Wednesday | 1.28.2015 | MaceandCROWN.COM | Vol. 57, Issue 13
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Amended Bill Allows ODU to Remain in FBS. C1 The Mace & Crown
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Face In The Mace Mace & Crown Staff : Sean Davis Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@maceandcrown.com
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Brian Saunders Copy Editor briananthony93@gmail.com David Thornton News Editor news@maceandcrown.com Veronica Singer Arts & Entertainment Editor artsandentertainment@maceandcrown.com Nathan Budryk Sports Editor & Distribution Manager sports@maceandcrown.com Zachary Chavis Photography Editor photo@maceandcrown.com Rashad McDowell Technology Editor technology@maceandcrown.com Elijah Stewart 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: Carlito Ricafort Michael High Mitchell Brown Matt O’Brien Robert Williams Seann Barbour Symmion Moore Victoria Wood
Staff Photographers: Joshua Boone Dawit Samson Nicolas Nemtala Joshua Caudell Sam Dawit Alan Martinez
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. Contact Information: Phone: 757-683-3452 Advertising: 757-683-4773
T w it ter
NEWS
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Visit our online news section for updated crime logs from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15.
Ryan Crocker speaks to journalist David Ignatius at the “World on Fire” event | Jason Kazi
The World on Fire:
Ambassador, Author bring Mideast Discussion to Campus Jessica Perkins Staff Writer Students, faculty, alumni, and guests packed into the Mills Godwin Auditorium on Thursday, Jan 15 to listen to renowned journalist David Ignatius and Ambassador Ryan Crocker speak about the current state of the world, “A World on Fire.” Ignatius has been the executive editor of the International Herald Tribune, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, a reporter for the Washington Post, and has written multiple spy novels- one of which has become a major motion picture. Ambassador Crocker has been the US ambassador to many countries over his career to include: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Syria. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and is currently the Dean of Texas A&M University. The two have known each other for decades, and were together in Lebanon during the bombing of Beirut.
“In a funny way, my life as a novelist owes a lot to Ryan Crocker’s willingness to describe for me what it felt like to be in that building when that enormous truck bomb detonated,” Ignatius said. They started by discussing Paris, but ran out of time before they could finish discussing Syria and Iraq. “There is a fire raging on the internet every day, every second that has swept up young Muslims in ways that are really worrying… the voices that will stop this, that will make a difference and douse that fire and begin to get this problem more under control have to be the voices of Muslim leaders,” Ignatius said. Ignatius shared the story of the time he smuggled himself into Syria in 2012, so he could accurately report on the situation. They discussed the high probability of threats similar to those in Paris and Belgium crossing over to American shores, and America’s troubling credibility, or lack thereof, with Iraq. While Crocker and Ignatius often disagree on what should be done
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in the Middle East, Ambassador Crocker refused to state his opinion during the talk. “A really, really great try David, but for the first time over the three decades we’ve known each other, I get to ask the questions,” Crocker said. Soji Akomolafe, a professor at Norfolk State University and previous ambassador who was attending as a guest, brought the crisis in Nigeria to Crocker and Ignatius’ attention. He felt as though they, and the entire world, had covered up the recent tragedies in Nigeria. “At the same time several people were slaughtered in France, 2,000 people were killed by Boko Haram… We have a country that has the seventh largest population in the world, has the largest economy in Africa. And we are talking about ISIS. If Nigeria explodes, it’s going to be ISIS times ten,” Akomolafe said. Ignatius agreed with Akomolafe’s statement. “It’s horrifying, and part of what’s most horrifying about it is that it was initially invisible to the world. That has to change,” Igna-
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tius said. They took a few brief moments at the end to discuss Ignatius’ spy novels. Ignatius’ most recent novel is called The Director and is focused on realistic, but fictional, cyber-warfare and the hacking of the CIA’s classified computer network. “I can’t wrap up and turn to ques-
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tions without talking about your incredible achievements as a novelist. David Ignatius has been called the dean of international intrigue. I like that, I’m just the dean of a small college… [Ignatius’s novels] have an incredible level of fidelity to a dark world,” Crocker said.
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Bottled up Brilliance
Sara Fernandez Contributing Writer Bottled up brilliance was the topic at the Strome Entrepreneurial Center on Thursday, as speakers Leslie Crews and Jessica Rhenda gave sensible tips on successfully starting and running their own non-alcoholic drink distribution line and bar. The product is called Kombuchick, a tasty non-alcoholic mix that has been making waves ever since Crews began production in a spare bedroom of her Virginia Beach townhouse. Her dedication and perseverance brought her recognition to Entrepreneurial Magazine’s January 2015 edition. By her side was Rhenda, a business savvy friend and coworker who kept Crews on track with advice for ways to grow her business. Like most college students, Crews’ weekends were filled with late nights
and hanging out with friends. After college it seemed as though nothing had changed, except now when she went to sleep at 2 a.m., a government contract job would wake her up bright and early the next day. With her partying lifestyle, she knew she had to change something about her late nights so that she could still have a good time with her friends and be alert the next day for work. In her search she found Kombucha, a tasty non-alcoholic drink that would keep her included in the party with no regrets the next day. A new problem arose when Crews discovered that kombucha was only sold on the West Coast and that shipping would cost her a pretty penny. It was then that the wheels started turning. In her spare bedroom of her Virginia Beach townhouse, Crews decided to use her background of bartending to brew her own kombucha.
