On the cover:
Photo by Amber-Lynn TaberFive years after Tech, Virginia colleges gauge threats
Virginia's colleges and universities have quietly investigated hundreds of students, employees and others in recent years to prevent a repeat of the Virginia Tech massacre of 2007, when a student gunman left a series of increasingly disturbing warning signs before killing 32 people and himself.
Monday marks the fifth anniversary of Seung-Hui Cho's rampage, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. A state panel investigating the killings determined that professors, students and mental health professionals knew about Cho's troubled behavior for years but never tied all the information together — something officials said might have prevented the slayings.
In response to the panel's findings, the General Assembly passed a law in 2008 requiring Virginia's 15 public, four-year colleges and universities to form panels with broad powers to investigate students' academic, medical and criminal records. And their findings are largely exempt from public disclosure laws.
While the law covers only public institutions, most of Virginia's private colleges also have so-called threat assessment teams in place, according to the Virginia State Crime Commission.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Pediatrician groups and other health advocates are claiming a small victory in their efforts to press for physical education in Virginia's public schools.
Gov. Bob McDonnell is expected to sign legislation into law that would require the state Board of Education to develop guidelines to incorporate PE in Virginia's elementary and middle schools, a small step in a wider attempt to combat the childhood obesity epidemic. It's expected to pass both chambers next week and become law.
“We were pleased to have reached a compromise with the governor to help create a road map to increase physical education,” said Dr. William Moskowitz, president of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
McDonnell vetoed a bill by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, but proposed amendments to the companion House version by Del. John O'Bannon, R-Henrico. Under McDonnell's changes, the state would develop non-mandatory PE guidelines, rather than implement regulations. The guidelines are to be in place by 2014.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Eagle Cam came to an abrupt end Saturday as scientists dismantled the equipment in hopes of eliminating any distraction that might be keeping the parent birds from feeding their chicks.
“We are clearing all the gear out,” said eagle expert Bryan Watts. “We want to give the birds every leeway.”
The Eagle Cam had drawn more than 1.5 million Web page views in more than 130 countries, but technical problems kept it off most of the past week. Then on Friday a crisis erupted when the parent birds didn't return to the nest to feed their two chicks.
Experts fed the chicks by hand Friday night and late Saturday afternoon. The plan now is to keep the area around the nest quiet so that the parents resume feeding the chicks.
If the parents don't return, Watts plans to put the chicks in the nest of other eagles along the James River. Eagles will care for chicks that aren't theirs.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
George Zimmerman persuaded the police not to charge him for killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, but the prosecutor has accused him of murder. Soon, armed with unparalleled legal advantages, Zimmerman will get to ask a judge to find the killing was justified, and if that doesn't work, he'll get to make the same case to a jury.
The wave of National Rifle Association-backed legislation that began seven years ago in Florida and continues to sweep the country has done more than establish citizens' right to “stand your ground,” as supporters call the laws. It's added second, third and even fourth chances for people who have used lethal force to avoid prosecution and conviction.
Martin's shooting has unleashed a nationwide debate on the validity of these laws, which exist in some form in most of the country and which prosecutors and police have generally opposed as confusing, prone to abuse by criminals, and difficult to apply evenly.
One area that sets Florida apart is the next step Zimmerman faces: A judge will decide whether to dismiss the seconddegree murder charge based on “stand your ground.” If Zimmerman wins that stage, prosecutors can appeal.
Brief by the Associated Press
Egypt's election commission disqualified 10 presidential hopefuls, including Hosni Mubarak's former spy chief and fundamentalist Islamists, from running Saturday in a surprise decision that left a field of moderates in the race for the country's first post-revolutionary leader.
The elimination of the three most powerful and controversial candidates could go in two directions with just weeks to go before the vote, observers said. It could plunge the Arab world's most populous nation into a new political crisis or defuse it.
