April 8, 2024

HOKIE WELLNESS CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF DIGITAL WELLBEING PROGRAM THIS SPRING

The four week well-being challenge resulted in 56% of students making a change of habit due to the program.

Led by Assistant Director of Hokie Wellness Laurie Fritsch, the Digital Well-being program uses data-backed events and challenges to encourage students to unplug from their mobile devices at crucial times in their day.

“That’s what digital well-being is. It’s figuring out how do I live with my phone in a way that really helps me because it is a significant tool in our lives, and how do I limit when it is actually taking away from me experiencing college life in my best way,” Fritsch said.

According to Virginia Tech News, Fritsch worked alongside the Digital Wellness Institute to develop this programming and carry it out to students. Virginia Tech was honored as the first Digitally-Well University in April 2023 based on the program’s reception and thoroughness.

Impartiality means reporting, editing and delivering the news honestly, fairly, objectively and without opinion or bias.

Credibility is the greatest asset of any news medium, and impartiality is the greatest source of credibility.

To provide the most complete report, a news organization must not just cover the news, but uncover it. It must follow the story wherever it leads, regardless of any preconceived ideas on what might be most newsworthy.

The pursuit of truth is a noble goal of journalism. But the truth is not always apparent or known immediately. Journalists’ role is therefore not to determine what they believe at that time to be the truth and

The programming is composed of three different components for digital wellness.

The first component, in collaboration with the author of “The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in the Wired World” Christina Crook, the JOMO Campus Campaign was created. This campaign consists of conversation cards, phone-holding boxes and weekly challenge prompts placed in residence halls and communal areas around campus. The campaign invites students to confront their dependence on mobile devices and seek the moment.

The second component of the programming is a four-week well-being challenge, first piloted in Hoge Hall in spring 2023, the challenge requires pre-completion and post-completion surveys to gauge the

reveal only that to their readers, but rather to report as completely and impartially as possible all verifiable facts so that readers can, based on their own knowledge and experience, determine what they believe to be the truth.

When a news organization delivers both news and opinions, the impartiality and credibility of the news organization can be questioned. To minimize this as much as possible there needs to be a sharp and clear distinction between news and opinion, both to those providing and consuming the news.

OUR CORE VALUES

participant’s magnitude of their changes. The surveys analyze digital wellness across eight different areas: mental health, physical health, productivity, communication, environment, digital citizenship, tech-enabled health and relationships. Participants engage in a short learning activity coupled with a weekly challenge that streamlines their phone usage for maximum productivity and mental clarity.

The third component is a challenge series that prioritizes a different area of well-being weekly. One of these challenges could include putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” all day and reflecting on how you feel after. Participants can submit a written reflection to Hokie Wellness about their experience and receive a free t-shirt. All the challenges created for the weekly series are created by students.

“Through the reflections, I do see that people are doing the challenges, they are sharing them with other people, and they see the benefit in making changes,” Fritsch said.

According to Fritsch, the result of this campaign speaks for itself as far as its popularity

and need for a program like this to exist:

- 76% of students told someone else about the JOMO phone boxes.

- 56% of students reported making a change as a result of taking the four-week wellbeing challenge.

- 61% reported likely or highly likely that they would continue the behavior change from the four-week program.

“We really need to shift our campus culture, but we need to do it together,” Fritsch said. “When you change your environment, when you’re set up for success, when you’re reminded to make that change. When it’s easy, that’s when people are gonna be able to do it.”

Hokie Wellness and the Digital Well-being programming are looking to recruit and enlist student ambassadors for future academic years. Contact Laurie Fritsch at lfritsch@ vt.edu for further details.

COLLEGIAT E TIMES

Benjamin Montgomery | News writer

AUTHORITIES ARREST VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT IN DRUG TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATION

angela lee | News writer

The Total Street Value of the drugs found amounted up to almost $240,000.

On Tuesday, Virginia Tech student Julius C. Semple-Dormer, was arrested on various drug charges according to WDBJ7.

According to the Blacksburg Police Department, Semple-Dormer is charged with the following:

- Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited (three counts)

- Sale, gift, distribution or possession with intent to sell, give or distribute marijuana

- Possession with intent to distribute a Schedule III controlled substance.

Blacksburg Police executed a search warrant on April 2, 2024, concerning an ongoing narcotics trafficking investigation. The Virginia State Police, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and Christiansburg Police were also involved. The police seized the following from Semple-Dormer:

- 51 grams of THC Resin (Estimated Street Value of $300).

- 7 grams of Ketamine (Estimated Street Value of $700).

- 3,784 grams of THC Gummies (Estimated Street Value of $1,100).

- 13 grams of MDMA (Estimated Street Value of $1,300).

- 2.08 pounds of Psilocybin Mushrooms (Estimated Street Value of $1,500).

- 827 grams of THC Wax (Estimated Street Value of $4,800).

- Over $10,000 in Cash.

- 752 hits of LSD (Estimated Street Value of $11,000).

- 9.79 pounds of marijuana (Estimated Street Value of $12,000).

- 4 pounds 9 ounces of Ibogaine (Estimated Street Value of $204,400).

The Total Street Value of the drugs found was $237,100.

