The Commonwealth Times; March 2, 2022

SHIFTING STANDARDS

sentences

for hazing Adam Oakes

University considers lifting mask mandate after spring break

KATRINA LEE News Editor

The university announced via email to its students and faculty members it is considering rescinding the indoor mask mandate on campus, except for during in-person classes, according to a VCU Together email.

University spokesperson Michael Porter stated in an email that VCU’s Public Health Response Team is responsible for deciding on a transition to voluntary masking.

“The Public Health Response Team is expected to make a recommendation as early as this week. That recommendation will be considered by VCU’s Incident Command Team and senior leaders,” Porter stated on Monday.

The university’s decision on lifting the mask mandate is dependent on the state of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations at VCU and Richmond, according to the VCU Together email. VCU previously lifted the mask mandate in summer 2021.

“If COVID-19 positivity and hospitalization rates continue to improve in the coming weeks, with positivity rates in Richmond sustained below 10%, VCU plans to once again transition to voluntary masking effective March 21,” the VCU Together email stated.

March 21 was chosen to “give our university community time to monitor trends” in COVID-19 cases following spring break, which is from March 6 – 13, according to the email.

Reported COVID-19 cases in Virginia have declined according to the Virginia Department of Health website. The VDH reported a decline from 84,315 cases on Jan. 8 to 8,300 cases on Feb. 17.

“If VCU transitions to voluntary masking, masks will continue to be required

in certain situations such as clinical settings, health system facilities and when using public transit,” the VCU Together email stated.

The Center of Disease Control recently released new guidance on wearing masks based on location, ranking areas from low to high transmission. The CDC stated mask wearing is based on personal preference in low status areas. While in high status areas, the CDC recommends wearing a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status or individual risk.

The consideration of lifting the mask mandate followed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order, which rescinded the mask mandate for children in K-12 public schools. Tigreros said they think it’s “horrible” what Youngkin is doing.

“It doesn’t say anything about universities. I think it’s really cowardly for VCU to submit to Youngkin’s orders even though it doesn’t apply to us,” Tigreros said.

Tigreros said Walkout VCU and The United Campus Workers of Virginia are working together to advance their agenda for COVID-19 related accommodations.

“We are in talks with the VCU faculty union, the United Campus Workers of Virginia. Their steering committee approved a list of demands we are going to send out. We are leaps and bounds from where we were a couple weeks ago,” Tigreros said.

Bernard Means, an assistant professor of anthropology, said his decision to teach in-person during the spring semester was due to the mask mandate.

KATRINA LEE News Editor

VARSHA VASUDEVAN Staff Writer

Former VCU Delta Chi fraternity member Andrew White was sentenced to 24 months of reformative practices, rather than jail time, on Tuesday after pleading guilty to the unlawful hazing of VCU freshman Adam Oakes back in February 2021.

The penalization was suggested by the parents of Adam Oakes. White is required to complete 12 months on probation, 100 hours of community service, participate in a restorative justice program with the Oakes family and participate in five community service presentations.

Oakes’ parents gave impact statements at the John Marshall District Court building in downtown Richmond before the Judge announced the sentence to White.

“We don’t want anyone to feel the tragedy we have,” the Oakes family said during the hearing.

Adam Oakes’ mother, Linda Oakes, described the pain she felt since her son’s death during her impact statement.

“My faith is now destroyed. I no longer believe in God,” Linda Oakes said.

Andrew White asked the court to agree to the sentencing that the family suggested. He said this is the second friend he lost to alcohol.

“I know and understand that this pain I feel pales in comparison to yours,” White said in court.

He said since Adam Oakes’ death, he has participated in both sport and health-based activities with kids and attended a Mothers Against Drunk Driving panel.

The City of Richmond is currently at a medium status, recommending wearing masks if individuals are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe illness, according to the CDC.

Gian Tigreros, a junior studying theater technical production and an organizer for Walkout VCU, a group advocating for hybrid classes, said they don’t agree with VCU’s consideration of lifting the mask mandate.

“Now is definitely not the time to step away from preventive efforts,” Tigreros said.

Tigreros said VCU policy updates surrounding COVID-19 have furthered their motivations to advocate for hybrid classes.

“Every update that VCU has announced has just been worse and worse,” Tigreros said.

“I can state that I will not be happy if the mask mandate is lifted and that my teaching in person was predicated in part on the mask mandate,” Means stated in an email.

Means stated if the mask mandate is lifted he would probably start avoiding places like the library.

“My understanding is that the mask mandate will not be lifted in classroom settings, which is my biggest concern because two of the classrooms within which I teach do not allow social distancing,” Means stated.

Means stated he is worried lifting the mask mandate will lead to masks being seen as voluntary when it would still be required in some circumstances.

“Two students I spoke with today read the recent email from the university saying masking was being lifted across campus

Judge Claire Cardwell agreed to the sentencing the parents suggested and said alcohol and hazing was a cultural problem, not exclusive to VCU.

“I am astounded by the generosity of the parents,” Cardwell said.

and did not see that they were still being required in classrooms. I think this needs to be strongly stated,” Means stated.

Contributing Writer Mae Oetjens contributed to this report.

Judge

former Delta Chi member Andrew White

Gian Tigreros Walkout VCU leader

Masked students walk around campus. Photo by Jay Stonefield

Andrew White. Photo courtesy of the Richmond Police Department

Stories of the week

national: President Biden delivers his first State of the Union Address on Tuesday international: At least 677,000 refugees have left Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country

ADA violation at VCU basketball game raises questions about accessibility on campus

KATRINA LEE News Editor

SAHARA SRIRAMAN Contributing Writer

The accessibility standards of the Stuart C. Siegel Center gained public attention on social media after a reporter was recently unable to broadcast the VCU vs. Rhode Island basketball game due to an Americans with Disabilities Act violation.

The ADA, is a law that prevents any form of disability discrimination.

Shane Donaldson, the University of Rhode Island’s associate athletics director for men’s basketball, has cerebral palsy, which affects his muscle strength and balance from the hips down. He traveled to VCU last month to broadcast the men’s basketball game. However, the broadcasting platform was only accessible by climbing a step ladder over a metal fence.

“When I saw the setup, I knew for me personally it was not going to be a good idea to attempt to go on the ladder and step over,” Donaldson said.

Donaldson took a picture of the ladder and posted it to his Twitter, which resulted in over 100 retweets.

