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The Board of Visitors approved a new accessibility initiative for the Blacksburg campus, which is intended to improve acces sibility within the northern portion of the academic region of campus and is expected to finish construction by the end of 2023, according to VTx. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 13 to 14. Board meetings are live streamed, and more information can be found at https://bov. vt.edu/.
PAGE 2 August 30, 2022 editor@collegiatetimes.comcollegiatetimes.com BOARD OF VISITORS VOTES TO RENEW PRESIDENT SANDS’ CONTRACT VIRGINIA TECH ESTABLISHES LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR LGBTQ+ STUDENTS AND STUDIES VICTORIA WEBER | NEWS EDITOR JANE PARK | ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
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The meeting featured discussions of Sands’ accomplishments, student wellness and new construction projects.
The meeting featured three new board members, president and CEO of The Boeing Company, David Calhoun; retired owner of BCR Real Estate and Property Management, Sandy Cupp Davis; and president and CEO of Hobbs & Associates, Charles “Brad” Hobbs.
As reported by VTx, 41 students currently reside in Lavender House, the university’s latest living-learning community (LLC), located in O’Shaughnessy Hall. According to the article, its name derives from the color’s representation in queer history when in the 1920s, lesbians donned lavender clothing as a way to subtly express their love for other women.
Each board member is appointed by the governor of Virginia, with the exception of the President of the Board of Agriculture. Board members have four year terms, after which the governor may choose to reappoint them, or appoint a different board member.
Lavender House offers a safe space for queer and trans students and allies.
The Board of Visitors also met to discuss mental health issues students face, as well as new programs intended to combat difficulties with mental health care, such as TimelyCare, and tour university centers and programs at Hampton Roads.
Ashleigh “Bing” Bingham, the director of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center and advisor of HokiePride, stated that the LLC is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Dean Laura Belmonte’s research and ongoing interest in the LGBTQ+ community and rights helped put the process of creating the LLC in motion. “We knew there (was) student interest in the LLC; we knew there (was) administrative support, so in that point in time, a steering committee was put together,” Bingham said. The steering committee consisted of Bing; Shaila Mehra, assistant dean of the College Voice your opinion. Send letters to the Collegiate Times. 365 Squires Student Center Blacksburg, VA, cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times. Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board, which is composed of the opinions editors, editor in chief and managingAlleditors.letters must include a name and phone number. Students must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include position and department. Other submissions must include city of residence and relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters TIMES
On Tuesday, Aug. 23, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors met in Newport News and voted to maintain Sands’ position as president until“As2027.Virginia Tech’s 16th president since 2014, Sands, has successfully advanced Virginia Tech’s role as a leading global landgrant institution, focusing the teaching, research, and outreach mission to solve the most challenging problems facing the commonwealth, the nation, and the world,” said a statement published by VTx.
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collegiatetimes.com of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; Jes Davis, president of the LGBTQ+ caucus; Jo Wolf, professor in the Department of Religion & Culture and History; Matt Kwiatkowski, associate director for Academic Initiatives in Housing and Residence Life; and Jess Westcott, psychologist at Cook Counseling Center.Thecommittee eventually transitioned into an advisory board after Lavender House and Jess Silvia’s position as its director became official on July 1. When living at Lavender House, students can expect to take a required three-credit hour course, which Bing describes as a “queer histories course and queer studies course all wrapped in one.” There will also be film viewings, readings, visiting guest speakers and community activism all aimed at becoming better engaged and knowledgable in queer subjects.