The Commonwealth Times; February 27, 2017

February 27, 2017 • Vol. 58, No. 21

The independent press of Virginia Commonwealth University

SGA elections • 2 Jequan Lewis • 5 PARK & Morris • 8 Ode to Self Care • 13

An evening with Angela Davis United States, yet extremely important movements and processes have been entirely marginalized,” Davis said when told VCU had not commemorated the 50 year anniversary of the BPP in The second floor of the University Student October.

Commons hosted a mass of faculty and students In the 50 years since the rise and fall of the waiting in winding, sold-out lines to hear ProfesBlack Panther Party (BPP), Davis has established sor Angela Davis, Ph.D., — the legendary activist, herself to be one of the world’s leading social educator, scholar and writer — speak in the VCU justice activists.

Commonwealth Ballroom on Feb. 24.

“I should say that many people assume I was The event, “An Evening with Angela Davis” a leader of the Black Panther Party,” Davis said. was hosted by VCU’s Office of Multicultural “It’s really conflated - somehow that happens when Affairs (OMSA) as part of the Black History you try to recapture history. But I was a member Speaker Series. The event opened with an introof the Black Panther Party, I wasn’t a leader of the duction from graduate student Selamawit Hailu, Black Panther Party.” who succinctly described Davis’ vast accomplishDavis said she was first exposed to the Black ments.

Panther Defense Party in 1967, when she saw the Davis first gained national recognition for her now-iconic image of 400 black men and women activism during her time with the Black Panther armed in front of the Alameda courthouse in San Political Party (BPP) in the 1960’s. She gained Francisco during the trial of Huey Newton. international recognition in the early 1970’s when At the time, Davis was studying in the Frankshe was was arrested and jailed for 18 months affurt School at the Goethe University in Germany. ter being placed on FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted “I asked myself, ‘why am I here in Europe?’

Fugitive List.

There’s a revolution going on,” Davis said to a During the latter incident, Davis was accused cheering audience. “Everyone wanted to be part of providing guns to the Soledad Brothers — an of the Black Panther Party in that moment.” incident invoking three BPP members who Despite her activism and belief the world has incited riots, killed a prison guard, and then later, changed in many ways, Davis reiterated that “plus also killed a judge. Davis was later acquitted and les choses changent, plus elles restent les mêmes,” released from jail. meaning: the more things change, the more they “It’s very interesting isn’t it that certain aspects stay the same. of black freedom have been assimilated into the narrative of the struggle of democracy in the —contrinued on page 9 SIONA PETEROUS Spectrum Editor

P H O TO B Y FR A N C IS S TE P H EN S

ICA to open in October

McAuliffe vetoes refugee records bill

ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA Contributing Writer

PHOTO BY CASEY COLE

For more than two years, the intersection of Belvidere and Broad streets has been a construction zone for the longawaited Institute for Contemporary Arts, but the opening date is now within sight.

Touting nearly 41,000 square feet of flexible space, including a 33-foot high central forum, the $41 million ICA will rotate exhibitions every 12 weeks, including performances, films and interdisciplinary programs. The exhibits will also act as classrooms for students to explore the role of art in campus culture.

—continued on page 2

Under HB 2002, resettlement agencies would have had to report information, including current locality, on refugees.

PHOTO BY BRIAN VILET

NICK VERSAW Staff Writer

The Institute of Contemporary Art on the intersection of Broad and Belvidere streets will open in October 2017. The ICA will debut the exhibit “DECLARATION,” featuring local and international artists.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill Friday that would have required the state Department of Social Services to publish nonidentifying information for refugees resettled across Virginia.

“Many individuals and families placed in Virginia through the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program are fleeing governmental oppression, persecution, and violence,” McAuliffe said in his veto statement.

“Many leave their countries because they are targeted by their home country’s government, often for helping to further American interests. Disclosing such information in this political climate not only sends a message of discrimination and fear, but it also poses a real danger to many of our newest Virginians.”

House Bill 2002, introduced by Del. Charles Poindexter (R-Franklin County), would have required immigrant resettlement agencies, such as the Catholic Diocese and the U.S. State Department, to report demographic information on refugees, including the total number of refugees, the localities in which they have been placed and other facts, to Virginia’s Department of Social Services.

—continued on page 3

news

The Commonwealth Times

Monday, Feb. 20 Hit and Run 822 W. Franklin St. Reported by Outside Agency

In this section:

SGA elections. ICA opening. Opioid crisis. ACLU. Immigration. Planned Parenthood. State budget. AirBnB.

ONE SGA

“DECLARATION” exhibit will open the ICA this fall

officers to be announced today

Hit and Run 810 W. Grace St. Reported by Outside Agency

—continued from page 1

According to a 2013 article from the Commonwealth Times, the ICA was initially scheduled to open in Spring 2015, and estimated the total cost to be around $50 million.

The ICA was designed by Steven Holl Architects, an international award-winning architectural company, best known for designing Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Simmons Hall, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki and the Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington state.

On Oct. 26 the institute will host a student preview day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. where students will be able to experience the ICA before it opens to the public.

Presidential candidates

Hit and Run Kroger, 901 N. Lombardy St. Reported by Outside Agency

Tuesday, Feb. 21 Drug Violation 812 W. Franklin St. Closed. CBA All Other Larceny 1000 Floyd Ave. Closed. CBA

Sauel Ahmed

Drug Violation 916 W. Franklin St. Closed. CBA

Chandler Iley

Destinee Moragne

Keith Zirkle

Vice Presidential candidates

Hit and Run 1100 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency Shoplifting Kroger, 901 N. Lombardy St. Reported by Outside Agency Destruction of Property 1113 W. Main St Reported by Outside Agency Burglary/B&E - Residential 1010 W. Clay St. Reported by Outside Agency

Wednesday, Feb. 22 Theft From Building Cary St. Gym 101 S. Linden St Pending Stolen Property Offenses/ Possession of Burglary Tools 901 Park Ave. Closed Drunkenness 900 W. Cary Closed Hit and Run 500 Ryland St. Pending Shoplifting ABC 1217 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency

Kristina Brandveen

Vivek Kuruvilla

SARAROSE MARTIN Staff Writer The Student Government Association will announce election results for the upcoming year on Monday, Feb. 27. Currently, there are two SGAs overseeing the Monroe Park and MCV campuses. However, the students elected will represent a merged SGA overseeing both Richmond campuses by fall 2017.

Keith Zirkle is running for President and serves as the Chair of the Joint Student Government Council, a union of the two student governments, involved in the merging of the Councils. Last year the leadership of both SGAs decided one SGA was the best option for increasing students' influence on the university and for increasing funding for student organizations.

“We moved forward by crafting a structure and constitution for one

James McPaul

SGA. We spent the fall gathering feedback, modifying the original idea, and we finally put it to a vote last month,” Zirkle said. “The student body on both campuses approved the merger so one SGA or the VCU SGA.” Kirkle hopes to see the new SGA succeed and engage more of the student body. He said he feels his involvement in the merger gives him a better understanding of how to run the association.

“I essentially want to see the VCU SGA succeed in its first year and also better engage graduate and professional students and any other student group that is not often heard or represented in decision making,” Kirkle said. “I also want to ensure we optimize the distribution of funding to student organizations.”

According to the SGA, the association works to promote student involvement and actively seeks out and represents student

Samuel Small

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CANDIDATES

Theft From Motor Vehicle 1308 W. Cary St. Reported by Outside Agency

opinions. Currently, both SGAs are responsible for allocating money from the Student Activity Fee to student organizations on their respective campuses. Zirkle is running against Samuel Ahmad, Destinee Moragne and Chandler Iley to serve as president.

There are also four candidates for vice president: Vivek Kuruvilla, Samuel Small, Kristina Brandveen and James McPaul.

In her statement, Brandveen said she wants to see growth in diversity, inclusion and health care at VCU. “I would like to encourage further growth in more collaborative efforts of University Administration with the study body,” Brandveen said. “In addition, aiming for more diversity and inclusion at a higher level is something I feel could be encouraged. I would hope to create a safe space for students to thoroughly express their creative and engaging thoughts.”

The (ICA) will allow us to use art as a catalyst for speaking about pressing issues in our society.

Lisa Freiman ICA Director “The institute will be the go-to place to learn about contemporary art around the world,” said ICA director Lisa Freiman. “It will allow us to use art as a catalyst for speaking about pressing issues in our society.”

The first exhibit, “Declaration,” will be on display from the ICA’s opening until Feb. 25, 2018. “Declaration” will feature painting, sculpture, multimedia, installations and performance pieces exploring themes of protest, social justice and connection.

The first exhibit will highlight the works of local, regional and international artists -- including VCUarts professor Stephen Vitiello, VCU alumnus Levester Williams and Richmond-based All The Saints Theatre Company and the band GWAR. Frieman co-curated “Declaration” along with Stephanie Smith, Amber Esseiva, Johanna Plummer and Lauren Ross.

Prior to taking on the director role at the ICA, Frieman was a senior curator and chairperson of the contemporary art department at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Freiman said the institute will become “the anchor of the city,” and stressed the importance of involving students “from the ground up.”

By this, Freiman speaks in a literal sense, referring to the work of interior design students on the ICA in the spring of 2016.

She also referred to the great lengths the institute has gone to encourage student activity within the ICA, such as offering VCU students the opportunity to be a part of the Student Advisory Committee, and is accepting applications for student guides, gallery attendants, interns and workstudy by March 3.

All Other Larceny 1501 W. Main St Reported by Outside Agency

“Addiction is a disease, not a moral failing”

Shoplifting ABC 1217 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency

Governor signs bills into law to combat Virginia’s opioid epidemic

Thursday, Feb. 23 Alcohol Violation B900 Park Ave. Closed

Sponsored by Del. David LaRock (R - Loudon)

Annoying Phone Calls 907 Floyd Ave. Pending

Allow community organizations to possess and dispense naloxone to people whom the groups have trained to administer the life-saving drug.

Drug/Alcohol Violation 810 Catherine St. Closed

HB 2317

Harassment 830 W. Grace St. Pending Destruction of Property 1020 W. Franklin St. Pending

Reporting suspicious or emergency situations to the VCU Police Department can help solve crimes, provide emergency assistance that may save a life and help deter criminal activity.

Download the VCU LiveSafe mobile phone app to report crimes anonymously.

To contact the VCU PD call (804) 828-1196.

For an on-campus emergency call (804) 828-1234.

For an off-campus emergency call 911.

