April 16, 2015

collegiatetimes.com

111th YEAR, ISSUE 100

Thursday, April 16, 2015

COLLEGIATETIMES An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

April 16 Remembrance Events

Combating fuel funding

MOMENT OF SILENCE

The Environmental Coalition and Womanspace at Virginia Tech teamed up to discuss environmental and sustainability issues.

9:43 a.m.

April 16 Memorial The names of our 32 will be read by student leaders.

Members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will stand guard for 32 minutes.

The candle will remain lit for 24 hours. Please be mindful that this is a time of quiet reflection.

CLARE RIGNEY news staff writer

ECHO TAPS 10 a.m.

Campus Echo Taps will be played by members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Buglers of the Guard. They will be positioned at various locations throughout campus.

COMMUNITY PICNIC 11:30 a.m.

Squires Commonwealth Ballroom

ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

EXTINGUISHING OF CEREMONIAL CANDLE 11:59 p.m.

April 16 Memorial Members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will stand guard for 32 minutes prior to the 11:59 p.m. extinguishing. The candle will be extinguished and the light will be carried back into Burruss Hall, representing the commitment to never forget.

3.2 MILE RUN IN REMEMBRANCE 9 a.m.

Campus

Sam Welborn explains the importance of divesting money from the Virginia Tech endowment fund as Audinne Bernales draws representative diagrams behind him, April 15, 2015.

T he Envi ron ment a l Coalition and Womanspace at Virginia Tech held a workshop Wednesday night in McBryde in order to discuss and educate people on the fossil fuel industry and to promote the topic of divestment. “(Divestment) is the deliberate removal of financial investments in fossil fuel industries as a means of taking a stand against congregations to the destruction of our planet,” said Nevin OunpuuAdams, president of Virginia Te ch’s Envi ron ment a l Coalition, the largest student environmental group on campus.

T he Envi ron ment a l Coalition is a multi-campaign group and has worked on several large initiatives. In the past, they have rallied against the removal of Stadium see FUEL / page 3

Home, sweet home: dorm edition LEWIS MILLHOLLAND news reporter

White cinderblock walls, spray-painted black room numbers, linoleum tile and fluorescent lighting: a description fitting for either a prison or a residence hall.

Motivated to produce a better student experience, the housing and facilities departments have been aggressively renovating and

reimagining residence hall life on the Virginia Tech campus.

In 2014, Provost Mark G. McNamee commissioned the Student Experience Task Force to generate a report on the impact of the campus’s physical make-up on relationships among students, faculty and staff.

“Residential colleges and living-learning programs should be a hallmark of the

Virginia Tech residential experience,” the report stated in its publication in January. The report recommended a goal of providing on-campus housing for at least one-third of Virginia Tech’s underg raduate population.

“Residence hall renovations, as well as new c on st r uct ion, shou ld directly support the integration of academic and

student life, including classrooms, faculty offices and a faculty residence,” the report stated. “At least twothirds of undergraduate residential students should be participating in a livinglearning program or residential college.”

The Student Experience Task Force Report is publicly available on the Provost website.

Associate Vice President

for Student Affairs Dr. Frank Shushok co-chaired the task force.

“There are two kinds of upgrades that we do to buildings,” Shushok said. First, the behind-thescenes structural work such as plumbing and second, interior design that makes a building feel like home.

“How do we maintain see DORM / page 3

Remember and reflect Softball loses 13-4 against with ‘Creating to Heal’ 12th-ranked Tennessee JOSH WILETS

PAYTON KNOBELOCH lifestyles staff writer

People handle grief in different ways. Some lash out in anger at what they cannot change, whereas others quietly shut down to the world around them.

Others use art to express what can’t simply be said in words.

Thursday marks both the anniversary of the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech and the return of the exhibit featuring art collected in the wake of the tragedy.

“

It allows us to connect to something that we can’t talk about in a visual way...”

Robin Scully Boucher Art Programs Director for Student Centers and Activities

Beginning Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., members of the community can visit the Newman Library’s Multipurpose Room on the first floor for “Creating to Heal: An Exhibit of Quilts and Recordings from the April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives.”

The exhibit collects works received by the university from the local and global communities in response to the shootings.

“What we’re doing, really, is we’re using people’s responses, and they chose art to respond to

it,” Robin Scully Boucher, the Art Programs Director for Student Centers and Activities, said. “It allows us to connect to something that we can’t talk about in a visual way, and it allows us to express the inexpressible.”

Boucher curates this exhibit with Tama ra Ken nel ly, Un iver sit y Archivist and Acting Di rector of Specia l Collections for University Libraries.

“As an archivist, I’m interested in documenting the history of the university and making sure our roots in the past are not severed,” Kennelly said. “To have a space for reflection is really important for the community.”

