April 5, 2017

Battle of the doughnuts: Sugar Shack vs. Duck Donuts OPINIONS Pg. 6

THE MARLIN CHRONICLE THURSDAY 4.6.17 || MARLINCHRONICLE.VWC.EDU ||

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE

Council formed to address caf concerns

BY MICKELLA RAST mjrast@vwc.edu

The Culinary Council met for the first time March 15 to discuss recent concerns about the food quality in the cafeteria. The Council is the latest effort put forth by administration to address concerns and feelings of discontent among students and faculty regarding the cafeteria.

Questions about food quality first arose after photos, allegedly taken in the dining center’s kitchen, were released on social media. The Marlin Chronicle published a story on the incident along with photos taken by a Marlin Chronicle section editor of the kitchen in The Grille.

According to the VWC Culinary Council overview, the purpose of the organization is to “assist campus dining in gaining accurate insights into student expectations and their views about our services, menus, food quality, customer service and overall dining experience.”

Additionally, the council will work to identify student lifestyle trends and implement ways to integrate them into the dining experience.

Heading the meeting was District Manager of Sodexo Mike Greenfield, General Manager of Dining Services Tim Lockett and Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Moore.

Also in attendance were 17 students, the first members of the council.

Greenfield stated that he was pleased by the turnout and thought that student participation was the most important component of the council.

“It is your dining program,” Greenfield said. “So you need to have a say.”

The focus of the first meeting was introducing members and ascertaining everyone’s goals for the organization’s future.

“I’m interested in doing this because I think there’s not a lot of communication between students and staff,” sophomore Melissa Fisher said.

Anthony Dellamura| Marlin Chronicle Students, members of the VWC administration and Sodexo District Manager Mike Greenfield discuss concerns regarding the cafeteria at the first meeting of VWC’s Culinary Council.

Senior Avriana Chavez said, “I’ve seen the development and regression of the campus [food].”

Chavez also stated that she’d like to see students enjoying their meals again.

“I think there’s not a lot of variety,” sophomore Amber McDonald said. “Having a voice for students… is something that’s really important.”

Many were concerned about the lack of balance between the different types of meals. They stressed that there should be multiple choices for athletes, vegetarians, students with allergies and those with food restrictions. It was also brought to the council’s attention that glutenfree and diabetic-friendly meals are

nearly nonexistent in the dining centers.

Other conversations revolved around the cross-contamination between food stations and sanitation concerns, such as dirty silverware and tables.

Of the highest importance to students were increased variety in foods and healthier options. Several members stated their preference for fresh fruit and raw vegetables as opposed to canned fruit and overcooked vegetables.

“I don’t want to dread coming to the caf to get food anymore,” one student said.

“No more chicken and rice,” another said.

Anthony Dellamura| Marlin Chronicle Sodexo District Manager Mike Greenfield.

SEE CULINARY Pg. 2

The Marlin Prestige Business Conference Presents:

The Pathway to Success: People, Process, and Performance Day 1 - Leadership Day 2 - Marketing

Day 3 - Finance Day 4 - Operations Day 5 - Legal Work The Marlin Prestige Business Conference is led by the MBE 301 Principles of Management class, as they host an array of workshops, seminars, and competitive presentations.

The speakers will explain their individual pathways to success, with key presentations given

by Jon

Pruden,

CEO of Taste Unlimited, as well as Ken Trinder, VWC Trustee and CEO and President of EOS Systems.

The Conference will be held April 24th through April 28th in Pearce Hospitality Suite upstairs in Batten.

In addition to Speakers, engaging workshops will teach the tricks of skillful marketing, improving your credit, and successful operations.

This engaging program kicks off on Monday, April 24th at 6pm, with Jon Pruden’s presentation and food.

Dress for the event is business professional. See you there!

WGS goes Greek

BY KASEY NEWCOMB klnewcomb@vwc.edu

Iota Iota Iota (Triota) is a National Women Studies Honor Society. The honor society currently has over 50 chapters nationwide. Virginia Wesleyan College senior Kaci Wertz took the lead in bringing the Delta Sigma chapter of Triota to Virginia Wesleyan College.

The Greek letter iota was selected due to the names of three Greek goddesses.

Those are Inanna, Ishtar and Isis. Triota strives to maintain the feminist values central to women’s and gender studies and strives to encourage diversity, egalitarianism and a supportive academic environment for all students.

To start a new chapter of an honor society at VWC, one must apply and have a written constitution.

“In trying to start the chapter, I had to

write a constitution and by-laws,” Wertz said.

Wertz had to register with the Alpha chapter of the organization and wait for a response.

At VWC, Triota presents those majoring or minoring in women’s and gender studies with diverse perspectives and interpretations of the historical and contemporary experiences of women and men in the United States as well as throughout the world.

Students at VWC majoring or minoring in women and gender studies will study feminist, gender and sexuality theories and use them in understanding and contextualizing varied forms of interactions and solutions.

SEE MORE ONLINE AT MARLINCHRONICLE.VWC.EDU

Need for immunization surfaces after ODU scare

BY AMANDA ARCHER acarcher@vwc.edu

According to an alert sent out by neighboring institution Old Dominion University (ODU), during the week of March 9, a student was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is the most common form of meningitis, an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and has the potential to be life-threatening. The infection is most commonly contracted from the environment but can also be found in your nose and respiratory system.

In the case of the ODU student, he or she contracted the bacteria while out of town during spring break. In some cases, meningitis occurs for no reason. However, oftentimes it occurs after a head injury or following an infection that has weakened the immune system. Whether or not the incident occurred after one of these circumstances is unknown.

“It was during our spring break when everything occurred. We were informed.

They sent out detailed emails explaining the situation and the precautions that were being taken.

SEE MENINGITIS Pg. 2

2

NEWS

Thursday April 6, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

MENINGITIS CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Meningitis Statistics and Disease Facts 600 – 1,000

one-third

Approximately people contract meningococcal disease in the U.S. each year.

of Less than first dose recipients have received the recommended booster dose.

BY MICKELLA RAST mjrast@vwc.edu

•

Senior Send-off: Seniors will have the chance to attend evening events at ShoreBreak and Funny Bone comedy club. SGA partnered with the Center for Advancement to provide the events.

•

SGA Elections: Students will have a chance to join the SGA. Sign-ups start April 8 and run for two weeks. Voting will run on Blackboard April 24-28. The new officers will be announced May 4, and will meet on May 5 for the last meeting of the year.

•

The proposed SGA and Student Finance Committee (SFC) merger was approved and will take effect Fall 2017.

•

Proposed revisions to the SGA constitution were approved. Among the revisions are the addition of a judicial review aspect, downsizing the executive board from nine to five students and breaking up the 16 senators into more specific roles: presidents, vice presidents, fundraising/event officers and finance officers.

•

Students have communicated concerns regarding bathroom cleanliness and cleaning staff behavior to the SGA. SGA President Nich Hipple met with Student Affairs to discuss the issues.

21% of all meningococcal dis-

1 in 5

U.S. teens have not yet received their first dose of the meningococcal vaccination against serogroups A, C, W and Y and remain unprotected.

ease cases occur in preteens, teens and young adults ages 11–24.

Many teens have not received the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine since it was just permissively recommended by CDC in 2015.

Infographic by Ashlei Gates

Information from http://www.nmaus.org/disease-prevention-information/statistics-and-disease-facts/

The school also provided us with link and resources to further our knowledge of the disease,” Jazmyn Perkinson, a junior at ODU, said.

In response to the incident, the Virginia Department of Health contacted the five individuals who had come in contact with the student to begin precautionary treatment and stave off the infection. The University’s medical director of student health services believed the threat to be minimal and that there was no danger to the ODU community as a result of the situation.

