Jan. 29, 2019

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January 29, 2019

COLLEGIATETIMES

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

ROBINSON LEADS AS HOKIES STOMP OUT ORANGE AT CASSELL

Justin Robinson’s career-high 35 points off of nine 3-pointers was one of the many highlights of a red-hot Tech team that snapped ‘Cuse’s three-game winning streak.

GLEN RORIE sports staff writer

Five days removed from their pitiful performance against No. 11 North Carolina, the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies (15-3, 4-2 in the ACC) took on the Syracuse Orange (14-5, 5-1 in the ACC) at Cassell Coliseum. Coming into the game, the Orange were coming off a three-game winning streak, including a 95-91 upset win over Duke.

With all that momentum, Syracuse seemed to be a formidable opponent for the Hokies, but when game time rolled around, the game felt anything but competitive as Virginia Tech pulled away for a 78-56 win.

“This is the hardest league in the country with the thinnest margin,” said Buzz Williams, the Hokies’ head coach. “It’s hard to win a game. It doesn’t matter the opponent. North Carolina beat us start to finish.

Virginia beat us from start to finish. So any win, for sure, is a good win.”

In the first nine minutes of the first half, the two teams traded points back and back until the tenth minute hit.

From there on out, the plays became slightly unbalanced.

With 9:15 left in the first

Theatre program at Virginia Tech welcomes first dance professor The School of Performing Arts hired dancer Scotty Hardwig last August.

MEG CONNORS social media editor

With an enrollment of 250 majors and 200 minors, the School of Performing Arts (SOPA) at Virginia Tech makes up a relatively small piece of the 4,000student College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

But among the various major and minor options,

professional and I am a professional dancer and choreographer,” Hardwig said.

Ha rdwig comes to Virginia Tech after working as a dancer and choreographer for several professional dance companies, including San Francisco’s Axis dance company.

According to Paul Steger, director of SOPA, the school

“What’s unique about

CAROLINA HERNANDEZ / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech Hokies’ Ahmed Hill (13) swings on the basket after a slam dunk at Cassell Coliseum, Jan. 26, 2019.

half, the Hokies took a 22-11 lead and by halftime they were up 43-24. Senior guard Justin Robinson led the Hokies to a dominant first half as he dropped 24 points and even scored just as many points as the entire Syracuse team did throughout the half. Virginia Tech’s scoring performance in the first half was pivotal too, as the team shot 53.8 percent and shot an impressive 10-19 from the three-point range.

Virginia Tech outperformed Syracuse in most categories for the first half, outrebounding the Orange 16-11, having just seven turnovers to their nine

turnovers and capitalizing on those nine turnovers with 13 points off them compared to the Orange’s two points off seven Hokies turnovers.

Syracuse stepped up in the second half and played almost as well as Virginia Tech, but the lead was insurmountable as there was not one lead change throughout the entire game. Graduate student Ahmed Hill and senior Justin Robinson finished out Syracuse in the second half as the two ended up being the only Hokies in two digits for scoring (16 for Hill and 35 for Robinson).

The Hokies’ backcourt came up big for the team and

helped carry them a big win over Syracuse.

With this victory, the Hokies move up to 16-3 on the season and 5-2 in the ACC, taking the fifth spot in the ACC Conference standings. Virginia Tech will likely see an increase in the AP Poll as they currently stand at No. 10. The Hokies hope to ride this momentum into their next game against the Miami Hurricanes (9-9, 1-5 in the ACC) on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.

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my position is that it was written for someone as a movement professional and I am a professional dancer and choreographer.

”

Scotty Hardwig assistant professor School of Performing Arts

ranging from music technology to theatre performance and many programs in between, one performing art in particular is missing — dance.

In August 2018, Scotty Hardwig, a professional dancer and choreographer, was hired to teach as Tech’s first dance professor for SOPA’s theatre program.

“What’s unique about my position is that it was written for someone as a movement

is planning two new dance technique courses that will be offered in spring 2019 and two new dance-related courses that are expected to be offered in the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters, in addition to SOPA’s existing course in creative dance.

Hardwig, however, hopes that SOPA will soon be able to offer dance-specific DANCE / page 3

lifestyles

Sleeper hits and snubs: Oscar nomination surprises Superheroes and streaming services received landmark nominations, while other predicted shoo-ins fell short.

JAYNE ROSS

lifestyles staff writer

Love them; hate them; claim you think that they’re utterly useless but secretly tune in anyway — whatever your opinion on the Oscars, it’s hard to deny that they take the cinema-loving world by storm every year.

The announcement of this year’s 91st Academy Award nominations were, as usual, preceded by a flurry of predictions. And, as usual, even the most expert critics couldn’t pin down all of the Academy’s decisions. This year’s nominations were full of surprises, some delightful, some utterly perplexing — and all entertaining. Here are five of the most surprising twists leading up to the ceremony.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … Best Picture nomination?

Ma r vel blo ckbu st e r “Black Panther”made history by being the first superhero film to ever be nominated for Best Picture. This choice may leave more traditional Oscar-watchers scratching their heads, but fans of the action-packed, sci-fi comic-book hybrid are likely less surprised. The movie not

only raked in $1.34 billion at the box office, but it received nea r-un iversa l cr itica l acclaim. In addition to its Best Picture nod, it’s nominated in six other categories.

A Star is Snubbed Considered by many to be a shoo-in for his acclaimed direction of “A Star is Born,” Bradley Cooper was conspicuously left out of the Best Director category, though the film did rack up an impressive seven other nominations (including Cooper for Best Actor). Less surprising?

The directing nominees are, once again, all male.

“Crazy Rich Asians” comes up short The wildly popular “Crazy Rich Asians” had a groundbreaking majority-Asian cast, and while its rom-com plot was admittedly a tad formulaic, its production and costume design were stunning. The film’s impeccably lavish Singaporean sets and extravagant, couture costumes impressed theatergoers, but they apparently did not impress the Academy — “Crazy Rich Asians” did not receive a single nomination.

