Nov 17th, 2022

Women’s Soccer heads to Sweet 16

BY SHIRELL WASHINGTON sawashington@vwu.edu

The Marlins first appeared in the Sweet 16 round back in 2006, and now they are headed back for the third time in program history.

After a 2022 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship match against the Hornets of the University of Lynchburg on Nov. 6, the Marlins were not able to hoist up the ODAC Championship trophy.

The Marlins fell to the Hornets after a 1-1 draw that ended in penalty kicks with Lynchburg winning 5-4 in the champion ship game. However, the team’s season did not end there.

On the afternoon of Nov. 7, the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship bracket was announced. Receiv ing one of the last two bids, the Marlins were selected to compete and host the first and second rounds of the tournament. They had gotten a second chance to prove that they are an elite group of athletes.

“Obviously, losing the ODAC final is really devastating for the team, but it really brought us

Disconnect widens over housing, work orders

Kiggans wins, flips key district

Republican Jen Kiggans defeats incumbent Elaine Luria in Second District.

BY RHIAN TRAMONTANA rjtramontana@vwu.edu

In accordance with the Repub lican Party flipping the House of Representatives, Jen Kiggans won the seat for Virginia’s Second Congressional District. She won against Elaine Luria, the representative elected in 2018.

The Virginia Department of Elections reports that Kiggans won with 153,132 votes compared to Luria’s 142,863 votes.

Kiggans held an election party at The Westin in the Virginia Beach Town Center, where she spoke to supporters. “We’re here to celebrate a renewed commit ment to restore American strength — a commitment to restore a strong economy, strong schools, strong communities and a strong national defense,” she said.

Senior Josh Heller voted in Virginia’s Second District. “The voting process is really easy and simple, it only took me five minutes to vote,” Heller said.

experiences with mass housing at VWU.

BY ELIJAH JENKINS emjenkins@vwu.edu

Mold, leaking and water damage are frequent problems for Virginia Wesleyan University, but the severity and scope of student concerns geared toward Resi dence Life has only broadened through the years.

Students are open about their

Jaime Corley, a freshman Inter national Studies student said, “Our room has mold in the air vents. We put in a work order because I was sick, and now my roommate is sick. Someone from maintenance came to check and said that there was just dust in the vents and someone would get it cleaned right away.”

This was over a month ago and

BY LILY RESLINK lbreslink@vwu.edu See RES LIFE Page

Three directors, eight actors: Second dates, sticky notes & slaps

The student-directed One-Act Festival attracted a fire-code capacity crowd for their performances on Saturday, Nov. 12.

BY VICTORIA HANELINE vfhaneline1@vwu.edu

A woman debates what food to order for her second date—and what her choice will make her partner think about her. A marriage is explored entirely through the post-it notes they leave for each other over the years. A soon-to-be-married couple runs into their old flames.

At the One-Act Play Festival, held on Nov. 12, the directing class taught by Professor of Theatre Dr. Sally Shedd put on three short, roughly 10-minute plays. The crowd filled every seat in Hofheimer Theatre, including some extra seating brought out for the event.

Theatre majors Sophia Kaminaris, Tucker Barco and Hannah Carmona were

Golf swings into new era

The VWU Golf team is led by a new coach and has a strong roster of freshmen, returners.

BY COLETTE KEARNEY cmkearney@vwu.edu

With Head Coach Tom Hall starting his first year and graduating senior Ryan Christie leaving the program, the Virginia Wesleyan University Men’s Golf team hopes to start a new era of VWU golf. Coming off their fall season they are doing just that.

Freshman Jacob Swiggart accomplished some of his goals which involved having a top ten finish in a tournament, a top five finish in a tournament and being VWU’s top men’s golfer, a big accomplishment for a freshman to achieve.

the three students taking the course this semester.

Carmona—who directed “Marred Bliss,” written by Mark O’Donnell—said that this assignment introduced her to directing in a way she hadn’t seen before.

“I didn’t really see myself doing it,” Carmona said. She had previously only directed films, but through the process of directing “Marred Bliss,” she changed her mind.

“I kind of just discovered it’s just really a passion of mine,” Carmona said.

The students, all seniors, had almost complete control over the play. They chose the one-act play they wished to perform, made casting decisions and directed the entire play themselves.

“They’re in charge of all of that, I don’t

while both roommates’ sicknesses linger, Corley insists that there is mold in the vents. “We both still wake up in the middle of the night coughing,” Corley said. She and her roommate reside in Old Hall in Bray Village.

Corley stressed the lack of mold management in her room, extending her complaints to their resident assistant (RA). “We told our RA, and she said she would

In regards to whether the school as a whole should focus more on election results and voting, Heller said, “many students don’t have much of any interest in politics so it could very well be a wasted effort. But if you have a group of active listeners, I think it’s always great to learn more about our country and the issues we face.”

Joshua Spicer, a sophomore

Swiggard still has a few more individual goals he would like to accomplish as he heads into the spring season.

“One of my goals is to have an indi vidual win and also one of my goals is to be ODAC Freshman of the Year,” Swig gart said. He also said one the team’s goals for the spring season is a team tournament win, especially on their home course.

Carmona

Coach Hall commented on some of the team’s goals to get better and to work on certain things individually. “We’re going to identify the things they need individu ally to get better and we’re going to focus on those strengths,” Hall said.

As a team the men have a goal to break 300 as a team in the spring. “I know that doesn’t sound overly exciting, but it’s kind of like the magic number in golf, to break 300 as a team,” Hall said.

The men started their fall season at the Don Scalf Invitation Memorial Invitation where they finished sixth out of eight teams. With a first day total of 313 and a second day total of 312, the Marlins finished the tournament with a score of 625.

In their third tournament of the fall, they played at the Virginia State Golf Associa tion Intercollegiate where they finished in a tie for eighth. After the first day, they had a team score of 317 but with a second day total of 324 they fell in the tournament rankings to finish with a final score of 641.

The Marlins start their spring season on Feb. 26 at the Pfeiffer Invite in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Although one-act plays vary tremen dously in

micromanage it,” Shedd said, referring to the casting process. But that philosophy applied to the whole play. Students were free to make any decision a director would be responsible for, including who to invite to callbacks—a secondary audition date where prospective actors are narrowed down—and how to arrange the set.

said she enjoyed the artistic control she had over the play, an aspect that came with directing.

The students were required to direct oneact plays, which are different from standard plays in that they occur entirely in one act and scene. That means that the play occurs without a change in setting, and rarely with more than five actors. The most this festi val had was four.

runtime, all of them are much

Ross Winner|Marlin Chronicle

Junior Savannah Galbraith points out damage to floor tiles in Teagle Hall suite following leakage.

VWU residents expect improvements after vocalizing complaints, Director of Residence Life David Stuebing responds to comments from students.

Despite losing the ODAC Championship, Marlins enter the third round of the NCAA DIII Tournament.

Carley Tantlinger|Marlin Chronicle

Junior Daniela Angeles Galvan and freshmen Jordan Cralle, Kaza Dayton and Zach Heldibridle perform in “Marred Bliss” directed by senior Hannah Carmona.

Alysse Scripter|Courtesy Freshman Jacob Swiggart competes at the Virginia State Golf Association Inter collegiate tournament on Oct. 17.

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle

Marlin Ministries provides space for inclusive worship

VWU alumni provide connection to local American-style resturant.

Marlin Ministries holds worship services, ukulele jams and therapy dog sessions.

Bomb threats close schools for three days

BY RHIAN TRAMONTANA rjtramontana@vwu.edu

Oct. 24 began the first of three days of bomb threats targeting schools in the Hampton Roads region. The Chesapeake Fire Dept. told 13NewsNow that they had been fielding threats directed at schools in the area since Oct. 21.

