VCU senior Brad Burgess grabs his head in dejection as the final buzzer sounds in the Indiana Hoosiers’ defeat of the Rams Saturday.
Lawyers for a former University of Virginia lacrosse player convicted in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend have asked a judge for a hearing on a motion to have the case retried.
George Huguely and his lawyers appeared in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Friday on a separate motion filed on behalf of several media outlets seeking to have the trial’s evidence made public. Judge Edward Hogshire gave media attorney Robert Yates two weeks to come up with a proposal on the best way to make the evidence available.
The Daily Progress reports Huguely lawyer Francis McQ. Lawrence also asked for a hearing on a “motion for retrial.” No details were given.
Huguely faces 26 years in prison in the 2010 death of U.Va. women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love.
Brief by the Associated Press
Nearly six months after the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. had hired 12 family members since he was elected in 2005, eight relatives remain on the payroll.
In an interview last year, Woody said he planned to dismiss all of his relatives by the end of this year but declined to say in what order they would leave.
Earlier this month, Woody still employed a son, two sisters, a brother-in-law, a nephew, a nephew’s wife and two granddaughters, according to the office’s response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Woody was out of the office and did not respond to a request for an interview made by email and through his spokesman.
His daughter, Carla Woody, left the department in December after working for the office for a year, earning $44,000 as a payroll technician. A granddaughter and the daughter of the sheriff’s nephew’s wife also left their positions last year. A niece departed in 2008.
The 11 relatives who worked at the office in 2011 earned more than $442,000 in annual salaries, or 2.4 percent of the office's annual $18.3 million in salary expenditures.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Three former students are suing John Tyler Community College because the surgical technology program they took there did not obtain accreditation, which they say left them unable to find jobs.
“The certificate I have doesn’t mean anything,” said F. Eileen Macleay of Midlothian.
Macleay, Patricia E. Brown of Ettrick and Donella G. Crist of Sussex filed separate suits last month in Chesterfield County Circuit Court, each seeking a total of $150,000 for breach of contract and compensatory and punitive damages.
JTCC President Marshall Smith said certification is not required for work as a surgical technologist in Virginia.
He said the college would not have begun the career studies certificate program without accreditation if that had been a prerequisite for obtaining a job.
Certification in Virginia may be “extra, but the accreditation is mandatory to get a job,” Crist said.
Some states require certification for surgical technologists through a national examination, but Virginia does not. A bill requiring certification was referred to committee during this session of the General Assembly.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Disaptch
Calls made to police show that a black teenager was terrified as he tried to get away from the white neighborhood watch volunteer who shot him, and that the volunteer was not defending himself as he has claimed, the teen’s family said Saturday.
Sanford police released eight 911 calls late Friday. The neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, tells a dispatcher in the first call that he is following 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. He says Martin is running, but the dispatcher tells him not to follow the teen.
Zimmerman had called police to report a suspicious person walking through the gated community. He has said he shot the teen in self-defense. Zimmerman’s father said in a letter to the Orlando Sentinel that his son, who is Hispanic, has been cruelly and unfairly portrayed in the media as a racist.
The case has been turned over to the State Attorney’s Office, which can decide whether to file charges or present evidence to a grand jury.
Brief by the Associated Press
Two suicide bombers detonated cars packed with explosives in near-simultaneous attacks on heavily guarded intelligence and security buildings in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, killing at least 27 people.
The early-morning explosions struck the heavily fortified air force intelligence building and the criminal security department, several miles apart in Damascus, at approximately the same time, the Interior Ministry said. Much of the facade of the intelligence building appeared to have been ripped away.
State-run news agency SANA said a third blast went off near a military bus at the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk in Damascus, killing the two suicide bombers.
The first explosion about 7 a.m. targeted the air force intelligence building in the residential district of al-Qassaa, a predominantly Christian area. It caused destruction in a 100-yard radius, shattering windows, blowing doors off their hinges and throwing chairs and other furniture off balconies.
A string of previous blasts that struck the capital, also suicide bombings, have killed dozens of people since December.
Brief by the Associated Press Somalia
A large amount of food sent by the United Nations to the Somali capital during last year’s famine never reached the starving people it was intended for, an investigation has found.
Some of the World Food Program supplies went to the black market, some to feed livestock. One warehouse full of rations was looted in its entirety by a Somali government official. And across the city, feeding sites handed out far less food than records indicate they should have.
The British government estimates between 50,000 and 100,000 people died in Somalia’s famine, and the U.N. has requested $1.5 billion for Somalia this year, partly to prevent a return of famine.
