November 16, 2017

Shack-a-thon comes to Wesleyan

The Marlin Chronicle VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

THURSDAY 11.16.17 || MARLINCHRONICLE.VWU.EDU ||

Forget walking in the shoes of another person-- Wesleyan invites you to live like someone else in an effort to raise awareness about the homeless community this Winter season

BY MEGAN SHERMAN mrsherman@vwu.edu

The 2018 VWU Off-Campus Shelter Managers are giving students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of homelessness in a campus Shack-A-Thon event. This fundraiser will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and end at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16.

The event consists of teams of students creating a shack from limited materials and then living out of it for three days and two nights.

According to an email sent out by Kate Griffin, each group is asked to pay $5 per member, which will be donated to housing development and hunger prevention in the Hampton Roads area. Participants will have the opportunity to win top shack, which is the group that raises the most money, most creative shack and most sustainable shack.

In the email, Kate Griffin said that the purpose of the event is to “unite the VWU campus and raise awareness about the current state of hunger [and] homelessness, especially within our community,” “stimulate ideas of what is means to be hungry [and] homeless

in Hampton Roads” and “build shacks, spend time in the shacks and learn from this unique experience.”

The implemented rules are intended to make the event more realistic, but to also ensure safety. There is no drug or alcohol use permitted, no fires, limited electricity and security will be present. Rules will be enforced by soft money fines.

Shack-A-Thon will also feature a variety of events throughout such as a clothes drive, open mic night, movie night, games and guest speakers.

Professor Takeyra Collins, who is the faculty manager of the event, is excited to be able to give students a chance to be a part of this event while also raising awareness for homelessness.

“Because it’s National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week, I really want the students to gain a better understanding of homelessness,” Collins said. She also stressed the idea that it is not entirely accurate to compare it to walking in their shoes just because students are creating shacks on Batten lawn,

but simply participating in the experience is taking steps in the right direction to understand the severity of homelessness.

Cecilia Billings, a junior majoring in recreation and leisure studies, said that Shack-A-Thon will give her the opportunity to help a great cause as well as bond with her teammates.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to participate in this event I’ve never been introduced to,” Billings said, and added that she was also excited it was her advisor was hosting the event.

“I’m going to get the chance to experience a difference lifestyle along with my teammates, my trusty fellows,” Billings said.

Collins was inspired by NC State’s execution of Shack-A-Thon. She noted that it improved each year, which influenced her decision to bring it to Virginia Wesleyan. “The goal was to really put something on that students, especially freshmen who are not aware of how we do the shelter, can be a part of. That is one of the main reasons it was decided

Allaina Boggs|Marlin Chronicle Students have limited materials to build their shacks, including cardboard, tarp, duct tape and wood.

SEE SHACKS Pg. 2

Mold moves in (again) Racially-charged signs

BY TONY TANN

tdtann@vwu.edu

There have been issues with mold in dorm room closets, vents and showers in Bray, Allen and Brock Village. Students have reported mold on their windows, vents, walls and in bathrooms. Students have also submitted work orders to maintenance and complaints to Residence Life.

Mold has been prevalent in housing on campus in the past. Last October, the Marlin Chronicle reported on a mold issue in Allen Village. Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Moore said he was aware of the mold problem and encourages all students to report mold.

Maintenance will show up to assess the situation and act accordingly, whether that entails wiping down the mold with bleach, cleaning the vents or using a special mold killing paint primer.

Moore suggested that the mold may be a result of the rainy hurricane season.

Although none of the hurricanes actually hit Virginia, the state has seen lots of residual rain. Moore goes on to say that any reports of mold will be dealt with urgently with maintenance on the scene within the day. However, it seems that some of these cases seemed to have been overlooked.

Freshmen Andrew Patterson and

Tyler Jeu are roommates and residents of Bray Village, and have also experienced mold.

“We got into the room on movein day and thought we saw mold, but the janitor said it was mildew. But the first couple of weeks of school, I, like, couldn’t breathe and I was sick,” said Jeu. Since then, however, he said that he “[hadn’t] noticed anything.”

Junior Jessica Lindsey lives in the Brock Village apartments with her four roommates. The mold was such a problem on their floor that maintenance had to move the furniture outside of their buildings in order to clean out the spread of mold.

“It was on everything in the kitchen, like the fridge and the counters,” Lindsey said. “All of the air vents in the living and kitchen areas still have mold on them.”

Lindsey also aired her grievances with the school’s treatment of the mold situation. “I feel like with the amount of money we have to pay to attend school here the least the school could [do] is make sure it’s a healthy living space and some place students aren’t afraid to [stay in] because of a mold issues,” she said. “The fear of mold in

appear on campus

BY MICKELLA RAST mjrast@vwu.edu

Earlier this month, signs that read ‘IT’S OKAY TO BE WHITE’ appeared on campus. This issue was brought to light by Dr. Margolies, who hosted a speaker from the Lighthouse On Deck series. The speaker found the sign taped to a poster in Blocker.

“I was surprised and horrified,” said Dr. Margolies. “It was clearly meant in a racist sort of way.” He mentioned that this is not the first time such signs have appeared on campus, and attributed the recent racial tensions to the Trump administration, which “is emboldening people to let their inner racist speak out.”

The signs have increasingly appeared across college campuses and cities as part of a movement to sway white Americans to farright or alt-right ideologies. The Washington Post reported on the phenomenon and explained its origins: “The signs began as a suggestion on the online chat space 4chan last month, a kind of Internet prank laced with ennui and cynicism about race and white identity in modern-day America.”

President Miller is aware of the signs and has asked Provost O’Rourke to investigate the matter further.

These signs, coupled with recent

controversial social media posts, have prompted the possibility of a community forum on campus to discuss racial tensions.

Though Professor Margolies doesn’t believe that Wesleyan administration will host a community forum without pressure, he stated that such a forum may be helpful.

“I think it’s always good to talk. I think it’s always good to open lines of communication as long as it’s respectful,” Margolies said.

At the last SGA meeting on Nov. 9, members discussed initiating a community forum themselves rather than waiting for administration to host one.

“Personally, I think it’s actually a really good idea,” senior Aaliyah Chears-Burton said.

“I mean, you probably won’t even know how many people are going to be willing to show up for that, because some people avoid that, but it’s good to put it out there.”

Additionally, Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a “Meet the Minorities” event that same day. A promotional poster for the event read, “Let’s resolve issues on our campus…

Come join us with other minority groups on campus! PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS ARE WELCOME TO

SEE SIGNS Pg. 2

Preview the Should Thanksgiving expressionistic “Other be celebrated? Weigh than Real” art exhibit. in on the great debate.

COMMUNITY Page 3

Tony Tann|Marlin Chronicle Senior Alexis Coverton says that the mold problem in her room is so extensive that the fungus has spread to personal items, like the shoe above.

SEE MOLD Pg. 2 1Front.indd 1

Women’s soccer falls in round 32 at the NCAA tournament.

SPORTS Page 7

OPINIONS Page 5

Students react to Jersey Shore spinoff, Floribama Shore.

WEEKENDER Page 10 11/15/2017 12:39:08 PM

2 Thursday November 16, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

News

Northam prevails in Virginia’s governor race

BY AMANDA ARCHER acarcher@vwc.edu

Democrat Ralph Northam will serve as Virginia’s 73rd governor after defeating Republican Ed Gillespie in the race for governor on Nov. 7. Voters chose Northam 54 percent to 45 percent over Gillespie, this was just a portion of the overall Democratic victory among statewide offices, including Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.

Prior to the final tally of polls, the proposed winner was inconclusive among counties statewide.

“I am glad that we all have the opportunity to vote. I am a big proponent voting in every election - federal, state, local - every time you can. The more involved and engaged you are as a citizen the more accurately our government and elected officials can represent everyone’s perspectives,” SGA President Nich Hiple said.

Democrat Justin Fairfax was elected as lieutenant governor over Republican state senator Jill Vogel, making Fairfax the first African American elected to a statewide office since L. Douglas Wilder in 1989. Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring was reelected over Republican challenger John Adams. Along with Northam, Fairfax, and Herring, Democrats were able to acquire at least 14 seats in the House of Delegates, including the first transgender candidate, a Latina member, and Virginia Wesleyan’s own Kelly Fowler.

“Kelly Fowler, a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan, pulled off an impressive victory, and gained a lot of national attention. A lot of the women that ran for the House of Delegates and this is true for a lot of challengers did not necessarily have political experience. […] Kelly Fowler has this story that says you know I [Fowler] was concerned about the direction of the country, I want to protect the environment. So I [Fowler] ran,” said Leslie Caughell, assistant professor of political science, chair of the political science department and chair of the international studies program.

Voter turnout among Democratic supporters was at an ultimate high for this election with the intent to gain control over the House of Delegates.

“The more urban an area is, the more you want cities to work and that takes a stronger government but, in the rural areas you’re more independent, you’re not as interconnected and therefor it’s a different stance,”

Hipple offered a student perspective on the election of Northam and how it will impact the VWU community.

“Wesleyan is pushing to increase our online presence and our online programs. The MBA program is predominantly online, and the more online programs we have, the better we can cater to students who maybe can’t move to Hampton Roads. The more we expand programs like that, the more we will be able to better the college,” Hipple said.

Northam offers an extensive list of propositions and standpoints regarding the higher-educational system in Virginia. The following are part of Northam’s proposed plans for higher education: affordability, continued support of HBCU’s, and increased access to affordable online learning.

