Following a nationwide trend, the Richmond region saw a notable decline in killings last year, with 11 of the area’s 21 localities going homicide-free.
Police departments in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area collectively recorded 82 homicides in 2011, or 12 percent fewer than the 93 slayings the year before, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch review of area homicide data.
The drop can be attributed largely to decreases in Richmond and Petersburg, which together recorded 11 fewer homicides, combined with five rural localities that saw their killings collectively fall by seven from 2010 to 2011.
Although Richmond accounted for 48 percent of the region’s killings, 2011 marked the fourth consecutive year that the city’s homicide count was in the 40s or lower.
Richmond had 39 killings in 2011, or five fewer than the year before. Because self-defense, accidental and justifiable killings aren’t counted as murders, the city officially reported 37 homicides in 2011 and 41 in 2010.
Overall, 16 of the region’s 21 localities reported either no increase or a decrease in killings last year; of those, 11 had no homicides at all.
Brief by The Richmond Times-Dispatch
New York police have discovered where a missing Virginia Commonwealth University student last got on the subway, but there’s still no clue of what happened to him.
Ian Burnet, a 22-year-old engineering student from New Kent County, was last heard from by his family and friends on Dec. 30. He apparently swiped his subway card late that night or early the following morning at a station near the Harlem apartment where he was staying, according to New York police. They directed media inquiries to New Kent Sheriff F.W. Howard Jr., who is leading the investigation.
“We’re kind of at a loss,” Howard said Friday. “We keep digging and digging.”
Since Burnet’s disappearance, a Facebook page and website have been set up to share information and solicit help. More than 2,300 people had joined the Facebook page by Friday afternoon, but the comments posted were more condolences and tips for ways to search than actual clues.
The website – FindIanBurnet.com – includes information about Burnet, links to news coverage and ways to share information.
Brief by The Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond’s Eagle Cam kicked off Monday, featuring a nest, some pine limbs and, occasionally, a pair of eagles.
The eagles spent much of the day away from the nest, but they will be spending more and more time there as they approach egg-laying time in early to mid-February, said eagle expert Bryan Watts.
Watts is director of the Center for Conservation Biology, which is teaming up with the Richmond Times-Dispatch to provide Web coverage for the first time of the city’s longtime eagle pair.
Monday’s highlight came when the two eagles shared a meal – apparently a fish – in midafternoon. They returned about dusk to work on their nest.
The birds often spend time on the nest between 7 and 10 a.m.
The conservation center is part of Virginia Commonwealth University and the College of William and Mary.
Brief by The Richmond Times-Dispatch
A panel of the Richmond-based U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s bid to get his name on Virginia’s March 6 Republican primary ballot.
The development came after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. agreed Friday with Perry’s contention that Virginia’s requirement that ballot petition circulators be Virginia residents was unconstitutional. But Gibney also said Perry should have filed the suit while collecting the required 10,000 signatures, which Perry failed to do by last month’s deadline.
Perry appealed Gibney’s ruling over the weekend, and on Tuesday, the appeals court also turned him down.
Ray Sullivan, a Perry spokesman, said Perry is weighing his options for appeal.
“We are proud to fight for the rights of Virginia voters to be able to make a meaningful decision and cast their ballots for the candidate of their choice,” Sullivan said. “This appellate ruling only affirms the trial court’s assertion that the state’s process of printing ballots should not be disrupted.”
Perry can request that the full court of appeals hear the question or he can go to the U.S. Supreme Court, though time is running out for both options, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.
Brief by The Richmond Times-Dispatch
A Massachusetts court on Tuesday overturned a ruling by a judge who ordered a mentally ill woman to undergo an abortion against her wishes and be sterilized.
The Massachusetts Appeals Court said the woman, who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had described herself as “very Catholic” and made it clear she did not want an abortion.
The ruling reverses a decision by Family and Probate Court Judge Christina Harms, who found that the 32-year-old woman was not competent to decide whether to get an abortion.
Harms found the woman would choose to end her pregnancy if she were competent and agreed to appoint her parents as guardians “for the purpose of consenting to the extraordinary procedures of abortion and sterilization,” the Appeals Court said.
The Appeals Court said the judge also directed the clinic to sterilize the woman at the same time “to avoid this painful situation from recurring in the future.”
The Appeals Court reversed the order, saying no one had requested it and the judge “appears to have simply produced the requirement out of thin air.” The judges sent the case back to the lower court.
