Volume 54, Issue 20

The Captain’s Log

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Captains Progress in Tournament

A memorable weekend for basketball

Over the weekend, the Christopher Newport University basketball teams achieved incredible heights. The men’s team was crowned National Champions after a thrilling victory over Mount Union while the women’s team progressed to the National Championship Game after a win over Rhode Island College.

The matchups were not easy for both teams. They were both in close games throughout and had to dig deep to defeat the opposition.

The men’s team was trailing for most of the game. At the half, they were only down by three. In the second half, the momentum began to shift back to Mount Union. A nine point lead was built with 16:34 remaining, leaving the Captains in

need of a comeback.

Following the timeout, the Captains began to trim down the lead. Two made free throws from Junior Trey Barber cut the lead to three with 12:39 left. A three-pointer made by Sophomore Caleb Furr almost three minutes later tied the score at 49. The Captains went on to take the lead and build it up to seven with 03:58 left in the game.

However, the Captains had a hard time closing the game out. After being up three with less than a minute left, two turnovers and a foul from the Captains resulted in Mount Union regaining the lead, 70-69 with 17 seconds left.

A three-point play from Sophomore Ty Henderson allowed the Captains to regain the lead with 13 seconds left. This was followed by a made jumper from Mount Union to tie the game at 72 with four seconds left. On the final possession, Trey Barber sank a buzzer-beating layup which made the Captains National Champions.

The Women’s team faced off against Rhode Island College on Saturday night. Many obstacles were thrown at the Captains throughout the tournament including injuries to Senior Anaya Simmons and Senior Katy Rader.

(continued on page 8)

TREY GREENWELL TRAJAN.GREENWELL.21@CNU.EDU

The matchups were not easy for both teams. They were both in close games throughout and had to dig deep to defeat the opposition.

Top CNU Men’s Basketball photo taken from WAVY. Bottom CNU Women’s Basketball photo taken from 13newsnow.

Editor and Clog Staff Contact Information

Editor in Chief

Grace Griles grace.griles.20@cnu.edu

News Editor

Evelyn Davidson evelyn.davidson.20@cnu.edu

A&E Editor

Fiona Sullivan fiona.sullivan.20@cnu.edu

Photography Editor

Savannah Dunn savannah.dunn.21@cnu.edu

Business Manager

Justin Heller justin.heller.21@cnu.edu

Sports Editor

Trey Greenwell trajan.greenwell.21@cnu.edu

Lifestyle Editor

Savannah Dunn savannah.dunn.21@cnu.edu

Head of CNUTV

Allison Silverman allison.silverman.21@cnu.edu

Editor of the Week

Savannah Dunn

Savannah Dunn has been apart of The Captain’s Log since fall of 2021. SInce then she has gone above and beyond to ensure the success of the paper. This year she wears two hats as Lifestyle Editor as well as Photography Editor. Every week her sections look stunning but this week in particular is a work of art. Check out her section son pages 12-15!

Staff Writer of the Week

RJ Jones

RJ Jones just joined The Captain’s Log this semester, and so far he has made his mark. This week he has two stories in Sports. Check out his stellar work on page 9! Keep up the good work Jones. Your hard work is not going unnoticed!

Chaotic Trivia Crossword

Answers will be posted on our Instagram @cnucaptainslog! (all past crossword answers are in our Instagram highlights)

CNU Faculty Deals with Chat GPT

Staff Writer shares faculty’s and his thoughts on Chat GPT increasing dishonesty

CAMERON TOMAINO CAMERON.TOMAINO.22@CNU.EDU

While ChatGPT and other AI programs like it are reaching mainstream prominence, amazing and sparking interest in this area of technological innovation, and conversations around new applications of this technology for the benefit of mankind are common. However, in education the conversation in higher education is somewhat different, as educators find themselves looking to adapt to these new conditions. What is especially concerning is the chance for students to cheat on their assignments using these programs, shielding themselves behind written text that passes as any human, but is actually generated in only a few minutes. CNU Faculty were eager to share their opinions with the Captain’s Log on the subject, and did so via a google form.

In a question that asked “Do you feel as though students within your courses have used programs like ChatGPT for the purpose of cheating?” Ten responded ‘maybe’, the other ten responded ‘no’, and only one of these professors actually responded with ‘yes’. While this ratio may come across as optimistic, the CNU faculty then offered their perspective on the subject of these AI technologies.

Professor Andrew Kirkpatrick, professor and political science department chair for CNU, offers the following reasoning: “I think (AI Programs are) incredibly serious for high school teachers, and for freshman courses that rely on essay prompts. It doesn’t seem to me that ChatGPT can write a good, well-cited research paper that would be acceptable in an upper-level course... yet.”

