The Commonwealth Times; April 3, 2017

April 3, 2017 • Vol. 58, No. 23

The independent press of Virginia Commonwealth University

NEWS Dominion lawsuit • 3

SPORTS Colonial Relays • 6

SPECTRUM “Jews and Booze” • 9

OPINION Painting Dept. Critique • 10

April is sexual assault awareness month Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. women and 1 in 71 men have experienced rape or attempted rape.

An estimated...

32.3 percent of multiracial women 27.5 percent of American Indian women 21.2 percent of non-Hispanic black women 20.5 percent of non-Hispanic white women 13.6 percent of Hispanic women

...are raped in their lifetimes.

Nearly 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men have experienced sexual violence victimization other than rape.

SURVIVORS OFTEN KNOW THE PERSON WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED THEM.

Resources VCU Police’s “You Have Options” program: The survivor can control certain aspects of a sexual assault investigation. Under the “You Have Options” program, student survivors can choose between engaging in a complete investigation, filing an “information only” report or engaging in a partial investigation that includes gathering evidence but not necessarily pressing charges.

Seeking medical attention: Evidence collection, also called a PERK (Physical Evidence Recovery Kit) exam, is free and does not require a commitment to report or press charges. PERK exams should be completed within 120 hours (the sooner the better) and are available at:

Preserving physical evidence: You don’t have to make any decisions immediately, but if there is any chance you might press charges, it is important to preserve evidence. Please do not change clothes or shower. If you do remove clothing, place within a paper (not plastic) bag. If oral contact took place, try not to eat, drink, smoke or brush your teeth.

PHOTO BY FRANCESCO BASTI

Carytown’s Byrd Theatre has been hosting the festival since 1993.

Information: VCU Police, VCU Division of Student Affairs, Sexual Assault Resources & VCU Equity and Access Services

SIONA PETEROUS Spectrum Editor Richmond’s streets were filled with the presence of French flags, celebrities and filmmakers as the annual French Film Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary from Monday March 27 through Sunday April 2.

The Festival was founded by husband-wife duo Peter and Françoise Kirkpatrick in 1993 and is the largest festival of French film outside of the European country itself. This years festival featured a 78-member delegation, 14 feature-films, 11 short-films and 14 symposiums.

Every year, VCUarts Cinema students are heavily involved in filming the festival. While in previous years VCU students were solely responsible for filming interviews with the filmmakers, for the 25th anniversary they put in a bit more work.

In addition to the interviews, the crew of about 25 students filmed all the symposiums, Q&A sessions following all of the films, awards and closing ceremonies and a handful of “special events” throughout the weekend.

This year’s festival was divided into two parts: Monday through —see “FILM” page 8

Spectrum

Female ink on the rise in RVA EMMA SUE SIMS Contributing Writer For many women the fight for equality extends to how their tattoos reflect upon their place at work — but in Richmond, some women have found an oasis from judgement.

For Dana Carlson, an apprentice at Lucky 13 tattoo shop on Broad St., her time in Richmond as a tattooed woman and artist has been a positive experience.

“I think Richmond is one of the few places where you can be a heavily tattooed woman and it’s not considered strange or novelty,” Carlson said. “But I know I can go two hours south to Norfolk and if I’m walking

around in shorts and a tee-shirt in summer time, I get blatantly stared at. I get cat-called way more.”

Beverly Yuen Thompson explained in her 2015 book “Covered in Ink: Tattoos, Women, and the Politics of the Body” that visible tattoos on women is more likely to encourage unwanted behaviors like touching — or a more difficult time in the word place.

“Men are considered more autonomous people,” Thompson told the Huffington Post in a 2015 interview. “When women (...) collect tattoos, especially when they become heavily tattooed and go outside the boundaries of ‘feminine’ tattooing, they begin to face social sanctions that remind them that they are not

Contact The Well at (804) 828-9355 or MyOptions@ vcu.edu to speak with an advocate and/or schedule an appointment.

You may also call VCU Police and ask to be connected with a 24-hour, on-call VCU Counseling Services therapist at (804) 828-1234.

VCU Health’s Forensic Nursing Office, (804) 628-0623 St. Mary’s Hospital Forensic Nursing Office, (804) 281-8574

French Film Festival celebrates 25 years in RVA

To connect with nonjudgemental advocates for support and assistance:

acting appropriately as a woman.”

Carlson said part of the reason she thinks tattoos are more welcome in the River City is because there are more than 30 shops within the Richmond’s city limits.

“I definitely think some areas are more tolerant,” Carlson said.

“The cities that have more (tattoo) shops per capita and have more of an art based economy, I think, are the more open-minded and flexible ones.”

There are also scientific findings indicating that tattooed women may have higher self-esteem. The caveat, though, is that they may also be more depressed.

—see “TATTOO” page 9

Unfunded federal mandates cost VCU millions SARAROSE MARTIN Staff Writer Virginia Commonwealth University estimates it spends about $13 million annually to comply with more than 200 federal regulations, according to a fiscal report Congress asked all Virginia public universities to submit as part of a review of unfunded mandates.

According to the report, VCU spends $800,000 to comply with Title IX, $1.84 million for safety, security and environmental mandates and $2.08 million for student programs. VCU spokesman Mike Porter said the increase in unfunded federal mandates did not have an impact on tuition.

“From where I sit, the regulations are there as a form of checks and balances,” said University Chief Integrity and Compliance Officer Jacqueline Kniska, whose —see “REGULATIONS” page 2

News

PHOTO BY ERIC MARQUEZ

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE RESOURCE CENTER:

News

Stoney’s first budget as mayor discusses the need for a clean-up, including leaf and trash collection.

Mayor proposes spring cleaning for the City Hall JIM THOMMA Staff Writer As folks begin clearing out attics, reorganizing kitchens and hoisting battered sofas to the curb in the time-honored tradition of spring cleaning, Richmond’s new mayor is hoping to do something similar inside City Hall.

Mayor Levar Stoney submitted a budget proposal earlier this month with policy goals that range from improving bulk trash pickup services and alley repair, to renovating fire stations and repairing aging utility infrastructure. The proposal also

seeks to clean up the city’s finances and includes a list of best practices for increasing departmental accountability, raising tax collection rates and pinpointing new sources of revenue.

“This budget continues to invest in the path to becoming a Triple-A bond rated city,” Stoney said in a letter to City Council, which is now tasked with debating and amending the budget ahead of a May vote.

Achieving a Triple-A bond rating, the highest attainable credit rating, would lower costs to borrow money and increase funds available for capital investment, or projects

requiring the expenditure of public funds for the purchase, construction, enhancement or replacement of physical infrastructure/assets.

In his address to City Council, Stoney said upgrading the city’s bond rating would be an important step in addressing the spending excesses of the previous administration. On the campaign trail, Stoney frequently criticized then-Mayor Dwight Jones for investing heavily in large economic development projects at the expense of core services.

—see “STONEY” page 4

Sports

Baseball falls to Cavaliars, bests Colonials Page 7

news

The Commonwealth Times

Monday, March 27 Forgery/Counterfeiting/False Information to Police/Obstruction of Justice 1200 N. Lombardy St. Closed Fraud - Credit Card 400 W. Grace St. Pending Impersonation/Trespassing 375 W. Cary St Closed Indecent Exposure 900 W. Main St. Closed All Other Larceny Cary and Belvidere Apt. 601 W. Cary St. Pending Trespassing 7-11 221 W. Main St. Reported by Outside Agency Obscene/Threatening Phone Call 812 Norton St. Reported by Outside Agency

REGULATIONS: Virginia schools estimate federal mandates cost them millions

— “REGULATIONS,” continued from page 1 position is independent from university management. “If we didn’t have the regulations would we always do the same things? Probably not,” Kniska said. “I think when funding is an issue and dollars are scarce, you have to make decisions.”

At VCU, federal regulation costs range from athletics to research to policing. Kniska said that more money may go toward areas of special interest to a university — such as research — where VCU estimates it spends more than $6.5 million, the most of any regulated category.

Kniska stressed that there is a caveat, though: because federal regulations cover such a broad range of areas, and involve so many people, it’s hard to determine exactly how

Tuesday, March 28 Drug Violation BBD Deck 700 W. Broad St. Closed Drug Violation Brandt Hall 710 W. Franklin St. Closed City Code Violation 200 N. Belvidere St. Closed City Code Violation 400 Shafer St Closed City Code Violation 900 W. Grace St. Closed

There are so many things that go into creating these regulations. Could we do without some of them?

Sure.”

Jacqueline Kniska VCU Integrity and Compliance Officer

Theft From Building Cabell Library 901 Park Ave. Pending Destruction of Property - Private 1106 W. Main St. Reported by Outside Agency Motor Vehicle Theft 500 W. Grace St. Reported by Outside Agency

Wednesday, March 29 Theft From Building ALC 1000 Floyd Ave Pending Shoplifting ABC 1500 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency

VCU spends

Federal requirements grew by

$13 56% million

from 1997 to 2012

Robbery - Individual 224 E. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency False Pretenses/Swindle 719 W. Leigh St. Reported by Outside Agency Hit and Run 700 W. Main St Reported by Outside Agency

Thursday, March 30 False Pretenses/Swindle 830 W. Grace St. Pending Theft From Building Cabell Library 901 Park Ave. Pending Burglary/B&E - Residential 1525 Floyd Ave. Reported by Outside Agency Shoplifting ABC 1217 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency Hit and Run 500 W. Broad St. Reported by Outside Agency Simple Assault 99 N. Belvidere St/W. Franklin St. Reported by Outside Agency

Friday, March 31 Drunkenness B100 W. Canal St Closed. CBA. Alcohol Violation/All Other Offense B900 W. Grace St. Closed. CBA. Alcohol Violation B400 N. Harrison St. Closed. CBA.

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

much money is solely dedicated to each and therefore the estimates put forth by VCU Finance and Budget is simply an estimate.

“I gave (Finance) the list of regulations — that doesn’t have dollar signs next to it. We don’t collect it that way,” Kniska said. “We don’t have, you know, ‘Jaclyn salary’ attached to the federal mandates that are unfunded ... so when we responded we said, look these are our best guesses, but we don’t track money this way.”

