Dec. 1, 2015

collegiatetimes.com

111th YEAR, ISSUE 140

December 1, 2015 200155

COLLEGIATETIMES An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia ginia Tech community si since inc nce 1 1903 19 90033

Starting in the spotlight ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Justin Fuente takes the stage at his introductory press conference to welcome him as the next head coach of Virginia Tech football, Nov. 30, 2015. Fuente aims to build on what Frank Beamer has created over the past 29 years and will retain longtime Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster.

Delayed for months Contracted by Virginia Tech to build the new Pearson Hall, construction company Barton Malow missed the opening deadline and displaced over 1,000 cadets and students.

An Abbott Trailways bus transporting Virginia Tech and Radford students flipped on its side in Richmond.

LEWIS MILLHOLLAND news editor

Pearson Hall opened its doors Saturday, Nov. 14, three months late. The delayed construction displaced over 1,100 cadets for the better half of the fall 2015 semester.

The construction company, Barton Malow, has been a longtime favorite of the university.

The company was contracted for the Ambler Johnston renovations in 2011 and 2012 and again for the $31.1 million upgrades to Davidson Hall. The company’s current contract includes the construction of two residential buildings on the Upper Quad, of which Pearson Hall is the first.

Unfortunately, miscommunication and slower-than-expected work plagued the project. The project’s summer completion date was pushed into the school year, and Barton Malow impacted student pathways without notifying the university.

“Barton Malow did affect the accessible route without notice to VT,” wrote Aaron Curfiss, the

LEWIS MILLHOLLAND news editor

CATIE CARRERAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

The long-awaited Pearson Hall opened to house over 1,000 Corps of Cadets students on Nov. 14. project manager, in an email to university administration. “The work around the quad has been challenging due to the delays and lack of coordination by our contractor. Scheduled activities have been missed repeatedly.”

The full $91 million project of both new Upper Quad residential halls is scheduled for completion in summer 2016. Rasche and Brodie have both been razed, and Pearson Hall is now finished, barring a few finishing touches. The other

Sustainability in Blacksburg: Part one Virginia Tech hosted an energy competition, “Turn Down 4 Watt,” in order to promote environmentalism on campus.

This is only one of several initiatives in Blacksburg this season bringing increased attention to sustainable living.

CLARE RIGNEY environmentalism beat reporter

Environmental programs and competitions are the flavor of the season. Three initiatives exhibit the dedication of the entirety of the community — including the university, students living in local apartments and the Town of Blacksburg — to encourage environmental awareness and inf luence more sustainable behavior.

On Virginia Tech’s end, the Office of Energy and Sustainability recently hosted “Turn Down 4 Watt,” an energy competition among the campus’s residence halls. The office’s three-week-long competition measured the average decrease in the overall use of water and electricity in campus dorms and Oak Lane houses.

Some students a re not only engaging in sustainable behaviors on campus but also working to improve recycling conditions in Blacksburg.

Two Virginia Tech students created a petition for residents

Over 30 students injured in bus crash

to express their concerns over the inaccessibility to recycling bins for Blacksburg apartments.

Recycling accessibility is not the only issue that regularly affects Blacksburg residents. Following the success of last year’s Solarize program, which encouraged community members to consider utilizing solar panels, Blacksburg’s Weatherize initiative wants citizens to pay attention to energy usage at home. The town is offering incentives to decrease energy consumption and is offering energy audits on their homes.

For students who do not have to worry as much about electricity and water bills, the university still wants to instill an understanding on how to decrease use and form more sustainable habits.

The first- and second-place winners for Virginia Tech’s second annual “Turn Down 4 Watt” competition, Hillcrest and New Hall East, had a difference in see WATT / page 3

INVESTING TRUMPS

SAVING IN A BANK BULL OF BLACKSBURG Don’t be scared by ups and downs in the market. page 2

residence hall has yet to be named.

Barton Malow was unavailable for comment on this article.

With Virginia Tech welcoming its largest ever freshman class, the delayed construction was an unexpected challenge for Housing and Residence Life (HRL). Displaced cadets were tripled up, RAs were assigned roommates and hall lounges were converted to residential spaces.

However, even with the inconvenience, it was difficult to

dishearten the students at Virginia Tech.

“To be honest, we thought it was going to be a really big deal,” said Wes Russel, a senior studying international studies. Russel serves as a company commander, a self-titled RA for the Corps of Cadets.

“But, to be honest, I didn’t get any complaints at all,” Russel said.

“I got some complaints in see PEARSON / page 3

Love at first semester: Going from Newman library to newlyweds KATIE RICE lifestyles staff writer

Sometimes, you just know. For Emily and Patrick Good, they knew from the very beginning of their relationship that they would be getting hitched.