Oscars and chill In another historic first,

OPINION: SOCIALISM MISLEADS VOTERS Far-left candidates just want capitalist reform. page 2

“Roma” brought Netflix its first-ever Best Picture nomination — and what’s more, the acclaimed film is leading the way with 10 nominations, among them Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron) and Best Actress (Yalitza Aparicio), tied for the most nominations with “Green Book” and “Vice.” Whether or not “Roma” takes home any awards, Netflix is proving that streaming platforms can have just as much clout as major Hollywood studios. #OscarsNotSoWhite Perhaps the most pleasant surprise on the list: After harsh, widespread criticism for their lack of diversity, popularized four years ago by the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, it appears the Academy is taking note. Actors and actresses of color, like Aparicio and Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), are nominated in every acting category. The nominees are still mostly white, and women are grossly misrepresented in the technical categories, so Hollywood has a long way to go — but things are looking up.

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CARLOS SOMONTE / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE “Roma” became the first original film by a streaming service to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

LADY HOKIES FALL SHORT AGAINST UNC Mabrey’s 19 points not enough against UNC. page 7

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PAGE 2 January 29, 2019

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column

Emotional honesty worth being vulnerable to others Being open with friends and seeking social support facilitates deeper, stronger, more meaningful interpersonal relationships.

I

STEPHEN M. DOWELL / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Andrew Gillum greets supporters during a rally at CFE Arena on the campus of UCF in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018.

column

Socialist candidates have muddled political stances Candidates for elected office, like Andrew Gillum in Florida, do not support socialism so much as comprehensive fiscal reform.

I

’m from Florida, which is known for being a weird state. I mean, we’re home to the infamous “Florida Man” stories that feature a man throwing an alligator through a drive-thru and a drug dealer calling 911 to report that his inventory had been stolen, among other odd occurrences.

Back in November, we made national news again — this time for a gubernatorial election that pitted a far right candidate against a far left candidate in contrast to our overall history of more moderately conservative governors. Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee and current mayor of Tallahassee, has been referred to as a socialist by his Republican opponent, Ron DeSantis, as well as President Donald Trump.

Gillum was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who describes himself as a socialist. New York just saw Alexandria OcasioCortez, a self-described democratic socialist, win the Democratic primary and eventually win the seat for New York’s 14th congressional district.

So what’s the deal with socialism all of a sudden?

About half of millennials hold a positive view of socialism, which is defined as a theory that advocates that the means of production, distribution and exchange be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. Many are fine with the word “socialism,” but when asked if they support a government managed economy, fewer of them respond favorably, showing a disconnect between the word and what it actually entails.

It’s not just “socialist” m i l len n ia ls who a re confused about the meaning — it’s also Republicans like DeSantis and Trump who display this confusion when attempting to attack far-left

opp onent s. So - ca l le d socialists like Sanders are not actually advocating for socialism. They are instead advocating to socialize only healthcare by establishing a single payer system as well as increasing overall regulations on capitalism. Sanders has not advocated that we seize control over auto manufacturing or the entire farming industry.

Further, to slap on the label “democratic” to socialism does not change the fact that the government would be “socialist.” This term is perhaps one of the silliest things to come out of politics in the past few years.

Socialism is still having the government take over the means, regardless of how the officials are chosen or managed.

The favorite model that many of these “socialists” and their supporters use for their ideas is Nordic countries like Sweden. Just pay some more in taxes, then your education and healthcare are all free, and you have access to a wide variety of programs.

Countries like Sweden rely on a capitalist economy for tax revenue that funds their gover nment programs.

Without this capitalist economy, there would be no money to fund said programs.

Of course, a larger presence of these programs would be what many people consider to be part of “the welfare state.” The definition of “welfare state” varies from person to person. I despise most government programs and would consider our country to be a “welfare state,” but my friends who voted for Sanders would certainly not consider us to be a welfare state.

Many would consider Sweden to be a “welfare state,” but they still use capitalism to fund their welfare.

Remember, Sweden gave us IKEA, a furniture store

bigger than most American furniture stores, complete with a restaurant. Can you think of anything more American and capitalist-sounding than eating meat and mashed potatoes before buying a bunch of stuff for your house?

Perhaps one reason why millennials view socialism positively and view capitalism negatively is that they see corporatism and mistake it for capitalism.

When big businesses get special treatment from the government and intermingle with government officials, that is corporatism, which is in violation of true capitalism and free markets.

Our capitalist economy has its flaws. We do have to figure out how to lower healthcare costs and ensure that a few banks don’t bring down the rest of the nation’s economy. However, solutions from many “socialists” are to eliminate corporatism and modify our capitalist economy. Most people can get on board with eliminating corporatism, and many of the debates we have today usually discuss which modifications to our capitalist economy are beneficial and which ones are harmful.

Today’s dialogue is not debating if the community should control all the means, distribution and exchange of production. Rather, in elections like the Florida gubernatorial race, main topics included pretty standard items like corporate tax rates, environmental regulation, minimum wage and immigration.

At no point did Mayor Gillum advocate that we seize and control Walt Disney World. But, hey — it’s Florida; there’s not much that would surprise anyone.

’m often told that I’m too “emotional.”

I proudly wear my heart on my sleeve, something that my peers don’t seem to embrace. Three weeks into the school year, an ex-acquaintance flung the words “You’re so emotional, Lexi” in my face, as though my unabashed honesty about how I’m feeling must be some personality defect.

The sad reality is that she’s not alone in this school of thought — over the past year, and particularly in the past few months, I’ve noticed that many members of my generation don’t appear to value emotional connection in the way that I do. They shy away from raw emotion as though it’s something to fear — something to keep tucked away at all possible costs — a phenomenon that bewilders and saddens me. Friendships are mainly superficial, with many just looking for study buddies or party companions, rather than real emotional support or deep connections.

For a while, I thought I was part of a small, overly emotional minority.