“What I hope for Lavender House is (that) centering it on the academic discipline of queer studies will allow all residents in the space to use the insights of the scholarship to think about their own lives, the society they live in and how they wish to serve and to take that knowledge with them after they leave,” MehraAccordingsaid. to Bing, opening Lavender House — along with the success of Ujima, an LLC concentrated in Black and African American culture and experiences — has prompted discussions about potentially opening more LLCs based on identities, such as Native Americans, Latinx and Asian Pacific Islander and Desi Americans. Bing believes these discussions demon strate how the university has made progress and continues to move forward for equity and representation.“Discrimination has existed on our campus. You could easily go through the LGBTQ timeline of Virginia Tech to see what has happened. Virginia Tech has not always been welcoming, Virginia Tech has not always been affirming and it has been detrimental to individuals’ health,” Bing said. “In the smaller scheme of things, this is a huge thing for us to say ‘we are invested in this community, we see you and we support you.’” According to Silvia, the LLC was an option for first-year students to join, while returning students had the opportunity to apply early last winter. Applications for returning students to join this year open in early October. For more information, visit llp.vt.edu/ llc/lavender_house.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally does Spider-Man justice in ‘No Way Home’.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally nails Spider-Man in “No Way Home.” It has been no secret that the MCU has been setting up a three part trilogy for the hero’s origin. According to Screenrant, “Marvel Studios has never espe cially liked repeating stories that have been told before, and as a result, when they struck a deal to bring Spider-Man into the MCU the decision was made to avoid retelling Peter Parker’s Spider-Man origin story.” Since the release of “No Way Home,” this tactic has been a massive success thanks to the brilliant storytelling prowess of the team at Marvel and Disney. While it is commendable that Marvel decided to retell the MCU origin story of Spider-Man, they missed the essence of Spider-Man in “Homecoming” and “Far FromThatHome.”isnot to say that “Homecoming” and “Far From Home” are not great movies. They are good films that consistently rank in the top half of Spider-Man movies according to Rotten Tomatoes. That is because, technically, there is nothing wrong with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. The story is well executed and the visual effects and fight choreography are innovative, meeting the standards that audiences have come to expect from Marvel.
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August 30, 2022 PAGE 3editor@collegiatetimes.com
However, for over the first half of “Homecoming,” audiences have to sit through Peter Parker struggling to use Stark tech. “Homecoming” is redeemed during its final act where Peter Parker loses his Stark tech and still triumphs over Vulture. “Far From Home” is the worst offender of this by far. In this film, Spider-Man is no longer the humble, witty, intelligent protagonist the audience knows Spider-Man to be. He has all the Stark tech anyone could ask for, he has access to secure intelligence channels, he is rich enough to buy an expensive necklace for his crush and he has an entire global defense satellite network. And yet, for the first two acts of “Far From Home,” audiences again have to sit through watching a spoiled Spider-Man struggle to use Stark tech. In the big emotional moment of Far From Home, when Peter and Happy, Tony Stark’s long time friend, are talking about Peter being able to live up to Tony Stark, the movie takes a turn for the worse. Happy makes Peter realize that, huge surprise, Tony Stark is just a man, not the perfect hero Peter makes him out to be. In doing so, he gives Peter Parker the courage to do what — go in the back of the plane where there is a factory and drown himself in more Stark tech. “Iron Man Jr.” would be a more fitting title for the MCU’s second solo Spider-Man film. Moreover, it is not as if Marvel is showcasing Peter’s smarts or ingenuity during the scene in the plane’s factory. He is not actually building the suit in the scene, he is just telling the on board AI what to do. It is comparable to a client customizing a car at Tesla. According to Gamesradar+, Spider-Man is considered to be the greatest superhero in the Marvel comics. It states, “Spider-Man redefined what a superhero could be, and although many have followed in his footsteps, he’s still number one, definitively at Marvel and arguably anywhere else.” Despite this, audiences have to sit through an entire movie watching Spider-Man trying to be Tony Stark. “No Way Home,” however, succeeds in avoiding this obstacle because it largely avoids Stark tech dependence throughout the film. Stark tech is only relied upon once in the film, and is rather used as a catalyst for the villains to gain the upper hand in their new universe. Tony Stark himself is also never mentioned directly in the film, which allows Spider-Man to shine on his own. Peter Parker must finally rely on himself, rather themselves, once again to overcome adversity. Watching MCU Peter Parker working in a high school science lab brings back the innovative Peter Parker that viewers have come to love back during the original Spider-Man trilogy and the Amazing
