Jan. 30, 2018

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January 30, 2018

COLLEGIATETIMES

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

VIRGINIA TECH BASKETBALL EXCELS IN CONFERENCE PLAY JORDAN HUTCHINSON more than I had my team.” sports editor

For just the fourth time since the Lyndon Johnson era, Virginia Tech knocked off North Carolina. The Hokies upset the 10th-ranked Tar Heels, 80–69, giving Tech the signature win it’s been searching for. Tech also picks up its third conference win, advancing to 14–6, 3–4.

“I feel the same way right now when the last time I was in Virginia,” said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams. “The University of Virginia kicked our rear ends — and I felt like that tonight. I think Buzz (Williams) had his team much more ready to play

Roy pretty much summed it up.

In the first half, the Tar Heels were the aggressor.

They were dominant, and forward Luke Maye was getting anything he wanted.

At a certain point, Maye had as many points as Virginia Tech, 10 apiece.

But, while the Heels owned the first half, the Hokies owned the last four minutes, going on a 15–2 run. At the half, Tech controlled the momentum — all of it.

North Carolina went on a bit of a run early in the second half before Virginia Tech took back the momentum for good. Tech UNC / page 6

CHARLIE ALEXANDER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams steps onto the court with raging emotion to motivate his team, Jan. 22, 2018.

DILLON CAMPBELL sports staff writer

Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball snapped its three-game losing streak tonight as it beat Georgia Tech for the first time since Feb. 8, 2013, a game that ended with the Hokies on top, 63–61 in Atlanta. With the win, Virginia Tech’s record improved to 14–7, and 3–5 in the conference, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 13–8, and 2–6 in the conference.

“We’ve been really close as of late,” said Hokies head coach Kenny Brooks. “I think I said after the UVA game ‘we’re not into moral victories,’ but I thought we have been playing hard enough to win, [but] just

needed to make a couple more plays, and tonight I thought we did so.”

While Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech came into the game with identical records, their styles of play could not be any different.

“If you look at our teams, we’re two contrasting teams,” Brooks said.

“They’re physical, bruising, want to throw the ball up there and go get it, and we’re more of a finesse team. We want to get up and down the floor and shoot threes, so we’re very contrasting as far as our styles.”

The Hokies were able to fend off the Yellow Jackets’ physicality early as they jumped out to a 13–6 lead WOMEN / page 6

AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech’s Taylor Emery (1) takes the ball to the rim as Georgia Tech’s Kierra Fletcher (41) tries to defend her, Jan. 25, 2018.

STEPHEN NEWMAN sports staff writer

Coming off an emotional high from their win against No. 10 North Carolina, the Hokies traveled to South Bend, Indiana, to face an injury-riddled Notre Dame squad. The Hokies nearly gave up their lead after dominating for much of the first half, but wound up prevailing, 80–75.

Entering the night, the Hokies were 14–6 (3–4), with a chance to improve to the all-important .500 mark in ACC play.

On the opposing side, the Fighting Irish had lost four straight and were without their top two leading scorers, Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell.

Onto the game itself.

Virginia Tech jumped out to a quick 19–9 lead, fueled largely by Justin Bibbs (seven points) and Ahmed Hill (six). The Hokies were not only making their shots, but were also playing somewhat uncharacteristically effective defense, holding the Irish to 15 points for the first 10 minutes.

Tech’s lead largely held up for the entire half. However, a key defensive stop for Notre Dame followed by a buzzer-beating threepoint shot by sophomore T.J. Gibbs cut the margin to seven points at the break, and it started to feel as if things were heading south for the Hokies, especially NOTRE DAME / page 6

CHARLIE ALEXANDER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech’s Chris Clarke (15) completes a fast break dunk, Jan. 22, 2018.

Hurst checks in with constituents in Blacksburg town hall Hurst visited the Blacksburg Library on Saturday, Jan. 27, to discuss his progress in the Virginia House of Delegates.

JESSICA BRADY managing editor

Del. Chris Hurst of Virginia’s 12th District was greeted with applause when he entered the MontgomeryFloyd Regional Library armed with Girl Scout Cookies. Saturday’s town hall was the first in a series of three, during which Hurst is reporting back on his progress in the 2018 General Assembly.

