WEDNESDAY | 3.4.2015 | MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 57, Issue 18
Senior Monarchs Go Out on Top. C1
Josh Whitener | M&C
Secret Group Claims Responsibility for Missing Seal
ODU faculty members and students held a “ring-in” at Koch Hall to coincide with the National Adjunct Walkout Day on Feb. 25, 2015. Jason Kazi | Mace & Crown
Adjuncts March for Better Working Conditions 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 the 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,” he said. It’s unclear exactly how many universities and adjuncts are
participating, due to the fact that the event has no central organization. After the idea was proposed, students and faculty members across the U.S., Canada, U.K. and other European countries picked it up 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 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.
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“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.
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“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. “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 Cont. A3
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Josh Whitener Assistant News Editor & Sean Davis Editor-in-Chief 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 covered 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 missing 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.
List of demands on A3
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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 Jasmine Blackwell Jessica Perkins Josh Whitener Libby Marshall Matt O’Brien Symmion Moore
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 Advertising: 757-683-4773
T w it t er
NEWS
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M&C| WEDNESDAY | 3.4.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM
For updated campus crime information, visit maceandcrown.com.
Seal Bandit’s List of Demands
Crime Log Date/Time Reported
Location
Category
Disposition
02/16/2015 11:44 a.m.
Barry Arts Bldg.
Vandalism
Active 02/19/2015
02/16/2015 3:46 p.m.
The District
Vandalism
Closed 02/19/2015
02/16/2015 9:18 p.m.
France House
Narcotics Violation
Unfounded 02/19/2015
Larceny from a Building
Active 02/19/2015
02/16/2015 9:57 p.m.
From A1 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 going on strike. 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.
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SRC
02/16/2015 11:06 p.m.
Rogers Hall
Narcotics Violation
Inactive 02/19/2015
02/17/2015 2:16 p.m.
France House
Narcotics Violation
Unfounded 02/19/2015
02/17/2015 7:26 p.m.
France House
Narcotics Violation
Inactive 02/19/2015
02/17/2015 7:43 p.m.
France House
Narcotics Violation
Unfounded 02/19/2015
02/18/2015 6:21 a.m.
Dominion House
Narcotics Violation
Judicial referral 02/19/2015
02/19/2015 8:32 a.m.
Whitehurst Hall
Vandalism
Active 02/20/2015
02/19/2015 12:42 p.m.
Education Bldg.
Larceny from a Building
Active 02/20/2015
02/20/2015 12:37 a.m.
Whitehurst Hall
Narcotics Violation
Inactive 02/23/2015
02/20/2015 7:42 p.m.
Village 3
Harassing Communication
Active 02/23/2015
02/21/2015 12:05 a.m.
Whitehurst
Narcotics Violation
Inactive 02/23/2015
02/21/2015 1:23 p.m.
Perry Library
Larceny from a Building
Active 02/23/2015
02/21/2015 9:32 p.m.
Dominion House
Larceny
Active 02/23/2015
02/22/2015 2:54 p.m.
France House
Assault Simple
Arrest 02/23/2015
02/22/2015 7:53 p.m.
Powhatan Apts
Narcotics Violation
Arrest 02/23/2015
For more details, visit maceandcrown.com
“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 administration so that heretofore we will have a voice.”
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M&C| WEDNESDAY | 3.4.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM
“Just Having Fun on a Snow Day” Libby Marshall Staff Writer
This is how sophomore Travis Rickman explains the 8-foot tall snowman and the 6-foot tall igloo that he and fellow sophomore Michael Miller constructed on the Quad on the afternoon of Feb. 26: “We just wanted to make something cool [no pun intended] and bring some life to campus,” Miller said. Their first creation, the massive snowman, inspired the idea to continue using the snow artistically. With crushed beer cans for eyes instead of coal, and carrots forming the mouth instead of the nose, the friendly giant welcomed students passing by and welcomes pictures. After a short reprieve inside for warmth, Miller and Rickman went
Sophomores Travis Rickman and Michael Miller wanted to build a SNOWMAN! Feb. 26, 2015.