The World Food Program provides much of Somalia’s food aid, and the U.N. says donations of food and cash saved half a million lives in the second half of last year. In the chaos of a war, with the aid effort’s own personnel at mortal risk merely for being associated with the West, orderly, corruption-free food distribution could never be guaranteed.
But a three-month investigation into sites providing hot meals to families in government-controlled Mogadishu reveals various shortcomings, some of which the WFP says it is already addressing by changing procedures.
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On the cover: 817 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, VA 23284-2010
Brief by the Associated Press
Campus police officers across Virginia frequently put their lives at risk, just like members of any city, county or state police force. Yet in the eyes of the law, campus police are currently not considered law enforcement officers. A bill passed by the General Assembly however would change this.
House Bill 771, introduced by Delegate Steve Landes, R-Verona, would expand the definition of law enforcement officers to include campus police officers at both public and private colleges. Campus police represent more than 3 percent of sworn officers in Virginia.
Similar legislation, House Bill 967, was introduced by Delegate Robert Bell, R-Charlottesville, and died in committee. Both Bell and Landes say they introduced their bills because they want to make sure campus police receive the same treatment as other law enforcement officers.
Campus police certainly face the same dangers as other officers. That point was tragically made by the December shooting of Virginia Tech Police Officer Deriek Crouse during a traffic stop on campus. Both Landes and Bell cite the incident as an important influence in introducing their legislation.
“We want to make sure that once and for all, campus police officers are defined and put in those same sections as any other law enforcement agencies,” Landes said. “They are facing the same types of dangers and concerns as other law enforcement officers; they’re doing the same training and have the same responsibilities.”
Bell was concerned about more than status.
“If a university police department and a city police department respond to the same call, one has certain protections that the other one doesn’t. I believe they should have the same protections and deserve to be treated equal
to other officers,” Bell said.
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Chief of Police John Venuti said he supports the legislation.
“House Bill 771 now carries campus law enforcement officers under the common definition of ‘law enforcement officer.’ This creates equity for campus police officers within the Code of Virginia,” said Venuti, who oversees the largest campus police force in Virginia.
While both bills aimed for the same goal, Bell’s proposal failed because of cost. According to an analysis by the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, HB 967 would have cost more than $200,000, because the wording could have increased the number of arrestees sent to correctional facilities.
The commission estimated that Landes’ bill would have no fiscal impact on the state.
Landes, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, worked early on to make sure his bill would not require spending a lot of money.
“I started on that end because I knew that was where the objection would be,” Landes said. “I don’t think anyone questioned the policy. It was just whether it would be a cost or not.”
After Bell’s bill failed, Landes worked to integrate sections of it into HB 771. The amended bill unanimously passed the Senate last week. The bill then went back to the House, which passed it Wednesday on a vote of 97-1. The bill will now head to Gov. Bob McDonnell to be signed into law.
In February, Venuti and other campus police chiefs spoke in support of the bill at a hearing held by a subcommittee of the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee. They said campus police do the same job – and deserve the same respect – as other law enforcement officers.
“With some, there is still a dated lingering perception that campus police are not real police officers,” Venuti said. “VCU Police are as real as it gets.” CT
Here are the outcomes of bills VCU's SGA were tracking during the 2012 session :
HB 191, by Delegate Bob Marshall, R-Manassas: Allows full-time faculty members of public institutions of higher education who possess a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun on campus.
HB 697, by Filler-Corn: Requires the governing board of each college or university to ask students to identify points of contact to be notified if the student experiences a mental health crisis. The policy may require students to waive certain privacy or confidentiality privileges.
HB 701, by Delegate E. Filler-Corn, D-Springfield: Requires the chief law-enforcement officer of a public or private institution of higher education to report the death or an alleged rape of any person on campus property to the law-enforcement agency of the locality in which the institution is located. The local law-enforcement agency would assume responsibility for leading the investigation with cooperation from the college or university.
HB 852, by Delegate J.R. Yost, R-Blacksburg: Makes it clear that an institution of higher education may require students to provide mental health records not only from their high school but also from any other college or university they attended.
HB 853, also by Yost: Requires public community colleges to advise students, faculty and staff how to identify and help students exhibiting suicidal tendencies.Provides that any licensed health professional treating a student may determine to withhold parental notification of a dependent student’s mental health treatment if such professional determines that the notification may result in substantial harm. Currently, only a physician or clinical psychologist could make such a determination.
HB 965, by Delegate Robert B. Bell, R-Charlottesville: Requires campus police to work with a local law-enforcement agency or the State Police in investigating deaths and alleged rapes on college campuses.
