The Commonwealth Times; August 28, 2017

BEST SMALL, NON-DAILY —2017 Virginia Press Association The independent press of Virginia Commonwealth University

August 28, 2017 • Vol. 59, No. 2

NEWS VCU watches eclipse • 2 SPORTS Colin Kaepernick • 6 SPECTRUM SoundCloud • 8 OPINIONS An ode to self care • 9

Historic or Heinous?

PHOTO BY CASEY COLE

Virginia leadership seeks removal of Confederate statues

SARAROSE MARTIN Staff Writer Virginia officials are calling for the removal of Confederate statues around the Commonwealth following a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left three dead and dozens injured.

In response, VCU President Michael Rao announced an audit to determine any symbols of the Confederacy, slavery or white supremacy that may exist at the university and what the future of these items may be.

“Senior leadership is engaged at every level, starting at the top with me, regarding safety, security and social climate issues,” Rao stated. “Throughout this process, we will be guided by the core values of

our university community, which include commitments to inclusion, free speech and civil discourse.”

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney created the Monument Avenue Commission in June and tasked them to collect public input and complete a truthful narrative about the statues. This will also include an examination of removing or relocating the Confederate statues. In a statement, Stoney called the statues “offensive” and argued to have them removed.

“While we had hoped to use this process to educate Virginians about the history behind these monuments, the events of the last week may have fundamentally changed our ability to do so by revealing their power to serve as a rallying point for division and intolerance and violence,” Stoney stated.

Blue racism?

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, Governor Terry McAuliffe said that although he does not have the authority to remove the Lee statue on Monument Avenue, he will “most likely” seek legislation in the Commonwealth’s General Assembly to have the statue taken down.

The Lee statue, like many others, is Comonwealth-owned. The Republican-majority Virginia General Assembly said they do not support the removal of Confederate statues.

In addition, any legislation McAuliffe sends through the general assembly will have to be signed by Virginia’s next elected governor.

The Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, said he

OPINIONS see page 9

agrees with McAuliffe’s position and advocates for the statue’s relocation to museums. However, his campaign also said they would leave the issue to local authority.

Republican nominee Ed Gillespie also favors the control of the monuments to be left to local officials, but personally believes the statues should remain in place with provided context.

However, there is confusion about what authority localities have to remove Confederate monuments.

A law exists forbidding cities to interfere with any war memorial. The American Civil Liberties Union has called for state lawmakers to amend this law, remove funding for the maintenance of the statues and start a public discussion on where they should be relocated.

The ACLU released a statement in support of the governor.

“Regardless of origin or historical context, today they (Confederate statues) are inciteful symbols of hatred and bigotry to which white supremacists are drawn like moths to a flame,” the statement read.

Charlie Schmidt, the public policy associate for the Virginia chapter of the ACLU, said regardless of any historical context, the statues are symbols of hate and bigotry.

“I’ve always found it ridiculous to erect monuments to losers. Nowhere else, nor under any other context would we memorialize the losing side of a conflict in such a manner,” Schmidt said. “Why did we?

Well, the answer seems obvious — to try to maintain white supremacy in the South.”

Black Men in Medicine

VCU students tackle med school SIONA PETEROUS Spectrum Editor

ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN DUFFUS

In 2015 the Association of American Colleges (AAMC) released a report titled, “Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine,” which found the number of black men applying to medical school has decreased steadily from 1978 to 2014.

A trio of seniors at VCU wanted to do something about it.

Brett Davie, Khalid Khamis and Zarron Moses created a student organization called Black Men in Medicine (BMIM) to raise awareness of the issue on a lack of black male physicians and encourage more black students to pursue the pre-med track.

—continued on page 7

VCU receives $25 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

see page 5

ILL US TR AT ION

see page 6

Chessa Kownurko

PHOTO BY JACOB MEDLEY

Tredway brace lifts Rams

BY RYA N RIC H

P HO T

O BY

E R IN

E DGE

R T ON

RAM IN ACTION

see page 3

2

news

The Commonwealth Times

CRIME LOG Monday, August 21

We are stronger together.

Destruction of Property-Private 801 W. Broad Street Pending Alcohol Violation 300 N. Shafer St. Closed Theft Fine Arts Building 1000 W. Broad St. Pending

New VCU SGA debuts

Other Offenses 600 Cumberland St. Outside Agency Larceny 1401 W. Leigh St. Outside Agency Destruction of Property 1600 W. Grace St. Outside Agency

HIBA AHMAD News Editor

Tuesday, August 22

A newly reorganized Student Government Association is debuting this semester in an attempt to streamline the organization’s work.

This comes as an effort by the SGA to increase communication among the students and the university’s administration. Keith Zirkle, vice president of graduate and professional students, hopes this will increase the amount of resources the organization can provide to undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

“We are stronger together,” Zirkle said.

Zirkle, who is pursuing his doctorate in biostatistics at VCU, hopes students will recognize the student government as a tool for their needs and concerns.

“There are a multitude of student advocacy issues students of any type can unite behind and SGA is the platform for that sort of thing,” Zirkle said.

The biggest difference for SGA is that there is now one sitting

Swindling 907 Floyd Ave Closed Alcohol Violation Rhoades & Brandt Residence Hall 710 W. Franklin St. Closed Sexual Assault Unknown Pending Theft 600 Cumberland St. Outside Agency

Hit & Run 1100 W. Clay St. Outside Agency Assault 1000 W. Franklin St. Outside Agency

Wednesday, August 23 Drug Violation Grace & Broad Residence Hall 1000 W. grace St. Closed

ILLUSTRATION BY YEWEI WANG

Burglary 907 Catherine St. Outside Agency

president presiding over both campuses, two vice presidents and two separate senates — one for each campus — that convene throughout the semester.

Destinee’ Moragne, president, said the school year is off to a good start. SGA teamed up with the Student Media Center to create a video introducing the new governing body, handed out flyers throughout Welcome Week and tabled at the New Student Orientation.

This move to one VCU SGA came at a time where students across both campuses voiced their concerns about student representation in university affairs.

Student organizations also voiced their grievances to the SGA with the event and funding protocols that made it difficult for newer organizations to grow.

However, Moragne hopes that by having a stronger, unified voice, students will have their concerns addressed.

“Our new slogan is ‘VCU SGA: Empowering the Students’ Voice’ and we hope to do exactly that,” Moragene said.

Drunkenness Shafer Dining Hall 810 Cathedral Pl. Clsoed Trespassing 535 N. Harrison St. Outside Agency Shooting 301 W. Franklin St. Outside Agency Theft 100 N. Morris St. Outside Agency Theft 900 W. Leigh St. Outside Agency

VCU students react to national solar eclipse

Shoplifting Kroger 901 N. Lombardy St. Outside Agency Hit & Run 1214 W. Franklin St. Outside Agency

Thursday, August 24 Simple Assault 801 W. Franklin St. Cleared Trespassing 930 W. Grace St. CLosed Suspicious Fire 401 W. Broad St. Pending Larceny Wal-Mart on Campus 912 W. Grace St. Pending Swindling 1301 W. Broad St. Pending

Friday, August 25 Drug Violation The White House 806 W. Franklin St. Pending

Alcohol Violation GRC Residence Hall 711 W. Main St. Closed

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

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

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

For an off-campus emergency: 911.