SB 848 HB 1453

Sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D - Loudon)

Alcohol Violation Parkwood/Harrison St. Closed

Shoplifting 1217 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency

Bills Gov. McAuliffe signed into law

Gov. McAuliffe signed five bills into law last week to help combat the opioid abuse epidemic in Virginia. The trend was declared a state Public Health Emergency in November.

to mandate that care providers use electronic prescribing for controlled substances,” said Dr. Sean Kelly, who is a practicing emergency physician and the chief medical officer of Imprivata, a Capping off a signature issue of the 2017 legislative session, health care information technology company.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed five bills last Thursday to help arm Kelly said that electronic prescribing for controlled the fight against opioid abuse and fatal overdoses in Virginia. substances, or EPCS, helps the healthcare industry to reduce The bills address the crisis in various ways. They include SB 848 prescription fraud, drug diversion and drug abuse. Virginia is and HB 1453, which allow community organizations to dispense joining three other states – New York, Minnesota and Maine – and train individuals to use naloxone, a drug that can treat an in mandating EPCS. opioid overdose in emergency situations.

“This is a real ‘all hands on deck’ moment,” said Attorney General “We recognize that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing,” Mark Herring. “The heroin and opioid crisis is touching families McAuliffe said. “Our proposals for this General Assembly session who never imagines they would confront something like this, and focused on preventing addiction and providing treatment for those yet now are fighting something that feels so overwhelming.” who suffer from it.”

In November 2016, McAuliffe joined State Health The governor also signed HB 2165, which will mandate all Commissioner Marissa Levine in declaring the Virginia opioid opioid prescriptions be transmitted to pharmacies electronically addiction crisis to be a public health emergency. by 2020. It will also create a workgroup to study how to best Although final numbers are not available, the Virginia implement the change.

Department of Health projects that more than 1,000 people died “The fight against the national opioid abuse epidemic gained in Virginia from fatal opioid overdoses in 2016. That would be a 33 more momentum today as Virginia became the most recent state percent increase from the previous year.

MARY LEE CLARK Staff Writer

Sponsored by Del. John O’Bannon (R - Henrico) Allows local health departments to administer harm reduction programs in parts of the state with high rates of HIV and hepatitis. These programs will exchange dirty syringes for clean ones, offer tsting for hepatitis C and HIV and connect people to addiction treatment.

HB 1786

Sponsored by Del. Chris Stolle (R - Virginia Beach) Initiates a family assessment and plan of care from local social services if a child is found to have been exposed to substances in utero. This connects the mother to treatment if necessary and provides services to ensure the safety of both the mother and the child.

HB 2165

Sponsored by Del. Todd Pillion (R - Washington)

Mandates that all opioid prescriptions will be transmitted to pharmacies electronically by 2020 and creates a workgroup to study how to implement this policy.

INFOGRPAHIC BY ERIC NGO

CRIME LOG

PHOTO BY JULIE TRIPP

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PHOTO BY MAURA MAZUROWSKI

ACLU urges McAuliffe to veto anti-immigration bills

Claire Gastañaga (center), executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, asked McAuliffe not sign a 278(g) agreement, which would volunteer state police to aid federal immigration (ICE) agents. officials promise not to cooperate with ICE in detaining an additional 48 hours after they are set to be released. and deporting undocumented immigrants.

Sponsored by Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Manassas, Senate Democrats have also spoken out against the measure was passed by the General Assembly after Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union the bill, saying it undermines trust-building efforts a mostly party-line vote in the House of Delegates. called on Gov. Terry McAuliffe last Wednesday to between communities and local police.

“Supporters of bills such as these that target veto Republican-backed legislation banning local “Whether it is intentional or not, this is a messaging immigrants point to instances in other parts of the governments in Virginia from designating themselves bill sending a message to immigrants, whether they country in which undocumented immigrants were as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. They are here legally or not, that they are not welcome,” said released from custody by local law enforcement also said they plan to fight federal and state policies that Sen. Jennifer McClellen (D-Richmond). “American and went on to commit crimes in the community,” they believe violate immigrants’ rights. citizens are being swept up in ICE raids along with Gastañaga wrote in a letter to McAuliffe.

At a news conference, representatives of the ACLU undocumented immigrants. We are better than this Gastañaga’s letter also asked the governor to agree not of Virginia and other civil rights organizations as a commonwealth.” to sign a 278(g) agreement, which would volunteer state criticized anti-immigrant measures passed by the Republicans have supported legislation to crack police in apprehending and deporting undocumented General Assembly. They also condemned the recent down on sanctuary cities. immigrants. She said the state’s immigration laws spike in deportation raids on immigrant communities Ed Gillespie, who is seeking the GOP nomination already mandate jails and prisons to check the in Virginia by federal Immigration and Customs for governor, issued a statement in support of immigration status of everyone taken into custody.

Enforcement, as well as President Donald Trump’s Poindexter’s bill. He called the ban on sanctuary cities a Two days ago, McAuliffe responded to Gastañaga’s recent executive order banning immigrants from seven common-sense approach to immigration policy. letter and agreed that the use of 287(g) agreements would mostly Muslim countries.

“Local governments should not be able to ignore negatively impact public safety and health.

“We’re here this morning to talk about actions to federal immigration laws,” Gillespie said. “As governor, “I have seen no evidence that entering into 278(g) be taken at the state level that must be understood in I would support and sign Delegate Poindexter’s agreements will enhance Virginia’s public safety,” this larger context,” said Claire Gastañaga, executive HB 2000 because it is a reasonable measure to keep McAuliffe wrote. “I will not endorse the use of these director of the ACLU of Virginia.

Virginians safe and enforce the law.” agreements in the absence of any evidence that they Gastañaga began the news conference by discussing The ACLU also urged McAuliffe to veto: will make our communities safer.” bills that her group has asked McAuliffe to veto. They HB 2002, also sponsored by Poindexter. It would Several speakers from human rights organizations include HB 2000, which the Republican-controlled require refugee resettlement agencies in Virginia to file were present at the news conference, including Tram Senate passed on a party-line vote Wednesday afternoon. annual reports containing personal details about the Nguyen, co-executive director of New Virginia The bill, sponsored by Del. Charles R. Poindexter refugees, including their age, gender, country of origin Majority. According to Nguyen, the three bills (R-Franklin County) would ban any local government and where they were resettled. that the ACLU wants McAuliffe to veto are merely in the state from declaring itself as a sanctuary for HB 1468, which would allow local sheriffs and jail “message bills” that will encourage immigrant undocumented immigrants, meaning that local officials to hold undocumented immigrants for ICE for families to “move further into the shadows.”

MAURA MAZUROWSKI, News Editor RODRIGO ARRIAZA, Contributing Writer

McAuliffe vetoes refugee records bill —continued from page 1 Those reports would then be forwarded to other government agencies, including the General Assembly and the governor’s office.

Supporters of the bill argue these reports would give government officials the ability to plan for benefits, health care and other related social costs, as well as lay out education-related expenses that would allow children of refugees to enroll in Virginia public schools.

McAuliffe said those requirements would instead put undue stress on the organizations in charge of resettling refugees.

“House Bill 2002 would create an unnecessary burden for already overworked nonprofit organizations and would limit these organizations’ ability to accomplish their mission of safely settling refugees in the commonwealth,” McAuliffe said.

The governor added that the regulations would also discourage those wanting to relocate from tenuous circumstances in foreign countries to the commonwealth.

Many individuals and families placed in Virginia through the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program are fleeing governmental oppression, persecution, and violence.

Gov. McAuliffe

“They have no clear definition of a sanctuary city, and there are no sanctuary cities in the commonwealth,” Nguyen said. “These bills just incite fear and a sense of unwelcomeness in the immigrant communities.”

Michelle LaRue, Virginia director of CASA, an advocacy organization for low-income immigrant communities, also spoke. LaRue, herself a refugee from Guatemala after escaping the country’s civil war, said the legislation would make undocumented immigrants more afraid than they already are to report crimes, either as victims or as witnesses.

“These bills are affecting safety at large,” LaRue said. “Parents are having their kids, even kindergarteners, walk to the bus stops themselves in fear of not going outside, or having the children run errands for them … Many times, it’s in neighborhoods where it’s not safe to do so.”

McAuliffe has promised to veto any Republicanbacked anti-sanctuary legislation. The governor’s spokesman, Brian Coy, told The Associated Press earlier this month that McAuliffe would veto any measure forcing localities to enforce federal immigration laws. Coy said the governor views the bills as “attempts to divide and demonize people.”

“Throughout my administration, I have advocated to make Virginia a more welcoming and diverse home for all of its residents,” McAuliffe wrote in his letter to Gastañaga. “My administration has advanced this goal without jeopardizing the safety of our citizens.”

“Refugees are in the United States legally,” he said. “They undergo a more rigorous screening process than anyone else allowed into the United States. Creating a publicly available list of these individuals would send a message of exclusion to people looking for the chance to rebuild their lives free of tyranny and oppression.”

“As Virginians, we know the many benefits and contributions that refugees bring to our communities and Virginia’s economy,” McAuliffe added. “House Bill 2002 sets us on the wrong path. It does not reflect Virginia’s values.”

The bill will now return to the General Assembly, where supporters will face an uphill battle in overriding the governor’s veto. In order to successfully countermand McAuliffe’s ruling, supporters would need to gather a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

With three Republican delegates already opposing the bill in the House and a 21-19 party-line split in the Senate, supporters would have to persuade more than a dozen legislators to flip their vote in order to enact the legislation.

SARAROSE MARTIN Staff Writer Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed legislation last Tuesday that sought to remove state and federal funding for women’s health providers such as Planned Parenthood and any other groups that perform abortions in Virginia.

In this veto statement, McAuliffe said the bill, HB 2264, “would harm tens of thousands of Virginians who rely on the health care services and programs provided

by Planned Parenthood health centers, by denying them access to affordable care.”

Planned Parenthood held a veto ceremony on the steps of the Governor’s Mansion.

According to the organization, more than 22,000 people in Richmond, Hampton, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, and Roanoke rely on Planned Parenthood for health care, including cancer screenings, birth control, testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, well-woman exams and legal abortions.

“We are proud to have a governor in Virginia who stands with the women of our commonwealth,” said Paulette McElwain, president and CEO of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood.

She said McAuliffe “understands how vitally important access to comprehensive reproductive health care provided by Planned Parenthood is for women.”

Pro-life activists lined the steps of the Governor’s Mansion bearing signs reading “All Lives Matter” and “Say No to Planned Parenthood.” In a press release, the Family Foundation of Virginia rejected the assertion that women would no longer have access to health care if the bill had been enacted.

The foundation said the legislation would have redirected non-Medicaid taxpayer funding from organizations that provide abortions to hospitals and health centers that provide more comprehensive services for women.

