Tuesday | 07.01.2014 | MaceandCROWN.COM | Vol. 57, Issue 1
10 Reasons It’s Awesome To Go To #OldDirty
Adrienne Mayfield Editor-in-Chief Before I knew the nickname “Old Dirty,” I knew that Old Dominion University had a less than pristine reputation. I transferred from a small city called Lynchburg and when I told people I was going to Norfolk, they had a lot of questions. “Isn’t it expensive out there? Isn’t traffic bad? Why do you want to move to crime city? Do they even play football?” Most people made me feel like I was settling, but I was so ready to get out of Lynchburg that I said eff it and shot down the road. I’ve been here for a year now, and I can definitely see why the stereotypes are what they are. However, despite the bitter spots, the school is evolving for the better and there is something singularly awesome about being a Monarch. 1. We’re near the beach. Why do almost all non-engineering majors come to ODU? They “wanted to be near the beach.” What they might not have realized is that Safe Ride doesn’t drop you off at the Oceanfront, and that the only time the beach is pleasant is during the summer - but it sure does get them here. 2. We’re leading the way on sexual equality in Virginia. Not only do we have a kick ass, student founded, campus organization called ODU Out that does work for the LGBTQ community in Hampton roads, but we also had English professor, Tim Bostic. He and his partner, Tony London, sued the state of Virginia on the basis that the ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. Although Bostic has recently returned to the Hampton Roads public school system, he is a passionate teacher who has spent his career advocating for his students. Now he’s getting to stand up for himself, and that’s beautiful. 3. We seize the m-f day. When technical glitches cause spam emails to flood ODU inboxes, we email right back. When “I’m Schmacked” comes to town, we turn up, never turning down, but sometimes turning over parked vehicles. We go hard, we yolo, we have fun. Then we post about it anonymously on ODU Confessions. 4. We wrote a book. A feat that takes some author’s years happened in 24 hours in February when over 150 ODU faculty and students decided to write a book. They came together in person and virtual spaces to contribute written, created and performed content with the theme “You are (w)here: how knowledge is related to virtual and physical space.” And if you need more proof that this is awesome I have two words for you: choreographed dance. Continued on C2
Zach Chavis | M&C
Campus Safety Update:
Police Chief Rhonda Harris Speaks Out By David Thornton News Editor After a number of high profile crimes and violent acts last semester, one question is paramount in the minds of Old Dominion University students and their parents: what is ODU doing to make the campus safer? According to ODU police chief Rhonda Harris, the issue is being addressed at multiple levels, and a number of improvements are currently in the works. “We are trying to be proactive. We are addressing the problem on a broad scale, but we’re also looking at it building by building,” Harris said. According to Clery Act Reports, ODU’s crime levels are actually roughly median among the United States urban college campuses. The numbers of violent crimes committed each semester have actually fallen since Harris took over the department in 2012. She attributes this to a change in policing style on campus. “We’ve adopted a problem-solving strategy. We started trying to solve the real problems, rather than surface issues,” Harris said. The ODU Police Department invested in new training and technology for their detective bureau. This led to better arrests on scene, and a much lower frequency of repeat offenses. Most violent crimes, on and around campus, stem from parties. ODU Police launched two new strategies to address this problem last semester. First, police have been going undercover to
parties in order to identify problematic activities and practices. Second, students, especially Greek and athletic organizations, are being encouraged to register parties, have strict guest lists and have someone controlling access at the door. “The results are currently sporadic, but we’re still training and getting the word out,” Harris said. She emphasized that their goal is not to stop parties. Instead, they are trying to educate students about safety issues and how party dynamics can lead to violence. Nicole Kiger, director of the office of Leadership and Student Involvement, has been instrumental in helping to reach the students. “With social media advertisement, the party dynamic changes,” Harris said. “You have large groups of people with nothing in common. Individuals are coming to these parties from other campuses, other cities.” Factor in impaired decision-making processes, and minor disagreements can turn volatile. Parties are also breeding grounds for burglaries and larcenies, which is statistically the biggest crime problem facing ODU. While partying, students are less observant, their possessions are on display and their homes are filled with strangers. They are vulnerable. “People take advantage of opportunities,” Harris said. “The iPhone is the most stolen item in the country right now, because it’s easy to take, easy to sell and valuable.” Burglaries and larcenies are also an issue in residence halls and other campus buildings. To
address this, ODU has made two simple changes to residence halls that they expect to have a large impact: burglary resistant screens on windows, and dorm-room doors that automatically lock when they close. “We’re going to see the numbers of thefts drop a lot,” Harris said. In addition, ODU is examining the campus building by building to determine trends and patterns. “The student recreation center had a problem with thefts last semester,” Harris said. “We improved admission procedures, installed more lockers for students to store their belongings and supplemented them with more security cameras.” The rec center is not the only place on campus with new security cameras. While ODU currently has between 800 and 900 cameras on campus, they are working hard to install a couple hundred more over the summer. “We’ll be looking at the other side of 1,000 by fall,” Harris said. “The administration has been very supportive in terms of technology,” Harris said. In addition to installing new cameras, ODU is also updating their existing surveillance technology. “We’re increasing the resolution on the cameras we have now, as well as adding low-light upgrades,” Harris said. “The residence halls will have more live-feed cameras, to help control access to side doors. We also have special purpose cameras that we can temporarily install to monitor specific areas when we observe patterns of concern.”