WHAT
MCU SPIDER-MAN: ‘HOMECOMING’ AND ‘FAR FROM HOME’
GOT WRONG LIAM COGHLAN | OPINIONS CONTRIBUTOR
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Moreover, “Homecoming” sports one of the best MCU villains with Michael Keaton’s Vulture.Thefirst two MCU Spider-Man solo movies are only decent Spider-Man movies however. Spider-Man is arguably the greatest superhero in Marvel Comics. Meanwhile, the MCU Spider-Man is a dumbed down, dependent version of the character unlike the Maguire and Garfield adaptations. Specifically, there are two massive reasons why these Spider-Man movies do not reach their full potential as Spider-Man movies. In the comics and the previous Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield adaptations, Spider-Man is known to be one of the most intuitive, smart, agile and innovative super heroes in the Marvel universe despite his high school/college status. Moreover, he is known for being a humble hero — a hero who did not have much starting out and who was able to triumph using his heart and wits. This is the Spider-Man audiences have come to respect andHowever,love. in the MCU Spider-Man movies, pre-“No Way Home,” this is not the Spider-Man that was delivered. Instead, we received an overly childish, borderline bratty version of Spider-Man who became dependent on Stark Tech, the technology invented by Tony Stark. Not to mention that both Spider-Man villains in the first MCU Spider-Man movies are products of Iron Man’s problems. Narratively, this makes sense within the MCU; Tony Stark takes on a fatherly role in place of Ben Parker, and Peter Parker serves a pivotal son role to Tony Stark in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
“My advice is to schedule a writing center appointment early – and give yourself a goal to have a rough draft (or even just an outline, or some freewriting) completed before you go,” Lawrence said. “We help a lot of students manage their time and therefore reduce their stress around writing.” Any skill level can benefit from coaching. Students that utilize the Writing Center come in with any assignment, from the first speech in a public speaking class to a graduate school dissertation.“Thenumber one thing my coaches do is to ask the student what they need help on,” Lawrence said. “What do they want out of the meeting? And then we take it from there.” Students can schedule an appointment using https://vt.mywconline.com/, and there are also drop-in appointments that can be available. Writing does not have to be a struggle students must trudge through to pass a class; the Writing Center can guide anyone to feel confident in their writing abilities.
A tutor at the writing center helping an international student with essays, April 4, 2018.
PAGE 4 August 30, 2022 editor@collegiatetimes.comcollegiatetimes.com LIFESTYLES THE ‘WRITE’ WAY TO SUCCEED IN YOUR CLASSES OLIVIA FERRARE | LIFESTYLES EDITOR
The coaches are fellow students that completed the tutoring course English 3744H: Writing Center Theory and Practice. Not all are English majors — in fact, the diversity in age and majors of the student coaches helps relate and adapt to the experience and writing styles of the students looking for help. Students in different years and majors may run into different problems in writing, and the experi enced coaching staff can take that into consid eration and tailor their feedback to the writer. Scheduling an appointment might not be at the forefront of students’ minds when writing, but waiting until the deadline is looming may heighten stress and anxiety about the assignment. Booking an appointment at least a week before the deadline gives most students enough time to come up with a polished draft and then revise after meeting with a coach.
Wave writing stress goodbye with the Writing Center’s advice and peer reviews.
The second is that having these moments mentioned in the Maguire and Garfield adap tations can leave a positive effect on the audience. The reference that an everyday person can be helpful, let alone save a hero that is beloved and idolized, is why those scenes were capitalized upon in the previous live actionAlthoughadaptations.great movies, “Homecoming” and “Far From Home” do not live up to the full potential of a Spider-Man movie. However, Marvel finally made a brilliant MCU Spider-Man with “No Way Home” — a MCU Spider-Man that does not heavily rely on Tony Stark or his technology and allows Peter’s heart and wits to shine. With Tony Stark behind him, MCU Peter Parker can finally be our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man once again.