“Nothing in Virginia right now is more predictable than Terry McAuliffe doing all that he can to ensure that taxpayers are forced to prop up the abortion industry,” said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation. “If there’s one issue on which Gov. McAuliffe has been ideologically rigid, it is his unwavering support and protection of the same $1 billion abortion industry that contributed nearly $2 million to his election.”

Del. Ben Cline (R-Amherst) sponsored HB 2264. He introduced identical legislation in the General Assembly’s 2016 session. Last year’s bill passed both the House and the Senate but was vetoed by McAuliffe. The House fell one vote short of overriding the governor’s veto.

HB 2264 passed the House 60-33 on Feb. 7 and the Senate 20-19 on Feb. 14.

For women’s rights advocates, McAuliffe’s veto comes as a relief. Republicans would have to muster a two-thirds majority in each chamber – 67 votes in the House and 27 in the Senate – to override the veto.

“Defunding Planned Parenthood is a blatant attempt to deny women access to the full range of reproductive health care services, and Virginia women won’t stand for it,” said Anna Scholl, executive director of Progress Virginia, a liberal advocacy group.

“Politicians in Richmond don’t get to decide where women get their health care and what kind of services they receive, and we’re glad that Gov. McAuliffe agrees.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLANND PARENTHOOD OF VIRGINIA

McAuliffe vetoes legislation to defund Planned Parenthood

More than 22,000 Virginians rely on Planned Parenthood for health services such as cancer screenings.

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The Commonwealth Times

If you’re a business, you’re supposed to pay your taxes.

If (Airbnb homes) are going to be a business, then they need to be set up as a business.

Under the bill, unregistered properties could be fined up to $500. The bill says property owners who are already licensed to rent or manage property would not be required to register again.

MEGAN CORSANO Contributing Writer People renting out their homes through websites such as Airbnb could be forced to pay a registration fee to their local government under a bill that passed both chambers of the General Assembly.

SB 1578, proposed by Sen. Tommy Norment (R-Williamsburg) would allow Virginia localities to require many users of short-term rental sites like Airbnb to pay a fee to register their property, with fines up to $500 in the case of a rental without registration.

Airbnb rentals can play a big role in small Virginia towns dependent on tourism as a primary source of income, such as the town of Washington in Rappahannock County. At the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northern part of the commonwealth, Washington funds 95 percent of its annual budget from meals and lodging taxes, said the town’s mayor, John Fox Sullivan.

“That tax is terribly important to us,” Sullivan said.

“If Airbnbs are unregulated and drain off tax revenue that we would otherwise receive and need, the town would lose a lot of money.”

According to Sullivan, the town’s bed-andbreakfasts, inns and restaurants must get approval from the town council before starting operations. Sullivan’s concern is that people operating a business out of their home through Airbnb don’t have to meet the same rules and ordinances that other businesses do.

“Airbnb is a great operation,” Sullivan said. “It’s just that they’re not perfect. There’s much debate within our county as well as to what can be regulated.”

While the short-term housing rental websites like Airbnb have gained popularity across the globe, those with ties to the more traditional accommodation business are struggling to adapt.

Audrey Regnery, the owner and innkeeper of Greenfield Inn Bed and Breakfast in Washington, said

Airbnb homes should have to meet the same regulations that establishments such as hers do.

“I welcome competition as long as it’s fair competition,” Regnery said. “If you’re a business, you’re supposed to pay your taxes. If (Airbnb homes) are going to be a business, then they need to be set up as a business.”

Regnery said there are approximately 18 bed-andbreakfasts, one inn (The Inn at Little Washington) and no hotels in the Washington area. She said the demand for rooms in the area currently exceeds the capacity.

As a result, business at the Regnery’s B&B has not suffered any serious loss because of Airbnb room rentals. However, Regnery worries that could change if Airbnb hosts were to start drastically dropping their prices to compete with bed-and-breakfasts in town.

Airbnb hosts, however, have their own concerns about what a registration fee requirement would have on the way they operate.

Mary Jane Cappello, a Rappahannock County

Assembly OKs state budget AMELIA HEYMANN Contributing Writer

The new budget allocates $83.1 million for a 3 percent pay raise for state employees and college faculty, in contrast to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s budget proposal for a one-time, 1.5 percent bonus to employees. The budget also sets aside funds to implement House Speaker William Howell’s Commission on State Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform.

The House and Senate agreed on a budget that includes employee pay raises and more money for K-12 education and mental health to adjourn the 45-day General Assembly session last week.

Negotiators from each chamber presented their budget to lawmakers in time for the required 48-hour review. Senate did not adjourn until Saturday, the last day of the scheduled session.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate praised the spending The investments in plan’s conservative fiscal policies. education, health “This conference report responsibly addresses the challenges care and public facing the commonwealth, safety will improve prioritizes funding for our schools and public safety professionals, the lives of our and is fiscally conservative,” said Sen. Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta citizens and make County), co-chairman of the Senate Virginia a better Finance Committee.

The budget was approved early place to live, work for the third consecutive year, and raise a family. which is a stark contrast to the U.S. Congress, which has been Steven Landes, notoriously slow at approving federal spending plans.

Vice Chairman “While Washington drowns in debts and is mired in gridlock, the This means $200,000 will be Republican-led General Assembly has set aside for the Joint Legislative produced a conservative budget ahead Audit and Review Commission to of schedule for the third time in a row,” complete a total compensation study said Del. Steven Landes, R-Augusta of all state employees, and $140,000 County, vice chairman of the House for state agencies to incorporate Appropriations Committee. succession planning and re-hiring in “We continue to chart a prudent their strategic plans. fiscal course for Virginia. The This year’s agreed-upon investments in education, health budget exceeds the governor’s care and public safety will improve investment in K-12 education the lives of our citizens and make by approximately $18 million, as Virginia a better place to live, work well as investing $15 billion for and raise a family.” direct aid to public education.

Before the 2010 budget, 35 percent of lottery proceeds were given to local schools. This year’s budget re-establishes that practice, and lottery proceeds will send $191.3 million back to localities to help with public education.

The budget also helps higher education by reducing the governor’s cuts by $20 million. This is part of the General Assembly’s continued effort to make higher education more affordable. The budget will also restore full funding to the Virginia Tech Extension Service, as well as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. In addition, there will be no reductions in funding to Norfolk State University and Virginia State University.

In the health sector, the conference budget invests $32.2 million to build a stronger healthcare safety net, including funding for substance abuse treatment. It also increases eligibility for the Governor's Access Plan, which is a program that helps provide behavioral health for Virginia's uninsured adults.

The conference budget does not include the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid, which might not end up having much of an impact anyway if the Trump administration’s proposal to replace Medicaid with federal block grants to each state is adopted.

The budget also restores the Stanley amendment, which doesn’t let the governor expand Medicaid without approval from the General Assembly.

The conference budget was created to decrease generalfund spending by 5 percent over 10 years when adjusted for population and inflation.

resident who rents out her second home in Washington through Airbnb and TripAdvisor, said she pays a state and local lodging tax to both hosting agents.

“Our county already charged me a registration fee when I applied for the rental license, but it was a onetime charge which, I thought, was a reasonable charge of a few hundred dollars,” Cappello said.

In regards to paying a fee to the individual locality beyond just the lodging taxes – in this case, to join a rental registry – Cappello said it “would make sense only if some service went with the fee such as house inspections for safety.”

The bill says property owners who are already licensed related to the rental or management of property by the Board of Health, the Real Estate Board, or a locality would not be required to register again.

SB 1578 passed the Senate on a vote of 36-4 and the House on a vote of 86-14. It now goes to the governor’s desk to be signed.

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Airbnb rentals may face increased regulation

He’s not the only superhero out after dark.

VCU Career Services, now open every Tuesday until 7 pm.

University Student Commons, across from Chick-fil-A. careers.vcu.edu

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Stat of the week:

Women’s tennis (8-2) is on a two-game win streak after defeating East Carolina University and Saint Louis University over the weeekend.

JeQuan Lewis

RHODY SNAPS VCU’s NINE-GAME WINNING STREAK

on the toughest players he’s ever guarded

PHOTO BY BYRON KORANTENG

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Junior guard Jonathan Williams led the Rams in scoring with 14 points in VCU’s loss at Rhode Island.

Women’s basketball squashes Spiders, advance in Atlantic 10 tournament SOPHIA BELLETTI AND JESSICA WETZLER Sports Editor and Contributing Writer

Richmond

OB YE RI N ED GE

“He was a senior, I was a freshman. He was fast, stronger. He was more experienced. (I was able to stop him) a few times.”

RT ON

VCU shut down Davidson after Robinson and sophomore forward Bria Gibson shined during the final game of the regular season. Robinson and Gibson each scored in double figures to help the Rams close the regular season and take home the win.

Davidson jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start off the game, but VCU returned with a 10-3 run to end the first quarter.

VCU later took on its first lead of the game at the 7:44 mark in the second quarter off of a layup by senior guard Isis Thorpe to bring the score up 14-13.

Davidson was able to retake a slim lead halfway through the second quarter after a short cold spell for the Rams, but a long range shot from Goodhope tied the game at 19-19.

The Wildcats took a 23-20 lead going into the second half.

VCU went into the fourth quarter leading 39-32 after going on a 10-1 run to end the third quarter. Gibson was responsible for four points in that time span while Robinson added two field goals of her own.

Davidson started the fourth quarter the same way they started the first, going on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 41-41.

VCU closed the game out on a 13-4 run, with a bulk of the

According to senior guard JeQuan Lewis, there’s not much to do in Dickson, Tennessee except play basketball. Ever since he was seven, Lewis knew he wanted to continue playing basketball for as long as he can.

“It felt like something I had to do,” he said.

Averaging 15.1 points and 4.4 assists a game this season help guid Lewis to receiving Atlantic 10 co-player of the week twice.

In VCU’s 91-81 victory over Saint Joseph’s University, Lewis scored a career high 34 points, marking it the most by a Ram since Melvin Johnson dropped 36 at La Salle on Feb. 3, 2016.

His nine made 3-point field goals that evening, are tied for the most in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season are the most by a Ram since Troy Daniels set the school mark with 11 at East Tennessee State on Jan. 2, 2013.

In his four years as a Ram in a powerhouse conference, Lewis has had the opportunity to play elite teams in and out of conference and in those games, he went face-to-face with some of the most esteemed players in the NCAA. Lewis said playing at VCU is all about defense. As his final season as a Ram comes to a close, Lewis reflected on five of the most memorable players he has ever guarded wearing black and gold.

Chaz Williams

OT

Davidson

SOPHIA BELLETTI Sports Editor

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (2011-2014) PH

In the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament, senior guard Keira Robinson dropped 16 points and senior guard G.G. Goodhope added 15 Sunday as VCU closed an early 11-point deficit to defeat the University of Richmond 72-64 at the Siegel Center.

