A Charles City County man convicted of a 1978 rape in Williamsburg is asking the Virginia Supreme Court for exoneration in light of new DNA evidence.
In 2010, testing failed to identify Bennett S. Barbour's DNA in seminal fluid found on the victim's underwear – but there was a "cold hit" on a convicted sex offender who has yet to be named by authorities.
"This is an egregious miscarriage of justice," Barbour's lawyers with the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law wrote in a petition for a writ of actual innocence filed Tuesday.
Barbour, 56, under treatment for cancer, always has maintained his innocence. He was arrested when he was 22 in the Feb. 7, 1978, rape of a 19-year-old College of William and Mary student.
Barbour was convicted April 14, 1978, and wound up serving 4 and a half years of his 10-year sentence, making parole his first time up for consideration.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones has proposed a $780.9 million operating budget for fiscal 2012-13, but no additional money for a school system with a $23.8 million hole in its budget.
The operating budget includes $70.9 million the mayor has proposed to use to increase the city's reserve funds, pay down outstanding debts and fund one-time projects made possible by a $62.1 million refund of a loan to the Richmond Metropolitan Authority more than 45 years ago.
Jones has made transformation of public schools and public housing the top priorities in the final year of his first term as mayor, but the budget he introduced Tuesday would provide $123.8 million in city funds for the schools, the same as in the current budget.
Jones' proposal leaves the final school budget in flux after the School Board decided not to recommend any cuts to fill the projected shortfall.
Attorneys representing the families of two victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings on Tuesday described campus police as bumbling and slow to react, while attorneys representing the state of Virginia defended university officials who believed a domestic incident led to the initial deaths instead of a campus-wide threat.
The families of Julia K. Pryde and Erin N. Peterson are seeking a judgment of $100,000 for each family in the wrongful-death claim. They have said their primary interest is to get a full accounting of the events of that day, plus an apology.
Attorneys for the victim's parents have said that if the university responded immediately after the dormitory shootings of two students just after 7 a.m. April 16, 2007, those students and others on campus might have survived the killing rampage of Seung-Hui Cho.
The lawsuits originally sought $10 million for the wrongful deaths of Pryde and Peterson, but the damages are now capped at $100,000 for each of their parents. The state is the lone defendant in the case, which has been scaled back from the lawsuit originally filed two years after the deadly shootings on Virginia Tech's campus.
Brief by the Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was set to receive Secret Service protection starting today, two people with knowledge of the security plan confirmed to The Associated Press.
They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters.
The former House speaker is the third GOP hopeful to get a Secret Service detail. Mitt Romney has had Secret Service protection since Feb. 1, and Rick Santorum received Secret Service protection last week.
Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate without a Secret Service detail.
Gingrich requested Secret Service protection last month. He was scheduled to campaign Wednesday in Alabama following his win in neighboring Georgia, Gingrich's home state. Alabama's primary is March 13.
Secret Service protection is given to each major party's presidential nominee but can be provided earlier if the Homeland Security Department approves a campaign's request. Federal law allows candidates to seek protection if they meet a series of standards, including public prominence as measured by polls and fundraising.
Brief by the Associated Press
Iran's supreme leader has ordered the creation of an Internet oversight agency that includes top military and political figures in the country's boldest attempt to control the web.
Today's announcement on the state media follows a series of high-profile crackdowns on cyberspace including efforts to block opposition sites and setting up special teams for what Iran calls its “soft war” against the West and allies.
Iran has blamed Israel for a computer virus discovered in 2010 that targeted uranium enrichment equipment.
The order by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave no specifics on the new group.
Brief by the Associated Press
Chinese officials sought today to discredit Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest China's rule over their region, calling them outcasts, criminals and mentally ill people manipulated by the exiled Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader has said he does not encourage the self-immolations. However, Chinese officials have sought to portray the past year's wave of about two dozen immolations – including three since Saturday – as the result of outside orchestration rather than what activists say is local unrest over the government's suppression of Tibetan religion and culture.
Wu Zegang, an ethnic Tibetan who is the government's top administrator in Aba told reporters in Beijing that the selfimmolations were “orchestrated and supported” by the Dalai Lama and Tibetan independence forces. He said that before setting themselves on fire, the immolators shouted “independence for Tibet and other slogans that aim to divide the nation.”
