April 30, 2020

VWU expands to Japan p. 3 VWU student organizations preview p. 7 TowneBank Arena debut Tiger King roars

p. 10 p. 18

Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle SUMMER ISSUE 2020 || MARLINCHRONICLE.VWU.EDU || VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

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Anticipation builds over dining center renovations

BY LAUREN FAULKNER lafaulkner@vwu.edu

Dining Services on campus have changed a lot recently with the refurbishment and transformation of the new Harbor Grill and the Coastal Market convenience store.

Dining Services is facing a new change as the Boyd Dining Center is entering renovations.

Demolition began in the East and West Dining Areas last week, and the project planned to take place over the summer.

In an interview with Keith Moore, Vice

President for Campus Life and Operations, and Timothy Lockett, General Manager of Sodexo Dining Services on campus, the project is announced to be a month ahead of schedule. Due to the pandemic, the team has had more time and space to work.

Moore noted the dining hall’s current decor is outdated, with its wood paneling and color scheme.

The new dining hall will feature an open and contemporary concept. Recognizing the role the dining hall plays in campus and community activities, the new facilities are

Virginia Wesleyan University|Courtesy New food stations include the Grille, Hometown, Action, and Simple Servings.

Funding pool helps students, community during pandemic

BY FAITH MACWANA & ALEX POWERS fpmacwana@vwu.edu ampowers@vwu.edu

The coronavirus pandemic has challenged many different institutions to find resilient ways to continue operation.

Universities around the country have been no different.

Smaller, private universities like Virginia Wesleyan have needed to look to their larger communities to maintain the same level or learning and engagement.

As a result, the funds made to support

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higher education have become imperative in keeping them afloat. Since the announcement to transition to remote learning, VWU has found funds to supplement their finances in this trying time.

Vice President for Campus Life and Operations Keith Moore, and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Maynard Schaus detailed how the school has adapted under these conditions.

One major source of support has come from the federal government. Monday,

Virginia Wesleyan University |Courtesy A rendering depicts the relocated salad and sandwich bar in the dining rooms.

meant to strengthen the dining experience and create a destination for students that is comfortable and engaging.

Many food stations have been relocated in favor of additional seating and more open arrangement.

As for the food itself, Lockett shared Moore’s excitement, citing a new emphasis on made-to-order food and fresh, high quality ingredients.

Students are also excited for this upcoming project. India Khanna, a current junior, states that she is most excited for the change to the food stations and a more

Apr. 27, Virginia Wesleyan received its share of money in accordance with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This lump sum comes from a nearly $14 billion allocation for for colleges and universities, from the U.S. Department of Education.

Moore explained that the funds received come with stipulations as to where they can be used. Half of this money goes directly to the institution to cover costs of the many changes in operation that have occurred amidst the pandemic. The rest, Moore said, goes directly to the students.

In addition to the $1,000 credit already awarded, students can expect more financial support in the form of a federal “grant”. A number of variables such as citizenship, commuter status, and financial

efficient layout. “Out with the old, in with the new,” she explained.

In a message from Dr. Scott Miller, it was announced that there will be another expansion to the Boyd Dining Center and Batten Student Center with the introduction of the Brock Commons, thanks to benefactor and trustee, Jane Brock.

This addition will be outside the entrances to the Boyd Dining center and will feature more dining space and a new campus quad. Construction for this project is scheduled to begin in Spring of 2021.

aid will determine if and how much money each student can expect. In the coming weeks, students are encouraged to check their Financial Aid Self-Service Portal through WebAdvisor. Ultimately, the grants will be sent as checks.

Beyond federal supplements, the Wesleyan community has found its own ways to meet its needs in these times.

VWU has established the Student Life and Learning Fund, a pool of money needed to assist the greater Wesleyan community during this difficult transition period. One stream into this fund has come from individual donors. Moore expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support that VWU has received in contributions, noting that even a dollar can go a long way.

Another major stream into this Fund

4/29/2020 6:44:58 PM

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Wheels Up: Marlins go global Virginia Wesleyan grows its reputation and learning opportunities with new Japan campus.

BY NOAH RIFFLE

The university will provide for roughly 400 students who come from about 30 different countries. It will be the only fully accredited private liberal arts university in Japan.

nbriffle@vwu.edu

President Scott D. Miller hosted his “Fireside Chat” where he explained that Virginia Wesleyan University will expand globally beyond the United States.

VWU will partner with Lakeland University of Plymouth, Wisconsin to establish a campus in Tokyo, Japan. The new name of this campus will be Lakeland University Japan and Virginia Wesleyan University Global.

“The Batten Honors College, new master’s programs, VWU Online, and non-credit offerings through University College are but a few of the initiatives that have diversified our revenue streams and kept us in a strong position as trends in higher education have rapidly shifted,” Miller explained.

“Lakeland University Japan (LUJ) is one of the only two approved American Universities in Japan and is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.”

By having a campus outside of the United States, VWU is hoping to grow their global recognition and become a prestigious worldwide school.

VWU students and faculty will have the opportunity to travel to the remote campus. The location will have reasonable pricing for housing, while being close to “museums, cultural areas and recreation opportunities,” Miller noted.

The campus will be located in Shinjuku, which is a part of Tokyo’s central government and business district. continued from p. 2 comes from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, an organization consisting of fifteen member institutions including Virginia Wesleyan University.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the VFIC invited the fifteen schools to a consortium in which they expressed the financial needs of their students. Consequently, the VFIC utilized an Emergency Assistance Fund worth $500,000 to assist with short-term relief for undergraduate students.

Matt Shank, President of VFIC, said “based on strength of the requests, each school will receive the maximum $33,333 in funding to disburse among students by April 15.”

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Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle Miller addressed the funding of the project. “No Virginia Wesleyan operational dollars, none, have been utilized to complete this transaction. And it will remain that way,” Miller said.

Also, he added, “in its 30 years of operation, Lakeland University Japan has always had a balanced budget.”

Because Lakeland University had ended its partnership

“The VFIC intends to stand in the gap,” Shank added. “Through this funding, we can create some financial stability in the lives of our students and encourage them to look to the future with hope.”

This emergency assistance funding will be used to support students who have been burdened or impacted financially by the crisis. With donations and a portion of this VFIC allotment feeding the Student Life and Learning fund, VWU has been able to make several efforts in alleviating stressors for students and their families during this time.

Moore stated that the administration sought to identify individuals in need of support, such as those without sufficient technology for remote instruction or those who have found revenue from

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with the previous school, they needed a new partner in Japan. President Miller described why VWU was chosen; “Virginia Wesleyan, because of its location and reputation as a premier university of the liberal arts and science was an ideal choice for the partnership.”

Mandy Reining, the Director of Study Away Programs, gave some insight on what these plans mean for the future.

“The Marlins Global initiative is currently more about bringing more of an international presence to VWU. It will have an added benefit of giving faculty the opportunity to teach there and students an opportunity to possibly do short-term and/or summer courses there,” Reinig said.

This experience for many students could change their career paths and give an added bonus to seeing another way of life and culture through learning.

Not only is this an opportunity for students, but also for professors who now have the possibility to go, learn and teach which is something not many other institutions can offer.

The representative from Lakeland University is Dr. David Black. Black has been a longtime friend and colleague of Miller. Black helped VWU input the Batten Honors College and has been a very trusted ally of the Marlins since 2015.

Miller and Black were both vice presidents at Lincoln Memorial University in the 1980’s where their bond began. Black, in 1991, “was the visionary behind founding of Lakeland College Japan,” Miller said.

Miller described the impact this venture will have on the students on both campuses. “This will add an increased international presence to our student body.”

work study positions cut off. VWU has made it a priority to provide money, new chrome books, internet modems, and other materials to aid students.

