Feb. 9, 2017 by The Collegiate Times

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112th YEAR, ISSUE 206

February 9, 2017

COLLEGIATETIMES Healthy baseball has Hokies CODE EQUALITY team eyeing playoffs An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Last season, pitchers Luke Scherzer and Aaron McGarity were lost to injury. This year, they are back with sights set on the postseason. NATHAN LOPRETE sports staff writer

AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Panelists (LEFT to RIGHT: Ashima Athri, Jessica Zeitz Self, Racheida Lewis) take questions from the audience after the presentation of “Code: Debugging the Gender Gap,” Feb. 7, 2017.

STEM women push past adversity Virginia Tech hosts an alumnae panel that is designed to recognize achievements made by women and minorities in STEM professions that are traditionally ﬁlled by male employees. PAULINA FARLEY-KUZMINA news reporter

A panel of four Virginia Tech alumnae in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields came together on Tuesday night to discuss their experiences as women and minorities in a male-dominated field. Before the panel conversations, the alumnae and the audience watched the movie “CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap,” a documentary that interviews some of the women in the forefront of their fields and explores the history of coding and computer science. “I come from a background where nobody knew anything about coding, let alone computer science,” said doctoral computer science student Lindah Kotut. “My favorite

part of the movie was just seeing the work that the women are doing. It’s one thing to talk about experiences, but it’s something else to actually see people making a difference.” The panelists, all of whom did their undergraduate studies at other institutes but completed postgraduate work at Virginia Tech, were Racheida Lewis, Jessica Zeitz Self and Ashima Athri. Lauren States, a veteran in the STEM field and an accomplished engineer, moderated the panel. “I remember sitting in my dorm room for hours and hours trying to get this little program to work … and then finally it worked. I hit ‘run’ and it gave me the answer that I was expecting,” Zeitz Self said. “It didn’t matter that it was simple and it didn’t matter that it wasn’t exciting

or flashy, it mattered that I made it happen.”

“

It didn’t matter that it wasn’t exciting or ﬂashy, it mattered that I made it happen.” Lindah Kotut doctoral computer science student

The version of the documentary showed at the panel was the 50-minute classroom version that highlighted the intersection of gender and race in the computer science field as well as some of the struggles girls from kindergarten see GENDER / page 3

Years later, Michigan still needs help Flint, Michigan, continues to struggle with a long-term solution to cap its contamination crisis and millions of dollars are being thrown toward water ﬁlters rather than necessary infrastructure. LAUREN FARRAR news reporter

For the past few years, residents of Flint, Michigan, have fought for clean water. Thanks to the Virginia Tech research team that discovered the toxic levels of lead in Flint residents’ water, they are closer to justice. “I think what we can say at this point is Flint is probably the most well-researched, well-studied and well-maintained water treatment system in the U.S.,” said Siddhartha Roy, communications director for the Virginia Tech research team. According to Roy, the research team has continued testing Flint’s water throughout the year. “Nobody’s saying (the water) is safe yet, but we are saying it’s coming into a range comparable to other U.S. cities,” Roy said. “We are still recommending to use filters or, if you’re very concerned, bottled water until further notice.” Flint residents now have access to clean water through filters and bottled water, but funding and supplies will not last forever. In order to meet long-term goals for clean water, Flint must replace the damaged infrastructure. “You have a limited amount of money, and how do you best use it so that five or 10 years down the line, we can still provide water that at least meets federal standards while still trying to minimize the water bills that are being paid by the residents?” Roy said. “How do you optimize water quality and treatments, and still keep bills as low as possible? That’s a big challenge.”

“The reason why Flint has some of the highest water bills in the world is because of all the water main breaks that happened after the switch to Detroit water because of corrosive water going through the water mains and causing them to break,” said Anurag Mantha, a Ph.D. student on the research team.

“By upgrading and re-engineering the system, you’ll bring down the cost of the water bills.” According to the research team’s website, one reason why “residents in the second-poorest city in America were paying amongst the see FLINT / page 3

The college baseball season is just around the corner and the Virginia Tech baseball team is ready to re-write the script. Following a 19–36 campaign in 2016, head coach Patrick Mason has put his players in the right mindset to do so. Tech has plenty of returners on the mound, but will have to replace two key bats in the lineup. The Hokies also have solid senior leadership in the clubhouse and they hope that will translate into more consistent play. The pitching staff in Blacksburg was a major area of concern in the offseason for the Hokies. With a team ERA of 6.49, Virginia Tech had to make a move. Mason brought in an experienced pitching coach, Jamie Pinzino, in July. Pinzino had been the pitching coach at Oklahoma for three seasons and helped turn the Sooners into one of the better teams in the Big 12. Tech saw two of its best arms go down to injuries a year ago. Luke Scherzer and Aaron McGarity went down early and it had an effect on the season. With both healthy now, Tech seems to have more depth and stability. Scherzer talked about coming back and the role that he hopes to play in 2017. “I’m just sticking to the rehab plans,” he said. “I’m going to be expecting an innings limit. I won’t be able to throw back to back days.” Mason said he expects to have Scherzer available for opening day, but the team will likely need two closers. With Kit Scheetz starting the year as the closer, the Hokies

The Department of Religion and Culture will be hosting a ﬁlm series at the Lyric Theatre. restaurant columnist

ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

SOFTBALL BEGINS SEASON IN SIN CITY

“THIRTEEN REASONS WHY” ON NETFLIX

Coach Thomas’ young team plays Friday at noon.