“Not ideal for anyone. Certainly not for someone with cerebral palsy. @ TheStoneFreeman will have the solo call tonight. To the listeners, I’m sorry,” the tweet states.

Donaldson said he usually knows ahead of time if he is unable to get to

the broadcasting booth. However, in this case, he said he was unaware.

Donaldson said VCU should take certain steps to better accommodate people with disabilities, especially for newer buildings like the Siegel Center, which was built in 1999, nine years after the ADA was enacted, according to a VCU athletics website.

“In a facility like the Siegel Center, you would think that there are resources and there are options to come up with, with really not even very complicated planning and processing,” Donaldson said.

Ed McLaughlin, the VCU vice president and director of athletics, issued a statement about Donaldson’s experience at the game.

“We have worked closely with the University ADA office to modify the radio location, address accessibility concerns for the remainder of the season and establish a long-term plan moving forward,” McLaughlin stated. “Access and inclusion are central to our values and we feel confident that our work with the University ADA office will remove barriers in those areas.”

VCU offers a number of ADA accommodations on campus, according to the Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success.

Adjunct graphic design instructor Emily Sara, who has a disability and uses a wheelchair, said she doesn’t believe VCU follows ADA policy.

“It’s VCU, and it’s every institute. I think all institutes hide behind this unfortunately. Largely because there are not a lot of people enforcing it until someone sues you for it, saying that I don’t have

equal access to XYZ,” Sara said.

Sara said she teaches in the Pollak Building, which requires her to enter through a back entrance as the front entrance is inaccessible to her. Sara said she respects that the Pollak Building is rented by VCU, but said it still doesn’t change the fact she has to enter the building from the back entrance.

“To be honest, it’s humiliating, to, you know, have to access the university that way,” Sara said. “I think, largely lots of times, it just comes down to that. It’s like you are saying, who can walk in the front door and saying who can roll in the back door, essentially?”

Sara said VCU could be a very revolutionary university if VCU thought of these spaces more “holistically” and took individuals with disabilities’ advice on how to make buildings more accessible.

“You know, like having the disability office at a university, filled with disabled individuals is going to totally change how accommodations are made,” Sara said.

Another way Sara said VCU could make an effort to make things more accessible is to hire more disabled faculty.

Sara said having conversations about accessibility for individuals who are disabled is very important for change to happen.

“This also is another part of it is like students just asking, you know,

students wanting to engage is a really a big part of this,” Sara said.

Cleopatra Magwaro, the associate vice president of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness & Success at VCU, stated via email VCU’s top priority is ensuring all people have access to VCU facilities.

Magwaro stated VCU must abide by all ADA regulations when building new buildings or altering existing ones. If buildings or events are not accessible to all people, VCU can choose to make structural changes or completely relocate.

“Our programs and activities remain accessible to all at VCU, regardless of disability status, both seen and unseen,” Magwaro stated.

Anyone who has concerns about accessibility is encouraged to fill out the Campus Accessibility Concern Form.

Greek life recruitment returns to campus following year-long suspension

KATRINA LEE News Editor

VCU Fraternity and Sorority Life recently began its first official recruitment since the freezing of recruitment and intake activities in spring 2021.

The university conducted an internal review of Greek life, along with an external review conducted by Dyad Strategies, an educational consulting firm, in August 2021. These reviews stemmed from the death of freshman Adam Oakes on Feb. 27, 2021, according to a previous report by the Commonwealth Times. The anniversary of his death was last Sunday, Feb. 27.

Joe Wheeless, the director of Fraternity and Sorority life, said that, upon hiring, his job was to make sure recruitment could resume as soon as possible.

“When I arrived, one of the first things that I was asked to do is to work with our councils to put the necessary planning and infrastructure in place so that recruitment could happen,” Wheeless said.

Following both Greek life reviews, the university released a “Greek life review progress update” in December 2021. The planning that Wheeless conducted is listed in the update and is based on the recommendations from the reviews that were accepted by VCU.

Some changes the update states were complete include the hiring of a Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, “developing and disseminating” an alcohol amnesty policy and creating a Hazing Prevention Coordinator position.

The update also states the ongoing changes taking place, including creating a “sense of community,” increasing support for Greek life chapter officers, developing a “mechanism to disclose misconduct” within these organizations and more.

Wheeless said some planning and changes he was responsible for addressing included working on training for hazing

prevention, hiring of new staff and creating a report on conduct outcomes.

“We just launched or published, earlier this week, a public report on all student organization conduct outcomes,” Wheeless said. “So that’s one of the things that we’ve been doing. As well as implementing hazing prevention training for all the new members. All of that will take place.”

Wheeless said that he felt the steps to maintain Greek life on campus is important for the “vibrancy” of the campus.

“It shouldn’t ever take away from the overall college experience. It should add value to a student’s time at VCU, whether it’s through networking, or friendship and belongingness, or leadership opportunities, whatever the student goes into that experience wanting that they’re able to get that,” Wheeless said. “I think the things that we’ve done so far are really to help move the community

into a way of rethinking how it operates within the VCU community.”

Freshman pre-nursing student Morgan Armitage said she doesn’t believe Greek life is important to campus life and said she feels like these organizations are apathetic about the death of Oakes.

“I think it [Greek life] does more harm than good,” Armiage said. “ It’s [Greek life] so toxic to me.”

Armitage said she thinks the changes from the reviews to prevent hazing won’t impact the way these organizations initiate new members.

“I think they are going to continue doing it [hazing], just without people’s knowledge,” Armitage said.

Armitage’s friend, freshman James Madison University student Jeremy Hammer, said the problems he sees in Greek life are not unique to VCU, but a systemic issue present on all campuses.

“I go to JMU and it applies here and there. The environment is very dangerous. Especially with the fraternities,” Hammer said. “There is so much toxic masculinity and I find it so dangerous.”

VCU Division for Inclusive Excellence is located on West Grace Street. Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

Illustration by Sarah Brady

University student government lobbies at Virginia General Assembly

VARSHA VASUDEVAN Staff Writer

The VCU Student Government Association, or SGA, has been working towards going “a step further” to implement change through lobbying important legislation, according to SGA secretary of state Sydney Biondi.

SGA recently put on its “Annual Lobby Day” on Feb. 21. Leading up to the event, SGA votes on pieces of legislation to support and then lobby the chosen bills at the Virginia 2022 General Assembly Legislative session

Sydney Biondi said “Annual Lobby Day” is important because it allows SGA to try implementing concrete and specific change.