The victory extended VCU’s season by at least five days. The eighth-seeded Rams (16-14) earned a berth in Friday’s A-10 Tournament quarterfinals at the Coliseum. VCU will face topseeded Dayton.

The Rams grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and had a 15-2 edge in second chance points over Richmond. VCU outrebounded Richmond 34-29.

“I think this is exactly what A-10 basketball should look like,” said coach Beth O’Boyle. “You add in a Richmond, VCU game and there’s just so much energy and intensity to it. We played extremely well in the second half. We came out at halftime and really started to attack the rim and attack their zone.”

VCU got off to a slow start, shooting 39 percent from the field and struggling to attack the glass, putting the Rams behind 35-32 going into the locker room.

Come second half and the Rams were ready to play.

VCU scored on five of its last six possessions of the third period, including post player junior forward Curteeona Brelove’s layup at the buzzer, to carry a 49-43 lead into the fourth period.

Brelove, who had missed VCU’s previous two games with an apparent head injury, scored 10 points for the Black and Gold.

VCU’s lead got as large as 52-43 after a Thorpe 3-pointer to begin the final quarter but Richmond used a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 56-53.

The Spiders came close but were never able to tie the game or retake the lead.

UofR shot 60.9 percent (14-23) in the first half. VCU did much of its damage beneath the glass. The Rams turned eight offensive rebounds into seven second-chance points.

Senior starting guard JeQuan Lewis leads the Rams in scoring average this season at 15.1 points per game.

Sophomore forward Bria Gibson scored a combined 19 points in the Rams’ last two contests. run coming off from seven points by Robinson in the last two minutes of the game. The Rams used a 9-2 run late in the fourth quarter to turn a 41-41 tie into a 50-43 lead with just 46 seconds left in the game.

Not only did Robinson come away with a team-high of 13 points and eight rebounds, Robinson also assisted on three baskets and shot 4-of-6 from the line.

Gibson scored 12 points, going 4-of-6 from the field and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in the process. Gibson is also tied her career-high in steals with three.

Overall, VCU came down with 15 offensive rebounds and scored 15 second chance points. The Rams also out rebounded the Wildcats 43-30 and won the offensive rebound battle 15-7, forcing 16 Davidson turnovers and scored 19 points off turnovers.

Gibson had three of the Rams’ eight steals, with Goodhope and senior guard Ashlee Mitchell adding two each.

VCU’s defense limited Davidson to shoot just 13 percent from beyond the arc.

The Black and Gold ended their regular season with a total of 15 wins and eight A-10 conference wins. VCU broke its singleseason attendance record and averaged over 1,000 fans per game during the season.

VCU will face No. 1 seed Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship Second Round on Friday, March 3 at 11 a.m. at the Richmond Coliseum.

The last time Dayton faced VCU in early February, the Flyers defeated VCU 68-48 in the Siegel Center. The Flyers shared the A-10 regular-season championship with George Washington. They earned the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker.

Kendall Anthony

The University of Richmond (2011-2015)

“He was another short quick strong guard who could really shoot; he was quick enough to get to the basket. It’s tough guarding those short guards because I mean I feel like I’m short compared to a lot of people but when they’re shorter than me it’s harder. They get up under your knees and you can’t get as low as they can and you’re fouling or at risk to foul.”

Jordair Jett

Saint Louis University (2010-2014)

“He was a strong physical guard who played really well and like really really strong and I was just a little freshman weighing like 165 going against him and he was probably 225.”

Jack Gibbs

Davidson College (2013-2017)

“He’s a good player. He runs off a thousand screens so it’s tough guarding that because you feel like you have to chase him all over the place. He doesn’t need very much space to shoot it so you have to pretty much stay attached to him as close as you can, fighting through all those screens.”

D’Angelo Russell

the Ohio State University (2014-2015)

“Just a good good player overall, couldn’t give him much space.”

6

sports

The Commonwealth Times

THE PRESS BOX

Personnel, or precedent?

Relax, RamNation — coaches change, but culture is forever.

ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor VCU Men’s Basketball (23-6, 13-3) once again appears positioned to receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament, a feat the Black and Gold have accomplished every year since 2011, when they became the first program in history to dance all the way from the First Four to the Final Four.

Despite the sustained success, it has become a VCU tradition for coaching rumors to accompany postseason hype this time of year every season.

Shaka Smart, VCU’s head coach during the legendary run in 2011 and the man who receives a lion’s share of the credit for raising the mid-major Rams to the national stage, is now employed by one of the richest athletic programs in the country, the University of Texas.

Before Smart arrived, Anthony Grant led the Rams to two NCAA bids and three seasons of 24 or more wins before departing to take the helm at the University of Alabama.

Prior to Grant, Jeff Capel steered the Black and Gold to 19 or more wins in each of his four seasons to go along with one NCAA birth before departing to coach the University of Oklahoma. Capel is now an assistant coach at Duke University, where he is widely perceived as the likely successor to the Blue Devils’ mythical head man, Mike Krzyzewski.

And now, the March Madness party on Broad Street is once more being subdued by rumors of a coaching change, as VCU’s Will Wade garners speculative interest from big-time programs with coaching vacancies or question marks, such as the Universities of Tennessee and Clemson.

The Black and Gold have bounced around conferences since making the move to Division 1 basketball in 1973. After a brief stint as an independent, VCU has played in the Sun Belt, Metro, CAA and Atlantic Ten conferences while winning 870 games and nine conference tournament championships.

Despite drastic changes of scenery and frequent regime transitions, VCU has established a program with a precedent which outweighs its personnel.

In the two years following the departure of Smart, the Rams and their beloved former coach have moved in opposite directions.

Under Will Wade, VCU is 48-17 and looks hell bent on reaching its second NCAA tournament in as many years.

Under Smart, the Longhorns of Texas are 30-29. They would need to win the Big 12 tournament to get into the postseason this year given their 10-16 record.

This divergence of fate, however, is nothing new to RamNation.

Grant went 117-85 at Alabama, a respectable record in the competitive SEC, but made only one NCAA tournament during that span and lost in the first round. He was fired in 2015 after six seasons in Tuscaloosa. Grant made two NCAA tournaments in just three seasons at VCU, and led the Black and Gold to a tournament upset of 6-seeded Duke in 2007.

Capel went 79-41 (.658) at VCU and led the Rams to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996 in 2004. He was likewise successful in five seasons at Oklahoma, going 83-69 (.546) in the elite Big 12 and winning four tournament games, but the program he left behind blossomed under Grant and Smart.

The Sooners let Capel go in 2011 after a 14-18 debacle of a season, and he was forced to watch VCU, a program he was instrumental in building, make its magical run from afar. Capel has been an assistant at Duke, his alma mater, since.

Despite seeing three consecutive “up and coming” coaches depart

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIE WANG

Relax, RamNation — we’ve been here before.

for bigger programs with deeper wallets, VCU basketball has not skipped a beat.

The VCU athletic department has a lot to do with this sustained success. The program has lifted its brand nationally, signing a $200,000 annual sponsorship deal with Learfield Sports in 2015.

Smart may have left for greener pastures, but the infamous ‘HAVOC’ brand he fostered was trademarked by VCU and remains synonymous with Broad Street Basketball.

VCU’s $25 million practice facility is nationally recognized as a state-of-the-art establishment which figures to keep big-time recruits interested in competing for RamNation.

The Black and Gold’s 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes are both ranked among the nation’s 45 best, despite a mass exodus of commits following Smart’s departure.

From a local perspective, the Rams have sold out 98 straight games at the Siegel Center, which is widely regarded as one of the most electric arenas in college basketball.

VCU is the big-time local sports attraction in the greater Richmond area, a top-50 national market with over 1.2 million residents that lacks a professional franchise closer than Washington D.C.

The Rams have fans, resources and name recognition that have persisted regardless of who patrols the sidelines.

VCU and the University of Kansas are the only D1 schools in the country to win at least 24 games the past ten seasons — a win Wednesday night at the University of Dayton could make that tally 11 for the Black and Gold.

VCU has made six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances— it is one of only eight schools in the country who can boast that statistic, and looks well on its way to stretching that mark to seven.

Relax, RamNation -- we’ve been here before.

Basketball on Broad Street has set a precedent and established a culture of winning that has persisted, and will persist, regardless of the man at the helm.

Coach Wade knew that when he took over for Smart.

“Havoc still lives here,” Wade said repeatedly on his first big media day.

“Havoc still lives here,” echoed Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin.

Rest easy, RamNation — ‘HAVOC’ will always live here.

Baseball drops two-ofthree in Charleston

ADAM CHEEK Contributing Writer

VCU Baseball failed to carry Friday night momentum over into the weekend for the second consecutive series, as the Rams dropped two-of-three to Charleston Southern University to bring their record to 2-4 early on in the 2017 season.

The rubber match of the weekend series ended in heartbreak for the Rams, as they got the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth, but ultimately fell by a final of 4-2.

Senior left-hander Brooks Vial got the start on the bump for VCU and was credited with the loss despite putting forward a quality start.

Vial gave up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings of work. He punched out two Buccaneers.

Charleston Southern got a pair of runs in the second inning and never relinquished the lead. VCU’s best chance to take a lead came with Rams down 3-1 in the top of the fifth. Senior right fielder Alex Gransback, freshman shortstop Paul Witt and junior third baseman Daane Berezo all reached on singles to start the inning. Despite having their 2-3-4 hitters due up with the bases loaded and nobody out, the Rams came away with nothing as CSU was able to finagle its way out of the jam.

Berezo reached with one out in the top of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Carpenter, the Rams’ most imposing power hitter, but the Bucs’ relief pitching once again excelled at wiggling out of harm’s way.

Saturday The second game of the weekend split the series, with Charleston Southern edging the Rams 11-9 Saturday night.

An early 3-0 deficit did not stop the Buccaneers from plating 11 runs and dominating VCU pitching, as well as defending their lead from a late Rams’ rally.

Sophomore third baseman Zac Ching drew first blood for the Rams with a shot to center, and then scored as a pinch runner for Carpenter. A wild pitch plated a third run for the Rams, capping off a three-run burst in the opening three innings.

Charleston Southern notched a run on a first-base error and then scored five additional runs, including two homers, over the next several innings to take a 6-3 lead.

Junior infielder Mitchel Lacey finally gave VCU a spark in the seventh, as his single on a liner up the middle sent two runners home, putting the Rams within one run.

However, the Buccaneers struck back with a fury in the bottom half of the inning, scoring another five runs to extend their lead to 11-5.