Though while that speaks to the capabilities of these programs, there is something to be said for the character of the CNU student body, that is captured in answers provided by Will Connell, a history professor with a specialization in Latin America: “The problem is only the newest in a series of ways that students who are inclined to cheat might choose to - in my experience, that is a very small minority of students at CNU. Wikipedia and other online encyclopedia presented a similar problem 20 years ago, before that, students who wished to cheat just copied out of books. Most do not and would not. The academic misconduct I see comes from stu-

“I think (AI Programs are) incredibly serious for high school teachers, and for freshman courses that rely on essay prompts. It doesn’t seem to me that ChatGPT can write a good, well-cited research paper that would be acceptable in an upper-level course... yet.”

“The problem is only the newest in a series of ways that students who are inclined to cheat might choose to - in my experience, that is a very small minority of students at CNU. Wikipedia and other online encyclopedia presented a similar problem 20 years ago, before that, students who wished to cheat just copied out of books. Most do not and would not. The academic misconduct I see comes from students who are not as prepared as they should be to do the work and do not for whatever reason ask for assistance.”

dents who are not as prepared as they should be to do the work and do not for whatever reason ask for assistance.”

In many of the perspectives shared with the Captain’s Log, many express their indifference on the subject and compare the integration of these new technologies with the invention and proliferation of Calculators and Online Search Engines. Jonathan Backens of the Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering department perhaps said it best: “ChatGPT is a tool not a problem. LLM tools like ChatGPT

“I think it’s a serious opportunity. ChatGPT is only one of many technologies that is continuing to disrupt how businesses deliver their goods and services. Education is not immune from these same challenges. Our opportunity is to mimic the business world our graduates go into so they are as equipped as possible to be successful. This is the fun part; combining the essentials of a liberal arts school (ethics, social sciences, smart competencies) with technology and innovation.”

are never going away and so just like spell check, the personal computer, the calculator, the internet ... it becomes part of our lives.”

Some couched their opinions in sufficiently preparing students for a career with these technologies, Randy Manspile in the Luter School of Business says: “I think it’s a serious opportunity. ChatGPT is only one of many technologies that is continuing to disrupt how businesses deliver their goods and services. Education is not immune from these same challenges. Our opportunity is to mimic the business world our graduates go into so they are as equipped as possible to be successful. This is the fun part; combining the essentials of a liberal arts school (ethics, social sciences, smart competencies) with technology and innovation.” Dae-hee Kim, also of the Luter School of Business, echoed this idea: “ChatGPT is raising many foundational questions in college education such as what the value of human knowlege is and why we still need to learn…”

Alan Skees in the Fine Arts shared a similar sentiment: “For the visual arts AI tools are a double edged sword. I’ve already implemented narrow AI tools in the classroom for years. They are important tools to know how to use. We already have students using generative tools like Midjorney and Stable Diffusion on thesis projects this semester. I feel future success in the commercial arts will be divided by the people who use AI and those that don’t.”

Kyle Garton-Gundling, a professor of English, admits that ChatGPT is: “Not exclusively a ‘problem,’ but the implications are definitely ‘serious’; we’ll have to change how we teach, whether we exclude or incorporate AI.” Taiyi Sun, a professor in the Political Science Department goes even further, saying that these AI programs are: “Not serious. ChatGPT could potentially provide students with new perspectives and improve critical thinking if used right. Also, if an assignment could be easily done by ChatGPT, it is probably not a good assignment. We professors have to adapt and adjust… New technologies will always emerge and the new generations will have to live with those technologies and, often, benefit from additional helps. As long as our rules and pedagogy are updated and coherent, we should embrace the arrival of the future.”

“The Captain’s Log is free to write anything it pleases and CNU fully respects the Freedom of the Press.”

CNU Chancellor PAUL TRIBLE

What is ChatGPT and Why is Everyone Talking About It?

How this will change the classroom experience and what educators are going to do about it

The document was created by Lance Eaton, the Director of Digital Pedagogy at the nonprofit, College Unbound. Some policies completely ban the use of AI sources or “discourage” it. While other policies state that students must cite contributions from AI sources.

One educator from University of Pennsylvania, noted in their policy that students are free to use AI programs (as long as they clarify their use of the program), but they are responsible for any false, biased, or offensive content that they submit. Another educator from University of Massachusetts Lowell, actually used ChatGPT to help them generate their policy on AI use in class.

EVELYN DAVIDSON EVELYN.DAVIDSON.20@CNU.EDU

If you are a student or an educator, then chances are you’ve heard of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to OpenAI’s website, ChatGPT is an AI program that can respond and interact with users through “reinforcement learning.” A user can pose a query or prompt and ChatGPT will generate a detailed response in paragraph format.

