September 1, 2020

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September 1, 2020

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

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES

PAGE 2 September 1, 2020

opinions

editor@collegiatetimes.com

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your views [letter to the editor]

I

LTE: Students are taking initiative in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Blacksburg

I have been a student and then faculty member at Virginia Tech for 29 years. Right now, the students are making me the proudest I have ever been to be a Hokie. I see them wearing face coverings in

places and under circumstances where other citizens do not. I’ve even seen some wear a mask. Look at the Hokie Dashboard and see how few positive COVID tests there are among over 9,000 tests performed.

Some of the positive tests are from students that have recovered from COVID, thus are not new infections.

Students in my college are required to complete the Hokie Health Check within the Hokie Ready

App every day they want to enter our buildings and must receive a green light.

Their compliance is being monitored. This level of compliance isn’t expected of faculty and staff.

So, students, thank you for

being responsible, and for caring for yourselves, your peers, the Virginia Tech community and the wider public. Rare individuals will be careless and may bring an end to in-person classes.

However, my observation is

students should be lauded at this time.

DAVID C. GRANT • BA ‘94, MS ‘03, DVM

your views [letter to the editor]

LTE: The dangerous cost of the university’s double standard

O

ur Community Wellness Commitment asks us to follow a few simple guidelines to care for each other’s well-beings.

According to President Sands, move-in and the first week of classes have gone very well, with 21 cases and a test positivity rate of 0.3%. Data for the week ending Aug. 23 shows Montgomery county’s 53 additional positive tests and a fraternity house where 136 members lived in the spring being asked to quarantine. I’m thankful for the Hokies that are doing their part to keep us, the faculty and the people of Blacksburg safe.

Our university, however, is failing us. In their tentative plan for home football games,

the university will allow up to 1,000 people to gather in Lane Stadium. This attendance will be made up of the families of players and coaches, according to the Roanoke Times. Hundreds will travel to Blacksburg, while the university asks students to not travel or have visitors. I feel for the players and coaches. I too would like to have my family here for commencement and my hooding ceremony, but I have accepted that that will not and should not happen to keep my fellow Hokies, the people of Blacksburg and my family safe.

Any gatherings with more than 15 people are prohibited, with suspensions as punishments. And yet HokieSports continues to host

advertisements for tailgate packages with tents and catering from 20 to 60 people.

Student athletes will be tested three times a week, while students are asked to wait five days in isolation after a suspected exposure.

If this double-standard continues, the university will be responsible for the spread of COVID-19 among students, faculty and Blacksburg residents. Tailgate attendees will be blamed, student travelers and their visitors will be cited and students will be suspended and held responsible while HokieSports hosts these tailgating ads and gets paid. We’re being set up for failure and the blame afterwards.

The economics of college

Voice your opinion. Send letters to the Collegiate Times.

All letters must include a name and phone number. Students 365 Squires Student Center must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include Blacksburg, VA, 24061 position and department. Other submissions must include opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com city of residence and relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

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sports (especially football) are cited for the necessity to move forward. Charlie Phlegar, vice president for advancement, recently told the board of visitors that, “Sometimes it goes underestimated, the value that they bring, not only to the studentathlete experience [but] to the student undergraduate

experience, and certainly to the economy of Southwest Virginia. We need football.

We need a strong athletic program.”

If one student athlete is infected and is found to have a damaging heart condition, will it have been worth it? If students are sick for weeks and months, will it have been

worth it? There may be deaths, will it have been worth it?

How much is our wellbeing and lives worth to the university?

CHI YOUNG MOON • Ph.D. candidate, Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

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news collegiatetimes.com

September 1, 2020 PAGE 3

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Virginia Tech asks Delta Sigma Phi fraternity to quarantine after possible exposure to COVID-19 Virginia Tech’s Delta Sigma Phi chapter potentially has members who have been exposed to COVID-19.

ADIAH GHOLSTON news editor

Virginia Tech has asked members of Delta Sigma Phi - Kappa Delta Chapter to self-quarantine after possible exposure to COVID-19.