Since 2007, Virginia Tech has received over 89,000 items from all 50 states and approximately 80 countries.

“There’s a huge amount of material that we want to share with the university,” Kennelly said.

Thursday marks the third year of collaboration between Kennelly and Boucher, though an art exhibit to this effect has been held every year since 2008.

Each year’s exhibit maintains a different theme.

“This year, it’s an auditory theme, so we’re taking music that people have recorded and sent,” Boucher said.

“We’re (also) revisiting quilts because quilts were something that had been displayed before, but there were a lot of quilts.”

The materials will mainly be displayed on the screens in the multipurpose room. Headphones will

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Our nation holds potential for massive, frightening climate destabilization. page 2

be available to make the auditory experience a more personal one.

“Tamara (Kennelly) has a great memory of everything that’s in there,” Boucher said.

“She would bring me into the archives … and would point me to these areas or pull (the works) out.”

The pair emphasized that this exhibit is an opportunity for people not only to reflect on their grief but to also pull inspiration from it.

“People reached into their creative selves to express their grief. They weren’t inhibited by the fact that they weren’t professional artists,” Boucher said. “We see that over and over again … people had to do something – they didn’t always know what to do or how to do it, so they did what they could.”

For those unsure of how to process such an exhibit, Kennelly assures guests that there will be no one leaning over them, and they are free to explore the exhibit at their own pace.

“It’s so incredibly personal, and for people, it seems that that was a way for them to interact and to release grief simultaneously and be proactive,” Boucher said.

“Creating to Heal” will be open through Saturday, April 18, 2015 and is free to the public.

“It gives the community permission to approach it, this tragedy, in a way that lets you let go of it but at the same time be a part of it,” Boucher said.

@MaybeNotPayton

sports reporter

On a wet evening at Tech Softball Park, the Virginia Tech softball team was trounced by 12th-ranked Tennessee 13-4 in six innings.

Power hitting was the story of the game for Tennessee. There were five combined home runs in the game, four of them off the bats of the Volunteers.

Starting on the mound was junior Maggie Tyler for Tech and Rainey Gaffin for Tennessee.

Tyler struggled with command early, walking her first batter of the game.

The struggles continued the second inning, as she walked the first batter of the inning and surrendered a two-run homer, courtesy of Tennessee first baseman Taylor Koenig who gave the Volunteers and early 2-0 lead.

The Hokies drew even in the bottom of the third when senior shortstop Lauren Gaskill crushed a two-run blast off the scoreboard at Tech Softball Park for her second home run of the year.

“I knew that there was a runner in scoring position and just got a pitch that I could drive, and it just happens that it hung up there a little bit and I was able to get all of it,” Gaskill said.

The home run parade continued as Sca rlet McSwain ripped a soloshot to left field, giving Tennessee a 3-2 advantage.

A f ter jun ior t h i rd baseman Kelsey Mericka

NEW FIVE-STAR SAFETY SYSTEM

LIVI DEL VALLE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Kelsey Mericka (right) covers third base vs. Tennessee.

Mericka scored one of the Hokies’ four runs. reached base on a fielding er ror, freshman first baseman Jessie Mehr pulled a double down the left field line, scoring Mericka to re-tie the game at three.

Tyler allowed a lead-off walk and a single to start what would be a nightmare fifth inning for the Hokies.

Gaffin scored on a single from Meghan Gregg after both runners were bunted over.

“Nothing really changed specifically in the fifth inning,” Tyler said. “I think that as a whole, I just started to underestimate that they were going to make adjustments.”

With the bases loaded later in the inning, Tennessee’s Tory Lewis scored from third on a sacrifice fly from Megan Geer. McSwain then homered for the second time of the game, bringing in three runs.

T hat homer ended

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Department head makes scale for hockey helmets. page 3

@collegiatetimes

Tyler’s night, giving way to Kelly Heinz who came in for a relief appearance.

Heinz, who entered the game with two outs in the fifth, also struggled with her control. She walked the first three batters and plunked Lewis, scoring another run for Tennessee.

Down by six runs after the fifth inning, the Hokies were in desperate need of some offense. Freshman center fielder Breanna Davenport reached on a fielding-error by Meghan Gregg, her second error of the contest. With one out, the always-dependable Kylie McGoldrick ripped a double to the left-center gap, scoring Davenport.

The deficit was too much for the Hokies to overcome however, as Tennessee catcher Lexi Overstreet rocketed a three-run blast to left field.

This final homerun gave see SOFTBALL/ page 5

ctlifestyles CT MOBILE APP iTunes / Google Play

PAGE 2 Thursday, April 16, 2015

opinion collegiatetimes.com/opinion

column

Hillary Clinton must earn popular support

H

illary Rodham Clinton has formally announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 2016 presidency, but her campaign had already long begun prior to her declaration.

