April 18, 2024

‘Scouts Honor’ talk sheds light on sexual abuse

On Thursday, March 28, Professor of Sport and Recreation Professions Dr. Doug Kennedy, held a talk on the issues of sexual abuse in Boy Scouts and its impact on his own life.

Kennedy’s presentation, “Beyond Scouts Honor: Sexual Abuse, Leadership, and Institutional Failure,” centered around informing people about how common sexual abuse is and the challenges in speaking up about these problems.

“If you are abused as a Scout, it is incredibly difficult to come forward,” Kennedy said. He pointed to several factors, such as the hierarchical nature of Scouts and the stigma surrounding victims of abuse.

Boy Scouts of America reported that over 72 years, more than 7,800 of its former leaders were involved in sexually abusing a child, according to ASK LLP.

In Kennedy’s presentation, a quote from the Washington Post described how common sexual abuse is in Boy Scouts. “The Boy Scouts are a magnet for men who want to have sexual relations with children. Pedophiles join the Scouts for a simple reason: it’s where the boys are,” the quote said.

Kennedy was a cornerstone piece in the recent Netflix documentary titled, “Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America.” The documentary recounts the coverups of sexual abuse the Boy Scouts of America went through to guard their reputation.

Ultimately, Kennedy said he was “tired and worn out from hiding,” which led to him reporting his experiences to authorities, and after a long and winding road, sharing his story with the public.

“The best thing you can do when you run from your problems for so long is to turn around and run right at them,” Kennedy said. The decision to come forward takes immense courage, but also tactful navigation of the legal system to reach justice.

60% of rape or sexual assault cases are not reported to the police, according to the Central MN Sexual Assault Center. This leads to most abusers never spending a day in jail.

In short, survivors have no

‘Anastasia’ musical offers ‘a constant sense of nostalgia’

BY VICTORIA HANELINE

“Anastasia,” a 2017 musical set just after the Russian Revolution, was performed at Virginia Wesleyan in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center from Thursday, April 4 through Sunday, April

7. The musical centers around lost memories, especially those of Anya, a female lead.

In the world of college sports, a gamechanging transformation has taken place with the adjustment of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules. For years, studentathletes faced tight restrictions on their earnings outside of school-sponsored scholarships and benefits, but now, with these rules removed, it has produced changes in their finances, experiences and overall well-being as student-athletes.

The ability to profit from NIL has provided college athletes with financial opportunities that were previously out of reach for many years. Now, athletes can leverage their status to secure endorsement deals and sponsorships, easing their financial burdens and providing stability during their college years.

Malone also emphasized the themes of memory. “There’s this constant sense of nostalgia,” Malone said.

Songs such as “A Rumor in St. Petersburg” and “Land of Yesterday” get across this longing for an idealized Russia, that might not have ever existed and is regardless in the past. Malone said the musical asks us to confront the power of our own memory.

The musical centers around Anya, an amnesiac who, in her desire to escape a newly-

Dr. Travis Malone, professor of Theatre and Anne B. Shumadine Dean of the Batten Honors College, said that the musical was selected to “push” performers. He picked a musical that would showcase and hone their talents, as well as because of the current political climate.

communist Russia, falls into a scheme with Dmitry and Vlad Popov.

These men are con artists who convince Anya to pretend to be Princess Anastasia, the presumed dead daughter of the late Tsar Nicholas II.

O’Shea said she “really resonates with the character” of Anya and that she felt she had to prove herself worthy of the role.

One of the most prevalent themes is memory, with Anya

Rumors surround Anastasia’s survival and put the leads on the run from the communists who overthrew the Romanov government. Through the course of the musical, Anya is shown to be Anastasia herself, but in the end rejects the title of princess to run away with Dmitry. Anya is played by Annie O’Shea, a junior majoring in Music Education. “Anya was one of those roles I dreamed of performing,” O’Shea said. She described watching the movie, and then, once the musical came out, daydreamed about performing her. She said she didn’t ever think she would play the role.

With NIL regulations in place, studentathletes can negotiate deals with game developers to feature their likeness in the game, sell their own personalized merchandise to further expand their brand or make endorsement deals at a younger age. This allows student-athletes the opportunity to see another side of business.

Although NIL is permitted in all three

Laila Jones|Marlin Chronicle

Junior Annie O’Shea stands center stage during a dress rehearsal of “Anastasia,” in which she plays the female lead Anya.

‘It’s survival of the fittest’

Non-traditional students voice their unique challenges.

BY LILY RESLINK lbreslink@vwu.edu

College life is often associated with students who come out of high school and live on campus as they pursue a four-year degree full-time, but plenty of students exist outside this category.

Having taken 20 years off to raise children and start a farm, Joy “Shortbed” Bowden chose to return to school. “It is time for me to get back on track with me,” Bowden said.

Although many in similar situations choose the online path, Bowden said it was important for her to be on campus. “Because I’ve been out of the classroom for 20 years, I wanted that face-to-face,” Bowden said.

For one, Bowden said she was happy with the scholarships provided to in-person students. Additionally, she said being physically present enhances conversations with other people about the material she is learning, and this is an exciting part of education for her.

Bowden has no shortage of praise for Virginia Wesleyan, specifically commending the faculty and staff that make the university what it is. “I have Linda Ferguson as my student advisor, and she’s the first student advisor that’s ever actually advised me. This is my third college,” Bowden said. For Bowden, the staff and students here are the best she has ever worked with.

Nonetheless, Bowden clarified that the experience has been no walk in the park. “I think if you are going to be a commuter, you need to be adaptable. Because you’re not always going to be warm. You’re not always going to be cool. You’re not always going to be hydrated. You’re not always going to be fed,” Bowden said.

“For you guys living on campus, this becomes home. So you learn to function in here very well. We get slammed into class and figure out how to survive the environment,” Bowden said. “It’s survival of the fittest.”

First-year commuter Kayla Jones resonated with this statement. As a member of the cheer team, Jones has spent countless long days on campus. “I… have class at 10 a.m., and didn’t get out of practice until 8 p.m.,” Jones said.

Jones adapted to pass the time. “I spent a lot of time napping in my car before practice because there was really nowhere else for me to go,” she said.

Although the Jane P. Batten Student Center provides some lounge areas, Jones pointed out that “Batten hosts a lot of events, especially in the Grill, so I don’t think there’s many places to comfortably sit and do work, watch TV or just relax in general.”

She explained that when these areas were full or occupied with an event, she felt at a loss for where to go. “I don’t feel the most comfortable eating or talking on the phone in the library or Greer because I found it awkwardly silent,” Jones said.

She said January Term only amplified these schedule challenges. “[Cheer team members] had to take morning-mid or afternoon classes so it wouldn’t interfere with practice, and I had so much downtime

with nowhere to lay down and nothing to do,” Jones said.

She added that she is disincentivized from participating on the team in the future due to this. “The fact that J-Term is mandatory is really deterring me from doing cheer next year because I hated having to sleep and eat in the car just because there wasn’t enough comfortable spaces available on campus,” Jones said.

Another problematic element for Jones is traffic and car troubles. “I would come to cheer events or practice from home, and traffic plus car issues are extremely unpredictable, so sometimes I would miss important stuff or events just because I’m sitting in traffic or having car trouble,” Jones said.

Many commuters echoed the severity of car and traffic challenges.

“You’re not five minutes walking distance away,” commuter Brian Ainsworth said.

Ainsworth, after serving in the Navy, chose to get a two-year degree at TCC and transfer to VWU to complete a degree in computer science.

Ainsworth pointed out that being “subject to traffic” is perhaps one of the largest added complications for commuters.

In consensus, commuter students also expressed how they would benefit from adapted meal options. Bowden brought attention to how commuters must navigate meals. For commuters who choose not to spend $400 on a meal plan, Bowden referred to VWU as “a food desert.” Jones also opted out of paying for the $400 meal plan due to its financial burden.

Dorothy Yanku-Palmer is a senior who

Flooding issues receive attention

BY LILY RESLINK lbreslink@vwu.edu

Flooding is a high-priority issue on the agenda of local municipalities and environmental experts. The communities that Virginia Wesleyan resides in, Norfolk and Virginia Beach, heavily integrate this issue into their short-term and long-term planning.