The VWC campus shares many undertakings with ODU such as the frequent visits from the ROTC program and the pre-engineering program where students from VWC complete certain courses at ODU. The two institutions even share athletic events and exhibitions. The short proximity and life-threatening nature of the bacteria raised multiple questions for the Virginia Wesleyan College community.

“We share so many campus-wide activities with Old Dominion University.

I know, for one, that our engineering program is linked with their school. I was nervous that somehow our campus could possibly be affected. I was also allowed to sign a waiver stating I did not have to get a meningitis shot in

S

GA happenings this quarter

order to attend school,” Jessica Lindsay, a sophomore at Virginia Wesleyan College, said.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meningitis is not typically transmitted by routine or casual contact, making it difficult to be transmitted from person to person and, by extension, from campus to campus. It is typically transmitted through saliva or prolonged close contact with an infected person. The CDC recommends that all college students get immunized against the disease before starting college. Virginia law requires people age 16 or older to be immunized, but some students and staff of Virginia Wesleyan College can decline the immunization. The shot is also noted to not be 100% effective, but can definitely decrease the chances of contracting the disease.

“We have not had any cases on campus of meningitis. Most of our students have been immunized against meningitis, for those who don’t, they have an option to sign a waiver if they do not want to get immunized, but because all students are required to turn in their immunization records, we have a better way of tracking whether or not someone has it,” Valerie Covington, director of health services, said.

The Virginia Wesleyan College campus has not required any extra safety precautions regarding the disease and was not formally notified of the event but were fully aware of the incident and the nature of it. However, if necessary, the college requires certain procedures to ensure the safety of every student on campus.

“It is important that students get the meningitis immunization. It covers you for the four to five years you are in college, and it is a horrible disease to contract. They are now introducing shots to cover the newest strain B of meningitis. Students should make sure they receive the shot to ensure they do not contract the disease,” Covington said.

Following the emails to the student body, the status of the Old Dominion University student was unknown and not released to the students. The main students in contact with the individual were contacted and told to begin treatment in order to prevent the disease from developing.

“Personally, I do not know the status of the individual, but I’m sure the university is fully aware. However, they did not send any type of follow-up information,” Perkinson said.

*Students are encouraged to contact SGA president Nich Hipple for more info

THE SUNDAY READ Feature pieces, opinions, and stories by the editors of The Marlin Chronicle.

thesundayread.tumblr.com

CULINARY CONTINUED FROM FRONT One member pointed out that The Grille is a more popular eatery, despite serving many of the same types of food and using the same types of equipment as the cafeteria.

Greenfield and Lockett discussed the possibility of transitioning several stations from mass food production to cooking-to-order.

This means that food would be prepared after a student places an order, instead of being prepared beforehand.

Currently, the cafeteria mass-produces the majority of its food, while The Grille is strictly made-to-order.

The council discussed other possible solutions to solve student complaints and ways to preemptively address concerns. Suggestion boxes, comment cards, customer advocates, a more consistent use of social media and structured menus were all considered.

Another issue, although less pressing, was the environmental friendliness of the dining services.

Greenfield said it was President Miller’s wish to address this in the future. A new to-go system in the cafeteria will soon be introduced as part of the effort to increase Virginia Wesleyan College’s environmental sustainability Starting next fall, students will purchase a reusable takeout container. Each time they wish to get their meal to go, students will trade in their dirty container for a clean one.

The next meeting of the council will be held in April, during which time the members will tour the kitchen and discuss its capabilities and limitations.

In the future, members will also have the opportunity to test recipes and products, work directly with the chefs and participate in excursions to neighboring institutions in order to compare and contrast food options.

“This is a starting point so we can really hit the ground running,” Greenfield said.

“We’ll keep working at it,” Lockett said. He encouraged

members to work toward creating the dining services they want.

For attending this and the next meeting, student members will be given a $50 Amazon gift card. Starting next fall, students who attend meetings regularly will be compensated with a $200 gift card at the end of each academic year.

Culinary Council meetings are open to any student, faculty or staff member, but voting is limited to current members.

Members must be residents or commuters enrolled as full-time students, have no honor code violations and submit a written request and application to the General Manager of Campus Dining Services.

Students and faculty are encouraged to contact Greenfield with any questions or suggestions at Michael.greenfield@sodexo.com.

Current events roundup

BY SHAWN MATTHEWS sematthews@vwc.edu

Flynn asking for immunity

Mike Flynn, former National Security Adviser to President Trump, told investigators he will testify regarding the ongoing investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign in exchange for immunity. The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees have not taken the offer.

Dakota access pipeline pumping

Oil is now traveling through part of the Dakota access pipeline beneath the Missouri River. Protests against the pipeline continue, most notably from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

Obamacare remains in place

House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the GOP’s health care bill prior to its vote based on a final call by President Trump. They knew that the bill would not pass, because it was opposed by the Freedom Caucus and Democrats in Congress.

Exxon climate change case

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating emails between current U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Exxon Mobil Corp. Recently, the prosecuting team has found that almost a year’s worth of the emails, suspected to show Exxon having knowledge of possible climate change impact, are missing.

House and Senate against Planned Parenthood

Congress has voted to repeal the state funding of Planned Parenthood mandated by previous regulation put into place by former President Barack Obama. Vice President Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote on the issue, and President Trump is expected to pass the repeal as well.

Sources: NPR, USA Today, Business Insider, CBS Minnesota and The Washington Post

3

COMMUNITY

Thursday April 6, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

Jane P. Batten Student Center survey results

BY JASMINE DRIGGS jtdriggs@vwcedu

Students completed a survey on the type of music they preferred to hear playing.

Which genre of music would you prefer to be played throughout the Batten Center the most?

89 Country

99 Rap/ HipHop

117 Pop

525 Total Votes 114 R&B

106 Alternative

Ashlei Gates | Marlin Chronicle

The

MARLIN CHRONICLE

Follow us on

Editor-in-Chief Sarah Antozzi scantozzi@vwc.edu News Editors Courtney Herrick clherrick@vwc.edu Ashley Kline aakline@vwc.edu Community Editors

@marlinchronicle or @marlinsports

Jasmine Driggs jtdriggs@vwc.edu Cynthia Griffin clgriffin@vwc.edu Opinions Editors Michael Willson mnwillson@vwc.edu Hayley Heath hrheath@vwc.edu The Weekender Editors Justin Smith jrsmith2@vwc.edu

Spring alumni weekend

BY FARAH HAIDARI fahaidari@vwc.edu

Miranda Fein mlfein@vwc.edu

“I lost my mother my first full time here coaching in 2008 to colon cancer and so we just wanted to do something kind of in her memory just to kind of fight it and it was just literally a cookout and charged admissions and made $3,000.”

BRANDON ELLIOTT

Sports Editors Corey King ckking1@vwc.edu

•

Luke Chiasson lachiasson@vwc.edu Photo Editor

Ashlei Gates angates@vwc.edu

Illustrations Editors Britani Alyse Daley badaley@vwc.edu

• • •

Alumni Soccer and Volleyball Games The men’s and women’s alumni soccer games will take place on the practice field at 10 a.m. on April 8 The alumni volleyball game will begin at 11 a.m. in the Convocation Center.

These events are open to the public.

• • •

9th Annual Strike Out Cancer Event The softball double header will start at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.

The Strike Out Cancer event started as a way for the softball team to celebrate the life of Coach Brandon Elliott’s mom.

The event started as the team charging admission and having a cookout. At the first event, the team raised $3,000.

Tickets will be $5 and can be purchased at the gate.