Farouk Sultan, the head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission that was appointed by Egypt's military rulers to oversee the vote, said that those barred from the contest included Mubarak-era strongman Omar Suleiman, Muslim Brotherhood chief strategist Khairat el-Shater and hard-line Islamist Hazem Abu Ismail. Sultan did not give reasons.
Disqualified candidates have 48 hours to appeal the decision, according to election rules. The final list of candidates will be announced on April 26.
Brief by the Associated Press
When Per Anders Langeroed heard about the bomb explosion in downtown Oslo, he wrote reassuringly to his Facebook friends that he was “safe on Utoya.”
Those who survived Norway's worst peacetime massacre on July 22 are bracing for the horror of Utoya island to return when the trial of confessed killer Anders Behring Breivik begins on Monday.
Breivik, a 33-year-old Norwegian, faces terrorism and premeditated murder charges for the bombing in Oslo's government district and the shooting spree at the governing Labor Party's annual youth camp on Utoya. Eight people died in Oslo and 69 were killed on the island, in a lake some 25 miles northwest of the Norwegian capital.
Breivik was found insane in one examination that recommended committing him to compulsory psychiatric care, while another assessment found him mentally competent to be sent to prison. It's up to the judges in Oslo's district court to decide which diagnosis they find most believable.
Brief by the Associated Press
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RVA Street Art Festival featured murals from artists nationwide, including this mural by Mark Jenkins from Washington, D.C.
About 30 VCU students and activists gathered in Monroe Park Friday to bring attention to a controversial proposed policy restricting on- and off-campus demonstrations.
Several weeks ago, the university introduced a proposed amendment to the Student Code of Conduct, which would prohibit “participating in an on-campus or off-campus demonstration, riot or activity that disrupts the normal operations of the university and/or infringes on the rights of others; leading or inciting others to disrupt scheduled and/ or normal activities within any campus building or area.”
Nicholas DeFilippis of VCU’s Students for a Democratic Society said that this wording was far too vague. “They don't define what is considered disruptive or what the ‘normal operations’ of the university are,” said DeFilippis, who organized the demonstration.
“Obviously there are things that are clearly disruptive and abnormal for a university, but the proposed code leaves it so open-ended that they could easily be manipulated by an administrator who may not like what some demonstration is about,” he said.
Phil Cunningham, another SDS member, said that while the proposed changes had been submitted to VCU students for comment, he took issue with how it was done.
“The review for the general student body wasn’t released until … maybe a
week or two ago,” Cunningham said. “People are gearing up to do their finals, they’re studying they’re trying to do a lot of homework. … People don’t have time … to read their school’s code of conduct.”
As the demonstration began, participants stood in a group, some holding signs and others handing out fliers explaining the event. There was also material distributed for other campus causes, such as the campaign for a living wage for adjunct faculty. When the event began, an open mic forum was set up in the center of the crowd for announcements.
During this phase of the protest, VCU student Gary Llamas pointed out another provision of the proposed amendments.
“The last line says (that) if any administrator deems you to be in violation of the Code of Conduct, not only will you be in violation. ... But anyone standing by at the scene of the violation of the Code of Conduct will be in violation.”
Since the controversy began, the school administration has announced a public forum on the amendments. They have also announced that the section on riots and demonstrations will be revised.
DeFilippis still said that the student body should remain vigilant.
“VCU's revisions may still leave the proposed code open to abuse or worse, further restricting our rights,” he said. “We are demonstrating so they know the students will not tolerate any further attempts to violate their rights.” CT
After a national search for the position, VCU Police has decided that Lt. Christopher Preuss is the best candidate for the department’s assistant chief.
Preuss’s promotion is in one of the largest university campus police departments in the country with 83 sworn officers, more than 250 security personnel and an accredited training academy. Preuss said the transition process is exciting, and he is looking forward to advancing the department in his new role.
“Right now I am just trying to get a feel for the new position, but I am already strategizing for the beginning of the upcoming academic year which starts for us on August 1,” he said.