Stef Wasko Contributing Writer
back outside, armed with trashcans, which they used to form the bricks of the igloo. “We filled them up and then they just made perfect blocks and then we just stacked them up,” Rickman said Instead of the traditional round or oval-shaped igloo, this one was built narrowly. “It wasn’t hard, just timeconsuming,” Miller said. The igloo took almost three hours to complete. The lengthy amount of time it took to make the blocks and arrange them accounts for the shape, since a more round igloo would have to be larger. With their talents and enlivened spirits, Rickman and Miller brightened up campus on this cold and dreary day, bringing joy and fun to fellow students.
Photos: Libby Marshall | Mace & Crown
Faculty Profile: Dr. “Bill” Whitehurst
He twitched his forefinger, which sent the propeller whirling on the front of his miniature Grumman TBF Avenger plane. Beside the model aircraft, a younger William G. Whitehurst in his Navy bomber uniform stared out of a picture frame with glimmering eyes. “I know I’m not like anybody else at ODU,” the now almost-90-yearold Whitehurst said. With the same youthful glint in his eye, the now-college professor launched into stories from his time as a navy bomber in World War II and tales from nine terms as a Republican congressman in Washington, D.C. On March 7, “Dr. Bill,” the beloved and famed professor at Old Dominion University, will receive the First Citizen Award from the Cosmopolitan Club of Norfolk for his life of service to Norfolk, Virginia and the U.S., particularly for 18 years spent as a U.S. Representative. Before Capital Hill, Whitehurst taught at ODU – then part of William and Mary. Following his time in Congress he returned to the uni-
versity to teach history and public affairs. According to his own calculations, he has taught close to 9,000 students. “And I remember those first few better than some of the ones I taught last year,” he said. Whitehurst jumps at the opportunity to share his experiences with his students—and anyone else who will lend an ear. I know this from spending a dinner and another three hours on the edge of the couch cushions listening to Dr. Bill share his numerous unbelievable tales. He talked about Oleg Yermishkin who Whitehurst discovered to be a KGB spy. Whitehurst kept a friendship with the “second secretary on the embassy staff” through his terms in Congress. In 1994, he wrote to Yermishkin in the hopes of meeting while Whitehurst and his wife spent time in Russia. Yermishkin responded and the two set a plan to meet in St. Petersburg. Whitehurst brought an Old Dominion University sweatshirt as a small token to leave with his old Russian friend. Yermishkin also came bearing gifts. He gave Whitehurst his old KGB medal. “In a very real way it represents the
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tangible act of reaching across the barrier imposed on us by the Cold War,” Whitehurst wrote about receiving the medal. “He knew that I knew what his true mission was in America, yet it did not prevent us from developing trust and affection for one another.” Whitehurst boasts of his life stories and the connections he has made, but he shares the gifts he receives with the public. The medal and his published work, “Diary of a Congressman,” are available for any curious student in the University Archives at Perry Library. The women working at the retirement community grin as the ex-congressman walks into the restaurant for dinner. Whitehurst winks and compliments like a true politician. He insists my boyfriend and I order the ice cream for dessert. “It is to die for. Although,” he chuckled, “you probably shouldn’t say such things in a place like this.” While we enjoy the frozen dessert, Whitehurst talks about the prophetic dreams he and his wife had one night. He “name drops” often, but the names come from a generation unfamiliar to many millenials. After our meal, Whitehurst sits
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cross-legged in his armchair, standing up to search for books or pamphlets or photographs of his late wife, “Lady Jane.” He’s wearing green and red plaid pants and a clashing Navy tie decorated with small red hearts. The clocks she collected tick from the kitchen and swing their pendulums in the living room. Whitehurst reads excerpts from unpublished parts of his diaries. He recounts his memories of President Eisenhower’s funeral, his friendship with a Russian KGB spy and private breakfast with President Nixon. “I’ve had a good life,” he says sincerely, “I wish I could have more of it. It goes past before you know it.” In 1969, Whitehurst raised his right hand and swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” as a member of the 91st Congress. Over his 18 years as a U.S. Representative, Whitehurst worked on the House Armed Services Committee. He also served on the House Select Committee on Intelligence for six years and the House Ethics Committee for two. A list of committees hardly paints an accurate portrait of Bill White-
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hurst. Details from Richard Nixon’s inauguration and President Eisenhower’s funeral spill out of Whitehurst’s published diaries. He writes of the corruption in U.S. politics alongside the triumphs won for the American public. When it comes to political corruption, Whitehurst set a prime example of an ethical congressman. He tells a story of a time a donor gave a substantial amount of cash to the campaign. Whitehurst says the man simply put cash in an envelope and encouraged Whitehurst to use the funds however he wished too. “It disturbed me that I was even tempted by the money,” Whitehurst said. “It’s not right.” He says he told his wife about the money to which she asked, “You didn’t take it did you?” The couple took the cash and gave every cent of it to the intended campaign fund. Although Whitehurst saw some issues in Congress, he looks back on the 18 years with fondness. “I’ve really had a good one,” he said. “I sometimes wish I could live longer to see how everything goes.”
