On
Flu activity in Virginia reached the “widespread” level last week, according to a state health official.
“This will be the first week we’ve gone to ‘widespread’ for this flu season. Clearly it’s a little later than usual but still within our expected range,” said C. Diane Woolard, director of the Virginia Department of Health’s surveillance and investigation division.
“Even though we are at ‘widespread,’ we are not hearing a lot about influenza,” Woolard said. “The reason we went to ‘widespread’ is that we met the definition for ‘widespread.’”
“Widespread” means flu outbreaks or reports of flu-like illness have increased beyond a baseline level and lab reports have confirmed flu in those regions reporting increased flu activity.
Flu-like illness reports are up in the northern, eastern and central health regions of the state.
Outbreaks of norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness that causes diarrhea and stomach cramps, also continue to make people sick. There were 120 outbreaks reported this January and February, compared with about 100 outbreaks during the same period in 2011.
“It’s still what we expect at this time of year,” Woolard said.
The Associated Press reported that a norovirus outbreak at a Fairfax County elementary school sickened more than 100 children.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Women who want to have an abortion in Virginia will first be required to submit to an ultrasound under precedent-setting legislation that narrowly passed the Virginia Senate on Tuesday.
Conservative Republicans in the evenly divided chamber, with the help of two anti-abortion Democrats, dismissed warnings from women’s rights groups and national ridicule from late-night comedians to approve the bill on a 21-19 vote.
Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, was the lone Republican to vote against the bill, which would force virtually any woman seeking an abortion to submit to an ultrasound, even in cases where the pregnancy is too early to be detected by abdominal imaging. The woman would be given the option of viewing the image but would not be required to do so.
Senators on both sides of the debate agreed to an amendment under which a victim of rape or incest who reports the attack would not have to undergo an ultrasound to get an abortion. The amendment means the measure must go back to the House of Delegates to see if it agrees to the amendment.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
A Richmond police sergeant has been arrested and charged with simple assault, the Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.
The charge against Sgt. Anthony V. Papaleo stems from an incident that occurred while he was off-duty, the police said. Papaleo and another man, who was not identified by authorities, have taken out simple assault warrants against each other, authorities said.
Papaleo, who joined the Police Department in January 1995, was served with the assault warrant Feb. 22. He has been placed on “non-work status,” according to a police statement. Police officials said they would provide no further comment.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Interpol said Tuesday that 25 suspected members of the loose-knit Anonymous hacker movement have been arrested in a sweep across Europe and South America.
The international police agency said in a statement that the arrests in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain were carried out by national law enforcement officers working under the support of Interpol’s Latin American Working Group of Experts on Information Technology Crime.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 40, are suspected of planning coordinated cyberattacks against institutions including Colombia’s defense ministry and presidential websites, Chile’s Endesa electricity company and national library, as well as other targets.
The arrests followed an ongoing investigation begun in mid-February which also led to the seizure of 250 items of IT equipment and mobile phones in searches of 40 premises in 15 cities, Interpol said.
In Chile’s capital, Subprefect Jamie Jara said at a news conference that authorities arrested five Chileans and a Colombian. Two of the Chileans are 17-year-old minors.
The case was being handled by prosecutor Marcos Mercado, who specializes in computer crime. He said the suspects were charged with altering websites, including that of Chile’s National Library, and engaging in denial-of-service attacks on websites of the electricity companies Endesa and Hidroaysen. The charges carry a penalty of 541 days to five years in prison, he said.
Jara said the arrests resulted from a recently begun investigation and officials do not yet know if those arrested are tied to any “illicit group.”
Brief by the Associated Press
The Dow Jones industrial average has closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008, four months before the financial crisis.
Preliminary figures show the Dow closed up five points Tuesday to finish at 13,005. The average is up more than 6 percent this year, mostly because of enthusiasm about the building U.S. economic recovery.
The Dow first broke 13,000 on April 25, 2007. The last time it ended the day above 13,000 was May 19, 2008. The Great Recession was six months old.
The close puts the Dow less than 1,200 points away from an all-time high.