When asked how ChatGPT would describe itself to someone who has never used it and isn’t familiar with AI, it responded, “Think of it like a chatbot that you can talk to, but with advanced technology that allows it to understand and respond to your questions and statements in a more human-like way… Its responses are generated based on its analysis of vast amounts of text data, so it has the ability to understand language and learn from its interactions with people.”

However, as stated on OpenAI’s website, there are limitations to ChatGPT’s functionality. For instance, the AI program’s answers sometimes don’t make sense or are incorrect,

In an educational setting, ChatGPT can be used to generate essays or answer open-ended writing assignments. This poses a huge concern for educators who worry that their students may use ChatGPT to assist them with their schoolwork.

There are also privacy concerns given that ChatGPT collects its user’s private information, like IP addresses and location, according to U.S. News and World Report. Although users must be 18 years old to use the AI program, ChatGPT does not confirm the age of its users.

USA Today reports that the Los Angeles Unified school District temporar-

ily banned access to ChatGPT and the New York City Department of Education did the same for school-owned devices and networks. Other districts and areas have followed, citing concerns about student use of the program going undetected. In contrast, according to USA Today, school systems like Miami-Dade have held off on the decision to officially ban ChatGPT.

Many educators have openly embraced ChatGPT as a classroom tool, even incorporating its use into their assignments. For example, a fifth grade teacher from Lexington, Kentucky told PBS that he used ChatGPT in a “Find the Bot” writing game with his students in which they wrote summaries on the same topic and tried to identify which summary was written by AI.

The response to ChatGPT on the collegiate level has been different, with concerns of plagiarism and cheating. A study conducted by Intelligent magazine in January 2023 surveyed 1,000 different college students, revealing that 30% of the respondents use ChatGPT on their written homework. ¾ of the ChatGPT users believe that it is cheating, but still utilize the tool anyway. Of those surveyed, 46% said that their university or professors had banned use of the AI program for homework.

Despite studies, like the one conducted by Intelligent, not many colleges have outright banned use of the AI program. Instead, many professors are adjusting their classroom policies to reflect their stance on ChatGPT.

In a crowdsourced classroom policies document found on The Chronicles of Higher Education, educators from all over the country can share their updated policies on AI generative tools. The document includes contributing educators from schools like University of California, Santa Cruz, Clemson University and George Washington University.

ChatGPT has sparked so much debate over its use in classrooms that some have even started developing programs to detect when a student has used ChatGPT on their assignments. According to NPR, a senior student at Princeton University created GPTZero to identify whether or not a text was written by AI or humans.

This student, Edward Tian, a computer science major, minoring in journalism, tweeted on Jan. 2, 2023, about his new app, “the motivation here is increasing AI plagiarism. think are high school teachers going to want students using ChatGPT to write their history essays? likely not.”

Over 30,000 people used GPTZero within the first week of its release, and in addition, OpenAI is looking at methods of watermarking their work, reports NPR.

Despite programs like GPTZero and many professor’s efforts to restrict AI use, New York Times technology columnist, Kevin Roose, argues that banning ChatGPT is not the answer.

Roose points out that banning the program from school devices and networks won’t be very effective when students can simply use ChatGPT on their personal devices. Also, programs like Tian’s can easily be outsmarted by making slight changes to phrasing. Other programs like ChatGPT are sure to pop up on the market as well, offering even less traceable options to students, says Roose. He also questions how much time a teacher will want to dedicate towards identifying AI created work. Most teachers already have their hands full with regular assignments and homework grading.

In addition, Roose presented various ways that teachers themselves can utilize ChatGPT for outlines, lesson plans, making quizzes, debate partners etc.

Roose concluded by writing, “[Students] need to know their way around these tools — their strengths and weaknesses, their hallmarks and blind spots — in order to work alongside them. To be good citizens, they’ll need hands-on experience to understand how this type of A.I. works, what types of bias it contains, and how it can be misused and weaponized.”

OpenAI logo, from Flickr

International News Recaps

CAMERON TOMAINO CAMERON.TOMAINO.22@CNU.EDU

Wyoming Becomes First State to Outright Ban Abortion Pills

Wyoming became the first state to ban using pills for abortions after the republican Governor of Wyoming, Mark Gordon, signed a bill Friday, March 17, according to the New York Times.

Gordon was quoted in a letter released by Wyoming’s secretary of state saying, “I have a strong record of protecting the lives of the unborn, as well as their mothers. I believe all life is sacred and that every individual, including the unborn, should be treated with dignity and compassion…I have acted without bias and after extensive prayer, to allow these bills to become law.”

According to Vanity Fair, the law will take effect in July, and carries up to six months imprisonment, up to $9,000 in fines, and includes the use of medications to treat “natural miscarriage.”

