February 15, 2018

Swim team’s first ODACs SPORTS Page 7

The Marlin Chronicle VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

THURSDAY 2.15.18 || MARLINCHRONICLE.VWU.EDU ||

Missiles excite winter session in Maui

BY MICKELLA RAST mjrast@vwu.edu

On Jan. 13, Doug Kennedy and Jason Seward gather together 12 students and climb onto a bus. Though there are a few still sluggish with the remnants of sleep, excitement is palpable. Today they will climb Mt. Haleakalā, a 10,023 ft. volcano that is no longer active, but still just as awe-inspiring.

It is the tenth day of the REC 348: Maui Sea to Sky: Principles of Adventure Travel course, and their fourth day of travel on the island. Kennedy is a professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies and Chair of the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department.

Seward is the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. This is a trip they have hosted for over a decade, but they still look forward to it with the same enthusiasm as the first time.

As the bus rumbles along, they catch snatches of the scenery flashing by. Glimpses of the island, dense foliage made vibrant by the bright sunlight filtering through. Theirs is a brief look into the ancient land.

The buzz and chirp of phones quickly brings everyone back to the present. The same message flashes across every screen: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Though all manner of exciting events and strange occurrences had taken place in earlier years of the course, this year the students abroad would be involved in something more dangerous: a false missile alert that shocked Hawaii in early January.

At 8:05 a.m., an alert was sent out to phones that warned residents and visitors of an incoming missile. The alert was repeated on media outlets, along with a secondary message that advised people to seek shelter: “If you are indoors, stay indoors.

If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. Remain indoors well away from windows. If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building or lay on the floor.”

Kennedy and Seward directed the bus back to their condominium before quickly ushering everyone inside. They began calling the school and other officials, trying to figure out if the alert was real.

Students were told to call their families and provide them with updates.

“The alert went off on your phone, like an Amber Alert or tornado-type warning, and we went back to our condominium. We have just left for the morning, so we turned right back,” Kennedy said. “The students got together and sort of stayed together while we tried to assessed the situation and called the school. It was a bit nerve-wracking for a little while.”

Starbucks makes its way to the Grille COMMUNITY Page 3

Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle “You also have to understand, there’s nothing you can really do to impact it, that you have a larger group that you need to be concerned about. So you have to apply any kind of emergency management situation the way you respond. One of the biggest things is you remain calm,” Seward explained.

The experience was described as “surreal” and “surprisingly calming.”

“It was still a really weird experience, because you know, you don’t feel it happening to you. Stuff happens all over the world but it doesn’t happen to you, so it’s not the same thing,” said Natalia Pentecost, a freshman and one of the students on the trip. “But when it’s happening to you, it’s a whole other feeling.”

“We had no idea if this missile was going to be there in 30 seconds or 30 minutes, we had no idea,” Kennedy said.

“Nothing I could do or say could have any outcome,” Seward added.

An alert cancellation and assurances of safety were sent out

SEE MAUI Pg. 2

Spring sports preview SPORTS Page 8

Tom Hanks stars as Mr. Rogers WEEKENDER Page 10

Pass the hand sanitizer: Sickness spreads

BY CAIMAYA ASHTON

Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle

clashton@vwu.edu

The flu has returned and is making an impact this season.

Flu hospitalizations have steadily risen since 2014, and the 2017-2018 flu season is said to be following suit, with an even higher record according to the New York Times.

Many people wonder whether or not getting the flu shot is the best option. Flu vaccines cause antibodies to form in the body made of weakened strains of the flu. This flu season there is a mixture of two Type A strains, known as H1N1 and H3N2, and a mixture of two Type B strains infecting people. 77 percent of samples genetically sequenced contain H3N2. The problem with this strain is that it is one of the most dangerous.

Students have concerns about the flu and recent epidemic.

Junior Cezar Gherasimescu said, “I think people need to take vitamins and make sure they stay as healthy as possible. I know from experience that the flu is no joke.” He also expressed concern about what Wesleyan was doing to combat the flu, and questioned whether the school offers free vaccines.

To clarify, Wesleyan does not offer any flu shots in the clinic on campus.

Terry Boasika, another junior, agreed. “It makes me more cautious about germs and shak1Front.indd 1

ing hands. It makes me want to keep a thing of hand sanitizer on me because you never know,” he said.

“Just keep it away from me, please,” said fellow classmate Alexis Washington. As far as health services is concerned: “They could do better.”

Another common concern about the flu shot is the misconception that it can infect recipients with the flu. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), though the weakened strains in the shot can’t actually cause the flu, it does take two weeks to work and can weaken the immune system. Another problem is that the vaccine doesn’t always work, although doctors say that the illness is worse without the vaccine.

Neither Washington nor Boasika have received the flu shot for this season.

Gherasimescu is undecided. “I got a flu shot last fall… So, I probably won’t get the shot again, I don’t know,” Gherasimescu said.

With all the recent records of deaths and hospitalizations due to the flu, it can definitely send some people into a frenzy. It’s important to stay calm and try to reduce risks that could lead to catching the flu.

Students who feel under the weather should see a licensed physician if over-the-counter products are not working.

Source: CDC

Mickella Rast|Canva

2/14/2018 12:40:24 PM

2 Thursday February 15, 2018 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

News

Winter session mandatory for incoming freshmen next year

BY MARLYN SILVA mhsilva@vwu.edu

Starting winter of 2019, Virginia Wesleyan Univer- ing that attrition has been a major goal, and I think that Winter Session is a chance for professors to experiment sity will require all freshmen to attend Winter Session. with a mandatory Winter Session, we will reduce it.” and teach classes not traditionally offered.

To many, this may come as a surprise as attendance has Mandatory Winter Session also brings into question “I like the uniqueness of Winter Session. I think that’s always been up to students. Provost Timothy O’Rourke, students’ financial situations, and how they may change. one of the pluses,” Gonsalves-Jackson said. “I definitely who has been spearheading this project, said that want to keep those innovative, out-of-the-box kind this will bring a positive change to the community. of courses during Winter Session. I think that I “Freshmen would have a mandatory Winter Sesspeak for the faculty in general. That’s what we like sion and this would improve their academic perforabout teaching it and that’s what students like about “For some freshmen, it will enable them to stay on coming back.” mance, improve retention. For some freshmen, it will enable them to stay on track to graduate, for track to graduate, for others it will enable them to get Professor Gonsalves-Jackson also mentioned that others it will enable them to get ahead, and may- ahead, and maybe take multiple Winter Sessions so they the regular courses will still be available as well. be take multiple Winter Sessions so they can even “We still want to offer some foundational courses, can even graduate early,” graduate early,” said O’Rourke. what you know as general studies courses,” she said.

Provost Timothy O’Rourke Director of Winter and Summer Sessions Deirdre Although making Winter Session mandatory may Gonsalves-Jackson explained that courses may be have some positive qualities, a few students disagree structured differently from the past. “Our approach about the lack of autonomy. “It’s all about personal this Winter Session moving forward is to just sort of do However, the Provost reports that these classes will be choice. This could push people away more rather than a combination. We plan to offer maybe two, maybe three automatically included with fall tuition. “It will be at a make them stay,” senior Christiana Yi said. courses that are more of a larger seminar type of course higher rate than presently, but currently the Winter SesThe goal is to ultimately improve Winter Session and with 45 or so students,” she said. sion cost is not part of the financial aid package, so that’s the offered classes and the freshmen experience.

One of the biggest reasons for mandatory Winter Ses- an advantage of making it mandatory,” said O’Rourke.

“The nature of Winter Session isn’t necessarily gosion is that the university has been unable to stop students Winter Session has been known as a time when stu- ing to change because I think it works and I think that it from leaving, especially after a 40 day gap for the winter dents can catch up on credits or take some of the most works well. We just want to fold more students into that break. Provost O’Rourke claims that the school has lost unique courses, such as Faith and Art of Tyler Perry. mix and offer them the same innovative courses,” said roughly a third of the freshmen class between students’ Students also have the opportunity to attend study away Gonsalves-Jackson. first and second years. He said that “improving or reduc- classes in places like Costa Rica, Israel and Mexico.

MAUI CONTINUED FROM FRONT 38 minutes later, to the relief of everyone on the islands.

Both instructors praised the students’ reactions and stressed how well they handled the ordeal.

“We didn’t freak out or anything,” said Pentecost. “Everybody was being positive though, like ‘well at least we’re dying in paradise,’” she joked. “It brought us closer together.”

“The students were tremendous… They let it all go, so I think it was a good experience to show a lot of the students that sometimes there’s things that are outside of your control and you just have to roll with the punches. It was a strange half-hour, it really was.

But they did a great job, they were really resilient and they rebounded well. I was really proud of them,” said Kennedy.

“They were awesome, the students were great. Everyone was calm, no one was freaking out,” said Seward. He went on to mention how it “put to the forefront” the reality of unrest in the world.

“This is a very real thing for [the Hawaiians], and while it impacted our trip, it also, again, showed that broader picture.”