Brief by the Associated Press
State government in Germany is looking at legal measures to prevent a British publisher's plans to reproduce excerpts from Adolf Hitler's infamous memoir “Mein Kampf” in Germany.
The Finance Ministry of the German state of Bavaria said Tuesday that publisher Peter McGee’s plans to reproduce three 16-page segments of “Mein Kampf” with critical commentary, starting next week, may violate the copyright on the book, which it holds.
The ministry said in a statement that it believes the segments are too long to be considered excerpts not covered by copyright.
Brief by the Associated Press
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817 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, VA 23284-2010
VCU and MCV Alumni Associations teamed up with VCU Police to purchase 1,040 personal safety devices.Photo illustration by
In this section:
Homecoming Committee announces performers after delay • 4 Alumni Associations buy personal safety devices • 4 Crime log • 5
On a mild winter morning the day after the General Assembly opened, 36 professors and 12 students from colleges and universities in Central Virginia came to the state capitol on a daylong mission: to encourage legislators to better meet higher education’s financial and policy needs.
Led by faculty from VCU, the participants had six hours to push for more money for higher education, lower tuition for in-state students and greater compensation and benefits for teachers at the state’s public colleges and universities.
Dr. Patricia Cummins, professor in the VCU School of World Studies and head organizer of the event, embraced the symbolism of Virginia Higher Education Advocacy Day by likening the mission to a post-WWII mentality.
“The GI Bill helped produce 30 years of the greatest prosperity the U.S. has ever known. Back then, people realized
that higher education serves both the social and individual good,” Cummins said.
“More recently, there’s been a shift in philosophy that higher education’s more of an individual good than a societal good. We’re trying to swing the pendulum,” Cummins said. “So I coined a phrase that we use, ‘Virginia Higher Education – invest and grow.’”
The group came to express support for two provisions in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed budget: $200 million in new funding to make college education more affordable for in-state students and an additional $2.21 billion in employer contributions to the Virginia’s Retirement System.
In addition, the advocates spoke in favor of two bills, House Bill 486 and Senate Bill 104, which provide incentives for top faculty to come to and remain at Virginia institutions.
The House measure would allow faculty in optional retirement plans to optin to the Virginia Retirement System after 10 years of service. The Senate bill
would create a 50 percent tuition waiver for children of faculty at state universities and colleges.
Last week’s Higher Education Advocacy Day marked another installment in a long fight for better conditions for faculty and students at Virginia’s colleges and universities, often with the same issues brought up year after year.
Dr. Bob Andrews, professor in the VCU School of Business, said former VCU President Eugene Trani and current President Michael Rao support the participation of VCU faculty in the advocacy event.
“We do this with the blessing of our president and administration,” Andrews said. “Certain institutions down (Interstate) 64 have told their professors not to (participate).”
Andrews, former president of the VCU Senate as well as of the Faculty Senate of Virginia, has participated in Higher Education Advocacy Day every year since its start. He noted that, as state employees, public university professors may advocate, not lobby – but
some institutions fail to see the distinction between the two actions.
Advocates believe that participation in Higher Education Advocacy Day brings attention to their agenda.
“We’re visible, we’re concerned, we’re interested,” said David Fauri, president of the VCU Faculty Senate and professor in the School of Social Work.
Cummins said the day was successful.
“People generally felt pleased with their reception by legislators and aides.”
Nevertheless, professors and students are prepared to return to legislative offices next year. It matters little that they may be raising the same issues in 2013.
“The first date doesn’t guarantee you’re going to get married,” Andrews said.
It may be some time before the General Assembly and participants of Higher Education Advocacy Day marry all of their ideas for improvement of Virginia’s higher education system. CT
VCU’s Homecoming Committee announced Tuesday rappers Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar would headline the annual Homecoming concert Feb. 3, but it wasn’t quite the timeline students were expecting.
After postponing the big announcement twice, the Homecoming Committee announced on Twitter that they would be announcing the performing artist “at the start of the semester.”
The committee tried to field questions from frustrated students on their Facebook page, but student director Avery Jones said the announcement wasn’t really delayed.
“We wanted to make the concert one of the best – better than last year,” Jones said. “It wasn’t neccesarily a delay in this process. There’s a lot of things that go into this process.”
According to Jones, some details had to be finalized before the committee was ready to make the announcement. She said the decision doesn’t just go through the Homecoming Committee, but through other university organizations as well.