On Monday, Oct. 24, seven schools in Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Norfolk closed because of bomb threats. On Oct. 25, schools in Portsmouth and Chesapeake faced threats and on Wednesday, a Ports mouth school received threats. None of the threats were carried out. However, even a threat can lead to up to 10 years in prison and up to $2,500 in fines.

In Sept. 2021, a shooting at Heritage High School led to a noticeable increase in unfounded threats towards schools in the area, much like the ones in the past month.

Dr. Craig Jackson, an associate profes sor of psychology at VWU who focuses on social psychology, analyzed the causes of increased violence and threats during such a short period of time, including the previ ously mentioned string of bomb threats.

“If you have kids watching an aggres sive model, it makes it more accessible to them,” Jackson said. This is exemplified in the term “self-efficacy,” which is the abil ity a person has to believe in whether or not they can execute an action.

Threats are also made easier by the tech nology available to students. “It’s a kind of easy task to be at least these days calling a bomb threat. Everybody has a cell phone,” Jackson said. “It’s easy to reproduce like social media posts and teenagers know how to create fake accounts.”

Jackson stressed that the threats are in direct acts of violence, not direct, which would include carried out violence.

“So it might be that a lot of the cases of bomb threats are more instrumental

aggression, where they want to get some academic responsibility like an exam or challenge the school system to kind of just be manipulative or exert their authority or their independence or self assertion kinds of motives,” Jackson said.

The fact that the threats are at middle schools and high schools is significant as well. “It boils down to: do the perceived rewards outweigh the costs, or perceived cost,” Jackson said. “In the teenage brain, it might be that they're not able to neces sarily process the consequences of their ac tions as readily as an older adult.”

News media and social media may be contributing to the frequency of threats. “If you also see other people getting attention for it, that promotes the reinforcement side of it, it’s more likely that you might con sider doing it,” Jackson said.

Breanna Wimbush, a senior majoring in Biology and an SGA senator for the class of 2023, has a personal connection to the string of bomb threats.

“Both of my parents work for the Vir ginia Beach City Public Schools, so I get the news about things happening within the schools from them,” Wimbush said.

“It is scary to hear reports knowing that anything could happen at any school in cluding one where my parents may be at,” Wimbush said.

Even with the concerns about violence in the surrounding area, Wimbush feels safe on campus. “I really like that we have the security gate and that security takes their job seriously. I think Virginia Wesleyan does a good job in ensuring that we as stu dents feel safe when walking around on campus,” Wimbush said.

The DeFord Gatehouse, located at the entrance to campus, is occupied by a secu rity guard at every moment, checking the IDs of those entering campus. There are also security guards patrolling by car, foot or bike at all times of the day and night.

In addition to security located at the gatehouse, the Office of Campus Life sometimes sends emails regarding campus safety.

One such email followed the shooting at the University of Virginia on Nov. 13, where three were killed and two injured by Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who is now in custody.

On Nov. 14, the Office of Campus Life sent an email signed by Senior Vice Presi dent Keith Moore to the campus communi ty regarding the shooting. “This incident is an unsettling reminder that we must be hy pervigilant in protecting our own safety. It is critical that members of the VWU com munity are aware of our emergency proce dures and the ways in which we commu

nicate important updates to our students, faculty and staff,” Moore said.

The email urged the community to make use of the LiveSafe app. “LiveSafe serves as the University’s emergency notification system. In the event of an emergency on campus, app users will receive a text, email and/or push notification on their mobile de vice,” Moore said.

In addition, the email mentioned that the security team can offer escorts to people who feel unsafe on campus.

“If you believe that you are in any form of danger or if you witness something sus picious, please call the Campus Security emergency number at 757.233.8888 or dial 9-1-1 immediately,” Moore said.

Various high schools and middle schools in Hampton Roads received bomb threats that resulted in temporary closures.

Rhian Tramontana|Marlin Chronicle Stars mark seven schools in Hampton Roads that received bomb threats without ensuing violence, which is a Class 5 Felony.

reach out to Res Life about it but that was also two weeks ago,” Corley said.

According to students, mold has been a consistent problem in residence halls. Breathing in mold can cause severe respi ratory irritation and may require medical attention to combat effects.

Junior Britni Arrington, who majors in Art and Psychology, attests to this. “So many people are allergic to mold,” Ar rington said, “Why pay so much money to live somewhere that’s going to constantly make you sick?”

Corley commented on the ability of Res idence Life to manage requests of students.

“You’ll put a work order in and it’ll get ignored or when it finally does get ad dressed, nothing is handled, nothing is taken care of,” Corley said.

Corley attributes part of the problems to a lack of relationship between students and Res Life. “I don’t think it’s intentional but I think they’re aware that it happens and they just roll with it. I wouldn’t say they sought out to do that in the first place but I think they’re going to continue to do it because it’s easier.” Ultimately, Corley said “[Housing on campus] isn’t worth the money, 100% isn’t worth it.”

Freshman Kyla Robberecht, another res ident of Old Hall, said if she could change anything about her on-campus living expe rience, it would be to have “cleaner show ers… or cleaner everything.” Old Hall has communal style bathrooms with house keepers that aid in cleanliness.

“I literally walked out of my room one day and I stepped in a puddle of something. I was so grossed out,” Robberecht said.

Corley agreed with Robberecht’s state ment of cleaner living conditions. “Our bathroom has mold between the grout and tiles, there is mold in the sinks and mold on the shower curtains and on the back of the toilets. Maintenance comes and sprays it down like once every couple days,” Cor ley said.

While it is true that some sanitation con cerns can be attributed to the mass housing of young adults new to living on their own, others stem from issues far beyond a stu dent’s control.

The Office of Residence Life has sent mass emails that remind students of ways they can be proactive in improving their own experiences. On Aug. 30, a week after classes started, Residence Life sent out an email that included guidance for maintain ing low humidity levels such as keeping the windows closed and air conditioning running.

“It’s expected that everyone is doing their part to keep our spaces clean - we’ll do our part and you do yours!” the email said.

Problems and solutions typically are known by David Stuebing, the director of Residence Life on campus.

Stuebing stresses the importance of stu dents taking responsibility for their own housing conditions as well. “There are a

million things for students to learn about living independently - from what they can do preventively to keep their space nice, to changing habits now that there isn’t some one cleaning up after them, and even how to respond to a challenge appropriately,” Stuebing said.

Junior Doots Glodek, a Recreational Therapy major who transferred to VWU this year, had a list of concerns about the conditions of her Gum Hall residence in Allen Village.

Glodek said, “Our washer and dryer keep having problems, they closed the bathroom and one of the shower stalls last minute with little notice to do work that fixed noth ing, we had no water for hours last week, no hot water the other day, one of our doors to the building was broken and you didn’t need a keycard to get in ... Need I go on?”

Timeliness around maintenance com pleting work orders has also been a major concern for residents.

Chloe Dewberry, a senior and Business major living in North Hall in Brock Vil lage, said that in response to her ceiling leaking over her bed, she submitted two work orders. “The first one, they just ac cepted, but they didn’t do anything,” she said.

Dewberry submitted the second work order as Hurricane Ian was approaching. “After the hurricane left, they decided to come fix my ceiling,” she said. In total, Dewberry said it took 10 days for her ceil ing to be fixed.

To deal with the situation in the mean time, Dewberry said, “I moved my bed away from the wall, so when it dripped, it just dripped into a trash can that was on the floor.”

Sophomore Mae Bryant is a History major living in Johnston Hall. Bryant has dealt with a hole in the ceiling since the start of the school year.