Seward expressed hope that students could one day look back and appreciate the brief experience.

“You look back and whenever I’ve been in a travel situation or the outdoors, some of my fondest memories are those unexpected type things. So this is just one of those memories of their time in Hawaii,” he said.

That hope was realized just a few days ago: Pentecost revealed that the students are vying for Doug Kennedy| Courtesy commemorative t-shirts that read “I Students reenact receiving the false missle launch alert. survived the 2018 Hawaiian missile strike.”

And sometimes that materializes itself in what others take “I’m definitely buying one,” she said. away from it. At the end we have a reflection circle right Despite the brief excitement, everyone involved insisted before we leave for the airport,” he said. “It’s always so that the false alert was only a small part of an amazing ex- impactful to see when for students, that lightbulb goes on.” perience and successful trip.

Anyone interested in the 2018-2019 Maui trip is encourWhen asked about the most memorable part, Pentecost aged to contact either Jason Seward at jseward@vwu.edu said her most vivid memory was traveling on the road to or Doug Kennedy at dkennedy@vwu.edu.

Hana.

“It was this one-way, sketchy road on the side of the mountains… it was extremely scary for a lot of us, but for some reason my adrenaline was running and we had the music playing, we had the windows down, and I felt so relaxed and peaceful,” she said.

Kennedy said two events came to mind: snorkeling off the coast of a lava field and helping farmers grow taro.

“We hike out to the lava field to the coast to snorkel. In the last twelve months, we’ve been the only group that’s been allowed to be there. So the students are able to see a part of the world that they’ll be the only 12 in the world to see it. So they get to go out and snorkel an untouched reef, basically,” said Kennedy. The lava field and reef are part of Feature pieces, opinions, and stories by the Hawaii’s Natural Area Reserves System (NARS), a stateeditors of The Marlin Chronicle. wide program designed to protect and preserve some of the most unique ecosystems on the islands.

On a different day, the students helped native Hawaiians thesundayread.tumblr.com on their farm. “They get down in the mud growing taro… they spend the day really understanding the culture and what culture means to the native Hawaiians,” he added.

Seward said that the best part was to see how students reacted to the trip.

“For me, I always learn something new from the islands.

THE SUNDAY READ

2News.indd 1

Emmanuel receives SCHEV award

BY AMANDA ARCHER acarcher@vwu.edu

Professor of philosophy Dr. Steven Emmanuel has received the 2018 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education. On Jan. 30, 2018 President Scott D. Miller congratulated Emmanuel in his annual Nota Bene, and stated that “We are immensely proud of his accomplishments and grateful for his contributions to Virginia Wesleyan University.”

The Outstanding Faculty Award is sponsored

by Dominion Energy. The award is the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia public and private colleges and universities. The goal of the award is to recognize excellence in teaching, research and service among distinguished faculty. This year’s committee received 83 nominations. The group was narrowed to 27 finalists, and Dr. Emmanuel was selected as one of 12 award recipients.

“When I first heard about the award my mind immediately went to all the things that make it possible. Anything that we accomplish as educators really depends on having a place we can do those things,” said Emmanuel. “A place where we can flourish to do those things. A place where we have great colleagues and students who inspire us.”

According to the Nota Bene, Provost and Vice President Timothy O’Rourke referred to Professor Emmanuel in his nomination letter as the “quintessential teacher-scholar” and “a person of uncommon ability, good spirit, integrity and civic commitment.”

“It’s not about me. I am very glad to have received the award, but at the end of the day, I am only able to receive that award because I have a great home here at Virginia Wesleyan with enormous support and encouragement. Great colleagues and inspiring students,” said Emmanuel.

During his time at Virginia Wesleyan, Dr. Emmanuel has demonstrated an impressive record of teaching, research, publication and service. He has served as chair of the Humanities Division and chair of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Emmanuel is an Affiliate Teacher with the the Harvard Pluralism Project, and for the past 10 years has maintained a weekly group session for teens at a local crisis shelter, to name two of his more recent projects.

Despite all of his accolades and community involvement, Emmanuel gives credit to the institution for his success.

“I don’t think of the award primarily in terms of what it does for me, but what it says about the institution,” said Emmanuel.

Along with being awarded the 2018 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education, Emmanuel has received VWU’s Sara Rose Award for leadership in service learning, the Samuel Nelson Gray Award, Virginia Wesleyan’s highest award for distinguished faculty, and is the author or editor of over six books.

2/14/2018 11:30:30 AM

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Community

Thursday February 15, 2018 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Starbucks makes a splash in the Grille

Allaina Boggs |Marlin Chronicle The Grille now offers a full menu of Starbucks beverages. Students can use Marlin dollars to purchase hot and iced coffee, frappuccinos, lattes and machiatos.

BY CAMILLE BENZ

cebenz@vwu.edu

Four words have been in every returning student’s mouth: “Starbucks at the Grille!”

In front of the cash register at the Grille in Batten Center, the new Starbucks options are being called out every hour. In the fall semester, there were already some coffee options from the company, but the additional drinks go beyond just hot coffee. Now, in addition to the Lighthouse’s coffee and the Sodexo cafeteria coffee, students have a third choice to boost their energy between classes or cramming for a midnight deadline.

VWU’s Starbucks selections currently include traditional coffee, Hot Chocolate and White Hot Chocolate, Espressos such as Caffe’ Latte, Cappuccino, Caffe’ Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, White Chocolate Mocha and Caffe’ Americano, Iced Coffee and Frappuccinos comprising of Caramel, Mocha, Java Chip, Vanilla Bean and Strawberries Crème. The prices range from $2.25 for a tall cup to $4.95 for a venti and meal equivalent counts when purchasing the drinks when the cafeteria is closed.

Unfortunately, Starbucks gift cards are not set up with the school’s system yet but Tim Lockett, general director of the Dining Services says that “it’s possible in the future.”

There have been no Starbucks baristas hired specifically for the new drinks, just student workers who were recently trained to prepare the new assortment of drinks.

Because students have had to learn these new multi-step drinks, the service time usually takes a while, especially if students are waiting for their order right before class, but despite this temporary inconvenience, the lines for a drink are reasonable and constant.

VWU senior Chyenne Larkins, who works as a manager and barista at a Starbucks café commented, “I think coming from an actual store that the choices they have are extremely limited compared to what an actual Starbucks offers. I can also tell a huge difference between the iced coffee they claim is Starbucks iced coffee and the iced coffee my own store offers in several things like the taste, acidity etc. but it does seem like when I interact with people who claim to be there for coffee purposes - not the school staff - that they are pleasant and seem to try to live up to the level of customer service, or the Starbucks Experience, that barista pledge to strive for.”

Students from the Summer 2017 course ENVS 283: Seminar in Alaska: Sustainability

The difference between the Grille’s assortment and a regular Starbucks menu is that it lacks the Teavana tea options offered at all Starbucks cafes. Lockett he explained that there are tea beverages offered at The Grille and that “we will have Tazo teas available soon. The Teavana program is not yet available to us but should be for the fall semester.” Mr. Lockett also explained that students have the possibility to pitch their food/beverage requests to the Culinary Council which is how Starbucks arrived on campus. As for seasonal drinks, such as Pumpkin Spiced Latte or Peppermint offered by the company during the fall and winter, “We are going to have most of their seasonal drinks,” Lockett said.

Until the Teavana options or Tazo teas become available, students who cannot drink coffee or are simply not coffee drinkers have little to no options at the Grille’s Starbucks; Brandon Foster, an attending junior, is one of these students, Foster said, “I would be interested in addition to our already short but needed supply of available options, we add the Starbucks refresher teas (strawberry acai in particular) and, the pink ombre drink because it adds a good variety that isn’t coffee to the menu. I can’t drink coffee so it would give me a greater variety to come to the Starbucks options here on campus.” Regarding special dietary needs for those who enjoy coffee and are vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerant or have other sensitivities, it is worth noting that for drinks that require milk there is a variety of coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, nonfat, 2% or whole milk for students and faculty to choose from.

If the Grille aims to be competitive with respect to the other five Starbucks students could go to outside of campus, it seems they must add some alternative drinks apart from coffee. On the other hand, students that live on campus and fewer less opportunities to venture to Starbucks can finally satisfy their coffee cravings whenever he Grille is open. In a campus community often consisting of tired students, we can expect to see the Starbucks mermaid logo in many student’s hands.

Cody Lichvar, Internship - NASA August 2017

MONEY AVAILABLE FOR VWU STUDENTS INTERNSHIP, RESEARCH, AND STUDY AWAY GRANTS Added Bonus: Tuition $150/Credit

SPRING PRIORITY DEADLINE: Feburary 15 FINAL DEADLINE: April 2 Applications on The Ligthouse page of the VWU Portal 3Community.indd 1

2/14/2018 11:33:11 AM

4 The Marlin Chronicle |

The

MARLIN CHRONICLE

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Let’s get ethical, ethical

BY BRIANNA KIDWELL bnclarkson@vwu.edu

Editor-in-Chief Justin Smith jrsmith2@vwu.edu Managing Editor Hayley Heath hrheath@vwu.edu News Editors Mickella Rast mjrast@vwu.edu Amanda Archer acarcher@vwu.edu Community Editors Cynthia Griffin clgriffin@vwu.edu Brianna Kidwell bnclarkson@vwu.edu Opinions Editor Ashley Kline aakline@vwu.edu Sports Editors Corey King ckking1@vwu.edu Luke Chiasson lachiasson@vwu.edu

Janice Marshall Pittman|Courtesy VWU students and faculty advisor who represented the university at the Ethics Bowl.