Schaus added that the benefit of such a fund was also its flexibility. Without stipulations, Schaus went on, the fund was able to provide for miscellaneous or unexpected costs, such as accommodating international students facing troubles in this crisis.

“We’re in uncharted territory,” Schaus said, adding that he has seen nothing like this in over thirty years of experience.

“Everyone is doing all they can.”

Regarding the funds, Moore emphasized the urgency of communal support. “It’s a necessity, an absolute necessity.”

In a message published on April 13,

President Scott D. Miller expressed the importance of these actions. “We’ll do everything we can to position our students for success regardless of where or how instruction occurs.”

Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle

4/30/2020 1:35:18 AM

Summer 2020

4 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

State of college admissions following coronavirus pandemic

BY DALTON POWERS dmpowers@vwu.edu

Deciding where to attend college is a huge decision for high school seniors, potentially one of the biggest they will likely ever make. As if the senior class of 2020 hasn’t had enough challenges and missed opportunities due to the unprecedented school closures, trip cancellations, as well as deferral of graduation ceremonies and dances like the prom; many are now left with making their first major life decision without ever stepping foot on the campuses that they may call home for the next four years.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most colleges and universities across the globe are closed for remote instruction until the fall. An article published by the U.S. News and World Report outlines the issues that this causes for college students.

Elizabeth Heaton, vice president of educational consulting at Bright Horizons College Coach, stated in the article that while many colleges and universities across the United States have already given applicants an admission decision, many still have not.

This means that many students and their

families are still unsure of what the next four years of their lives will look like, meaning that they are less able to make decisions on things such as housing for the student and will have less time to prepare financially for the burden of college tuition and room and board.

The article also mentions that due to these delayed decisions, and other delays administratively due to remote operation, many colleges have moved their deposit deadlines from May 1 to June 1. Thus, changing the traditional “National College Decision Day” for students.

As well, another issue arises administratively. Heaton also shares in the article that many colleges take students’ “demonstrated interest,” or how likely they are to enroll if admitted based on attendance of things like open houses.

For students who are currently applying to Virginia Wesleyan University, demonstrated interest “isn’t a variable in the admission process,” Vice President for Enrollment David Waggoner said.

Additionally, an article published by USA Today shares that there has been a

national trend of newly enrolled students reconsidering where they will go to college and even if they will go at all following the coronavirus outbreak.

As far as enrollment at Virginia Wesleyan goes Waggoner as well as Dr. Denise Cunningham, the Director of Enrollment for the Batten Honors college, shared that they have not seen any downturn in enrollment.

“As of this point in time we’ve not seen any negative impact on enrollment.

Deposits are in line with what our modeling predicts based on applications received, and compare very favorably to the past three years. The key will be how the COVID-19 crisis unfolds over the summer,” Waggoner said.

To support the seemingly undisturbed enrolled student body, the university will be taking steps similar to many other schools across the country.

“The summer orientation will be virtual this year. Students will access the orientation portal and walk through a series of modules that will provide an overview of support services, the housing process,

and course selection. Freshman advisors will meet with students both in groups and individually via an online platform to help students select classes and answer orientation questions,” Cunningham said.

Additionally, future student athletes will be able to attend their own virtual open house as will students applying to Virginia Wesleyan for the Batten Honors College.

For those students who are applying now or have not yet made a decision on whether to attend Wesleyan, Waggoner shared that although they are working from home, admissions counselors “are making phone calls, and sending texts and emails like they would under normal circumstances … well over 400 students have attended our virtual open houses.”

While these are certainly unprecedented times for everyone, enrollment personnel implore that the university will do everything it can to provide “thoughtful and intentional instruction” for its students regardless of what the future holds.

Janice Marshall-Pittman | Courtesy From Marlins Day in February, Left: A prospective student poses with Bob Marlin. Right: students and families gather in Brock Theatre to hear from President Miller.

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4/30/2020 2:26:42 PM

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Summer 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

A historical trip down Wesleyan lane A reflection of the student newspaper at Virginia Wesleyan from 1966 through 2020.

BY CONNOR MERK ccmerk@vwu.edu

The Marlin Chronicle has only existed at Virginia Wesleyan since 1981, but before then, the university newspaper held several different names: The Newspaper (1966), The Village Voice (1967-1971), Transcript (19711974), Crosswinds (1974-1981) and Marlin Chronicle (1981-present). Like most university newspapers, the paper at Virginia Wesleyan has done its duty to educate students and faculty about developments on campus, current events and student concerns. Virginia Wesleyan University has kept a sophisticated online archive full of history and of each newspaper issue.

The first newspaper, titled, “The Newspaper” was published on Dec. 9, 1966, containing stories regarding a visit from Virginia’s Governor, Vietnam, class elections, sports and freshman class dues, which were only $6.00.

According to one of the stories, “Virginia Wesleyan had the privilege of welcoming to its campus the Honorable Mills E. Godwin, Jr., Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the Board of Trustees of Virginia Wesleyan College … Governor Godwin and his party were taken on a brief tour of the campus, and the Governor stated that he was quite impressed with the progress that has been made at the college since the ground-breaking ceremony in 1961 in which he participated.” This is quite interesting to learn that a Governor visited campus in its early years of existence. Readers may recognize the name Godwin from a building on campus, which contains the financial aid and enrollment office.

In 1967, the paper was renamed “Village Voice.” A particular issue under this name that is incredibly interesting is from November 3, 1969. The headline on the first page is “Virginia Wesleyan Bursting At Seams,” for which the article describes the growing number of students. This was also the first year where Wesleyan offered senior level courses. “A record enrollment of 480 fulltime students began classes at Virginia Wesleyan College this fall. The 1969 enrollment is up significantly from the 261 fulltime students who registered in September 1968.” This is much different from the present day because VWU annually enrolls approximately 1,500 students in undergraduate, graduate and online programs.

An additional piece of writing is political commentary on the second and final page of this 1969 issue. Contributor Jeff Tillman wrote about the Vietnam Moratorium. His

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reflection included, “Much can be said for the effects of the Vietnam Moratorium, whether one agrees with the views presented or not. Such an assembly of people can only serve the ultimate public good, inasmuch as all sides of an issue can be thoroughly presented and discussed.

Those who dismiss a sincere demonstration of this sort as being anti-American could not be farther from the truth.

As Robert Kennedy once said: ‘The deepest criticism often comes from the deepest idealism and love for one’s country.’ The question is not really whether one agrees or disagrees with the Vietnam war; the purpose of a demonstration of this sort is to get people to think,” Tillman said.

Transcript|VWU Archives In February 1972, the student-run newspaper at Virginia Wesleyan was called Transcript.

Contributors Rick McDonald and Robert Hildneth wrote a much different piece in the political commentary section. They titled it “Get Together,” and explained their support for fighting in Vietnam. They said, “The antiVietnam movement that is raging in our nation today is inserting a fatal dagger into one of the last strongholds of freedom in the world-America … The issues at hand are being confused and discolored by those who fail to see the

true purpose of our involvement, not only in Vietnam, but West Germany, Laos, Nationalist China and South Korea.

The Communist threat is NOT a myth.”

They continued with asking if the people of America, whose loved ones died in Vietnam, South Korea, and World War II should allow their lives to be spent in vain.

“Their lives must not be forgotten. Our future must not be sacrificed and the strength of our convictions must not waver. The question is: Are we, the people, going to remain inactive and allow the rudimentary beliefs of our nation to be destroyed?” Hildneth and McDonald concluded with this statement. “The lack of communication among all citizens, young and old alike, must be replaced by a tightly knit, well informed, active barrier to keep such sacred institutions as colleges and universities free from disruption and anarchy and retain the dynamic ideals of freedom safe for those who desire it.”

In 1971, the paper changed its name to “Transcript.”

