The Virginia Tech College of Engineering has moved out of Randolph Hall to make way for the building’s demolition, which will be replaced with Mitchell Hall, the Roanoke Times reported. The building’s new construction will cost approximately $300 million.
Randolph Hall was completed in 1959, making the building over 60 years old. According to its webpage, the hall was named after Lingan Strother Randolph, a mechanical engineering professor, head of the mechanical engineering department and dean of engineering from 1893 to 1918.
Virginia Tech named Mitchell Hall after 1958 alum Norris Mitchell and his wife Wendy when in 2021, the couple made a record $35 million donation. It became the highest single donation made by an alumnus.
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In Tuesday’s Board of Visitors meeting, member Tish Long said moving the college from Randolph Hall was an accomplishment.
“Virginia Tech’s top ranked College of Engineering has grown 68% since the fall of 2006,” Long said. “As of last academic year, the number of bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees represent 39% of all
degree production at Virginia Tech.”
According to its page, Mitchell Hall is expected to be 285,500 square feet, over 100,000 square feet larger than Randolph Hall.
In 2020, the Commonwealth of Virginia gave the university $11 million for designing Mitchell Hall, per Long. Two years later, the university received full funding with an overall budget of $292 million.
“It’s in the working drawing phase,” Long said. “Construction activities are anticipated to begin in late 2023 to early 2024, with substantial completion planned for the summer of 2027.”
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The state will completely withdraw from the market by the end of the year.
On Monday, Aug. 28, a group of locals protested in downtown Blacksburg against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, according to WSLS. The state has been on the initiative since 2017 and has been a full participant since 2020.
According to a press release published on June 7, 2023, Youngkin began withdrawing Virginia from the RGGI, a co-op, market-based collaboration between 12 states — including Virginia — aimed at limiting and lowering carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector.
The State Air Pollution Control Board voted to repeal the RGGI regulation in accordance with the governor’s Executive Order 9.
“Today’s commonsense decision by the Air Board to repeal RGGI protects
Virginians from the failed program that is not only a regressive tax on families and businesses across the Commonwealth, but also does nothing to reduce pollution,” Youngkin said in the press release.
The Washington Post reported that in 2021, Democrats — the General Assembly’s majority at the time — passed a bill calling the state to gradually eliminate carbon-based fuels. Former Gov. Ralph Northam signed the bill into law, and Virginia then joined the RGGI.
After taking office in 2022, Youngkin issued an executive order to remove the state from the initiative, but the General Assembly said the governor couldn’t override a bill by the legislature, according to the Washington Post. This year, Virginia Senate’s Democrats killed a Republicanbacked bill that would’ve forced the state to back out of the RGGI.
The effective date for the state’s withdrawal is Dec. 31, 2023.
“I have grandchildren and I won’t be around that much longer, but I want a healthy planet for my kids and grandkids,” said George Lally, a protester and retired U.S. Marine, in an interview with WSLS. “It’s not going to hurt me very much, but there are people I love. Everyone I know has kids and grandkids and we’ve got to think about them and the world they live in.”
Protest organizer Emily Piontek told WSLS that climate change harms local areas. She also said communities affected by climate change will lose money as a result of the withdrawal.
“When you are deforesting these mountains, they are not able to absorb the rainwater impacts that we’re seeing,” Piontek said.
Local climate activist Karolyn Givens pressed on the urgency of climate change.
“What I really hope is we are calling more attention to more people that, in fact, Governor Youngkin has done this and we can’t afford it,” Givens said to WSLS. “We need people to speak out.”
The Virginia Regulatory Town Hall has opened public forums for comments about the state’s removal from the RGGI. The forums will close on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Drug addiction is one of the most heavily discussed and controversial topics in American politics, but very few understand the nuances of the topic. These ongoing dialogues often highlight just how bad some solutions can be. Supervised injection sites (SIS) are medically monitored facilities designed to create a hygienic environment that allows people to consume illicit hypodermic drugs recreationally to help avert deaths due to overdoses. These sites are critical for deterring the use of illegal opioids and stopping the number of overdose-related deaths.
