Oct 22nd, 2020

The Marlin Chronicle THURSDAY 10.22.20 || MARLINCHRONICLE.VWU.EDU

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

Class of ‘20 commencement gets reschedule date Due to the global COVID-19 outbreak, Commencement 2020 was postponed until December. Following the rules of Governor Ralph Northam, the university has decided to continue with Commencement. “In April we met (virtually) with several seniors who were campus leaders to get their feedback on commencement. Obviously cancelling or postponing commencement is a big deal, so we wanted to be sure that we sought the perspective of our students on this,” Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Maynard Schaus said. Schaus also expressed that postponing Commencement for December was a collective decision that senior students and school faculty agreed on. He also added that students said, “this way all of the 2020 graduates can walk together.”

The procedures for Commencement this year are more strict than in other years. According to the VWU website, the commencement ceremonies will be held in five differBY STEVEN SERRANO-CRUZ sdserranocruz@vwu.edu

ent ceremonies, one for each of its academic schools.

Those planning to attend these ceremonies in person, have to have their masks on during the entirety of the event.

“I am most looking forward to seeing our graduates walk across the stage with their masks on,” Schaus said.

“This past year has been so difficult for them, but for me, seeing them get to that point demonstrates their perseverance and our collective ability to educate our students in the face of the pandemic.”

Graduates and their guests are welcome to attend in person, however, graduates will be limited to three guest tickets each. “Unfortunately, with the governor’s order limiting gathering sizes to 250 participants total (graduates, guests, and campus participants), we are unable to include everyone in the same ceremony,” Schaus said. He also added, “I think it is worth it for the graduates to be able to participate in-person and have some guests attend to see them graduate in person.” Students had until Oct. 16 to confirm their in-person attendance, by completing a form.

VWU Flickr|Courtesy

The ceremonies will be held here on campus either in TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center or the Joan and Macon Brock Theatre in the Susan S. Goode

See GRAD Page 2

Varied passions fuel student businesses The ‘GOAT’ Debate Students around campus find ways to channel their artistic outlets into self-owned businesses, selling everything from jewelry and art to baked goods and masks.

Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle

SPORTS Page 8

A call to end gerrymandering Lauren Faulkner|Marlin Chronicle A chocolate cupcake from Castle Creations awaits pick-up. Castle Creations is one of many student-run businesses on campus.

BY TIFFANY WARREN tawarren@vwu.edu

Small businesses are popping up all the time, but some entrepreneurs might be closer than you think. Students on campus have created their own businesses. These businesses range from custom jewelry orders to baked good and personalized art commissions.

CASTLE CREATIONS Charlotte Weinstein, a sophomore majoring in international relations and minoring in business, operates an on-campus bakery business called Castle Creations in the Honors Village dorms partnered with Lauren Faulkner, editor of the Community section in The Marlin Chronicle.

Castle Creations started this past August before the fall semester started.

“I assumed Castle Creations would be small just within Village IV, but I was surprised by the outreach of people who my friends knew and people I knew helped the business grow to other parts of the campus,” Weinstein said.

Cupcakes, cookies and brownies sell fast as an easy grab-and-go purchase at the Honors Village. “If you ever need something small and quick that’s cheap and gives you a little bit of sugar rush, I definitely would go for our brownies and cupcakes,” Weinstein said. Popular dessert items are the salted caramel brownies, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, and chocolate lover’s cupcakes.

There is also a flavor of the week for each dessert item and Weinstein asks for feedback from students by providing polls to give customers a voice about their interests in different dessert options. The cupcake of the week has a

discount deal for $2-3 and customers can purchase a dozen at a discounted price as a part of the promotion. “We are always asking students about what they would like and open to hearing what they would like to see from us,” Weinstein said.

As any starting entrepreneur, there is a process of building a business from making a brand name to creating a product, marketing it and much more. “The most difficult part of starting my business was pricing my desserts. I’ve been baking for years so a lot of my recipes are perfected.

It wasn’t a trial and error process, but more of tweaking it to cater to the customer’s wants. It was definitely hard to create a name because I didn’t want to include my name.

I wanted the business to be a representation of me and my business partner. We developed the brand name Castle Creations because of our love of Disney,” Weinstein said. “ I always look forward to what I can do to keep changing and adapting to customer’s preferences for our business,” Weinstein said.

Students who dream of making a small business, but are not sure where to start, may benefit from Weinstein who shares her word of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.“We heavily rely on technology and social media to get the word out. You have to be able to market yourself, and especially with COVID-19 you need to be accessible online,” Weinstein said.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, students purchase baked goods at Weinstein’s townhouse in the Honors

See BUSINESS Page 9

Amazon|Courtesy

OPINIONS Page 6

Life in quarantine

Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle

COMMUNITY Page 5

Students take part in NATO simulation

BY STEVEN SERRANO-CRUZ sdserranocruz@vwu.edu

Brianna Sandy|Marlin Chronicle Senior Hunter Draut diligently takes notes to prepare for a war game simulation.

1Front_10_20_2020.indd 1

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, several students from VWU and from other institutions participated in a NATO DTEX event. NATO is an international organization that guarantees freedom and security of its members through political and military means. In this event, the students were given different scenarios to solve them through teamwork and conversations with other students about possible solutions. Students were given technology cards for them to understand the different technologies that they could use for these situations.

Sophomore Charlotte Weinstein was one of the participants of this event and she described the event as very collaborative and challenging. “No one from VWU was on my team, so I worked a lot with students from ODU, both graduate and undergraduate; I had to work with a lot of different people that had different mindsets,” Weinstein said.

Weinstein expressed that it was really eye-opening to have worked with people that have different majors, pointing out that working with these people was really interesting because each person had a different point of view on one topic. Although collaborating with different people was a good experience for Weinstein, she felt intimidated because she was the youngest person in the group. “In the beginning, I was definitely hesitant about speaking up, but when I felt comfortable with everyone, it was a lot easier to share my opinions and my thoughts,” Weinstein said. She also said that this event related to her field of study because she is an international relations major.

“At the event we were trying to figure out how to combat misinformation in Eastern Europe, so they identified 46 different technologies that could be used and they gave us that list and we picked 5 to combat the misinformation,” freshman Edward McDonald

See NATO Page 2 10/21/2020 11:15:31 AM

2

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

News

GRAD CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Fine and Performing Arts Center.

Once the number of graduates is complete, the location for each ceremony will be confirmed. According to the VWU website, the VWU Global Campus (MBA and MaEd graduates) ceremony will be held on Saturday, December, 5 2020 at 5:00 p.m. On Sunday, December, 6 2020, most of these ceremonies will have a two hours difference between them including for the Birdsong School of Social Science, Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities, D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies and Joan P.

Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The first ceremony will start at 9:00 a.m. and the last one is scheduled at 4:00 p.m. The speaker for Commencement will be the President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Will Baker.

Senior India Khanna expressed that these actions taken

by VWU are not irresponsible because a lot of students want to have their commencement ceremony, just like others did in the past. “People want to have that and show their parents that they did it,” Khanna said. “However, I

think it is going to be difficult trying to get people what they want and at the same time, staying safe.”

She thinks that although the school is taking all the strict guidelines in order to realize these ceremonies, there still is a risk for people. “As long as they do not have the previous ticket policies, students should be fine,” Khanna said. Although students will be asked to only bring three guests, these ceremonies will be livestreamed on the VWU Digital Broadcasting Network for the benefit of other people that would like to view these ceremonies.

VWU reports zero COVID-19 cases in past two weeks

BY CONNOR MERK ccmerk@vwu.edu For the weeks of Sept. 30 through Oct. 13, there were zero new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus and as of Oct. 20, there have only been 20 total confirmed cases.

This comes as great news for students, faculty and staff that have been hoping to complete this semester oncampus.

In a video message delivered by President Miller via email, he explained how proud he is of the VWU community during this unconventional year. “Our community has shown its commitment to safety and care for one another and I could not be more proud of each and every one of you,” Miller said. “We have asked a lot of you during this first half of the semester essentially requiring you to reimagine your college experience in unprecedented ways, but you have stepped up and have been doing your part to keep yourself, your friends and the university safe and healthy.”

He concluded his statement by reminding students to be responsible. “While the numbers are encouraging, I remind everyone to remain vigilant in your efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Keep up the great work and let’s finish the semester strong,” Miller said.

Additionally, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management Jason Seward added, “With just five and a half weeks left until the Thanksgiving break … keep your foot on the gas. Treat each week like it’s week one. Wear your face covering, practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently, monitor your health and complete the daily health screening through LiveSafe. If you’re sick, stay home. Focus on your studies and finish strong.”