For freshman Victoria Cox, the perceived delay isn’t making a positive first impression of the annual Homecoming tradition.
“I thought that everything would be on time and be pleasing to the students,” Cox said. “The committee doesn’t seem like they have everything together, and I think anger, along with fear that Homecoming will not live up to our expectations, is what is making everyone antsy.”
Cox said she tried to contact the Homecoming Committee several ways, including a phone call, but the committee’s responses weren’t up to her standards.
Mechelle Hankerson News Editor
In an effort to help students protect themselves on campus, VCU Police has teamed up with the VCU and MCV Alumni Associations to purchase and distribute 1,040 personal safety devices.
The devices, which VCU Police have been researching for about a year, emit a 130- decibel noise when a pin is removed from the body of the device.
VCU Police asked for the assistance of the Alumni Associations, who helped fund the project that cost approximately $3,600.
“We just felt like it was an important service for our students,” said Alumni Association executive director Diane Stout-Brown. “We try to serve the university community.”
Officer Jonathan Siok spearheaded the project and said there was no specific incident that prompted him to move forward, but he thought it was an important resource for students to have available to them,
“The whole goal of this is, not to give a false sense of security by any means, but ... to maintain the safety of students and staff,” Siok said.
“Officer Siok saw the need here on campus for taking responsibility for your own safety,” VCU Police Chief John Venuti said.
Siok also said the safety devices are an alternative to other means of personal protection, like Mace.
According to Siok, Mace doesn’t work on everyone and if Mace were to
be used in dorms, the fire department would have to be involved.
With a limited number of devices, the police department is still working out what would be the best way to distribute them. Currently, they plan to distribute the devices at VCUPD safety presentations and new student orientations.
“It’s also a great resource to have when we come in contact with either students, faculty or staff who are reporting crimes or having issues,” Venuti said. “It is nice to be able to provide them with something that is going to enhance their level of personal safety.”
VCU Police hope to sell the devices through campus bookstores, though nothing has been finalized. CT
“It seems as if they take forever to respond,” Cox said. “When they do respond, it is not the least bit helpful.”
Like Cox, VCU junior Devon Beach has tried repeatedly to contact the committee, not only to figure out who the surprise performer is, but also to get general information like the cost of tickets.
“(I) would like to know how much the concerts going to be and who’s going and if it’s worth it,” Beach said.
At VCU, Homecoming includes a week of festivities. Some of the festivities are the crowning of a Homecoming king and queen, a Chill-N-Grill and a concert at the conclusion of Homecoming week.
According to the committee’s CollegiateLink webpage, the Homecoming Committee was established in 2003 to “focus on bringing students and alumni together during the basketball season.”
However, this year’s situation is ap-
pearing to bring students together to rally against the committee instead of bolstering school spirit.
“(The Homecoming Committee is) losing opportunities to hype this concert because they are waiting (until the) last minute,” Beach said before the announcement.
The mixed messages have led some frustrated students, like Cox, to take action and run for next year's Homecoming Committee to prevent a similar situation from happening.
“I feel as if the committee was not well prepared,” Cox said. “They can handle the situation in a better manner than they are doing so right now.” CT
VCU Homecoming week will kick off Jan. 30 and run through Feb. 4. A complete list of Homecoming activities can be found on the Homecoming VCU Facebook page.
Break Point Games and Lounge underwent a makeover during winter break as the University Student Commons sought to combine Break Point and the student hangout and the Underground into one facility.
Authorities renovated the space in an effort to create more of a loungelike atmosphere for students.
The pool tables, a favorite among frequenters, have decreased in number from 10 to five tables. To outweigh the subtraction of those tables, the rate is now just $1 an hour instead of $5.
“It’s nice for the students who have a half-hour break between classes,” manager Jim Konecny said. “I’ve been working for a while to get the pricing down for students.”
Among the additions are new TVs and Comcast cable boxes, so different groups of students can watch different programs at the same time. Two of the new 46-inch TVs will offer a Wii and Xbox, where students can rent controllers at $1 per hour.
New electrical wiring along the walls and tables offers more opportunities for students to charge their laptops and phones while playing games or studying. Two new, custom-built bar tops also house power strips.
Though it reopened over winter break, this upcoming Monday marks the official launch of the new renovations. The event will feature prizes and tournaments, while the 70-inch TV will be airing the VCU-Hofstra basketball game. Food will be provided. CT
Thursday, Jan. 12
Alcohol violation Bookholders, 720 W. Grace St. – A male visitor was arrested for possessing an open container of alcohol in public.
