collegiatetimes.com
November 28, 2017
COLLEGIATETIMES
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Former cadet sentenced in shooting Wahoo-what? Hokies win 10–0 of parents, brother in Chesapeake The Commonwealth Cup stays in Zachary Toothman, a former Virginia Tech student and Navy ROTC cadet, was sentenced to multiple life sentences for murder and attempted murder. MATT JONES editor in chief
A former Navy ROTC cadet has been sentenced in the murders of his father and brother and attempted murder of his mother at their home in Great Bridge, Virginia, in August 2016. Zachary Toothman, 21, was sentenced on Nov. 20 in Chesapeake Circuit Court to the maximum — two life sentences in addition to 23 years. He plead guilty to the charges in June, according to the Virginian-Pilot. Previously, Toothman
was a computational modeling and data analytics major at Virginia Tech. In 2014, he had been one of the cadets selected to receive the flags at a football game against Western Michigan University, an honor for Corps of Cadets members. However, Tooth ma n had increasingly struggled academically at Tech, failing to meet the minimum GPA to stay in school. He was put on academic probation before being suspended in May 2016. According to court filings by the prosecution, Toothman
acknowledged in emails to Navy ROTC officials that he did not tell his parents about the suspension. On Aug. 7, 2016, Toothman’s family had been preparing for his return to Tech. Toothman had just gone upstairs, where his brother Matthew, 17, was playing video games, to get his laptop, according to prosecutors. His parents, Susie and Mike Toothman, were downstairs when they heard a “loud pop.” Mike Toothman, who had MURDER / page 4
NATHAN LOPRETE assistant sports editor
ZACHARY TOOTHMAN
How to understand your Northern Virginia friends, one confusing word at a time With 44.6 percent of Virginia Tech students coming from Northern Virginia, it’s easy to feel on the outside of their vocabulary. This guide is here to help. BRANDON ALIMANESTIANO lifestyles staff writer
Let’s face the facts. Virginia Tech is basically Northern Virginia (or NOVA, as the kids are calling it these days). According to Virginia Tech Demographics, 44.6 percent of all undergraduate students at Virginia Tech are from Northern Virginia as of fall 2016. That means that for every 10 people you meet here, at least four and a half of them are from the NOVA area. In fact, there’s also a 44.6 percent chance that you’re from Northern Virginia and you aren’t going
to pay attention to this article. In fact, I’m from NOVA too. What are the odds? However, if you’re not from NOVA, you most likely need some preparation if you want to be able to understand anything. Being from a small town that’s pretty set apart from the rest of Northern Virginia, we never really participated in the culture or all of that strange dialect, but since I had friends from different high schools, I was fully aware of how confusing it would be to talk to one of them if not prepared. Just focus on the nouns. If you start talking to someone
from NOVA for the first time, be prepared to hear the largest amount of unnecessary adjectives in your entire life. Combined. There’s nothing to worry about if you encounter this. Last week, my friend called me with “Yo G, we got to go to Owens, I am DUMMY hungry right now G!” First of all, this is a friend who lives no more than 15 minutes from me back home, and I still have no clue what he was talking about. I’m pretty sure he just meant that he was hungry. Statements like these are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to slang. Let
Blacksburg for the 14th straight year after Virginia Tech blanks Virginia.
me provide a little background so that there is an understanding for why living in NOVA can be quite entertaining. Northern Virginia is home to the largest federal government concentration in the United States, with over 700,000 government employees (not including military) in the metro area, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means that most people living in NOVA, and their families, are not actually from NOVA. This is where it gets weird. What we’re dealing NOVA / page 5
Coming off of an emot iona l wi n over Pittsburgh last Saturday, the Virginia Tech football team headed to Charlottesville, Virginia, for the regular season finale. With questions sur rounding the team’s health and the fact that the Cavaliers are much improved, the Commonwealth Cup was in danger of not returning to Blacksburg for the 14th straight year. However, behind a lights-out defensive effort, the Hokies prevailed for a 10–0 win. Virginia Tech (9–3, 5–3 ACC) did get a couple of players back for the game against the Cavaliers. Running back Steven Peoples and wide receiver C.J. Carroll both suited up on Friday night. Peoples had not played since Oct. 28 against Duke, while Carroll had not played the last six weeks. Peoples ran for 74 yards on 22 carries and head coach Justin Fuente noticed the impact of having him back. “I thought it set up some other things for us,” he said. “When he is healthy, he gets out there and gets carries because he does run hard and tough.” The Hokies got Peoples involved early on as he had six carries in the opening quarter. The junior out of Galax gave the offense added depth, but Virginia
Tech couldn’t manufacture much offense early. The Virginia offense, on the other hand, produced just 39 yards in the first quarter. The Virginia Tech special teams unit also stepped up early with a partially blocked punt by No. 25 Jovonn Quillen. Virginia Tech broke through on the ensuing drive that spanned 11 plays and netted a 30-yard field goal by Brian Johnson. The Hokies kicker got the start in place of Joey Slye who is still dealing with a hamstring injury. Opportunities for the Virginia Tech offense to add to its lead were few and far between, and when the Hokies had chances, they missed. In the second quarter, the Hokies had the ball at the Virginia 42 when quarterback Josh Jackson was picked off by cornerback Juan Thornhill. Jackson talked about the mistake after the game. “That defensive coordinator does a thousand looks and he got me that time,” he said. Vi rg i n ia to ok t he momentum and put together its best drive of the first half. After driving down to the Hokies 23, the Hokies defense forced a field goal attempt, but Cavaliers kicker A.J. Mejia pushed the kick wide right and Virginia Tech led 3–0 at the half. Virginia got the ball RECAP / page 6
Taylor Swift is back with a brand-new reputation
With the release of “Reputation,” Taylor Swift has offically made a comeback, and she is letting this album speak for itself. MICHAELA KREITER lifestyles staff writer
COURTESY OF BIG MACHINE RECORDS
Hokies capture the Commonwealth Cup Virginia Tech extended its dominance over UVA. page 6
If you’re making a comeback, you better come back with a bang. Taylor Swift has always been an artist that the public has continued to keep up with. Whether it’s to bash her dating cycles, criticize her dance moves or rave about how she’s a major influence, Swift has been a consistent topic of conversation for many entertainment followers. Keeping a low profile leading up to the release of
LETTER TO THE EDITOR “I believe you, but there’s nothing I can do.” page 2
the album, Swift is certainly setting herself apart from other artists. The album, “Reputation,” is the perfect definition of a comeback. The songs on this album cover an array of topics — from her addressing road bumps throughout her career to her admiring her new relationship with British star Joe Alwyn. Swift has strategically planned out a masterpiece of an album, not only to stick up for herself but also to address what’s going on in her life. These are just a few of the songs from the album that
stood out to me as being very representative of the new sound Taylor Swift is experimenting with. “Look What You Made Me Do” “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ‘cause she’s dead.” This line, from the first single released from “Reputation,” has everyone questioning who the new Taylor is. Straying away from the traditional beats that REPUTATION / page 5
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