Other universities in the Hampton Roads region have experienced for the most part, a much higher number of COVID-19 cases compared to VWU. For example, as of Oct. 20, Christopher Newport University, which has 5,000

Connor Merk|Marlin Chronicle students, has had a total of 68 confirmed cases. Norfolk State University, which also has 5,000 students, has had a total of 18 confirmed cases. Old Dominion University,

which has 24,000 students, has had a total of 142 confirmed cases. Also, William & Mary, which has 8,000 students, has had fewer than 50 confirmed cases.

NATO CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

Brianna Sandy|Marlin Chronicle Senior Katherine Brockenbrough speaks with her team members via Zoom during the NATO DTEX event on Oct. 7. said. At the end of the event, students presented their choices to a panel of experts, who examined the logic behind it and announced the winner.

McDonald described this experience as “high pressure, high reward.” McDonald has an interest in political science and he stated this NATO event gave him more knowledge and more interest in this field.

Senior Katherine Brockenbrough is an intern with NATO and was one of the coordinators of this event. “Our main thing was recruitment, because we needed people; we created flyers for NATO officials, technology experts, 2News_10_20_2020.indd USE THIS ONEEE.indd 1

communication experts and people from all universities to come in,” Brockenbrough said. Also, she said that this event included the presence of people from six different nations.

VWU has kept a good relationship with NATO. In the past, NATO had multiple interns from VWU and facilitators that have made possible this connection.

Despite that this event was done by Zoom, students expressed that the outcome of the event was really successful. “I was a little afraid about organizing so many people, so we did a main room and our own separate team

room and it actually worked really well,” Brockenbrough said. Brockenbrough encourages other people to have this great opportunity of being part of a NATO event. What all three students agree on is that the success of this event was thanks to the variety of backgrounds and diversity that were part of the conflict solution. Brockenbrough expressed that the fact that these people had different points-of-view and different studies was something that connected all of them.

10/21/2020 10:42:52 AM

News VWU joins Campus757 VWU will participate in Campus757, a newly established initiative with universities and businesses in the Hampton Roads region dedicated to encouraging students to work and live in the Hampton Roads region after graduation.

BY CONNOR MERK ccmerk@vwu.edu It was announced in the Nota Bene on Oct. 5 that President Miller played an influential role in the founding of Campus757, a talent development initiative, with the presidents of Tidewater Community College, Norfolk State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University.

According to an overview published by the Hampton Roads Workforce Counsel, this organization was created to “combat the labor shortage and develop, attract and retain the talent needed today and into the future.”

goal is to provide an in-depth introduction to the region, showcasing its vibrancy and accessibility for college students, graduates and young professionals, wanting to make an impact,” Seward said.

Seward also mentioned that this organization will be a great resource to current students and graduates. “Our area has something for everyone,” Seward said.

“Campus757 will streamline accessibility to our region for all Marlins looking to live, learn, work and stay in Coastal Virginia.”

“

Campus757 will streamline accessibility to our region for all Marlins looking to live, learn, work and stay in Coastal Virginia.

“

Jason Seward, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management It is also stated in the overview that it is based on the college graduate retention program in Philadelphia called Campus Philly. “That organization, incorporated in 2004 with a mission of keeping regional college graduates in the area postgraduation, has helped affect meaningful change: between 2000 and 2017, the population of degree-holders in Philadelphia ages 25 to 34 grew by 115 percent, according to a Campus Philly report in 2017.” This has led the Chamber of Commerce in Richmond to assist with a GO Virginia grant to implement a program in the Hampton Roads region similar to Campus Philly.

The main goals of the organization are to develop a marketplace of internships and open jobs to facilitate the matching of employers and potential employees, sponsor events designed to help students and employers connect with each other and establish a website that contains comprehensive job and internship listings for the Hampton Roads area.

Miller also stated in his statement that Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management Jason Seward will serve as our institutional representative to the organization. “The

Maegan Barnes, the Campus757 program manager, was drawn to the program because of the potential impact it could have in our community. “As a coach I am always interested in creating spaces where I can help our youth,” Barnes said.

“The overarching goal for this program is to create an environment where all college students in the 757 can learn to love this region. I want every student to have their eyes opened to everything we have to offer in Hampton Roads and see them thrive here.”

Also, Barnes complimented Dr. Miller and VWU for giving their full support to the program. “They have already given us priceless feedback and guidance to make sure that VWU students are benefiting greatly from this program from day one,” Barnes said.

Additionally, they are in the process of developing both virtual and hybrid events for this winter, while students can also anticipate socially-distanced and outdoor events as early as spring 2021.

The Campus757 website will be available around Nov. 1 and those that would like to be involved in this organization can contact Barnes via email at mbarnes@ vcwhamptonroads.org.

3

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Apology for admin racial injustice statement On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, MN, sparking protests across the country and around the world. As covered in the Oct. 8 issue of the Marlin Chronicle, statements were released from Virginia Wesleyan University regarding this unrest. These came in the form of a statement made in the President’s Letter sent out on June 1 and this statement again, shared on social media platforms on June 2. In the letter that follows, Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Smaglo addresses allegations of plagiarism concerning this statement made by the University.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Black Lives Matter: An Apology In late May I watched in disbelief and horror along with the rest of the country as George Floyd was killed. The vacant, yet almost amused, look in that officer’s eyes as he knelt on Floyd’s neck still haunts me. As do the deaths of the many others whose lives have been lost at the hands of individuals meant to be trusted and keep us safe.

Organizations across the country began issuing statements right away about the racial injustices and civil disparities blanketing our communities, and Virginia Wesleyan was no different.

Our campus community needed to hear the University’s position.

I will be the first to admit that I was ill-equipped to write about this.

As a white woman I can not begin to understand the experiences of Black Americans. I can read about them. I can listen to Black friends and colleagues. I can feel the deepest sympathy and burn with compassion, but I can’t ever truly understand. And I know that. And I knew in that moment that I didn’t have the words to appropriately offer the support our community needed regarding the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement and the injustices of those who are affected by racial inequalities every day.

It was then that I made an extremely poor decision. An institution I admire, an institution I attended, released a statement that eloquently expressed what I thought needed to be said to our campus community about the state of our country.

Because I didn’t have the words myself, I chose to use phrases from this institution’s statement and repurpose the thoughts as our own. I am sorry and do apologize from deep within my heart. It was wrong, and I hold much regret that I will carry with me all my days.

Please know that although these words were not mine, the intent was not to deceive, and it was not a decision made out of carelessness or disregard. It was

a decision made because I felt that our community—our students, our alumni, our faculty and staff—deserved more than what I was capable of saying in my own words.

The confusion, pain, and outcry that followed underscored just how unqualified I was to address this particular topic. Please know that the omission of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was not meant to depreciate the cause, but rather was meant to be inclusive of all who have historically had to endure hate, prejudice, discrimination and violence”—including members of our Black communities, our Hispanic and Latino communities, Middle Easterners, Asians, those who identify as LGBTQ and anyone who has ever felt discriminated against for the color of their skin or their individual preferences.

I know now that this was not made clear in that original statement, and it was perhaps the wrong time to focus on this broader demographic.

A few days following the original statement, I did write, in my own words, a second message that was released to the VWU community. In this message I hoped to convey my regret for any insensitivity, any tone deafness, any pain caused by the original statement. And I stand by those words: “We hear the pain in your voices. We hear the desperation in your cries. We hear you. We see you. We support you.

We look to you for guidance. There is much work to be done by all, and we stand committed to doing the right thing.”

As I said, I will carry this lesson with me all my days. My heart, mind, and arms are open. I want to learn from those around me and be a source of support and care. I believe we are in a beautiful place, at Virginia Wesleyan and as a family, to lift one another up and create positive and much-needed change.

—Stephanie Smaglo

Senate, Presidential elections quickly approach

BY BRIANNA SANDY bnsandy@vwu.edu

The Nov. 3 elections are just two weeks away, and races up and down the ballot are sprinting into their final stretch. Most voters are familiar with the two candidates running for president, but fewer may be acquainted with the candidates a little closer to home. Virginians will be casting their votes for senator on Election Day as well, choosing between incumbent Mark Warner (D) and Daniel Gade (R).

Senator Warner was previously the Governor of Virginia from 2002-2006, and before that was a co-founder of the cellular technology company Nextel. Warner was first elected to the Senate in 2008, at which point Virginia’s most recent Republican Senator retired. Warner serves as the Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and sits on the Committee of Finance, the Committee on the Budget, the Committee on Rules and Administration and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

He also co-founded the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus and is a member of the Moderate Democrats Working Group.

Gade is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army. While serving in Iraq, Gade was injured and forced to amputate his right leg. He received many military honors during his service, including two Purple Hearts. Upon his discharge, Gade returned to college, and earned a PhD in Public Administration. He taught at West Point from 20112017 and currently teaches at the American University in Washington, D.C. Despite their differing experience and party affiliations, the two candidates share a number of priorities, both being relatively moderate in their respective parties.