However, research has revealed an even more depressing reality — millennials and Generation Z alike are emotionally stunted, particularly in the United States. According to one 2012 study, technology may be to blame, as scientists at the University of Essex found that heavy usage of mobile phones can negatively impact closeness with others, emotional connection and quality of conversation. Social media does allow us to filter out the good from the bad, and the majority of us prefer to only put the best parts of our lives on display. It can be all too easy to believe our friends and family aren’t facing the same problems that we are and wouldn’t want to hear about our troubles.

Other resea rchers have a different theory.

“Emotional complexity” is a term used in psychology to measure the diversity of our emotions and is defined by two different traits.

First, psychologists look to see if patients experience both positive and negative emotions, something called “emotional dialecticism,”

which indicates the range of emotions at hand. Next, they examine our ability to discern between the different emotions we’re experiencing, also known as “emotional differentiation.” Combined, these two abilities can hint at how emotionally aware and competent a person is.

In their 2016 study, members of the University of Michigan and University of Waterloo psychology department examined data from college students across the globe to determine how the students responded to different emotional experiences. They found that students from Russia, India and Japan measured at much higher rates of emotional complexity than American students. They theorized that this difference was due to the Western idea of emotions originating from within the self versus the

“There is something to be said for laying yourself completely bare, knowing the potential consequences and being accepted as who you are.

”

Eastern concept of emotions resulting from one’s interactions with their community and the world around them.

Western students were typically more independent and reluctant to share their emotions with others, whereas Eastern students had grown up in a culture that emphasized interdependence and were more comfortable with opening up to family and friends.

Many might ask why we would need to rely on friends for emotional support when therapy is a viable option.

Therapy can be a great resource and of course should be taken advantage of whenever needed, but the reality is that therapy is simply too expensive for many Americans, particularly broke college students.

Cook Counseling Center is free and is a fantastic source of support, but the center is so popular that many patients can only be seen once a month or so.

Professional help is something everyone should consider if they are truly in

LEXI SOLOMON • opinions columnist • freshman, national security and foreign affairs and Russian

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tions where I have reached out and received a disheartening response have made the supportive responses all the more meaningful.

There’s something to be said for laying yourself completely bare, knowing the potential consequences and being accepted as you are. Sometimes, the pain of being shunned only highlights the beauty of being heard.

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JACK MEEKS • opinions columnist • senior, finance

emotional distress, but being honest with those in your daily life — and yourself — about how you’re feeling is an important part of being emotionally healthy.

Human emotion is oftentimes too difficult for us to try to process on our own, and trying to do so is a monumental task that even the most emotionally aware would struggle with.

At the end of the day, perhaps the simplest explanation is closest to the truth — maybe we’re just scared of getting hurt. There is a real risk in opening up to someone in that your feelings could easily be rejected, invalidated or negatively judged by the very person you’re hoping will reassure you. We’ve all been burned like that before, and there is no doubt that it’s an unfairly painful situation to be in. However, in my experience, the situa-

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DANCE: Hardwig hopes to see a dance-specific program from page 1

degree programs.

“On the curricular side of what I’m doing here at Virginia Tech is I’m building a dance program, with a curriculum and a series of dance classes that students can go through, which hopefully perhaps as soon as the end of next year would become a minor program and then hope-

being here (at Virginia Tech) is that I’m sort of building something new in a place that hasn’t had it.”

Hardwig feels that the need for a dance-specific degree program at Virginia Tech is demonstrated by the many dancers on campus who could benefit from adding a degree in dance to their other degree programs.

“There’s a ton of dancers here and dance groups, and I have this vision of having

“I have this vision of

having a program or a department where they can all come together and study.

”

Scotty Hardwig assistant professor School of Performing Arts

fully sometime in the future would become a major program,” Hardwig said.

“There’s kind of a gap in the curriculum, I feel, when it comes to dance education ... and what’s exciting about

a program or a department where they can all come together and study, even if their major is in molecular biology, they could be doing a minor in dance or a double major,” Hardwig said.

Hardwig hopes to offer more classes in dance technique, theory and history as part of a degree program — and even a more sciencebased dance anatomy class.

“Because it’s an art form that is so much about the body, I incorporate functional anatomy into most of my curriculum, and so that class will be an anatomy and kinesiology class, but from the perspective of a performance or a dance or an athletic lens,” he said.

Steger wrote in an email to the Collegiate Times that there haven’t been any official conversations concerning a dance minor and major. Nevertheless, Hardwig believes it is feasible that a dance minor will be available within the next five years and a major within 10 years.

However, Hardwig points to a lack of studio space as one of the greatest obstacles to overcome before a da nce-specif ic deg ree program is possible.

“In the next 10 years, one of my goals would be more

COURTESY OF SCOTTY HARDWIG AND AMY BALDWIN Scotty Hardwig, professor of movement, performance and integrated media at Virginia Tech, leads a dance class.

studio space. We’re kind of tight on studio space right now, and I would love, I mean we could do with even two studios,” Hardwig said.

“All that dancers really need is a big, open room.”

While there are many steps left to be taken before

a dance minor and major can be rolled out, Hardwig feels encouraged by the positive feedback that he has received.

“There are lots of people that support dance as an art form, that love it, you know, dance-o-philes. It’s great

to have that. I haven’t felt anything, any pushback at all, which is very encouraging,” he said.

@Meg_Connors7

Blacksburg Town Council approves two agendas One resolution in the agenda includes changing the street name from “Chickahominy Drive“ to “Givens Lane.”

KEVIN SANDLER news staff writer

MIKE LIU / COLLEGIATE TIMES The Blacksburg Municipal Building, where Blacksburg Town Council meetings are held.

Dur ing the last Blacksburg Town Council meeting on Jan. 22, 2019, the consent agenda, which groups multiple town projects together, was approved.