The Dalai Lama has praised the courage of those who engage in self-immolation and has attributed the protests to what he calls China's “cultural genocide” in Tibet. But he also says he does not encourage the protests, noting that they could invite an even harsher crackdown.
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the cover: 817 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, VA 23284-2010
Brief by the Associated Press
In this section:
House Bill 49 fails in committee • 4
Senate OKs ignition interlock bills • 5 Crime log • 5
Two weeks ago, the vehicle VCU sophomore Carolina Perez was in was struck at the intersection of Second and Canal streets. Perez, who sat at the point of impact in the accident, died later that morning.
Varinder “Vick” Chahal, the driver of the other car, had no injuries, as did his four passengers. Chahal is now facing charges of felony manslaughter, driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a blood or breath test.
Days before and mere blocks away, legislation killed by the Senate would have raised minimum sentencing for cases involving DUI manslaughter.
Had House Bill 49 passed, cases like the one involving Chahal – a 23-yearold VCU student from Springfield, Va. – would have had longer incarceration requirements in an effort to decrease incidences of drunken driving in the state.
Richmond prosecutors announced last week they would go before a grand jury to raise Chahal’s charge to involuntary aggravated manslaughter.
Richmond Chief Deputy Commonwealth's attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the reasoning for the elevated charges were because of he amount of alcohol consumed “as well as the aggravated driving behavior of accelerating into an intersection against the red light.”
One of Springfield's representatives, Republican Del. Dave Albo, said HB49
Opponents of drunken driving are applauding the Senate for passing a bill to require even first-time DUI offenders in Virginia to install a device to prevent them from operating their vehicle while intoxicated.
The Senate approved House Bill 279 on a 26-13 vote Feb. 22. It would require Virginia drivers to have an ignition interlock installed after their first DUI offense. Currently, the devices are required only after a second or subsequent DUI conviction.
An ignition interlock requires a motorist to blow into a Breathalyzer before starting the car and at random intervals while driving. The car won’t start if the driver’s blood alcohol content is above .02 percent.
“This is the sixth year in which ignition interlock legislation for all DUI offenders has been introduced in Virginia’s General Assembly,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcoholic Program, which campaigns against drunken driving.
“Virginia’s patience with the more than 29,000 drivers in the state annually convicted of driving under the influence has worn thin.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 30,000 DUI offenders were convicted in Virginia in 2010. That’s more than three convictions every hour.
Erickson said ignition interlocks are effective in stopping people from driving while under the influence of alcohol.
“If, before attempting to start their vehicle, the device senses a set amount of alcohol, the vehicle will not start,” Er-
ickson said. “If a running retest senses a set amount of alcohol, the vehicle’s horn will sound, along with its headlights flashing, in order to draw the attention of law enforcement.”
HB 279, sponsored by Delegate Salvatore Iaquinto, R-Virginia Beach, won approval from the House of Delegates on Feb. 9. It would require anyone convicted of DUI to install an ignition interlock. (Under the law, any driver with a blood alcohol content of .08 or above is considered intoxicated.)
But some drama surrounded the bill when it moved to the Senate. The Senate Courts of Justice Committee changed the bill so that, for first-time offenders, it applied only if the BAC was 0.12 or higher.
However, the Senate rejected the committee’s modification of the bill and passed the House version.
was necessary to properly punish those responsible for DUI manslaughter.
“The reason for the bill is that with DUI manslaughter, about 8 percent of defendants get no jail (time) and another 8 percent get less than one year,” Albo said via email. “I think it should be much more, so the bill sets a floor on DUI manslaughter at no less than a year and aggravated DUI manslaughter at no less than five years.”
Cases like Chahal’s could have resulted in harsher charges if the bill had not died in the Senate committee.
According to Albo, the failure of the bill came down to money.
“(There were) no arguments against (the bill),” he said. “Anytime you increase punishments, you have to find the money for the prison space. In the House budget, we found the money. The Senate budget did not have any money in it for the bill and they don't have a budget, so the bill died for lack of money.”
However, Albo said the bill will likely return in future sessions.
