The Virginia Statesman

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STATESMAN Proudly representing the student voice at Virginia State University since 1930. www.TheVirginiaStatesman.com | Volume XC Issue 2 | March 23, 2022

FOUNDER’S

DAY

Student Government Association Vice-President Mekhi McKinney presents a historic reflection on Founder’s Day. p. 2 Photo by Gibran Godfrey.

Inside: RA Destiny Johnson p. 3 , 91.3 FM The Source p. 4, & Track Throws Coach Ashley Dewitt p. 6

NEWS

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FEATURES

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THEVIRGINIASTATESMAN

Watching out for residents

Director of Residence Life enjoys process of collaboration Taylor Bennett

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Contributing Writer

Photo of Destiny Johnson by Lesli Evans.

Junior Destiny Johnson helps her hallmates as a Resident Assistant Lesli Evans

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Contributing Writer

hen first getting to college becoming an Resident Assistant was not on the top of Destiny Johnson’s to do list. She imagined herself out having fun at parties with friends on weekends and not doing rounds in the dorm.

Johnson has been an RA at Virginia State University for two years now. She says being an RA helps her stay highly motivated and keeps her involved in her campus community.

Johnson has always been passionate about helping others. In high school, Johnson worked as a part time tutor because she enjoyed seeing other students succeed. She says becoming an RA was one of the best things she’s ever done,

however, at the time she didn’t realize how big of a responsibility the job was.

Johnson says being an RA taught her skills that help with any and everything.

“Ever since I became an RA my skills on conflict management and time management have improved tremendously. That’s what happens though when you’re responsible for over 30 students.

Ever since becoming an RA Johnson has made many friends and feels more involved in her school. She says the opportunities presented to her ever since becoming an RA have helped her branch out more and make more acquaintances.

“When I became an RA, I felt more involved with VSU. I also met some of my best friends who are also RAs. “ Johnson plans on keeping her job as an RA until she graduates next year.

“My friends and I have already decided to stay as RA’s for the rest of our time here at VSU. I really do love my job and will miss it when I graduate”.

Ever since becoming an RA Johnson has not only gained life skills but lifelong friends in the making. Being an RA is more than just free housing. She believes the experience is well worth it.

Who do I contact for housing concerns? Students should contact the Residence Director of the hall.

What is an RD?

A Residence Director is a professional staff member who supervises, manages, and directs the residence hall and staff.

What is an RA?

Resident Assistants are student leaders living in the Residence Halls who provide guidance to students from a peer perspective.

What do I do when I need something in my room fixed?

Log into your housing self-service portal via banner – click “RCR/Damage” click “Submit Your Workorder” and complete the online form. Once the request is processed, someone from Facilities Management will attend to the matter.

For more information about applying to be an RA or the Department of Residence Life & Housing go to: https://www.vsu.edu/reslife/index.php

Contact Information Phone: (804) 524-6840 Email: reslife@vsu.edu

ave you ever wondered who is behind the scenes of ensuring that residence life at VSU is up to par? If you don’t know then now you know, it’s Derrick Peterson, the Director of Residence Life and Housing here at VSU. Peterson landed his role at VSU as the Director of Residence Life and Housing in 2014. He has been here for eight years and has had the privi- Derrick Peterson lege of seeing five freshman classes graduate.

Surprisingly, his initial position wasn’t a Residence Director.

“My initial position was a Maintenance and Inventory Coordinator because of my background in logistics. In residential living there was a need for an interim director and the director at the time was promoted, so I became the interim director in 2017, then in 2019 I became the permanent director,” Peterson said.

Being a Residence Director comes with responsibilities, busy days, and learning how to manage your time.

“My days consist of responding to emails, attending meetings, completing walkthroughs of residence halls, resolving conflicts between residents, following up on maintenance requests, checking in with my supervisor, and anything else that may come up.”

Peterson includes that his biggest responsibility is balancing his fiscal budget and ensuring the residence halls are safe.

Working somewhere for almost 10 years comes with learning lessons that you can apply to everyday life. According to Peterson, “Manage chaos, don’t let the chaos manage you, never react but respond.”

He expresses that the key to operating a successful residence hall is, “Collaborations with staff and students. Being hands on, present, and engaged with the residents is best.”

Although being a Residence Director can be busy and hectic there are things that Peterson enjoys as well.

“I enjoy engaging with the residents and I get to watch them grow. I see them when they come in as freshmen all the way until they graduate.”

FEATURES

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A&E

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SPORTS

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THEVIRGINIASTATESMAN

Throws coach just getting started

Ashley Dewitt uses experience in high school, college to coach Trojans

Football coach Reggie Barlow heads to XFL, San Antonio Gibran Godfrey

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Editor

fter six seasons as the head coach of the Virginia State University Trojans, head coach Reggie Barlow has officially accepted a head coaching position with the XFL. Coach Barlow leaves the program with an impressive overall record of 34-16 as the head coach of the Trojans.