Both Warner and Gade prioritize fighting for military veterans, reducing the national debt and budget deficit and promoting innovation in the private sector.

In a debate hosted at Norfolk State University on Oct. 3, the moderator asked about their stances on the racial turmoil over the summer--and in a stance that’s rare amongst his party, Gade had expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside Warner. Both candidates supported reducing the militarization of police and limiting qualified immunity protections for police officers. Neither support calls to defund the police--in fact, both suggested that increased funding was necessary. The clearest distinction offered on the matter in their debate

3News_10_20_2020.indd USE THIS ONEEEEE.indd 1

including access to broadband internet and improved infrastructure.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Gade has raised about $3.5 million dollars for his campaign, while Warner has raised approximately $14 million.

Political forecasting models by the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and FiveThirtyEight all predict that Warner will keep his Senate seat by a large margin, declaring Virginia a ‘safe’ Democratic Senate seat. A Republican has not won an election for either of Virginia’s Senate seats since 2002.

On the national level, neither presidential candidate has campaigned extensively in Virginia. President Trump visited Newport News on Sept. 25, just a day after Jill Biden visited Virginia Beach. Joe Biden himself has yet to visit the state. In this final sprint to the polls, advertisements have begun cropping up on local stations, but most funding for advertisements has been directed to nearby swing states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

However, the race has been heating up on national broadcasts. Biden and Trump participated in a televised debate on Sept. 29--a debate that didn’t seem to do either of them many favors with viewers.

Sophomore Abigail Peterson, vice chair of the College Republicans organization on campus described her overall Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle view of the debate succinctly: “I think that overall, it was horrifying.” She described her frustration with hearing was that Warner supports a ban on chokeholds, a move oversimplified arguments that avoided the questions asked that Gade does not. by the moderator. Sophomore David Browne concurred, In another stance that breaks with party rhetoric, saying that in the future, “I would like to see it be more Gade lists the environment as one of his priorities on his civil, like less of them interrupting each other and more campaign website, and suggests that he would be eager actually talking about the issues.” Browne characterized to work with Democrats on measures to help mitigate the the debate as “really messy” and “not well run” on the part effects of a changing climate. He has denounced divisive of the moderator and organizers. rhetoric, imploring Americans to focus on a shared value Senior Andrew Taylor expressed a different perspective. of liberty rather than policy differences. Other values listed “I think it was a good debate if you can even have one on his campaign site include instituting congressional when it comes to American politics. We received some term limits, lowering government spending and stopping views of both sides, even the ones we didn’t care about.” insider trading on Wall Street.

But asked who he thought won, Taylor’s views fell more Warner highlights concerns about information security along the lines of Peterson and Browne’s. “Neither side online and the spread of misinformation, expanding and won the debate. Both acted childish at one point or another preserving access to health care, advocating for civil rights and I think if we had a loser, it is probably the American and expanding services to those who live in rural Virginia, people.”

10/21/2020 10:52:11 AM

4

Community

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

The

MARLIN CHRONICLE Editor-in-Chief Alex Powers ampowers@vwu.edu Managing Editor Nicholas Mundy namundy@vwu.edu News Editor Connor Merk ccmerk@vwu.edu Community Editor Lauren Faulkner lafaulkner@vwu.edu Sports Editor Nicholas Mundy namundy@vwu.edu Weekender Editor Faith Macwana fpmacwana@vwu.edu Photo Editors Erin Highsmith eehighsmith@vwu.edu Illustrations Editor Emily Uzzle ebuzzle@vwu.edu

Virginia Wesleyan gets spooky as Halloween activities come to campus

BY ROBERT SOLOMON rlsolomon@vwu.edu As the fall semester quickly progresses the next big question is, “What is Virginia Wesleyan University going to do for Halloween this spooky season?” A favorite holiday among many university students, Halloween is one of the biggest celebrations during the school semester.

Previously known for large costume gatherings, parties and costume contests, Halloween has had to be altered this year due to the fear of widespread pandemic across campus from school administration and students.

Sarah Guzzo, head of Student Activities and Director of Off the Hook, warned; “it only takes one event where considerations are not taken that can affect the whole community.”

Have no fear though, there are events hosted every day Halloween week on campus for students as well as a number of events leading up to Halloween to get people excited and in the spooky spirit.

To begin, Off the Hook is hosting a scary movie presentation on Rose Lawn. The movie will be Scary Movies to Tell in the Dark, and will be shown at 9 p.m. Students are asked to bring their own blankets and lay them across Rose lawn to enjoy the film while socially distancing. School guidelines must still be in effect to keep students safe so, as long as there’s plenty of social distancing, masks are not required for blanket goers.

A large amount of the events that have been

proposed have been considered and deferred against due to the inability to stay COVID-19 safe. There was a Haunted Trail in the works

Kathleen Vanden Berg|Marlin Chronicle

for this Halloween season but Off the Hook and Student Activities are struggling to find ways to maintain the fun of the trail while also being COVID-19 considerate. Some of the biggest issues that the school has run into

include trying to keep social distance while still being interactive, keeping a low number of participants to stay safe while also making sure everybody has a chance to come and integrating online resources along with inperson interactions.

Some of the other events that have been approved as COVID-19 safe are a Kahoot Spooky Movie Trivia Night (hosted on Tuesday, Oct. 30), an in-person Among Us game to create a team and social atmosphere, and more events to come and be announced. Make sure to continue to check your school email and school social media pages for updates on the spooky events that are happening this semester.

Other recently announced events for the Halloween Week include Pumpkin Carving at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26 on Batten Lawn, and Movie Night at the Pool at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29.

All concerns considered, Student Activities and Sarah Guzzo are working tirelessly to try and put on as many COVID-19 safe social events as possible for the campus community.

They know that what really is important here at Virginia Wesleyan University are the social interaction, the friends and the memories that are made with them. These are the things that make a true college experience for the students at the university.

Online Editor Ash Dobrenen akdobrenen@vwu.edu Copy Editor Tara Truax tmtruax@vwu.edu Advertising Manager Alyssa Lane amlane@vwu.edu Adviser Dr. Lisa Lyon Payne lpayne@vwu.edu

President Miller, admin speak on university’s progress at mid-semester point

BY LAUREN FAULKNER lafaulkner@vwu.edu The Virginia Wesleyan community has officially hit the midway mark for the fall semester. This semester has introduced many challenges for every member of the campus community, and in an interview with President Miller, Dr. Keith Moore, Vice President of Campus Life and Operation Management, and Dr. Maynard Schaus, Vice President of Academic Affairs, these challenges are discussed in more detail.

What is the most dramatic change in each of your respective areas that you have seen on a daily basis since the beginning of the semester?

Miller: ...In 30 years as a college president, it is the most unusual nine or ten months that I have ever seen…[COVID-19] has created the most unusual atmosphere to provide in education.

Schaus: I think that the way faculty have been instructing. Having half the students in a normal class or having a larger class that is spread out...that’s completely different than what we have had to deal with. For the most part, faculty have been willing to go with it and work with the students. It is ultimately about the students getting a good education.

Moore: ...It has impacted every aspect of campus life, including the academic piece...So everything that we do had to be modified from dining, to living in residents, to congregating as a group, to having a club meeting, to adjusting to seeing people on screens as the norm...what is wonderful about it at the same time is that we are all in this together, and that the students are leading the charge. They have accepted this reality...because they know...this is [their education] what is important.

What were some of the fears you had for this semester?

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.

Schaus: ...When the cases started to spike, there was some concern raised...the whole team took it very seriously but took a proactive approach of what is necessary to get this under control, [such as] what do we need to change in terms of student behavior to rectify the situation to stop the spread.

What do you think the next semester will look like? January term is already scheduled to be online, so are there plans to have the spring semester in person or online? What challenges will affect this decision?

Miller: A lot of it is still fluid, based on the state and national situation. Our Emergency Response Team has been communicating on a daily basis, and we review information that is provided to us from eight agencies and organizations to give us the best information.

We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves because depending on surges that might occur that might affect those plans.

Schaus: ...The intent is to be in person, similar to this semester.

When students arrived on campus, many worried about being sent home midway through the semester like other universities.

Do you think that we will get to this point?

If so, what do you believe will cause us to get to that point where we would need to leave campus?

Miller: Our commitment has been to the safety of all individuals, not just the students but also the faculty and staff who provide this environment for a quality education, which is why we have been so insistent and sticklers to what we put in place. It is for everyone’s well being...Everyone has been so cooperative so far...We can not let our guard down because we are doing well. We need to make sure everybody is sticking to the processes and procedures that are put in place because that got us to where we are now...Everyone is out to protect the wellbeing of everyone else and that is what will keep us going.

What has the Student Activities office been doing to promote socializing on campus while remaining safe?