Valerie Miller vgmiller@vwc.edu Online/Social Media Editors Victoria Laughlin vnlaughlin@vwc.edu

Alumni Association | Courtesy

Brandon Gilchrist bjgilchrist@vwc.edu Copy Editor Laurissa Senecal ljsenecal@vwc.edu Business Manager Sarah Antozzi scantozzi@vwc.edu Advertising Manager Jasmine Demir jkdemir@vwc.edu Adviser

• • • •

Dr. Lisa Lyon Payne lpayne@vwc.edu

Seafood Party in the Dell The 35th Seafood Party in the Dell will take place on Saturday, April 8th from 5p.m.-7p.m.

The event will take place on the Batten Center Lawn with tables and chairs set up.

Students will have access to seafood by using a meal swipe; alumni and families will receive a meal for $5 per person.

Music will be performed by the Dustin Furlow Duo.

• • •

Athletic Games • 11 a.m.- Guilford College vs. Women’s Lacrosse Birdsong Field 12:30 p.m.- Roanoke College vs. Softball (double-header) Marlin Field 12:30 p.m.- Roanoke College vs. Baseball (double-header) Kenneth R. Perry Field 1 p.m.- Shenandoah University vs. Men’s Lacrosse Birdsong Field

4 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

Tamera and Antionette Edler

CAMPUS countdown

Biology major and Chemistry minor

BY JASMINE DRIGGS

April 8th

jtdriggs@vwc.edu

Marlins Make a Difference Day Time: 8 a.m.- 1:00p.m.

Marlins go into the community in teams to help different agencies in our community. Volunteers select their sites in the Office of Community Service, and enjoy breakfast and lunch together to celebrate. For more information, contact Diane Hotaling with Office of Community Service

April 11th

Location: Hofheimer Theatre Matthew Baldiga will lead an information session on A.C.T.’s actor training programs: The Summer Training Congress, M.F.A. program, and the San Francisco Semester.

April 13th Life Matters: Dr. Timothy O’Rourke Time: 12:00 p.m.-12:50 p.m.

Location: Shafer Room Members of the Wesleyan community offer autobiographical reflections on their emotional, intellectual, and spiritual experiences. Free and open to the public. Call 757.455.3129 or email csrf@ vwc.edu

Muslim Women and Stories of Life in America Time: 7:00 p.m.-8:15 p.m.

Location: Blocker Auditorium A panel discussion moderated by Dr. Tahani Amer, Senior Technologist at NASA Headquarters will focus on circumstances faced by Muslim women in America. Call 757.455.3129 or email csrf@vwc.edu for more information.

The Marlin Chronicle is the official student newspaper of Virginia Wesleyan College.

Staff meetings are held every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Batten 217. Signed submissions are welcome, but subject to the discretion of the editor.

Letters are not edited for content, but may be edited for length and mechanics. The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper may not necessarily reflect the views of the entire staff of The Marlin Chronicle or Virginia Wesleyan College.

Antionette

Tamera Q: What has been your most memorable moment since you have been at Virginia Wesleyan College?

A: My most memorable moment on campus was the day freshmen were able to move in on campus. I was a freshman, at the time, and I was struggling to carry some boxes up the stairs.

When other freshmen took notice; they were willing to help me and even stayed to decorate my room. I was able to make lifelong friends from that simple act of kindness.

Tamera Edler| Courtesy

Freshman

Transformation

A Visit from Matthew Baldiga, American Conservatory Theater Time: 11:00 a.m.-12:30p.m.

April 20th

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Q: How has Virginia Wesleyan College helped you to grow?

A: I believe that VWC has helped me grow to be more independent due to the fact that I could no longer depend on mom and dad to make me study or tell me to not do a certain thing. I feel it has also has allowed me to grow in my academic interest which is biology and chemistry. The professors at VWC are passionate about their field and it encourages us, as students, to want to grow and learn more about our specific studies.

Q: What is something about Virginia Wesleyan College that you will always hold close to your heart?

A: The one thing that I will hold close to my heart from VWC is the close tight knit community atmosphere. I feel that this separates VWC from other schools.

Q: How has it been difficult being twins on a college campus?

A: It is not very difficult being a twin on campus.

It is actually fairly easy.

I have one of my best friends in all the same classes and she pushes me to study. We challenge each other and I believe that that helps with being in college. Also, you get a little more attention being that you have an identical twin, which is always nice.

Senior

Q: How has Virginia Wesleyan College helped you to grow?

A: I believe that VWC has encouraged/forced me to be more of an independent thinker as well as a person who utilizes critical thinking when confronted with certain situations. That for sure has been the growth that I’ve seen in myself.

Cora Wilson|Marlin Chronicle

Activities: • Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society • Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honor Society • Sigma Zeta Natural Science and Mathematics Honor Society • Science Club • Black Student Union • Native American Student Association • Virginia Wesleyan Ambassador

Tamera Edler|Courtesy

CRIME BLOTTER

Courtesy|Thinkstock

3:25 a.m. |Controlled Substance

1:09 a.m.| Liquor Law

K Lot No description.

J Lot No description.

Q: How has it been difficult being twins on a college campus?

A: I do not think it has been very difficult being a twin. I guess the only downfall is that we are often compared which I understand since we are “technically” different people.

Antionette Edler|Courtesy

The Marlin Chronicle Virginia Wesleyan College 1584 Wesleyan Drive Norfolk, VA 23502 757.455.3311

April 2

Q: What is something about Virginia Wesleyan College that you will always hold close to your heart?

A: The close knit community, I know it seems like everybody is brainwashed to say that, but it is so TRUE. I really appreciate that about our school. It really is like a big high school.

Q: If you could leave the underclassmen with one peice of advice, what would it be?

A: Learn how to STUDY! If you do not know learn. That is the only way to truly succeed in college. It took me until late sophomore year to truly learn how to prepare for exams. Another piece of advice is to ask questions and ask for help if you need it.

Q: If you could leave the underclassmen with one peice of advice, what would it be?

A: The piece of advice I would leave underclassmen is to not procrastinate! I feel that we all as college students procrastinate and then we spend late hours studying for that quiz or exam and it does not work very well in college so study early!

April 1

Q: What has been your most memorable moment since you have been at Virginia Wesleyan College?

A: My most memorable moment while attending VWC was having the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research with Dr.Easter. I truly enjoyed this experience and being able to generate my own methods and ways of conducting a study whether it was from me finding it in the various articles I read or because I wanted to see the potential effects of a particular procedure. Of course, meeting Tone, Tosh, Jenn, B-Wise, Duncan, Natalie (too many more to name) has definitely been the icing on the cake and caps all memories here at Virginia Wesleyan.

April 4 12:30 a.m. |Liquor Law Village 3 No description

“As a former collegiate student newspaper editor, professional journalist and long-time advisor for the Society of Collegiate Journalists, I understand the role and value of student media at a liberal arts college. Virginia Wesleyan College proudly supports the editorial independence and press freedom of student-edited publications. We believe that student editors have the authority to make all content decisions and consequently, assume full responsibility for decisions they make.”

--Scott D. Miller, Ph.D President

5

OPINIONS

Thursday April 6, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

Academically engaging your inner child

BY DILLON RUDIGER derudiger@vwc.edu

I am Virginia Wesleyan College’s resident “Weird Harry Potter Kid.” I have read the books and watched the movies countless times. I know my Hogwarts house (Ravenclaw), my Ilvermorny house (Thunderbird), my wand (Ash and Phoenix feather, 13 ¾ inches, hard) and my Patronus (a sparrowhawk) thanks to Pottermore.com. I have been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando twice. I own several replica wands and enough Harry Potter shirts to wear a different one every day of the week if I wanted, with some left over to spare. Quiz me on almost any piece of Harry Potter trivia, and I could probably give the correct answer in seconds.