The second issue, which was published in February 1972 contains a noteworthy letter from the editor. Editor Roy White wrote about a new political science course that was offered that involved students in a massive voter registration drive in the inner city of Norfolk. It was directed by students and faculty as well as the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The purpose of this drive was to provide an opportunity for residents of Norfolk’s inner city to register to vote, so they could participate in the 1972 elections.

The name of the paper changed in 1974 and was called “Crosswinds.” An article about an influential man on campus appeared in the paper issued on March 21, 1975.

The story is titled “They call him the Ticket Monster” and is written by Bill Yeates. According to the story, every morning at 7:45 he arrives at the college and “grabs his tools of trade; a pencil and some blue tickets.” This man was in charge of handing out parking tickets. His name was Vaughn Munford but was often called “Munford, the old man, Pappy, or that man who gives tickets.”

In 1981, the paper made its last name change when it became the “Marlin Chronicle.” As seen through each of these articles, in ordinary times or during a national crisis, the newspaper at Virginia Wesleyan has served its purpose of providing information to its readers.

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Summer 2020

Seniors adapt to new job environment

BY MELEENA DREILING mjdreiling@vwu.edu

With the COVID-19 pandemic refusing to let up, many seniors and students alike are still on edge and wanting to know when they will be able to continue their lives normally. For the seniors who already have jobs in these troubling times, things have been pretty easy for them.

“I already had a job prior to COVID-19,” senior Jessica Houlker said. Another senior, Jennifer Evans, says that “I haven’t been looking for a job.”

However, Director of Career Development, Jessica Harrington, shared her thoughts on students’ struggles and the pandemic. “COVID-19 has produced some challenges for students preparing to enter the job market. That said, many companies are still hiring, but the process may look a little different. Job seekers will likely be interviewed via phone and video. While many graduating seniors may feel discouraged right now, I encourage them to remain positive. The economy has upswings and downswings.

This pandemic is unprecedented and has resulted in a sharp rise in unemployment. However, I am confident that the economy will begin to rebound quickly once businesses are allowed to resume normal or semi-normal operations.”

Thankfully, however, seniors have not had many problems with setting up their resumes. Sadly, due to the pandemic, students have not had physical access to faceto-face appointments via the resources of the Lighthouse at Virginia Wesleyan. However, Harrington states, “Technology is such a great resource. I have been able to meet with students via video. Platforms like Google Docs allow us to have a meeting and simultaneously work on resumes and edit them in real-time.” Meaning, the resources of helping students fix and finalize their resumes

are still up and running. Both Evans and Houlker say that they have had no problems setting up their resumes’ as both are using premade ones with updated information.

However, students are still able to make their resumes via sites such as LinkedIn or through Microsoft’s Word document in the form of a resume.

This whole situation is difficult for seniors and some are still pretty upset with the hold that the pandemic has on their futures. “I don’t think it’s fair that everything I have worked for is being postponed. It feels like everything is being crapped on. I wanted to put my artwork in the gallery-like students have done in previous years,” Evans said. Houlker feels similar to Evans: “It upsets me, not being able to walk across the stage in May and have to restructure how I do my schoolwork.” And of course, many seniors would agree with them.

Harrington remained optimistic on the matter. “I would imagine it is difficult for students, but I am glad that the university has made alternative plans. I think that this pandemic affects all of us. I personally believe that the Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle university has handled this situation very well. In my office, we have taken steps to provide programming in a The top declared majors at VWU in Fall 2019. virtual format,” Harrington said. Still, though, her ray of Source: Virginia Wesleyan University Fact Sheet

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Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle hope can only bring us towards a better outlook in these dark times.

Also, this pandemic has been a struggle for those who were on work-study. Those who were working with the Opus program were not able to finish their programs completely. However, they were still granted the money.

Work-study students were left without a job and for some, it was their only job. Evans adds to that when she says, “It sucked losing my job. It was my last year to work in work-study.” in reference to her working as a work-study student in the Hoffheimer Theatre.

Overall, this pandemic has put a lot of strain on those who are graduates. Harrington shared some insight on this.

“I think this pandemic is a historic event. I was in high school during 9/11. I will never forget what that event felt like for me. I think this is similarly impactful. We will all remember this event and how it has affected our lives. I think we will all make some lifestyle changes after this, but that we will all get through this together.” This is just another stepping stone in the seniors’ future, as well as for the students in other grades. Here’s hoping this pandemic does not continue to stick around much longer.

4/29/2020 6:49:26 PM

Summer 2020

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

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Student Organizations Preview A glimpse of the many student organizations offered at Virginia Wesleyan University and available to students.

Debate

Debate club is a place for discussing different views, not attacking others.

People of all different backgrounds come together to hear different points of views about a variety of topics. We discuss topics including, but not limited to, forms of discrimination, current events, world problems and whether or not a hotdog counts as a sandwich. In Debate we learn, we don’t compete. Everyone is welcome to attend Debate meetings no matter what your views are!

-India Khanna

Black Student Union The Black Student Union strives to be the voice of the students at Virginia Wesleyan University. In addition to expressing the needs of students to administration, we also do things such as host social events for the entire campus, provide intellectual dialogue, and emphasize community service.

This past year BSU had over 230 community service hours and won Outstanding Student Organization Award for 2020 which we are extremely grateful for. People should join the Black Student Union if they want to make a difference on Virginia Wesleyan’s campus. We have fun but we also do our work to provide a complete education for minorities as well as students as a whole, and to reach the community at Virginia Wesleyan and outside of campus.

-Michael Perry

@marlinsbsu|Instagram

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Marlin Ministries Website|Courtesy Ashley Roehrman|Courtesy Marlins Go Green breaks ground on Marlins Meadows in front of Greer.

Marlins Go Green Marlins Go Green (MGG) is the environmental and sustainability club at VWU. Marlins Go Green’s initiative is to make strides for awareness and sustainability on and off campus through education, activism and volunteer opportunities.

Global sustainability conundrums can be overwhelming especially in the uncertain times we are currently living through. Now more than ever it is essential that we each find our way to contribute to a better tomorrow.

You can choose to take small steps that collectively have a much greater impact. MGG has had a successful year with campus engagement and getting involved on and off-campus.

Some of the highlights include breaking ground on an interactive campus meadow “Marlin Meadows,” partnerships with local organizations

such as the Sierra Club and Elizabeth River Project, and engaging fundraising events such as the vegan bake sale. We even celebrated Earth Day virtually this year commemorating the 50th anniversary of Earth day and the sustainable stewardship of VWU through the years. Marlins Go Green has some big plans for the 2020/2021 academic year including progression on Marlin Meadows, activism events, oncampus activities, clean-ups, field trips and more!!

Students are a core component to advancing sustainability at Virginia Wesleyan, and we invite each of you to join Marlins Go Green! Connect with us on Instagram @marlinsgogreen.

For any inquiries, please email marlinsgogreenvwu@gmail.com.

-Ashley Roehrman

ALL INFORMATION GATHERED BY CONNOR MERK ccmerk@vwu.edu

Marlin Ministries Marlin Ministries is an interdenominational body of Christ followers who are welcoming to students, including those of little to no faith background. We host over 20 groups each week including YoungLife, Life Groups, Cru and InterVarsity. We are truly a family and we strive to foster community between students through our Marlin Ministries Longue, our ministry residence hall and other informal gatherings. While we love to hang out in the Marlin Ministries Lounge, we strive to go outward and team up with his many groups as possible. Having teamed up with WAC, Marlins Go Green and Spectrum. We want to not only make students feel accepted, but loved for who they are and the gifts that they bring.

With our many conversational groups, we strive to have everyone’s voice be heard, and everyone’s opinions valued.