Brief by the Associated Press
Millions of children are growing up in squalid urban areas and denied basic services despite living close to them, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Tuesday.
UNICEF said children living in slums and shantytowns often lack water, electricity and health care and it urged policy makers to ensure urban planning meets the needs of children.
The agency said it is common for statistics to show that, on average, children growing up in cities are better off than those in rural areas, which often leads to missing the plight of poor, urban children.
UNICEF said more than one-third of children in urban areas don’t ever get birth certificates, which means they are invisible to authorities and can’t get into social programs.
Nearly 8 million children died in 2010 before reaching the age of 5, about a third of them from hunger, the agency said. The rest died of pneumonia, diarrhea or birth complications.
Brief by the Associated Press
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817 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, VA 23284-2010
OFFICE OF JUDICIAL AFFAIRS & ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Court Jurisdictions vary
Varinder ‘Vick’ Chahal, the accused driver of the car that hit the car Carolina Perez was in, faces a possible 20-year sentence for an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Mark Robinson Assistant News Editor Mason Brown Staff WriterVCU student Varinder Chahal could receive a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a DUI accident that left a fellow VCU student dead.
Chahal, 23, was arrested last week on charges of felony manslaughter, driving under the influence and refusal to submit a blood or breath test after a fatal car collision that killed Carolina Perez and injured two other students.
Chahal was driving in a car with four other passengers at the time of the accident. No one in Chahal’s vehicle was injured and the identities of the passengers have not been released.
On Monday, Chahal’s bail was set at $25,000 at the Richmond General District Court with the intent to allow him to finish his degree at VCU. The judge also required that Chahal surrender his passport and driver’s license.
As reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, area prosecutors are attempting to elevate the charge to aggravated involuntary manslaughter, which carries a minimum 20-year sentence because of the alcohol consumed and nature of the driving at the time of the accident.
Prosecutors will attempt to raise the charge on March 7 when Chahal is scheduled to appear before a grand jury.
Chahal’s DUI charge and refusal of a blood test carry a minimum of oneyear license suspension and a $250 fine.
Chahal is a senior accounting major
Not Guilty
Incident
Via police, generally VCU PD
Judicial Affairs & Academic Integrity meet with students to review student Off-Campus Conduct Policy.
No Action
Guilty Student found guilty, case continued with sanctions or taken under advisement.
Provost Decides upon action taken by the university.
University Hearing Board
One student, one faculty, one administrator, one classified staff and one faculty Chair determine innocence or guilt and sanction.
Judicial Affairs & Academic Integrity meet with students to confirm the sanction imposed by the court and to review the details of the incident.
Recommends Sanction Student may accept administrative adjunction.
Not Guilty
Guilty
Case information destroyed.
Accepts Case filed and sanctions recorded President Issues final disposition.
at VCU. However, the university cannot confirm whether or not he will return to VCU this semester.
“We have a responsibility to protect the privacy of all of our students,” said Mike Porter, public relations specialist at VCU. Porter did confirm that Chahal is still enrolled at VCU, but would not comment further.
Three of Chahal’s professors declined to comment on his possible
University Appeal Board
A student may make an appeal based on procedural error or the availability of new evidence, if they are concerned that the policy has not been properly interpreted, if they believe the decision is not supported by the evidence, and if they feel the sanction imposed is not proportionate to the gravity of the misconduct. One student, one faculty, one administrator, one classified staff and one faculty chair hear appeal and make recommendation to president.
return to school.
At VCU, a student charged with a crime must first be convicted before any disciplinary action is considered by the university. If convicted, the student can be subjected to further punishment by the university at the discretion of the provost.
The student would then face the University Hearing Board, which includes one student, faculty member,
administrator, classified staff member and faculty chairperson. A student’s punishment is decided by the board.
The first decision can be appealed and the case retried by a similar panel. The president makes the final decision in appeals cases.
The CT attempted to contact Chahal and his lawyer by phone but recieved no response as of press time. CT.