The ODU Police Department is currently evaluating predictive analysis systems, similar to the CompStat program, in order to better identify and respond to trends in criminal activities. They are also in the process of redesigning their communications system in order to streamline their practices and increase their capabilities. Finally, the ODU Police Department has engaged in broad-scale training in order to better equip them to handle incidents. “We’ve partnered with the division of criminal justice to improve training, especially in civil-rights procedures, decision making and threat assessment. We’re also training to improve our dispatch process and increase responsiveness,” Harris said. Harris believes the real problem on campus is a problem of perception. Within the administration, meetings are being held, talks are happening and measures are being taken. The numbers of violent crimes are down, and plans are being executed to reduce the numbers of burglaries and larcenies. Unfortunately, that information is not filtering down to the students, while widespread media reports of violent incidents. Harris wants to start communicating directly to the students exactly what progress ODU is making to improve safety and reduce crime. “We are trying to be proactive. We are holding our staff accountable. We are trying to increase our transparency. I want students and parents to know that there is nothing the ODU Police Department is not working on,” she said.
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Tuesday | 07.01.2014
News
David Thornton | news@maceandcrown.com
Mace & Crown Staff : Adrienne Mayfield Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@maceandcrown.com David Thornton News Editor news@maceandcrown.com Maria Creamer Arts & Entertainment Editor artsandentertainment@maceandcrown. com Nathan Budryk Sports Editor sports@maceandcrown.com Zachary Chavis Photography Editor photo@maceandcrown.com Alyse Stanley Technology Editor astan023@odu.edu Elijah Stewart Senior Graphic Designer layout@maceandcrown.com Jason Kazi Advertising Director advertising@maceandcrown.com Noah Young Webmaster webmaster@maceandcrown.com
Left to right: Alfred Ellison Gregg, The Center for Climate & Security, Inside ODU
ODU to Lead Nation in Climate Change Research
Nate Budryk Distribution Manager
Staff Writers: Alyse Stanley Jasmine Blackwell Pamula Floyd Mark Fulton Dri MayField Zakeya Murphy Brian Saunders Joshua Stanton Mathew O’Brien
Staff Photographers: AJ McCafferty Claud Dargan Ari Gould Elliott Fisher
Mace & Crown is a newspaper published by and written for the students of Old Dominion once a week throughout each semester and once in the summer. Originally founded in 1930 as the The High Hat, the paper became the Mace & Crown in 1961. The Mace & Crown is a primarily selfsupporting newspaper,maintaining journalistic independance from the university. All views expressed in this collegiate paper are those of the author, not of the University, Mace & Crown, or the editors. Contact Information: Phone: 757-683-3452 Fax: 757-683-3459 Advertising: 757-683-4773
Jugal Patel Staff Writer The complex nature of our society makes it challenging to adapt to sweeping changes in the environment. From New York City to Miami, New Orleans and even Norfolk, we know that major coastal cities in the U.S. are faced with rapidly rising sea levels. The issue is tied to our changing climate and we still haven’t begun developing the sort of practice-relevant knowledge that is necessary to be prepared, until now. Following the announcement of the established Mitigation and Adaptation Research Institute (MARI) on June 3, 2014, Old Dominion University will now be home to the site in which all stakeholders of society will be working together to conduct research that will allow for major coastal cities in the U.S. to adapt to sea level rise. Editor-in-chief of AltDaily News, Jesse Scaccia, recently wondered whether Norfolk would be seen “as the first American city to gracefully handle our new environmental reality, or as the first city America full-scale punted on, sacrificing it to the sea as greater efforts were made to save New York, Baltimore, and Washington DC.” ODU has decided to go all in on climate change and sea level rise to save itself, and just might be able to help save
some other cities as well. “There is no institute existing in the United States that is comprehensively looking at adaptation science. We are the first institute to do that,” said HansPeter Plag, director of MARI and ODU professor. This may allow for ODU to become one of the first major schools in the U.S. for studying climate change and sea level rise holistically. After all, a comprehensive approach to climate change will be necessary to be successful in dealing with the issue. The initiative will bring together prominent entities including the White House, the Department of Defense, state and local government, the private sector, academia and citizens. Academically, MARI will be open to participation for faculty of all different departments and will serve as an interdisciplinary communication platform between them. Academic colleges from other universities will also be encouraged to participate. MARI has already developed relations with colleges such as William & Mary’s legal department and University of Virginia’s architecture department, and is working to encourage other universities to participate. National publications like the New York Times and the Washington Post have called Norfolk the poster child for climate change. Moreover, the 2014 Na-