Once Crews began making kombucha regularly it became a big part of her life. Even though brewing was quickly becoming a top priority, she still had a day job. Life for Crews became hectic. The balance of work and brewing became too much for Crews. Time spent bottling up her product was not enough for the orders that were piling in. It became noticeable to her manager, who then told her that if she really believed in her product she would have to quit her government job to make it her primary focus. Crews agreed and started her new career with passion, demand and a game plan. Thus, Kombuchick was created. The name was given to Crews from her days of selling homemade kombucha to friends and locals alike. “Are you the Kombucha-chick?” potential buyers would ask. Her customers gave
her the nickname and in return she worked tirelessly to give them the sweet, fermented tea they so desperately craved. Her business partner, Rhenda, was an honest advisor who always gave Crews her full commitment, bringing with her a background in real estate and financing. She gave Crews exactly what she had been looking for to expand her distribution. In the beginning , Crews contacted vendors trying to get her bottles into stores. Her success in growing and running her business created a buzz that left vendors eager to showcase her product. ”I couldn’t believe that vendors... were contacting me, from health food stores to obscure vendors in the country,” Crews said. With Crews’ determination her business distributes all over the East Coast. She has also gotten numerous offers to distribute internationally, as
well as opened up her own Kombuchick bar. The Kombuchick Bar was a way to get a steady income while still staying on track with her goal of distributing Kombuchick on a larger scale. Crews uses her past mistakes and triumphs to give young entrepreneurial dreamers advice on how to start their own businesses. She provides tips on how to stay on track and emphasizes how important it is to get the timing correct. In hindsight, Crews admits that if she had endured long hours and started her businesses in Kombuchick as well as working her day job, she probably would be farther along than today. Even so, Crews regrets nothing. Her company brought her success and recognition as the 2013 Outstanding Young Entrepreneur . With her goal on track, Crews intends to keep moving and expanding Kombuchick.
Women’s Center Helps Students Combat Cyberstalkers Alyse Stanley Senior Writer In an age of selfies, geotagging and social media, “technology is like throwing gas on the fire” for stalkers, Wendy White said. White hosted Wednesday’s cyberstalking information session “Facebook Stalking and Other 21st Century Problems.” The event was sponsored by ODU’s Women’s Center and featured a panel of local detectives, ODU ITS employees and a YWCA counselor. Nearly seven million individuals are stalked every year in the United States, according to The National Center for Victims of Crime. 25 percent of stalkers use technology to stalk their victims. “To this date, I have not seen a case of stalking that did not involve
technology somehow,” Ronald Janka, ODU police detective, said. College-aged women are more at risk for being stalked than any other age group. And perhaps the most alarming statistic: in 76 percent of cases involving women murdered by an intimate partner, stalking occurred at some point in the relationship. Yet popular media often glosses over the issue. White cited movies like “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Bed of Roses,” where stalking one’s love interest is portrayed as normal, even romantic. Women often do not realize cyberstalking in particular is serious until the issue “evolves into a restraining order,” O’Neil Hunter, Norfolk YWCA counselor, said. “In our culture, in terms of social media, it’s seen
as acceptable to stalk someone.” To help prevent cyberstalking, the panel warned students to avoid posting personal information online, specifically information related to one’s location at any given time. Even spam posts can steal information from a computer or phone, according to Eme Ejike, assistant ISO for the ITS department. Disable or remove geotagging as well. Every post with it enabled contains metadata of the phone’s location even if the post itself does not specify the location. The LiveSafe app, Janka explained, is one method through which ODU is combating the issue of stalking. Adopted last year by ODU, LiveSafe is a free app that allows students to instantly contact the campus police. If a response is needed, users can
send the police a notification of their location, though geotagging is used exclusively in these situations, the detectives assured students the app will not monitor where the user is at all times. SafeWalk is a function of the app that connects the user with a friend, provided they have the app as well, so they can ascertain the user arrives home safely. Geotagging is turned off afterwards to prevent any unnecessary broadcasting of the user’s location. Students can also send and receive tips concerning suspicious activity in the area. “We wish we were getting more tips. [LiveSafe] is as useful as you, the community, make it,” Janka said. The panel also provided advice on how to deal with stalking. Screenshot all online correspondence with the
stalker. If the case escalates, there will be more evidence for the police to review. Additionally, blocking a stalker’s phone number can make it difficult for officers to obtain a record of the stalker’s calls. Stalkers will often change their phone number or device to continue contacting the victim, so it’s better to block the number after you have contacted the police, the detectives explained. “These people are completely unstable. Do what you can to separate yourself, but in reality, and not to scare you all, but they’re going to find a way to contact you,” Aaron Howe, Norfolk Police Detective, said. Most adamantly, they advised contacting the police as soon as possible.
Minimum Wage the Standard in Higher Learning? Josh Whitener Senior Writer It was reported in 2013 that 40 million students have some form of student debt. Many of these students work minimum wage jobs to help pay their way through college, earning as little as $7.25 an hour in Virginia. With the proposed federal increase to minimum wage students may see a lift to the financial burden that has become a hallmark to the college experience. Students at Old Dominion University are no less susceptible to student debt. Crystal Booker, a sophomore, knows firsthand the struggle of paying for college herself. “Right now I’m trying to get [a job] in Norfolk … I have to be able to get a job to be able to make my monthly payments to go here which, with the loan that I get, are $800 a month,” Booker said.
