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Friday September 18, 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 Editors Valery Caraballo vecaraballo@vwu.edu Faith Macwana fpmacwana@vwu.edu Photo Editors Erin Highsmith eehighsmith@vwu.edu Layne Nooner lnnooner@vwu.edu Illustrations Editors Emily Uzzle ebuzzle@vwu.edu Kathleen Vanden Berg kjvandenberg@vwu.edu 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
Student Involvement amid COVID-19 BY LAUREN FAULKNER lafaulkner@vwu.edu Community Editor
COVID-19 regulations have affected every aspect of Virginia Weselyan’s campus life. However students can still get involved with student clubs, activities and events. Clubs, sororities and fraternities are still meeting, just in different ways, while Off the Hook continues to host different socially distant events.
Clubs and Organizations Even with COVID-19 regulations, clubs and organizations can still meet in a variety of ways. The three choices for meetings include in-person, socially distanced events on a first-come, firstserve basis, a hybrid event with both in-person and virtual components and completely virtual events. Clubs, like any year, must register in order to be active. Once they have registered with Student Activities, the student leaders are trained on the COVID-19 expectations in order to comply with the university’s policy. Clubs and organizations can request rooms for events, however, this must be done two weeks in advance. By requiring clubs to plan in advance and taking into account
the university’s COVID-19 policy, organizations are taking more precautions and preaching safety standards. Students can get involved in clubs and organizations by checking the Campus Events Calendar. Students can find active clubs soon on the Student Activities page on the Virginia Wesleyan website. Other ways to get involved is to check social media, inperson flyers and the This Week @ VWU email from the Student Activities office. When getting involved with clubs, pay close attention to student leader contact information and information about how the club will be meeting.
Events and Activities Off the Hook is an organization of students who plan events for the Student Activities office on campus. The organization consists of Event Supervisors, whose job just got a lot more difficult this semester. With social distancing regulations, Off the Hook continues to plan events for student involvement that comply with the university’s policy. Examples of events that comply include virtual events with comedians and other performers, virtual game shows with prizes and even some in-person and hybrid activities. Off the Hook and the Student Activities office are also responsible for many traditions such as Mud Games and AirBand. These specific events are an annual parts of campus life at Virginia Wesleyan. In an interview with Sarah Guzzo, head of Stu-
dent Activities on campus, she explained that these events will happen, but they will be different this year. The events will be “modified but alive,” Guzzo said. Elaine Robbins, an event supervisor for Off The Hook, stated that planning events “is harder because you have to plan for event capacity, masks and social distancing.” Even though COVID-19 policies give the Off the Hook team much more to think about, they keep producing events for students to get involved in. To get involved in Off the Hook’s events, students should check flyers posted around campus and the weekly This Week @ VWU email from the Student Activities office. Students can also check the Student Activities Calendar.
Greek Life Virginia Wesleyan is home to nine different fraternities and sororities on campus. Greek Life has been a part of Virginia Wesleyan’s campus life since 1963 and has become a major tradition for students. Greek Life was also affected greatly by COVID-19 regulations, however events are still happening and will simply be a bit different this year. In the next few weeks, students will be able to take part in recruitment events from all the different fraternities and sororities. Events that have already occurred include a virtual Disney Trivia Night hosted by Phi Sigma Sigma,and a Jack Box Party Night hosted by Sigma Nu. Recruitment and Rush Week events are going to be different and possibly delayed as new requirements are introduced in order
to comply with COVID-19 policies. Like any club or organization, student leaders are required to go through training and plan further in advance than normal. “Events are slightly harder to do, but in saying that, we are working around the rules to make sure no one gets in trouble and we can still make an impact on campus,” Andrew Taylor, president of the Interfraternity Council, said. To get involved in Greek Life, students should check their emails, the student activities calendar, flyers and posters around campus and most importantly, social media. Every single sorority and fraternity on campus has an Instagram page that students can follow to stay informed about upcoming events.
New Work and Learn Program Launches BY LAUREN FAULKNER lafaulkner@vwu.edu Community Editor
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.
At the beginning of this school year, Virginia Wesleyan students were introduced to the Work and Learn Program. On-campus jobs were sorted into four sections: Federal Work Study, Campus Cooperative, Opus and Residential Leadership. Jason Seward, associate vice president for Campus Life and Operational Management, explained that although this program was introduced during this difficult semester, COVID-19 did not impact the decision to change the program. Seward described the new program as a complete “rebrand” of the previous program, and that it will be here to stay. During this interview, Seward also talked about a potential fifth pillar that might come to the program, Community Cooperatives, which would work with local businesses and organizations employing Virginia Wesleyan Students. Unlike the previous program, Campus Cooperative positions are no longer paid in a bi-weekly check of $7.25 an hour, but are instead given a $2,500 tuition grant to use for their financial needs. The goal of this program was to “make higher education more affordable,” Seward said. He also informally gathered through personal conversations with students that “they worked on campus to make their education more affordable and needed money to go towards tuition,” however, this has not been supported by any quantitative data. In this new program, students are required to work 10 hours a
week, as it allows students to earn a reasonable amount while also not overwhelming their schedules. With this addition to the program, Seward hoped that students would not overextend their schedules, and could possibly search for other off-campus opportunities. Even though the program’s jobs average at about 10 hours a week, other positions such as Enrollment and Batten Supervisors work more than this. Those who work more than 10 hours, are expected to then take less hours in other weeks. Other positions might work less than 10 hours, which is then reflected in their compensation. The new program also helps to eliminate “double-dipping,” where students could hold multiple jobs across campus. By removing this practice, more jobs are available to all students across campus. According to the Campus Life office, approximately 40% of Virginia Wesleyan’s traditional undergraduate students work on-campus, in some capacity, through the Work and Learn program. “We want students to find the right fit … we want students who are dedicated and committed to the responsibility that an on-campus job requires,” Seward said. The goal of the Work and Learn program is to provide students with a meaningful on-campus work experience, while also offering students flexibility in their hours and pay. So far, the Work and Learn program has been met with “great positivity” according to Seward.
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
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