On March 31, Netﬂix will air the book-based series.

page 6

page 5

see BASEBALL / page 6

Film series tackles religion and culture MEGAN MAURY CHURCH

Marc Edwards, the principle investigator for the Virginia Tech Flint Water Study Team, takes the stage to deliver opening remarks prior to the team’s presentation about the water crisis in Goodwin Hall, Jan. 28, 2016.

will also have Scherzer, who has experience in closing out games. Scheetz was one of the the most consistent pitchers a year ago and his veteran leadership will help the bullpen. Virginia Tech used 10 different starting pitchers last year, but there seems to be a clearer picture for the rotation this season. Mason said he expects to use junior Packy Naughton, who made 14 starts last year, as well as redshirt-junior McGarity. McGarity was drafted by the Red Sox in the 34th round, but chose to return to Tech for multiple reasons. “I had something left to prove and something left to give this team,” he said. “Only pitching a handful of innings last year was not the way I wanted to leave this university. Also coming back to get my degree influenced my decision.” McGarity suffered an ACL injury early in 2016. It has been a long road back, but he is finally healthy. “I feel ready to go. I got cleared on Oct. 6 so I had a few weeks of the fall to work out some of the kinks I had in my knee,” he said. Naughton is a key player to watch as he continues to develop. The junior from Massachusetts threw 76 innings last year and and made 14 starts. While he did go 3–7, he pitched well in the Cape Cod league over the summer. Naughton was selected to the All-Star Game and named to the All-League Team at the end of the year. The last two rotation spots will likely be filled by either Connor Coward, Joey Sullivan, Nick Anderson or

After a free showing of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at the Lyric Theatre on Tuesday, a young girl exited the theater. She was dressed like Rey, heroine of the 2015 film, complete with the outfit, signature three buns and a staff, which she wielded strongly despite it being taller than she was, and trailing behind her was a young boy dressed as BB-8. Virginia Te c h ’s Department of Religion and Culture hosted the film at the Lyric as a way for the department to engage with the Blacksburg and Virginia Tech communities. The event began at 6:15 p.m. with an introduction from Matt Gabriele, the professor in the department who chose the film, and the movie began at 6:30 p.m. The film was immediately followed by a reception

at the Community Arts Information Office, where st udent s a nd facu lt y mingled with guests. The Lyric staff reported that about 140 people attended the Star Wars showing. Two shameless students, including this writer, arrived late and in costume. “One thing about having a new major is that we want to build publicity,” Gabriele said. “We like to ... use pop culture as a window into academic studies, so we decided to put on a film series.” “One thing about having a new major is that we want to build publicity,” Gabriele said. “We like to ... use pop culture as a window into academic studies, so we decided to put on a film series.” This is the second time that the Department of Religion and Culture — the B.A. for which has been around since 2012 — has see SERIES / page 5

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ALISON ROBERTSON / COLLEGIATE TIMES

column

Violent protests justiﬁed by seriousness of wrongs Recent violent acts of protesters, such as the assault on Richard Spencer, have sparked controversy on the merits of violent protest.

iolent protesting has recently been a topic of debate, especially after a video of Richard Spencer getting punched went viral. Many have been considering the morality of punching Nazis or damaging property, such as broken windows. The issue here is that many are not fully understanding just how real the danger is. This violence is not reckless or inconsiderate; rather, it functions as a backlash and a warning. The systems that are being put in place are violent toward a majority of people: there is systemic income inequality which only grows, women’s reproductive rights are debated as if the women were not even here, water quality is sacrificed for profit, indigenous voices are ignored — the list goes on. These people have every right to retaliate, even if only to be heard. Especially with the denial of many people’s visas, as well as the real push for construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall increasing, taking action to retaliate and warn is absolutely necessary. Actions and gatherings in solidarity with Muslims and Latin Americans to let them know there are large, visible numbers of people who will not act inconsiderately and hatefully toward them is important. The damage done to inanimate objects in the crossfire will not be remembered in 50 years, but injustices toward people, especially the life-changing ones like denied visas, will be. Damage to things is not violence. As far as punching Nazis and the like goes, it is somewhat easy to claim that their views could be changed with debate since the majority of people do not deal with Nazis on a regular basis. In ignorance one may think that they are less dangerous than they are misguided. However, this is false. They are extremely dangerous. Just a few days ago, Spencer tweeted a comic with a Nazi guard saying to someone behind a fence, “Honestly, we weren’t even interested in concentration camps, but people would not stop punching us.” The comic was captioned, “What goes around…”; not only does this put concentration camps on the table, it also insinuates that with enough

provocation, such things become legitimate. In case you have interpreted that as a reason to stop the punching, step back, because punching a person or multiple people will never warrant or justify genocide. Never. The aim of violence toward Nazis is to make them afraid to organize because when they organize, they have the power to achieve their goals. Their goals will never be legitimate; to silence them is not to prevent free speech because calling their speech equal is to legitimize their beliefs as options. Again, a prominent member of the altright casually joked about concentration camps as revenge. They are not your racist uncles. They are far more dangerous, and they will not be stopped with words. From Hitler himself, “Only one thing could have stopped our movement — if our adversaries had understood its principle and from the first day smashed with the utmost brutality the nucleus of our new movement.” To say that breaking windows and punching racists is going too far is to trivialize the struggles these groups of people have to endure daily. It is deliberate passivity, accepting systemic violence due to its coming from a source of authority and rejecting it from those affected due to its lack thereof. It lacks empathy, favoring the tense but predictable status quo over the survival and livelihood of real, living, breathing human beings with as many dreams and as many sharp eyes as anyone doing the ignoring. To say that pure nonviolence can work when fascists were just given a high concentration of power is historically ignorant and dangerous. Violence is, unfortunately, sometimes necessary, as self-defense on both the individual and systemic scales and as prevention of fascist organizing. Of course, this is not to say that nonviolent methods are always ineffective. It is to say they are ineffective alone, especially in these circumstances. In these circumstances, punch Nazis.