The City of Virginia Beach website explains, “The Virginia Beach Flood Protection Program—The Ripple Effect—is a comprehensive 10-year plan to address recurrent flooding in Virginia Beach.”

As part of the Virginia Beach Flood Protection Program (FPP), Virginia Beach’s Public Works and Information Technology Department has launched the Flood Model Visualization and Exposure Tool. A City of Virginia Beach news release explained that this serves as “an easy-to-use platform designed to inform residents about flood exposure risks before and after the completion of [FPP] projects.”

The City of Virginia Beach Public Works website said data from this “reveals information about the buildings, infrastructure, and resources that could be impacted by such storm events.”

Virginia Beach received national recognition for this.

Another City of Virginia Beach news release announced that the tool won a U.S. CIO 100 Award for the city on March 18, 2024. A CIO 100 Symposium & Awards website page explained that these awards go to “100 organizations and the teams within them that are using IT in innovative ways.”

Given the challenges that flooding poses, coastal communities are seeking out this higher level of innovation

spent her previous years as a commuter and is living on campus for her final year. She reflected on commuter challenges from this perspective.

Yanku-Palmer called for the “option to have some sort of a meal plan that doesn’t drain your bank account.”

In the eyes of Yanku-Palmer, transitioning from a commuter to a residential student has offered a more complete college experience, as she can be significantly more involved.

McKinley Wheeler brought up a related challenge with involvement, particularly when it comes to field experiences for classes. As a Special Education major, she said that field experiences are common but found these extra engagement activities to be more geared towards the people who live here.

Ainsworth explained that, as a commuter, more effort goes into preparing to attend classes. Commuters must consider the time it takes to drive, park, walk to the building, etc.

For Wheeler, expectations to attend extra activities beyond classes can pose added complications.

“Group projects can be tricky, especially when we have to meet outside of class,” Wheeler said. Unlike her residential classmates, she pointed out that quick meet-ups are out of the question for her when arriving to campus takes 30 minutes.

According to the university’s “Quick Facts” page, “85% of all undergraduates live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing,” presumably designating 15% of undergraduates as commuters.

regarding flood mitigation. For example, WTKR reported on a Virginia Beach house that had been flooded 52 times, raising community concerns about how to address repeated incidents. These ongoing problems require ongoing attention and resources.

According to a City of Virginia Beach article, Leisha Pica, P.E., with Jacobs Engineering, shared the FPP’s current status in a City Council presentation on March 19. The article highlighted updates for 2024, “Since Hurricane Matthew there have been more than a dozen key programmatic accomplishments that demonstrate the City’s commitment to and investment in flood protection, including the addition of 49 full-time employees, and increasing the Stormwater and Flood Protection CIP budget from $264 million to $1.26 billion.”

Flooding also remains on the radar of Norfolk, which has held a series of open houses on the measures they are taking to address flooding. This is part of the larger

SCOUTS

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

easy path to justice, and there is no shortage of these incidents. This is a topic that not many people have become aware of, which amplified the impact of Kennedy’s speech.

Dr. Craig Wansink, director of the Robert Nusbaum Center, gave insight into how meaningful this speech was for him. “I really wish every single education student, social work student and psychology student had been there because it was really about trying to stop abuse,” Wansink said.

Wansink said this was one of–if not the most important–talk held here on campus.

Even with sexual abuse being such a heavy topic, there was never any concern over whether to hold this talk. “There was no hesitation. The one thing that I was concerned about was if people saw it as voyeuristic and potentially exploitative, but clearly people did not see it that way,” Wansink said.

When Wansink asked if Kennedy was able to conduct the presentation, he readily agreed. For the two professors, the talk was intended to focus on limiting sexual abuse.

“He responded by saying that part of what he was focusing on was the need for vigilance in all youth-serving organizations,” Wansink said.

In the talk, Kennedy expressed optimism toward the reduction of sexual abuse incidents. He pointed to organizations and advocated working to change laws. “It gives me hope that a lot of the problems in scouting are not going to be repeated,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy stressed his biggest priority: “I just want children to be safe.”

Wansink punctuated several takeaways from that presentation that stood out to him. “Something that I hope students took away is that the people who needed the support of Scouts the most are also the most vulnerable,” Wansink said.

“I just want children to be safe.”

Dr. Doug Kennedy

First-year Tudor Vlad described his most significant takeaways.

“It made me really aware that people truly can’t tell what other people have been through. It is scary to think about how many people have been affected by something similar to this and are too scared to talk about it,” Vlad said.

Only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police, according to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Vlad could not believe how high these numbers were. “I have to say that I was pretty surprised when Kennedy talked about how common sexual abuse incidents were, especially with what seems to be a reputable organization in Boy Scouts,” Vlad said.

Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted; every nine minutes, that victim is a child, also according to RAINN.

Several organizations and resources aim to provide support and minimize the occurrence of these cases in the future. If you have something to report, call 1-800656-4673 to reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline and report your case.

Additionally, Kennedy said his door is open to anyone who would like to talk.

work of Norfolk’s “Office of Resilience,” with Goal 1 of this office being “Design the Coastal Community of the Future.”

“Norfolk, Virginia is a dynamic, urban waterfront community. With more than 230,000 residents, our focus is to create and execute a comprehensive flooding plan that will ensure our city thrives for generations to come,” Kyle Spencer, City of Norfolk’s Chief Resilience Officer, said. The City of Norfolk website also provides a virtual open house, available at resilientnorfolk.com, where the public can navigate virtual-reality rooms of informational displays from their devices. Through this, the city lays out its plan to address and mitigate flooding through 2032.

According to Spencer, informing the public is important. “It’s our mission to provide access to information for residents so they can be prepared for a storm event. Norfolk produces a variety of tools, programs and resources to ensure impacted areas are informed and adequately ready in advance of a storm event,” Spencer said.

The open house also emphasizes community involvement and feedback. “Feedback gathered from residents helps us plan for projects that will reduce flood damage to our city’s neighborhoods and vital services,” Spencer said.

Although flooding impacts VWU campus, students are largely unaware of any campuswide measures to address it.

Junior Bryn Lister said, “Just about every time it rains, a large pond forms in my suite.” These issues have been long-standing.

Alumna Brooke Morris ‘23 said that despite her recalling repeated problems with flood damage to resident halls, she observed minimal intervention on the issue in her time here.

Nonetheless, flooding initiatives for the University’s surrounding communities continue to progress.

Lily Reslink|Marlin Chronicle

Junior Joy Bowden holds up items from her “commuter survival kit” in the Batten Student Center’s “Mobile Marlins Kitchenette” that she described as a “closet.”

Lily Reslink|Marlin Chronicle Student traverse to class through flooded walkways.

Community events celebrate alumni, welcome their return

Alumni of Virginia Wesleyan continue to thrive and connect with the university after graduating. Edward Phillips ’11 returned to campus recently to lead an improvisation class with Dr. Sally Shedd, a professor of Theater.

Shedd explained the benefit of an alum leading a class, being a connection between students and alumni. From a student’s perspective, “they’ve sat where I sit, they came through the same place,” Shedd said. “And there’s a sense of connection there, and this element of, ‘if they can do that, I can do that.’ In a way, I think it’s a little bit different from bringing in experts that went to school somewhere else.”

Shedd elaborated on a beneficial experience of an alum returning to campus. It encourages, “the idea that you can give back, and your experience can be useful to the younger students coming up through that same system, I think it’s really beautiful,” Shedd said.

Shedd shared that she felt a joy in this experience due to her perspective as a professor. “You look up there and there’s someone you had as a student, and they’re working with students in the very spot where you worked with them as a student,” Shedd said.

Shedd highlighted the importance of all alumni returning to campus, not just her own students. She said, “looking at it from where I sit, I mean, it sure looks meaningful to me.”

Phillips shed light on his experiences at VWU and how those experiences influenced

his occupation and achievements.

Phillips currently pursues his occupation and hobby in different parts of his life.

“My day job is I work for Elevance Health, which is an insurance company,” Phillips said. “But I’m also a comedian.”