“

It would be a symbolic victory for women if Hillary ultimately does win the election.

But the presidency is no place for a figurehead.”

The Ready for Hillary super PAC commenced two years ago, laying the groundwork for her inevitable campaign. Even with a $25,000 cap on donations, Ready for Hillary has already raised $14 million since its launch. #ReadyForHillary computer and bumper stickers can be found across the nation and Clinton retains a loyal following.

Now that her bid for the presidency is official, the principal question is raised: are we actually ready for Hillary?

Hillary Clinton has an impressive resume. She has previously served as a senator, Secretary of

State and First Lady of Arkansas and the United States. In addition to these governmental roles, her activism for women and children across the world is renowned.

Despite her accomplishments, the fact that she is a woman will be a constant topic during the election season. It would be naïve to believe gender (both of the candidates and women’s issues nationwide) will not be a paramount discussion throughout the election.

Some detractors of Hillary will attempt to make the argument that a woman is not capable of leading a nation. Not only is this misogynistic and ignorant, it is utterly false. One can turn to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, as an exemplary female leader. In addition to leading Ger ma ny, Chancellor Merkel was president of the European Council and chaired the G7. These are not triumphs for a woman but rather are triumphs for any politician.

It’s an abomination that the United States has yet to have a female president; it speaks to the institutional gender inequality in this nation. However, just as it would be wrong not to vote for Hillary because she is a woman it would be equally terrible to vote in her favor just because she is.

I want a female president.

I yearn for a woman to hold the nation’s highest office and dispel the notion that a woman is not qualified for the position. Americans need intelligent, respected women in the limelight.

It would be a symbolic victory for women if Hillary ultimately does win the election. But the presidency is no place for a figurehead.

There’s going to be a n i m mense a mou nt of pressure on women voters in 2016. While the Democratic Party traditiona lly receives the majority of women’s votes, if Hillary obtains the nomination, I foresee Democrats reaching across the aisle in an attempt to persuade conservative women as well.

Women should not feel pressured to vote for Hillary because she shares their gender. All voters should select whom they believe to be most capable to serve as president.

If Clinton is to win the Democratic Party presidential primaries and then the general election, I implore it is because the American voters trust her leadership not her gender.

Am I #ReadyForHillary?

We’ll have to see.

ALEXANDRA HILL • regular columnist • sophomore/politcal science and English

column

Pope Francis declares 1915 Armenian conflict genocide

E

arlier this week, H is Hol i ness, Pop e Fr a ncis, led a Sunday Mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica on the centennial anniversary of when the Ottoman Empire killed more than one million Armenians.

The s e r v ic e wa s attended by a delegation of Armenian representatives including the President of Armenia and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Global attention turned towards the Vatican to see if Pope Francis would use the “g-word,” genocide, when he described the events of one hundred years ago, which has become a hotly contested event internationally.

In 1915 during World War I, Armenian nationalists attempted to end the Ottoman Empire’s rule of the historic Armenian homeland. Through death marches, firing squads, mass burnings and concentration camps, the Ottomans systematically murdered 1.5 million Armenians.

April 24 is Armenian Remembrance Day, when citizens of the nation recount the tragedy that took the lives of so many in an attempt by Armenians.

Much like Rwanda after its genocide, Armenia grieves for those who were slaughtered in the worst ethnic conflict in their history.

Unlike the Rwandan genocide, certain countries do not recognize this incident as genocide.

Turkey, the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, has rationalized the atrocities not as genocide but by saying that 1.5 million

Armenians coincidentally died amidst World War 1 violence.

The United States doesn’t recognize these atrocities as genocide either. When it comes down to what the United States says or how we behave in response to international crises, the only determining factor is which side will offer us more.

Turkey offers us its undying friendship and support — a sweet deal the United States cannot possible deny.

“

The direct use of the word ‘genocide,’ however, is the most valuable gift that a world leader can give to the Armenians.”

At this point, it is fair to be alarmed. The school systems in the United States have rarely, if ever, touched on this topic. If we deny an entire ethnicity the right to have the most brutal war that occurred in their history recognized, we are saying that what the past has thrown at them is no matter to us, as long as our future is secure in the geographically advantageous hands of Turkey.

The United States has the largest population of Armenian immigrants, yet unlike Italy or Germany, wh o r e c og n i z e the genocide, this country is too caught up on its relationship with Turkey to recognize the Armenian suffering.

This debate should

not be limited to the ludicrous misinterpretation

by Turkey of the phrase used to describe the strategic slaughter of 1.5 million people but rather what is right and wrong. It is undeniably wrong to not allow Armenia the solace of knowing that the cruel event that occurred in their history is recognized by all major nation-states.

