challenges.” Participants cited transportation and the Hampton Roads economy as top concerns when considering sea level rise. Another point of agreement: the region will need to secure funding to implement adaptation projects, such as raising streets and homes, building seawalls, dikes, levees, restoring
coastal wetlands, among others. Concerns were also expressed over impacts on the military—which makes up 42% of the Hampton Roads economy according to ODU’s most recent State of the Region report. Christopher Born, a representative from Joint Base Langley-Eustis reflected on past damage the base had experienced due to storms. Since 2003, three hurricanes and a nor’easter alone caused over $188 million in damage. Currently, Hampton Roads is essentially comprised of 17 localities essentially, “running their own ship,” as mentioned by another participant. Increasing public awareness of the issues and consolidating the region’s future planning in preparing for sea level rise are critical for adaption. Another concrete goal of adaption is a transition to an environment-centered planning of land use—where the region’s geographical topography and ecology are taken into account for development plans. City officials lauded that such a transition would allow developed areas to be focused on higher ground where they are away from floodwater. Building codes can also be updated, and if need be, leaders can pursue funding for engineering and architecture designs of living with water. Other solutions mentioned were to reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions, which creates incentives for the region’s people to do their part. Some of the initiatives mentioned that people can do were to clean their storm drains, install rain barrels and rain gardens to retain water, and to become more active in the process of adaption as a whole. At the end of the Reality Check event, participants voted on priority areas to deal with the region’s worsening flooding problems (pictured right). Each member was given five
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votes to distribute along an assortment of focus areas. Following the event, a team of social scientists at ODU will analyze the results of the discussions and the voting exercise. Covi says the findings “can be used by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the municipalities, and the Intergovernmental Pilot Project to inform their work to build regional resilience.” The Hampton Roads Intergovernmental Pilot Project is an initia-
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tive tasked by the White House and the Pentagon to establish a whole of government and whole of community approach to resilience planning and sea level rise preparation, The Pilot Project will conclude in June of 2016 with the creation of an intergovernmental planning team. The Resilient Region Reality Check event was hosted at ODU’s Ted Constant Convocation Center through collaboration between the ULI and ODU’s Mitigation and Adaptation
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Research Institute. Representatives from civic leagues, businesses, and nonprofits participated. They were also joined by government officials from local, state, and federal levels. As the region sinks while sea levels rise, the conversation on how to prepare is expected to continue along. Jugal Patel is the Virginia Sea Grant Coastal Adaptation & Resilience Correspondent. This post is part of the Mace & Crown’s Rising Seas, Sinking Cities blog.
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How ODU Students Killed the Activist in Me By Anonymous ODU does not have a Diversity problem, it has a problem with discourse around Race. That’s something that needed to be said at the “O-D-You: Talks of Diversity and Inclusion” just a few weeks ago. First, they were not “talks” they were moderated debates that resulted in nothing constructive. This brings me to my other main point: NOTHING productive came from those debates. The only thing they accomplished was exacerbating a problem in which it felt “safe to hurt” vs. “safe to share.” I was ashamed to be a Monarch while I sat in those rooms, watching the lengths students went to hurt and use petty trivialities to make hellish attacks towards ODU administrators and fellow students. The fact that the discourse is divided into students who want to support and trust administration, and those who don’t and are afraid too; is a sad binary we have to recognize and do work to fix. As long as both sides of the aisle are fighting and focusing on microaggressions then nothing will get done. But the more I was angered, the more I realized how much work needs to be done.To sit back and let these feelings fester would not lead to any change… so these are the feelings and thoughts I never felt comfortable sharing and why I think they need to be shared now – by a form unmarred by race, gender, sexual identity…by the anonymous embodiment of a Monarch and the ideals I think one should have. First, if ODU Administration wants students to find a resolution to this they need to BACK OFF! The “dialogues” that were planned were poorly organized, horridly executed, barely advertised, and also didn’t hold true to the promise they made with students. The few emails that went out advertising these talks said that “no administration would be present” so that students could comfortably share their thoughts… I don’t know about you but I saw more high-ranking administration in those meetings than I see on a daily basis. Dr. Neufeldt, Dr. Young, Don Stansberry, and other high-ranking administrators stayed in the room and managed to assist in only skewing the results of the talks. Students who may have had a lot to say about their feelings on ODU were afraid to voice them with administrators around. Given that the foundations of our problems lie in half of students trusting ODU admin, and the other half not; the last thing you want is to prove that your word is irrelevant. The structure of these “talks” and the arrangement of a guest speaker brought in showed nothing from
ODU administration but a blatant disrespect and lack of faith in social entrepreneurship and the school of humanities.The guest was a glorified host who exacerbated the issues, did nothing to regulate the environment, and ultimately served to provide no constructive assistance. The microphone passing for hours led to nothing but a poorly constructed debate that did not allow for working towards a place of healing or realizing the problem. It only made students feel like they had to fight over whether or not there truly was a problem in need of fixing. The use of discussion around diversity, human issues and the issues and struggles of students are the most valuable healing and applicable tools any university can cherish and value. The environment that was created did nothing to help those students feel like they were valued. That said, students should not be blaming the administration for all problems or issues they may feel. The microaggresions and civil unrest around African American rights issues and safety across the country has justifiably angered and earned responses from students. However, directing the anger at administrations is misplaced and detrimental. No one has the right to tell any community or group of people how to grieve or deal with crimes and inequalities like the ones we’ve seen, but that emotion being turned into rage and anger towards peers and allies will make a greater divide than we already experience. In those talks, the only loud voices heard on social media and in the talks were the ones addressing “racist students” and the want for administrators to “care about their community.” These accusations and negative emotions assume that administrators and other students are ignorant of other communities and the answer is plain and simple: they are. NO ONE in the public discourse can be well and perfectly versed in all forms of diversity, this was seen in the lack of LGBTQ representation in the students requested to speak by ODU Admins, but also from the forgotten representation of Queer bodies within the intersectionalities of the African American community until after the talks. For either side to expect the world, we also have to accept each other’s faults and hold realistic expectations for our community and our location geographically and politically. By far the most anger-inducing experience from this was relentless barrage directed at a representative of the Pan-Hellenic Council that became a ruthless attack on her personal life. When a student leader is forced to leave the room in tears because she feels offended to be asked “why don’t you date Black men?” we