He has recently seen success in his acting career, taking part in his first national commercial.

Phillips majored in Communication, which he uses to assist in being a comedian. “I use that a lot when I’m building videos, or I am writing material for stand-up or sketches,” Phillips said.

As a student Phillips said he was able to meet new people. “Being on campus with so many opportunities that were involved with so many different organizations really helped me get accustomed to interacting with a lot of different people,” Phillips said.

Phillips added that attending VWU “definitely made me more personable and better able to relate to people, so I definitely appreciate that.”

He explained that comedy involves meeting new people and extemporizing.

“You see a lot of different people, and something that I think has benefited my writing a lot is being able to see so many different viewpoints,” Phillips said.

Additional graduates attended events during alumni weekend, which went from April 5-6.

Events included the showing of “Anastasia,” several sports games, social gatherings, lectures and a scroll signing celebration. The scroll signing offered the opportunity for the classes of 1974 and 1999 to celebrate their 50th and 25th

anniversaries.

During the Marlin Family Picnic on April 6, alumni shed light on their experiences at VWU and their accomplishments since graduation.

Justin McCreary ‘09 said attending Virginia Wesleyan assisted with “continuing into a master’s program and prepar[ing] a resume.”

McCreary shared that he returned to campus because of the professors. “There were good professors here when I was here and wanted to say goodbye to Professor Hultgren,” McCreary said.

Lindsey Angelozzi ‘09 stated she is still working in her field of study. “After I graduated, I was working in the field I studied, which I was pretty proud of,” Angelozzi said. “Almost fifteen years or so.”

Thomas Taylor ‘00 outlined VWU’s influence on his success. “It set the foundation for my career and accomplishments,” Taylor said.

Taylor explained the importance that VWU has had on his career. “I ended up working in the field I studied, which was social science,” Taylor said. “It set the direction in my field. I’m very proud of my time at Virginia Wesleyan.”

Eli Miller, ‘00, explained the value of a small campus. “I really needed the small, tight-knit campus, working with my professors one-on-one,” Miller said.

Taylor Paquette, ‘23, is currently in the graduate program at VWU. Paquette also values the small campus. “The tight-knit community made me open up socially more and allowed me to flourish in the outside world,” Paquette said.

Gavin Prouty graduated in December 2023 and shared several ways that VWU assisted his education. “VWU helped me fit in and find what I was actually good at,” Prouty said.

Prouty had the opportunity to take classes he did not expect to, which he enjoyed. “It also gave me the space to take classes I wouldn’t normally think to see what I was actually passionate about,” Prouty said. VWU was also a space for Prouty to develop professionally. “[VWU] helped me professionally and handle stress better,” Prouty said.

Throughout Alumni Weekend and other events, Virginia Wesleyan encourages alumni to return to campus and reconnect with the community.

McKenna Howenstine|Marlin

Sally Shedd|Courtesy Edward Phillips '11 leads Dr. Sally Shedd's improvisation class. Isaac Fick|Marlin Chronicle Gavin Prouty '23 returns to campus after graduating in December.

Isaac Fick|Marlin Chronicle

Lindsey Angelozzi '09 attends Alumni Weekend with her daughter. McKenna

Josh Pagett|Marlin Chronicle

LEFT: Alumni, current players' compete in a volleyball game in TowneBank Arena.

RIGHT: Women’s Lacrosse plays Averett University for their senior night.

Garden beds add new life

Raised garden beds, proposed by Marlins Go Green and installed with volunteer labor, will add greenery and another class to campus.

BY MJ MATTHEWS mjmatthews@vwu.edu

Community gardens serve as a teaching tool, food resource and gathering place for those in the community. The addition of raised garden beds to Virginia Wesleyan’s campus is meant to do just that. Marlins Go Green (MGG), a student organization focused on sustainability, collaborated with Dr. Eric Johnson, associate professor of Biology, Greer Environmental Sciences Center greenhouse supervisor and coordinator of general education, to organize this project from start to finish. The project was completed recently and was first pitched over a year ago.

This past month, a group of volunteers built the garden beds, which now sit adjacent to the greenhouse. The group mostly consisted of MGG members, led by organization president senior Cecilia Aten, and Johnson.

MGG regularly hosts events themed around sustainability and conservation, such as an upcoming sustainable clothing swap event on Sunday, April 21. The idea for the raised garden was thought up by Aten some time in 2022.

“I applied for the grant for the raised garden beds because I was like, ‘this would be really cool for Marlins Go Green to do,’” Aten said.

The project was funded by a grant offered through Virginia Wesleyan. Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm, professor of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, director of sustainability and moderator for MGG, spoke to the specifics of the grant.

“Every year in the fall, we put out a call for grants, and students can submit grants for what could be campus sustainability projects like this one,” Malcolm said. “It could also be bringing speakers to campus, getting things they need for their research projects or anything like that related to either campus sustainability or education on the environment’s sustainability.”

The grant is intended for projects or education opportunities that will last, in an effort to have an effect on many classes of students. “We want to make sure that whatever campus sustainability project that’s done, that once the students leave or graduate, or if they’re gone in the summer, whatever it is—there’s somebody who can maintain that [project] after they’re gone,” Malcolm said.

While most students are only here through the fall and spring semesters, most of the harvests from the gardens will occur in the summer. To accommodate this, students from Tidewater Collegiate Academy, located at the Blocker Youth Center on campus, will keep up with the gardens during the summer.

Even after applying for the grant, it took some time to get the ball moving. Aten needed

‘ANASTASIA’

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

grappling with her amnesia and flashes of Anastasia’s family coming to her in her dreams. Other characters also struggle with memory and the past of imperial Russia. Malone mentioned a favorite quote: “I’m an old woman who remembers everything the way it should have been and nothing the way it was,” said by Countess Lily, played by junior Erin Andrews. Another big element of “Anastasia” is change. All six major leads, with the exception of Countess Lily, change in some major way from their introduction to their end. Anya changes in her memory of herself and her trust of other people, according to O’Shea.

“I purposefully started her off as shy and closed off,” O’Shea

approval for her selected location for the beds, along with other planning measures. During the wait, Malcolm suggested that Aten approach Johnson about her initiative. That is when the plan began to bloom.

Johnson has been managing the greenhouse for over 10 years and was all in for starting a garden. In addition, he proposed teaching a course to go along with it.

“I had been thinking about how to get some sort of community garden class running,” Johnson said. VWU previously offered a course involving beekeeping in the Pollinator Garden area near Greer. This is what Johnson aims to base his course on.

“With [MGG’s] installation of the garden, I was able to, sort of, get a class passed in the same realm of that bee class,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a couple of afternoons every spring where students are going to learn about managing the garden, doing stuff like hydroponics and just some sort of cloning plants in the greenhouse and things like that.”

This 2 credit course will first be offered during Spring 2025 and will be in a science discipline, likely Biology or Earth and Environmental Sciences. As of its current capacity, there are only two garden beds, but this number will

likely triple to six garden beds to accommodate the course and total student population, according to Aten.

While the greenhouse can only be maintained by a select number of people, having a garden that is accessible to the entire campus is meant to improve campus life for all students. The garden beds will soon be available for all Marlins to partake in—to grow their own goods, take what they need and leave what they don’t.

“You see a cucumber, you want a cucumber, you take it. The whole purpose is just that it’s there for you. It’s there for you to do stuff, to learn, to experiment; maybe in the future, for independent research,” Aten said. “If you want to try doing a different compost on one half of the garden bed, versus this, you know, synthetic compost, versus organic compost, and kind of seeing different reactions on that and then testing it or doing whatever—really just whatever you want to make it.”

To get involved with Marlins Go Green or learn more about the garden beds, reach out to them at marlinsgogreenvwu@gmail. com. Marlins Go Green is currently planning other projects, such as rain collection barrels, according to Aten, funded through the Student Government Association.

said, noting that since Anya didn’t remember her past, she didn’t know who she was.

Dmitry, a young “Russian rat” who has never left St. Petersburg, went through a period of change and letting people in. His character was played by senior Elias Kenworthy.