“I had my RA fill out a work order for it, but it was dismissed. I filed a second work order and it was patched with the promise that it would be sanded and painted,” Bry

ant said.

A month later, Bryant said she pointed out the issue again when Director Of Resi dence Life David Stuebing came with oth er staff members into Johnston Hall.

Bryant said, “The previously applied plaster had started gaping and falling off and they had promised it would be fixed within the next week.” She said an email informed her of a surge of work orders filed that week that would further delay the hole from being fixed.

“Two weeks ago the ceiling was re patched with plaster and I was assured that it would be sanded and painted the next day. They have not returned and my ceil ing remains plastered and unpainted.” This statement was made on Nov. 10.

Freshman Phillip Proctor said that it took two weeks for maintenance to see to the air conditioning unit leaking onto the floor in his Eggleston Hall room. After that, he said an installation issue caused his room to have no air for two more weeks.

According to Proctor, this issue led to more problems. “A month ago they had to re-tile the floor and they took up four tiles and broke two and still have not re-tiled, leaving us with uprooted tiles,” he said.

Regarding complaints toward work or der delays, Stuebing said, “Res Life does not directly oversee work orders but works closely with our Facilities staff to follow up on issues since we share the goal of provid ing quality living spaces for our students. When a work order is submitted, Facilities staff must prioritize their response.”

Stuebing pointed out that the system Fa cilities Management uses for work orders can get backlogged. He used Hurricane Ian as an example of a circumstance that led to one of such backlogs. In those times, Stue bing said “work orders that are not emer gencies may have to wait until more urgent issues can be addressed.”

Proctor’s uprooted tiles were not the only case of missing floors around cam pus. Sophomore Regan Miller said the problems in her Teagle Hall suite in Brock Village have ranged from water to bugs to mold. Most noticeably, part of the floor has been gone for over a month.

Miller said that following Hurricane Ian, puddles of water drenched their floor “due to a leakage coming from some sort of pipe.” This eventually resulted in main tenance coming to uproot a large portion of their tile floor.

However, Miller said they didn’t hear back from maintenance about the installa tion of a new floor until last week, when they learned that it wouldn’t be resolved until Thanksgiving.

Junior Savannah Galbraith, a student in the Undergraduate Education Program, lives in the same Teagle Hall suite. Gal braith said, “When [the floor] was original ly looked at by maintenance, we were told it would be resolved as soon as possible.”

Galbraith pointed out that a major con cern is how the appearance of cleanliness in the suite has declined at this major cos metic deficiency. “It makes the place look gross with the floor torn up only in some areas,” Galbraith said.

Stuebing attributes some of the mold and water damage to the environment sur rounding the campus. “Living on a forest ed campus near wetlands, like ours, all mil dew needs to grow is the right conditions,” Stuebing said.

Given this, Res Life asks students to help prevent problems associated with the en vironment. “We ask students to keep win dows closed when the AC is on or when it is wet or humid outside, to ensure that air can move around their room effectively by not blocking the AC unit, and to report any issues immediately,” Stuebing said.

College housing conditions are an issue extending across the nation. An article from The Post and Courier said, “The stakes are high — for students who live with mold and universities responsible for providing safe housing.”

The article stated that campuses of high er education in America “face an estimated $112 billion maintenance and repair back log, a massive deferral of work that con tributed to mold outbreaks.”

This poses the question of what prob lems are inevitable in mass student hous ing, and what can be taken on as an area for improvement.

To combat inevitable problems, Res Life relies heavily on RAs, along with com munication among staff members. “Our RA staff also do monthly room checks to try and find issues early and give students every opportunity to let us know if there is an issue and our professional staff com municate with Facilities on a daily basis,” Stuebing said.

“There are always challenges when many people live near each other - but most of those challenges come from hu man nature and students learning to live independently,” Stuebing said.

For residents, Stuebing said that getting involved in the community is imperative. “Your floor or hall are your home. We want you and those who live near you to enjoy your experience as much as possible - but there is only so much that we can do - the rest is up to you!” Stuebing said.

ELECTIONS

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

from Pennsylvania, voted in his home district, but spoke on election results across the country. “Overall the lack of a Republican ‘wave’ was not what I expected and was upsetting for me but people across the country spoke at the ballot boxes,” Spicer said.

Spicer commented on the potential for bipartisan efforts with the Republicans in control of the House of Represen tatives and the Democrats in control of the Senate. “For the country, it is going to be an interesting two years. We are most likely looking at a lot of bills being unable to be passed without very strong bipartisan work,” Spicer said.

As a Political Science major, Spicer is well-versed in American politics. “President Biden will most likely also have difficulty garnering support in the House with his historically low approval rating. In my opinion, Congress will be in a stalemate for the next two years,” he said.

The Washington Post reported that there were specula tions leading up to the elections of a red wave, meaning the Republicans would dominate both the House and the Senate.

“The ‘red wave’ that Republicans were sure of ended up

being more of a ripple. Yes, they are projected to gain con trol of the House, but by a very small margin and with the Senate race in Nevada being called for the Democrat, the hopes of a Republican Senate were dashed,” Spicer said.

Spicer predicts many hot button issues will be discussed in the coming months and years, with abortion being one of them. “Students should be prepared for a lot more bick ering in Congress. With a Republican House and a Demo cratic Senate not much is going to be able to be passed and partisan bickering is going to be at an all time high as both sides attempt to push their agendas through,” Spicer said.

In conclusion, Spicer said, “There will be a lot of de bate and many words exchanged in the halls of Congress, but nothing substantial will be changed or made until the next election when majorities and the presidency could be changed up again.”

Local elections were less contested than the race be tween Kiggans and Luria. Staci R. Martin won a seat on the school board for Virginia Beach’s Fourth District. Mar tin received 56.47% of the vote, equaling to 5,411 votes. Her challenger, Ken R. Lubeck, received 4,086 votes.

Amelia M. Ross-Hammond ran unopposed for a city council position and won with 95.90% of the vote, totaling at 8,583 votes. The other 4.10% of the votes were writeins.

Ross Winner|Marlin Chronicle Suite in Teagle Hall affected by persistent water damage and decaying wood.

Connor Merk|Marlin Chronicle Congresswoman-elect Jen Kiggans speaks to supporters at her election night party on Nov. 8.

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle Chronicle headlines over the years outline problems in residence halls.

Oliver Chauncey|Courtesy Leaking occurs all over residence halls, including underneath water fountains.

Editor-in-Chief

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Stop making excuses, get a job

Career Development provides assistance in paving way for professional future.

BY CAREY SEAY clseay@vwu.edu

On Nov. 2, the annual Fall Career and Internship Fair was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. Of the wide variety of employers that attended the fair, a few included the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, Southern Teachers Agency, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and Norfolk Admirals.

Every year, Virginia Wesleyan University’s Career Development Program provides students with a number of opportunities to further their academic and professional careers. This semester alone, events like the Major & Minor Exploration Fair, Career Cafe and Resume Rush workshop have brought students one step closer to reaching their career goals. The Fall Career and Internship Fair was the most recent of such events.

Director of Career Development Alice Jones played a major role in the organization of the event.

“As Director of Career Development, I am responsible for all aspects of the Career Fair: coordinating dates, times and locations, recruiting employers, marketing to students and alumni and coordinating and managing the dayof-fair logistics,” Jones said.

Thanks to all of Jones’ hard work, the fair had a considerable turnout. With a goal of 100 students and a variety of employers in mind, the outcome surpassed expectations. This year’s Fall Career and Internship Fair had 30 employers registered to attend and over 120 students, faculty and staff who participated in the event, assuring Jones that the fair’s purpose was met.