“I think it’s important to raise these issues to people that we’ve elected to office and say, ‘we’re the real people the laws you’re writing are impacting. These are the issues that are important to us.’”

Biondi said any SGA member can write a resolution or a bill on any topic they are passionate about. The resolution will then be voted on by the body and is passed if SGA as a collective agrees on it. Once it is agreed on, the body “moves forward” with it, according to Biondi.

Biondi said the organization is a communications “liaison” between VCU administration and its students and works to amplify student voices and opinions.

“We’re really just here to represent student voices and get those voices up to administration, make sure all voices are heard and advocate for students on campus,” Biondi said.

SGA went into this year’s lobbying hoping to have “open conversations” with elected officials about issues they felt pertained to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Biondi stated.

“We recognized that most of the issues we were lobbying on weren’t going to be voted on this year; rather, we wanted to put feelers out there for future legislation,” Biondi stated.

for any sort of learning opportunity,” Pidaparti said. “Student debt is such a huge problem, but we should not prevent our students from being able to have that resource.”

Pidaparti said lobbying is a form of advocacy important to SGA and hopes the organization will continue advocating for VCU students as well as Richmonders.

“I’m really proud of us and SGA, because I think we’re aware of the space we take up in a city of predominantly Black and brown people,” Pidaparti said. “I think that, you know, what we’re doing is really good work.”

At the General Assembly session on Feb. 21, Del. Jeff Bourne of the 71st district introduced SGA on the House Floor.

Secretary of the interior Reena Pidaparti focuses on “internal campus matters,” and maintains relationships with academic facilities and departments and other colleges. She said the legislation SGA lobbied for was largely related to academic policies that have “really important implications” for VCU students.

Pidaparti said SGA lobbied for the Undergraduate Resolution 09 which supports Senate Bill 159. The bill protects low-income students from debt that they may incur during their time in university by not withholding transcripts from students with outstanding student debt.

“I think we all, as students, probably understand the importance of transcripts

“We [elected officials] have a responsibility to uplift and honor those young people in our communities that get engaged and stay engaged,” Bourne said.

Sydney Biondi stated lobbying at this year’s General Assembly legislative session was successful because SGA accomplished everything they were hoping to by speaking directly to elected officials.

“Everyone was kind and supportive and we had super productive conversations that make me hopeful for the future,” Biondi stated.

One of the bills SGA lobbied for is the undergraduate resolution that supports a bill transferring police funds to mental health organizations. Biondi said the measure is a good example of their holistic approach to lobbying.

“I think this stems from the fact that VCU PD [VCU police department] and RPD [Richmond police department] work together and we recognize how that impacts Richmond and VCU students,” Biondi said. “We recognized that we need more funds towards mental health, we needed more funds towards schools.”

Biondi said SGA prefers to operate independently from VCU in order to represent the larger Commonwealth of Virginia and community members that may be “upset and frustrated” at VCU.

“We recognize that we’re more than students and people in Richmond are more than people in Richmond, but we all, as a collective, have needs and wants,” Biondi said. “We want to advocate for everybody.”

Sydney Biondi SGA secretary of state

Student Government Association members attend the 2022 Virginia General Assembly to lobby legislation. Photos Courtesy of SGA

VCU’s Student Government Association has meetings on Mondays in the Student Commons senate chambers. Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

ARRICK WILSON Sports Editor

IGHTS DIMMED IN THE “STU” AS cheers, cries and laughter filled the arena; two VCU seniors walked to the center of the court, met with applause and chants from the VCU fans. The wave of gold and black brightened the court as the game began.

It’s the last hurrah for seniors Vince Williams Jr. and KeShawn Curry, who were honored for their continuance with the program over the years. The VCU men’s basketball program defeated the George Mason Patriots 72-66 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Head coach Mike Rhoades said he was proud with the overall turnout of the game.

“Senior night — emotional. I thought we got off to a great start, then relaxed too much. And George Mason’s a good team, they got guys that made plays today,” Rhoades said. “It’s a typical game in the A-10, typical VCU, George Mason game, so I’m glad we came out on top.”

The Rams started the game by scoring 10 points while holding the Patriots to zero. The black and gold’s havoc defense

translated to offense. However, the Patriots went on a 9-0 run, holding off the Rams from scoring for around two minutes. Both teams traded blows and made successful runs to compete in the half.

The half ended with the Rams on top, 39-34. Senior guard KeShawn Curry and freshman guard Jayden Nunn both lead the Rams with 11 points.

Graduate forward D’Shawn Schwartz led the Patriots with 14 points and sophomore forward Otis Frazier III chipped in six points for the Patriots at the half.

The Rams struggled during the start of the second half, allowing the Patriots back in the game, who took the lead with five minutes in the half. The black and gold pounced back into the game, creating a 16-0 run for four minutes, gaining the lead and cruising to the win.

Sophomore guard Adrian “Ace” Baldwin Jr. guided the Rams to victory, scoring 14 points in the second half. Baldwin said his teammates helped him gain momentum in the second half.

“First half, I wasn’t really making shots, so I was just trying to get my other teammates shots. I want to thank coach and my teammates for just trusting me, believing in

Stat of the week

Graduate guard Taya Robinson was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team along with All-Defensive and All-Academic honors.

Sophomore guard Sarah Te-Biasu was also named to the All-Atlantic 10 Third Team.

me, put the ball in my hands,” Baldwin said. “I knew my number was gonna get called — just be ready at the time.”

Baldwin had a big night overall for the Rams, leading with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists. Sophomore forward Mikeal Brown-Jones also had a career-high with 15 points. The forward also gathered seven rebounds, along with freshman guard Jayden Nunn scoring 13 points.

Brown-Jones had another great performance coming off the bench for the Rams. He said he was focused on making an impact for his team.

“Staying ready, as much as I possibly can. I know that my time gone come eventually so I just rather be a great teammate to these guys. You know, do everything I can to win games,” Brown-Jones said.

Schwartz led the Patriots with 22 points and junior forward Josh Oduro also had 13 points and seven rebounds.

SENIOR FORWARD VINCE WILLIAMS JR.

Since making it to Broad Street, senior forward Vince Williams Jr. has become one of the Rams’ top scorers over the last two years. Williams was named third team All-Atlantic 10 conference in 2021, with a career-high of 10.6 points per game, the second highest on the team in 2021, according to VCU Athletics. Williams said he enjoyed his senior night and getting the win in the “Stu.”