Three resolutions compose the consent agenda: one about changing the street name from “Chickahominy Drive” to “Givens Lane” which will extend to Patrick Henry Drive, another declaring the town’s intention to reimburse itself from the proceeds of one or more financings for public improvements and finally a resolution for transferring $25,000 between general fund capital projects and

$50,000 between water and sewer fund capital projects.

A citizen came up to discuss improvements the town council is making in Blacksburg, including the expansion of Chickahominy Drive to aid navigation and the expansion of BT bus service to Christiansburg.

The citizen raised concerns about Toms Creek Road and its closures during periods of intense rain and flooding and urged the town council to look into improving the area.

Finally, a new resolution was approved by the town council to adopt the Capital Improvement Plan, which is a five-year plan for large capital expenditures by the town, for the 2019– 2020 fiscal year through 2023–2024.

The next town council meeting will take place on Feb. 12, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. at the Roger E. Hedgepeth Cha mbers Blacksbu rg Municipal Building on 300 S. Main St., Blacksburg, Virginia.

@CollegiateTimes

Blacksburg Transit launches new app for customers The app hopes to create better experiences for riders with features such as live bus route updates and easy map access.

KELLEY GATES news staff writer

The Blacksburg Transit service has launched a new app in hopes of improving bus scheduling and ease of use for students and other

passengers. Released on Jan. 16, this app is available for both Android and iPhone users and can be downloaded for free from the Google Play or App Store.

According to Blacksburg Transit, the new app

A Blacksburg Transit bus, March 13, 2018.

provides a live tracking feature for all of the buses en route around Blacksburg.

Users can see the route of certain buses in real time by selecting one of the bus icons on the app’s map. This allows students to see any

changes or deviations in bus schedules without having to go to a second menu. Users can also see which buses will stop at a certain stop by selecting the stops on the map.

The app also tells users

gives an estimate for time of arrival based on the bus schedule.

However, typing in your location and the desired location does not always work. Fortunately, there is a drop-down menu beside

“The new iOS app is finally here! We know you’ve been waiting a while...ok a long while but we promise it’s worth it.

”

TUAN TRAN / COLLEGIATE TIMES

which stops are closest to them, as well as the times and destinations of each of the buses that stop there.

Users of the app can plan out commutes using the app’s plan-a-trip option, which helps them find the nearest stop for the relevant bus and notifies them of any changes in the route. The app gives step-by-step instructions to help users find their way to their destination and

RideBT.org

the input boxes which have location options, but they are not as precise as using addresses. Users can save up to six trips at a time for easy repeated use.

The app also sends alerts and other notices instantly as push notifications on users’ phones, making it easy for users to stay updated on delays or route changes without going into the app itself.

Finding the app on the Google Play or App Store can be difficult, however, because there are actually three official Blacksburg Transit apps, all with similar icons. Two of these apps are older and do not have many of the features described.

There are also several unofficial apps that use similar app logos. Because of this, it is important to select the correct app. The apps for Google Play and the Apple Store can be found on the online version of this article on collegiatetimes.com.

By incorporating these c h a nge s, Bl a ck sb u r g Transit hopes to reduce wait times and create a better experience for all of its customers.

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PAGE 4 January 29, 2019

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Don’t judge a song by its cover: Modern songs that overshadow the original Didn’t think anyone could top the likes of Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton? Our writer challenges you to think again.

EMILY CARTER

lifestyles staff writer

Songs are interesting.

Sometimes the original version of a song is pretty good, but then another artist

comes along, puts their spin on it and makes it better. No shade to the original artists or the original songs, but at times, other people can do it better. I had a hard time narrowing down my list, but

here are five songs that are better than the original.

“I Will Always Love You”

by Whitney Houston (originally by Dolly Parton) Of course. Whitney can

sing this song better than Dolly and pretty much every other human on the planet.

Her voice is … I literally have no words to describe her voice during the most famous part of the song (you know the part I’m talking about).

You can feel the passion and emotion, and not many people can give you goosebumps the way Whitney does in this song. Sorry Dolly, your version is good, but Whitney does it 100 times better.

“Rockabye” by The Mayries (originally by Clean Bandit feat. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie) Some songs don’t need a whole lot of production, and the original song has just that. The EDM beat in the background and Sean Paul’s weird rapping is irrelevant. The song is supposed to be a touching story about a young mother working hard to provide for her young baby, and the original version takes away from that. The stripped-down version by The Mayries gets meaning across and has beautiful harmonies.

It almost seems like a lullaby that a mother would sing to her child, which is kind of the point of the song.

KEYSTONE PICTURES USA / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Elvis Presley performing during a concert in 1955. His song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” has been covered by many artists.

“Dancing on My Own” by Calum Scott (originally by Robyn) I’m a sucker for a stripped-down acoustic song.

Sometimes a song just needs to be simple. If all you need

is a voice and one instrument, then let the song consist of a voice and one instrument.

“Dancing on My Own” is supposed to be about a person being alone watching an ex move on. That’s some sad stuff. In Robyn’s version, the song is peppy. Why would someone be happy with the fact that they’re alone? Not me. Scott’s acoustic version shows his emotion and the hurt that he feels when he sees his former love with someone else. It’s hard to see Robyn’s emotion over all the dance music.

“Ride” by MisterWives (originally by Twenty One Pilots) I’m very partial to this cover because I heard it performed live when MisterWives ca me to Virginia Tech last year. It’s not that I don’t like the Twenty One Pilots version, I do, but my jaw did not drop to the floor when I heard the Twenty One Pilots song. When I saw MisterWives perform “Ride,” I thought it was cute and mellow. The xylophone and the drums are a nice combination I’ve never heard before, and when they added a trumpet it morphed together fantastically. At this point, I liked both songs equally, then my jaw hit the floor: MisterWives incorporated “Heavydirtysoul,” another Twenty One Pilots song, into “Ride.” It was incorporated so flawlessly, I wouldn’t have

known it was another song if I wasn’t a Twenty One Pilots fan. If you’re a fan of the original “Ride” and Twenty One Pilots, give this version a listen.

“Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Haley Reinhart (originally by Elvis Presley) Not a lot of people know that this song is a cover. Elvis sang this song in the 1961 film “Blue Hawaii,” crooning as he is accompanied by island sounds. Haley Reinhart softly sings about her love, and I either get goosebumps or tear up every time I hear this song. I love this song so much I want it to be played at my wedding reception. That’s how it is. There’s something about the lyrics that make me feel warm inside. Also, this song is featured in an Extra gum commercial which makes me cry every time as well. I’m a mess whenever I hear this cover.

Some of you may not agree with some of my decisions, but I advise you to give these covers a listen and compare them to the original.

Hopefully you’ll understand why I put them on my list.

Happy listening.

@EmilyNic_12

Which Blacksburg restaurant’s Long Island is your cup of tea?

Not all Long Island iced teas are equal. Our writer accepted the challenge to try to find the best one around town.

RACHEL KISER

from Blacksburg’s most famous bars.

When you think of Virginia Tech, your immediate thought isn’t “a drinking school”; it’s more likely “the school with engineering,” “a mascot that looks eerily like a turkey,” or “terminal wind.” Despite the number of in-town bars barely reaching double digits, Blacksburg can offer a good time and a good drink (if you can remember it). It was my goal to find the bar or restaurant that offered the pinnacle drink for broke college students when they don’t know what to order: the Long Island Iced Tea. An intoxicating mixture of gin, triple sec, vodka, white rum and clear tequila is somehow masked by the splash of cola and, if it’s good, a lemon wedge.

As someone who recently turned 21, I hoped to find

Sharkey’s Everyone knows that Sharkey’s has Blacksburg’s hottest Long Island. You can’t beat their happy-hour prices and their consistently strong drinks. Since it was finals week, I wasn’t able to hit happy hour, and all the drink cost was $7, which is decent for a mixed drink in a small town.

lifestyles staff writer

Rivermill Since I’d already tried a Sharkey’s Long Island before, my first stop was Rivermill. Going to a bar at 4 p.m. truly integrates you with the locals getting hammered on a Tuesday and your bartender crying over someone’s gin and tonic.

Despite the entertaining bar jargon, the lack of lemon, the overwhelming taste of white rum and a very small buzz

“I look at three compo-

nents in a drink when seeing if anyone could beat the competition: the taste, the ‘buzz’ and the price. my holy grail filled with succulent, spiked tea (with surprisingly no sweet tea in sight) here in Blacksburg.

I look at three components in a drink when seeing if anyone could beat the competition: the taste, the “buzz” and the price. To test my devotion, I sipped every (or at least five) Long Islands

”

made my drink go down very slow. If they were out of every other beer and liquor, I would order it again.

TOTS At the ripe hour of 6 p.m., I braved the wind and headed up to a very empty TOTS, where the only other form of life was the bartender,

and he left as soon as I got my drink (TOTS is much better when you are the only person there). As the clicks of my pen echoed off the wooden walls, my first sip of their Long Island was offensive to Long Islands everywhere. Again, there was no lemon (tisk tisk). It tasted as if I was drinking a heavily poured shot of all the spilled drinks squeezed out of a dish towel. However, even though I was not able to finish the drink, this dish towel juice made my bus ride home much more fun, and made the weather feel like a dark summer night. I would not recommend it, as it was the worst Long Island

and drink I have ever had, unless you need to get really drunk really fast (I would suggest everclear instead).

Champs After my traumatizing experience at TOTS, I hoped Champs would give me a better time, and it definitely surprised me. The ratio was good — not too much ice — and the alcohol was hardly noticeable, even with the the slight buzz afterwards. By drink four, if someone even mentioned my Long Island experiment, I would begin to feel a tsunami of nausea. The drink I had once loved had grown stale on my tongue, but I knew I had to try just

one more (just because five is a better number than four).

El Rodeo Per tradition, my friends and I go to Gucci El Rod’s every Friday, and instead of the Jumbo Texan, I opted for their unknown Long Island. When my waiter brought me my drink with “extra alcohol” and a side of sexy eyes, I thought it would take TOTS’s place as the worst, and I would instantly regret my $8 purchase. I was wrong; it is the superior Long Island in Blacksburg, trumping Sharkey’s and every other on my list. The ratio was perfect, and tasted different, in a savory way,

FILE 2013

from all the others. Plus, it had the lemon wedge that puts the icing on the cake.

Now that I have started my search, I won’t stop until I have tried all of the Long Island iced teas in town, and maybe you can try them, too.

Now, go out and find The One.

Highest tier: El Rodeo, Sharkey’s, Champs Lowest tier: TOTS, Rivermill

@Kiser_Rachel

editor@collegiatetimes.com

January 29, 2019 PAGE 5

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a l s c s r tf e

a

Check out the new Collegiate Times podcast, After Class new episodes posted every other Friday on SoundCloud, Google Play and iTunes

COLLEGIATETIMES

study break

Today’s Birthday Horoscope (Jan. 29): Grow stronger with friends this year. Prepare

and strategize. Navigate surprises at home. Change directions with a partner this winter. Your health and energy surge this summer, before a peaceful break sparks fresh motivation. Pursue a personal purpose next winter. Your team is with you.

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FOR RELEASE JANUARY 29, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Tricky road curves 6 Too hasty 10 “Boy, am I dumb!”

13 Bowl over 14 Valpolicella wine brand 15 Suffix with project or percent 16 *Killjoy 18 Metro stop: Abbr.

19 State south of Wash.

20 *Face consequences for poor decisions 22 Like Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial 24 Yom Kippur observers 25 Italian wine hub 26 South African golfer Ernie 28 Make a wool cap, say 29 MLB exec Joe who was the Yankees’ manager for 12 seasons 32 Wrangler’s ropes 34 *Furniture restorer’s chemical 37 Wild cards, maybe 38 Arrive at 39 “At Last” singer James 40 Charged particle 41 Recipe amts.