PHOTO BY ERIN EDGERTON

Simple Assault Drunkenness 900 W. Broad St. Closed

Richmond witnessed 80 percent coverage of the sun during the first total eclipse in the United States since 1979.

DANIEL PURYEAR Contributing Writer VCU students joined the rest of the nation to stare directly at the sun to view the first total solar eclipse since 1979.

On Aug. 21, cereal boxes, distributed eclipse glasses and even bare-eyes were all methods used by people around the city to catch a glimpse of the moon moving in front of the sun.

Though Virginia wasn’t in the path of totality for the duration of time the moon blocked the sun,

which stretched from Oregon to South Carolina, Richmond still got a memberable look of 85 percent sun coverage at exactly 2:44 EDT. The solar eclipse yielded a significant amount of news coverage from around the world.

However, some citizens were simply not as impressed.

“I think it was over exaggerated on a national scale and that it was maybe more interesting for younger children,” said Kyle Warner, a junior studying at VCU. On the other hand, a stream of tweets and Facebook posts com-

pared the eclipse to seeing the moon in a waning or waxing period and were in awe of the pictures people posted across social media.

“I knew two people in South Carolina, where it was in totality, and they said it was a life-changing experience,” said Kathryn Swensen, a senior at VCU. Sasha George, a freshman at VCU, said the eclipse was something she always wanted to experience in her lifetime.

“It was really cool and I am glad I was able to see it,” George said. “It was on my bucket list to see.”

I knew two people in South Carolina, where it was in totality, and they said it was a lifechanging experience.

Kathryn Swensen, VCU student

Areas of totality, such as Nashville, Tennessee, had the chance of falling nearly completely dark whereas other areas, like Richmond, saw sunset-like skies.

Viewing parties for the rare solar eclipse were held throughout the city including at the Science Museum of Virginia and Maymont Park.

Luckily, if you missed this year’s eclipse or were not in an area of totatility, there is another expected in 2024. Scientists draw the line of totality from Texas to Maine.

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, August 28, 2017

3

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSE DAVILA

Liberty University alumni return diplomas protesting university president

MARY LEE CLARK Staff Writer Liberty University alumni are vowing to return their diplomas in protest to recent statements made by the university’s president praising President Donald Trump.

University President Jerry Falwell Jr. agreed with Trump’s tweet blaming “many sides” for the violence at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 11-12.

Falwell tweeted on Aug. 16. “Finally a leader in WH. Jobs returning, N Korea backing down, bold truth-

ful stmt about #charlottesville tragedy. So proud of @realdonaldtrump.”

Trump’s comment sparked controversy about the president’s handling of neo-nazi, white supremacist and other extremists groups at the rally.

Shortly after the tweet was published, hundreds of people joined a private Facebook group created by LU alumni called “Return your diploma to LU,” which outlines the former students disapproval of Falwell’s unwavering support for Trump.

“The purpose of this group is to

demonstrate our dismay with Liberty University and Jerry Falwell, Jr. Many of us have been concerned for some time, for various reasons, with the leadership and direction of the institution,” the Facebook group description read. “More recently, Falwell’s unabated support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and his actions as president have filled us with shame and anger as alums.”

Len Stevens, executive director of external communications at LU, said that he has no knowledge of any diplomas returned at this point.

LU has also issued a statement stating that it strongly supports the students’ rights to express their own political opinions, including those that are in opposition to their president’s relationship with Trump.

The statement also jabbed at the protesters chosen method of activism.

“The tactic of returning diplomas has been used by students of many other schools to draw attention to various causes, but let’s also remember that those same diplomas are quite helpful in helping these graduates secure well-paying jobs,” the statement read.

“Why do people lash out violently?” That’s a question VCU professor David Chester is striving to answer.

The assistant professor at the Department of Psychology is a leading scholar in aggression research. He and his team at the new Social Psychology and Neuroscience Lab are working on a series of studies that attempt to understand violent behavior.

Chester is using his background in experimental psychology and social neuroscience — two disciplines that look at brain processes and how they determine an individual’s thoughts and behaviors.

Chester is working along with three VCU doctoral students to answer questions such as “can violence be classified as an addiction?” Each of the doctoral students on Chester’s team is taking a different angle to understanding aggressive behaviors.

In one of the studies, doctoral student Alexandra Martelli aims to understand violence and romance.

She plans on conducting a study where she is observing the brain activity of couples who act aggressively towards each other.

“Alexandra, is looking into intimate partner aggression,” Chester said. “Aggression in the contexts of looking at the brain’s mechanisms

that foster aggressive behaviors towards romantic partners.”

Marteli will take MRI scans of the brains of a partner who is aggressive towards a friend or stranger and compare them to the MRI scans of a person who aggressive towards their romantic partner.

While his doctoral students are running their own studies, Chester is focusing on applying an addiction model to aggressive behavior.

In most recent years, gambling, smart phone use and even social media are considered to be addictive behaviors. But Chester says that one is missing — aggression.

Working alongside Nathan D. Wall, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky, Chester is looking to study if violence really is addictive, and if so, if it’s treatable.

According to Chester, addictive behaviors will often cause a person to choose to indulge in a specific need, such as taking drugs or committing violence, immediately versus getting a large amount of it later.

Essentially, Chester is interested to see if this same kind of addictive decision making pattern is related to aggressive behavior.

“We are trying to see if people will pick a little bit of aggression now, a little bit of revenge now, instead of getting a lot of it later,” Chester said.

At the core of ‘picking a little ag-

gression now, or a little bit of revenge now’ are the feelings of pleasure and reinforcement that correlate with the core of addictive behaviors.

“Truly painful experiences, like someone who has wronged you and you retaliate with revenge, then aggression isn’t totally seen as a negative feeling — it is also about the positive feeling,” Chester said. “Revenge can literally be sweet.”

Violence is a complicated human behavior and is determined by many factors such as cultural and social differences, but at times external factors come into play that can target aggressive tendencies — like the weather being too hot.

In the near future, Chester is striving to work on a drug study using Naltrexone — a medication used to treat addictions.

“What this drug does is that it sits on the receptors of the brain that make you feel good or provides pleasure,” Chester said. “It takes away the pleasure of having, for example, a drink which keeps those taking (the drug) from relapsing.”

Chester and his team are looking at aggression as addictive, so the outcomes, Chester hopes, should allow people to be less aggressive because it’s taking away their sense of pleasure from a violent act.

“The goal is to reduce violence and make the world a less violent place,” Chester said. “That’s our goal.”

The internationally recognized Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded VCU’s School of Engineering $25 million to develop a revamped medical institute this week.

The Medicines for All Institute will be a new medical facility charged with the task of creating life-saving medicine that is affordable and readily accessible for people all around the world.

Some of the medicines that are in the works include vaccines and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

This is the second grant, following a $15 million donation from the Gates Foundation distributed over the past three years, to the institute. It is lead by B. Frank Gupton, who serves as the Chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering.