“We knew each other roughly a year and a half before we got engaged, and I was kind of anticipating getting married right after graduation … Patrick had different ideas,” said Emily Good, a senior pursuing a dual degree in finance and accounting.

The summer of Emily’s sophomore yea r, Pat r ick proposed. Six months later, they tied the knot. The two have been happily married since Dec. 20, 2014.

They met Emily’s freshman year and Patrick’s sophomore year, and they started dating about three months later.

Patr ick Good, a senior majoring in industrial systems engineering said, “For us, there was just no reason to wait. If you can do it financially, there’s a lot of perks to being married as a college student.”

Patrick took a year off and did two semester-long co-ops so the couple could have adequate financial stability but also so the two of them would graduate at the same time.

Unb ek now nst to ma ny students, including the Goods at the time, it can be more financially sound for couples to be married while still in school.

“The tax benefits have been huge. Being married and filing jointly is definitely a benefit, as well as the financial aid that comes along with it. We didn’t anticipate that at all, but it’s a good thing!” Emily said.

The married status can occasionally throw people for a loop in introductions, however.

“People are intrigued but not really surprised. In job interviews, it comes across as mature or stable and sounds really good.

There are certainly people who hear and are shocked, but it’s less than I would have expected,” Patrick said.

Even with the perks, it is weird to think of college students making such a final commitment

COMMONWEALTH CUP VICTORY VT beats U.Va. 23-20 and extends 12-year streak. page 5

A bus carrying Virginia Tech and Radford University students overturned on the ramp from Powhite Parkway Sout h to C h ipp en ha m Parkway South on Sunday around 7 p.m. One person was left in critical condition after the accident and 32 others sustained m inor injuries.

Two Abbott Trailways buses traveling on Sunday carried 37 Virginia Tech students; it is unclear how many of those students were in the bus that flipped. Abbott Trailways sent a second bus to bring the students to their universities.

“We do expect that there will be certain students that have missed (Monday’s) cl a s s e s,” s a id S e n io r Associate Vice President for University Relations Tracy Vosburgh. “If any accommodations need to be made, the Dean of Students Office will be managing that.”

Vosburgh declined to comment whether or not this incident will impact Virginia Tech’s relationship with Abbott Trailways or the “Home Ride” service in general.

Vosburgh also stated that the 37 students in the accident may be an inaccurate figure as “there are a lot of conflicting reports out there, and we don’t have a lot of confirmed information.”

Abbott Tr a i lways published a press release the day of the accident stating that the cause of the accident is unknown and an investigation is underway.

“It’s still very early on in terms of the investigatory process by the police,” said Dan Ronan, senior director of communications, media and marketing for the American Bus Association, speaking for Abbot Trailways.

The bus service worked with first responders to ensure those in need of medical attention received it and is actively working with police to determine the cause of the incident.

Virginia State Police was unavailable for comment on this story.

see RING / page 6

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editor@collegiatetimes.com

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Denying refugees could strengthen ISIS

White students should be allowed to organize

In

the wake of the recent attacks on Paris, governors of 31 states in the U.S. have announced intentions to deny entry to refugees.

First, it is understandable that what happened in Paris has struck fear in people around the world of what terrorists are capable of doing in a place that is not so different from their own home. Second, and more importantly, a Syrian passport was found with one of the homicide bombers.

This alone raised uncertainty in the last few days of whether Syrian refugees could be related to ongoing terror plots.

Syria has endured a Civil War for four and a half years. This clash of civilizations has killed more than 250,000 people.

Eleven million people have fled their homes, making the Syrian people the world’s largest refugee population. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, hopelessness and poor living conditions are the main causes of this refugee crisis. These people have fled their homes in hopes of a better future and safe haven from violence and instability.

Despite the obvious need of the Syrian people, a growing number of states are opposing letting Syrian refugees into their states. These states range from Alabama, Georgia and Texas to Michigan. Altogether, there are 31 states. Perhaps this reaction is exactly what ISIS was hoping to provoke, all part of a strategic plan. They first attacked Paris, causing fear and terror across the western world; then French police found a Syrian passport on one of the attackers, which could be an intended false flag to create fearfulness and aversion towards refugees. Now, states are closing doors to refugees, and by doing so they send a message to the Syrian people and their own people.

