April 10, 2015 by The Collegiate Times

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Friday, April 10, 2015

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Members of the second battalion stand at attention just before the beginning of their march to Matthew La Porte’s medal ceremony, April 9, 2015.

Cadet honored for heroic actions

Southgate Drive to get new entrance

The U.S. Air Force posthumously honored Matthew Joseph La Porte with the Airman’s Medal Thursday, April 9. La Porte was one of 32 students, faculty and staff members killed on April 16, 2007. libby howe

news staff writer

Matthew Joseph La Porte was posthumously awarded the Airman’s Medal for heroic actions Thursday, April 9, at Westview Cemetery in Blacksburg. La Porte’s parents, Barbara and Joseph, as well as his sister, Priscilla, attended the ceremony to receive the award on behalf of La Porte. La Porte, one of the 32 students, faculty and staff members who lost their lives during the events on April 16, 2007, was a member of the Corps of Cadets Class of 2009 and Air Force ROTC, as well as the highly competitive Armed Forces Special Operations Preparation Team. He also played tenor drum in the HightyTighties regimental band and Southern Colonels cadet jazz ensemble. The Airman’s Medal was founded by the United States Air Force in 1960 and is awarded for heroism involving voluntary risk of life under conditions other than those of conflict with an armed enemy of the United States. Major General Randall Fullhart, the commandant of cadets at Virginia Tech, presented the award. In the eight years since April 16, 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Retired Keith Gay, La Porte’s assistant professor of aerospace studies in 2007, worked tirelessly to prepare a package of verified information to exhibit La Porte’s

lewis millholland news reporter

to eye witnesses and rescue folks, they found that eye witnesses saw Matthew get up and barricade the door while the instructor was telling everyone else to get to the back of the room.” Torrens credited Gay for “plowing through gathering that evidence” so the package could be sent up the chain of command, at which point it

Next to the iconic Torgersen Bridge entrance to campus and the high-traffic Prices Fork intersection, the humble Southgate Drive is often overlooked. However, not for long – Virginia Tech’s southernmost entrance is slated for major work. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is spending $46.7 million to construct a new interchange between U.S. Route 460 and Southgate Drive. The project also includes aesthetic and functional upgrades to Southgate and will extend the runway of the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport as well. Tommy DiGiulian, preliminary engineering manager for the project, discussed the impetus for a new traffic flow design in a video on the VDOT website. “The primary goals of this project are really to improve safety and also to improve traffic flow,” he said. A bridge stemming from Southgate Drive will span over 460, handling traffic with a diverging diamond interchange – also known as a double crossover. “(The interchange) has a smaller footprint than any other interchange type, so we’re reducing the impacts

see honor / page 3

see southgate / page 2

Christian sterling / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Major General Randall Fullhart presents the Airman’s Medal to Barbara La Porte.

undeniably heroic actions and warrant his receiving the award. Colonel Cameron Torrens, commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 875, explained the process leading up to today’s ceremony. “It was really hard to figure out exactly what happened in the very beginning. Folks weren’t allowed to be interviewed. There were a lot of traumatic experiences going on,” Torrens said. “When they finally were able to talk

Baseball seeks upset at Miami The Hokies will travel to face off against 11th-ranked Miami in a three-game weekend series. Kyle Cooke

sports reporter

The Virginia Tech baseball team will travel south this weekend to take on the No. 11 Miami Hurricanes in a threegame series. Miami won the Coastal Division of the ACC last year and has shown no signs of letting up this season. Finishing with a conference record of 24-6 last year, the Hurricanes are continuing to dominate within the league, posting an 11-4 conference record thus far. They are 10-2 in their last 12 conference games, including sweeps of Duke and NC State. Conversely, Virginia Tech has had an up-anddown season within the