VCU’s Students for Social Action organization has launched a new Public Knowledge Lecture Series at the university in order to become a more active part of the ever-changing political and cultural landscape in today’s society. The goal of the group is to raise awareness about various issues within the community while developing ways to combat the issues and initiate change. The group’s message is one of unity and collectivism, as their roots are centered around the idea that social action is based upon understanding.
The organization works collaboratively with other groups in the area such as the Virginia Alliance for Student Activism, NAACP at VCU, Men Against Violence, Young Democrats and Students for a Democratic Society.
Alexandria Vasquez, a sociology graduate student and president of SSA, said she believes that the fundamental role of the lecture series is to bridge
together the concerns and ideas about society with academics, while providing resources for people to utilize their degrees and diverse backgrounds to work together.
“Most students know something’s wrong and don’t know how to articulate how they feel," Vasquez said. “But the most powerful form of knowing something and doing something about it, is first and foremost being able to articulate why something is wrong. The whole point of the series is to provide that information.”
Phil Cunningham, an urban studies and geography double major, is the chair for SSA and has played a key role in organizing the Public Knowledge Lecture Series. Even though it wasn’t always an easy task, Cunningham said he understands the importance of raising awareness.
“Organizing and activism can be stressful and a lot of work, but in the end I feel like I made a difference or helped in some way,” Cunningham said, “even if it’s just hearing that a speech or
an event made someone think differently and more critically about how they perceive the world.”
Vasquez said she believes that the discourse for the issues should happen in the context of academia, while research on the topics should be done by professors and different organizations that are authorities on those topics and then made available to everyone.
“We want to bring these people, not to boost them up or make our university look cool, but to make other people start talking and thinking about it, and the whole point is to engage the community,” Vasquez said.
The launch of the lecture series is the first step in engaging the community as a whole. The group has a documentary film in the works about regional disparities in the Richmond area. The film would demonstrate how infrastructure funding for schools works and how different areas in Richmond influence the outcome of the children.
In addition to the lecture series, SSA holds forums on student and campus is -
sues. The next forum will focus on Human Rights for Women and will be held March 28. It will also consider continuing problems with factors of race, class and women in relation to incarceration.
This forum comes at a pivotal time for Virginia. In the past two weeks, the state has gained national attention for various bills that would change women’s access to abortions, among other health services. House Bill 1, sponsored by Delegate Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, would have redefined an embryo as a person. The bill has been tabled until next year’s session.
On Tuesday, the General Assembly also passed a controversial ultrasound bill requiring women to get an ultrasound before consenting to an abortion. Originally, the bill would have required an invasive ultrasound but was amended at the request of Gov. Bob McDonnell who said the original bill overstepped the state’s boundaries. CT
the vcu Police force will begin wearing newly designed uniforms this thursday. the most noticeable difference between the new and old uniforms is the shirt: new uniforms are half white and half black with a matching black collar. A reflective strip separates the white and black portions of the uniform and borders the ends of their sleeves, making them significantly more noticeable than previous uniforms.
Thursday, Feb. 23
Alcohol violation 1400 block of West Main Street – A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Alcohol violation At the corner of North Smith and West Catherine streets – A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Assault offense/petit larceny Shafer Court, 800 Shafer St. – A male visitor advised that he was assaulted by known person(s) who also removed an item from his possession.
Drug offense Brandt Hall, 710 W. Franklin St. – A male student was arrested for distribution of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school.
Commercial burglary 1039 W. Grace St. – An unknown person(s) forcibly entered a business and removed items.
Friday, Feb. 24
Alcohol violation 400 block of North Laurel Street – A male visitor was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol violation At the corner of South Belvidere Street and Idlewood Avenue – A female student was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Disorderly conduct Club 534, 534 N. Harrison St. – A female visitor was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Disorderly conduct Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. – Two male visitors were arrested for disorderly conduct.
Disorderly conduct Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Disorderly conduct Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Saturday, Feb. 25
Alcohol violation 800 block of West Franklin Street – A female visitor was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol violation At the corner of South Belvidere and West Cary streets – A male student was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol and being drunk in public.