ABC news stated that the ban would allow abortions for cases of rape and incest, to save a woman’s life, or prevent harm to her health.

International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Vladimir Putin

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing his alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian Children. An additional warrant was made for the arrest of Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.

The ICC’s stated purpose is to investigate and, where warranted, try individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

Russian abductions of Ukrainian children from their families has been consistently denounced among Western audience - with the most vocal of these voices being unafraid to decry the whole affair as part of a larger genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Ukrainian national identity.

Regardless, this arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin is the most high profile arrest that the ICC has attempted to facilitate, and the response from the international community is not universally positive. In Russia, the former president and Putin’s closest ally, Dmitry Medvedev, wrote on his Telegram page against the decision: “It is quite possible to imagine the targeted use of a hypersonic missile from the North Sea from a Russian ship at the Hague courthouse.”

The Russians have shown a com-

KATHERINE ZICKEL KATHERINE.ZICKEL.22@CNU.EDU

plete disrespect for the decision, and it remains to be seen if most countries will actually follow through and make the arrest against Putin if he were to visit their country.

Liquidity Crisis Hits Several Major Western Banks, Stoking Fears of Economic Crash

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed last Friday, making it the secondlargest bank failure in US History. In New York, Signature Bank narrowly avoided a similar fate through a buyout by New York Community Bank. In Switzerland Credit Suisse, their second-largest bank, had to be bought out by their rival and firstlargest, UBS, in a historic deal to save the whole banking system of the country and secure billions in international deposits. 186 other banks in the US are in a similar crisis - a liquidity crisis.

Liquidity is the availability of liquid assets - or actual cash funds. When banks don’t have availability to these funds, that becomes a problem, for them and for the depositors.

When most people work with Banks, it’s to keep their money secure and growing at a steady rate of interest without the frantic work of the stock market. Likewise, being able to withdraw as much cash as you need at any time is a necessity, but the banks could never realistically provide a physical cash amount if hundreds went to withdraw at the same time - in a ‘bank run.’

Banks deal with more than just regular withdrawals by their customers; they must add to their customers’ accounts as interest, they must pay their employees and maintain their physical locations. In addition, these banks need to serve as lenders of hundreds (if not thousands) of loans.

That is to say, that banks need sources of income just like anybody else, and they would do this through investment in the market, but also more secure investments - like Government Bonds. But through mismanagement, inefficiency, and rising interest rates (meaning more of an expenditure for these banks) they cannot find enough of an income to create a sizable pool to be withdrawn from.

Though the situation has stabilized in recent days, helped by the speedy actions by market forces, there is an underlying fear among many Americans that the whole financial system is vulnerable to massive failure.

CNU Student Presents at NYU’s Jordan Center

as a “distillation” of the larger paper that he wrote for class. Entitled, “Weaving a Cosmos Through Tokarczuk’s Flights,” his analysis focused specifically on the concept of a “Tender Narrator” within the novel.

In the time leading up to his trip to New York City, Johnson worked with Marinova to hone and perfect his presentation, “A lot of it was just her working closely with me and encouraging me, supporting me and being willing to help me grow”

When asked about Johnson’s presentation at NYU, Marinova wrote, “I’m really proud of Matt… I think this speaks to the quality of our students here at CNU--clearly, our young scholars are on par with their colleagues at places such as Harvard, Yale, or NYU.”

“I was not surprised to hear that his presentation was very warmly received. Few American students are familiar with Tokarczuk’s work, or Eastern European female authors in general. Matt’s talk was therefore not just fascinating and new to most, but also cutting-edge in terms of theoretical approach and cultural context.

An Interview with Matt Johnson

Earlier this month, CNU student, Matt Johnson, was one of just 20 students from around the country to present his work at New York University’s Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia. At the center’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, Johnson presented on Polish, feminist author Olga Tokarczuk’s novel, Flights.

As a junior double majoring in English and History, Johnson plans to pursue the English Major with Distinction Program, which requires faculty mentorship and scholarship in the form of publication or conferences.

For Johnson, his close study of Tokarczuk’s Flights began last semester in Dr. Margarita Marinova’s Studies in Women’s Literature course, which focused specifically on female European writers in translation.

He did a presentation on Tokarczuk’s novel in class, “Something in that research clicked for me and so I found myself presenting for like 50 minutes, a whole class… the more I talked and the energy that I was receiving from people about the novel kind of excited me, and so I felt that there was a lot there to write about, and a lot there to explore.”