“The purpose of the Career Fair is to connect students, alumni and faculty with employers and their opportunities,” Jones said. “It is an experience that gives students and employers a chance to meet one another, establish professional relationships and discuss potential job and/or internship opportunities. It is also an opportunity for students exploring majors and careers to gather information useful in making

good decisions.”

Alumna Hannah Turner attended the fair as an inside sales representative from the Chesapeake branch of Career Enterprise, a company that specializes in the distribution of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Turner was excited to come back to VWU to meet current students and talk with them about their future, whether that involved Career Enterprise or not. She looked forward to sharing some advice with students at the fair.

“Go visit every table, be personable and really try to find out what the employers at each table do,” Turner said. “See how what they do relates to you, if it’s something that would benefit you, then cool, if not, that’s cool, too. Not every table is going to benefit everybody in here, but at least you’re getting yourself out there.”

Along with Turner, Stephen Mayhew, director of Residential Sales at Career Enterprise and a first-time attendee of the fair, was also eager to have conversations with students.

“We’re in the HVAC industry, and, like a lot of technical trades, it’s an industry that needs an influx of young talent, people that are interested, that are hungry to learn and want to grow,” Mayhew said. “There’s a ton of opportunity, not just with our company, but in the market as a whole, for young people to come in and build a career from the ground up, start learning the skills now that are going to propel them forward. The ladder is as high as you want to make it.”

Dorothy Yanku-Palmer, a junior and Elementary Special Education major at VWU, has attended the fair in the past and was aware of the opportunities it provides.

“I went to the Career Fair at VWU last semester and walked away with a summer job,” Yanku-Palmer said. This past summer, YankuPalmer worked at the Splash Kamp Children’s Activity Center at the Holiday Inn and Suites on North Beach.

To prepare for the event, Yanku-Palmer looked over the list of employers registered to attend the event and developed a few questions to ask at each table.

Before the fair took place, VWU’s Career

Development Program encouraged students to attend the Resume Rush workshop in preparation for the event. However, the workshop turned out to be a flop.

“I had one student attend,” Jones said. “The purpose of the event was to help students prepare for the fair by getting one-on-one attention and feedback on their resumes from employers.”

Despite the low turnout at the Resume Rush workshop, students were still persuaded to make a good impression on potential employers by utilizing VWU’s Professional Clothes Closet, recently rebranded as The Marlin Boutique.

“The closet provides a place for currently enrolled students to obtain new and gently used interview attire or clothing to get them started off at internships or jobs in professional settings, free of charge,” Jones said.

As hoped, The Marlin Boutique has proved a big hit with students.

“I think that those who have taken advantage of the resource have found it of value and found professional pieces to add to their wardrobe,” Jones said.

The closet is always accepting donations, particularly smaller men’s sizes.

If you are interested in utilizing The Marlin Boutique or looking for more career and internship opportunities to advance your academic and professional careers, contact the Career Development Program at careerdevelopment@ vwu.edu. Students are always welcome to stop by the boutique any time between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Marlin Chronicle is the official student newspaper of Virginia Wesleyan University. Staff meetings are held every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Batten 217. Signed submissions are welcome, but subject to the discretion of the editor. Let ters are not edited for content, but may be edited for length and mechanics. The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper may not necessarily reflect the views of the entire staff of The Marlin Chronicle or Virginia Wesleyan University.

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shorter than standard plays.

“That’s not a lot of time to develop a character,” Shedd said. She said that the lack of character development can be a problem in a badly written play. However, she also said that the students chose their plays well, and that she believed that they all had some form of character development.

The run time of one-act plays can be a problem in effectively developing characters, but it has its advantages as well.

“There’s some things that a one-act play can do better, or more efficiently, than a long play,” Shedd said. “Because it is so condensed, it really sort of just puts things out there often. It gets to the point a lot sooner.”

One example of that would be the second play, “Post-Its (Notes on a Marriage)” by Paul Dooley, which was directed by Kaminaris. The play explored a marriage, both its highs and lows, solely through the post-it notes they wrote each other over the years. Although it was less than 20 minutes long, its emotional conclusion left several people in the audience in tears.

Another benefit of the length of the one-act plays is that multiple one-acts can be included in a festival.

“It’s nice to go to a one act festival; you’re going to see three different plays,” Shedd said.

The variety was distinct. “Post-Its” was a tear-jerking, emotionally touching story about a relationship told in an unconventional manner.

“A Tall Order” by Sheri Wilner, directed by Barco, was a funny but thoughtful and insightful story about decisions made both at the dining

table and in a relationship. It ended with a touching resolution that the character came to after much thought, and a food order.

“Marred Bliss” made extensive use of malapropisms—substitutions of words with different words that sound similar but mean something completely different—in its discussion of communication and relationships. This was used to introduce a separate meaning to the sentence, such as the replacement of the word “married” with the word “marred,” as in the title.

All three of the plays had very different moods, but they were all impactful and memorable in their own way. That kind of variety is something that is not easily possible with a standard length, two-act play.

“It’s just kind of nice to mix it up,” Shedd said.

Ross Winner|Marlin Chronicle

The Fall Career and Internship Fair was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Carley Tantlinger|Marlin Chronicle

The Marlin Boutique, located in the Light house in Clarke Hall, free to all students.

Carley Tantlinger|Marlin Chronicle

Junior Jacob Underwood and sophomore Emily Lutz in “A Tall Order” directed by senior and Theatre major Tucker Barco.

Carley Tantlinger|Marlin Chronicle

Annie O’Shea and sophomore Emma Wehr in “Post-Its (Notes on a Marriage)” directed by senior and Theatre major Sophia Kaminaris.

Carley Tantlinger| Marlin Chronicle

Campus ministries strives for inclusivity

As a Methodist-affiliated university, having available experiences for religious expression, learning and com munity, has been a staple at Virginia Wesleyan University since it was chartered in 1961. A generous donation was given by the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Church, so, consequently, the university was named after John Wesley, the recognized founder of Methodism.

Given its history and religious background, the univer sity has been committed to providing such opportunities to its students via the Student Ministry organization, fondly referred to as Marlin Ministries. Even with its denomina tion-specific roots though, the on-campus ministry is com mitted to providing an interdenominational experience with people of all faiths and backgrounds being welcomed and accepted.

The most clear depiction of such an intermingling can be found in the As One: Music and Message worship ser vice held every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at the Monumental Chapel on campus. Junior Brooke Underwood, Music and Business double major and the worship director for the As One band for the past two years, talked about what the service is like.

Starting and ending with the singing of a mixture of both contemporary, hymnal revisions and original songs led by the As One band, the service contains a scripture message given by a student speaker, discussion time and prayer.

“The goal of As One is to spend time in community with our creator, no matter where we come from or what we have done,” Underwood said. The name “As One” origi nated from the concept of being in “a community where everyone feels like they are a part of a whole.”

Her favorite part of the service “is seeing people who never thought they would be the type of person to come to church find a place where they belong,” something that helps fulfill the Student Ministry’s vision statement: “Dis covering God. Experiencing God. Sharing God.”

Underwood asserted that “As One is open to absolutely anyone!” With a broad range of various people coming from “Methodist, Baptist, Non-Denominational and even Jewish backgrounds,” Underwood said. The service and continued growth of the event is dedicated to providing a place for any and all to worship and spend time in com munity with one another.

Senior Ryan Abraham talked about how he enjoys the student-led aspect of the worship service. He said, “I think it’s really cool seeing people I know leading worship. It makes it feel more personal.”

The student-led messages are also a highlight for him. He touched on how the students’ ability to pick what they are speaking about contributes to a more meaningful dis cussion. “You’re seeing them speak about things they’re passionate about which adds a lot more than just being

read like a stereotypical sermon,” Abraham said.