“We have been looking to do this for years,” he said. “It will come back some day.”
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program rallied for the passage of several DUI bills this sessions including HB49.
In the most recent statistic posted by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, 274 people were killed in alcoholrelated traffic crashes in 2010. CT
The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving was glad senators refused to water down HB 279.
“The committee amendment that the Senate rejected on Wednesday would have made the legislation weaker,” said Chris Konschak, manager of the Virginia office of MADD. “The Senate demonstrated that they are committed to eliminating drunk driving in Virginia, and mandatory ignition interlocks for all DUI offenders is a step in that direction.”
WRAP agreed.
“By capturing a combined, more than 80 percent of their vote, Virginia lawmakers have sent to Gov. (Bob) McDonnell legislation deploying proven effective technology to combat drunk driving in the commonwealth,” Erickson said. CT
Thursday, March 1
Petit larceny Johnson Hall, 801 W. Franklin St. – A female student advised that an unknown person(s) removed items from a secured location.
Friday, March 2
Grand larceny School of Engineering, 401 W. Main St. – Change in case disposition.
Grand larceny 1400 W. Marshall St. – A female student advised that an unknown person(s) removed items from a secured location.
Saturday, March 3
Alcohol violation Brandt Hall, 710 W. Franklin St. – Two female students were arrested for underage consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol violation/disorderly conduct
At the corner of Catherine and North Harrison streets – A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and attempting to elude a police officer.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of North Belvidere and West Grace streets – A female visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the street.
Grand larceny Shafer Court Dining Center, 810 N. Cathedral Place –Change in case disposition.
Sunday, March 4
Alcohol violation/disorderly conduct, 1333 W. Broad St. – A male student was arrested for underage possession of alcohol and urinating in public.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of West Main and South Belvidere streets – A male visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the street.
Drug offense/alcohol violation
/disorderly conduct, 1002 Park Ave. – A male student was arrested for possession of marijuana, underage consumption of alcohol and maintaining a common nuisance.
Monday, March 5
No crimes were reported for this date. Crime reports compiled from VCU Police reports.
Daniels hits crucial free throws in CAA championship game • 7 VCU can relax on Selection Sunday, while Drexel sweats it out • 8
Photo essay: VCU vs. Drexel in the CAA final • 9
Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
There’s a saying in the VCU locker room: “Team equals Darius, and Darius equals team.”
Shaka Smart coined the saying at the beginning of the season when he wanted to show Darius Theus the confidence he had in him as the starting point guard, and in Monday’s CAA championship game against Drexel, Theus proved his coach right.
The junior from Portsmouth, who was named the tournaments MVP, had a career-high 16 points to go along with five assists and five steals. Theus has said all season that he feeds off the confidence he receives from his teammates, and that confidence was at an all-time high against Drexel as he singlehandedly took over the game.
“I wanted to be that guy from the jump ball,” Theus said. “I just wanted to get into it to get my team going. I played real well but I can’t take all the credit. The confidence my teammates have in me to make plays is a blessing, and it’s great to be a part of this great team.”
It was out of character for Theus to take three more shots (12) than any other VCU player, particularly because he normally plays a distributive or traditional style of point guard, but as the saying goes, he was doing it for the team.
“Emotions are very high,” Theus said after the game. “I’m just happy for Bradford (Burgess). For us to win him a championship in his senior year, it’s a great feeling.”
Theus and Drexel point guard Frantz Massenat squared off in what was one of the game’s most intriguing individual match-ups, and ultimately the first-year starter got the best of the first team allconference honoree. Theus not only had his best scoring night of his career, but also held Massenat to 5-of-13 from the
floor with four turnovers.
“Massenat is such a great player,” Theus said. “You’ve got to be disciplined out there when you’re guarding him.” With his MVP performance in the title game, Theus adds a page to his résumé that puts him in the conversation as the next great VCU point guard, following in the footsteps of Eric Maynor and Joey Rodriguez. He might not be an NBA first-round draft pick as Maynor was, and hasn’t yet led a team to the Final Four as Rodriguez did, but Theus has accomplished more in less than a full season as a starter than many players do in a career.