Estimated university compliance costs are high across the state, through. The University of Virginia reports it spends $20 million a year in compliance. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, U.Va. said they have added at least four full-time positions to handle increased regulations.

The College of William and Mary gives a “conservative estimate” of $4.5 to $6.7 million in annual costs; Longwood estimates $2 million in expenses including $310,425 annually to comply with Title IX, $299,662 on the financial aid program and $155,195 on the Clery Act. The number of federal requirements for higher education institutions grew by 56 percent from 1997 to 2012; in the five years Kniska has been at VCU since she said she has seen increased attention on federal mandates.

Kniska said specific focus on a regulated area — Title IX, for example — depend on the federal administration.

During his tenure, former President Barack Obama significantly heightened the standard of reporting sexual assaults on college campuses, and there are now more than 200 colleges and universities under federal investigation under the Office of Civil Rights in D.C. While there are a subset of external areas — such as the OCR — that require an external monthly report to the Department of Education, Kniska said she does not

to comply with more than 200 federal regulations

$1.84 mil

for safety, security, & environmental mandates

$800,000 Title IX

$2.08 mil student programs

$6.5 research

mil

think there are too many regulations but some of the details could be filtered down.

“You have to fill outs forms and give quarterly reports.

All the details — that can get to be a little bit cumbersome.

The way in which the regulations are carried out, the compliance with the regulations — that can be streamlined,” Kniska said. “I think the regulations have very good intentions.”

U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested that universities submit the information in a December letter to Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford).

The request may be tied to President Donald Trump’s promise to drastically reduce federal regulations. In February, Virginia’s Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., an evangelical leader who endorsed Trump’s campaign, was asked to lead a White House task force to help reform the higher education system.

A Liberty spokesman said Falwell would focus on overregulation. Falwell has said in the past that the unnecessary micromanagement of higher education is ultimately driving up the cost for public university tuition.

In contrast, Kniska said compliance will not simply go away.

“One of my favorite sayings is ‘laws are created where ethics have failed,’ because if everyone did things on the up and up and the way they were supposed to do it, we wouldn’t have volumes upon volumes of regulations,” Kniska said. “There are so many things that go into creating these regulations. Could we do without some of them?

Sure.”

Longwood Estimated university compliance costs

$2 million

UVA

$20 million

W&M

$4.5$6.7 million

INFOGRAPH BY RACHEL LEE

CRIME LOG

Richmond's 2016 mayoral dropouts inspire change to Virginia election law MARY LEE CLARK Staff Writer The 2016 Richmond mayoral race was one for the books. A total of eight candidates debated throughout the year — all of which remained on the ballot in November — but three withdrew from the race.

Additionally, not all of the candidates who withdrew submitted their official paperwork to properly notify the local registrars and Tyler, Junes and Baliles received 2,334 of the total votes according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Last week, Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed a bill into law which would prevent the latter scenario from reoccurring in future elections.

“This bill will help provide the most accurate and up-to-date information to voters of our Commonwealth,” said Betsy Carr (DRichmond), who sponsored the

bill, when speaking to the floor of the House earlier this General Assembly session.

HB 1933 sets guidelines for the Department of Elections regarding candidates withdrawing from a race by stating candidates may only withdraw by a signed, written notice sent to the general registrar.

In the event a candidate withdraws from the race but remains on the ballot, polling places must post a list of the withdrawn candidates to notify voters.

The bill passed both chambers easily with little debate and the rules will take effect in July.

During Richmond’s mayoral race, the three candidates who ultimately withdrew — Bruce Tyler, Bobby Junes, and Jon Baliles — dropped out of the race in its final weeks after the ballots had been printed.

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

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

For an off-campus emergency: 911.

CT FILE PHOTO

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ILLUSTRATION BY SHANNON WRIGHT

During the 2016 Richmond mayoral race, three of the eight candidates withdrew from the race after the ballots had already been printed.

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, April 3, 2017

Dominion Virginia Power violates

Clean Water Act

HIBA AHMAD Online Editor A federal judge ruled Dominion Virginia Power has violated the Clean Water Act through the discharge of arsenic from their Chesapeake Energy Center (CEC) into surrounding surface waters on March 23.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club, who was represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, the CEC has burned coal to generate electricity for over fifty years.

The remaining ash is stored in a pond and lagoons around the CEC have leaked arsenic into surrounding groundwaters that made its way into surface waters, which ultimately lead into the Elizabeth River.

According to the Clean Water Act of 1972, companies and organizations must secure a permit to release pollutants into surrounding ground and surface waters. Though Dominion does have certain permits, it does not hold the necessary

ones that would allow it to discharge pollutants from the CEC, including arsenic, into the surrounding surface waters, according to the lawsuit.

However, the court ruled in favor of Dominion arguing that the Sierra Club’s claim did not yield for harsh penalties.

In his ruling last Thursday, federal Judge John Gibney asked both Dominion and SELC to submit briefs outlining a “detailed remedial plan” but did not require the complete shutdown and excavation of the ponds.

Deborah Murray, one of the SELC attorneys on the case, said she commended Gibney’s ruling, but wished the court had ordered an entire clean up.

“The law is clear: when someone violates the Clean Water Act, the polluter must stop the violation,” Murray said. “Here, that means getting the ash out of the groundwater.”

According to Seth Heald, chair of the Sierra Club’s Virginia chapter, the push to excavate and remove coal ash ponds located close to the

Elizabeth River is due to the river’s susceptibility to flooding. “(The ruling) is important for all Virginians who seek to hold (Dominion) responsible for its mishandling of toxic coal ash,” Heald said.

“Now we must push Dominion to do the right thing and get this toxic coal ash out of the groundwater.”

Virginia isn’t the only state seeking environmental organizations shut down coal ash ponds created by energy companies. In 2015, Duke Energy of North Carolina pleaded guilty on 18 charges involving nine federal Clean Water Act crimes at five coal ash sites across the state.

On March 22, one day before the ruling on the CEC case, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe amended Senate Bill 1398 to call on Dominion to submit their plans to address the current water pollution from the leaking coal ash ponds, long-term safety risks from flooding and “evaluations of excavation or recycling for concrete options” by December 2017.

McAuliffe sent the bill back to the General Assembly, who will review the amended measure when it

reconvenes for a one-day session on April 5.

Dean Naujoks of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network said the proposed amendment is a step in the right direction.

“We’re hopeful that Virginia legislators will do the same — the people of Virginia deserve a solution that protects their drinking water and their property values,” Naujoks said.

The law is clear: when someone violates the Clean Water Act, the polluter must stop the violation.

Seth Heald Sierra Club VA

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Mayor says city’s ability to borrow is “maxed out” — “STONEY,” continued from page 1 “Because our outstanding debt has doubled over the previous eight years to more than $800-million, our credit limit— our ability to borrow— is effectively maxed out,” Stoney said.

In February, Stoney made a visit to the New York office of Fitch Ratings, one of three nationally— recognized credit rating agencies for municipal governments. Last month, Fitch reaffirmed Richmond’s AA+ rating— just one notch below the Triple-A bond rating for the previous fiscal year.

“Our attention to key financial best practices and growth in economic development proved to be key drivers in Fitch’s analysis,” said Selena Cuffee-Glenn, Richmond’s Chief Administrative Officer.

Stoney’s renewal emphasis on best practices and other, shortterm solutions, such as raising utility rates and making “significant cuts” to many departments and non-governmental programs, are efforts to solve the city’s financial woes.

To combat this, the city may offer a tax amnesty period where residents who owe taxes to the city could pay without facing additional fees and interest— a policy the city’s Finance Department expects would generate an additional $2.4 million.

Stoney administration spokesman Jim Nolan cited effective implementations of such a policy in Portland, Akron and Philadelphia municipal governments, as well as by the states of Ohio, Texas and New Jersey.

The budget also aims to increase the city’s real estate tax collection rate from 96 to 97 percent in the coming year, which will increase revenue by another $2.4 million.

Additionally, the proposed creation of two new internal service funds are intended to force the Department of Public Utilities to pay for their fair share of the costs of information technology and risk management. According to Nolan, the costs have, until now, largely fallen on the city’s taxpayers.

In the event these measures result in the envisioned rating upgrade, Nolan pinpointed a number of priorities for the subsequent increase in funds available for capital investment projects, including maintenance and renovation of public schools.

Because our outstanding budget has doubled over the previous eight years to more than $800-million, our credit limit (...) is effectively maxed out.”

PHOTO BY PILAR CURTIS

Levar Stoney, Richmond Mayor

Federal judge John Gibney requested Dominion and SELC provide “detailed remedial plans” on coal ash clean up.

PHOTO BY

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“Over the last 10 years, there has also been deferred investment on important infrastructure needs such as repairs to our bridges and roads, improvements to our fire and police facilities and replenishing our depleted fleet of trucks and vehicles,” Nolan said. “Available capital would help us address these long-neglected challenges.”

An important aspect of implementing these policies, and locating further areas in need of reform, is the city’s auditing process, which has recently been central to a very public dispute between Stoney’s finance director, John Wack, and City Auditor Umesh Dalal.

During a City Council meeting last month, Wack rejected Dalal’s requests for information on tax collection, insisting that a financial audit was unnecessary. The altercation prompted the Stoney administration to intervene, stating firmly that the mayor would work with Council President Chris Hilbert to develop a process in which outstanding taxes owed to the city would be paid back.

But the audit isn’t the only area where the mayor’s administration is drawing fire as the budget proposal works its way through City Council.

The mayor’s push to reinvest in core services, in addition to bulk trash pickup, grass-cutting, and alley repair, also includes a switch from yearly to biweekly brush collection, and offsets the associated cost by raising utility rates and forcing citizens to bag their own leaves.

Peggy Holt, resident of the leafy Stratford Hills neighborhood, told NBC12 the new policy would hurt elderly folks like herself, who are currently able to simply blow leaves to the curb for collection by vacuum-enabled trucks.