For those who are looking to get connected with a min istry outside of campus, Virginia Wesleyan has a partner ship with the Haygood United Methodist Church, which is located two miles away from university grounds. Church services occur at 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings, and students are given the option to be con nected into various community events, outreach ministries and volunteer opportunities through this connection if they so choose.

Student Ministry activities are not limited to service specific events on Sundays though. With the student-led Monday Night Worship service and Women of God and Men’s Group Bible studies, there are many outlets through which students can be religiously involved throughout the week. Marie Porter, the Director of Student Ministries at Virginia Wesleyan University, helps to oversee and facili tate these events.

One such activity, the Ukulele Jam, happening on Thursday evenings at the Marlin Ministries Lounge in the Batten Center, is a creative and active way to experience

Marlin

the program. Junior Alex Cain described Ukulele Jam as a place where people “kind of just hangout and play music. Anyone who wants to come play music can come, even if you’re really new to it.”

Occasionally merging with the Songwriter’s Group that happens directly after it, Ukulele Jam is a time where stu dents can come together at the end of the week and express their worship and enjoyment of each other’s company in a musical way.

With the semester coming to a close, the ministry is looking forward to further strengthening the ties they have with each other.

“Marlin Ministries is excited about continuing to grow deep spiritual relationships with one another and with God, so that we will be able to encourage and support each other even when we’re away from campus,” Underwood said.

Upon the return to campus after winter break, the minis try is excited to continue fostering relationships and com munity and are committed to providing such opportunities up until the break.

BY AMARIS NOLAN atnolan@vwu.edu

In the Marlin Ministries Lounge, students migrate in and out with refreshing smiles on their faces and fur on their clothes. Who are they going to see? Luna.

Luna, a 3-year-old black lab, comes to campus every Monday with her owner, Di rector of Student Ministries Marie Porter, as a therapy dog for students. She stays in the Ministry Lounge waiting for a student to play with or to give her treats.

Porter began her search for a puppy in fall of 2019.

“I was specifically looking for a therapy dog and I knew I wanted a lab,” Porter said.

She soon was in touch with a dog breed er who had a litter of newborn labs, two yellow, two brown and three black. The breeder told Porter that there was one pup in particular that would make for a perfect therapy dog.

“She was the youngest—she was the runt—but she was the smartest,” Porter said. “She was the one that got out the box first and she seemed to be kind of the leader and do things first.”

Luna was also a black lab and Porter had been initially set on adopting a yellow lab. But, with an open mind, she and her hus band decided to go see the puppy in person.

When they arrived at the dog breeder’s, all the puppies were playing outside. The breeder looked at Luna, who wasn’t named then, and pointed to the Porters saying, “Look, there’s your new owners.”

“Luna ran directly to me, sat right in front of me and looked at me with her little eyes,” Porter said. “So she picked us and she de cided ‘you are [my] owners,’ so I didn’t even bother with the others, it was Luna.”

Before Porter was hired as director of Student Ministries for VWU, she adopted Luna as a therapy dog for her church, Hay good United Methodist Church.

“We had a lot of students that didn’t have dogs, wanted to have dogs and wanted to have a mascot-type of thing,” Porter said. “Then when I got the phone call from the university, it was just a perfect fit.”

Porter informed the university about Luna’s training and got permission to bring Luna on campus and into Batten.

Since being hired, Porter has brought

Luna on campus almost every Monday. Because of this, Mondays have become the most popular days for students to visit the Ministry Lounge, even students that are not ministry students.

“I think that it gives them a chance to fo cus on something else other than whatever’s going on,” Porter said.

Luna’s impact on campus can be seen on the days that she is not present as well, with students poking their heads into the lounge looking for her.

Regardless of what is going on, students make the time to visit Luna, play with her or just sit beside her. Students like Lauren Ford, a senior and member of Marlin Min istries, who had to leave her two dogs at home.

“She makes me miss my dogs more, hon estly,” Ford said. “But I love Luna, she’s so kind.”

Luna has brought in so many students, which has made it easier for Porter to reach out and get to know the campus community.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for Marie to meet the students and for students to kind of get more involved or learn more about Marlin Ministries and about the different things we have,” Ford said.

Luna continues to be a source of com fort for students who are missing their dogs back home or who just need a quick cuddle.

On Monday mornings there is no telling what the upcoming week will bring. But one thing is for sure— Luna will be in the Min istry Lounge waiting

dents up.

Ryan Abraham|Marlin Chronicle

Junior Alex Cain, Bryan Ainsworth, juniors Henry Handley, Makenna Good, Brooke Underwood and sophomore Casey Bennett perform at As One: Music and Message worship in Monumental Chapel on Sunday, Nov. 13.

to cheer the stu

Carley Tantlinger|Marlin Chronicle

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle

Mel Lhuillier & Carley Tantlinger|Marlin Chronicle

Separation between the art and the artist

Challagundla weighs in on if consuming means condoning following recent events with several musical artists.

BY SAI CHALLAGUNDLA schallagundla@vwu.edu

Art can be expressed in many ways, like through music, drawings, paintings and more.

These artistic representations are often very closely related to or depict something about the creator, whether these depictions are telling of an event they went through or maybe an emotion that the artist was feeling while creating the art piece.

These artists are just people. They aren’t holy beings who are immune to negative behavior. Therefore, they sometimes are not the most agreeable people.

This brings up the question: Can we, the viewers or listeners, still enjoy the art without having to agree with the artist’s opinions?

I believe we can.

While art is depicting what the artist wanted it to, that doesn’t mean that we can’t put our own meaning to it.

For example, if you had a favorite song that has always helped to bring you out of a bad mood and has made your day better, but then the artist says controversial things on various forms of media, does that hinder your enjoyment of the song?

For me, personally, it does not, because when I hear the song, it reminds me of the good times that I’ve had while listening to the song and all the memories with it. In fact, I almost never think of who is singing the song.

While I do understand the notion of not supporting a certain artist due to their controversial stances, I also believe that one should not stop enjoying something due to the person that has produced said art.

If that art is irreplicable, why deprive yourself of a good time and memories?

Plastic bags are the least of our problems

Following the talks of a plastic bag tax in Virginia Beach, Yale argues against tax.

BY MADELYN YALE mgyale@vwu.edu

As a native of New Jersey, it is common to come across odd laws negating specific behavior, like not being able to pump one’s gas and having to use “jug handles” to turn left on most roads.

One of the newer rules implemented in our day-to-day life was to stop using plastic bags to transport groceries.

When traveling from my home state back to Virginia Wesleyan University, I often make my way to local stores and purchase a variety of supplies for the week.

In these moments, I catch myself stress ing over whether or not I have reusable bags before remembering that I’m back in Virginia not New Jersey.

However, in these changing times, Virginia Beach is debating whether or not to integrate this same sort of change of lifestyle, possibly implementing a plastic bag tax into the community as early as Jan. 1.

Pushing consumers to supply their own reusable bags may be seen as a disad vantage to consumers. In other words, if people have to pay or bring their own bag for groceries, people could be discouraged from shopping freely induced by distress at the thought of not being able to carry it all back to their vehicles.

Although discouraging the use of plastic bags can benefit the environment, it can also be seen as a disadvantage to manu facturers.

Not funding this business will be detrimental to the success of this industry and will have the power to wipe out this service completely.

Plastic bags require little energy to make and are easy for consumer use. They provide a reliable and intuitive solution to carrying a plentiful amount of items.

In efforts to help protect the environ ment, I believe we should refrain from minimizing the situation of plastic bags.

There is a bigger picture that should be focused on, which is pollution as a whole, not just plastic bags.