Hurst began the meeting by discussing bipartisanship in the Virginia House of Delegates.

“I went to (Delegates Nick Rush and Greg Habeeb) yesterday and had everything filled out so that they could be chief co-patrons on the commending

resolution for coach Beamer for getting collected into the College Football Hall of Fame,” Hurst said. “So, there are trivial things that we are having bipartisan support on and working in a bipartisan fashion on; there are also very, very important things.”

Hurst then provided an update on the bills on which he is either chief patron or chief co-patron.

“The bills that I am working on right now are still progressing fairly well.

As a matter of fact, we are four out of four getting out of subcommittee right now,” Hurst said, followed by applause. “One of the bills literally changes a direction from east to west. Give me a round of applause if I

SHOPPING THRIFTY VT Thrift account can bring secondhand clothes to your door.

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actually get the d--n thing passed.”

The Mountain Valley Pipeline is also an issue to which Hurst has been paying close attention. He is chief co-patron of two bills concerning the pipeline — HB 1141 and HB 1294.

“

I continue to be very humbled at the challenge and the responsibility in the task before me.”

Chris Hurst House of Delegates, 12th District

“The two bills that I really have been spending

the most time on have been our two bills related to the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” Hurst said. “They are both in (the Committee on Rules) ...

I think they are going to get a hearing.”

Following his update regarding his work in the General Assembly, he gave an update on his personal health in response to those who he said are taking an interest in if he is exercising enough and sleeping enough.

“Everything has just been going incredibly well, all things considered, right now,” Hurst said, regarding his health. “I continue to be very humbled at the challenge HURST / page 4

NEW MEMBER OF TOWN COUNCIL Jerry Ford Jr. named to Town Council seat.

page 3

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Del. Chris Hurst listens carefully as one of his constituents addresses a concern, Jan. 27, 2018.

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Graduating seniors must leave Urgent need for tuition reform with more than diploma exists across Virginia schools school New graduates face a world of opportunity ahead of them,

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and should use those possibilities to pursue their passions .

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COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF SEN. DESTEPH

ast year, almost two dozen colleagues from both sides of the aisle and both Houses of the General Assembly came together to support the radical idea that a degree from one of Virginia’s public colleges or universities shouldn’t come with a virtual lifetime of student debt.

We also called for more accountability and openness with respect to tuition decisions, and said it wouldn’t be out of order to listen to what Virginia’s students and their parents thought about the spiraling cost of a degree.

It didn’t take long for our state-funded colleges and their lobbyists to rush to Richmond to paint yet another rosy picture, offer promises to contain costs and do better, and suggest yet another study.

A year later, the paint has peeled, promises have been broken and another study is collecting legislative dust.

Along the way, Virginia families and bright kids who want and deserve an affordable education are being priced out of the academic marketplace we fund with our tax dollars. Multiple studies conclude that the high-tuition, high-aid model actually hurts low-income students.

Now a “business group,” which serves as a front for the same public colleges and universities, is headed back to Richmond to lobby the General Assembly to loosen the reins and reject requirements for financial accountability. Yes, really.

Administrators and boards of visitors have become dangerously focused on expanding the budgets of the universities they run, often at the expense of the students they are meant to serve. Examples abound, but here are two.

Last month, the University of Virginia’s board of visitors voted unanimously to raise tuition for nursing students by almost 18 percent. That decision comes at precisely a time when there will soon be a shortage of nursing professionals as demands on the health care industry increase. And given the resources at that university’s disposal, that makes absolutely no sense.

Over 15 years, tuition and fees at the College of William and Mary have increased by 344 percent, while the consumer price index went up only 35 percent. There’s something predatory about the costs of a degree rising at such an astronomical rate.

It’s been said that our colleges and universities are among Virginia’s greatest resources, and we would never dispute the need to invest in their futures. At the

same time, we have a greater obligation to ensure that Virginia’s children can actually afford to use these resources as pathways to brighter futures.

This year, we are not alone.