Since 2000, there have been over 700k drug overdose deaths in the U.S. The federal budget for drug control in 2023 was $42.5
billion but little progress has been made compared to other countries. This was spent on various treatments for substance abuse disorder and the remaining budget was distributed among various government departments for prevention, interdiction and law enforcement.
More than a quarter of illegal drug users have been diagnosed with having a drug disorder, and 24.7% of those with an officially diagnosed drug disorder are addicted to opioids, which include pain relievers and heroin. Over nine million people (3.4% of Americans) aged 12 or older abuse opioids at least once over a span of 12 months. Of these almost 10 million Americans, 745,000 (7.4%) of opioid misusers abuse heroin while 404,000 (4.0%) abuse
heroin and other prescription drugs.
The pharmaceutical industry is an expansive and widely powerful conglomerate with a monopoly on opioids. Historically speaking, the pharmaceutical industry has downplayed the addictive properties of drugs to doctors, resulting in manipulative marketing techniques that doctors and people succumb to.
The majority of people who suffer severe pain that warrants an opioid prescription rarely need the drug for more than seven days, and using it for periods longer than three months exponentially increases the risk of addiction by 15 times. Through the year 2016-2017 alone, opium production increased by 65% to 10,500 tons. There are over 70,000 drug overdoses in
the US annually, a number that increases by 4% annually. Poison control centers report that the most common substance abuse they receive is illegal or misused opioids. Harm reduction is the best step to aid in the decrease in fatal overdoses, and SIS’s are safe places where there are specialized experts in harm reduction techniques. Harm reduction strategies rely on evidence-based observations and experiments and have been found to have a positive impact on communities.Supervised injection sites have been proven to greatly reduce the harm of opioids and other drug usage. As of now, there are only two officially sanctioned SIS in the
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entirety of the United States, both of which are in New York City. Within the first three months of these sites opening, New York City prevented more than 150 overdoses during approximately 9,500 visits, many of which were returning visitors from a group of 800 people. Organizers from the site report that these sites are funded by private funds and donations, but a parent group gets city and state money to provide services such as syringe exchange and counseling for the addicts.
The typical SIS is stocked with clean syringes, alcohol wipes, straws, oxygen and naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug. Staff members, some of whom have experience with drug addiction in the past, monitor for signs of overconsumption and offer advice, like safe injection techniques, to make the situation as safe as possible. With this, they are able to minimize criminal behaviors related to drug abuse, moderate drug use in general and reduce accidental overdoses.
Although these seem like a great deterrent to the modern-day opioid crisis, they encounter many criticisms from the public. Rod Rosenstein, then Deputy Attorney General during the Trump administration, publicly denounced the idea of these sites, citing them as “very dangerous” and “would only make the opioid crisis worse.” Rosenstein and many others believe that the incorporation of these sites into the American way of life would send a message to young users nationwide that the government is accepting of
illegal drug usage and project the idea that there are “safe ways” to take these dangerous drugs. California, for the second time, recently vetoed a bill that would have made it legal in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland to open sites as part of a new pilot program.
Along these same lines, many believe that SIS would generally worsen the opioid crisis by creating a hotspot for drug dealers, where they are able to specifically target people suffering from addiction by using the sites as their markets, thus destroying the work of the sites and the neighboring communities.
Then there are the moral arguments. Some believe in religious tenets that consider all drug use an inherent evil. Others, who consider natural based remedies the only medicine one can safely take, believe that injection drug use causes serious harm to the users because it is non-therapeutic.
Research debunks most, if not all, of these worries. Supporters of SIS describe them as safe, human and realistic responses to the drug crisis in the United States.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan infamously expanded on President Nixon’s war and pushed the War on Drugs to an extreme, emphasizing criminal punishment over treatment and rehabilitation processes. That same year, Reagan implemented the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which made it a federal felony punishable by up to 20 years in jail for operating a space that allowed illegal drug use. At this time in Switzerland, the government found themselves suffering from the same problem but did the reverse of the U.S.’s strict no-tolerance
policy. By 2002, heroin users in Switzerland had dropped from 850 to 150, drug-related deaths had declined by more than 50% and HIV-related infections were 8 times lower. The U.S. should use these statistics as an example to not only help target illegal drug usage, but to also reduce the amount of drug-related deaths.SIS’s would also greatly reduce the number of incarcerated people in the United States. The United States makes up less than 5% of the world’s population but nearly 25% of the incarcerated population in the world. This is largely due to the War on Drugs’ misguided tactics and its extremely biased and harsh sentencing requirements which unfairly targeted people of color.