SKYE WOOD • regular columnist • freshman/philosophy

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Nonviolence legitimizes concerns of protesters

“E

ach time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” —John F. Kennedy Most individuals would agree that any given social movement must make a splash in order to radiate such lasting waves of change out into society. Proponents of violent resistance may contend that the participants must catapult a pebble into the depths of the water in order to induce this reaction. Meanwhile, supporters of nonviolent civil resistance might assert that the sheer sound of a strong voice can cause the largest body of water to tremble. Both camps would attest to the fact that tolerance breeds stagnation. The debate lies in how to best break this inaction, determined by the response movements’ capacity to promote motion. In my opinion, one does not have to resort to violent armed or unarmed conflict in order for a message to make waves. As a matter of fact, nonviolent intervention may very well be the most powerful weapon in our arsenal. Contrary to the beliefs of most proponents of violent means of conflict, engaging in nonviolent resistance is not a passive acceptance of oppression. Rather, it encourages participants to work in the collaborative spirit of unity in order to determine how to best resist the forces seeking to repress their voices. Forms of nonviolent resistance include methods such as civil disobedience, direct action, boycotts, strikes, protest, noncooperation, education and persuasion. These methods have been harnessed in order to communicate the nonviolent actor’s discontent with established policies, institutions or behaviors, successfully catalyzing social change in a myriad of situations both today and throughout history. On Nov. 9, 2016, an assemblage of protesters surged through the streets of Richmond, Virginia, by the hundreds, vehemently dissatisfied by the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Nearing the end of their march, the activists further illuminated the impact of their presence by obstructing traffic on Interstate 95. Many individuals would point to shortcomings of such an effort, attempting to illuminate the movement’s inability to produce a major political change apart from eliciting a media reaction. However, electing to do so ignores the successes of previous nonviolent movements and the lasting implications such efforts have upon individuals and communities. The Richmond Trump protest has parallels to numerous historic movements, with roots tracing back to the successes of movements such as the civil rights movement (leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965), labor strikes in Tiananmen Square and Gandhi’s profound campaigns. Just as a historic analysis of nonviolent resistance illuminates the power of nonviolent intervention, so too does scientific research on the matter attest to the potency of

such peaceful movements. Erica Chenoweth, assistant professor of government at Wesleyan University and a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, collaborated alongside Maria J. Stephan, director of educational initiatives at the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, in conducting the first systematic study of resistance movements to authoritarian governments in 2006. Their study concentrated on specific occurrences of resistance within the 20th century, with the target of identifying whether violent or nonviolent methods were more effective. In addition to analyzing the immediate success of the movements, the authors compared which parties were victorious in promoting a transition to peaceful democracy after the conflict. After analyzing over 323 violent and nonviolent campaigns occurring between 1900 and 2006, Chenoweth and Stephan not only determined that nonviolent movements were twice as likely to succeed as violent campaigns, but they also discovered that nonviolent movements give rise to a four times greater likelihood that the nation in question would subsequently transition into democracy (as opposed to nations in which a violent campaign ensued), regardless of the success of the movement itself. If protesters seek to emulate the kind of violent force utilized by their opposition, then the activists are in fact contributing to the sum total of violence. Countless historical applications of force have elicited long-term responses of counter-violence, despite producing seemingly successful results in the short term. Thus, it is imperative that the subjugated break the cyclic violence perpetrated by their oppressors, employing peaceful methods of intervention instead. Additionally, the War Resisters’ International Handbook for Nonviolent Campaigns promotes that practicing nonviolence further distinguishes between the act and the actor, “resisting the temptation to dehumanize our opponents avoids making enemies unnecessarily.” When a movement’s actions reflect a respect for life, the likelihood of insider involvement and the intervention of outside “whistleblowers” increases exponentially. The authors also eloquently articulate that “active nonviolence transforms our anger, rather than letting it transform us.” They contend that nonviolent methods of intervention allow participants to turn their anger into a positive impetus for effective action. As you can see, the symbolic resonance of nonviolence is much greater than simply the absence of violence. Nonviolent intervention promotes a prototype for the future that the participants are seeking to create. Through the aligning of actions with fundamental values, nonviolent movements are promoting a tide of peace, gently pulling outsiders and opponents toward their intended outcome. Through promoting peaceful methods of resistance, we are emanating the vast and rippling wave of hope that Kennedy envisioned for the future of our world.

ALEXA WILLIAMS • opinions contributor • freshman/political science

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February 9, 2017 PAGE 3

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OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN AND MEN

ENGINEERING EDUCATION

78% of men

65%

of women

EMPLOYMENT SECTOR

ON AVERAGE, WOMEN IN ENGINEERING OCCUPATIONS HAD FIVE FEWER YEARS EXPERIENCE THAN MEN.