Her previous job was over an hour away. “I went to Gloucester every weekend and worked thirty hours a weekend. Seasonally, I work for Green Hand Farm Park in admissions. It’s September through November so I really try to work as much as I can with that because that’s one that I make $10.00 an hour with,” Booker said. Booker’s job did not guarantee her thirty hours a week, however. “That’s me sticking my nose in saying ‘I need this and I want to be here,’” she said. The previous year, Booker worked for minimum wage which, according to her, only helped her pay for her books. According to her the difference between minimum wage versus $10.00 per hour was significant. “To me it is because I can I pay for gas and still have some left over,” she said. “But if I didn’t pull thirty hours it wouldn’t matter.” According to The Project on Stu-
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dent Debt, the average amount of debt for graduating seniors in 2013 was $27,847 with 62% of graduates in debt. Total cost for attendance at ODU during 2012-2013 was $21,519. Booker has about $18,000 in loans with no current scholarships or federal grants. Sierra Griffith, also a sophomore, works as a waitress at Olive Garden, relying mostly on tips. “I kind of lowered how much I was working because I couldn’t really handle more than about sixteen hours. I usually work weekends and I have a few days off of classes and they’re all kind of crammed into one day,” Griffith says. Griffith is taking fifteen credit hours and is also on ODU’s women’s soccer team. Dr. Juan Du, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics, provides insight as to why minimum wage earners struggle to make ends
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meet, despite a growing economy. “I think this year is better,” she said. “The unemployment rate right now is 5.6% which is a lot lower. However, what you need to notice is that the unemployment rate is the highest for teenagers, from those sixteen to twenty years old which means those jobs are the jobs that are let go during a recession.” This can make it difficult for a student to retain a job during school that does not require a necessary skill set or degree. Du points out, however, that there is still a silver lining upon graduation even with seemingly insurmountable debt. “If you graduate now while the economy is booming then there are a lot of jobs available. Then you have to think of the trade off more which is if you graduate today then you can get a good paying job,” Du says. Although minimum wage earnings hardly seem to make a dent in the fi-
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nancial problems students face, the payoff can be achieved. With a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9.80 filtering through legislation, some students may also be able to gain breathing room knowing they’ll be able to afford basics like gas and food easier than they would at today’s set minimum wage of $7.25. Sierra Griffith is hopeful about her return investment as a student. She believes the end will justify the means. “I think it depends on the major you go into and if you go into something where you’re almost guaranteed a spot I think that’s what’s going to benefit you the most. In the outcome, if you look at it people make more money if they have gone to school. That’s what people are looking for when they’re hiring,” Griffith said.
Arts &
Have a favorite song? Submit your track of the week to mmata004@odu.edu.
E N T ER T A I NM E N T
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Elizabeth Proffitt Contributing Writer
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Inside “The Outside World”
The ODU community welcomed Brooklyn-based artists, Ryan Schneider and Matthew F. Fisher, to the Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries on Friday to introduce the opening of their art exhibit “The Outside World.” The collection of paintings depicts the relationship between humanity and nature portrayed through the eyes of the artists. The opening reception was preceded by a panel discussion in which the artists spoke about their personal inspirations and compared their work with that of self-taught artists. The “playful” pieces give spectators insight into how the artists view the world, and aim to show the beauty in seemingly mundane objects. The collaboration between Schneider and Fisher began about a year ago and was a result of the pair’s personal artistic styles shifting around the same time frame. They wanted to present pieces that depicted their stylistic change, as well as their differing perceptions of reality. “We wanted to show how the in-
side of our heads take in the outside world…and how things resonate with us…we wanted to show that there is something beyond this reality,” Schneider said. Schneider and Fisher’s concentrations on how to present this reality contrasted. Schneider was primarily focused on the aspect of how his use of acrylic and oil paint looked on canvas, concentrating on texture and movement, while Fisher fixated on space and lines. While the duo’s theme is considerably similar and both favor the use of bright colors, their individual pieces are quite distinguishable. Schneider typically prefers a wide range of canvas sizes, while Fisher has a very uniform presentation. Schneider hopes that the composition of his pieces “seduce you into standing in front of them and…make you stay awhile to understand the meaning.” Along with the panel discussion and the opening reception, the artists also participated in an open critique for ODU students in the Art Department, providing aspiring artists with constructive criticism and advice to further their education and expand
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their inspiration. Schneider and Fisher participated in a panel discussion alongside the Art Department professors. The panel discussed the differences between professionally trained and self-taught artists.
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“I believe all artists have a certain degree of self-taught-ness in a way because you can’t bring your professor with you after school, you have to be able to solve your own artistic problems,” Fisher said. “Self-taught art brings about a freshness because
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the artists have never been taught not to do something.” “The Outside World” exhibition runs through Mar. 8 and is free and open to the public. where?