If we as an east coast truly started this activity to protect the wildlife inhabiting our beaches, we should create more solu tions to the greater problem.

For example, the community should work harder to regularly clean and main tain proper waste disposal in these areas.

It is common to see garbage cans placed at beach entrances and exits. Who can say that the plastic bags in the water are more likely from the stores way inland than they are to come from within the various cans placed on the sand and road line?

Consumers need to be more conscious of their waste disposal of all items includ ing plastics, glass, paper and so many more.

In conclusion, save as many trips from your house to your vehicle by using handy plastic bags. Nevertheless, stay vigilant and alert for how you are disposing of the bag once you are done using it.

Boycotting an artist will not only affect the artist but also the many people involved in creating that art.

Using music as an example, by not listening to a certain artist, you are not only harming the artist but also harming the producers and songwriters, as well as many others involved with the creation of the song.

Although the thought process of trying to harm an artist by not giving them any revenue is not wrong, the artist likely has other sources to get money from and really the only people that are harmed are the people that depend on the art being listened to.

Although I have only talked about music, this topic is not limited to music. Pablo Picasso is a world-famous artist known as a pioneer in modern art, mainly known for his very famous works like “The Weeping Woman.” It has been said that he was a misogynist.

When we think of Picasso, we think of his amazing artistic talent and artistic pieces that he produced, not the fact that he is characterized as a womanizer and misogy nist.

The art can be separated from the artist.

We must not look at the art as a creation of the artist, but we must look at art as how we want to interpret it, with almost a life of its own.

Whether in a good or bad light, at the end of the day, it is up to us to decide if we want to consume art or not, and therefore, we should make decisions on how the piece affects us, not how the artist affects us.

To wait or not to wait

BY CHLOE BOOHER crbooher@vwu.edu

I don’t celebrate Christmas. However, I can agree and disagree with the ques tion “Is it okay to decorate before or after Thanksgiving for Christmas?”

This is one of the most argued top ics among families, lengthy enough that it could very well become a slideshow presentation. Narrowing this controversial topic to a limited word count is challeng ing but worth attempting.

I believe that it is appropriate to begin decorating for Christmas before Thanks giving.

The radio recently has started to play Christmas music well before Thanksgiv ing on certain stations, and others either start the day before or on Thanksgiving.

Small things like kids crafts, wreaths and hand towels are all items that can display Christmas without being over-thetop, and can be placed around the house for guests to see.

Items that say “Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” are acceptable things to be placed mid to late November before grabbing the bigger and louder decora tions.

Taking family pictures for holiday cards is also an acceptable behavior prior to Thanksgiving since they should be mailed out by the first of December.

The families who buy and decorate Christmas trees, bring out inflatable lawn items and hang up lights should all wait until after Thanksgiving.

Not only will these decorations spike your electric bill, they take away from the idea of being thankful and distract from being in the moment. It also takes away from the people who celebrate other holidays since everything occurs around the same time.

The stores who have Black Friday deals before Thanksgiving take away from the crazy rush that shoppers get, which is something that helps people get into the holiday spirit.

Whether you start November or Decem ber 1st, the holidays are meant to be with family and friends.

Whenever you start decorating, make sure you know what is deemed appropri ate for pre-holiday decorating.

Students share opinions on congressional election

Madelyn Yale|Marlin Chronicle

A single-use bag caught in a bush at a Walmart parking lot.

“It was amazing to volunteer for Jen Kiggans, and it is amazing to see my hard work payoff with a huge victory for Kiggans.”

Justin Wilt

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle

“While I’m disappointed with the results, it’s encouraging that there is a high level of participation, particularly from younger voters this election.”

Andrew Steiner

“I had the chance to see Kiggans as a state senator and am interested to see how she grows into this new, more visible role.”

Sam Silvia

Madelyn Yale|Marlin Chronicle

A Walmart features Christmas decorations for consumers to purchase.

closer and it was just a motivation factor to help us strive to do better so that we can make it farther in the NCAAs because that’s our main goal now,” freshman Megan Setlack, a midfield defender on VWU Women’s Soccer team, said.

Although losing in the ODAC final, two athletes garnered top ODAC

Competing in the pod were the Loggers of the University of Puget Sound, the Monarchs of Methodist University and the Profs of Rowan University.

The Marlins first match was a face-off with the Loggers of Puget Sound on Nov. 12. The Marlins scored an early goal to take the lead over the Loggers, but it wasn’t until the second half that the Marlins netted two more goals leading to a 3-0 shutout in the first round of the tournament.

The following day, Nov. 13, VWU

Minutes with Moody

BY ADRIEN VINOT PREFONTAINE avinotprefontaine@vwu.edu

Adrien Vinot Prefontaine: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Alex Moody: My name is Alex Moody. I’m a junior here at Virginia Wesleyan. I play on the Men’s Soccer team. I’m also one of the executives for SAAC. I major in Biology and hope to go to medical school after this.

VP: What team(s) do you most admire and why?

M: 1980 Men’s USA Hockey team, when they beat the Soviet Union in the Olympics at Lake Placid seen in “Miracle on Ice,” because there weren’t any stars on the team. They were just guys who worked hard and overcame a lot of obstacles and it was going on during the Cold War and they beat the number one team and won the gold medal that year.

VP: Favorite soccer team?

M: My favorite team is Liverpool, England.

VP: How do you view your role on the team?

M: I would say I’m a leader because we have a lot of younger guys. So as one of the few older guys, I would say I’m a leader. I’m just my work ethic. I work hard. So I try to set an example to set the standard for the rest of the team. I mean, a lot of people tell me that I’m a big part of the team. Like sometimes we have bad days when I have bad days. But, I’d say I play a big role for them.

VP: How would you rate your performances this season?

M: I played well. There was a string of games, about two or three games, where I wasn’t playing at my best. So I just had to find form again, just build the confidence back up to know what I could do on the field. It’s just getting there mentally and physically. But probably my best two games this year were against two ranked teams against UT Dallas and Covenant college that weekend. It’s when I probably played my best soccer this year.

VP: What aspect of training or coaching has helped you improve as an individual player?

pod.

Sam Crawford

M: Working hard, getting reps after practice, being coachable, having an open mind by taking all the knowledge from the coaches and other players or even running an extra mile. Also getting to know all the guys better because every year is a different dynamic. Everything starts in the weight room and at practice so being on the same page is a must to be successful.

VP: Do you have a routine or any superstitions before you play a game?

M: I like to put on my right sock, then my right cleat first, then my left sock, my left cleat and then like right before we run onto the field, I’ll get the trainer to tape my wrist.

VP: Can you describe SAAC for someone who does not know?

ODAC Defensive Player of the Year

Shyenne Diaz

Position: Defense Position: Forward

M: It’s the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. We are a small group on campus, composed of athletes from each team. We go over issues that we may have on campus that affect athletes directly. And we try to better them for the student athletes. For example, sometimes student athletes get out to practice late and they can’t go to the cafe because it’s closed. So we try to work with the cafeteria workers and see if they can have this open, so student athletes can eat because that’s important. We also deal with legislation, DIII legislation. When new legislation is proposed, we go over that and we have to vote on that. And it’s just a voice for student athletes on campus just to get their voice across and hopefully get the change that they need.

VP: What is your role on SAAC?

M: I’m one of the executives. We have an executive board. We don’t have a president or vice president. We just have an executive board and we lead the meetings. Figure out any stuff that we can do to like, maybe bring the student athletes together

VP: Can new student athletes join?

M: You can go talk to your coach. The coaches will nominate, or ask you “hey, is anybody interested in joining SAAC?” and then you’ll be like, “oh, yeah, that sounds cool. I’ll be interested.” If you would like to join SAAC, it’s just going to talk to your coach. Each team has about two to three representatives. So not too many people but enough people to get the message across.