During the recent gubernatorial election, both candidates made clear their concerns about the escalating cost of a college degree, and our next governor has already committed to holding tuition steady for Virginia’s full-time, in-state students who attend a four-year school.

That’s an important first step, if he follows through, but we need to do more for the 252,000 students who attend Virginia’s community colleges. They are people of all ages and all walks of life who are just as motivated as their four-year brethren.

Community college tuition can be just as daunting a challenge that stands between a two-year degree or a certificate attesting to training and a skill. Depending on the school, tuition has increased from 246 to 349 percent over the last 15 years.

And as we seek to re-energize our economy and create broadly-based opportunities and jobs, community college and four-year degrees should be financial realities for all Virginians. That’s why I introduced three Senate bills (SB) to address tuition affordability. The bills essentially prohibit any percentage increase in in-state tuition that exceeds the annual percentage increase of the average Consumer Price Index (SB 373), median household income in the commonwealth (SB 377) and national average wage index (SB 577).

We need you, the students of Virginia’s public colleges and universities, to speak out and get loud. Please call your state senators and delegates to express your desire for tuition reform. As we’ve seen over the past year, when citizens organize and mobilize, they can be powerful drivers of change.

It is simply wrong for Virginia’s students and their families to continue bearing the burden of unconscionable tuition increases at precisely a time when college affordability should be a basic economic imperative. The General Assembly has a clear and obvious responsibility to meet these concerns.

This year, we can do better. And must.

any of us will soon be graduating in a few short months and will be leaving many friends, memories and relationships behind — on the flip side, there are some things we’re supposed to take with us when we leave campus.

We’ve been constantly told what we need to get out of a college degree and how to go about making our time on campus as fruitful as possible.

For one, we need to make sure school comes first, put the time into our classwork and leave school with the best GPA possible so we get a good job or get into graduate school. Second, we need to get involved on campus and off campus in extracurricular activities that will make us wellrounded. Third, it’s crucial that we get internships and experience relevant to our major and career goals so we can have real world experience and be able to draw from it.

That list could go on and on, but I will stop there.

What you really need to leave Blacksburg with is something that you can neither see nor touch. Better yet, most people aren’t able to hear, feel or smell it. It’s not a person, place or thing.

What on earth could I be

talking about?

Passion.

That’s right, the most important thing you can leave Virginia Tech with after graduating is a passion.

The dictionary defines passion as “a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.” A passion is an insatiable desire to do something that you will pour your heart and soul into doing.

Something that drives you to get out of bed with a burning desire to achieve, pursue or teach others.

“

There’s a difference between doing something you like and doing something you’re passionate about.”

Passion is what drove Michael Phelps to wake up and train every day to win eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. It’s what drove Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for justice all across the South. It’s what inspired Steve Jobs to create a global technology giant.

You see, a sincere passion can change the world.

There’s a difference between something you like doing and something

you’re passionate about. I really enjoy playing golf in my spare time, but it’s not my passion. My passion is public service, and it’s something I think about every single day. Even if you are passionate about a hobby such as crafting, singing, writing, fishing, hunting, etc., maybe there’s a way you could turn that into a small business or an audition or even a social media page where you can interact with others.

When you’re passionate about something, it will drive you to invest in yourself, your company or those around you in ways you never thought possible because you cannot fathom the possibility of failure.

Whether your passion is as broad as public service or as minute as horse reproduction, find it and pursue it to the end of the earth.

It’ll bring you joy, emotion, happiness, responsibility and likely even sadness and heartbreak because you care that much about it. But most importantly, pursuing a passion will almost always bring about a feeling of fulfillment that is unmatched by anything else.

JAKE TABOR opinions columnist senior/agribusiness

FILE 2016 Students chant “Let’s Go!” “Hokies!” during the Class of 2016 commencement ceremony in Lane Stadium, May 13, 2016 .

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Newman Library welcomes Blacksburg Town Council digital humanities space appoints Jerry Ford Jr. The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences created the Athenaeum in partnership with Newman Library.