We hope that the reason that you choose to come out to one of our events is that they’re fun, engaging and get you thinking. While we hope that you come out to one of our fun outreach events like WILD’s Capture the Flag or our Welcome Week at the beginning of the year, we also hope that you will stick around for some of our other groups. Overall, we have lots of fun events, a strong community, and groups that will make you think about questions that you may have never even pondered.

-Justin Robbins

4/29/2020 6:51:38 PM

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Summer 2020

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Seniors react to college experience ending early

BY MAKIAH ELLIS mellis@vwu.edu

During spring break, Virginia Wesleyan University announced they would be converting campus instruction to remote instruction. In the wake of COVID-19, the class of 2020 unexpectedly wrapped up their senior year early.

The Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies that were to be held in May will be postponed to a later date.

“I was looking forward to my ceremony being outside in the warm weather with my family and friends. But I guess a ceremony is better than no ceremony” said Jeritza Dejesus.

Dejesus is a senior political science major at Virginia Wesleyan University with a German minor. One of Dejesus’ most memorable moments was participating in the NATO challenge. The NATO challenge is Virginia Wesleyan’s partnership with Norfolk NATO Festival and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Allied Command Transformation (NATO-ACT) where real world issues faced by today’s NATO Alliance are simulated.

“The challenge I did with Dr. Anje Schwennicke was to pose as an ambassador of one of the countries. The country I was assigned was Latvia . From there, they gave us a real life issue in the present day, which happened to be about global warming and a new island being accessible [that] Russia planted their flag on without consulting with

the rest of the world. This was an educational experience I will never forget,” Dejesus said.

Some graduating seniors will miss educational opportunities and events that were canceled due to the coronavirus. Students were looking forward to the opportunities for volunteer and educational experiences to add to enhance their senior year and make additions to their resume.

“The professors here definitely made my experience at college like I never imagined. Going to a small liberal arts school will help you build a close relationship with your professor,” senior Jayla Cross said.

Cross is a graduating senior at Virginia Wesleyan university with a criminal justice major and a psychology minor. “My favorite class would have to be anything with Professor Thomas Liverman. That man and his stories kept the class lively and criminal justice would not be the same without him,” Cross said.

“Being at Virginia Wesleyan these 4 years have been filled with countless emotions. From things around school changing to people graduating it’s always moving fast around here. Some of my favorite memories at VWU would be freshmen week during my freshman year. I was so happy about being in college and I did everything on

the freshmen week agenda,” Cross added.

Cross stayed active in various clubs, organizations and was a part of the women’s track and field team. She is also the treasurer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness organization, a member of the Black Student Union, National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi, Naturalista, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and captain of the women’s track and field team.

“Another memory would have to be my sophomore year Outdoor ODACS. It was the best year we’ve had since I’ve been at the school. Everyone did such a great job and if they didn’t medal, they scored a point. We had our top finish in program history [for] men’s and women’s that year,” Cross said.

Senior student athletes were not able to have a senior night, or reach that one last milestone or record. Their season was cut short due to this pandemic and many seniors are mourning this sudden action. Also, due to the coronavirus pandemic all student activities were canceled.

Many students look forward to annual events and activities such as Port Day, Spring Alumni weekend and dances that occur in the Boyd dining hall.

VWU establishes sustainability leaders program

BY CONNOR MERK ccmerk@vwu.edu

Virginia Wesleyan University has taken positive strides by emphasizing the importance of educating and involving our campus on environmental topics and initiatives. This can be seen by the “Generations Uniting to Address Climate Change” conference hosted by VWU and The Gunn Group in November, an increase in eco-friendly projects around campus and the RecycleMania competition. This trend is continuing with Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm, the Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences who has established the Virginia Wesleyan University Sustainability Leaders Program. This is a universitywide program to green any bachelor’s degree at VWU. This program recognizes students who have completed volunteer service and coursework focused on real-world issues of sustainability and the environment.

The program was established to encourage students to deepen their understanding of environmental issues and engage the campus and local community in solutions through volunteering, research and internships. This is also a way for VWU to recognize the achievements of students. Students can list the recognition on their resumes in addition to getting a cord to wear at Commencement.

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Malcolm has had eleven seniors apply for the program with several others still working on their applications. “It’s inspiring to read about their accomplishments and how they have been able to see themselves as agents of change.

For example, the applicants have done research on sea turtles, daddy longlegs and composting,” Malcolm said.

“They have organized campus clean-ups and conferences, and they have interned at organizations like the Virginia Aquarium and the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center.”

Students are still able to earn points for the program while social distancing due to the coronavirus. According to Malcolm, “Several organizations have webinars for Earth Day this month. These include Earthday.org and the Sustainable Solutions Development Network,” Malcolm said. “You can also volunteer with a citizen science initiative. For example, you can identify cells on images of ginkgo leaves for a research project by the Smithsonian on carbon dioxide. It only takes a few minutes to learn the technique, and then you can help with climate change research virtually.” When students are on campus, they are able to earn points by taking courses on the environment,

volunteering with Marlins Go Green, attending seminars, or completing an internship with a sustainability focus.

Regardless of an individual’s major, they are encouraged to take part in this program. Malcolm states, “Climate change and environmental degradation are affecting the health of humans and the planet. We need people from all majors and in all careers working to solve these complex global problems in business, education, government and the arts to name a few.” She adds that there are many opportunities for co-benefits to sustainability solutions.

“For example, reducing energy use for a business will also save money. Improving air quality improves peoples’ health and slows climate change,” Malcolm said. “Our students are so creative and enthusiastic; I know they can help make a difference no matter what career path they choose.”

The application includes submitting a google form listing all of the activities you have participated in and a short essay reflecting on your experiences in sustainability leadership. Please reach out to Dr. Malcolm via email at emalcolm@vwu.edu if you have any further questions.

4/29/2020 6:52:30 PM

Summer 2020

Opinions

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

9

A Senior’s Reflection on Wesleyan International Student’s Experience in VA

BY TREVAUGHN MCNEIL tdmcneil1@vwu.edu

BY AUDREY BALLY

My experience at Virginia Wesleyan University has been one for the books.

When I first transferred to VWU I was met with super friendly and welcoming students, staff and professors.

As a commuter, I did not expect to be as involved on campus as much as I have been. During my first year at school, I instantly made friends with a lot of the students in my psychology classes and political science classes, but little did I know I would also be making friends with students from other fields of study and different parts of the school, from greek life, battens honors, sports teams, and other commuters.

Throughout the years I made many friends that were in Batten Honors, involved in Greek Life, a part of Marlin Ministries, on some sports teams and they have been able to open my eyes to different aspects of the University and in life in general.

The community at VWU, although small, is extremely impactful and open to each other. To me, the heart of the school is definitely the student body which has many students from different backgrounds and walks of life.

There are times when you would think this would cause more problems than solutions but I have not met a student at VWU that did not have an open mind or an interesting aspect to add to life.

I have seen the students come together on many occasions that showed the strength of the VWU community. I think that the university is going in a good direction as long as it openly listens to the concerns of the students and actively ensures the students feel safe and heard when

I am Audrey Bally, I was born and raised in France. I am, now, a Mathematics and Political Science major at VWU. When I was 16, I decided I did not want to keep studying in France and wanted to open my opportunities by studying in America.

I, therefore, learned English and during my last year of high school applied for schools here in the US. When I turned 18 and my freshman year was about to start I moved all my belongings and my life far away from my family, here in Norfolk.

It has almost been three years now and I do cherish the chance to experience both cultures.

A lot of things shocked me at first when I arrived, such as the fact that people were very joyful and full of compliments, which is quite the opposite of how French act in public. French people usually do not smile unless they are with their friends and it is very hard to get compliments from them, while Americans are always happy to give positive feedback. When I went home for christmas during my freshman year, after only three months in America, my friends could not stop talking about how much confidence I gained. Three months of non stop compliments when you are not used to any, except from your mum, is for sure life changing.