Alcohol violation At the corner of North Pine and West Grace streets –A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Alcohol violation Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. – A female visitor was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol violation/trespassing Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. – A male student was arrested for trespassing and being drunk in public.
Burglary 1138 W. Grace St. – A victim advised that an unknown person(s) entered his apartment and removed items.
Disorderly conduct Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Missile into occupied dwelling 706 Catherine St. – The victim advised that an unknown person(s) threw a brick through the window.
Sunday, Feb. 26
Alcohol violation At the corner of West Grace and North Laurel streets –A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Assault offense At the corner of Laurel and Franklin streets – Three male students advised that four unknown persons assaulted them.
Commercial burglary 801 W. Cary St. – A male subject was arrested for breaking and entering.
Mayday 1000 Parkwood Ave. – A male subject was arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer, brandishing a firearm, reckless handling of a firearm, concealed weapon and destruction of property.
Trespassing Broad and Belvidere Dorms, 700 W. Broad St.- A male student was arrested for trespassing.
Monday, Feb. 27
Petit larceny Snead Hall, 301 W. Main St. – A female student advised that an unknown person(s) removed items from an unsecured location.
In this section:
CAA Tournament preview continued • 7
VCU CAA Tournament fun facts/bracket predictions • 8 Baseball picks up 1,000th program win • 9
Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
First round matchups (all games will be played on Friday at the Richmond Coliseum):
James Madison (8) vs. UNC-Wilmington (9) at noon
JMU (12-19 overall, 5-13 CAA) has had its season so derailed by injuries that even head coach Matt Brady fell victim to a torn Achilles while practicing with the team. The Dukes have lost eight of their last 10 games but beat Towson 65-59 in their most recent outing. JMU is led by junior A.J. Davis at 16 ppg and Humpty Hitchens who averages 15 points and 2.6 three pointers made per game.
UNCW (9-20 overall, 5-13 CAA) met JMU just once this season, in a game in which the Seahawks lost 69-61 on their home court back on Jan. 18. Like JMU, the Seahawks are entering the tournament as one of the coldest teams in the league, having lost six consecutive games. In the final game of the regular
season, they lost to 11th place Hofstra by 29 points.
Prediction: JMU 67, UNCW 60
Delaware (5) vs. Towson (12) at 2:30 p.m. With so much talk about the top four teams, Delaware (17-12 overall, 12-6 CAA) is perhaps the most overlooked team in the CAA. The Blue Hens won seven consecutive games to finish the regular season and their résumé includes wins over Drexel and George Mason, as well as two overtime victories over Georgia State.
Pat Skerry and Towson (1-30 overall, 1-17 CAA) ended their NCAA record 41-game losing streak by defeating UNCW on Jan. 28 but still finished the season with just one win. An upset over a team like Delaware, which won twice as many conference games as it lost, is highly unlikely.
Prediction: Delaware 74, Towson 56
Northeastern (7) vs. William & Mary (10) at 6 p.m.
Northeastern (13-16 overall, 9-9 CAA) has been up and down this season, having put together some quality wins but also its share of ugly losses. Most notably, the Huskies upset George Mason 85-82 in overtime on Feb. 22 to knock the Patriots out of a tie for first place with Drexel. However, Northeastern lost by 25 points to 10thranked William & Mary (6-25 overall, 4-14 CAA) just 11 days prior, which shows you never know what you’re going to get from them.
Despite the poor record, William & Mary has weapons and a history of good results against Northeastern. Quinn McDowell and Marcus Thornton will be the keys to the Tribe’s success. Look for a closer game this time around.
Prediction: William & Mary 72, Northeastern 68
Georgia State (6) vs. Hofstra (11) at 8:30 p.m.
Georgia State (20-10 overall, 11-7 CAA) is the one team playing on Friday that none of the top four teams want
to face in the second round. Three of GSU’s conference losses came in overtime, and three more were by three points or less. With six seniors on the roster, the Panthers are going to be a dangerous dark horse in this tournament. Even though Hofstra is coming off a near-30 point blowout of UNCW, Georgia State is the obvious favorite in this matchup.