Here’s what you might not know about me: despite how much I love Harry Potter, I am self-conscious about it. I have an irrational fear that once people know how closely I cleave to something childish and nerdy like Harry Potter, they will stop taking me seriously.

To be perfectly clear, I don’t think most people actually stop taking me seriously once they find out I enjoy all things related to Harry Potter. I am simply projecting a personal insecurity onto other people, but therein lies the problem: a lot of people seem to share that same insecurity. It’s an unfortunate misconception about growing up: you have to let go of anything you like that is targeted toward children or else you might be perceived as a nerd, a weirdo or a baby. The cliquey environment prevalent in high school seems to do the most damage in this department—if you want to fit in, you have to let some things go that make you seem uncool or less like an adult.

I noticed a jarring shift in what is con-

sidered “cool” upon starting college. Suddenly, weirdness was celebrated. I’ll never forget the time a guy showed up to one of my classes in a unicorn mask on Halloween and made himself the class hero.

What changed between high school and college to make weirdness cool, and why do some people still feel insecure about liking weird and childish things despite this change?

The answer is deceptively simple. In high school, everyone is on the cusp of adulthood and feels the need to prove that they are mature enough to function in society as grown-ups. A byproduct of this is the need to distance oneself from things that are childish and against the norm of adulthood.

In college, however, the script is flipped.

lege, there is an expectation to rise up and act like an adult, because once you get to college you actually are an adult.

There is a desire to revisit and celebrate weird and childish things but it still feels taboo to admit to liking those things.

So I offer my solution: don’t just celebrate childish things with your friends and peers, celebrate them in the classroom. Academically engage with the things you miss from your childhood. If you put in the effort and do it well, it will show that you still proudly love some things from your childhood, but also that you are capable of engaging in a sophisticated, interesting discourse about those things that are intellectually stimulating.

I have done more projects on Harry Potter for my classes than I can remember, including my senior thesis in English. Doing my English capstone project on Harry Potter was no easy task, but once it was over, I felt that I had overcome two major hurdles: completing my Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle English major, and proving that I’m not just a Harry Potter fanboy, but someone Everyone is in the early stages of adultwho has grown academically as a result of hood, resulting in a terrifying wake-up call engaging with the series. for most people because being an adult is Mixing the world of childish wonder scary, and going back to being a kid would with your studies not only makes schoolbe preferable for most college students. work more fun, it also lets you engage with Unfortunately, becoming a kid again is an the weird and fantastic in a productive setimpossible dream to fulfill until the day ting and creates a nice bridge between science presents the world with real-life childhood and adulthood.

Time-Turners (note: this is not how TimeSo go ahead and write a thesis on Harry Turners actually work in Harry Potter, I Potter. Write a research paper about the just needed a nice callback). The next best possible sociological benefits of playing thing to becoming an actual child again is Pokémon GO, do an art project inspired by to embrace the things that were hastily cast a Disney movie or conduct a study about aside as a teenager in an effort to grow up the effects of cosplay on creativity. While too fast. it isn’t the perfect answer, one step toward Even though the desire to become an overcoming insecurity about liking childadult in high school often transforms into ish things is to embrace those things in a desire to be a kid again in college, things every part of your college life: social, acaare not quite so black-and-white. In coldemic and otherwise.

Bring back original content to our screens

BY JULIE AINSLEY jmainsley@vwc.edu

The past couple years have become a spectacle of nostalgia when it comes to entertainment, especially with television shows and movies. The forever-idolized ’90s favorites have resurfaced, creating reunion TV shows such as “Fuller House,” “Girl Meets World” and “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.”

There have also been live-action reboots of Disney films and the newly released “Power Rangers” film.

These shows and films bring joy to audiences everywhere and are bringing enter-

tainment back to the screen ... but are all of these remakes getting tiring?

With all of the reunions and reboots, I have been surprised at the lack of new content coming into our entertainment world.

This is problematic to me.

As I have grown older, I have seen how much my generation still describes the ’90s as “the best” when it comes to entertainment and pop culture. While I do agree it is one of the best, remaking everything is not bringing any new innovations for the content that future generations will need.

Looking back at the older episodes and

films we know and love from our generation, the gags, references and catchphrases would not be very funny to a newer audience just like the gags, references and catchphrases on newer shows and movies aimed for the newer generation aren’t usually that funny to us.

We have the tendency to trash new shows, saying they will never be like the ones that we had. This is because writers are catering to a different audience now.

Another thing that I think is important to recognize is that the disdain for new content is stopping this generation from hav-

ing a claim like the 90’s kids do.

With everything popular becoming a reunion, I can’t help but ask what content is going to be associated with the new generation. This is because I still associate the reunions and reboots with our generation.

I have a feeling that these remakes will get boring for everyone eventually. There is even criticism now with people saying that the “tired jokes” are not cutting it anymore. I even get uncomfortable sometimes when something is said on a reboot and doesn’t get a laugh like it would have in the original.

It is really hard not to be excited about every remake that comes out, but I think as an audience, we need to be critical of the content we are supporting because it can lead to a monotony of entertainment that will lead to no promising success stories.

Now don’t get me wrong: I am not saying not to support reunions or reboots.

They are my guilty pleasure as much anyone else’s. I even spent my birthday in 2016 binge-watching the premier season of “Fuller House.” What I am saying is to support new content just as much as you supports 90’s pop culture.

If we keep up production of new content and ideas, then it will keep the cycle of the innovation of the entertainment industry going for generations to come.

Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle

Getting through trauma

BY CHRIS BATTLE cdbattle@vwc.edu

April 4, 2016, will always have a mark on my life as if it was asterisked in a hall of fame.

Although I had gotten a botched haircut, marred by a bald spot with a hurt ego to match, I was still pretty hopeful about the day. That hope would shatter to pain and regret, eventually spinning me into a depression of depths I had never felt before. An ex-lover, whom I had been with on and off for close to three years, took advantage of me and at the time took all my control and power. I felt full of shame, thinking that while I had everything in my power to stop it, I chose not to. I languished in these thoughts for close to three weeks, even as I began my therapy and started my mental health recovery.

As the summer approached, my outlook on the situation began to change. I was starting to see the flaws in the relationship and in myself. I reflected on how trying to please suitors was hurting me and in turn causing my depression and anxiety to worsen and lead me to a state of duress. As June approached, I started to focus on myself, realizing that not only is it not a selfish act, but a healthy and positive move.

I traveled out of the state for two weeks and, as my therapist called it, took a break from the world around me.

During these two weeks, I tried new experiences and met

all kinds of people. I cut myself off from social media and only posted vacation photos. I changed my diet to a mix of fruits and water, with minimal sugar and a generous amount of alcohol. I used my vacation to escape from my woes and find myself as a now 21-year-old. I was learning more about how I had changed in the three years during my relationship and worsening depression.

I came back in August refreshed and renewed. In a sense, I had an “Eat, Pray, Love” moment and I was finally back to being happy, which was also due in part to Zoloft.

I left my mall job for steadier work with higher pay.

A month later, I was laid off. I was blindsided, never having thought I’d lose my job soon after leaving another. I was finding myself back in my depression, sleeping all day and skipping classes, ignoring assignments and emails, withdrawing from social activities and drinking more. I saw this behavior and chose to ignore it, thinking that it would pass. Concurrently, I also began a tryst with a new friend, whom I began to have strong feelings for. I knew he didn’t feel the same, but I was in so deep that I couldn’t help but watch myself drive into a wall. I didn’t quite understand how my life began to crumble once more with no warning signs.

January came around and I brought my feeling toward my new friend to a physical level, which strengthened my feelings and brought me into a bigger cloud of uncertainty

and confusion. My frequency of drinking had reached a height of four to five days a week.