VP: Is there anything else you want to address?

M: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. It means a lot and I’m just looking forward to next year.

Volleyball: Top-seeded Marlins fall in ODAC Quarterfinals

BY COLETTE KEARNEY cmkearney@vwu.edu

On Oct. 29, the ODAC announced the rankings for the 2022 ODAC Volleyball Tournament. The Marlins drew the top seed after ending conference play with 12 wins and 1 loss. Their lone loss came against the Yellow Jackets of RandolphMacon College. As the highest seed, they hosted the eighth seed, the Maroons of Roanoke College.

The final score was 3-1. The first set was won by the Maroons 25-23, the second set was won by the Marlins 25-7, the third set was one by the Maroons 25-19 and the last set was also won by the Maroons 25-18.

Top leaders for the Marlins were junior Morgan Ludovici with 17 kills and two aces, junior Abigail Mahoney led the Marlins with four blocks, senior setter Hailey Sutton led the team with 25 assists and senior Becca Hallingstad led the team with 21 digs.

With their quarterfinal tournament loss, the Marlins season ended with a final record of 20-8.

are the Christoper Newport Captains and the Trinity University (TX) Tigers.

Writer Adrien Vinot Prefontaine sat down with junior, Men’s Soccer player, Alex Moody.

Alysse Scripter|Courtesy

Alysse Scripter|Courtesy

Grace McGhee|Courtesy

Junior outside hitter Morgan Ludovici goes for the kill in the ODAC quarterfinal game against Roanoke College on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Townebank Arena.

Grace McGhee|Courtesy

Alysse Scripter|Courtesy

Grace McGhee|Courtesy

Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Waters gets ready to serve the ball against Roanoke College on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

XC finishes season in hopes to grow roster

Cross Country completes their season with highest conference finish since 2016 at the 2022 ODAC Cross Country Championship on Saturday Oct. 29 at Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester, Va.

BY MIKAYLA SZUDERA mmszudera@vwu.edu

The Cross Country team made strides for the program at ODACs with both teams finishing in the top eight and achieving two lifetime personal best runtimes. The Fall 2022 Cross Country ODAC Competition was held at Shenandoah University on Oct. 29. The women’s team ranked fifth and the men’s team ranked eighth for VWU.

Two of the runners for the women’s team ran lifetime bests on one of the most difficult courses in the ODAC Conference. Junior Cece Aten finished with 26:02.9 and freshman Elizabeth Smeltzer finished seconds later with a 26:09.2 in the 6k competition. The women’s team finished sixth overall in the ODAC competition which is the highest placement for VWU since 2016.

The men’s team went into this season with high expectations of breaking into the top five of the ODAC Conference. Though this season’s expectations were not met, the program has progressed since last season, when only three runners were able to compete in ODACs for the men’s team, making them unable to score.

With the recent addition of Ryan Purrington as head Cross Country Coach and assistant director of Track and Field, there has been an increase in roster numbers for both teams, but the men have been able to double their roster from last year for a total number of twelve runners.

Even with the lack of numbers on each roster compared to other programs, neither team wanted to treat this season like a building year. They wanted to come out with a strong mentality to see how they can compete against other teams and create an impact in the ODAC for the future of the program.

Junior June Richardson has been on the team for three years but has been unable to run the past two years due to an injury. This season they have been able to recover from their injury and have run personal records on multiple races.

“Having a new coach that is really dedicated to the team and making sure that we are doing the best we can helps motivate the team by showing us progress doesn’t happen overnight, we have to work for it,” Richardson said. Not only have personal records improved, but the

overall

“For the women’s team, we are all best friends and that doesn’t happen a lot. We practice together, we study together and we help each other overall, on and off the course,” Aten said.

Coach Cameia Alexander explains how cross country can be seen as a solo sport due to the fact that everyone is racing by themselves. But they are not racing for themselves, they are racing for each other and the team they wear on their chest.

“Cross country can be an individual sport but we score as a team, everyone counts and we need each other to score overall. So to have your teammates push you and work with you, wanting you to succeed just as much as you want it for yourself is vital in challenging competitions,” Alexander said.

For a sport like cross country, the mental preparation is worth just as much as the physical training before a competition.

“A lot of our workouts are mental. A lot of our races are mental and once we defeat the mental aspect then we can do anything,” Alexander said. Each team worked tirelessly throughout the season to prepare for ODACs, physically and mentally.

However, fighting against one of the most strenuous

courses in the

no

“Everyone hits a wall at some point in their training. You just can’t do it so much for yourself anymore,” Smeltzer said. “You realize you are part of a team and that you motivate your teammates to keep improving their skill just like they motivate you.”

This year, the cross country motto has been “proud not satisfied,” as individual athletes on each team continue to improve their skill and accomplish multiple personal records this season, they are not content.

“We are proud of our own achievements and are super proud of where we came from but we always want to get better. Every meet and every practice there is always something to learn from whether it be fitness, technique or building confidence as a team,” Aten said.

As the cross country fall season comes to a close, they approach the next season with even more intensity.

The goal for the cross country program at the beginning of the season was to just do better than they did last year and to continue improving each meet for the better of the team and the program. Both teams accomplished this goal and have built a work ethic that they can be proud of. Now, they see their potential for the future and soon so will the ODAC leaderboards.

the Schedule

the Scoreboard

team culture has advanced tremendously for both teams. The women’s team has only eight runners on the roster, but the small number forces the women to bond outside of their sport.

ODAC competition was

easy feat for the Marlins due to the grueling Appalachian hills at Shenandoah. Smeltzer describes the mental struggle that each runner can face during training for such a demanding course.

@VWU.distance on Instagram|Courtesy Seniors Emily Petsko, Colton Spence and Marranda Hansford pose for a senior picture at the NCAA DIII South Regional Meet at Lee Hall Mansion in Newport News, Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 12.

I’m shore you want a pizza break

BY MIKAYLA MOSCATELLI mamoscatelli@vwu.edu

For anyone looking for the best pizza and best burgers in Virginia Beach, don’t fret, as Shorebreak is only 12 minutes away from campus. Shorebreak opened in 2003, focusing on great food and the local sports in the area that brought families in to celebrate games, wins or just a family dinner.

Co-owner JB Maas, 2001 alumnus, joined Shorebreak with a passion for hospitality while enjoying meeting new people. Maas’ favorite part about working at Shorebreak is that it is fast-paced and he loves meeting all the customers and interacting with his staff.

Alongside Maas is Brian Dressler, the previous manager of the Shore Drive location. He has been a partner since the opening of the second location. Dressler is an alumnus from 2012.

When he started working at Shorebreak, Dressler was still a student, bringing his fellow lacrosse teammates with him at the time. Dressler’s favorite part about working at Shorebreak is that everyone is welcoming and that they are always growing.

Shorebreak is an American-style restaurant with a variety of foods, including pizza, wings, burgers, tacos and seafood items. Maas said that they lend themselves to a very heavy sports theme. Dressler also would describe Shorebreak as a very family-friendly sports bar-type restaurant.

“We would love to welcome all Wesleyan students as customers and we would also love to welcome you as part of our team,” Maas said.

Shorebreak has something for everyone on any type of occasion, whether it is watching football on a Sunday or enjoying a dinner date for your anniversary.

Forever’ Embraces Humanity

BY RYAN ABRAHAM rsabraham@vwu.edu

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” directed by Ryan Coogler, sees the country of Wakanda attempting to move forward after the death of its king, T’Challa, played by the late Chadwick Boseman. From its beginning to its end, the film is a moving tribute to Boseman and his performance as T’Challa. Due to this, the film moves at a slower pace than other films in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU), and has a more serious and somber tone as it focuses on the grief of its characters.