Prediction: Georgia State 65, Hofstra 58
Second round matchups (All games on Saturday):
Drexel (1) vs. JMU (8) or UNCW (9) at noon
Drexel (25-5 overall, 16-2 CAA) has been the class of the CAA all season long and that should continue to show in this game, regardless of whom they face. The Dragons have won 16 consecutive games and have not lost since falling to Georgia State 58-44 on Jan. 2.
Old Dominion (4) vs. Delaware (5) or Towson (12) at 2:30 p.m.
ODU (19-12 overall, 13-5 CAA) went 3-0 against Towson and Delaware this season, but its only matchup with the Blue Hens was a 68-66 overtime thriller. Should the two teams meet again, it will likely be another good game between the fourth and fifth seeds. However, Delaware will win only if it can find an answer for current CAA Player of the Week Kent Bazemore, who averaged 28 points and 9.5 rebounds in two games over that span. The preseason favorite for Player of the Year averaged 15 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2 steals per game this season.
VCU (2) vs. Northeastern (7) or William & Mary (10) at 6 p.m.
VCU (25-6 overall, 15-3 CAA) slipped into the second seed by defeating George Mason 89-77 in its last game of the regular season, and may have to beat the Patriots again to get to the conference final. The Rams are 3-0 against William & Mary and Northeastern this season, but needed overtime and a game-winning layup by Darius Theus to beat the Tribe at home back on Jan. 19. If VCU wants another
chance at George Mason and another chance at a conference championship, it cannot look past this game.
George Mason (3) vs. Georgia St. (6) or Hofstra (11) at 8:30 p.m.
George Mason (23-8 overall, 14-4 CAA) lost its last two regular season games, falling from a share of first place down to third. As a result, the Patriots have to face a dangerous team in Georgia State or a suddenly hot Hofstra team. Having lost their last two games in disappointing fashion, the Patriots will likely either respond with a newfound passion or continue the downward spiral. With Player of the Year candidate Ryan Pearson (17.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) playing some of his best basketball of late, it is most likely to be the former.
Semifinals matchups TBD (Semifinal round will take place Sunday with games at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.)
CAA Championship game set for 7 p.m. on Monday, March 5. CT
The Commonwealth Times sports staff put together our bracket predictions for the 2012 CAA Tournament. Sports editor Jim Swing (top left), assistant sports editor Quinn Casteel (right) and executive editor Adam Stern (bottom left) weigh in on how they think the weekend will play out.
Paul Keyes was worried he had left Blake Hauser on the mound one pitch too long. Holding on to a one-run lead over Norfolk State in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and one runner on base, the VCU baseball head coach was relieved by his most reliable closer.
Much to Keyes relief, Hauser forced a slow-rolling ball out in front of the catcher who recorded the final out in a 4-3 win over the Spartans Tuesday afternoon.
“He’s been great,” Keyes said. “He came in in a real pressure-type situation and sort of bailed me out because I let him stay out one hitter too long.”
Hauser, a junior, came in midway through the top of the eighth inning with runners on second and third with one out and fanned two-straight batters to end the inning. The Chesterfield native struck out four of the six batters he faced in one and two-thirds of an inning to record his team-high third save of the season.
“That’s what he’s here for; he’s our closer,” said sophomore outfielder Bill Cullen, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs on the day. “There’s no one better. That’s who we want out there in tough situations.”
Norfolk State took a one-run lead in the top of the third inning, but from there it was mostly VCU. The Rams tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a single to right field by Joey Cujas that scored Paul Nice from second base. Three innings later VCU was able
to gain a little bit of separation. With two outs and the bases loaded, Cullen floated a teardrop into centerfield that scored Chris Ayers and Taylor Perkins to give the Rams a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the six.
Cullen has hit in six of his last 12 atbats and has recorded four RBIs in the past three games.
“Billy, Joey Cujas and Paul Nice have been really three consistent guys,” Keyes said. “(Cullen’s) been really good as a catalyst for us.”