The fact that people are fleeing Syria in search of asylum, in fact, bothers ISIS. Aaron Zelin, from the Washington Institute, wrote on Huffington Post this week that the issue “undermines ISIS’s message that its selfstyled Caliphate is a refuge, because if it was,

individuals would actually go there in droves since it’s so close instead of ... risking their lives through arduous journeys that could lead to death en route to Europe.” If other westernized nations deny entry to refugees, the Syrian people may have no choice but to return to the instability in the Middle East, which would be a victory for ISIS. On the other hand, those opposing states might play a factor in whether Syrian refugees have a likelihood of being radicalized in the U.S. One article from The Hill spoke on how on Syrian refugees’ treatment in the U.S. could affect the struggle against violent extremism in the future. In the post, a contributor for The Hill named Josh Hampson mentioned a 2013 study which revealed that “the location of resettlement for refugees is critical in determining whether refugees would be susceptible to extremism.”

There are two main causes for radicalization to take place: First, the condition of refugee camps, and second, the way the host countries treat refugees.

Although it is unclear whether Syrian refugees were involved in the tragedy in Paris, people still are cautious about the possibility. As Hampson put it, “If the host countries are also suspicious of the refugees, this will create further alienation, maximizing the opportunity for radicalization.”

In other words, we do not want to contribute to the hopelessness and alienation that refugees already experience. They fled their homes for safer, normal and better lives.

If we fail to give them the lives they deserve, it is a perfect case to breed terrorism.

Overall, there are two sides of this argument. However, since states cannot determine whether to accept refugees or not, the decision is left to the federal government. Legally, states have no say in who is allowed into this country or not; it is a decision granted exclusively to the federal government.

NGUYEN PHAN • sophomore/multimedia journalism

COURTESY OF TRIBUNE

BULL OF BLACKSBURG

Abandon caution for logic when the market declines

W

hen thinking about investing in the markets, the fear of “losing it all” and thoughts of Black Tuesday in 1929 and the crash of 2008 flash through our heads. But by fearing future stock market crashes, you are slowly crippling your financial growth and are putting yourself at a huge disadvantage to those who decide to take the plunge into the world of investing.

Upward and downward swings are as normal in the stock markets as thunderstorms are in the summertime. They are going to happen on a day-to-day basis. What many people fear, however, is a huge sell-off where stocks lose 30 percent of their value in one day.

Although this is a risk associated with the stock market, this fear is no reason to stay out of the capital markets.

Allow me to explain using the 20th century as a reference.

Throughout the 20th century, excluding the Great Depression, stocks returned to their investors an average of 11 percent each year, much more than many other

investment options.

Throughout this 100-year period, there were 40 stock market declines of 10 percent or more. Of these, 13 resulted in more than a 30 percent decline. The rest were simply market corrections, declines of at least 10 percent, which allow the market to “take a breather” during an upward trend.

Between these declines were lucrative up-trends and chances to steadily increase net worth through investing in good solid companies that pay a dividend. By staying out of the stock market in the 20th century, you would have missed out on years of appreciation of stock prices and increases in personal financial strength. You would have done more self-inflicted financial damage than a potential stock market crash would have done.

Although this is the 21st century, nothing has changed.

Of course, technology has increasingly played a much more involved role in how we invest, yet the fundamentals of the stock market remain unchanged. There will always be stock market

declines and crashes. This is a fact of life. Remember, we are young and have a lot of time to work with.

You should see these declines as chances to buy great stocks at discounted prices. The truth is, keeping your money locked away in a savings account or stowing cash under the mattress is the worst action one can take at this stage of life as inflation will slowly eat away at your net worth.

Being successful in the stock market doesn’t take incredible intelligence.

Being successful in the stock market requires one to put worrying aside and replace it with logical analysis.

Allow your investments to grow over time, not over the course of a few days or weeks, and always diversify between investment options.

Retirement is already calling — why not start preparing for it? It is time to finally take the plunge.

Regardless of their aims, white student unions have a First Amendment right to an active presence on college campuses.

T

he steady rise of White Student Union Facebook pages began shortly after the protests of the Black Lives Matter organization at schools such as Yale and Mizzou.

Penn State University, the University of Missouri and the University of California, Berkley, in particular, had Facebook pages connected to the schools that were quickly removed.

First and foremost, the First Amendment right of free speech is being denied here. Most universities wanted the pages taken down because they were supposedly “targeting other races” and used as a form of harassment. While some of the statuses made by the WSU groups might have been offensive to some, they were not threatening the lives of anyone or being violent in any way. This stems from the fact that people today, especially college students, are so afraid of being offended by others’ opinions that they think it somehow violates their own rights, but we are in no way guaranteed by the law to not be offended in life.

A common thread in each of these groups’ pages is that they claim to be a non-racist group of white people that can simply feel free to discuss issues within their race. While some groups seem to maintain this claim, others do not.

For example, one of the most controversial WSU pages was the Union of White NYU Students. Even in the past few days, several statuses have been sent out by the WSU that are clearly trying to stir up trouble between races.