In a press conference held on Aug. 24, Gupton applauded the Gate’s Foundation for investing in the future of the institute.

“The funds and the milestones on the grant are not only linked to the drugs that we are optimizing, but in how we create a sustainable organization,” Gupton said.

The institute’s goal is to speed up the process of developing certain medications that are used globally without increasing the cost.

According to Gupton, by decreasing the time of production, more pharmaceutical companies will be inclined to manufacture and distribute these necessary drugs.

Ultimately, Gupton said that this grant will help the institute “bring in additional senior scientists and allow them to equip their labs and staff them immediately.”

“I am extremely grateful for Dr. Frank Gupton’s leadership and innovative spirit,” said VCU President Michael Rao. “With the grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, scholars and researchers with the Medicines for All institute will tackle the difficult work of improving the quality of life for those facing healthrelated adversities.”

The Gates Foundation has

donated to the institute in prior years. However, each donation only allowed Gupton and his team of VCU graduate students to work on one drug at a time. With this large sum of $25 million, which will be distributed over five years, his team can work on various drugs at a time, with a goal of 13 drugs in total.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe also played a significant role in securing the largest grant that VCU has ever received from a private organization.

McAuliffe advocated on the behalf of the institute to sway the Gate’s Foundation to further invest in its mission to provide accessible healthcare.

Barbara D. Boyan, Dean of the VCU School of Engineering, thanked the Gate’s Foundation for their gracious donation.

“To be able to work on projects that are not only scientifically interesting, but also critically important for global health, is an incredible opportunity for our students and for the economic development of Richmond,” Boyan said.

PHOTO BY ADAM DUBRUELER

PHOTO COURTESY OF VCU

HIBA AHMAD News Editor

KEYRIS MAZANARES Contributing Writer

Following the violent protests in Charlottesville, eyes have turned to Richmond because of its many Confederate monuments and history as the Confederate capital.

VCU President Michael Rao issued a statement Aug. 23 to the university ensuring the community’s safety and a promise to evaluate symbols on campus.

Rao stated the university will take measures that align with the school’s ultimate goal of creating a safe, inclusive and open environment for all community members.

VCU receives $25 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

New VCU professor teams with students studying psychology of violence

A team of VCU researchers explore whether violent agression is in fact addictive.

This isn’t the first time students from LU criticized Falwell’s support for Trump. In October 2016, students circulated a petition and statement criticizing Falwell for defending Trumps comments in the 2005 Access Hollywood video where he was heard bragging about groping women.

“Any faculty or staff member at Liberty would be terminated for such comments, and yet when Donald Trump makes them, President Falwell rushes eagerly to his defense - taking the name ‘Liberty University’ with him,” stated the petition.

The Gate -- s Foundation’s grant is the largest received in VCU history.

4

The Commonwealth Times

ADVERTISEMENT

news

sports

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, August 28, 2017

5

Stat of the Week

Senior libero Rebekah Strange recorded the 1,300th dig of her career over the weekend, good for seventh in VCU history.

Ram in action: Chessa Kownurko JESSICA WETZLER Contributing Writer

Field hockey senior goalkeeper Chessa Kownurko, from North Wales, Pennsylvania, begins her final season as a Ram with her sights set on improving team communication and qualifying for the Atlantic 10 tournament amidst coaching turnover.

Kownurko ended last season with a .695 save percentage rate and played a total of 1,270 minutes throughout the entire season.

versity) and I hope to start the rest of the games this season, however, no positions are set in stone.

My goals for this season are for Overall, what are your goals for the new season? Do you hope us to play to the level that we know to qualify for the A-10 champion- we can. I have seen the potential that we have as a team, and I would ship this year?

cherry picked it out of the top right corner of the goal with the I’ve watched the team grow and head of my stick and then landed evolve into what it is now. We got inside the goal. It sounds kind of love to see us reach that each and a little better every year and I think lame explained in words, but I asevery time we step onto the field. I this year especially we have made a sure you it was pretty cool looking. do hope that we qualify for A-10s, huge jump. We were a young team I also need to give senior defense and hey, why not go for broke? for a good amount of time, but I Alaina Madeline credit for staying think that we have gained a lot of in the play (even though it looked Why did you decide to play field experience and insight. I see a crazy like the ball had already gone in) hockey? Was there a specific amount of potential in our incom- and clearing the ball out immedimoment that made you realize ing freshman, not just in terms of ately after it came off my stick. that this is what you wanted to skill but how they fit into the playing style that we are creating as our Do you have any plans to contindo? team identity. They fit into the cul- ue to play Field Hockey after you My mom is actually in the Vil- ture that we want to establish, and graduate? lanova hall of fame from her time the quirky personality that we have on the hockey team there, and she as a group.

I have the option to take my fifth was a big part of my decision to go year (as I was a redshirt-freshman), forward with it. She was a little What has been, in your opinion, but after I’m done with VCU field disappointed I ended up as a goalie hockey I do not see myself pursuand not a star forward but I think ing it any further. she has come to accept it.

What are your thoughts for the upcoming season as you enter your senior year?

We are a very close team and I couldn’t ask for a better group to finish out my career with. I think our team is very balanced and we have a deep bench this year.

Why did you decide to play for VCU?

How has the adjustment to a new coaching staff affected you or the team? Have you noticed any differences in the way coach Bean and the coaching staff have played out this season compared to last season with coach Baker?

On my first and only visit here the team told me a story about a 15 minute plank challenge that they had earlier in lift that week. They were told to get into planks and hold them as long as physically possible to try and get to 15 minutes. They joked about how awful it was, but every one of them held on until their bodies gave out and they talked about the fact that your body is stronger than your mind thinks it is. The sense of commitment and camaraderie really made me want to be a part of this team. And I think that is still a huge part of our team culture - pushing each other past what we think our limits are.

Every day in practice Suzie (Pileckas) and I train together, but we also compete. Positions are awarded based on how we do in practice and the work that we put in. I started and played all of the scrimmage at American (Uni-

PHOTO BY JACOB MEDLEY

After seeing the tempo during preseason and everyone’s level of commitment I think that this year is going to be a strong one for us as a program.

Will you be the starting goalkeeper this season?

season with the team?

As a senior, you have seen the team grow over the years. Do you see any potential in the incoming freshman as they start their first

Kownurko recorded her first career shutout against Drexel University last week.

I do hope that we qualify for A-10s, and hey, why not go for broke?

Was there anything specific that you wanted to work on or improve with yourself or the team this season in comparison to last season?

It has been really exciting working with (coach) Annie (Zinkavich) on goalie skills and defensive organization. We have been focusing a lot on off pace, bouncy, weird, game-like shots and situations. I want to increase my save Chessa Kownurko, percentage and I think that with Goalkeeper everything we have been working on it is a realistic goal. In terms of team improvement, we really your best athletic moment during want to improve communication. your time here at VCU? It is important that everyone talks regardless of position or class in Last year in competitive and order for our game play to run the high intensity game against Uni- way we want it to. versity of Richmond, a high ball was sent wide to the right of the cage and tipped by a player that was waiting there. I was off my angle and had to dive up and backward to make the save. I

Soccer: women roll, men flop in home openers through on a one-on-one.