The integration of Northam’s proposal strikes at a conceivable time for Virginia Wesleyan University with the addition of completing Master’s and Bachelor’s programs online.

“I think Virginia Wesleyan probably is well situated to participate in part because we are Val Miller| Marlin Chronicle developing the sorts of online programs that allow people the sort of flexibility in terms of Communication Professor Kathy Merlock Jackson said. higher education,” Caughell said.

According to the Washington Post, Northam’s victory Furthermore, Jackson highlights the cohesiveness of was primarily influenced by white college-educated the Greer Environmental Science Center with Northam’s women and voters who strongly disapprove of President propositions.

Trump. Primarily, citizens in Norfolk favored Northam “He clearly understands science as a doctor and he accepts over Gillespie; potentially due to the fact that Northam climate change. We just built the Greer Environmental is currently a resident of Norfolk and began practicing Science Center and obviously we are fostering that field pediatric neurology at Children’s Hospital of the King’s of study.

We want to make sure our students get good jobs Daughters in Norfolk. and, anything that Ralph Northam can do to ensure those “White, educated women, particularly white married jobs in Virginia and elsewhere will be good for the college women, tend to vote Republican. And we see some of and good for our students,” Jackson said. these women that we would usually find in the Republican The elections in both Virginia and New Jersey were camp voting Democratic. And there’s a real question on viewed nationwide.

Both elections were proposed to be whether or not this reflects a realignment both among a judgement on President Trump and the impact of his individuals of higher level of education, in particular presidency among states that were borderline Republican among women who voted higher rates of men, or kind of in previous years. party identification. We won’t know until a few election “I think most of the polling data that is coming out now cycles,” Caughell said. is more people were motivated to vote. In part because of Jackson also had a perspective on women voters in the political environment we are living in now. And the Virginia. vote for Northam was kind of a vote against the President,” “One of his stances was just to be a supporter of Caughell said. healthcare in Virginia and education in Virginia and I think those are issues that women are very close to,” Jackson said.

SIGNS

SHACKS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

CONTINUED FROM FRONT to be brought to Virginia Wesleyan,” Collins said.

Through this event, students will get the chance to bond with one another, whether they are friends, teammates, or classmates. “I think the ability for them to bond with their peers and just have an opportunity to not only fight for a cause to end homelessness, but for them to be able to actually do something in relation to what we can do as a community” Collins said.

For more information or to ask questions about the event, people can email the Emergency Off-Campus Shelter Managers at shelter@vwu.edu.

COME.” Marlin Ministries held an event on Nov. 15 with the same goal of openly examining racial issues in a mediated and safe environment.

The last community forum hosted was in response to the Jane Doe case.

The social media posts referenced above are comprised of two incidents, the first of which came during the spring semester of the 20162017 academic year, when then-freshman Kylea McCarel posted Snapchat photos that were dubbed ‘Islamophobic.’

McCarel is not currently a student at Virginia Wesleyan. James Madison University’s media outlet, The Tab, reported on the event in an article in May. The second of these incidents came more recently, when freshman Alexander Leonard was depicted in a Snapchat post in front of a whiteboard reading, “Developing countries be like: Water? Who she? She bad? She got friends?

Alex supports the enslavement of African AIDS.” President Miller said that he “referred the matter for review by members of senior administrative leadership headed by Provost O’Rourke.”

In case the backstory behind the signs isn’t

clear, The Washington Post goes more in-depth about the original intent. “News reports would draw attention to the posters, the writer behind the idea predicted. Then white Americans derisively referred to as ‘normies’ in the white nationalist ecosphere will discovered that American journalists and ‘lefties’ hate white people. In the process, ‘normies’ will stop regarding news outlets as credible…inevitably converting more ‘normies’ to the white nationalist, alt-right side,” the outlet reported.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) recorded more than 150 reports of fliers and other recruitment materials from the white nationalist movement on college campuses in the months following President Trump’s inauguration. The ‘IT’S OKAY TO BE WHITE’ posters are the latest of such propaganda.

Students on campuses have started separate movements to introduce the SPLC to their campuses, called “SPLC on Campus.” The movement is dedicated to educating students about racial issues. “Help fight hate and stop bigotry. Take action on your campus now,” reads the movement’s website.

MOLD CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Val Miller| Marlin Chronicle

the dorm rooms is a concern to many students because of the health factors. I really think the school should be doing more to fix the problem or find a solution since we are paying them to attend this school.”

Another case of mold comes from senior Alexis Coverton and junior Ashlee Spurlock who were roommates in Brock Village.

Coverton had a lot of property damage but her request to move out was denied. “They didn’t let me move out when the mold was on my clothes, walls and damaging my shoes nor did they move me into a temporary space. They just worked around my things. I had to pack most of them up,

then after several calls and complaints and letters from both me and my mom they simply just painted over the mold,”Coverton said. “There’s still mold around the window seal but it wasn’t worth going back and forth with Res Life about it so I just deal with it,” she continued.

Spurlock was more successful with her attempt to leave. “Once I heard word about the mold on my hall I was immediately concerned.

I’m very allergic [to mold] and after my attempts of cleaning it with bleach I gave up, and I wasn’t going to go through what my hall mate did. I moved out and there’s currently an empty bed on Teagle 201,” she said.

Clarification:

Allaina Boggs| Marlin Chronicle Students construct shacks on the Batten lawn out of found materials.

2News.indd 1

10/26/17, News, page 1, “Campus culture examined after Weinstein scandal”: Dr. Susan Larkin is wary of the #metoo campaign. She was originally quoted as saying she was weary of the campaign.

THE SUNDAY READ Feature pieces, opinions, and stories by the editors of The Marlin Chronicle.

thesundayread.tumblr.com

11/15/2017 12:40:05 PM

3

Community The

MARLIN CHRONICLE 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 The Weekender Editor Julie Ainsley jmainsley@vwu.edu Photo Editor Ashlei Gates angates@vwu.edu Illustrations Editor Valerie Miller vgmiller@vwu.edu Online Editor

Nel Hart nlhart@vwu.edu

Chief Copy Editor 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 lpayne@vwu.edu

Spreading love across campus

BY HENRY TASKER hltasker@vwu.edu

On Nov. 4, Virginia Wesleyan University different topics related to race,” Jackson played host to the 12th annual One Love commented.

Festival. The day was a celebration of Baltimore native Barbara Hamm Lee different cultures organized by Rick was a competent moderator, and kept Mateo with the help of Dr. Craig Wansink the conversation civil. Honesty, for and Kelly Jackson of the Center for the Ms. Jackson, is a very important part of Study of Religious Freedom at VWU. proceedings.

The event featured five main “People have been very honest in sharing segments: a talk by Matthew Freeman, maybe not what would be considered titled “Overcoming Bias: Building the most politically correct comments, Relationships across Differences” in sometimes,” Jackson chuckled. the Monumental Chapel, followed by It was clear that Jackson found the “Waging Peace: Beyond Extremism to honesty valuable, and a great way to Our Muslim, American Neighbors”, a increase the understanding of people of town hall discussion in the Boyd Dining different viewpoints, even if it was often Hall. WHRO’s Barbara Hamm Lee, received as closed-mindedness. host of “Another View”, moderated the “The discussion had a really good panel discussion. After the town hall, Arthur of people, they were very thoughtful and Lopez held the Largest Drum Circle in honest,” said Gretchen Nelson, attendee the World, and Silently Sitting for Peace and member of Virginia Wesleyan occurred simultaneously in the Batten College’s class of 1994.

Center Dance Studio . To finish the event, “There’s a time where words stop a concert was held in the Grille: “A Tribute working. And when words stop working, to Bob Young & Teens with a Purpose.” music opens hearts,” Mateo said.

The emphasis, at least as far as Mateo The third installment of the festival is concerned, was on communication and marked the end of the speakers and bringing people together. conversations. It came in the form of the “Watching everybody talk, it gives you World’s Largest Drum Circle, organized hope,” said Mateo.

by Arthur Lopez. Walking into the Batten Matthew Freeman travels with his wife, Center, the unmistakable sound of bongos Tiffany Jana, around the world with the was loud. aim of consulting There were around and helping 40 people in the I can’t change the world, but people overcome circle, ranging from I can change my community. toddlers to adults, to their differences.

To give an idea of pensioners, playing Rick Mateo the extent of the simple yet powerful couple’s reach, beats. After a short Kelly Jackson time, Lopez asked said: “They actually consulted with a people to come into the middle of the group in Athens, Greece, when they were circle to dance to the music. having a lot of issues there,” referring to “I organize drum circles in Richmond, the Greek financial crisis.

Virginia Beach, and everywhere in His talk focused on the aim of between,” Lopez announced during a brief togetherness, and setting up dialogues description of his business. between groups of people, bringing a At the same time as the drum circle, similar message to that of his book, which people were invited into the dance studio has the same name. to sit silently for as long as they wished.

“One person speaking to everybody is The activity aimed to promote unity and fine. But it’s not dialogue,” Mateo said. understanding.