For the course, Johnson went on to write two different, but interconnected papers on Flights. So when Marinova heard about the symposium at NYU, she encouraged Johnson to apply and develop his existing papers into a presentation for the symposium. Johnson described his presentation

I am excited to see where his intellectual investigations will take him to next, and hope that other CNU students will be inspired to take classes on little known authors from distant parts of the world, and fall in love with their writing just as I have,” said Marinova.

At the symposium, Johnson listened to several other student speakers present on topics such as Russian economics and politics.

He expressed his initial nervousness about presenting in front of students from Ivy League schools, “I felt super overwhelmed.. A little nervous because I was so worried that maybe I wasn’t deserving of it, especially because I go to CNU which is a small 5,000 person school.”

However, he found that his presentation was very well received and followed by lots of questions from listeners, “They were attentive and they were understanding too, so there was a great dialogue that happened after the presentation.”

When asked what he gained from the experience, Johnson said, “I learned... to stop second guessing myself. There is a reason for what happens to me… I deserve to be in the places that I am in and everything that I do to support that is sort of a testament of my skill and also my dedication.”

He continued, “Also something that I’ve taken away is that there are places for me to be able to explore my interests, my passions. And to do so in an environment of like minded people who are equally as interested and willing to listen and to help me grow and to support the ideas I have.”

As for the future, Johnson plans to attend grad school after he finishes his time at CNU. He intends to apply directly for a PhD program and become a professor specializing in 20th-21st century African American literature.

EVELYN DAVIDSON EVELYN.DAVIDSON.20@CNU.EDU

Johnson in NYC, photo courtesy of Matt Johnson

Captains Teams Progress in Tournament

A Memorable Weekend of Basketball

TREY GREENWELL TRAJAN.GREENWELL.21@CNU.EDU

This made the game one of the toughest battles for the Captains this season.

The Captains were in a tough spot early, being down by eight at the half. In the third quarter, the Captains began their comeback. Two three-pointers from Fifth-Year Senior Sondra Fan trimmed the deficit to four. After a series of baskets being traded both ways, a layup from Junior Alivia Giles cut the lead to two.

The Captains took the lead thanks to two made free throws from Junior Gabbi San Diego with 06:45 left in the game. A three-pointer from Sondra Fan extended the lead

to six. The main key for the Captains in the fourth quarter was their defense, forcing Rhode Island to shoot 0-11 in the final quarter. Made free throws were also the key for the Captains as they shot 11/12 from the line in the fourth quarter.

The Captains will face Transylvania in the National Championship. The game will be played on Saturday, April 1 in Dallas, Texas. It is the second time in Division III history that a single school will be represented in both the Division III Men’s and Women’s National Championship Games.

UEFA Champions League Second Leg Recap

RJ JONES RAYMOND.JONES.22@CNU.EDU

The second leg of the UEFA Champions League has ended and the matches were not as tight as the first leg but they were still exciting to watch.

RB Leipzig and Manchester City played their second leg match and Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola had them ready to dominate the match.

Their top striker, Erling Haaland, netted 5 goals in the 7-0 victory. Leipzig was outmanned, they only attempted 3 shots and had zero corners in the match. In the quarter-final draw, Manchester City was drawn against Bayern Munich.

After losing 5-2 to Real Madrid in the first leg, Liverpool were facing a big uphill battle. This match was very tightly contested which was not what Liverpool wanted.

They fell behind 1-0 in the 79th minute and were never able to recover, losing 6-2 on aggregate. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored the game’s only goal,

Eight Teams Advanced to the Quarter-Final

sending them to the quarter-final where they will play Chelsea.

Frankfurt’s second leg match against Napoli was very similar to the first leg. They were able to hang tight with Napoli until the 45th minute in which striker Victor Osimhen scored the first of 3 Napoli goals on the day. Napoli will face off against AC Milan in the quarterfinals.

Fc Porto and Inter Milan had a very close match in both legs. The first match ended in a 1-0 Inter Milan victory which put lots of pressure on Porto as they had to win 2-0 in order to advance. Porto was very aggressive, maintaining 65% possession and attempting 19 shots.

Unfortunately, their aggressive style of play did not help them win. Neither team was able to score a goal and Inter Milan was able to win 1-0 on aggregate. They will face Benfica in the Quarter-final.

While the first match between Benfica and

Club Brugge was evenly matched, the second leg was not. Benfica was able to score 5 goals while maintaining 57% possession throughout the game. Bjorn Meijer scored Club Brugge’s only goal of the match. This resulted in Benfica winning 7-1 on aggregate. They will face FC Porto in the quarter-final round.

Tottenham and AC Milan were arguably the 2 most evenly matched squads in the entire round. Only 1 goal was scored in the entire round of 16 and that was because of the great defense and cautious play of both sides.