I was constantly looking for the numbing agent and social lubricant to manage the dysfunction in my life.

My new friend started to notice that my behavior had changed, turning from a positive and bubbly individual, to someone who just wasn’t present most of the time. Once we had our falling out, spurred from this change, I once again started to think introspectively. I fell into music, which had been absent in my life for quite some time. I refocused myself on school and work, now working diligently at both, and began to repair my friendships and academic relationships. And I pulled myself together and brought my life back to me, as well as withdrawing from heavy drinking.

I share all of this to say that life comes at you fast. It’s important to take time and refocus on mental health and yourself. Using substances and people for escape is not a way to begin your new self-discovery journey nor is it productive to your healing process. Trauma is painful and excruciatingly difficult but it also allows you to grow and jumpstart the process to finding who you truly are and helping yourself.

Sometimes pain can be beautiful, and that makes life worth living.

6 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

Thursday, April 6, 2017

The Great mc Debate

Sugar shack v. Duck donuts JONATHAN JOYNER

MICHAEL WILLSON

Duck Donuts and Sugar Shack are two fine establishments that both offer a wide variety of unique doughnuts. While some people might not see the difference between the two, I can help explain why Sugar Shack is by far superior to Duck Donuts.

First of all, Sugar Shack has more flavors to choose from. While both places have a system where you can customize your doughnut with a coating and topping, Duck Donuts does not have as many options as Sugar Shack. Duck Donuts has mainly the traditional toppings, such as sprinkles and coconut, with bacon and Oreo cookie crumbs as their only unique ones. Sugar Shack has everything that Duck Donuts has as well as M&Ms, Fruit Loops and ground up pieces of Heath and Butterfinger bars. Sugar Shack also has special unique flavors that you can’t find at Duck Donuts such as red velvet cake, blackberry basil glazed and fresh peach ginger. Remember when you were in kindergarten and pretended to eat mud with chocolate pudding, Oreos and gummy worms? Sugar Shack has its own version of that with the mud pot doughnut.

Want something sweet and fattening, but not craving a doughnut? No problem. In addition to their delicious doughnuts, Sugar Shack also has glazed cinnamon rolls and Granny Smith apple fritters.

The only unique thing you can get at Duck Donuts is their sundae, which does look pretty tasty, but you have to sit down to eat it. Let’s say it’s morning rush hour and you need something to eat on the go. You won’t be able to eat a sundae. Everything at Sugar Shack is something you can it with one hand while the other hand is on the steering wheel.

Sugar Shack also serves gluten-free doughnuts. Duck Donuts on the other hand, does not. Sugar Shack is sensitive to people’s dietary needs, making it possible for more people to enjoy their mouthwatering doughnuts. From a business viewpoint, I don’t understand why Duck Donuts wouldn’t serve gluten-free doughnuts. They could sell so many more doughnuts and make more money.

Sugar Shack is only three years old and already has ten locations, including two in Florida. There will be two more locations opening this summer: one in Charlottesville and another in Washington, DC. I will give Duck Donuts credit. They have 37 locations with 16 on the way.

They also have locations in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee. That being said, Duck Donuts began in 2006 and has an extra seven years on Sugar Shack. I think it is safe to say that Sugar Shack is making excellent progress and is a worthy opponent of Duck Donuts.

While both establishments serve delicious, high-quality doughnuts, Sugar Shack blows Duck Donuts out of the water. They have more flavors, are sensitive to dietary needs and have a high number of locations for such a young business. Sugar Shack is way ducking better than Duck Donuts.

Letter to the Editor

Which is better when going for doughnuts: Duck Donuts or Sugar Shack? I personally prefer Duck Donuts for multiple reasons.

First of all, Duck Donuts has a major advantage in the field of doughnut customization. At Duck Donuts, you can literally design your own doughnuts. You start off by choosing what kind of coating you want, then you go for your toppings, then to top it off you select what kind of drizzle/icing you want on top. Currently, they have over 10 different coatings you can pick from, over seven different toppings and over four different drizzles that can go on top. I will recognize that Sugar Shack has a wide variety of doughnut options, but I still stick with Duck Donuts because of their ability to allow the customers to build their own doughnuts if they so choose.

One thing that worries everyone is the price of going out to popular eateries like these. This was almost a tie, but Duck Donuts is actually slightly cheaper than Sugar Shack. In terms of doughnuts and coffee, Duck Donuts wins. Doughnuts at Duck Donuts are priced based on how many doughnuts you are getting, which can range from getting a single doughnut to a dozen doughnuts or to a bucket of doughnuts. Singles are normally around $1.20, a half-dozen being around $6.25, a dozen being around $11.95 and a bucket being around $16.50. Sugar Shack prices come in a close second, but their doughnuts are priced by the type of doughnut you are ordering (house, cake, or specialty). House cost $1.95, cake cost $2.15 and specialty cost $2.95. I understand that there is not a vast difference in price between these two doughnut shops, but in my opinion, every penny counts due to the tight budgets many students live on.

The quality of doughnuts at Duck Donuts is far superior to those of Sugar Shack. I have been going to Duck Donuts for quite a few years now and recently tried Sugar Shack for the first time a few weeks ago. The doughnuts I tried at Sugar Shack had a good overall flavor to them, but tasted a little dry and not fresh. This may have just been a simple problem of the donuts sitting out for a bit or just a simple bad batch. In terms of coffee, I cannot attest to the quality of the coffee between these two shops because I myself am not a coffee drinker. Though from what I can tell, while Sugar Shack offers a wider variety Duck Donuts offers more economical prices.

To me, first impressions are everything and this was an okay start, but they still have some kinks they need to work out before I take their side over Duck Donuts.

I will say that Sugar Shack is a good rival to Duck Donuts and may even out-class them one day. Both shops, to me, have excellent doughnuts.

Each shop has its own special qualities that make it great. I am sticking with Duck Donuts because I still feel they have better quality and have what I am looking for.

Britani Alyse|Marlin Chronicle

Nintendo switches up gaming

BY MIRANDA FEIN

Mlfein@vwc.edu

Jonathan Joyner’s opinion piece “Greek Life is Fighting for Survival at VWC” contained several factual errors and omissions.

Regarding Interfraternity Council organizations, the Epsilon Delta chapter of Phi Kappa Tau has not been disbanded. It is currently on operational suspension. Virginia Wesleyan College continues to hold a charter for the fraternity. It bears noting that fraternities Sigma Nu and Chi Beta Psi weigh multiple factors when determining whether to distribute bids to men during Rush, including fit with each chapter and whether potential new members meet the minimum Grade Point Average requirements.

The National Panhellenic Conference organizations, which include Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Phi Sigma Sigma, enjoyed strong performances in their Fall 2015 Formal Recruitment cycle, such that not all organizations needed to or were allowed to conduct Continuous Open Bidding (COB) recruitment activities in Spring 2016. In Fall 2016, fewer potential new members went through Formal Recruitment, thus their total (which is the allowable chapter size, usually set as the average chapter size on campus) was reduced. Sororities did conduct COB recruitment activities in Spring 2017 when their numbers dipped below total. Further, Alpha Sigma Alpha did not out-perform both of the other sororities during Fall Formal Recruitment.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations, which include Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta, will each conduct membership intake during the spring 2017 semester. These recruitment activities were not mentioned in the opinion piece, but are of significant value to our Greek Life program.

Gamers of all ages lined up at their local gaming stores March 3 for the release of Nintendo’s next big console, the Nintendo Switch.

This console has introduced a new twist to traditional gaming systems by combining the console and handheld designs.

The hybridity of the Switch also goes a step further, adding a new design for

gam- ing systems with a tabletop option.