T he Pope’s recognition of this slaughter is but a formality; the direct use of the word “genocide,” however, is the most valuable gift that a world leader can give to the Armenians. What they consider to be their Holocaust cannot be an event that any major player can afford to overlook for the sake of political alliances.

The Turkish government has thrown money at the United States and other nations to ensure that we do not vocalize what is actually the true sentiment of the day, making it unclear if the Pope would risk creating international tension in the name of justice.

The Vatican was able to do Armenians justice and discuss the events of the tragic killings. It is an issue, however, that with every election in the United States or with a new Pope in the Catholic Church, we ponder if they, too, will be benevolent enough to own up to what happened in international history.

RASIKA PANDE • international relations columnist • sophomore/finance and international studies

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U.S. climate holds major potential to destabilize

H

ave you ever wondered if “global warming” is really happening? Especially when Blacksburg endures harsher winters by the year, even dropping into what feels like -25 degrees Fahrenheit?

T he Nationa l Ocea n ic a nd Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently released data showing the annual changing of climate and predictions of why this is happening.

The data show that the East’s winters have recently been breaking low temperature records. This last February has been the coldest in about 35 years.

However, the west has been taking a separate path. The Midwest to Pacific Coast underwent record breaking highs.

These two dramatic climate differences split the United States in half – making a dipole. A low pressure zone has formed right over the East side of the country. This zone represents a “U” shape, hence the name trough.

In the west a very large high pressure zone looms over in a ridge, or an arc.

This is called the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, named because of its persistence in the region.

NASA released data stating that, in this last February, the East underwent temperatures -18 degrees Fahrenheit below the month’s average. In the west it was 18°F over the month’s average.

It is fairly concerning, but before I get too far, let me explain what we know.

The force that forms the ridge and trough is the jet stream. Generally the jet stream moves from west to east over the United States. However, nowadays it’s been starting to slow down. This causes it to take on more of a wavy shape.

Currently the upper part of the wave flows over the West and the lower flows under the East.

This splits the country in two, with the front between pressure systems going straight through the country’s middle.

Notice any threatening issues yet?

Since the ridge extends all the way up to northern Alaska, it allows warm air from the equator to occupy that space, blocking northern winds from cooling down the area. Likewise, the trough in the East allows cold polar air to fill in, which explains our cold winters.

The melting of polar ice is a plausible explanation.

Do you remember that time in the 1950s and 60s when we released CFCs into the atmosphere? Well, it is coming back to haunt us. The CFCs worked against the sun’s UV rays for a little while until the chlorine in it started to disperse, forming a chlorine cycle and destroying all the ozone around it.

According to the EPA, just one chlorine atom has the capability to split apart more than 100,000 molecules of ozone, converting them into plain old O2.

Now there are huge holes in the ozone

at the poles. This causes the poles to heat up and melt at an extremely faster rate than the rest of the world. With this considered, it is believed that the “equalizing” temperature is slowing latitudinal winds, thus forming a wavy formation (or a cosine function for all you math nerds).

As a result, the wave has produced separate polar vortexes venturing farther south. Just last year there was one polar vortex in the northern hemisphere, and it was at the North Pole. One year later data show that it split into several separate vortexes, mostly reaching into Northern America and Siberia.

The implications of this anomaly present terrifying possibilities.

First let’s look at pressure issues in the East. The East is in a low pressure zone, which makes us prone to more cloud coverage and humidity, leading to a humid climate. In effect the East is expected to experience an increase in intense weather phenomenon. Due to an increase of humidity, our winters will get colder and our summers will get warmer.

The West is in a high pressure zone, which reduces cloud coverage and humidity. This leads to major droughts, wildfires and desertification, reducing environmental stabilization and water supply. A drier climate is expected to neutralize the temperature year-round.

While the East and West go through their hardships, what happens to the Central United States? Currently it is known for its harsh tornadoes, however, with the increase in pressure difference, tornadoes will only become more prevalent.

Major climate change can lead to various issues: damaging ecosystems and widespread extinction of struggling species. It may also lead to introducing new deadly diseases and current climate-driven diseases to the United States such as malaria, Lyme disease, tuberculosis, severe acute respiratory syndrome, West Nile virus, the avian flu and Ebola. The coming climate conditions may allow the bacteria or virus to flourish or increase the population of infectious insects that carry the disease.

However, there is hope. Scientist say, though the chances are extremely slim, we may see an increase of polar ice, re-stabilizing the global climate. To increase these chances we must change the way we do things – reduce our use of atmospheric pollutants, save energy and water limit our use of plastic and brainstorm methods to clean out our atmosphere on a long-term basis.

Even if you think global warming is a hoax, consider this: if major climate destabilization happens, wouldn’t you have wished you did something about it?

NATE AXT • Virginia Tech class of 2018

COURTESY OF NOAA

The jet stream (red) separates the warm (green) and cold (white) air masses.