InSpider-Man.asurveyconducted among Virginia Tech students who are fans of the Spider-Man films, “Far From Home” consistently placed in the bottom third of their ranked live action Spider-Man movies. Thomas Williamson, a junior majoring in multimedia journalism, provided insight as to why “Far From Home” is perceived as the worst by many Spider-Man fans.“It also had the weight of being the first movies released post-Endgame and I think it would be near impossible to deliver on the level of quality of Endgame,” Thomas said. It is understandable that Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, went with the spoiled Parker–Stark relationship for the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. It fits well within the narrative of the MCU. However, that is no excuse to deliver the lackluster version of Peter Parker they did. Additionally, the first two MCU Spider-Man movies are not as good as they could be because they miss another essential element of what makes Spider-Man unique — the city in which he lives. There are several reasons why many movies are filmed with New York City as a backdrop. There is the design of the city, the emotions that New York can elicit, but most importantly, the people. New York City contains a wonderous, diverse population that has the ability to come together and triumph over adversity. This is what “Homecoming” and “Far From Home” fail to take advantage of — treating New York City as a character. The most noticeable examples are the train scene in Spider-Man 2 and the crane scene in the Amazing Spider-Man. There are moments in the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield adap tations where the people of New York City come together to defend Spider-Man, some times in the face of their own plausible death. This is something largely absent from all MCU Spider-Man movies. All important emotional moments within these movies are self-contained within the roster of char acters that the MCU has established. This does not mean that the roster of characters don’t convey stellar emotion during these moments, but the emotions never bleed into the scenes or world beyond that moment. In “Far From Home,” during the emotional scene with Peter and Happy, Spider-Man only ever shows that weakness to Happy. Background people do not get to witness this emotional vulnerability nor show support for the hero during his time of crisis. This has been some thing absent in all MCU films, arguably since Marvel’s “The Avengers,” including “No Way Home.” However, it is able to handle it better thanks to the performances by the larger roster of co-stars.Thishas two effects: the first being that it does not contextualize the problems the heroes are facing as real world occurrences. The audiences see the destruction and the cuts of people crying, but rarely anything beyond.
Writing can pose a challenge to students in all courses of study. It’s not just STEM majors that cringe at the thought of pouring their hearts into a narrative speech or engineering majors that would rather solve a page of math problems than craft a discussion post. One of the most effective resources on campus to guide students who might want some extra assistance is the Writing Center. Located on the second floor of Newman Library, the center offers peer reviewing and coaching services during any stage of the writing process. Skilled coaches can meet in person and virtually to give advice, review previous work and guide students to a finished product they’re proud of. According to the Virginia Tech Library, the Writing Center was founded in the late 1970s. Jennifer Lawrence, its current director, and Dr. Diana George grew the program and space into what it is today. It was originally in Shanks Hall but moved to Newman Library in 2012. Its overarching mission is to provide resources and coaching to students writing anything from essays to cover letters.
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August 30, 2022 PAGE 5editor@collegiatetimes.com collegiatetimes.com YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR MAJOR, BUT IS IT TOO LATE?
Transitional advising services guide students through the process of changing your major.
If your answer to the first question is ‘no,’ then I’m happy to tell you that the answer to the second question is ‘yes!’ Students can change their major at any time in their college career, and in some cases, you can stay on track and graduate on time.
Along with a student’s general advisor, Virginia Tech offers transitional advising, where advisors work one-on-one with students to help them discover what major is right for them and get them headed in the right direction toward graduation.
If a student wants to start the process of changing their major, the first step is simple: create an appointment with their current advisor on Navigate to discuss the interest in changing majors. From there, a student can schedule another appointment with a transi tional advisor to discuss their options. With the 2022 fall semester beginning, it is important to note that incoming fall 2022 students are ineligible to change their major until December 2022. According to Clement, the best thing to do is to utilize the Add/Drop period to ensure that your classes for this semester help you with your intended major.
All this information can be daunting. Not to worry — this is why Tech has offered Major Info Sessions so that students can talk with professors and staff from that department and ask questions regarding their change of major. Some information sessions are required in order to change your major, so be on the lookout for these dates. Again, changing your major doesn’t have to affect your graduation date. Clement noted that transitional advisors help students consider options such as winter and summer courses and increased credits each semester. Each appointment is tailored to the individual student’s needs. Once you’re ready to commit to the major change and the timing aligns with the Tech’s calendar for major changes, all you have to do is log into Hokie Spa and change it yourself.
“I describe transitional advisors as ‘gener alists,’” said Ally Clement, one of the nine transitional advisors at Virginia Tech. “We all have a little bit of knowledge about every major (and) department at Virginia Tech and can generally coach students towards the major that best meets their academic and career goals.”