Peyton Kirby, a senior studying neuroscience at Virginia Tech, believes that the War on Drugs was an unnecessary battle for the drug crisis.
“Criminalizing a disease is not the solution to this crisis. SIS gives individuals the opportunity to safely use drugs and gives them resources to use their addiction by giving them more time to actively work against their addiction and help them make as close to a full recovery as they can,” Kirby said. “No one wants to be addicted, once it reaches a certain point it becomes something they have to deal with, and providing them with a safe place where they feel welcome to come and seek help is the best opportunity we have right now.”
Addiction is not voluntary behavior. The initial action of taking drugs is voluntary, but there is more nuance to that discussion. Factors such as peer pressure, forceful intake, chronic pain and
paradoxically prescribed opioids from doctors all can lead to addiction. The ability to stop addiction does not lie in someone’s willpower and fortitude, it is connected to changes in one’s brain function — addiction is an official disease. Approximately 10-15% of people in the world are estimated to have addictive personalities, which can be passed down genetically. This can make it harder for such individuals to know when and how to stop using.
“Addiction is considered a disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders. Environmental and genetic factors play a role in incidents of addiction,” Kirby said. “It unfairly targets African American communities, because they traditionally used crack rather than cocaine because it is a cheaper drug to purchase. If you look at the statistics, white people generally use more drugs than African Americans, but African Americans make up almost 75% of incarcerated people affected by the war on drugs.”
In 2022 alone, there were more than 109,000 drug-related deaths reported. It has been proven that SIS works and is a far better method than the current no-tolerance approach that the U.S. has been using for years. SIS would lower incarceration rates, reduce the number of drug-related deaths, decrease the drug usage population throughout the country and help stop the spread of infectious diseases.
The lifestyles staff offers advice on navigating your first football games at Virginia Tech.
With the football season now in full swing, the lifestyles section staff has come together to give you some tips and tricks on how to navigate Lane Stadium and more!
With two home games back to back, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget some of the smaller game essentials. Before you get to the game, make sure you’re “dressed for success” — have a raincoat handy! Not only does this help if it rains, but you also have a couple of pockets to store your phone, keys and other items that you might need.
If you end up deciding to bring a bag with you instead, make sure it’s a clear
one. Lane Stadium doesn’t allow bags that aren’t see-through, and you will be sent back or asked to leave it behind if you bring the wrong type. On that same note, if you bring a water bottle, make sure you have it emptied beforehand. Lastly, make sure that you get to the Lane Stadium gates early! With all the Hokies prepared to cheer on the team, it gets crowded really quickly, so try getting in roughly 45 minutes before the game starts.
Michaela Scott, assistant lifestyles editorOne of my most crucial pieces of advice is to download your tickets prior to game time. Even in today’s technology-driven
world, Lane Stadium is infamously known for having zero cell service and network connectivity anywhere within the arena — and around Lane in the communities. With that being said, whether you are planning on printing your tickets out or sending them to your Apple Wallet, be sure to have this completed hours before you even enter campus. This will eliminate the stress of entering through the jumbled lines and ensure you will be allowed entry when it comes time for the countdown.
My other tip is to go all out. In my opinion, game days at Virginia Tech are like no other college football game, so along with your attendance, you need to bring all the spirit inside of you. One of my
favorite additions to a cute game day outfit is a pom-pom or a cowbell to amplify the cheer from the home side of the stadium. Another go-to item that adds to the energy of the game is a foam finger. A foam finger is a classic piece of game attire that makes you go from a football game spectator to a super fan and ultimately adds much more excitement to your experience.