Moving forward, Preuss said that safety for students is his primary directive.
“I want the students to know that all the personnel at the VCU Police Department will work tirelessly to make VCU the safest campus in the United States. Chief Venuti and myself will personally lead this charge, and it is our number one priority,” Preuss said.
The position of assistant chief is new to VCU Police and will deal with the day-to-day business of the department to work on new initiatives for the force.
Previously, Pruess had been serving since October 2011 as the interim assistant chief.
His knowledge as the interim assistant chief combined with his experience at the department made him a
strong fit for the job. A VCU alumni from the class of 1991, Preuss has been around the proverbial VCU block several times.
With his bachelors degree in criminal justice, Preuss joined the department in 1994 as a patrol officer. In 1998, he was promoted to sergeant and commander of the special operations unit, where he oversaw a five-man crime investigation team.
Since joining VCU Police, Preuss has received a number of awards for service in the department, including four public service awards from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a Henrico County Police Department Investigative Citation Award. Most recently, he graduated from the FBI National Academy last fall.
Pruess, who is not comfortable resting on his achievements, is ready to help advance the department to one of the best in the nation.
“What I am most looking forward to is working with the chief in moving the department towards being the most progressive, proactive, collaborative and responsive police department in Virginia, if not the United States,” Preuss said.
Chief of Police John Venuti said Preuss’s dedication and commitment is what landed him the job.
“Preuss was selected based on his 18 years of impeccable service to VCU as well as his knowledge of the needs of the VCU community regarding police and security,” Venuti said.
Preuss officially started on April 10, and his swearing in ceremony was April 13. CT
Former VCU Police officer James DeFord has pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography and has been sentenced to two years and 10 months imprisonment, according to authorities.
Several students around campus were unaware of the case in which Deford was arrested as part of an undercover joint operation between Richmond Police, the FBI and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Jeremy Price, a student at VCU, was unaware of the Deford story, but felt the sentencing was fair.
“It sounds about right. ... I mean if it was a child rapist, it would be a little different. I think the amount of time is right, and he should not be able to be an officer anymore,” Price said.
However, he said he did not feel the need to be informed about the arrest or sentencing since it only pertained to one officer and not the whole department and because of his own apathy towards the department.
“It’s not super surprising one (way) or another. I don’t really feel a lot different about the VCU Police since I don’t have super high expectations for the police (in general).”
Another student, Colleen Hiegel, felt the sentencing was a little too short.
“I feel like he needs a little more time than that. He doesn't need to go for his whole life or anything like that, but maybe a little more,” she said.
Hiegel found about the DeFord story back in November from her mother, but felt that VCU should inform students about stories like DeFord’s.
“It just seems like VCU doesn’t inform students about a lot unless they have to,” she said.
VCU is required by the Cleary Act to report crimes on and near campus to students. The crimes that must be reported are criminal homicide, sexual offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, arson, motor vehicle theft, liquor and drug law violations, as well as illegal weapons possessions.
However, because DeFord’s residence was in Chesterfield, the crime was considered off-campus.
The investigation, which took place in 2011, saw the arrest of DeFord in November. An undercover officer downloaded a total of six files containing child pornography that came from DeFord via a peer-to-peer network. According to authorities, the officers were then granted a search warrant that was used in obtaining DeFord’s computer.
DeFord later admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography on his computer. The computer had files showing pre-pubesecent children engaged in sexaully explicit content, authorities said.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said the case was an example of Virginia’s commitment to cracking down on child predators.
“The defendant's possession and trading of child pornography contribute greatly to the emotional and psychological damage suffered by the abused and exploited children depicted in this vile material,” Cuccinelli said in a statement. “This case reaffirms the commonwealth's commitment to bring child predators to justice, regardless of their public standing or status.” CT
In addition to nine locations on the Monroe Park campus, the university will be collecting food on the
Eighth Street Parking Deck, Main Hospital and the Larrick Student Center.