Dual bases-loaded walks to junior utility man J.P. Vail and junior outfielder Haiden Lamb forced in two runs for the Rams in the eighth, closing the deficit to four.

Witt then lined a single to score two, but the rally would stop there. CSU closer Cody Smith shut down the Rams in the ninth, sealing the win for the Bucs.

Friday The opener showed what the Rams are really made of, with VCU crushing CSU in a 13-4 blowout. A whpping 21 hits came off the bats of the Rams, including three home runs.

Sophomore starting pitcher Michael Dailey bounced back from an uncharacteristically rough start last Saturday to earn the win with five shutout innings.

Senior catcher Nick Rabat laced a two-run double to open the scoring in the first, and Berezo added another run to that lead by doubling down the left field line to score Rabat.

Senior center fielder and three-hitter Logan Farrar smashed a three-run homer over the right field wall in the second, extending the lead to 6-0.

Back-to-back doubles gave the Rams another run in the fourth, and freshman infielder Brett Willett’s first career homer in the fifth put the Rams up 8-0.

Charleston Southern added a run in the sixth, but the Rams answered with a pair of runs in the seventh on sacrifice flies by Lamb and Witt.

CSU junior Chris Singleton brought the Buccaneers within six with a three-run shot, but Carpenter extended the lead for the Rams with his first homer of the season.

Vail and Lacey hit consecutive RBI singles in the eighth to give the Rams some insurance runs and a 13-4 lead.

Eight Rams racked up at least one RBI in the offensive explosion.

Baseball will look to get back on track this week as the Rams return to Richmond for their home opener. First pitch at The Diamond is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

PHOTO BY JULIE TRIPP

Sunday

Lacrosse recorded their first win, 14-10, of the season over Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina on Friday.

Lacrosse season starts one-and-three

KEYRIS MANZANARES Contributing Writer The VCU lacrosse team fell to the Eagles of Winthrop University Sunday afternoon by a final of 19-7.

With this defeat, the Rams dropped to 1-3 this season, while Winthrop cruises to 6-0.

The Eagles’ first goal came via a free-position shot by Nicole Beatson just two minutes into the first half.

VCU scored the next two goals, making the score 2-1 with 24 minutes left in the first half.

Redshirt sophomore midfielder Sky Hyatt and sophomore attacker Molly Barcikowski converted the chances for the Black and Gold.

The Eagles found the back of the net thrice more just after Hyatt and Barcikowski scored, putting the scoreline at 5-2.

Barcikowski led the way for the Rams during the first half of the game, as she recorded her second collegiate hat-trick against Winthrop.

VCU placed two out of their next three shots in the net, putting the Rams up 6-4 with goals from redshirt-freshman Jenn Nonn and Barcikowski — however, the Eagles closed the

half with a strong offensive showing.

The Eagles kept up their intensity and strong offensive push to start the second half. They opened up the second half scoring the first three goals of the period. Winthrop pushed its lead to eight with 21:26 left on the clock.

Hyatt came through for her Rams and was able to score three of the next four goals, putting the score at 13-7 with 13:24 left in the game.

VCU was shut out for the rest of the game by Winthrop’s stifling defense.

The Eagles scored six more goals over the Rams to reach the 19-7 final score. During the last 13 minutes of the game, WU’s Nicole Beatson had a perfect three-for-three on free position attempts.

VCU had 16 turnovers during the game but was able to record six saves, three in each half.

However, Winthrop outshot the rams 32-17, and gained control of the ground balls 19-9.

Up next, the Rams will travel to Gardner-Webb University at 6 p.m. on March. 3.

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, February 27, 2017

7

Rhode Island snaps VCU men’s basketball’s nine-game winning streak NICK VERSAW Staff Writer

Rhode Island VCU’s impressive nine-game win streak came to a halt Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center, as the Rams of the University of Rhode Island knocked off the Rams from Richmond, 69-59.

Saturday’s loss marks the first VCU defeat since Jan. 18, when the Black and Gold fell to conference foe Fordham University in the Bronx. At 13-3 in Atlantic 10 conference play, VCU now sits one game back of the red-hot University of Dayton Flyers -- a team they face in their next outing Wednesday night in the nation’s aviation capital.

Jonathan Williams was the standout performer in the loss for the Black and Gold, as the junior guard amassed a team-high 14 points -- his third successive contest with at least 14. Senior guard JeQuan Lewis and senior forward Ahmed Hamdy joined the speedy point guard in double-digit scoring, chipping in 10 points apiece. Senior swingman Doug Brooks helped fill out the stat sheet with 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists.

Much of the Black and Gold’s struggles Saturday stemmed from sub-par production from beyond the arc. The Rams shot just 1-15 from deep on the after-

noon, with freshman guard Malik Crowfield sinking the team’s sole three-pointer.

While the game was tight throughout much of the first half with VCU heading to the locker room with a one point advantage, Rhody came out of the gates in the second half on a tear. In the stanza’s opening minutes, Rhode Island came storming out to a 18-4 run, underlined by a pair of successive treys from the game’s leading scorer, junior guard Jared Terrell. The run would give Rhody its largest lead of the night at 51-38.

From there, VCU began to chip away piece-bypiece, eventually cutting the lead to 59-57 after a Williams bucket with just under three-and-a-half minutes left on the clock.

Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, that would be the closest they came to usurping their Ram counterparts.

Rhode Island would go on to sink 6-of-8 free throws in the game’s final moments to seal 69-59 the victory.

Saint Louis The Rams secured their ninth-consecutive victory Wednesday night, thwarting the visiting Saint Louis University Billikens 64-50 in what would be VCU’s 98th consecutive Siegel Center sellout.

The win represented 100 career victories for the Rams’ current crop of seniors, marking eight consecutive VCU senior classes to achieve that milestone.

Williams was once again the star performer on the night, scoring 17 points in just 26 minutes of action.

“I thought Johnny, did a tremendous job,” said VCU Coach Will Wade. “He got us going offensively— pushing the tempo, getting in the paint, getting going in transition.”

Senior forward Justin Tillman had yet another double-double performance Wednesday, amassing 14 points and 10 rebounds on the night, and freshman standout guard Samir Doughty chipped in 13 points of his own, continuing his ascension in conference play.

“I’ve been shooting the ball more confidently,” Doughty said. “Watching the ball fall in a couple times in the previous games helped me in the games moving forward.”

Although Wade had warned his players of not taking a Saint Louis team that’s only been able to amass four wins in the conference lightly, the Rams came out of the gates struggling to keep up with the Billikens in the period’s opening 12 minutes.

By the under-eight-minute media timeout, the visitors had built a 23-17 lead. The Billikens looked to take control, but the Rams were not going down without a fight. In the period’s closing eight minutes, VCU fired off a 24-7 run to take a 41-30 halftime lead.

From then on, the Rams never looked back as they held their guests at arms length for the remainder of the contest.

“I thought the first eight minutes were very poor, but after we kind of got through that, I thought we played pretty well,” Wade said in his postgame press conference. “But that’s not going to get it done from here on out. We have to play a full game, a complete game.”

VCU once again dominated the stat sheet Wednesday. Although the visitors held the advantage in three-point shooting, the Rams had their way with the Billikens down low, outrebounding their opponents 4132 and holding the 38-28 edge in points in the paint.

The Rams improved to 13-5 in conference play with the victory -- good enough for first place in the A-10 heading into a pair of highly-anticipated matchups against the Universities of Rhode Island and Dayton.

“It’s a good win, a next step,” Wade said. “When you’re coming down the stretch like this, every step matters when you’re in a tight race.”

The Black and Gold seek to lock in their 11th straight season with 24 or more wins this Wednesday as they take on the No. 1 inconference Dayton Flyers.

The away game showdown will most likely decide the A-10’s regular season outright champion.

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For more information and to register, visit recsports.vcu.edu

spectrum

The Commonwealth Times

8

On this day...

in 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

PARK&Morris blog blends heritage, a student’s passion VCU student Yosan Mascio often layers traditional Eritrean jewelry with otherwise simple, modern pieces when crafting outfits for her fashion blog, PARK&Morris.

Mascio said studying public relations helps her promote the blog and learn how to make connections that can propel her forward. As an intern at Need Supply Co., Mascio said she has a hands-on opportunity learning about becoming a fashion influencer and how to make connections with stores.

On her blog, Mascio said the origins of many pieces like necklaces and earrings are passed down and gifted to her by family members, so despite the pieces looking like a product of modern trends from afar, their origins are often hidden.

“If you look at the detail in it, the carving in it, these definitely aren’t normal earrings,” Mascio said of a pair of stud earrings with grooves etched on the outer rims.

Crosses, or variations on them, are common in Eritrean jewelry, which is almost always gold, Mascio said.

“A lot of my culture is gold-oriented,” Mascio said. “If you look at the cross, it’s very detailed because it resembles obviously the Coptic orthodox cross.”

Because of the recent popularity of choker necklaces, Mascio says she has been focusing on jewelry, which she prefers to be “timeless” so it doesn’t interfere with the piece she tries to showcase in an outfit.

Mascio said she draws influence from platforms aside from her culture as well. She recreated outfits from Tumblr and MTV during her adolescent years and

said she was inspired by Danielle Bernstein’s 2012 fashion blog, We Wore What. Mascio said starting her own venture was not without anxieties, though.

“At 16, 17 you don’t know how to go about it. You just sort of have your digital camera and go, ‘this isn’t right, I’m not in New York,’” Mascio said. “It took a lot of not being scared of what I actually wanted to do and just facing it. It just turned out to be something that I love.”

The encouragement of friends helped Mascio take the digital leap. Influence and support from her father has emotionally helped Mascio in developing her blog and pursuing a bigger career in fashion.

Mascio said her father’s hard work in starting a now-successful business after immigrating to America without a college education enabled her to go into fashion, which she says is a risky industry.

“Never once have I heard doubt in his voice when I tell him (what) I want to do. I think that’s what makes this whole thing more attainable to me,” Mascio said.

Mascio said she always asked her father for his opinion on her outfits since the two have similar styles. She said he is, “super flashy, in a sense” and she was inspired by the way he carried himself. Seeing what her father has accomplished makes Mascio’s aspirations seem reachable, she said.

Mascio first confronted the piece that is now part of one of the most memorable outfits from PARK&Morris when she was younger, only to find at the time that her father’s 1980’s satin bomber jacket to be too big for her frame.

“I think I was so proud of that outfit because it’s something I’ve been eyeing since middle school

and now I’m able to make an outfit out of it and create what I wanted to,” Mascio said.

Paired with black, textured pieces, the bright-colored jacket now resembles a modern trend.