Atrell Williams

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Contributing Writer

er coaching career is her livelihood, yet it all started with her intense supremely com-

petitive career.

Ashley Dewitt is the throws coach at Virginia State University.

In her five years here the men’s team has won two championships.

The throws squad consistently racks up points during conference meets and she has taken a couple athletes to nationals. Her accolades are extensive but before her successful coaching career, she was a successful multi-sport athlete.

“When I was in high school all I did was play basketball, and I was pretty good. One year we went 26-0 and won states. My junior year we lost in sectionals, and I didn’t know what to do with my

time, so two of my teammates and I decided to go throw because we didn’t want to run.”

Dewitt started off as a basketball player and fell in love at first shot.

Her decision was not that tough for her to make; she had a natural gift for throwing and colleges noticed.

Her first year of throwing, she received an offer from Nebraska University. She knew she could go where she wanted the only problem was her grades.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t take school too seriously and I had around a 1.9 GPA, and I was just going to go to the military because the rest of my family is military.

In total, I had 225 letters of interest, not actual offers. The way it worked was they had a sliding scale based on SAT scores. Based on my scores I could only go D2, so when my cousin took a recruiting visit to Tiffin University, I went along and got picked up by them then.”

Coach Ashley Dewitt watches her athletes throw the shot put at the Fred Hardy Invitational Track Meet at the University of Richmond. Photo by Virginia Statesman staff.

Throwing at Tiffin, Coach Dewitt made a name for herself as she became a four time All-American in the GLEAC, which at the time was the hardest D2 conference in the nation. At the same time, she was also studying to run the market. In the future, she wants to run all the sports.

“I earned my Master’s in Business Administration, and I have my concentration in human resources because that’s what my mom does.

I didn’t know I was going to be a coach but if I could go back, I would get my degree in Sports Administration. At the end of the day, when I get tired of coaching, I want to be an athletic director.”

Barlow’s stint as the head coach of the Trojans also has plenty of other bright spots. During the 2017 season, he guided the Trojans to an undefeated regular season with a 10-0 record for the first time ever in school history and then 7-0 in the CIAA and 5-0 in the Northern Division which ultimately led them to win the Northern Division title. He ended up being named the 2017 CIAA Coach of the Year that year.

The XFL is a professional American football league which consists of eight teams divided equally between the East and West division. It was founded in 1999 and had its inaugural season in 2020. The season runs from February to April with every team playing a total of ten games each in the regular season with four teams going to the playoffs to play for the league championship. It has been reported that Barlow will be coaching the team in San Antonio.

OPINIONS

THEVIRGINIASTATESMAN

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VS STAFF

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THEVIRGINIASTATESMAN

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ANJEL-ALI ORMOND MANAGING EDITOR GIBRAN GODFREY NEWS EDITOR NEEDED FEATURES EDITOR JADA CRIDER SPORTS EDITOR GIBRAN GODFREY OPINIONS EDITOR NEEDED ART EDITOR JALYNN WHITE PHOTO EDITOR GIBRAN GODFREY STAFF WRITERS JADA CRIDER ANJEL-ALI ORMOND GIBRAN GODFREY CHARNESE SMALL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS CHARNESE SMALL JADA CRIDER ADVISER CHRIS WAUGAMAN

OUR POLICY

The Virginia Statesman and www.TheVirginiaStatesman.com are the independent student newspaper and student news website at Virginia State University.

Virginia State University recognizes the educational and societal value of encouraging the uninhibited, robust, free and open discussion of issues and ideas on America’s college and university campuses, as well as the legal protections afforded students’ exercise of freedom of expression and press freedom, especially by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is therefore the policy of the Virginia State University Board of Trustees that all student edited campus media have been established as designated public forums for student expression.

For more information about The Virginia Statesman’s editorial policy please visit: www.TheVirginiaStatesman.com/editorial-policy/

LET US KNOW

The opinions pages of The Virginia Statesman are a forum open to the public. Contributions are welcome by email to TheVirginiaStatesman@gmail. com, by mail or in-person at Virginia State University - Multipurpose Center, 20809 2nd Ave Room 1415, Petersburg, VA 23803. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Virginia Statesman. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of the editorial board of The Virginia Statesman.

The Virginia Statesman strives for accuracy in gathering news. If you think we have made an error, please email TheVirginiaStatesman@gmail.com.

Corrections will appear on the news pages and/or online. One paper per person. Additional copies can be purchased at Hunter-McDaniel Building for $1 each.

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SOFTBALL SATURDAY, APRIL 9 VS LINCOLN UNIVERSITY SUNDAY, APRIL 10 VS BOWIE STATE SATURDAY, APRIL 23 VS VIRGINIA UNION SUNDAY, APRIL 24 VS VIRGINIA UNION

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