Burgess has witnessed the progression first hand: “Darius is an amazing floor general,” Burgess said. “He’s been under Joey (Rodriguez), he’s had guidance from Eric (Maynor), and he paid his dues the first few years and he’s been running the show this year. The things he’s been doing, he’s been capable of his whole career. He’s a great guy, and I couldn’t be happier for anybody else.”
Smart said after the game that another CAA coach had recruited Theus out of high school as well, but only wanted him as a walk-on. Smart said the coach told him that Theus would be ready to contribute by his junior year: “I guess he’s ahead of schedule,” Smart said.
Theus made third team all-CAA in his first year as a starter and has guided the Rams to their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in nearly three decades. Needless to say, the best
is yet to come from Smart’s first-ever recruit. CT
I wanted to be that guy from the jump ball. I just wanted to get into it to get my team going. I played real well but I can’t take all the credit. The confidence my teammates have in me to make plays is a blessing, and it’s great to be a part of this great team.
”Top: Darius Theus and Briante Weber celebrate VCU capturing the 2012 CAA championship.
Troy Daniels stepped to the line for a couple of the most critical free throws he’s faced in his career.
There were 12 seconds left in the CAA Championship and VCU was trying to hold on to its one-point lead that had been as much as 16 at one point.
He heard some rumblings in the soldout crowd of 11,200 at the Richmond Coliseum, but one voice on the court stood out in particular. It was the voice of Drexel junior guard Chris Fouch, who took the LeBron James approach of trying to rattle his opponent’s psyche.
Troy,” Theus said in the postgame press conference. “I threw that bad pass and if it wasn't for Troy making those free throws then we probably wouldn't be sitting here.”
Sophomore guard Rob Brandenberg wasn’t as lucky. Brandenberg finished with 13 huge points but continually gave Drexel oxygen by going 1-for-5 from the line and missing three free throws in the final four minutes.
Daniels on the other hand was calm cool and collected. In the huddle, no one said a word to him.
“He said, ’You need these free throws, these are two big free throws, I don't think you have it in you,’” Daniels recounted to the CT afterward. “I made the first one, looked at him, and he knew.”
It was the second time in eight seconds Daniels had been thrust into the hot seat. Junior point guard Darius Theus threw a pass deep down court that was intercepted by Drexel’s Frantz Massenat, who was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to bring the Dragons to within two.
Daniels hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to give the Rams a fourpoint lead before Fouch buried a 3-pointer to whittle the lead down to one.
“I just want to say thank you to
“I didn’t hear nothing from anybody.
Coach Smart was just talking about getting back on defense,” Daniels said. “I didn't hear ’to make a free throw, stay on the line’ or anything like that; they just let me take care of it.”
In his head, thoughts of school history swarmed through his mind. Daniels wanted to embody those who had paved the trail for VCU basketball. With an arena filled to capacity watching his every move and an opponent chirping in his ear, Daniels reflected on his dream.
“Winning the CAA Championship: It's something that I've seen other guys do in VCU history,” Daniels said. “And I just wanted to be like one of those guys.” CT
It's something that I've seen other guys do in VCU history, and I just wanted to be like one of those guys.
“ ”VCU junior guard Troy Daniels squares up with Drexel junior guard Chris Fouch in the CAA championship game Monday night. Photos by chris conway
Jim Swing Sports Editor
On one end, VCU head coach Shaka Smart climbed the bright orange ladder and sheared his piece of championship twine.
On the other end, Drexel sophomore guard Frantz Massenat had just wrapped up the postgame press conference.
Outside the secluded curtains that close off the dais and media seating, Massenat stood dead still with a slight lean and a disconsolate look as he watched a video feed displayed on a flatscreen television of Smart and various other Rams cutting down the nets on the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
He was stone-faced, in complete disbelief.
Drexel and VCU, two teams with entirely conflicting styles, all of a sudden found something in common. Smart and his team, having just received the CAA’s auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament after a 59-56 win over Drexel, had been there a year ago. Last year they were relegated to the bubble, having no clue what the future might hold on Selection Sunday– the kind of situation the Dragons are currently in after stumbling in the CAA final and boasting a less-thanstellar tournament résumé.