A couple days before the holiday, the writer of the post (which all seem to be written by the same individual) said they were “looking forward to Thanksgiving with (their) white family.”

On Thanksgiving, a status was put up wishing white people specifically a Happy Thanksgiving

• financial columnist • sophomore/finance and

economics

made it clear that it does not support this group and even said on its website that the page clearly wants to promote “racial conflict” and that “UCF doesn’t condone racial harassment or

“

If a group is not threatening or harrassing others, then do not silence their voices.”

acts of racial hatred,” which the Facebook page makes no attempt at doing.

If it is acceptable for one racial or ethnic group to form a union at a school, then it should be okay for any other group to as well. If we are trying not to discriminate against anyone, then let’s not. If we are trying to not generalize a race or religion, then let’s not assume that all white people are racists if they join together. If a group is not threatening or harassing others, then we should not silence its members’ voices.

There are still so many problems in the world that are based on race and religion, and, truthfully, it would be more productive to form alliances with one another, instead of intentionally segregating ourselves into different groups, trying to win the battles by ourselves. Clubs and organizations that connect different cultures together should be for med to help learn from each other about what needs to be done. We can only solve problems from diversity through the diverse groups of people working together on the same team.

OLIVIA DEWENTER • junior/multimedia journalism

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and excessively celebrating white families as “the basis for civilization in Europe and the United States.” Then, the following day, the group encouraged white families to spend the day together on “Black Friday,” which was repeated th roughout the message. Even a comment on the status was inferring that this made-up holiday was somehow related to black people, saying “remember to support W h it e busi nesses!”

This page had obvious evidence of trying to create racial conflict, not r e a l ly a d vo cating for problems facing the white race in any way. Pages of this kind, while undeserving of censorship or being deleted, are not productive and do not serve a purpose of any kind except to celebrate the color of their skin.

Other pages, such as the White Student Union at the University of Central Florida, actually make attempts to connect with other racial groups.

T he page recently posted a status sending their c o n d ol e n c e s, stating “The people of Chicago, Ferguson and Minneapolis are in our thoughts tonight as protesters take to the streets to protest the wrongful death of a black teenager in Chicago.”

The page also posted a link to a live news feed about the situation in Chicago. The page focuses on issues for its own race, pointing out the “anti-whiteness” perspective of schools like Arizona State that is now offering a course titled “The Problem of Whiteness.”

An article was also shared that covered the story of a University of Colorado professor calling whiteness a “disease.” UCF’s White Student Union page does not really provoke any controversy; it simply stands up for its own race as any other union does and even supports others as well. The university

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December 1, 2015 PAGE 3

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Human development dept. wins largest grant to date The $7.2 million grant is intended to fund research focused on how financial and economic stress affect couples’ relationships.

ASHLEY WILLS new staff writer

The Department of Human Development received a $7.2 million grant, making it the largest grant to date for the department. The grant is used to help researchers discover how financial and economic stress affect couples’ relationships.

Researcher Mariana Falconier, associate professor and the clinical director for the Center for Family Services in Falls Church at the Northern Virginia Center for Virginia Tech, is the project director and principal investigator for the study that is joining forces with the University of Maryland.

Falconier has been working in the field of marriage and family therapy for over 20 years. She was interested in not only the therapy side but also the surrounding context. Over the years, she noticed the toll that financial hardships had on her friends in her home country of Argentina, which in turn pushed her to work in the field of therapy so that she could make a difference.

“As many other marriage and family therapists, we feel inclined to help others because it is something that we enjoy doing and something that we think naturally,” Falconier said. “I have

always been a people person, and I desire to make a difference in peoples’ lives.”

Falconier started at Virginia Tech in 2008 as an assistant professor and the director for Family Services. As the director for Family Services, she helped to manage the in-house clinic.

“The management component has really helped me put this project together, in addition to research skills,” Falconier said.

“I saw that we needed to integrate what we knew in our field with the field of financial counseling to be able to help couples that were experiencing financial distress, stress of other economic problems and relationship distress.”

The late Celia Ray Hayhoe, Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist in family financial management, joined Falconier, and together they created a pilot study for the current research.

Their program educated couples on how to cope with stress and how to develop a financial plan. After couples took the program, there was a decrease in financial stress, improved financial management skills, increase in relationship satisfaction and decreased relationship aggression. Additionally, the researchers saw that couples were more likely to cope with stress together.

“When couples are concerned about their finances, they are typically more aggressive towards each other, so we wanted to see a decrease in that area,” Falconier said.

Using what they learned from the study, Falconier and Hayhoe wanted these services to be available to the community.

Falconier reached out to Jinhee Kim, who has an expertise in the development and evaluation of financial literacy programs from the University of Maryland, to help expand the program.