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Queer Life through the Cinema Lens: Top 10 Movies Any Queer Person Should Know
Connor Norton Contributing Writer You’re watching the Titanic and the leading lady and man are about to share a moment of romance. You might cry, sigh or wrap up close with that special someone and say, “that’s so romantic, I want that to be us,” minus the drowning and national tragedy, of course. But any queer person, whose life has repeatedly been called “different” or “unequal,” is thinking, “that’s not what my love story looks like!” It doesn’t stop with romance. From friendships, to life with families and friends, all of these experiences are different for anyone in society. Queer people have fought for representation and validity in the realms of politics and society, but one realm that has recently started to progress is television and film. The entertainment industry’s purpose is to create and demonstrate stories and situations that allow people to think, to feel and, most importantly, to relate. For too long, queer stories weren’t treated as valid or relatable. For individuals in the industry, budgeting for a film that told a queer story and would make money was a laughable endeavor at best. Within the past two years, three to five queer films have been created by film giants like HBO. As the times change, films from the past should not be forgotten for their bravery and valor for standing up in a time when queer films would make little to no profit. Their sole purpose was to share a story. As a young gay man growing up and coming out in a middle/high school environment, I was the only one willing to call myself “gay” and understand the history behind the term, but it wasn’t easy. Before coming out to my family, friends and fellow acquaintances, I could turn to films and television shows that I had to hunt for in order to know more
about the LGBTQ community that I was part of. Since then, I’ve watched and fallen in love with 10 different films and television series that have truly taken the lead on demonstrating the multi-faceted issues of the queer community. The following are 10 pieces of queer cinema that I believe any LGBTQ person should at least make the effort to see or know about. They are not in any specific order. “The Imitation Game” (2015/ Black Bear Productions): A truly amazing and captivating story about Alan Turing, the gay British mathematician who broke the Nazi’s Enigma Cipher Code and shortened the span of WWII by nearly two years, saving almost 14 million lives. The development of the machine and logics that led to this broken code was not only innovative and new, but it was also the technology that led to the development of the computer. Due to his homosexuality, his involvement in the project was wiped away and he eventually committed suicide. If not only for the purely engaging piece of important queer history, this film’s performance quality, editing and style of storytelling are truly something that will touch even the most ironclad moviegoer. “The Normal Heart” (2014/ HBO): A story told since the tail end of the panic over ‘Gay Cancer’ now known as HIV/AIDS. This film adapted Larry Kramer’s angerinducing story about a group of gay men who formed an organization to retaliate against the lack of support and ignorance the country had against the gay community. This unnamed plague claimed over 25,000 lives before its name was even said publicly six years after its discovery. Ryan Murphy worked very closely with a star-studded cast, the original playwright of the story himself, and demonstrated such an accurate and emotional rollercoaster of a film
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that really puts the perspective of this dark time in gay history into real perspective. “The Laramie Project” (2002/ HBO): Twelve years ago, when new LGBTQ films were even harder to come by, HBO gathered a starstudded cast to tell the story of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man beaten to death for being gay. The film was based off of a play by Moises Kaufman, of the same name, to help share his important story on a larger scale than just the playhouses that had heard of it. The story was written and based off of a series of interviews from the people in the town of Laramie, and solely composed of actual words from doctors, police officers, students and friends. The strength of these actual interviews demonstrates a strong element of truth and emotion that is almost impossible to be replicated by most films. “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999/Fox Searchlight): Another important and poignant story is about Brandon Teena, a young transgender teen who is raped and murdered in Nebraska by male “friends” after they discover Teena is biologically female. When this queer-centered story was shared, it was the first time transgendered people were ever portrayed as a central character in a film, even before “The Laramie Project.” The emotional and raw style of filming and editing creates a terrifyingly blunt and truthful image that shocked viewers during that time, but has since left a lasting impression. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001/New Line Cinema): This amazing and engaging film, which has been recently resurrected and brought to the Broadway stage, was originally written as a musical by John Cameron Mitchell. The story revolves around a transgender rock star escaping from Berlin and struggling to find her other half while negotiating the complication and acceptance of gen-
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der. It is completely fictional and one of the first films that depicted queer characters outside of a dramatic or traumatic actual event. “And the Band Played On” (1993/HBO): This film is another prevalent story that was shared far ahead of a time when homosexuality was talked about. “And The Band Played On” demonstrates a real-life look at the CDC’s race to analyze and isolate the HIV virus, bringing it’s discussion to the forefront of medical science and finally breaking away from the sexual stigma around this disease. This film gives one of the most accurate depictions of the internal government bureaucracy that CDC agents were put through. While not inherently queer in its content, the film more honestly explains the HIV/AIDS stigma in America. “Milk” (2008/Focus Features): “Milk” is an engaging biopic and one of the earliest with regards to massive funding of a feature film project about a queer individual. The film had massive success in the box office, won an Academy Award and was heralded in mainstream media and entertainment. “Queer as Folk” (2005/Showtime): This is one of the two prominent television shows created in the U.S. that covers a wide array of LGBTQ issues in a consecutive and longrunning series. While the drama and scenarios may come across a little outdated or under-written, the themes revolve around HIV/AIDS, sexual responsibility, the issues around monogamy versus promiscuity and the rivalry of intersecting queer communities. No television show has worked as hard to include all those communities, but there is still much needed improvement. “Transparent”(2014/Amazon Studios): A unique comedy/drama television show about a family in Los Angeles having to cope with the discovery that their father is actually a
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transgender woman. This series accomplished two successes, building a series around the unique struggles and issues of the transgender community and discussing the topic in a comedic way. “Pride” (2014/BBC Films): In my opinion, this is one of the most emotionally charged, laugh-worthy and entertaining queer films of 2014. It demonstrated an inspiring truth about successful queer activism, making jokes about the acceptance of bridging both communities together and illustrates the queer rights fight in a positive and inclusive light. The best way to represent the LGBTQ community in a historically relevant film is to combine honesty, a bit of humor and enough reality to leave you with some hope at the end. This list is far from complete and comprehensive, namely due to the latent challenges our film industry still faces. There is a severely limited representation of African American queer characters in television shows and films and has been a long time separation within the queer communities that has been exacerbated by the culture that society has taken to like Grindr and the notion of “tolerance” vs. “acceptance.” These issues aside, these films have an important message about being gay. Being gay is being a part of a family. The history of queer ancestors, the historical events and the changes that the LGBTQ fight for equality constantly contribute to a slowly growing and changing queer community. With these narratives, stories and important discussions about queer struggles in history, it’s these reasons why this is my top 10 list of queer films for any interested/ eager queer moviegoer. Connor Norton is the Programs Coordinator for the Reel it Out Queer Film Festival of Hampton Roads. For more information about the festival, visit reelitout.org.