ACC. The Hokies hold a 17-17 record overall, and their conference record is just under .500 with seven wins and eight losses. Georgia Tech and North Carolina also have a 7-8 record in conference play, which means there’s a three-way tie for second in the Coastal division. However, Georgia Tech and UNC both have better overall records than the Hokies. Virginia Tech will look to redeem itself after the Radford game on Tuesday. After tying the game at five runs thanks to a grand slam from Mac Caples and an RBI double from Brendon Hayden, the Hokies lost all momentum at the plate and at the

MEET YOUR BOUNCER: PK’S

Ben Weidlich / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Sean Keselica (25) pitches against Georgia Tech. Keselica will lead the Hokies on the mound at Miami. mound. Radford exploded for 10 runs in the top of the eighth, and the final score of the game was 15-7 in favor of the Highlanders. The Hokies hope to continue the offensive

wave that they have been on recently. In the past 10 games, Virginia Tech has averaged an astounding 7.5 runs per game. Miami see Baseball / page 6

Men’s Tennis Preview

Shakeif Robinson shares his experiences.

page 5

The Hokies play in their last regular season home match this weekend.

page 6

courtesy of kevin hargrove

The 16-member, student-run a cappella group, Juxtaposition, was recently nominated for a CARA.

Tech’s own ‘Pitch Perfect’: Juxtaposition The group’s upcoming concert promises to debut the award-nominated male singers. EMILY MCCAUL

lifestyles staff writer

Spring has officially spr ung at Vi rgin ia Tech, and with it has come some exciting news for the Blacksburg community. Juxtaposition, one of two all-male a cappella groups on campus, has received a nomination for album of the year from the Contemporary A Cappella Society. The group, which is completely studentrun, currently consists of 16 male members and their nomination is for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award, also known as a CARA, and is the most prestigious award a college a cappella group can receive. “Being nominated is itself such a huge deal,” said Kevin Hargrove, Juxtaposition president and senior accounting major. “(But) we put out an EP, so we didn’t think it would even be considered for an album. Groups like Pentatonix are nominated for stuff like this so to even be in the same category as a group like them is crazy.” Juxtaposition’s CA R A n o m i n a t io n is for “The Juxta EP.” Originally released in the spring of 2014, EP stands for “extended play,” meaning these musica l r e c ord i ngs typically contain more music than a single but not enough to qualify as a full studio album. “ T he Ju xt a E P ” feat u res si x songs including “The City,” a song presently featured as the No. 1 track on the Best of College A C a p p el l a 2 015 album. This is the third consecutive year that Juxtaposition has been featured on the BOCA a lbum. Last yea r’s feature was “Pompeii,”

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a song that can also be found on their CARA nominated album. “A CA R A awa rd would be awesome, but for this specific (category), I think it would be one of the highlights for Juxtaposition over its years,” Hargrove said. “It would be such a great way to represent Virginia Tech because I

“

It would be one of the highlights for Juxtaposition over its years. It would be such a great way to represent Virginia Tech.”

Kevin Hargrove Juxtaposition president

feel like a cappella has come such a long way here.” The featured soloist for “The City” is Blake Martin, a senior music technology major and Juxtaposition’s music director. “I was at work (when I found out) and I mean – just chills,” Martin said. “It’s just a surreal experience to know that they have thousands and thousands of groups across the country who send into this place, and these three people go over just countless and countless songs to, decide the best. The fact that we were one of the chosen, and to be the top track, is just crazy.” In addition to being the featured vocalist of “The City,” Martin, as music director, is responsible for arranging practices, planning out practices for the day and preparing the group for their gigs and concerts. “At gigs I’m the one who plays the pitch pipe see SING / page 5