Alcohol violation 1012 W. Franklin St. – A male visitor was arrested for possessing an open container of alcohol in public.
Alcohol violation 1100 block of West Broad Street – Two male visitors were arrested for scalping tickets, identity fraud and felony probation violation.
Friday, Jan. 13
Drug offense NN Lot, 500 N. Harrison St. – A male visitor was arrested for possession of marijuana.
Theft from motor vehicle 1318 Floyd Ave. – A victim advises that an unknown person forcibly entered her vehicle and stole an item.
Alcohol violation/Disorderly conduct 700 block of Kinney Street – A male visitor was
arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting arrest.
Damage to state property West Main Street Deck, 801 W. Main St. – A male employee advised that an unknown person(s) damaged the parking gate bar.
Grand larceny Cary St. Gym, 101 S. Linden St. – A female student advised that an unknown person(s) removed items from a secured location.
Saturday. Jan. 14
Hit and Run State Property At the corner of North Lombardy Street and Floyd Avenue – A male employee advised that an unknown person(s) in an unknown vehicle struck a state-owned vehicle and left the scene.
Sunday, Jan. 15
Drug offense 900 block of West Franklin Street – A female visitor was arrested for possession of marijuana. Another female victim was arrested for possession of
marijuana and possession of a Schedule IV drug.
Carjacking 1000 block of Kinney Street – A female victim advised that a group of unknown males forcibly stole her vehicle.
Alcohol violation Johnson Hall, 801 W. Franklin St. –Four female students and one female visitor were arrested for underage possession of alcohol.
Alcohol violation 1200 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Monday, Jan. 16
Alcohol violation 300 N. Harrison St. – Four female students were arrested for underage possession/consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol violation 1004 Park Ave. – Two female students were arrested for underage consumption of alcohol
Compiled from VCU Police reports
In this section:
The old saying is that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. For VCU however, that formula has flipped – a team that has made an identity with its offensive aggressiveness is finding a way to win games with defense alone.
The Rams shot 36 percent from the field last Thursday against James Madison, but won the game by 20 points because they held the Dukes to just 45 points on 17 made field goals. Then again on Saturday at Delaware, VCU held the Blue Hens without a point for the opening nine minutes of the game and would allow them to score just 55 on the afternoon.
“We’ve got a real good group of guys in terms of buying into the plan and the scouting report, but we are human," head coach Shaka Smart said. "There’s a great deal of frustration that comes out from not making as many shots, but our
guys do a good job of controlling the things that they control.”
Smart used Rob Brandenberg as an example of someone who is focusing on only the things he can control. Offensively, Brandenberg is in the midst of a dreadful sophomore slump after a breakout freshman season. On the season, he is shooting just 31 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range. But Smart, as well as Brandenberg’s teammates, have continued to show confidence in him, and the results are beginning to show in areas other than scoring.
Against Delaware, Smart had Brandenberg man-up on the Blue Hens’ top scorer, Devon Saddler, who Smart said is one of the top five players in the CAA in his opinion. Brandenberg held Saddler to 3-of-19 shooting for just 10 points and one assist.
“What we tried to do in the Delaware game was shift his mindset from offense to defense,” Smart said. “I was really proud that he did that.”
The recent shooting woes for VCU do not start and end with Brandenberg, but like him, other players struggling with their shots are finding other ways to help the team win. Troy Daniels went 0-for-7 against Delaware and missed all five of his three-pointers, but he was still a factor in the game. Daniels is primarily a spot-up shooter with good but not great defensive ability, but he pulled down a career-high nine rebounds despite going scoreless.
Bradford Burgess had a similar performance on Jan. 12 against James Madison when he was 3-of-12 shooting the ball, but pulled down 12 rebounds in a win.
“We’re a lot more athletic than we have been in years past, and we’re a bigger team,” Burgess said. “It shows out there on the court – interior defense, perimeter defense – these guys are better all-around.”
A lot of talk has been made of freshman Briante Weber, who at one point led the nation in steal percentage
(number of steals per minutes played), but DJ Haley has emerged as a defensive sparkplug as well. Being a 7-footer, Haley enforces his presence in obviously different ways than Weber, but Smart said that the two of them provide more energy to their teammates than anyone else on the roster.