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Thursday, April 16, 2015 PAGE 3

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Department head develops five-star system for helmet safety MELISSA DRAUDT news staff writer

As the Hokie’s hockey team steps out onto the ice to prepare for next season, the players will be more aware of the effectiveness – or lack thereof – of their protective head gear at preventing concussions.

Stefen Duma, head of the biomedical engineering and mechanics department at Virginia Tech, has teamed up with other researchers to develop the first five-star rating system for hockey helmets. The system judges the ability of each helmet to prevent mild brain injuries.

This data comes only four years after Duma’s team released a five-star rating system for football helmets, which the Hokie football program has implemented to improve safety for athletes.

Duma’s team conducted tests at an ice rink in Salem, Virginia, where 32 models of hockey helmets from several popular equipment brands were impacted from several angles with different intensities to simulate hits hockey players will take in the rink.

Half of the 32 models tested resulted in one-star ratings, while only one helmet scored as high as a three-star, which was the Warrior Krown 360.

As of right now, Hokie hockey players are not required to wear a specific brand or model of helmet, so the range of helmet types on the team is varied.

Junior human nutrition, foods and exercise major Ryan Abshear is a forward on the Virginia Tech hockey team.

Abshear uses the Bauer 4500, one of the nine helmets to receive a zero-star, “not recommended for use” rating.

Abshear was surprised to find that his helmet model ranked similarly with the more expensive helmet models, which he previously thought to be of higher quality.

“We get those helmets because they’re cheaper, but honestly the most expensive helmets have come out as not very good at preventing concussions (either),” Abshear said.

According to Duma, the zero- to one-star rated helmets score poorly because they are “small and have a thin amount of padding. You need space and you need padding in order to lower those (impact) accelerations.”

Head coach of the Hokie hockey team Joey Mullen sees many players walk off the rink with minor to serious head injuries.

“It’s hard for me to watch

HELMET RATINGS

Courtesy of Virginia Tech Deparment of Biomedical Engineering

5 Stars: Best Avaliable

4 Stars: Very Good

No helmets recieved this rating.

No helmets recieved this rating.

3 Stars: Good

2 Stars: Adequate

One helmet recieved this rating.

Six helmets recieved this rating.

Reebok 11k STAR Value 4.59 Cost: $159.99

Warrior Krown 360 STAR Value 2.98 Cost: $79.98

Bauer 2100 STAR Value 4.45 Cost: $34.99

1 Star: Marginal 16 helmets recieved this rating.

Bauer IMS 9.0 STAR Value 5.06 Cost: $139.99

Bauer 7500 STAR Value 5.43 Cost: $99.99

Reebok 7k STAR Value 6.30 Cost: $99.99

Easton E700 STAR Value 5.53 Cost: $129.98

Bauer 9900 STAR Value 7.04 Cost: $99.98

CCM V04 STAR Value 10.13 Cost: $49.99

0 Stars: Not Recommended Nine helmets recieved this rating.

Tour Spartan ZX Pro STAR Value 9.59 Cost: $88.47

some of these kids that have put everything into it not be able to play because of a head injury,” Mullen said.

However, according to Mullen, head injuries have more to do with the person being impacted. Others in the NHL who have commented on this rating system have agreed.

While Mullen said that concussions are a serious injury and prevention research is important, he expressed skepticism of how representative Duma’s tests are of what happens on the ice.

“There’s no way to simulate

Reebok 5k STAR Value 8.65 Cost: $84.99

what’s going to happen in a hockey game,” Mullen said.

Mullen has seen powerful hits resulting in no injury to seemingly small hits causing a player to sit out for several games.

H oweve r, Abshea r supported the efficacy of Duma’s test. “It’s obviously not exactly the same, but it’s as close as you can get without having a way to measure it while someone’s playing on the ice,” Abshear said.

Duma’s team has tested a series of hits considering rotational force, linear force and

different degrees of impact.

“I’ve played for over 20 years and have never had an issue with concussion,” Mullen said. “(The helmets) are all relatively safe, from my estimation.”

Duma said that modern helmets have reduced a lot of the fatal events previously associated with high impact sports, but he believes there is room for improvement. His goal is to help helmet manufacturers develop helmets that will reduce the severity and probability of injury.

“There will always be some

risk,” Duma said. “You’ll never eliminate it, but you can reduce it.”

According to Duma, representatives from helmet manufacturing companies are visiting every week to conduct their own testing.

“What we anticipate is that helmet companies will make new and improved hockey helmets,” Duma said.

Though Abshear has never been officially diagnosed with a concussion, he thinks the poor ratings of the helmets on the market are cause for concern.

“The ratings really show how bad it is,” Abshear said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to not be diagnosed with a concussion, but almost every kid I know that’s played his whole life has had at least one.”