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Sports
For a gallery of recent Monarch sports games, visit maceandcrown.com.
A Win for ODU’s Athletic Program: Amended Bill Allows ODU to Remain in FBS Jasmine Blackwell Senior Writer Most college students around the country have the same questions about the numerous student fees that are tacked onto tuition costs at universities. Where are all of these student fees coming from? What exactly am I paying for? How much of this is going to directly benefit me? How much of this will help pay for athletics facilities and costs? Some students may find it frustrating that fees are added in order to keep the athletic department afloat, but they may not realize that it would be nearly impossible to run this department without help from these student fees.
While the athletics department is a huge source of income for many college campuses, they certainly cannot be entirely run and funded without any help from the student body. HB1897, a bill proposed in an effort to reduce tuition costs by putting a cap on student athletic fees has recently been amended after being passed unanimously by the House subcommittee. This decision was made, in part to allow Old Dominion to remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision. This bill will allow a cap of 55 percent in student fees, which the House subcommittee believes is a more realistic one. The original bill would have required that ODU, Virginia Tech and Virginia, the three FBS schools
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in the state of Virginia, to have a cap of 20 percent of student fees allowed to fund their athletic budgets. The caps in the student fees within the bill vary. On the higher end of the spectrum, Division III schools without football programs are allowed up to 92 percent, keeping in mind a school’s status in the NCAA. Virginia’s four Football Championship Subdivision schools are permitted to fund up to 70 percent of their athletic budgets with student fees. ODU, which currently funds 73 percent of its athletic budget using student fees, will be allowed five years to meet a 70 percent cap due to the recent move up from FCS. According to the Virginian-Pilot, House Majority Leader Kirk Cox,
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R-Colonial Heights said, “From the start, we knew that they were brand new to FBS and that would create some problems. Our goal was to always work that out. They’re still going to have to reach, to work hard, to reach 55 percent.” The University of Virginia and Virginia Tech will still be required to meet the 20 percent cap on student fees. This is not a problem for either of these schools, as they receive millions of dollars each year and have much larger stadiums, seating over 60,000 people. This brings in much greater revenue than Old Dominion’s stadium, Foreman Field, which only seats 20,118. Foreman Field is the smallest football venue in Conference USA.
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ODU would like to build a larger stadium in order to create more revenue from ticket sales. According to the bill, any student athletic fees that are used to pay for athletic facilities or buildings count towards the cap. Unfortunately, this means that ODU would be penalized if a new stadium was built using student fees. ODU officials have asked that the bill be amended so that debt payments on a new football stadium using student fees not be included in the cap. Though this has yet to be included in the bill, Cox has said that this is something that will be looked at in the future.
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Bacote shines in Monarch win Alex Brooks Staff Writer NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion continued its record start to the season with a 63-53 victory over the Rice Owls in front of an ecstatic crowd of 7500 screaming Monarch fans. Old Dominion had their way with the offense of the Owls, holding them to a measly 39.6% shooting going 21-53 from the field. Old Dominion’s shooting was the exact opposite, as they shot 47.6% from the field and a staggering 54.5% from beyond the arc. There were times in the game where it felt as though the Monarchs were about to pull away, and then fans would glance up at the scoreboard and see that their team was only up four. Then when the final horn sounded, the win came by double digits, but felt as though ODU had not played at the level they have shown they are capable of. It wasn’t until about two minutes left to go in the game that the Monarchs seem to have a choke hold on the Owls, taking their largest lead of the night, 14. The biggest story to come out of the game however, was the dominating
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performance that junior guard, Aaron Bacote, had. “Big-Game” Bacote was on a mission to avoid losing a second straight game, as he willed the Monarchs to a much-needed C-USA win. Bacote started the night slow, putting up five points in the first half, but came out hot in the second, finishing with 25 points, including going 4-4 on three-pointers. This scoring outburst from Bacote seemed to come out of thin air, as he was coming into the game only averaging nine points a game. But “BigGame” knew to step up when his team needed him. Big man Jonathan Arledge also got in on the action, scoring 15 and pulling down 11 boards, doubling his season average. With just over eight minutes left in the game, he hit a dagger from the top of the key which deflating both the players and bench of Rice. The Monarchs move to 14-2 on the season, 3-1 in C-USA, and try to say in the hunt to become a top 25 team, while the Owls fall to 4-11, 1-3 in CUSA. Old Dominion will be taking on FIU at home on Thursday night, while the Rice Owls will be traveling to Houston.