Arts &
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M&C| WEDNESDAY | 3.4.2015| MACEANDCROWN.COM
Visit maceandcrown.com for area concert photos and reviews.
E N T ER T A I NM E N T
Flickr
Grab your popcorn:
Project Almanac Chris Circeo Contributing Writer With “Project Almanac,” MTV Films tries to boldly go where it has never gone before, deep into the realm of the found footage genre only to realize it didn’t have much to say when it got there. Dean Israelite’s first turn at directing a feature length film starts with tech-savvy David (Jonny Weston) showing off his latest-and-greatest invention engineered with the help of his two high school friends, Adam (Allen Evangelista) and Quinn (Sam Lerner), and his younger sister Chris (Virginia Gardner), in an attempt to impress and gain admittance to MIT. What follows is a strange string of events when David finds a videotape in his attic of his seventh birthday and notices his current self lurking in the background. Further investigation leads the group down to David
and Chris’ basement which contains the remains of their late father’s lab. Their father coincidentally died on the day the videotape was found. Suspension of disbelief requires that the audience assumes there’s nothing unusual about the family not packing up the father’s work or utilizing the basement for alternative reasons ten years after his death. In the lab, the group discovers schematics for an unfinished project for time travel and proceeds to successfully finish solely based on the merit of their high school knowledge, a few hydrogen canisters and a car battery supplied by David’s crush, Jessie (Sofia Black D’Elia). Jessie’s character seems to only form a sense of balance between the gender ratio of the group and to meander into a simply unnecessary and cliché love story. It’s of note that with ease, this group of high school students can finish building a func-
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tional time machine that the father must have been close to finishing himself. If only he hadn’t abandoned David’s birthday party for a mysterious emergency call that is never explained in the movie. While watching, I couldn’t help but think of how it reminded me of Josh Trank’s “Chronicle.” It features an unlikely gathering of friends who interact with one another using several unrealistic dialogues while discovering that they have access to some sort of supernatural abilities that they’ll set ground rules for, but immediately break within a few scenes. They quickly realize that their “good time” has real life implications. “Project Almanac” carries the same plot, except instead of controlling things with their minds, the characters are traveling through time. The ability to time travel creates
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for a very interesting second act that fulfills every person’s tantalizing need to go back in time to make their life “better.” It sets up for a third act that could have definitely expanded on the implications of time travel. Having spent three months researching time travel while creating the script, it was disappointing to see that the writers had decided to take a different approach and focus on how time travel was only affecting David’s love life. In fact, when push finally came to shove, the real meat of the time travelling dilemma was whittled down to a haphazard five-minute cover-up scene that led to a dissatisfying ending and made the audience audibly frustrated. It seemed like the movie was trying to hold up a light or rather shaky camera to distract the viewer from ever really focusing on anything real and valid. It painted love—whether
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it be lost or found—as the sole reason to understand how one’s actions affect the outcome of a whole reality. This was a cheap device that flooded the film with overly sappy and uninspiring actions that reduces any sane person to yelling at the screen with utter disbelief. However, with the target audience being young adults and the film being produced in part by MTV Films, it should come as no surprise that the final product lacks insight and profoundness. “Project Almanac” is the perfect example of how a movie could strive to be so much more if it wasn’t focused on the bottom line or appeasing the masses. That being said, in its worst moments, it’s a manageable film to sit through. In its best moments, it’s fun escapism. At the very least, it got me to consider how awesome it would be to know this week’s winning lottery numbers.