Emelia Delaporte,When halftime hits, the crowd has a tendency to swarm the vendors beneath the stands. They don’t want to miss a
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moment of the game! Luckily, it’s pretty easy to catch up if you miss a couple minutes. That being said, don’t wait until the end of the first half to get concessions. You’ll be glad to avoid the lines and to have a chance to sit and relax during the halftime entertainment.
A clothing tip is to wear light layers. This is especially relevant for night-time games or games later in the season when the temperatures are cooler. While the stands get pretty warm when they are full, it’s nice to have an extra layer for your walk there or walk home that doesn’t take up much space in the stands with you. Another tip would be to wear shoes that you don’t care if they get dirty — there’s no telling what will be underfoot in the stands.
David Vu, lifestyles writer
Pay attention to the team colors for the particular game that you are going to, whether it be a white out or an Orange Effect. Even though you can wear whichever color you want to the football game, there is a certain type of energy and power that happens in the stadium when the crowds of Hokies are united through the target color.
Also, become familiar with the Hokie traditions that happen at football games as they are
a lot of fun to participate in, with some being impactful actions for the actual game itself. Firstly, the football games always start off with the chants from the crowd of “let’s go Hokies!” (usually directed by the cheerleaders), and when our team’s song “Enter Sandman” starts to play, you better start jumping to shake the stadium! Whenever the Hokies score, the crowd always cheers “H-O-KI-E-S HOKIES!” to hype up the football team. Lastly, pay attention to what kind of plays the commentator wants the crowd to do, whether it be a “key play” where we all jingle our keys together or a “make some noise” play where we just shout in order to distract the other team.
Abigail Fielding, lifestyles writer
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of drinking water. I know you may not want to miss a minute of the game, but during gameplay is the easiest time to grab a water bottle (or a couple) to stay hydrated. Be careful of bringing your own bottle in; they tend to be pretty strict, so I find it a lot easier to purchase one there and make sure I’m hydrated before I head over.
Getting to the game can also be a bit challenging; to call the buses chaotic would be an understatement. Make sure you give plenty
of time to get there, whether that’s walking, getting a friend to drop you off, or sometimes inevitably taking the bus. You want to be prepared to get there before kickoff to ensure you don’t miss a minute of the festivities. And don’t forget, choose comfort over style. I would definitely choose a supportive pair of shoes instead of sandals, heels or anything else that can be uncomfortable to walk or stand in for a long period of time. Whether it’s your first football season or your last as a student, I hope it’s as special for you as they have always been for me: so relax, have fun, be safe and enjoy!
Watching a football game as a student is a very special experience and one that you won’t forget for a long time. However, it’s not quite the same as going to the game as an average Joe, and there are some things you need to remember in order to have the best experience possible.
To start, make sure to arrive early if you want the good seats. Hokies can get very passionate about the game and some will arrive the minute gates open to ensure they get the best seats. The students have a different entrance than the general population, which means that there’s even more of a race to get to said
seats. Get everything you need for the game ready at least a few hours beforehand as well and make sure that you have everything you need. Dressing properly is important too; as I rather embarrassingly learned last year, there’s no bringing any umbrellas, so if the forecast has a potential for rain, it’s better to have a raincoat as opposed to getting soaked.
When in the stadium, make sure to be aware of your surroundings. There’s a lot of cheers and expressions of excitement throughout the game and you don’t want to be trampled!.It’s also good to make sure that you’re aware of your surroundings so if someone’s a bit too intoxicated, you don’t have a potential collision if they stumble.
Above all, have fun and let’s get that trophy this year! With the first game of the year ending in a Hokie victory, the excitement for the Saturday game against Purdue is high. For more information on the Fall 2023 football schedule, check out hokiesports.com/ sports/football/schedule/2023.
Offense
Quarterbacks: A-
Tech was effective in the passing game and less effective with the running game.
Last season, Grant Wells threw four interceptions in the season-opener against Old Dominion. Wells’ performance played a large part in Head Coach Brent Pry’s first loss coaching for Virginia Tech. With redemption on the forefront, the Marshall-transfer had his best game as a Hokie on Saturday.