SANSKRITI NEUPANE assistant news editor

The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences i n pa r t ne r sh ip w it h University Libraries officially opened Athenaeum, a series of spaces dedicated to the digital humanities.

The space is designed to make classroom learning more hands-on and allow for students and faculty to conduct research in the digital humanities, which is a field that uses technology to enhance disciplines in the humanities.

“Libraries have long been involved with publishing and creating and generating resources for people in academics, and this has just has been a great partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences,” said Tyler Walters, dean of University Libraries. “It just seemed like a natural thing to do to get the college and libraries together and help create this space and help imagine what research, scholarship and teaching looks like going forward with new technologies.”

The name Athenaeum was specifically chosen to represent the values behind the project.

“It’s a word that was traditionally used for libraries, so that has a very natural fit with us, but we also … liked the connection to Athena,” said Christopher Miller, digital humanities coordinator. “It sort of matches the trajectory of the humanities starting from the text, from thoughts and ideas and sharing what it means to be human in our culture and then moving that into a more digital future, and so we liked using an old word that itself will hopefully generate conversation.”

The space, which contains a modular classroom, a

collaborative boardroom and a media studio was used as a classroom space this past semester.

“Well, the students I know have had a wonderful pedagogical classroom experience. It’s set up so that the technology is very accessible and easy to use. The people that are teaching in here often take advantage of it, in what they’re doing,” said Tom Ewing, associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

“

It just seemed like a natural thing to do to get the college and libraries together.”

Tyler Walters dean of University Libraries

The technology allows students to do much more than they could in a traditional classroom. Some courses used it for group projects and to have discussions with students from other universities.

“In my course what we did was group projects, so that the three or four students working around a table could be working on the same screen. But it also sets up for a seminar table, if you have a smaller group of students,” Ewing said. “In my class we had a couple of students who were off campus, from other universities, so it worked really well for that.”

The space will also be used for students and faculty to work on individual projects which relate to the digital humanities.

“We were doing less projects in the fall because it was just starting, but I think we’re going to be moving into that more. I’ve got a

project on viral networks, which is in medical history,” Ewing said.

There are also plans to add on to the space, create more classroom space and form other areas for students to work on their projects.

“We’ve started very lightly in the past two semesters with just having classes from the college here in the space. We’ve just opened a collaborative room here just down the hall that’s now hosting graduate seminars, but we’re hoping to see more dynamic off the cuff sort of meetings,” Miller said. “I’m going to be hosting a series of sort of unstructured play dates called flowground in the space, just allowing folks to come in and explore their imagination.”

Although the space was created in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, it is open to students from all disciplines and majors.

“Well, some of the courses we teach involve students from lots of majors … digital humanities courses often work very well because they’re new media courses, they might be data visualization, so they work very well for bringing in students from computer science, engineering, business,” Ewing said.

Now that the space is officially open, those involved in the creation are excited to see how it presents opportunities for students and faculty.

“We’re hoping to be engaged in anyway that people might aspire to share knowledge and the work that they’re doing, so I certainly invite anyone on campus to be in touch with me if they’re interested in the space,” Miller said.

Planning commission member Ford fills the seat vacated by Leslie Hager-Smith, Blacksburg’s first female mayor.

MIKE LIU

assistant news editor

During the Blacksburg Town Council meeting on Jan. 23, 2018, the Blacksburg Town Council appointed Jerry Ford Jr., a member of the Blacksburg Planning Commission, as a new member.

The appointment is to fill the open Town Council position, which was previously filled by Leslie HagerSmith, the current mayor of Blacksburg. Hager-Smith was elected as the Blacksburg mayor in the November election in 2017.

“I am honored to be appointed,” Ford said. “I am humbled that the Town Council felt that they wanted to appoint me, excited to do the work and learn.”

T he Tow n Cou nci l appointed Jack Davis and Tim Colley to the Blacksburg Pla n n i ng Com m ission.

Their terms will run from now to June 3o, 2022.

Michael Sutphin, current Town Council member, was also appointed as the Town Council liaison to the planning commission.

In addition to the new appointments, the Town Council discussed new and old business during the meeting.