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Arledge making most of chance with Monarchs Matt O’Brien Staff Writer In the summer of 2013, Jonathan Arledge was coming off his best season ever with the George Mason Patriots. Arledge put up double figures 13 times in the 2012-2013 campaign and was poised to enter his senior season. In June, two months after the season ended, he wasn’t sure if he would ever play collegiate basketball again. Arledge suffered a serious back injury in a car accident that sidelined him for an entire summer. From June to September, he was dealing with the injury and the rehab process. “The pain just seemed to get worse and worse. I tried playing through it and it wasn’t working out,” said Arledge. Determined to finish his last season of eligibility, Arledge asked for a medical redshirt and it was granted. Soon after he learned he would have to transfer. “It was not until that moment that it hit me that my career at Mason was over,” he said. Now free to transfer to any school he wanted, Arledge received many offers from other schools but he was intrigued by the turnaround of the program at the hands of head coach Jeff Jones. Jones and Arledge knew each other previously. Jones coached one of Arledge’s good friends at American and the two had faced off against one and other from their days in the Patriot League. “I really liked what I saw. They had
great talent sitting out and practically the whole team was returning. ODU was in a great position to succeed in the C-USA,” said Arledge. In April 2014, almost a year after his accident, Arledge signed with the Monarchs. He has been quick to make an impact on the program. “You can tell Jon has been coached. His experience has gone a long way and really is a leader to the younger guys,” said Coach Jones. In a young locker room, where he is referred to by many of his teammates as “pops”, Arledge has assumed the veteran role and has been a solid fit in Jones’ system. “You can see that these guys have bought into the system. The team just needed a few missing pieces to come together, that’s what you are seeing now. Imagine these guys when they are juniors and seniors.The experience is only going to help them,” said Arledge. Arledge has embraced his role as a leader on this team. He is the only player on the roster with any NCAA Tournament experience and has been chasing that next tournament bid since his first year at GMU. His experience has gone a long way as he has made some big shots late in games. “I just want to lead by example, whether that is by actions or words. I want to come out every game and play hard and lead in that way. Make sure to bring energy and everything will follow,” he said. When the Monarchs took on rival VCU, Arledge banked a three pointer with less than a minute remaining
to help seal the victory against the Rams. “Shaka Smart has done an excellent job with that program. We came out firing, didn’t let their ranking get to us. Didn’t stray from our game plan at all and it worked out for us,” he said. A week later, on Dec. 3, ODU traveled to Fairfax, Virginia to take on George Mason. The Monarchs had not won at the Patriot Center since 2007. Arledge contributed 4 points in 15 minutes, but this was more than just a 75-69 victory to him. “It was emotional for me. It was surreal to even sit on the opposing bench in that arena. But being that it was my former team, the win is all that mattered to me. The victory was a big one for this program,” he said. In what simply could not have been more of a textbook definition of irony, the story of Arledge’s NCAA basketball career had come full circle, having faced and defeated the team that molded him. Since the victory over the Patriots, Arledge has helped lead this team to an 8-1 record (14-2 overall) and the Monarchs cracked the Associated Press top 25 for the first time in school history. His best performance this season came just last week against Rice where he had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Arledge is entering in the final stretch of a decorated basketball career one that did not begin until he was 14. He only began playing when the high school he transferred to did not offer football. He credits his AAU coach J.D. Stewart and his mother as
his biggest influences both on and off the court. Through this whole experience he has remained positive and humble and has certainly made the most out of this opportunity. “It took a long time to get a straight answer from doctors, I wasn’t sure if I would ever see the court again. It’s
hard to put into words really, to receive the blessing to play again has been incredible,” He will graduate in May with a degree in Coaching Management. Arledge is hoping for a shot in the NBA and plans to start his own business when his career is over.
The best is Yet to Come: Trey Freeman Jasmine Blackwell Senior Writer When given the opportunity to transfer to Old Dominion, it was a no brainer for Virginia Beach native Trey Freeman. He could now travel just through the tunnel to visit his family and have the opportunity to help turn ODU’s men’s basketball program around. Freeman transferred from Campbell University where he flourished on the court. He led the Camels in points, minutes, assists, free-throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage and steals in his last year at Campbell. Unfortunately, with a denied waiver, Freeman was forced to red shirt the 2013-14 season at ODU due to NCAA transfer rules. “When you have something that you love so much taken away from you it hurts,” Freeman said before reflecting on the positives that came from his year of ineligibility. “Having a year with the coaching staff really helped a lot so it was re-
ally a blessing. I think it was a good experience for me being able to sit out, watch and learn different offenses, and just learn basketball better in general.” Instead of wasting a season, Freeman made the best of it by increasing his basketball knowledge and getting in the gym every chance possible. This hard work has shown, as he is currently averaging 15.7 points, 3.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds this season. While Freeman has improved his basketball I.Q., he says there are a few things that he would like to incorporate into his game thanks to watching his favorite basketball player, Damian Lillard. “He is a point guard and I like the way that he plays. He always has a chip on his shoulder and that is something that I am trying to incorporate. Always be hungry, always show up at every game, that is how I am trying to get,” Freeman said. Off the court, Freeman is a very family-oriented individual. He is even a self-professed “momma’s boy”. His family influence is a huge reason
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why he has such a strong passion for basketball today. “My family is a basketball family. I look up to my big brother and he played. My mom even played. She said she played when she was pregnant with me so I think I was bred to play,” Freeman said of why he began playing basketball. Despite playing two other sports, Freeman says his focus and love was always basketball. “Sometimes, I just feel like God made me as a basketball player. I really just love basketball. I also grew up playing football and baseball. Baseball was actually my first sport, but I really just love basketball.” His passion shows on the court as he has helped the Monarchs crack into the AP’s top 25 poll for the first time in the school’s Division I history. “I feel like all of us have improved and if we keep taking steps in the right direction then the sky is the limit. We have to stay humble and hungry and everything else will fall into place. God will take care of us.” The Monarchs’ impressive start to
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this season has shown that the best of Old Dominion’s men’s basketball
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team is yet to come.