Falconier and Kim’s current study has three main aspects.

The program TOGETHER will allow couples to complete a 20-hour group program that integrates relationship education and financial literacy skills. The couples will have a case manager who assesses the couples’ needs, develops the Individual and Couple Development Plan, and makes referrals to financial resources such as food assistance and housing assistance. If needed, couples will also have access to job and career enhancement services. Each couple will be with its respective case manager for at least eight months.

Currently in the planning stages of research, the grant lasts for five years. Falconier and her

team of researchers will begin to recruit their 720 couples in May of 2016 and will begin the study in June. There will be 360 Virginia couples and 360 Maryland couples.

“

As many other marriage and family therapists, we feel inclined to help others because it is something that we enjoy doing...”

Mariana Falconier Virginia Tech researcher

“I think that (the proposal) is huge for the department,” said Ginger Hicks, pre-award associate for the Department of Human Development. “Their department doesn’t necessarily put out a lot of proposals, so it was a really big get for them, and I think that’s what will really make them stand out.”

The Department of Human Development could not be reached for comment.

According to Hicks, the grant process was longer than usual due to the large budget and ample subcontractors. She does note,

however, that a good proposal starts work early so that there is sufficient time to complete the necessary pieces.

Falconier is currently working on a book that examines how couples deal with stress around the world. While gathering the information for her book, she continually sees the potential for the study to expand. She would like to make the study available to the Latino communities with which she works and eventually expand the program to other countries.

“I think what we are looking at this point is how to make the program available to the community and making sure that it is a culturally successful program and that it really addresses the realities of the families in the areas that they live and the values that they hold,” Falconier said.

Falconier hopes that the research will provide her students with critical experience and inspiration for their future work.

“I hope we can make a difference because that is what human development is about — making a difference in our families’ lives, so I hope that we can achieve that,” Falconier said. @CollegiateTimes

WATT: University promotes PEARSON: Residence hall on-campus sustainability opens three months late from page 1

from page 1

their average decreased consumption rates of only .56 percent.

Reducing the amount of wasteful energy and water spent in the average college dorm is a difficult feat, especially with so many factors to focus on. When the Office of Energy and Sustainability kicked off this event, it realized that not everyone would know what it meant to “Turn Down 4 Watt” or even what steps they could take to reduce their use.

“We’re giving them the tools and info that they need to live a lower-impact life once they move off of campus,” said Emily Schosid, Virginia Tech’s ca mpus sust a i nabi l it y planner, who spearheaded the campaign. “Turn Down 4 Watt” is the epitome of Schosid’s work on campus: to change the behaviors of Virginia Tech students and faculty to create a more environmentally friendly campus.

“For a lot of students, this is their first time away from their parents … this is the time for them to create those behaviors and habits for the rest of their lives. We want to make sure that those habits are good ones,” Schosid said.

Her office first organized “Turn Down 4 Watt” in the fall of 2014, creating a fourweek competition that saw on-campus residence halls turning off the lights, the tap and thinking renewable.

As an added incentive to convince their halls to adopt sustainable behaviors this year, the hall that finished in first place would be given $1,000 to spend however they pleased, with second and third place winning the $500 and $250 prizes.

There was a separate prize pool for the houses on Oak Lane, a community with 19 houses, separate from the main campus. Kappa Kappa Gamma won that first place prize of $500 and Pi Beta Phi received the $250 second prize. The money given to fraternities and sororities will automatically go toward their chosen philanthropies.

This year, the time for “Turn Down 4 Watt” was reduced from four to three weeks, but the purpose was the same.

“T here’s room for

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RICKY LAM

improvement everywhere … one of the easiest things we can improve upon is educating people on recycling practices,” said Smita Sharma, a sustainable biomaterials senior at Virginia Tech and intern in the Office of Energy and Sustainability. “Just realizing it’s for the better — we’re not trying to make your life difficult.”

Sharma said that “Turn Down 4 Watt” is not only a friendly competition but also an opportunity for people to adopt sustainable behaviors to take with them after they graduate.

As leader of the energy team, Sharma and her team “lay out behavior changes that we want to see on campus … what will make the biggest impact.”

The first week of the “Turn Down 4 Watt” competition, called VT Unplugged, encouraged students to watch how often they were using electricity.

The second week, Turn Off the Tap, promoted taking shorter showers and making larger laundry loads. The third week, Reduce the Use, moved those smaller actions onto the larger scale, such as how community spaces in the dorms can cut down on energy and water usage.

Simple things like turning off the sink when brushing one’s teeth and turning off the light when leaving a room are behaviors that Schosid said people should already be doing but unfortunately are not.