tional Climate Assessment—released by the U.S. federal government— named Norfolk as the second most vulnerable city to climate change in the United States. This is largely due to the high rate of sea level rise, exposure to extreme weather events, complex socio-economic structure and dense population. It is for this reason that ODU is the ideal location to conduct research of such caliber. “Hampton Roads is a natural laboratory for climate change and sea level rise. We want to develop it into a natural laboratory for the nation,” Plag said. For students, the establishment of MARI means that ODU will begin offering new courses, certificates and even degrees related to climate change and sea level rise mitigation and adaptation studies. Plag stressed the disconnect between academia, science and public policy, noting that MARI is also strongly focusing on developing a graduate course that will allow students to learn ways to better integrate science into policymaking. It is this sort of interdisciplinary will that serves as a prerequisite to create a workforce specialized in solving very complicated issues. “Coastal resilience and urban sustainability is a big issue for the future. ODU is in a great position to give stu-
dents a very good and comprehensive education, where the student would also have a lot of options for the kind of work they want to do related to climate change and sea level rise,” Plag said. Global urban development is quickly spreading. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “the nation’s urban population increased by 12.1 percent from 2000 to 2010.” Cities are growing much faster than suburban or rural areas, and many of the United States’ prominent cities are located in coastal areas that are vulnerable to rising seas. “More than 50 percent of the gross domestic product in the U.S. is produced in coastal communities and coastal counties. So if something happens to coastal areas, it really happens to the entire country,” Plag said. “Our purpose is to really look at what a changing climate means for society and the way we have to live, so that we can continue to live close to the ocean. And our purpose is also to really understand what the options are for cities that will allow them to adapt to climate change.”
Tuesday | 07.01.2014
Arts & Entertainment
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Maria Creamer | arts&entertainment@maceandcrown.com
The Two Faces of the FIFA World Cup Maria Victoria Creamer Arts & Entertainment Editor There are two clashing faces with their eyes on Brazil; those in passionate support of the 2014 Federal International of Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, and those in stark opposition. During the months leading up to the tournament a cloak of overwhelming corruption and scandals has crippled the usual upbeat and vivacious energy of Brazil. The construction of 12 stadiums defied the original construction promise of only eight. The four extra stadiums sucked a large sum of money reserved for education, infrastructure and medicine. The recently built stadium in the Amazonian jungle of Manus will host four games during the World Cup – probably the only games that stadium will ever see. The region lacks a division one team, hence it is seen as a complete waste by many. The country has confronted both their government and FIFA with harsh criticism. Financial spending and false promises have triggered violent protests, and the powerhouse cities of São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro have hit headlines with several anti-World Cup protests involving riot police fired rubber bullets, percussion grenades and teargas. “By this time, the country would be
Maria Creamer | M&C
completely decorated in green and yellow,” said Carioca Carla Bretas, a Rio de Janeiro native. “A tourist wouldn’t recognize the difference, but all Brazilians are aware of its hindered spirit.” Different methods of protesting have formed, such as the waving of posters saying “FIFA GO HOME,” or the creation of graffiti pieces. One street artist, Paulo Ito, sprayed an image of a tears streaming down a young boy’s face while attempting to eat a soccer ball. The work has become an iconic representation of the social discontent with the World Cup. “Like most Brazilians I feel very angry and upset about how much the World Cup is costing us,” native Carioca Felippe Stellet. “I believe the reasons for the protests are way bigger and more important [than the World Cup].” Protests have continued with the beginning of the games, but are weakening in strength and numbers. Bretas explained that football flows in Brazilians veins, so national pride is becoming contagious. “Of course people are upset of the high cost, but as long as it’s going on [World Cup] people are becoming enthused as the days go by,” Bretas said. Stellet described how the union of so many different nations and their passion for both their country and the game is “cool and beautiful.”