“We knew it was going to be tough. It was a really close game,” VCU coach Lindsey Martin said after the game. “Hopefully we can keep this train rolling. We’re ready for what comes our way.”

ty kick when VCU sophomore defender Austin Graham tackled an Oakland player in the box. The Grizzlies converted to cut VCU’s lead in half.

The Rams dominated possession in the first half and headed into the break with a one-goal lead. The Grizzlies flipped the MEN’S AGAINST OAKLAND script in the second half, however, taking the brunt of opporIt was a tale of two halves tunities on goal.

Oakland redshirt senior when men’s soccer opened their season against Oakland Univer- Keenan King equalized in the sity - one to remember and an- 66th minute with a shot from outside the box that curled past other to forget.

Redshirt-senior midfielder the VCU keeper. Minutes later, Francesco Amorosino opened redshirt sophomore Nebojsa the scoring for the Rams with Popovic scored another for Oakan assist from redshirt junior land to give the Michigan team Eli Lockaby in just two minutes. the lead.

The Rams played AppalaSenior midfielder Raphael Andrade Santos doubled the scoring chian State University on Sunwith a blistering free kick from day night, the game’s result was just outside the box just more not available at press time. than 20 minutes later.

It was not to be for the Rams, The women resume play at Clemson however, as Oakland mounted University Friday at 6 p.m. The men a comeback with 10 minutes return to action on Friday at 7 p.m. left in the first half. The Golden at Cary Street Field.

Grizzlies were awarded a penal-

CT FILE PHOTO

PHOTO BY ERIN EDGERTON

“My emotions are high and the team is behind me,” Tredway said after the game. “Getting in the right areas and getting goals makes you want to get more.”

Minutes after putting a shot just wide of goal early in the first half, Gutzmer was back on offense - this time with end product as she tucked a shot into the lower left-hand corner from an assist from sophomore defender Susann Friedrichs.

The Monarchs were still reckoning with the punch when the Rams doubled their lead about 90 seconds later as Tredway was sent clean through by a pass from Tallent. The forward calmly put the ball away in the near post.

ODU struggled to play out of their own half for much of the first period as the Rams dominated possession and the stats sheet. Suarez couldn’t manage to put a shot past ODU’s senior goalkeeper Krista Moisio with minutes remaining in the half.

It was a different story in Junior forward Julia Suarez contributed a goal and an assist in a 5-0 drubbing of Amerithe second half. The Monarchs can University on Sunday. fought back to get on the score sheet and finally found the back of the net when ODU sophoFADEL ALLASSAN Graves doubled the scoring within second half but failed to convert more Gaby Bentley was put Contributing Writer 56 seconds when she latched onto on any attempts. It was the Black clean on goal and tucked the a rebound from a shot by junior and Gold’s second clean sheet of shot into the far post with 12 minutes remaining. midfielder Maddi Santo. 14 sec- the season.

Ram fans were left on the onds later, Tallent found freshman WOMEN’S AT AMERICAN edge of their seat when Old midfielder Kimberly Ito in the sixDominion nearly tied it up yard-box, who put the shot away WOMEN’S AGAINST ODU when their forward redshirtOodles of first half goals to make the score 3-0. helped VCU women’s soccer in In the 37th minute, senior deWomen’s soccer found a hero sophomore Madison Hogan, a 5-0 whopping at home against fender Megan Dell made it four in Thursday night’s home opener had an effort saved by VCU’s American University. when she deflected a shot follow- which ended in a 3-1 win against goalkeeper, redshirt junior Audrey Sanderson.

The game was decided in a ing a corner kick by junior mid- Old Dominion University.

The ensuing corner was put rousing 70-second span in a first fielder Julia Suarez.

Redshirt sophomore Amanda half where the Rams managed a Suarez added a goal of her own Tredway scored two goals on ei- just wide by ODU redshirt sophawe-inspiring 18 shots. in the 41st minute when freshman ther side of a goal by Gutzmer - omore Niki Malancone to cap off Sophomore midfielder Alyssa midfielder Lyndsey Gutzmer slid including one late in the second a nervy series for the Rams.

With four minutes remainTallent started the scoring in a pass to the Woodbridge native in half - to ease the pressure on the the 11th minute with a goal on a the six-yard-box.

Rams after ODU cut VCU’s 2-0 ing, Tredway scored her second of the night after Tallent put her corner kick. Junior forward Kelly The Rams added six shots in the halftime lead in half.

Redshirt junior Eli Lockaby (17) recorded an assist against Oakland University.

6

sports

The Commonwealth Times

Press Box

Field Hockey starts off hot

The Kaepernick Conundrum

KEYRIS MANZANARES Contributing Writer Senior goalkeeper Chessa Kownurko propelled the Rams to a pair of victories last week over Drexel University and Villanova University to lead field hockey to an unblemished 2-0 record in the early stages of their fall season.

Villanova

ION BY IAI ND UF FU S

Even as Kaepernick7.com and the Colin Kaepernick Foundation thrived in distributing resources to underprivileged youth around the country, the fire he had ignited was snuffed out by the political climate.

The media attention waned. The narrative strayed from Kaepernick the humanitarian and returned to

AT

Kaepernick the player as the rest of league took up the fight in his stead.

And now, as the regular season approaches and rosters are rounding out, Kaepernick finds himself without a job. Last week, the NAACP requested a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to “discuss possible first amendment violations regarding the employment of Colin Kaepernick,” according to Bleacher Report.

Even his fellow players are split in their perception of the matter.

“He’s just not really that good of a player to, you know, deal with all that,” said LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bill’s lead running back. “See, people outside of sports just don’t understand that. They only see one side of it. They say, ‘ooh look, he stood up for what he believes in and now he doesn’t have a job, the NFL’s against him.’ Well, the reality is, it’s more than that.”

Eagles starting safety Malcolm Jenkins - who was one of the first players to join Kaepernick’s protest last season - had a strikingly different take on the issue.

“I think at this point in time when you look at the quarterbacks who have jobs around the league, and the amount of owners and GM’s who have only spoken of what fans would think about his stance, it’s safe to throw out that talent argument,” Jenkins said. “Focus on the

fact that he doesn’t have a job solely because he didn’t stand for the anthem last year, even though he already expressed that he planned on standing this year.”

To be fair, Kaepernick has failed to establish any consistency throughout his career. He won three games in two years as a starter for the 49ers after their Super Bowl run under infamously playerfriendly head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is now employed by the University of Michigan.

Typically, backup quarterbacks provide low-ceiling and high-floor production with a minimal risk factor. This has never been the case with Kaepernick. There are hours of tape in which coaches can observe his consistent propensity to make both great and rash plays.

Yet, there is no question a certain degree of blackballing has occurred here.

No position in professional sports is more in-demand than NFL-caliber quarterbacks, and Colin Kaepernick threw 16 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions last season, despite only winning one game.

The man should have a job based purely on performance - there is no debate to be had on that front.

However, what can be legitimately questioned is whether teams are shying away from Kaepernick as a result of the content of his message or simply due to the reality McCoy alluded to - he’s just not good enough to make the rest of his team and staff deal with the media attention that would inevitably accompany signing him.