This led smoothly into the next segment The night was finished with a concert, of the day: the town hall discussion. The emceed by Esmin Baptiste Mateo. The panelists for this included Mr. Freeman concert featured performances from himself, Hajirah Abdous-Salaam, Sahzer Walidanes, a group that performs African Mirza, and Joshua Salaam. The town hall drumming, Teens with a Purpose, a discussion is part of a larger initiative, movement bringing poetry, Nathan named “Race: Let’s Talk About It,” and is Richardson, who embodied Frederick held by VWU in partnership with WHRO. Douglas, and Rick Mateo Band & Linda The talk’s main goal was centered Henderson. around better understanding the Muslim The most important goal for Mateo was community, and was run primarily by the to plant seeds. He claimed that he wanted audience. The discussion helped people to make people think, and develop ideas share their perspectives or stories to through talking. Mateo wants his ideas to achieve this goal. grow through others, starting small locally “We started these town halls at a One and snowballing.

Love Festival in the fall of 2015, so “I can’t change the world, but I can we’ve been having a series of town hall change my community,” Mateo finished. events every year since then, focused on

“Other than Real” art exhibit

BY BRIANNA KIDWELL bnclarkson@vwu.edu The Marlin Chronicle is the official student newspaper of Virginia Wesleyan University.

Staff meetings are held every Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. in Batten 217. Signed submissions are welcome, but subject to the discretion of the editor. Letters are not edited for content, but may be edited for length and mechanics. The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper may not necessarily reflect the views of the entire staff of The Marlin Chronicle or Virginia Wesleyan University.

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

“As a former collegiate student newspaper editor, professional journalist and long-time advisor for the Society of Collegiate Journalists, I understand the role and value of student media at a liberal arts institution.

Virginia Wesleyan University proudly supports the editorial independence and press freedom of student-edited publications. We believe that student editors have the authority to make all content decisions and consequently, assume full responsibility for decisions they make.”

--Scott D. Miller, Ph.D President

3Community.indd 1

Thursday November 16, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

I.C.Y.M.I Here are some things that have happened on campus, in case you missed it.

BY CYNTHIA GRIFFIN clgriffin@vwu.edu

The Clothesline Project

Ashlei Gates| Marlin Chronicle

To support National Domestic/Relationship Violence awareness month in October, The Women’s Resource Center and Phenomenal Woman sponsored “The Clothesline Project” which is a display dedicated to raising awareness to the reality of dating violence.

Students, faculty and staff came out to paint t-shirts to express their feelings and even their experiences.

After the two-day event, the t-shirts were hung up on campus on the walkway between the library and the dining hall for everyone to see.

Ashlei Gates| Marlin Chronicle

Alpine Tower relocated

Ashlei Gates| Marlin Chronicle

Last weekend the Alpine Tower, the 52 foot wooden structure that is used by classes on campus as well as other organizations and summer camps for team building exercises and climbing, was moved from the western entrance of the campus in order to make space for the new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. The tower is now located adjacent to the Trinder Center and the Betty S. Rogers Track and Field Center.

Virginia Wesleyan University welcomes the “Other than Real” art exhibition from Nov. 9 through to Jan. 5. This exhibit will be held in the Neil Britton Gallery that is connected to the Hofheimer Library on the Virginia Wesleyan campus.

Students from campus are encouraged to enter the gallery and experience firsthand viewing of the multiple expressionistic, ambiguous and imperiously mysterious forms of art that will be shown Ashlei Gates|Marlin Chronicle by numerous artists. Students A sculpture featured in the Neil Britton Gallery in the Hofheimer Library. Seven artists’ works are featured. will experience a new take works as well. “I think it is really cool to have Virginia Wesleyan University art department on the world as they view the artwork done by these artists and compare their these artist’s display their amazing pieces in faculty to display their pieces of art work to thoughts on the artist’s pieces and the world our university. I hope to learn more about who the public to see. This exhibit will include these artists are and where they came from. I portfolio reviews, a student jury show, and a which they live.

The idea is to create a different view of the personally, believe it is good to understand an senior exhibition.

All students, even non-art degree graduates, world to the minds of people and expand the artists’ style if you get to know who they are personally” junior Hannah Turner said. are encouraged to come and see the pieces of ideas of realism which these artist challenge The Neil Britton Art Gallery holds works of artwork that will be in the Neil Britton Gallery in their pieces of the world. “Art is not truth. faculty and students from both the Hampton from Nov. 9 through Jan. 5. The gallery is Truth conforms to reality. Art invents reality,” Roads and University areas.

The gallery holds free admission and open to all public, Virginia Walter Darby Bannard said. many different exhibits throughout the years, as Wesleyan students and non-students; Monday The various artists who will have their work well as the “Other than Real” exhibit. through Sunday with varying times. The “Other displayed in the exhibit will be as followed: The “PlantBot GeneticsCross Pollination” than Real” art exhibit is a fun way students can Robyn Bailey, Nicole Harp, Christine Harris, exhibit was just hosted in the Neil Britton meet and learn about artists within the student Wade Mickley, Greta Pratt, John Roth, and Gallery from Aug. 12 to Oct. 27, and held body but also local artists as well, and are Susan Tolbert. On Nov. 9, the artists held an multiple receptions and workshops which were encouraged to create their own artwork as well. open reception and panel discussion in the Neil available to student and faculty from all over “When creating art, create something that Britton Gallery, where students and faculty the Hampton roads area. has meaning because it will be all worth it in gathered to listen to artist’s views on their work And following the “Other than Real” art the end,” alumna Caitlyn Hogge shared about and others and answer questions from 6 to 8 exhibit will be the VWU faculty art show, the fun art brings to her life and hopes it will p.m. which will begin at the beginning of the 2018bring the same joy to fellow students at Virginia Students love getting to know talented artists 2019 school year and finish with the end of the Wesleyan student body. and learning about the view they have on their pieces of art work and their colleague’s art 2018 school year. This art show is for strictly SEE ART Pg. 10

11/15/2017 12:41:44 PM

4 The Marlin Chronicle |

CAMPUS Greer is the name, countdown going green is the game Nov. 30 •

VWU presents Lorraine Reichert, Senior Community Health Navigator for LGBT Life Center, and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1994. The event is presented in conjunction with a display of panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt in the Batten Student Center. For information contact SGA.

•

Dec. 1 Wesleyan Christmas

Time: 7:30 pm Location: Hofheimer Theatre The Wesleyan Singers and Chorale, and the Wesleyan Jazz and Orchestra ensembles usher in the holiday season; Bryson Montensen, choral conductor/ Jason Squinobal, instrumental conductor.

Performances in Hofheimer Theater. For information

Dec. 5 Port Day

Time: 8:30 am- 5pm Location: Across Campus Port Day is a signature Virginia Wesleyan event, designed to promote the academic achievement of students completing capstone undergraduate research, internship, and semester study away experiences. For more information on Port Day, contact the Lighthouse:

Nov. 27- Dec. 3 AIDS Memorial Quilt Display Time: All Day Event Location: Jane P. Batten Center

Allaina Boggs|Marlin Chronicle Equipment in the new Greer Enviromental Sciences Center.

BY ALLY CHISM atchism@vwu.edu The Greer Environmental Sciences Center (GESC), opened during the Fall 2017 semester, hosts “green” elements throughout the building, promoting concern for the environment throughout Virginia Wesleyan University.

This state-of-the-art facility is a nearly 40,000 square foot building and the newest addition to the VWU campus. “We got an anonymous donor that wanted to fund the whole building,” said Associate Provost and Professor of Biology Maynard Schaus. The building was donated in honor of former VWU president William T. “Billy” Greer, who retired in June 2015.

A geothermal system is used in the center for heating, cooling and hot water. This system is located underground in the open grassy area in front of the GESC. The geothermal system in the building is a prime example of the focus on the conservation of energy throughout campus.

The Chesapeake Bay Aquatics Center room

Marlins Drumline Virginia Wesleyan welcomes new marching band to the University

CRIME BLOTTER

Alex Powers|Marlin Chronicle

BY CYNTHIA GRIFFIN clgriffin@vwu.edu

November 5 4:05 p.m. |VAWA Honors Village No description November 14 2:39 a.m. |Liqour Violation Allen Village No description.

Virginia Wesleyan now has marching band. Sophomore Alexis Threat is the brains behind the new club. Threat had done marching band throughout high school and was sad that she wasn’t able to do it college.

She decided to get a marching band started at the school after learning about some other students on campus that also wished there was a marching band. Some of these students were considering transferring to a school with a marching band. That’s when she knew that she had to do something about that issue.

After doing some research Threat learned that back when president Greer was in charge of the school, there was a pep band but there weren’t enough students involved in the pep band, to keep it running. Although this is the first semester that the band has started, Threat has prepared a lot. She started getting prepared for the marching band last spring. “I got all of the information together that I needed to get a marching band

Hosted the most successful Pub and Club ever, seeing more than 315 students and guests join in dancing, karaoke, and enjoying free food

Planning design competitions for the Senior Class’s intended mural and t-shirts - details coming soon and each class now has the opportunity to begin raising money for their senior class gift - beginning with their freshman year.

•

Worked closely with Dr. Maynard Schaus to ensure that Campus Security and students knew that the Greer Environmental Science Center would be open from 7am-9:30pm daily, also allowing student groups to reserve rooms for meetings and events

•

Gotten involved in the Student FInance Committee, working with both elected and appointed students to disburse Student Activity funds to groups looking to host programs and events on campus. Students should stop by Student Activities to ask for more information on this.