Nintendo has managed to combine three different designs into one fairly compact device. It is smaller than most household consoles, more than likely in hopes to aid its mobile functions.

In order to make this hybrid design work, the Switch contains multiple detachable accessories. Though the list of accessories included seems lengthy, the inconvenience of these additions is greatly outweighed by their necessity to this innovative gameplay experience.

The gamepad included with the console

Kate Griffin Director of Student Activities

Virginia Wesleyan College|Courtesy

plays a large part in all three of the console’s modes for gaming. It resembles a tablet but can be attached and reattached to the system’s docking station depending on what each game played requires.

This design mimics that of the Wii U. However, the Switch exceeds its predecessor in functionality, transmitting images from gameplay in real time as opposed to the lag often experienced while playing the Wii U. The Switch includes two joycons that can be attached to the main console with a special grip accessory for charging and, more importantly, to be used as a gamepad remote. These joycons also function as two separate controllers when removed from the console.

The Switch includes two straps for when the joycons are used individually.

Val Miller|Marlin Chronicle

SEE NINTENDO Pg. 9

7

SPORTS

Thursday April 6, 2017 The Marlin Chronicle marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

Alizae Dollins: A life of excellence

BY LAURISSA SENECAL ljsenecal@vwc.edu

“The whole situation just kind of drives me to, like, do what I do today…. I try to do as much as I can just because, like, I know he couldn’t.”

Sophomore communication major Alizae Dollins is heavily involved in community service, is one of the few students enrolled in Virginia Wesleyan College’s Portfolio Program, plays both basketball and track and field, leads tours for incoming students as an Ambassador and serves as a peer advisor under Director of Instructional Technology Robin Takacs.

She says she does it all for her brother who passed away before the age of 10.

“I try to do a whole bunch of sports so I can keep myself involved,” Dollins said.

Dollins originally came to VWC after Head Basketball Coach Stephany Dunmyer recruited her from an AAU team in high school. After playing one season of basketball, her mother and Visiting Instructor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Takeyra Collins encouraged her to try out for Track and Field.

“She was like ‘you know you should really do it, it’s something that you were really good at in high school,’ like ‘you never know.’ But I was really iffy about it because I was like ‘I don’t know anybody that’s on the team’,” Dollins said.

Dollins eventually decided to follow the advice of her mom and professor, playing her first outdoor season last year. In the fall of 2016, she played both indoor track and field and basketball.

“I’m pretty much tired all the time,” Dollins said with a laugh.

While Dollins’s athletic achievements are impressive, it is her commitment to integrity that Takacs, the instructor for the Freshmen Year Experience class that Dollins peer-advised for, finds so refreshing.

“She feels really strong about her commitments and following through her commitments,” Takacs said.

Takacs felt she could really trust Dollins to follow through for her in peer advising. Takacs explained that as an FYE instructor, she would occasionally step out of the classroom so the students could speak openly with Dollins and the other peer advisors. It takes a lot of trust to leave a classroom of freshmen in the charge of three older students, but with Dollins, Takacs felt like it was safe.

“She is definitely one of those people that anything I’ve ever asked her to do, she’s done,” Takacs said.

As a peer advisor, Dollins is humble and honest with freshmen students, not afraid to share her heart with the classroom. Takacs describes her as truly courageous.

“It takes a special person to want to appear vulnerable and not like a know-it-all… she’s never afraid to share, she’s courageous,” Takacs said.

Dollins lives fully in each moment, giving her all even when she is benched.

“I think everything she does, she tries to give it 100 percent. Even when she is not the star of the team, she just gives her all to it, even though she’s not the tallest player… I would say she’s the one with the biggest heart,” Takacs said.

Dollins’s road to success was not easy. Originally from Texas, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Germany and then to Japan where she lived for a little while. It was while in Japan that tragedy struck the family, and her younger brother passed away. When she was 13, they then moved to Delaware where Dollins began to rebuild her life.

In between Japan and Delaware, it took a while for life to settle down and for the mother and daughter duo to financially get back on their feet. Prior to settling in Delaware, Dollins had been in a new school district every year, had bounced around different apartments and even spent some time in a woman’s shelter. Thankfully, by 8th grade, things began to improve.

“It was different being in Delaware. I feel like it was a new start for me and my mom because I was able to stay with my friends I had made in 8th grade and I stayed with them all the way through my senior year,” Dollins said.

They were able to buy a big house, Dollins got a job, and things were looking up.

However, it would take a little longer for Dollins to be able to speak of her experience.

“When we left Japan and we came back to the States and we started living in

Maryland, I tried to like create a new life like it never happened… we would have pictures in our rooms and pictures in my mom’s cars and my friends would be like ‘who is that little boy’ and I would just be like, ‘oh, that’s my cousin,’” Dollins said.

It was later on in high school that Dollins began to share her past with her close friends, beginning the journey of vulnerability that those close to her so admire.

When describing her dating relationship with senior Tim Jones, Dollins couldn’t help but smile. She explained that he has been a huge encouragement to her.

“I think it’s really good having him around because he helps me calm down. He’s just a really good side-kick,” Dollins said.

Jones has become like a son to Dollins’s mother. Mrs. Dollins is even helping Jones design T-shirts for his new brand called “Tru 2 T,” a program aimed at encouraging kids to focus on sports and school instead of gang activity.

Dollins stresses the importance of living every day to the full.

“You don’t get tomorrow. Tomorrow has no promise. Do what your heart tells you,” Dollins said.

Val Miller | Marlin Chronicle Alizae Dollins runs her event in the ODAC Championships at Roanoke College.

Dynamic Duo recaps this past week in sports for the Marlins

Off t

The podcast can be found on our Twitter account as well as the Marlin Chronicle Soundcloud account or go to www.vwc.edu/chronicle

o c rd e r e h

Tune in to hear about current Marlin athletic happenings -Find out what Marlin coach received National recognition -Get updates on: Men’s Lacrosse Women’s Lacrosse Baseball Softball

FOR MORE SPORTS FOLLOW: @MarlinSports

Podcast by Luke Chiasson and Corey King

8 The Marlin Chronicle | marlinchronicle.vwc.edu

AT A GLANCE BASEBALL:

Thursday, April 6, 2016

Virginia Wesleyan Lacrosse raises awareness

April 05 @ Hampden-Sydney * 4:00 PM April 06 Chris. Newport 3:00 PM April 08 Roanoke * 12:30 PM & 2:30 PM April 10 Mary Washington 3:00 PM April 11 @ Randolph-Macon * 3:30 PM April 15 @ Lynchburg * DH 12:00 & 3:00 PM April 19 @ Methodist 5:00 PM April 22 Emory & Henry * DH 12:00 & 3:00 PM

SOFTBALL: April 05 @ Randolph-Macon DH * 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM April 08 Roanoke * DH 12:30 PM & 3:00 PM April 11 @ East. Mennonite DH * 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM April 15 @ Lynchburg * DH 1:30 PM & 3:30 PM April 22 Bridgewater (Va.) * Senior Day DH 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM

MEN’S LAX: April 08 Shenandoah * 1:00 PM April 12 Southern Virginia 7:00 PM April 15 @ Guilford * 1:00 PM April 19 Randolph-Macon * 7:00 PM April 22 Randolph * 1:00 PM April 26 Hampden-Sydney * 7:00 PM

WOMEN’S LAX: April 08 Guilford * 11:00 AM April 12 @ Bridgewater (Va.) * 7:00 PM April 14 @ Randolph * 6:00 PM April 19 Sweet Briar * Senior Day 4:30 PM

*= Conference Game DH= Double Header

The Women’s Lacrosse team poses for a picture before a game on April 1.