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Technology
Microsoft
Visit maceandcrown.com for the most up-todate technology news.
Microsoft Returns to Form Windows 10
Carlito Ricafort Staff Writer Well, PC users, it’s almost time for a new operating system update to be unleashed onto the public! Recently, Microsoft held a press conference detailing its latest flagship software upgrade, Windows 10. Windows 10 aims to fix what most longtime PC users didn’t like about Windows 8, mainly the wonky touchscreen interface and controls. The new OS also aims to streamline the experience for users by adding a plethora of convenient features that many users will find themselves using often. Most importantly? It’s free: a word ODU students especially love to hear. This is only for the first year of availability, for upgrading Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. After the first year, Microsoft will offer the operating system at a set price. Those who
have already upgraded will not have to pay, and will also receive lifetime support and updates for Windows 10. The Independent has noted this, citing the move as a strategy to help take scrutiny away from the release. The same article also discussed Microsoft’s “cycle” of releasing one good software update and then one bad software update. If the supposed cycle continues, then Windows 10 is surely going to be a hit amongst consumers, and the new features and design definitely tell the same story. First off, the change in UI design is a major point. Microsoft wants to win back the hearts of its consumers by offering an operating system with an interface that appeals to both touchscreen users and longtime desktop PC owners. They have integrated Windows 8’s “Live Tiles” into the the main home screen, letting users check the weather and amount of
emails they have on the same screen they use to launch applications like Google Chrome. The Action Center has been moved to the bottom-right of the home screen and can be now used to access notifications, certain settings, and calendar events. What’s interesting is the addition of “Continuum”, which allows tablet users to switch between tablet and desktop modes on the fly. Windows 10 seems to unify the feel of the OS across all Windows devices. Cortana, previously known as a voice assistant program for Windows phones, is coming to desktops and tablets in Windows 10. This comes in the form of a search box near the Start button, and will allow users to search their computer and the Web, launch apps, send emails, and more. All of these actions can be activated using voice commands. Users can even ask Cortana questions, such
as “Will I need a coat tomorrow?” to which Cortana will provide the weather report for the following day. Cortana will also make use of Project Spartan. Project Spartan is an entirely new internet browser that is meant to be the cleaner, flashier successor to Internet Explorer. While many details remain scarce, The Verge reports that this new browser will have features such as the ability to “annotate” web pages and write notes onto them. PS also totes the addition of a text-only mode, condensing the contents of a webpage into an easyto-read stream that is free of ads, a feature previously implemented in Apple’s Safari browser. One new Windows 10 feature that will probably appeal more to gamers than to day-to-day users is the ability to stream Xbox One games to a PC or even a tablet. Microsoft also announced that cross-platform game-
play will be allowed between PC & Xbox One users for select titles. This may be a response by Microsoft to gamers who believed that Window 8 did not pander to them. It’s nice to see that Windows 10 will have features in store that benefit gamers. The Windows 10 event can be seen as an effort by Microsoft to move on from Windows 8, something that is even implied in the name. Microsoft may have skipped the “9” because “10” seems like a more significant, and therefore fitting, number for the new operating system. While no official release date has been announced, Microsoft’s VP of Operating Systems, Terry Myerson, aims to ship Windows 10 to consumers later in the year.
Historic Solar Flight Scheduled for March Rashad McDowell Technology Editor The final plans have been made for a flight around the world in a solarpowered aircraft. Solar Impulse, the company behind the world’s first plane powered completely through energy gathered from the sun, revealed their planned route and schedule for the trip that will start in March. The start and end point of the flight will be Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with stops in Chongqing, China, Southern Europe and New York City. The aircraft to be used for the circumnavigation is an impressive feat of human ingenuity, with dimensions comparable to a Boeing 747 and the weight of an SUV. Seventeen thousand solar panels cover the craft and provide energy to a 2,000 pound lithium battery. This setup enables the craft to, potentially, fly non-stop. Slow and steady will be the pace of the flight, with a cruising speed of
88 mph. The drawback is the cockpit is not all that comfortable for the pilots of the flight, being both unheated and unpressurized. This will prove quite a challenge for pilots André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard. Despite the plane’s ability to make the global trip non-stop, the pilots will also need to make stops every few days to resupply and remove waste. In all, the trip will take the pilots five months to complete, wrapping up in August if there are no complications. Plans for the upcoming flight were thought up after their successful transnational flight back in 2013. The record-breaking flight, from Madrid to Morocco, took Borschberg and Piccard 19 hours to finish with about 5,000 less solar panels on the plane. In that flight, enough solar power was stored during the day that many of the records they broke occurred during the night. Solar Impulse represents a growing movement around the world to
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take advantage of clean and renewable energy sources. They share the spotlight with companies like Tesla Motors, the first automotive company to offer fully electric cars. These companies aren’t just content with being pioneers in their fields: they truly want to change the world through their use of clean energy. On their website, Solar Impulse
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made clear that the company’s goal is less about being the first to do something new, and more about erasing dependency on fossil fuels: “By writing the next pages in aviation history with solar energy, and voyaging around the world without fuel or pollution, Solar Impulse’s ambition is for the world of exploration and innovation to contribute to
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the cause of renewable energies, to demonstrate the importance of clean technologies for sustainable development; and to place dreams and emotions back at the heart of scientific adventure.” If their global flight proves to be a success, Solar Impulse may be the catalyst for sparking actual interest in solar-powered flights.