“[I] just felt like I was back in high school all over again, to be honest. It was good all around. My teammates supported me and the coaches emphasized that we go out and get this win for the seniors tonight,” Williams said during an interview with VCU’s Ram Radio broadcast team.

One of Williams’ greatest performanc es was against longtime rival University of Richmond on Jan. 29, where the forward had a stat line of 22 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and a dagger three-pointer. For this performance, Williams was named the A-10 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the games played from Jan. 24-30. Wil liams said he believes the team is getting into the groove of playing, winning seven out of the eight games in the month of February, according to VCU Athletics.

“I feel like we just all stick to gether, so I wouldn’t say we were peaking. I feel like we are finally figuring ourselves out as a team, just because now we can actually trust each other,” Williams said.

SENIOR GUARD KESHAWN CURRY

Senior guard KeShawn Curry came to VCU by way of Vir ginia’s Fork Union Military Academy. Curry boasted up a career-high of 28 points in a win against Rhode Island on Feb. 8. In a post-game confer ence, Curry said that even through adversity during his tenure as a Ram, he has enjoyed his last season.

“My career didn’t go how I wanted to. I was hurt a lot, lot of situations came up, but I’m enjoying my senior year,” Curry said. “This is favorite — my favorite year, playing with my guys, playing with my friends — this is probably my fa vorite year, having a lot of fun.”

Curry has had an immediate impact over the years, currently averaging 10.2 points, the third most for the program this season, according to VCU Athletics. Curry said looking forward to the postseason, the Rams are looking to win much as possible.

“We know late February you gotta win games. So we just in the mindset of finished the season, winning out in every game again,” Curry said. “Getting the most wins — to ensure that we will, grab a nice spot in A-10 tournament and possibly get to the dance [NCAA tournament].”

Both players could possibly stay one more year, like graduate forward Levi Stockard III. Stockard used another year of eligibility this season, granted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. The NCAA allowed an extra year of eligibility for all winter athletes in Division I sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ESPN.

Both Williams and Curry have created a friendship that dates back to when they both committed to VCU just hours apart. Williams said his friendship with Curry has extended, leading them to stay together throughout the years.

“Basically when we got here to campus, we really clicked then. And after that, we just got to know each other more,” Williams said. “KeShawn committed right before me. So I think a couple of hours before me, but I think we got it done — so we really just stuck together.”

Head coach Mike Rhoades said the effect of Williams and Curry is seen, as the team has been successful this season.

“The impact on the success of our team this year, just tells you a lot about their

VCU senior guard KeShawn Curry attempts a reverse layup in the game versus George Mason on Feb. 23. Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

VCU senior forward Vince Williams goes for a contested layup in the game versus George Mason on Feb. 23.

Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

“The Stu” sells out for first time since COVID-19

KAITLYN FULMORE Photo Editor

After a season of near-full capacity crowds, VCU men’s basketball sold out its first game of the 2021-2022 season on Feb. 18 when playing against the University of Richmond Spiders.

The Stuart C. Siegel Center, the arena where VCU hosts home basketball and volleyball games, returned to full capacity in fall 2021 after having an attendance limit the previous season due to COVID-19. The stadium’s prior 10-year sellout streak officially ended at the VCU opener against Saint Peter’s on Nov. 9, 2021, according to VCU Athletics.

Kevin Dwan, senior associate athletics director for external relations, said VCU Athletics had anticipated the game being sold out.

“The game definitely does kind of sell itself, you know, it’s a really important one to our fans obviously,” Dwan said. “I think it’s just people respond to that one. It’s a game on the schedule that they look for.”

Prior to the Richmond game, the Siegel Center was unable to sell out all season. Dwan said one explanation for this season’s attendance decrease is due to the 250-person limit that prevented many fans from attending during the 2020-2021 season.

“People find other ways to spend their time and spend their money and resources,” Dwan said.

The average attendance of all home games this season has been approximately 7,000 seats sold, out of the 7,637 seats available. The lowest attendance recorded was 86% capacity, or 6,621 seats sold,

when VCU played Jacksonville State on Dec. 8, 2021.

Dwan also credits COVID-19 to the lack of fans coming out to games. Dwan said fans may not be comfortable in the large crowded setting, or might prefer VCU to go further with restrictions.

“And then there’s another group of people who just aren’t interested in needing to wear a mask,” Dwan said. “They have that right as well.”

Fans must wear masks at all times to attend games, except while actively eating or drinking. Entrance to games does not require proof of vaccination status, according to VCU Athletics.

Stephen Blue, an alumnus who has continued to go to games after graduating from

VCU, said the energy of the Siegel Center has lessened due to COVID-19.

“The masks kill the atmosphere,” Blue said. “I understand the necessity, but by next year it needs to go away.”

Fans have mixed feelings about the COVID-19 policies at the Siegel Center. VCU fan and employee Molly Dellinger-Wray said she felt “terrific” when VCU announced that Siegel Center would return to full capacity.

“I wish that there had been a vaccination requirement like some other schools have,” Dellinger-Wray said. “But you know everything that we do now is a risk. And this is worth the risk to me.”

VCU’s COVID-19 safety guidelines are similar to the policies of other Virginia

universities, along with other schools in the Atlantic-10 conference, according to Dwan. Almost all Division I colleges in Virginia require masks at indoor games.

VCU Athletics had a strong advertising push for the final games of the season due to COVID-19 impacting attendance and ticket sales, according to Dwan.

“We’re certainly trying to advertise more than we needed to in the past,” Dwan said. “We’re really trying to get the message out to the community.”

Students have outpaced the attendance projections set by VCU Athletics, according to Dwan.

Jordan James, vice president of Rowdy Rams, VCU’s official student section, said students are showing up in order to get a taste of college events.

“I think that our last couple of games have really shown that even though this pandemic has been hard on us, we can still have fun with masks on,” James said. “We’re still making the most of it and having a great time.”

The University of Richmond game demonstrated how energetic the VCU crowd could get, even with COVID-19, James said.

“It was really electric, you can just tell that everyone was really excited,” James said. “I would say that it was pretty close to a pre-COVID[-19] game.”

Despite the risk of COVID-19 and different safety policies put in place, Ram fans continue to show up and support their team.

“I just feel like this is one of the best places to watch basketball in the nation,” Dellinger-Wray said. “And my seats will come out of my cold dead hands.”

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A sold-out crowd reacts to VCU scoring against University of Richmond on Feb.18.

Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

Rams suffer comeback defeat on senior night, RICHMOND WINS 59-57

JJ HENDRICKSON Contributing Writer THAI WILSON Contributing Writer

THE VCU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM fell to the Richmond Spiders 59-57 on Saturday afternoon at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

Coming into this game, the Rams were celebrating their Senior Day. Senior guard Madison Hattix-Covington and graduate guard Taya Robinson were honored before and after the game. Rams head coach Beth O’Boyle said the two have left an impact beyond the box scores in their time at VCU.

“I’m excited and really grateful for what Taya and Madison have done for our program,” O’Boyle said after the game. “It’s not just about the baskets, and the rebounds, and the wins. They have left their legacy and their mark on the culture of VCU basketball.”

The black and gold started the game off hot on offense, ending the first quarter shooting 44.4% from the field and 66.7% from behind the three-point line.

The momentum would continue into the second quarter, where the Rams would go on a 16-0 run.

“Each quarter we wanted to try to be more consistent with our scoring and more balanced with it. I think, you know, we definitely started off making some great shots,” O’Boyle said.

Robinson led the charge going into the half, leading the Rams in scoring with 16 points. She shot 50% from the field and 75% from the three-point line.

“Basketball is a game of runs. That was the biggest thing we wanted to take care of,” Robinson said.

Richmond to just 21 points and 29.6% from the field, while also forcing 10 turnovers. This led to a scoring drought for Richmond that would last for nine minutes and 11 seconds.

The combination of efficient offense and defense led to a lead that was as big as 17 in the second quarter and 10 when the buzzer sounded for halftime.

69.2% in the final period. Coach O’Boyle said this defensive drop-off came from the Rams struggling offensively.

“Our offense was putting a lot of pressure on our defense,” O’Boyle said. “I don’t know that we had lost any of the intensity there, it was just more possessions, because we weren’t, you know, flowing as much as we wanted to on the offensive side.”

Even though the Spiders had control of the fourth quarter, Robinson would hit a big three with six seconds left to tie the game. The glory would be short-lived because, after a timeout called by Richmond, sophomore forward Addie Budnik hit a stepthrough layup with 1.1 seconds remaining to win the game.

“Tough shot, you know, we’ll look back at it and see what we got to do,” graduate guard Taya Robinson said.

After the dramatic finish, Hattix-Covington said the biggest thing she will take away from her time at VCU is her connection with her teammates.

GAME RESULTS

FEBRUARY 23

MEN’S TENNISAT ALABAMA STATE WON 4-1

MEN’S TENNIS - AT AUBURN WON 4-0

FEBRUARY 24

WOMEN’S TENNIS - VS. EAST CAROLINA WON 6-1

FEBRUARY 25

MEN’S TENNISVS. #25 AUBURN WON 4-3

Blue Gray National Tennis Classic

MEN’S BASEBALL - AT #3 OLE MISS LOSS 10-4

FEBRUARY 26

MEN’S TENNIS - VS. PRINCETON WON 4-1

Blue Gray National Tennis Classic

MEN’S BASEBALL - AT #3 OLE MISS CANCELED

WOMEN’S TENNISVS. DELAWARE WON 6-1

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLVS. RICHMOND LOSS 59-57

Atlantic 10 Conference

MEN’S BASKETBALLAT MASSACHUSETTS WON 77-62

In the third quarter, Richmond began to cut into the Rams’ lead little by little. Its defense began to show up, holding VCU to just 10 points on 28.6% from the field and 0% from three. The Spiders would finish the period with a 6-2 run in order to get the lead down to six.

The fourth quarter was a complete turnaround for the Spiders. Richmond senior forward Emma Squires scored 12 points in the fourth quarter alone. She shot 60% from the field, 50% from the three-point line and 100% from the free-throw line during the period.

The rest of the team followed Squires’

“The basketball games are one thing, but the off-the-court relationship that we have is something special, and we feel like we created a family here,” Hattix-Covington said.

VCU hopes to regain its momentum in the upcoming Atlantic 10 tournament, where it will be the fourth seed. Robinson said the team needs to look past the loss to Richmond.

“We just got to learn from what, you know, what we did that we need to work on in the loss, and then a lot of things internally, we’ll fix those up,” Robinson said.

VCU heads into the Atlantic 10 conference playoffs, starting on March 2, with a first round bye. The Rams matchup in the tournament is yet to be determined and will be

Atlantic 10 Conference

MEN’S TENNIS - VS. ARIZONA WON 4-2

INDOOR

INDOOR MEN’S TRACK 4TH OUT OF 9TH Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships

MEN’S BASEBALL - AT #3 OLE MISS LOSS 14-3

FEBRUARY 27 MARCH 1

GOLF VS. DORADO BEACH INTERCOLLEGIATE 8TH OUT OF 13TH

MEN’S BASEBALL - VS. #24 OLD DOMINION LOSS 3-1

MEN’S BASKETBALL - VS. ST. BONAVENTURE

WON 74-51

Atlantic 10 Conference

The basketball games are one thing, but the off-the-court relationship that we have is something special, and we feel like we created a family here.”

Madison Hattix-Covington, Senior guard

VCU women’s basketball huddles during a timeout against Richmond on Feb. 26. Photo by Shawn Terry

VCU graduate guard Taya Robinson analyzes the defense in a game against Richmond on Feb. 26. Photo by Shawn Terry

On this day

RICHMOND’S NEW BOOKSTORE HIGHLIGHTS BLACK AUTHORS, gives representation on shelves

MIA RICHARDS Contributing Writer

RICHMOND’S NEW ADDITION, THE Book Bar, highlights Black, Indigenous and authors of color to uplift diverse voices.

Founder and owner Krystle Dandridge, who considers herself an avid reader, said she considered owning a bookstore and felt it was imperative she find a space that allowed her to do so.

“Essentially the mission is to center Black, Indigenous, people of color, authors and brands,” Dandridge said. “We wanted to allow it to have a space for a community to come together to see ourselves represented throughout the entire store.”

Dandridge decided she was ready to fulfill her dream of establishing a Blackowned bookstore after strong consideration throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Book Bar’s website.

Dandridge said in order to keep her doors open, she needed to offer more than just books to be sustainable — along with a wide selection of books, The Book Bar also sells apparel, a subscription box and wine.

“I knew I wanted a bookstore, but if we’re realistic, what it comes down to at the end of the day is books have a very low profit margin,” Dandridge said. “What goes best with reading a book and a glass of wine — that’s where the wine portion came in.”