*Students are encouraged to contact SGA president Nich Hipple for more info

within the GESC has six tanks holdings 50 gallons of water each that allow students to place organisms and animals in them for research. “It’s a research capacity for students,” Schaus said. The building also has an environmental chamber to better perform controlled research studies that lets students change the temperature, humidity and more based on what is needed for his or her research.

Throughout the building are motion sensor lights that are used to conserve electricity.

“It’s really interesting because you can always tell if someone’s in the bathroom when you go in,” Christina Whipple joked as she guided the tour.

The chairs throughout the building were previously owned by another center and are made from durable materials that are meant to last. Schaus said the chairs were roughly 15 years old but still look brand new. They were purchased to save money as well as promote conservation by reusing previously owned items.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt/ Names Project is the world’s largest public art project.

Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Quilt commemorates the lives of more than 96,000 people who have died of AIDS.

Courtesy|Thinkstock

S

GA happenings this quarter

World AIDs Day Speaker Time: 11 am Location: Hospitality Suite

started and talked to President Miller as well as Jason Seward and Kate Griffin,” she said. She also had to make sure she had a few people that wanted to join last semester so that they could start getting everything the band together this fall. Since the semester started the band has been practicing often and will be playing at a few basketball games coming up and are hoping to perform in some local parades this spring. “I to participate in parades off campus so more people can know about Virginia Wesleyan.”

Although the marching band has started practicing already, there is always room for new members. “My saying is if you’re willing to learn, we’re willing to teach,” Threat said.

Anyone is welcome to join, even if they’ve never played an instrument.

Threat hopes that the marching band gets everyone’s support and that they come show their support when they perform off- and on-campus.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

The third floor of the GESC is a walk-on green roof that includes a rooftop garden and photovoltaic, or solar, panels. The roof garden is home to low-growing succulents that soak up rainwater and reduce the heat flux through the roof by providing added insulation. This energy conservation leads to fewer greenhouse gas emissions that are used when heating and cooling the building. The solar panels convert sunlight directly into energy and are used to reduce the amount of electricity.

When asked what she thought was the most interesting part of the GESC, Whipple said, “I would definitely think it’s all of the reconstructed wetland.” The reconstructed wetland placed around the back of the building became a habitat for local wildlife including tree frogs and snakes. The reconstructed wetlands are for storm water runoff. The building also features “science on display,” which allows students to look through the windows of classrooms and labs and watch the science taking place.

Marlin Prestige succeeds again

BY BRIANNA KIDWELL bnclarkson@vwu.edu Virginia Wesleyan University hosted its annual Marlin’s Business Conference during the week of Nov. 13 through Nov. 17. The business conference is held during each semester at Virginia Wesleyan. Students who belong to business management and economic degree program run model versions of what future business conferences for them may look like.

“The Marlin Prestige,” the official name of the conference, has a theme each semester. The theme for the 2017 fall Marlin Prestige was, “Lighting the Future: Success through Ethical Business Practices.” The workshops, presentations, student projects and panels of interaction revolved around this main theme for the students, faculty and guest speakers.

Business Management (MBE) and Information System Courses (ISP) students are extremely involved in the conference, as many of their class projects and senior projects revolve around specific panels, workshops or presentations. However, all students are encouraged to attend to listen to peers’ presentations and guest speakers’ panels.

Some of the events that were held during the Marlin Prestige were: the keynote speaker kick off with Sydney Covey, a program analyst for Hourigan Construction, the GEICO Career Development presentation, the Ethics of Diversity Panel, the Elizabeth River project presentation, the Sigma Beta Delta Induction Ceremony and the student body favorite the Shark Tank presentations which are done

by MBE 101 students.

“It’s cool to see these diverse groups who love business together talking about their passion and seeing it through their persepctive,” Hannah Turner said.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Hannah Turner|Courtesy Turner advertises for the conference creatively

4Community.indd 1

11/15/2017 1:53:57 PM

5

Opinions

Thursday November 16, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Most valuable players

BY WYNTER BOND wcbond@vwu.edu

Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle

The Great debate Based on its history, should we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday?

BY JONATHAN JOYNER jrjoyner@vwu.edu

Well people, it is again the time of the year when we celebrate the beloved holiday known as Thanksgiving. Many of us have reasons for enjoying and celebrate this holiday. My question is this: should we celebrate Thanksgiving based on the original reasoning behind this occasion or based on our own motives and traditions? I believe one could look either way on this argument, but for now let’s discuss the importance of the tradition.

Growing up, we were always taught about how Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after one of their first harvests here in the New World back in the early 1600’s. However, there is more to the story than just the feast and being thankful for it. The history of Thanksgiving goes beyond that because it was seen mainly as a time of prayer and giving thanks for all good fortune in one’s own life. It was never just about the food.

Now, enough with the history lesson, should we celebrate this day based solely on tradition and tradition alone? My opinion on this is that one does not have to celebrate this holiday because of how it started, but we should remember why we celebrate this holiday. It is meant to be a time of being thankful for what we have and being thankful for all that has happened. Hence, how this day got its name in the first place.

You may be wondering why I am telling you this, my point is that we let this holiday

sometimes become just a time of chowing down on some good food, but we should remember what the meaning of this day is: being thankful, thinking of those struggling and praying for those poor souls. Be thankful for family, friends, co-workers, any people you have come across (good or bad) because they have shaped who you are. Be thankful for all that happens in your life, and not just for the good, but for the bad as well because every event in our lives shapes us. Do not just chow down on food and chat with the family.

Think of all that you have and all that has happened to you during the last year. You would be surprised how much has occurred in your world and how it has shaped you. You do not realize this on a day to day basis, but you are changing.

I am not telling you how to spend this day, I am just saying how I feel. We should remember why this day was created. It is not about the food; it is about being thankful. Try to remember that no matter where you are on this day. Whether you are with family, friends, or a complete group of strangers, these people are with you for a reason. Even if you feel life has dealt you a bad hand, it has made you stronger and you should be thankful for it. Bottom line, I do believe that Thanksgiving should be celebrated because of its traditions, but not just the grand feast, but thankfulness we feel within ourselves.

BY ASHLEY KLINE aakline@vwu.edu

The cool autumn breeze and smell of pumpkin discount the suffering of Native Americans at spice wafting through the air bring a spirit of the hands of the white-man and the millions of autumn and herald the annual spirit of the Native Americans left burdened with displaced. thanksgiving holiday celebrated by Americans Thanksgiving was actually originally created across the country. For centuries Americans as a holiday for the purpose of creating unity have been celebrating Thanksgiving as a time among Americans. It was not even recognized to come together with family, pause their busy as a national/federal holiday until after the Civil schedules to reflect upon what they’re grateful War, to continue a measure passed by Abraham for and enjoy delicious food. However, there is Lincoln intended to develop a sense of peace much more to the holiday than this. A remember following the divisive war. celebrating thanksgiving as a child as a time to Social science professor Sarah Manning make turkeys using my handprints and Native says in Indian Country Today, “Changing American feather headdresses at school. I any story, essentially, means short-changing additionally remember American society from making extensive lists some extremely valuable “ of what I was thankful lessons – lessons that for then incorporating Changing any story, essentially, function to plant the seeds them in art to give to my means short-changing American of social consciousness and parents. humanitarian evolution.” society from some extremely I agree with Manning that Historically speaking, we often think of valuable lessons – lessons that we should use this holiday Thanksgiving as a day function to plant the seeds as an opportunity to learn that celebrate friendship of social consciousness and from the past, create a better between the Native future and recognize the humanitarian evolution.

Americans and the wrong our predecessors SARAH MANNING European colonists. This did to the native people is a myth perpetrated by of American. We should our American culture in respect reality as opposed order to hide the scars of to create a fantasyland the past. The true origins in which we see the past of Thanksgiving are not rooted in friendship, but through rose colored lenses. in Native American bloodshed. Due to the false If we refuse to do this, we should use this as a truth this holiday portrays, I believe it is best day of giving thanks in general, separated from that we change the meaning of Thanksgiving, the tradition of pilgrims and Native Americans. putting less emphasis on the pilgrims and Native This could also simply be a celebrated as a day Americans and making it a day of gratitude for to spend time with family. However, the fate of gratitude’s sake.

Thanksgiving is little different than many others, The history of relations between Native just as Christmas has become more so about Americans and the colonists is rooted in Santa than the birth of Jesus and Easter about colonists killing and persecuting large quantities the Easter bunny as opposed to the resurrection, of Native Americans both for their resources Thanksgiving is about “friendship” between and lands as well as to create a sense of security Native Americans and pilgrims. for those colonists. Additionally, many Native Americans passed away as a result of disease brought by Europeans to the New World. Myths such as the one propagated by Americans today

5Opinions.indd 1

It’s been an eventful past few weeks, hasn’t it? While we were on campus, dreading paper due dates, the world was spewing out accomplishments and disasters alike. Even so, a few MVPs managed to squeak out through it all. I present to you, the top three MVPs. 1. The Employee Who was Fired from Twitter: This person, whoever he/she/they may be, is the true MVP. On the customer support employee’s last day at the micro-publishing platform, the employee deactivated Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account. For 11 glorious minutes, the world was free from limply-worded tweets from the former The Apprentice host. A Trump-free world is up high on my list, right between a lifetime supply of french fries and meeting Rihanna. While it couldn’t last long, it was still noticed by supporters of Trump as well as his many opponents. It was eventually restored and we’ve been subjected to countless and pointless tweets of his ever since. Hey, they do say happiness doesn’t last forever…

2. Virginia Legislature: If you didn’t get asked, “Did you vote today?” on November 7th, I consider you lucky. Regardless, it is VERY important to exercise our right to vote. And on this day, history was made in the name of progress. The first Asian American woman was elected to the state’s General Assembly, as well as Danica Roem becoming Virginia’s first transgender legislator. This is a pretty big deal, considering her opponent was very anti-LGBT+. Virginia also elected two Latina women to the General Assembly. These accomplishments brought national attention to the Commonwealth. And I say it’s about damn time.