@COLLEGIATETIMES

DUCK POND TO UNDERGO DREDGING PROJECT

Wilbert Ramirez | News writer

The dredging will remove silt and sediment from the Duck Pond.

The Duck Pond on Virginia Tech’s campus is set to undergo dredging from late April until summer.

“The duck ponds serve from an environmental standpoint as a stormwater detention pond,” said William Knocke, Professor and Associate Department Head for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Stormwater detention ponds are designed to capture sediment and protect downstream water bodies. “What happens in a settlement

pond is eventually you collect enough sediment that unless you do something about it, you no longer have a pond; it just fills in with sediment over time.”

According to an email sent to civil and environmental engineering staff on Feb. 28 from Knocke, the duck ponds are set to undergo a 45- to 60-day dredging operation. Dredging consists of removing silt and settled sediments from the bottom of bodies of water according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

According to Knocke, there are individuals opposed to the incoming dredging at the Duck Pond.

“I know someone on the committee has talked about concerns about turtles and the like that may be down in the sediments, but they can hopefully do it in a way that would minimize those impacts,” Knocke said.

Knocke stated the bags of dredged material are to be placed on Virginia Tech’s golf course to dry and should be completely drained by October.

“This is something that needs attention and one of the things I think you’ll see over time is that in addition, it’s an environmentally correct thing to do,” Knocke said. “The duck ponds now kind of sit on the periphery of campus. Ten to fifteen years from now, the golf course is gone, because that’s all-university buildings; inherently, the ponds are going to become more of an integrated part of the campus itself.”

@COLLEGIATETIMES

VIRGINIA TECH COMMUNITY REFLECTS ON GOOGLE WORKSPACE TO MICROSOFT OFFICE TRANSITION

Students and staff offer their thoughts on the shift itself and experiences with unfamiliar technology.

This past January, Virginia Tech began to make changes to Google Workspace. These changes eliminated access to Gmail, Google Photos, Google Calendar and shared Drive functions for students and employees. It also established a 5 GB storage space limit within Google Workspace. This shift forced students

and employees to begin using Exchange Online for all email and calendar needs, as well as SharePoint for sharing documents.

The switch has impacted the community both positively and negatively.

“I taught a winter course,” said Dr. Kelly Scarff, collegiate assistant professor and

director of the Technical Communication Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering “It was a quick turnaround, and it overlapped with the students migrating.”

Scarff mentioned that some students who weren’t aware of the change were not understanding why they weren’t receiving emails.

“That caused a bit of a panic on the students’ part. It all worked out, but yeah, it was during the migration there was an issue,” Scarff said. Aside from the initial migration, Scarff has not faced many issues and agrees with the switch.

“I think, from my understanding, part of the

reason they did it was to kind of streamline the software that everyone was using because everyone was using different kinds of storage spaces and emails,” Scarff said. “So, in a year, I might say yeah, it’s great. I love the change, but as of right now, there’s a little bit of trepidation just because you have to acclimate to something.”

students, who had grown used to Google Workspace.

“I had to teach it to myself. I’ve never used it until now. I know a lot of people who don’t know how to use it,” said Allison Stacy, majoring in English, regarding the switch to Microsoft.

Stacy didn’t mind the change itself but had a problem with how the transition was conducted.

the switch, if that makes sense. Like, it came out of nowhere and if I didn’t have a class with Leslie King, I wouldn’t have known it was happening until the emails went out,” Stacy said. “And my roommates didn’t know about it until they got an email. Some of them got emails after their Google accounts were already shut off.”

continued from page 3 @COLLEGIATETIMES

This change to Microsoft primarily targeted

“My issue is that I don’t like how they handled

storage space will be limited to 10 GB and departmental sponsorship will be needed to use SharePoint and Teams.

To stay up to date with future changes, check the timeline for the changes through the Division of Information Technology.

The changes aren’t ending for students anytime soon. Beginning in 2025, Microsoft

OPINIONS

REGULATING PERSONAL ELECTRIC VEHICLES WILL RESULT IN SAFER TRANSPORTATION

Emily Dorsey | opinions columnist

The implementation of better infrastructure on campus is essential for e-vehicle safety.

It’s important to prioritize sustainable transportation; college campuses are the most common places to do so. Electric scooters, bikes and skateboards make it easier to get around campus — to the point that they have become the new norm. Pedal bikes, walking, riding Blacksburg Transit and driving are still options used by students and faculty. However, those alternatives seem less efficient and lengthen the journey of getting across Virginia Tech’s 2,000+ acre campus. These “old-fashioned” modes of transportation have become lackluster compared to the shiny, new technology of personal electric vehicles. Personal electric vehicles make our lives a little bit easier, but are they safe?

Nick Quint, transportation network manager for Virginia Tech, provides insight on the e-transportation craze, the importance of roadway safety and what the future of sustainable transportation looks like for Virginia Tech.

“In general, there has been innovation in personal transportation devices, and they are very attractive to the student population,” Quint said. “At the same time, the infrastructure hasn’t been able to keep up with it.”

According to The Washington Post, “Scooters are bound to become more tightly woven into the fabric of urban life.” Students and faculty are looking for ways to travel across campus efficiently, safely and in an eco-friendly way. While e-transportation can provide quick travel, Virginia Tech’s infrastructure is not quite up to par yet.