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column

The jury in the Boston Marathon case will choose what’s best

Apr i l 8, 2015, a jury reached a verdict after roughly 11 hours of deliberation. This jury had the task of deciding whether or not Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was guilty of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. The jury of seven women and five men found Tsarnaev guilty of all 30 counts against him. Out of those, 17 carry the possibility of the death penalty. After reading the verdict, George O’Toole Jr., the judge of the Federal District Court, told jurors they would proceed to a second penalty phase and could not discuss the case with anyone. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to be a juror on this case. Though it’s been almost two years, images from the tragic attack are still embedded in our memories. On April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three people were killed: Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant manager; Lu Lingzi, a 23-year-old graduate student at Boston University; and Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy watching the race with his family whose sister, Jane Richard, lost a leg. According to the Boston Globe, over 260 people were wounded, 17 of which lost limbs. Among the victims, Officer Sean Collier, member of MIT’s police force, was shot to death when responding to a disturbance

at MIT’s Stata Center, three days after the bombings. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the one to set off the first bomb, died from gunshot wounds and blunt trauma to his head and torso on April 19, 2013. On the same day that his brother was killed, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was apprehended. T he case aga inst Tsarnaev began on March 5, 2015. Throughout the case, 96 witnesses testified over 15 court days: 92 for the prosecution and four for the defense, according to CNN. The defense’s angle was Tsarnaev’s brother had a profound influence on him and that he was the real mastermind behind everything. The prosecution quickly shut this down with evidence, like the writing inside the boat where Tsarnaev was captured. According to CNN, part of the writing says, “The U.S. government is killing our innocent civilians, but most of you already know that. As a Muslim, I can’t stand to see such evil go unpunished. We Muslims are one body. You hurt one, you hurt us all.” Another portion of the boat says, “Stop killing our people and we will stop.” After 11.5 hours of deliberations, all that’s left to decide is the fate of Tsarnaev. With all the evidence on the table, it’s hard to imagine what jurors are thinking right now. First of all, it must have been extremely hard to stay unbiased throughout the trial. Before evidence was even presented, everyone in America knew how terrible

this act of terrorism was. Again, we have images imbedded in our heads from what happened on that day. I can’t imagine having to push those images aside to start on a clean, unbiased slate. Now, the jurors aren’t even finished with their duties. They must wait silently until the penalty case and then decide the fate of the 21-year-old. There are so many ways to think about it. Which punishment seems fit? Should he die for the crimes he has committed? Though Massachusetts does not have the death penalty, this is a federal crime. Should he spend a life in prison to think of what he’s done? Would he even survive long in prison? The jury made the right decision. Not only is Tsarnaev guilty beyond any reasonable doubt, but they also made a decision after all of the evidence and testimonies were presented. W h et h e r or no t Tsarnaev’s brother influenced him or not doesn’t detract from the horrible actions committed. It doesn’t change the fact that three people were killed and hundreds had their lives changed forever. The jury will make the right choice when it comes to deciding this terrorist’s fate. It will be interesting to see if they choose the death penalty or life in prison and why they decided the course of action.

SAMANTHA HILL • opinions editor • junior communication major

column

Obama’s executive order on immigration is an overreach

oth major political parties seem to have plenty over which to argue. With nearly every complaint and each political issue, the president is the first to come under fire for the faults of our political system – perhaps wrongly so. Whatever the issue, the president is expected to not only have an opinion but also to do something. President Obama’s recent executive order on immigration is such a situation. This executive order has come under immense scrutiny – being defined as executive overreach.

“

Tyranny doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly, with quiet eroding barriers to power.” Ashley LaFramboise Young Americans for Liberty

Through the Americans splitting from the British crown, the founding fathers established a system based on constitutional law that would prevent any one area of government to overstep another. The executive branch was created to enforce Congressional legislation, with power to be vested in the president. Because the colonists had endured extreme tyranny and developed a disdain for

the British monarchy, their design was meant to keep American presidents from writing laws. In Nov. 2014, Obama’s immigration policy granted an estimated 5 million immigrants temporary amnesty under his “prosecutorial discretion.” This also created a limit on the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. – but would not necessarily enforce these numbers. It was one of the most controversial acts by a president, without Congressional consent, in American history. Proponents claim that this deferred action of deportation is very different from executive overreach. They also claim that the president is exercising executive power, consistent with other presidents throughout history. Perhaps P r esid ent Obama wants to do good. Maybe he is motivated by a desire to protect an already ma rginalized people. However, the issue is not how “gracious” the intentions are, but rather, the dangerous precedent set. This action opens the floodgates for even more growth of presidential power. President Obama undermined many of the founding fathers’ checks and balances by disregarding the will of the legislature. Some of you, like me, might be sympathetic to Obama’s ultimate goals. There is a great temptation to ignore the issue of overreach – maybe just this once!

