News Important Election Dates October 13 Deadline to Register to Vote in Virginia Go to the Virginia Department of Elections Website https://www. elections.virginia.gov/ citizen-portal/ to fill out an applicaion.
October 23 Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot Go to the Virginia Department of Elections Website https://www. elections.virginia.gov/ citizen-portal/ to fill out an applicaion.
November 3 Election Day Students will vote at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 965 Baker Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23455
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Friday September 18, 2020 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwu.edu
Election day preview BY BRIANNA SANDY bnsandy@vwu.edu Staff Writer
Autumn is soon to be upon us, and with it, the final sprint to Election Day on Nov. 3. This year, there’s a broad range of choices on the ballot. Voters here in Virginia Beach will be voting for president, senators, representatives, city council, and school board positions, in addition to two Virginia constitutional amendments. If an individual is not registered to vote, the deadline to do so is just over a month away, and they would want to register even sooner to request an absentee ballot. Early in-person voting begins later this month and runs through October, for those who are registered and wish to cast their ballot in-person but ahead of the Election Day crowd. There’s a lot to juggle with this year’s election, but fortunately, Marlins have resources on campus to help guide them through it. Brian Kurisky, the Director of Wesleyan Engaged, spoke to the Chronicle about the ways the school is helping students get involved. This year, he said, things have been very affected by COVID-19. In a normal year, Marlins Vote would be out in the Batten Center, roaming through the cafeteria, and knocking on doors in residence halls to get voters registered. Due to social distancing policies, that is no longer possible. So the team is getting creative and, as many organizations have been forced to do over the last few months, went virtual. Kurisky is working with Virginia Congressional candidates to set up virtual town halls to replace the on-campus visits that were customary in previous years. Plans are in the works to coordinate with Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan non-profit organization, When We All Vote, to provide engaging remote events such as couch concerts. Additionally, weekly newsletters are sent out every Sunday to keep students informed. Wesleyan Engaged is also trying to encourage ways for students to get involved beyond simply showing up to vote. “Another huge push this year is having undergraduates [be] poll workers,” Kurisky explained. Normally, polls are manned largely by senior citizens, but due to COVID-19, there is expected to be a roughly 350,000 person
shortage this year across the nation. If you choose to help out as a poll worker in Virginia, you will make $140.00 for working on election day and $20.00 for doing the three-hour training before-hand, in addition. Kurisky also emphasized the importance of peer norm-setting, stating, “If you set the example, others will follow.” He suggested that you text friends to ask them to come with you to vote on Election Day, and encourage them to invite their friends along, too. Dr. Leslie Caughell, dean of the political science department, asserted that voting sets an example not just for your friends, but for yourself. “When you don’t vote once, you are making a choice about this particular election, but you’re also setting a precedent for yourself and what you’ll do the next time as well … There’s a little bit more riding on your choice than necessarily how you’re behaving this particular Tuesday,” Caughell explained. As for those who think their votes aren’t
Bing Images|Courtesy important, Caughell offered a simple observation: “Decisions are made by people who show up.” The decisions made in 2020 are important ones, both on the national level and closer to home. With regard to the Presidential election, she said, “It’s an incredibly consequential election, because you’re looking at two candidates with two very different understandings about what America should look like. And they won’t
get carte blanche to go through and enact everything they want to, but they will kind of change the tenor and tone of United States rhetoric, they’ll craft policy.” On a more local level, measures on the ballot such as the gerrymandering amendment could change the distribution of power. Gerrymandered districts skew voting power in favor of a particular bloc; changing how district lines are drawn could affect the degree to which your vote can tip the scales, and those effects will run all the way to the statehouse in Richmond. Local elections matter as much as, if not more than, the Presidential race. There are plenty of reasons to go to the polls even if you profess not to care much about who sits in the White House for the next four years. Students across the nation, a demographic infamous for being one of the least politically active, seem to be feeling a sense of urgency this year, too. Some 70% of students surveyed by the Knight Foundation, a non-profit that works to increase political engagement, said that they were “absolutely certain” they would vote in November. Only 40% of college students voted in the midterm elections two years ago; if that 70% turned out to be accurate, it would nearly double the number of college students voting--and thereby increase the bloc’s voting power. Many students cited race relations and the pandemic as key concerns for the election. Senior Aleigha Johnson agreed, noting opinions on racial turmoil in the U.S. is one of her most important factors in deciding how to cast her ballot. “I feel like their stance on BLM is very important because we’re all starting to move past the assumption that we live in a post-racial society, and need policy to actually move forward,” Johnson said. She said that she does plan to vote in this year’s election, and knows some of the major players who will be on the ballot, though she says she usually does more research on the local issues closer to the election. She also offered a cautionary word to her peers who may be inclined not to vote this election. “I’d ask them what not voting actually does to remedy their feelings of discontent with the current state of affairs.”