“It’s crazy when you see it because it looks like something someone would wear (today),” Mascio said.

As opposed to other blogs, Mascio said she puts in effort to make her style accessible by keeping it realistic for followers. She posts links showing where she purchased the items, in addition to spending time searching for alternative products.

“It just makes it easier for people to have a better handle on it,” Mascio said. “ It takes a long time on my part because I want to make sure I’m giving people that are viewing my blog exactly what they want.”

Mascio is meticulous in providing options to her following base and is says if she wore a black wrap dress then a black wrap dress with a gold buckle wouldn’t be a similar enough fashion dupe for her to link it as an alternative outfit.

“Whenever I put together outfits for the website, I want to make sure that it’s able to be recreated if they want to, but also something that other blogs don’t have,” Mascio said.

Recently, Mascio began featuring her follower’s outfit of the day posts on the PARK&Morris instagram account as a way to engage more with her audience. Followers can tag the PARK&Morris account in a post to have a chance at being featured.

“You don’t have to have a certain trend or a certain aesthetic, it’s just what you feel is your style,” Mascio said.

You don’t have to have a certain trend or a certain aesthetic, it’s just what you feel is your style.”

Yosan Mascio

Yosan Mascio, showcasing a casual outfit she styled for PARK&Morris and everyday wear.

A personal look at for-profit colleges with Tressie Cottom SIONA PETEROUS Spectrum Editor VCU’s Humanities Research Center held their monthly, “Meet VCU’s Authors” series featuring Tressie Cottom, Ph.D., on Feb. 22.

Cottom is a an assistant professor of sociology at VCU and has a highly successful website, tressiemc.com, as well as a massive twitter following of people who are interested in her approachable manner to tackling large sociological questions.

Cottom does the same in her nationally-awarded book, “Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy.”

In addition to being an author and professor, Cottom is a writer for The Atlantic, has been featured on NPR and lectures across the nation largely about, but not limited to, topics of race and education access.

In Recent years the rise of for-profit colleges - institutions which are driven by profit seeking private businesses - have become the fastest growing sector of higher education. According

to the Department of Education, from 2013 to 2016, for-profit students comprised 26 percent of all federal loan borrowers, but 44 percent to 35 percent of total loan defaults.

Cottom’s book draws from her own experience as a former recruiter for a for-profit college, ITT Technical Institute, to delve deeper into the specific marketing strategies used by these companies to attract generally low income black and latino men and especially women.

Her lecture went beyond the details of how the book was made and addressed her own personal experience while researching over the span of a year and a half.

“This strange thing happens when you work on a book,” Cottom said. “You think the book is about the thing is you’re writing- and it kind of is. Then the book is released and what people want to talk about is, ‘Why you? Why this? Why did you want to talk about this strange thing?”

Cottom said the background information she compiled shocked her. For Cottom, education was something to be revered, and her first interaction with ITT Tech, where she was told she had to sell education like a product, shocked her.

She graduated highschool at 16 and attended North Carolina

PHOTO BY ERIC MARQUEZ

Tressie Cottom told audience that her experience at ITT Tech led her to go back to school and later research for-profit institutions.

Central University on a full ride scholarship until she reached her senior year when she says, “I kinda just stopped going, I don’t even know why I just stopped.” Cottom explains, “one day turned into 10 then 15 which is why I know when my students start slipping away from me ... because by day 16 it’s too late.”

The idea of involving personal narrative in the understanding of research was the theme of the night’s event. Richard Godbeer, Director of VCU’s Humanities Research Center, opened the event by telling attendees how he attended Oxford University with support from the UK’s social welfare programs.

He graduated without debt which he described as, “transformational in a profoundly damaging way.”

In contrast, Cottom grew up in Eastern North Carolina and one point said, “If you’re going to think I’m brilliant, you’re going to accept the fact that I’m Southern” - challenging the traditional norms expected of academics in higher institutions.

Cottom explained throughout her lecture that for-profit colleges specifically market themselves to appeal to students like her who are labeled as non-traditional students. However, rather than enroll a student she became an enrolling recruiter herself.

“This what I was trying to understand: what about for-profit colleges have been organized to respond to a certain type of student?” Cottom asked. “Because that could give me an idea of why so many people were suddenly making the same decision to go to a for-profit college.”

During her lecture she explained that the language “forprofit” is never used and according to a Kresge Foundation poll, 67 percent of currently enrolled students in for-profit colleges have no idea that they are in-fact attending such an institution.

For Cottom, it wasn’t until a moment when a manager scolded her for talking too long to a potential student she realized this type of education was vastly difference the traditional colleges of higher education.

“If you can’t close them in 30 minutes you’re never gonna close them,” her manager said. “We are not a counseling center, we are a sales force.”

Cottom said during her year and half research for this book in Atlanta she was informed that the biggest competitor for these institutions isn’t community colleges or four-year universities, but rather the military. Wartime makes enlisting rather than enrolling more appealing for the potential for-profit student — often low-income people of color.

The for-profit college set-up is designed to initially seem faster and easier than enrolling at community colleges, especially in regard to financial aid. What is normally a monthlong process at a traditional university - from paperwork and financial aid confirmation to entry tests - can be done at a for-profit in less than a day.

However, the average cost of an associate degree at a forprofit is $70,000 while an associates from a traditional community college is around $20,000.

Cottom, who speaks across the nation on issues in education, said for-profit institutions are fully aware that many students have invested in an education that leads to more debt, less jobs and lack of complete, competitive education but they won’t cancel their loans because it will lead to a “slippery-slope.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARK & MORRIS

GEORGIA GEEN Staff Writer

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, February 27, 2017 BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Jackson Ward Remnants of the Harlem of the South, Black Wall Street DAWN SCOTT Contributing Writer Richmond’s Jackson Ward has been referred to as Black Wall Street, the cradle of black capitalism, and the Harlem of the South. At the turn of the 20th century it was one of the most prosperous black communities in the United States with six black owned banks, insurance companies, theaters, stores and medical practices.

The neighborhood was also an entertainment hub for black artists who would perform at the white clubs downtown, but under segregation laws hung out at the clubs in the black neighborhood. Among those who frequented there are Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and James Brown.

Driving through Jackson Ward today you would find little indication of the prosperity that once was, however. There are few black businesses still in operation, although some of the buildings have been attractively restored, such as The Taylor Mansion.

Built in 1895 the mansion was once the largest African American residence in the U.S. Now it is home to the Speakeasy Grill, a white-owned restaurant with no historic sign out front. The other side of Jackson Ward consists to dilapidated low income housing developments with a primarily black demographic.

“Jackson Ward right now has been destroyed. It’s basically just a memory,” said Haki Kweli Shakur, who grew up in the neighborhood and has started a Youtube channel in the interest of black education and history.

“VCU historians, you know, higher education and regional education know about it, but it’s not being taught in public schools,” Shakur said. “That’s what made me want to put the information out there. So many of my people don’t know about it. I want people to know about William Washington Browne.

The only thing left of his memory in Jackson Ward is his house.

Its got a sign out front but that’s it and no one ever talks about it.

This man is an icon.”

Richmond became a black economic epicenter because of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, a fraternal and entrepreneurial organization started by William Washington Browne.

Browne was a former slave and Union Soldier. His organization chartered the first black-owned bank and accrued 100,000 national members, developing into a trusting and stable launch pad for black business enterprises.

The support of the Order of True reformers encouraged the success of the likes of Maggie L. Walker and Emmett C. Burke of the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank and John Mitchell Jr of the mechanic’s Savings Bank and The Richmond Planet. These business owners took on the leadership roles of “generationally grooming” successful black businesses.

(Above) A photo of what is present-day Gallery5 at 200 W. Marshall street in Jackson Ward.

During times of segregation a dollar would stay in the black community for upwards of a year. There was no reason for a resident of Jackson Ward to have to leave their neighborhood.

But after desegregation, black wealth started bleeding out into white services, sending money to white Wall Street and putting pressure on black-owned banks to stay af loat.

“There was a toxic side of integration,” said Michael Grant, president of the National Bankers Association, a trading group representing nearly 200 minority and woman- owned banks across the US. The black-owned businesses that had thrived during the early part of the 20th century were now struggling. The dollar that had previously supported the black economy for a year was now exiting the community in roughly fifteen minutes.

Then in the 1950’s, under the construction of the RichmondPetersburg Turnpike which today is highway 95, Jackson Ward was split in two.

“They ran 95 right through it. Split it in half,” Shakur said.

“This was at a time when Maggie Walker, all the previous leaders of the community were dieing, and because of the highway, places like Gilpin Court that had been set up by these leaders for low income families got overcrowded and just fell apart.”

Today, none of the black-owned banks that Jackson Ward was built on are still in operation. The financial meltdown of 2007 wiped out 40 percent of African American wealth in the US, killing off the already struggling community banks that were not part of the bailout.

“Growing up I was told that black people can’t handle economy,” Shakur said. “And I grew up in Black Wall Street. Didn’t even know it.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF VCU’S SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

A sold-out evening with Angela Davis

PHOTO BY FRANCIS STEPHENS

The legendary civil rights activist and scholar addressed students, faculty and staff at VCU

Davis lectured on the intersection between activism in the Civil Rights movement and activism in today’s broader social justice movements.

— continued from page 1 Despite her activism and belief the world has changed in many ways, Davis reiterated that “plus les choses changent, plus elles restent les mêmes,” meaning: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Davis is currently a Distinguished Professor Emerita at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she has been teaching since 2002, and the author of 10 books. She has also taught across the U.S. and throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe - including parts of the former Soviet Union - and Latin America.

She works toward the elimination of mass incarceration, has fought against apartheid in South Africa, worked alongside the Chicano movements, is at the center for multiple antiwar efforts, is an expert in Feminist Theory and, in the past few years, has continued along the politically-controversial path of uplifting organizations focused on what she called

“Black-Palestinian solidarity.”

Throughout her lecture, Davis made clear the role of BPP and other radical political organizations are crucial to the development of mainstream norms of basic equal rights, but she emphasized to the audience that it is irresponsible to only consume the romanticized notions of the BPP. Davis eventually left the BPP when she was forced to choose between the organization and the Communist party. Davis became a student and proponent of Communism while in Europe and continues her belief in socialist, though less communist-based, ideals. Davis said she also struggled with the gender imbalance within the BPP. In the past 50 years, the mistreatment many male leaders inf licted on women - ranging from abuse to documented serial rape, as in the case of Eldridge Cleaver - has put a massive stain on the value of the organization, and is in-part why it is still so heavily stigmatized.

“If you ask who does the fundamental work of building movements, you’ll discover, almost always, it’s women,” Davis said. “The majority of the members of of BPP were women, but when it came to the public speaking roles, men assumed it was their prerogative.”