The two teams split possession 50/50 and both keepers had 3 saves. Since the second leg ended goalless, Milan advanced due to their 1-0 win in the first leg. They will be pitted against Napoli in the next round.

After the first match between Dortmund and Chelsea, Dortmund was up 1-0 and the Chelsea players knew they would not be counted out. Goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz in the span of ten minutes propelled Chelsea to a 2-0 win, sending them to the quarter-final round. They will face Real Madrid in the quarter-final round. PSG and Bayern Munich are two juggernauts of world football. They faced off for their second match and it was not as close as it should have been. Even though PSG had more possession and both teams had the same number of attempts, PSG lost 2-0. This resulted in Bayern Munich winning the tie 3-0 on aggregate.

UEFA Champions League photo taken from Brandemia.

“The matches were not as tight as the first leg but they were still exciting to watch..”

Photo taken from Unsplash

NFL Transaction Season

Players Across the League are Finding new Homes

RJ JONES RAYMOND.JONES.22@CNU.EDU

The NFL Free Agency period is a time where fans have hope that their teams will make the right moves to win a championship in the near future. While fans won’t be seeing their teams play anytime soon, it is always fun to see what a team is doing and what direction they are looking to improve in.

There have already been a lot of moves that will impact next year’s standings. One of the first notable deals that got done was the 49ers signing the former first round pick, quarterback Sam Darnold. With Brock Purdy’s status to start next season unclear, this signing is intended to secure their backup QB spot.

Next, both Pennsylvania teams shored up their cornerback spots. The Steelers

signed veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson to a 2 year, 14 million dollar deal. The former All-Pro should be a great help to their secondary.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to retain premier cornerback Darius Slay on a 3 year, 50 million dollar contract. The 11-year pro was a big part of the Eagles Super Bowl run this past season.

After the Patriots 8 win season, they are looking to give their young quarterback Mac Jones weapons in the hope that he will improve this upcoming season. The Patriots brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster to add to their wide receiver room. They also signed tight end Mike Gesicki to help their young QB.

With the departure of quarterback Derek Carr to the Saints, the Las Vegas

Raiders decided to get their next quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. He has shown that with the right pieces around him, he can elevate his play and lead a team to a Super Bowl appearance. His main issue has been the ability to win with a team that does not have as many pieces around him. Raiders fans hope Garoppolo can develop into that level of player during his time there.

The Cincinnati Bengals have had one clear problem since their 2021 Super Bowl appearance: their offensive line. The signing of Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr will help fix that problem.

The Houston Texans resigned left tackle Laremy Tunsil. He got a 3 year, 75 million dollar contract which makes him the highest paid lineman of all time.

The other Texas team, the Dallas Cowboys, have also been active. They traded for former Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Brandin Cooks. These moves will aim to push the Cowboys closer to a Super Bowl berth.

The Carolina Panthers are trying to give their new quarterback help by picking up Adam Thielen from free agency. The former Minnesota Viking was fourth in team targets last year so he will be looking for a bigger role with his new team.

Coming soon in CNU

Sports:

*Games listed are happening at CNU

March 24th

*Men’s Tennis

CNU v. Averett University

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 2:30 PM

March 25th

*Men’s Baseball CNU v. St. Joseph’s University Brooklyn

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM

Here’s What You Missed!

Headlines from the Wacky World of Sports....

*Women’s Tennis

CNU v. Virginia Wesleyan University

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 3:00 PM

*Men’s Lacrosse CNU v. Hampden-Sydney College

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 6:00 PM

To look at events off campus and for future weeks, visit cnusports.com

1) Rick Pitino has agreed to a six-year deal with St. John’s to become their next head coach.

2) For the second time since 1980, the Sweet Sixteen will not include one of Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, or North Carolina.

NFL logo taken from Flickr.

“While fans won’t be seeing their teams play anytime soon, it is always fun to see what a team is doing and what direction they are looking to improve in..”

A Review of Shadow and Bone Season 2

AMANDA EACHO AMANDA.EACHO.22@CNU.EDU

The new season of Shadow and Bone came out on Netflix last Thursday, March 16th after two years of waiting. The show is based on the popular book series Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows written by Leigh Bardugo.

Many fan favorite characters were introduced this season, including Nikolai Lantsov (played by Patrick Gibson), Wylan (Jack Wolfe), Toyla YulBataar (Lewis Tan), and Tamar KirBataar (Anna Leong Brophy). The new actors perfectly embodied their characters to the point where fans had little to no complaints.