45 Polar expedition vehicles 48 ’70s-’80s FBI sting 50 *Airborne unit member 53 Tijuana gold 54 “__ little teapot ... ” 55 Stationery supply with a blade ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues 57 Min. part 58 Companionless 59 Quai d’Orsay’s river 60 WNW opposite 61 Swiss watch brand 62 Trial rounds

1/29/19

By Frank Virzi

DOWN 1 Señor’s wife 2 Stock market purchases 3 Furious with 4 Outer: Pref.

5 Video conferencing choice 6 Carrot or turnip 7 Dominant dogs 8 Wintry pellets 9 Marx brother with a horn 10 Mete out, as PEZ candy 11 Hidden, as motives 12 Publishing family 14 __ Wonder: Robin 17 Note-taking aid 21 Classic ’30s-’50s vocal quartet, with “the” 23 Lake on the border of Bolivia and Peru 26 Critical-care ctrs.

27 Release 30 Queen’s “Another __ Bites the Dust”

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Field Goal Fumble Atlanta Quarterback

End Zone Tackle Safety Interception

Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! by Tim Rickard

©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

31 Shares again on Twitter, briefly 32 Set a match to 33 Befitting 34 Love handles?

35 Grand Prix, e.g.

36 Han and Leia’s son Kylo __ 37 Loathe 40 14-legged crustacean 42 Nova __

1/29/19

xkcd by Randall Munroe

43 Mother or father 44 Gooey campfire treats 46 For face value 47 Song syllables 48 NRC forerunner 49 Hair salon staple 51 Winery prefix 52 Opposite of post56 Shirt with a V-neck, perhaps

Where you go, we go. collegiatetimes.com

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collegiatetimes.com

Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend performs live on stage during the Main Square Festival in Arras, France, July 5, 2008.

LEFEVRE SYLVAIN / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Prepare for Vampire Weekend’s new record with these 9 essential songs As we await the release of “Father of the Bride,” get to know the essential band by listening to some of our editor’s favorites.

JOHN BATTISTON lifestyles editor

On Thursday, after a six-year hiatus following their masterful third record, “Modern Vampires of the City,” Vampire Weekend made a long-awaited return.

For those who follow the Ivy League indie rockers closely, the news of their re-emergence might have initially seemed too good to be true, and for good reason: A new record has been rumored and tweeted about for the last couple of years, with frontman Ezra Koenig even announcing the completion of the album last August. While such a long delay in new material was surely understandable — especially with the 2016 departure of key bandmate Rostam Batmanglij and the recent birth of Koenig’s son with Rashida Jones — the restlessness among fans itching for new material has been increasingly palpable.

But, sure enough, two new Vampire Weekend songs, “Harmony Hall” and “2021,” are out in the world and available to stream, and their new record, “Father of the Bride,” looms promisingly on the horizon. So if you’re new to Vampire Weekend and don’t have the time to listen through their entire discography (though you probably do — it’s pretty brief and uniformly brilliant), take a few minutes and get to know these nine essential tracks from their previous three albums.

“A-Punk” (“Vampire Weekend,” 2008) There are plenty of bands who have that one song that’s recognized by most, yet a good number of people couldn’t tell you the artist if they heard it. If Vampire Weekend is ever tragically sequestered to that subset of musical talent, “A-Punk” will be that one song. There’s a reason this track has been a staple of indie rock for the last decade: It is incorrigibly catchy and unique, managing to pack a glorious range of tropical sound and a whole party’s worth of fun into less than two and a half minutes.

“Cape Cod Kwassa Kw a s s a ” (“ Va m p i r e Weekend,” 2008) “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” is a choice introduction to the quirky, afro-beat persuasions of Vampire Weekend’s early material. In addition to the clean guitar and smooth, breathy electric organ that make “A-Punk” stand out, this track introduces the use of bouncy hand percussion (bongos, congas and the like) that are impossible to not tap along with on the dashboard during an afternoon drive.

“Walcott” (“Vampire Weekend,” 2008) This song is essentially a Vampire Weekend history lesson packed into a sprawling, ridiculously fun pop jam. The story goes that Koenig and his friends began to create a short film featuring a young man named Walcott and a whole bunch of vampires (the trailer is still on YouTube).

After only a weekend’s worth of filming, Koenig abandoned the project; however, when he and his buddies formed a band and were trying to come up with a name, the ill-fated film project served its purpose.

“Walcott” vaguely details the film’s plot, and is a fan favorite to the point that the band typically close their concerts with it.

“White Sky” (“Contra,” 2010) Va mpi re Weekend’s follow-up album, “Contra,” largely expanded, refined and improved upon the trademark sound they had established with their selftitled LP. “White Sky,” in particular, makes handy use of punchy electronic loops and smooth, falsetto vocal harmonies to create the impression that the same lovable band is still there, though a little less rough around the edges.

“Cousins” (“Contra,” 2010) If you thought “A-Punk” was a blast and “M79” (a cut off of the band’s first album that I’m kicking myself for not including on this list) was impressive in its kinetic

showiness, wait ‘till you hear “Cousins.” This is one of few Vampire Weekend songs one could plausibly describe as sounding “furious;” the blistering drum work by Chris Tomson, atop Koenig and Batmanglij’s guitar shredding that would set fire to even the coarsest fingertips, amounts to pure adrenaline for the listener.

Not to mention, the music video for “Cousins” might be my favorite made by any band.

enough to warrant involuntary bursts of reluctant laughter (“Irish and proud, baby, naturally/But you’ve got the luck of a Kennedy”).

“Hannah Hun t ” (“Modern Vampires of the City,” 2013) And, finally, the best of the best. “Hannah Hunt,” at least how I read it, picks up where “Run” left off:

A wayward couple have made their way away from the society they felt was repressing them so, and now find themselves facing the reality and hardship of entrusting one’s life to another. The ambient, sparse beginning verses set a soberingly reflective tone before the song reaches a gloriously sad denouement (“If I can’t trust you then

damn it, Hannah/There’s no future, there’s no answer”).