“I’m playing him as a onedimensional super-straight,” Kenworthy said of his performance at the beginning of the musical. Super-straight is a term generally used to refer to misogynistic and otherwise exclusionary straight people. Kenworthy described Dmitry in Act One as a playboy. He described Anya as taking a “pickaxe to his walls,” and Dmitry lets go of the persona he had at the beginning, which Kenworthy said Dmitry needed to adopt to survive.

Junior John Post played Gleb, a conflicted Bolshevik and the antagonist of the musical. Post said

that Gleb is a man who “wants to protect the people that he loves.”

Gleb’s inner turmoil is between his country and his love, with Post saying that Gleb is in love with Anya but is asked to kill her. Post described the role of Gleb as “completely different from anything I’ve played,” and described him as a person who has power, rather than wants it.

According to Malone, “Anastasia” is larger than any other theater production he has been present for in his 19 years at VWU. Malone said there were 27 cast members.

“If you have a big cast, it’s always a lot of fun,” Post said. They praised Malone and said that “he gave everyone a moment.” Post said Malone’s ability to give everyone time was “the most important part of doing a big-cast show.”

Kenworthy viewed the full cast as an asset and important aspect of the show. “You can have leads who are phenomenal, and it’s not really going to matter if the whole thing doesn’t sound good,” he said.

Malone sees “Anastasia” as having political relevance today through an immigration lens.

“So many people from different countries end up moving,” Malone said. In addition, he thought the memory aspect would appeal to people trying to “come to terms with their past.”

Cast members spoken to were generally excited to be in “Anastasia.” O’Shea said that as a kid, she saw the movie and wanted to be the princess. For her, it was a “dream role.” Kenworthy said that the movie was really good and expressed disbelief that some members of the cast had not seen the animated movie.

Post, who said they had never seen the animated movie, said they had looked forward to it since they heard the music was made by Ahrens and Flaherty. They said that they would “absolutely” audition if one of the local theaters produced it.

The musical differed from the animated movie in several ways, the most complained about being the removal of Rasputin, the villain of the musical, and his audiencebeloved pet bat.

“[You] might mourn the lack of a bat, fun music and Rasputin, but it gains this great emotional arc,” Malone said. O’Shea mentioned that the bat in the original was “very cute.” Kenworthy, though, went a little bit further.

“No offense to the stage performance, but the movie is just better,” Kenworthy said. “Where is the little bat?”

Auditions were open to the community, as most main stage Virginia Wesleyan theater productions are. Several characters, including Dowager Empress Maria and Tsar Nicholas II, were played by older adults who do not attend Virginia Wesleyan, and some, like some of the ensemble, are played by high school students.

Malone described having “generations of performers,” and said some members of the cast were accomplished actors who brought abilities to the cast and were beneficial for the college students performing alongside them.

“I love rehearsals—I love seeing their growth,” Malone said. That is the part that audiences don’t get to experience, Malone said.

“Anastasia” offered a bittersweet reflection on the impact of change and the power of memory.

Laila Jones|Marlin Chronicle Senior Cecilia Aten and first-year Elliot Fylstra clear invasive species for the garden.

Laila Jones|Marlin Chronicle

Marlin Business Conference builds careers

The Marlin Business Conference has a popular opening ceremony and events with a broader focus than previous years.

BY JENNIFER MEJIA jpmejia@vwu.edu

From Monday, April 8 to Thursday, April 11, the Marlin community gathered for an enriching conference focused on building careers. This event, the Marlin Business Conference, has traditionally catered to the College of Management, Business and Economics. However, this spring, it expanded its reach to include the broader Marlin community, emphasizing entrepreneurship and ethical business practices.

Professor Frank Futyma, lecturer in Business, Management and Economics, shared insights into the evolution of the conference. “The idea is that through this [inclusivity], we’re teaching people to be entrepreneurs from day one,” Futyma said.

The conference featured a series of competitions tailored for MBE 101: Introduction to Business, attracting not only Business majors but also students from diverse disciplines. Futyma highlighted the inclusive nature of the event.

“We have a number of people who are not Business majors who take that as an elective, but the vast majority of people are Business majors,” Futyma said.

Junior Parker Lucas, who is a Business minor, participated in the Shark Tank competition during the fall semester.

“I definitely think it’s neat,” Lucas said. “Last semester, I was participating, and I didn’t run it, but I did the competitions and stuff. Now, it’s kind of cool to see the other side.”

Lucas is currently taking MBE 101 and took on the head of fundraising role for the conference. A Computer Science major, he also helped the conference’s technology team.

Funding for the conference was raised through various initiatives, showcasing the community’s commitment to selfsufficiency. “We pay for this with the money we earn. It’s not like we take grants or other kinds of things like that,” Futyma said. “We have car washes, we’ll go to student events to sell things.”

The dedication and hard work of participants was evident throughout the conference.

“There’s just an incredible amount of work. They are doing so above and beyond what the norm is,” Futyma said. “It’s selfsacrifice. It’s them doing a lot of good and a lot of hard work.”

One of the highlights of the conference

was the presence of industry leaders, including the chief executive officer of Stihl Corporation, offering internship opportunities directly with the company. Additionally, companies like Veolia and Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) provided internship opportunities for students, further enhancing the conference’s value.

“So what are we doing? We are providing opportunities that you don’t do at other universities; we are providing opportunities to go and to meet and greet and to socialize, that just aren’t done,” Futyma said. “So why would people want to come here? Because we do that for our students.”

Along with Lucas, junior Aaron Raynor can attest to the hard work that goes into the conference, as well as the gratification that comes with it. Raynor, like Lucas, is a Business minor and worked as Vice President of Finance (VPF) for the conference.

On the first day of the conference, Raynor said he was most looking forward to seeing the “big picture” of the conference coming together. “The thing I’m looking forward to the most is like just seeing our hard work pay off, like all the fundraising we’ve done, all the research we had to do or just like all

the time we had to put in to make this event work,” Raynor said.

With an increase in participation at the conference, the hard work definitely paid off. The conference saw a significant increase in attendance compared to previous years, with over 130 individuals participating in the opening ceremony alone, compared to 83 attendees at last semester’s opening ceremony. This growth in participation reflects the community’s commitment to continuous improvement and providing valuable opportunities for its members.

“It’s a continuous improvement from one conference to the other,” Futyma said. “We’ve gotten better from the standpoint of quality that we’ve been able to accomplish from the perspective of going and providing more for our students and for the other departments in the school.”

The Marlin community exemplifies a commitment to entrepreneurship, ethics and inclusive education. By providing valuable opportunities and fostering collaboration between students and industry leaders, the Marlin Business Conference continues to be a cornerstone of academic excellence and professional development at Virginia Wesleyan.

Mars Johnson|Marlin Chronicle

Carey Seay|Marlin Chronicle

Technology ruins creativity

BY MADELINE DIAZ mtdiaz@vwu.edu

Picture yourself in the shoes of a teacher, eagerly awaiting the presentations your students will create for a project you assigned to them. You intentionally leave the expectations open, hoping to witness new and imaginative outcomes. However, when the presentations arrive, you’re shocked to find that they all are heavily influenced by the structure of past projects with strict outlines.

Why is this so common in our world today? We haven’t run out of new ideas, have we? The answer is simple: Students rely solely on the structured walls their educational figures have built to dictate their creative choices.

Why do many students nowadays fear being creative? It can stem from anxiety

of course, but there’s something bigger that a lot of educators tend to look over considering how much we use it as a tool. Technology is swarming students’ brains, leaving them unable to think creatively.

The landscape of education has evolved significantly with the presence of technology. In the 2010s, when I was an elementary student, classrooms were still predominantly paper-based, with limited access to desktop computers. Technology usage in my elementary school days was a novelty reserved for special occasions like computer lab visits or library sessions.

Fast forward to my senior year in high school, where I had the incredible opportunity to work alongside my former fifth-grade teacher. The experience was nostalgic but mildly disappointing in only one specific way: Technology had infiltrated almost every aspect of the classroom.

Instead of flipping through dictionaries or textbooks to complete assignments, students turned to Google for definitions and answers. Rather than reading to themselves or aloud with the class, they watched YouTube videos reading the book to them. Instead of tangible assignments, everything was pretty much online. While the accessibility of information was incredible, it led to over-reliance and a lack of critical academic skills among the students not only in this class, but within the entire school.