Moore: Sarah Guzzo, the director of Student Activities has done a tremendous job of finding novel ways to engage students. College….is what you do with your time during your week and to socialize with yours. She has been very creative and working with her staff [Off the Hook]...to see what would work and offered some neat opportunities...She is working to still give a quality out of classroom experience.

Do you have any comments you would like to share with the community?

Miller: ...I would say that everyday is a new set of challenges because this is so unpredictable, but I can say on behalf of the Emergency Response Team and the President’s cabinet...that this institution has an extremely experienced group that everyday is thinking through every detail and is looking to make the best decision possible for the good of the entire campus community, which gives me a special sense of pride as the President...Is everything perfect?

No, but...we are doing everything for the good of the campus community as a whole...I have never seen a campus community rally around each other in a positive way and address something that is a serious national issue and look after the wellbeing of everyone else in the campus community while also maintaining a focus on their academics which is what is so special about this place.

President Miller was able to summarize the goal of this semester very well at the end of the interview. As the interview concluded, he said, “Stay Positive, Stay Focused, and Stay Safe.”

The university thanks the community for their continued effort to staying safe and healthy, and reminds students to finish this semester strong.

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

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

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

--Scott D. Miller, Ph.D President

4Community_10_20_2020 USE THIS ONEEE.indd 1

10/21/2020 10:52:52 AM

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Thursday, October 22, 2020

5

Rush Week activities bring new members to Greek Life

BY JACK PALMER jrpalmer@vwu.edu

Although much has changed since Marlins returned to campus in August, the presence of Greek life and their rush weeks have not. Many students found themselves interested in “Going Greek” this semester. Among the fraternities and sororities interviewed, all reported higher than normal turnout rates at their events.

Sigma Sigma Sigma Allison Churchman, President of Sigma Sigma Sigma, expressed how the major change for this semester was having to hold virtual events for the first time in their history. The initial events included a hybrid (in-person and virtual) recruitment period during the third week of school. Although many of the events were virtual, the sorority was still able to conduct their big/little reveal in person.

Due to COVID-19, they have also had to conduct virtual ritual ceremonies, which have never been done before.

The chapter is looking to hold elections soon. These also must be conducted

online with their respective speeches.

Churchman noted they had 16 girls interested in their recruitment kickoff event. She also doesn’t believe that COVID-19 has had many effects on the interest of girls joining. She stated that if anything, it probably increased their interest, as Greek Life is a great way to make friends and meet new people.

The sorority had three new members join to bring the overall total to twenty girls in this chapter of Tri Sigma. She expects the sorority to be at 24 members in May.

Sigma Nu decided to host all virtual events for their rush week this semester.

The rush events included a Jackbox Party night, Among Us night, Minecraft/Risk/ Catan night and a Netflix movie party.

Jackson Simmons, president of Sigma Nu, revealed the fraternity created a Discord server to have these events occur as smoothly as possible.

He believes the biggest change this year, given the restrictions, is holding all events virtually with a decreased sense of social interaction. He believes that in some cases it is now easier to get together, given the accessibility of virtual events. The only

Alpha Sigma Alpha Caroline Domo, President of Alpha Sigma Alpha, was thrilled with the turnout of interested members this semester. So far, the sorority has conducted many events to include virtual game nights and Netflix parties, “tagging” of the Greek Life surfboard, in-person bracelet making, sisterhood pizza night with new members and virtual chapter meetings.

She is proudest of the sorority’s “DoT” day. The “Donating our Time” day consisted of sisters volunteering across the Virginia Beach area for organizations they are passionate about.

She stated everything, even with the COVID-19 regulations, has been overwhelmingly positive. She prefers having events in-person but believes virtual events bring a newfound sense of belonging. The sorority was able to

Sigma Nu

activity the fraternity is still conducting in-person is the delivery of bids to new members. Sigma Nu gathers a group of five to six members to personally deliver the new bids.

Simmons was surprised with the event turnout rate given the circumstances. He said it was worth noting that the bids given to acceptance rate was especially high. He acknowledged that the virtual events have been more sparsely attended due to their specialized nature. Overall, he believes new brothers are still making those lifelong connections and utilized rush week to the best of their ability.

Phi Kappa Tau conduct in-person events by maintaining six girls or less at any given time with alternating timeslots. ASA also split events between in-person and virtual for residential and commuter students, respectively.

The sorority’s size has doubled since the beginning of the semester. There are 20 members now involved with this chapter of ASA. Domo believes virtual events make girls more confident and willing to show up, as opposed to interacting with random people for the first time. She stated that over the past four years, this year had the biggest turnout for recruitment. She believes the general consensus of new members is that the joining process was very smooth this year despite regulations.

Phi Kappa Tau elected to hold a hybrid of virtual and in-person events for their rush week. These events included a cookout, virtual game night, virtual questions and answers night and a campfire to round out the rush week. In addition to these rush events, the fraternity has been holding virtual chapter meetings every Sunday and a variety of in-person brotherhood events.

Dakota Felkins-Beach, president of Phi Kappa Tau, explained that weekly chapter meetings used to be secretive, in-person events, whereas now they are only held virtually. He believes the meetings lose some of their value since they are no longer able to be held in-person.

However, he noted that the event turnout for this semester has been “tremendous.”

The in-person events were set up to flow; potential members can come for a period time and leave to allow other interested

members an opportunity. In comparison to years past, this event turnout is fairly typical for PKT. The downside is not being able to hold large social gatherings, as the fraternity is known for these. FelkinsBeach noted that all of the brothers are missing the lifelong interpersonal relationships that they would typically build upon.

He strongly believes the rush week and its events were as good as possible but felt bad because new members haven’t been afforded the same opportunities as prior rush classes. He stated, “it was the absolute best we could give them.” The fraternity extended eight bids and currently has 25 members. Felkins-Beach would like to remind everyone that, in his opinion, PKT is still the best fraternity on-campus.

Grocery Bingo returns to Virginia Wesleyan campus

BY ROBERT SOLOMON rlsolomon@vwu.edu

There is still plenty of fun to be had on Virginia Wesleyan campus despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Student Activities, working through Off the Hook, hosted Grocery Bingo last week on Tuesday, Oct. 6, which was open to the entire campus to attend. Students were welcomed with the request that masks were to be worn at all times and that people follow the proper rules instituted by administration.

The event took place in the largest space possible on campus, Town Bank Arena, and was organized to keep students safe while still remaining fun and enjoyable for the student body.

Grocery Bingo is a yearly event at Virginia Wesleyan where students have the opportunity to win food, toiletries and other household goods by playing

bingo. Even though the event is put on yearly, if not multiple times a year, it had to be slightly modified for the current COVID-19 situation.

“The only change we had to implement luckily was social distancing,” said Head of Student Activities Sarah Guzzo. Students were required to spread out among the arena bleachers with at least two seats in between them to allow for proper social distancing. The event was “easy enough to put on,” Guzzo said.

All participants were confined to their own seats, with not a large amount of moving around that needed to take place.

To make the event even more competitive and suspenseful for participants, specialty patterns had to be met in order to win a prize.

The amount of people that came out to the event was roughly seventy to eighty students, which was about the same amount of people who had attended the event the prior year. Many of the students at the event were coming for their very first time, even though a majority of them had been attending the university for a number of years.

COVID-19 has indirectly helped bring awareness to campus activities and events.

“Students crave, or are craving that social interaction that they can’t necessarily have anymore [due to COVID-19 restrictions]” Guzzo said. She hopes to host more events like this one to get the campus community interacting socially again while, at the same time, maintaining safety and adhering to the university and CDC guidelines.

Off the Hook, previously known as WAC (Wesleyan Activity Committee), is looking to host as many COVID-19 safe events they can this semester to keep campus community active and involved.

Off the Hook is trying to host as many in person and online events as possible this semester. From future Grocery Bingo events, like the one going to take place on Oct. 26, to weekly Kahoots about varying topics that are engaging to students, Student Activities and Off the Hook are using every resource to make sure that campus not only feels like home, but to also ensure that it is, indeed, a great day to be a Marlin.

COVID-19 cases push students into quarantine

BY PHOEBE COX pecox@vwu.edu

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented this year with a variety of new challenges that we, as a Marlin community, have been forced to navigate. Students who have been exposed to COVID-19 have had to put others before themselves and quarantine for multiple weeks in order to protect the greater population.

Whenever a student finds out that he or she has been exposed to COVID-19, they are required to alert the school as soon as possible. Students are also prompted to fill out the Daily Health Screening on the Livesafe app daily, so they can alert the school through the app as well.

Upon finding out, the school either puts the student in a designated quarantine area on campus or makes the student remain quarantined in their own living situation, whether that be an off-campus house, dorm, apartment or townhouse.

The school sends emails to the students with updates during their quarantine.

Students might also receive the occasional phone call from student health services to check in with the student’s health and to ensure that all necessary protocols were being followed.