Virginia has always been a state that to me seems stuck in stagnancy.

But finally, people are seeing how amazing diversity can be for change.

Virginia also went blue, signaling that Democrats are in charge of the House.

3. Everyone Without an iPhone: Recently, Apple released the newest overpriced phone and of course, the masses flocked like sheep to get first in line. The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X are the newest smartphones to join the family. Specs for these models include wireless charging, Face ID, all-screen display, more water resistance… wait, I’m basically describing a Samsung phone. All in all, we “droid” users have had all of these features for years. The screen for the new iPhones, a technology called organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has been used

by Samsung for multiple generations of the Note and Galaxy families as opposed to LCD screens. Wireless charging has been around with Samsung as well, including facial recognition systeming. The only actual discerning difference between the Samsung smartphones and the new iPhone X is the fact that it is all glass. Now, as someone who has friends where 80% of them own iPhones, over half of their phones are cracked. I have a friend who breaks her iPhone constantly, yet still buys the newest one. The company deemed it to be their strongest phone ever, but it has quickly been determined to instead be their most breakable.

There are already Twitter horror stories of iPhone users breaking their precious new purchases. I think I’m going to stick with my Galaxy S7. I have dropped this thing so many times and it STILL has not shattered. I also don’t have that weird glitch with the box when I type. So, have fun catching up to Samsung technology, Apple users!

Using the ballot as a bullet

BY NATHAN AMANUEL

namanuel@vwu.edu

When I walked away from the polls last Tuesday, I walked away not with a belief in the power of a participatory democracy, but rather feeling the inadequacy and crushing weight of such a system. I felt there was no voice to represent me as a member of the black community. There was also no voice unpolluted by some sort of self-aggrandizement.

The prominent candidates for Governor of Virginia were Ed Gillespie (a centrist republican) and Ralph Northam (a moderate democrat). Presented with these candidates, I felt there was no one to truly represent my people. As a young black man and son of African immigrants, I have fallen victim, like many of the disenfranchised, to that which the American meritocracy has offered.

When complaining of the compromising situations my community has been placed in, the counterargument is often to show gratefulness for freedom of expression and the American way. To stay in your place, and be complacent. What about the right to proper representation?

In a society in which the majority populace places you firmly as a minority, and has a system of oppression in which capitalism directly benefits off you as a statistical average, is there truly such a thing, or is it the wet dream of colorblind white progressives, and those more well off in the “caste” system of disenfranchised men and women of color, so to speak? These are the same people who might, for example, see the twotime election of President Barack Obama as a sign of change, rather than the blatant establishment tokenism that it is. Malcolm X would contend that Obama was no more than a shill to sweet talk his own oppressed people into a lull, by creating the myth of a dream fulfilled while they were living a nightmare; the “Farce on Washington.”

At the local level, I’m afraid the sentiment fares no different. With Gillespie, the spinelessness to stand up to the demagoguery of Trump is eerily reminiscent of Paul Ryan. Instead of standing up to such blatant displays by the President for the defense of all the American people, he embraces dog-whistle racism tactics in his own campaign, calling for an end to sanctuary cities for “illegals,” when there is no such thing in the state of Virginia. Make no mistake, he knows exactly who he caters to.

The ideological contradictions and hypocrisy that wade in the cesspool of the Republican Party are an anomaly to me, but the policies of the Democrats fare no different.

Northam is quick to condemn the hatemongering of Gillespie on undocumented peoples in America, while he was practicing the same hate speech in 2007. Now, it may very well be that he has changed his stances and grown as a person. But if the political landscape has taught us one thing, it is to be more cynical in our assessment of politicians. What is more likely is that Northam knew that in order to win this election and gain power, he had to attract those who were more well-off and leftleaning. This is the ugly truth of party and identity politics. So what is the remedy?

We as a people need to start looking toward third party candidates.

Politics is a long-term game, but you have been misinformed by public perception of dwelling too much on the here and now and short term, instead of being in the here and now and long term. If we start giving more and more votes to third parties which cater to our needs as a people, then eventually percentage votes will go up, and such representatives will be given a bigger platform. A bigger platform, in turn, allows for the message of true hope to reach a wider audience of the marginalized spread throughout. A vote is as powerful as a bullet; just make sure that bullet hits the right target.

11/15/2017 12:15:53 AM

6 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Ageism on college campuses

BY SABRINA LEMONS smlemons@vwu.edu

In a time when so many are challenging how it is acceptable and unacceptable to view certain issues, it appears that we may be overlooking a relevant one that affects all who live to see their golden years, ageism.

We all have basic rights in education to ensure that resources are equally available to people of all groups and classifications. However, this is not always a reality. Fastforwarding as life often does, many do not attend college right away.

We have more and more non-traditional students just enrolling in or returning to college after years in the workforce, military and/or taking care of family. They share classrooms with students sometimes more than half their age. The closing of the local paper mill in Franklin, Virginia and the Ford plant in Norfolk means many have had to pursue retraining and vocational rehabilitation to provide for themselves and/or their families.

With this trend, one has to wonder if there a new form of discrimination in the education system. Are adults over the age of twenty-two not offered equal education, yet charged the same fees?

Adults returning to school for their first degree or adding to their academic resume require a different skill set than that of their younger classmates, part of which is just showing up. Non-traditional students who live off campus need to come early and stay late. Additionally, for these students, getting to class is more dangerous than a walk across campus. Many adults choose the brick and mortar schools over online classes because they know how to interact with people in real life and real time rather than in a pseudo-world. Attending brick and mortar schools means a whole host of differences compared to their younger classmates. There are additional expectations placed upon them because of their age. They do not share peer or social groups on campus and do not have a place to gather like the dorms, or a social environment similar to their workplace.

Furthermore, they are limitations on the resources available to them due to age or time.

Campus staff and faculty are also so accustomed to dealing with 18-22-year-olds that they at times do not know how to interact with these non-traditional students.

These non-traditional students have dreams and goals that are different from their younger classmates. Many colleges and universities are not equipped to deal with, or understand, these needs. Undergraduate programs are not fully able to meet non-traditional students where they are. A non-traditional student is likely to have knowledge they have been applying in their career or life without the diploma to prove it.

These non-traditional students bring new opportunities and challenges. Many have children who often come

Ashlei Gates|Marlin Chronicle Source: Don Stauffer , Senior Research and Policy Analyst to campus, causing a need for changing tables in the restrooms. They also have to be mindful of what their children see and hear when on campus.

In addition to such challenges, college is not even the philosophical exchange of ideas that many nontraditional students expect when enrolling. A freshman I recently spoke with expressed a similar sentiment, saying he thought there would be more intellectual discourse. Those in the traditional demographics living on campus have other interests on campus besides academics to occupy their time. Those whose age limits them from living on campus have primarily academic reasons for coming to campus as opposed to social.

Yes, there are honors classes that one can take without being in the honors program to make their courses more challenging based on their intellectual level. However, why isn’t there already a difficulty level built into the curriculum at the college level? Why should an older student be expected to practice intellectual humility if their classmates are showing up unprepared?

A non-traditional student was actually discouraged from going on one of Virginia Wesleyan’s many study away course offerings due to the multitude of younger students and lack of donor funds only to hear there was no issue with donor funds. Additionally, they were excluded from the email chain regarding grant opportunities for the trip after meeting the essay and reference requirements.

As a person who donates to a national museum and has certain organizations in their will and life insurance, one might think their college might be more cognizant that an older student will more likely have disposable income to share with their alma mater before traditional students finish paying off their college loans.

Social media promotes racism

BY MARLYN SILVA mhsilva@vwu.edu

College is known and recognized for many things. For many young adults, one such thing is freedom. Many associate the word freedom in this context to imply the college party lifestyle. However, with recent stories of college and high school students posting concerning pictures or videos online, the word freedom has taken an unfortunate turn. Recently, there have been various cases in which students in college and particularly in high school have been posting various videos and pictures on different social media websites, most of them containing racial slurs.

Just in the past few weeks, it was reported by the New York Daily News that a group of high school cheerleaders in Utah posted a video on Instagram where everyone clearly said an offensive term. In another incident, a student from Iowa State posted a picture on Snapchat, also containing a racial slur for a caption. In both incidents, each of the students involved responded were along the lines of “I’m sorry” and “it was a joke, it won’t happen again.” While an apology is always appreciated, it’s not surprising that it won’t be enough for people to forget what has happened and move on. This then raises the question, should these students be so heavily scrutinized if they’re only in high

school or just studying in college? Yes, they should.

While they have yet to enter the “real world,” high school students are on the verge of being adults while college students are adults just about build the rest of their lives. It seems that one in these age groups should have a better grasp on what’s appropriate to say online. As social media becomes more popular, people are consistently told to be mindful as of what they post online. Anything posted

“

People forget that words and pictures travel fast.