I urge you to remember that although today power might be used for your cause, tomorrow it could be used against you. The key is to restrict and to divide the great power of creating laws among many representatives. Sure, it’s slower. It seems like no one is ever extraordinarily happy with Congress. But it truly is the only way to maintain a free society. Some of you probably disagree. A president is elected by the people after all! The problem is that the larger the voting sample size, in this case the whole country voting for a president, the less likely the elected is to accurately represent the views of each individual. With each democratic decision, there is a large number of Americans who are not being heard. As the famous author and political philosopher Ayn Rand wrote, “The smallest minority on Earth is the individual.” The more that power is kept at local levels, representatives – rather than all-encompassing leaders — the more truly each individual will be represented. Tyranny doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly, with quiet eroding barriers to power. What seems extreme and controversial now becomes common practice four years

The front will clear the area this evening, allowing high pressure to build in for the weekend. Saturday and Sunday look very nice with lots of sunshine and seasonable highs in the mid-60s. Showers will return early next week. As always, be sure to check out @ HOKIEwxWATCH on Twitter for continuous updates and all of your Blacksburg-related weather needs.

HANS VANBENSCHOTEN • weather correspondent • @HOKIEwxWATCH

SOUTHGATE: Construction may ease the trafﬁc ﬂow from page 1

and the property required to build it,” DiGiulian said. “One of the other benefits is it’s very efficient at moving traffic. It handles left turns very well, and it has short cycle times on the lights, which means more green time for the drivers.” Diverging diamond interchanges are still a new design. The first officially opened in 2009, and only 45 are active nationwide. “There will be some impacts to traffic, with maybe some lane and shoulder closures in that location,” DiGiulian said. However, there are no anticipated plans to completely stop traffic. Accordi ng to Bob Spieldenner, the communications manager for the administrative services division at Virginia Tech, the new bridge will be “iconic.” The bridge will display the Virginia Tech name as well as faux Hokie stone. “It’s going to bring a whole new entrance to the south side of campus,” Spieldenner said. Southgate drive is also being re-imagined. Two new traffic circles will be installed, one connecting to the new entrance to Research Center Drive and another in place of the current intersection with Duck Pond Drive. Both sides of the road will have two lanes to ease the flow of traffic. This will be especially helpful during football season, when hordes of tailgating alumni rush the campus. “It’s going to be a whole new Southgate,” Spieldenner said. “There’s going to be a grass median in the middle; there’s going to be trees and landscaping around it.” Construction of the project as a whole is set to begin this summer, opening to traffic in the fall of 2017. Full completion is anticipated by

CHRISTIAN STERLING / COLLEGIATE TIMES

A man runs on the Huckleberry trail, April 7. The trail will be rerouted to accomodate airstrip expansion. 2018. “The other part of the project is the extension of the airport,” Spieldenner said. The Virginia Tech Airport was officially opened in 1931 and nestles up against the Corporate Research Center (CRC). “It’s going to allow for larger planes, which is important because for a lot of the businesses in the CRC, a lot of their executives are using jets,” Spieldenner said. For bigger planes, the 1383-by-30-meter runway is not enough. “They can’t land at our airport. They have to go to Roanoke and then drive in.” Over 170 research, technology and support companies are located into the CRC. “It’s going to make it a little more enticing for businesses to move in to the Center,” Spieldenner said. Research Center Drive and the Huckleberry Trail are scheduled to be relocated around the extended runway. The adjusted Research Center Drive will wrap around the extension, connecting to a new traffic circle on Southgate Drive. Director of Blacksburg Parks and Recreation