I also discovered thanksgiving. I did learn about it in English class in middle school, but I never experienced it myself until I came to the states for an extended time. So for my first thanksgiving, I went up to Fredericksburg, VA. And I ate my first thanksgiving diner. My first pumpkin pie and I have to say, it is good, far from French cuisine, but good!!

I like living in both countries, because it is like having separated parents, you get twice as many holidays to celebrate. One celebration that I always miss because I am in the US and not in France and I am very mad about is Easter. American chocolate is not as good as European chocolate. Or at least my taste buds are not as used to it.

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albally@vwu.edu

Trevaughn McNeil | Courtesy Virginia Wesleyan University senior, Trevaughn McNeil pictured in the Hofheimer Library.

it comes to the concerns that may be brought up.

The professors here are outstanding and they help to ensure that you reach your full potential throughout your years at VWU and I think that is the most impactful thing that the university has provided.

I would like to give a special shoutout to Dr. Schwennicke, Dr. Myers, Dr. Oshikoya, and Professor Pritchard on their perseverance in the classroom and the positive impacts they have made on me during my years are VWU.

When it comes to religious celebration, another thing that shocked me coming to the US is how much more religious people are. In France, very few people are religious anymore and if they are, they only practice and talk about it at home.

In America, people are really open about it and people young and old share their beliefs. It was very interesting for me to adapt to this more religious environment while I grow up in a place where religion, state and the rest of life is well separated.

There is always time where I miss home and would like to talk to people with whom I share more in common, but most of the time I fully enjoy my time in America. And although I am French, everyday I learn more about American culture and cherish it a bit more.

Marilou Fliniaux | Courtesy Virginia Wesleyan University junior, Audrey Bally is pictured above near the beach in her home town of Nice, France.

4/30/2020 9:56:39 PM

Sports TowneBank Arena to arrive by fall

10

Summer 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

BY KARLEIGH WARREN kawarren1@vwu.edu

Virginia Wesleyan University’s Convocation Hall will soon be named the TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. This is possible due to a gift from community partner TowneBank.

The Convocation Hall is now under renovation, and will be ready for the Marlins by August.

The Jane P. Batten Student Center and Convocation Hall, which was opened in 2002, plays a major part in the Marlins community. It served as the venue for Virginia Wesleyan’s Commencement Ceremonies from 2002 to 2018, which has since moved to the student commons.

The Convocation Hall has hosted national entertainers, presidential and political candidates, the Virginia Special Olympics, which were featured on ESPN as host to sports competitions and a various selection of special events for charities that are founded locally.

The new TowneBank Arena will consist of 360-degree stand seating and a design that will fit Marlins programs’ growing attendance. The new arena creates an atmosphere full of competition and Marlin spirit. The new TowneBank Arena transforms the experience for athletes, students, and fans. The new arena will hold approximately 2,000 spectators. The Donald M. Forsyth Court will be updated and refinished to incorporate a new design with the TowneBank logo and the VWU Marlin. The new arena includes team sideline chairs, updated scoreboards and a NCAA specification scorer’s table.

TowneBank Arena will provide team locker rooms which includes the recently renovated NBA-style locker rooms for men’s and women’s basketball. The arena also includes the Marlin athletic training facility which is managed by Sentara Health, the Virginia Wesleyan University Athletic Hall of Fame and a redesigned

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Sports Information|Courtesy A projected model of how the new Towneback Arena will look for the Marlins.

All-American wall.

The arena includes direct access to the second-level Jacklyn and Raymond D. Pearce Suite and Intercollegiate Athletics offices. There is also an indoor track that is located on the second level.

TowneBank has provided support for other athletic projects, including the “field of dreams” for VWU’s two-time national champion softball team. TowneBank has also provided support for VWU’s Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony and athletic events such as the “Cross-Bay Rivalry,” which refers to VWU’s rivalry with Christopher Newport University.

The new arena will celebrate and present the accomplishments that have been made there.

The basketball program posted an athome winning percentage of 84 percent.

Marlins basketball has added such accolades as 11 appearances in the NCAA

tournament. This includes seven Sweet Sixteen appearances, four Elite Eights, three Final Fours, and was crowned the 2006 NCAA National Champion.

The women’s basketball team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship in 2015 and volleyball claimed the ODAC crown in 2019.

Men’s basketball head coach Dave Macedo believes that the new arena will give the Marlins an at-home advantage.

“It means that we should be able to have quite a home court advantage if we can fill the seats. It will certainly be a different look with all four sides having bleachers,” Macedo said.

Macedo appreciated TowneBank’s contributions: “ It has really been good to the Marlins and provided us with a lot of great memories,” He continued: “Now, it is up to us to earn crowds and play that exciting brand of basketball we expect

to play and bring that energy to the new TowneBank arena.”

Macedo believes that his players will love the new arena.

Due to the program’s accolades, Macedo is appreciative of the support he and his players get from the Marlin community.

“I always have felt very much appreciated and have loved being the coach of your Marlins! VWU is such a special place. My passion will not change.”

Macedo has recently celebrated his 20th year at VWU. “I hope I am just getting started. I love being a Marlin and very motivated to accomplish our goals with this group next season.”

The new TowneBank Arena will not only benefit the Marlins’ basketball programs, but volleyball as well. A new arena brings excitement and energy during athletic competitions.

Senior volleyball player Amber Matalus explained the effects of a new arena.

“It definitely changes the environment of the game. Big gyms give off such a dominant presence to opponents and even have the ability to influence the home team,” Matalus said. “I always refer to it as swag, but it definitely affects how some people play and gives you a little more swag in your own gym.”

In regards to the successful season volleyball recently had, Matalus believes that the team’s success is getting recognized. “Our program is growing and it is cool to finally get some recognition by the administration,” Matalus said. “I think it’ll just give us that final touch to be a respected and dominating team in the ODAC.” The new TowneBank Arena will allow the Marlins’ programs to grow and give recognition to the success that has come from the teams who work hard in that arena.

4/29/2020 6:54:27 PM

Summer 2020

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

A year in Marlin sports

BY MEGAN SHERMAN mrsherman@vwu.edu

11

All photos: Sports Information|Courtesy

Women’s soccer excites in ODAC tournament Volleyball captures ODAC title

For the first time in the history of the program, the volleyball team captured their first ODAC championship by defeating Randolph-Macon on their home floor on Nov. 9, 2019. With their 3-1 victory, the Marlins received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Amber Matalus led the way with 18 kills in the championship game which was a career high for her. Setters Haley Sutton and Meghan Wood also pitched in with 24 assists each. The Marlins ended up losing in the first round of NCAAs to Juniata, and their historic season came to an end with a program-record 28 wins. In her senior season, Matalus earned All-American Honorable Mention honors for the second year in a row.

Men’s soccer upsets Washington and Lee The men’s soccer team pulled a fast one on the nationally-fourth ranked Washington and Lee, defeating them 1-0 on the Generals home field. This win from Oct. 19, 2019 was the highlight of the season for the relatively young Marlins team, which should translate well into next year as they return their leading scorer Scott Signorelli. However, in the 1-0 victory, it was freshman defender Matthew Goldberg who came up big and scored the game-deciding goal. Goldberg started every game this season on the backline. At the season’s end, the Marlin’s ultimately fell to the Generals in the ODAC tournament and finished 7-11. Signorelli earned a spot on the All-ODAC Second Team.

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The women’s soccer team fell a little short compared to the past two seasons, but they still competed at a high level in ODAC tournament play and boast some exciting finishes. Exciting may be an understating description of their 2019 season, as the team played in nine games that ended in overtime, six of which were double overtime, and one in penalty kicks. The Marlins began ODAC tournament play with a 2-1 victory over Shenandoah. Allie Angell won the game for the Marlins, scoring the tie-breaking goal in the final minute of regulation. In the semifinals, the team defeated Washington and Lee 1-0; the lone goal scored by senior Marli Hayward. Then in the championship game, the Marlins fell to Randolph-Macon in penalty kicks 5-3.