Mark Robinson Assistant News EditorVCU will hold a university-wide food drive from Tuesday to Thursday on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses in support of the Central Virginia Food Bank.
The drive will collect peanut butter, canned meats and fish, vegetables and fruits, spaghetti sauce, pasta and rice. Money will also be collected.
The food drive will also support Meals on Wheels and Central Virginia Food Bank’s community kitchen programs. Last year, people donated enough money and food for 50,000 meals, a VCU News press release said.
“We’re pleased to continue this tradition each spring to bring the entire university community together to address an important need in the Richmond area,” said Diane Reynolds, VCU Business Services director in a press release.
“Our food drive also reflects the goals outlined in VCU’s strategic plan, Quest for Distinction, which calls for the university to become a national model for community engagement and regional impact,” she said.
Reynolds started the first food drive in 2009. It raised enough food and money to feed 22,000 people, the release said.
“Because one dollar can help feed as many as five people, donations in the form of cash or check will be accepted at all VCU parking decks between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.,” Reynolds said in the release.
Monroe Park Campus drop-off locations include: West Broad Street Parking Deck, Cary Street Parking Deck, West Main Street Parking Deck, Jefferson Street Parking Deck, Commons Convenience, Harris Hall Convenience Store, Cary Street Market & Deli, Shafer Court Dining Center, and the Cary Street Gym.
Donations and Food can be dropped off on the MCV Campus at the N Parking Deck, A and I parking lots, D Parking Deck, Eighth Street Parking Deck, Main Hospital and the Larrick Student Center.
There will be a drive-through dropoff location near the intersection of West Broad Street and Harrison Street on the Monroe Park Campus from 7:30 to 10 a.m. each day, the release said. Donations can also be made online.
VCU mascot Rodney Ram will be at the West Broad and Harrison streets drop-off locations between 8:30 and 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and at the Eighth Street Parking Deck on the MCV Campus on Thursday, the release said. CT
VCU baseball notebook • 7
Men's soccer spring photo essay • 8
Quinn Casteel Assistant Sports Editor
On Sunday, the VCU women's soccer team, in the midst of its spring season, held its annual alumni match at Sports Backers Stadium. CT assistant sports editor Quinn Casteel was on-hand for the match and caught up with co-head coaches Tim and Tiffany Sahaydak to discuss all things VCU women's soccer.
QC: How has this spring been in terms of progress?
Tiffany: It’s been really positive, and it’s a time for a lot of players to get time in that may not have seen the field as much in the fall. We’re giving everybody almost the same amount of time so they can get exposure and so we can really evaluate them. It’s a great developmental time.
QC: Who in particular has stepped up and pushed for an expanded role next fall?
Tiffany: (Sophomore forward) Bex (Kunz) is pushing for a starting position. She’s been doing really well this spring. There’s so many players improving, but if I had to pick one it would be Bex. We have a really strong incoming freshmen class who are not in the mix yet, so it’s hard to say.
QC: Who are some of the recruits that you’re most excited about?
Tiffany: Natalie Moik, she’s a German national-team player, and she’s coming straight from Germany.
Tim: Moik is a pretty versatile player: She can play in the back as an outside defender or she can play up top as a wide forward or a winger. She plays for Bayer Leverkusen, and they usually utilize her as an outside back, but she also plays for the national team and they used her as a forward so she’s very versatile.
QC: Did you go out to Germany to recruit her?
Tim: It was interesting because she was recommended to us by someone
we know in Germany, and we obviously went beyond the recommendations and watched a lot of video on her. She was one of the few foreign players that we’ve recruited where we actually didn’t travel out to Germany to watch in person. But because she’s played at a high level we were able to see enough on her to where we knew we wanted her.
QC: You’ve obviously stepped it up in terms of international recruiting; do you feel like it’s giving you a leg up?
Tim: We’re just trying to cast a wide net. The unique thing about VCU is just how accommodating we are, and how attractive we are to international students. That is definitely one of the strengths of the university and that gives us an advantage in recruiting.