“Briante’s definitely known for his defense, but I try to get people hyped up and bring positive energy as well,” Haley said. “That was definitely my goal (against Delaware) so I guess I’m in that role.”
For Haley and Weber, defense is the primary aspect of their game. But the fact that Brandenberg, Burgess and Daniels are playing with such force shows that they are willing to do anything to win games.
However, if the Rams want to go from winning games back to winning CAA championships, the offense will have to find its rhythm once again. CT
Ask a college basketball coach about an upcoming stretch of games and you’ll probably get the same answer nine times out of 10.
It’s coach speak, and it sounds something like: “We’re taking it one game at a time.” It’s the approach the VCU men’s basketball team will try to take when they compete in four crucial conference games in the small stretch of the next seven days. The stretch includes one very large game at the Siegel Center Saturday night when Old Dominion comes to town for what’s become one of the best – and most underrated – rivalries in Division I ball.
But before all the buzz and hoopla begins, the Rams are beckoned with the task of focusing on their date with William & Mary Thursday night, standing
in the way of one of their most anticipated games of the season.
How do you focus on Thanksgiving when Christmas is right around the corner? Not an issue for the young VCU team.
“It’s going to be a fun game once we get there, but to be honest with you, I’m focused on William & Mary at the time,” sophomore center D.J. Haley said. “That’s my honest answer.”
The amount of tension between VCU and William & Mary couldn’t hold water to that of what the Rams and Monarchs have. But what does hold palpable significance is what’s at stake nearly two-thirds of the way into the season.
With four games in seven days and five in 10, a meeting with the Tribe could make or break VCU’s momentum from here on out. Thinking too far ahead and overlooking an improving William & Mary team could prove costly for the Rams, who are looking to win their third-straight conference game.
“The best way to do it is to take it one game at a time, never take any team for granted,” Haley said. “Just go out and play as hard as we can each and every game, and hopefully the outcome will be in our favor.”
Certainly the numbers side with the Rams. William & Mary sits in the lower tier of nearly every statistical category in the CAA. The Tribe hold the worst shooting defense (45.8 percent) and rebounding margin (-3.6) to go with the second-to-worst scoring offense in the league. VCU stands third in the confer-
ence in scoring offense (68.3 ppg) and scoring defense (59.7 ppg).
All that and the two teams are playing on the beloved home floor at the Siegel Center where the Rams boast one of the most difficult environments for opponents to play in.
Sounds like an all-but-guaranteed VCU victory right? Not in the eyes of head coach Shaka Smart, who admitted last year’s team – at times – looked at home games as a promised win. Three straight home losses at the end of the regular season put that theory to bed, and of course the rest is history.
“It’s good to have confidence, but there’s a fine line between confidence and overconfidence, and that’s something we’ve addressed with our team,” Smart said. “I think our guys, we’re better with that then we were last year. We have a younger group, a more humble group, so I think we’ve made progress there.”
After Thursday night’s game, VCU will remain on the home front for tilts against ODU Saturday and Hofstra Monday before hitting the road for a threegame road trip. But for now, all eyes are on the task at hand: the next game.
“ODU is definitely our rival, and I would be lying to you if I said that’s not a game everybody’s hyped for,” Haley said. “But we’re not really focused on ODU right now. We’re focused on William & Mary. We’ve got to take each game one at a time.” CT
Winter Break had its ups and downs for the VCU men's basketball team. The Rams went 7-2 over the course of the break, which yielded them their current record of 13-5 overall and 4-2 in the
Colonial Athletic Association. Despite students having been on break, VCU piled on four sellouts at home to tally 11 straight dating back to last season. CT
In this section:
Interesting People re-visits unsuspecting former interviewees • 11
CT Horoscopes for January: Good for the heart • 12
Reality Check: "Sexting": Still a word? • 13
The name of 12-piece modern jazz ensemble Brunswick is a new development. Up until their showing at The Camel this past Tuesday night, they were the John Hulley Large Ensemble, a name adopted from an official calendar’s event listing for the then-unnamed group.
John Hulley, bandleader and classical guitar performance graduate from VCU, christened the band “Brunswick” after his hometown of Brunswick, Maine – but insisted that the ensemble has “never been about the name.”
Hulley assembled his group – whose set on Tuesday ranged from softer jazz tunes to Hulley’s own arrangement of Daft Punk – from brass and rhythm players from VCU Music after he graduated from the department.