Tamanna Sohal, a VCU interdisciplinary studies alumna and first-time visitor to The Book Bar, loved the aesthetic of the inside of the bookstore.

“It’s really warm and homey; I love the seating set up and the different displays of the books,” Sohal said. “It feels like a curated vibe.”

Sohal said she stopped by because of The Book Bar’s effort in celebrating Black voices.

“I’ve been wanting to have a bookstore for a few years, it’s always been in the back

of my mind,” Dandridge said. “Last year I sat down and thought about it — there’s not really anything holding me back, so let me go ahead and do it now.”

Dandridge is also a therapist specializing in sexual trauma survivors. She said she encourages her patients to read to help them cope with their experiences.

She offers a quarterly subscription box to emphasize mental health’s importance which features items that focus on self-care, according to Dandridge.

“For me, books have always been important for self-care,” Dandridge said. “It’s where I focus my energy, so for me I wanted to make this important piece of my life the focus of my [The Book Bar] project.”

Dandridge said the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for self-care and paying attention to individual mental health needs, and she continues to focus on this aspect as a therapist.

“There’s something in the box that speaks to all of our five senses so that we can promote self-care,” Dandridge said. “What we can do to focus on ourselves while stuck in our houses would be my offering of the quarterly subscription box.”

Dandridge bases her selection off of its representation without specific advertisement towards one genre as the store offers variety, according to Dandridge.

“What I wanted to do was kind of go through and pick books that I thought would be interesting,” Dandridge said. “I didn’t want to focus on any one particular genre — it’s likely got some type of representation in the store.”

Dandridge said it’s “crucial” to monitor what books do get selected to go on the shelves in order to represent the mission of the bookstore.

“I’m very particular about what’s on my shelf,” Dandridge said. “If it doesn’t match the theme it doesn’t match the mission — my store isn’t the store for that and that’s okay.”

Dandridge and her staff had to restock the shelves after the store’s grand opening on Feb. 5 with an immense turnout rate, according to Dandridge.

“I [The Book Bar] was virtual up until Saturday,” Dandridge said. “The community showed up in full force on Saturday, everyone was masked up.”

Kelly Justice, owner of the Fountain Bookstore Inc. located on the street south of The Book Bar, stated the proximity would help both of their businesses. Justice sent an email to Dandridge welcoming her to the “world of books” and offered to answer any questions Dandridge had, according to an email from Justice.

“We have different missions and many overlapping customers interested in the ser vices, books and other items we provide,” Justice stated. “I feel the stores will sup port each other.”

Justice stated that as, an owner of a bookstore, she felt there was so much she did not know when she initially started and searching online never provided an answer.

“There are a lot of specific terminologies, methods and procedures and standards of profession al etiquette in the book business that just aren’t anywhere you can look up,” Justice stated. “I think I’ve just been around to answer questions and give her some shortcuts, but let’s be straight here — Krystle knows exactly what she is doing.”

Dandridge said creating The Book Bar’s concept during the pandemic was easier since the store itself began online and her physical doors weren’t open. Now that the store is open, Dandridge’s success shows through continuous restocking of shelves and her offerings on various wines, according to The Book Bar’s Instagram. Dandridge said she has high expectations for the store and its success for 2022.

“The plan moving forward is to grow little by little between book clubs, book club offerings, author events and wine tasting,” Dandridge said. “I want a space where everyone feels comfortable.”

‘The Sound of Music’ film, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, premiered in New York City in 1965.

The Book Bar is a Black-owned, woman-owned bookstore that uplifts Black voices. Photo by Alessandro Latour

‘AMELIA AND THE MACHINE,’ VCU faculty builds partnership between dance, robots

MIKAYLA HEIGHTSHOE Contributing Writer

A hush settled over the audience as soft blue lights lit the stage of Grace Street Theater to reveal a three-foot-tall robot mimicking and dancing alongside a human partner.

“Amelia and the Machine” debuted Isadora, a dancing robot, beginning an estimated five-year collaboration between the VCU dance and engineering departments.

Junior dance and choreography student Amelia Virtue, Isadora’s human dance partner, said the experience, from choosing the arm choreography of the robot to following the robot’s lead, was “really awesome.”

“It [dancing with the robot] was definitely very interesting. I told everyone it was super cool,” Virtue said. “It was definitely a lot of collaborating.”

The performance for VCUarts Dance NOW 2022 concert introduced the new collaborative project between Patrick Martin, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Kate Sicchio, an assistant professor of dance and choreography, according to the VCUarts website.

Martin, the lead engineer of the robots, said the performance exceeded his expectations. He is working with Sicchio to apply for a seed grant, a small-sum investment given to start-ups, with the National Science Foundation to further this project for future development, according to Martin.

“We want to establish what’s called a ‘research experience’ for undergraduates where we would attract young students and people from outside VCU to come and study under both of us and maybe other partners who are also interested in these similar topics,” Martin said.

Martin said he met Sicchio last year through their common interest in human and technological interaction.

“It’s a really important challenge because robots are now still pretty terrible at interacting with people. We wanted to focus on how to develop a way to kind of bring people together,” Martin said. “We thought this would be a good demonstration of the technology and what it can and can’t do.”

Martin said he worked alongside Charles Dietzel, VCU electrical computer engineering graduate student, to develop the hardware and software of two robots, which were later named Trevor and Isadora.

Trevor and Isadora are composed of two main parts: a disk for movement with differential drive that allows rotation and a robot arm that is anatomically similar to a human’s, according to Martin.

Martin said the movement development of the robots took place in multiple stages. The development began with a learning aspect that required programming algorithms for specific movements the dancers wanted the robot to do. This led to the creation of a software, called an autonomy framework,

that would allow the robot to switch its mode of operation, according to Martin.

“So when it would do the arm motion, that one piece of what I would call it behavior. And for the rest of the performance, our autonomy framework strung together those behaviors much like a choreographer tells a human, ‘I want you to do these motions around the stage,’” Martin said.

Experiments with movement across the stage involving speed and parameters became the next step after “pre-programming,” and it became the catalyst for the choreography, according to Kate Sicchio, dance and choreography professor.

Sicchio choreographed the dance by creating four dance patterns for the dancer and robot to do, then timing each movement and step for the engineering team to program back at their lab, according to Sicchio.

Sicchio said she worked with dance and choreography student Tamara Denson and kinetic imaging student Taylor Colimore to explore choreography, as well as senior dance and computer engineering student Alicia Olivo, who was able to reinforce the choreography in the lab development of the robots.