QC: What are your thoughts on the progression of your leading scorer from this season, sophomore forward Courtney Conrad?
Tim: We watched and recruited Courtney for a long time, and she chose to play her freshman season down at Jacksonville University. She had a great first season but eventually got back in touch with us and wanted to come here before last season. It definitely interested us and then to see how it translated onto the field was great. To put up the kind of numbers she did in her first year in the CAA is impressive and I think she has a bright future if she continues to improve over the next couple years.
QC: How often do you still think about the conference championship loss to William & Mary?
Tim: We try to get past that. Soccer is like that sometimes; some days you perform poorly and win and some days you play well and lose. That’s the nature of it but I certainly think we use it as motivation. The players are excited about the opportunity to one day play in that match again, and hopefully even beyond that with the NCAA Tournament. That’s definitely
the goal this season.
QC: Do you feel like you’re poised to be right back in the hunt this season?
Tim: I think so, with all the talent we have coming back and the talent we’re bringing in – but talent doesn’t always tell the whole story. It will be interesting to see how the new players integrate and what the chemistry on the team is, but I think we have the ability to surpass what we did last year.
QC: Last season you brought in goalie Kristin Carden and center back Karol Sanchez and set up a really solid back four and goalie situation; do you see that as the identity of the team?
Tim: Our philosophy is that the ball is the most important thing, so when we have the ball we try to take care of it and be possession-based and attackminded. But defensively it’s all about being organized and having everyone understand their role; we want all 11 players thinking cohesively. We want them to play creatively, but defensively we want a reputation for being organized.
QC: If you were to pick a brand of soccer that you hope to see in the fall, what
would it start with?
Tim: It’s always about keeping the ball and possessing it. We want to play a team-based, possession game where we score in a variety of ways, without any one player being the most dangerous or playing in a predictable way. The style of soccer we’re trying to play, and I think we’re gaining a reputation for, is keeping the ball and building up from the back.
QC: Where do you expect to be ranked in the CAA at the beginning of the season and where do you think you deserve to fit in?
Tim: I think after this past season we earned a little respect from the other teams and coaches around the conference. But at the same time, I’m fine with not being at the top in the preseason rankings because at the end of day it doesn’t mean much. If anything, it gives our team motivation to prove the naysayers wrong. But I do think the way we ended the season last year we’re not flying under the radar anymore; teams are going to be motivated to play against us now that we’ve finished near the top. CT
The way we ended the season last year we’re not flying under the radar anymore... ”Co-head coach Tiffany Sahaydak watches the alumni game with defender Karol Sanchez and midfielder Cristin Granados. Photos by Chris Conway
The VCU baseball team played a three-game weekend series at Delaware this weekend and dropped two out of three to the Blue Hens. The Rams fell to 19-17 overall and 7-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
GAME 1: DELAWARE 10, VCU 1
VCU didn’t start its weekend series against Delaware exactly the way it wanted to. The Rams fell 10-1 to the Blue Hens Friday, scoring their lone run in the top of the eighth inning.
Delaware produced two runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings before blowing the game wide open with a four-run seventh inning.
VCU had eight different players record a hit, with Brett Mikionis getting the team’s lone RBI.
GAME 2: VCU 11, DELAWARE 4
VCU turned the weekend around Saturday afternoon, pelting Delaware with 11 runs on 12 hits to take an 11-4 decision.
The Rams got things going in the top of the fourth inning, producing a pair of runs before dropping three more in the top of the fifth. VCU piled on three runs in both the seventh and ninth inning to seal the game.
Redshirt junior Taylor Buran went a perfect 5-for-5 with two runs and five RBI to lead the Rams. Brent Mikionis and Vimael Machin each recorded a pair of hits for VCU.
Rams left-hander Ryan Farrar picked up his fourth win of the season, giving up just one run in eight innings.