Also, what about the consequences?

MARLYN SILVA

online lives forever. As people are constantly warned, one would think that individuals would be careful or mindful about what they broadcast on any social media page.

People forget that words and pictures travel fast. Also, what about the consequences? In the case of the students

mentioned previously the extent of their punishment was not very clear. Regarding the students in Iowa State, disciplinary actions were not disclosed because of the Family Educational Rights of Privacy Act. The same was the case with Iowa. The newspaper said that while they have been forced to resign from extracurricular activities, such as their school’s cheerleading squad, it has not been made clear if they were suspended or expelled.

While maintaining the students’ privacy is understandable, it gives off the sense that maybe the appropriate actions and/or punishments weren’t taken to discipline them. These are very delicate situations in which many would like to see the people in question reprimanded. It would be even more effective if punishments were acted out and given. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes these negative pictures and videos to be posted online for potentially millions to see for people at this age to grasp the idea that a “simple” or “funny” Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter post is not always right. Words hurt and some words should not be said. If there is a picture you need to double check and actually think about, chances are it shouldn’t be blasted online for your friends to see.

When religion influences the world of business

BY FARAH HAIDARI fahaidari@vwu.edu

Many businesses are not afraid to make it clear they are Christian organizations. Some of these places include Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby and the Marriott Hotels.

Some of my family members and friends will often crave Chick-fil-A on Sundays. They soon get annoyed by the fact that it is closed on Sundays. The Chick-fil-A website says, “Sunday is a day to rest and relax with family and friends. But for many of you, it’s the day that you crave Chick-fil-A the most. While we are closed on Sundays, your kitchen is open.” It is good that Chick-fil-A is aware that their customers feel this way and even offer a Closed-On-Sunday Chicken Sandwich.

When I was younger, I never understood why the franchise was closed on Sundays. Since I’ve gotten older, I finally understand. With Chick-fil-A’s Christian roots, it would make sense for them to close on Sundays to recognize the Christian Sabbath. As I’ve grown closer to God in college, I respect Chick-fil-A for being closed every Sunday since it shows founder Truett Cathy’s commitment to faith before business. This also guarantees

6Opinions.indd 1

Chick-fil-A employees a day off each week. There are many places, that make their employees work on Sundays, which is not fair. People should be spending their Sundays resting, going to church if it’s in their religious beliefs and spending time with loved ones Hobby Lobby is an arts and crafts store, similar to Michaels. Hobby Lobby is also known for being a Christian organization. However, their Christian beliefs have caused conflict since the health insurance program refuses to cover certain contraceptives, despite the Affordable Care Act stating that employers need to provide a health insurance programs that provide all forms of contraception for free.

After a divisive lawsuit, Hobby Lobby won. I respect Hobby Lobby CEO David Green for standing up for his beliefs and making it his goal to follow God. This is not the easiest thing to do, especially in today’s society.

Marriott owns hotels all around the world and always places the Bible and Book of Mormon in the drawer of the nightstand in each of their rooms, except those in predominantly Muslim countries. One Mile at a Time, a

travel source says, “Marriott is unique among the major hotel chains, in that they have the Bible and Book of Mormon bedside at every one of their hotels worldwide (except in Muslim countries). That probably has to do with the company’s roots, though at the same time there’s no denying that Marriott has evolved a lot over the years.” However, the source also reports that Marriott will discontinue this practice to attract younger travelers in America and not offend those from different religions, especially international travelers from countries with a dominant religion other than Christianity. This practice will specifically be discontinued at Marriott’s Moxy and Edition hotels.

I will still love Marriott and have been staying at Marriott hotels with my family for a long time, but I find it sad that they will stop showing their faith.

Overall, I find it comforting that there are some companies in the world that are very content in what they believe and not afraid to show it.

11/15/2017 12:21:44 AM

7

Sports Women’s soccer falls in Round 32

BY LUKE CHIASSON lachiasson@vwu.edu

The Virginia Wesleyan women’s soccer team season ended at the hands of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by a final score of 3-0.

The Marlins finished their season with a 157-1 record while the #1 team in the country, TCNJ, advanced to the Sweet 16 at a perfect 20-0.

The Marlins received an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament after concluding their regular season with a 1-2 loss to Bridgewater College in the ODAC Semi-Finals. The Marlins hosted the ODAC Tournament at Foster Field at the Trinder Center after securing the top seed after finishing 9-1 in ODAC play. The team was unsure of their fate and had to wait until the NCAA Selection Show to determine their fate.

“The girls never thought our season would end in the ODAC Semi Final. To wait a week to find out your fate felt like an eternity.

When they announced Virginia Wesleyan on the selection show, our girls were not only excited, but ready to prove that the conference tournament was a fluke. We had more in the tank and we felt grateful to be given second life. That girls had great energy and were very focused during our week of training leading into the NCAA Tournament. They weren’t taking anything for granted,” assistant coach Sam Kirschenbaum said.

It was familiar territory for the Marlins Ashlei Gates| Marlin Chronicle as just a year ago, they received an at-large bid and had to travel to Ewing, NJ at host The starters for the Marlins get hyped up before taking on Bridgewater College.

TCNJ and fell to Brandies, 3-0. But, this felt amazing, it was such an honor. I was very the NCAA tournament,” Pedicone said. year, there was a different result, with their surprised that I won this award and definitely A key to the Marlins success moving first round match up with another opponent could not have done it without the help of all forward will be the six seniors Coach Bowers from the Baystate, Tufts University (10-6-3), my teammates. Coming into this season as a will have on his roster for next season, but the Marlins advanced with a 3-2 victory led freshman, my goal was to just help contribute with five of them going abroad next semester, by three first half goals, two from sophomore to the team’s success as much as I could,” the team will look for the spring season to Alex Davidson while junior Kennedy Skala Pedicone said. build leadership within the young core. put away the decisive goal late in the first half.

Coach Bowers’ squad will be locked and “Even though five of us will be gone, I’m The victory was the first for the Marlins in loaded once again next season as the 18 out confident that we have strong leaders within their last six NCAA tournament appearances. of the 21 players who had a goal or assist to the underclassmen that will step up to fill the Despite the loss in the NCAA Tournament, their name this season will be returning in the rolls, and this will help us as a team when we the Marlins earned their 18th straight winning fall of 2018. This includes Davidson, who arrive in the fall as we look to win the ODAC season under Coach Jeff Bowers. The ODAC led the team in goals with 12 and assists with Championship that we have been chasing,” Coaches recognized the stellar play as 7, good for 31 points. The Marlins will also Alex Cortright said as she prepares to study seven Marlins earned all ODAC accolades only lose one of their regular starting 11 from abroad in Sydney, Australia. highlighted by ODAC Rookie of the Year, this past season. Look out for the ODAC to Coach Kirschenbaum echoed the same Anna Pedicone. Pedicone registered 11 run through Virginia Beach once again as the message, “The staff is very aware that 5 key goals in her freshman campaign. Senior Zoe Marlins look to advance to their third straight leaders for our program will be absent in the Traficante and junior Brooke Adamchak join NCAA Tournament and capture their first spring. It’s a time where our staff will need Pedicone on the All-ODAC First Team. A trio ODAC Tournament crown since 2006. to mentor certain underclassmen and develop of sophomores earned All-ODAC Second The players on the team feel the same way them into becoming leaders for the future. As Team honors, Shea Geary, Ryan McCurry, and and know the success they can achieve next much of a challenge it is to have our rising Alex Davidson. Sophomore Alicia Zamora season. seniors gone, it’s an unbelievable opportunity represented the Marlins as the All-ODAC “Being such a young team, we expect to for our younger players to step up and help Third Team goalkeeper. be back in the same position, if not further each other through the spring. We feel very Being only the third player in Virginia next season. Our team has a lot of talent and confident in the character of all of our players, Wesleyan women’s soccer history to win the motivation that can only be improved from this and we are excited to see who steps up this award, Pedicone was humbled by the honor, year. We are a driven team that wants to win spring.” but knew she did not achieve the award on her and is looking to repeat our success in ODAC The Virginia Wesleyan community will own. next year and to continue moving forward in have plenty of reasons to cheer next fall.

“Being named ODAC Rookie of the Year

Young core looks to lead Marlins

BY JOSHUA DAVIS jwdavis@vwu.edu

The Marlins Women’s Basketball team This hard work has not only improved their an energy and intensity to the floor, encouraging enters the 2017-18 season after finishing the skill on the court, but their camaraderie as a the Marlins to go on the attack defensively, 2016 season 13-13 overall and 8-8 in ODAC team as well. “Our team chemistry, as a whole and repeatedly deny the ball to the post, thus play. The Marlins are slotted to finish seventh is better, it’s probably the best it’s been in my creating fast break opportunities. Though in the ODAC Coaches’ Preseason Poll. After four years here, and it’s really exciting to see shorter than their opponents, senior Naeemah graduating only two seniors, the team is eager the potential that we have. We are coming Morris, and freshman Mak McSweeney were to step back on the floor. The firepower for together both on and off the court,” Phillips able to repeatedly step in front of passes and the Marlins is plentiful. In the backcourt, First said. knock them away. Offensively, guards Jayla Team All-ODAC Guard Jayla Harris and NiAsia Caldwell were Harris returns after averaging 19.7 able to get past their defenders points per game last season. The and make plays either towards squad will also look to NiAsia the rim, or for their teammates.