MIKE LIU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Newly appointed Town Council member Jerry Ford Jr. during his swearing-in ceremony, Jan. 23, 2018.

The Town Council adopted Resolution 1-C-18, which is a resolution approving the New River Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2017 update, and authorized the town manager to sign a lease with HS Development LLC, for use of a portion of the old Blacksburg High School site to permit public use of the recreational facilities.

T he Tow n Cou nci l approved Resolution 1-D-18.

The resolution adopts the Capital Improvement Program for fiscal year 2018–2019 through fiscal year 2022–2023. The public

@Sansskriti

VIRGINIA

hearing of Resolution 1-D-18 was held Jan. 9, 2018.

At the end of the meeting, Susan Anderson, vice mayor of Blacksburg, announced that some members of the Town Council will join the Virginia Municipal League in Richmond on Jan. 31 for Legislative Day. Legislative Day is a day for town council and city council members from all around the state to lobby for funding for their local governments.

@Zelia_Liu

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HURST: More changes to come to Radford and Virginia Tech from page 1

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Chris Hurst gives his opinion on a question asked by one of his constituents, Jan. 27, 2018.

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES As soon as Chris Hurst finishes his updates on what he has been up to in the new year and the progress of the bills that he is trying to pass, an eager Blacksburg resident raises her hand to address the issue on prescription drug accessibility, Jan. 27, 2018.

study break

and the responsibility in the task before me, before everyone who is in the General Assembly.”

Hurst launched into the main purpose of the town hall — constituent questions. The questions bounced from topic to topic, covering everything from technology to making higher education affordable.

After Mont gom e r y County’s snow day on Wednesday, Jan. 17, was sponsored by Domino’s, Hurst spoke more about raising money for school districts using advertising.

“One of the bills that I voted for ... is going to the full education committee this week has to deal with advertisements on school buses ... I’m not going to try to deny my educators in my school divisions the ability to try and raise revenues that they think is in their best interest,” Hurst said.

“It’s unfortunate that we have come to this place with school funding, but here we are and that’s kind of the reality that we have, and I voted for it, and I plan on voting for it in committee and on the floor too.”

In response to a question

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 1 Vulgar 5 Cancel, as a mission 10 Leave in a hurry 14 Gobi Desert continent 15 Calf-roping event 16 “The __ Duckling” 17 Writer Ayn 18 Harmless garden slitherer 20 Played the Samaritan 22 Italian automaker 23 “The Big Bang Theory,” for one 27 Big bang 29 Rock band staple 32 Gush 33 Ones who once shared quarters 36 Juicy Fruit, e.g.

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1/30/18

By David Liben-Nowell

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Monday’s Solved Previous Puzzle Puzzle Solved

your firm and build your team here.”

Hurst also spoke about the rising tuition costs at Radford and Virginia Tech and how to combat it.

“We are looking at increasing the amount of financial aid assistance that the commonwealth is going to be giving to public colleges and universities,” Hurst said. “We are going to try and continue to make the same number of in-state students, as you should do, and in order to subsidize and try and lower or at least keep consistent, more consistent, the amount of in-state tuition for our students here in the commonwealth, we are going to need to get more out-of-state students.”

After talking about how when campaigning, one can anger someone by reaching out to them too many times, Hurst shared his view of politics and what its ultimate goal should be.

“The grand idea, the idealistic idea that I still had is that politics should be about bringing people together. It should be about creating energy. It should be about creating a tidal wave of ideas and discourse.”

“

The grand idea, the idealistic idea that I still had is that politics should be about bringing people together.”

Chris Hurst House of Delegates, 12th District

“One of the things we have to do, we have to incentivize the staying of the teams here in the New River Valley because a lot of times now when you have a graduate instructor and their graduate students, then all of a sudden Microsoft wants to take that team and move them to Seattle or Boston,” Hurst said. “So we need to make sure that we incentivize that you go to Virginia Tech to learn and innovate and to experiment and to create, but when you finish that practical research application, you continue to expound upon that, build

@TheJessicaBrady

Today’s Birthday Horoscope (Jan. 30): Your influence and career are on the rise this year.