Virginia Tech has restricted and unrestricted majors, meaning that restricted majors require students to complete a set of prerequisites in order to apply for that major. Examples of these restricted majors include architecture, all engineering majors, accounting, and hospi tality and tourism management.
“Get the change of major conversation started sooner rather than later,” Clement said. “If you’re unsure about your major or just want to brainstorm with an advisor, transi tional advisors are here to help.”
If you’re considering switching your major, reach out to a transitional advisor by going to their website and set up an appointment using Navigate. For further information and assis tance on setting up an appointment, you can also enroll in their Canvas course. And remember: it’s never too late to change the path you take in your educational — and future — career.
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It’s the start of a new semester, and some students may be jumping for joy, eager to learn more about the topics they’re inter ested in and turn this knowledge into a future career. However, there are also students who are nervous. Last semester, they might not have liked the classes they took for their major as much as they thought they would. This moment here, ladies and gentlemen, is where the beginning of an existential crisis starts creeping into a student’s mind. Do I want to continue in this field for the rest of my life? Do I even have time to change my major this late in my college career?
Courtesy of Academic Advising Initiative
COLLEEN HENNEBERRY | MANAGING EDITOR
AMBER WILLIAMS / COLLEGIATE TIMES
Catch a Norfolk Tides game — 13 minutes from ODU
Courtesy of Twist Travel Magazine
Right by the Freemason Harbor sits an unexpected gem of The Marine Observation Tower, also known as the Taiwanese Pagoda. The beautiful structure is located at the heart of a garden with space to walk and explore the Chinese architecture, bubbling fountains and miscel laneous sculptures. The pagoda offers views of the Elizabeth River and the USS Wisconsin and is a perfect place to catch a sunset. Check out the NEON art district — 9 minutes from ODU Walk the streets of Norfolk and expe rience the New Energy of Norfolk district, which features over 90 public art displays with murals, sculptures and interactive pieces. This spot is a great place to spruce up your Instagram feed with the many colorful displays acting as ideal backgrounds. Visit night or day to get a different experience of all the works of art. While you’re there, be sure to check out the food scene, especially Hummingbird Dessert Boutique, which offers a wide variety of tasty macarons.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
PAGE 6 August 30, 2022 editor@collegiatetimes.com SPORTS THINGS TO DO IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA AFTER THE VIRGINIA TECH VS. ODU GAME
The Hokies open the season against Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. If you’re planning on attending the first game under new head coach Brent Pry and are extending your stay on the coast into the weekend, there are plenty of things to do in the Mermaid City to keep you occupied.
AMBER WILLIAMS / COLLEGIATE TIMES
Visit Waterside — 12 minutes from ODU
Stroll the botanical gardens — 21 minutes from ODU Take in the natural beauty of Virginia’s largest botanical garden while the flowers are in bloom. With 175 acres of plants and 14 miles of paths, paved and unpaved, the garden is perfect for people of all ages to explore. The garden is open every day from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. and features a children’s garden complete with a splash fountain which is open from 9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. There is also a Butterfly House where you might be able to experience a butterfly landing on you. Stop by the Norfolk Pagoda & Oriental Garden — 9 minutes from ODU
The Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, have a home series against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs from Sept. 1-4. The first pitch for the Saturday game is at 6:35 p.m. and there will be a fire works show following the conclusion of the game. The Tides are currently 7th in the International League East and have a 55–66 record. The Tides are a great way to squeeze more sports action into your weekend — and don’t be afraid to wear your maroon and orange to Harbor Park as well.
AMBER WILLIAMS | SPORTS EDITOR
Courtesy of Norfolk State University Courtesy of TripAdvisor
AMBER WILLIAMS / COLLEGIATE TIMES continued on page 7
Visit Nauticus — 11 minutes from ODU Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the United States. Paying homage to this landmark, Nauticus is a “discovery center” right on the water which allows visitors to explore the world of this branch of the military. It is also home to the Battleship Wisconsin, the biggest and final battleship the U.S. Navy ever created. Nauticus shows films daily every half hour about the history of the ship. The museum also offers other fun activities for all ages, including a shark lab.