There is a lot of change that can be made to Tech’s roadway infrastructure. First, adding more bike lanes would decongest sidewalks

and ultimately create safer walking paths for pedestrians. Secondly, expanding bike lanes throughout campus would give bikers and e-vehicles more room to maneuver, feel safer around cars and influence more commuters to bike instead of driving.

“The more options you provide someone to get around the less likely they are to drive alone in their car and that’s our mission. I’m all in favor of giving people more options,” Quint said.

This method of thinking and designing is impactful and stimulates powerful change. For example, I never used public transportation in my hometown because it seemed so inaccessible. But since Blacksburg Transit is reliable and accessible, I’m more inclined to use it daily.

Dutch cities, especially Amsterdam, are idolized for their bicycle networks which are just as, if not more, important than their vehicular networks. Amsterdam prioritized sustainable transportation via bikes and built a roadway system that allowed citizens of all ages to feel comfortable riding close to cars. Amsterdam, along with other major cities like New York or Washington D.C., didn’t force people to ride their bikes. They proposed it as an option with safer variables which inspired people to start using sustainable transportation more often.

That said, we should reevaluate the design of Virginia Tech’s campus. I love that many students are turning to efficient and green modes of transportation. But with growing numbers, there also needs to be equal change on the road. Adding and expanding bike lanes would decrease car transportation, establish safer precautions and prepare

Virginia Tech for a more sustainable and efficient future.

The surge in electric vehicles does not come without safety concerns, and some people in control of these vehicles are not informed enough to maintain a safe environment. The biggest safety concerns include speeding, not alerting pedestrians while on the sidewalk and lack of awareness around other cars, bikes, scooters, etc. Making your presence known to pedestrians is especially important because most pedestrians are looking at their phones, wearing noise cancelling headphones and not paying attention. While everyone is in a rush to get to class, meetings or extracurriculars, it does not justify speeding on these e-devices. Being aware of other contributors to your safety like cars driving recklessly or inattentive pedestrians will help limit the overall dangers on the road.

“Most bad experiences are with someone with a personal scooter, and they tend to make a blanket statement about all e-scooters,” Quint said.

One unfortunate experience should not completely negate forms of sustainable transportation. I was hit by an electric scooter last year because the person was speeding and oblivious to their surroundings. The accident was frustrating and daunting because as the pedestrian, I was doing the right thing by walking on the sidewalk. But that story reflects how roadway education for students and tangible changes in infrastructure are needed to improve Virginia Tech’s safety transportation and roadway system.

“We have something called Heads Up Hokies Campaign. We’ve developed a

course in Canvas that goes over the rules of the road and options for a Virginia Tech student. Transportation is a life skill. It affects everyone even if you live on campus,” Quint said.

In previous years, Virginia Tech partnered with Spin and Roam to bring e-scooters and e-bikes to campus, Blacksburg and Christiansburg. While both partnerships ended by May of 2022, it may be time to bring this back to our communities now that e-vehicles are ever-present.

“With a managed fleet, we can control where scooters can and can’t go, at what speeds, where they can park. It’s not going to solve every problem, but it allows us to help address issues better than if everyone has their own personal scooter,” Quint said.

With Quint and others finalizing changes to Policy 5005 and expressing interest in returning these ride-share programs, the future of safe transportation among pedestrians, e-vehicles and pedal bikes is looking bright.

In summary, personal electric vehicles are not going anywhere anytime soon. They are a great resource and very innovative. However, people who use them must prioritize the rules of the road by staying off sidewalks, using vehicular or bike lanes and being more mindful of other elements. Looking forward, road changes can be made that establish a meaningful focused transportation design. Adding and widening the existing bike lanes is something we are in dire need of. Following what other cities, communities and campuses are implementing regarding road welfare will help keep safety, innovation and green living at the forefront of change.

CLIMATE CHANGE TRENDS AFFECT PEOPLE EVERYWHERE

Alexandria Lily | opinions contributor

The climate crisis could be a possible cause of nations superseding.

Climate change concerns center on the likelihood of mass displacement in areas facing rising sea levels, adverse climatic events and more gradual environmental degradation. In fact, there have been many occurrences where climate change has contributed to an increase in displacement rates globally. Although, it is important to note that associating climate change with displacement is a complex matter. Because both issues involve compounded happenings, it is problematic to superficially link only environmental changes to forced displacement. The connections between these two issues must be realized in their entirety.

Climate change has undoubtedly become a stressor for developed and developing countries, which disproportionately affects marginalized groups. Today, we see climate change contributing to North American wildfires, catastrophic flooding in Western Europe, deadly monsoon rains in India as well as increased drought severity in the Horn of Africa. Yet to better realize this issue, climate change must first be defined.

A special report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) referred to climate change as “a change in the state of climate defined by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties recognized for over decades or longer.” Using this definition, climate change can refer to the slow onset of environmental changes.

Although these changes in climate are not always abrupt, shifts in weather patterns and temperatures over time also contribute to extreme weather events in the form of natural disasters. The consequences to climate change are not always immediate, but since they can progressively compound, we must consider what a changing climate means for future populations.