“I graduated and was working normal jobs that someone with a college degree would work, like in sandwich shops,” Hulley said. “I realized that I had to do music by myself. … School was not forcing me.”
Brunswick started practicing together at the end of the summer, using VCU rehearsal space. Later, due to schedul-
ing conflicts, they relocated to Hulley’s basement.
“We stopped feeling like VCU kids at that point,” Hulley said. “You don’t do this outside of a university class.”
Both Hulley and trumpeter Steven Cunningham, also a 2011 VCU Music graduate, compose songs for Brunswick.
“The tunes that I write are what I was going through that day,” Cunningham said.
“I think that there is a ratio of how much you love playing music to how much you’re paid,” Hulley said. “At this time in our lives, people are willing to work for very little money. … It was time to do this opportunity.”
At their Tuesday night show – the second time that they had ever performed live – it was clear that all 12 members felt right at home in the ensemble.
Band members, crammed on The Camel’s small stage, shuffled and folded around each other mid-song for solos, swayed in unison to the beat, and kept their audience of about 50 enraptured throughout.
“Goddamn, there was a lot of people,” Hulley said after the show. “I was surprised at how packed it was. I mean, there were people sitting on the floor.”
Brunswick is hoping to have more shows in the future, although they are currently still looking for a venue.
“People miss this style of music,” Hulley said. “It’s hard to do it, and no one else in Richmond does.” CT
“I T h I nk T haT T here I s a raTI o of how much you love play I ng mus I c T o how much you’re pa I d,” h ulley sa I d. “aT T h I s
TI me I n our l I ves, people are w I ll I ng T o work for very l ITT le money. … I T was TI me T o do T h I s oppor T un IT y.”Trumpeter Steven Cunningham in performance Tuesday night with Brunswick, a 12-piece big band comprised of current and former VCU Music majors.
In December, the CT asked these VCU students to tell us their New Year’s resolutions. Little did they know that we would be checking up on those resolutions’ progress a few weeks in.
resoluTIon: “I want to be nicer to my boss.”
progress: “Surprisingly, I have been so much nicer to my boss. He actually bought me a week’s worth of coffee to return the favor.”
resoluTIon: “I want a job.”
progress: “It’s preposterous to think that someone could succeed in their New Year’s resolution in only three weeks.”
resoluTIon: “Don’t be late to things.” (As she ran to the class for which she was late.)
progress: “I haven’t had any meetings, so I haven’t been late to anything, which means 100 percent success.”
resoluTIon: “I want to find a cure for my chronic hiccups.”
progress: “I haven’t gone to the doctor, but I’ve tried some things to try and get rid of the hiccups. I’ve tried acupuncture and anti-acid pills. Neither have worked, so I guess I have to keep trying.”
resoluTIon: “I’m going to empty my cat’s litter box more.”
progress: “My cat started using the toilet, so it’s no longer an issue.”
resoluTIon: “I want to be less poor, like, go from having negative $2 to having $1.”
progress: “Well, I wanted to be less broke, and I’m currently about to buy a car, so I think I did well.”
resoluTIon: “I would like to get more fit. As skinny as I am, I’m actually very out of shape.”
progress: “I haven’t done anything different so far. A lot of things have come up. I’m hoping to do better with the new semester though.”
resoluTIon: “I want more pants. I want to wear more pants.”
progress: “I’m getting more pants for my birthday. They are ordered and everything.”
resoluTIon: “I want to get my s--- together.”
progress: “I’ll let you know in March.”
AQUARIUS | Jan. 20 – feb. 18
While constantly complaining of your uncomeliness, slow wit and lack of future of any kind, you never stop to give yourself credit for your firm attunement with reality.
PISCES | feb. 19 – march 20
You will fail to keep your 2012 New Year’s resolution to avoid arbitrary, halfhearted non-plans to eventually improve things.
ARIES |march 21 – april 19
Venus ascendant in Aries indicates that this month’s agonizing dissolution of a two-year relationship is neither your fault nor your ex-partner’s, but rather that of a backwards society that views interspecies passion as somehow “wrong.”
TAURUS | april 20 – may 20
As a Taurus, you’ve always been able to make fast friends with most anyone you meet. This is because you don’t think very hard about anything at all and lack even basic opinions.