HB 967, also by Bell: Includes campus police in various definitions of “law-enforcement officers.”
HB 969, also by Bell: Requires each commonwealth’s attorney to invite campus police chiefs to meetings of sexual assault response teams.
SB 623, by Sen. Chap Peterson, D-Fairfax: Requires public colleges and universities to have agreements with local mentalhealth facilities to coordinate the care of students. The bill would help ensure that school officials are notified when a student is involuntarily committed or is discharged.
SB 624, also by Peterson: Requires public colleges and universities to alert parents whenever the institution receives notification from any source that a student may be suicidal, to the extent permitted by the federal law.
Sherese A. Gore Capital News ServiceHouse Speaker William Howell hailed the General Assembly’s just-concluded regular session as a success last sunday, citing the passage of legislation to create jobs, improve public education and reform public employees’ pension plan.
Howell focused on the positives –and not on debates over social issues or the assembly’s failure to approve a state budget for the 2012-14 biennium. Before adjourning late Saturday, lawmakers agreed to reconvene March 21 for a special session on the budget.
“Our work on economic development, public education and government reform will meaningfully improve the services we provide for citizens of the commonwealth and the administration of government,” Howell said.
Saturday, March 10 saw a bicameral display of cooperation.
In the aftermath of a legislative session marked by partisan bickering, legislators came together to celebrate the graduation of the teenage pages (13- and 14-year-old students who helped lawmakers during the session), poke fun at the clerks and an impromptu game of football on the Capitol lawn.
Hostilities were temporarily pushed aside as lawmakers gave final approval to legislation to ensure the solvency of the Virginia Retirement System by requiring more contributions from employees and offering fewer benefits for future retirees. House Democrats felt that the VRS proposals needed more study and voted against the bills.
With little debate, the House and Senate also passed a resolution asking Gov. Bob McDonnell to call the assembly back into session in a week and a half to address the state budget.
Howell, a delegate from Stafford who presides over the House, noted that the General Assembly approved about 1,600 pieces of legislation during its 60-day regular session.
Democrats tended to see the session as having failed to achieve its goals. They accused Republicans of pushing an agenda of social issues such restrictions on abortion rights and voting rights.
“When people write the story about this session, it’s going to be about legislative overreach especially in the area of social and divisive issues,” said the House Democratic leader, Delegate David Toscano of Charlottesville.
Toscano has been a vocal opponent of Republican-backed measures to require voters to show identification be-
fore casting an official ballot on Election Day. He and other Democrats also have blasted McDonnell for signing a GOP measure requiring women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion.
Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate, which put Democrats on the defensive.
“As a Democrat, we certainly took our lumps – certainly from day one to day 60,” said Sen. Chap Petersen, DFairfax.
He was candid about the role Democrats played during the session.
“Obviously, we’ve killed a couple of budgets ... and we felt like to do that was going to improve our bargaining position,” Petersen said.
In a letter to the governor last week, the Senate Democratic Caucus warned that it would continue to oppose a budget that would divert funds from “public education, safety and the elderly.”
After sine die – Saturday’s adjournment – Senate Republicans highlighted the bills passed by the assembly.
“The Senate of Virginia successfully approved legislation that will spur economic growth, streamline state government and improve the quality of our schools,” said Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment of Williamsburg.
He said the Senate also followed a
more transparent process in considering bills, ensuring that legislation received a fair hearing in public view.
Sen. Ryan McDougle of Mechanicsville, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus, said the assembly passed legislation on job creation, economic development, education, public safety, government reform, health care and veterans’ affairs.
“While the continued budget impasse creates a challenge that must be resolved, the work product of this session has been impressive,” he said.
McDonnell said the General Assembly passed 88 percent of his legislative agenda, including bills to reduce and streamline the state’s boards and commissions, invest more in higher education, crack down on drug dealers and sex offenders, and boost renewable energy sources.
“Virginians will be able to look back on this session as one in which we increased access to college, made government smaller and smarter, ensured a well educated workforce, and put in place the resources our job creators need to grow their operations and employ more of our citizens,” the governor said. CT
at the university.
According to Brooke Isbell, a coordinator for VCU Fraternity and Sorority Life, Greek students are subject to the same disciplinary processes as any other VCU student.
“There is a possibility that there can be further repercussions that are handled internally, chapter by chapter,” she said.
Isbell said that if a problem is one that affects a whole chapter, the larger council steps in, but VCU Fraternity and Sorority Life does not hold administrative hearings.