Lane and Roberts lead way at ODACs Sophomore Jaylyn Lane and freshman Geni Roberts led the way for the men’s and women’s indoor track teams as they competed in ODACs on Feb. 29 and March 1. Jaylyn Lane has made quite a name for herself the past year and the Indoor Track & Field Championships were no different; she placed first and set a new ODAC record in the triple jump with a jump of 11.69 m., won the 60-meter dash with 7.89 seconds and placed second in the long jump with 5.03 m.

On the men’s side, Geni Roberts won the men’s triple jump with 14.43 m, and placed fourth in the long jump with 6.71 m. Senior Curtis Dudley placed third in the 60-meter dash and sophomore Landry Moffo earned second in the 60-meter hurdles.

Men’s basketball nationally ranked With the addition of senior Daniel Spencer, an All-ODAC First Team transfer from Emory and Henry, the men’s basketball program spent the season as a national powerhouse. Spencer placed on the First Team again this season, along with junior Tim Fisher. The Marlins finished the year 23-5 overall, with a record of 13-3 in the conference. After falling in the ODAC Championship to Randolph-Macon, who ended the season ranked first in the country, Virginia Wesleyan did not earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. This came as a shock as the team racked up quite a few noteworthy wins this season. They travelled to Guilford, ranked sixteenthnationally at the time, and beat them 64-57, then they defeated Christopher Newport by 10, as well as Lynchburg twice. The Marlins rose as high as thirteenth nationally, and ended the season ranked sixteenth in the championship game against RandolphMacon.

FOR MORE SPORTS FOLLOW: @MarlinSports

4/29/2020 6:55:47 PM

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The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Summer 2020

Chronicle sports editors debate the pros The Marlin Chronicle sports editors Nicholas Mundy and Austin Edmonds debate today’s pressing issues in professional sports.

MLB Season Solutions

BY NICHOLAS MUNDY namundy@vwu.edu

With many possible solutions for how to start the Major League Baseball season, the question still remains on when. I believe the scenario where all teams gather in Arizona should be the final option.

The realigning of divisions does not feel attractive enough for fans. There was talk of just going back to everyone’s respective spring training facilities, but that still does not have the feel for a great way to start the season.

One of the most compelling ways of starting the season is three ultimate divisions with 10 teams in each. This all depends on how quickly Major League Baseball gets the all-clear from health

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officials. There is little to no point in starting the season if there isn’t an all-clear

by July. Is there a real champion if each team can only get in 60 games? Unless MLB can start the season by mid-June I don’t see any way there is a true champion.

Recently, some states in the U.S. are beginning to open back up to the public.

With this in mind, the waiting game seems to be not only the safest option, but the smartest one.

The health of everyone should be top priority. There needs to be no risks when it comes to the health and safety of MLB players, employees, and fans.

Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle

BY AUSTIN EDMONDS acedmonds@vwu.edu

There have been numerous rumors regarding the potential start of the 2020 MLB season beginning with playing all games in one or just a few locations. MLB has discussed realigning the divisions.

Finally, the worst scenario would be flat out canceling the season due to COVID-19.

If all games were to be played in one state than the MLB must look to Arizona.

I say Arizona because of the number of professional facilities in Arizona. Of course, Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is an option for games, as well as the 10 different facilities used for Spring Training. Arizona currently sits at just over 5,000 COVID-19 cases.

When comparing that number to a state like Florida which offers both MLB and Spring Training stadiums as well, it is significantly lower. Florida currently sits at just under 28 thousand cases.

Division realignments make little sense to me if all teams are going to be required to play in one state. I am not a fan of this idea and I strongly urge the MLB to avoid realigning any divisions from their current form even if temporary.

Obviously, I am not one for completely canceling the upcoming MLB season.

I am, however, all for suspending play until we have more control of the current ongoing global situation.

4/29/2020 6:56:45 PM

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Summer 2020

13

NFL Draft Winners/Losers

Sports Information|Courtesy The first ever virtual NFL draft was held from Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, April 25. The draft was held over a webcast where respective coaches, general managers and other team officials met separately in their own homes and drafted from there. The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, was at his home announcing all the draft selections. For a very difficult time in people’s lives where sports are really missed, the NFL draft was much needed relief for sports fans across the country. The entire draft went off with little to no technical difficulties. ABC, NFL network, and ESPN all did an amazing job of broadcasting the NFL draft with no major problems occuring.

The NFL draft was originally scheduled to be located on the Las Vegas strip where the Raiders now call home.

This draft class had a flourish of talented wide receivers. There were 36 wide receivers taken in total. This was tied with the most ever in a draft since 2003. 13 receivers were taken in the first two rounds which was the most ever in draft history.

There were so many winners in this draft, and just a few losers. If the Dolphins did not make it as a winner here, there would be a major disappointment since they held 14 picks in this year’s draft. They landed their franchise quarterback with the fifth pick with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. They then went on to land some protection for their quarterback with the eighteenth pick offensive tackle Austin Jackson. With the

13Sports.indd 1

thirtieth pick they landed a cornerback out of Auburn. The Miami Dolphins were the biggest winner of this draft mostly due to having three first-rounders.

Another big winner of the draft was the Arizona Cardinals. Hybrid linebacker and safety Isaiah Simmons from Clemson fell to the Cards with the eighth pick. The Cardinals finally got a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. He can play multiple positions. Instead of going for a position of need, which would have been the offensive line to protect their last year’s number one overall pick quarterback Kyler Murray, they went with the best overall player remaining on the board. Simmons is probably the best talented defensive player in recent drafts.

The first loser of the draft was the Carolina Panthers for all of the opposite reasons the Cardinals were a winner. The Panthers had the pick right before the Cardinals, and they selected defensive tackle Derrick Brown from Auburn.

Although Brown seems to be a force on the defensive line, the Panthers needed someone in the secondary that could really help out in both the run and passing game.

The Green Bay Packers left everyone watching the draft scratching their heads with their first round pick, quarterback Jordan Love. Instead of looking for any sort of help for their talented quarterback, the Packers got someone that will look to replace him in the next coming of years.

His days in Green Bay are numbered.

Austin Edmonds|Courtesy The 2020 NFL draft is complete and it was one for the history books. LSU led the pack with 14 student athletes drafted into the NFL. Following LSU, both Ohio State and the University of Michigan had 10 student athletes drafted into the NFL. The 2020 NFL draft was also the most watched draft of all time with 55 thousand viewers.

A very solid draft pool led to many potential franchise altering selections made in this year’s draft. One scout noted that this year’s class was so rich in talent that there were about 20 players selected on day two of the draft who could have gone in round one. On what is considered a normal draft there are normally 7-10 players that could go in round one but fall to round two.

The top draft class from the 2020 NFL draft is the Baltimore Ravens. The best word to describe the Ravens draft class is value. The team stayed put at pick number 28 in the first round when many people expected them to trade up higher into the first round and they selected the top inside linebacker of this year’s draft in LSU’s Patrick Queen. Instant comparisons to Baltimore Ravens great Ray Lewis began to pour in as the two are nearly identical in measurables. In round two the Ravens

selected running back J.K. Dobbins out of Ohio State, who was NFL Mel Kipper’s best available player at the time of selection. The team also snagged great value in players like Devin Duvernay, Malik Harrison, and James Proche.