“I’m 70 years old, and now I have to bag up all these leaves so the city can do their job,” Holt said.

Stoney is pushing to reinvest in core services for the city. This includes grass cutting and alley clean-up.

4

The Commonwealth Times

McAuliffe vetoes six more bills, GOP calls him “disengaged” in exchange for registering people to vote.

RODRIGO ARRIAZA Contributing Writer

Gov. Terry McAuliffe last Monday vetoed six bills, including three that Republicans said would help prevent voter fraud but the Democratic governor said would create barriers to voting.

McAuliffe has now vetoed 37 bills from the General Assembly’s 2017 session – and 108 during his four-year term as governor, surpassing any of his predecessors.

Republican legislative leaders say McAuliffe has broken his promise to be bipartisan, calling his office “the most disengaged administration we have ever worked with.”

The governor’s supporters say he is a firewall to block bad bills passed by a gerrymandered legislature.

“This new record is the disappointing result of four years of failed leadership by a disengaged governor, and is certainly not something to be celebrated,” Speaker William Howell and other GOP House leaders said in a statement last week. “Divided government has been the norm over the past two decades of Virginia politics, but this governor has brought a new level of animosity and acrimony than we’ve ever seen.”

McAuliffe maintains that it’s Republicans who are playing politics – by sending him bills that he says are unnecessary or dangerous.

On Monday morning, he vetoed:

INFOGRAPH BY RODRIGO ARIAZA

SB 1253, sponsored by Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (RHarrisonburg), which would have required electronic poll books to include photo identification of registered voters.

SB 1455, sponsored by Sen. Dick Black (R-Loudoun), which would have made it a Class 1 misdemeanor to solicit or accept payment

The percentage of Virginians without health insurance fell by 2 percentage points in 2015, according to data released last Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. All but two localities in Virginia saw a drop in the number of uninsured residents.

The uninsured population of Virginia fell from 12.4 percent in 2014 to 10.4 percent in 2015, the data showed. Nationwide, the proportion of Americans lacking health insurance went from 13.5 percent to 10.9 percent.

Health insurance has been the subject of political debate at the federal and state levels. The goal of the Affordable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare, was to get more people insured.

Republicans say the law has been a disaster; Democrats say it’s working but needs improvement.

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Virginia ranked No. 28 in its percentage of uninsured residents in 2015.

Massachusetts had the lowest uninsured population (3.2 percent); Texas had the highest (19.2 percent).

From 2014 to 2015, the uninsured population dropped in all states except South Dakota, where the percentage rose 0.2 percent.

Among Virginia localities, the city of Lexington showed the biggest decrease in uninsured residents: Its percentage fell from

15 percent to 10.2 percent. The uninsured rate also dropped significantly in Highland County, Cumberland County and Roanoke.

The city of Richmond also had a sizable decline: Its proportion of uninsured residents declined from 18.4 percent in 2014 to 14.5 percent the following year.

Despite the improvements, more than 15 percent of the population was uninsured in a dozen localities in Virginia, including Harrisonburg, Accomack County and Manassas Park.

In many states, the reason for the decrease in uninsured residents could be the expansion of Medicaid, the government-funded health program for lower-income Americans. The Affordable Care Act offered states federal funding to expand Medicaid.

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have done so, according to the Census Bureau.

Other states, including Virginia, declined to expand Medicaid for fear that they would be saddled with the costs down the road.

Last Monday, Gov. Terry McAuliffe again urged Virginia legislators to expand Medicaid.

“Failing to expand Medicaid has cost Virginia $10.4 billion and has left 400,000 of our residents without health care,” McAuliffe said.

“President Trump’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed, and even Speaker (Paul) Ryan has said that Obamacare is the law of the land for the foreseeable future. The time has come for us to bring our taxpayer dollars back to serve the individuals who need them the most.”

Republicans, who control the Virginia General Assembly, are likely to reject McAuliffe’s request.

Under Obamacare Uninsured population from 2014 to 2015 Nationwide Virginia

Richmond Lexington biggest decrease in Va

No. 28 in U.S.

13.5% 12.4% 18.4% 15% 10.9% 10.4% 14.5% 10.2%

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AMELIA HEYMANN Contributing Writer

McAuliffe said that the state already has strict voter registration laws and that there is no evidence to suggest that voter fraud is a problem in Virginia.

On Monday afternoon, McAuliffe vetoed HB 2000, sponsored

by Del. Charles Poindexter (RFranklin), which stated that “No locality shall adopt any ordinance, procedure, or policy that restricts the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” The bill, which took aim at so-called “sanctuary cities,” would “send a hostile message to immigrant communities,” McAuliffe said.

He also vetoed HB 2092, by Del. Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun), which sought more scrutiny of people seeking public assistance, including whether they have received undeclared winnings from the Virginia Lottery; and HB 1790, by Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William), which supporters said would streamline government regulations but McAuliffe said would do the opposite.

On Friday, the governor rejected five gun-related bills, including HB 1852, sponsored by Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) and SB 1299, sponsored by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Winchester).

Under that legislation, people protected by a restraining order could carry a concealed handgun for 45 days after the order was issued, provided that they are not

The time has come for us to bring our taxpayer dollars back to serve the individuals who need them the most.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe

RAMAWAY

INFOGRAPH BY RACHEL LEE

Data says more Virginians have health insurance

SB 1581, sponsored

by Sen. Mark J. Peake (RLynchburg), which would have required voter registrars to contact the Social Security Administration to verify the name, date of birth and Social Security number of all voter applicants.

prohibited from purchasing, possessing or transporting a firearm.

“It provides petitioners of a protective order the ability to carry a concealed firearm for a limited period time in order to protect themselves as they see fit while they await the issuance of their permanent concealed carry permit,” Gilbert said.

In announcing his veto, McAuliffe said the legislation perpetuates a false narrative that victims of domestic violence are made safer by arming themselves.

“It would inject firearms into a volatile domestic violence situation, making that situation less safe, not more,” McAuliffe said. “I will not allow this bill to become law when too many Virginia women have already fallen victim to firearms violence at the hands of their intimate partner.”

McAuliffe also vetoed two other identical bills by Gilbert and Vogel: HB 1853 and SB 1300. Under those bills, the state would have provided funding to businesses that offer free gun safety and training programs for victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking or family abuse.

Moreover, anyone who gets a protective order would have received a list of firearm training courses approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services.

The fifth gun-related bill vetoed

by McAuliffe was SB 1362, sponsored by Black. It would have allowed military personnel who are not on duty to carry a concealed firearm in Virginia, as long as they have their military identification card.

McAuliffe called the bill an unnecessary expansion of concealed handgun carrying rights.

“The bill would create a separate class of individuals who do not require a concealed handgun permit,” he said.

The General Assembly will reconvene on April 5 to consider override McAuliffe’s vetoes.

sports

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PRESS BOX

Monday, April 3, 2017

5

Stat of the Week:

Lacrosse overcame a 5-1 deficit Sunday afternoon to defeat conference-rival Duquesne University by a final of 13-10.

Don’t hate the player, hate the game Understanding the collegiate coaching carousel

ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor Former VCU men’s basketball head coach Will Wade and former University of Dayton head coach Archie Miller left their respective fan bases feeling betrayed last month when they announced their decisions to depart for bigger schools with deeper wallets.

Wade signed a six-year contract with Louisiana State University less than a year after signing an eight-year contract with VCU that allotted him a $1.4 million annual base salary plus bonuses and incentives.

LSU’s former skipper, Johnny Jones, made a comparable $1.5 million in his final season in Baton Rouge. The financial details of Wade’s deal have not been disclosed, but it will presumably exceed these numbers.

Indiana University inked Miller — a more established coaching entity — to a seven-year deal worth “in the range” of $4 million annually, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Prior to their decisions, Wade and Miller were nationally-regarded as the hottest coaching commodities on the market. The fact that they left established and prosperous “mid-major” programs for SEC and BIG 10 schools as they enter the prime of their careers should neither surprise or anger anybody — even the most devout Rams and Flyers.

This is how college coaching works, folks — it’s a constant carousel where “commitment” means little more than a number on a paycheck and those who are familiar with the business side of basketball realize this.

“Congrats, Will,” said VCU 2011-15 point guard Briante Weber, who signed a slew of 10-day NBA deals before finally locking-in a long-term contract with the Charlotte Hornets late last month.

“Sometimes, you do what you have to.”

Wade and Miller took career opportunities that few — if any — young coaches would have passed up.

Despite LSU sporting a 10-21 basketball record last year and the fact that his introductory press conference took place in their equivalent to the Student Commons, Wade said he views the program as a “sleeping giant.”

His lofty perception is not without merit. The Tigers have been to four Final Fours in their history, the last in 2006. Big-time recruits are not unfamiliar with LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center either, as last year’s top pick in the NBA draft — Ben Simmons — spent his one year of college ball in Baton Rouge.

Oh by the way, this guy named Shaquille O’Neal went there — you may have heard of him.

The allure of the hallowed basketball halls of Bloomington, Indiana, meanwhile, needs no explanation. Miller’s decision to coach the Hoosiers was a no-brainer — sorry, Flyer fans, but that’s the reality of it.

Coaches can and will take the next step in their careers when given the opportunity. The amount of animosity pouring out of Richmond and Dayton, Ohio is frankly unfounded.

Yes, the VCU and Dayton basketball programs are in the process of taking the next step in their own progression.

The A-10 powerhouses are no longer nationally perceived as “midmajors” but rather aspire to be “basketball schools” akin to the likes of perennial contenders lacking the financial backing of football programs such as Wichita State University, Gonzaga University and Butler University.

This does not mean, however, that young coaches should be expected to wait around while these programs blossom. Jeff Capel, Anthony Grant, Shaka Smart, and now Will Wade have come and gone while basketball on Broad Street has continued to grow and prosper.

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VCU basketball will not skip a beat under top Final Four assistant and new head coach Mike Rhoades, nor will Dayton experience a lull under its new leader, Smart’s predecessor Grant, who played there from 1983-87 and made two NCAA tournaments.