They were so close to clinching their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996, yet now they seem so far away.
“I just want my guys to be ready,” said Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint on whether or not his team will be selected for an at-large bid.
The Dragons resemble a VCU team from a year ago in the sense that both trailed by large margins in the conference title game and fought back to make it a tight game with the NCAA selection committee more than likely watching. Drexel, which trailed by 16 at halftime, lost by just three, and the Rams, who were behind by as much as 18 to Old Dominion in 2011, fell by five.
Before Monday night, the Dragons had won 19 straight games dating back to Jan. 4 and lost just two games in regular-season conference play.
In his postgame press conference, Smart what seemed like a personal plea to the NCAA selection committee to choose Drexel.
“Before tonight, they haven't lost since almost New Year�s,” said Smart, raising his voice. “That's a ridiculous run in college basketball.
“In my mind, they�re definitely in. And everyone says, �does the CAA deserve two bids?� This year it does.”
And this year, Smart and his team won’t be sweating bullets on Selection Sunday. VCU will make its 11th NCAA
Tournament appearance a year after stunning the nation with a historical run to the Final Four. During last year’s Selection Sunday programming, there was no watch party. Smart declined to gather his team together in unison in case of a letdown.
This year will be different. This time, they got in the old-fashioned way.
“Last year, those six days after the championship were pretty rough for us, not knowing what we're going,” Burgess said. “Today, now we can just sit back and chill, relax and just watch some basketball.” CT
VCU plowed through Northeastern, George Mason and Drexel on the way to its fifth CAA championship.
It was the Rams’ fourth conference championship in nine years and second in four.
VCU defeated Drexel in the title game Monday night in front of a soldout crowd of 11,200 at the Richmond Coliseum.
The Rams were paced by Darius Theus, who had 16 points, five steals and five assists on his way to earning the tournament's most valuable performer award.
Freshman Treveon Graham chipped in 13 points and junior Rob Brandenberg added 11.
Theus, Brandenberg and Bradford Burgess were named to the all-tournament team. CT
Check out full galleries from the CAA Tournament on our website at commonwealthtimes.org
VCU’s Green Unity has taken the initiative to help bring organically grown foods to the people of Union Hill.
The Union Hill Community Garden Project was started last spring by Green Unity for the MCV campus and Tricycle Gardens, but other organizations have since joined them, including Green Unity for the Monroe Park campus, VCUHS Eco-sustainability group, VCU Service Learning and some Greek life organizations.
Green Unity and Tricycle Gardens fund the Union Hill Community Garden through donations from VCU and VCU alumni.
Tricycle Gardens is a non-profit organization started in 2002. Their goal is to provide nutrition education and healthy food access to Richmond. They have started four gardens in impoverished areas around Richmond since their beginning.
Green Unity, which focuses on mak-
ing VCU greener, has created several gardens around both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses.
Along Cary Street, by the Trani Life Science building, Green Unity has made bayscapes, which are gardens that offer a permeable area for water to drain.
“There are blueberries in these gardens. People can eat them,” said Alexandra Little, a sophomore business major and the garden manager for the Green Unity Leadership Team. “The plants in this garden filter out nutrients that would otherwise run into water ways and cause pollution.”
On the MCV campus, Green Unity is planting pollinating plants, which will help the other plants in the garden to grow.
“We started work to make it happen last semester and all of our dreams will be coming true next Friday the 16th and Saturday the 17th when we will be
building the plots and planting the pollinator gardens,” Little said.
Green Unity and Tricycle Gardens’ goal for the community gardens is to help low-income residents learn to plant and care for their own plants. The gardens provide organic food to the residents at no cost to encourage healthy eating and to reconnect the public with their food supply.
“By participating in the Union Hill garden project, student, faculty, staff and community volunteers have a chance to learn basic gardening skills and to increase cultural sensitivity by interacting
with a number of low-income families in the area,” said Rachel Elves, a fourth year student in both the Ph.D. human genetics and M.S. genetic counseling programs and one of the founders of the Union Hill garden program.
In the community garden last year, there was an initiative to plant trees that would return and bear fruit this year. Two apple trees and two apricot trees were planted in addition to the 12 garden plots which keep some flowers, herbs and other fruit plants year round.