According to the United Nations, the impacts of climate change are unmatched in scale. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, populations are left vulnerable. Given the challenges of climate change, different durations of displacement can occur — ranging from permanent loss of land and home to individuals returning home after only a few weeks. Climate change can leave populations vulnerable, yet this vulnerability differs within regions. It also depends on the changing environmental condition and the

established socio-political structures.

In the cases where the effects of climate change and shifts in weather patterns are not instantaneous, one’s livelihood and socio-economic status are still impacted over time. This is especially true in the case of two severe droughts Syria has experienced in the 21st century from 1998-2001, Drought One, and 2006-2010, Drought Two. During these times, Syria experienced low rainfall and higher than average temperatures through a multiyear period. These extreme droughts contributed to water shortages, food insecurity, agricultural failures and economic difficulties. Even though the very severe effects of these droughts did not take place immediately, many people faced struggle throughout the years. In fact, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) published a report based on the award-winning book, “The Origins of the Syrian Conflict” by Marwa Doudy regarding the agricultural struggle during this time. According to Daoudy’s statistical analysis, during Drought One, temperatures increased by a yearly average of 5.07%. This drastic increase in temperature impacted soil moisture levels, to where soil conditions became poor, and crops could not grow efficiently. Additionally, it was found that Drought Two destroyed the livelihoods of over 50% of farmers across the nation. It should be noted that the drastic increase in temperatures in Syria may not be due to climate change alone, but human-caused factors such as conflict, poorwaste management, land-use change and other natural factors. Nonetheless, temperatures visibly fluctuate. With drastic changes in temperatures, many populations are unable to live a sustainable life and must seek refuge elsewhere. Drought doesn’t only affect a population’s well-being, but it can contribute to displacement.

Livelihoods depend on socio-political factors including well-developed infrastructures. If climate is shifting into the extremes, how are our infrastructures to account for this?

What will happen to the people whose lives depend on their land?

As of now, the Sahara covers less than 1% of the earth’s land surface, but according to The Irish Examiner, “by 2070, (it) could cover nearly a fifth of the land, potentially placing one of every three people alive outside the climate niche where humans have thrived for thousands of years.

The political institutions and past policies developed prove it difficult for climate migrants to achieve refugee status. This is because environmental migrants are not covered by the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Because environmental migrants are not already established in policy, The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is hesitant to broaden its definition of refugee since it will then, of course, need to support a new category of refugees. The necessary funding and will to create this new category are not apparent in governmental agendas, as the UNHCR already struggles to support the world’s 22.5 million refugees from war and persecution. The status of climate migrants seems to remain unclear in many scenarios as the UNHCR and the UN Development Programme agree that climate refugee should not be used to describe those displaced for environmental reasons. So, what do we do about the people who are and could be displaced because of changing environmental conditions?

In October 2017, New Zealand’s minister for climate change at the time, James Shaw, announced that the country was reviewing a new solution for Pacific Islanders displaced by the effects of climate change: a humanitarian visa. This plan tried to bring around 100 people a year to New Zealand; many people praised it, but others did not. Regardless, this plan was dropped six months after its proposition. The ultimate rejection of climate refugee visas had to do with the fact that Pacific Islanders saw gaining refugee status as a last resort. This is controversial for many reasons, yet in this scenario, Pacific Islanders wanted help provided by their government to stay in their homelands. Therefore, the people called on their own New Zealand government to institute a stepwise approach to mitigate the effects of climate change. This example illustrates the benefits for developed countries to support more underdeveloped countries when it comes to alleviating population vulnerability.

Climate changes are predicted to increase, and our society needs to be ready to adapt to these shifts. Developed governments can establish infrastructures that simultaneously reduce emissions and support adoption efforts, while also providing legal migration pathways. These initiatives can set a precedent while developed governments support other governments requiring more assistance.

Governments should also make it a top priority to include pathways for citizens to contribute to this change as well in upcoming policies.

It is important for our governments, as well as society, to accept climate change for our world to progress forward. Just because climate change trends may not be readily visible to a given nation does not mean its prospective impacts should be ignored. On a structural scale, providing more drought or flood-resistant crops and even humanitarian visas in cases could all be beneficial solutions to consider when reflecting on climate change affecting mass populations’ livelihoods. The prioritization of Green Urban Development techniques in cities such as Singapore illustrate such solutions in mitigating the vulnerability of populations as the earth’s global temperatures increase. So, it should not go without asking: what can the individual do about these issues? In our own lives we can apply pressure to the institutions that surround us to advocate for those affected by climate change. We can also contribute to positive change by volunteering some of our time to support others who have been displaced.

Serve the City Paris provides humanitarian programs for refugees, the homeless and underprivileged foreigners. There are many organizations like this one where individuals from all over the world come together to provide support to marginalized people in any way they can. Donating food, clothes and creating spaces for language exchange are some of these ways.

Nethra Maruvala is a long-term volunteer with NGO association Serve the City Paris.

“Individuals can do good things just by giving their time and kindness,” Maruvala said.

In this world, we need to recognize the effect collective support has on our institutions and how it can change lives, including the marginalized. Together we can collectively call for action and advocate for more political change. The earth is evolving; we must accept this matter and collectively work together to help those left especially vulnerable.