The process of quarantine is difficult both for the individual who has to quarantine and for those who come in contact with or interact with that person on

5Community_10_20_2020_USE THIS ONEEE.indd 1

Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle

a daily basis (friends, professors, family members, etc). Contact tracing procedures are put in place at the university so that individuals can be alerted when they have come into contact with those infected with COVID-19.

Students are no longer allowed to go out or visit with their friends. All interactions are restricted to a solely digital level, and it’s very easy for people to feel

disconnected from society.

While in quarantine, students are expected to keep up with their studies.

Lectures that are usually in person suddenly had to be conducted over a Google Meet or a Zoom call. Assignments and tests all have to be turned in virtually.

Other than academics though, there was not a whole lot going on in the lives of these unlucky individuals. Zachary

Lubick, a Virginia Wesleyan senior and baseball player, talked about his experience in quarantine, saying that “daily life was pretty repetitive, and it got extremely boring.”

Meals were delivered to his apartment on a daily basis in order to ensure that food was being consumed and to go along with the protocol of quarantine.

Lubick was even provided with some resistance bands to work out with in the luxury of his own apartment.

Overall, he believes the school handled the whole quarantine process decently well. His basic necessities were taken care of, and the best of efforts were made to make the students as comfortable as possible. However, this does not mean that he is recommending that students actively try and get quarantined. His advice to the rest of campus is to “try not to get exposed to COVID because quarantine is really boring.”

The average length of quarantine was about 14 days, and after the time period ran up, students were free to return to their daily lives. Thanks to the community’s vigilant efforts, the number of students who have had to quarantine has gone down significantly.

10/21/2020 10:53:48 AM

Opinions

6

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

End gerrymandering in VA

BY BRIAN CANNON

brian.cannon@fairmapsva.org

Every ten years, all 50 states redraw their electoral district lines based on population data gathered from the U.S. Census. Here in Virginia, our state constitution mandates that the members of the General Assembly draw their own districts. This has inevitably led to politicians picking their voters, when it should be the other way around.

It’s difficult to believe, but partisan gerrymandering -- the practice of manipulating district lines to gain an advantage for one party -- is perfectly legal in Virginia.

This isn’t one of the “Virginia first” historical points that we brag about, but politicians of both parties have been rigging maps behind closed doors in order to keep themselves in power since Patrick Henry first did it in 1788.

Add sophisticated mapping technology to good oldfashioned political self-interest and this problem becomes a serious threat. Today, there are towns in Virginia that are meticulously broken into multiple districts designed to protect partisan politicians, with one side of the street voting for one unopposed candidate and the other side of the street voting for another.

There’s a better way to draw fair maps, and this year Virginia voters finally have an opportunity to fix this fundamentally broken system: by voting yes to approve Amendment 1 on their ballot.

Amendment 1 provides a solution by creating a bipartisan commission to be responsible for drawing electoral maps in Virginia. Most importantly, this commission will be led by citizens. It will require full transparency of all meetings, and would prohibit partisan factions from gerrymandering. At long last, Virginia’s unfair redistricting laws would become relics of the past.

I began working on this issue nearly a decade ago, and the conversations I had back then were often met with polite but confused looks. That’s because redistricting reform isn’t usually at the top of anyone’s lists of

priorities. In fact, just six years ago, a national Gallup poll showed that only 9% of Americans supported electoral reforms like redistricting reform.

But Virginia’s grassroots movement to improve the outdated and discriminatory way we draw our district lines has grown exponentially over the years, and recent surveys indicate that 70% of voters support Amendment 1.

This massive gain shows how quickly political dynamics can change as voters become more informed.

But what hasn’t changed is the fundamental notion of right versus wrong, and the commitment of like-minded citizens to fix a broken system.

“Voters now have the opportunity to end partisan gerrymandering in Virginia once and for all.”

That’s why Amendment 1 has been endorsed by antigerrymandering groups and advocacy organizations in Virginia and across the country. But do not take my word for it - look to national voting rights advocates and good government groups who have all endorsed Amendment 1.

For example, the Princeton Gerrymandering Project’s director, Dr. Sam Wang, has devoted his career to nonpartisan analysis intended to eliminate partisan gerrymandering across America. He said Amendment 1 would “set an example for the nation in how to draw fair districts.”

Kathay Feng is the redistricting director at Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog focused on government

Theatre: alive and well

Sally Shedd|Courtesy Dr. Sally Shedd reflects on the effect of COVID-19 and theatre’s current state.

BY DR. SALLY SHEDD

6Opinions_10_20_2020_USE THIS ONEEEEEE.indd 1

Brian Cannon is Executive Director of FairMapsVA, a nonprofit dedicated to the passage of Amendment 1.

Virtual events are meaningful

Erin Highsmith|Marlin Chronicle Junior Cassidy Braithewaite reflects on her experience with virtual events.

BY CASSIDY BRAITHWAITE

sshedd@vwu.edu

VWU Theatre completed the run of its mainstage spring 2020 production, The Shield, on March 8. I attended the March 7 performance.

I distinctly remember joking with a friend pre-show about the curious run on toilet paper at local stores.

I also remember being a bit on edge when someone seated behind me started coughing. I had heard about a mysterious illness beginning to show up in the United States but it didn’t stop me from enjoying my night at the theatre.

After all, I was to leave for New York City the first weekend of spring break to see several Broadway shows – including the musical Six which I had been eagerly anticipating for months.

In less than a week (on March 12), Broadway theatres would close due to the coronavirus pandemic. The closure was extended to June 7. Then to September 6. Then to Jan 3, 2021.

Last week, the closure was extended through May 30, 2021. That means more than a year without Broadway theatre. In the last month, the Metropolitan Opera announced that it would skip a season for the first time in its history.

COVID isn’t the first pandemic to impact theatre. In Elizabethan England, theatres were frequently closed due to outbreaks of bubonic plaque.

And yet, the Elizabethan era is associated with some of the most enduring dramatic art of all time: the plays of William Shakespeare. Adversity inspires artistic creation in ways that “good times” simply cannot.

True artists find a way to make art.

They will not be denied the expression of an impulse so integral to their very existence.

accountability. She called Amendment 1 an “enormous step toward transparent and inclusive democracy.”

In Virginia, the League of Women Voters has also endorsed Amendment 1, with the organization’s President Deb Wake saying that “it is past time to bring citizens into the redistricting process and stop voter suppression.”

The list goes on and on -- Amendment 1 has been endorsed by Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and more.

In fact, it seems that the only people currently opposing it are the very same people that would personally benefit from a system that allows them to control their own electoral destinies - party insiders.

Some like to claim that the Amendment should be rejected to make way for a perfect replacement plan sometime down the road. But here’s the problem: this requires a blind trust in politicians that have benefitted from this broken system for too long. Which would you rather trust: a legally-binding constitutional amendment, or a pinky promise by politicians in power?

The current constitution gives the power to draw lines solely to the General Assembly. That process is as broken as it is wrong. And if we want to fix this problem before next year’s deadline, voting “yes” on Amendment 1 is the only path forward.

The choice is simple: Virginia can choose to have districts drawn by a bipartisan commission led by citizens, or keep a broken status quo that gives politicians free rein to draw their own district lines.

National experts and grassroots advocates know the best way forward. Voters now have the opportunity to end partisan gerrymandering in Virginia once and for all.

Vote “yes” on Amendment 1.

crbraithwaite@vwu.edu

Theatre artists across the world – from the Hampton Roads area to London to Mumbai have spent most of 2020 struggling to balance a burning need to create art during this tumultuous time and the need for a safe environment for audience members and the many theatre workers – actors, technicians, facilities managers, etc. -- needed to make our art happen: Theatre is being done in parking lots (with audience members seated in their cars listening to mic’d actors via their car stereos).

A socially-distanced production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London’s 2,500 seat Palladium Theatre was performed for a socially distanced 600 audience members.

Theatre companies – such as our own here at VWU -- are using teleconferencing platforms such as Zoom for rehearsals and performances. The shows are archived in a file called “The Virtual Stage” on the VWU Digital Broadcasting Network. More than 20 theatre artists in our VWU community worked on those projects – writing the plays, staging them, recording them, etc.

Later this semester, Nov. 12-13, about 30 VWU students will “virtually” present the VWU One-Act Play Festival.

These theatre artists among us are finding ways to continue to make art and offer it to audiences despite circumstances that force them to reinvent precisely how that process works.

In doing so, they follow in the footsteps of Shakespeare and --alongside their colleagues world-wide – are evidence that theatre remains alive and well.

Hi: I’m Cassidy Braithwaite, I’m a junior majoring in Special Education.

I’m in KDP (a honors society for educators), I’m an RA for Honors Village, and I’m a member of Spectrum, Generation Action, and the TableTop Gamers club. When I have spare time, I enjoy knitting and baking!