3:
Delaware took the rubber match Sunday afternoon, defeating VCU 6-2 in the final game of the weekend series.
Sophomore Bill Cullen led off the game with a triple for the Rams, bringing his season total to nine, a singleseason program record.
Nick Abrahamson went 2-for-3 to lead VCU on offense. Nick Kime gave the Rams a lift with a solo home run to left field in the seventh inning, his first of the season. Heath Dwyer (3-3) took the loss after going one and twothirds innings and giving up six runs on four hits.
VCU (19-17, 7-11) visits Longwood Tuesday for a single game before returning home for a three-game weekend series with William & Mary beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
VCU baseball head coach Paul Keyes announced Wednesday that he will be taking a leave of absence from the program to focus on his health issues.
Associate head coach Shawn Stiffler will take over all day-to-day duties in Keyes’ absence.
“The main concern right now is for Coach Keyes to remain healthy and our entire athletic department will do whatever it takes to support him during this time,” Director of Athletics Norwood Teague said in a statement.
Keyes is in the midst of his 18th season at VCU and has put together 587 wins during his tenure with the program. He has led the Rams to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and five CAA Championships in the past decade, and has put together 13 winning seasons in the past 15 years.
Former VCU standout Cody Eppley was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees and has started the 2012 season at the organization’s Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Eppley was a 43rd round pick by the Rangers in 2008. Eppley, a native of Dillsburg, Pa., came to VCU in 2005 and spent four years with the Rams under head coach Paul Keyes. CT
After dropping five of their last seven outings, the VCU baseball team hopes to bounce back against Longwood Tuesday night.
The VCU men's soccer team defeated Liberty 3-0 on Saturday afternoon as a part of its spring exhibition schedule, and CT Photo Editor Chris Conway was on hand to shoot the scenes. The team
wraps up the spring schedule this Saturday in an intra-squad scrimmage that will be held at Sports Backers Stadium. The time of the game has yet to be announced.
In this section:
Alex Trihias
Contributing
WriterFrom this past Friday through Sunday, the RVA Street Art Festival took Richmond and the flood wall downtown by storm with numerous artists from Richmond and all over the country alike, painting murals of all different tastes. On Saturday, vendors filled up the sidewalk along the Flood Wall selling knick-knacks such as jewelry, terrariums, dolls and wall décor. Every artist that attended the festival came with eccentric mural ideas that represented each artist’s style. One group, ART 180, is a nonprofit after-school organization for students who want to express their creativity. Ten percent of the proceeds from alcohol sales at the event go to this organization, which was there to paint a mural of their own as well. They brought some of their high school students who excel in their artwork to work on a mural that featured a human heart.
“Part of what we’re about is creating change in the community and creating change in peoples’ lives, and the way that we do that is giving them a way to express themselves,” said Betsy Kelly, one of the directors of the ART 180 project.
“We have a section of this heart that we just customize ourselves, put a little us in it, and it comes together as a unity. We’re going to have words all around it, both negative and positive, too,” said
Joy, one of the ART 180 students. The group recently held an exhibition on Monument Avenue, as well as a few murals in Church Hill and in the south side of Richmond.
Another artist who came out to the Street Art Festival focused more on an abstract look.
“We probably have another full day of work, but the focus is on line work, mark-making, the physical act of the layers and color, as well,” said artist Alex Brewer, known by the alias Hence. “I was invited by Ed Trask to come up and be a part of this. I’ve spent a little time in Richmond, and I saw the photographs of the wall, and I thought it was a great idea and love Richmond.”
One artist decided to paint an “abstract version of Mayo Island” in reference to a skateboarding area in that area. He was able to incorporate a pipeline in the wall filled with beverage cans into his artwork, adding even more creativity to the mural as a whole. The most popular mural, however, was the human dartboard created by Mark Jenkins. It was no question that Ed Trask had invited some of the most creative street artists to show off their talent.