Dean Crane explained the proposed adjustments to the Huckleberry. “The trail will stop when it crosses Research Center Drive, drop by the tennis courts and down by Southgate, continue along Southgate and pop back up by the barns, and then it will connect with the trial that goes back under the 460 tunnel,” Crane said. In total, the re-routing will add around half a mile to the trail. The new section of the trail itself will be a 10-footwide asphalt trail. “The trail is going to be open,” Crane said. Since the trail is such a popular recreational path, as well as a route for commuters, detours will be put in place instead of trail closures. “It can’t be shut down. Period. We’ve made that very clear to VDOT,” Crane said. A detour will be in effect April 27 through May 1 so Virginia Tech Electric can install a duct bank across the Huckleberry Trail as a part of the new Southgate Interchange Project.

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he past several days sum up springtime weather in Blacksburg very well. It has been warm and muggy with bouts of showers and thunderstorm activity. Today will feature much of the same ahead of a cold front nearing the area. Expect clouds and a few scattered showers this morning becoming more likely during the afternoon. Any thunderstorm will be capable of producing heavy rain, lightning, and brief gusty winds. Temperatures will be warm with highs climbing into the low 70s.

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crimeblotter date time Apr. 3-6 9:30 a.m.-8 a.m. Apr. 7 10:15-10:25 a.m.

Friday, April 10, 2015 PAGE 3

collegiatetimes.com

offense Burglary/B&E, Commercial Larceny-all others

location Montieth Hall 800 Drillfield Dr

status Inactive Inactive

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The entirety of the Corps of Cadets marched from Upper Quad to the Westfield cemetery for a medal ceremony honoring Matthew La Porte, April 9, 2015. La Porte’s mother Barbara, his father Joseph and his sister Priscilla were given the Airman’s Medal on his behalf for his bravery on April 16, 2007. On the day of his death, La Porte baracaded a door and charged Seung-Hui Cho in an attempt to stop his killing rampage. View the full gallery at collegiatetimes.com.

honor: Hokie spirit lives through La Porte’s actions from page 1

was quickly approved. Torrens also said that La Porte’s actions exhibited values the Corps and ROTC hope to instill in all cadets and future military officers. “One of the Air Force core values is service before self, and what Matthew did when he rushed that shooter was not what I think the average person would do … We try both in the Corps of Cadets and ROTC to nurture those values during a cadet’s time here,” Torrens said. “He’s a hero.” The entire Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets regiment marched from Upper Quad on campus and through downtown Blacksburg to the cemetery on Roanoke Street where La Porte’s friends and family waited. Students from La Porte’s high school, Carson Long Military Academy,

traveled from Pennsylvania to attend the ceremony, as well as other individuals from La Porte’s life. AJ Diaz, who attended Carson Long with La Porte, spoke of La Porte’s impact on all of those around him. “He taught me how to play the drums … we lived down the hall from each other the whole four years I knew him, so we were very close,” Diaz said. “He just resonated that character and a heart of gold.” As 1,300 cadets, as well as commissioned and enlisted military officials, stood at attention, Gay read the citation dictating La Porte’s actions that day: barricading the door with a large desk, rushing the shooter and “taking fire that would have been directed at his classmates.” The proffer for the ceremony, Cadet Alex Granata, son of Professor

Kevin Granata who also lost his life April 16, 2007, handed Fullhart the medal to present to La Porte’s family. Barbara spoke after Fullhart presented the award. She spoke about her son’s orientation at Virginia Tech and how she now sees our mascot, the Hokie, as more than a bird. “You are a Hokie. You are to embody the spirit of the school. On behalf of Matthew, I want to bring this idea forward. I don’t think you want to consider yourself just a bird but instead communicate something that resonates from your innermost being. Therefore I propose that you think of Hokie as an acronym: Heart of Kindness Invalidate Evil. We are here to celebrate a victory over evil. Matthew won that day,” Barbara said. @CollegiateTimes