BY BRIANNA CLARKSON bnclarkson@vwc.edu

The VWC Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse teams supported the Fore Hadley Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias (CDH), on Birdsong Field on April 1, 2017.

The games played honored Hadley Kate Bush, a baby girl who passed away after a short battle with CDH. The women played at noon against the conference competitor Shenandoah University while the men played a non-conference game at 2 p.m. against Drew University.

At the end of the day, the foundation had raised $250. Of that amount, $500 was raised by the two lacrosse teams, while $250 came from donations received throughout the day at Birdsong Field.

The daughter of Katie and Ryan Bush, Hadley Kate was born on July 20, 2015. For six days, Hadley fought to live despite having only 34% normal lung volume. Hadley was previously diagnosed with CDH during her twenty-week ultrasound.

Although Hadley surprised everyone by surviving her first six days of life and demonstrating encouraging signs of recovery, the baby girl passed away on July 26. Her parents founded the Fore Hadley Foundation to help find a cure for CDH and help support other families struggling to support loved ones with CDH. The foundation’s main goal is to raise awareness about this disease and its survivors. However, recently the foundation has begun raising money for scholarship grants for CDH survivors and their families.

Lastly, the foundation donates money to help specific children affected

by CDH. Ryan Bush, Hadley’s father, is a VWC alumnus (‘05) and a former lacrosse player.

“Mr. Bush is a really close friend of Coach DiCave’s. We felt it was important to do our part to help raise awareness and do our part in getting the word out,” VWC lacrosse player Marie Lerch said.

If anyone is interested in hearing more information about the Fore Hadley Foundation, donating, or learning about CDH, they can visit www.forehadley.com.

“Being able to help raise awareness and support for such a beautiful girl, Hadley, means a lot to both the women and men’s lacrosse teams here at Virginia Wesleyan. We hope that our fans will end up falling in love with Hadley’s story the same we did and help support her cause,” junior lacrosse player Megan Schallock said.

The women’s team fell to Shenandoah by a final score of 18-5. Schallock scored three goals for the Marlins. The men’s team capped off the day with a 9-8 overtime victory over Drew University. Senior Andre Brummitt scored the game winning goal 33 seconds into the overtime period.

Meagan DiCave l Courtesy

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THEWEEKENDER

THE ONE BANQUE THAT’S OPEN LATE

APRIL 6, 2017

PAGE 9

Students strap on their boots to have a good time at Norfolk night club, The Banque

BY JULIE AINSLEY jmainsley@vwc.edu

When somebody walks up to you and says, “Let’s go to The Banque,” usually you don’t think of a club. However, on East Little Creek Road in Norfolk there is a spot serving exactly what VWC students need to experience an enjoyable and upbeat night.

The Banque is a lively country-western themed restaurant and nightclub open Wednesday through Saturday where you can listen to all of your favorite country tunes, play pool, strap on your cowboy boots to line-dance and even ride the mechanical bull in The Ranch, a spot in the back of the building.

The liveliness of The Banque is what draws students there week after week.

Sophomore Jessica Suter loves the atmosphere that The Banque creates.

“My favorite part about The Banque is the atmosphere. I feel like I’m able to be myself, dance and have a good time without worrying about what anyone else is thinking,” Suter said.

This nightclub is not just for the country music fans. The Banque makes a conscious effort to play music that can appeal to everyone’s taste by playing some old favorites, top 40 hits, and country music with a pop vibe or pop feature. Don’t expect your usual nightclub dancing though. At The Banque, any song can have a fun and sometimes pretty difficult but authentic

line dance to go along with it.

“Some of the dances are pretty difficult, but once you learn one of them, you can know the dance to like 10 songs.

Another thing that is cool about the line dances is that they are all made in-house, so unless you come to The Banque, you won’t see it anywhere else,” junior Gabrielle Adams said.

If dancing isn’t your thing, that’s okay. The Banque offers many in-house amenities such as billiards, a mechanical bull and the largest selection of western hats in Virginia all in one place. The Banque offers special events frequently so its regulars can always find something new to do.

LOVE REFUGEES LOVE WEEK 2017 PRESENTS

10th-14th

LOVE WEEK IS A CAMPUS WIDE EVENT THAT PUTS LOVE INTO ACTION BY SHOWING LOVE TO THE VWC CAMPUS AND TO A CERTAIN PEOPLE GROUP IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY BY A HUMANITARIAN ACTION THAT BRINGS

AWARENESS TO GLOBAL ISSUES

Volunteer Sign up in the community Service Office to volunteer for different events during the week First 50 volunteers get a FREE T-Shirt

Donate

Week Itinerary MONDAY

Free Coffee and Treats Batten 10am-12pm

TUESDAY

What is Love?

Table in Batten 11-1pm

WEDNESDAY

LuoPad Event Hospitality Suite

Towel and Flannel material for making LuoPads donations accepted until 4/12

THURSDAY

Money to fund sending the Luopads to the Middle East. www.gain.org/donate

FRIDAY

7-9pm

Middle Eastern Night in the Caf 4:45-7pm Recx Futball

Contact Lydia O’Connor for details or questions at lmoconnor@vwc.edu

“My favorite thing is the live artists they bring to perform. I got to see Luke Combs and Josh Turner when they came,” Adams said.

Several VWC students frequent The Banque. They are the ones that are doing some of the popular dances out there and also making connections outside their normal groups of friends.

“I love meeting all of the people that frequent there and making memories that I’ll always remember,” Suter said.

The Banque has also brought students together.

“I have my group of friends that go with me, but I also know I have people from Wesleyan that I know I will see when I get there and it makes it that much more fun,” Adams said.

The Banque also provides a different environment for students to hang out with the people whom they have created relationships with at Wesleyan.

“I enjoy going with people from Wesleyan because it’s a chance for us to unwind from school and see each other in a different setting. We aren’t stressed about homework or projects. We are having fun and doing what we love,” Suter said.

Overall, this place is one-of-a-kind.

“I always feel relaxed here,” Adams said. “It is not like most clubs where it is uncomfortable to be there. You get room to move, a good time and down-to-earth people to spend it with.”

So, if you want a place to explore a lively ambiance with dancing, great food and great company, grab somebody from the VWC community and check out The Banque, located at 1849 E Little Creek Road.

NINTENDO SWITCH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 The console also provides a USB cable for remote charging on the device’s power brick and an HDMI cable to connect the device to televisions when utilizing the traditional console design.

The home console mode allows gamers the most in-depth gaming experience on the Switch in comparison to the other two design functionalities, though the handheld mode is a close second. Through this aspect of the device’s gameplay options, users are able to participate in games with more in-depth storylines and actions, although this could become the case for the other two functionalities as more games are released for the system.

The docking system of the Switch connects to a television with the provided HDMI cable and transmits the images from the gamepad to the television screen.

The Switch’s handheld mode offers the obvious perk of gaming on the go. With the joycons attached to the gamepad, the Switch resembles previous handheld gaming consoles like the PlayStation Vita.

Flip out the kickstand on the back of the Switch’s gamepad and remove the joycons to game in tabletop mode. This functionality, though not quite as mobile as the handheld mode, offers another mobile gaming option. The tabletop mode seems to be the best option for multiplayer gaming on the console.

Nintendo’s initial release of the Switch left many hopeful gamers emptyhanded with limited pre-orders available and not enough consoles to supply the high demand.

Rexford Priest, a Geek Squad technician and avid gamer, first heard of the Nintendo Switch’s release on Reddit.

“I thought it was a cool idea, especially since I never hopped on the mobile Nintendo platforms ever,” Priest said.

Priest bought the Switch shortly after its initial release and has had an overall positive experience with the console.

“So far I’m a huge fan, especially as a mobile platform,” Priest said.