The RVA Street Art Festival has left its mark in the Richmond area, adding to the artistic ambiance of the city –and leaving only the question of whether it will be a recurring event in years to come. CT
A warm, sunny Richmond Sunday met attendees to VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival on April 15 at Monroe Park, from noon until 6 p.m.
The all-ages-friendly festival, which takes pride in its celebration of all the diversity VCU and its students have to offer, featured music, food, games and other performances and activities and was the capstone of a week of events from April 9 to April 14. Its theme for 2012, “Seven Wonders of the World,” referred to each of the Earth’s seven continents – including Antarctica.
According to a mission statement on the ICF Facebook page, the purpose of the Intercultural Festival is to foster cultural awareness and promote cultural diversity in both the VCU and Richmond community.
The Intercultural Festival has been among VCU’s official traditions – alongside such mainstays as VCU Homecoming, Fall Fest and the Fall Block Step Show – since 2003. Its history, though, dates back more than 10 years, and this year marks the festival’s fourth year at Monroe Park. CT
For more information about the Intercultural Festival, visit their website at www.icfvcu.com.
Brandon Singletary
Contributing Writer
As part of the RVA Street Art Festival’s takeover of the downtown flood wall this past weekend, the Bizarre Market – a coalition of local artists selling handmade crafts, from the functional to the delicious to the simply sparkly – set up shop in the latest of its impermanent locations.
The Market organizes what it calls pop-up markets at various RVA events, as well as a month-long market at Chop Suey Books during the holiday season to satisfy gifting needs. The popular holiday event is now held at Chop Suey’s new location across from the Byrd Theatre in Carytown from late November through Christmas Eve.
The “pop-up markets” themselves are set up in conjunction with events such as the Jonny Z Fest in August, Quirk Gallery, most recently the Street Art Festival and others, giving its artists the opportunity to showcase their work.
The Bizarre Market was founded by Chop Suey owner Ward Teft and local craft artist Anna Virginia in 2004, beginning originally as a sidewalk market beside the original Chop Suey Books near VCU. As the organization
continued to grow in popularity in 2005, Richmond artist Bird Cox became the organizer for the holiday Bizarre Market and has since joined up with Ward to help manage pop-up markets as well.
Cox said that though the Market has no true affiliation with VCU, the group has maintained great relationships with numerous VCU art students who sell their work at many of the Bizarre Market’s events. The BZMK presents “a fantastic sales opportunity for young artists in the community,” and seeks out the kind of “fresh, modern and unusual” handmade items that VCU art students are so skilled in producing, she said.
The BZMK specializes in wide, unexpected range of crafts. Throughout the years they have sold items ranging from living terrarium ornaments, handprinted organic t-shirts and stuffed zombie bunnies to painstakingly crafted jewelry, ceramics and more.
The group received the opportunity to participate in the Richmond Flood Wall Street Art Festival by invitation from organizer Ed Trask. CT Interested vendors may email bizarremarket@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page for more information.
WEDNESDAY, April 9, 1997
A five-year-old news piece from then-staff writer Louise Arnatt shows a university on the precipice of a thrilling new world of email, personal web pages, point-and-click shopping and research resources of questionable credibility. Through electronic mail, messages can be sent “from the East Coast to the West Coast 10 seconds,” and skill in “web page” creation “pays well, and can support (students) for the rest of their college career.” The unnamed communication arts student sits mesmerized by what appears to be an early Farmville prototype. For an extra challenge, locate the single misused “it’s.”
In this section:
A time to tax, a time to change
It’s that most wonderful time of year again. The trees and ground are green once again, with flowers are opening their buds, welcoming the warming rays of the sun. Sneakers are abandoned for flip-flops, and hoodies have been shelved. All of this confirms that it is indeed that time of year again: the time to pay taxes.
Federal tax returns are due tomorrow, so dig up last year’s W-2s and that 1098T and try to figure out how they add up to a refund.