Today’s elementary school children are

growing up in a digital age and constantly overwhelmed with stimuli from various technological sources.

The unrestricted use of technology has transformed what was once a treat into an everyday necessity, raising questions about its impact on students’ ability to think imaginatively.

To keep it simple, the overuse of technology is single-handedly ruining students’ ability to be creative.

The most concerning aspect of technology’s impact on creativity is its tendency to dictate the terms of play inside the classroom. Unlike traditional means of play-based learning, many modern digital experiences come with predefined rules and objectives. Whether it’s completing levels in a video game or even following step-by-step instructions in an educational app, children are often guided along a predetermined path, leaving little room for innovation or improvisation.

The constant stimulation provided by technology overwhelms the senses and inhibits the presence of boredom. In today’s technology-based world, children rarely experience moments of downtime where their minds are free to wander and explore.

Instead, they’re bombarded with a never-ending barrage of notifications, videos and messages, leaving little opportunity for their imaginations to even begin to roam freely.

As educators, we face the challenge of navigating this digital landscape while still nurturing creativity in our students. While we cannot dictate how parents raise their children or if teachers cut technology from their classrooms completely, there are pedagogical approaches that can foster creativity. Problem-based learning, for instance, empowers students to explore complex questions independently or with group members, encouraging critical thinking and innovation that technology can assist with.

While technology offers undeniable benefits, we must be mindful of its potential to hinder creativity. It is an educator’s responsibility to strike a balance between technological integration and traditional pedagogy, ensuring that our students develop the critical academic skills necessary to thrive in an everchanging world. By embracing innovative teaching methods and promoting creativity in the classroom, we can do our best to empower the next generation to think beyond the confines of technology and explore the boundless possibilities of their imaginations.

Madeline Diaz is a BHC first-year majoring in Elementary Education and aspires to lead future generations of students to success. She enjoys listening to music and playing the guitar and piano in her free time. Madeline can be contacted at mtdiaz@vwu.edu.

Opinions on potential TikTok ban

“I think if TikTok is banned by the federal government, it would be good, as hopefully less children and adults will be ingrained into endless ‘doom scrolling’ and will engage with more outside of their phones.”

Joshua Spicer ‘24

“I think the efforts being used to shut down the app could have the potential to be better used towards some of the current, more pressing matters.”

Brittenyanne Hoover ‘24

“A lot of people have been using their platform to fight back against the system. However, it’s likely no action will be taken.”

Onyxx Johnson ‘26

“It would be disappointing because it has grown as a platform all around the world. TikTok offers the opportunity to express humor, display informative content, allows people to receive currency, and more!”

Sydney McDonald ‘26

“We should address concerns about things like user privacy and child safety without banning TikTok entirely.”

Kimmie Koscinski ‘25

Sophomore J-Term not justified

BY KARA HOPKINS knhopkins@vwu.edu

It’s not new information that Virginia Wesleyan University requires students to take a January Term in their first year. While J-Terms are beneficial for some students, many dread returning to campus in the heart of winter.

I spent my J-Term taking a class with Dr. Jeffrey Toussaint, associate professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice.

While I loved his class, outside of it, I was busy shivering in my room and thinking about how much time I could have spent with my family.

So when it was recently announced that we would have to take another J-Term during our sophomore year, you can imagine I wasn’t thrilled.

When this was made known in my class, it felt like a town hall meeting and we were some really angry citizens. We all raised our hands immediately to express our complaints and concerns.

I am not completely against the idea of school during this time; I think January Terms should be an option. However, I believe it is not right to make this additional semester a requirement for sophomore year.

After my first semester in college, I needed a break from school, and two weeks was simply not enough to regain the strength required to put my full energy

into my studies. I felt I gave half of what I could during J-Term to a class I was really interested in. This wasn’t fair to me or my professor. January could have been a time for me to reset and relax, but instead, I spent it doing schoolwork.

There’s also the distance component. I live five hours away with no vehicle and cannot regularly visit home.

To me, J-Term just means another month that I have to spend away from my family.

I understand the logic behind having first-years take a class in January. It leaves less time for the student to be home and realize they want to just stay there. It maintains Virginia Wesleyan’s retention rate.

This being said, cold feet do not usually roll over to the second year. By that time, if a student didn’t want to be in college, they would have left. This leaves no need for another required J-Term.

But now, sophomores are required to take a class and attend a professional skills seminar series during January, and I see significant problems with this.

As a student in the Batten Honors College, I was granted a scholarship after competing for a spot. This financial aid was the reason I decided to attend VWU. However, my scholarship only covers fall and spring semesters, meaning I had to

take out more loans to cover the cost of this additional semester.

I wasn’t planning on doing another J-Term because of this. My plans involved spending time at home and working fulltime so I could continue to afford college.

First-year Stephanie Clark, another Batten Honors student, agreed with the financial strain of this requirement. “College is already expensive, and even with three-quarters or full-tuition scholarships, most of us already work jobs to be able to afford the normal two semesters. And that’s just for BHC kids,” Clark said. “Most of the current freshmen don’t have those scholarships, and forcing them to pay more money for a class some of them don’t even need is honestly disrespectful.”

I feel that it is unfair to make a graduation requirement have such a large price tag outside the traditional semesters, let alone twice.

This isn’t only affecting those who don’t want to take another J-Term. This could also bring potential obstacles to the upperclassmen who choose to take these classes in January. This new rule could make registering harder, as there are more students to fill classes.

This limits the probability that they will get the class they want, or whichever one they need to fulfill either a major or

general education requirement.

The new requirement affects all students, whether you see the requirement as positive or negative.

I wish student opinions were considered more in this decision, and that it was better communicated during orientation that it was demanded we take a second J-Term.

Kara Hopkins is a BHC first-year majoring in Media and Communications with a minor in Environmental Studies. She enjoys freshwater fishing and spending time with friends and family. Kara can be contacted at knhopkins@ vwu.edu.

McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle First-year Madeline Diaz sees creativity as a critical issue in her career.

Mars Johnson|Marlin Chronicle

Athletes, coaches give insight on record-breaking programs

BY SYDNEE WASHINGTON sawashington2@vwu.edu

Athletes work tirelessly daily to perform at their best. Some have mastered the necessary techniques to prove they are the best. Nothing demonstrates being the best more than holding a record. The process of attaining a record surpasses merely working hard. Record-breaking athletes first-year Natasha Tate and sophomore Cael Long discuss what it takes to break a record.

As a first-year, Tate, a member of the Women’s Track and Field team, has already broken three records: the 200 M, 60 M and 4x100 relay.

Tate’s road to success is unconventional, as she broke her first collegiate record in her first track meet after not running since her junior year of high school.

“I always knew that I was fast, and I always knew that people were counting on me to do certain things or live up to, like track and my speed. So it wasn’t easy because, trust me, I didn’t run in a year and some change coming out of my high school, so it’s like I take our workouts more seriously,” Tate said.

With this change in sincerity, Tate emphasized the importance of technical focus when practicing.

“I’d say what makes me different from other runners, I don’t just run, I pay attention. I’m more like a visual learner, so when my coach is explaining something, most of the time I’ll mock him doing what he’s doing. I don’t just stand there and say I understand something when I don’t understand,” Tate said.

After mastering these techniques with the guidance of her coaches, Tate mentioned how integral mental clarity is in the application of what is practiced in races.

“When I’m on the line, I clear my head, and I apply what we learned that practice

mechanically,” she said. “When I’m on the start of the line, I think of like the med ball throws where we throw it out, so I jump out my blocks. Then as I’m running, I have a rhythm in my head.”

Long, a member of the men’s swimming team who holds eight records, also pointed out the importance of mastering technique and clearing the mind to visualize said techniques in races.

“Swimming requires a lot of technique, and my coaches have worked hard to get me to maintain good technique even when I am tired,” Long said. “Prior to my race, I like to close my eyes, take several deep breaths in and out, and focus on what I am about to do in the water. I visualize myself like I am one with the water, so that when I dive in, the water works with me to achieve a fast swim.”