What’s on the ballot for voters at VWU
*denotes incumbent
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT IN VIRGINIA:
Donald J. Trump (R)* Joe Biden (D) Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian) Kanye West (I) was removed from the ballot by order of a judge on Sept. 3 and Howie Hawkins (Green) did not fulfill the requirements to be on the ballot.
VIRGINIA SENATOR: Mark Warner (D)* Daniel M. Gade (R)
VIRGINIA 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Elaine Luria (D)* Scott Taylor (R) David Bruce Foster (I)
VIRGINIA BEACH CITY MAYOR Robert “Bobby” Dyer (R)* Jody M. Wagner (D) Richard “R.K.” Kowalewitch (I)
VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL AT LARGE Brandon C. Hutchins Nadine Marie Paniccia Rosemary A. Wilson
SCHOOL BOARD AT LARGE Jeffrey A. “Doc” Feld Lauren L. Logan Matthias Paul Telkamp Beverly M. Anderson Victoria C. Manning
VIRGINIA CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Proposed Amendment 1 suggests handing over Virginia’s redistricting process to a bipartisan, independent commission rather than be drawn by the majority party in the state legislature. Proposed Amendment 2 suggests the tax-exemption of one vehicle of military veterans who are 100% permanently disabled due to an injury obtained while serving. This information was collected by Brianna Sandy
Adjunct professor resigns BY CONNOR MERK ccmerk@vwu.edu News Editor
On Thursday, Sept. 10, Adjunct Professor of Management, Business and Economics Francis DeMasi sent out an email to his class saying, “Class today is cancelled. I have submitted my resignation as a faculty member. The school’s handling of my case has been unacceptable.” DeMasi was the course instructor for the MBE400 Seminar in Managerial Ethics course. Several days later on Tuesday, Sept. 15, faceto-face classes were held for the first time and an email was sent out announcing that Dr. Frank Futyma will be taking DeMasi’s place. Futyma is expected to teach the course for the rest of the semester, although DeMasi and himself as of Sept. 15 are listed as the course instructors on WebAdvisor. Also, DeMasi is still listed as an adjunct faculty member on the directory on VWU’s website. This is a developing story and our coverage will continue.
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A brief message from the editor’s desk To our readers, I’m proud to introduce myself as the new Editor-inChief of the Marlin Chronicle. This team means a lot to me, and I’m excited to be leading them all, albeit in turbulent times. The uncharted territory of higher education during a pandemic - and an all-around taxing year - is exactly why I chose to address our readers. Not only are we as a community experiencing this ever-growing uncertainty together, we as a media outlet take on the task of covering these experiences. So, without sounding too self-important, I believe this is an important line of connection to establish: the press and the community on which they report. It’s a give and take. We’ve set out to inform and express at a time where information and expression may not be valued in the ways they should be. Our goal is to cover the stories through the lens of this community with the care and diligence they deserve, as well as elevating the voices from the community. I want the Marlin Chronicle publication and team to be accessible to all students, faculty, and administration alike. We will continue to reach out to you, and we’d like you to contact us, too. In addition to conventional mail and email, we’ve begun communicating with more in-person conversation (from 6 ft. of course), video calls, and social media. Similarly, we recognize the pace at which news moves during a semester like this as well as the proclivity for getting our news and entertainment through technology. I see this as an opportunity
to expand our digital and social media presence, while keeping the print copy that’s characterized the Chronicle for so long. I invite you to collaborate with us. Please talk to our team. We all come across something “newsworthy” throughout our day. Sometimes it’s a big story for the whole campus to hear, and other times it’s a fun event taking place on the lawn. There’s always something to share. Don’t hesitate to contact us with a photo, a story, an Op. Ed. idea, a letter to the editor, or anything else. The news plays a part in our lives, so why not play a part in the news? If you want to contribute to our publication, feel free to reach out to me at ampowers@vwu.edu. We have a team with great talent and variety in their studies, skills, and responsibilities. There is a place for anyone, and everyone is welcome to join our team. We have so many positions on our team - writing, editing, photography, design, illustrations, advertising, social media, web content - the list goes on. I could think of a number of great quotes about the value of journalism that could go here. But I’ll simply leave this: Everything we do at The Marlin Chronicle is for you. While we might have a challenging year ahead of us, I will ensure that the Marlin Chronicle does everything it can to serve the Marlin community. Alex Powers Editor-In-Chief
9/16/2020 11:28:34 AM