It’s one of the most frustrating parts of making money: Trying to comprehend
the thousands of pages of confusing and contradictory instructions for unclear deductions. Send it in and you'll wonder if you could have gotten a bigger refund. This annual struggle underscores the major problem surrounding the United States Tax Code: It’s conufsing and woefully in need of reform.
The tax code is written by seemingly well-intentioned Congressmen and Congresswomen, passing bills they believe will do their constituents or the country better. Every year brings a new host of minor changes, meant to encourage investing, new home purchasing or some other economic activity. Each minor tweak adds another layer of complexity and questioning, to the point where the
IRS doesn’t even fully understand it. There are horror stories of law-abiding citizens getting harassed by IRS agents who have failed to understand their own tax code.
And while it’s easy to paint the IRS as the villain, they’re as much a victim as you and I. They’re handed a jerry-rigged code every year and asked to enforce it – a code that’s written by Congressional representatives seeking reelection, not clarity. All while they are deplorably understaffed and underfunded.
The mistakes the IRS makes, while severe and inexcusable, are the result of a too-small team trying to carry out a too-large task. Reviewing over a hundred million tax returns of varying
complexity is no simple task.
It’s time to overhaul the tax system, for the good of the citizens and the country. There’s little doubt that revenue is of the utmost importance to our government.
It’s hard to estimate how much money is lost from people who don’t pay their taxes and just how much more is foregone for our convoluted set of deductions.
Mitt Romney recieved a lot of flak for his 15 percent effective, tax rate but in reality he just had a good advisor –and there are plenty of wealthy individuals who have similar advisors.
The proposed Buffett rule will hardly fix the tax system. It may make high-earn-
ing individuals pay more but would change little about the overall system. Instead, 26 years after the last major touch-up, our tax system needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.
There are plenty of proposals to consider. Milton Friedman, the late, famed economist, proposed and pushed for a flat tax coupled with a negative income tax. Others have proposed that the United States abandon income tax altogether and instead adopt a national
sales tax. More peculiar proposals continue to exist.
No matter the proposal considered, each advocates a tax system that is substantially simpler and more straightforward than the one with which Americans are currently burdened. Almost any system free of the tangle of deductions and credits would be a vast improvement. Not only would the federal government receive more revenue while spending less chasing non-payers,
citizens wouldn’t be left scratching their heads every April.
Ideally, our tax system should be excruciatingly equitable, whether you make $1 or 1 million dollars. Instead, we’ve been handed a tangle of schedules, forms and publications and asked to sort them out.
The system is desperate in need of fixing. Until that happens, good luck. CT
Dear VCU students:
I am writing in response to the recent display on the Monroe Park Campus. Some VCU community members, especially those who have had past traumatic events, were disturbed greatly by this display. I am sorry if you, or someone you know, were affected negatively. I regret also that some students felt unsafe as a result of the display. Please know that the university offers a broad range of support programs and services, such as University Counseling Services and The Wellness Resource Center, which can be accessed by students in order to address any lingering concerns or feelings.
I was glad that many students felt comfortable in sharing with me, and with other faculty and administrators, their concerns with the display. I was
gratified that students engaged in respectful and constructive dialogue, regardless of their perspective, while the displays were on campus. Finally, I was heartened with the in-depth academic discourse that our students exhibited during an open forum to discuss the display. Through these positive interactions, we strengthen our community.
VCU takes great pride in being a premier urban public research university where diverse perspectives can be presented, discussed and debated within the broad protections of free speech and the public areas on campus where individuals or groups can utilize their rights. As a public institution and as part of our mission, we have the responsibility and obligation to provide these opportunities not only for our VCU students, faculty and staff, but for our commu-
nity members as well. Although we may not agree with the perspectives provided or the manner in which they are presented, the demonstration of various perspective and ideas only serves to enrich our institution.
I would be glad to meet with any student to discuss concerns in person. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. I wish you great success with the remainder of your semester.
Sincerely,
Dr. Reuban Rodriguez, Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Student Affairsopinions 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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