The Weekender Editor Julie Ainsley jmainsley@vwu.edu Photo Editor Allaina Boggs arboggs@vwu.edu Illustrations Editor Valerie Miller vgmiller@vwu.edu Alex Powers ampowers@vwu.edu Online Editor Nel Hart nlhart@vwu.edu Copy Editor

The Virginia Wesleyan University Quiz Bowl team won four of four rounds at the annual Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Annual Ethics Bowl this last week.

Five students who are part of our community had the opportunity to go to HampdenSydney College where they competed with other collegiate students by debating specific ethical issues.

This is a competition the university takes part in every year and students are proud to represent the university.

Coordinator Kathy Merlock Jackson, Communications Professor at VWU, took five students to the Bowl this year to represent the university: seniors Sheril Steinberg and Kelsi Robins, sophomore Sara Roscoe, and freshman Alex Powers and Brianna Sandy.

These students and many more gathered to discuss multiple ethical issues from law to education to business and more. Numerous professionals from different careers got to hear the students debate about these different issues starting on Feb. 11.

The Ethics Bowl took place at Hampden-Sydney College this year. Students participated in debates starting on Sunday the 12 at 3:30 p.m. until Monday at 11:15 a.m. The Batten trophy was taken home last year by Hampden-Sydney from our

own Virginia Wesleyan Batten Center.

Our five students who participated in the VFIC Ethics Bowl have put much work into this event and practice as well.

“Our team, which reflects the diversity of our campus, has spent the past several months arguing cases that address multicultural issues and looks forward to a lively and challenging competition,” Kathy Merlock Jackson said.

One of the final ways these students practiced was VWU holding their own mini Ethics Bowl on campus in efforts to be prepared for the real thing. Held by some of the Virginia Wesleyan faculty such as, Professor Craig Wansink and Professor James Moskowitz, the students gathered in the Monumental Chapel to hold their own ethics bowl. There the five students discussed some of the different issues that would be presented to them at Hampden-Sydney while their fellow students sat and listened to them debate.

“The students worked together so well as a team. They balance each other so well,” Wansink said.

Students study away for winter session

BY JENNA WHITENER jjwhitener@vwu.edu

Tara Truax tmtruax@vwu.edu Business Manager Justin Smith jrsmith2@vwu.edu Advertising Manager Jasmine Demir jkdemir@vwu.edu Podcast Manager Brenna Will bcwill@vwu.edu Adviser Dr. Lisa Lyon Payne

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

4Community.indd 1

Sky Swain|Courtesy Students that participated in the Hawaii study abroad trip Perhaps one of the best ways to begin the new year is to leave the familiarity of home and experience a different place or culture. This past January, many Virginia Wesleyan students decided to do just that and took advantage of the University’s Winter Session study away program and began 2018 by visiting Hawaii, Costa Rica, Berlin, or Israel.

The study away courses all took place between Jan. 3 and Jan. 25, with the actual travel dates depending on the course. A portion of each course was spent on campus before traveling. During this portion students learned about their destination and its history, largely in the context of the subject of the course.

A group of seven students led by Professor Sara Sewell left Virginia Beach and flew to Berlin, Germany where they stayed for two weeks and learned about the rich historical landscape of the city, which played a large role in Germany’s history during the twentieth century.

The students toured many parts of the city and visited historical sites and buildings such as fragments of the Berlin Wall, the Church of St. Nicholas, Charlottenburg Palace, the Olympic Stadium and the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. “The whole thing was kind of unreal,” junior Katherine Staman said. The students were able to gain a deeper grasp of the history of Berlin, but they did not just focus on the past they focused on the modern city filled with lots of art and culture, and the students were given the opportunity to explore it all on their days off. Enjoying the foreign food was another great experience.“The pretzels were amazing! Anything with bread, really. It was all so good,” Staman exclaimed.

Doug Kennedy took a class of students to Maui, Hawaii for their Recreation 348 class. The students experienced parts of Hawaiian culture by enjoying various tropical fruits Hawaii offers such as coconuts and carambolas, taking long hikes to examine the impact that tourism and travel have on the environment, economy, and culture of the area.

“On one hike we had to cross one steam 13 different times to get to a waterfall in the jungle. The view was definitely worth the hike, though,” sophomore Tyler Pratt said. Students were also taught how pollution from sunscreen has depleted nearly 75 percent of Hawaii’s coral reefs, and how officials in Hawaii are working to preserve and protect the beautiful, tropical environment while still maintaining tourism which is a large contributor to the state’s economy.

Twenty-three students spent Winter Session in Costa Rica to complete a Biology/Earth and Environmental course on the ecology of the island.

While in Costa Rica students got field experience in ecosystems like coral reefs, rainforests and mangrove swamps. The main objective of

Aleah Brinn|Courtesy Students that participated in the Israeli study abroad trip the course was for students to examine the conservation of biodiversity in an area that is largely affected by the tourism industry.

“While in Costa Rica we learned that the country disbanded much of their military to be able to put more money into their ecotourism industry. It was cool to see how a country was willing to put the conservation of their environment and its life first,” sophomore Adwoa Asiedu explained. The course allowed students to be immersed in the culture of the island as well. For six nights students stayed with host families, an experience that introduced them to the Spanish language and the culture of the island.

“Trying to understand my host mother was hard at first,” Asiedu recalled, “but by the last night I could nearly understand her without trying.” The course was offered to both science and non-science majors and incorporated science and culture to give students a trip to remember.

Students who took the Religions 361 course certainly had a trip to remember after their first plane was cancelled. The travel trouble didn’t end there, but that didn’t stop them, and the 19 students accompanied

by Professor Craig Wansink safely made it to Israel.

“While the travel difficulties weren’t fun, it did make arriving in Israel that much sweeter,”junior Jacklyn Cheely said. The trip focused on exploring the history of Israel and the development of biblical literature. It also aimed to teach students about Christianity, Islam, and Judaism which are prevalent in Israel, especially in Jerusalem.

While in Israel the students participated in a variety of activities that allowed them to experience the culture of the country and learn about the religions of the area. Activities included floating in the Dead Sea, visiting various religious sites such as the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, the Church of Holy Sepulchre and seeing the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden Tomb and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Winter Session Study Away Program is a great way for students to start their year off with new experiences. It also makes getting abroad experience easier and more accessible to students. “As an athlete, it is hard to find time between keeping up with classes and practice while still getting abroad experience,” remarked Staman. “Studying away during Winter Session offered me time to get the abroad experience that I knew would benefit me later in life while still allowing me to focus on my studies and sport during the fall and spring semesters.”

Through studying away students can connect with peers they may not have otherwise been connected to on campus and form bonds that will last a lifetime. The Lighthouse offers Study Away Course Grants to ensure that all students at Virginia Wesleyan are given the opportunity to gain abroad experience, regardless of finances.

2/14/2018 12:57:00 PM

Opinions Letting their hair down Iranian women protest the traditional hijab

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Thursday February 15, 2018 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Me too Sexual scandal runs rampant among our nation’s leaders

BY SABRINA LEMONS smlemons@vwu.edu

Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle

BY ASHLEY KLINE aakline@vwu.edu

Muslim women in Iran strive for freedom not from metallic chains, but fabric headscarves. Protests across the country surround perhaps the most controversial parts of the Muslim religion as it pertains to human rights, the hijab. For those of you who may not know, the hijab is the ritualistic head covering worn by many Muslim women when out in public. Muslim women in America get to choose their degree of religiosity as it pertains to the hijab. However, this is not the case in other parts of the world.

According to The New Yorker, Women in Iran have the principles of Islamic modesty forced upon them by laws stating that all women over the age of puberty must wear the traditional head coverings.

This apparently is not just for natives, but women visiting as well, including visiting politicians and dignitaries. Now, Iranian women are giving a whole new meaning to the phrase, “let your hair down” as they’ve begun removing their head

scarves.

Traditionally, the hijab has been viewed as a symbol female oppression in the western world. Finally, Iranian women are demonstrating they share such views and are revealing what could be one of their best kept secrets, their hair. Hair has been considered a symbol of feminine beauty since the beginning owf time, and I am so proud of Iranian women for embracing this concept and owning their natural beauty.

Sticks have become one of the greatest weapons in this nonviolent protest movement as women across Iran are using them to display their removed garments.

The part I admire most about this protest is the nonviolent nature of it. Women who once wore the hijab are proving they do not need head coverings in order to embrace principles of modesty as they are able to display such principles through their actions.