Support from teammates, from cheering them on to picking them up when they are down, is also something that Tate feels is important in her success.

“We’ll cheer each other on; we help each other get out of each other’s heads. Even if it’s a bad race, we try to point out the positive stuff in the race and things of that sort,” she said.

One thing that may not be necessary in the road to breaking a record is having access to a program with immense resources, such as access to the best sports equipment. According to Tate, knowing her body is more important than running for a well-funded program.

“We have the equipment that we need, but money doesn’t change but different uniforms. A uniform is not going to change how I run,” she said. “If I was to go to a different school, I’m going to still run to my limit.”

Long also emphasized the importance of understanding his body rather than having access to extra resources.

“Resources can be more of a luxury and

speak to status more than actual results in the pool. You need to understand how your body works in terms of training, mental focus and performance to succeed,” he said.

From a coaching perspective, Kristian Ramkvist, the Director of the Men’s and Women’s Swimming team, commented on what it takes to break a record.

Breaking multiple records himself during his collegiate career, Ramkvist is not a stranger to what it takes to get to that point, including years of hard work and dedication.

“I would say that most of [VWU Swimming’s record holders] have a background in club swimming, which makes a big difference because club swimming is like 11 months out of the year, so, you know, you’re training, training, training from a pretty young age and that will an effect later on in college too,” he said.

Ramkvist also noted the importance of rest in order to perform at one’s best when it counts.

“In my world [recovery] is everything

because to perform and be powerful, I do think you got to be a little bit rested,” he said.

Although Ramkvist agreed with Tate and Long on the luxury but not necessity of extra resources, Ramkvist did note that the more coaches his team could have, the better.

“The more coaches you can have on a pool deck, the better it would be obviously, there’s no doubt about that. On our race days, we might do four to five different workouts at the same time, and it’s just me and another assistant coach… might give us less time per swimmer,” Ramkvist said.

With the input of VWU record holders, it is clear that the path to breaking a record is complex.

The work ethic of these athletes put them into a position set for success, but what truly propelled them to success was mental toughness, support from their coaches and teammates and, most importantly, rest. These aspects are more impactful than any expensive, extravagant machine that promises record-breaking success.

Seniors shape Women’s Lacrosse team

BY RHIAN TRAMONTANA rjtramontana@vwu.edu

As the Spring season pushes athletics teams towards the end of their seasons, the Women’s Lacrosse team reflected on the impact of their graduating seniors.

“[The seniors] have taught me so much, not just about lacrosse, but what it means to be a leader in the world,” sophomore and defensive player Joy Ramsey said.

On Saturday, April 6, the Women’s Lacrosse team played Averett University for their Senior Day. They won the home game 13-8.

The game against Averett was particularly exciting for senior goalkeeper BA Hoover.

“I’m a little excited just because I never had a senior day when I was in high school, because the pandemic hit,” Hoover said. “This is actually a huge thing for me.”

During the game, Hoover made seven saves. Ramsey spoke on how influential the seniors have been in shaping the team.

“The seniors have shaped this team and helped each of us individually grow,” Ramsey said. “I have only gotten two years with them, but they have made such a positive impact on my life and the rest of the teams.” Hoover reiterated that the team is supportive of one another. “It’s nice having a small team at times because it’s basically like a family,” she said.

As a senior, Hoover has enjoyed watching the other girls on the team grow into their positions. “We have some brand new girls, and I mean, never even picked up a stick,” she said. “My favorite was like seeing them going out into the game and applying everything.”

The same support can be seen throughout the team, especially during games.

“I’ll normally look over and I’ll see our entire sideline like doing little celebrations,” Hoover said.

For Hoover specifically, she has appreciated the connection and support from the team’s other goalkeeper, first-year Melissa Dolt. “The other goalie, Missy. I hear her all the time,” Hoover said. “I’m

like, ‘I hear you!’”

The team’s cohesion is also helped by Head Coach Madison Heck. “Our new coach and our captains have pushed us to be the best we can be,” Ramsey said.

Hoover agreed that Heck encouraged the positive culture. “Our coaches really tried to push team culture,” she said. “She’s trying to help make it more organic.”

Heck has seen a lot of success this season, Hoover said.

“She’s made a really great like start and I’m hoping like it continues to build,” she said.

Hoover accredited some of Heck’s success to her young age. “I think it does help because she knows a little bit closer to what it’s been like as a college athlete right

SportsHead: Rugby players in

BY COLETTE KEARNEY cmkearney@vwu.edu

On March 29, the five time Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs announced the signing of rugby star Louis ReesZammit. The 23-year-old most recently played for Gloucester, a team in the English Premiership. He made his rugby international debut for Wales in 2020 and in 2021 he went to South Africa for the British and Irish Lions tour. He is not the first ex-rugby player to come to the NFL. In 2018, Australian native and Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata also made the switch over. For Rees-Zammit, going to the NFL is something he has always dreamed of. He told the Associated Press that he grew up loving the sport, mostly because of his father. Earlier in March, he participated in the International Player Pathway

program, which began in 2017 as a way for international athletes to get a chance in the NFL. He finished the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds in front of NFL scouts, which would have ranked fifth in the NFL Combine. The Combine is where amateur players, mostly college players who have declared for the NFL draft, can be seen by NFL scouts.

As for Mailata, his story is very different. Raised in Australia but not an Australian citizen, his family is of strict Samoan family culture. Mailata was a professional rugby player for a few teams in Australia but was not making nearly enough money to live on. The first time he asked his parents to play football overseas, he was quickly denied. In Samoan culture people traditionally do not leave the house

now because the NCAA has been changing so much,” Hoover said.

Some of the changes that Hoover mentioned include changes in the rules of lacrosse and NCAA regulations.

“Even within the past four years, the name image likeness, stuff’s going crazy,” Hoover said. “A lot of the rules changed and lacrosse has changed just by itself.”

Heck has also encouraged accountability dates for her players.

“We go on accountability dates, and you go and get like coffee off campus or like you go to the beach,” Hoover said. “I know some of our girls went grocery shopping together.”

Ramsey said this has created a support system for the team. “We listen to each other and want to help each other,” she said. “Even if it is just hanging out or going for a walk, we all want to be present for each other and be a support system for one another.”

The team’s season isn’t over, but even after the season ends, the seniors will have a lasting impact on the team.

“[The seniors] have helped us to flip the script, and that is the legacy they will leave. They helped us reach a turning point in our program, and the whole team will miss them dearly next year!” Ramsey said.

The Women’s Lacrosse team will play their final game against the University of Lynchburg on April 24 at Birdsong Field.

the NFL

until they are married, so, again, when Mailata asked his parents to train at IMG academy in Florida he was told no. Mailata was finally able to convince his parents to allow him to play football, and he has quickly become one of the best left tackles in the NFL. According to Program Football Focus, Mailata was in the top 10 best left tackles during the 2023 season. He has also become a crowd favorite in Philadelphia. There have been at least five other exrugby players with careers in the NFL. While the news of Rees-Zammit leaving rugby to pursue a career in professional football may have come as a surprise to British rugby fans, I think they should give him a chance. If Rees-Zammit is anything like Mailata, then he is on his way to having an extremely successful NFL career.

Josh Pagett|Marlin Chronicle

Women’s Lacrosse players embrace during their Senior Day game on April 6.

Hailey Benders|Marlin Chronicle

Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle

SportS

athletic divisions, its benefits look different for athletes depending on their division. For Division III athletes, the inclusion of NIL deals was expected to help bring attention to athletes and athletics, as well as help athletes and coaches with expenses. Despite these expectations, larger brands are often looking at Division I athletes, who could generate the most revenue for them at more well-known schools and universities.

“I think this is a great opportunity for athletes, but I think more opportunities need to be made for athletes who do not get the chance at this exposure or opportunities.”

Erin Beaudry

First-year Erin Beaudry of the Women’s Swimming team is a brand ambassador for Dormify. Beaudry went into detail about just how different it is to earn a deal at the Division III level in comparison to Division I.