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Sports
For updated Monarch sports coverage, visit maceandcrown.com.
Lady Monarchs Defeat North Texas 70-48 on Senior Day
Josh Boone | M&C
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Monarchs Beat Mean Green Thanks to Second-Half Surge Nate Budryk Sports Editor The Old Dominion Men’s basketball team continued its improvement away from home by winning their second straight road game, defeating the University of North Texas Mean Green 70-57 on Saturday. This is only ODU’s second road victory in its last seven tries, but they have stepped up their play away from the friendly confines of the Ted Constant Convocation Center as of late. The Monarchs came out of the gate looking sluggish, shooting just 37 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. At halftime, they found themselves down 33-27, and potentially facing yet another road loss. However, ODU was a different team in the second half, shooting 59 percent from the field and outscoring the Mean Green by a score of 43-24. ODU was able to force 15 Mean Green turnovers, to only nine for ODU, an element that has been present in their recent few road victories. Leading the way for the Monarchs was, once again, junior guard and reigning C-USA Player of the Week, Trey Freeman, who led all scorers
with 24 points, and grabbed five rebounds. Also contributing for the Monarchs was the second half of their twoheaded guard attack. Aaron Bacote scored 16 points including shooting 9-11 from the free throw line. Jordan Baker added eight points as well, and was active on defense, recording a career-high five steals and helping to ignite the Monarchs’ feverous second-half rally. Leading the way for the Mean Green was senior forward Colin Voss, who connected on six of ten shots for 16 points. Maurice Aniefiok and T.J. Taylor also chipped in 13 and 12, respectively. With the win, ODU moves into a three-way tie for third place in Conference USA with a record of 11-5 and 22-6 overall. North Texas falls to totally even on the year as they sit at 8-8 in conference and 14-14 overall. The Monarchs wrap up the regular season with two critical games with conference tournament implications at the Ted Constant Center: March 5th against Marshall and March 7th against Western Kentucky, with whom ODU is currently tied in CUSA.
Josh Boone | M&C
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VS Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao: One for the Ages DeAndre Taylor Contributing Writer Finally, the fight we’ve all been waiting for has come. Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. will fight Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It’s a dream come true for boxing fans as they will see two of the sport’s best fighters go toe to toe. The undefeated Mayweather Jr. will look to stay perfect and build on his record of 47 wins and 26 knockouts. Pacquiao comes in the match with 57 wins, 5 losses and 38 knockouts. With Mayweather turning 38
years old and Pacquiao turning 36, some fans wish this fight would have happened sooner when both were in their prime. Back in 2010, this fight nearly happened. The first negotiations between these two fighters were in 2009, according to ESPN. Pacquiao signed a contract to fight Mayweather in March, 2010, However, there were complications during the negotiations, in which Pacquiao supposedly refused to take an Olympic-style drug test and the fight was called off. The fight was expected to be the largest grossing fight in history.
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Shots were fired after the negotiations failed. Mayweather called Pacquiao a “little young chump” and a “midget” on Ustream. Pacquiao also called out Mayweather during an interview. According to Fighthype. com, Pacquiao said “Floyd, if you’re a real man, fight me. Let’s make the boxing fans happy.” Pacquiao finally got his wish when he met with Mayweather during a Miami Heat game and the two exchanged numbers. A couple of weeks after the two met face to face, the fight was finalized. Finally the fans get what they want!