Right next to Nauticus is the heart of the Waterside district, which features a conglomerate of restaurants and bars perfect for a night out. Enjoy a drink (21+, of course) at Blue Moon TapHouse, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays and Happy Hour on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The district also features outdoor dining with sweeping views of the water, where you can watch the sailboats go by. Relax on the man-made beach area, complete with swings and bar-style games. On Sept. 3, Blue Moon TapHouse will be hosting a “day of margaritas” featuring local food trucks and live entertainment. In the event of a Hokie victory, this is the perfect place to celebrate.
How to make the most of your visit to the Mermaid City.
The Monarch’s defense has a strong front seven with some promising pieces in the secondary.
Ishmiel Seisay (29) embraces teammate Hezekiah Grimsley (6) after a touchdown, Sept. 7, 2019. the season. Let’s show our support for the football team in hopes that their hard work will pay off, and we can enjoy our first home win of the season on Sept. 10 against Boston College.
Courtesy of Veil Brewing Co.
A few popular options are Sharkey’s, Top of the Stairs, Buffalo Wild Wings, The Cellar, Mellow Mushroom and PK’s Bar & Grill, where it is rumored that head coach Brent Pry is a frequent customer. In order to prepare for the game, make sure you arrive at your sports bar of choice early to ensure seating, and also be aware that some options require you to show identification indicating that you are 21 years of age or older. If you prefer to stay inside the comfort of your own home to watch the game, ESPNU will stream the game, and you can either use your television or the ESPN app and website. If you prefer to listen to the live commen tating in lieu of watching, The Virginia Tech Sports Network will be commentating on the radio on FM-105.3.
Bonus: Best breweries in the area
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Breweries have become a popular phenomenon in recent years, and Norfolk is an ideal destination for craft beer enthu siasts and foodies. While you’re in the area, be sure to check out Elation Brewing, The Veil Brewing Co., O’Connor Brewing Co., The Bold Mariner Brewing Company or any of the other vast selections of local breweries. They are a great place to check out the local scene, support local businesses and get a taste of the Norfolk food and drink fare.
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Virginia Tech is set to start a new era of Hokie football under first-year head coach Brent Pry this Friday as they travel to Norfolk, Virginia to take on Old Dominion. The matchup history between the Hokies and Monarchs spans just three games, two of which ended in wins for the Hokies and another that went down as a historic upset victory for the Monarchs in 2018. Now, the Hokies are scheduled to return to S.B. Ballard Stadium, hoping for a reversal of the result from four years ago with a drastically different team and coaching staff.
Star tight end Zack Kuntz, who led the team with 73 catches last season, and wideout Ali Jennings III, who racked up 1,066 receiving yards in 2022, are also primed to help this Monarch offense
Sports editor Margaret Allocca offers popular suggestions of locations to cheer on the Hokies this Friday.
Defense
Offense
August 30, 2022 PAGE 7editor@collegiatetimes.com collegiatetimes.com Explore the Chrysler Museum of Art — 8 minutes from ODU Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, the museum features a wide collection of art and boasts beautiful architecture. With rotating exhibits, there is always something new to take in. The best part? Admission is free. The museum is also home to a glass studio, where you can watch the artists up WHERE TO WATCH THE ODU GAME FROM HOME VT VS. ODU FOOTBALL PREVIEW margaret allocca | sports editor
While it is disappointing that the first game of the season won’t be taking place in Lane Stadium, there are plenty of options to watch and enjoy the first game without trav eling to Norfolk.
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The key word for this Monarch squad is expe rience. The offense is coming into the season with 11 returning starters from last year’s team, including sophomore quarterback Hayden Wolff who showed promise last year while throwing nine touchdowns during a five-game winAdditionally,streak. the Monarchs will be blessed with a veteran running back core led by Blake Watson, who rushed for 1,112 yards last season.
COLBY TALLEY | sports editor
For those of you who are in the home of the Hokies, aka Blacksburg, the most popu lated areas to enjoy the games are the sports bars on Main Street. If you won’t be visiting S.B. Ballard Stadium, you can sit inside any number of air-conditioned restaurants and beat the heat.