The Seattle Seahawks reached on nearly every pick in this year’s draft. This shouldn’t be a surprise to many as Seattle has become known the last few years for drafting players earlier than many believe they could have, therefore not getting the value many felt they could have. Many people expected the Seahawks to target pass rush help due to the fact the star outside linebacker Jadaveon Clowney remains a free agent. Instead the Seahawks went with inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

Although Brooks has the size many NFL teams covet and good production in all four years of college, he was a projected second round pick, and Seattle has bigger needs than inside linebacker at the moment. The Seahawks could have spent this pick on the offensive line or added help to its receiving corps. Seattle passed on players offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson and wide receiver Tee Higgins and only time will tell if they made the correct choice.

4/29/2020 6:57:39 PM

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Summer 2020

...It’s a see you later

THEWEEK

Managing and Weekender Editor Tony Tann Bids You All Farewell

All photos courtesy Tony Tann & Marlin Chronicle Instagram

BY TONY TANN tdtann@vwu.edu

So this is the end of the road, huh? Weird, I figured there’d be a lot more…people? Also celebrations, parties, maybe just a general sense of community. Crazy times we live in.

Being a graduating senior in 2020 is definitely one for the books. Anyways, I thought I’d say a few words before I left. Maybe give some advice. Drop some gems. Hopefully future classes may read this and learn a thing or two.

Writing articles was only one of the ways this newspaper changed my life. I became The Weekender editor my junior year after a year of writing in the workshop class, and a year after that I was the Managing Editor. I was welcomed into a well-oiled machine where everyone belonged and everyone found their place. I immediately knew after writing for the Weekender that it was my niche.

My co-editor and I spent many long nights in Dr. Payne’s newsroom working on print layouts, goofing around, taking occasional breaks to hold HQ trivia tests for money (remember those?). So I have to thank the person who taught me everything I know about design: thanks, Julie.

Everyone in that newsroom came to the office at 5 p.m. because they had work to do, and most stayed until late at night because they didn’t want to leave. We obsessed over print deadlines, dissected the latest gossip rumors and everything right and wrong with the school we go to. The Chron team is a group of storytellers who understand the world through telling stories, reporting stories; telling stories is what brought us together. As the Weekender editor I have read and published ideas I instantly agreed with, ideas that changed my outlook on the topic and some ideas I frankly could never get behind. But whether I agreed with them or not, each story had value to me as a mental snapshot in time for another human being, a window into someone else’s perspective on something as random as Denny’s is better than Waffle House or this movie is better than that movie and here’s five reasons why.

I used to shut my laptop around 3 a.m. the night before deadline and breathe a sigh of relief after writing media/pop culture articles, feeling like I had just made the best article I had ever written. I felt the same when it came to designing actual pages. Telling myself “pack it up, it won’t get better than this.” But it did, it got better and better, culminating

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in this last message to you all which if I do say so myself, damn I’m good (it’s my last article, I can get away with one curse word right?). Looking back over my own collection of articles and designs, I can look back at my past selves through the eyes of the present and see where I have grown and matured as well as where I failed and learned.

And that’s important. Because it was all for nothing if you never learned anything. I see where I started and how I was scared and unsure of myself. I see where I gained confidence and put my heart and soul into the pages and I see where I reached the goal I set, win an award for design. I see it all

now. And upon seeing it all I know my time is up now. When you get comfortable, that’s when it’s time to shake it up. So with that, it’s time to pull a Ricky Bobby, a shake and bake if you will.

Will Smith has this saying “Everything you could ever want is on the other side of fear.” And I’ve been following that mantra for a while. Never be afraid to try something new. The thought of writing for a newspaper scared the life out of me. I had always been told I was a good writer, but the thought never really crossed my mind to do it for anybody other than myself. I’ve been able to have so many experiences I never would have had otherwise thanks to writing for this paper. I never would have flown on my first

airplane, made the connections I made or half of the crazy things I’ve done/played/listened to without this paper and I’m so thankful for it all. So don’t be scared. Join that group, do that thing, talk to that person you like, be great while you’re here; because as I’m slowly starting to notice now (too late if I might add), it may be the last time you’re able to do some of those things. But I’m also learning that this is only the beginning.

I got on this newspaper around three years ago.

Back then I really didn’t think it’d go any further than just writing a couple articles and getting a grade. I was a transfer student from a community college who felt like he never fit in there, so you could imagine coming to an even larger school how I felt like I’d fall into the mix even more. Oddly enough, that didn’t happen. I found a second home in the Chronicle crew. Everybody I’ve met I plan on keeping in touch with one way or another. People go through college solo without making a single friend and I think that’s really sad.

Find friends to go on this wild journey with. It makes the trip that much more interesting. Reach out to those people that you think could need a friend. You never know who you might meet.

So this is it. If you read my articles you know I’m not good at endings. So I just want to say thank you. To the Chronicle team.:thanks for being my friends, people I can bounce ideas off of, people who I could joke with, people I found myself with. Take care of the new editor, Val. She’s got a lot of potential and a ton of ideas to boot she’ll be great in my absence. To Dr. Payne: thanks for not letting me quit like I almost wanted to when things got really tough. To the workshop writers: thanks for not driving me completely crazy. And to you, the reader, whether it be just one of you, or one hundred of you, or one thousand of you. If I just reached one of you and you found joy in anything I wrote, took any advice from the Marlin Undertow, or any part of the Weekender or any other section really, thank you. You all keep the paper going and that’s a beautiful thing. This chron team might be dead, but we’ll live on forever in these pages.

KENDER

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4/29/2020 6:58:55 PM

THEWEEKENDER

16

Summer 2020

Celebrities bring the show to you

BY VALERY CARABALLO vecaraballo@vwu.edu

Bing Images|Courtesy Singer-songwriter John Legend performing in concert. Legend did not let the stay at home orders stop him from performing a remote show online to all of his fans.

The

Editor-in-Chief

MARLIN CHRONICLE Community Editor Connor Merk ccmerk@vwu.edu

Megan Sherman mrsherman@vwu.edu

Sports Editors

Tony Tann tdtann@vwu.edu

Weekender Editors

Nicholas Mundy namundy@vwu.edu

Tony Tann tdtann@vwu.edu

Austin Edmonds acedmonds@vwu.edu

Valery Caraballo vecaraballo@vwu.edu

Online Editor Nel Hart nlhart@vwu.edu

16Weekender.indd 1

Managing Editor

Copy Editor Tara Truax tmtruax@vwu.edu

A number of celebrities have decided to perform some concerts online as well as holding their talk shows from home.

Celebrities are truly getting creative and finding ways to keep the public entertained, even when they have to stay at home.

Some of the most well-known talk show hosts have been making us laugh from their very own homes. These hosts vary from Ellen Degrenes, Seth Myers, Trevor Noah to Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Fallon truly stole our hearts with his daughter committing to the role of his band and though it wasn’t her best, she definitely warmed the hearts of his virtual audience.

All of the other hosts have still continued to host their shows and provide a couple memorable laughs. Along with this, each of these hosts have made it very clear that since they are practicing social distancing and staying home, the viewing public should do so as well.

While these Tonight Show hosts managed to brighten days and nights with their humor, a lot of memorable at

home concerts have taken place during quarantine as well. Artists like John Legend have taken their performances to the next level by going live pantsless, and for a lot of Legend fans this was a quarantine bonus. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s at-home concert was just the beginning of a launch of a series of online concerts which is called “Together at Home.” “Together at Home” featured performances by Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Billie Ellish and Lady Gaga. The “Together at Home” event received millions of views that brought the community together at this difficult time.

To top off the at-home concerts and TV shows, some artists went above and beyond in supporting quarantine by starting a Disney family sing along. Disney gave families an opportunity to sing along with artists from home to some of their favorite Disney songs throughout the years. As difficult as the time might be, the media is still finding a way to connect the public with some of their celebrity favorites.