The university learned earlier this week that members of the fraternity could have been exposed, Virginia Tech spokesman Mike Owczarski said to The Roanoke Times.

Owczarski did not release how many members of the organization were exposed.

Virginia Tech has not disciplined any students related to the case, Owczarski said.

“It is critically important that students who have symptoms, or believe that may have contracted COVID-19, inform university health professionals. This is what allows for good health counseling, testing, and contract tracing to prevent the inadvertent spread of the virus,” Owczarski wrote to The Roanoke Times. “Virginia Tech does not punish students by retroactively investigating how they contracted COVID-19. This would be counterproductive.”

Delta Sigma Phi’s residence is off campus, according to University online information.

Virginia Tech has been warning off-campus students about large gatherings.

“Our biggest risks are likely to result from behaviors that individuals can control, such as off-campus gatherings and travel to and from hot spots,” said President Tim Sands in an Aug. 9 letter to the Virginia Tech community.

Virginia Tech has recently suspended seven students after receiving reports of off-campus parties and violations of public health guidelines.

The university informed The Roanoke Times that they have since suspended “several more,” but declined to say how many more.

Radford University suspended the Theta Chi Fraternity - Iota Zeta Chapter and eight of its members for violation of public health guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delta Sigma Phi fraternity house, Aug. 31, 2020.

“This fraternity has admitted to hosting gatherings, but is also suspected of ridiculing those who follow public health guidance, such as wearing face coverings, and misleading Radford University and public health officials,” said Radford University President Brian Hemphill in a school news release.

The City of Radford’s total positive case count has increased from 166 on Aug. 24 to 334 on Aug. 29, according to the Virginia Department of Health data. The City of Radford was listed as a top 10 hot spot in the country by a New York Times article, which tracks areas with the highest number of cases per resident.

EMILY LOGUE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

As of Aug. 29, Blacksburg has a total of 224 positive cases out of 14,773 total tests, according to the Virginia Department of Health data.

@CollegiateTimes

PAGE 4 September 1, 2020

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Sticking it out through COVID-19: How student organizations are keeping their members active Student organizations Solely Swing and AWARE transition to Zoom and virtual meetings during the pandemic.

TAHREEM ALAM news reporter

As students and faculty return to a new, mostly virtual campus environment, student organizations are finding ways to keep their clubs and members active alongside the university’s COVID-19 operations.

Most meeting rooms and spaces now have limits on how many people can gather inside of them after considering the 6-feet apart social distancing guidelines (or 10-feet apart for physical activities). Events can only have up to 250 occupants as long as the spaces allow up to that many people. Activities that are considered virus-spreaders, like singing, are discouraged from happening indoors.

All of the new requirements for events are put in place to ensure that these gatherings are compliant with university, local and state COVID-19 event guidelines.

The new gathering guidelines for organizations encourage virtual meetings and events unless it is absolutely necessary to meet in person.

For groups like Solely Swing, a swing dance club that aims to further people’s knowledge and enjoyments of dances like the Lindy Hop, Blues and the Charleston, it means hosting virtual practice meetings online.

“Dance is really important not only to the officers, but to a lot of people in our community,” said Katrina Newby, vice president of Solely Swing. “It’s a lot of what brings us together, and if you take away that aspect of dancing, you often take away not only people’s fun, but also their feeling of community and their avenues to make friendship. We realize partner-dancing is not an option, so we’re just in a really fortunate position that our focus of our club has avenues to explore solo dances.”

Solely Swing is typically partnered with its sister organization, Blacksburg Swing, which hosted weekly dance practices for both group members. This year, however, Blacksburg Swing will be under the umbrella of Solely Swing to make the transition to online meetings easier for all of the members.

Their go-to plan is to have weekly Zoom lessons that are 30 minutes to hour-long sessions, depending on the availability of their teachers. They hope to use Squires

Student Center’s Commonwealth Ballroom space for their possible two in-person meetings, where an instructor can teach on the stage while members are 10 feet apart on the ground. Face masks and sign-in will be used as well.