The Seattle Seahawks were the only team who met with Kaepernick face-to-face over the offseason. Other outspoken human rights activists such as Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett call Seattle

home, Russell Wilson is entrenched as their starting quarterback, and head coach Pete Carroll is widely perceived as a player’s coach.

The Seahawks appeared to be a perfect fit on surface level, and even they passed on Kaepernick.

Last week, Bennett announced his intention to sit for the national anthem before every game this season prior to doing so before Seattle’s first preseason game.

Newly unretired Oakland Raiders’ running back Marshawn Lynch likewise sat for the anthem last week, and has been doing so for years without coming under fire akin to what Kaepernick has experienced.

Bennett, Lynch and Jenkins are all still employed.

Why? Because they are not good, but great players, and like it or not that’s how it works in professional sports - if you’re good enough, you will have a job, bar none.

So, perhaps Jenkins and McCoy both have a point. Performance may not be the question at hand, but there is a sliding scale in professional sports when it comes to how much public attention a team will endure in order to employ a player.

Yes, there are probably more than a few owners who have explicitly told their front offices not to consider signing Kaepernick because of the content of his message.

Yet, there are likely even more that openly discussed the possibility with their staffs before deciding that he cannot supply the level of performance necessary to mitigate the hoopla that will follow in his wake, the Seahawks among them.

As Bennett so succinctly put it, this is about much more than onfield performance at this juncture.

“Of course I’m going to face backlash,” Bennett said of his own protest. “This is bigger than me. This is bigger than football. This is about people. This is about bringing opportunities to people, giving people equality.

This is bigger than a sport.”

Volleyball does a Texas-two-step

CT FILE PHOTO

Field Hockey next trvels to Longwood University for a 6pm matchup Friday night.

Michael Bennett

TR

Field hockey opened their season with a 1-0 victory Friday night over Drexel University at Cary Street Field.

The Rams scored their lone goal in the first half - the Dragon’s junior goalkeeper Erin Gilchrist turned away six shots.

Following a penalty corner, VCU freshman midfielder Maite Sturm scored at 16:09 - her first goal with the Black and Gold for the only goal of the game.

The Rams defense, led by Kownurko, held strong. Kownurko obtained her first career shutout against Drexel, stopping all five shots that came her way.

The Dragon’s Tessa Bernheimer threatened to score at the 49:47 and 63:49 marks, but Kownurko turned her away on both occasions.

This is about bringing opportunities to people, giving people equality.

This is bigger than a sport.

US

Drexel

When Colin Kaepernick first knelt for the national anthem nearly a year ago, nobody anticipated the media circus that followed in his wake.

Sure, national headlines either praising or vilifying Kaepernick depicted the embattled quarterback as a lightning rod for political debate. His saga tied in neatly with election season to further stake out differences in political ideology. Kaepernick’s actions quickly became a popular topic of discussion on every news network from ESPN to CNN. As other players joined him, the fire beneath the “Kaepernick controversy” reached full tilt. The debate became a referendum on how athletes engage in political advocacy and Kaepernick drew comparisons to historical heroes of the struggle for human rights such as Muhammed Ali and Rosa Parks.

Then the 49ers went 1-10 last season with Kaepernick under center and Donald Trump was elected president.

IL L

Kownurko and the Rams followed up their impressive season opener with a dominant 5-1 win over Villanova University Sunday afternoon at Cary Street Field.

Kownurko was the hero once again, as the Wildcats outshot the Rams 16-12, with 11 of those attempts on goal compared to just 8 for the Black and Gold. The redshirt-senior keeper turned in 10 saves.

Villanova had ample opportunities to break through with 15 corners next to just 8 for VCU, but were never able to apply consistent pressure on goal.

Junior forward and VCU’s alltime single season points leader Emily McNamara contributed a pair of goals on five shots. Freshman midfielders Svea and Maite Sturm collectively scored the other three goals for the Rams.

‘Nova’s Ana Sherwood, Kownurko, M. Sturm and VCU junior defender Hannah Fox were the only players from either team to log all 70 minutes of action.

ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor

Volleyball advanced all the way to the final match of the Texas A&M Invitational before falling to the host Aggies in three sets.

ADAM CREEK Contributing Writer VCU volleyball went two-for-three over the weekend, winning their first two matchups at the Texas A&M Invitational before falling to Texas A&M University itself to end their run in the tournament. Sophomore middle blocker Jasmin Sneed proved to be one of the stars of the series, tallying 14 blocks and 15 kills for the Black and Gold.

TEXAS A&M Texas A&M held off the Rams to win the invitational title in front

of a home crowd of almost 1,000 with the hosts pinning the Rams down to a .116 hitting percentage after three sets.

Senior outside hitter Alicia Kandler led the Rams in hitting percentage at .304, and sophomore outside hitter Vicky Giommarini notched 7 kills and 6 digs to help out the Black and Gold.

Senior libero Rebekah Strange was able to record seven digs for the Rams, earning the title of ‘Best Libero’ for the entire tournament.

Although the Rams jumped out to a pair of early leads, the Aggies battled back to sweep all three sets, hitting .314 or higher in each one.

“I think this was a good experience for our girls,” said coach Jody Rogers. “Texas A&M is a very good team and this will help us get better so that when conference season comes around, we’re ready to contend for a championship.”

25 assists and junior opposite hitter Julia Adler hitting .500 and notching 8 kills.

Giommarini also registered 10 kills against Sam Houston State, and Sneed added seven of her own to the team’s total. VCU continued their strong first matches of the season, improving their record to SAM HOUSTON STATE 2-0 for the first time since 2013.

The Black and Gold dominated Strange collected 12 digs to the Sam Houston State Bearkats reach the milestone of 1,300 in her Saturday morning, winning three career, ranking seventh on the allsets to one, with the only loss com- time list of Rams and just thirteen ing by a mere two points. shy of Marisa Low for sixth.

VCU hit .278 during the match, with sophomore setter Dajah Ard tallying an impressive 13 kills and

Sneed and sophomore opposite hitter Gina Tuzzolo were the stars The Bobcats of Texas State Uni- of the match, combining for 18 versity were unable to keep up with kills and 13 blocks. Sneed, playthe Rams’ stellar play, as VCU shut ing in her home state, tallied a .538 them out Friday evening. The Black hitting percentage with eight kills, and Gold edged Texas State in the plaguing the Bobcats with her nine first two sets and then proceeded to blocks. run away with the third set, winTuzzolo continued her stellar ning by 13 points. run from her freshman year with The Rams out-blocked the Bob- 10 kills and 4 blocks. cats 15-4, as their size on the front line provided a massive obstacle to The Black and Gold return to the Texas State. After the Bobcats hit court Tuesday, Aug. 29, for their home a worrisome .250 in the opening opener against the College of William set, the Rams retaliated by holding and Mary. them to a -.36 percentage over the rest of the match.

TEXAS STATE

spectrum

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, August 28, 2017

7

On this day

The 1963 March on Washington was led by Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent civil rights leaders.