Alex McGinnis: One Bad Grad Sean Davis Copy Editor Riding the aftermath of a major economic recession and subsequent recovery, many recent graduates are having trouble finding work that they aren’t overqualified for or that fits their major. Reading job outlook statistics can be depressing and disheartening, - but sometimes you find a positive story that reminds you that dreams can come true! Alex McGinnis graduated from Old Dominion University in May and recently landed a sweet job at a local radio station. He majored in music business and was heavily involved with ODU’s student-run radio station, WODU. He became general manager of WODU and co-hosted the hard rock show, Flatliner, which was one of the station’s most successful programs. We caught up with McGinnis to talk about his job and how ODU’s college media experiences helped. SD - What is your job title and what do you do? AM - My current job title is promotions team member and on air staff for FM99 and 106.9. As a member of the promotion staff, I set up and break down all stations events, represent the stations at said events, and assist any of the on air talents at events. As a member of the on air staff, I host the overnight slots on the weekends and fill in through out the day on show
where the original talent is absent. SD - Tell us about the people you’ve met and events you’ve been a part of. AM - Well before I got the job at FM99 and 106.9, I worked for WODU where I met some of the coolest musical artist such as David Ellefson of Megadeth. I also worked for Charlottesville Radio Group (this was during my time at college) where I got to meet Colbie Caillat, ReHab, Matt Nathanson and a bunch more. But hands down the coolest and greatest person I met was my radio idol, Jose Mangin of Sirius XM Satellite Radio. I’ve been a huge fan of his ever since I first started listen to XM radio. Then once I got into radio broadcasting, I focused on his broadcasts and learned a lot from him. I haven’t met any cool people (besides some of the people I work with) at FM99 and 106.9 yet since I just started but I have worked some incredible events such as Patriotic Festival where I saw the entire Patriotic Air Show front and center, and this massive beer festival down at the waterfront. SD - Do you feel any particular classes, or your involvement with WODU, helped you get the job or better prepare you for it? AM - My pro tools/ production classes helped me the most because radio is all about audio engineering, recording, mixing and editing and that’s exactly what I did with pro tools . And there is no doubt in my mind that working for WODU helped me with my career path. WODU was the
reason why I was hired at FM99 and 106.9 in the first place. SD - How important is college media? AM - College media is your practice space, it’s where writers, radio hosts and executive board members can hone their skills, learn new skills and continue to develop new ones. Plus you get to do a lot more shit in college thn in the professional world! SD - When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grow up, and where do you want to see yourself in the future AM - When I was younger I never imagined being in radio or the music industry. It wasn’t until Senior year of high school where I made the decision that I wanted to be a police officer, but before I got into the police academy, I wanted a degree in criminal justice. So my freshmen year of college I was studying criminal justice. Then I joined WODU and everything changed. In the future I want to see myself working at either one of my two dream jobs. The first dream job is working at Sirius XM for the Liquid Metal, Octane, Hairnation or Ozzys Boneyard channels just like Jose Mangin. The second dream job, is to move to Nashville (which also has a Sirius XM headquarters) and continue to work in radio but also work with a management, entertainment or promotions company. Jason Kazi | M&C
“Because of all of that I feel something different in my heart, which makes me support Brazil and hope we can become champions, because I know that would be amazing for our people and our beautiful history as a football team. I even bought a Brazilian t-shirt to use during the matches,” Stellet said. The mix of emotions can be illustrated through a colorful mural splashed in Brazilian colors blue, yellow and green while hanging from the Marina All Suites in Leblon. Toz, the famous street artist, took five days to complete the project. Since the World Cup kick off, protests are becoming less and less visible to the incoming tourists. “Although there have been protests I haven’t seen them. I felt a good and festive ambiance with many different countries uniting for the same passion,” said Juan Sanchez, a Honduran tourist. “My experience so far is that people are everywhere, and they seem happy, kind and fun. The opposition hasn’t been very visible so far,” said Justin Lott, a U.S. tourist and Old Dominion University student. Regardless of the corruption and scandals, several fans have traded their “FIFA GO HOME” posters for trumpets and flags – at least during the games.