Additionally, another goal they have is to educate people about the culture and history of these dances alongside teaching them about the dances.

“Some things that people don’t realize about swing dancing is that it’s rooted in Black history,” Newby said. “With all of the social justice movements that have been happening this semester, with Black Lives Matter and social equality, it has really brought to light that a lot of the swing community doesn’t do our history justice.

So that’s something we’re also going to try to move into this year, not only learning the dance moves, but also talking about the dance history.”

Newby said their club will combine the dance history conversations with the lesson meetings. Finally, they intend to make their club more accessible by removing all costs associated with Blacksburg Swing Dance and making all Solely Swing events completely free. Moreover, they’re hosting meetings on the most widely available platforms for their members, which is Zoom.

The club is open not only to Virginia Tech students, but to the general public as well.

Another program that intends to stay afloat through COVID-19 restrictions is AWARE, which is a mentoring program under the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech that develops lessons and a curriculum for Blacksburg Middle School girls to teach them about topics like body image, communication, feminism and mental health.

The program has run for 14 years so far, on and off. They usually have 10-20 volunteers and typically accept applications in the spring semester. They used to work with the students every Friday, but the plans have to change now that the middle school students only meet in person for about two hours for four days a week.

“Our challenge is to try and come up with an alternative way of reaching out to these kids that is effective and meaningful for both the volunteers and for the kids,” said Jessie Meltsner, the special events projects coordinator at the Women’s Center and lead

overseer for AWARE. Furthermore, Meltsner said she feels frustrated and heartbroken about the situation.

“I’ve worked a long time to help this program get to where it is, and it’s just extraordinarily frustrating to feel like we can’t continue in forward motion the way that we’ve been going.”

At this moment, they plan on either creating videos that the students can watch on their own time or having live Zoom meetings where they teach the students.

For now, like many student organizations and their leaders, Meltsner is waiting

for more instruction and the return of her members to help hash out the new semester plans.

@Tahreem_Alam

VICTORIA CARTER / COLLEGIATE TIMES The Women’s Center at Virginia Tech, April 2, 2019.

lifestyles collegiatetimes.com/lifestyles

‘Times, they are a changing’: How Virginia Tech has altered its plans for the fall semester From parking changes to reversing fees at Cook Counseling Center, Virginia Tech is no stranger to change.

KYLE BASSETT lifestyles staff writer

When Virginia Tech President Tim Sands announced June 8 that the university intended to reopen this August, there were questions to be had as to how the overall plan would pan out.

In an open letter to Hokie Nation, President Sands stated that there was a tentative plan in place to bring students back for the upcoming semester, albeit “with some caveats.”

One of the more prominent aspects of the initial plan was that university officials intended to have around one-third of the classes offered this fall be in-person, with the possibility of additional in-person offerings as the semester progresses.

However, in a recent letter from President Sands, it was mentioned that university instructors opted for offering less than 10% of classes to be held in-person, with more than 60% of classes being entirely online.

The rest are to be assumed to be offered in a hybrid style; partially in-person, partially online.

It can be assumed that opposition to the original plan, either by instructors and/ or those tasked with making the calls for what would be best in regards to safety, may have played a role in the change. Issues with distancing due to room-size as well as capacity limitations may also be to blame for the change, but the university has not made a statement as to why it has retracted its initial effort.

Students had high hopes that fall 2020 would present the opportunity for a make-up date for last spring’s canceled in-person graduation ceremony. Graduating students were informed of plans for a “truly memorable celebration in September” in a statement from President Sands and other

university officials. According to a tweet sent out by the university’s official Twitter page on Aug. 12, those plans are now canceled, as the event has been deemed unable to be hosted as originally planned.

While the university did mention that there are plans to “recognize and celebrate” the graduating class of Spring ‘20 in other ways beyond the Zoom ceremony that happened this past May, it did not specify what those plans are.