SHUTDOWN

What does a government shutdown really mean?

BY ASHLEY KLINE aakline@vwu.edu

There has been much talk of government shutdowns, the most recent one being early in the morning of Feb. 9, while most of us were hopefully asleep. What does a government shutdown truly mean?

Most of us average citizens do not feel the impacts of a government shutdown. Therefore, we may be unable to understand the extent of this matter.

The full impacts of a government shutdown can be better understood by relating the concept of a shutdown to something closer to home.

Suppose campus officials were unable to agree on a spending budget, as was the case for our nation’s government on Feb. 9, and campus had to shut down.

First of all, classes would be cancelled. This might sound positive until you go to the Batten Center with the hopes of hanging out with friends on your day off and discover it’s closed. No employees are able to come in, leaving the doors closed to crowds of students wanting to socialize over a game of pool or ping pong. You must find another way to occupy your time, which hypothetically you manage to do.

Then, around lunchtime you start to feel hungry. You go to the cafeteria, entering through Boyd’s outdoor entrance since Batten is closed, only to realize there is no food. All chefs and cafeteria staff have to take the day off as a result of the shutdown. No meals will be provided until the officials agree on a budget, so you better hope you have food in your room or money for delivery. If not, you may enter into the dreaded state hanger.

If you are one of the people financially stable enough to order food, the delivery driver will have no trouble getting onto campus since security has the day off as well. While people such as delivery drivers are welcome elements on campus, this also leaves campus open to seedier elements.

Furthermore, even though the card reader on each dormitory door is battery operated, what if one dies? Security would be unable to come along and change it. Suppose you get locked out of your room, security would be unable to come let you in. R.A.s would also be off duty due to the Office of Residence Life being closed. Hopefully you’re not someone like me who manages to lock themselves out on a quasi-regular basis.

Depending on how long the shutdown persisted for, cleanliness may also be an issue as cleaning staff would not be allowed to work either.

More practically speaking, student employees on campus could expect their next paychecks to be lower than usual, since they wouldn’t be allowed to work during the shutdown. The longer the shutdown lasts, the less money in students’ pockets.

There are many more ways in which a hypothetical shutdown would impact campus. However, the main point of this article is not to delve into a land of would be or could be, but to show the implications of government shutdown, even if we may not experience them first hand.

Some phrases I’ve heard around campus include: “Your crotch is not that interesting,” “Women are stupid,” “Wrong! Saying it again just makes you more wrong!” and “Americans need to do better job of minding their own business.”

Sexual harassment and assault are example of how we, the self-proclaimed, most intelligent species on earth, cannot get past our Neanderthal behaviors. Carry these two quotes by Edmund Burke with you through this article, unless you have the memory: “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it” and “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

One area where accusations of sexual harassment have been prevalent is in the realm of politics. What is it that women want in leaders?

This author cannot speak for the multitudes of women, but personally looks for someone who epitomizes the positive aspects of the 14 basic leadership traits: JJ DID TIE BUCKLE: justice, judgment, dependability, integrity, decisiveness, tact, initiative, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty and endurance.

One has to ask, how does a person work in any government job - elected, appointed, hired, enlisted, or commissioned - and not be aware of the law as it pertains to protecting a person from sexual harassment. Shouldn’t a thorough knowledge of this portion of the law prevent a person from committing these illegal behaviors? Laws that supposedly protect victims also seems to enable criminal behavior by reducing the fear of prosecution and accountability. For people whose jobs are directly drawn from the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other legal documents/decisions, playing by the rules/laws should not be that difficult.

First off, let’s be clear: sexual harassment is not a one-way street, it is not crime just against women. Any crime that erodes basic human dignity, respect, safety is a crime against humanity.

When looking at the situation with politicians, a chicken-egg argument is posed. Did the artistic temperament of Hollywood permeate all parts of our government, or is it the other way around? Is it possible that those inside the Beltway led the limbo dance in violating the rights of fellow citizens? Of course, there is another possible permutation that we often find in nature, birds of a feather flock together, or it takes one to know one.

Dear reader, did you know that one can be elected to Congress or even the presidency with a criminal record? To be nominated and seated in the Supreme Court one need not be a lawyer, only trained in law.

What is going on in Washington, D.C. with the sudden opening of the floodgates in reports of sexual harassment/assault? This is the headquarters for our military, legislature, treasury, cultural epicenters and the seat of our elected officials. Also, what is it with the women in D.C. who do not report these crimes when they are so empowered to walk down the National Mall wearing larger than life vaginas, labia minora and labia majora on their heads? If women are so strong, empowered, vocal and want a woman to reside in the White House, they should be speaking up and leading in their current roles of employment within all branches, limbs and twigs of our government agencies.

Bringing accusations upon someone after four decades or more, long after you were able to bring it up on your own is clearly just mudslinging. After four decades, the statute of limitations usually has expired. Parading 40 years of history on social media is not a cry for help nor a cry for justice, but a cry for attention. After 40

years; speaking up is no longer courageous; it is cowardly! A delay in speaking up means your silence let another person be violated because you were too much of a coward to stop the predator.

Historically, lack of reporting comes from a source of fear: losing one’s job, position, respect, status, and so forth. However, there are protections against this to prevent retaliation.

How can we have these women in leadership roles in D.C. controlling the day to day dynamics and interactions between our military personnel if they cannot keep their figurative and literal houses, chambers and offices in order? Is there some facet in the nature of these women where they want to be perceived as the victims in the workplace, so they can play both sides of the fence, and run to whichever side they want to hide out in when convenient? Any type of harassment, discrimination, assault, bullying or any unprofessional behavior does not make our world better, does not advance our civilization, nor does not enrich our communities. No one should make any excuses for this immoral and unethical behavior.

On a different note, where are these men who supposedly love, honor and respect women?

Why are these men not speaking up, behaving and leading the workplace in manner that is consistent with the environment in which they would want their spouses or children to live and work? Is the issue that men are so afraid of strong, capable and brave women they try debase women sexually via subtle behaviors, overt acts, language, or all-out assault? If women behaved towards men in the manner some men behave toward some women, they would be deemed aggressive and very likely whores or sluts.

Overall, I believe society should leave the adults to battle with their own perversions in the workplace and stop littering the newsfeed with things that should be handled privately within the workplace by human resources. No organization can impose its standards and culture on another, thereby outside input is moot. We should turn our concerns toward children and the momentum that is being aimed in an effort to legalize ultimately aimed at violating the lives, rights, bodies, and futures of children.

Let us reel this topic in a little closer to home with an arena the reader may be more familiar.

Here at Virginia Wesleyan, we have seemed to address sexual harassment/assault at the student level with the mandatory training/test required before being able to register for classes. One student during her Port Day presentation said she had never experienced sexual discrimination before going on her study abroad trip to a country in South America. Surprising! If true; awesomely remarkable! Maybe the women of history paving the way for other women is finally taking root in elementary schools, high schools and maybe even on college campuses. Yet, it seems we have a long way to go as a society.

As a young adult and college graduate, you may find yourself in a position where you have to deal with the issues that require the finesse of soft skills, to ensure people are treated with respect in the workplace. What are you doing now to make sure you are not the one acting too familiar with a co-worker, subordinate, or superior? What will you do if you are subjected to demeaning behavior in clear violation of company policies and laws? What will you do if you witness these behaviors/actions or someone one confides in you? Not everyone may have the suave and velvet hammer methods of Elle Woods to deal with a predator in their workplace. Never stop adding tools to your toolbox as you go through college and find your place in the world as a wage-earning-tax-paying-citizen.

Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle

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2/14/2018 12:43:15 PM

6 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Trial drives ‘Glee’ star to suicide

BY FARAH HAIDARI

fahaidari@vwu.edu

Bing Photos|Courtesy “Glee” actor Mark Salling, who recently committed suicide, is shown.

What being black means to me

BY WYNTER BOND wcbond@vwu.edu

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I attended Norfolk State University or Hampton University. Yes, the class sizes would be much larger, as would the campus. But what I really wonder about is the culture, seeing as how both of the schools mentioned are historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

As Black History Month approached, I took in everything around campus from staff to professors to our campus culture to rumors of changes to rules that would affect a specific subset of people. I have come to realize that our school is a PWI (primarily white institution). Now, I knew Wesleyan was when I came here, but have never felt this until now.

I have noticed that as far as professors, there is a lack of diversity as it pertains to race. I like looking around and seeing people that I can relate to that have achieved a goal of higher status. I think it’s important to see that, especially at this stage of our lives. As kids we look around at the media and see so much diversity in so many different fields, but then we go to school and that same notion doesn’t seem to be reciprocated in reality. Granted, some schools at the secondary education level have improved. But it seems as though the higher we go with our education the less diversity among educators.