River City says goodbye to Yves Saint Laurent

PHOTO BY KEYRIS MANZANARES

GEORGIA GEEN Staff Writer

Yves St. Laurent exhibit showed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts from May 6, 2017 – Aug. 28, 2017.

A summer stay in Richmond has come to an end for the wildly popular 100 Yves Saint Laurent haute couture and ready-to-wear garments.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts temporary exhibit, “Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style,” which included costume jewelry and many sketches by the renowned designer, closes Aug. 28.

“It is sad to see (the pieces) go, but the nice thing about it is you know they’re leaving having impacted tens of thousands of visitors to the museum,” said Anthony Backherms of the VMFA Communications Division. “It’s been worth it. It’s like a movie opening and closing.”

The entirety of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s career was represented throughout the various displays, beginning with paper dolls he created as a teenager. A lever allowed visitors to “dress” the dolls through the glass display case.

Along a “runway-style” hallway, some of the French designer’s most iconic pieces were shown -- including the famed black evening gown with an enormous pink bow from the Autumn-Winter 1983 haute couture collection.

Mirroring those garments was a wall of sketches and fabric swatches, the colors and patterns animating the paper to the point of competition with the sister mannequins.

For many years, Laurent has held the reputation of breaking gender norms in women’s fashion.

One section of the exhibit, “The

Genders,” was dedicated to his menswear-inspired pantsuits with muted colors that contrasted from other bright designs.

“He took garments that were traditionally masculine in nature and made them for his female audiences,” Backherms said.

Multimedia elements were also present in the exhibit, including footage from the 1998 World Cup, where Saint Laurent’s works were paraded across the field.

The layout of the end of the exhibit, entitled “From Darkness to an Explosion of Color,” matched that of its beginning. More iconic works were arranged, this time by color so as to create a rainbow, with corresponding swatches and sketches.

“You have this rainbow of dresses and it’s all balanced out by this back wall of fabric swatches,” Backherms said. “It’s just such a neat space because if that were the whole exhibition by itself, you

It’s just such a neat space because if that were the whole exhibition by itself, you would not feel disappointed because it’s so comprehensive.

Anthony Backherms,

would not feel disappointed because it’s so comprehensive.”

Backherms said the uniqueness of the exhibit brought new visitors to the VMFA. “We (had) an opportunity with this show to reach out to a lot of audiences that maybe haven’t experienced the museum before,” Backherms said. “It furthers our own personal institutional goals to diversify the kind of art we’re bringing in.”

Additionally, Backherms said the VMFA is currently planning a fashion exhibit that will open in several years.

“I like to think that this (Yves Saint Laurent) show helped quell any fears that that forthcoming exhibition would not fit in with the museum,” Backherms said.

Richmond was the exhibit’s second stop in the United States, the first being at the Seattle Art Museum, a museum similar in size to the VMFA. Florence Müller, one of the curators of the exhibit, told Need Supply Co. earlier this month that it was important to show the exhibit in the U.S. because the country’s market was essential to Yves Saint Laurent brand. American customers showed great enthusiasm for the designer.

Upon departing Richmond, and the country, the pieces will find a more permanent home in one of two overseas museums to be established by the Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent, a Parisbased group.

VMFA Communications Division

continued from page 1 “The first three positions you need to officially start are three leadership positions,” Davie said, “It was kinda perfect since there were three of us already.”

Moses, a clinical lab major, is president, Davie, who is majoring in biology, is vice president and Khamis, also a biology major, is secretary.

Their formation of the organization was influenced by an already existing campaign on campus also called Black Men in Medicine which was founded by Henry Lewis, a pre-professional health advisor at VCU. After reading the report, Lewis immediately decided to utilize his access to students in order to make an impact in encouraging more of his black pre-med students to apply to med school.

According to an article published by VCU news, Lewis did this by reaching out to black male students enrolled in the pre-med track at VCU and provided them with academic guidance, gave them access to professionals in the field and offered his students mental and emotional support to ensure students were competitive candidates.

The development of BMIM as a student organization was taken on by Davie, Khamis and Moses to inform more students of the academic resources available for black men who are interested in pursuing medical school in the future.

“The process to get registered has been rigorous but nothing we all together couldn’t handle,” Davie said. “Me and Khalid got the idea to create an organization going towards the beginning of last year and in February we made moves to contact people.”

The deadline to register as a student organization, however, had already passed. At first discouraged, Davie said the trio quickly moved on and organized the paperwork to ensure they could register by the summer student organization registration deadline on July 21.

Davie said that the value of hav-

PHOTO BY BRIANA RAY-TURNER

Black Men in Medicine: VCU students tackle med school

In the first month as an organization, Black Men in Medicine already has 33 active members. ing an organization like BMIM is not only offering academic and career support but provides the mental support needed to navigate academia as a black man.

“My main ambition is getting in med school and becoming a cardiologist or emergency ER physician in order to bring up other younger black males who are going through the same thing and show them the ropes,” Davie said.

“That’s the biggest thing we want to accomplish with the organization … helping each other out once we’re out of school.”

Addressing the issue of lack of black men in the medical field is more than identity politics at play,

Anyone who sees and shares our perspectives that there is an issue with a lack of black men and black people in medicine is who we want to work with.

Brett Davie, Vice President of Black Men in Medicine

Davie said. In 2016 the AAMC released a study which confirmed industry worries that by 2025 there would be a skills gaps leading to a physician shortage between 46,000 and 90,000. Thus, an ongoing lack of black men in the field only exacerbates an exisiting issue.

BMIM hopes to encourage young black male students to not only enter the pre-med track but to remain on it by offering resources, tools and advice to help stem the looming impact of deficit in physicians.

“We are definitely interested in growing and want to include women in a sister chapter soon,” Davie said. “Anyone who sees and shares our perspectives that there is an is-

sue with a lack of black men and black people in medicine is who we want to work with.” Davie said.

The organization just started but already has 33 members. BMIM is already planning for their end-ofyear event on Dec. 8 which Davie described as a comrade professional mixer where students can talk to medical admission teams, doctors and other physicians as well as reach out to other students. “(One) the biggest thing we we talk about, kinda joking but not really, is that if when we all disperse to our respective med schools then we could start BMIM in each school,” Davie said. “It could potentially grow into a national thing.”

8

spectrum

The Commonwealth Times

“Birth of the Dragon” — a disappointingly shallow biopic SAMUEL GOODRICH Staff Writer I’ll be the first to admit I know very little about Bruce Lee. In order to prepare myself for the recently released biopic “Birth of the Dragon,” I decided to do some basic googling to get rough idea of who Lee was and what impact he has.

With my basic knowledge on the legend, I walked into the film hoping to learn something new and possibly understand sides of him rarely discussed, — I soon discovered that the film was as shallow as the research I did.

“Birth of the Dragon” sells itself as a the origin story of Lee, detailing the legendary fight between himself and Kung Fu master Wong Jack Man that inspired the unique martial arts style. Yet, Lee isn’t the main character of his own film.

The protagonist for the major-

ity of the time is Steve McKee, a random white guy who trains under Lee and wants to learn how to “kick ass.” His conflict is saving a Chinese woman he loves from the Triad gangs who tricked her into coming to America and force her to work for them.