Similarly to the 2018 movie “Black Panther,” which introduced Wakanda to the Marvel universe, “Wakanda

Long-time employee Jessica Whitehurst said, “Any event you could have is fun here. Everyone enjoys themselves and leaves having a memorable evening.”

Whitehurst said her favorite items are their cheese curds and their Thai crunch bowl. “My personal favorites would be our wings and quesadillas,” Maas said, while Dressler said his personal favorite item has to be the Philly cheesesteak sub.

Sports are the key to Shorebreak, with TVs at every turn and business hours that go alongside those late night weekly games to those early Sunday games. For most major sports events, they change their hours to fit the event times.

Luckily for soccer fans in the local area, Shorebreak will be opening up at noon on Nov. 21, 25 and 29 for the World Cup. When looking for a good seat or at least some good standing room, make sure to get there at noon, as seating is first come first serve.

Shorebreak is that one place in Virginia that gives everyone a feeling of being welcomed. Walking in the doors to see the hostesses and manager, they are immediately welcomed in and seated in a timely manner unless there are waits. Whitehurst said she feels like they are busy every day, especially around 5 to 6 p.m. on weeknights.

Their business hours are 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and to close out the weekend they are open from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sundays.

“I think BeReal is a great way to express a snapshot of your life in that moment,” MacKenzie Osborne, a senior and member of Alpha Sigma Alpha said.

“BeReal is a fun and entertaining way to indirectly interact with your friends! It makes me curious to compare other people’s day to my own,” Casey Stedman, a junior and a member of the Women’s Track team said.

“I think BeReal is so fun. You can keep up with your friends and catch a snippet of their daily lives without it being scripted or staged. I post daily,” Rebekah Cannon, a junior and member of Alpha Sigma Alpha said.

Forever” focuses on the humanity of its characters as one of its strongest elements and causes it to stand out amongst other films within the superhero genre.

This humanity is shown through the strength of the actors’ performances, specifically Letitia Wright’s performance as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister. Wright’s performance is the emotional center of the film, as she masterfully captures her character’s struggle to honor her brother and find peace with his loss. In addition to Wright’s performance, Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda is the highlight of the film, as Bassett’s powerful and regal performance commands the audience’s attention every time she is on-screen. Nakia, portrayed by Lupita Nyong’o is also a standout in the film, as Nyong’o shows warmth as her character supports Shuri, while still capturing Nakia’s own sorrow over her loss.

While Wakanda is trying to move forward in the wake of

their loss, the country finds themselves opposed by Tenoch Huerta Mejía’s Namor, the king of the underwater city, Talokan. Huerta’s portrayal of Namor causes the character to come across as a menacing, yet sympathetic antagonist, who is attempting to ensure the protection of his people. In addition to Wright, Bassett, Nyong’o and Huerta, the rest of the film’s cast also gives strong performances that cause “Wakanda Forever” to be the most performance-driven film in the MCU to date.

While the film puts emphasis on its performances and its emotional narrative, “Wakanda Forever” also delivers thrilling action, particularly in the battles between Wakanda and Talokan. The film features stunning visuals, both through capturing the beauty of both kingdoms, as well as through the technology used by the Wakandans.

The film’s performances, action and visuals are all enhanced by the score composed by Ludwig Göransson. All of the aforementioned elements cause “Wakanda Forever” to not only be a worthy sequel to the 2018 film “Black Panther,” but to stand as one of the best films of the year.

A garden of opportunity

BY KYLEA MCCAREL ksmccarel@vwu.edu

Brightening up your living space with aesthetically pleasing plant terrariums has never been easier than with PlantHouse. Located at the Shops at Hilltop of Virginia Beach, PlantHouse is the perfect place to bring all of your do-it-yourself (DIY) Pinterest dreams to life. With a large variety of smaller plants including succulents and cacti, employees guide you to connect with nature in their terrarium workshops and premium plant store.

“Plants are a common craft that multiple generations can enjoy,” said Bailey Ryan, founder and CEO of PlantHouse said. “Young or old there is a unique, and often therapeutic, experience available to everyone, whether it be purchasing a low-maintenance plant or building a terrarium.”

Ryan and her family opened their first PlantHouse store in 2018 and have grown rapidly down the east coast ever since. Each location offers experienced employees who are equipped with the knowledge necessary to point customers in the right direction, whether they are beginner plant parents or an expert.

“Whether a customer is looking for a pet-friendly plant, low-light plant or rare plant, we have a vast selection of plants available in our stores,” Ryan said.

When building a do-it-yourself terrarium in their workshop, customers begin with selecting a glass container to house their new plant babies. Each style of container can hold anywhere from two to five plants, depending on the size and type.

PlantHouse offers succulents that require soil and thrive in areas with lots of sunlight as well as air plants that do not require soil and absorb all of their nutrients from the surrounding air. Both of these types of plants are considered “low maintenance plants and are easy to care for,” according to PlantHouse employees.

After selecting the style of container and type of plant, customers fill the jar with about an inch or so of small

rocks. These small rocks keep the plant’s roots from becoming too saturated in the damp soil and rotting.

Next is a layer of nutrient-enriched soil and the selected plants. PlantHouse employees recommend digging small holes with their provided tools to help build a little home for each plant to sit.

“Our crew is there every step of the way to provide building guidance and plant care tips,” Ryan said.

After planting succulents or cacti, it is time to decorate. Each workshop table is supplied with many boxes filled with all kinds of sand, decorative rocks, fake flowers and little trinkets. Many examples created by employees are decorated with sand and thin layers of colorful rocks. Every terrarium is different and unique to its creator.

If creating on your own is too daunting and you feel you might need more guidance, PlantHouse offers a variety of options outside of walk-in DIY creations. Each month PlantHouse creates a lineup of different workshops to enjoy with friends and family.

“Our evening workshops are the perfect date night or get-togethers with friends. We offer a range of options every week including Jellyfish Terrarium, Succulent & Sangria, Boozy Bonsai and Dried Floral workshops,” Ryan said.

A popular workshop that has generated interest lately is making a kokedama, which is a Japanese art form that is closely related to bonsai trees.

This practice allows for plants to be treated as hanging air plants or even placed on shelves or tables like other terrariums. The process involves planting a root ball in moss, securing it with twine and growing the plant straight from the ball.

“The term ‘koke’ translates to moss and ‘dama’ translates to the ball,” Ryan said. Workshop offers and other events can be found and signed up for on their website, planthouse.us.

Whether looking to liven up space or just wanting

something new to create, PlantHouse is definitely the spot for all things DIY. Come get your hands a little dirty and leave with the aesthetically pleasing terrarium of your dreams!

PlantHouse accepts all walk-ins and reservations for groups at $25 a person. Find them on Instagram @ planthousevb.

PlantHouse |Instagram

PlantHouse’s delicate interior fully in bloom, located at 1564 Laskin Rd Suite 192, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle

Shorebreak|Facebook

The iconic pepperoni pizza of Shorebreak Pizza & Taphouse located at 2961 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach.

‘Wakanda

“We would love to welcome all Wesleyan students as customers and we would also love to welcome you as part of our team.”

JB Maas Shorebreak Co-owner

Mel Lhuillier|Marlin Chronicle

Brian Hostetter|Courtesy Phi Kappa Tau members at Plaza Azteca for a meeting.

TriSigma|Instagram Sigma Sigma Sigma members at the VWU Women’s Soccer game, supporting the players.

Opinions and posts from the students of VWU on a popular new form of social media.