Gregg Marshall has been the head coach at Wichita State since 2007, and Mark Few has led the Bulldogs of Gonzaga since 1999. Both have turned down a litany of offers from bigger schools and even NBA teams during their tenures.

These are the programs, and that is the type of long-term commitment which VCU and Dayton seek to emulate. Fans are completely within their rights to feel betrayed at the abrupt departure of coaches they had hoped would be in it for the long haul.

The animosity from fans has been blatantly excessive, though.

Wade and Miller, who are both considerably younger than Marshall and Few, are doing exactly what the vast majority would do in their situations — we just don’t realize it, because our passion for our schools clouds our perception.

There is, however, a choice decorum and manner in which the move should transpire, and Wade, unlike Miller, did not adhere to these unwritten rules. Granted, Wade has no deep ties to VCU — he attended and began his coaching career at Clemson University — and only spent two years at the helm on Broad Street, whereas Miller has coached at Dayton since 2011.

But the contrast in their consideration for their respective players and fan bases is glaring.

It has been widely speculated that VCU players discovered Wade’s decision on social media in the same manner that fans did.

“Called it,” tweeted VCU junior forward Justin Tillman shortly after the news broke, suggesting the seeds of distrust had been present for quite some time.

Miller, meanwhile, bowed out of Ohio with the utmost humility and appreciation in a letter addressed to the Dayton community.

“My family and I have been embraced and supported every day since arriving in Dayton six years ago,” Miller wrote. “We can’t thank the University enough. Most importantly, to the PLAYERS, you are everything to us. This opportunity wouldn’t be possible without you. Whenever you need us you know we will be there for you!

Dayton Basketball will continue to thrive. Your biggest fans will be in Bloomington, Indiana.”

Would it have been that hard, Will?

It is okay to be angry with a coach for leaving his players and fans hanging.

It is not okay to let your passion cloud your judgment — this is a business, and Will Wade made a decision that will pay him more in the short term and set him up for a quicker climb up the coaching ladder in the long haul.

For Miller, Indiana is a cathedral of college basketball history and may be the elder coach’s final career stop if all goes well.

Wade made a decision that, for a young college basketball coach, was a no-brainer. It’s not fair to criticize his decision, but it is entirely in bounds to scrutinize the manner in which he conducted the process.

So, RamNation, let your passion flow in the form of animosity all you want, just make sure it’s not misplaced.

In the wise words of the venerable Ice T, don’t hate the player — hate the game.

VCUarts grad tees-off in 50 states in 50 days SOPHIA BELLETTI Sports Editor

You can literally drive a golf ball three football fields. That gives you this crazy sense of power you never get and it’s pretty incredible.

Teddy Leinbach, Director

PHOTO COURTESY OF TEDDY LEINBACH

Four best friends from Durham, North Carolina are preparing to embark on a mission to prove playing golf is the opposite of “haughty” and “mundane” and is instead a sport worthy of an audience outside the country club, too.

“50 Over” is a documentary produced by Airball Films, an independent film company founded by Teddy Leinbach, a 2016 VCU photography and film graduate. Leinbach will set off on an intrepid journey with his brother and two friends to direct and film them playing 50 rounds of golf, in all 50 states, in just 50 days.

The syndicate is composed of brothers Teddy and Jack Leinbach, along with their friends Hayden Swanson and Colin Wilkins. The foursome will begin their journey in a 2006 Scion xB on June 1 in Maine where they will travel down the east coast before heading out west, ending in the western tip of Montana on July 18. They’re then flying out to Alaska and then Hawaii.

Each day, one or two group members will play a round of nine-holes on the most accessible, cheap and public course at their disposal.

Airball Films is aiming to alter the public’s perception of golf from “old, rich, bougie and country club” to a game for people of all socio and economic backgrounds and, above all else, “fun.” The group argues there are cheap and accessible ways to play golf and they want to explore the raw outlets that aren’t elitist or expensive.

“Whenever you see advertisements on TV it’s with lush green fairways and old people in polos, but that’s not the only way you can play golf and I think if people knew that they would play more,” Teddy said. “That’s like the NBA arena of golf. The outdoor concrete court version of golf is the course that you pay 10 bucks to play where there’s no dress code and the course may not be perfect but in that imperfection you can find a true love for the sport because there’s none of the frills of the country club atmosphere to distract you.”

Airball Films is in the planning process and raising money on an Indiegogo page. The team is budgeting for $14,366 to pay for food, gas, golf, plane tickets to Alaska and Hawaii, camera equipment and the occasional motel room when the team isn’t camping or staying with friends or family.

The “50 Over” crew is made up of four twenty-something year olds who are slightly more passionate about golf than most people their age. They find the combination of the mental and athletic aspects of the game appealing and distinct compared to other sports.

“Golf is inspiring in itself,” Jack said. “It makes you work so hard and it challenges you. It’s almost like you can never play well, it’s always pushing you. While there is extraordinary satisfaction, there is twice as much frustration and I think it pushes people to their limit. It’s almost addicting in a way.”

Teddy said the film will be deemed successful if he hears from nongolfers “50 Over” inspired them to try golf and they enjoyed it.

“In every sport there’s that very basic thing that you fall in love with,” Teddy said. “At a very basic level just hitting a ball feels really good (…) You can literally drive a golf ball three football fields. That gives you this crazy sense of power you never get and it’s pretty incredible.”

The idea for “50 Over” flourished when the Leinbach brothers were

Filmmaker Teddy Leinbach said “50 Over” is a candid film. He chose some of his closest friends to display a different side of golf. tossing around ideas for the most enthralling feasible projects involving film and golf. Teddy said the vision to change the stereotype of golf came after the fact.

“It started off as a fun thing and then we realized we should make it universal for people and we figured we play golf, we love golf, but we don’t really embody the stereotype of golf so we should use what we’re doing to promote the game of golf,” Teddy said.

Jack said time constraints will be a challenging aspect of the trip — on any given day, the group could run into a number of problems from car troubles to the weather that could hinder their mission, but Jack is confident they will persevere.

Swanson reiterated the concern about hitting a round of golf in every

state everyday but said, given Teddy’s track record of successful films, he is confident the documentary will be successful. “(At first) I said it’s too little time, you can’t make it happen, it’s impossible,” Swanson said. “It was important it went from 18 holes to nineholes, which is almost doable.”

In addition to showing the public golf is for everyone, Teddy said “50 Over” will be a portrait of the country. Golfers and nongolfers will be interviewed and discuss the conflicts within and among different groups.

“People are cool, people are exciting, people like get to know other people doing different things,” Jack said. “I think we’re going to meet all types of awesome people in every single state and it will show there are issues that are never going to go away but at the same time there is no need to.”

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sports

The Commonwealth Times

Field hockey’s GPA third-highest in the country for fall 2016

Past and present collide as Rams find success on golf course

NICK VERSAW Staff Writer The VCU field hockey team was named a Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Team after posting the third-highest GPA in the country for the fall 2016 semester.

In a season where the Rams finished a disappointing seventh place in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Black and Gold were able to respond by balancing their 7-11 record on the field with impressive numbers in the classroom.

The Black and Gold posted an impressive 3.58 overall team GPA for the fall semester — good for thirdhighest among Division I NFHCA member institutions across the country. They improved on the previous

PHOTO COURTESY OF VCU ATHLETICS

This team set the bar high for themselves in the classroom.

Alumnus Adam Ball (VCU Golf, 2012-16) received PING All-East Region honors in 2015 and 2016.

NICK VERSAW Staff Writer In what has come to be an exciting two-week stretch for VCU golf, both current and former Rams have found ways to represent the winning culture of the Black and Gold on scenic courses across the country.

Over the weekend, 2010 VCU graduate Rafael Campos closed out an impressive performance at the PGA’s Shell Houston Open after finishing seventh at 11-under-par.

Campos, who came into the weekend ranked 636th in the Official World Golf Rankings, found himself in the top-10 for the second straight tournament after finishing tied for 10th at his home country’s Puerto Rico Open last week.

Sunday’s final-round 69 gave Campos his best-ever finish in the 28-yearold’s six-year PGA Tour career. His previous best was at last year’s Puerto Rico Open, where Campos finished tied for eighth at 9-under.

Campos normally competes on the PGA’s Web.com Tour, but the former Ram’s last two weeks’ winnings more than tripled his total earnings in all of 2016. If Campos continues his strong play, he could find himself alongside 1997 VCU grad John Rollins with a regular spot on the PGA Tour.

This weekend’s finish puts Campos one step closer to achieving that feat, as his seventh-place finish earns the former Ram a spot at the PGA Tour’s

next stop at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. next week.

Joining Campos among VCU golf ’s headlines was current Ram Alister Balcombe. The junior college transfer earned himself Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors last week after a strong performance at the Seminole Intercollegiate early last month.

Balcombe, a junior from Clevedon, England, followed up his top-10 performance in Tallahassee, Fla. with a top-30 outing a week later at the Linger Longer Invitational in Eatonton, Ga. The Ram rookie is no stranger to success in golf. During his time at Iowa Western Junior College, Balcombe was twice named an NJCAA First-Team All-American and even qualified for the 144th British Open at St. Andrews in 2015.

Balcombe looks to replace the loss of former Rams Adam Ball — a twotime individual A-10 conference champion — and Steffen Harm as the Black and Gold head to Orlando, Fla. later this month to fight for their fourthstraight A-10 Championship.

Until then, the Rams have two tournaments to close out what has been an up-and-down regular season. They next head to Kannapolis, N.C. to compete in the Irish Creek Intercollegiate on Saturday. From there, they finish off the regular season at Penn State’s Rutherford Intercollegiate before heading to the Sunshine State for the conference championship April 28.

Stacey Bean, Head coach season’s notable figures after posting the fifth-highest national GPA at 3.5 in 2015.

In addition to VCU’s National Academic Team honors, two Rams were named Division I Scholars of Distinction, while 17 earned spots on the NFHCA All-Academic Squad.

Newly-hired Rams Head Coach Stacey Bean said she was proud of her new squad and their commitment to excellence both on and off the field.

