WEDNESDAY | 10.30.2013 | MaceandCROWN.COM | Vol. 56, Issue 9
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MACE & CROWN OLD DOMINION UNIVERSTY STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Celebrating with Pride By: Alyse Stanley Staff Writer Mace & Crown
ODU Out, Old Dominion University’s LGBTQ alliance, rolled out the rainbow carpet in Runte Quad to celebrate its second ODU Pride Festival on Oct. 26. While ODU Out has existed on campus since the 1960s, the organization experienced a revival in 2000 and has been growing ever since. ODU Out President Mikey Fenn said the turnout this year almost tripled compared to last year, and the number of venders nearly doubled in number as well. Though this is only his first year as president, Fenn was amazed at how far the festival has come in such a short time. “It’s bigger than anything I could have ever imagined. New faces always means that we’re getting to new people, and the fact that people hear about it and are willing to stop by for a couple of hours and get their face painted and listen to music and see the performances – it’s just really more than I could have imagined,” Fenn said. Many ODU organizations joined in the festivities and hosted booths across the quad to show their support of ODU Out’s endeavors. The Office of Intercultural Relations advertised their workshops dedicated to sexual identity and expression, wherein “Students not only learn from the facilitator, a lesbian professor here at ODU, but also from the stories of the other student’s lives,” according to one spokesperson of the office. Residence life was promoting their LGBTQ friendly housing. Located on the first floor of Virginia House, Spectrum Floor is specifically reserved for LGBTQ students and their allies. The students who live there participate in many programs to raise awareness, one of their most frequent being a food drive to provide essentials to Seton Youth Shelter in Virginia Beach. Justin McLawhorn, president of the ODU College Democrats, explained how his organization was happy to come out and support the cause, as many of the candidates they are seeking to get elected are in favor of providing more rights for the LGBTQ community. “In the downtown after election season,
we want to work more with ODU Out doing events. We hope to participate in liberal fest next semester, especially since a lot of organizations like ODU Out and Planned Parenthood will be there. It’ll just be an overall celebration of liberalism, and we’d love to be part of that,” McLawhorn said. Also supporting the festival was the Human Rights Campaign, the largest organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality in the United States. They were there promoting their program Virginia is for Lovers of Equality, an initiative that hosts a ticket team of eight individuals that travel across the state encouraging citizens to vote for proLGBTQ candidates. Hope House foundation spokesperson Sherry Grimes, an ODU alumnus, was ecstatic to watch the events of the day play by her booth. “I don’t remember the events we had... being nearly as big as this one. I’m really stoked that ODU is doing this. It’s definitely something that we need,” Grimes said. Other organizations that joined in the event included Planned Parenthood, Young Americans for Liberty, New Life Metropolitan Community Church and the NOH8 campaign. The musical stylings of Randi Driscol, and performances by Naomi Black and Alessandra McQueen accompanied the festivities and the crowd’s cheers for them could be heard all the way from Webb Center. Naomi Black, working a rainbow jumpsuit and three-inch glittering heels, took to the stage for her second performance at ODU’s Pride Festival. “Gimme some attitude,” Black called out to the crowd before beginning her show. Those familiar with her performance responded to her with shouts of good-hearted obscenities, while those seeing her for the first time simply cheered as Black danced across the stage and into the audience. Occasionally partnering with fellow drag queen Alessandra McQueen, the two do shows across the Hampton Roads area and up and down the East Coast. They have both known ODU Out for years and were happy to add performing for the club’s event to their extensive list of volunteer work.
SEE PRIDE, PAGE A1
An International Perspective of America By: Samuel Mohan Staff Writer Mace & Crown
R. Nicholas Burns, professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at the Harvard University Kennedy School, presented his lecture “America and the World” at the Ted Constant Convocation
Center on Oct. 24. The lecture was a part of the Waldo Family Lecture Series on international relations. Burns has dedicated 27 years of work to the U.S. government. His various positions have included being a member of National Security Council, State Department spokesman, ambassador to Greece, U.S. ambassador to NATO and undersecretary of State
for Political Affairs. The lecture focused largely on America’s status in the international community, the influence the U.S. has in the global economy and why it is unfeasible for the U.S. to revert to its isolationist tendencies. Throughout his presentation, Burns referenced his prior experience in civil service objectively and with nonpartisan bias. He did this through anec-
dotes, such as how he played an “integral role in the U.S.–India nuclear negotiations.” Burns also provided insight into the abundant diplomacy issues the State Department faces on a daily basis and gave critical advice for sustaining the U.S. as a world power. Burns suggests “U.S. involvement in all regions of the world...and the protection and support of all of our allies.”
There was a question and answer session at the end of the lecture. He answered questions that ranged from how the government shutdown impacted the rest of the world to the controversial NSA hacker Edward Snowden.