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Sports
Nate Budryk | sports@maceandcrown.com
Getty Images
Donald Sterling: Another White Guy’s Take
Nate Budryk Sports Editor
Racism, bigotry and discrimination. Usually these are adjectives to avoid as are the feelings associated with them. However, for former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, these words were a Tuesday afternoon or a meeting with a tenant of one his many inner city apartment buildings. For me, being a white male, it is nearly impossible for me to speak on the topics of discrimination and racism from a first-hand experience. However, that does not mean I don’t come in contact with it. I’ve heard racist remarks, and I’ve always resented individuals who decide a racist remark is appropriate for my ears, or who assume that I share that individual’s ignorant mindset. However, intentional or not, Sterling’s comments have brought attention to these
important issues. If a dialogue can be created in which racism, bigotry and discrimination are discussed then perhaps potential positive outcomes can result from a very negative situation. One of the obvious positive outcomes of the situation is that the National Basketball Association can now jettison perhaps its most stigmatic and polarizing figure. Unfortunately, the NBA’s constitution does not allow the league’s administrators to simply remove him from his ownership position. A three-quarters majority is required in a voting process conducted by the 29 other franchise owners. While this board of trustees voted in favor of removing Sterling from his position, and Sterling is banned for life from the NBA, he was still able to collect a cool $2 billion- that’s right billion with a “B” - for the Clippers, who were recently purchased by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Two billion dollars. Lest we all forget, this
is a team who during Sterling’s ownership won a pathetic 37 percent of its games. The $2 billion spent on the Clips was by far the highest price ever paid for an NBA franchise, with the second highest coming earlier in the year from the sale of the Milwaukee Bucks for $550 million. The Bucks are a team who actually have some history, winning a championship in the 70s with players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. If the Clippers, a team that hasn’t won a championship, and until the past two or three years was the laughing stock of not just the NBA but all of professional sports, are worth $2 billion, what are the Boston Celtics, the most decorated NBA team ever, worth? What are the Lakers worth? The Knicks? Call me crazy, but I’d love to be “punished” to the tune of $2 billion. Unfortunately, there is little financial damage that can be done to the billionaire, not even a $2.5 million fine (the highest that the NBA’s constitution allows it to im-
pose) could even make a dent in Sterling’s now even deeper pockets. The money aside, the Sterling situation has at least gotten people to think about things like racism and discrimination. This must be viewed as a positive. In America, there are certain topics that just make some people squirm - topics like racism and bigotry are some of these. People want to pretend it’s not there, even though the unfortunate truth is that it never fully went away. People like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks did tremendous things for minorities, and conditions did improve, and anti-discrimination laws were imposed. Unfortunately, racism still lives. I think that racism lives, in part, because people are simply afraid to talk about it. We must be willing to discuss and by extension, change our ideas. Hopefully the massive media attention that has been paid
to Sterling’s situation will get people to realize that black, white, Asian, Hispanic or whatever the case may be, we are all human beings and we are all in this together. My hope is that this inspires a new generation of people who refuse to be held down by bigotry, or refuse to see others held down. The work has been started by those advocates in the past, but it is not finished. Maybe this generation‘s MLK is out there, and hopefully they too will have a dream.