This decision to place McKee as the protagonist was not taken lightly during early screenings of the film. Fans and Lee’s family accused the filmmakers of whitewashing the biopic. This controversy delayed the release of the film by an entire year, even though production finished in early 2016.

Herein lies the film’s main issue: it doesn’t understand why people want to see a movie about Lee. Audiences want to see not only his impressive fighting style, but want to know more about the man and his own struggles. Instead, we are given a boring romance with a bland lead character who does

nothing throughout the film. He exists simply to give the audience someone to relate to, which is completely unnecessary.

Because of this baffling decision, we never get to know Lee or Jack Man beyond the already known fact that they are gods of martial arts. This is a shame considering Philip Ng and Yu Xia have the charisma and martial arts expertise to pull off these roles, but aren’t given a chance to shine.

This misunderstanding is also seen in the fight sequences, which are downright embarrassing. The camera is never in the right place to show off the action; it’s always too wide or too close. Even worse, the film cuts every few seconds like a bad straight-to-dvd action flick — it’s as if the martial arts film is embarrassed to show off the martial arts.

The dialogue preaches about how great these two men are at fight-

ing, yet the way these action scenes are edited, it appears as if the crew spent most of post production making up for the actors’ lack of skill.

This is especially true of the fight between Lee and Jack Man, which uses far too many editing tricks to “look cool.” It’s a drawn out and disappointing affair, one that puts the final nail in this film’s coffin.

While I was prepared to simply write off “Birth of the Dragon” as a failed attempt, it soon dawned on me how insulting the film really is. The filmmakers decide that the fight between the two legends were not over traditionalism vs progressivism or pride, but instead as the only way that the Triad gang will let the white guy’s girlfriend go free.

At this point, I realized the filmmakers had no idea what audience they’re making this film for. Lee fans would be appalled at the portrayal of the legend and of Kung Fu itself. The characters

are constantly talking about how Kung Fu isn’t about fighting, it’s supposed to calm one’s mind and humble them but no one elaborates on this point. The only time we see Kung Fu is during fights or when the film is trying to show off how cool someone is.

The film also doesn’t appeal to a layman like myself, as it’s not about the two icons of modern Kung Fu, it is instead about a guy admiring these icons, but never getting to know them.

Yet, when the film gets to its climactic action scene where Lee and Jack Man have to storm the Triad base and save the girl, “Birth of the Dragon” finally becomes an enter ta ining movie.

The choreography is impressive

ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN DUFFUS

Even worse, the film cuts every few seconds like a bad straight-todvd action flick — it’s as if the martial arts film is embarrassed to show off the martial arts.

Samuel Goodrich

ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE HUNSINGER

SoundCloud, an online network for sharing and listening to music, had been crashing. The website was unable to pull in enough money to meet its costs and last month the company was forced to lay off 173 employees — about 40 percent of its workforce.

Former SoundCloud artist and Grammy and BET award-winner Chance the Rapper tweeted he was “...working on the SoundCloud thing.”

And it seems he did.

A few weeks later earlier this month, SoundCloud announced the company had secured a new round of funding. The amount was not disclosed, but the company did reveal it was its biggest sum of funding to date. Partici-

pants included The Raine Group and Temasek.

The SoundCloud artist holds a special place in the psyche of the American millennial and despite financial struggles, it is a legitimate media source that has a strong influence today. SoundCloud carries a variety of tracks — anything, including home mixes, interview recordings, poetry, podcasts and journalism reports.

It has become an internet sharing base that reaches over 180 million people every month.

“I think it’s a cool way to share your music without the pressure,” said Austin Patinga, VCU alumni and DJ on SoundCloud. “I make music often and play at clubs so this is way to be discovered and put on the map.”

Patinga started using SoundCloud when it expanded into the

United States. He said that it’s not just a way to discover other artists but also to get an ear for what the community wants to hear.

“SoundCloud is free so anyone can hear what you put out there,” said VCU freshman Mary Richardson. “I think it would be cool to record myself, my feelings and my experiences to watch how I grow over time. Plus, I think it would be worth a listen.”

Below are the top followed SoundCloud artists in the Richmond area.

TOP 5 SoundCloud Richmond-based rappers bassed on followers: 1. GraphicMuzikPro - 25.8k followers 2. KiTheory - 24k followers 3. lambofgod - 19.9k followers 4. SENOJNAYR - 18.1k followers 5. N.B. - 10.2 k followers

CONTRIBUTORS WANTED

The era of the SoundCloud artists

KEYRIS MANZANARES Contributing Writer

and well-shot, the dialogue is funny and endearing, and the whole sequences feels like a genuine homage to the types of martial arts films Lee would make in the future.

By the end, everything I had read in that Wikipedia article was covered not in actions, but in vapid expository dialogue. The fact that this fun and and competent sequence is in the film only adds salt to the wound. It shows how shallow and misguided “Birth of the Dragon” truly is. There is a great movie hidden beneath, but its failure to focus on Lee leads to its ultimate downfall.

Attend the interest meeting!

Wednesday, August 30 6 p.m.

VCU Student Media Center 817 W. Broad St.

Reach out to the editors: Executive Editor: Sophia Belletti

bellettisr@commonwealthtimes.org

News Editor: Hiba Ahmad

ahmadh@commonwealthtimes.org

Sports Editor: Zach Joachim

joachimz@commonwealthtimes.org

Spectrum Editor: Siona Peterous

peterous@commonwealthtimes.org

Opinions Editor: Katie Bashista

bashistakp@commonwealthtimes.org

Photo Editor: Erin Edgerton

edgertonee@commonwealthtimes.org

Illustration Editor: Iain Duffus

duffusim@commonwealthtimes.org

Multimedia Editor: Ellie Fialk

fialke@commonwealthtimes.org

www.commonwealthtimes.org

Monday, August 28, 2017

opinions

9

Quote of the week:

ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN DUFFUS

“To compare the police force to black people because of the color of their uniforms is utterly disrespectful. ” — Katie Bashista

KATIE BASHISTA Opinions Editor The NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association released a video on Aug. 20 titled “Blue Racism.”

The video, complete with a blue tint, argues “a strange form of racism” is occurring in America that discriminates against police officers for simply being police officers.

The video begins by giving viewers a personal look at police officers by calling them all mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, etc. and suggests that people only see them as “blue.” The narrator calls this discrimination, “an even broader stereotype through an even more racist lense.”

The police force isn’t “under attack,” it’s being scrutinized after a long history of abuse and racial profiling. This video and the “Blue Lives Matter” movement ignore police brutality and demean the civil rights movement and Black Lives Matter.

To compare the police force to black people because of the color of their uniforms is utterly disrespectful. Police officers can take their uniforms off. Black people can’t change the color of their skin.

The union’s president Edward D. Mullins has since admitted the use

of the word “racism” was inappropriate. As if the entire video itself wasn’t.

The narrator also points out police officers are scared to say they’re “blue” in their private lives for fear of violence against themselves or their families. That’s not a concept distinct to the police force. Are they unaware black people have to leave their homes everyday in fear of violence against themselves? They can’t hide their blackness in their closets and seamlessly merge into society. They have no option but to be aware of the threats surrounding them at all times.