Season two continues to follow Alina Starkov (Jesse Mei LI) and Mal Oretsev (Archie Renaux) on their journey as they try to find a way to tear down the ominous “Shadow Fold” that separates their country, Ravka, while also hiding from General Kirigan, also called the Darkling (Ben Barnes) and people who blame her for the Darkling’s actions. While this is happening, The Crows, Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Jesper Fahey (Kit Young), and Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), have returned to Ketterdam to find that they’ve been framed for murder by Kaz’s mortal enemy, Pekka Rollins (Dean Lennox Kelly).

The show follows many plots from the book but also deviates from them a lot. Bardugo has stated that she wants the show and the books to be two separate things. She has also stepped back and given the show runners more freedom this season.

One of the main differences was the

Six of Crows storyline. In the new season, viewers see a lot of familiar plots from the second book in the series Crooked Kingdom before the first. For example, they pushed up a lot of Kaz and Inej’s relationship building moments including Inej’s iconic “I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker, or I will not have you at all” scene.

Many fans felt that they reduced Inej to being Kaz’s love interest due to the fact that they delved into Kaz’s backstory and trauma but not Inej’s trauma from her time at the menagerie, which is very important to her character and her relationships. They also changed much of Wylan and Jesper’s relationship, including how they met and how they ended up together.

The Shadow and Bone storyline was significantly different as well. One of the biggest differences is Mal and Alina’s ending. Unlike in Ruin and Rising, their storyline does not end with them living happily ever after in a cottage without powers. In fact, they both go their separate ways at the end of the show, wanting to find out who they truly are and if they are really meant to be together. The showrunners wanted to be able to keep them in the show and still be important to the plot.

Along with the ending being different, viewers also get to see different points of view that they didn’t see in the books due to them only being from Alina’s point of view. The show writers were able to expand the Darkling, Mal, and Nikolai’s characters by doing this.

Despite changes, the show still follows the books enough to be recognizable. The new storylines and the different timing of events helps set the show up for future seasons and a possible Six of Crows spinoff that’s still being discussed.

Poster of Shadow and Bone from Netflix

The stakes are higher, the magic is stronger, and the crows are trickier

Posters of the new characters Tamar, Nikolai, Wylan, and Tolya from the Shadow and Bone Instagram

The Hunger Games Resurgence

It’s not just you, the trilogy is definitely making a comeback

ALYSSA TILLMAN ALYSSA.TILLMAN.22@CNU.EDU

While the series has remained relevant in pop culture since 2008, The Hunger Games has recently become popular again on social media these last couple of weeks, especially on TikTok. #TheHungerGames has over 2.4 Billion views.

The popular YA series by Suzanne Collins follows Katniss Everdeen in the first 3 books, all of which received film adaptations, The fourth book’s film adaptation is set to release in November. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows President Snow, set 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games take place.

The Hunger Games’ resurgence on social media may have to do with all four movies being added to Netflix earlier this month following the announcement of the prequel in 2020. The prequel is entitled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and is told from the perspective of President Snow as a teenager when the games first started being developed. It has already finished filming and is set to be released November 17, 2023.

The movies that once dominated the box office years ago have remained popular. According to ET News, On March 6, in Netflix’s top 10 movies in the US list, each movie from the franchise has made it onto the list — The Hunger Games (No. 4), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (No. 5), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (No. 8) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (No. 10).

Time to Get Jazzy at the House of Blues!!!

A recap of Gamma Phi Beta’s annual Best Dance Crew philanthropy event

FIONA SULLIVAN FIONA.SULLIVAN.20@CNU.EDU

The series popularity has sparked conversations online about how the dystopian fiction has come to life. Following the 2020 Met Gala, which took place just hours after the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, fans reacted on social media.

@TimRunsHisMouth on Twitter wrote: “The Met Gala serves to remind us who is in District 1 if society breaks down in a Hunger Games scenario.”

It’s worth noting that in The Hunger Games series, the elite members of society live lavishly and express themselves through their eccentric clothing, while other members of society are left to suffer.

Another fan, @melissafern_xo on twitter wrote: “I think what’s most striking and unnerving about them that other dystopian novels/ films don’t particularly have is how little removed the hunger games are from real life. They’re drawn from a world not too dissimilar from ours and mirrors the current and past world.”

While it is highly doubtful that The Hunger Games will ever actually take place in society someday, it’s still important to note that dystopia’s are characterized by oppression, disease, environmental destruction, and war which are definitely some elements seen in current society. Suzanne Collins even once said that the books were partly inspired by the Vietnam War that her father fought in

On March 17, Gamma Phi Beta held their annual philanthropy event Best Dance Crew which supports Girls on the Run, a program that uses physical activity to build social, emotional, and physical skills while encouraging healthy habits that young girls can keep with them for the rest of their life.

Held in the Fieldhouse, Best Dance Crew is a dance competition that occurs every spring semester and sororities on campus have the opportunity to go head to head with their dancing and performance skills, all while supporting a great cause. This year, fraternities joined in the fun as well and in total, there were eleven teams and two exhibitions by Gamma Phi Beta and the Latino Student Association.