Caldwell and Amanda Gerni, who Energy was high both on the both return after averaging double court and on the sideline. digits in points last season. Five Players chanted and encouraged new post players will also join each other throughout the entire the squad this year, helping to game. The Marlins were able to add depth and length to the post capitalize on this energy, turning position that lacked a season ago. defensive stops into offensive In preparation for the 2017-18 opportunity multiple times season the Marlins are motivated during the scrimmage. by higher expectations.

“Marymount’s a great team, “I think that last year really they were 24-6 last year, they drove us to work harder, to put only graduated one player. ourselves in a better position to Going into last night I don’t think succeed,” senior captain Kellen we knew truly what to expect,” Phillips said. said Coach Dunmyer, “I’m very Junior Amanda Gerni agreed, “I pleased with the energy, and didn’t like getting picked seventh commitment we’re bringing in the ODAC, but I think it just defensively, I think it’s been motivated us to get better, and do night and day from last year.

Department of Sports Information| Courtesy When you look at the success the best that we possibly can.”

“They made a commitment to Junior Jayla Harris shoots a free throw as Raya Berkley looks on. of teams in our conference, each other, when we talked about the top four teams, are also the our team goals for this year, that everyone “Chemistry wise, I think our team is in a top four defensive teams, there’s days where make a commitment to get into the gym, and really good spot right now, which makes it that we will be on, and days where we will be off, work hard,” said Coach Stephany Dunmyer, much easier to be each other’s biggest fans,” but we have to consistently bring energy to the who begins her 15th season as head coach for Coach Dunmyer said. defensive side of the floor,” Dunmyer added. the Marlins.

On Nov. 8, the Marlins were able to put their The Marlins will return to the Jane P. Batten The women have been much more dedicated hard work to the test in a preseason scrimmage Student Center on Dec. 2 against Apprentice to their ten thousand shot club, which is done against Marymount, who is currently ranked and open the ODAC season at home against outside of regular practice time, along with #14 in the country by D3Hoops.com. Juniors Guilford College on Dec. 9. Games are many other individual drills and skill sessions. Jaelyn Washington and Ceci Billings brought scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m and 4:30 p.m.

7Sports.indd 1

Thursday November 16, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

the

DUGOUT LUKE CHIASSON is a junior majoring in communication

Congratulations to the Houston Astros for winning the 2017 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven game series.

It took me a little bit to get on the Astros bandwagon after they eliminated my hometown Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, but I eventually found myself cheering for them. It probably helped that they faced off against the New York Yankees in the ALCS, but I was not just cheering against the Yankees. I was cheering for the Astros, and the whole city of Houston.

In the spring of 2013, when the Boston Marathon Bombing occurred, I was 15 and my high school football coach was running the Marathon and I knew at least a dozen people in attendance. When the bombs went off, I did not believe it. How could someone do such a thing to my city? My attention quickly turned to making sure everyone I knew was okay - they were - but I also knew some people were not as lucky. Boston was on pause, but one thing kept going on: the Red Sox. After Boston legend David Ortiz took the mic at a pregame ceremony honoring the victims of the bombing and proclaimed Boston as “Our [expletive] city,” the city started to heal, still very damaged, but Ortiz and the Red Sox gave the city something to look forward to. The team made a magical run that season and won the World Series. I was at the championship parade and I was there when the team stopped at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and placed the World Series trophy on it while a Red Sox jersey reading “Boston Strong” with the area code of Boston, 617, on the back. Everyone stopped for a moment of silence and prayer.

To this day, it was one of the most powerful moments I have witnessed.

Fast forward to 2017 and the devastation that Hurricane Harvey brought upon Houston. The entire city felt the effects of the natural disaster and needed help.

The country responded. Houston Texans star JJ Watt’s efforts raised $37 million to help out, which is beyond incredible, but still there was pain and suffering. The city would not be rebuilt overnight. I do recognize that sports can not heal a city after something tragic happens, but the Astros were able to let people forget about what is going on and bring them happiness for a few hours each night and ultimately won their first World Series Championship just months after Hurricane Harvey struck.

The passion that the Astros players such as Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa all displayed made it clear how important it was to them and their city.

Correa, being from Puerto Rico, was playing for more than Houston, he was playing for his home country. Puerto Rico is in shambles after Hurricane Maria.

Correa was playing with Puerto Rico on his mind and performed in the biggest spot of his young career. There will be two rings in the near future for Correa as he proposed to his girlfriend during the on field celebration after winning the World Series.

After seeing pictures of the Astros’ parade and the elation on the faces of the fans, it was clear the Astros delivered exactly what the city of Houston needed. The Red Sox and Astros both delivered in a time of need for their city which continues to speak to the magic of sports. Congratulations again to the Houston Astros and the city of Houston.

11/15/2017 1:58:54 PM

8 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Thursday, November 16, 2017

AT A GLANCE Men’s Basketball Standing in ODAC 1. Guilford College(8) 2. Randolph-Macon(2)

Virginia Wesleyan(1)

3.

4. Emory & Henry (1) 5. Roanoke 6. Lynchburg 7. Washington & Lee 8. Hampden-Sydney 9. Eastern Mennonite 10. Randolph 11. Bridgewater 12. Shenandoah

Women’s Basketball Preseason Rankings

Corey King|Marlin Chronicle L: Donisha Hall going up for one of her 16 kills of the night. R: Sophomore Elizabeth Britton serving at home against W&L.

Volleyball ends season at ODACs

BY COREY KING ckking1@vwc.edu

Virginia Wesleyan University’s volleyball team saw their season come to an end this past week losing to second ranked Washington & Lee in the second round of the conference tournament. The Marlins were at home in the first round, where they took down Roanoke three matches to two.

Helping the Marlins to victory in a big way were sophomore’s, Lauren Topper and Amber Matalus, and junior Doneisha Hall.

Matalus lead the way with 16 kills, while Hall had 12 kills and Topper had 11 kills in the match for the Marlins.

In the second round, the Marlins ran into trouble and fell to the Generals of Washington & Lee three sets to one. The Generals only dropped one set during the regular season, so this was going to be a tall task for the Marlins. The Marlins were narrowly defeated in the first set 25-10. The Marlins bounced back and won the second match by a score of 25-19. The third match the Marlins were dominated, losing the set by a score of 25-13. The last set was more competitive but the Marlins still were defeated 25-21. Hall lead the team in kills

with only nine followed by Matalus and Kristina Scott with eight. Senior, Allison Mackley led the team with 38 digs.

The Marlins ended the season third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, with a final record of 19-10 overall and 8-3 in the conference. Wesleyan finishes the year also with three of its players being recognized with All-ODAC honors.

Senior’s Dare Wright and Allison Mackley, were awarded with All-ODAC third team honors, while another senior, Emilee Pierson was awarded second team.

1. Eastern Mennonite(7) 2. Lynchburg(5) 3. Emory and Henry 4.Randolph-Macon 5.Guilford 6.Washington & Lee 7. VIRGINIA

WESLEYAN

8. Roanoke 9. Randolph 10. Bridgewater 11. Shenandoah 12. Hollins

(#)= Number of first place votes recieved Corey King|Marlin Chronicle The Virginia Wesleyan volleyball team huddles on the court before their first round match-up against Roanoke.

Pick and Pop with Luke and Corey: Men’s Basketball

VWU vs JWU

Guilford vs Concordia RMC vs CNU (TX)

Lynchburg vs.

McDaniel

Emory and Henry vs.

Maryville (Tenn.)

RECORD: COREY: 0-0 LUKE: 0-0

ports

8Sports.indd 1

11/15/2017 2:00:34 PM

THEWEEKENDER

BANG FOR YOUR COLLEGE BUCK November 16, 2017

PAGE 9

FAMOUS FEUDING Columnist, Wynter Bond shares her views on celebrity feuds

BY WYNTER BOND wcbond@vwu.edu

Bayli Foley| Courtesy A pizza extends in length across two paper plates to show how big the slices can get at Benny Damato’s in Norfolk, VA.

A pizza shop in Ghent is serving up more than just hot deals SEE FOOD Pg. 10

FLORIBAMA WHAT?

Alex Powers | Marlin Chronicle

Students react to the news of a spin-off on a beloved show of our teenage years

BY CAIMAYA ASHTON clashton@vwu.edu

A lot of people are familiar with the hit show Jersey Shore. Unfortunately, that show came to an end. Never fear, you do not have to cry about not having your favorites go wild on the TV screen. The producers of Jersey Shore have linked back with MTV bringing you eight hot young adults who will be hitting Panama City Beach. They will be airing a Jersey Shore spin off called Floribama Shore.

The show is set to premiere on Nov. 27 at 10 pm.

The new show has a mixed male and female cast. The female cast of the show are as follows: Aimee Hall, Candice Rice, Kortni Gilson, and Nilsa Prowant.

The male cast consists of Codi Butts, Gus Smyrnios, Jeremiah Buoni, and Kirk Medals. One can only imagine how this show will turn out. They have very high expectations to meet if they want to be anything like the Jersey Shore cast.

However, sources say that the people of Florida had no idea of the show being filmed there. Florida also wants people to know that they have no connection to the show. One could say that they feel that way because of how wild and reckless Jersey Shore was.