Meditate on desired results, and plan carefully. Turn a partnership to a new direction this winter for a personal power boost. Satisfying results grow with physical practice this summer, before mutual attraction sparks. Pursue passion.

FOR RELEASE JANUARY 30, 2018 Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

from a professor at Virginia Tech in the Department of Computer Science regarding research, Hurst discussed big businesses recruiting Virginia Tech researchers.

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xkcd.com ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

39 Diner, drive-in or dive 40 1969 Woodstock folk singer 41 Gambling venue letters 42 “I didn’t hear you” sounds 43 Gives birth to 44 Pub brew 45 __ populi: popular opinion 46 Food truck fare

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47 Political satirist P.J. 52 Copier maker 53 That is, in Latin 55 Ask for divine guidance 56 Pop singer Loeb 57 Discharge 58 Perjurer 59 Writer Ferber 60 __ de deux 61 Pipe bend 62 Digit on a foot

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Laptop stickers: What personality fits you (and your laptop) the best?

Whether you deck out your laptop or keep it bare, find out what your stickers — or lack thereof — say about you.

EMILY CARTER

lifestyles staff writer

Have you ever caught yourself staring at the kid in front of you, entranced by the collection of stickers on the back of their MacBook?

Me too. In fact, I analyze them often. Though these observations may lead to awkward encounters, it is important to note that someone’s laptop sticker can say a lot about their personality. Stickers define who you want people to see when they look at you or, well, your laptop.

Here’s a compiled list of possible sticker personalities that you may see all over campus.

Bandie According to the back of their laptop, these laptop owners “like music more than people.” Music is everything. In fact, there are probably a few stickers from some hip band like The 1975. If they’re a little more of the “I’m mad at my dad” rocker, there could even be some My Chemical Romance. If the laptop owner happens to play an instrument, a popular sticker could be either the treble or bass clef, or the classic “I can’t, I have rehearsal.”

The politician These stickers include strong political statements, possibly about smashing the patriarchy or issues regarding equality or voting. The owners of these laptops appreciate the right to express their opinions and have no issue doing so. These stickers could be anything: quotes about capitalism or feminism, pro- or anti-Trump statements or the occasional American flag.

Greek life guru T hes e p e ople

are

committed to the brotherhood or sisterhood with which they are involved.

These Greek life stickers are usually very big and take up a good portion of the laptop, screaming, “You don’t know what I had to do to earn this sticker.” If it’s a sorority sticker, it’s not unusual for the enlarged stickers to be in a paisley pattern, or for there to be a few quotes about “bigs” and “littles.”

Aspiring barista These coffee-lovers may have stickers that claim that “coffee is life” or “you don’t want to know me before coffee.” A sticker of the perfect latte art isn’t uncommon, either. It’s not unusual to see a local coffee shop’s sticker on the back of a laptop, but it’s even less unusual to see a Starbucks logo. Some people like to reference their favorite fictional coffee shop, like Central Perk from “Friends” or Luke’s from “Gilmore Girls.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAILA NATHANIEL

The blogger This person really values Tumblr. Lips, old movie stars and cliche quotes make the laptop a physical screenshot of the laptop owner’s Tumblr account. There could also be a littering of “too sassy for you” stickers, or the occasional “lit.” We can’t forget about the traditional heart with the “no” inside.

The Netflix binger These people cover their laptops with stickers about favorite TV shows or inside jokes from shows or movies that other fellow fans would appreciate. This could be “The Office,” “Friends,” “Bob’s Burgers” or anything from the Kardashians. They may not be passing their classes, but they definitely have an A in binge-watching.

The prep Most of these stickers come from companies like Patagonia, Martha’s Vineyard or Vineyard Vines, when the owner of the laptop bought that $50 T-shirt that one time. You may also find the L.L. Bean boot or a Birkenstock sandal in the corners of the laptop.

Sorority stickers may also make a strong comeback, once again taking up most of the space.

Sensory overload These are the laptops you have to squint at to really see what is going on. There are countless stickers from countless places, so many that they are almost stacked on one another. When you look at the laptop sideways, you may notice the thick layer of piled stickers that almost acts as a protective case. Just looking at the laptop could give anyone a headache.