News Editors Alex Powers ampowers@vwu.edu Dalton Powers dmpowers@vwu.edu Illustrations Editor Alex Powers ampowers@vwu.edu

Adviser Dr. Lisa Lyon Payne lpayne@vwu.edu

The Marlin Chronicle is the official student newspaper of Virginia Wesleyan University. Staff meetings are held every Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. in Batten 217. Signed submissions are welcome, but subject to the discretion of the editor. Letters 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.

The Marlin Chronicle Virginia Wesleyan University 5817 Wesleyan Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455 757.455.3311

“As a former collegiate student newspaper editor, professional journalist and long-time advisor for the Society of Collegiate Journalists, I understand the role and value of student media at a liberal arts institution. Virginia Wesleyan University proudly supports the editorial independence and press freedom of student-edited publications. We believe that student editors have the authority to make all content decisions and consequently, assume full responsibility for decisions they make.”

--Scott D. Miller, Ph.D President

4/30/2020 6:50:35 PM

Summer 2020

THEWEEKENDER

17

Social distancing in a theater near you

BY JORDAN WILSON jmwilson@vwu.edu As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus, many worldwide industries are experiencing setbacks.

One industry in particular that has faced obstacles is the cinema industry. From movie theaters closing and losing lots of profit, to big-ticket movies being pushed back from the original release date. Even some TV shows have canceled or pushed back their production.

Movie theaters were among the first businesses to start closing all locations to help maintain the spread of the coronavirus. AMC and Cinemark closed all U.S. theaters, and according to the Hollywood Reporter, “The nationwide shutdown of virtually all cinemas is unprecedented and could last at least 6 to 12 weeks, potentially disrupting the prime summer release calendar.”

Warner Bros. changed release plans on many of their movies such as “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson, which shifted its release date of June 25, 2021, to Oct. 1, 2021. “The Many Saints of Newark,” a prequel to “The Sopranos,” was delayed from Sept.

25, 2020, to March 12, 2021. “King Richard,” a biopic about Venus and Serena Williams’ father starring Will Smith, shifted from Nov. 25, 2020, to Nov. 19, 2021.

Two DC titles have also been pushed back: “Shazam!

2” is delayed from April 1, 2022 to Nov. 4, 2022, and “The Flash” moved from July 1, 2022, to June 3, 2022.

Disney has also decided to delay all movies, most of them until 2021, but not all of them. The movies they kept in 2020 are “Soul,” “Black Widow” and “Mulan.”

The film “Soul” was previously set to open on June 19 but will now open on Nov. 20. “Black Widow” will be released on Nov. 6 and “Mulan” will be released on July 24.

Most of the Disney movies that have been pushed back until 2021 or further are a part of MCU fourth phase except for an untitled Indiana Jones film which is supposed to be released on July 29, 2022. When the “Black Widow” was pushed back, it started a domino effect with the rest of the Marvel movies. The movies

that follow behind “Black Widow” are “Shang-Chi,” “Doctor Strange 2,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Black Panther 2” and “Captain Marvel 2.” “Shang-Chi” is set to be released on May 7, 2021. “Doctor Strange 2” is set to be released on Nov. 5, 2021. “Thor: Love and Thunder” will be released on Feb. 28, 2022. “Black Panther 2” still has the same release date for May 6, 2022. Lastly, “Captain Marvel 2” has been moved forward from its original release date to July 8, 2022.

Another big name company that has began to push back movie dates is Sony.

According to Alissa Wilkinson on the Vox, “Sony announced that nearly all of its summer tentpole films would be delayed until late 2020 or early 2021. Delayed movies include ‘Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood,’ Jared Leto’s ‘Morbius,’ ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Uncharted,’ and the previously delayed ‘Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.’ The only film that appeared unaffected was the ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ sequel, which is still set for theatrical release on July 16, 2020.”

There are a lot of TV shows that have been delayed or stopped production because of the coronavirus. Here is a list of well known TV shows that are a part of the delay: “The Bachelor,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Walking Dead,” “Stranger Things,” “The Bachelorette,” “Saturday Night Live” and “American Ninja Warrior.”

In the meantime, while everyone is trying to find something to do to stay sane, a way to stay busy is binge watching. A lot of good tv shows and movies have been released during this pandemic. Different streaming services have been trying to release good content to keep their consumers happy. At the start of the pandemic, Netflix decided to put some older pandemic movies on the network. Movies such as “Outbreak,” “Contagion,” and “2012.” Netflix also released some new content. On April 3, part four of the show “Money Heist” became available. Another show that has taken people by storm is the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King.”

Bing Images|Courtesy Many theaters were forced to close down.

Bing Images|Courtesy

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THEWEEKENDER

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Summer 2020

Tigers, Tampa, and Turmoil

BY KIM DEHART kmdehart@vwu.edu

A new documentary, “Tiger King,” has taken Netflix by storm. Directed by Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin, this seven-episode true crime documentary follows the miniseries about the life of a zookeeper named Joe Exotic The series focuses on the small, but deeply interconnected society of big cat conservationists such as Carole Baskin, who is the owner of Big Cat Rescue, and collectors such as Exotic, who Baskin accused of abusing and exploiting wild animals.

The primary subject is Joe Exotic, the eccentric owner of the G.W. Zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma.

Exotic has had a long bitter feud lasting years with Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.

Baskin presents herself as an animal rights activist whose mission is to provide a sanctuary for big cats raised in captivity, but Joe Exotic maintains that she is simply a rival zookeeper whose aim is to eliminate her competition.

The two exchange threatening videos, legal allegations, protests along with targeted harassment campaigns, in which PETA and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service become involved. Joe Exotic even goes so far as to accuse Baskin for the murder of her second husband During the documentary, Joe Exotic was convicted for killing five tigers and for trying to hire a hitman to take out his long-time rival Baskin. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

When Exotic’s court case came to rise, nobody came to support him. Even his most loyal friends and employees came to testify against him and to see that he would be put behind bars. The only support he seemed to have was his husband, Dillon. The two are still married even after his conviction.

After his conviction, Exotic seemed to be falling apart. Everything starts to catch up with him so Exotic began to help one of his biggest rivals, PETA. He became an informant for Brittany Peet, who worked for PETA, and gave her the dirt about everyone involved in the business. What stood out to critics about the ending was that the employees

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of G.W. Zoo got the final word. It is through their voice that people heard their final opinions of the Tiger King.

It was stated in the documentary that no one won in this case. Kelci Saffery stated that everyone involved in this feud was a so-called “animal advocate,” but there were no animals that benefited from this war.

What started as a noble fight to end big cat breeding and selling ended up becoming a petty personal feud between two rivals. Everyone involved lost sight of what the actual purpose was.

To stop this from ever happening again, there was a special hosted by Joel McHale, which was released on April 12, 2020, with McHale interviewing several of the stars about Exotic and the series itself. To give more in depth information Bing Images|Courtesy on the documentary The Tiger King, Joe Exotic, who is now serving 22 yerars in prison.

An interview done with Starbucks manager Jenn Wilson, who had binge-watched the entire documentary, was asked for her thoughts after watching it. Wilson said, “I really love real-life crime documentaries and I love animals, so this show seemed to have the best of both words for me.”

Wilson was also asked what she thought of the show after she was done watching it.

“I wish people wouldn’t do these kinds of things, but it’s good that a documentary was done on this because not many people are aware about what can go on during animal captivity when it’s not with the right kind of people,” Wilson stated.

Wilson also mentioned her thoughts about the ending. “I didn’t like how it just ended up being a petty battle between two people and not shining a real light on what he had done; many animals are always being harmed in zoos and captivity and I think they really should have put more investigating and money into helping the animals and their rights.”

There are many mixed reviews from critics about the “Tiger King,” but according to Nielsen ratings, Tiger King was watched by 34.3 million people over the show’s first ten days of release, Bing Images|Courtesy ranking this as one of Netflix’s most successful Carole Baskin. Allegedly killed her husband, whacked em. releases to date.

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