In addition to the new trees, vegetables are planted in the garden year round. In the colder months, March through May and August through October, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and garlic are planted. During the summer, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, okra and peppers are planted.
“Union Hill is a food desert with limited access to fresh and nutritional food,” Elves said. “Many people tasted garden fresh vegetables for the first time and were amazed at how great they taste.”
The Union Hill community garden recently started offering workshops to the public. These workshops are currently offered out of Elves’ backyard garden, located near the MCV campus.
“We have plans to offer more workshops this spring, including how to make self-watering planters, how to can your own food, more vermiculture (using worms in gardening) and basic gardening workshops,” Elves said.
Past topics have included starting plants from seeds, mulching techniques and various ways to save water.
“Aside from encouraging healthy eating habits, we are also helping to beautify the community, instilling more neighborhood pride, getting more neighbors meeting and talking to each other and lowering the crime rate,” Elves said. CT
Last night, VCU student members of the Richmond-based slam poetry group Slam Nahuatl battled it out on stage during the Slam to End Hunger at the School of Performing Arts in Richmond Community (SPARC).
Founded in 2007, Slam Nahuatl “seeks to use spoken word to help people achieve self-actualization,” or their full potential, while at the same time raising funds to aid the Richmond community and encourage activism through workshops and live performances.
While some money raised is put towards paying for venues and feature poets, a majority of funds are sent to Children, Incorporated, which then redistributes the proceeds to families in the Richmond area, with each ticket from last night’s show feeding a different child.
Graziano says that Slam Nahuatl is currently working towards non-profit status, which would allow the group to skip the in between of having to transfer the money through an organization, making it smaller scale and easier to “put a face to where the money is going.”
Proceeds from the 2009 Slam to End Hunger fed a single mother and her two children for an entire year. This year, they’ve upped the ante and are seeking to feed two, possibly three families in the Richmond area, depending on the amount raised last evening.
Proceeds from last night's slam and other events until June will be aimed toward assisting five kids in attending Camp Bruce McCoy, a two-week summer program based in Chesapeake that caters to the survivors of traumatic brain injuries. Campers get to participate in all the traditional summer-camp
activities ranging from horseback riding to canoeing.
“It’s a one of a kind,” said Hamilton Graziano, who recently took his place as ‘Slam Master’ of Slam Nahuatl and has worked with the camp for the past six summers.
“All of these campers are living in assisted living homes throughout the year (and) they don’t really get to interact with people, so it means the world to them. The injury can manifest itself in a lot of different ways depending on the individual, but they all have memory issues. ... They need reminders to brush their teeth, tie their shoes, but they’ll come back and remember counselors’ names, so you can see how it’s working.”
While the members of Slam Nahuatl don’t have an official number, it does draw a fair few from the university population through its VCU branch, headed by president Rob Gibson, one of two VCU students to participate in last night’s slam out of six total performers.
Five audience members, sometimes drawing from the opinions of their neighbors, volunteered as judges for the evening, as is procedure at any slam. Theater performance major Kyle Raiche won second place after claiming first in this past Monday’s Ram Slam.
Students are encouraged to contact Graziano or Gibson if they are interested in joining the poetry team.
“It can be such an inspiring art form (that) demands a lot of honesty,” Graziano said of the overall practice. “You can hear something from someone on stage that you’re personally going through (and) it really strikes people at (their) core element.
“Slam poetry is really on the rise (with) young people. There’s a big need in our society for people to have that outlet.” CT
Rarely ever discussed when learning about art history, Van Gogh’s “ghost paintings” continue to mystify the masses.
However, VCU world religions professor Cliff Edwards is a pioneer in uncovering the facts behind these destroyed pieces of artwork.
His fifth book, titled “Van Gogh’s Ghost Paintings,” is currently in the works and intends to give a background on Van Gogh’s life during the years that the so-called “ghost paintings” were created and then destroyed by the painter, and to shed some light on why.
Edwards provided his own conclusion as to why Van Gogh may have painted these uncharacteristic paintings at a presentation on the topic this past Wednesday at the Commons.