“Problems elsewhere are also problems where you are. You cannot just let it go; you cannot just ignore it. Everyone should be consciously aware of how they could help,” Maruvala said.

LIFESTYLES

PICKLEBALL: THE NEWEST BIG DILL ON CAMPUS

Ask any Hokie what the most popular sport on campus is, and they’ll probably say football or basketball. An unexpected yet deserved answer would also be pickleball. Over the last couple of years, this sport has swept the nation, and Virginia Tech wasn’t left out.

“I think the fact that it got so popular is a great thing,” said Justin Shuman, a freshman statistics major. “It’s a sport that almost anyone can pick up and play easily without too much intensity. It’s a great way for people to interact with their community here at Virginia Tech without having to play an intense sport.”

People seem to be drawn to pickleball for numerous reasons. These might be the fitness aspect, orthe ability to spend time with family and friends, to pick up a new hobby or to continue enjoying similar sports from their past.

“I started playing during Covid because obviously there wasn’t much to do other than play with family and be outside,” said Callie Shaw, a sophomore physics major and member of the campus pickleball team. “I didn’t play competitively really until I got to Tech because that’s when I really started getting into it. I’ve definitely gotten better these past few years because of playing on the Tech team. I like the competitive aspect because I used to play soccer and I missed that competitive spirit and feeling.”

Hokies have two main ways to play pickleball on campus: with friends on the Washington Street Courts or as a member of the Pickleball Club at Virginia Tech.

“The club was founded in August 2022, so it’s fairly new,” said Gavin Springer, club president

GOING

and sophomore majoring in physics. “Our first full year was technically last year; however, we didn’t have any practices in the fall, so we really got off the ground in March 2023. This year is the first year where we’ve had practices throughout the entire school year.”

The club is split into two sectors. The first one is the recreational team is open to anyone, anytime. There are no tryouts and the club practices five days a week, giving members the freedom to play on their schedule, whether that be every day or just once a week.

“We have people who have never played before and people who have played for years,” Springer said. “As long as you pay dues then we have paddles and balls that you can use while you play with us.”

The second isa tournament team that holds tryouts at the beginning of each semester. Springer explained that the top 16 boys and top 16 girls will go on to play against other schools and in national tournaments. Team members are required to attend two practices per week to learn new skills and master those they already know.

“This past November we went to the second annual collegiate national championship which was hosted in Atlanta. We took 16 players to that and there were 32 schools that went total,” Springer said. “This next year in 2024 they’ve just upped the number of teams competing in the main bracket to 64. Then there’s also a challenger bracket on top of that for 64 other schools. Any school can play in that, they don’t have to get a bid. We already have a bid to nationals this

upcoming November.”

Shaw has reportedly found many more benefits to joining the tournament team than just improving her pickleball skills.

“It’s brought me into this group of people that I normally wouldn’t be hanging out with. I feel like it’s opened doors to meet new people and even play against other schools,” Shaw said. “The competitive aspect has made me enjoy it more and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better because we’ve gone to these tournaments. It’s fun to play other schools and see how it brings people together.”

Although Shuman isn’t a member of the Pickleball Club, he still makes time weekly to play the sport with his friends.

“I really enjoy how it’s a low intensity sport, but it definitely feels like I’ve worked out afterwards. My friend Joe got me into pickleball and the extra courts on campus that are a short walk away encourage us to get out and use them more. The only real negative I have about is that it can be hard to get a good rally going for beginners like me.”

Shuman also mentioned that at times, he has tried to play pickleball, but the courts are all filled. These courts have seen a lot of changes over the years because of pickleball’s rise in popularity. When they were first built in 1965, the Washington Street Courts were 11 tennis courts, according to Virginia Tech’s website. After having their numbers doubled, being resurfaced a few times and then being decreased back to twelve courts, the facility wasn’t designed for pickleball until this semester, all thanks to the Pickleball Club.

“Last semester there were no pickleball courts on campus so for every practice we had to bring our nets and court markers and set everything up,” Springer said. “We had a tape measure to measure where the markers went on the court and then had to take it all down and redo it the next day. Over the summer, they told us they were going to be redoing the courts. Our former president actually had a lot of say in how the courts were redone and he pushed them into getting six permanent pickleball courts as well as the two combination pickleball and tennis courts on the other side. Now the pickleball courts are always full.”

With brand new facilities, warmer weather, and a supportive team to play with, Springer, Shaw and Shuman agree that there’s no better time than the present to start playing pickleball.

“Just come to our practices and feel it out! You can join anytime,” Shaw said. “Nobody is going to judge you if you’re not the best. I came into it never having played competitively before but here I am. All of the people are super welcoming, and it’s really helped me grow and become a better player. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back but if you do it’s a new hobby or sport you can get into!”

Interested members can join the Pickleball Club at Virginia Tech anytime and stay up to date on club events via their GroupMe.

@COLLEGIATETIMES

FOR GOLD: AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIO MOLLA YANES

Benjamin Gozzi | lifestyles writer

Lifestyles writer Benjamin Gozzi jumps in the deep end with a Virginia Tech student headed for the Olympics.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association claims that its Division I student-athletes, in a seven-day work week, will spend around 33 hours on their sport. From strength and conditioning to supplemental workouts to film review, those involved in collegiate athletics are truly devoted to their athletic endeavors.