GEMINI | may 21 – June 20
As Grandma certainly knew, the best-tasting meals are those shared with loved ones. This month, make loved ones out of complete strangers by ingesting your entire onion-, garlic- and mayonnaise-dripping sub in the middle of Cabell Library’s computer lab.
CANCER | June 21 – July 22
Your UNIV200 paper will discover something completely new about animal rights.
LEO | July 23 – aug. 22
The terrifying, inexorable wheels of fate are setting events in motion even now that will forever brand you as “the guy/girl who won’t flip out if you (defecate) in his/her fridge.”
VIRGO |
aug. 23 – sept. 22
Although some questions can only be answered by searching deep within yourself, whatever happened to your left kidney is not one of them.
LIBRA | sep. 23 – oct. 22
The constellation Libra, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Times Astrology Department, wishes to remind readers that minutes lost while reading CT Horoscopes are not subject to replacement or reimbursement by the Commonwealth Times, the cosmos or their affiliates.
SCORPIO |
oct. 23 – nov. 21
Like a rainbow at the end of a rainstorm, here approaches malaria at the end of a blow dart.
SAGITTARIUS |
nov. 22 – dec. 21
You will, through no doing of your own, receive as much as 20 percent off on your next major purchase.
CAPRICORN | dec. 22 – Jan. 19
There are a million reasons you shouldn’t give up hope on one day finding true love. None of them are very good reasons.
My ex-girlfriend and I have remained on friendly terms after our breakup, but lately our relationship has taken a turn for the awkward as she apparently loses all grip on reality. For the purposes of this cry for help, let’s call her “Sandy.”
She calls me specifically when she knows I am at school or at work, and then becomes hostile when I tell her I can’t talk. Despite my apparently being one of the only human souls who can tolerate listening to Sandy speak, she’s repeatedly gone on tirades describing me as “a terrible friend” or “just awful … really just the worst.”
Probably the most pressing issue is her habit of texting me at length about each of her new romantic interests. She texts me about their sex; she’s also at least once texted me about their sexting. Most recently she made it a point to describe her current catch as “the best boyfriend (she’s) ever had … like, by a long shot.”
I still care about Sandy, but how am I supposed to respond to this? How does she not understand how unwelcome and unappealing her behavior and general person have become?
- Unconfident Confidante
I would first like to point out that using the word “sexting” outside of "The Early Show" is never OK.
Secondly, it is my considered and expert opinion that you should never speak to, lay eyes on, or exist in the same area code as “Sandy” ever, ever again. I’ve prepared a brief list of reasons that this is a necessity to your mental health:
1. She’s a terrible person. Literally nothing you’ve said about “Sandy” in your letter has led me to believe she’s remotely as pleasant as her name implies.
2. She’s leeching the blood of your kindness. Clearly, having found in you a human being who will put up with her awfulness, she’s decided to scarf down as much of your kindness as possible before throwing it up in your face.
3. You deserve better! All the hours you’ve spent reading about “Sandy’s” sextcapades could easily have been spent with someone who actually likes you or perhaps learning the oboe or carving small wooden toys for orphans.
“Sandy” is not remotely improving your life – socially, intellectually, physically, emotionally, academically, environmentally, legally, scientifically, nutritionally, economically, astrologically or otherwise.
As such, now is the time to toss her like yesterday’s salad.
Yours truly,
Sadie Zarkin
In this section:
Small boycott brings national attention to transgender • 14 TCC snubs VCU in latest commercial • 15
Although I’ve never been affiliated with the Girl Scouts, their mission, values and cookies have always moved me.
So last week, when a Californian teenage Girl Scout posted a video on YouTube lambasting the Girl Scouts for their decision to include a transgender child in their organization and started a protest in the form of boycotting Girl Scout cookies sales, I took offense. Exclusion has never been the Girl Scout way; indeed, GSUSA came about as a reaction to the exclusionary policies of the Boy Scouts.
In recent years, much attention has rightly been placed on the welfare of homosexuals, particularly those in high school, through the “It Gets Better” movement. But members of the transgender community have been inadvertently snubbed. Their plight and struggle has been severely unrecognized. But now that critical, national
attention – however positive or negative – has been brought to the issue, the opportunity for implementing change is upon us.
Anywhere from 0.25 to 5 percent of Americans are transgender, but there have never been transgender politicians in Congress to represent their unique needs. We currently have conservative politicians so vehemently and ideologically opposed to same-sex marriage that they’re willing to forfeit the thousands of potential votes from those in the LGBT community.