13%

and private industry:

81%

77%

REGION

from page 1

Women were better represented in local, state and federal government:

17%

A higher fraction of woman engineers lived in the Pacific Coast area.

ENGINEERING SPECIALTY Computer software engineering

26% > 13%

The one specialty that showed greater female concentration was computer software engineering.

Electrical and electronics engineering

HIGHEST DEGREE ATTAINED

12% < 21%

4% 5%

GENDER: Gap ‘not a problem,’ spectator says

Mechanical engineering

10% < 17%

The only notable difference was at the doctoral level with a higher percentage of men having doctorates than women.

JINA RO / COLLEGIATE TIMES

th rough 12th grade have in terms of access to computer science classes. “When I think about what motivates me, I think about the times that I wanted to quit in undergrad … At my third semester in college, the three other black people that were in my classes freshmen year were gone,” Lewis said. “There was something in me that wouldn’t let me quit because I knew that if I could do it and make it out with a degree that means that someone else who comes after me and sees me will know that they can do it too.” The documentary emphasized some statistics about computer science and STEM jobs of the future. For example, there will be over 1 million job openings in these fields, but a lack qualified applicants to fill them. According to the film, this is because children are often not exposed to computer science in elementary and middle school. Less than 10 percent of high schools offer computer science classes. “My high school was really into STEM and we had a STEM academy which is a bunch of classes that focus solely on science, technology, engineering and math,” said freshman general engineering student Tori Deibler. “I had the opportunity to take five engineering classes with the same teacher and he really encouraged me as a woman to be involved because in

most of my classes I was the only girl.” Deibler went to Christiansburg High School and intends to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. After some introductory questions from States, audience members were given the opportunities to ask the panelists questions at the microphones at the fronts of the aisles. Although the audience’s questions were mostly positive or inquisitive about the documentary and the alumnae experiences, one male audience member spoke against the general sentiments of the room. “I have a few problems with the movie. They portray the gender gap as a problem and I feel like it’s not a problem,” the male audience member said. “The women in the documentary didn’t experience any sexism or any real obstacles. Maybe the gender gap is a natural occurrence.” After his remarks there were a few brief audience disruptions, but disagreements aside, the general tone of the event was a celebratory dialogue about the accomplishments of women in STEM fields. “Personally my experience has been very positive. Wherever I have worked, whether they are male or female, everybody has really helped me and because of that I am where I am right now,” Athri said.

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Hokie Day revamps lobbying tradition FLINT: Plans Virginia Tech students rush to Richmond for the 19th year in a row, celebrating the continuation of Hokie Day and its vow to increase state funding to the university. Around 100 current students and 30 alumni attended this event. ANNA DAVIS news reporter

The 2016–17 school year marked Virginia Tech’s lowest tuition increase in over a decade. As part of the Student G ove r n m ent A sso c iat ion (SGA)’s 19th annual Hokie Day in Richmond, Virginia, close to 100 students and 30 alumni met with state legislators on Feb. 2 to discuss the importance of continuing this trend. Senior Delk Koolman and sophomore Abel Solomon serve as SGA’s director and assistant director of government affairs, respectively. They were responsible for working with Joe Edens, student government assistant director, to plan Hokie Day. “It’s an event that happens every year, so there’s a little bit of routine to it, but Delk and Abel have been really intentional about expanding the pool of students and trying to get underclassmen more involved,” Edens said. Hokie Day began in the late 90s as SGA bridged a connection with the university’s Office of Government Relations. The event’s goal has

consistently been to encourage legislators to preserve state funding for Virginia Tech, but it has grown exponentially since its original launch. Hokie Day now draws over 100 applicants each year. SGA began reviewing these applications toward the end of the fall 2016 semester. The event is open to students from all years and disciplines, and active participation in SGA is not a requirement to attend.

“

Delk and Abel have been really intentional about expanding the pool of students and trying to get underclassmen more involved.” Joe Edens student government assistant director

“A lot of students think that since Hokie Day is lobbying in Virginia, it’s probably just liberal arts majors going, but we’ve actually seen that a lot of

frontal bounda r y moves through our a rea We d nesd ay night, bringing with it a 90 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms into early Thursday morning. Cold air is ushered in behind the frontal boundary Wednesday night and will drop the high temperature into the lower 30s. Thursday afternoon will bring a 20 percent chance of snow and will see windy conditions with gusts up to 37 mph, so make sure you have a windbreaker to stay warm while

engineers and science majors like to be involved,” said senior Alexa Parsley, SGA president. “(Hokie Day) gets a lot of engagement from all majors.” Hokie Day attendees arrived in Richmond on Feb. 1 and were welcomed to the city by the local chapter of the Alumni Association. Virginia Tech President Tim Sands spoke during the opening reception and thanked students for making meaningful contributions to the university. “The spirit of Ut Prosim is strong in our Virginia Tech Hokies and there’s nothing more needed right now in politics and our democracy than people who are oriented towards serving others,” Sands said. Students were given talking points about the university’s achievements, but were ultimately encouraged to share their personal experiences while lobbying. “What our representatives really want to hear is your story,” Sands said. “They will latch onto that.” Among the alumni in attendance was Tanushri Shankar, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication

walking around campus. The Blacksburg area will remain under a wind advisory throughout the day Thursday and into Friday morning with overnight lows dropping down into the mid-teens with wind chills into the single digits. However, the bone-chilling cold will not last for long; by sunrise on Friday morning you’ll see the windy conditions end and sunny skies persist with a high into the lower 40s and overnight lows in the lower 30s. As a high pressure system continues to build in our area

last spring. Shankar served as the SGA president during the 2015–16 school year and attended Hokie Day all four years of her undergraduate career. “SGA, Virginia Tech and the state of Virginia gave me a lot as an undergrad, so I wanted to give back in any way I could,” Shankar said. “As a young (alumna), I don’t know if I’m necessarily able to donate thousands of dollars, and so what I wanted to donate was my time.” Hokie Day concluded with a visit from Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who wore a maroon and orange tie and was accompanied by his dog, Guinness. After reconvening and reflecting on the day’s events, students headed back to Blacksburg. “(Hokie Day) is hard-held evidence that the student body does care about the university,” Solomon said. “To get 100 people to miss class and to want to advocate for other students ... That altruistic thought process says a lot about the character of the university.”

@AnnnaDavis

throughout the weekend we will see warmer temperatures and sunshine creep back into the region with a high in the lower 60s on Saturday and hit a low in the upper 40s. By Sunday, we see clouds begin to move back into the area, but we maintain those warmer temperatures with a high in the upper 60s and a low in the lower 30s.

JESSICA SUGGS • weather correspondent • @HOKIEwxWATCH

to resolve crisis are reevaluated from page 1

highest water rates in the world” was that the pipes were originally built for a much larger population. Today, fewer people live in Flint, which means less funding for the water infrastructure. The government has provided funding for Flint, but the city is planning for long-term solutions. “Recently, $170 million was passed as federal aid to Flint,” Mantha said. “It costs about $10 million a month for the government to provide bottled water and filters to Flint. If they keep doing that, then that $170 million will be used up in 17 months. What do you do after? Instead, if you stop paying for bottled water and filters and use the $170 million towards water infrastructure upgrades, you’ll bring down the water bills.” “The fact that the second-poorest city in this country is paying one of the highest water bills in the country — there’s something very wrong with that,” Roy said. Marc Edwards, a main investigator on the research team, continues fighting for infrastructural equality. “For better or for worse, in America, there is no general mechanism by which the federal or state government will intervene — cities and towns simply get the water infrastructure that they can afford,” Edwards and Mantha wrote in an article. “And ironically, taking steps to get the water infrastructure ... makes water even less affordable, and pushes a community into a water infrastructure death spiral.” Mantha said that residents are still skeptical of the water they are using. “The issue in Flint is that the trust of the people in government, in the law and in the establishment has been lost,” Mantha said. “Even if you tell them that it’s fine now, because they were betrayed by these state and federal agencies in the past, they don’t trust anything they say.” More information about the Flint water research study can be found at flintwaterstudy.org. @buymeafarrari

PAGE 4 February 9, 2017

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‘Thirteen Reasons Why’: From book to Netﬂix miniseries On March 31, “Thirteen Reasons Why” will premiere on Netﬂix. Returning from her hiatus from the spotlight and a recent advocate for mental health, Selena Gomez produced the series. GRETCHEN KERNBACH lifestyles staff writer

March 31 marks the global premiere of Netflix’s adaptation of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller, “Thirteen Reasons Why.” The 10-year-old book will be stretched into a 13 episode long mini-series, executively produced by Selena Gomez. The 24-year-old singer announced in August that she made the decision to take a break from touring to focus on managing her anxiety, panic attacks and depression, connected to her diagnosis of lupus. After taking a break, during which she reportedly went to rehab, Gomez came back into the spotlight at the 2016 American Music Awards. In her acceptance speech for Favorite Female Artist — Pop/Rock, she came clean and reached out to her fans. “I think it’s safe to say most of you know my life whether I like it or not. And I had to stop. Because I had everything — and I was absolutely broken inside,” Gomez said during her acceptance speech. “I kept it all together enough to where I would never let you down, but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down.” In light of the rising epidemic of mental health issues in youth and young adults, the release of the miniseries adds to the growing awareness. Gomez is responsible for dropping the first teaser for the mini-series; she posted it to her Instagram page on Jan. 25 for her 108 million followers to view. Since then, the video has racked up over eight million views. “Thirteen Reasons Why,” written by Jay Asher, concerns the aftermath of Hannah Baker’s suicide and the 13 cassette tapes that she left behind for 13 people who each played a role in her death. Her classmate Clay Jensen receives the package and must listen to all the tapes in order to find out how he made the list. According to Variety, “After reading the book, Gomez, along with her mother Mandy Teefey and producer Kristel Laiblin, brought the book to Anonymous Content for a screen adaptation.” Working alongside Gomez on the project is Oscar-winning director Tom McCarthy. His most recent film “Spotlight,” released in 2015, won the Academy Award for Best Picture and for Best Original Screenplay. In addition, the mini-series was written by Tony Awardand Pulitzer Prize-Winner, Brian Yorkey.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, Green’s Grill and Sushi Bar offers an unbeatable deal — but is it the best bang for your buck? MEGAN MAURY CHURCH restaurant columnist

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Other executive producers also include Joy Gorman, Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Brian Yorkey, Kristel Laiblin and Mandy Teefey. Gorman, Sugar, Golin and Yorkey come from Anonymous Content, a production and management company responsible for hits such as “True Detective” and “The Revenant.” In addition to Anonymous, Paramount TV also plays a role in the screen adaptation. The role of Jensen is portrayed by actor Dylan Minnette, who most recently starred in last year’s horror-thriller film “Don’t Breathe.” Kate Walsh and Katherine Langford star alongside Minnette as Mrs. Baker and Hannah, respectively. According to Digital Trends, “At a time when teenage suicides are on the rise, this series could do more than just entertain, but also provide a glimpse into the thought processes of troubled youth, both for young people themselves and for parents watching.” Time magazine put out a piece in November 2016 that focused on the same idea as Mental Health America.