The university announced Aug. 12 that the Cook Counseling Center would be implementing fees related to its service offerings. The plan was to charge a $20 fee per session for any individual who exceeds 10 counseling sessions in one academic year, a $15 per session fee for psychiatry services, among other service-related fees.

Backlash on social media by Virginia Tech students, as well as a Change.org petition that pushed for the cancellation of such plans ultimately led to a formal announcement by Vice President for Student Affairs Frank Shushok Jr., stating that the university was taking action to “reverse course and change the implementation of any new fees.”

This article is not intended to come off as critical of the planning and announcements made by university officials. The pandemic has made many aspects of life unpredictable, therefore planning for any future activities should be seen as subject to change at any time should circumstances not be ideal for things to move forward.

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PAGE 6 September 1, 2020

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COURTESY OF VT NEWS

From Blacksburg to Alaska: How a Hokie Alum became a Pulitzer Prize winner

James Brooks came to Virginia Tech with plans to major in computer science before realizing his passion for English and history.

CAREY OAKES lifestyles staff writer

Like many seniors graduating college, James Brooks (’06) received his diploma from Virginia Tech as a double major in history and English without a clue as to what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

Flash-forward a decade and Brooks reports for Anchorage Daily News and has had the opportunity to play a role in the Pulitzer Prize winning project “Lawless,” a series that examined sexual violence throughout rural Alaska and helped bring the inadequate police force in those regions to light.

In the early ‘00s, Brooks came to Tech with the full intent of majoring in computer science but quickly realized that wasn’t for him. He made the switch to history and English and has stuck with it ever since.

“After school I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, and I ended up landing at a newspaper down in the Florida Keys,” Brooks said. “From there, I saw a job open up in Alaska, and I took that in 2008. I’ve

been here ever since.”

While in Alaska, Brooks worked for the Juneau Empire, Kodiak Daily Mirror and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner before acquiring his position at Anchorage Daily News. There, he has had the opportunity to witness change evoked by the “Lawless” series.

“I watched as the Alaska legislature took some actions in response to what we had published,” Brooks said.

Alaska being the state with the highest rates of sexual violence, the reports uncovered the stories from survivors that had gone unheard for years. These crimes and the respective victims were denied any access to first responders and justice from the legal system. The investigation finally brought to light Alaska’s failing justice system specifically with regards to crimes of sexual violence.

“A lot of times, we tend to hear only about the cases that result in prosecution. We don’t hear as much about the people who never see justice done,” Brooks said. “Even the cases

that result in someone going to jail don’t typically hear from the victims and what happens to them afterward and how their lives are affected.”

Needless to say, Brooks and those directly involved with “Lawless” were taken out of their comfort zones and ultimately learned a lot about a world relatively hidden from view.

Brooks himself is a big proponent of gaining hands-on experience and interacting with people and places off the beaten path.

“Talk to people that you don’t encounter every day. Search for new experiences and people. Try and see something new; break out of the mold,” Brooks said.

Brooks suggested to think about what things affect us each day that we might not think about.

“A degree is only part of what you’ll need.

You’ll need other things beyond your degree.

Things like jobs or experience in the career you want to pursue. I had to work through college and I think that work experience helped me out a lot,” Brooks said.

Brooks emphasizes that it’s not always

a direct path to getting where you want to go, and that’s okay, because it’s all about learning from those experiences.

“Try and do something. Even if it’s not the right thing, you’ll find that out pretty quick.

Figure it out as you go,” Brooks said.

@CollegiateTimes

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sports collegiatetimes.com

September 1, 2020 PAGE 7

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Tight end Jared Gibble commits to the Hokies The 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end from Winston-Salem is likely to have to compete for playing time.

CLAIRE CASTAGNO sports editor

On Aug. 25, tight end Jared Gibble decommitted from Charlotte and committed to the Hokies over other ACC schools that showed interest. Gibble is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

He is a three star commit, according to 247 Sports.