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4/10/15 30 Mattingly’s predecessor 31 20-20, e.g. 33 Persian for “crown” 35 Summer arrivals 36 Debugging aid? 41 Bar patron who appears in every “Cheers” episode 42 Bordeaux bottom 43 Clavell’s “__Pan” 44 Marsh bird 46 Norse war god 48 Schism outcomes

52 Jai alai ball 54 Float seller 56 Clark’s “Mogambo” costar 57 Huge 59 Solid-rock center? 60 Pick wielder 63 Three-time ’80s speed skating gold medalist Karin 64 Kathryn of “Law & Order: C.I.” 65 Um preceder?

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Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

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Friday, April 10, 2015 PAGE 5

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Meet your

Shakeif Robinson: PK’s Ever wonder about the people checking your IDs and keeping you safe downtown? Now that you’ve met your bartenders, it’s time to meet your bouncer.

SAM SMITH lifestyles staff writer

Or iginally from Brooklyn, New York, Shakeif Robinson graduated from Radford in 2012 with a degree in sports medicine athletic training and has been working at PK’s for two years now. “My brot her wa s already here at school, and I ran track for a little bit at Radford and finished up, and now I’m just working,” Robinson said. Moving from New York City to Blacksburg has been quite the change of scenery for Robinson, but he likes the relaxed atmosphere of Southwest Virginia. “It’s just slow moving compared to New York,” Robinson said. “I can just sit back and lay back without having to do nothing.” When the opportunity arises, Robinson hopes to move to a larger city to

pursue his dream of being a personal trainer in a gym. “It’s just a bigger market from what I’ve seen,” Robinson said. “I mean, if it’s not out west, then I can go to the Middle East somewhere, like Saudi (Arabia) or Dubai and have an awesome paying job for literally doing nothing.” Whereas working at PK’s is far from what Robinson wants to do in the future, he enjoys working the late nights that being a bouncer entails. “It’s better for me because I can be out drinking without being out drinking. I can party without partying, I’m just sitting there having a good time,” Robinson said. Although PK’s is known for having a more locally fo cuse d at mospher e, Robinson looks at it as a perk of working at PK’s. “I don’t mind it. We get students on certain days, but it’s usually an older

ZOE SCOPA / COLLEGIATE TIMES Robinson has been working at PK’s since 2012 but hopes to utilize his sports medicine degree to become a personal trainer in a bigger city in the future. crowd, which is easier to maintain,” Robinson said. “This is usually where (students) start or where they end, and by that time all of their party is either in them or it’s out of them.” According to Robinson,

even though things at PK’s usually don’t get too rowdy, there have been some instances where Robinson has been involved in some crazy situations. “The oddest thing to happen to me is probably

being smacked by a regular,” Robinson said. “They just smacked me and then they apologized, he said he was drunk so I was just like alright, whatever.” For those who associate all bouncers with

SING: Juxtaposition represented on ‘Best of College A Cappella’ from page 1

and sort of leads the group and directs everything,” Martin said. “It’s very different being someone in charge of music versus someone who’s just sort of in the background and gets to hang out with the group a little more. Having that responsibility, it’s definitely a different hat to wear. Some may say it takes a little fun out of it, but I wouldn’t say that’s true at all. It’s an honor really, just to be able to lead the group.” The brotherly a cappella

group will be hosting a NA SCA R- t h e m e d concert, “Hail Dale: Juxta Burns Rubber,” at The Lyric theatre this Friday, April 10. Located on 135 College Avenue, tickets are $5, and show times will be at 7 and 9:30 p.m. The men of Juxta will be unveiling seven new songs at the concert, covering genres from indie-rock, to hip-hop, to ‘70s mash-ups. “We really try to keep ourselves very sporadic and eclectic in our music choices,” Martin said. “We want to try to have something for everybody.”