“My own view is that it was a radical imitation of Christ that led him to paint that painting,” Edwards said. “Jesus had control in garden of Gethsemane. It was there that he made a decision to stick it out with disciples and follow through with his predetermined fate.
“It was his true struggle. Vincent Van Gogh was in the same state of mind when he painted. ... Van Gogh was in his own Gethsemane.”
Although there are several books based on Van Gogh’s life and artwork, Edwards’ is the first on this particular
aspect of Van Gogh’s artistic career. Already a published author, historical writing and research are nothing new to the professor with more than 36 years of teaching experience at VCU.
His lecture this past Wednesday, delved deeper into the details of his book. Dr. Edwards made sure to point out why he even began to study this topic by quoting Marcel Proust and saying, “The only true journey (is) to see the universe through the eyes of another. I’ve chosen to view (the universe) through some of the world’s most creative eyes.”
Along with several surprising facts about the conflicted mindset of Van Gogh throughout his life, the lecture also had a display of two of the interpretations made by a current and former VCU art student. Each of the artists drew references from other famed artists to incorporate not only the description Van Gogh gave of his paintings, but to also illustrate the personal nature of this topic and what it mean to Van Gogh.
Edwards ended the lecture by saying, “When you give something up, and renounce it, it opens up new possibilities in life. It’s a joyous thing. Not staying in paradise but struggling with Gethsemane is where life truly has its beauty and its meaning. By destroying these paintings, (Van Gogh) emptied out the possibility of him becoming a biblical painter and therefore liberated himself.” CT
Dear Rachel,
At what point in the relationship is it okay to use the bathroom in front of each other?
– Hailey, 19
Hailey,
If you want to know the key to unlocking the door to his bathroom, I’d start by paying attention to the signs that indicate he’s comfortable with that situation – men give off all sorts of smells and clues to how they’re feeling. You have to be extra vigilant – you have to be both Batman AND Robin. I’d refrain from outright asking him because then you’d be outright asking him.
Sharing the bathroom can become the greatest source of one-on-one time in a relationship. It adds another layer of intimacy to your blossoming onion of romance. I’d give a rough estimate of month eight and threequarters to green light the offer of sharing this personal space. Remember to consider how much of your personal bubble you’re popping.
If you’re all systems go, here are some tips that will lead you down the right path to mutually using the bathroom: If you’re out together, offer for him to join you when you need to relieve yourself.
• When he says no, act like he’s crazy for turning you down.
• Before you take a shower, leave a trail of snacks down the hall. He’ll definitely feel obliged to enter regardless that it’s your shower time.
• Put a welcome mat outside so he feels comfortable with entering at any time.
• Whip him up some “romantic coupons” for his birthday and make one the allowance to walk in on you whenever he wants.
• Have an “accident” in front of him.
• Remove the door.
Love, like bathrooms, is a dirty business. If you’re a couple that chickens out at the grimy reality of sharing, take it from a professional advice-giver: Call it quits. It’s a trial that you two can survive; if you believe it, you can do it.
– RachelIn this section: Using your money as your voice • 14 VCU: more community, less machine • 15
Near the end of September last year, Bank of America announced a $5-permonth debit-card fee. By the first of November, barely a month later, Bank of America announced that it would not go forward with its debit-card fee plan.
In mid-September Netflix announced that its DVD mailing business would be spun off into a new, separate business, named Qwikster. Less than a month later, in early October, Netflix decided it would keep the DVD business after all.
In late October, the Stop Online Piracy Act, better known as SOPA, was introduced to the House of Representatives. On Jan. 20 of this year, plans to move the bill forward were effectively silenced, and the bill was shelved.
What do all these events, and the many more unlisted, have in common?
These large entities changed their plans, changed the way they were going
to do business because of consumers like us.
Over the past year, it has become clear that consumers now have more power than ever, thanks to the Internet. The Internet allows us to connect and organize faster and more strongly than ever before. We’re living in an age that is unlike any other in history. We have more power than any generation before. It’s up to us to make sure we use that power responsibly.
Companies have always had to be wary of public opinion. But sufficiently large corporations could typically weather the storm. A debit-card fee just a generation ago would have been unpopular, but, mostly, customers would have gritted their teeth and bore it.
But no longer.