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The 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2015 Alyse Stanley Senior Writer The first year is always the driest season for a new generation of consoles. Well, the rains are here everyone, and this year proves to be flooded with quality titles and longawaited sequels. Even a top 30 list wouldn’t begin to scrape the surface of everything that’s scheduled for release, but for a quick-and-dirty annotated list to give a taste of what’s to come, look no further. “Batman: Arkham Knight” “Batman: Arkham Asylum” holds the Guinness World Record for Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever. “Batman: Arkham City” won Game of the Year at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards. And now, the series is finally coming to an end on June 2 with “Batman: Arkham Knight” (Yes, there is another entry in the series, and yes, there is a reason it wasn’t mentioned here). In this title, the Scarecrow is back and this time, without the Joker to run the show, he unites such classic Batman villains as Penguin, Harley Quinn and Two-Face to finally defeat the winged crusader. “Batman: Arkham Knight” will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. “Persona 5” After a seven-year wait, “Shin Me-
gami Tensei: Persona” fans are finally close to getting their hands on the next entry in the “Persona” series. So far Atlus has remained tight-lipped about the game, though they have released two teaser trailers that confirm 1) “Persona 5” will be released sometime this year, and 2) it will be available for both the PlayStation 3 and PS4. “No Man’s Sky” What began as an indie game made by a small British studio has become one of the most widely anticipated games to come out this year. The player assumes the role of a planetary explorer, and there’s a hell of a lot to explore: the game’s universe is procedurally generated, meaning that it has no preset design. Instead its design is generated by an algorithm that constructs every planet according to an infinite number of combinations, resulting in a different planet every time. Much like “Minecraft,” the only real goal the player has is to collect more resources to build better equipment. “No Man’s Sky” will be available for the PS4 and PC. “The Legend of Zelda” for the Wii U This newest entry in the iconic “The Legend of Zelda” series has had fans salivating since it was originally revealed at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Though no title
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or release date has been confirmed yet, past teaser trailers and demos featured many of the new mechanics made available through the Wii U Gamepad. Nintendo demonstrated the impressive size of the game world in one demo by showing how the Gamepad can be used as a map to find dungeons, secret areas, etc. Similar to “The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds,” this title will feature an open world and non-linear gameplay. “Evolve.” The masters of co-op, “Left 4 Dead” creators Turtle Rock Studios, are making another multiplayer game? Call your friends and grab the mountain dew; it’s going to be an all-nighter. Especially since this time around one player gets to control the primary antagonist: a massive alien simply called the Monster. Just as players can find and earn new weapons, Monsters can gain new abilities like heightened speed or strength from exploring the map. “Evolve” is coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC on Feb. 10. “Halo 5: Guardians.” The obvious choice. Gamers who purchased “Halo: The Master Chief” collection earlier this year got the chance to beta test the game’s multiplayer early, but the rest of us will have to wait until the end of this year
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to check out Master Chief’s latest adventure. While originally intended to be part of the Reclaimer Trilogy according to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, he later told Gamespot that Microsoft and developer 343 Industries expanded the series into a saga. “Quantum Break.” Another Xbox exclusive, this one is from the developers of “Max Payne” and “Alan Wake.” What’s got fans intrigued is the unique combat and sneaking system based around time travel. Players manipulate time to dodge bullets, stop time and get the jump on enemies. The series will be released in episodes that correspond to a “Quantum Break” television series. The decisions players make in the game will ultimately influence the events of the TV series. “Inside.” The creators of “Limbo” have done it again. The game’s E3 trailer showed a boy navigating a grey world populated by lifeless white-collar workers, dodging falling bodies and authoritarian robots in a heart-pounding race to see…well, the trailer ends there. What this cryptic trailer indicates about the plot is anyone’s guess. The game is a side-scroller like “Limbo,” and if the trailer’s any indication, it proves to be just as disturbing. “Cuphead” “Cuphead” stole the show at last
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year’s E3, voted one of the five most interesting game reveals by Polygon. This Xbox One exclusive revamps the run-and-gun shooter genre gamers have enjoyed since the 8-bit days of gaming by giving it a makeover circa 1930. The entire game from the levels to the bosses is designed to replicate classic animation from the age of Disney and Fleischer. Even the protagonist, Cuphead, looks like it would fit better alongside Mickey Mouse “Steamboat Willie” than in a video game. “Tom Clancy’s The Division” Ubisoft just might be able to recover from their “Assasin’s Creed Unity” fiasco with this upcoming title. The game takes place in New York City after a pandemic has left the city in utter disarray. The player, a sleeper agent tasked with restoring order, is equipped with a vast array of gadgets from guns to holographic displays that show the city as chaos broke lose. Art director Rodrigo Cortes described the game as a “proper RPG,” not simply a first-person shooter like previous Tom Clancy titles, in an interview with IGN. “The Division” will be available for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
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Left Page: Cherub sprays the crowd with champagne while performing live at the Norva. Josh Boone | MC Right top: The ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrated their founders day on Jan. 15 Jake Maines | Webb Center Left: The Office of Intercultural Relations hosted a party for new and returning international students on Jan. 23 Jake Maines | Webb Center Right: Posing for the camera or nah? Jake Maines | Webb Center
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