She admitted that smaller halls had the upper hand in the competition.

“At the same time, those small halls, they’re not using as much energy to begin with,” Schosid said.

Her office decides the average decreased

c on su mpt ion t h r oug h statistics from VT Electric, which measures the number of kilowatts and amount of water used throughout the week in a certain hall. Before the event, her office took three weeks of “baseline measurements” in order to get a standard from which to gauge the decrease of water and electricity use.

At first, New Hall East had won “Turn Down 4 Watt,” but Schosid’s office issued a new rule this semester to give extra points. Their Green Room Certification was a way for students to answer questions, like if they use reusable bags when grocery shopping, to become certified.

If 10 percent or more of students living in a certain residence hall received a Green Room Certification, that hall would receive two extra percentage points on its combined average reduction.

This bumped Hillcrest up from 23.18 percent to 25.18 percent, since 72 people in their dorm, about 60 percent, were certified.

This was a new addition for the 2015 competition.

Schosid is asking students for tips on how to improve the competition for next year.

“I think in the future, it’ll be a standard thing that people will be excited for and know about,” Sharma said. “Our generation knows it’s the way to go.”

The Office of Energy and Sustainability sent out a survey to find out which energy and sustainability concerns should be further addressed now that the competition is fresh in students’ mind.

beginning, of guys saying like, ‘Aw, this stinks,’ but I’m just like, ‘Yeah, kinda, deal with it.’

But it hasn’t been a big deal at all.”

In fact, Russel acknowledged that the cramped conditions boosted the company’s camaraderie.

His company lived threeto-a-room, with all 78 of his cadets filling less than a hallway.

Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Frank Shushok estimated the Corps was at 140 percent occupancy prior to Pearson opening. Shushok played a lead role in housing the 6,523 incoming freshmen with 550 fewer beds than anticipated.

Still, Shushok was impressed by the how the Hokie community shouldered the burden.

“A couple news stations … interviewed incoming students and their parents, and they worked hard to get a student to say ‘This is terrible,’” Shushok said.

“By and large, people have been understanding.”

Shushok keeps a printout of a Yik Yak post outside his office which reads: “As a freshman, I really don’t care if I need to triple room, as long as I get to Blacksburg and attend the best college

T

on this earth come August, I’ll be a happy hokie (sic).”

HRL implemented a number of tactics to accommodate the incoming class.

One prominent strategy was offering returning students $500 to rescind their on-campus contract, which was later sweetened to $2,000 (early adopters who accepted the original buyout received another $1,500, to keep things fair).

“

They would have to convince Virginia Tech that they can return to the caliber of work that we experienced previously...”

Frank Shushok Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Shushok worked with Barton Malow directly on the Ambler Johnston renovations, a project that was completed on time and under budget. The issues su r rou nd i ng Pea r son came as a surprise and were a “significant disappointment for Virginia Tech.”

For future projects, notably the other intended renovations to the Upper Quad, it is dubious whether

he rain continues to stay in the forecast as we continue to move through our final week of classes. Today, high temperatures are expected to only reach into the mid-50s with low temperatures in the upper 40s. Make sure to keep a rain jacket on hand as we expect to see rainfall totals reach 1-3 inches from today into Wednesday night.

H igh temperatures for Wednesday are expected to be in the mid-50s again. As the system makes its way out, low temperatures will drop into the lower 30s which

or not the university will choose Barton Malow again.

“They would have to convince Virginia Tech that they can return to the caliber of work that we experienced previously on a project like Ambler Johnston,” Shushok said.

The next component of Barton Malow’s contract is constructing the second Upper Quad residence hall, which will mirror Pearson’s design.

Look ing down the road, future plans include tearing down Thomas and Monteith Halls, but with the rapid growth of class sizes, the date for that project is up in the air. This student growth is a goal for President Timothy Sands, who proposed increasing enrollment over the next seven years at a June 2015 Board of Visitors meeting.

“President Sands has continually demonstrated to me and others that he very much values the student experience, and he does not want to sacrifice the quality,” Shushok said.

“He’s going to make sure Virginia Tech can grow, while enhancing the overall quality of the student experience.”

@WithTheFancGuy

will give way to clearer Thursday conditions.

Thursday will involve mostly sunny skies with high temperatures only reaching up to the mid-40s.

Overnight lows will once again drop dramatically to 30 degrees. The start to the weekend looks to include mostly sunny skies with very little chances for rain. Be sure to follow @HOKIEwxWATCH on Twitter in order to get the latest updates!

ALEX THORNTON • weather correspondent • @HOKIEwxWATCH

@CollegiateTimes

crimeblotter date Nov. 29 Nov. 29

time 2:41 a.m.