“We’re actually figuring it out together as we build these things together. This project resulted in a dance piece and an algorithm,” Sicchio said. “They’re really cohesive and symbiotic that they’re feeding each other, which is exciting and doesn’t happen all the time in this kind of work.”

Art gallery hosts monthly showing of new exhibitions in downtown Richmond

CHLOE HAWKINS Contributing Writer

Art Works, a full-service art center located in the Manchester District, opened three new exhibitions Friday night, displaying the art of different stories and backgrounds.

The main exhibition features VCUarts painting and printmaking alum Michael O’Neal’s “New Work” located in the Jane Sandelin Gallery, the concept of which came about after an accidental water spill on his canvas.

“While cleaning up the water I noticed the defined streak of smeared paint,” O’Neal said. “I then dived even deeper and used milk to create more canvas art.”

O’Neal said he gets his ideas organically and practices experimental methods of making abstract paintings — there are mixes of many colors in his paintings including blues and greens, reds and browns and incorporations of splatter paint.

“The inspiration behind my exhibition name actually comes from one of my

favorite jazz albums,” O’Neal said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve done this.”

Art Works owner Glenda Kotchish said the creation of the gallery was to originally provide open spaces for artists, but its current goal is to also be accessible to the entire public — both locally and internationally.

Another main priority for Art Works, with 80 artist studios and four galleries, is the artists themselves, according to Kotchish.

“We want people to be happy, if they have problems we want to hear about, fix it and also hear their ideas as a whole,” Kotchish said.

Along with Kotchish, the responsibilities of the gallery are also given to VCUarts alum and gallery director Jessie Boyland, who started at Art Works in 2004.

Boyland said part of her job is to seek out new artists, act as jury during open call for artists, install exhibitions and ultimately choose what will be displayed in the gallery, as well as staying up to date with what people want to see.

“Recently I’ve had to bring in new contemporary art to match what people want,” Boyland said. “In general we try to respond to customers and so I’ve had to focus on finding colorful, abstract pieces.”

Boyland said she prides herself on being “artist-focused.” Artists often have their first shows at Art Works and the staff loves to help them set up their exhibitions, according to Boyland.

Art Works has been offering free admission since it opened and will continue to, according to Boyland.

“We’re open free to the public to make art accessible to not only purchase, but, see,” Boyland said. “We don’t want that barrier to be there in the community.”

Artist Corinne Schofield’s “Fold: Small Images” is also on display at Art Works. Schofield said she got back into the creative process after seeing her friend display their art at Art Works a few years ago. She said it’s “wonderful” to have her artwork be seen for the first time, and it is a “life-long dream.”

“I feel validated as an artist because it’s never been shown to anybody,” Schofield said. “I’ve given away art as gifts, but, you know, it’s not the same.”

The inspiration for the detailed drawings in “Fold: Small Images” come from the idea of feng shui, the balancing of energies within a structure, according to Schofield.

“Where your intention goes, that’s where the energy flows,” Schofield said. “The art that I’m creating is very specific to bagua.”

Bagua, a Chinese principle, relates to five elements of feng shui: water, wood, fire, earth and metal, according to the National Geographic.

Sicchio and Martin have future ideas that include furthering the technology. This includes adding senses, such as seeing, hearing and feeling, to the robot’s design with wearable devices for dancers to create a bridge of communication with the robots and developing more predisposed algorithms so the robots can respond to improvisation, according to Sicchio.

“There’s movement to be learned, whether it’s a choreographer learning new movement possibilities on a robot arm or a robot learning from a dancer,” Sicchio said. “There’s all this stuff that we haven’t figured out yet. And our project is just scratching the surface.”

One of Schofield’s paintings incorporates two areas of bagua by mixing sunsets with trees. The sunset represents the fire element and the trees represent the water element, according to Schofield.

Carolyn Pitts, a former VCUarts art history student, said she has been involved with Art Works for approximately four years.

Her exhibition “The End in Mind” examines death and living life to the fullest every day. It focuses on “memento mori,” which means “remember your death” in Latin, according to Pitts.

“I’ve been trying to show that death is inevitable, but it can also be beautiful,” Pitts said. “It’s not something to be scared of.”

Pitts said inspiration for her art stems from the death loss of her mother. In the last weeks Pitts was caring for her, she said she realized the beauty in the dead flowers given to her mother.

The flowers are displayed with colorful, vibrant backgrounds in her art. Pitts said the vibrant colors and spots represent different people’s energies.

“Being with my mom the moment she took her last breath I realized that death isn’t the scariest thing, it’s a transition of energy,” Pitts said. “I’m a big believer in energy and that we all are energetic beings.”

The exhibitions opened on Feb. 25 and are available until March 19.

Art Works gallery features Michael O’Neal’s ‘New Work’ exhibition. Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

(left to right) ‘Heart Beginnings,’ ‘Blue Webbing’ and ‘Wrapping’ present Corinne Schofield’s colored pencil pieces in Art Works exhibition. Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

Illustration by Clare Wislar

NICHOLAS BARAHONA Contributing Writer

RAM CITY MARKET — HAVE YOU HEARD of it? In case you haven’t, let me introduce you to what is set to be the new place for all foods and essentials on campus. Located between Panda Express and Insomnia Cookies on West Grace Street, this market will be open to students and people across the Richmond and VCU community — if it ever opens, that is.

Currently, the space between these two food establishments on West Grace Street is unoccupied, and it has been for some time.

From April 2015 to July 2019, a “Walmart on Campus” mini-grocery store occupied this spot. Walmart opened as a pilot program, and after gathering data taken from its four years inside the VCU community, it closed shop.

Those of you who were here when the campus Walmart was open definitely remember how easy it was to get anything you needed without making a hike to the closest grocery store. Even with the occasional long lines, its centralized location and proximity to students made it highly convenient.

Senior business information systems student Carlos Farias said that Walmart was a “crucial spot” that students used to pick up “everyday eating essentials” without traveling too far.

“Being a freshman and in dorms with no kitchen available, it is hard to find a good meal that isn’t the same old options that you settle for at VCU,” Farias said.

Evidently, an on-campus grocery store is needed for VCU students. In August 2021, VCU News reported that Ram City Market would replace the Walmart, with an expected opening date in “late fall or early spring.” There have been no public updates since then.