It cranks the emotionshaking and thought-provoking power of “Modern Vampires” to a cathartic maximum.

@JB3Writes

“Run” (“Contra,” 2010) “Run” begins a lyrical love story that some speculate continues on “Hannah Hunt,” midway through the band’s next record, “Modern Vampires of the City.”

(We’ll get to that song in a bit.) May it never be said that Vampire Weekend can’t pen an affectingly romantic tune, a skill showcased on their previous record with “Bryn” (again, kicking myself, and again, go listen to all of these records).

“Step” (“Mo d er n Vampires of the City,” 2013) “Modern Vampires of the City,” with a couple exceptions, takes a step back from the band’s typical peppy demeanor and detours into a desolate landscape of wintry experimentation, yet its beauty as a work of musical art is unmatched.

“Step” boasts the some of most clever lyricism of the band’s career, laid over an enveloping tapestry of harpsichord and whispery synth pads.

“Diane Yo u n g ” (“Modern Vampires of the City,” 2013) This is one of the aforementioned exceptions to the chilly tone of “Modern Va m p i r e s . ” “Diane Young” is, as the kids say, a “straight-up bop” that still manages to work in distinctively crunchy keyboard and bass work. It is easily the most energetic and fun track on the record, especially considering how contemplative and rather dark the songs get following the halfway point, and it features lyrics imbued with strikingly dark comedy

voted voted BEST OF BEST OF BLACKSBURG BLACKSBURG

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sports

January 29, 2019 PAGE 7

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ALEX NAGELI / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Regan Magarity (11) attempts a layup in the first half against North Carolina, Jan. 24, 2019.

Home woes continue as Lady Hokies fall to UNC Virginia Tech has now dropped its third-straight game at home and its sixth-straight in general after starting the season 13–0.

CLAIRE CASTAGNO sports staff writer

After a hard battle, Virginia Tech women’s basketball (13– 6, 0 – 6) fell short of a win at home against North Carolina (11–9, 2–4) on Jan. 24.

Things went right for the Tar Heels late in the game and they were able to beat the Hokies by 12, 81–69.

Both teams have been struggling to pick up wins in conference play; a win against any ACC team is meaningful, given the strength of the conference

currently. After a few tough road losses, the Hokies definitely needed to stay motivated back at home to try and turn around their conference play thus far.

In the first half, Virginia Tech and North Carolina were evenly matched, and open looks were hard to come by for either team.

Dara Mabrey was hot the first few minutes of regulation and scored three 3-pointers for the Hokies.

Th roughout the half, Virginia Tech shot better from the field, but North Carolina made more baskets

from behind the arc. The Hokies outrebounded the Tar Heels by four, leading by two in both offensive and defensive rebounding.

After six lead changes and seven ties, Virginia Tech started to pull away nearing the end of the first half, turning their defensive into offense and making the most of their possessions. After scoring her 1,000th point during the first half, Taylor Emery hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Hokies some momentum heading into the locker room with a 10-point lead.

A series of empty possessions for the Hokies in the first few minutes of the second half allowed the Tar Heels to catch up quickly with ease. A jumper from Janelle Bailey close to six minutes into the second half gave the Tar Heels their first lead since there was 4:52 left in the first half. A basket from Dara Mabrey was able to tie the game up again at 61–61 at the final seconds of the third quarter, but North Carolina never looked back and held a lead for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Taylor Emery made

a layup at 3:12 giving the Hokies a glimpse of light, but Virginia Tech ended up turning the ball over and missing open shots and allowed the Tar Heels to secure the game.

Dara Mabrey led the Hokies in scoring with 19 points and Taylor Emery was close behind with 17.

For the Tar Heels, Paris Kea put up an impressive 26 points and Janelle Bailey put up a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Regan Magarity had 11 rebounds. Despite leading the country in free throw

percentage, North Carolina shot 81.8 percent from the line while Virginia Tech shot just 80 percent.

On Jan. 27, Virginia Tech will stay in Blacksburg to take on another big ACC test: No. 22 Florida State.

Also on Jan. 27, North Carolina will face No. 1 Notre Dame in Chapel Hill.

@CTSportsTalk

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Rachel Camp (23) fights between two Tar Heel defenders as she goes for the field goal.

The Hokies lost 69–81 to the Tar Heels, making this their sixth straight loss, Jan. 24, 2019.

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Dara Mabrey (4) gets her shot denied as a pair of Tar Heel defenders block her. The Hokies were up 48–38 to the Tar Heels at halftime, Jan. 24, 2019.

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Regan Magarity (11) fights with the Tar Heels defenders for the layup. The Hokies were up 48–38 to the Tar Heels at halftime, Jan. 24, 2019.

ALEX NAGELI / COLLEGIATE TIMES Regan Magarity (11) reaches for the ball on the ground. The Hokies lost 69–81 to North Carolina, Jan. 24, 2019.

PAGE 8 January 29, 2019

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

Virginia Tech wrestling trounces No. 13 Pittsburgh The Hokies have proven themselves to be a top-tier wrestling program in the ACC after besting the Panthers 27–6 in Cassell.

NICHOLAS HATCH sports staff writer

Virginia Tech wrestling invited No. 13 Pittsburgh to Cassell Coliseum Friday night for its first ACC dual of the season. This would appear to shape up as a slugfest prior to the start as both squads boast spots on the NCAA’s top 25 with the No. 12 Hokies topping the Panthers by one spot on the list. Virginia Tech has been a consistent dominator of the ACC for quite a bit as the team entered the contest having won 19 of its last 20 duals versus ACC opponents, with its last loss coming at the hands of NC State last season in a shootout.

Starting the season with two-straight losses against No. 7 Missouri followed by another to underdog Northwestern, the Hokies have rattled off five straight

wins to prove themselves as a top tier wrestling program.