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Technology Alyse Stanley | astan023@odu.edu
E3 in Review: Games on Games on Games Noah Young Webmaster
E3, the world’s most anticipated video game trade show, took place June 10 – 12. Game developers big and small came to Los Angeles to showcase games coming out this year, as well as projects to be released in the future. Nintendo once again opted not to hold a traditional press conference. Instead, the company prepared a “digital event” that focused solely on the struggling Wii U and featured “Robot Chicken” clips of Nintendo staff and characters. The digital event revealed new information on “Super Smash Bros” 3DS and Wii U. First was the reveal that Mii characters will be playable with fighter, sword fighter and gunner setups, with customizable move sets. This was soon followed by the introduction of Amiibo, Nintendo’s new toy line of near field communication figures that will allow players to have custom characters in “Super Smash Bros.” These figures will also be used with other games. “The Legend of Zelda” series was featured twice in this digital event. First in Nintendo’s announcement of a new addition coming out next year that will return to the series’ roots and feature an open world that the player can freely explore. The new world and art style were shown in an epic chase where Link ran from a robotic contraption shooting lasers. Eiji Aonuma, the producer of the game, later stated the footage used was captured from gameplay, though he could have meant it was simply engine rendered. The second appearance of Zelda was in “Hyrule Warriors,” a hack-and-slash action game featuring Zelda, Midna, and Impa as playable characters. “Hyrule Warriors” comes out Sept. 26. Nintendo also unveiled a new third person shooter called “Splatoon.” Releasing next year, gamers play as squid children and compete to see who can cover the walls in the most ink. “Splatoon” will be
ODU Tech Clubs are Technically Awesome Alyse Stanley Technology and Gaming Editor Old Dominion University features a diverse selection in the realm of technology and software engineering. With organizations catering to many different groups including women and African Americans as well as interests like robotics and video games, ODU has a lot to offer. In the Mobile Technology and Research Organization, members get a chance to tinker with high-end mobile devices, most recently the Nexus 4, Moto X and Galaxy S3. “The ‘grand plan’ of the organization is
played in 4v4 online matches, though no local multiplayer was shown. Microsoft gladly announced that “Halo 5: Guardians” will be released in the fall of 2015, alongside Steven Spielberg’s “Halo” television series. To tide Halo fans over until then, Microsoft is releasing the “Halo: The Master Chief Collection;” a collection of the first four games with new HD textures and online featuring maps from each of the games. “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” launches Nov. 11. They also announced “Forza Horizon 2” for Xbox One and Xbox 360. It will feature a dynamic 24 hour day-to-night cycle complete with changing weather and lighting. The game is set at the Horizon Festival in Europe, and features rivals generated by the data gathered from your friends’ driving styles. The game will launch Sept. 30. “Sunset Overdrive” was also shown and given the official release date of Oct. 28. The game is from Insomniac, creators of “Spyro” and “Ratchet & Clank,” and will feature fast paced shooter action in a vibrant, colorful world. EA showed off “Battlefield Hardline,” the next game in their “Battlefield” series, where players assume the role of police officers and criminals. The game will be available Oct. 21 for all major platforms excluding the Wii U. EA also offered information on their role-player games (RPGs) “Mass Effect 4” and “Dragon Age: Inquisition.” “Mass Effect 4” is still some time off so no platform or release date information was given, but EA did reveal that it will feature a new story with new characters and occasional references to the original games. “Dragon Age: Inquisition,” however, will be a sequel to “Dragon Age 2” and will be released on all major platforms except the Wii U on Oct. 7. Also announced was “The Sims 4,” coming Sept. 2. The trailer featured Barack Obama in sim-form, a love story told through a pair of sims and the promise of smarter sims that the player will have more
control over. Ubisoft presented gameplay for “Assassin’s Creed Unity,” introducing the games 4 player co-op, a first for the series. The game will be available for next generation consoles and PC Oct. 28. “Far Cry 4” was also displayed and given a release date of Nov. 18. The game will feature a single player campaign as well as online co-op. The co-op feature does not require the other player to own the game, as PlayStation Plus subscribers will be given 10 vouchers of a co-op only “trial” version to give to friends. Ubisoft surprised the audience with the announcement of “Rainbow Six Siege.” The trailer showed a team handling a hos-
tage situation and demonstrated the new procedural destruction that allows players to realistically destroy walls and cover, leaving the enemy open to attack. The game will be on next generation consoles and PC, but is in its early stages and is expected to be released next year. Sony finished out the day with a hardware reveal: the PlayStation TV. The device is a small box that allows users to download PS Vita, PSP and original PlayStation games and play them on their TVs using a PS3 controller. The device will also allow players to use local Wi-Fi to stream their PS4s to the device, allowing them to play the PS4 in a different room than it actually is. The PlayStation TV will be able to
access PlayStation Now services in the future, as well as support unspecified video streaming services. While the PlayStation TV already released in Japan last November, westerners can expect to see it in stores by the end of the year. It will cost $100 on its own and $140 in a bundle that comes with a controller, memory card and game. Sony also unveiled the continuation of its first party series “Little Big Planet 3” and “Uncharted 4.” “Little Big Planet 3” will be available sometime this November for the PS3 and PS4 and feature new characters. “Uncharted 4,” subtitled “A Thief’s End,” will be coming out for the PS4 next year.
to teach students to work with the technology that we take for granted every day,” said Ryan McGovern, founder and president of the club. He described the club as a “unifying force for all of us mobile tech nerds.” Within the next several years, the organization plans to host a mobile technology conference in the Ted Constant Convocation Center featuring the latest products from companies like HTC, Apple, Samsung and Motorola. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), though open to all races, aims to increase the number of black engineers while providing support for their academic and professional endeavors. According to Club President Nehemiah Harrison, it’s the largest student-run organization on campus, with chapters spanning across the country and internationally. She said that NSBE strives to promote community amongst ODU’s engineering students through social gatherings, regional and national conferences, study jams and community service projects such as Adopt a Spot and Walk for Education.