According to the article, “While anxiety and sadness aren’t new phenomena among adolescents, there’s been a significant increase in the percentage of young people aged 12–20 who have reported having a major depressive episode (MDE).” In addition, Mental Health America released its 2017 data, which states that “youth mental health is worsening.” The facts show an increase in rates of youth depression from 8.5 percent in 2011 to 11.1 percent in 2014. According to its site, “Even with severe depression, 80 percent of youth are left with no or insufficient treatment.” The tagline for the mini-series reads, “If you’re listening, you’re too late.” Make sure to read “Thirteen Reasons Why” before the release of the Netflix adaption. Crawl into the world left behind by Hannah Baker and uncover the mystery of her suicide.

@CollegiateTimes

SERIES: Professors highlight religious and cultural themes through cinema from page 1

hosted a film series, the first time being last year. They plan to host two more movies during this semester, both headed by different faculty members. “I’m teaching a course right now about religion and violence, and Star Wars movies … have really good, recognizable examples for the students,” Gabriele said. “You have an organized religion of the Force and Jedi, who are defenders of the galaxy … then you have … the Dark Side, another development of the Force who are much more exclusively about destruction and damage ... I thought it very interesting that it illuminated those themes.”

Hungry Hokies: Sushi on a college budget

The next installment of the film series will be “Mean Girls” in March, and the discussion will be led by professor Danille Christensen, a folklorist interested in how communities organize themselves and how they communicate with each other. The third and final film will be “Silence” in April, led by religion literature specialist Zhange Ni. Gabriele shared that they were all very pleased with the turnout to the first event. “What we like about this film series is that (a) it introduces people to Lyric — I’m always shocked by how many people don’t know what it is — and (b) it’s also just fun to watch a movie and have a conversation,” he said. Gabriele finds that the eclectic

nature of the department and its staff’s common interest in the object of study, rather than the discipline, sets it apart from many of Virginia Tech’s other departments. “We ask questions that make you think about things,” Gabriele said. “Sometimes it’s great to just watch movies without thinking, but other times there are messages and it is important to understand them. The skills that we teach are not just relevant to movies, but to any type of media that can be consumed, whether it be tweets from the president or newspaper articles.”

@CollegiateTimes

If there is anything that college students universally favor, it’s a discount on food. Green’s Grill and Sushi Bar, located on College Avenue near Souvlaki and The Lyric Theatre, has a great one. While discount sushi might not sound automat ica l ly app ea l i ng, the deals that Green’s of fer s on Mond ays and Wednesdays are irresistible. For no extra price, you can get two extra pieces of sushi added to your roll, or you can get two rolls for just $10 (with the exception of a few menu items). Additionally, they have a 5–9 p.m. happy hour with discounts on select beverages. For a restaurant known for its sushi, Green’s menu has a wide range of non-sushi items. The grill menu sections are appetizers, salads, vegetarian sandwiches, specialty subs and platters. All of these items are priced under $10. Included are the fish and chips, classic burger, vegetarian burger, grilled salmon sandwich, vegetarian pesto pizza and Turkish beef sandwich. With such items, Green’s is the perfect place for sushi fanatics and haters to unite over a reasonably priced meal. The sushi selection is great and well structured. This section of the menu is organized into sections for hosoma k i sushi, classic uramaki sushi, nigiri, vegetarian rolls and Green’s specialty rolls. If you are new to the sushi game or just don’t know the difference between these items, the servers can answer all your questions. The vegetarian section is the smallest of these, but the selection is varied. They took the time to craft a meatless roll, rather than just taking the fish out of a regular item. I ordered the college ave rol l ( No. 14), which is vegetarian. The description reads, “Pineapple, avocado, c u c u m b e r, g i n g e r, topped w/coconut, red & green sauce.” It is priced at $6.99, and I took advantage of the Monday deal and got two bonus pieces for no extra charge. I r e a l ly e nj oye d the college ave roll. It came out with a decorative sprig of cucumber shavings sticking out like a tail. The flavors complimented each other well.