Combined with the estimated 35.5 hours spent on academics, it goes without saying that student-athletes are expected to maintain quite a lofty schedule.

However, for Mario Molla Yanes, a junior on Virginia Tech’s Swimming and Diving Team, involvement in collegiate athletics goes far

beyond counting hours spent in the water. A freestyle/butterfly specialist, Mario extended some time in his rather busy schedule to sit down with me to talk about his passions, his motivations and inspirations for becoming the Olympicsqualifying swimmer he is today.

Molla Yanes talked in detail about how

he started his swimming journey. Starting his career in his hometown of Barcelona, Spain, he mentioned how he finds Virginia Tech’s swim team to be more harmonized than his prior engagements.

“Back in my country, I used to be honestly

continued on page 7

Emma Duncan | lifestyles assistant editor

Pickleball enthusiasts share the surge in popularity of the sport around campus and within the Pickleball Club.

continued from page 6

pretty stressed about swimming, and mixing swimming with studies and the family and everything,” Molla Yanes said. “(And) when I came here, it was like…like everything is harmonized, and it took form for me. And that’s when I started being passionate about it.”

Molla Yanes later articulated his schedule in the interview, and I was floored. I was shocked at how dedicated and motivated student athletes had to be to succeed in their sport. His day starts before many would ever get up from their beds for class.

“My group starts around 7:00 a.m. Morning practice is around two hours long, (which is followed by) a lift at 2:30 p.m. We go straight from lift to afternoon practice, and we go from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.,” Molla Yanes said. “If you start counting (the time spent), it’s a lot of hours.”

When I asked Molla Yanes about who has motivated him the most throughout his life, he spoke about how he has always had his father in

his corner. Molla Yanes mentioned how he’s had quite a lot of coaches, but his father has always been there for him. Both he and his father are physically fit, and he drew a lot of inspiration from watching his dad when he was an athlete during Molla Yanes’ youth.

“He has been there for me when I was in the downs, you know, and he has been that person that I needed the most at some points… (he is) someone I look forward to becoming one day,” Molla Yanes said. “Right now, I’m here talking to you because of him.”

We later moved the conversation more towards his current accolades and successes in the pool. Just recently, Molla Yanes, along with swimmers Luis Dominguez, Brendan Whitfield and Carles Coll Marti, smashed the Virginia Tech 800 Yard Freestyle Relay school record with a blazing time of 6:09.34 at the NCAA Nationals in Indianapolis. On top of this, Molla Yanes achieved personal bests in the 100 Freestyle (42.39), 100 Butterfly (45.06) and the 50 Free

(19.29) at the same competition.

However, Molla Yanes has found success further than the NCAA Nationals. After posting a blazing 51.72 time in his 100-meter Butterfly finals run during the 2024 World Aquatic Championships in Doha, Qatar, Molla Yanes has now qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. When I asked if he was nervous to be performing on a global stage that garners billions of viewers, Molla Yanes was unfazed but ultimately very grateful.

“I’m excited.I’m not nervous, I’m excited… the moment I touched the wall, and I saw that time and realized I’m(going to be) an Olympic swimmer…I don’t know how to describe it. It is something that you have to experience.I’m, like, so proud, you know, not just all me,(but) everything and my family and all the people that have supported me…it’s a culmination of everything that (I have) been through.”

It was inspiring to hear how Molla Yanes spoke about how the Virginia Tech Swimming and

SPORTS

Diving Team has changed his life for the better. Being so far away from his home country of Spain, Molla Yanes told me that it can be hard to be so far away from his loved ones. When I asked him if he could share a word that describes his experience thus far, however, he told me it’s like family.

“These people (have) become my family. I have my family back home, my blood family, but honestly, it’s so hard when I’m away from these people (in Blacksburg). My roommates, the team in general, you know, it’s when I’m back home, like actually my country…I feel like, honestly, I’m missing something.”

Be sure to catch Mario Molla Yanes this summer in Paris, France, when the 2024 Summer Olympics begin on July 26 and end on August 11. Swimming events will be streamed live between July 27 and August 4.

@COLLEGIATETIMES

NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH BUNTS ITS WAY INTO A SERIES-CLINCHING WIN AGAINST PITT

Dylan Tefft | sports editor

Virginia Tech and Pitt took to a windy English Field on Saturday to play game three of what had been an ultracompetitive series, tied at one game apiece. Despite the Panthers once again testing it, Tech came away with the series win, 6–5.

Pitt — a team that was just 1–8 in ACC play before this weekend’s matches — snapped the Hokies’ (21–5, 10–2 ACC) eight-game win streak on Friday, tying up a series that many assumed it would fail to take a game in.

No matter what the standings said, Pitt proved its ability to compete with the No. 13 ranked Hokies in each game. Even in its eventual seriesending loss the Panthers kept the game tied or better for seven innings.

“I try to explain to our guys that’s the ebb and flow of this league,” said Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc. “This time last week we’re sitting on top of the world. Winning, sweeping series on the road and today that almost didn’t happen.”