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have truly reduced ourselves on the totem pole of relevant talking points to the… well no, we don’t deserve to have a talking point because it is literally the most irrelevant and stupid discussion to have in a place that is supposed to be about diversity and inclusivity! Watching students, who work hard to be well-versed and responsible leaders of the community get called “racists,” “traitors” and “hindrances to progress on campus” is what truly made me ashamed to be a monarch that day. Expecting student leaders who are here to learn and expand as much as anyone else to know everything and be aware of all issues is as unrealistic as thinking the president of the university can think about every single intersectional community of the world in every single one of his thoughts. When asked about a resolution, something to solve or fix the issue, a lot of communities and students had no idea how to respond or did so silently. A petition that has been loudly making it’s way around the internet, however, says students think otherwise. The argument for a Black Student Union on campus has been strong, long and hard, and it was around the launch of these talks after Ferguson that gave way to the turmoil of racial inequality emotions on campus. I’ll be blunt, a Black Student Union won’t cure racism on our campus nor protect you from it… look at UVA. A mission statement, goal, design, location, office oversight, the many MANY logistics that go into establishing an office haven’t even been considered or planned from the proposers or brought to meetings with the administrators; when asked the response has been ‘that’s their job’ but it’s not. Their job is to learn what YOU the students want, and do what they can to provide it. What administrators are hearing is there is an issue with racism on campus, and they are doing their best to handle it, but that is why work hasn’t been put into a Black Student Union… because there has been no proof shown that THIS would resolve the issue.
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One cited argument is that we used to have an African American Student Center in the past, and so it should be brought back, completely ignoring the fact that Black culture and pride has a safe and inclusive space in the Office of Intercultural Relations. Rather than reinventing the wheel, creating an expanded or enlarged Office of Intercultural Relations to include larger spaces, and more administrators to be dedicated to specific communities would be easier than expecting the establishment of a new building and office. Diversity and inclusivity means the inclusion of all intersectionalities in the future of foundations throughout all of ODU. This speaks true to other centers on campus that should be expanded to include more support, services, and communities like the Women’s Center, for example. Both of these centers provide services that are important. The lack of attention paid to the Queer and African American communities could be answered by offices and individuals being added and expanded in programing to both of these centers to include them. Which brings me to the throughline I’ve heard throughout all of this, the key phrase in the discourse that seems to be missed: “I’m upset because I don’t feel like my voice is heard, or that there is a resource for me.” If an administrative position, group, or office could be placed under these equity offices; then there would be more work and voices to be able to pass the struggles and concerns of these communities through the upper offices to the president…which would lead to a voice and form of consideration that hasn’t been paid in a long time. If the point hasn’t been made clear through the rest of this, let me be CRYSTAL clear: this is not an issue of our campus being “diverse.” This is an issue of discomfort around the subject of race. Society has systematically oppressed many diversities and cultures, as statistics and common logic prove, but these issues are covered generally by “diversity.” These discussions aren’t working towards addressing gender inequalities or
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Queer issues. There are strong issues of racial inequality being advertised and distressing our students and if we can’t acknowledge that it’s the problem we need to fix, nothing will be accomplished. Students hurt, they feel the pain of their community and are turning to the only community they can be connected to for help…and are instead having their issues reshaped and redirected into something not nearly as important or ignored under the blanket word of “diversity.” But no matter the pain, no matter the suffering or guilt felt on campus, none of it is is an excuse to lower ourselves to that level. We’ve already seen that ODU has not done good work to value humanities so to expect students to as well is immensely unrealistic. Students should be ashamed, of the way they have talked to, insulted, and heard their fellow students and administrators – all allies who have nothing but their best care in mind. Administrators should take a step back and realize students know more about these subjects and feelings and should trust them to have educated discussion with peers, supporters, and guest speakers without the need for administrative input; only receiving news and information back after the dialogues are over. These days have lit a new fire in my heart. One of conflict analysis and resolution. I see issues and fights between students leading to more problems than the social justice arguments that have led to these discourses between students. If everyone took a step back, removed personal attacks and feelings of inferiority, and went into a dialogue with all parties with the simple goal of making everyone feel included, loved, and making ODU an equitable place, then we might be able to start launching movement in the right direction. The students fighting and arguing are what make me ashamed, I’m disappointed in admin but not as much as the students who think arguing over social media will lead to anything.
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LIFE
Christian rapper Lecrae performs at the Ted Center on Friday, April 17, 2015. Jason Kazi | M&C
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Roses are Good by R.A.W
Roses are good Violets are the best Their misunderstood Neglected by the rest A strong Rose Blooms through the concrete But Violets, They blossom in the snow. Roses, Don’t know the taste of defeat Nor the burning of the cold Yes, A Rose’s love is deep But there’s something Only a Violet knows. If it’s love you want to keep, Then you must learn how to let go. Roses are red Violets are purple One is buried with the dead The other keeps the heart full
Break of the Day by Nate Fakes
The Argyle Sweater by Scott Hilburn
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