Ultimately, both Abshear and Mullen have expressed their appreciation for researchers taking the time to make the game safer for everyone.

“It’s awesome to see a school like Virginia Tech take interest in protecting its student athletes and athletes around the world,” Mullen said.

@CollegiateTimes

DORM: Residence halls made more welcoming

FUEL: Students discuss ‘environmental racism’

from page 1

from page 1

our buildings and upgrade systems and take care of infrastructure, but also how do we make changes that impact the day-to-day life of a student?” Shushok said.

While infrastructure maintenance is imperative for residential hall life, Shushok said “students barely notice those changes.” Visible improvements such as carpeting and modern furniture generate more of a community reaction.

“Physical envi ronments speak to people about what kind of behavior or experience we want them to have,” Shushok said. “We do want the residence halls (to) feel like home.”

He estimated that students living on-campus spend roughly 70 percent of their time in a residence hall.

“The historical model was what I would call a ‘sleep and eat’ model,” Shushok said. “Give a student a good place to sleep and give them access to food so they can go to school. The other model – that I think that we’re more inclined to now – is a live and learn design.”

Over 1,000 students are involved in livinglearning communities, which are divided into four categories: academic major learning, enhancedlea r n i ng, residentia l colleges and themed housing.

As part of the recent renovations to Pritchard Ha l l, ma ny l ivi nglea r n i ng com mun it y coordinators will move their offices into the building.

“Pritchard has had a long history of being known as the wild and crazy place of Virginia Tech,” Shushok said. “We think that the Pritchard five years from now is going to be known as one of the best places to foster a living learning, holistic, feel-at-home experience.”

Over the summer of 2014, the eastern half of Pritchard was carpeted, the walls were painted, and overall lighting was improved. The same improvements are slated to carry into the other half of the building this summer.

“For a long time, we had black stencil room numbers with plain, white cinderblock walls, with shiny VCT tile,” Shushok

Woods and the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

“We’re working together to compile information for a presentation on fossil fuel divestment,” said OunpuuAdams. “(We’re) putting a feminist lens on the topic.”

Ounpuu-Adams said that he was optimistic about the collaboration and believed that the addition of Womanspace would bring their movement to the next level.

“I hope that it brings together people who care about issues of feminism and climate change,” OunpuuAdams said. “It gives them a deeper understanding of the two issues and how they relate to each other.”

The workshop – called the Divestment VT Teach-in – shared information about how environmental issues and social issues affect people on a university level.

During the opening remarks, Sam Welborn, one of the vice presidents of the Environmental Coalition, stated the many detrimental effects that have been brought about by climate change. He cited sea level rise, ocean PH level and many other issues that could affect people in Virginia.

“This is an issue that we care about, and by investing in dirty energy, we are not taking care of that responsibility,” Welborn said.

Sp ea kers add resse d the different problems

LIVI DEL VALLE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

A student studies in the new lounge in Pritchard Hall, a freshman dorm, April 15, 2015. said. “That elicits a particular sense and behavior from students.

In many ways this is quite obvious – that the way a space makes you feel changes everything about how you behave.”

Pritchard houses over 1,000 students and has been co-ed since 2009.

“We want a student to go home for the summer and come back and go, ‘Wow. I can’t believe Virginia Tech did that for us,’” Shushok said.

The focus on residentia l ha lls bei ng welcoming spaces has been most noticeable in the upgrades to Ambler Johnston and Pritchard Hall. Another round of upgrades are scheduled for O’Shaughnessy Hall this summer.

“We’ve been talking about it for the last three or four years,” Shushok said. “People are starting to notice because we’re making a lot of traction.”

Campus improvements are not limited to the civilian population. A $91 million project is actively underway to renovate the upper quad, home to the Corps of Cadets. Rasche Hall has been demolished and mostly rebuilt, scheduled for opening in the fall semester.

Brodie Hall, currently open to students, will be torn down once construction of Rasche is completed. The rebuilt Brodie Hall is scheduled to be ready for student occupants in the fall of 2016. “ T ho s e bu i ld i ngs were of a place that a renovation was never going to recapture the kind of facility that we think meets the needs of today’s college students,” Shushok said. “The best bet was to raze and

rebuild.”

Freshman business major Matt Apperson plans to stay on campus for his sophomore year.

“It’s just super convenient to be on campus,” Apperson said. “I can wake up late and still get to class on time.”

On his housing application, Apperson selected Payne as his top choice based on the allure of moder n rooms a nd hallways.

“I’m curious to see how next year goes, being a sophomore,” Apperson said. “Most dorms are predominately freshmen.

I’m wondering how the environment will be. I’ve noticed some sophomores on my hall are excluded – or choose to exclude themselves.”