"It's obvious that this team set the bar high for themselves in the classroom,” Bean said. “I'm extremely proud of their efforts. This achievement would not be possible without the work that Elizabeth Smith and the rest of our Student-Athlete Academic Support Staff put in on a daily basis. Their commitment to the success of our student-athletes here at VCU is second to none.”

Freshmen Bentley Zabicki and Rebecca Ward earned Division I Scholar of Distinction honors after the midfield duo posted cumulative GPAs of 3.9 or higher on the semester.

In total, 17 of 24 Rams field hockey players earned AllAcademic honors by posting a 3.3 GPA or higher during the fall, with seniors Kelsey Hideshima, Kaylee Maunz and Sydney Weise closing out their collegiate careers as four-year members of the NFHCA All-Academic Squad.

The Rams, led by rising junior and VASID All-State First Team forward Emily McNamara, will look to defend their back-to-back National Academic Team honors as they once again take to both the field and the classroom in August.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF VCU ATHLETICS

Track and field competes in Colonial Relays

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.

The men’s 4x200-meter-relay team placed first in their event on Saturday with a time of 1:26.93.

JESSICA WETZLER Contributing Writer

Track and Field will head north on Saturday, April 8 to compete in the George Mason Invitational in Fairfax.

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VCU track and field traveled east down I-64 to Williamsburg this past weekend for the Colonial Relays.

The Rams braved the stormy weather on Friday and saw great efforts from the sprint medley relay team and 4x100-meter relay team.

The VCU men saw positive results from the relay squads on the final day of the Colonial Relays, with top five finishes coming from the 4x200-meter relay team as well as the 4x400-meter relay team. The strong display of talent pushed the Rams to place 15 out of 45 at the meet.

The 4x200-meter relay ‘A’ team was the first collegiate team to finish in the event with a time of 1:26.93. Sophomores Jamik Alexander and Justin West and juniors Kareem Payne and Nicholas Buckingham made up the squad.

VCU improved upon its 4x400-meter relay time, coming in second with a new season-best time of 3:11.25. Buckingham and juniors Bigal Harrison, Kahlil Shepard and Devon Thompson made up the relay — their time is currently second-best in the Atlantic 10.

Freshman Stephen Halphen set a collegiate outdoor personal record in the pole vault, hitting a mark of 3.60 meters.

Sophomore John Lim leaped to a mark of 13.63 meters to finish seventh out of 20 competitors. The mark currently ranks third in the Atlantic 10.

Freshman Ian Davis finished fifth out of 39 runners in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.05 seconds.

West finished 10th out of 55 runners in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.34 seconds.

Sophomore Lozie Goolsby broke his personal record in the same event with a time of 22.47 seconds.

The 4x100-meter women’s relay team earned first place with a time of 46.32 seconds. The time — posted by the combination of freshmen Alexis Willis and Dajae Goulet, sophomore Latrice Morris and senior De’Nisha

Smith — is currently the number one Atlantic 10 time in the event.

Led by Willis, the sprint medley relay team came in second out of 30 teams with a total time of 4:00.30 over the 1,600-meter event. Willis was followed by Goulet and sophomores Ann Sheehy and Ashley Greenlee.

Freshman Christina Solomon and junior Amiaya Carey leaped to a mark of 1.65 meters in the high jump.

The mark ties Carey’s personal record and is currently tied for first in the Atlantic 10.

Greenlee placed eighth out of 66 runners in the 400-meter run with a time of 57.87 seconds — a new personal record.

Freshman Ashley Brown posted a time of 2:14.21 in the 800-meter run, good for seventh best in the Atlantic 10.

Freshmen Delaney Savedge and Judith White posted top five A-10 times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with Savedge finishing at 11:27.65 and White crossing the line just behind her at 11:28.76, respectively.

Senior Grace Giampietro pole vaulted to a mark of 2.80 meters, placing ninth in the event. Freshman Marian Osafo placed 28th in the triple jump, hitting a mark of 10.41 meters.

Junior Latasha Williams placed seventh in the shot put with a mark of 11.99 meters.

Freshman Samantha Yankson placed eighth in the hammer throw with a mark of 41.55 meters. Williams followed behind Yankson, placing 12th with a mark of 39.37 meters. Junior Ashleigh Banks then placed 15th with a mark of 37.05 meters.

The VCU women placed 17th overall out of 44 teams at the meet.

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Monday, April 3, 2017

7

Baseball falls to Cavaliers, bests Colonials

PHOTO BY ERIN EDGERTON

Junior first baseman/outfielder J.P. Vail went 1-3 and scored two runs in the Rams’ series against GW. He also collected a base kock in one plate appearence against the University of Virginia.

ADAM CHEEK Contributing Writer Baseball split four games last week, bringing their record to 16-12 by virtue of two wins against The George Washington University.

Opening their week of games against The University of Virginia at The Diamond, the Rams fell to the Cavaliers, but rebounded by winning the last two matchups of a threegame series against GW.

Sunday The rubber game of the series against George Washington showcased the Rams’ mettle, as they persevered in a 10-2 win over the Colonials.

Sophomore starting pitcher Michael Dailey notched his third win of the season, and senior center fielder Logan Farrar led the way at the plate with three hits.

Freshman shortstop Paul Witt had another stellar game and continued his hot streak, driving in three runs to raise his season batting average to a lofty .381.

Senior outfielder Alex Gransback and junior infielder Daane Berezo tallied two hits and two RBIs apiece, and freshman infielder Steven Carpenter also contributed a hit for the Rams.

VCU jumped all over the Colonials to open the game, scoring two runs on two hits in the bottom of the first.

An additional two hits in the latter half of the fifth gave the Rams a 3-0 lead, and Dailey shut down George Washington by carrying a no-hitter through five innings.

Three hits in the sixth, along with a productive groundout and flyout, brought George Washington to within one of the Rams, but Dailey got out of the jam without giving up the lead.

The bottom of the sixth featured VCU’s offensive vengeance at its finest, as the Rams scored seven runs to take a 10-2 lead.

After two errors and a hit-by-pitch, VCU had men standing on the corners. A single scored Witt, then two wild pitches and a walk loaded the bases. Berezo’s single to center scored two runs, and Farrar’s subsequent single scored another.

Gransback’s double and Witt’s single

added another three to the board, abruptly giving VCU a sizeable 10-2 lead.

Freshman reliever Hayden Moore and junior reliever Luke Crabb combined for three innings of shutout relief, giving VCU the series win and its second consecutive victory.

The opening game of the Saturday doubleheader resulted in a tight loss for the Rams, falling 4-2 to the Colonials in the series opener.

Saturday (1) Sophomore infielder Zac Ching helped the Rams early by playing small-ball and bunting in a run in the second.

George Washington fired back with three runs in the opening half of the third, but VCU junior utility man J.P. Vail brought VCU to within one with his first home run of the season.

The Colonials used a scoring opportunity to make it 4-2 in the top of the ninth, and shut down the Rams in the bottom half to seal the win.

VCU avenged the loss in the second ADVERTISEMENT

game of the doubleheader, scoring eleven runs in a blowout of the Colonials.

Farrar, Gransback, and Carpenter all singled in the first to give VCU a 1-0 lead, and Ching’s bases-clearing double gave the Rams a 4-0 lead.

Saturday (2) Senior catcher Dylan Isquirdo’s third-inning double contributed to another four-run frame for the Black and Gold, and VCU struck again in the seventh for three more.

Two eighth-inning runs for George Washington negated the shutout, but VCU closed out the game for an 11-2 win.

Wednesday VCU’s game against the University of Virginia was another nail-bitter for the Rams, but ultimately dropped the game 4-2.

The Rams struck early with two runs in the bottom of the first, but the Cavaliers slowly plated four runs over the last five innings to cap the win.

Witt and Farrar each went 2-4 and scored a run. Senior designated hitter Darian Carpenter, Isquirdo, and junior infielder Mitchel Lacey all racked up singles as well.

Witt singled in Farrar for the first run of the game, and a drop-third-strike allowed Witt to cross the plate. A UVA sacrifice fly brought the Cavaliers to within one, and another run in the sixth on a VCU error allowed them to tie the game.

An RBI single in the eighth and another run in the ninth gave UVA a 4-2 lead, which the Cavaliers were able to preserve despite back-to-back singles by VCU in the bottom of the ninth — a rally that eventually sputtered before the Rams were able to push across any runs.

The Black and Gold return to the Diamond Tuesday to face the Tribe from the College of William and Mary.

Next, they’ll hit the road again for a three game series against the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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spectrum

The Commonwealth Times

On this day... in 1973, Motorola engineer and inventor Martin Cooper made the world’s first cellular phone call.

FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL Reviews

The annual festival celebrated 25 years in the River City

the occasion. The only theme tying these films together was how different they were from one another. This made for an exciting viewing experience covering various aspects of French cinema while

Coraline (2009)

IMAGE COURTESY OF FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

then acknowledged members of Virginia’s several Native American tribes present in the audience.

This inclusive message was represented throughout the film festival with the diverse range of films shown.

“It isn’t just about French people and it isn’t just for adults” said long-time Richmond resident, Gary Steely. “It’s about a French tradition of filmmaking used to tell many stories so it’s not stuffy or traditional in anyway. ” The film “Himalaya, l’enfance d’un chef”, or “Himalayan Childhood”, by Eric Valli is a fictional movie based on the dangerous annual track made by people living in the Himalayas from Tibet to Nepal to mine prized Pink Himalayan salt in exchange for grain.Sticking to an international theme, “Le Peuple Migrateur,” further explored nature when directors Jacques Perrin, Michel Debats and Jacques Cluzaud filmed the migration of birds in all seven continents over the span of three years.

Vincent Glenn’s film, “Finally, good news,” does take place in France. In the film a fictional Glenn becomes a social media platform billionaire who replaces the GDP index in favor of a “Vigi index” using an app that rates companies not solely on profit, but on environmentallyfriendly policies and workplace fairness. It explores and pros and cons of a technology-based-upheaval of traditional systems.