Hot off ACC Wrestler

of the Week honors after upsetting Old Dominion’s sixth-ranked Larry Early

as well as pinning UVA’s Jake Keating in the first period of the Virginia Duals,

COURTESY OF HOKIESPORTS Korbin Meyers celebrates after defeating second-ranked Micky Phillippi of Pittsburgh.

sophomore B.C. LaPrade competed in one of Virginia Tech’s most important conference duals of the year.

Although LaPrade would find himself on the losing side of the match, the Hokies continued to dominate opponents that would stand in their way as they defeated Pitt 27–6.

One of the most important headlines Friday night was senior Korbin Myers’ upset of second-ranked Micky Phillippi in a close one that had both wrestlers struggling to find points. Myers would come out on top after leading Phillippi 3–2, followed by a much needed reversal in overtime putting the match out of reach, 5–3.

Following an initial win

by Joey Prata at 125 pounds over Pitt’s Brendon Fenton, Virginia Tech took care of business once again as they won seven of the nine bouts with Zack Zavatsky, Tom

Sleigh, David McFadden and Mekhi Lewis all coming out victorious. It wasn’t the easiest task for the four, though, as the highest margin of victory out of all of them was McFadden’s 7–3 advantage.

The Hokies do not have much time to celebrate their first conference victory as they must hop on the bus to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to battle No. 24 Lehigh on Jan. 27 in another matchup of top-ranked opponents.

In their last meeting, the Hokies defeated the Mountain Hawks in a 20–17 finish. Virginia Tech also leads the series against them 3–2.

@CTSportsTalk

Lady Hokies can’t complete upset over Seminoles The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team is still looking for its first ACC victory this season after losing a game-long lead.

DILLON CAMPBELL sports staff writer

In spite of leading the whole way up until 22 seconds left to go, the Virginia Tech Hokies (13-7, 0-7) commit four turnovers in the final minutes and falter late to the No. 22 Florida State Seminoles (17-3, 5-2) 56–54, coming seconds short from snapping their six-game losing streak and notching their first ACC win of the season.

“They turned up the intensity, and we didn’t react to it,” Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said.

“I thought we were very timid the last whole quarter, but particularly the last five minutes.”

The Hokies came out the gates firing, scoring threestraight buckets on their first three possessions and

forcing Florida State head coach Sue Semrau to burn a timeout early. Coming out the timeout, Semrau had Amaya Brown fullcourt press Tech’s primary ball handler Dara Mabrey, disrupting the Hokies’ tempo and allowing the Seminoles to get into a rhythm of their own. As a result, Virginia Tech led Florida State just 15–11 at the end of the first quarter.

Just as they did in the first quarter, Virginia Tech got off on a quick run, starting the second quarter on a 9-2 run and extending its lead to 11. But once again the Seminoles refused to go away, cutting the deficit to five with a little under two minutes left to play in the half.

The Hokies ended the first half in style. After corralling the defensive rebound with

four seconds left, Kendyl Brooks threw an outlet pass upcourt to Taylor Emery, who cashed in a layup right before the first-half buzzer sounded, giving the Hokies a 28–21 halftime advantage.

Throughout the first two quarters, it was Virginia Tech who started on the offensive; however, Florida State flipped the script to kick off the second half. The Seminoles applied constant defensive pressure with a full-court 3-2 zone, creating easy scoring opportunities in transition and propelling them on a 11-4 run to tie the game up 32–32 about midway through the third quarter.

To halt the Florida State run, Emery, with a little help from shooter’s touch, knocked down a three from the top of the key, quelling the Seminoles’ momentum

and jumpstarting a 10-0 Virginia Tech run.

With a nine-point lead and the game seemingly in hand, the Hokies inexplicably gave up two straight steals for layups and had their lead cut to five with three minutes to go in the game. Coach Brooks called a timeout to help his team regain its composure in order to close out the win.

Despite the timeout, the Seminoles’ full-court trap caused the Hokies to cough up the ball two subsequent times.

“They were putting pressure on us, and we were just careless with the ball,” Regan Magarity said. “Our passes were soft, we didn’t come up and meet the ball, just careless mistakes that led to wide-open layups.”

To make matters worse, after a foul sent Emery,

Tech’s best foul shooter, to the line, she missed both free throws. On the other hand, after an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Emery, Florida State’s Nicki Ekhomu, the game’s leading scorer with 27 points, knocked down both of her free throws, cutting the Hokies lead to just one with 40 seconds left.

With 22 seconds left, Kendyl Brooks committed a personal foul on Florida State’s Nausia Woolfolk, which sent Woolfolk to the charity stripe for two free throws and a chance to give the Seminoles their first lead of the game.

After Woolfolk made both her free throws and gave Florida State its first lead of the game, Emery was given two chances to win, airballing one pull-up mid-range jumper and

having another skip across the rim, forcing the Hokies to foul.

Shortly thereafter, the Hokies had one more chance to retake its lead and win the game, but Dara Mabrey missed a potential gamewinning three-pointer from the wing.

Looking to notch its first ACC win of the season, Virginia Tech will hit the road for its next two games against Pitt and Boston College. In a battle against another winless team in ACC play, the Hokies will tip-off in Pittsburgh against the Panthers on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.

@CTSportsTalk

ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech’s Taylor Emery (1) gains control of the ball after the Seminoles miss a shot.

Florida State’s Nausia Woolfolk (13) chases after her, Jan. 27, 2019.

MEHHER HASNANY / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech’s Regan Magarity (11) puts up a shot while heavily guarded during the VT women’s basketball game vs. FSU, Jan. 27, 2019.

MEHHER HASNANY / COLLEGIATE TIMES Aisha Sheppard (2) passes the ball to an open teammate during the VT women’s basketball game vs. FSU, Jan. 27, 2019.

MEHHER HASNANY / COLLEGIATE TIMES Taylor Emery (1) takes a step back from her opponent before taking a shot during the VT women’s basketball game vs. FSU, Jan. 27, 2019.