Isbell said not all disciplinary issues warrant further involvement from the Greek community, but some situations, like minor consumption or possession of alcohol or any sort of arrest, are examples of what could warrant a chapter to look into punishing or removing a member.
Mechelle Hankerson News EditorAfter the February car crash that left VCU student Carolina Perez dead, the driver of the other car, VCU senior accounting major Varinder “Vick” Chahal faces a possible 20-year jail sentence, punishment from the university and potential removal from his fraternity,
Sigma Beta Rho.
Chahal is charged with felony manslaughter, driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a blood or breath test. On Feb. 27, Chahal was granted $25,000 bond in order for him to return to school.
VCU could not confirm if he would be returning to campus this semester, but they did confirm he is still enrolled
Sigma Beta Rho's official constitution requires that members “preserve and promote by all honorable means the interests and good name of the Fraternity, its Members and its Chapters.”
The constitution also explicitly states that any member of the Sigma Beta Rho fraternity must abide by federal, state, provincial and local rules and regulations. If a member does not, it is grounds for expulsion or suspension
from the fraternity.
Isbell could not comment on Chahal's situation nor could she comment on whether or not VCU's Sigma Beta Rho chapter would take action against Chahal.
Members of Sigma Beta Rho and the Multicultural Greek Council could not be reached for comment.
The Multicultural Greek Council's official constitution is available only to members through VCU's Blackboard system.
Even if the fraternity chooses not to take action to punish Chahal, VCU policy requires that any student charged with a crime be convicted before the university takes any disciplinary action against the student.
If convicted, the student can be subjected to further punishment by the university at the discretion of the provost.
The student's case would then be sent to a University Hearing Board, made up of one student, faculty member, administrator, classified staff member and faculty chairperson. Any punishment is determined by this board.
A student's case can be reheard by a similar panel, but the president makes the final decision in an appeals case. CT
In this section:
Bradford Burgess’ career comes to a close • 7 Walk-on David Hinton flourishing for VCU • 9 Photo essay from VCU vs. Indiana • 10
PORTLAND, Ore. – It was the most unthinkable, unfitting end to a season that exceeded the expectations of everyone outside the VCU men’s basketball program, as the Rams lost 63-61 to Indiana in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday evening.
Bradford Burgess, the team’s unquestioned leader and one of the most clutch players to ever put on a VCU uniform, was at the line with a chance to put his team up five with exactly a minute left in the game. Rams fans from Richmond to Portland were silently counting the shots as good as gold, with visions of the Sweet Sixteen in Atlanta quickly becoming a reality.
Then something strange happened.
Burgess missed both free throws, and all of a sudden 16th-ranked Indiana had the ball with a chance to tie the game. Hoosier point guard Victor Oladipo knifed through the Ram defense and tied the game with a heroic and-one layup. Then, following a missed three by Troy Daniels, Indiana sophomore Will Sheehey corralled a loose ball off a blocked shot and gave his team the lead with just 12 seconds left.
From there, a bad omen turned into a painfully rude awakening, and in a whirlwind VCU had blown a lead they had held the entire second half and a sea of
Hoosier red was celebrating in ecstasy at midcourt.
“It’s tough to talk about right now just because this loss, this really stings,” said Rob Brandenberg, whose potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim. “We were right there, but we didn’t make enough plays. Once time goes on, we’ll be able to look back and appreciate the season we had. I’m not sure when that time will be, but it’s going to take some time.”
VCU, which started the season with what many people thought were just scraps of last season’s Final Four run, had been on a steady incline since the year began. There were no slip-ups or letdowns, just a youthful team evolving into one of the most ruthless defensive units in college basketball. The 10thyoungest team in the country became one of the most resilient squads late in games, and won seemingly every close contest they played in – until Indiana.
For Shaka Smart and the VCU players, the scars from this game will run deep, but the light at the end of the tunnel is bright.
“It’s hard to call anything a success after a loss,” Smart told The CT. “Relative to other people’s expectations, not mine or the team’s, but what other people thought I think we overachieved. … But I do think, yes, overall the season, it was a good one, and it’s one that we’ll look back at and feel good about
the progress we made as a team. That’s probably the biggest thing.”
National media members have speculated that Smart may be offered the head job at Illinois, where he would have the opportunity to coach in the Big Ten with perennial powerhouse teams such as Michigan State and Ohio State. Smart however, is not ready to begin talking about the future. Right now, he’s focused on helping his players recover from the painful loss to Indiana.