After missing a few easy passes in the first quarter, Wells was prolific for the rest of the night. He threw three touchdown passes, including a 10-yard pass to Old Dominion transfer Ali Jennings.
Newcomer Kyron Drones didn’t see much action in his Hokies debut. The Baylor-transfer had some red zone touches early in the game, but Wells was steady enough to keep him on the sidelines.
Running backs: C
Bhayshul Tuten’s box score certainly didn’t look impressive, but that was because the five in front of him struggled to create lanes the entire game. The North Carolina A&T transfer showcased everything that made him a coveted player in the transfer portal.
Tuten broke several tackles last night and his vision was apparent on several runs that broke down in the backfield.
Malachi Thomas, the second guy in Virginia Tech’s running back room, was unable to get going as well. Thomas rushed for just 22 yards on 12 carries.
The Hokies failed to establish the run game in this one.
Pass catchers: A
The Hokies hit the transfer portal hard this offseason to address the receiving room. The Trio of Da’Quan Felton, Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane was excellent in their season-opener.
Lane received a bulk of his volume in
the first half of the game. The Middle Tennessee transfer hauled in four balls for just under 70 yards and scored the first touchdown of the season for Virginia Tech.
Jennings was great in the second half for the Hokies. The Highland Springs native finished the game with five catches and a touchdown after hauling in a score just before the half.
Felton finished the night with just one catch, but the play showcased his explosiveness. On a completion that was meant to move the chains, but he broke a tackle and took the quick pass 34 yards.
Felton was brought in for his big play ability. The Norfolk State transfer scored seven touchdowns last season, including a 90 yard bomb versus James Madison. This receiving group should propel whatever quarterback the Hokies roll out.
Offensive line: C+
The offensive line wasn’t as dominant as a Power Five offensive line should’ve been facing a team from the Sun Belt. However, they did keep Grant Wells upright for the entirety of the game.
Moving forward, the Hokies have to generate more push upfront if they want to compete with the other teams on their schedule. The offense struggled to convert in short yardage situations and left points on the board.
Pass protection was a strength in this one, but players have to be able to run the ball to keep defenses honest.
Defense
Pass rush: A
Virginia Tech’s defense stopped Wilson from developing an effective passing game, routinely pressuring the quarterback. The Hokies sacked Wilson five times, including two from defensive lineman Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr.
in his Virginia Tech debut after transferring from Florida. Wilson, who at times struggled to communicate with his offense at noisy moments in the game, completed just 13 of his 25 pass attempts for 96 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and one interception.
Run defense: D
Tech’s main defensive struggles came in stopping Old Dominion’s running backs. The Monarchs ran the ball 43 times for 201 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Old Dominion quarterback Grant Wilson was his team’s leading rusher with 19 carries for 81 yards. Running back Keshawn Wicks was close behind him, rushing 14 times for 73 yards. Although Tech was largely able to stop ODU’s passing game, stopping the run was a larger challenge.
Targeting penalties: F
Two Hokies — Jalen Stroman and Pheldarius Payne — were disqualified during the game for targeting, a rule designed to prevent defenders from leading with their helmet when tackling. Payne, since his penalty took place in the second half, is suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game against Purdue. All in all, there were five targeting reviews across both teams, resulting in three ejections — two for Virginia Tech and one for Old Dominion.
Punt returns: A Lane and wide receiver Tucker Holloway split the three punt returns. Holloway, late in the fourth quarter, returned a punt for 66 yards to the ODU nine-yard line, one broken tackle away from a punt return touchdown. Although Tech ran out the clock, leading to zero points on that drive, having several effective kick returners may prove
valuable to the Hokies as the season progresses.
Scoring points on special teams: A Virginia Tech didn’t need to touch the ball to score their first points of the night, when ODU long snapper Brock Walters snapped the ball over punter Ethan Duane’s head into the end zone, gifting the Hokies their first two points of the night.
Wide receivers Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane combined for three touchdowns.