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Even though both fighters are in their mid-to-late 30s, the long-awaited fight will still be an intriguing one with the Welterweight title on the line; not to mention the millions of dollars the fighters will make in this match. It will cost around $90 to watch this fight on Pay-per-View and ticket prices range from $3,500 to $250,000. Despite the combatants’ ages, the fight is still expected to be the highest grossing fight ever. Let’s not forget about the entrance of the fighters. Some sources say that Pacquiao will be singing one of his songs during his entrance. Last time, Mayweather was escorted with Jus-
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tin Bieber and Lil Wayne rapping on the mic for one of his fights. Surely, both fighters will have flashy entrances for this big fight. Pacquiao will be determined to win and be the first to beat Mayweather. Mayweather will be looking to put another win under his belt and silence all of his critics while making more millions at the same time. It’s anyone’s guess who will win this fight, but we do know that it’s going to be a hard-hitting classic boxing match that will be one for the ages.
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Technology
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Net Neutrality Widens Internet Doors Josh Whitener Assistant News Editor In a three to two vote, the Federal Communications Commission voted on a proposal on Feb. 26 denying restrictions and creating the strongest open Internet laws by passing the “net neutrality” plan. The proposed rules prohibit Internet providers from limiting online traffic or holding superiority over sites in exchange for fees. The term “net neutrality” was coined by current Columbia professor Tim Wu, who advocated in a 2003 paper for an equal Internet for users. Open Internet has been accessible for sites like Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Netflix. It has allowed theses sites to access the Internet as an open playing field for their establishment. President Obama laid out his vision for what he believes should be fair and regulated Internet access for everyone and broadening the existing limitations. “Internet providers have a legal obligation not to block or limit your
access to a website. Cable companies can’t decide which online stores you can shop at or which streaming services you can use and they can’t let any company pay for priority over its competitors,” Obama said. Tom Wheeler, the FCC chairman and primary advocate for net neutrality, exercised a strong defense of reclassifying the Internet with Title II of the Communications Act, suggesting a new set of rules for Internet service providers. House Oversight Committee Representative Jason Chaffetz and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton were disappointed in Wheeler’s refusal to testify before Congress on the eve of the vote. They claimed a lack of transparency in his proposal and an unwillingness to present the full Internet regulation plan. Wheeler’s proposal had sparked a fierce debate over the appearance of government takeover of the Internet. Republican FCC Commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O’Reilly, who voted against the proposal, wanted the vote
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delayed by 30 days. They also wanted the complete commission report released before the vote. Wheeler had only released a portion of the commission’s proposal before the vote occurred. Opponents of an open Internet say these changes will create a wide array of unnecessary legal requirements for companies. ODU Associate Professor Dr. Tim Anderson, however, sees net neutrality as ultimately beneficial. “The other point that they’re making is, you think about Google – Google’s really gone public and has only been a public company for about 15 years. This essentially kills out the possibility for innovation for other startups because Google will pay and the Internet will be slowed down for other companies that don’t have the startup capital to pay,” Anderson said. Essentially, net neutrality levels the playing field for all Internet sites. It allows Internet users the same ability they would have when making a phone call. Phone companies do
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not charge extra fees for a clearer and stronger signaled phone call, much like how Internet providers will not be able to charge extra fees for stronger internet speed. Cable companies are essentially monopolies as John Oliver, comedian and host of “Last Week Tonight,”pointed out in his satirical segment on the subject of net neutrality and Comcast. “Maybe it’s because of their lack of competition that they get away with providing such shitty service. We pay more for our Internet service than almost anybody else on Earth and yet the download speeds we get lag behind Estonia… a country where, from the looks of it, they still worry about Shrek attacks,” Oliver joked. With the new laws regulating all data across the Internet to be handled equally, cable providers will no longer have the ability to place sites like Google or Facebook ahead of other, smaller startup sites and companies that want to emerge and prosper over the Internet as well.
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“This is placing it under other federal guidelines and the FCC has always had the ability to have some guidance on it,” Anderson said. It’s only for now, however. Since the plan has had some powerful critics, especially cable providers who hold a monopolized grip over the Internet arena. It is certain the issue will be taken to court and lawsuits will be soon to follow. “The FCC may have the authority, but Congress has the purse strings and Congress could come back with a bill and try to restrict their authority but this administration will not sign it,” Anderson said. Time will tell whether net neutrality will offer a true fair share to Internet users and providers. The new laws open the doors to advancement and innovation rather than regulation and censorship as some have feared.