The zookeeper A n i m a l s, a n i m a l s, a n i ma ls. Dogs, cats, hedgehogs, sloths — you name it. Animals of all kind, pasted all over the laptop. If it isn’t the physical animal that is the sticker, there’s a good chance that the laptop owner is an advocate for animal rights, pasting stickers that say “adopt don’t shop,” “save the manatees” or “save the bees.” It is highly probable that this laptop owner enjoys animals more than actual people, and probably has a sticker that says so.

That person who’s really into avocados Avocados are considerably trendy and have been so for quite a long time. Whether the laptop owner genuinely enjoys avocados or not is a question for another time, but there’s probably a sticker

somewhere on the laptop of an avocado. These stickers take the form of the traditional “holy guacamole” to the Vine reference of “it’s an avocado … thanks.”

laptops have a plethora of Redbubble originals, varying from “Stranger Things” characters or viral tweets, all the way to Vine references.

Fitness freak This laptop embodies someone trying to get in shape, or someone who is already in shape. These stickers can include the “I’m sorry about what I said during burpees” sticker, or the traditional “but did you die?” sticker or the harsh “no excuses.” There could also be an occasional sprinkling of the Lululemon logo.

No stickers These people either understand the essence of sophistication or they just have a lot of secrets. You’ve probably heard them say, “Why would you ruin a perfectly good laptop?”

Stickers on laptops have become an essential asset to a college student, whether it’s for pure fun or someone is actually trying to illustrate themselves on the back of a laptop. Stickers are a fun accessory that allow you to choose what you want the world to know about you.

The Redbubble addict We all know and love Redbubble for its large array of stickers and other merchandise. It’s pretty obvious when someone gets all of their laptop decorations from Redbubble (not that that’s a bad thing). These

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VT Thrift: The student-run account bringing secondhand clothes to the NRV The Facebook and Instagram accounts post secondhand clothing from around the U.S. and deliver it right to your door.

KELSEY O’CONNOR lifestyles staff writer

Like buying cool, inexpensive clothes? Ever heard of VT Thrift? The st u d e nt- r u n d i s c o u nt store offers great-quality secondhand apparel to students at Virginia Tech.

Senior Kyle Tan and sophomore Brad Kesling, two Tech business majors, revitalized VT Thrift this past fall semester after previous owner Carter Davis passed the brand down to them. They manage the store through Instagram and Facebook by posting pictures of clothes for followers to browse. Most of the material is from thrift stores around Charlotte and Northern Virginia, where Tan and Kesling are respectively from, but VT Thrift also sells clothes submitted from Tech students as well.

Without a major city close to Blacksburg, it’s pretty difficult to go thrifting as a full-time Tech student. With VT Thrift, you have apparel from all over the U.S. at your

disposal with quick delivery to your dorm or apartment.

And for those who prefer online shopping to endless hunting through racks of clothing, VT Thrift is ideal as you can easily look through Instagram stories to see pictures of what you might like.

What’s one of our favorite things about going to classes at Tech? It is extremely unlikely that anyone will seriously judge you because of the brand of your shirt, how much money you spent on it or how new it is. So why not buy something cheap you actually like and save money?

Thrift clothes are also an instant conversation starter.

New clothes are overrated and way too mainstream. If you walk into a class with a retro Pepsi Racing hat, there’s a pretty high chance you’ll be the only one, so you aren’t just another boring trend follower.

PLUS, just by tagging @vtthrift in one of your posts you will get an automatic 20 percent off your

next purchase. Cheap gets even cheaper with a few thumb taps. And there is guaranteed delivery every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Tan states VT Thrift is “working hard to change the way students shop.”

The brand seems energetic and eager to build its social media presence, with its Instagram exceeding more than 1,400 followers after only one semester.

I hope VT Thrift stays alive and thriving this second semester to provide students with an accessible outlet to fun and unique purchases that save us all some money.

Make sure to check out @vtthrift on Instagram or facebook.com/vtthrift to support the Tech community and two of its business undergrads!

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CAT PIPER