Seth Cutler-Voltz (1-1) got his second start of the season for the Rams and gave up seven hits and just one earned run in seven innings on the mound. He recorded six strikeouts on 26 batters faced and 112 total pitches.
“He looked a little rusty, but I think the more he threw he worked some things out, I thought as we went along,” Keyes said.
Tuesday afternoon’s win marked VCU’s 1,000th victory in the program’s 43-year history. In his 18th year as head coach, Keyes has racked up 574 of those wins.
“It’s a nice number,” Keyes said. “Obviously means we’ve won a lot of games here at VCU and had a pretty successful program.”
After losing four of their first five games, the Rams have now won fourstraight games since returning home from their California road trip at the beginning of the season. They play host to Monmouth in a three-game series this weekend at The Diamond.
“Once we got back here, back at our home field,” Cullen said, “we’re not going to let anyone beat us at home.” CT
If he gets enough votes, one interior design student could look forward to a paid internship and the publication of his work in a national magazine.
VCU junior Ricardo Hernandez-Perez is one of two remaining students in a nationwide interior design contest. The contest, called “I Like Design,” originates from the magazine “Interiors and Sources.” The magazine is working with the design and consulting firm Gresham, Smith and Partners for the contest.
“I decided to enter the contest because it seemed like a challenge that would help expand my knowledge within one of the many branches of interior design,” Hernandez-Perez said.
“Interiors and Sources” offers products and services for those focused on commercial interior designs. Gresham, Smith and Partners is a design firm which focuses on sustainability in communities.
The grand prize for “I Like Design” is a paid summer internship through Gresham, Smith and Partners in Nashville, Tenn. with housing costs covered. The winner’s design will also be published online at “Interiors and Sources” and in an issue of the magazine.
The winner will be chosen in an online vote through the magazine’s website. The winner will be announced March 12. As of Feb. 21, the third finalist was eliminated, leaving HernandezPerez and a senior from Austin State University.
Hernandez-Perez entered the contest last year after hearing about it from his academic adviser.
For the contest, students were asked to design a community health and wellness center and a clinic in an already existing building in Nashville. The clinic needed to have specific elements, including patient rooms, waiting areas, laboratories, counseling offices and an x-ray imaging room.
“For the clinic, I envisioned a space
that would allow patients to feel a closer connection to home. A tranquil getaway that took their mind off any illness or worry,” Hernandez-Perez said. “I used the placid plane that exists between the top of the trees and below the clouds as my inspiration for the design.”
The community center design did not have the same strict needs as the clinic. Designers were simply asked to include what they felt best supported the community.
“I wanted the community center to be a place where people came to hang out and not only learn about health, wellness and exercise,” HernandezPerez said. “Therefore, I mimicked the floor plan after a mall, creating wide hallways that incorporated community art galleries and kiosks that sold local artisan work.”
Hernandez-Perez also included a community kitchen, a gym, a pharmacy and a daycare in his community center design.
“Winning the competition would be a great accomplishment for me. I support myself through college. I have two jobs along with an internship, school and extra-curriculars, therefore it would be an amazing feat for me,” HernandezPerez said. “If you are determined to accomplish something, no matter how impossible this goal may seem, you can accomplish it.” CT
CT reporters solicited the turnout at IHOP’s Free Pancake Day celebration for their opinions. When that proved depressing, they solicited them for their opinion on free pancakes.
“We go every year (to IHOP’s Free Pancake Day). We try to maximize our free pancakes by going to every IHOP in the area.”
“I always look forward to Free Pancake Day. Sometimes I go to more than one IHOP. I wish every day was Free Pancake Day.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever come to Free Pancakes day. I don’t eat pancakes all the time, but when they’re free, I especially eat them.”
“It’s a good breakfast. The pancakes are good. I heard about Free Pancake Day from my TA who works here.”
“Free food is always good. I think I’ll just change my outfit and keep coming back.”
“I put the fruit topping on the pancake like a crepe. It’s like a taco. It’s not the price; it’s the consistency of the pancakes. Now, I can use this plastic wrapped fork later.”