Similarly, the film, “Rock’n’Roll...Of Corse!” takes place between London and Paris and focuses on famed guitarist and singer Henry Padovani, who was raised in francophone Algeria and Corsica.

Padovani details his career from first joining The Police in 1976 to the release of his first solo-debut album À croire que c’était pour la vie (2007) and his strong, constant presence on the evolution of Rock n’ Roll since the “Punk” era of the 1970s and early 1980s.

After the film screening, Padovani answered a Q&A and performed a concert to a packed crowd.

The most anticipated event of the festival was the “Magic Lantern Show” by the Cinémathèque Français. Cinémathèque Français is a long-time partner of the French Film Festival and represented most of the the French delegation.

The show consists of a series of glassstained slides creating images which are projected onto the walls as moving images. It was made during the 17th century and not only was the world’s first projection but also was a precursor to cinema as we know it. The arrival of the “Magic Lantern” in Richmond marks the first time it has left France since the 17th century.

The line for the “Magic Lanterns” snaked down Cary St., but people didn’t seem to mind despite the chilling weather.The he excitement was nearly-tangible among the mix of adults, college students and children.

“It’s cool to know that Richmond has an international presence,” VCU student Kenya Williams said. “If this has been around for 25 years, imagine where the festival will be in few decades.”

educating audiences with Q&A’s from the filmmakers.

Below are three of the films screened at the Byrd Theater during the festival.

Henry Selick While this stop-motion animated film is only connected to France through its score from Bruno Coulais it was still a treat to see it on the big screen once again.

This modern day Grimm fairy tale is just as fantastic as it was eight years ago.

“Coraline” tells the story of the titular Coraline who is fed up with her parents and the house they’ve just moved into.

One night, she goes through a door on the wall that transports her to a mirrored version of reality, except everything is better. Also, everyone has button eyes, and that’s just the beginning of the odd and sinister plans hidden in plain sight.

Stop-motion animation is endlessly impressive to me, and the work from director Henry Selick and his team at Laika is nothing short of breathtaking.

Médecin de Campagne (2016)

IMAGE COURTESY OF FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

Wednesday were lecture-style symposiums at the University of Richmond’s Ukrop Auditorium and VCU’s Grace Street Theater with each day focusing on a specific topic. For the second portion, films were shown Thursday through Sunday at the Byrd Theater.

Monday was dedicated to Humanitarian efforts in film, with several speakers presenting their research and work, including Professor Nicole Brenez who presented on the role of cinema in empowering formerly colonized subject. She discussed the works of Clément-Marie Bazin, (JUMP) who created paintings on Central and West African cultures and history.

The future of film and technology was discussed on Tuesday with one of the many lectures led by Stéphan Fauteux, who discussed whether or not cinema would benefit from virtual reality.

For Ashley Johnson, who attended various events throughout the week, Tuesday’s symposium was the most exciting.

“I’ve enjoyed a lot of the films, but learning about the technology transition in the film industry and how the choices to film one way or another is a debate in itself was intriguing,” Johnson said. “We see the final result and forget that it isn’t just, Let’s film something great!”

Wednesday ended the symposium series with a focus on the role of music in filmmaking which included the screening of, “In tracks of Bruno Coulais.”

Bruno Coulais was the composer for the film, “Coraline” which played Friday evening. Coulais and the film’s director Henry Selic worked in conjuction on the project.

Coulais told the French Film Festival, “A composer has to meet directors halfway, and enter their universe without abandoning his own.”

Thursday evening showcased Stéphanie Gillard’s “The Ride” as the first feature length film of the festival. The documentary followed members of the Lakota Sioux Native American tribe as they make an annual 300-mile trek across South Dakota to honor their ancestors who were massacred at Wounded Knee in 1890.

During the Q&A session, Gillard noted that many films about Native Americans focus heavily on socioeconomics struggles.

“I was aware of these issues, but I wanted to tell their stories,” Gillard said.

“I spent time with (the tribe) , I got to know them and I knew there was more than just these situations.”

Before the film-screening, Peter Kirkpatrick announced that Richmond would host its inaugural film festival about Native Americans - “Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival” this year from Nov. 17 to 19 in conjunction with Native American actors and filmmakers, Chris Eyer, George Aguilar and Georgina Lightning, “This is a subject that all of us as Americans need to embrace,” Peter Kirkpatrick said. “It’s about a conversation that we never had 400 years ago.” He

Celebrating 25 years of international cinema, Richmond’s French Film Festival featured an array of dynamic films for

The animation is smooth and complex, while the environments are rich with detail and color, making the world feel lived-in.

The score from Coulais is another highlight, using a child choir singing an original opera to enhance the creepy imagery and tone of this fairy tale. In fact, “Coraline” is genuinely creepy and at times horrifying film, but it never goes far enough to be inappropriate for children.

“Coraline” takes its young target audience seriously, giving them a film that will scare them, but will also treat them with intelligence. “Kids like to be scarred to a point, they need to be scarred to a point” Selick said in the Q&A session afterwards.

Thomas Lilti

Telling the story of a country doctor coming to terms with his own selfish pride and terminal illness, “Médecin de Campagne” is a well made, if uneventful drama.

The main performances from Francois Cluzet, as Dr. Werner, and Marianne Denicourt, as his up-and-coming assistant Nathalie, are satisfying. They balance dramatic and comedic scenes, making these characters feel more real than the scrip would on its own.

The countryside itself is exceptionally portrayed, capturing the tight-knit communities present in many small towns.

There’s a real sense of comradery between the leads and within the town itself.

Magic Lantern Show

IMAGE COURTESY OF FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

— “FILM,” continued from page 1

SAMUEL GOODRICH Staff Writer

There’s also great attention to making the doctor procedures as realistic as possible. This makes the respect the doctors garner from the town seem believable.

I was surprised by how invested I was in the main story and the relationship between no only Werner and Nathalie, but that of these doctors and their individual patients. Yet itnever quite goes beyond being “just good”. The cinematography, story, writing and pacing is all either basic or maybe above average.

Despite a rushed and confused ending,“Médecin de Campagne” is a fine film that you won’t regret watching, but you may not remember it soon after it’s done.

Cinematheque Francaise

This special event presented a time capsule of the origins of Cinema, showcasing the earliest form of motion pictures. The Magic Lantern is a device created in the late 1600’s which projects images onto walls, creating a new form of entertainment.

Seeing it in 2017 is a cool novelty.

The images are reminiscent of classic paintings or sketches found in older books. The motion is rough, but impressive when considered in the context of the time.

The show consisted of three sections.

First, the story of Robinson Crusoe, second was a trip to hell full of demonic imagery, and the show was wrapped up with a series of comedic circus act.

What makes these scenarios come to live is a mixture of narration, beautiful images and realistic sound effects.

The narration was done by actor Na-

than Willcocks, whose overly dramatic performance come off as endearing, and unabashedly dedicated to this show. He was having the time of his life, and his readings matched perfectly with the sound effects, done by Zakaria Mahmoud, which enhanced the visuals by recreating the sounds of the moment.

On top of the immersive folly, there was also Aliénor Mancip expertly playing the harp to set the tone of the whole event. It’s at times soothing, at other times harrowing, but it never intrudes on the other elements.

All of these elements come together to create a unique experience that when done by the right, can be endlessly entertaining. Thankfully, the crew from the Cinematheque Francais went all in when trying to recreate the feeling of seeing this kind of show back in 19th century Europe.

“Jews and Booze” dives into history of Jewish businesses during prohibition DAWN SCOTT Contributing Writer To introduce an annual lecture celebrating Jewish culture, a donated 1750’s Torah that survived the Holocaust was paraded through Cabell library with a boisterous klezmer band on March 30.

VCU’s Brown-Lyons lectures have educated the community on some of the most important topics in Jewish culture and faith for more than 30 years. This year’s lecture, “Jews and Booze: Becoming American in the Age of Prohibition,” was presented by visiting professor Marni Davis, an ethnicity and immigration historian who has taught at Emory and Georgia State Universities.

Davis showcased her book “Jews and Booze” in a talk detailing the Jewish community’s involvement in the alcohol trade during prohibition, and how this affected their collective identity within American culture at the time.

“I feel very lucky to have alighted on this particular topic because it does interest people, and not only because it rhymes, though that has certainly worked out in my favor,” Davis told the audience on Thursday night.

Davis’ book was a finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize in Jewish Literature; her lecture detailed the time period between the Civil War and

Great Depression, but also commented on more modern Kosher libations as well.

According to Davis, the idea of “Jews and Booze” may seem counterintuitive at first — the faith traditionally stresses abstinence — but assimilation was key for Jewish immigrants in the late 19th century. This meant adopting the drinking habits of American cities at the time, and Jewish immigrants quickly established saloons and bars where they offered Kosher home-made wine.

“In the years leading up to and during national Prohibition, Jews who made a living selling liquor, or who defended alcohol’s legal availability, unwittingly acted as flash points for American anxieties about immigration and ­capitalism,” Davis wrote.

According to Davis, a sizeable portion of the Jewish community financially depended on alcohol sales for their livelihood. When the first inklings of the prohibition movement started seeping into politics, much of the Jewish community lobbied for “wet” politics in favor of legal alcohol to protect their common economic interest.

Despite wide-ranging protests, the Prohibition Act was added as the 18th Amendment in 1920. The law did include a clause that allowed alcohol use for religious ceremony, but unlike many Christian ceremonies, Jewish ceremonies took place in the home and not in the public sector.

Rabbis were responsible for distributing the sacramental wine to Jew-

ish homes, but because there weren’t any official doctrines on American Judaism, some religious leaders exploited the loophole.

Some rabbis with last names such as “O’Malley” and “Jefferson” could pass as white-anglo saxons and would access and distribute alcohol for public sale. The latter soon became a nationally-renown scandal and was not well received by the whole community, particularly Jewish immigrants devoted to maintain a “good” reputation in the U.S. “While many regarded Jewish bootlegging as proof that Jews were incapable of conforming to American values,” Davis wrote in her book.