It also seems that, when it comes to forms of expression, there is often backlash if it goes against the unspoken campus culture. I have seen and been on the receiving end of it numerous times since last year. I have sat and kneeled when the anthem is played, only to receive public reprimand, jeering, or insults from peers. This has not only been directed at myself, but also at my fellow peers who share similar ideology. Here’s my question: why does someone who believes in a different stance than someone else deserve to be insulted or verbally assaulted? Is it really hurting you when others don’t stand for the anthem because they silently voice a different opinion? I encourage those who don’t understand to ask questions, because that is the only way to grow as a society.

When it comes to Greek life, I can’t speak on much. I am not a part of that subset of culture, but I have friends who are. I have seen how some people react to the activities or behaviors that come from the three historically black fraternities and sororities we have on campus. I find the strolling interesting to watch and I love to see my friends who are part of this part of Greek life showcase their passion for their sorority or fraternity. Too many times though I have seen people post on social media and have even heard of them being described as “hooligans” or “disruptive.” I feel as though everything they

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do is a refreshing departure from the usual ho-hum college atmosphere, but to name call? It makes for an environment that doesn’t seem at all conducive to being accepting of a different culture than one’s own. It should, in fact, be celebrated. It should be a culture in which we try to learn more from and be proud of rather than the behavior I see directed toward it now. It’s an uplifting and unique thing to witness, their culture.

Being black in today’s America, it’s scary. I still fear when I see a police car behind or next to me when I’ve done nothing wrong. The first time I got pulled over last year, the officer immediately asked me if the car I was driving was stolen or registered to me.

He wouldn’t tell me what I was being pulled over for until I had asked twice.

This was also after he asked me if I had been drinking because when he started tailgating me I had swerved. His reason for pulling me over: he thought my bright lights were on. I have been followed around malls and stores more times than I can count. I have been called the n-word so much since Nov. 8, 2016. I have seen so many posts on social media of people trying to discredit black people and what they have accomplished or accusations of the “black agenda” being aggressive and a “hindrance to society.”

So let me tell you what being black means to me. To me, being black means having to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously as anyone else. It means always being asked, “What are you mixed with?” because just being black isn’t good enough. It means being looked over, even if you’re the best for the job. It means always having to explain your motives, your work, your thoughts because there will always be questions. It means being judged before you even open your mouth.

It means always looking over your shoulder because that’s how a lot of people look at us. It means having to be strong all the time even when everything is telling us to slow down. But we are strong. Being black also means we are resilient, motivated, and beautifully smart. I am proud of the color of my skin. We may not all know where we came from, but we know where we’re headed, and that is for greatness.

“Glee” star Mark Salling committed suicide late last month. In October, Salling pleaded guilty to storing child pornography on his computer. People magazine said that Salling would have faced four to seven years in prison for pornography depicting a “prepubescent minor.”

Federal investigators say they found more than 25,000 images and 600 videos depicting child pornography on Salling’s computers and thumb drives. The content shows children as young as 3-years-old being abused, according to court documents.

I remember how I first found out about the accusations. I was on Buzzfeed when I saw a few articles talking about his guilt. I was surprised and sad.

I didn’t know him personally, but have been a fan of “Glee” for years. I felt that I knew his character, Noah, and for some reason I thought that’s who he truly was. It’s interesting when people watch their favorite TV shows and movies, or even follow them on social media and associate character personalities with actors.

Since I am a fan of “Glee,” Salling’s death brought up feelings about fellow cast members Cory Monteith’s fatal overdose. These were two actors who played a big role on this show. The day that Salling passed away, I saw a photo on Instagram posted by another “Glee” actor, Matthew Morrison, with both Salling and Monteith. This photo made me feel mad and even more sad.

Suicide has always been a sensitive topic for me. My senior year of high school was mostly positive, but also emotionally draining. Two boys committed suicide within a day of each

other. That was the first time I truly had to deal with death. I didn’t really know these boys, but hearing they had passed away was still impactful. I was pretty emotional that whole week. I constantly cried to the point it eventually worried my teachers, who thought I would get sick.

I just felt so bad for them. They died at such a young age and had given up on life.

If I didn’t watch “Glee” and heard about this, then I would still have been sad and angry. I wish no one would ever commit suicide, even if they’re going through hell. I wish people knew that if they’re going through hard times, they will get better no matter how they feel at that moment.

This being said, I still think porn is bad under any circumstance. It doesn’t matter if adults, teenagers, or kids are shown. It shouldn’t exist. The fact that Salling watched kids perform sexual acts and enjoyed it is sickening.

Child porn, or any porn, should not exist. It is the duty of parents and/or legal guardians to make sure children in their care are safe. The fact that any kid being in this type of entertainment while under the care of a parent or legal guardian is beyond me.

I feel bad for Salling’s parents, family and friends who are dealing with this death. I can’t even begin to imagine how all of them are feeling right now, but hope everyone will give them space and let them know that they are there for them. I read comments on social media about how Salling deserved to die and it’s so sad. No one ever deserves to die; no matter how evil they are. Imprisonment is far better than death. Being in prison is harder than dying and causes criminals to think about how much they messed up and learn from their mistakes.

The land of lost DREAMs Lack of solutions creates uncertainty for DACA’s future

Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle

BY MARLYN SILVA mhsilva@vwu.edu

America will always be known as the land of opportunity. This is where people come to fulfill their dreams and hope to succeed in whatever they choose to do. While thousands of people travel around the world to reach these goals, certain young immigrants who travel to the United States, referred to as DREAMers, have recently been catapulted into the spotlight in the past few months. The biggest controversy surrounding DREAMers is whether the policy of DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, will continue given the current state of this country and its government.

By the end of 2017, President Donald Trump had decided to end the DACA program. According to The New York Times, President Trump ended the program in September. However, it was argued that this was an overuse of presidential power.

Eventually, President Trump gave in and said that DACA will end soon if Congress does not come up with what he and the government deem a reasonable solution. This is then where the problem lies. Not only has the uncertainty of DACA’s future jeopardized the lives of immigrants here in the U.S., it has caused an uproar within society.

It’s known that the country has been divided and its relationship with its citizens has been strained for a while. It doesn’t help that all of the sudden, people who immigrated here at a young age and have assimilated to our society are not welcome to stay at all. This kicks off a chain of events that puts many DREAMers at risk of deportation. Various news outlets such as CBS News and NPR have reported that all the DACA recipients will lose all benefits available to them on March 5 of this year.

Some of these benefits include work permits and being able to legally drive.

One of the biggest criticisms of DACA being taken away is this can ultimately impact people’s lives in a negative way. Again, some

DACA recipients had come to live in the U.S. at a very young age. For some, all they know is America and its culture, especially the language. Without DACA, many immigrants could be shoved into societies they know absolutely nothing about. This can be a jarring experience. Also, they will no longer receive the help or dreams they were promised.

Despite all this, nothing has been truly done in order to fix the problem and nothing has been done to help these people stay, even when there is a lot at stake. The lack of resolution from the government is what is most frustrating to deal with when hearing about DACA and what is being lost.

The government has hardly done anything that seems to say that they take this seriously while President Trump had originally told Congress to more or less solve the problem on their own. This was even expressed by his own Twitter page, as he put out into the internet that Congress had better get ready to do their job when referring to DACA. This makes it appear as though immigration is not considered a priority within our government.

While some may disagree, the next question is: how long will it take to reach a solution or an agreement? As of right now, there is still no true answer as to what will be done.

However, news has been recently made public that anyone protected by DACA who is enlisted in the military will not be subjected to deportation if no plan is made to keep the program going. Even though this is new information regarding what will happen to DREAMers, nothing has been said about the rest of the program’s recipients. It’s time to solve the issue and stop putting off what needs attention.

Again, lives could be affected and by not saying or doing anything, unfortunate stress is to added to the situation. The only thing left to do is sit and wait to see whose lives will change forever on March 5, 2018.

2/14/2018 12:45:16 PM

7

Sports

Thursday February 15, 2018 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

the

Team cohesion fuels regional ranking DUGOUT LUKE CHIASSON is a junior majoring in communication

Department of Sports Information| Courtesy The record setting Distance Medley Relay Team of poses for a picture after setting the school record at the Finn Pincus Invite.

BY MEGAN SHERMAN mrsherman@vwu.edu

The 2017-2018 women’s track and field season has consisted of record breaking and standout performances. Not only did their Distance Medley Relay (DMR) team comprised of Marissa Coombs, Emily Latimer, Alizae Dollins and Kwonsha Washington break the school record with a time of 12 minutes, 35.49 seconds, but the team has earned a third place regional ranking, the highest in program history.

Junior Alizae Dollins said that this ranking only motivates them to achieve more. “It really just makes us work harder. Just because we got the kind of title that we wanted doesn’t mean that we stop there,” Dollins said.

Head Coach Krista Littleton attests their success to the leadership of the senior class and team togetherness as a whole. “There’s no question that this is the strongest team we have ever had. Hard work definitely is a huge factor, but team chemistry also plays a critical role too,” Littleton said.

She also commented on the team’s support of one another regardless of their event, “every time they step on the starting line, the throwing circle, or jump runway, they are competing for each other,” Littleton said.