“What I want to do with our chapter is promote unity. The more we participate, the more we can do, and the more that we do, the more we can aspire to do,” Harrison said. Students interested in mechanics behind computing and the latest technology should consider checking out the Association for Computing Machinery. Club President Stanley Zheng invited students personally saying, “If you want to learn a little bit more about programming, how your phone or computer works– we welcome all folks.” ACM members regularly compete in programming competitions such as Hack Virginia and perform service projects that involve coding applications for the community. Members also learn about app development and software culture at leading technology innovation juggernauts such as Google. One of ODU’s newer organizations, the Fellowship for Women in Science is committed to providing support for women studying the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
FWS strives to keep the lines of communication open between women in STEM fields, as well as people of all genders who believe in equal opportunity for women in the sciences. Mentoring women in these fields at all stages of their academic and professional careers is one of their key objectives. Students interested in becoming part of the electrical and computer engineering department have a corresponding organization as well: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE regularly provides tutoring and homework assistance in Kaufman Hall Room 228 for students and members. “In addition to tutoring, our club and members strive to promote learning with a hands-on approach,” said Donald Whitaker, club president. The club also participates in several engineering competitions and field trips while providing networking opportunities. For students looking for a more applied experience, the ODU Vex U Robotics Team builds robots from the ground up for a chance to compete in the worldwide
VEX U Robotics Competition. Not only does the team compete to bring ODU fame but they also volunteer at schools in the area to aid younger students in math and science and promote interest in STEM fields. Founder and organizational leader Richard Stinson described his optimism about the club’s future projects. Recently, the Virginia Beach Aquarium commissioned the team to construct a robotic arm for a children’s exhibits. “When we complete this project, we will have built a robot that the aquarium hopes kids from all over the state can use for 15 more years,” Stinson said. Orgsync.com contains information on many of these clubs and more, and students looking to meet with organizational leaders in person can look forward to ODU’s Main Street Organizational Fair in the opening months of the fall semester.
Opinion
Tuesday | 07.01.2014
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Adrienne Mayfield | editorinchief@maceandcrown.com
10 Reasons From Page 1
5. We have our own video game. Forbidden to ride the actual lion statue on Kaufman Mall, our lusty Video Game Design and Development Club created a game called “Ride the Lion” to fulfill our deepest fantasies. The objective? Run through the virtual campus, scoring high points while avoiding a-typical ODU stuff like longboarders. 6. We’re increasing focus on study abroad programs. ODU has a large international presence and offers hundreds of study abroad options, but we have a measly 248 students enrolled in them. The university plans to kick at least 252 more chicks out of the nest in the next five years, doubling the amount of annual study abroad students we have. 7. We’re diverse but we party the same. ODU students are cool on principle because we’re so diverse. It goes deeper than the fact that we’re from all over the world; we also come from many weird walks of life. As different as we are, we still party the same. House parties and keggers are our common ground. 8. We have our own art museum and a blossoming arts scene. We have the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries on campus. You can hop on a bus for local museums like the Chrysler. ODUs Starving Artists went to the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival with their original work “My Dorian,” and as the only American university to ever participate in the festival. Students even painted a mural in the library. You have no choice but to love art here. 9. We teach street smarts while getting cultured. Located between the “ghetto” and Ghent, ODU students run these streets. Although you should walk with a buddy at night, the occasional field trip to Ghent for fancy food and strong drinks totally takes our thugness down a notch. Plus, according to Clery Act Reports, our crime levels are median among the United States urban college campuses. 10. The bathroom stall in MGB. When I read Harry Potter as a child I had no idea that the Chamber of Secrets was located in one of the stalls in the women’s bathroom in MGB. This bathroom has seen a lot; confessions, ethical debates over serious social issues, and tons of petty arguments and catty name calling between women who don’t know one another. Old Dirty will always be Old Dirty, and we love it that way. Find the #old and #dirty version of this article on www.altdaily.com.