Davis explained she wasn’t inditing men as men, but rather “inditing the system of gender superiority to which some men did not dissent.”

The struggle of gender balance, among other issues lead to, as Davis succinctly put it, “SNCC (the coalition between Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and BPP) falling apart because some of the guys couldn’t deal with the fact that women were insisting on a leadership position.”

Davis pointed out it wasn’t strictly a gender struggle in a traditional binary structure, but moreso the issue of gender in the context of race.

Later, when Davis was asked during a Twitter Q& A about how women of color could ad-

dress the systems of gender devaluing in social justice movements, she emphasized the important role of men in the movement to use their privilege positively and convince other men to come out in support.

At one point, Davis asked all the men in the room to stand up - around two dozen among nearly 200. She then personally encouraged the men to do their part in addressing the gender disparity and lack of recognition women receive in social justice movements.

Davis’s decades of experience in direct social justice action has made her an advocate of the invention of new methods of civil and political resistance.

She specifically referenced the the response in Ferguson, following the death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown at the hands of white law enforcement, as marking a massive change in the movement for black resistance.

“We can’t fight the police with the weapons they have,” Davis chuckles, “I’m sorry but we don’t have any tanks. The militarization of the police points that we need a very different approach.”

Davis closed her lecture with words of encouragement, offering an optimistic take on the rise of President Donald Trump, xenophobia and various legislation curtailing the rights of black Americans, other minorities and the LGBTQ community.

“I’m really excited for the next four years,” Davis said, “because when the future appears to be most low, compels you to reach deep down and discover reservoir of strength you did not know you had, and I think that is what is happening in this country right now.”

If you ask who does the fundamental work of building movements, you’ll discover, almost always it’s women.”

Angela Davis

9

10 The Commonwealth Times

Commune sponsors Made in RVA popup, brings local businesses together

PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

JASMIN ADOUS Contributing Writer

The accidental making of the Boatwright EMMA SUE SIMS Contributing Writer A man with a half-baked idea and years of dead-end work under his belt is what led to the award winning production of “The Boatwright” by Bo Wilson.

On stage at the Firehouse Theater, 1609 W. Broad St., the show is making its regional premiere as part of Wilson’s yearlong residency at the theater. “The Boatwright” expresses a common desire to “sail away to a quieter place” away from the hustle and bustle world we live in.

“I had been involved in some very entertaining but not very fruitful work with a good friend, trying unsuccessfully to hammer out a TV pilot, and the work stretched into years,” Wilson said.

“At some point I thought, with a bit of a smile, that we resembled a couple of Minnesota bachelor farmers, passing the winter building something absurd in our barn while we waited for the ground to thaw so that we could get back to being truly productive.”

This idea grew in Wilson’s head as he wondered what those two people might be building, who might they be and why would their venture be interesting? From there, the play culminated into what it is today: two men of different genera-

tions fighting their own demons — all the while building a boat.

Ben Callaway, one of the two characters in the show, is a fatherly figure. He holds his own views in high esteem and seizes any opportunity to give a life lesson. Despite his demanding demeanor, as his past and his motivations behind building a boat are revealed, his image softens.

Jamie Watson, the second of the men, is a college-aged aspiring film-maker. His endless persistence in his work drives Callaway mad, but working together has benefits for both of them. Watson’s demons are ones that plague many college students; in perspective of Callaway’s internal struggles, Watson’s character sheds light on similarities among people who may seem totally opposite.

Having these characters and plot in his head, Wilson said he had a lot of work ahead of him.

“It’s a great joy to see people of different imaginations and perspectives take the words which once lived only between my mind and the page, and to add designs and costumes and lights and sound and scenery and fully f leshed characters and to emerge as a finished production,” Wilson said.

The idea was there, but knowing problems would pop-up along the way is just part of the business.

“There are certainly surprises, and

one must occasionally adjust one’s thinking to the necessities of a particular circumstance, but this isn’t a job for the inf lexible,” said Wilson.

“I’ve seen four casts perform this play, and each has been different in wonderful and interesting ways. It’s a bad idea to operate on the assumption that there’s only one correct production.”

On stage at the Firehouse Theater, 1609 W. Broad St., the show is making its regional premiere as part of Wilson’s yearlong residency at the theater. “The Boatwright” expresses a common desire to “sail away to a quieter place” away from the hustle and bustle world we live in.

The show will continue until Saturday, March 4.

Tickets can be purchased at firehoustheater.org or by calling the theater at (804)355-2001.

Imagine a place that creates a space for local Richmond shops to converse and build connections with their clients.

That is exactly what Zack Banister did when he organized the first ‘Made in Richmond: Makers popup’ event at the Black Iris gallery.

“It’s having a storefront where they can actually sell more product because there is a place for people to come in and buy them,” Banister said.

Commune, an up-and-coming shop “with the flavor of Richmond” hosted the Made in Richmond event. More than 75 percent of Commune’s merchandise comes from local Richmond makers — ranging from leatherwork to jewelry to food items.

Shoppers who wished to support Richmond businesses found plenty of options, including vendors who do not have a brick-and-mortar store yet.

“I’ve only been doing pop ups,” said Nate Matthews, the general manager of Nate’s Bagels.

Banister said Commune is still getting settled, but there are tentative plans to include a café which would feature a pie of the week from Proper Pie. “Eventually we will be a one stop shop where you can have a taste of it all,” Banister said. “You want to experience Richmond?

Come to our shop.”

Commune will have their own website next month where it will release its own product line and tell maker’s stories throughout the month, according to Banister.

“Over time we will slowly release product line after product line and that will eventually culminate in releasing the storefront,” Banister said. “There will be a physical storefront and then a wide release of many local Richmond products.”

The two day pop-up event was widely attended, although one customer had a particular agenda in mind.

“Buying local is very important to my clients,” said Dianne Hentzen, founder of Caring Touch Concierge. “I had one client who put me in charge of doing her gift baskets and she said she only wanted all local handmade (products).”

Caring Touch Concierge assists with business’ client base. Hentzen coordinates behind the scenes to make appreciation a clear and consistent theme in businesses.

Hentzen said many people support local business because they offer new employment opportunities and keep money in the community.

Sam’s Take:

“I went to the south of the James farmer market, bought a number of things there and when I put together the gift baskets, she specifically wanted a list of the different providers and their contact information,” Hentzen said.

“So she really supports them.”

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“Get Out” challenges the horror genre to step-up its game Many people, like myself, were doubtful when comedian and actor Jordan Peele announced that his directorial debut was a horror movie, Horror and comedy are seemingly different genres, and the mixture of the two rarely works. How was Peele going to helm a legitimately scary yet comedic film?

I thought the movie at least being unique, when the trailer for “Get Out” was released. I did not expect it to be one of the best horror films released in the past decade. An impressive mix of genuine horror, hilarious comedy and thought-provoking social commentary.

Chris, a black man, is going to meet his white girlfriend’s family over the weekend at their well-to-do estate. While she reassures Chris that her family is too liberal to be racist, Chris starts to suspect something sinister is going on behind the scenes.

“Get Out” immediately tackles what makes horror great: its ability to tap into the fears of society. In America’s current sociopolitical climate, it’s easy to see how creepy a white liberal family trying too hard to appeal to a black person could cause concern.

Luckily, Peele and company expertly take this concept to its logical next step, creating an unnerving atmosphere as the mysteries start to pile up.

Between these moments of tension are scenes of comedy that surprisingly mix well with the rest of the film. The jokes are well written and more importantly, appropriately timed — making them great sources of relief from the thriller plotline.

Even more surprising is how the pacing keeps these conflicting tones from interfering with each

other. There’s just enough time between the scares and laughs to keep the transitions from being too rough.

The tonal shifts would be less effective if it weren’t for the great script. The standout is lead actor Daniel Kaluuya, whose facial expressions and comments capture hilarious confusion, but also terrifying uncertainty.

While all of this would have been enough to make “Get Out” a good movie, what elevates it to genius status is the film address the most hostile and violent issues of racism. The film has faced criticisms for its heavy focus on racial tensions, but the film is essentially a comedic take on the worst fears of those subjugated to systematic racism.

I want to stress “Get Out” is not anti-white.

The film does put rich, liberal white people in the role of the villains, Peele and company are not calling everyone in who fits in the category racist or telling the audience to not trust them. It’s more poking fun at these types of people and trying to get a difILLUSTRATION BY SKYE ALI ferent perspective in the horror genre while also adding an artistic take on race in an allegedly ‘color-blind’ America.

All of this culminates into one of the most satisfying endings I’ve seen in a horror movie in years. It manages to fulfill the desires of the average moviegoing audience while not compromising its intelligence and ultimate intentions.

“Get Out” is a near flawless film. Peele’s directorial debut shows a true command and love of the horror genre, while also being confident enough to not let this love get away from the message of the movie.

Rating: If you like horror movies, or film in general, get out of your house and see “Get Out”

Want to get ahead of a busy semester?

Need to play catch-up? Interested in exploring a course that fills up fast or doesn’t fit in your schedule during the academic year? Check out the Summer Studies website for courses and updates.

ADVERTISEMENT

SAMUEL GOODRICH Staff Writer

summer.vcu.edu

CERAMIC WARE AND ACCESSORIES From jewelry and accessories, to tableware and sculpture, Bear Ceramics creates wearable and functional art. It strives to bring art into the everyday, whether it is dressing for a routine workday or a special event, Maslo Jewelry is made by hand, in her Richmond, VA studio.

SHOPS Maslo Jewelry – Nicole Maslowski (571) 278-7058 wwww.MasloJewelry.com Bear Ceramics – www.bearceramics.com IG: @bearcermamics.com

FURNITURE Van Jester Woodworks rose from the ruins of one of the oldest millwork shops in Richmond Virginia, Beckstoffers and Sons. This local business specializes in puts antique and salvaged wood from barns, factories, and churches to use. With a team from Besckstoffers and Sons, they can work on any project that comes their way.

SHOP Van Jester Woodworks – (804) 4610027 www.vanjesterwoodworks.com

CUSTOM KNIFES Join or Die has several different kinds of specialty, custom knives with the finest materials. They’re made locally by craftsman Brent Stubblefield.

SHOP Join or Die – Brent Stubblefield (804) 852-0392 www.joinordieknifes.com

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, February 27, 2017 11

a e H av

safe & fun k a e r b g n i spr

from the Commonwealth Times

spectrum

12 The Commonwealth Times

Together, Rams and Gators can do a world of good

Like you, we know the challenges facing our planet are greater than any one person or university. That’s why we admire what you’re doing and invite you to check out what we’re up to in our like-minded quest for the Gator Good. Together, our breakthroughs will help to improve the health of our global community.