“I like free, especially when I’m hungry and poor. This is my first Free Pancake Day in Virginia. I’m from Nevada, so I went to Free Pancake Day all the time there.”
“These are so good. They are so good you can’t put a price on them, and therefore you shouldn’t. They are priceless.”
Patrick Maguire Contributing Writer
With a recent debut on “Saturday Night Live,” Sleigh Bells has been receiving more exposure to the media than ever before.
Sleigh Bells formed in 2008 and has gained fans ever since. Sleigh Bells’ previous album “Treats” was released exclusively on iTunes; the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival featured the band in 2010 and 2011.
The band’s second album “Reign of Terror” stays true to the first album, with heavy electronic beats placed throughout. The album’s electric tracks are much different than most groups in the genre as their style steers clear of dub step or techno. Sleigh Bells’ electronic sound is uniquely experimental. However, this album differs from their first in that it relies more heavily
on guitar and drums than an electric pulse, giving many of the songs more of a hard-rock feel.
The second song on the album, “Born to Lose,” shows off extremes in volume before trailing off into a lowfi eeriness that stands out even in the mass of playback fuzz in which much of the rest of the album swims. “Comeback Kid” is fitting for a sophomore album (“You gotta try a little harder; you’re a comeback kid”), which almost borders on making it seem too easy.
Having played exclusively in Florida venues for the first half of their tour, Sleigh Bells will finish their tour in Seattle, Wash. CT
TAURUS
AQUARIUS
The meaning of the saying “as serious as a heart attack” is lost on you, as all the heart attacks you’ve witnessed have been hilarious.
PISCES
Mercury’s prominent position in your bloodstream portends permanent physical and mental damage from heavy-metal poisoning.
ARIES
The only real way to weep in public is to do so in a public restroom stall while a complete stranger, not three feet to your right or left, is defecating.
Panic sets in next Tuesday at 6:09 p.m. when, without warning, the sun disappears from the sky.
GEMINI
Two nurses and a cardiac surgeon are soon to stage a comedy of errors over your open, aenesthetized chest.
CANCER
The only way anyone can get any sort of truth out of you anymore is by talking to your hips.
LEO
Fame and fortune are yours this month in an alternate dimension where enormous pussy willows are rich and famous.
VIRGO
Cliches aside, there’s something to be said for doing what you love. This month, take up recreational complaining.
LIBRA
Your meticulous attention to detail will once again ruin an otherwise lighthearted and pleasurable pastime.
SCORPIO
The hard work you’ve been putting in throughout the years prompts your most respected and admired professor to congratulate you on your development as both a student and a human being, going on to confide that they believe with every fiber of their being that big and beautiful things wait store for you. Ignore their dirty whore lies.
SAGITTARIUS
Monitoring empty destinies like yours was not among the reasons Sagittarius got into this business, frankly.
CAPRICORN
The reasons behind your almostnightly sex dreams featuring Bill O’Reilly continue to elude you: You already have so much sex with Bill O’Reilly while you’re awake.
In this section: The cost of parking at VCU is too high • 14 Priortizing student safety on campus • 15
Every VCU student who lives off campus has become familiar with the daily hassle of driving around for what seems like hours to find street parking near campus. With all the money that the average VCU student pays, why should commuters have to pay to park?
Let’s break it down.
How much does the average VCU student spend for college? According to the VCU enrollemnt site tuition rates for the 2011-2012 school year for an undergraduate student who is a resident of Virginia is $4,758.50 per semester. The price is hiked for non-Virginia resident students who pay $11,474.50 per semester. Don’t forget upperclassmen housing, books and food. Students are paying almost $5,000 a semester plus tuition, yet free parking seems to be
nowhere in our future.
A commuter parking pass is $175 per semester. That may be beneficial to some students, but what about those who don’t have classes everyday? It’s a waste of money.
I find myself leaving my house 45 minutes to an hour before my classes start to fight for parking. Like most students, I have back-to-back classes. And with ever-rising gas prices, it would be nice to not waste the measly 10 bucks I put in the tank riding around in circles trying to find a spot.