“One might instead regard it as evidence of Jewish acculturation, since the flouting of Prohibition law was practically a national pastime.”

Exacerbating the scandal were Jewish bootleggers and gangs across America, and by the time prohibition ended in 1933 the two largest distilling corporations were Jewish.

Today, nearly a century after Prohibition began, there is a re-emergence of Jewish-produced alcohol on the market. Brooklyn’s “Shmaltz Brewing Co.” is a well-known craft beer company whose Kosher “He’Brew” beer is available seasonally; the “Whiskey Jewbilee” is an annual festival highlighting kosher whiskeys annually in New York, Chicago and Seattle.

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, April 3, 2017

9

Sam’s Take

Tunnel of Opression: VCU hosts an interactive education experience

VCU’s first “Tunnel of Oppression,” was on display last week on campus in an effort to educate the community about situations marginalized individuals face, particularly in VCU and Richmond. “(The) ‘Tunnel of Oppression’ is an active simulation where participants go through different rooms to kind of see firsthand some of the oppressions that marginalized identities face,” said VCU Assistant Director of Residential Life for Multicultural Affairs Ashley Gaddy.

Gaddy’s department, as well as the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and several other on-campus organizations sponsored the simulation. Western Illinois University was the first to host a “Tunnel of Oppression” and the concept later spread to other universities.

Hosting events such as tunnel is part of Gaddy’s job description, but she said the event was primarily student-run. Student tour guides led groups through the 30-to-45-minute-long exercise, which featured different rooms addressing race, LGBTQ+ issues, undocumented students, mental health and the media.

“I think it offers a chance for people to see what other people go through in their everyday lives,” said Krystal Hall, a pre-nursing major and gender, sexuality and women’s studies minor who was a member of the volunteers committee for the tunnel. “One person’s life is completely different from yours and you have to take your privilege and step out of that to be able to see the real issues.”

In addition to audio and a slideshow, the media room — which Gaddy said she is most proud of — featured drawings referencing the identities featured throughout the tunnel, screenshots of tweets showing instances of oppression and “gravestones” propped on the ground of notable individuals lost to racial violence.

The remainder of the rooms featured narration dictating instances of oppression. Each script took place in different settings such as bedrooms, a classroom and one on the street. Unlike the other displays, the mental health room featured an actor who accompanied the audio recording.

Gaddy said aspects of the different identities explored throughout the tunnel apply to many of the students, so they used their own experiences to write the audio scripts. For instance, Dianna Voronina, a math and computer science student, said she was inspired by elements of her immigrant background when writing the mental health script.

Participants also completed a brief activity where they bubbled-in the racial, sexual and gender identities that pertained to them upon entering the simulation. Certain categories, like “cisgender” and “white,” were intentionally omitted.

“It’s meant to expose you to what are the major identities and how it feels like to be a person of identity without something to bubble in,” Voronina said.

Voronina said the concept for one of the final elements — the “Tunnel of Hope” — was almost entirely crafted at VCU. While this aspect of the exhibit was also present at other institutions, Veronina said VCU’s rendition was original in design.

The “Tunnel of Hope” featured soft lighting, large bean-bag chairs and was accented by background music. Artificial flowers for students to take with them were placed on tables — an idea Voronina said she came up with to further engage the senses.

“We wanted students to be able to come through it and leave a part of themselves, or leave some hope and get something else from the other students.”

Veronica said. “You can talk and see what other students experienced.”

Gaddy said another purpose of the “Tunnel of Hope” was to motivate participants to engage in social change. Information about counseling and health services available to students was placed at the end of the “Tunnel of Hope.”

The tunnel ended with a facilitation and debrief, conducted by a professional staff member with a counselor present. Room monitors were also present throughout the tour because of the emotional nature of the simulations. Hall said she felt the room monitors to be the most important volunteer position.

“I’ve seen some people crying and this has been really heavy-hitting for them,” Hall said. “No one who’s running this tunnel would want them to feel uncomfortable like they had no one to talk to.”

The “Tunnel of Oppression” will return to VCU in March of 2018 with some improvements, according to Gaddy.

“This was more of an audible experience, we’re going to make sure we actually have actors who act out the scenes next year,” Gaddy said.

One person’s life is completely different from yours and you have to take your privelege and step out of that to be able to see the real issues.

Krystal Hall Student volunteer

IMAGE COURTESY OFVCU STUDENT AFFAIRS

GEORGIA GREEN Staff Writer

Female ink on the rise in RVA — “INK,” continued from page 1 “Tattoos, gender, and wellbeing among American college students,” a study published in the December 2015 edition of The Social Science Journal, found that female respondents with four or more tattoos reported a “substantively and significantly higher” level of self-esteem than those with less than four. In contrast, the same cohort reported a four-fold increase in previous suicide attempts.

Amy Black, an acclaimed Richmond-based tattoo artist who specializes in mastectomy — post-breast-removal surgery, usually due to breast cancer — tattooing, is trying to make the industry more inclusive and wants to counter the negative stereotypes surrounding people with tattoos.

Black said that while Richmond is a heavily-tattooed metro area, it’s unrealistic to call any

specific place, even Richmond, a “safe haven.”

According to Reuters, the number of tattooed women now outnumbers men, but that does not mean representation within the industry is not necessarily on par.

The popular reality TV competition show “Ink Master” reinforces this idea. While women have competed on the show — which debuted in 2012 and according to Nielsen is the No. 1 rated show for viewers aged 18-49 in its timeslot — a woman didn’t win until the eighth season in December 2016.

“It would be great to see a female Ink Master,” said competitor Kelly Doty (who placed third overall) to show host Dave Navarro. “So if one of us can get there, then that’s kind of a victory for all of us.”

Julia Snipes, a psychology major at VCU and member of the Army Reserves, said she sees an-

ecdotal evidence of lacking female artist representation in the industry. Snipes said that a man tattooed her each of the seven times she’s sat in the chair, although she said she hadn’t given much thought to the phenomenon.

“The idea of a man versus a women tattooing me doesn’t make a difference to me. It’s more about what their work looks like,” said Snipes.

Snipes said she has been tattooed in Texas, Oklahoma and Richmond. Although she said her experiences in each state varied significantly — from customer service to equipment — she found Richmond to be one of the more welcoming areas.

“Richmond’s got an eclectic style in general so you don’t really get judged or looked down on as much as, say, Northern Virginia in some medical office building or whatever,” Snipes said.

ILLUSTRATION BY GARETH BENTALL

“Ghost in the Shell” (2017) has more body than soul

SAMUEL GOODRICH Staff Writer Hollywood usually has a difficult time adapting Japanese anime and manga. From the unbelievably terrible “Dragonball: Evolution” to the polarizing “Speed Racer,” these films are usually not well received critically or financially. On the other hand, many other adaptations, like “Akira,” have been stuck in production-limbo for decades.

Enter “Ghost in the Shell” — the American adaptation of the cybernetic manga and anime film that released on March 31. Despite controversy over “whitewashed” casting and other changes from the source material, this remake is not as much of a total trainwreck like its other anime and manga predecessors.

Taking place in a near-future version of Japan, the film follows Major, the world’s first fully manufactured body to have a soul, or “ghost,” inside it after a fatal accident killed her family. In the film she uses this “shell” to fight new kinds of cyber-terrorism, but there seems to be more going on behind the scenes.

As an adaptation of the original 1995 film, “Ghost in the Shell” is bad. It ditches the philosophical questions about what it means to be human in a society constantly connected to a virtual world in favor of more crowd-pleasing action

and characters.

Yet, by its own merits, the film is a standard summer blockbuster with some interesting ideas that are not fully explored but are enough to make it stand-out. In fact, whenever the film tries to emulate or pay homage to the original, it feels awkwardly forced.

In contrast, the visuals, costume design and special effects are well done. The city is full of “Blade Runner”-esque holographic billboards, while Major’s robotic body mixed with her more human features are fascinating.

While the visuals are impressive, the same cannot be said for the action scenes. They’re either disappointing rehashes of classic scenes from the original, or simply boring. The use of slow-motion is somewhat effective, but it can’t quite mask the banality of it all.

The characters are also more developed than I was expecting.

In the original film, the characters served as metaphors for the philosophy, but in this version they’re given a little more autonomy, even if it’s only skin-deep.

The film also fails at creating engaging character relationships as these interactions are either poorly written or not written at all. There’s one relationship near the end of the film that’s supposed to be the emotional crux of the third act, but it was hard to feel any empathy for such shallow characters.

This brings us to Scarlett Johansson as Major, and the wave of controversy following the decision to cast her for the role. Criticisms of whitewashing are certainly valid — she is a caucasian actress cast as a Japanese character — Johansson does a good job in her role.

In fact, the film confronted the topic of whitewashing in an intriguing manner — although outlining the details would spoil the third act — until the filmmakers half-heartedly drop the ball at the very end. It was disappointing to see the producers not fully commit to a commentary on race within society — the connections are obviously there — but what material they do leave the audience to work with is enough to at least spark discussion.

In short, “Ghost in the Shell” is a movie with surprisingly interesting ideas and visuals for a big-budget blockbuster, but doesn’t showcase the necessary efforts to take these aspects far enough to become memorable. This film will mostly be discussed for what it doesn’t do to address race and Asian culture, which has already garnered a significantly divided response.

Rating: For fans of the source material looking for a new spin, or blockbuster fans wanting something a little different.

Pharmacy students’ event highlights the effects of unconscious biases EMMA SUE SIMS Contributing Writer Five VCU pharmacy students put the phrase “be the change you wish to see in the world” into action with an event aimed at addressing unconscious biases on March 28 at the School of Pharmacy.

Monica McLemore, Bianca Lascano, Precious Dadzie and Cooma Asonye created “Voices: Diversity and Unconscious Bias” as a way to increase awareness of how students respond, or don’t, to social events such as the 2015 Paris attacks or 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting due to implicit biases.

“The purpose of this event is to increase awareness of implicit biases and to ignite change in how students respond to cultural and social current events,” McLemore said.