As Rams and Gators, we’re showing what happens when the brightest minds come together in the pursuit of something that’s bigger than all of us.

G AT O R G O O D . C O M

opinion

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, February 27, 2017 13

Quote of the week: “I can say I did not set out to make waves; I set out to use the bathroom. It is scary. And it’s not easy. But I will do my best to help anyone.” —Gavin Grimm

ILLUSTRATION BY JIAQI ZHOU

Trump threatens Title IX

If a guy cheats on you once, why does it mean he’ll cheat again?

What if he learns his mistake and regrets it?

Regret is a very poor indicator of whether someone will repeat the same mistake. When it comes to behavior, look for patterns not promises. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t change. They just learn to lie better.

ION BY GA RE ILL US TR AT

US

FF DU IN IA

Don’t confuse all the Instagram filters, Snapchat stories and extracurricular activities with “fun.”

TH BE NTAL

L

Ha! This is actually one of my favorite college illusions. Relax, homie. You’d be surprised how many of your peers are broke, hungry and struggling in their classes, too.

BY

Why is everyone having so much more fun than I am?

ON

My point is don’t waste your time and don’t waste his time, tell him he’s a great guy or whatever you need to do to make him feel better, but ultimately tell him you ain’t feeling it. If it ain’t organic, it’s not happening.

TI

Be straight up with him! Let’s be real, as we progress forward into the age of Tinder, e-dating, and hook-up apps, courtship seems to an anachronism nowadays anyway.

I’m having two thoughts here: one is to find new friends, which sounds like a given. The second is for you to stop being so easily manipulated by passive-aggressive people whose toxicity you can choose to remove from your life.

RA

Good way to break it off when he keeps calling after one awkward date?

Your thoughts on friends who subtly throw shade and then say “just kidding” or otherwise make it so if you call them out, you’ll sound irrational and overemotional?

ST

And lastly: good luck. It can sometimes suck, but forgiveness is as liberating as they say. You can’t drink poison and expect someone else to die, which is all that holding a grudge is.

It’s most likely a combination of societal standards that you’re subconsciously trying to live up to. You probably need to take a step back and realize that you’re the type who would feel like they’re missing out either way.

It’s the first day of being a college student.

You don’t know where anything is and you don’t have anyone holding your hand as you scramble to find your schedule to see where you’re going and you have less than 15 minutes to make it across campus to your next class.

This is what newly admitted freshmen go through the first few days of college, unprepared and unaware of the obstacles they are about to face for the next four years.

Coming to college was a big deal for me.

No one in my family went to college so no one really told me what to expect and the adjustment wasn’t so easy. The freedom, the immobility, and the limited food options were all things that were new to me.

Not having my mom tell me to go to sleep would always hit me the hardest when I had to wake up for my 8 a.m. — another mistake I made that I quickly learned from after my first semester in college. After two weeks I stopped showing up to my class, a physical education course, where I definitely was not looking forward to being up that early doing jumping jacks.

But everything I went through was a lesson; the prioritizing, responsibility and understanding my purpose in college were all things I had to do alone and ultimately teach myself. College doesn’t come with a lesson plan and to be quite frank I felt like high school let me down.

High schoolers have very little help or knowledge about what to expect in college.

In my high school the most we had was the “career center” a small room that was hot and smelled like old carpet where a teacher would sit behind her desk all day doing God knows what. The room was filled with pamphlets and guides, but they served little purpose.

Had I known more

LU

Secondly, you have to be ready; your feelings, thoughts and emotions should be processed before acting forward.

Why is it that having a stable relationship in my 20s, not partying or hooking up with other guys all the time, makes me feel like I’m wasting my life?

DEAR EDITOR:

IL

An ode to self care First and foremost, forgiveness has to be something you do intrinsically for yourself, not for whoever or whatever situation may have hurt you.

Toward the end of his presidency, Barack Obama expanded the definition and scope of Title IX law, one of the Education Amendments of 1972 requiring all institutions receiving federal funding do not discriminate on the basis of sex. Obama’s adaptation effectively included gender identity under Title IX protection.

Last week, the Trump Administration stripped that right from students.

Trump tweeted during his campaign that he would fight for the LGBTQ+ community and recently-confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had made promises to protect the LGBTQ+ community. Now, many LGBTQ+ children and young adults are seeing those words as hollow.

The Commonwealth Times’ Sarah King reported in 2016 on the legal struggle of transgender student Gavin Grimm, a junior from Gloucester who was and is represented by the ACLU of Virginia, in his fight to use the school bathroom that corresponds with his gender identity.

At the time of the article’s publication, several federal agencies — including the U.S. Labor Department, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Office of Personnel Management — agreed transgender people should be able to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

“I can say I did not set out to make waves; I set out to use the bathroom,” Grimm, then a high school junior, said as he began tearing up at a press conference last spring. “It is scary.

And it’s not easy. But I will do my best to help anyone.”

This action by the Trump Administration of withdrawing the Obama-era policy is only hindering Grimm’s case, as it furthers the notion that such things as school bathroom laws should be a state issue, rather than a federal one.

That withstanding, the Supreme Court will hear Grimm’s case later this year.

At VCU, the university has affected a strict

adherence to Title IX and have put forth measures that lead to an inclusive environment for every student. Last school year was the debut of gender-neutral bathrooms, and there are now more than 40 single-stall, gender neutral restrooms on the Monroe Park and VCU Health campuses.

The “This Restroom is for Everyone” page states that VCU “supports a culture of inclusion and respect for persons of all backgrounds and identities.”

VCU’s policy is also to respect the student’s’ right to use the bathroom that identifies with their gender identity if they do not wish to use a single-stall bathroom or don’t have access to one.

Though this is written to be “in accordance with federal and state law,” VCU has yet to release a statement about whether the new policy will have any effect on the school.

Though these policies from the Trump Administration may not take effect at VCU, they are real, scary and harmful. The transgender and non-gender conforming youth communities, particularly, seem to be the target of the Trump administration’s recent measures.

This is a group of our society that has limited visibility and voice. The majority of the community may not have come out yet or may not be able to out of fear for their own safety. The majority of this group are not even old enough to vote and have their voice heard in the system yet.

We must demand of President Trump: Is this your version of “fighting for” the LGBTQ+ community? Is this what warrants your attention and energy as the “ jobs” president?

Many American students today are failing to see a supportive administration in the White House who vows to protect them. Instead, they see an administration that puts trans youth at risk by their conservative political agenda.

In light of this move by the new administration, we — as a student body of inclusive values — must help fight the good fight. We must use our voices for those who cannot speak up for themselves, but are directly affected. This is not student safety. This is not respect or morality at work. This is a matter of injustice, and silence will not subdue it.

Letter to the Editor

COLUMN

How do you forgive someone?

SRITEJA YEDHARA Staff Columnist

about student loans, the importance of prioritizing my class work and how independent professors expect you to be, I wouldn’t be graduating late. All throughout grade school we are babied and even courses that are “supposed” to serve as college prep classes did nothing to help ease the transition to college.

As I get ready to enter my senior year of college I look back and wonder if I could go back and fix the mistakes I made, but the issue is deeper than anything I could have done. For one, I and almost everyone I know knew little to nothing about FAFSA and how it worked as well as what to expect.

Another big change is how little help college students receive from their professors.

College students are expected to be able to handle the workload and form a sense of independence by going out and doing their own research when they’re having trouble in their courses. When one becomes accustomed to doing things a certain way, it’s hard to accept the new reality that sets in, especially when it happens quickly.

In grade school, teachers help you out with issues you’re having in class but as a college student I quickly realized that wasn’t the case.

One thing I had to learn on my own is the importance of being persistent with professors when needing help. Things like going to office hours and sitting in front of the classroom are two things I wasn’t used to, but quickly learned after failing my first class my freshman year.

Senior year of high school should be devoted to figuring out what the students next step in life is going to be and how to successfully transition with confidence. Whether it’s school or work, most young adults go into the professional world not knowing what to expect, which I feel is unfair considering how much time we spend learning things we will never benefit from like knowing the different triangle types and memorizing the preamble.

For those who are going straight to the work force, they should be taught how to write resumes and how to prepare for interviews. The lessons I’ve learned in college have shaped me into who I am and I know there will be many more lessons to come.

If high schools take the initiative and start teaching seniors about what to really expect, future college students will be able to handle the situations they come across with an approach that won’t make them feel hopeless and alone.

—AYA DRIOUCHE Class of 2018

comics

14 The Commonwealth Times

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Sweetheart by Elly Call and Shaun Jackson

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Shaun Jackson jacksonsk@commonwealthtimes.org Sriteja Yedhara yedharasj@commonwealthtimes.org

Staff Illustrators

Jiaqi Zhou zhouj@commonwealthtimes.org Skye Ali alis@commonwealthtimes.org

ABOUT THE CT The Commonwealth Times is the award-winning independent student newspaper at VCU, since 1969. The CT staff maintains all editorial and operations discretion. There is absolutely no prior review by the public, university or VCU Student Media Center administration or staff.

The Executive Editor writes and manages the Operations Budget.

The CT’s Operations Budget is a reflection of independent advertising revenue accumulated throughout the previous academic year(s). Operations expenses include salaries, phone and internet, postage, professional memberships, award submissions and banquets, FOIA requests, programming costs and travel. Each spring, the CT staff elects the next year’s Executive and Managing Editors, who then hire the remaining staff.

ADD YOUR VOICE

The Truth About Art Kids by Jiaqi Zhou

The opinion pages of The CT are a forum open to the public. Contributions are welcome by email to Eleanor Fialk, by mail or in-person at 817 W. Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23220. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The CT staff.

The Commonwealth Times strives for accuracy in gathering news. If you think we have made an error, please email the appropriate section editor. Corrections will appear on the opinion pages and/or online. One CT per person. Additional copies can be purchased at the Student Media Center for $1 each.

VCU STUDENT MEDIA CENTER STAFF Graphic Designers

Ashley Moody Desiree Choe Eric Ngo Rachel Lee Sarah Butler designers@vcustudentmedia.com

Advertising Representatives

Abigail Keatinge Kirsten Hauser advertising@vcustudentmedia.com 804-828-6629

Outreach Coordinator

Brian Glass smc_outreach@vcustudentmedia.com

Student Media Director Allison Dyche abdyche@vcu.edu 804-827-1975

Production Manager Mark Jeffries mjeffries@vcu.edu

Business Manager Jacob McFadden mcfaddenjc@vcu.edu

Assistant Business Manager Mikaela Reinard smc_assistant@vcustudentmedia.edu