To make matters worse, the video even misquotes Martin Luther

tors to see these deaths by race, age, gender, state, mental illness, body cameras, weapons involved and if the person was fleeing the scene or not. So far for 2017, at the end of August, there have been 648 deaths.

We’ve seen footage of the unjust deaths of Philando Castile, Freddie Gray and 12-year-old Tamir Rice and despite the civilian outcry that follows, very little change has been made.

It’s sickening that instead of listening to the masses and attempting to make a change, the police force turns around and makes themselves the victims. Clearly institutionalized racism isn’t going King Jr. The video attempts to use day, Black Lives Matter is fighting and police brutality are addressed be fixed overnight, or even over the his famous quote “I have a dream the same cause. To compare the and dealt with. course of a few years, but the police that my four little children will one two movements is despicable. The The current opposition to the force just took 10 steps back with day live in a nation where they will least they could do is quote King police force isn’t just coming from this video. not be judged by the color of their correctly. some group of rebels that don’t How many more dashcam vidskin but by the content of their I sympathize for the families have respect for authority. They eos are we going to have to watch? character,” but instead only reads of those that have died while in aren’t a bunch of “thugs” or “crimi- How many more guilty police “by their color.” uniform and I know that there are nals” fighting against a force that’s officers are going to walk away The Sergeant’s Benevolent As- good, genuine people in the police trying to keep the peace. Opposi- without any blood on their hands? sociation leaves out the “skin” part force. I am in no way saying that tion stems from a group of people How many more black people are because they’re aware the color of since these people decided to join tired of seeing black people killed going to be killed after a routine a uniform is completely different the police force, they deserve ev- and unjustly imprisoned by author- traffic stop? from the color of someone’s skin. erything coming to them. ity over and over again without any Instead of pushing the concept of It is disrespectful to use a civil Instead of victimizing them- recourse. this made-up form of “blue racism,” rights icon to promote “blue lives selves, however, the police force The Washington Post website the police force needs to pay attenmatter.” The civil rights movement needs to work on bettering their tracks all of the people shot and tion to and do something about acwas largely fighting for black rights relationship with civilians and en- killed by police each year through tual racism that exists today. in the justice system, and to this sure things such as racial profiling a database. The tracker allows visi-

SHAUN JACKSON Staff Columnist

An ode to self care

How does one navigate running into an ex who clearly has feelings for you but you’ve moved on (either in your mind or heart or both)?

ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN DUFFUS

Girl, take a deep breath and say it with me: past the relationship you are in no way obligated to validate him in any way. His problems and feelings toward you are just that; his to deal with. You probably made an executive decision to end your relationship because you were done with it. It no longer does anything for you so why not continue going the other way and grow outside of this person? Don’t make his problems yours and don’t engage him and get sucked into a vortex of “it’s complicated.”

Do you believe that an individual is closed minded and ignorant because of his/her family background? Can they hide behind the fact that they are narrow minded “subconsciously”?

Honestly, with the events that have unfurled over the past few weeks in our state and across the nation, I’ve been thinking about how people learn to hate. So to answer your question yes, people are influenced by the environment they grew up in. Unfortunately a lot of people raised in those environments never take it upon themselves to question what they were taught or try to learn why the ideologies they follow are detrimental with others. And for the latter part of your question, they can certainly try but covert prejudices and racism always come to light.

Recently I was dating a nice girl. I got to know her and I liked almost everything about her. But I was waiting for “something” to just fall into place. Do you think that falling for someone happens in an instant like I do or does it gradually come?

I honestly don’t think there’s any reason to wait for “something” to fall into place when there’s someone you get on with really well. I’d strongly recommend laying off the Rom Coms and focusing more on what’s in front of you rather than this grandiose idea of what’s supposed to happen. You’re missing so much with your eyes open.

Girl take a deep breath and say it with me: past the relationship you are in no way obligated to validate him in anyway. Shaun Jackson

When do you think is the right time for a young adult to be fully supporting the self?

Honestly, I know we are all 20 somethings, but there should be no rush to fully support yourself if you don’t have the means to. By all means, stay in school, stay on your parents insurance if that’s what you need to do to get yourself together and not walk into the next stage of your life hungry, confused and jobless.

If you’d like to ask a question you can do so anonymously at lasciviouswitch.tumblr.com/ask or directly at jacksonsk@commonwealthtimes.com (anonymity) will be preserved

comics

10 The Commonwealth Times

Gates by Iain Duffus

Monday, August 28, 2017 THE CT STAFF Executive Editor

Sophia Belletti bellettisr@commonwealthtimes.org

Creative Director

Desiree Choe choeda@commonwealthtimes.org

Copy Editor

Jesse Adcock adcockj@commonwealthtimes.org

News Editor

Hiba Ahmad ahmadh@commonwealthtimes.org

Sports Editor

Zachary Joachim joachimz@commonwealthtimes.org

Spectrum Editor

Siona Peterous peterous@commonwealthtimes.org

Opinions Editor

Katie Bashista bashistakp@vcu.edu

Illustrations Editor Iain Duffus duffusim@vcu.edu

Photography Editor

Erin Edgerton edgertonee@commonwealthtimes.org

Multimedia Editor

Eleanor Fialk fialke@commonwealthtimes.org

Staff Writers

Georgia Geen geengr@commonwealthtimes.org Mary Lee Clark clarkml@commonwealthtimes.org Nick Versaw versawnd@commonwealthtimes.org Sam Goodrich goodrichs@commonwealthtimes.org SaraRose Martin martinsr@commonwealthtimes.org

Staff Photographers

Ali Jones jonesa@commonwealthtimes.org

Staff Columnists

Shaun Jackson jacksonsk@commonwealthtimes.org

ABOUT THE CT

Existential Snacks by Jacque Chandler

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

The CT’s Operations Budget is a reflection of independent advertising revenue accumulated throughout the previous academic year(s). Operations expenses include salaries, phone and internet, postage, professional memberships, award submissions and banquets, FOIA requests, programming costs and travel.

Each spring, the CT staff elects the next year’s Executive and Managing Editors, who then hire the remaining staff.

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

The Commonwealth Times strives for accuracy in gathering news. If you think we have made an error, please email the appropriate section editor. Corrections will appear on the opinion pages and/or online.

One CT per person. Additional copies can be purchased at the Student Media Center for $1 each.

VCU STUDENT MEDIA CENTER Graphic Designers

Desiree Choe Eric Ngo Mai-Phuong Bui Kim Peters Ryan Rich designers@vcustudentmedia.com

Advertising Representatives Cristian Castiglia Kayleigh Crandell Morgan Mckenny Adriel Velaquez advertising@vcustudentmedia.com 804-828-6629

RamBunctious by Ian Crovella

Outreach Coordinator

Brian Glass smc_outreach@vcustudentmedia.com

Director

Allison Dyche abdyche@vcu.edu 804-827-1975

Production Manager Mark Jeffries mjeffries@vcu.edu

Business Manager Jacob McFadden mcfaddenjc@vcu.edu

Assistant Business Manager Mikaela Reinard smc_assistant@vcustudentmedia.edu