We cannot understate how rampant food insecurity is among college students, which is why it’s so important for the university to take immediate action to address these concerns. Youngmi Kim, associate professor in the VCU School of Social Work, found that about 35% of VCU students experience food insecurity, with barriers including transportation and limited funds.

Transportation in particular is a huge problem. The Kroger and Whole Foods on Broad Street are the closest grocery stores to VCU. Kroger is approximately a 20 minute walk from VCU; Whole Foods is a 26 minute walk. The GRTC Pulse is an option, though it comes with its own challenges such as carrying all your groceries on the bus.

If you do not have a car on campus, how are you expected to make the journey to get everything you really need? It is unrealistic to assume many can and will make this trek.

Having been a VCU student for a while now, I’ve grown accustomed to the

MYA HARRISON Contributing Writer

“The only difference I see is I’m a Black young lady,” 21-year-old track star Sha’Carri Richardson tweeted out to her 500k followers on Twitter after finding out Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva was still allowed to compete despite failing a routine drug test just prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

After reaching the sixth fastest time in history in the women’s 100 meter race in April 2021 and winning the United States Olympic Qualifiers, Sha’Carri Richardson seemed to be an unstoppable force and destined for greatness at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Unfortunately, after becoming eligible to compete, Richardson tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana, according to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

The agency recognizes THC as a “substance of abuse,” and immediately

suspended Richardson for one month, forcing her to forfeit her spot at the Summer Olympics.

In December 2021, just months after Richardson’s suspension, 15-year-old Russian olympic gold medalist Kamila Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, which is another banned substance listed as a “metabolic modulator.”

Trimetazidine is a medication typically given to older patients to help with heart problems, or can be used as a performance-enhancing drug, according to Chemical and Engineering News. Physiologically, trimetazidine increases blood flow to the heart and allows for more efficient production of ATP, the body’s source of energy.

On the other hand, marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug. According to a study in “Sports Medicine,” cannabinoids negatively affect information processing and reaction time, which actually worsens sports performance.

Let me say it again.

Quote of the week

empty space on West Grace Street. However, Walmart closed almost three years ago. We waited two years, and nothing. Despite Ram City Market being named as the replacement early last semester, the details seem to be shrouded in secrecy, and there is nothing to show for. The date for the grand opening? I couldn’t tell you.

Walking past the unit where the market is set to be, you will find a “Coming Soon” sign and the handle @vcu_dining on Instagram for anyone interested in updates about the market. I can save you the trouble in doing so and tell you what I found after scouring the account — nothing. Not one update has been given since the initial announcement.

Alas, all we have to go off of is the initial article released six months ago by VCU News that stated the market would be opening in late fall or early spring. Well,

THC does not enhance athletic performance, but trimetazidine can.

On top of this, in an interview with the Today Show, Richardson said that she used marijuana to cope with the death of her mother, which happened right before Olympic trials were scheduled to start.

Valieva gave a urine sample on Dec. 25, and her positive drug test was returned on Feb. 8 — just one day after her team won gold for the figure ice skating event, according to NPR.

Upon investigation, Valieva was suspended, but shortly after was cleared to skate just before the singles events. Indeed, the Court of Arbitration for Sport disputed the claim and allowed her to skate even though she had tested positive for a banned substance in her system.

The confusion I have had over this is beyond me, but I’ve come to realize the only significant difference between these two situations: Sha’Carri Richardson is Black.

The term “irreparable harm,” was used to describe what would happen if the committee had gone through with suspending Valieva from competing in the Olympics because of how young she was — but what about Sha’Carri Richardson?

That term never came to mind when they immediately suspended Richardson, despite her having experienced the tragedy of losing her mother.

I can understand why they didn’t let Richardson compete because of the decision to suspend her for one month. Her suspension started on June 28 and the Tokyo Olympics started on July 23, so there wouldn’t be enough time for her to complete her suspension before the commencement of the games in between. The unfortunate thing about this situation is that the committee let Valieva compete even after testing positive. This definitely uncovered a double standard that may or may not have been there already.

If you are going to have specific rules, you should make sure you are implementing

fall was last semester and spring break is next week — am I missing something here?

While the lack of progress and updates about Ram City Market has been disappointing, I’m inspired by what VCU has done with Ram Pantry and Little Ram Pantries, projects to address food insecurity within the RVA community. These have been great undertakings, but we can’t stop there. Finalizing Ram City Market is the next step to addressing this long-standing problem at our university.

As a student at VCU, I call on the university to supply updates to its community regarding the market. The lack of transparency has led me to believe this is not a priority in VCU’s eyes. The longer it’s not up, the longer the ongoing issue stands with students not having a convenient and accessible place to buy food, leading to greater food insecurity within our community.

them across the board, no matter the age of a person. On top of Richardson expressing her concerns, other Olympic medalists have also publicly disagreed with the Russian Olympic Committee for allowing Valieva to still compete.

“This is a slap in the face to the Olympic Games, to our sport, and to every athlete that’s ever competed at the Olympics clean,” former olympic figure skater Johnny Weir said in a recent interview with The Recount.

The only real concrete punishment Valieva got was the fact that the International Olympic Committee would withhold the medals from her team and herself until the investigation was completed, according to The New York Times.

Sha’Carri Richardson never even got the chance to show off her proven skills on the track. She was immediately barred from even competing, let alone having her medals withheld.

The double standard is the fact that no one tried to understand why Richardson did what she did because of her skin color. People immediately judged her. No one gave her a chance to redeem herself.

She was judged harder than Valieva even though she tested positive for something that is way less performance-enhancing than trimetazidine.

I don’t fault Kamila Valieva — I fault The Court of Arbitration for Sport and our society, which tend to overlook what Black people do and immediately paint them out to be bad people.

Kamila Valieva and Sha’Carri Richardson are two very talented athletes who went through the same situation, but one was given the short end of the stick. Unfortunately, it was the young Black girl.

There is a double standard in the sports world and it needs to be fixed, especially now that this has happened. We must hold those in power accountable to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

“If we don't fight for what we 'stand for' with our passionate words and honest actions, do we really 'stand' for anything?” — Tiffany Madison Kamila

Illustration by Matthew Bennett

Illustration by Tess Wladar

Delay of ‘Ram City Market’ is perpetuating food insecurity at VCU

Fritz

by Anthony Duong

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

DIFFICULTY LEVEL 1 2 3 4

Complete the grid so each row, column, and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

Sudoku

By The Mepham Group

Solution to Monday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

Juicy Tidbits by Katrina Lee