While it wasn’t the most spectacular sushi I have ever eaten, it was large and affordable. My d i n i ng mates ordered the alaskan roll and spicy tuna roll, two sushi staples. Neither of them were disappointed, but they weren’t blown away away either. The portion sizes, however, are larger than expected. One of my dining partners came hungry and left satisfied, even without ordering the two extra pieces. One thing lacking from the menu is a spice scale. Many sushi-lovers enjoy a spicy kick to their roll, and many restaurants similar to Green’s will have a system of denoting which menu items are spicier than others (e.g. a pepper icon). Additionally, none of the items we ordered were particularly spicy. “Red sauce,” or spicy mayo, is included in many of the rolls available, but does not have much of a kick to it. One of my dining mates ordered the spicy tuna roll and reported that it was not actually spicy without the addition of wasabi. The service had its highs and lows. I was seated immediately upon arriving before the rest of my party. They took my drink order quickly, but when my dining mates arrived we sat for 15 minutes without being served. However, our sushi came out incredibly fast, within ten minutes of us placing our order. One of my friends showed up just as our orders arrived, and when she placed an order they gave her one that had been made for a take-out order so that she could eat with the rest of us. The restaurant is larger than expected. It is well decorated and the lighting changes throughout the day to change the atmosphere from a daytime bistro setting to a bar and grill in the evening. There is a bar, a general dining area and a window for viewing the sushi making. Overall, I would give Green’s Grill and Sushi Bar three and a half out of five stars. The sushi is good and the portions are better than expected for a price that college students can appreciate.

@MauryChurch

AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES ANNA FRIESEN / COLLEGIATE TIMES

The Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg played “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” where students and locals could attend for free, Feb. 7, 2017.

The Alaskan roll is one of several classic uramaki sushi rolls offered at Green’s Grill and Sushi Bar, Feb. 6, 2017.

PAGE 6 February 9, 2017

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VT lacrosse picks up its ﬁrst win under John Sung In new head coach John Sung’s ﬁrst game at Virginia Tech, the Hokies dominated Gardner-Webb 21–5. Tech out-shot the Bulldogs 41–10. JORDAN HUTCHINSON sports staff writer BEN WEIDLICH / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Katey Smith (6) joins Caitlyn Nolan (13) and Emma Strouth (14) to celebrate their double run against James Madison University April 6, 2016, at Tech Softball Park.

All bets are off as Hokie softball takes Las Vegas Projected to ﬁnish ﬁfth in the conference, head coach Scot Thomas and company begin their season with a non-conference tournament in Sin City. KYLE COOKE assistant sports editor

The Virginia Tech softball team will begin its season on Friday afternoon in the Sportco Tournament in Las Vegas. Head coach Scot Thomas, who is in his 22nd year in Blacksburg, and his team will play five games in the threeday tournament. The season opener for the Hokies is against Indiana State, then they will play UNLV, CSU Bakersfield and two games against Southern Utah. The Hokies do not have a conference game until March 3 and they will not be playing at Tech Softball Park until their three-game series against Florida State the weekend of March 10. Non-conference play has long been one of Thomas’ strong suits, with an overall record of 618–385. The ACC has not been so kind to the Hokies, with Thomas’ all-time conference record just over .500. Last season, the Hokies finished 29–28 overall and 16–17 in the ACC. This year, the Hokies are projected to finish fifth in what is usually one of the premier conferences for NCAA softball. Florida State is projected to finish first. Tech did, however, receive a vote in the ESPN/USA softball preseason top 25 poll, most likely due to its seven returning starters, including sophomore catcher Lauren Duff. Duff won ACC Freshman of the Year last season after posting a ridiculous .347 batting average, including 13 doubles and a 20-game hit streak, the second longest in school history. The Chesapeake, Virginia, native was also a force behind the plate, finishing second in the ACC with 13 runners caught stealing. The Hokies also return sophomore shortstop Caitlyn Nolan, who started all but one game as a true freshman last season. Nolan was second on the team in hits and RBIs. Virginia Tech is one of the youngest teams

in the conference. Five of its projected starters this year are sophomores, and based on what he did last year, Thomas is not afraid to put true freshman in the lineup. In fact — he might have to. First baseman Elizabeth Birle and left fielder Vanessa Gonzalez are the only seniors on the roster. Gonzalez has had over 400 at-bats as a Hokie, but her production has steadily declined since batting .341 as a freshman. Senior leadership aside, the biggest question mark surrounding the Hokies is on the rubber. With the departure of Maggie Tyler, the first team all-ACC pitcher who threw a no-hitter last season, it is expected that the Hokies will turn to junior Mikaela Aiken to be their ace. Aiken had an up and down 2016 in which she threw complete games against Liberty and Boston College, but she finished with a 5.25 ERA. Thomas will most likely spread the wealth when it comes to pitching. Sophomores Olivia Lattin and Chelsea Whitcomb — both of whom are listed as utility players on the roster — should see a decent amount of time in the circle. When not pitching, Lattin will be at second base and Whitcomb will be in the outfield or the left side of the infield. Aysha Richardson is also expected to pitch for the Hokies. The junior missed all of last season due to transfer eligibility rules. For now, a lot remains up in the air for the Hokies. If Aiken can return to her freshman-year form (she finished with a 2.91 ERA), the Hokies’ young talent could carry them to another NCAA tournament season. But if the pitchers struggle in Tyler’s absence and stars like Duff can’t recreate their freshman-year production, a brutal ACC schedule could mean that Thomas’ 22nd year will be his longest one yet.