I’m sure that everyone is sick of hearing how this is an “unprecedented year”, so I’ll skip the lecture on that – but it’s clear that we have all had to make adaptations to the normal college experience. Because it’s currently unsafe to have large gatherings, virtual events are one solution that seem like “the next best thing” to interacting in person.

So far this semester, there have been ample opportunities for involvement and enrichment through the magic of the internet – whether it be Zoom, Teleparty, Kahoot, or Discord gaming events.

A successful virtual event is one that is properly advertised ahead of time, has a clear target and host, and has some sort of incentive beyond just socialization.

Posters and emails with details about the event help get the word out, which is the same role they play for in-person events during a normal year.

Making the focus of the event broad enough to attract a decent crowd, but narrow enough to avoid a sense of overcrowding (if you’ve ever been stuck on the third or fourth page of a Zoom call, you know what I’m talking about!) is a tricky balance, but Off The Hook has been doing a phenomenal job thus far.

A great (and timely) example would be their trivia nights – they host one every week, and each week they have a

different topic: Pop Culture, Star Wars, and Rap are the first three. Kahoots are quite appealing to the student body.

They encourage a healthy sense of competition, and the podium arrangement at the end gives an easy way to arrange prizes if they are included. An enthusiastic host is the last key component of a successful virtual event – someone who is willing to keep things moving and avoid awkward silences.

As an RA, virtual events are an integral part of event planning this year, and I would argue that they are more than worthwhile at this time. I have been able to get to know my residents a little better through virtual events, and as far as I can tell, attendance has been pretty much the same as in-person events of previous years.

For my two virtual events in September, I made a poster and posted it on each townhouse door, and then emailed my residents with all the necessary information to join each event.

Because I only have 20 residents, I didn’t need to worry so much about the balance between “broad and narrow” – I was able to get feedback from nearly everyone on what spooky movie we watched to welcome October.

Personally, my go-to incentive to get my residents to attend my events is to promise to bake them cookies if they come – free food goes a long way in college!

I think that virtual events are serving their purpose within this time – many of us will be glad to go back to in-person events eventually, but for now this is a suitable replacement.

10/21/2020 10:54:50 AM

7

Sports

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

Player Profile: Hanna Hull on gameday preparation

BY AJ ADAN ajadan@vwu.edu

For two-time National Player of the Year and 2020 ODAC Softball ScholarAthlete of the Year Hanna Hull, game day is all about confidence and consistency.

The Virginia Wesleyan softball team’s season was unfortunately cut short in early March of last year due to concerns of COVID-19. The Marlins were coming off an eight-game winning streak and hoping to make their third appearance in the national championship in four years.

The senior pitcher has made the decision to return to Virginia Wesleyan for a fifth year to pursue an MBA and one more national title.

Hull is recognized for her consistent tenacious play, especially in high-stakes games, through her countless accolades reflecting her hard work on the field and in the classroom. The Marlins have been a force in the ODAC and are no strangers to winning streaks.

So what does the groundwork look like for a player on a team that never fails to perform at a high caliber?

The day before a game is a little different from their normal practices as the Marlins will practice based on the opposing team.

They focus on specific players, a strategy that prepares them for any adjustments they may have to make to their play. “We take note of their tendencies and we’ll throw a lot of this pitch or that pitch and be just ready for any situation,” Hull said.

On the morning of game day, the team goes out and gets breakfast together in small groups before heading straight to the locker room to get ready.

The time spent in the locker room before a game sets the tone for the rest of the day. The softball team uses this time to listen to music, typically throwbacks they can all sing together, as they get dressed to play.

“We all do our hair a certain way and we stick to it. The person that braids your hair is the person that braids your hair every single game day and we don’t switch up,”

7Sports_10_20_2020_USEEEEE.indd 1

senior Jess Goldyn said.

Hull is known to be more particular than superstitious by simply doing the same thing before every game start to finish.

She puts her uniform on in the same order while getting her hair braided in the same style by the same person before going out

Sports Information|Courtesy and doing her typical warm up.

“I’m very particular in terms of people who catch me and our upperclassmen like Jess and Daja have done a really good job with that. They know how I like things and how I like to throw. A big thing for me is rhythm and they kind of get me in that rhythm,” Hull said.

Music helps Hull and the rest of the team with rhythm and getting into a groove as you can often see them singing and dancing. The pitchers have music played over the loud speaker while they are warming up and “Hanna always gets that one song she picked,” Goldyn said.

“Last year I had ‘Disco Inferno’ and the year before that was ‘This is Why I’m Hot’ so it’s just funny songs that are kind of older and I know everyone knows. When I turn around before a game and I see all the outfielders dancing and singing, it’s kind of a way to make me

less stressed. When I look over and see them it just reminds me that we’re all out here enjoying ourselves and each other so it’s definitely a way for me to have some fun before starting the game,” said Hull.

After warming up, the Marlins run down the line high-fiving each other.

Hull and [Julia] Sinnett are the last two to come on. “Hanna throws it up and then Julia catches it and ‘hits dem folks’ before we all run down the line again,” Goldyn said. After changing jerseys, the Marlins get in a huddle and wait in the outfield for Coach [Brandon] Elliot. The team claps and chants “Coach E Coach E Coach E” as he runs into the middle of the circle.

“We do the same things and make the same jokes with Coach every time. When you play so many games in a season it’s much easier to have fun when you know what to expect and we’re really good about maintaining consistency,” Hull said.

“I try to leave most of [the team] alone on game day unless it’s a bigger game and I think they might need a little more

motivation. I’ll usually try to get under [Hull’s] skin a little bit.. she seems to pitch a lot better when she’s angry at me,” Elliot said.

Before the Super Regional in 2017, “[Hull] looked down at me and asked me what my problem was. I just looked up at her and she’s like ‘I don’t know why you’re so nervous we got this’ so you got a freshman telling a veteran coach to stop being nervous,” Elliot said.

“I feel like before a game it’s important to have confidence in yourself and confidence in the team and know at the end of the day there’s always another game and always room to improve and to continue that,” Hull said.

“She’s the best there ever has been and I don’t think a lot of people understand that. She’s literally the best and I’m not talking at Virginia Wesleyan. I’m talking she’s the best there’s ever been,” Elliot said.

Hull delivers the pitch to the home at Broyles Field.

Erin Highsmith|Marlin Chronicle

10/21/2020 11:01:50 AM

Sports

The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwu.edu October 22, 2020

Basketball set to return to action

8

Closer

the

BY NICK MUNDY namundy@vwu.edu

Sports Information|Courtesy

Marlins gather around Coach Macedo during a timeout.

BY CODY SCHNEIDER cjschneider@vwu.edu

The Marlin’s men’s basketball team is back on the court practicing this past week.

Head Coach David Macedo revealed “Practice is a little different and we are in Phase 1 which puts us in 2 groups of 10 or less for 60 minutes each,” Macedo said.

“We are wearing masks and socially distancing but getting a lot done. We should be able to progress to Phase 2 soon...This season will certainly be different but our guys have a great outlook.”

The team is looking to maintain its momentum from last season. Despite the COVID protocols in place, they do not appear to have lost any steam.

“Practice has been going well. Lots of energy and effort for sure and guys are excited to be back in the gym.

Doing a ton of teaching and focusing on all the details.”

As play approaches, Macedo finds reason to be excited. “Things are certainly taking shape and just finished our first full week. It’s a really good group and we are just enjoying them.

They will have a chance to do some special things!”

When talking about his team this year, Macedo said, “We have a veteran group with six seniors leading the way.

We are not full strength just yet as one of our seniors, Lamont Steward, will be joining us in December.”

With all of the moving parts associated with the new season approaching, there has been a clear need for players to step up and lead by example. Macedo sees plenty of this on display.

“There has been good leadership.

We should be able to play our VWU brand. Really like the talent and athleticism and the new guys are picking things up and fitting in well.

Should be a really competitive fall”.

With their season quickly approaching, the team is fortunate to have a game scheduled with Old Dominion University on Dec. 22 at the Ted before the Marlins’ season actually starts.

“We should be the only Division III team in the country that has a game before January.”

The Marlins ODAC conference schedule just came out as well and looks like they will have 12 league games starting on Jan. 23, as well as an ODAC tournament and a modified NCAA championship.

Baseball lands new windscreen

Kenneth R. Perry Field gets an uplift on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University.

After a ten year drought, the Los Angeles Lakers have won their 17th NBA Championship against the Miami Heat. They are now tied with the Boston Celtics with the most championships.

Led by one of the greatest players ever, LeBron James won his fourth championship along with his four finals MVP’s.

The conversation of being the greatest of all time in basketball is much different than any other sports.