In recent events, Coombs impressed per usual. On the first day of the Finn Pincus Invite, she ran the last leg of the winning DMR team, assisting her team to a 48 second differential between them and the second place finisher. This event not only broke the school record, but is also currently the fourth-

fastest time in Division III across the country.

“At the Roanoke meet when we ran the Distance Medley Relay, I realized just how special this team was…A lot of times track and field is seen as an individual sport, but in so many ways it’s a team sport. I couldn’t have run the last leg of that race as fast as I did without my team screaming at me on the side of the track,” Coombs said.

On day two Coombs snagged a first place finish in the one-mile race with an ODAC-leading time of 5:05.88. Two weeks later, at the Vincent Brown Invite hosted at Christopher Newport University, Coombs bested her previous mile time with a time of 5:01, placing her eighth in the nation. She also ran a 2:21 in the 800-meter, the fastest DIII time at the meet.

“Our four seniors are definitely game changers with their events sitting high in the conference and region. Marissa Coombs in particular is a three time All-American who is definitely an inspiration and role model to her teammates,” Littleton said.

Senior thrower Michelle Yates is another notable performer. At the Finn Pincus Invitational she posted a 12.58 meters throw in the weight throw, which placed her second in the ODAC. Then in the Vincent Brown Invite she tossed the shot put 12.50m, earning a second place finish.

“By far, this is the best team chemistry we’ve ever had. We’re supportive, we’re there cheering for each other, so I think, by

us being ranked third regionally, has made us just want to push and support each other even more to reach our true potential as a team as a whole,” Yates said.

Senior leaper Rolonda Taylor also had some key contributions. At the Roanoke event, she earned a pair of second place finishes with distances of 1.58m in the high jump and 5.30m in the long jump. She also tallied a third-place finish and second place conference ranking in the triple jump with a 10.74m performance.

With experienced team members such as Yates and Coombs, upperclassmen leadership has propelled their team to their highest regional ranking.

“We also have great leadership from our team captains this year and outstanding event coaches helping the athletes reach their potential,” Littleton said.

“I think this team is so special because of our team first mentality. Everyone on the team is willing to put the team ahead of themselves in any situation,” Coombs said.

The women’s track and field team returns to action on February 16 at Roanoke College for the Roanoke Tune-Up. The meet will serve as a warm up for the ODAC Indoor Championships which will be held on February 25 in Salem, VA. Based off of the results at the ODAC Indoor Championships, the team or individuals may qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships held in Birmingham, AL on Mar. 10-11.

Swimming competes in ODAC championships

BY LUKE CHIASSON lachiasson@vwu.edu

The Virginia Wesleyan University Swimming team completed their first season of competition this past weekend at the ODAC Championships in Greensboro, NC. The men finished in 9th place, accumulating 119.0 points, while the women finished in 10th place with a team total of 86.0 points.

Individual highlights include many new school records being set for both the men and the women. Freshman Kristian Rinkus capped off his stellar season by finishing the 100-yard freestyle in 50.59. Sophomore Kyle Woolf also set a personal best along with a school recording finishing the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:43.71. Fellow sophomore Patrick McKneely showed off his improvement by setting a school record in the 1650-yard race in 21:59.19. The men’s 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Woolf, Rinkus, Wade Jernigan, and Stephen Carlo broke the school record by finishing the race in 3:44.20.

The women joined the record-breaking party in numerous events, starting with Hayley Heath in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 1:03.42. Heath, along with teammates Amanda Waller, Morgan Lucas, and Ashley Whipple, put forth a tremendous effort in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a school record of 4:29.90. Alex Ghazaleh left her mark on the swimming program as she set a school record in one of her last races as a Marlin in the 200-yard backstroke with a

time of 2:57.93. Waller also placed herself at the top 200-yard breaststroke record book finishing with a time of 3:00.46. 24:04.88 is the new time at the top of the record book

in the 1650-yard freestyle. The Marlins will look to build off a strong first season of competition under Coach Mike Ginder and build a successful program in the near future.

Mike Ginder| Courtesy The men’s and women’s swim teams poses at the podium at the ODAC Championships.

Department of Sports Information| Courtesy Hayley Heath competes in the 200-yard individual medley at the ODAC Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

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Now that my Super Bowl hangover is over and I am (almost) over Nick Foles beating my New England Patriots, I guess it is time to move onto the next major sporting event that is going on: the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The casual Olympics watcher may see “Olympic Athletes from Russia” in the medal counts or see those athletes compete in events and get confused and rightfully so.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) came down on Russia and their Olympic Committee for supporting doping for their athletes. In terms easier to understand, Russia was giving their athletes performance enhancing drugs, which is very illegal. To most, this was a long time coming, but the confusion comes in when there are still Russian athletes competing in the games but technically are not representing Russia, weird, I know. Some of the athletes were banned from competition because of the scandal, while about 170 athletes from Russia are competing. North Korea also decided to be a part of the World for once with two athletes qualifying for the games, which is a neat story, but they also brought along with them cheerleaders, who eerily remind people of sorority recruitment videos. Enough about Russia and North Korea though because USA USA USA!!! For some reason, I am struggling to get behind the Olympics this year. Maybe it is because I am a student-athlete with a packed schedule, but that has never stopped me from watching sports before. Maybe it is because the National Hockey League’s Commissioner, Gary Bettman, did not allow anyone in the NHL to represent their home country in South Korea. Those are both minor inconveniences that I am having trouble to completely justify my disinterest in the Olympics. I honestly believe it is something completely out of the control of any individual: the 14-hour time difference between South Korea and Virginia is what is killing the Olympic vibe for me.

The beauty of sports is watching the events unfold right in front of your eyes as they happen live at the venue. The Olympic television partner, NBC, does a great job of coverage for the Olympics, but the primetime spot on NBC is mainly filled with the main events from the day because that is what the people want to see, but the people already know the result.

Social media, specifically Twitter, is ruining the viewing experience for me. For example, the Opening Ceremonies are always a spectacle with glimpses into the host country’s culture, but by the time it aired on television, numerous pictures and videos were posted on Twitter about the Opening Ceremonies. I did the best I could to watch, but with already seeing what was going to happen, I changed the channel to a live college basketball game after about 15 minutes into the airing of the Opening Ceremonies. I can check my phone when I wake up in the morning and periodically throughout the day and see who wins what medal and how the United States is stacking up in the medal count. I do not need to wait until 8 p.m. every night for Bob Costas or Mike Tirico to tell me how the United States is doing, when I can just look at Twitter whenever I want to see the results. It will be interesting to see how the primetime slot for NBC does for ratings after the Olympics are completed since the main events not are not shown live. I am guessing they will be down compared to previous Olympics where the primetime slot was live. Would people have watched each and every Michael Phelps medal race if the result was already known? I know I would not have watched the Super Bowl if I knew the Patriots were going to lose before it was aired on television. Regardless of the viewing issues, the Olympics is an awesome event that the world can come together and cheer for their country. Go USA! 2/14/2018 12:47:03 PM

8 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

AT A GLANCE ODAC BASEBALL PRESEASON RANKS

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Spring sports: what to expect

BY AUSTIN EDMONDS acedmounds@vwu.edu

Softball

1. Shenandoah 2. Randolph Macon 3. Roanoke 4. Hampden - Sydney 5. Washington & Lee

6. Virginia Wesleyan 7. Guilford College 8. Emory & Henry 9. Lynchburg 10. Bridgewater 11. Eastern Mennonite

ODAC Softball Preseaon Rankings 1. . VIRGINIA

WESLEYAN

Department of Sports Information|Courtesy Senior’s Kiersten Richardson and Cassetty Howerin, along with Sophmore Hanna Hull being recognized as three of the top players in the country.

The Marlins are going to be public enemy number one this year.

Going into the 2018 season the Marlins are going to see the best that every team has to offer. If the Marlins can continue to play their game the way they can as well as continue to #outlove then they should have another deep postseason run. The Marlins are coming off of their first National Championship in school history.

We can expect the Marlin’s to continue their dominance this season with the girls that they are returning. With the two best players in

2. Randolph-Macon 3. Emory & Henry 4. Lynchburg 5. Guilford 6.Roanoke 7. Eastern Mennonite 8. Randolph 9. Shenandoah 10. Bridgewater

Baseball For the Marlins to improve on their 21-20 record from the 2017 season they are going to need to be led by their small group of seniors as well as they well as they are going to need their lower classman to step up. The Marlins finished last season with a solid .297 team Batting average to go along with 273 runs scored and 20 home runs. Where the Marlins need to improve is

ODAC Women’s Lacrosse Preseaon Rankings 1.Washington & Lee 2.Randolph-Macon 3.Roanoke 4.Lynchburg 5.Shenandoah 6.Bridgewater 7.Guilford

8.VIRGINIA

WESLEYAN

9.Randolph

ODAC Men’s Lacrosse Preseaon Rankings 1.Hampden-Sydney 2.Lynchburg 3.Washington & Lee 4.Roanoke College 5.Randolph-Macon 6.Guilford 7.Bridgewater 8.Shenandoah

the country, Howerin and Hull, the Marlins are looking forward to the season. “ We are looking good in practice , we just need to continue working and continue to out love. With those two things, everything else will fall into place” Senior Howerin said. Also to go along with those two, Senior Kierstien Richardson along with Howerin and Hull were named to the top 50 player watch list for the country.

the teams 4.22 Earned Run Average (E.R.A). The teams E.R.A slightly rose to 4.28 in conference play last season.