“As far as the guys coming back for next year, this should be an unbelievable motivator,” Smart said. “They should have a picture in their room, maybe I’ll give it to them, of the scoreboard or maybe one of the last-second plays in this game to motivate them, help them understand all offseason long, we want
to get back to this place, but we want to advance. We want to go further.”
The speculation over Smart’s future at VCU is going to continue to mount in the upcoming weeks, as they did last year after the Final Four run. But for now, it’s just that – speculation. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, he’s still the head coach at VCU, and he’s going to conduct himself as such.
Next year, the No. 1 team in the nation in terms of steals and turnover margin will bring back all but one of their players from this season and will be building from two consecutive NCAA Tournament runs. If Smart does decide to stay, as Darius Theus said in the locker room after the game with his held high, “The future is bright.” CT
PORTLAND, Ore. – Deep inside the Rose Garden, through the halls and into the corner of a dark silent locker room sat Bradford Burgess.
Slumped over, he stared at the floor, with his VCU jersey sitting inside out on the ground next to him. After all the games he had won, the accolades he had earned donning that jersey, he had worn it for the final time.
VCU’s lone senior, the guy who always took the initiative to answer team questions at press conferences, struggled to find words after the Rams had been bounced from the NCAA Tournament’s third round by a gritty Indiana team.
There were the opportunities. The pair of missed free throws with a minute left that would’ve pushed VCU’s lead to five and most likely yielded a different outcome. He always wanted to be that
guy with the game on the line.
“In those types of situations I want to be the guy in that position,” Burgess said. “I just missed the shots.”
Losses like these aren’t easy to just stash in the rearview mirror. Players dwell on it, especially when it means the end to a college career. Exactly how long it takes for Burgess to get over it is up to him.
“As long as I want it to,” he said. But a couple missed free throws and a blown lead couldn’t overshadow the illustrious career at VCU Burgess leaves behind.
There’s the “Iron Man” record: 146 consecutive starts, a college basketball record. His 1,684 career-points sits sixth on VCU’s all-time scoring list. He became just the third player in the school’s history to score 1,600 points and pull down 700 rebounds. Then there’s always the unforgettable inbounds play that buried Florida State in the Sweet Sixteen a year ago, argu-
ably the biggest and most memorable three seconds of his career.
“He’s a great player, and he’s done a lot of great things for this program,” teammate Darius Theus said. “He’s one of the greatest players to ever play at VCU in my opinion.”
He was always the local kid from Midlothian that was the quintessential fan favorite. Labeled as “Big Shot Brad” for obvious reasons.
All his accomplishments had barreled down to this. A rare moment where Burgess, on the verge of tears, didn’t know what to say. Even VCU head coach Shaka Smart didn’t know the words to use.
“You know, words are hollow after a game like this,” Smart said. “There's not a lot you can say.”
Burgess scanned back over his four years at VCU. He thought back to basketball camps he had participated in, visiting different cities and even going overseas. Then he flashed back to the present moment, where his 15 points
and seven rebounds just weren’t enough. It had all flown by, and there Burgess sat feeling with the feeling of finality.
“That’s life,” Burgess said. “Sometimes you work so hard for things and you just fall short of your goals and you just got to move on.”
There’s always the looming question of what’s next for Burgess on the horizon. Will he become the third VCU player to be drafted to the NBA in four years? Will he play overseas? All questions to be answered at a later time, but for now the pain of heartbreaking loss was too fresh.
Burgess sat silently, sulking over what had just happened in the corner of VCU’s dark and gloomy locker room. The future however, is bright.
“Even though his days playing at VCU are over, he's got a lot of basketball left to play,” Smart said. “And he's somebody that we're never going to forget.” CT
Scott Wyant Staff Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. – Shaka Smart has been asked continually about “last year’s team,” and with every answer came a little frustration.
This year’s team showed that VCU's program isn’t about just one year, Smart is building a program that doesn’t take a back seat to anyone, just ask Indiana head coach Tom Crean.
“We knew VCU was really good on film, but they were even better in person,” Crean said.
A big factor in VCU’s ability to keep the Hoosiers at an arms length all night was the play of 7-foot center D.J. Haley. The Rams big man was able to go toe-to-toe with the Big Ten freshman of the year Cody Zeller, never backing down. Late in the game Haley was able to cleanly block the Hoosiers star post player.
Haley’s three points and three rebounds might not impress by just looking at the stat sheet, but the center made the hustle plays all night. Including baiting the Indiana post players into huge charge calls, swinging momentum in VCU’s favor.
“(D.J.) had a good opportunity to showcase his talent against Zeller,” VCU guard Darius Theus said. “We’re just proud of him and what he did to step up to the challenge.”