Old Dominion is a football team Virginia Tech should beat. The Hokies (1–0), after spending their 2022 season losing winnable games, did beat the Monarchs (0–1) on Saturday, 36–17, which was no guarantee.
In fact, Tech’s 2023 season opener in Lane Stadium was eerily familiar to their 20–17 loss at Old Dominion in 2022, the first game of the Brent Pry era. Both games were, in large part, shaped by a bad snap on special teams; in 2022, a second-quarter field goal attempt went over the holder’s head, leading to an ODU scoop-and-score, while in 2023, a snap went over the punter’s head and out of the end zone for a safety. Not to mention the start of the second half was delayed in both games; in 2022, the Virginia Tech coaches were stuck in the elevator to the press box, while in 2023, there was a hole in the field.
But where it counted, the Hokies thrived, which made all the difference from the year before. Their wide receivers, many of whom were transfers making their Virginia Tech debuts, proved to be valuable. Ali Jennings, playing against his former team, caught five passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Jaylin Lane, a transfer from Middle Tennessee State, totaled four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown, plus 38 return yards. At a position that faltered in previous years, Virginia Tech Head Coach Brent Pry was happy to have efficiency on offense. Tech’s 39 points were the most they’ve scored since Nov. 13, 2021, against Duke (48).
“We certainly knew (our new receivers) could be productive for us, and they’ve done that in the spring and they’ve done that in preseason camp,” Pry said.
Jennings’s first reception for the Hokies was a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter against the school where he played last season, giving Tech a 16–7 lead.
“You can make plays all day in practice, but once you show up under the lights, then guys really know who you are,” Jennings said. “Being able to do that, and show my team I’m a playmaker for the team and help the team get wins, it felt great.
“In my celebration, I opened up the door and kicked the door down, just to let everybody know that I’m finally here.”
Lane was the first player to reach the end zone all season, scoring off of a 20-yard pass
during the first play of the second quarter.
“We’re getting our scholarship money out of (Lane),” Pry said. “Between punt returns and playing wide out, he is an exceptional young man and I think all the guys look to him. He has been the most consistent playmaker in our offense and he showed that again tonight.”
Quarterback Grant Wells, who played for the entire season and Pry named the starter, was slated to share snaps with Kyron Drones, a transfer from Baylor. Wells ended up playing all but four snaps, completing 17 of 29 pass attempts, passing for 251 yards and throwing three touchdown passes. On the ground, Wells had seven rushes for 27 yards, including one rushing touchdown. Most of Wells’s success came after the first quarter when he was responsible for just 38 yards of total offense.
“We struggled a little bit early (in the game), just because we were expecting a different defensive look than they really showed us at first,” Wells said.
Drones threw one pass — an eight-yard completion — and ran the ball three times for two yards. Drones didn’t play after the first quarter when Wells began to find his rhythm.
“I thought it was good to see Kyron get out there early, to get his feet wet,” Pry said. “... The plan will remain the same, regardless of how well Grant plays. It’s about Kyron’s development and the other elements of our offense.”
The Monarchs had a consistently better ground game, totaling 201 rushing yards — 4.7 yards per carry — and stopping the Hokies’ rushing attack at 106 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry. Bhayshul Tuten, a transfer from North Carolina A&T, was Tech’s best running back, finishing with 19 rushes for 56 yards.
“We’ve got some work to do there,” Pry said. “I was disappointed in our run defense, for sure.”
Although Tech’s run defense was not a strength, the Hokies forced three turnovers: two fumbles and an interception. Saturday marked the first time Tech forced three turnovers since Sep. 3, 2021, against North Carolina.
“The turnovers, the takeaways, that was the complementary piece that needs to happen to allow us to play well enough on defense to
win,” Pry said.
The Hokies went 3–8 last season, their worst finish since 1988. Pry, when speaking to the media over the past several months, has been careful to temper expectations. But Saturday’s showing, even though it wasn’t perfect, even though they started slowly, even though they beat a team they should beat every time, was a reason for Tech fans to be just a little bit optimistic.
“I feel like we left some stuff on the table,” Lane said. “... At the end of the day, we all played great.”