In football, there are 53 players on the roster. In baseball, one player can only do so much for their team (ask Mike Trout). In basketball, the game can be changed by one man. One player can impact so much? Jordan changed the game of basketball, and ever since LeBron came into the league he has been thrown up against Jordan in every category.

LeBron has led three different teams to championship victories. His previous championships were with the Miami Heat (2012 and 2013) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2016). He entered the league in 2003 as the first pick in the draft out of high school. Even during high school, he was given the name “The Chosen One”. He lived up to those extremely high expectations.

The most popular debate in professional basketball is who is considered the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T). Michael Jeffrey Jordan went to the finals six times with the Chicago Bulls. He won all six. He won three straight finals, then after he took a year off to explore Major League Baseball, Jordan would go on to win another three.

LeBron has now made ten NBA finals appearances. He has won four of them.

One of the biggest arguments against LeBron being the G.O.A.T is that he has lost 6 finals. Not only did Jordan lose in the first round three times to begin his career, but he didn’t have a winning season until Scottie Pippen joined the team in 1987. Although, LeBron had a winning season in his second year with Cleveland.

Jordan was the more athletic one.

He was a better scorer than LeBron.

Jordan won six scoring titles during his years with the Bulls. Jordan’s career is marked with the perfect record in the finals.

LeBron is now two championships away from tying Jordan. Unfortunately, the legacy of Jordan made it for it never mattered what LeBron had done. Regardless of winning four championships with three different teams, Jordan’s legacy will always be remembered as being the G.O.A.T.

Erin Highsmith|Marlin Chronicle Emily Uzzle|Marlin Chronicle

BY CODY SCHNEIDER cjschneider@vwu.edu

The VWU baseball team recently got a new upgrade to Kenneth R. Perry Field at TowneBank Park which consists of an outfield windscreen. I caught up with assistant baseball coach Kyle Dubois about the team’s new windscreen. Dubois said, “For the past 3-4 years we’ve been constantly upgrading the field with over $100,000 worth of renovations in those years,” Dubois said.

“In the past few years, we received our new scoreboard with help from donations from amazing alumni support and we wanted to add a new windscreen to go with it as did the alumni support that were helping to support our program”.

The windscreen is a multipurpose tool that improves the game experience for both players and spectators. Dubois said, “The windscreen helps the players see the ball better coming from different vantage points on the field. The batter’s eye is most beneficial for seeing the ball from a hitters point of view coming out

8Sports_10_20_2020_USEEE.indd 1

of the pitcher’s hand.”

He also admitted that the wind screen is also for looks as well. “I will admit, it gives that “feel” and “look” of a collegiate baseball field”. “We thought it would enhance the look of the facility and it helps with the recruiting as well”.

Dubois explained the cost of the windscreen was roughly $20,000.

“It was paid for by our amazing alumni support like Tim Bailey, Evan Spivey, Kevin Flanagan, Brandon Elliott, Mike Weatherly,” The colors and logos on the windscreen were designed to be in sequence with the entire TowneBank Park. The baseball team’s new windscreen is similar to the softball team’s and was designed by previous Athletic Director, Tina Hill.

Dubois said he wanted to thank Branding & Design Manager Christine Hall, Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Smaglo and special thanks to President Dr. Scott Miller.

Follow all the Marlin action!

Check us out on Instagram and Twitter at: @vwu_marlins

10/21/2020 10:58:12 AM

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

THEWEEKENDER

PAGE 9

BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Village from the door as a grab-and-go to limit the number of students entering dorm rooms.

Despite other eateries off-campus near VWU, Castle Creations stands out with the quality of their dessert items attending to their customer’s wants and its convenience to stop by while being on campus. “It’s a slice of home.

Castle Creations create all desserts entirely homemade and all from scratch. I pour everything that I have into everything that I do because it’s a passion of mine. It’s reflective through the taste, quality and how much I strive for excellence in presentation,” Weinstein said.

“I love seeing first-time customers bite into their first dessert item from Castle Creations and say ‘it’s amazing.’”

Stop by The Honors Village to buy a sweet treat right on campus and follow @castle_creations_co on Instagram or @CastleCreationsCompany on Facebook to make an order for their desserts.

ART BY HOPE Senior Hope Burleson, while studying biology with a concentration in pre-medicine and minoring in psychology, owns Art by Hope, an art business that creates designs for client’s Vans, clothing items, stickers, and tattoos. Burleson began her love of creating art and selling her work in high school. “I started doing paintings or commissioning artwork in HS. I got really sick that I had to stay home for a long time that I painted in the meantime,” Burleson said.

Burleson makes her business personable and creative by communicating with her clients about their preferences in the design and style of their desired product. Her favorite part of running her own business is being able to communicate with someone and developing something new as an artist to add her touch to it.

“I want customers to feel comfortable that they can express their ideas to me and hopefully I can bring those ideas to life. I feel that’s the benefit of my business to meet the client’s desire and expectations for wanting their tattoo to be a certain way,” Burleson said. She communicates with her clients to encourage the growth of ideas and work together to build off of them.

Creating a business takes time to get underway, and Burleson shares her experience of starting Art by Hope.

“Developing my business was very step-by-step. I wasn’t sure how I would plan it out, but I used Instagram to connect with people,” Burleson adds.

“My biggest goal was getting in touch with people. I wanted to establish strong relationships with people.

Typically people would send a pic or description of what they lack and then unfold it and see how to change, develop, enhance a person’s idea. I like having that fluid communication with my client,” Burleson said.

Taking advice from Burleson, a love for one’s craft is crucial to any aspiring entrepreneur’s start. “You need passion, devotion and commitment. One you have to be very passionate about what you are creating or trying to sell. Two, you have to put so much time to make a highquality product. Three, you will have to follow through because it takes a lot of time, effort and energy,” Burleson said.

Check out Burleson’s art pieces on her Instagram @ artby_hope_ and send her a message to share an idea on customizing a product and further details in ordering.

SWEET CAROLINE’S CREATIONS The next business caters to jewelry lovers and tumbler fanatics. Senior Caroline Domo is the owner of Sweet Caroline’s Creations and makes homemade authentic

Lauren Faulkner | Marlin Chronicle

Jennifer Vega | Courtesy A spooky ghost-themed bowtie (left) and spiderweb-covered face mask (right) display Vega’ Halloween variety. custom jewelry and tumblers. Domo started Sweet Caroline’s Creations in June 2019.

“I’ve loved jewelry probably since I was born and then I realized that you can’t wear fancy jewelry everywhere, so you need to look for more other pieces. Part of creating my own jewelry is having something for everyone and every occasion,” Domo said.

“My favorite jewelry product on my Instagram page is called the classic crochet necklace. I feel that it’s my signature accessory. It’s simple enough to wear it with anything.”

She takes great pride in building her business on social media by gaining 500 followers in a couple of weeks on Instagram to get the word out on Sweet Caroline’s Creations. Alongside her jewelry creations are customized tumblers. “I started out by making my family and friends jewelry. My business grew mostly by word of mouth and then that quickly progressed into an Instagram page.

People wanted me to sign up for craft shows, which then inspired me to go towards the custom tumbler idea,” Domo said.

There were some challenges that Domo was confronted with due to COVID-19 impacting small businesses’ operations, but that has not stopped her. She has found success using the post office and promoting online, where customers could see products right on their phones.

Sweet Caroline’s Creations strives to be unique and set themselves apart from other jewelry making competitors by creating her own. “When I want to create a new piece, I don’t like going to Etsy, Pinterest or Google. I try to keep it original and different from what everybody else sees amongst other pages, so I 100% have my own ideas, which is hard to do considering how many people there are out there that have jewelry businesses,” Domo said.

Domo is looking forward to expanding Sweet Caroline’s Creations on Etsy shop and selling jewelry in boutiques.

“I’m thinking of expanding my business after graduation, when I move back home, hopefully, I will secure a fulltime job, and then for a hobby, I would like to open a little table or booth at local boutique stores to rent. My goal is to sell my jewelry at booths and different boutiques,” Domo said.

Take a look at @sweetcarolines.sweetcreations on Instagram to order customized jewelry or tumblers for a personal and unique touch from her business.

JENNIFER VEGA’S ACCESSORIES If you’re looking for a one stop shop for cute accessories and masks, this next business is just for you. Senior Jennifer Vega started a business making face masks and hair accessories this year a couple of months before October.

Vega was inspired to explore sewing from the people on a deep personal level. “Most of the women in my life were seamstresses. My mother, grandmother and several of my

Hope Burleson| Courtesy

aunts sewed and did embroidery. It inspired me to learn to sew as well,” Vega said. “It started by making a skirt with Marvel characters and ever since then I went into sewing.”

Her products are inspired by holiday festivity themes and people who adore cute things. She is looking forward to making Christmas themed products after she sells her Halloween masks and hair accessories.