If the Marlins can get the veteran leadership from the seniors and solid play from their lower classman than they are a safe pick to finish in the top five of the ODAC conference.

Department of Sports Information|Courtesy Senior, Brandon Kussmaul posses for photo during preseason headshots.

Women’s Golf The Marlins are capable of placing at the top of any match. Both golfers have plenty of collegiate play under their belt so expect them to come out the gates hot this spring.

With the women’s team only having two golfers, it is expected that they will continue to give the team quality match after quality match. Hopefully after this season, gaining enough exposure for the team to begin bringing in more women golfers.

Men’s Golf

The Marlins look to continue playing good golf this spring. Seniors Kevin Duffy and Peter Scrimgeour combine to give the Marlins excellent leadership both on and off the golf course.

Duffy, the Georgia native has been around golf and leadership positions since he joined the team in 2014. The leadership duo of him and Scrimgeour, have the Marlins expecting big things.

A big spring from sophomores Jacob Laughlin and Carter Morgan also seem to be on the horizon.

With those two competing very well in the fall, they look to keep that trend going.

Department of Sports Information|Courtesy Junior, Hanna Turner and Sophomore, Maggie Kingora looking forward to the up coming season.

9.VIRGINIA

WESLEYAN

10.Randolph

FOR MORE SPORTS FOLLOW: @MarlinSports Department of Sports Information|Courtesy Right to Left: Jacob Laughlin, Jakob Keidel, Coach Rick Bidnick, Carter Morgan, Kevin Duffy, Peter Scrimgeour. Men’s golf stands holding winner cups for capturing the VSGA Intercolligate title.

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2/14/2018 1:26:43 AM

February 15, 2018

WHAT’S WHAT’S UP UP

HRVA? Black Panther African Culture and Cosplay Celebration @ Selden Market 208 East Main Street Norfolk, VA 23510 2.17.2018| All Day

Teacher’s Pet @ Push Comedy Theater 763 Granby St Norfolk, VA 23510 2.17.2018| 7:00 P.M.

Yoga on Tap @ Bearded Bird Brewing

THEWEEKENDER

SHEDD SHINES IN LOCAL NEWS OF STORMI PRODUCTION CAUSES A STORM Theatre and Women’s and Gender Studies professor, Dr. Sally Shedd performs in a local theater performance of “Rapture Blister, Burn” by Gina Gionfriddo

727 Granby Street Norfolk, VA 2.18.2018 | 10:00 A.M.

201 East Brambleton Ave Norfolk, VA 23510 02.19.2018 | 2:00 P.M.

Rhythm LIVE! @ Harrison Opera House 160 Virginia Beach Blvd Norfolk, VA 23510 2.23.2018 | 7:30 P.M.

Rocky Horror Picture Show @ NARO

1507 Colley Ave Norfolk, VA 23517 2.23.2018 | 11:30 P.M.

Mermaid Mondays @ Virginia Aquariam

717 General Booth Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA 23451 3.5.2018 | 6:00 P.M.

“Death of a Salesman” @ The Little Theatre of Norfolk 801 Claremont Avenue Norfolk, VA 23507 3.9.2018- 4.1.2018| $15

“Peter Pan” Presented by the Hurrah Players @ The Sandler Center 201 Market Street Virginia Beach, VA 23462 3.16.2018- 3.18.2018| $25

The Little Theatre of Norfolk | Courtesy

A tiny broadcast of “I Am Woman Hear me Roar” fades away as the lights come up on a tense gathering of characters.

Two women, instantly recognizable as being of different walks of life, sandwich a floundering man between them, foreshadowing the greater scope of the plot. This opening moment of The Little Theatre of Norfolk’s “Rapture, Blister, Burn,” written by Gina Gionfriddo and directed by Cindy Shea introduces the protagonist, Cathy, portrayed by Virginia Wesleyan University’s own Dr. Sally Shedd, professor of Theatre and Women’s and Gender Studies.

Dr. Shedd’s background is fitting to the character of Cathy, a feminist scholar and author, who has lived a glamorous city life and is returning home to her small town to care for her aging mother. Dr. Shedd performed an authentic professor, similar to her work on campus, but with a raunch twist and a darker outlook on life.

Senior VWU student Sarah Puchalla offered with a laugh that “Dr. Shedd might have been typecast, just a little.” Sarah Puchalla also said that after having Dr. Shedd as a professor “The character asks more personal information rather than asking what is your opinion and how to you back it up?”

While it may be second-nature for Dr. Shedd to portray a professor, her student sees the distinction between the real life and the fictional.

For the Virginia Wesleyan audience, perspectives of the professor, the traditional student and the non-traditional

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Columnist Wynter Bond shares her view on the announcement of Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy

BY WYNTER BOND wcbond@vwu.edu

Norfolk Admirals v.

Jacksonville Icemen @ Norfolk Scope

BY EMILY VIAL esvial@vwu.edu

PAGE 9

The playbill for the performance of “Rapture, Blister, Burn” features Dr. Sally Shedd who played Catherine Croll, an academic who specializes in feminism.

adult student are all given equal weight and examination. Gwen, the housewife and mother, but eager student, has the life experience to back up her claims and ideas.

Though she and Cathy are at odds in their personal life, Gwen is able to leverage her life experience in favor of theoretical ideas that Cathy doesn’t give equal weight.

A traditional student might most relate to the character of Avery, played by Norfolk native a witty and frank 20-something who experiences life and college with a millenial attitude.

Senior Christine Megia, who went to see the piece as a part of her winter session Theatre class said that she was split between the generational ideas presented, not quite aligning with one perspective.

“I grew up on my mother’s ideas of feminism, but am starting to build my own perspective,” Megia said. To fully appreciate the work she “sat back and tried to push my biases out of the way”.

A non-traditional or mature student may experience and relate to the piece through Dr. Shedd’s portrayal of Cathy, or through the adult student and opposing character Gwen. Representing different perspectives and different paths in life is familiar VWU students. These women work and argue “Gilmore Girls” style through an examination of wisdom, motherhood, career girl prospects.

The playwright effectively gives each perspective on life an equal and fair weight, and the director reinforced that with sympathetic portrayals of each of the women.

Leading by example, and showing real life experiences can be the greatest teacher, which is why it is so important that plays like Rapture, Blister, Burn become more prolific in the community, and these themes find their way more often into mainstream media.

Megia said that she “learned more sitting in that play, in the 2 hours, about feminism than in 4 years at Wesleyan”.

Not everyone can be benefited by the classroom setting, and as multimedia teaching and technology advances, the attention span of the average student is shortened. It is no secret that films and plays are great teachers, people are gain valuable perspective and new ideas of community from characters they see living other lives than their own. A modern American teenager may never know the life of a 16th century slave, or a 40-something businessman may never have had the same experiences as a 25 year-old veteran, but through film and plays they can see how “the other half” lives.

The Little Theatre of Norfolk, and director Cindy Shea successfully produced a heart-warming show that fits exactly within the niche of community theatre.

Bringing together multiple generations of women to explore what it means to be happy and fulfilled, and how adopting a feminist point of view can change a life for the better is a message that is familiar, especially with the advent of the TimesUp and #MeToo.

So, the news that (most of) America was waiting for finally arrived last week: yes, Kylie Jenner was pregnant but surprisingly, there was no big hoopla during it.

On Feb. 4, the youngest Jenner sister posted on social media platforms, confirming both her pregnancy and the fact that she had given birth. In a typed statement on her Instagram, Jenner stated, “I understand that you’re used to me bringing you along on all my journeys. My pregnancy was one I chose not to in front of the world. I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress free, and healthy way I knew how. There was no gotcha moment, no big paid reveal I had planned. I chose to so it this way for my little life and our happiness.”

Jenner later posted a link on her Twitter page to a YouTube video chronicling the nine months of pregnancy. Included in the video were sentiments from her best friend, Jordyn Woods, Jenner’s and the baby father Travis Scott’s families, as well as footage of doctor’s visits and Jenner’s baby shower.

On Feb. 6, Jenner revealed her baby girl’s name to be Stormi Webster.

Let me start off saying this: I honestly have never had a high regard to any of the Kardashians or Jenners. I used to think Kylie was the worst of them all. She popped up with plastic surgery and a new look that made her look like Kendall’s stepmother when they would pose side by side. It was always exposing clothing and subtweets to her boyfriend’s baby mama.

Kylie just spelled drama from the top of each Instagram post to the tagged accounts on her Lip Kit launch promotions. But after reading Kylie’s statement and watching the video, I think I’ve found a new respect for her.