Looking forward to the upcoming concert, Hargrove reflected on previous performances and the impact it can have on the audience. “I remember (after one show) someone messaged us once about ‘My Heart With You,’ a song that was really close to us all,” Hargrove said. “She wrote us this letter which was really emotional, and we always want people to feel emotions when they’re there.” Junior finance and accounting major Dan Shepherd said, since joi n i ng t he g r oup

last spring, he’s had a wonderful a cappella experience that he believes will translate to the upcoming show. “It’s been amazing,” Shepherd said. “We’re brothers, pretty much. We know what we have to do, and we know how much we have to focus. I couldn’t ask for anything more from the group. It’s just a great time when we’re at practice, working hard. No matter what we’re doing, it’s so much fun because of the group of guys.”

@CollegiateTimes

COURTESY OF JUXTAPOSITION

their negative stereotypes, Robinson says the stigma is unfounded. “We’re not all douche bags. Usua l ly when you see a bouncer, you think he’s uptight or whatever the case may be,” Robinson said. “ (But) we’re more laid back, at least in this town, from the bouncers I’ve met.” Although there are a lot of advantages to working at PK’s and living in the relaxed atmosphere of Blacksburg, Robinson says his favorite part is getting to meet new people every day. “Just the social interaction with different people, you get to meet a different person every day,” Robinson said. “I can say that I know probably about 75 percent of the people who are any way invested in the downtown area. I love it.”

@smith992_CT

New emojis and more come with iOS 8.3 reveal After much criticism about whitewashed emojis, Apple has released a racially diverse set in its newest iOS update. LEWIS MILLHOLLAND news reporter

Apple released the third major update to iOS 8 on Wednesday, debuting skin tone options for emojis, along with general improvements such as stability enhancement and bug fixes. The previous emoji library was considerably whitewashed, with only one or two instances of ethnic diversity – notably the turban-clad Middle Eastern man and his Asian neighbor on the keyboard. The library had been dubbed “racially ambiguous,” which seems to many to be another term for “white.” With the advent of iOS 8.3, users can press and hold certain emojis to bring up a pop-up menu of skin tone options. Emojis now appear by default with a yellowish hue that would not be out of place in the Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield. For each emoji with alternate skin tones, there are five variants ranging from white to black. In total, 300 new

characters have been added. When a non-upgraded phone receives an ethnically-diverse emoji, it will appear as the traditional “racially-ambiguous” icon followed by an alien head in a box. Similarly, iMessage on Macbooks cannot yet display the new emojis. Another improvement packaged with the upgrade is the ability to download free apps without entering a password. By going into “Settings > iTunes & App Store > Password Settings,” users can determine when to be prompted for a password when downloading apps, music or books. Apple also addressed the issue where custom-named group chats would sometimes split into multiple conversations. In addition, junk messages can be reported straight from the Messages app. iOS 8, the first release under iPhone’s third generation of operating systems, debuted on Sept. 18, 2014.

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BEST OF BLACKSBURG by Virginia Tech students!

PAGE 6 Friday, April 10, 2015

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

Men’s tennis seeks strong ﬁnish to regular season SAVANNAH PUDGETT sports reporter

The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team is set to take on VCU and Georgia Tech this weekend. On Friday, the Hokies will t ravel to R ich mond, Virginia, to play against t he Ra ms a nd wi l l return to Blacksburg to play the Hor nets in a n ACC mat ch on Sunday. Last weekend, the Hokies took on top25-ranked Louisville and Virginia. In Louisville, Virginia Tech defeated the Cardinals at the Bass-Rudd Te n n i s Center. However, i n Charlottesville, the Hokies fell to No. 4 Virginia. The Hokies are hoping to pick up their momentum heading towards the ACC Championships after their