For those of you who are not located in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech’s Alumni website has a list of 25 states (including Washington, D.C.) with a watch party location for various areas within the state so that you can feel at home with other Hokies. For Virginia, as of now, the Fredericksburg, Loudoun County, Peninsula, Richmond, and Williamsburg chapters all have a designated watch party location.Tuneinto one of the various outlets to cheer on the Hokies for our first game of
The Hokies’ defense is slated to have a good pass defense thanks to their experienced secondary, but their ability to defend the run is where the question mark lies. Will a defensive line that had trouble defending the run last season be able to keep things in control on the ground, or will Watson run all over them and allow the Monarchs to control the pace of the game?
torment unsuspecting opposing defenses.
The Monarch defense also boasts quite a bit of talent and experience. Defensive end Marcus Haynes, defensive tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. and linebacker Ryan Henry anchor a front seven that ranked 35th in the nation last season in run defense. Furthermore, senior defensive backs R’Tarriun Johnson and Tre Hawkins III are set to be the veteran leaders for an otherwise youngThere’ssecondary.anargument that can be made regarding the results this defense achieved last season and how they might be a result of playing in the relatively weak Conference USA instead of the Sun Belt Conference, where close or learn the craft yourself. If you’re a lover of the arts, this is a must-visit desti nation in Norfolk.
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The Hokies’ offensive line, which is slated to struggle this year with several new starters, will also have to put up a valiant effort against the Monarch’s strong pass rush. Prediction The Hokies have the better team on paper, which already provides them a big advantage coming into the game, but the Monarchs hold the advantage of having an established coaching staff and more veteran talent. This will be a high scoring game with the Hokies’ giving up plenty of yards on the ground and the Monarchs struggling to defend the passing game, but superior talent will win out in the end. Based on these details, the Hokies will start their season with a 35-21 victory.
journalism! Attend our interest meetings!
Wednesday | Sept. 21, 2022 | 6-7 p.m. | Squires Student Center Room 236
PAGE 8 August 30, 2022 editor@collegiatetimes.comcollegiatetimes.com they will be playing this year. Regardless of whether this stance is true, this defense boasts some undeniable potential. If the Hokies’ offense wants to find success on Friday, their main goal should be pushing the ball through the air and taking advantage of a secondary with some inexperienced pieces.
The CT will be at GobblerFest on Sept. 2, 4-7 p.m. on the a student
The two men spent the next three seasons together in Nashville, Tennessee, until posi tions opened up at Penn State for a co-de fensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
BRENT
Seeing the new positions as opportunities to make names for themselves with a more successful program, Pry and Rahne both took their football knowledge with them to Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Pry didn’t leave his position with the Nittany Lions until 2022, when Virginia Tech, the school where he served as a graduate assistant from 1995 to 1997, started looking for former head coach Justin Fuente’s replacement. After several months of inter views with numerous names being thrown around, the announcement was made that Pry had won the job to be the Hokies’ new headNow,coach.Pry and Rahne are getting ready to cross paths once again as head coaches on opposing sidelines. While both men have built a good relationship as a result of years spent coaching together, that connection will have to be put to the side once kickoff comes on Friday night.
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Virginia Tech and Old Dominion are two schools that have shared plenty of history on the gridiron in the past few years, but that familiarity doesn’t just extend to the teams themselves. In fact, the coaching staffs for both squads share a deep connection as Hokies head coach Brent Pry and Monarchs head coach Ricky Rahne know each other all tooLet’swell.rewind to 2011; Pry had just joined the Vanderbilt coaching staff as a co-de fensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Coincidentally, Rahne has also just joined the same coaching staff as the Commodores’ new quarterbacks coach.
Both men spent two seasons as Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin’s right-hand men until 2020 when Old Dominion started looking for a new head coach. Despite only being an offensive coordinator for two years at this point, Rahne jumped at the opportunity and ended up winning the job, becoming the new coach of the Monarchs.
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PRY AND RICKY RAHNE: TWO COACHES ON THE SAME PATH
Pry spent the next eight years with the Nittany Lions, becoming the lone defensive coordinator in 2016, while Rahne worked his way up from being a quarterback and tight ends coach to becoming the lone offensive coordinator in 2018.
COLBY TALLEY | SPORTS EDITOR Pry and Rahne coached together at Vanderbilt and Penn State before becoming the head coaches for Virginia Tech and Old Dominion