Anyways, I broke the statement down and really tried to connect to Kylie and how she was feeling. What really struck almost immediately me about her statement was when she said “my pregnancy was one I chose not to in front of the world. I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress free, and healthy way I knew how…I chose to so it this way for my little life and our happiness.” I read that was like “…damn.

This is an actual person.” I think as a society we tend to really dehumanize celebrities.

We start to just see them as objects of our own entertainment, whether that be in a positive or negative way. We fail to see them as anything more than unattainable goals or promotional marketing. But it’s things like this that strip that notion away and expose a celebrity as someone with feelings and a conscience.

I honestly believe that Kylie is maturing, and that can only mean good things to come.

It looks like she’s growing into her own. Not that getting pregnant at 19 is the way to go if one wants to become more “grown up,” but it seems like that’s what it has taken for the seemingly spoiled Jenner to mature in a way that wasn’t just in appearance but also in character. I am so interested in where she goes from here. It seems like she has put childish things aside and is now focusing on being a good mother to her child. There was no big photoshoot, no big, publicized party, no merchandise to make bank off of, not even a huge announcement. Everything was subtle. The only reason it seemed bigger than it did was because of the fans.

I will put this down in writing: I am now a fan of Kylie Jenner. Here’s to hoping she doesn’t do anything to screw this up!

2/14/2018 12:51:11 PM

THEWEEKENDER

PAGE 10

February 15, 2018

“QUIZ WITH ME AND GET SOME MONEY” HQ is the latest craze taking over our smartphones

Julie Ainsley|Marlin Chronicle A group of students anxiously wait for the countdown to end on the popular trivia app. Over 1 million people tune in everyday.

BY ALLAINA BOGGS arboggs@vwu.edu

The latest app to take over the lives of college kids, parents and more has been one that could prove as a source for additional learning. HQ Trivia, an app created by previous Vine owners Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, features different rounds of trivia and quizzes players on random knowledge that they might have.

The questions presented range in difficulty; one question may ask “When did the U.S. $2 bill leave circulation?” while the next may inquire about what sound a pig makes.

Rounds go live each day at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST, so grab your Android or iOS device and be sure to tune into this latest craze.

The reason why this app has been able to quickly gain popularity is because its players, also known as “HQuties”, go head to head in order to win cold, hard cash.

That’s enough initiative to play a trivia game for anyone. The amount of cash won each round differs, ranging anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000.

In order to win the cash prize, one must make it through all 12 questions correctly.

The jackpot is then split evenly between each player that successfully made it through to the final question. Players can then get paid through a link to PayPal that appears after the final question..

The trivia questions are presented by several hosts of the game, however, a man named Scott Rogowsky, who has been referred to by fans of the HQ app as the “Quiz Daddy”, is considerably more favored by users of the app than other hosts.

Rogowsky got his start in entertainment when he hosted a comedy panel show, called “Running Late” with Scott Rogowsky, with the help of his father. Due to this comedic background, while hosting, Rogowsky uses puns and cracks numerous jokes to his viewers in between questions.

This causes the game to be lengthened in time, and while some contestants view the jokes to be funny, others do not favor Scott

Rogowsky as a host.

In freshman Mallory Langford’s opinion, Rogowsky is one that she normally does not enjoy seeing. “Scott is easily one of the most annoying men alive. He talks way too much and has a generally irritating persona.”

Derek Ringer also agrees with this by saying, “I like the chance to win, but I don’t like how long the host takes.”

The popularity of the live-streamed game show has greatly increased since its debut in August of 2017, with the pool of players reaching an all-time high of 2 million during Super Bowl Sunday. The app has been featured in well-known talk shows, two of which being Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Ellen DeGeneres show.

However, with popularity comes attention, and HQ has been receiving some negative attention recently from Twitter users who went as far as trending the hashtag #deleteHQ due to some controversial news about the way that the

app is funded.

Other controversies include a minimum balance to “cash out” the money you have earned. HQ previously required that a player must have at least $20 in winnings before they’re able to successfully deposit the money into their bank account.

Players are also given 90 days to cash out their winnings before they are returned.

However, winning a round is highly difficult, and if you win, the split cash prize is usually a low amount, so the chances of winning at least $20 is low, thus meaning it’s highly unlikely to actually win money from playing the trivia app. The disapproval of this rule was widely recognized by the founders, in which they then removed the requirement on January 29.

While the chances of winning are miniscule, players feel that their probability of reaching the end are heightened when they play in teams.

Zach Lubick, an avid player of the trivia game, believes that “everyone has different knowledge, so the more people you have playing with you means the more knowledge overall.”

Freshman Hayden Thornbrugh put this strategy to the test while playing with her family, which caused her dad to be able to successfully complete all 12 questions and win real money. Another advantage of playing with friends is the ability to share referral codes, thus allowing for an extra life to be used once per game, which has proven to be effective in giving players a bigger chance to reach the spilt jackpot prize.

The current popularity of HQ resembles that of previous phenomenon Pokémon GO, a game that, in the end, immensely fizzled out. The question still remains: Will HQ follow the trend of a rise and fall, or will it prove to be a craze that will continue to take over the lives of Americans?

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Tri Star Productions announced that a Fred Rogers biopic is in the works, with Tom Hanks playing our favorite neighbor

BY JULIE AINSLEY jmainsley@vwu.edu

Tom Hanks will put on the iconic red sweater made famous by Fred Rogers in his television series, “Mister Rogers Neighborhood,” for an upcoming biopic about his life and legacy entitled “You Are My Friend.”

According to Vanity Fair, the biopic is currently being slated to be directed by Marielle Heller. The story is about Rogers’ friendship with journalist Tom Junod, who wrote the famous profile on Rogers in a 1998 Esquire piece.

The news comes happily to adults everywhere who grew up with the beloved television show and live by his philosophies about loving those in your community and loving yourself for who you are.

“When I was a child I enjoyed Mister Rogers’ calming nature and colorful characters. I had a colorful imagination and he encouraged me to use it. He also taught me to accept all kinds of people,” junior Madalyn Chevalier said. Rogers is not only a familiar friend to those who watched his show, but to the entire Wesleyan community.

In 2016, Dr. Steven Emmanuel of the Philosophy department and Dr. Kathy Merlock-Jackson of the Communication department co-edited a book titled “Revisiting Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: Essays on Lessons About Self and Community.”

“He was very much ahead of his time.

He was an advocate of community. Being a part of where you live and taking care of each other,” Dr. Kathy Merlock-Jackson said.

The biopic comes at a time where we are questioning American values and who to accept.

According to Jackson, this biopic of Rogers is very timely.

“At an age where things are moving so fast, he moved slowly. He sat down, he talked to people, he looked you in the eye. ... As we become more multicultural, accepting of people who are different, and overcoming stereotypes, we come to appreciate Mister Rogers, who had always done that. I think it shows a maturity of our culture that we are able to accept someone like Mister Rogers,” Jackson said.

The inclusivity and community based campus where we live and learn celebrates what Mister Rogers taught the world. In celebrating the release of the book, the campus hosted a series of events discussing about the legacy Rogers. Chevalier was able to have a hand in helping promote the events.

“Having the class assignment on Mister Rogers was very nostalgic. It allowed me to relive my childhood and bond with my classmates over a shared experience,” Chevalier said.

The biopic brings much excitement to everyone who watched him and grew up with him as their neighbor. There are high expectations for the overall depiction.“I was not aware of a biopic coming out, but I believe I would definitely be interested in seeing it. As for high expectations, I hope that they do this phenomenal man justice,” Chevalier said.

Jackson also reflected on key parts of his

career that are essential to a true picture of who Mister Rogers is. “When Mister Rogers addressed the Senate in order to save funding for public television and when he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He was a big proponent of education and in both scenes he showed how passionate he was about people

learning and reflecting on those who made a difference in their lives,” Jackson said.

The biopic has no release date set, but the news of reviving Mister Rogers’ legacy for old and new generations brings hope for people to be accepting of our neighbors.

Val Miller | Marlin Chronicle

THE MARLIN UNDERTOW / By Julie Ainsley GO TO THIS:

WATCH THIS:

LISTEN TO THIS:

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week:

“Black Panther”:

Martinis and Murder:

This tradition is getting a new twist: breakfast will be offered for the first time! Restaurants all over Virginia Beach are offering up their best dishes for people to explore for this special time. The week will feature specially priced breakfasts starting at $5, two-course lunches starting at $10, and three-course dinners starting at $20. The event will take place February 19-25. Visit dineinvb.com for more information

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The newest Marvel superhero is coming to save humanity. Featuring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong’o, the movie makes history as the first African-American to be featured as a title character in a Marvel film. The film hits theaters on February 16.

This podcast has the best of both worlds: nail-biting crime stories and drunken conversation. Hosts Daryn Carp and John Thrasher talk about a new crime every week while drinking with each other and having a great time. Episodes can be found on podcasts apps and Soundcloud.

2/14/2018 12:59:07 PM