The students’ concern ultimately led to the creation of a video series featuring interviews with fellow pharmacy students who were asked difficult questions about their reactions to such events, and primarily focused on whether the students felt personally affected.

Many of the interviewees said they immediately felt sadness when thinking back to the attacks, but many eventually said they did not feel personally affected unless they shared a specific commonality with the people who were attacked.

These confessions opened the door for conversation about unconscious or implicit biases.

“This entire event was created after a group of five friends were simply just talking about their frustration towards situations,” Dadzie said.

“Imagine if the conversation had never been started between my friends and I, or imagine if we didn’t have the courage to ask somebody what can we do.”

To much of the crowd, recognizing unconscious bias was a new idea. After each segment focused on a specific social event played, the room would open for discussion. Interviewees in the video series were also in the audience and

contributed their opinions off-camera, too.

“Talking amongst ourselves we were throwing out ideas but one thing that we really highlighted was we wanted to do something that would actually have a lot of lasting impact,” Dadzie said.

The event lasted well beyond its allotted time slot, and the group said they are planning on hosting future events. Lascano said she considers the idea for the event “seeds” and the stories others shared as the “forest” that sprouted from them.

“All the beautiful voices that were heard tonight would still be nonexistent and all the powerful stories and experiences that were shared would still be locked away within ourselves waiting to be told,” Dadzie said.

All the beautiful voices that were heard tonight would still be nonexistent and all the powerful stories and experiences that were shared would still be locked away within ourselves waiting to be told.

Precious Dadzie Event organizer

opinion

10 The Commonwealth Times

Quote of the week: “This was his polite (albeit pretentious) way of saying the thought of spending the rest of his life with you terrified him.” —Shaun Jackson

ILLUSTRATION BY SKYE ALI

Letter to the Editor A critique of the VCUarts painting program

llow me to outline the outrageous state of affairs in art. The state of affairs can be seen on the first Friday of every month. It can be seen in art galleries around the country. The very blueprint can be found on VCU’s campus.

For the first time since it’s inception, art has become incomprehensible to the educated public. If there is any distinguishing feature of modern and contemporary art, it is that the lion’s share is met with bewilderment by those who remain frank with themselves.

For those who humor their pride with feigned contemplation for the sake of public appearance, it is not your fault.

The artistic community has contrived an elitist program that insists that a viewer’s lack of appreciation must be due to a shallow notion of art or an insufficient intellect.

One of the most enduring qualities of art has been its tran-

scendent universality — its ability to speak to viewers without explanation. But in this moment, our moment in history, we are failed.

It is our instructors, the architects of our educational system, who are failing us. For us, the youth, we can only hope to identify their insensitive systems before we slip into thousands of dollars in student debt for an “education” that will certainly fail us both financially and spiritually. And so allow me to address the elephant in the room: the painting program at VCU. U.S. and World Report ranked VCU as the number one public, fine-arts school in the country— a fact VCU proudly displays. As they should, it is a fine accomplishment. I weep to think of how much more depraved and lost the other schools must be.

For of the collegiate painters I know, nearly none are able to paint realistically. Sloppy and undisciplined, they slip in impastic disasters that owe a great deal to

the Expressionists of the 20th century but lack every bit the psychological depth and intellectual rigor.

Greenbergian philosophies of flatness prevail in hollow forms of its intended aims. Outdated Minimalist principles and concepts of the non-finito are abused by the lazy and uninspired. And above all, hasty executions of Color Field proudly dominate, the inspirations of which certainly have Rothko rolling in his grave. Like students studying how to take tests, the painters only learn to have thought provoking critiques. This promotes insincerity and competition.

For those who are competitive they will strive for increased ostentatiousness and those who aren’t they will alienate their works in order to disallow comparison. Both are ruinous. But who is to blame when they are allowed only a month to complete a work of art?

Fundamental practice at a young age is as pertinent to a life devoted to images, as learning the alphabet is to a life of let-

ters. One can not skip lessons in grammar to write poetry or forgo syntax, opting into the exciting world of creative writing. Furthermore, without an education, no person who values their time will read or bother themselves with such productions.

The unintelligible phonemes of infants are also enigmatic and filled with the essence of human thought, yet remain unheeded until language is grasped. Aside from the pipedream conversations held in every critique or the occasional short reading assignment, these students effectively can only, honestly, boast a high school level education.

Those teaching them appear not to be their intellectual superiors but simply older. These adults teach pupils to think, to critique and to conceptualize artistic concepts. In doing this, the professors are first rate. In fact, great artists are philosophers but are also craftsmen who require education in handiwork. In teaching technique, the professors are absentee.

To speak of the canvas, our artistic education values color above line. Color and its appeal to emotion dominate the program. Line, and its appeal to the intellect is nowhere to be found. Before modernism, in the nineteenth century, young artists would be required to spend up to a decade practicing drawing, ideas of contour, modeling and form before being allowed to paint.

This fundamental aspect of what distinguishes artists from craftsmen has been forgotten, and paint is allowed to anybody with enough credits, ready or not. When I raised this concern to my professors and classmates (i.e. the 400-year-long debate of the Poussinists versus the Rubenists), not one set of eyes held a trace of recognition on the subject or an understanding of how it might possibly apply to their own artistic careers.

And so, cavalier expression is valued over restraint and discipline. One requires training and mature patience; the other is what students of our age are naturally inclined to do. So, while one is fascinating and descrip-

tive of youth and vivacity, the other shows what potential the human mind has for transcending our baser tendencies.

Both are wonderful to behold, but only one should be taught, one should be paid for and one should come before the other. Picasso was a formative legend because he was first classically trained, and he relied on this for his more masterful expressions. A ceiling is met when concept outpaces skill, and it is this frustration that lays ahead for any who think linear discipline is a thing of the past.

One of the most enduring qualities of art has been its transcendent universality — its ability to speak to viewers without explanation. But in this moment, our moment in history, we are failed.

Paradoxically, originality is unfairly expected of young students in this late age. This encourages the novel instead of the timeless. And like any novelty, it quickly grows old. Sadly, it is thought that every notion of the infinitely complex human condition has already been expressed in the realm of two-dimensional realism.

That human tendency to ravenously advance our perceived status has damned us yet again. The frustrated productions that most find so aesthetically unattractive are simply the regrettable byproducts of a broken system and an unsatisfied soul yearning for truth and beauty in art.

—Samuel Bordley

Art History Dept., Class of 2017

COLUMN

to another human being. That hollow feeling you get is just a friendly reminder.

compassion with discretion, let loyalty guide you further than honesty.

I’ve been dating this guy for eight months. I think he’s pretty much perfect, but we haven’t said “I love you.” Is it odd he hasn’t said it yet, or should I give him time and not rush him? Or should I just suck it up and tell him?

Why are you in a rush to tell him when you cannot even tell it to yourself? Look at what you wrote. You didn’t say “I love him” you said “I think he’s pretty much perfect” which pretty much translates to “he meets all of my criteria, but I’m not really in love with him.” Sorry, darling. I hate to break it to you, but if you can’t say it to yourself, saying it out loud won’t suddenly make it true.

When my boyfriend broke up with me, he said our relationship “filled him with existential dread.” What the f**k does that even mean? I know what existential dread is, but what does that have to do with our dearly departed relationship?

It sounds like your relationship was getting serious and had him contemplating the idea of “forever” and it freaked him out (as it tends to with most people with commitment issues). This was his polite (albeit pretentious) way of saying the thought of spending the rest of his life with you terrified him.

What would you say to a loved one who is addicted to meth and tells you not to judge their sins differently than yours?

Addiction isn’t a sin. It’s a psychobiological mechanism that leads to shitty behavior — behavior that can be supremely shitty in the case of meth addiction. You should feel free to judge that shitty behavior however you damn well please, because as a loved one, the negative consequences affect you too.

I’ve been going on a bunch of dates recently and while I have fun — the guys are nice, the conversation is interesting, the sex is good, I just feel so … hollow afterward. I feel very distant from the experience. What gives?

I would conjecture that casual dating (while occasionally fun) doesn’t satisfy your craving for a deep spiritual, physical and emotional connection

What do you think about telling someone they’re being cheated on? Do you think people have a right to know or should a third party just mind their own business?

There’s a lot that can be said for minding your own business, but there’s also a good case for applying the golden rule — it really just depends on the situation. When you’re trying to balance

Do you think Hooters is demeaning to women?

No. I think that fast food chains that pay women who are single mothers the minimum wage are demeaning to women. Hooters is just gaudy. Good wings, though.

ARE

TH B

ENT

ALL

SHAUN JACKSON Staff Columnist

IL L U

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AT IO

G N BY

An ode to self care

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, April 3, 2017 11

CORRECTION — In the March 27 issue of the Commonwealth Times, the article “Dominion Virginia Power violates Clean Water Act” included the following errors: • The article’s lede was factually incorrect. The judge didn’t rule that Dominion violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) by dumping coal ash wastewater into coal ash ponds. The judge ruled “discharge though groundwater violates the CWA.”

• The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) did not represent the Potomac Riverkeepers Network in this case; they represented Sierra Club.

• This lawsuit doesn’t involve the Possum Point Power Station; it involves Chesapeake Energy Center (CEC). Dominion’s argument in the lawsuit was that groundwater at CEC doesn’t amount to “point source” contamination.

• There is only one coal ash pond at CEC. There is also a landfill. The judge imposed no civil penalties, meaning Dominion has not been fined or ordered to move the coal ash.

• The Elizabeth River does not flow into the Potomac River.

• Gov. McAuliffe announced an amendment to SB 1398 on March 22, 2017. The U.S. District Court issued its CEC ruling on March 23, 2017. These events did not occur on the same day.

3

3/31/17

An updated version of this article can be found online and is included in this week’s news section on page 3.

• McAuliffe’s amendment adds a moratorium to the legislation, however the legislation already contained a requirement for additional reporting on beneficial reuse and groundwater monitoring reporting.

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• Dean Naujoks was not a plaintiff in the CEC case.

He wasn’t involved in any way in the CEC case.

The CT strives for accuracy in gathering news and regrets these errors.

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