“I think the new rules give a great opportunity to athletes at the Division I level to earn money and gain publicity, but for smaller schools, non-revenue sports and Division II and Division III schools it’s definitely not equal,” Beaudry said. “I think this is a great opportunity for athletes, but I think more opportunities need to be made for athletes who do not get the chance at this exposure or opportunities.”

Although the earnings of athletes between divisions is unequal, top Division III athletes are still benefiting from the financial gains of smaller brands or donors, who typically pursue them.

The Men’s Basketball team enrolled in the NIL Club, an athlete-run platform where family, friends and other supporters donate to either a specific player or to the

team. Sophomore Brian Jackson, a member of the Men’s Basketball team, appreciates the new opportunities of the NIL rules.

“The NIL Club Coach Macedo put the team on was an absolute game changer this year. By allowing everyone to earn money throughout the season, it not only motivated the players, but also provided us with financial benefits,” Jackson said.

“It was a smart move that boosted overall team morale and gave the team an extra edge both on and off the court. It was great to see how earning money during the season positively impacted the team’s performance and individual players this year.”

Senior Alex Moody, a member of the Men’s Soccer team, has also taken advantage of NIL deals through his partnership with the NCAA. Although this partnership has allowed him to represent his personal brand, Moody mentioned the importance of not allowing this

success to disrupt an athlete’s collegiate responsibilities.

“It is important to leverage yourself, but still focus on the reason why you came to college: to get an education and continue playing your sport,” Moody said.

NIL rules ensure that every college athlete can receive financial benefits from their hard work and dedication, regardless of the sport they play or the level of recognition they receive, as long as they are committed to building their personal brand.

Aside from the financial opportunities awarded to athletes as a result of NIL rules, the overall collegiate experience is made more enjoyable. By empowering athletes to profit from their own marketability and take control of their futures, NIL rules have revolutionized the landscape of collegiate athletics, bringing about changes that will continue to shape the lives of young athletes for years to come.

the Scoreboard

the Schedule

Avery Barnes leads as a first-year

BY COLETTE KEARNEY cmkearney@vwu.edu

First-year Avery Barnes has been a crucial part of the Virginia Wesleyan Men’s Golf team even though he has only been on campus for nine months. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Barnes is the number one golfer in the line-up, meaning he is most consistently leading the team.

Senior and team captain Joey Gray commented on the impact that having a first-year as the number one golfer has on the program. “I think it says a lot about the growth of our program, and it shows the amount of talent he’s already got,” Gray said.

But according to Barnes, he was not the best junior golfer. So for him, picking VWU was not a hard decision.

“I wasn’t highly recruited, so I looked at my options and picked the best option for me and my family and sort of ran with it,” Barnes said.

For Barnes, his family is the reason he plays golf; his grandfather and dad put a club in his hand when he was little, since they had been playing their entire lives. Director of Men’s and Women’s Golf Tom Hall commented on the importance of family for Barnes. “His dad is at every single event we have,” Hall said. “His support system at home is pretty awesome.”

According to Gray and Hall, Barnes is one of the most competitive players they have ever met.

“He’s a very friendly, easy going kind of guy. But when it’s time to compete, he turns into somebody different. He does not like to lose,” Hall said.

Gray commented on how Barnes is a very goal oriented player. “When he’s got his mind set on something, he’s going to work as hard as you can to get that goal,” Gray said.

His hard work has paid off from the fall season to now. While he was getting acclimated to college golf, he placed 10th in his first tournament in the fall. He then placed second at the next tournament. He has also led the team to second and third place team performances this spring season.

He has worked all his way up to Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) player of the week, along with first-year women’s player Juliette Coffey, announced on March 20.

Barnes has some pretty high goals, one of them including winning at least one of the few tournaments the team has left. “I want to be ODAC Freshman of the Year, and I want to go to nationals,” Barnes said. Barnes also wants the team to go to nationals. “That would be big for the program and help recruiting,” Barnes said. Hall thinks that Barnes has earned a spot as an All-conference player, whether it is first or second team. The awards are handed out at the conference tournament.

As for the future of the program, Gray thinks Barnes will help recruit more players like him. “When recruits come in and visit and meet Avery and see what type of golfer he is, I think that might encourage them to come here,” Gray said.

Barnes and the team will compete at the ODAC Championships from April 28 to May 1 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Tyler Costello|Courtesy First-year Avery Barnes follows through his tee shot at the Marlin Invitational.

Hailey Benders|Marlin Chronicle

Internships spark pay discourse

BY BRIAN MADDEN bvmadden@vwu.edu

Internships have become a large part of meeting college graduation requirements. When students think of internships, it is usually synonymous with completing grunt work that employees don’t want to do, for free. Nevertheless, members of academia and employers often stress the invaluable nature of interning.

Statements such as “employers hire nearly 60% of interns for permanent positions,” said by Forbes, may be true, but when college student interns don’t receive financial compensation for their labor, their degree program or institution must ensure they get something out of it.

Regardless of the inherent perks of an internship, students who try to balance the many costs of college may find it difficult to shell out gas money for internship transportation. “Students are likely to spend a lot of money during summer internships and ‘can expect to spend upward of $7,000 on housing, food and transportation related expenses,’” Forbes said.

Therefore, “a huge misconception remains that the experience and academic credit that come with unpaid opportunities are worth significantly more than an intern’s meager paycheck,” Forbes said.

At Virginia Wesleyan, there are two main internship opportunities: junior internships and senior internships. Senior internships are more extensive, as opposed to junior internships, and because of this, “they could be more inclined to pay interns,” junior intern Steven Harper said. “Having to be at an internship as your job takes away from a student being able to get a paying job to support themselves,” Harper said. Fortunately, “roughly 75% of internship postings seen by students in 2022 were paid positions,” Forbes said.

Virginia Wesleyan senior Britni Arrington is one such student engaging in an unpaid internship for class credit. Currently, she works with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, in their Art Therapy program. For an average of ten hours per week, Arrington assists with data entry, conducts community outreach and is privy to class observation.

Despite being unpaid, Arrington expressed appreciation for the insider look this internship has granted her to

the art therapy graduate program– where she’s been accepted for Fall 2024. “It’s the perfect thing to get me comfortable in this space before I have to dive in with full commitment,” Arrington said. For her, community work and class observation are invaluable. “I am well acquainted with a lot of my professors and people who could be my upperclassmen, so I have a lot of connections if I needed help,” Arrington said. However, when it comes to the tedious task of transcription, there isn’t as much fun involved. “It took me three hours to go through fifteen minutes of conversation,” Arrington said. For this, she admitted some pay would be nice.

Luckily for many college students, this trend may be on its way out. According to The Virginian-Pilot, a survey of college seniors, done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, showed that out of the 63% of those who had completed internships, 59% of those were paid.

“Students aren’t taking traditional unpaid internships anymore,’ said Michelle Simmons, the project director for 757 Regional Internship Collaborative in an article with the Virginian Pilot. “If you’re going to be treating them as an employee, you should be paying these kids,” Simmons said. The bigger the company, the more likely it has been that they are willing to pay interns.

Virginia Wesleyan senior Emily Moody is currently interning with a small business, All Good Granola owned by Bryan Daniels, for class credit towards her major and Batten Honors College requirements.

While for the most part Moody remains unpaid, Daniels does offer some compensation for assistance in farmer’s market sales over the weekend. Similarly to Arrington, Moody averages ten hours per week, but this internship “centers around social media and entrepreneurship and marketing,” a convenient combination for Moody’s major, minor and passions. During the week, Moody can work remotely or on-site. She takes orders, learns behind the scenes, creates social media coverage, researches marketing and receives mentorship from her boss.

Moody communicated how it may be fair to remain unpaid for an internship based on how many hours one works. In her case, her professor allows students to use class time for internship hours and while the internship

may be a bit more time extensive than a traditional course, Moody enjoys working and learning alongside Daniels.

“If I were being paid, I would feel a lot more stressed out and I would feel like I couldn’t learn and ask as many questions,” Moody said. The pressure to perform, for some, may lessen their ability to learn from the experience.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, senior Danielle Perry is paid for her internship with a family owned company, Stewart & Company Certified Public Accountants.