Gibble will have to compete for playing time as Virginia Tech currently has six tight ends on the roster with James Mitchell as the likely starter.

However, Gibble has proved that he can block and play receiver if necessary.

Virginia Tech still has offers on the table for other tight-end commits, and time will tell who will be joining Gibble in the 2021 recruiting class.

@CTSportsTalk

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES The Hokies surrounded the Commonwealth Cup as they prepared for a team photo, Nov. 23, 2018.

How having fans in Lane Stadium makes the game The lack of fans in the stadium due to COVID-19 will impact both the players and local businesses.

CLAIRE CASTAGNO sports editor

As football season approaches, it does not look like Lane Stadium will be causing any earthquakes this fall.

SULLIVAN MADDEN / COLLEGIATE TIMES

During a press conference, Athletic Director Whit Babcock said Lane Stadium will have “minimal fans, if any” jumping to “Enter Sandman” this season. As of now, only 1,000 people will be allowed in the stadium for Virginia Tech’s opener against UVA on Sept.

19. This is only enough for the players, coaches and their families. This is subject to change, though, as the season progresses.

Lane Stadium is famous for its electric environment, and it’s a shame the players cannot feed on that energy this season. Hokie fans are responsible for four out of six college football games that have registered on a seismograph.

The last game being Sept. 30, 2017, against Clemson.

An empty stadium could be a blessing for the away teams, though. Having no fans will most likely result in less pre-snap penalties being called due to less distraction from the fans. Coaches also have the tendency to call a

timeout when the crowd is being loud, which could haunt them later in the game if they need to call a crucial one. According to SB Nation, It has been discovered that the home team’s field goal kickers make their kicks 2% more than the away team’s.

The no fans at football games rule will also impact businesses around Blacksburg, several of which profit from football season.

“It’s going to hurt not having 70,000 people come to town ready to have a great time, come out to eat, come out to drink, come out and enjoy Blacksburg and everything we have to offer,” said Cabo Fish Taco manager Richard Barrar to WSLS. Hopefully, fans will be allowed in Lane later this season so everyone can enjoy football in the best way possible. @CTSportsTalk

PAGE 8 September 1, 2020

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Virginia Tech roster breakdown: Defensive line Sports editor Devin Shepard continues his roster breakdown series by analyzing this year’s defensive line.

DEVIN SHEPARD sports editor

but he should definitely be a key piece to the Virginia Tech defense.

With the Virginia Tech football season starting in about three weeks in some form or another, it’s time to take a deeper look into Virginia Tech’s roster for the upcoming year.

Over the next few weeks, we will be delving into the team, position by position, to get a deeper understanding of where we stand as a football team. I will grade every player on the roster on a 1-10 scale and create a makeshift depth chart for the season (Note: These grades are simply my opinions on each player based on prior knowledge, statistics and film study).

DE Emmanuel Belmar - 7.3/10 Emmanuel Belmar has been the starting defensive end opposite Garbutt for the past two years and has been very solid. If Garbutt doesn’t play this season, Belmar will be a good option and shouldn’t struggle as a starter. If Garbutt is able to play, Belmar should be one of the best rotation defensive ends in the ACC.

Grading Scale: 10 - Heisman Candidate 9 - All American 8 - All ACC 7 - Starter 6 - Backup 5 and Below - Not likely to play DE TyJuan Garbutt - 7.7/10 The best player on the Hokies’ defensive line, Garbutt has been a consistent presence off the edge for Virginia Tech the past two years. His low height allows him leverage and bend when rushing the passer and his athleticism as a former receiving threat allows him to chase down faster quarterbacks and running backs in the backfield.

Garbutt has recently left the team due to personal issues, so whether he plays this season or not is in question. But if he does play, he is sure to be an enforcing presence on the defensive line.