loss to Virginia. VCU will be heading into the match on Friday coming off two losses to Middle Tennessee and Memphis. Georgia Tech will also be coming off two losses to No. 12 Wake Forest and NC State. The match against Georgia Tech will be the final home match of the regular season for Virginia Tech. Before the match senior Hunter Koontz will be recognized for his outstanding collegiate career. The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team has made remarkable strides this year, as it started out its season ranked 38th. The Hokies experienced ups and downs until they had a breakthrough in their match against No. 23 Notre Dame back in early March. Two days after

stunning Notre Dame, the Hokies also upset No. 2 Duke. These victories caused Virginia Tech to go from being ranked 44th to 15th in the nation. A f t er t h is brea kthrough, junior Andreas Bjer rehus was named ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week. Bjerrehus played an integral role in defeating Notre Dame and Duke. Against the Irish, Bjerrehus teamed up with junior Amerigo Contini to take down the 19thranked tandem of Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar. In the match against the Blue Devils, Bjerrehus stepped up to the No. 1 singles and picked up a win against Nicolas Alvarez who was ranked 8th. Despite faltering to No. 12 Wake Forest in the week following their

victories against Notre Dame and Duke, Eduardo Tessaro, Joao Monteiro and Bjerrehus had solid performances. This was their first ACC loss of the season. The Hokies didn’t let their loss to Wake Forest phase them, and their next two matches were victorious. Virginia Tech managed to hold off both No. 37 NC State and No. 13 UNC. The game against the Tar Heels was a close one. However, Bjerrehus pulled through and won the deciding match against 2 4 t h - r a n ke d Ro n n i e Scheider. The victory over UNC bumped the Hokies to their current No. 13 ranking. Following their matches against VCU and Georgia Tech this weekend, the Hokies will travel to Florida to compete in

BEN WEIDLICH / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Andreas Bjerrehus plays a doubles match against Penn State. Bjerrehus hopes to continue his solid play. their final matches of the regular season against M ia m i a nd F lor id a State before heading to compete at the ACC Championships in Cary,

North Carolina, April 23rd through 26th.

@CollegiateTimes

BASEBALL: Hokies open three-game series at Miami from page 1

has also scored an impressive 5.8 runs per game in the same span, winning eight. The Hokies have played the Hurricanes 30 times in program history, and the series is incredibly lopsided in favor of “The U.” Miami has won 23 of those games, including the first 10 meetings. Virginia Tech has not played Miami since they got swept in a three-game series last season. Patrick Mason, the current head coach for the Hokies, has never recorded a win against Miami. The Hurricanes are ranked this year, but that isn’t necessarily bad news for the Hokies. Out of the seven contests they have won in

this series, which started in 2005, six of the wins have come when Miami was in the rankings. Sean Keselica and Saige Jenco were impressive last year against Miami. The two combined to go 8-25 at the plate for a notable .320 batting average. Sean Keselica, who is scheduled to pitch this weekend, pitched a great game against the Hurricanes last year. The current senior went for six and one-third innings and only gave up two earned runs in the losing battle. Keselica has been perhaps the Hokies’ most consistent player this season, both on the mound and at the plate. The New Jersey native is hitting .357 in his last 28 at-bats

BEN WEIDLICH / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Saige Jenco celebrates after a 9-8 victory against Georgia Tech. Jenco leads the team in stolen bases and looks to be a catalyst to the Hokies offense at Miami. and has won ACC pitcher of the week twice this season. He has a team-best

and career-best 2.36 ERA and has posted a 4-1 record in eight appearances for

the Hokies. The Hurricanes have been great at the dish this

year, too; nine players in the clubhouse have hit over .300 this season, compared to Virginia Tech’s four. Miami also has nine pitchers with an ERA under 4. Including Keselica, the Hok ies only have two. The Hokies will most likely face Miami’s Danny Garcia this weekend. He is 4-0 as a starter this year and has a 1.75 ERA, the best among Hurricane starters. The first two games of the series, on Friday and Saturday, are each slated for 7 p.m. starts, and the final game of the series is Sunday at 1 p.m.

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