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FAA Opens Door For More Drones Ross Reelachart Contributing Writer On Feb. 15, the Federal Aviation Administration unveiled their proposed framework of rules and regulations regarding small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which are commonly referred to as “drones.” The hope of these proposed regulations is that they will provide enough flexibility and leniency to allow average commercial usage by the larger public, but certain restrictions could prove to be detrimental to larger projects such as Amazon Prime Air, the much talked-about drone delivery service from Amazon. While the specific rules and regulations are no doubt extensive and detailed, the generalized rules are easy enough to grasp for the average user. The FAA proposal deals specifically with UASs under 55 pounds and usage during non-recreational activities, so models and toys are seemingly unaffected by these new rules. Flights are restricted to a maximum height of 500 feet and top speed of 100 mph. “There really is no reason to go above 500 feet. For example if you were doing a job of surveying a plot of land or working with a search and rescue team there is no real benefit to being more than 200 feet off of the ground.” Brian Duvall, of the ODU College of Engineering, said. Duvall has experience with the kind of small remote-controlled aircraft that would be affected by these new regulations. He believes them to be fair. Operators must maintain visual line of sight contact with the UAS,
and the regulations allow the option of an additional observer who will maintain visual contact while working directly with the operator. Most notably, the UASs in question are restricted from flying over people who are not directly involved with their operation. Other rules cover more standard details like pre-flight checks, staying out of flight paths and restricted airspace, and general safety responsibilities. The regulations also cover the qualifications of an operator, the person who will be flying the UAS. Under these proposed rules, the operator must be at least 17 years of age and pass an “aeronautical knowledge test” to obtain certification. This certification must be renewed every two years, and the operator is not required to obtain any further certification. Duvall points out that, while this certification is adequate, a major problem with flying a UAS is the lack of safety education. “These days most people see others with quad copter or just multirotor helicopters in general on YouTube and say I want to do that without even thinking of the consequences. For example the incident where someone put a DJI Phantom quad copter on the White House lawn. This may have been avoided if the person had known that area was a no fly zone,” Duvall said The two most important parts of the regulations appear to be the “visual line of sight contact” that must be maintained at all times, and the restriction against flying over people who are not involved with the flight. Considering the two rules, for ex-
ample, a farmer could use a drone to survey their fields, or a camera crew could use a flying camera to shoot a scene. Amazon Prime Air, however, will be infeasible or impossible considering that the delivery drones will be automated and cannot be watched at all times, and they will inevitably be flying over the heads of people who do not know they are there. The line of sight rule also has a more practical cost-effective consequence for the operator along with ensuring public safety. In Duvall’s experience, the cost of an average model aircraft can be up to $300, and can go up to $1000 if the craft has the autonomous features that are most
associated with “drones.” “Say if a pilot is flying via first person view and the model goes down in some thick brush of trees. Now the pilot has a much better chance of finding their aircraft. I have seen many aircraft get lost because of this,” he said. These new rules are still under consideration and have yet to be fully implemented. Just as when the FCC made their net neutrality proposals open to public comment, the FAA has opened up public comments for 60 days. Duvall and his team are building an aircraft for the Society of Automotive Engineering Aero East Compe-
tition, and he believes that the proposal for this new legislation is born of convenience and availability of drone-like aircraft. “When I first started with them everything had to be built from scratch and you had to know what you were doing when it came to flying them. Now you can just go out, buy quad copters off the shelf and the control systems are so good now they practically fly themselves,” he said Hopefully the FAA’s new regulations will allow the public and commercial enterprises to fully utilize this new and growing technology, while also ensuring the safety and privacy of the general populace.