The 17 points that the Hokies scored against Pitt is their lowest in any series this season, the next lowest being the 25 they plated against Louisville in mid-March.

“On paper, that was the last place team, right,” Szefc said. “I mean, that’s what it was. But they certainly didn’t play like the last place team.

Pitt’s five points may have been many more if not for Virginia Tech starting pitcher Griffin Stieg.

The McLean, Virginia native began the match baring teeth — striking out three straights in the first inning to retire the side himself.

“I was just being able to command consistently and keep them off balance and just continue with those strikes,” Stieg said. “I just try to attack them as much as possible.”

Stieg’s seven strikeouts tie his career high — the first coming in a five inning, no earned-run performance on Feb. 25 against Rhode Island — a game where Virginia Tech dominated, 14–2.

Doing it again in a tight in-conference game following a disappointing loss for his team, the sophomore’s second seven K outing of the season proved to be his most impactful.

Closer Jordan Little finished what Stieg started — shutting down Pitt’s final go at offense with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out before the Panthers could even blink. It was a much-needed stop after a two-run bottom-of-the-eighth put Virginia Tech up by a single point.

“He clearly can operate in tight situations,” Szefc said. “And there’s a lot of intangible to that because a lot of guys can’t do that. So, when you come in and watch and you see that dude come out of the bullpen that’s one of the reasons why you’re coming to the ballpark. To see him do what he just did.”

Little capped off his final frame outing with a

passionate celebration as his team ran out of the dugout to embrace him. His save against the Panthers is his fourth in the last nine days.

Not games — days. Little has established himself as one of the premier closers in the ACC, and he does it in a way that energizes both him and his squad.

“Yeah, for sure,” Little said when asked if his celebrations give him and his team a momentum boost. “I just try to get the momentum back to our side when things are going wrong. I think it’s just my competitiveness out there. I kind of black out when I’m out there to be honest with you. I just go up there, execute and then sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, but I guess it’s all part of the game. I love this game and I’m very passionate about it.”

Little’s save came just after an eighth inning where Virginia Tech managed to get ahead in a way its high-torque offense hasn’t all season — three consecutive bunts. With men on third and first, centerfielder Ethan Gibson and shortstop Clay Grady both executed perfect bunts that allowed themselves to get on base while runners advanced, tying the score at five. Then came Hokies’ star slugger Carson DeMartini.

DeMartini took a huge chop at the first pitch — a standard swing for the junior who has stacked up 14 home runs so far this season. On the next

pitch, however, he shows bunt, and squeezes one that gets him out, but scores Gibson. It ended up being the winning bunt for Virginia Tech.

“That might have been the first bunt of DeMartini’s career,” Szefc said. “You can be pretty sure that when DeMartini comes up with the bases loaded in the eighth that they’re not thinking he’s gonna lay a squeeze bunt on them, you just never know when it’s gonna happen.”

Although Virginia Tech bent a bit during its series against Pitt, it never broke. It will hope to carry the momentum of another series win into a rematch with Marshall on Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. Tech defeated Marshall on March 26, winning 4–2.

“We’re first place, did we play like a first-place team? Eh, I don’t know,” Szefc said. “We played good enough to win the series and, sometimes you’d rather win a little freaky game than lose. I think it just sets us up well to go into next phase.”

Griffin Stieg’s seven strikeouts helped Virginia Tech take series against Pitt.

HOKIES’ OFFENSE STUMPED IN HIGH-PROFILE ACC BOUT VS. WAKE FOREST

Dylan Tefft | sports editor

The Hokies recorded just three hits in loss to Wake Forest.

Virginia Tech (21–6, 10–3 ACC) had dominated in-conference series coming into this weekend’s three-game stretch against Wake Forest — beating Pitt and Louisville while managing sweeps of Notre Dame and Boston College. These teams — while talented in their own right — lay near the bottom of the ACC standings.

Wake Forest, however, is ranked No. 21 in the country. The first real ACC test for No. 11 Virginia Tech arrived at a chilly English Field on Friday night.

Test Tech, they did. The Demon Deacons (19–10, 5 –8 ACC) allowed just three hits en route to their 8–5 victory.

“It’s truly not close at all to the rest of the competition that we’ve played this year,” said Virginia Tech coach John Szefc.

Wake Forest’s starting pitcher Chase Burns was the defensive force that halted the Hokies’ bats — an offense that entered the game ranked third in slugging percentage across all of Division 1 baseball.

“That’s one of the best arms I’ve seen in 30

years,” Szefc said. “He’s got big-league velocities — he’s got a big-league slider. That was probably the best changeup we’ve had all year. You’re talking about a guy that’s a big leaguer. There’s a difference between major leaguers and minor leaguers that guy’s a major leaguer.”

Between a career-high 15 strikeouts and the retirement of all but six batters in Burns’ seven innings pitched, it was no surprise that Virginia Tech failed to find an offensive spark all game.

No spark besides a third-inning grand slam by right fielder Eddie Micheletti, that is.

The slam came following a third inning where the Demon Deacons crushed a pair of home runs 432 and 466 feet. The Hokies — who managed a single hit to that point — looked to respond.