Most teens and young adults enjoyed Jersey Shore. The outcome of this show could be very disappointing to some Jersey Shore lovers. Students were asked if they knew of the upcoming show, if they

9Weekender.indd 1

liked Jersey Shore, how they felt about the show, if they were going to watch the show or not, do they think they would make the cuts to be on a show like this if so would they want to be. Juniors Cezar Gherasimescu and Vanessa Brightwell and senior Alexis Coverton shared their thoughts.

“I don’t know of the show [Floribama Shore]; is it like a football show? I didn’t like the show [Jersey Shore] because they didn’t promote anything positive or smart really. I feel that the show [Floribama Shore] could be entertaining to watch.

I get to see a new cast, so that might be good. I honestly won’t watch the show because I just don’t have time, I don’t even watch TV to be honest. I could most definitely make the cuts to be on the show and I would be on the show for exposure and money,” Gherasimescu said.

“I haven’t heard of the new show yet.

Being said, that it’s produced by the same people who made Jersey Shore, I probably won’t like it. I was never a big fan of Jersey Shore in particular, however, my sister was. I would only watch it if it was on the television prior to her watching it. I’m not a big reality television fan. The show has to catch my attention in order for me to want watch it.

With that being said, I don’t see myself turning the channel to tune into the show.

Although, I do feel like I could definitely

be on the show, but I wouldn’t want to be on there,” Coverton said.

“I have heard of the sho before I just never asked questions about it because it didn’t spark interest to me. I’m not really sure how the producers came up with the idea of Jersey Shore but the show was just something to watch when nothing else was on TV. I honestly don’t really care for the new show. I’m not exactly going to watch the show. I feel that the only time I’ll watch it is if it’s on one of my friend’s TV then yeah I’ll definitely watch it. I do believe that I could make the cuts to be on the show just because of my personality and how I would react to things. I would have everyone weak just off of me being in the confession room. I would only want to do the show for an experience to be on reality TV,” Brightwell said.

Overall, the show has the potential to be great. We get a chance to watch people live life to the fullest. Most stars from reality TV shows usually make a name for themselves where they are able to progress in fame. If you want to catch young adults living their lives with nights out at the clubs, fights, hook ups and more then tune into MTV on Nov. 27 at 10 pm and take a look at how they get down in Panama City beach.

Every day, there seems to be a new case of a celebrity unfollowing a former best friend on social media or writing plastic wrap seethrough lyrics calling out the one that did them wrong. More often than not, we tend to take sides. Some celebrity feuds are just so utterly ridiculous, it makes me realize that they are just as normal and petty as we are.

Take Taylor Swift: now if you know me, you know that there are two people that I feel are either highly overrated or as fake as Kylie Jenner, and one of them is Taylor Swift. She is the top person that comes to mind when I think of subliminal lyrics. We all know the 2014 mega-hit “Bad Blood” from her 1989 album. The music video showed Swift in a post-apocalyptic world gearing up for battle against another badass female. Immediately, speculation over who the song was about centered around Katy Perry, her former BFF. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Swift basically accused Perry (without naming names, of course) of trying to “sabotage” her tour by attempting to hire her dancers for her own tour. Perry then responded with a tweet referencing everyone’s favorite “Mean Girl,” Regina George. People quickly made the connection. Soon after, Perry released the terrible track “Swish Swish” and immediately everyone glommed onto the feud harder than ever. Is it over? Not sure, honestly. Both are as petty as petty does.

Because Swift loves the drama, she also got into it with Kim Kardashian-West and her husband Kanye. Unless you’ve been hiding under some desert rock somewhere, you know their tale begins in 2009 at the MTV VMA’s when Kanye interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video, declaring that Beyoncé should have won (Side note: Kanye, if you would’ve kept your big mouth shut, Swift would not be as famous as she is now!

You did this, I blame you!).

Fast forward to 2016 when the hip-hop star released his track “Famous.” Included in the single was the line, ““I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that b---famous.” Well, at least he took responsibility for causing the world to know who she is and subjecting us to the overly intimate journal that is her music. Fans of hers proceeded to barrage his social media. He took to Twitter (everyone’s favorite drama confessional), stating that he and Swift had a phone call in which he talked to her about the lyric and how she even “thought it was funny.” Then, Swift uttered the famous line, “I would like to be excluded from this narrative,” basically denying that it ever happened, posting responses to Kanye’s claims on social media.

BUT WAIT! Kim came out stating that she was present for the phone call, and they even recorded it, going as far to release the video of her husband and Swift talking. Hard to argue when there’s proof, Tay-Tay. Like I say, it always pays to have receipts.

Onto one of my favorites, Nicki Minaj. In 2012, she and Mariah Carey were contracted to be judges on American Idol. As soon as cameras began rolling, there were stories of the two singers going at each other’s throats. I assume it’s because Carey has a huge ego on her, even though Nick Cannon took her voice in the divorce and that’s why she sounds like a skipping, grainy Walkman. But y’all know if someone comes for Nicki, she’s going to swing back and respond with Twitter subs. It all died down after a while, but I still haven’t seen them in the same room since. If I did though, I’m putting all my money on Minaj.

Petty feuds aren’t just limited to females.

Kanye West and JAY-Z had their share of Wagyu beef just last year. So, we all know how Kanye goes on these rants followed by a breakdown every once and awhile, right?

So, this one was aimed at Hova, calling both him and his wife Beyoncé out at his concert.

Basically, the “Gold Digger” rapper threw shots at the couple for not wanting to perform unless Beyoncé beat him for an award, not checking on him after his wife Kim’s Paris robbery, and for not letting their kids play together. Like dude, chill. Not everyone has to play with North West and Saint. Just take them to daycare and relax.

Of course, some feuds come well deserved to those that instigate them. Enter Giuliana Rancic stage left. Rancic is the current host of E!’s Fashion Police, a show that commentates on the fashions of celebrities.

SEE STARS Pg. 10 11/15/2017 1:53:10 AM

PAGE 10

STARS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

THEWEEKENDER

November 16, 2017

ART CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

At the 2015 Academy Awards, Rancic made jokes concerning Zendaya’s locs “probably smelling like patchouli” and “weed.” First of all, Rancic was downright disrespectful. That’s not even just my opinion. A lot of people came forward to express their distaste for the comment. Zendaya herself posted on Instagram about how the comment was prejudiced, citing locs as “a symbol of strength and beauty.” Her point of wearing the locs to the awards was to “remind people of color that our hair is good enough.” African Americans have so many degrading stereotypes placed upon us, especially when it comes to looks. I love that Zendaya stood up for herself, as well as her fellow people of color. It shows such maturity to not only rise above the comments made by Rancic, but to also educate to those that may also be as narrow-minded.

It used to be that, in times of drama or conflict, singers and rappers would drop diss tracks, leaving the world with their jaw dropped, waiting in anticipation for a harder response from the targeted. Now, subtweets in the captions of pictures or tweets seems to be the direction to go.

Honestly, can we go back to the battles on the mic? Subtweets just seem so cowardly, unless you actually “@” the person’s handle. Be brave or keep the subtweets in the drafts folder.

“OTHER THAN REAL”

More photos from the Art gallery with the title to spotlight the alternate reality that these pieces portray Ashlei Gates| Marlin Chronicle

FOOD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

BY JULIE AINSLEY jmainsley@vwu.edu

BY TONY

Val Miller| Marlin Chronicle

“Home of the Virginia Slice.” That’s the first thing you see when you happen upon Benny Damato’s in Ghent. This is home to the huge slice that floods instagram that is the perfect hotspot for the college student on a budget.

Benny Damato’s offers regular slice of cheese pizza only costs about $4 with extra for some toppings, but the size is what makes this slice a popular eat and picture moment. you could even take on a large 28 inch pie for $30.

Benny Damato’s offers a great spot to hang out with friends, make memories, and eat one of the best slices in Norfolk.

“My friends and I had never gotten one of their large pizza before, so we picked up one and it was massive. I couldn’t barely fit it in my car. We destroyed the pizza, but it was a good time. I’ve literally never seen such a huge pizza,” junior Bayli Foley said.

If the large peaks your interest, they also do a tempting challenge. You can get a whole pizza, and if you finish the full pie in one hour, then you can win $500, a Benny’s T-shirt, your picture on the website, and infamy.

The cheapness only is a small portion of the quality of the hot spot. the high quality slice is what keeps people coming back.

I mean who wouldn’t want top-of-the-line brick fired pizza that is cheap and convenient,” Foley said Benny Damato’s is located at 131 Granby Street in Norfolk, Virginia.

THE MARLIN UNDERTOW / By Julie Ainsley GO TO THIS:

WATCH THIS:

ENJOY THIS:

Fall One Act Play Festival:

“Coco”:

Thanksgiving Break:

The VWU theatre department’s directing class will be holding their annual Fall One Act Play Festival on Nov. 17 and 18.

Being student-directed, the shows will feature new faces as well as being directed by usual cast favorites. The event is free and will begin at 7:30 p.m. each night it is open.

10Weekender.indd 1

Disney Pixar is releasing their newest film celeprating the tradition of “Day of the Dead.” Pixar says that this film will be different from any of their other films because of how much the film focuses on music. “Coco” will be in theaters Nov. 21.

You are trying to get through tests, lastminute papers, and tiring lectures waiting until you are on the way home stuffing your face full of turkey and snagging those Black Friday deals. Take time to treat yourself, practice self-care, and spend time with your family so that you are refreshed and ready for finals.

11/15/2017 1:56:59 AM