“Specifically, I’m trying to sell seasonal masks and make it a theme. Right now, it’s Halloween themed so I made spider web and ghost face masks. Once Halloween is over, I’ll start looking at fabric stores for Christmas fabrics, maybe snowman or Santa hats. I’m trying to keep it themed throughout the year, and I think that’s super cute.

I think a lot of people without even thinking about it want to be festive at certain times of the year,” Vega said.

Vega wants first-time customers to know she appreciates their time and support to look at her shop on Depop and purchase her products by adding a personal touch to the packages. “I include the handwritten thank you note in my packages. I also include the stickers because it’s telling them thank you for supporting a small business and that’s really great and you deserve a treat for that,” Vega said.

Even though COVID-19 posed a problem to small businesses, Vega jumped on the bandwagon to open her business to sell masks because of the pandemic. “I thought I could do that too, I can make masks. I’ve been sewing since I was 14, so I can do it. Then I opened my Depop shop and began advertising it on my Instagram and Snapchat,” Vega said.

Future entrepreneurs at VWU who don’t know the necessary skills to start a business successfully might want to hear Vega’s recommendation. “At the very minimum, have some organization skills to be able to keep track of your orders, know who ordered what, notice how much a customer owes you, and be aware of what exactly a customer ordered,” Vega said.

She has been looking at more ways that she can expand her skillset and making products for business by learning new techniques in sewing. “I do want to learn to make more things and currently looking into what other kinds of accessories that I can make given my skill set, which is mostly just sewing. I’ve recently been learning embroidery, so I could probably put some embroidered sweaters in my shop, but that takes time. So I’m probably going to do that over the break,” Vega said.

“I’m going to buy more fabric as new seasons come, but I think it’s really cute that you can get your mask to match your scrunchie or hair bow that you bought from my shop.

I wanted to provide something for people that do get that enthusiastic for the holidays.”

Reach out to Vega on her Instagram @jenni_frmthblock and order her seasonal themed face masks or hair accessories on depop.com/jennifrmthblock.

Caroline Domo | Courtesy

From left to right: Cookies and cream cupcakes from Castle Creations, a seascape painted by Hope Burleson, and a blue necklace with a shell handmade by Caroline Domo

Let’s get spooky: Movie reviews

BY JEAN MAHONE

jmmahone@vwu.edu

As someone who is not necessarily obsessed with Halloween, this was the first time I had seen Hocus Pocus.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The creators did a great job portraying the parallels between Thackeray and Emily Binx with Max and Dani Dennison.

The viewer would be pleased to find the adult and childish humor evenly distributed throughout the film. The Halloween theme of horror is hard to take seriously when the majority of the movie is expressed through a medium of humor. This theatrical technique is what I believe has given this movie a charm compared to typical Halloween movies.

Another factor I believe added to the movie’s humor was the computer generated imagery (CGI). To be fair, since it came out in 1993 the concept of CGI was only twenty years old. But looking back at it from the twenty-first century was actually very interesting. To see the techniques that were used in this movie compared to the technology we have available to us today was a stark contrast.

Another thing that stood out was the throwback of some now very famous actors and artists. More specifically, Sarah Jessica Parker who has now starred in a variety of romantic comedies. Bette Miller has also gone on to create

9Weekender_10_20_2020_USEEEEE.indd 1

quite a name for herself in the music industry. Kaathy Najimy is a known activist and feminist who has used her career television as a platform for these issues. Recognising the growth that all of these actors have accomplished kicks off a feeling of nostalgia.

The typical events of Halloween that we knew as a kid, such as trick-or-treating are brought to life by actresses that we know very well. The producer of Hocus Pocus, David Krichner, really focused on drawing out the importance of family when portraying both brother and sister relationships as well as the relationship between the three sister witches. In a movie that is intentionally focused on the horrors of halloween season, the theme of sibling endearment is a sweet touch.

If you are not a big Halloween fan you may not really focus on the newest horror that just came to theaters or the best 3D scary movie. However, you have probably heard of the Addams Family at some point or another. Whether it be from the original comics, the classic 60s TV series, or any of the TV remakes, almost everyone is familiar with America’s most macabre family. The whole story line is a Paradox of good and evil. Although the Addams family is quite odd and has the most horrifying way of life, they are

in fact the protagonist. The real antagonists are Dr, Greta and Tully Alford. They take advantage of Gomez’s guilt for his missing brother in an attempt to take over the family fortune.

The producer shows this constant theme of good vs evil in everything from the main story line to the smallest details. A common issue compared between the two groups of individuals is if you are doing the wrong thing for the right reasons then you are better off than someone who acts right and looks right but has the worst intentions. Another main theme is the comparison of life and death.

Through the movie the Addams seem to come alive when the conversation topic is anything related to death.

The side characters who are exposed to this mentality are obviously shocked or scared by anything related to death.

This appeal to death is what gives the movie its Addams Family charm.

The character Wednesday Addams is the embodiment of living life for the pursuit of death. Although the family is quite odd, the moral is still true and actually adds to the personality of the Addams Family as a whole.

10/21/2020 10:59:21 AM

PAGE 10

THEWEEKENDER

Thursday October 22, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu

New local band from 757 makes waves The Weekender Section Editor Faith Macwana reaches out to The Harbour, a local band, to dicuss their career

Caleb Brandal | Courtesy Members of The Harbour from left to right: Luke Brandal, Caleb Brandal and Elijah Andrew

BY FAITH MACWANA fpmacwana@vwu.edu

Faith Macwana: How’d you come up with this whole idea of putting a band together? How’d you come up with “The Harbour” as a band name?

Elijah Andrew: Yeah sure so honestly this is a pretty spontaneous thing. It was more of a “it’s quarantine, let’s make a band” type deal. I met Caleb and Luke like about a year and a half ago and we vibed a little bit. There was a church in Harbor View Suffolk that we played at and it’s right by a harbor, so we called it [band] “The Harbour.”

Not anything too deep. But yeah, I mean we jammed a little bit and we vibed. We wrote some songs and yeah, here we are.

FM: Who are your biggest influences?

Caleb Brandal: My biggest influence is definitely Switchfoot and John Foreman.

Luke Brandal: Yeah, we definitely listen to a lot of Switchfoot, but I really like Needtobreathe too. Just their songwriting and like their, uh, you know the way their albums are set up and stuff is really nice. I really like how they do their stuff over there.

EA: Yeah, uh, shoot my influences. Uhm influences, I’ll specifically list the influences that kind of birthed The Harbour along with Caleb and Luke. My personal influence for guitar is John Mayor. John Mayor and Mateus Asato. Those two I have been watching for a lot of years and I try to implement a lot of those techniques

10Weekender_10_20_2020_USEEEEE.indd 1

in my style. But influences for The Harbour, lots of indie rock, lots of surf rock, like Colony House. Big Colony House fan. Hippocampus too. Even some older indie stuff like Young the Giant, a lot of that stuff. Black Keys are good too.

FM: How would you describe your music to someone that’s never listened to it before?

EA: I’d say it’s like your mom’s favorite band, kind of like that deal. Like she’s into the California surf rock vibe, you know? Just really, really easy to listen to. Something that you can just put on the radio and just drive to work or drive to school and jam out.

FM: I guess the next few questions are more music based, but how would you describe your songwriting process? Could you walk me through it?

CB: I would say for me because I do a lot of the lyric writing, it usually starts with an acoustic. Usually it starts with a melody line in my head and then what I try to do is just fill it all in with like random words and then maybe go back later and then present that to them [Elijah and Luke] which allows them to get the structure of the song. Elijah does a lot of that too like he understands how to take my little ideas and make it like a full product.

FM: So, Blind To It All. How excited are you guys to drop it on Halloween?

CB: Oh, I’m very excited. It’s amazing that we can take

something that we wrote on my bedroom floor and now we hear it and it’s beautiful.

FM: Would you mind describing it a little bit?

What’s the story? Where’d the inspiration for it come from?

CB: So, the story, it’s just kind of an accumulation of a character in my head of this nerdish guy. I kind of think of like Rivers Cuomo from Weezer and it’s kind of like his love letter to this emo rock girl about like his ecstatic love for her. But she has no interest in him, she’s never really like paid attention to him. It’s kind of like this overdramatic saga of like a nerdy little kid that has Led Zeppelin CDs and this emo chick that likes Black Parade.

FM: Any future plans?

EA: Ooh future plans, yeah. We’re releasing Blind To It All on Oct. 31 and then we have plans to at least, hopefully release one more song before this year is over

by December. If not December, then going into next year. We are aiming for two more songs to be released

by May of next year. Maybe an EP towards like late end of summer or end of the fall of 2021. We’re planning on going on tour by 2022.

For more information and updates, be sure to follow the band on Instagram: @theharbourva. Blind To It All will be available Oct. 31 on Spotify and Apple Music.

10/21/2020 11:01:07 AM