Catcher Henry Cooke held his bat for four straight tosses to take a base, and shortstop Clay Grady followed it with a pop-single to right field. With men on first and third —and no outs — third baseman Carson DeMartini was intentionally walked.

DeMartini had earned that respect as a result

of his ACC-leading 14 home runs. Burns was faltering a bit, but a subsequent strikeout gave Wake Forest hope that it could escape the inning cleanly — then Micheletti stepped into the batters’ box.

The senior looked at two balls, then smacked the first strike he was delivered — a fastball that was smashed 405 feet into right field.

“I work a lot with a mental coach,” said Micheletti when asked how he deals with pressure-filled bases loaded situations. “I just try and do my breathing techniques and positive self-talk. Baseball is not like football in a sense where you can’t be all wound up and ready to hit someone. It’s more like you’re fishing on a boat, and you gotta be patient. That’s the mentality I bring, just kind of even-keel. You can celebrate and go crazy after, but during the at-bat you’ve got to be as calm as possible.

The grand slam put Virginia Tech up, 5 –3, but it was its last hit of the game. Being rendered hitless in the last six innings of a game is a losing recipe for any team — and the Hokies were no exception.

“It’s hard to lose when you hit a grand slam,” Szefc said. “But we’ve done it the last two years, unfortunately.”

Tech’s four walked batters in the final three innings provided it with a glimmer of opportunity, but its lack of hits prevented any of them from walking past home plate.

The Hokies will return to English Field for the second game of this high-stakes ACC series on Saturday, April 6 at 7 p.m.

“I think it says a lot for us only losing by three to them,” Szefc said. Playing not as well as we would have pitching and defense wise. I can’t really complain too much about scoring five on that pitching staff tonight because that’s probably about the best pitching we’ve seen the whole year by far in one game. You can’t put too much stock into one outing in a season like this. We’ve played 27 games so you can’t dwell on it too much because tomorrow will be here pretty quick.”

VIRGINIA TECH DROPS FIRST SERIES OF THE SEASON TO WAKE FOREST

Dylan TeffT | Sports editor

Hokies offense was unable to find a spark for the second game in a row.

“Good question, man, we’re bad, pathetic,” said Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc when asked if his confidence in his offense waned after answering no to that same question just a day ago.

Whether or not Szefc remains confident in his “Hammerin’ Hokies,” the fact remains that Virginia Tech (21–7, 10–4 ACC) hasn’t shown much to be confident in so far during its first true ACC test — a series with No. 21 Wake Forest (20–10, 6–8 ACC).

Tech dropped the first game, 8–5, and now the second, 6–3.

The Hokies’ bats managed seven hits in game two — an improvement from their three in game one — but that total still ranks fifth worst in the 28 games they’ve played this season.

It’s difficult to beat top-25 teams with those numbers, so Tech’s second loss in a row came as no surprise.

“We haven’t had very good strikes zones,” Szefc said. “Chasing out of the zone, getting

ourselves out an awful lot, swinging at poor pitches.”

Strikingly similar to Friday’s match, Virginia Tech was smothered in strikes by the Demon Deacons. First a career-high 15 strikeouts by Chase Burns in game one, then another careertopping performance by starting pitcher Josh Hartle in game two — retiring the Hokies’ batters eight times.

“This guy, Hartle, pretty high-level kid coming out of high school and just throws a ton of strikes,” Szefc said. “Sometimes almost too many strikes, and he changed speeds on his own.”

Starting pitcher Wyatt Parliament served as a silver lining for the Hokies during the loss, delivering six Ks and allowing four hits before his controversial removal late in the fifth inning.

“I felt like I was in a groove, but I trust coach (Szefc’s) decision,” Parliament said. “Tough decision to make on anybody but I trust the coaches fully.”

Parliament’s box score didn’t contain numbers quite as gaudy as Hartle’s, but he played winning baseball — even if the rest of the team struggled to.

“I thought my stuff was pretty good today,” Parliament said. “My fastball is much better than it was last week. Slider locating much better except for one pitch cost me a little bit, but definitely a bounce back outing.”

The pitch Parliament is referring to came in the form of a second inning home run by the Demon Deacon’s third baseman Seaver King. The second was the lone frame that saw the Rutgers transfer’s pitches falter.

A walk and a single — a ground ball that snuck past first baseman Gehrig Ebel — put men on first and third early in the inning. The next man up — King — cranked one 384 feet to put the Hokies in an early 3–0 hole.

Parliament would adjust, striking out the final two batters of the inning, but the three-point

deficit was a total that the Hokies wouldn’t reach until the final frame. By then, however, Wake Forest had six — including a go-ahead homer by Nick Kurtz to give the Hokies’ opponents a ninthinning score of its own.

“Definitely got punched in the face a little bit there,” Parliament said. “But definitely can’t shy away from the challenge. I mean, it’s a long game so one at-bat, one inning, can’t let it get to you.”

Even though Wake Forest already has the series, Virginia Tech will attempt to steal the final game of the weekend, a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, April 7. Griffin Stieg will start at the mound for the Hokies.

“We just got to get a good start for Stieg and you’ve got to score some runs,” Szefc said. “You can’t score two runs and win games. We’ll just have to support (Stieg) better than what we’ve done in the last few days.”