Despite losing loose senior iron man Bradford Burgess, the Rams returns plenty of firepower for next season, including sharpshooter Troy Daniels.
“We’re losing our leading scorer, but that’s just another task for us to step up,” Daniels said. “That’s what we did this year, and we’re looking forward to do it next year.”
“It stings right now, but we’ve got to turn the page,” D.J. Haley said. “We’re gonna come back and get right back at it, really hit it hard and come back strong next year.”
One thing is for sure this group of Rams has a chance to cement themselves in the VCU record book.
Troy Daniels with his two threepoint field goals against Indiana broke the Rams single season record, formerly held by B.A. Walker. Next year he has a shot to break it again.
Needing just 25 more wins, Daniels and classmate Darius Theus have a shot at breaking the career wins record held by Burgess.
Most importantly this VCU team has an excellent chance at returning to the NCAA Tournament for the thirdstraight year, a feat that the school has only accomplished once, during the 1983-85 seasons. CT
PORTLAND, Ore. – When I walked up to David Hinton amidst the horde of media crowding the VCU locker room Friday afternoon, he was sitting all by by himself gazing around.
To his surprise, I asked him if I could talk to him for a few minutes.
“Me?” he asked, pointing toward himself with a smile.
Hinton, VCU’s scrappy junior forward, doesn’t receive a lot of playing time and therefore not a lot of attention from the media. But what he lacks in glitz and glamour, he more than makes up for when an opportunity is presented.
If there ever was a player who’s contribution doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, it’s Hinton. He averages just 2.8 minutes a game, and usually only shows up when VCU’s frontcourt is in foul trouble.
Prime example: Sophomore big men Juvonte Reddic and D.J. Haley each picked up two fouls in the first half against Wichita State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Hinton entered the game and threw his 6-foot-9, 235-pound frame around in the paint and drew a pair of crucial charges that sent the momentum spiraling VCU’s way.
“It was definitely an energy boost,” Haley said. “He came in and made the right play at the right time.”
Hinton played just five minutes and had zeros all across the board, but his presence in the paint for that short amount of time spoke volumes. It’s the kind of role Hinton has embraced in his three years at VCU.
“Coach Smart just told me he needs
me to do the little things, be very physical on defense and just play your game and things will come to you, don't try to force anything just play your role,” Hinton said. “My role is a junkyard
dog, to be aggressive and help out the team.”
A junkyard dog, really?
“Yeah, that's what they call me,” he said.
But perhaps Hinton is known most around the team for his tireless effort in practice. Reddic and Haley know it best. They go toe-to-toe with him everyday in practice.
“It's kind of tiring; he works hard every play so I have to match his energy or exceed his energy,” Reddic said. “So going up against him has helped me out tremendously." CT
Coach Smart just told me he needs me to do the little things, be very physical on defense and just play your game and things will come to you, don't try to force anything just play your role,” Hinton said. “My role is a junkyard dog, to be aggressive and help out the team.VCU junior forward David Hinton is the only walk-on currently on VCU's men's basketball program. He averaged just 2.8 minutes per game this season. Photo by chris conway
Per usual, CT photo editor Chris Conway had one of the best seats in the house for VCU's game versus Indiana in Portland Saturday with his spot right on the baseline. The game was a gripping encounter that saw players on both sides oozing insane amounts of emotion. Being so close to the action gives Conway the acute ability to capture such emotions at their rawest and most real – and we as viewers are better off for it. CT
Check out full galleries from the NCAA Tournament on our website at commonwealthtimes.org
Interesting People: this edition’s existence means Spring Break is now over • 12 Film review: “Tim and Eric” pretty much
“Tim and Eric” • 13
Drivers heading northbound on I-95 may notice something sticking out from the usual noise, traffic and fast food ads near Westwood Avenue next month.
For 28 days, from midnight on April 2 until April 29, the digital LED billboard there – near the parking lot at Diversity Thrift – will be taken over by the Billboard Art Project, broadcasting a steady rotation of artwork from local, national and international artists.
The project describes its installations as “little break(s) from everyday advertising, presenting larger-than-life art in glowing colors.”
This particular billboard is no stranger to acting as a public art gallery. In October of 2010, it was the Billboard Art Project’s very first venue.
Since then, the Richmond-based project has visited nine different cities, including New Orleans, Chicago and Nashville, and has also achieved national nonprofit status.
“Richmond has such a wonderful, thriving arts community,” said David Morrison, Billboard Art Project director, who funded the group’s first exhibits with his own personal savings.