DE Justus Reed - 7.5/10 Justus Reed, a graduate transfer from Youngstown State, is a veteran as college football players go. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive end is playing his seventh year of college football and has been around, starting at Florida, transferring to Youngstown State, and now playing at Virginia Tech. The Hokies will rely on him for pressure and sacks on the quarterback unlike any player on the team in a while. He may not have 13 sacks like he did last season,

DT Jarrod Hewitt - 7.2/10 Jarrod Hewitt is everything a team wants in a nose tackle and a team leader. He holds his gap in the run game and doesn’t get over aggressive on his assignments. His leadership has been important to the team the past couple of years with the departures of Ricky Walker and Tim Settle. A captain last season, Hewitt should be important both on the field and in developing the younger defensive linemen on the roster.

DT DaShawn Crawford - 7.2/10 Crawford looked to just be a solid starter last season without much upside, but he blew away expectations in the fall as a standout pass rusher from the inside. Crawford recorded 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble. All one has to do to see Crawford’s upside is watch last season’s Wake Forest game in which his performance earned him ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. After a season of play, the fiery competitor looks to be an important piece of the Hokies’ future.

DE Amaré Barno - 7.1/10 Barno is a former linebacker making the switch to defensive end this fall. His elite length and athleticism should allow him to produce if he finds his way onto the field this season. The 6’6 redshirt-junior already had fans excited about his upside, but he may be more effective in a new spot.

DE Jaylen Griffin - 7.0/10 Griffin is an exciting athlete at the defensive end spot and should be in a similar spot as Barno as an athlete that is still getting the hang of the position. His athleticism will make him a valuable player, but he is likely to struggle to take on blocks. If he can build more strength over the course of the year he may be a true impact player next season.

DE Alec Bryant - 6.9/10 Bryant is an intriguing talent and could be one of the most important players on the team over the next couple of years. He has all the size, speed and athleticism to be a future consistent All-ACC player. The only complaint is that he plays with his pads really high off the snap. If he can clean up his technique, Bryant has the chance to be the best edge rusher the Hokies have had in a long time.

DE Zion Debose - 6.8/10 An explosive defensive end out of North Carolina, Debose has struggled to see the field over his first few seasons at Virginia Tech. He missed all of 2019 with an injury, but his explosiveness alone should allow him to be a good depth piece for the Hokies.

DE Eli Adams - 6.8/10 Adams is an intriguing player with the potential to be a good pass rusher. However, he may need a switch to the inside to maximize his potential as a player.

playing time. This defensive line has flipped in talent level over the past year which means Fuga may just be a depth piece for a while.

DE Justin Beadles - 6.5/10 Justin Beadles brings a lot of size to the position and if he develops well over the next couple of years he could be a very good player for the Hokie defensive line.

DE Derrell Bailey Jr. - 6.4/10 Bailey continues the trend of size in the defensive end rotation for the Hokies. His wingspan alone should help him out if he eventually gets playing time.

DE Nick Craig - N/A DE Nigel Simmons - N/A DT Maxx Philpott - N/A The last three guys on the roster are all former walk-ons who will have to work to see the field, however they could find their way into a rotation in need of quarterback pressure and production.

DT Norell Pollard - 6.8/10 Pollard recently made the switch to defensive tackle from defensive end. He is likely still adding weight and looking to improve his technique, but he could be a good player in the future.

DE Robert Wooten - 6.7/10 Robert Wooten is an exciting player coming in as a freshman at Tech. He should come in along with Bryant to help create one of the best pass rush duos Virginia Tech has seen recently. The future is bright with these two.

DT Jaden Cunningham - 6.7/10 Cunningham brings a lot of strength as a young player on the defensive line. He should be able to crash through the offensive line in the run game and be a decent player down the road.

DT Mario Kendricks - 6.7/10 Kendricks got to see the field a decent amount last season and he still has a lot of potential. He needs to get in better shape to be an impact pass rusher but that will likely happen with Virginia Tech’s training staff.

DT Josh Fuga - 6.6/10 Fuga is a high effort-level guy who will have to refine his technique to see more

@CTSportsTalk