She has participated in two internships with them. Perry had received extensive training on how to organize and prepare business licenses, property taxes, corporate and partnership tax returns and taxes for individual clients. Perry undertook the position for experience, not class credit or graduation requirements, and hopes to work with them post graduation.

According to The Virginian-Pilot, the state of Virginia has begun to notice this trend, setting preparations in place such as “a $250,000 grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.”

They want to give more opportunities to students in Virginia and aim to make it easier to connect them with the necessary companies. The Virginian-Pilot reported that for most internships, “the goal of the internship program is to have students bridge the gap between what they are learning in school and applying it to their career.”

Certainly, the students of Virginia Wesleyan understand what internships can do for their careers with and without pay.

Fortunately, the declining trend of unpaid internships has gained enough traction to warrant change and future students may see an influx of internships that provide financial compensation for their efforts.

Bookstores value collaboration over competition

BY CALEE LUKOWSKI crlukowski@vwu.edu

The Hampton Roads Bookstore Crawl is a unique event happening in VWU’s backyard. The event is scheduled for April 19 to April 27; the week leading up to Independent Bookstore Day.

Sixteen independent bookstores, also called “indies,” in the Hampton Roads area are participating in the second annual Bookstore Crawl. These bookstores are in a variety of locations and offer a variety of themes and unique charms. This event truly has something for everyone.

The Bookstore Crawl functions similarly to a scavenger hunt, but instead of searching for items, book lovers are searching for a new favorite book store. Participants are given a “passport,” in which they can collect stamps from every store they visit. Crawlers are also encouraged to post pictures of their experiences on social media with the hashtag #hrvalovesindiebookstores.

The event also has incentives to visit as many participating stores as possible. After visiting six stores, crawlers can enter to win a basket full of bookish treats. If crawlers visit all participating stores, they can win three free raffle tickets. At the end of the week, crawlers can leave their “passports” with the last store they visited and then they will be entered to win a basket with goodies from each of the participating stores.

The Hampton Roads Bookstore Crawl was started last year by Erin Dougherty, owner of Eleanor’s Norfolk, as a way to simultaneously celebrate the local independent bookstores and the community of book lovers. “I really wanted to highlight and celebrate all of the indies and let the folks in our area know about them. Each one has its own vibe and niche - they each have booksellers who want to talk about the books they love, and there’s nothing like building community through finding your bookseller twin as a book lover,” Dougherty said.

While the Bookstore Crawl only involves small,

independent bookstores in the Hampton Roads area, this year the Crawl has decided to also include bookstore popups. “Some of the ‘bookstores’ included were not strictly bookshops; for example, a non-profit that provides free books, and a ‘book club’ bar,” Victoria Mitchell, from Dog Eared Books, said.

The Hampton Roads Bookstore Crawl also strives to give back to those in need. This year, The Big Free Bookstore has been included in the event. The Big Free Bookstore

is a project from REACH, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy for at-risk and homeless children in the Coastal Virginia area.

The key to this Bookstore Crawl is the participation of independent bookstores. Dougherty calls indie bookstores “community hubs” and that is exactly what the Hampton Roads Bookstore Crawl strives to foster.

This is the beauty of several independent bookstores coming together to put on a wonderful event for the community. While these stores could have seen each other as competition, they chose to see each other as friends and partners.

Tera Alston, from The Printed Word Bookstore, said, “The book crawl is a wonderful way to let the community know about all the indie bookstores in our area. It’s a great way for indie bookstores to partner together as well.”

When Doughtery started this event last year, she decided she wanted to foster community cooperation and involvement. “One of the foundational values of Eleanor’s is the idea of cooperation over competition. Just because we all sell books doesn’t mean we’re not interconnected… We can celebrate one another, work together, live together,” Doughtery said.

In a world so often fueled by the fire of competition, these community bookstores have come together to stoke the ashes of cooperation. Whether you are an obsessed bookworm or a casual reader, these bookstores have created an environment and an event that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

“People say reading is magic because it is - it allows you to live inside someone else’s brain and how they experience the world for a span of time. Indies are magic for the same reason - connection and community,” Doughtery said. This may be the magic of indie bookstores, but it is also the magic of the Hampton Roads Bookstore Crawl.

More information about the Hampton Roads Bookstore Crawl can be found on the Eleanor’s Norfolk website at https://www.eleanorsnfk.com/hrbookstorecrawl.

Tea, crochet and water ballons

The Norfolk Flea Market provides vendors with a monthly creative outlet and patrons with the opportunity to support local businesses.

BY AIDEN CROGHAN accroghan@vwu.edu

Crocheted clothes. Collectible skateboards. Hand-crafted tea blends. Chimichurri sauce. What do these four completely different things have in common? They can all be found at the Norfolk Flea Market, which first opened in March.

The Norfolk Flea Market, which is held in the Waterside District every first Sunday of the month from March to August, has a variety of goods to offer.

Flea market essentials like vintage clothing and collectibles are commonplace, alongside a wide selection of artisan goods. These are accompanied by live music and the regular restaurants and offerings of the Waterside District.

The Waterside District is a marketplace on the Norfolk waterfront, which, according to the City of Norfolk’s website, “shines bright on the river after a 40 million dollar facelift.” This

“facelift” took place in 2017 in an attempt to revitalize the classic Waterside Marketplace for a new generation.

The flea market takes place inside the Waterside District building, as well as outside along the river, to create a mixture between the permanent shops at the District and the pop-up flea market tables and tents. The location, while very nice, can be confusing to first-time patrons, due to a lack of clearly marked pathways. With a little exploring, however, patrons can quickly learn their way around.

One of the businesses present at the flea market was Herb Harmony Tea, run by Alexandria Brown, a certified herbalist. Her booth mostly consisted of tea mixes, ranging from dessert blends to medicinal teas. She also sold other medicinal herbs outside teas. Herb Harmony Tea is a fairly new business; it has been open only a month and a half, not much longer than the flea

market, according to Brown. She decided to open the business after getting her last needed motivational push. “I’ve always been interested in drinking tea. It became a turning point for me when I became a certified herbalist early last year, and my family convinced me to start my business journey this year,” Brown said. Her booth featured a tea blend of strawberry and white chocolate, which had an absolutely delicious scent. Brown said her favorite part of running her business is seeing the customers’ reactions to smelling her tea.

Another business present at the flea market was Pathfinder Mercantile. They sold a variety of crocheted and knitted goods, from classics like beanies and scarves to reusable water balloons. They also sold prints, paintings, stickers and more. Pathfinder Mercantile is a group of artists that work together to sell each other’s products without taking a

cut of each other’s profits.

“I want to get all of my friends who go through phases of hyperfixation of new crafts and love to learn new things, to kind of get them together and work together as a collective and sell the stuff they make so that they don’t get burnt out by it,” Liz A., the founder of Pathfinder Mercantile, said.

Another member of the collective, Max, expressed that his favorite part of selling his crafts as part of Pathfinder Mercantile is connecting with other people who crochet, which helped him realize that there’s a much larger community there than he had assumed. “You realize that there’s a whole other community that you haven’t experienced that’s around you,” Max said.

One of Max’s creations is reusable water balloons. Max created these as a solution to the excessive waste of regular water balloons, as well as to be a solution for the sensory issues or

pain a regular water balloon could cause a child, which Max said he experienced as a kid.

Many customers explored the variety of vendors at the flea market. Others simply just enjoyed the regular restaurants and activities of the Waterside District. One of these customers was Dalia, a returning customer to the flea market after their first event in March.

“Last time I actually found some really good stuff. This is probably one of the best flea markets I’ve been to because I’m from New York, and if this was up there, the stands would be ran through, there would be nothing left,” Dalia said.

The Norfolk Flea Market can be a great place to go to see vendors passionate about their crafts, as well as a way to purchase handmade and used goods from local vendors and artists as opposed to shopping at chain stores.

Mars Johnson|Marlin Chronicle

Aiden Croghan|Marlin Chronicle

Pearle sells her handcrafted pillows and blankets at the Norfolk Flea Market on Saturday, April 6. Aiden Croghan|Marlin Chronicle Alexandria Brown’s Herb Harmony Tea booth features delicious smelling tea concoctions from dessert blends to medicinal teas.