Though other minority groups may, quite justifiably, criticize and lambaste the lack of diversity in Congress and the American political system in general, the existence of the transgender community is mostly ignored within the context of minority groups.
Too few people realize that the same injustices that face homosexuals, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and racial minorities, also affect the transgender, and sometimes more severely.
Just two weeks ago, a bill designed to “restrict access to public restrooms and public dressing rooms designated by sex to members of that particular sex” was introduced to the Tennessee General Assembly.
Although the wording of the bill seems to make sense, it would legally bar transgender persons and nongender conforming people from public facilities. Although validating one’s sex through the use of identification would solve this problem, Tennessee law makes it nearly impossible to do so.
The Tennessee General Assembly is also embroiled in controversy over a bill to be introduced within the coming weeks that effectively gives students a license to bully other students if they can back it up with their religious beliefs. Hate would be justified by religious beliefs, and the bullied child would be unable to retaliate.
The complexities involved in transgender issues should not be bandied about as an excuse to delay or ignore the discussion. This is an issue
ILLUSTRATION BY MARLEIGH CULVERthat must be brought to the forefront of American society – and sooner rather than later. Justice delayed is justice denied.
This week, we commemorate and celebrate the life and teachings of the late Martin Luther King Jr. Let’s apply those same truths and principles that guided him during the AfricanAmerican fight for civil rights to this situation.
While we attend a diverse school, full of students of varying sexual orientations, it's sometimes all too easy to forget their struggle for acceptance elsewhere. I encourage you to show your support of the Girl Scouts and their decision to be inclusive by purchasing their cookies, donating to their organization or writing to your Congressperson to help ensure the rights of all Americans – regardless of sexual orientation or gender – are being respected. CT
Over break, I caught up on a lot of television that I missed during the fall semester. It was no surprise when a commercial came on to promote Tidewater Community College’s transfer program, but what was surprising was that VCU was nowhere to be seen throughout the ad.
Most of the major universities in Virginia were featured in the commercial, with close-up shots of their names on signs held by excited transfer students as they danced around. The ad promoted schools like JMU, ODU, GMU, Virginia Tech, U.Va., Norfolk State, and William and Mary. VCU, however, didn’t seem to make TCC’s cut, or as far as I could see.
All of the universities mentioned, along with VCU, have a guaranteed admissions program with TCC. This means that once a TCC student receives their associate’s degree and a certain GPA, they can transfer to any of the participating universities. So why wasn’t VCU featured in the commercial? Are we not up to TCC’s standards?
A false reputation has depicted us as an arts school, located in the heart of a dangerous city, with a low value for academics. It’s a reputation that’s bandied about at parties, only for us to laugh it off or join in with exaggerated anecdotes. But as students, we know that it isn’t true.
As a university, we should be proud that we are one of the top art schools in the nation because that is undoubtedly a prestigious title to hold.
But prospective students should also know that VCU has numerous programs, and we’re not just an art school. We have thriving disciplinary fields that range from business and sciences to engineering, not to mention
our medical campus.
While applying for colleges in high school, I know a lot of my fellow students were deterred by VCU due to a “dangerous” city image. While crimes do occur around campus, I’d like to find a school that doesn’t have crime. Since VCU is intermixed with the city, we have a unique campus setting compared with other universities. We’re by no means any more “dangerous” than ODU, which has seen an increase in robberies around the Norfolk campus, or Virginia Tech with the tragedies that struck the Hokies in recent years.
For some reason, many prospective students view VCU as a school that doesn’t value academics. There may be several factors contributing to this perspective, whether it is our reputation as an art school or the number of applicants accepted every year.
There’s no doubt that we’re not viewed as a prestigious university, such as William & Mary, UVa or Virginia Tech. This doesn’t mean, however, that VCU slacks academically or doesn’t have intelligent students. On the contrary, we have some of the most creative and intelligent faculty and students.
Commercial or not, as students at this institution, we’re responsible for our image. It should be our resolution to bring more positive attention to VCU, especially as students. Acts and omissions like the one made by TCC only add to the misconceptions that plague VCU.
Last year, the university garnered national attention when our men’s basketball team made it to the Final Four. While we still have this attention, let’s make the most of it and let prospective students know how much VCU has to offer and that we’re as credible as any other university in Virginia. CT
Opinions expressed are those of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times or Virginia Commonwealth University. Unsigned editorials represent the institutional opinion of The CT.
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