Life in Rio During the World Cup Maria Victoria Creamer Arts & Entertainment Editor Rio de Janeiro, a city notorious for its curving golden beaches, lush landscape and charming locals, sits below the towering “Christ the Redeemer” statue. A day in Rio is a surfer and beach bum’s paradise. The bohemian Carioca [a native of Rio de Janeiro] lifestyle means soaking in rays while sipping on agua de coco (coconut water) or playing futevolei (a blending of soccer and volleyball) with friends. The tropical city revolves around the beach, so it makes sense that the city shuts down when gray clouds and rain roll in. My first trip to Brazil was roughly four years ago. Since then, I’ve been five times. I’d consider the visits a process of cultural assimilation, blending a Gringa [native English speaker] to the Carioca lifestyle. Moreover, my “Things to do in Rio” bucket list is almost entirely checked off. I stand up paddled in Copacabana beach, got tipsy off caipirinhas (Brazil’s national cocktail), attempted to dance samba in Lapa and hang-glided around the iconic Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers) mountains. Almost every box has been checked but one, and that’s to visit the Maracanã stadium during the 2014 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup. For non-soccer fans, the FIFA World Cup is an internationally watched soccer tournament. The qualifying teams represent their country while fighting for the World Cup Champion title. I was lucky enough to have three World Cup tickets in my pocket – the electricity running through Brazil and Rio also runs through me. Regardless of the protests against the corruption and FIFA, the “Christ the Redeemer” glowed bright green on the eve of one of the tournaments, as streets, pubs and homes began to raise their Brazilian flags and stick streamers and jerseys along walls and ceilings. Boys and girls played Brazil versus Argentina (which is a total
war-like rivalry), and women flaunted their green and yellow dental floss thong bikinis. Whistles and horns accompanied the growing anticipation for the World Cup kick off game, Brazil versus Croatia. June 12, 2014 The day of the inauguration game, my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., I threw on my Neymar Jr. jersey, slathered on sunscreen and headed towards the FIFA Fan Fest inauguration located on Copacabana beach. FIFA Fan Fest locations are official spaces for public viewing of all World Cup games. Upon arriving, my cousin and I found passed out partygoers from the night before, and a still drunk Chilean. To kill time we laid out on the beach, cracked open
some beers and worked on our tans. It wasn’t long till a line began to form at the entrance. While waiting in line, many others and myself were entertained by a Brazilian woman dressed in typical Carnival fashion, showing off her heavily ornate headset and glittering bra-like top and skirt. Another source of entertainment was music beating from speakers playing cover songs such as the official World Cup song “We are one” (also known as Ole Ola) and Shakira’s hit song “La La La” while caipirhinas, beer and water were sold by entrepreneurial salesman. The kick off inauguration opened their doors at noon, and quickly became an ocean of green and yellow with speckles of different countries centered on a colossal sized screen. Flags like Brazil, Argentina, the United States and France rippled in the air as famous Brazilian performers Sorriso Maroto and Naldo performed on stage. The scene was incredible as countries of differing languages, cultures and beliefs joined together for one event, creating their own language - soccer. The Brazilians came away with a 3 to 1 win over Croatia, and the city was bursting in celebration. Men and women, Brazilians and foreigners, either continued pounding beers in hole in the wall botecos (Brazilian pubs) or paraded on the streets. June 15, 2014 I was one of the 80,000 faces in the crowd at the first game in the Maracanã. Tonight’s game was Argentina versus Bosnia and Herzegovina. Arriving to the stadium produced jolts of various emotions – astonishment, ex-
hilaration and an “I can’t believe I’m here” feeling. The hovering lights illuminated the field and the people who brought the stadium to life. Argentine fans took over, painting the stadium in white and baby blue while booming with crazed love and passion for their team. As I scanned the stadium I couldn’t help but think of the stories I had heard of the Argentines traveling in caravan groups all the way to Rio. “I’m sleeping in a van with three other friends, living off hot dogs and beer,” said Alejandro Torres, an Argentine fan. That is serious dedication. They rocked the stadium like jumping beans, chanting “Volveremos, volveremos a ganar otra vez,” in other words – they hope to be World Cup champions again. As I snaked my way around fans and sales guys, I was going to soon discover three things: First, the beers would be hands down the best I’d ever have, incredibly refreshing and delicious. Second, Argentines love to talk shit. Seriously, fights everywhere. Third, I would be so close that I could literally see the muscles on the players ripple as they cannoned the ball across the field. Argentina ended up beating Bosnia 2 to 1, with a devastating auto-goal for Bosnia and a brilliant goal by the one and only Lionel Messi. Yes, Messi who is much faster and shorter in real life, just by the way. This is only the beginning for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Who are you cheering for? Viva Brasil!