9:19-9:26 p.m.

offense Public Swearing or Intoxication Drug/Narcotic Violation

location 100 NW Draper Rd - BLK West Eggleston Hall

status Cleared by Arrest Active

PAGE 4 December 1, 2015

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

study break

LIVE IN YOUR W RLD DVERTISE IN URS

Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Your education and travels expand into next year, shifting toward group participation after August. Saturn in your sign favors self-discipline. What will you create? March eclipses bring new beginnings at home and with friends.

September eclipses spark professional breakthroughs and another domestic shift. Nurture love.

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editor@collegiatetimes.com

December 1, 2015 PAGE 5

collegiatetimes.com

Justin Fuente introduced as next football head coach Virginia Tech introduced Justin Fuente at a press conference on Monday morning. The Hokies signed Fuente to a six year contract.

FAIZAN HASNANY sports editor

Virginia Te c h announced the beginning of a new era for Hokie football when it introduced newly hired Head Coach Justin Fuente at a press conference on Monday.

Fuente acknowledged that he has big shoes to fill, stepping into a coaching job that has been occupied for the last 29 years by Frank Beamer.

“You know you don’t replace a legend in coaching,” Fuente said.

“You hope to build on what he’s done.”

While initial reports of the hiring surfaced on Saturday, Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock clarified that the deal was not official until early Sunday morning.

Fuente’s contract will last six years with a $3.2 million salary, excluding any potential bonuses, for his first year. The Hokies also agreed to pay the $500,000 buyout owed to Memphis.

“Justin was absolutely our top choice and the only one we offered the job to,”

ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Athletic Director Whit Babcock, newly appointed Head Coach Justin Fuente and President Timothy Sands pose for a photo at the start of the press conference held to welcome Fuente to Blacksburg, Nov. 30, 2015.

Babcock said.

Fuente’s accolades and accomplishments in his four-year stint at Memphis really stood out to Babcock.

These were the main reasons why Fuente was on the top of the list for Tech. In the three years prior to hiring Fuente, Memphis had a combined record of 5-31. The former

TCU offensive coordinator inherited just 51 players on scholarship out of a possible 85 yet turned the program around dramatically, going 19-6 in his final two seasons.

“They won the first c on fe r enc e t it le i n Memph is in 4 0 -plus years while stepping up from Conference USA,”

Babcock said. “First 10-win season since 1938, in 2014 when Coach Fuente was Coach of the Year.”

One of the initial concerns of many Tech fans when Beamer announced his retirement was losing Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster, who had established one of the premier defenses in all of college

football. Shortly after it was announced that Fuente would be the new head coach, it was also announced that Foster would maintain his position on the staff.

“I also want to thank Coach Foster for agreeing to stay here and trusting me and the staff that we are going to put around him,” Fuente said. “One of the beautiful draws about this opportunity was I believed that hopefully it potentially came with the best defensive coordinator in all of America.”

With the retention of Foster, Fuente stated that the defense will look the same. However, the offense will undergo several changes.

“Offensively, we will try to implement the same schemes and philosophies that we had at TCU and that we brought to Memphis that have been proven over time,” Fuente said.

The transition to a more spread offense from the pro-style offense that the Hokies ran with Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler may also help the defense

get more practice against a run-heavy style of offense that features quarterback movement.

“They want to control the tempo and control the clock. I’m excited and I’m going to learn a lot from having to defend a spreadtype offense, an up-tempo offense,” Foster said. “I think, you know, picking their brain offensively and what gives them problems, we can improve on some things.”

The situation did not just play out how Tech wanted it, getting its top choice and retaining Foster, but it was also the ideal situation for Fuente, who had just as much interest in taking the job.

“This is absolutely the job that I was interested in,” said the new head coach.

“Whit (Babcock) is correct; I had really no interest in anything else, just this.

Because of what it has been and what it can be and the community that comes along with it.”

@FaizanCT

Hokies extend the streak

ZACK WAJSGRAS, TREVOR WHITE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

The Virginia Tech Hokies defeated their in-state rival U.Va. 23-20 to extend their win streak over the Cavaliers for the 12thstraight year. Kicker Joey Slye booted three field goals, including a game-winner with just over a minute left, and safety Chuck Clark sealed the win with an interception (right).

Players celebrated with Head Coach Frank Beamer as the game ended (top) and Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler and Associate Head Coach Shane Beamer celebrated afterwards (center left).

PAGE 6 December 1, 2015

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

Active Minds events relieve finals stress The organization will hold several events throughout the week, including hosting therapy dogs and distributing “compliment flowers,” to promote mental wellness.