The Virginia Tech lacrosse team defeated Gardner-Webb 21–5 to start the season 1–0. First-year head coach John Sung picked up his first win as the leader of the Hokies. The Hokies are trying to turn the program around after finishing 18–35 over the past three years. With Sung at the helm, the Hokies have ambitious goals for the upcoming season. “It was great, you know obviously having these fans here was awesome,” Sung said in a postgame interview with HokieVision. “I really think opening up at home is really nice and getting the first one under your belt, especially with a W (win), feels good.” Sung came to Virginia Tech after coaching Winthrop for five years where he set a multitude of records. Sung won the 2015 and 2016 Big South Coach of the Year

while at Winthrop and won conference titles during those same years. Sung will be a needed addition for the Hokies squad as he brought assistant coaches Gregg Gebhard and Amanda Shimp along with him. “I really wanted us to play fast today, that was the whole goal, and I thought our first group really did that,” Sung said. “They’re still learning the system, which is so new to them, and they’re having to trust what we do and we got to see a little bit of that today.” Junior attacker Tristan McGinley led all scorers with five goals and one assist. Meanwhile, midfielders Kristine Loscalzo and Marissa Davey each tacked on four points for the Hokies. The Tech defense held strong and limited Gardner-Webb to just 10 shots and five goals. The bench for the Hokies added seven points on five goals and played well late in the game.

At the end of the first half, the Hokies held a commanding 16–3 lead over the Bulldogs and controlled the tempo of the game. Tech scored 10 unanswered goals over the span of 25 minutes and dominated the shot count throughout the game 41–10. The Hokies are off to a strong start and have a good foundation to build upon for the rest of the season. Virginia Tech will face Davidson on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Tech Indoor Practice Facility. The Hokies have a six-game winning streak on the line against the Bulldogs. Gardner-Webb finished 8–9 last season and will look to get revenge on the Hokies in 2017. Sung and his team will try to pick up their second win of the year as well as a strong out-of-conference win.

@JHutchinsonVT

AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Brittney VanVeldhuisen (16) runs past Gardner-Webb’s Abby Hanscom (26) in the Hokies’ 21–5 victory, Feb. 8, 2017.

@kcboomstick23

BASEBALL: Hokies look to move on from dismal 2016 become. Another lefty will be Tom Stoffel, who will have some appearances. Depth is something Virginia Tech will not have to worry about on defense. With a healthy Matt Dauby returning to second and shortstop Tufts returning, the Hokies hope to be better on defense. Catcher Joe Freiday Jr. is also returning. Tech ranked toward the bottom half of the ACC in terms of fielding percentage last year. One of those leaders is senior shortstop Tufts, who feels confident in what the Hokies have on defense. “We’ve been working hard all fall. We’re one of the older teams in the league, we feel like we’re finally healthy,” Tufts said. “We added Jack Owens who came in from East Carolina. We’ve also added Jake Rosen. He just

adds more depth to the infield. We have a lot more options out there and we’re more athletic.” Mason talked about the options in the infield, Andrew McDonald. The Hokies have a busy as well as replacing Phil Sciretta who hit over schedule to begin the season, so having depth in .300 last season. “We’re going to replace Phil the rotation won’t be a problem. physically with Jack Owens,” Mason said. The rotation will more than likely be without “(Fragale) will slide over to first and (Owens) Nic Enright, who is still recovering from will play third. (Owens) is more of a run creator Tommy John surgery. Enright, a freshman from than a run producer. You believe in the process Richmond, looks like a pitcher who will play a that you developed good players on the bench big role for the Hokies in the future, but his status last year.” Owens, who transferred from East for 2017 is in question. Carolina, sat out last season due to transfer rules. The rest of the bullpen has solid returning Tech will have all of its bats available this year. pieces. Sophomore Paul Hall Jr. will hope to Mason said that the initial plan is to not redshirt take another step forward after a freshman year any hitters, especially players like freshman JD in which he showed glimpses of what he could Mundy. The local product from Roanoke has made a solid impression early at the plate and in the field. He is also one of the few left-handed bats on the roster. Virginia Tech is still in the process of determining who will control center field. With Saige Jenco drafted to the Dodgers, an opportunity is opened for Rahiem Cooper or Mac Caples. Mason talked about the competition between the two. “That’s still under evaluation,” Mason said. “Both of those guys are competing at a pretty high level against each other. We haven’t figured that out yet.” Cooper would bring more of a speed option for Virginia Tech, but Caples would add another bat with power to the lineup. Either way, both will more than likely find playing time at some point this season. FILE 2015 / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech has 17 upperclassman on its Erik Payne (5) swings during play at English Field in 2015. roster. Most of them will tell you that they have a chip on their shoulder after last season. Stoffel from page 1

spoke about the goals for the upcoming season. “I want to show up every day and be able to give everything for the team. We definitely have something to prove,” he said. Anderson said the feeling following a down season isn’t something that just goes away. “We obviously had a tough year, and that’s been hanging on our heads for six or seven months now. All of us as a whole can’t wait to get back out there,” he added. Scherzer, another captain, said he is looking forward to being one of the leaders who could potentially help take Tech to the next level. “Everybody has a lot of confidence this year and hopefully we can get some wins and make it to the playoffs,” he said. Mason, who is in his fourth year at Virginia Tech, said that the players have done a good job of preparing themselves for success. “I believe in our guys,” he said. “They’re doing everything the right way. You just show up everyday and be the best you can that day. If you do that, then you’ll be alright. Starting 1–0 is all we’re focused on.” Virginia Tech opens its season on Feb. 17 at USC Upstate in South Carolina. The home opener against Marshall is scheduled for Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. The ACC has seven teams ranked in the preseason top 25. Conference play begins on March 10 when the Hokies travel to face Duke. With a healthy pitching staff and the addition of Pinzino, Tech is a prime sleeper team in a conference that has overlooked it.

@natejloprete

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