Faculty Profile: Dr. Michele Weigle Rashad McDowell Technology Editor A desk clear of any clutter, marred only by the presence of a couple papers. Chairs set neatly in front of the desk. Two computer screens lit up in the background top off the office of Dr. Michele Weigle. It’s hard to understand what a neat desk has to do with a passionate appreciation of computer programming, unless you ask the woman who’s been immersed in the field since the advent of personal computing. “You can see from my clean desk. I like to have things nice and organized. Just the very sequential processing of the computer and having things nice and organized appealed to me,” Weigle explained. She noticed a budding love for computers back in elementary school. In the ‘80s, personal comput-
ing had grown in popularity. These were the days of the Atari, Pacman and Frogger – the birth of the gaming industry. It was also a time when computer programming classes were being extended to children and sparking the early computer boom of the modern day. These children were to be the future of computer science. Back then, Weigle was exposed to basic programming around the fourth grade. Her interest in computers prompted her parents to buy her a Commodore 64 personal computer. “I kept trying to get my mom to let me write a program to print out her grocery list,” she said with a chuckle. The early days of the digital revolution saw boundless horizons. Well, boundless in so far as the gaming industry seemed to have a place for just about anyone who could write a line of code. Dr. Weigle, on the other hand, didn’t really see herself as a game
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programmer. What she knew for certain was that she wanted to continue exploring all computer science had to offer. As an undergraduate, Dr. Weigle studied at Northeast Louisiana University. She graduated with her B.S. in Computer Science in 1996. From there, she continued on to graduate school at the University of North Carolina, still studying Computer Science. She attained her M.S. in 1998 and her Ph.D. in 2003. She would return to her alma mater for a time as a visiting professor. Teaching is where she found a place to combine her love for computers and her desire to impart her knowledge to others. “I’ve always been interested in what’s the best way or clearest way to present information. That’s one reason I like teaching,” she explained. “What you’re doing when you teach is you read the material and you un-
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derstand it in your head. Then you have to think about how to organize and present it so that someone else understands.” Dr. Weigle taught at Clemson University from 2004-2006 as an assistant professor. ODU was lucky enough to add her to its faculty after her time at Clemson and she’s been teaching here since. As a professor, Dr. Weigle has taught a wide range of courses in the Computer Science Department at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Some of these courses include Intro to Networking, Web Programming, Cyber Security and Information Visualization (a course she developed and currently teaches). In addition to the classes she teaches, Dr. Weigle has also helped develop courses at the graduate level, including a graduate certificate program for Cyber Security. When she’s not teaching, Dr. Wei-
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gle contributes her time to various research projects in her field. She leads the Archive What I See Now project, in collaboration with fellow faculty member Dr. Michael L. Nelson. This project focuses on web archives and how to make them more accessible to less technologically savvy people. For their efforts, they’ve received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. “Think we’re doing a lot of cool work. It’s all related to trying to help make web archives useful to everyday people,” she said. Her research interests include web science, information visualization and web preservation, to name a few. She’s worked on projects in vehicular networking and even a recent project on the architecture of wireless networks. A short conversation is all that is necessary to see how deep her passion for the field of computer science runs.
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The Harlem Globetrotters entertained a sold-out crowd at the Ted Center on Feb. 27 and 28, 2015. Josh Boone | M&C
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ODU’s Ice Hockey team played Catholic U. on Feb. 20, 2015. Josh Boone | M&C
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I was born on a Monday gutter side of 24th and Cherryhurst Raised on the open road, the endless sky to feel and know sacrifice and loss. Daddy said, “Son, build a home, find a faith.” Because his were broken; destroyed and betrayed I was born a leader but only in name. I’m a coward in confession but a soldier in a one man war. Scribed a killer, I gave my heart to an unknown angel Who sided with the Devil out of contempt with God. I heard her pray for her baby back; just two precious minutes. One to kiss her. One to kill her again. I was born the day I died. forgotten by many, mourned by a few. Dredged out of 3-Mile creek, gunshot gut Carrying the pain of her mourning the promise of her vengeance. My father said: “Son, carry the lesson. Decide your place.”
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Break of the Day by Nate Fakes
I was born on a Monday baptized in dirty water fathered by an empty highway raised in the endless sky.
The Argyle Sweater by Scott Hilburn
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