According the housing and residence life website, 85 to 95 percent of students who enter the housing lottery receive a contract offer.

“All of what I’m sharing with you is part of a larger vision of what we hope Virginia Tech will be in 20 years,” Shushok said.

“Which is not segregated, not segregated by disciplines, not desegregated by functions. That’s good for learning, it’s good for innovation, it’s good for creativity, it’s good for the student experience.”

5, 4 9 4 freshmen enrolled at Virginia Tech in 2014.

“The message I think it sends to them is this,” Shushok said. “You’re valued. We want what’s best for you and your learning, and we want to create an environment that will help you flourish while you’re at Virginia Tech.” @WithTheFancyGuy

surrounding fossil fuel investments, including the importance of Virginia Tech’s investment policies, environmental racism and other issues.

“University divestment would have positive impacts on the country as a whole,” said Malavika Sahai, a co-president for Womanspace. Sahai is a junior at Virginia Tech studying environmental policy and planning. Sahai said that Womanspace has expanded beyond strictly representing women to defending people of all races and on any part of the gender spectrum.

This was Womanspace’s first combined program with the Environmental Coalition.

Sahai said that the two organizations mutually sought one another out for such a program, seeing the relations between their respective ideologies.

Both organizations “stem from similar systemic issues,” according to Sahai, from “power structures that have histories of being heteropatriarchal and white supremacist.”

Sahai and other members of Womanspace discussed how environmental issues could possibly affect people of minority or lower economic classes.

“There is a historical correlation between race, social economic status and location of toxic industries,” Sahai said.

Sahai stressed that environmental pollution institutes a sort of “environmental racism” as well. Womanspace discussed how pollution

could potentially cause health issues, birth defects and other problems for those who live in historically lower income or minority communities near the source of pollution.

Financial necessity may cause victims to remain in those areas, creating what she called just a “different form of racism.”

Sahai said that the Divestment VT Teach-in is part of a larger movement, Virginia Power Shift 2015, and works with other schools to promote divestment.

According to the Divest Virginia Tech website, “Virginia Power Shift is a statewide student conference aimed at building student power for environmental, social, economic and educational justice in our state.”

Ounpuu-Adams said that while the younger generation is definitely more accepting of environmental initiatives such as divestment, he has not lost hope that Virginia Tech administrators might consider some of their sustainability proposals.

“We have to keep building power as students to really make our voice heard to convince our administrators,” Ounpuu-Adams said.

“Administrators are definitely open toward conserving energy and campus sustainability efforts, but I think that there’s always more to be done.” @CollegiateTimes

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Men’s golf prepares for Yale Spring Invitational MITCH VAN OSTENBRIDGE sports reporter

LIVI DEL VALLE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Pitcher Maggie Tyler winds up vs. Tennessee. Tyler was charged with eight runs.

SOFTBALL: Vols capitalize on Hokies’ poor pitching from page 1

Tennessee a 13-4 lead, forcing Tech to score at least two runs for the eightrun rule to not be in effect.

The Hokies started to rally just a bit in the bottom of the sixth, but did not score. This put the “eightrun” rule into effect, and the game ended after six innings.

Throughout the game, the Virginia Tech pitching staff walked 10

Tennessee batters, which led to several multiple-run homers.

“For whatever reason, we had a lot of walks today,” said head coach Scot Thomas. “I think if you control those types of things, then you give up some single-shots versus giving up homers when runners are on base because of walks. We just can’t give them the freebies.”

For Tennessee, Gaffin got the win, moving her

record to 8-2, and Tyler earned the loss, dropping her to 14-8. The Volunteers are now 32-11 overall and the Hokies are 29-11.

Te c h t r avel s to Lynchburg tomorrow for a double-header against the Liberty Flames and then to Pittsburgh for a threegame weekend series against the ACC-rival Pittsburgh Panthers.

@CollegiateTimes

The Virginia Tech men’s golf team heads north to compete in the Yale Spring Invitational. The two-day event will take place at the Yale University Golf Club in New Haven, Connecticut.

Virginia Tech enters the tournament ranked No. 38 in GolfWeek’s most recent collegiate team rankings. The team has a four-player stroke average of 288.88 in the nine events they have participated in this 2014-2015 season.

The team has been in a small slump, only posting one top-five finish in its last four events. While they did win the Mission Inn Spectacular in mid-March, the Hokies have two middle-of-the-pack eighth and seventh-place finishes since then.

Tech did take a step in the right direction as leading seniors Trevor Cone and Scott Vincent both posted top-10 finishes in their last appearance for the Hokies.

Cone finished sixth while Vincent ended the 3M Augusta Invitational at the ninth spot.

Vincent leads the Hokies with a season average of

71.04 and climbed his way to No. 62 on GolfWeek’s player rankings. Cone is not far behind either, coming in at No. 64 on the rankings list with a stroke average of 71.27.