SAMANTHA SMITH lifestyles editor

From Monday, Nov. 30 to Friday, Dec. 4, the Active Minds organization will be sponsoring various events throughout the week as a part of Virginia Tech’s first “Week of Mental Wellness.”

Active Minds is a national nonprofit organization with branches across various campuses, and it was started by a student at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. The Virginia Tech branch was not started until last semester and is a club that is meant to raise awareness for the importance of mental health.

The group began to organize the event in August of this semester and has been planning ever since.

“At the start of this year we had a lot of people with a lot of great ideas for this week, so we decided to just make a week out of it,” said Jessica Sun, president of Active Minds. “We just had so many different events we wanted to do, so I decided to just make it into one big week.”

There will be different events each day of the week that are meant to help students as finals approach as well as to erase the stigma that comes along with mental health problems. On Tuesday, Dec. 1, there will be therapy dogs in Newman Library from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in order to bring awareness to depression and anxiety.

In addition to the therapy dogs on Tuesday, Active Minds will also be handing out semicolon stickers.

“The point of the semicolon is it says that I had the choice to end my life here or my sentence here, but I didn’t. I decided to go on,” Sun said.

Other activities occurring this week are “Healthy Mind, Healthy Body” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside of Turner Place, a free yoga class from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in McComas Studio B on Wednesday, “Turn That Frown Upside Down” from 5:00 p.m to 7:30 p.m. in McComas lobby and “How To Relax” from 12 p.m. to 2:30

p.m. on the second floor of Newman Library.

On Thursday, Active Minds will also be giving out “compliment flowers” in the lobby of McComas along with the scheduled activities for the day.

“We have 100 artificial roses, and we put a tag on it so you can give it to someone who has helped you through a rough time,” Sun said.

For Sun, this organization is something that not only affects campus and society but also something that personally affects her as well.

“So I have my own mental health issue, and I’ve had many friends who have had one too and have been stigmatized and hurt,” Sun said. “It’s just really saddening to see people be dragged down by others who may not intentionally do it by the words they’ve said and the attitudes they have about mental health.”

“

It’s just really saddening to see people be dragged down by others ... by the words they’ve said and the attitudes they have.”

Jessica Sun President, Active Minds at Virginia Tech

Through this week, Active Minds hopes to encourage students to deal with and address their mental health as well as the mental health of those around them.

“Be open-minded if someone comes to you and says they’re sad or depressed. People go to the doctor for a broken bone, but if their mind is broken they often don’t go as often as they do if there is a physical injury,” Sun said. “Treat health as health. Treat mental health as health.”

@smith992_CT

COURTESY OF EMILY GOOD

RING: Something borrowed, something maroon and orange from page 1

at such a young age. However, the Goods feel solid about their decision.

“We both came in with the mindset that we weren’t going to date anybody in college unless it was going to be a for-sure thing, so we made that a ground conversation to start our relationship,” Emily said.

Being married in college is a different experience from living as a single student in an apartment full of roommates.

For the Goods, it is a nice kind of different.

“It’s nice to be able to come home to who you really want to spend time with,” Patrick said. “You’re not worried about making sure that your roommates are keeping clean or doing dishes. We’re on the same team, so we’re kind of always moving in the same direction, which is really nice.”

According to the Goods, their close friends were not surprised when they announced their engagement. The people around them provided a great

support system for which they are grateful. Some even come to them for relationship advice, which Emily finds humorous.

“I really don’t know that much! I can help you, but not to the extreme extent that you might think,” Emily said.

Concerning life after graduation and finding careers, marriage presented a new challenge for them. Finding jobs in the same place was something they had to consider when hunting for somewhere to reside.

“It was definitely interesting looking for jobs because you have to consider someone else,” Emily said. “Talking to recruiters and telling them that wherever I go, he has to go, and trying to make that work with two different companies, that was probably the biggest challenge we’ve had so far.”

In the end, the job search worked out well with Emily and Patrick finding jobs with KPMG and Altria, respectively, in Nashville, Tennessee; the former is an audit, tax and advisory firm, and the latter is a tobacco company.

For the couples out there weighing their options and deciding when to get married, the Goods have some insight.

“A lot of people think that you have to wait. I think for a lot of people, it might be in their best interest, if that’s what they want to do,” Patrick said. “If you want to get married before you graduate, I don’t think there’s any reason that you have to wait.”

“Don’t let social stigmas guide your relationship,” Emily said. “There will be judgment at a certain level from some people, but the divorce rate has never been higher in America and there are so many relationships that don’t work out. So, just follow what your path is and make sure that you can do it financially without anybody else’s help.”

Emily and Patrick found a way to make their marriage work at this stage of their lives, and both agree that they would not have it any other way.

@Ar3Y0uMyMummy