Having returned to their own turf, he said, “ we ’re taking the opportunity to … try something new out.”
For starters, the exhibition in April will remain in rotation for 24 days – in the past, they have typically lasted for 24 hours. The exhibit will also include
artwork from local elementary, middle and high schools for the first time, in addition to artists from VCU and Richmond.
On weekends, the Richmond exhibit will also feature a sound component, accessible by short-range radio or by Podcast, which Morrison described as “hearkening back to drive-in movie theaters.”
Morrison said that the project works on many different levels, allowing people to express themselves in a big way and giving passersby something to think about – and, for the many that he says will pull over for a longer viewing, something to talk about.
“It’s one of those things where, at first, it strikes people as being something completely random,” he said.
“You can have people drive throughout the city all day long, and they would not be able to tell you what ads they saw on billboards,” Morrison said. “We’ve set up these humanizing breaks from this kind of ... void that we’ve come to accept as a norm.”
The Billboard Art Project plans to return to Richmond next year, after visiting such cities as Salem, Albany and Atlanta. That exhibit will encompass five different billboards around the city, three of which are already secured. CT
For more information on the Billboard Art Project, including a schedule and how to get involved, visit their website at billboardartproject.org.
“I went to Florida for spring training and watched basketball on TV.”
“I stayed home mostly, but then I went to Princeton with some friends.”
“I went to Panama City beach in Florida. We went to the beach during the day, and at night we went to clubs like Coyote Ugly and the largest club in the United States.”
“Absolutely not a damn thing.”
CT reporters asked students moving back into their dorms how they spent their week off.
“I went and stayed at my sister's apartment in Richmond. I went to one party, but I mostly just stayed inside.”
“I relaxed a lot and read The Hunger Games. Everyone has been telling me to read it for years, so it was about time.”
“I stayed at home and watched Mad Men. I started with the first season, and I'm on the fourth season now.”
“I played golf with my father at Green Briar. I won, but I only gloated for a couple holes.”
Andy Karstetter
Multimedia Editor
After garnering a cult following from their popular Adult Swim shows – “Tom Goes to the Mayor” and “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” – the com-
edy duo has moved onto the big screen with a limited theatrical release. What’s to say about this movie? Well, it’s Tim and Eric. The movie keeps true to the humor of the show, but we get to see something new from Tim and Eric: an actual narrative structure. The
Andy Karstetter
Multimedia Editor
There are so many great things to say about this movie that I don’t even know where to start.
“21 Jump Street” is a Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum reboot of the ’80s television show of the same name that starred Johnny Depp. The movie is helmed by directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) and centers around two laughingstock cops who are assigned to infiltrate a high school as students in order to find the supplier of a new drug before it goes viral.
Yeah, it sounds stupid.
One of the best things the movie has going for it is that it's totally and completely self-aware, frequently poking
fun at the buddy film genre and the new Hollywood craze of rebooting old shows (Nick Offerman of “Parks and Recreation” has a fantastic line regarding the latter). Interestingly, the movie also reflects on the differences in high school between generations and how things go in and out of style in a new twist where the nerd becomes the cool kid and the jock is the loser.
Great cast, great directors, great script. The jokes are well delivered, and the movie knows exactly what it needs to be. The film pleasantly exceeds expectations, delivering countless belly laughs, mindlessly fun action and lots of heart. I know it’s still early on in the year, but I honestly don’t expect to enjoy another comedy this year as much as this one. Go see it. CT
film centers around our heroes after they spend one million dollars on a three-minute flop of a movie, and then attempt to reopen a mall to make the money back and avoid certain death and/or prison.
The movie has a few nice celebrity cameos and some big laughs. To keep it short, if you’re a Tim and Eric fan, you're going to like this movie. If you’re not, good luck. CT
In this section: One party, two directions: Republicans at a crossroad • 14 Pencils in the age of technology • 15
The Grand Old Party has a tough mission: to represent the fiscally and socially conservative.
They’ve billed themselves as the purveyors of small government, advocating for decentralization and deregulation. Yet they also push for regulation to impart and impose social wisdom on their constituents. It’s awfully tough to reconcile these two views, and attempts to do so have turned the Republicans into hypocrites.
The Republicans have a grand opportunity this fall. The American people remain discontent with a stillsluggish economy and are growing angry at rising gas prices. President Obama’s approval rating sits discouragingly low for an incumbent seeking reelection. Yet the GOP, in trying to please everyone they claim to represent, is losing touch with the voters that matter most.
The division within the GOP is best illustrated by the highly fractured race for the presidential nomination.
Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum lead an ever-dwindling field of candidates vying for the Republican Party’s official endorsement. Romney sells himself as a business man, who can return fiscal responsibility to the federal government; Santorum is the spokesperson for the outspoken social conservative.
No matter who wins the nomination, the GOP still stands a fairly good chance, thanks to those that will come out only to vote against Obama. But winning the election is not enough; the Republicans have to perform once they’re in office, something of which there’s been far too little. In the fall of 2010, the Republicans seized control of the House of Representatives and immediately became the Party of No.
Instead of working across the aisle and collaborating on issues on which nearly everyone can agree, the GOP decided to become the roadblock to meaningful progress.
It’s understandable that there are some issues on which the party is unwilling to bend, but that shouldn’t
include every single issue. For instance, many people realize that America's energy future is not in oil. It’s a finite resource and we’d do well to lessen our dependence on it – an issue both sides should agree on. Yet the Republicans, despite billing themselves as the spokespeople of the American people, push against the development of new energy, if only to save themselves the oil money that funds their campaigns.
The Republican Party desperately needs to take a step back and determine its identity.
Is it the party of small government and limited spending or the party of social conservatism and imposed morality? It’s impossible to be both; you can’t legislate morality and claim to be shrinking the government. This fundamental division in the party may lead to a complete split into two new parties. Indeed, this split may have begun with the formation of the Tea Party, advocates of fiscal responsibility and social libertarianism.
The times are shifting. We’re more accepting and less prejudiced than any
generation before us. Though we still have work to do, we are harbingers of new kind of American. An American that is patriotic, yet has the insight to look beyond our borders. An American that is socially conscious, and not always willing to put profit before responsibility.
It is these kinds of Americans that the GOP is failing to capture, thanks largely to their emphasis on social conservatism. Few conservatives deny the importance of fiscal responsibility, but there are many that question the wisdom of enforced social conservatism.
The Republican Party is at a crossroad. Its fractious nature leaves its future undeterminable. It will likely show strongly this fall, but beyond this election cycle, the fractions will only widen. If the GOP stays on its course, those that are fiscally conservative but socially libertarian will find themselves without a home – and the Party with a much diminished voting base.
The ball is in the GOP’s court, and it’s their future to seize, but will they? CT
American teenagers and 20-somethings are dumb.
At least that’s what everyone’s saying: “Back in my day there were no such things as calculators, iPods, cell phones or computers.”
So what? What’s so wrong with our technology-savvy generation?
Yes, a lot of us do spend more time on our cell phones, tweeting and updating our Facebook statuses than we do reading books, but really, when people look at us as the “new generation,” have they lost all hope?
Face it: We live in the age of technology.
Almost everything we do, we can do from the touch of a button or the flick of a finger. Just because we’re in the “know,” we can automatically be labeled as lazy buffoons. Of course there will always be people who abuse technology,
but older generations have a way of stereotyping all of us.
The issue goes both ways and revolves around the issue of convenience. We’re always on the go, and maybe if we had more time to sit and do things, we’d be able to do them in a more traditional way. When it comes to technology, the same thing that helps us hurts us.
Technology has helped everyone, especially us college students, tremendously. One innovation in particular stands out: Google. Personally, I don’t know what I would do without Google. If we didn’t have search engines like Google, we’d still be reliant upon large, multivolume encyclopedias.
If somebody asked you to name every country in Africa, you wouldn’t turn to a map. You’d ask Google. That’s the extent to how much technology has subconsciously managed to dumb us down.
We’ve traded in our calculators and years of high school math for quick fingertips on keyboards. When there’s a question I don’t understand, I don’t hesitate to pull up Google.
I do believe that we should take the initiative to pick up a pencil every once in a while, and do things like we used to. But without technology where would we be – back in the Stone Age?
What we gave up is not equal to what we’ve been able to gain in this day and age. The older generations should stop living in the past, hop on the hovercraft and come on over to the present.
Technology will never go away; it will only continue to become better and more advanced. Our ability to quickly access information counterbalances whatever “dumbness” our generation exudes. The days of tapping our heads with the tips of our pencils trying to figure out an answer are sadly over, and we 20-somethings don’t mind. 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. Add Your Voice
The opinion pages of The Commonwealth Times are a forum open to the public. Clear, concise and compelling contributions are welcome online at our Web site, by e-mail at opinion@ commonwealthtimes.org, or by mail and in person at 817 W. Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23220-3806. Letters must be sent from a valid VCU e-mail address or signed with daytime and evening telphone contact. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, style and space. Letters to the editor can be sent to editor@commonwealthtimes.org
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