Vincent and Cone were granted the title of “Best 1-2 punch in College Golf” by a poll earlier this season on GolfWeek.com. The pair of seniors received 366 of the 636 total votes. The duo looks to maintain that title heading into the last regular event of the season before the ACC Golf Championship.

However, the Hokies will not be looking to the ACCs just yet as the competition at the Yale Spring Invitational looms even closer. While host school Yale University and a bevy of other challengers will provide stiff competition, the Hokies can expect a lot of fight from the course itself.

The Course at Yale perennially ranks as one of the best college tracks in the United States, even grabbing top honors in 2010 from Golf Magazine. The course also has received recognition for its difficulty as two of the holes (four and nine) often rank in the top 100 most difficult holes in the U.S. The course was designed

by famous golf architect Charles Blair MacDonald.

MacDonald also designed The National Golf Links of America and the Old White Course at the Greenbrier Resort. The Course at Yale has played host to several NCAA regional championships as well as the Nike Connecticut Open, so it has been well-tested by many of golf’s greats.

The course has narrow fairways like many of the traditional northeastern course as well as rolling greens protected by deep bunkers. The “long tees” stretch the par-70 course to a relatively-short-by-today’sstandards 6,746 yards and have a slope and rating of 72.9/135.

The Hokies are sure to face some kickback from the classic course despite conditions looking pretty good, with sunshine predicted for both days of the event.

The Ya le Sp r i ng Invitational will wrap up the Hokies’ regular season as they head on to the ACC Championships beginning on April 24. @CollegiateTimes

lifestyles collegiatetimes.com/lifestyle

Sex and relationship column: Sex education in U.S. KAITE BRITT lifestyles staff writer

For many years there has been controversy across America challenging the choice to educate children in public and private schools on sex, STDs and pregnancy. It is parents’ right and responsibility to educate their child; however, is it wrong for local and state governments to set up classes educating adolescents on the physiological process and possible consequences that sex causes?

“

It sends a mixed message. ‘Don’t have sex, but here’s a way to do it fairly safely’ amounts to a green light for sexual activity.”

Thomas Lickona ASCD website

Since 2012, teen pregnancies have declined from 29.4 births per 1,000 women in the 15 to 19 age range to 26.5 births per 1,000 women in the same age range, according to the Office of Adolescent Health.

Though

statistically, pregnancies in adolescent women have receded, some argue that kids are still having sex since there seem to be more resources available.

T he problem t hat m a ny pa rents and s eve r a l educational development agencies li ke the Association for Super vision a nd Curriculum Development (ASCD) have with sex education is that the curriculum is neutral and generalized to a one-sizefits-all program.

Ac cord i ng to t he A SC D, “Ab st i n en c e, But” is the most common sex education program.

The program essentially promotes abstinence but also educates adolescents on ways to have safer sex by using condoms and other methods of birth control.

“It sends a mixed message. ‘Don’t have sex, but here’s a way to do it fairly safely’ amounts to a green light for sexual activity. The problem is that ‘Abstinence, But’ is still nondirective sex e d u c a t io n,” Thomas Lickona said in “Where Sex E ducation Went Wrong” on the ASCD website.

However, many parents and organizations call for better and more thorough

Figure 1: Birth rates per 1000 females age 15-19, by race/ethnicity, 1990-2013 120 116.2 100

100.3

Hispanic

80 Black 60

61.8

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Total 29.4

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Figure 2: Teenage birth rates for 15-19 year olds by state, 2013

40.0-49.9 30.0-39.9 20.0-29.9 Less than 20

Courtesy of the Office of Adolescent Health

sex education courses.

Sexual education can be used to help adolescents learn about the physiological and mental changes that sex has on the

human body. In addition, sex education can be used to emphasize the concept of consent versus rejection and how each should be handled.

In a Kaiser Family Foundation Survey, about 70 percent of parents said that unwanted pregnancy and STDs were a major problem for today’s

adolescents. That is a greater majority than the 50 percent who said poor academic performance was a major problem.

Peter Gordon, an independent United Kingdom Consultant, calls for a plan of action that reduces vulnerability instead of risk since “...they tend to reflect an often unstated assumption that individuals are in control of their lives and behaviour.

The reality of sexual abuse indicates how little control some children actually have over their bodies and lives.”

Gordon’s recommendation calls for a closer examination of “relationships, values, attitudes and skills, culture, society and human rights, human d evelo p m ent, s ex u a l behaviour, sexual and reproductive health.”

Changes to s ex education cu r r iculum is largely up to the local and state governments to decide while the debate continues passionately on both ends of the spectrum, for and against.

Throughout the debate, it is important to examine the pros and cons of a sex education system.

@CollegiateTimes

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