Nothing’s worse than having that mini heart attack when you think you’ve found a free parking spot, and then your eyes focus in on that oh-so-familiar noparking sign.
VCU has 10 commuter-designated parking decks and lots. Sounds great right? That’s what I thought, too.
At $3.75 a day, it’s not that bad if
you’re not spending it every day. But the parking sharks are out to get us. They are ever-ready to put a $50 ticket on our cars for spending more than our allotted 60 minutes in a space. What happens if you can’t move your car on time? If you had $50 to blow, you could afford the $3.75, right?
The parking dilemma wouldn’t be so bad if commuter students weren’t being slighted.
The popular parking decks like West Broad, West Main and West Cary are all prohibited towards cashpaying commuters most days. Only the privileged, permit-possessing students get the luxury of parking there every day. The only deck that is consistently available to commuters is the Bowe Street parking deck. But who wants to make that walk everyday unless you're an art student with classes there.
Even on-campus students have joined
in the quest to find free parking. The West Broad Street parking deck used to be available to Ackell residents, but that was taken away during the 20102011 school year, resulting in even more students riding around trying to find an affordable place to park their rides.
Students can pay more than $300 every six months to secure a spot in a deck close to their student-housing apartment. Who knew concrete and white lines could cost so much?
In a magical land, students would drive to campus, park in a designated, free area and report to classes on time.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in one. VCU should accommodate the commuter students who don’t want to pay a king’s ransom just to get an education. When will VCU realize we already pay an arm and a leg for everything else, so why not give us a free parking spot? CT
Prospective students and parents always ask me the same question: Do I feel safe at VCU?
Without hesitation, I’ve always answered affirmatively. Between the over 300 on-campus ETRS boxes, an ever-present police presence and an almost unnerving number of security cameras, I’m confident that adequate number of measures are in place to both deter the occurrence of crimes and catch culprits that choose to deft the law.
But no amount of security put in place by the administration can protect us from our greatest danger: the unrestrained spontaneity that is ourselves. All the guards and security cameras in the world can�t ensure our
lives. We, as individuals, are our own greatest enemy when it comes to our safety at VCU.
Students seem to suffer from a regrettable case of assumed safety. Great tragedy befalls on someone else and never us. We won’t be the person who was hit by a car because they didn’t look both ways before crossing the street. We won’t be the cyclist bulldozed down by a truck because we were listening to our iPod instead of the car horns.
The unabridged carelessness that ranges from us doing the most menial of tasks at the most ordinary times of day plagues us on an hourly basis. It’s not that we lack common sense; it’s that we fail to use it.
The frustrating fact to keep in mind is that simple alertness – a quick look before crossing the street or choosing to
take the long way home – could prevent a fair amount of incidents that occur on or near campus.
But sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes our safety is completely out of our control.
The tragic events of last week and the death of Carolina Perez still continue to affect the VCU community as we’re forced to address concerns about safety at VCU, as well as the administration’s actions concerning the tragedy.
There’s not much that can be said; we all know the perils of drunk driving. There’s no point in ranting about how irresponsible and dangerous it is. How it can ruin lives. How it has ruined lives.
This won’t become some huge watershed moment where we all collectively make a decision to never drink and drive. No amount of
quotes, statistics or data can deter spontaneously irrational actions. It’ll happen again. We’ll mourn again
But we, the VCU community, can use this moment to reaffirm our commitment to being an university that makes student safety a priority. VCU could boost the top academics in the country and a five-star student life, but if the administration can not effectively convince the VCU community and prospective students that they are in a reasonably safe environment, we won’t progress at all.
Practically, that means that VCU might have to become more intrusive in dealing with students with lessthan-stellar backgrounds. This might involve limiting privileges based on past incidents or requiring incoming students with substance-abuse issues to undergo rehabilitation counseling for potential issues. It’s a sensitive issue, but one that has to be noticed.
Let’s reaffirm our commitment and prioritize student safety. CT
ADAM STERN Executive Editor SHANE WADE Opinion Editor