Bank of America, the largest bank in the United States, fell far with the consumer backlash: Hundreds of thousands signed online petitions against the fee, and tens of thousands more pledged to cancel their checking
accounts with the bank. Bank of America quickly stepped down.
The question becomes: How do we use this power?
We’re the most connected and techsavvy generation the world has ever seen, and we have the ability to organize and mobilize in mere moments. We’re also among the most socially conscious and are pushing companies towards environmentalism because they know that’s what we would prefer to buy.
Yet the movements that have made the biggest waves are for those things that most directly affect us; with everything else, we’re still surprisingly forgiving: Five dollars a month to use our debit card? No thanks. Two websites to order as many movies as we want? No way. SOPA? No. Apple’s deplorable factory conditions to assemble iPhones and iPads? Eh, but they’re so useful and shiny.
We have a power no other generation has ever had: the power of numbers, the power of people. We have the ability
to force companies’ hands and make them act responsibly and fairly. We don’t even have to leave the comfort of our couches (though some still do); all we need is an Internet connection. The power that makes videos viral can make companies listen, for once. Hundreds of thousands of voices aren’t as easy to ignore as just one.
Yet, somehow, despite it being so easy, people still don’t care enough.
At a time when many of us can sign a petition or join a protest from our phones, the activism hasn’t increased. Even as socially conscious as our generation is, we’re egocentric.
As the ability to interconnect becomes something we take for granted, the more our focus shifts to ourselves. It’s hard to protest Apple from an iPhone, and it’s easier to say nothing at all.
But is it right? CT
A corrected version of "Campus environmental groups launch new lecture series," originally published on Feb. 23, can be viewed online at commonwealthtimes.org. The story has been corrected to include the VCU School of Allied Health Professionals as sponsors of the lecture series.
Where does the line for responsibility end and the line for accountability begin?
I ask this as a shameful silence looms over our university’s administration concerning the incident that led to the death of Carolina Perez and the injury of two other students.
Issues of legality force their silence about specifics of the case, but where are their broad, general statements that condemn drunk driving? In the days following the incident, there weren't even vague references to show that the university has a clear disapproval of actions like drunk driving.
The only mention of the situation was a single ewmail, sent early in the morning, and inevitably amid the flurry of other university messages by a sizable portion of students and faculty, spoke words acknowledging the loss we suffered.
Even now, the official VCU website displays words congratulating our men’s basketball team for their CAA win, but no words express sympathy for our collective loss. No words redirecting visitors to statistics on drunk driving, no words acknowledging the life taken.
They moved on, put a blanket over everything and silently dealt with it.
VCU has a phenomenally efficient public relations department that performs its job with a cool head and practiced ease. But VCU isn’t a cold, calculating machine; we’re a community that needs a heart. When tragedy strikes, we don’t need the dry words of an email. We need a live, beating heart to console us.
This was a missed opportunity for the administration to take a clear stance defining themselves, but not simply as a university against drunk driving and irresponsible actions. They missed an opportunity to speak out in a meaningful way. They missed an opportunity to make a dent.
But what could the administration have done?
Here’s a start: VCU’s current alcohol and drug policy doesn’t effectively address the consequences of offcampus incidents, like drunk driving. Adjustments to this policy would clarify the consequences of the actions and make students less uneasy about the possible return of students postincident. Although the current policy addresses students that do drink and drive, they need to go further and address the problem before it reaches
that point. Alcoholism is a serious and under-addressed issue that some students deal with, and we would do well to act upon it.
Coordinating with the Richmond police to increase DUI checkpoints in areas where students are known to populate would help decrease similar occurrences.
Blacking out the website banners or replacing a slide or two with pictures of Perez would have shown the level of support that could have addressed the incident in a real, substantive manner. It also would have contributed making the public aware that the administration takes such incidents as both blights on our school and opportunities to better ourselves.
So, where does the line for responsibility end and the line for accountability begin?
Nowhere.
There should be no such lines. But the administration acts as if those lines exist. Being accountable means taking responsibility of both actions taken and actions not taken. Don’t be a machine; be a community; Know that inaction can hurt and be just as demonstrative as action. CT
by Rachel MavesOpinions 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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