With the current selection of games available, it is no surprise that the mobile functions of the Switch have stood out among the three modes of the console.

Priest said, “If you’re into classic titles revamped and are about a nostalgic pick-me-up, then the switch is for you.

I don’t recommend it to anyone who’s a high-intensity gamer where your reaction time is put up to par with someone else’s. I think it’s more about casual games.”

THEWEEKENDER

PAGE 10

APRIL 6, 2017

RETRO REWIND Movies from millennials’ childhoods get a face-lift in recent reboots.

GO GO POWER RANGERS The 1993 television series “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” gets remade as an action movie

BY JUSTIN SMITH jrsmith2@vwc.edu

A sense of nostalgia swept the nation with the recent release of “Power Rangers.” Since its premiere on March 24, the film earned over $54 million with $40 million coming from its opening weekend, according to Box Office results.

The 2017 “Power Rangers” movie serves as an origin story reboot of the 1993 television series, “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” The return of the classic characters of the original television show has created a wave of positive feedback from the millennial fans who grew up with the Power Rangers franchise.

Freshman and Power Rangers fan Audwin Harris agrees that the new film gives justice to the ’90s classic.

“It was really enjoyable and it kept me on the edge of my seat,” Harris said.

“Although it didn’t have every aspect that the ’90s show did, it gave it a new story while appealing to those who were fans back in the day.”

“Power Rangers” follows the story of five troubled high-schoolers who discover an ancient alien ship and, by destiny, are called upon to save their small town as the Power Rangers. The Red Ranger, Jason Lee Scott (Dacre Montgomery); the Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott);

the Yellow Ranger, Trini Kwan (Becky G); the Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler); and the Black Ranger, Zack Taylor (Ludi Lin) take on the evil Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) with the help of Zordon (Bryan Cranston) and Alpha 5 (Bill Hader).

The film’s contemporization of the ’90s phenomenon introduces the Power Ranger franchise to first-time viewers.

Junior Gwendolynn Malone was not a huge fan of the Power Rangers growing up but willingly saw the new movie.

“The movie was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the movie, which is surprising because I never watched the television show as a child,” Malone said.

“It was not what I was expecting because it took away every doubt I had towards it.

I would recommend everyone go see it.”

According to Malone, the depth of the story and characters really won her over to the Power Rangers franchise.

“Power Rangers wasn’t really part of my childhood, so I don’t know the original backstories behind the characters,” Malone said. “The way they were presented in this movie, though, was very easy to pick up. Each person had their own unique struggles.”

One twist that this 2017 reboot has that

“The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” did not was the introduction of the first-ever gay Power Ranger and possibly the firstever gay superhero in film history. Played by actress and singer Becky G, Trini Kwan subtly admits to having “girlfriend problems” in the film when all the Rangers are learning about each other’s hardships.

Director Dean Israelite described the moment as “pivotal” to the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Israelite told The Hollywood Reporter that Trini is really questioning herself throughout the film and she hasn’t figured it all out yet.

“I think what’s great about that scene and what that scene propels for the rest of the movie is, ‘That’s OK’,” Israelite said.

“The movie is saying, ‘That’s OK,’ and all of the kids have to own who they are and find their tribe.”

Though “Power Rangers” added contemporary elements to the original ’90s television series, long-time fans still have much to look forward to in the new movie.

Those who have yet to see the movie or are going to see it again can find a few hidden nods to past Power Ranger shows if they look. They’re not easy to spot, so here’s a freebie: Two street signs in the film

read “Ocean Bluff Rd.” and “Reefside.”

These are the city names in which the Power Ranger spin-offs, “Power Rangers DinoThunder” and “Power Rangers Jungle Fury” take place.

It’s also noteworthy to mention that fans should pay attention to the soundtrack of the film. The original theme song “Go Go Power Rangers” makes a cameo in one of the fight scenes.

Long-time fans will also benefit from watching through the end credits. After the credits roll, there is a scene in which all the Rangers are in detention and the teacher is taking attendance. The teacher calls the name Tommy Oliver, which is the name of the Green Ranger in “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” television show. Is this hinting at a possible sequel?

Regardless, fans believe that this film does have the potential to expand in the future, resurrecting heroes, villains and storylines from the original ’90s shows.

“If the new “Power Rangers” sticks with the original characters and builds on the history of the old shows and films, then this could be the next big movie series,” Harris said.

TALE AS OLD AS TIME “Beauty and the Beast” gets a modern makeover with contemporary themes

BY BRIANNA CLARKSON bnclarksonw@vwc.edu

“Beauty and the Beast,” a Disney classic, was remade into a live-action movie and released this St. Patrick’s Day for adults and children to enjoy all over America.

“Beauty and the Beast,” a romantic love story between an odd, small town girl and a prince who was cursed into a beastly animal, is a story that has been loved by Disney fans since 1991. This live-action masterpiece of Disney’s classic was perfectly remade to include the same songs, same character lines and story line as the original.

Belle, the story’s young protagonist, is a beautiful, intelligent young girl, raised by her father. She finds herself, after a series of events, in the walls of an old castle ruled by a young prince, cursed by an enchanter. Belle eventually falls in love with the castle’s Beast after becoming rather close to the castle’s charmed staff who makes her feel at home. Due to her pure heart, Belle is able to see through the Beast’s ugly appearance and harsh ways to find that deep down he is just as sweet and caring as Belle is herself.

Emma Watson played Belle and Dan

Stevens played the Beast. Luke Evans did an amazing job playing the antagonist Gaston as did his right hand companion Josh Gad who played Lefou.

Because this was a 21st-century remake, Disney decided to put some contemporary twists on the plot. The animated version of “Beauty and the Beast” has very little backstory for Belle. According to Digital Spy, Disney decided to give a “feminist twist” to Belle’s backstory. For example, in the animated version of the movie, Belle was only perceived as odd by the townspeople because she could read. In the live-action, Disney portrays Belle’s character as innovative, which upsets the townspeople. Instead of washing clothes like normal people, Belle invents a type of laundry machine.

Belle is portrayed as inventive, which at the time was frowned upon.

Feminism

was not the only contemporary idea that Disney decided to tackle. Disney introduced a gay character. In the animated version of “Beauty and the Beast,” Gaston’s right-hand man Lefou was just his right hand man. Lefou was a friend and companion, who listened to Gaston and followed his orders.

However, in Disney’s live-action version, Lefou has a hidden secret. Disney depicted Lefou as a secret lover of his best friend Gaston. There were multiple occasions during the live-action that created a subtle hint that Lefou was in love with Gaston. Lefou wants to kiss Gaston in the beginning and at the end Lefou and Mrs. Pots have a conversation confirming that Lefou is indeed in love with Gaston.

Disney included this gay twist in “Beauty and the Beast” because, as Digital Spy says, “fans had been asking for it.” However,

Disney received mixed responses. While many praised the addition to the plot line, a cinema in Alabama refused to play the movie.

“Beauty and the Beast” exceeded box office predictions within 12 weeks. On Tuesday, Forbes showed that “Beauty and the Beast” had reached $9.5 million with a domestic accumulation of 330 million. With a 12 day domestic total of $335.6 million, “Beauty and the Beast” has surpassed action filled movies such as “Suicide Squad,” “Batman vs. Superman” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” in less than two weeks, according to Forbes.

Forbes predicts that this Disney live-action remake will surpass the $731.5 million to go over $800 million in the box office.

Also, Disney fans who loved this live action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” will be glad to know that Disney has planned to make about 18 more live action remakes of some of their most loved classics. “Mulan,” “Pocahontas,” “Pinocchio,” “Lion King” and many more will be coming to theaters within the next few years.

Britani Alyse | Marlin Chronicle