The sororities that competed were Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Phi Mu, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Alpha Sigma Alpha. The fraternities that competed were Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp), Psi Upsilon, Kappa Sigma, Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike), and Phii Gamma Delta (FIJI). However, all eleven teams were judged together.

The theme this year was House of Blues so many competitors brought that southern, jazz feel to their dances and many popular songs were played such as Vegas from Elvis, Higher by Michael Buble, and Candyman by Christina Aguilera.

The night started off with Gamma Phi Beta’s exhibition dance and it was a super impressive and entertaining way to begin the competition. Although these girls weren’t actively competing, they still brought their A game and did not hold back.

Many of the fraternities also performed really well despite not having a lot of dance experience. They were able to combine humor with tricks and skills and definitely proved themselves. SigEp was especially impressive as their choreography was in sync, detailed, and they even had a costume change into wifebeaters that said I love GPhi”

Despite some technical difficulties, the sororities showed that they were not there to play around and the choreography, spacing, and attitude that these ladies displayed absolutely brought the house down. People couldn’t stop cheering during and after every performance.

The costumes all went along with the House of Blues theme and many organizations decided to stick with the colors black and white that would make them look uniform and have the classic jazz feel. Alpha Delta Pi wore black flapper outfits, Alpha Phi wore black tie inspired outifits, and Delta Gamma decided to honor Mardi Gras with purple tops that had bright beads attached to the bottom of it.

The competition was judged by three Girls on the Run staff members and even though every team excelled, there could only be three winners in addition to the award for the team that fundraised the most.

Alpha Phi won first place with Alpha Sigma Alpha winning second and Alpha Delta Pi coming in third. Alpha Delta Pi also won the award for most fundraising. At the end of the night, Gamma Phi Beta announced that they had surpassed their goal of raising $10,000 for Girls on the Run which is incredible and so rewarding to everyone who attended.

Best Dance Crew is a competition that the whole CNU community looks forward to each spring semester and Gamma Phi Beta never fails to deliver on a showstopping, engaging, and heartwarming event.

Photo of Alpha Phi taken by Snapshot Editor Savannah Dunn

Picture of The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes from Amazon

Poster of Catching Fire from IMDb

Picture of Alpha Sigma Alpha taken by Snapshot Editor Savannah Dunn

Annual Staff Appreciation Day

The Student Government Association honors the hard work of the CNU Staff

On march 14 the Student Government Association (SGA) held the fifth Staff Appreciation Day honoring the staff of CNU. The event started with some remarks by interim president Adelia Thompson who complimented the students as well as the staff.

SGA president Celine Rosario said, “The event went very well. It was beautiful to see staff and students intermingling and giving staff the recognition they deserve.”

Abbie Domingue said she was, “really happy with the amount of faculty that we had show up, as well as faculty that just showed up to support the event. There’s a lot of faculty there that weren’t receiving an award, but still came. I was also really happy with the amount of students who came.”

Another thing about this event is that it does not just highlight professors, but also groundskeeping, kitchen staff and other staff that may not come to the immediate mind.

Domingue said, “There was a good amount of dining hall staff and maintenance staff [nominated]”.

Rosario said, “Though these individuals may not be on the frontline, they should still be recognized for their work.”

Something they would both like to see improve next year for the event is attendance. Specifically by students

Domingue said, “I would love for it to just be a whole school phenomenon.”

Rosario said, “In the future, we would like to have more students in attendance.”

The nominations come from the students themselves, so support and attendance from students is highly encouraged.

Aux Delices

JARRETT CONNOLLY JARRETT.CONNOLLY.20@CNU.EDU

“Life is short, make it delicious” is the tagline that comes with Aux Delices. This family run establishment is located only a couple of miles from campus and their crepes as well as other delicious treats are to die for. It is definitely worth checking out whenever you wish to eat off campus or to satisfy your sweet tooth.

When you enter Aux Delices, you’re immediately wowed by the decorations and the pastel colors that cover the inside. The set up isn’t like a traditional cafe or restaurant. They have a couch and wicker chairs. If you’re looking for a nice ambiance with your crepes, this place is perfect. It has a very cozy and nice feel to it. You want to be in there the whole time that you eat and enjoy the feel of the place. They have plenty of seating for people too.

Aux Delices’ main attraction is their crepes. If you don’t know what a crepe is, its essentially a thin pancake that can be filled with various things such as fruit, Nutella, almonds, and other goodies. These crepes, made almost right in front of you, are delicious. You can customize your own crepes with fruits, spreads, and drizzle or select one of the signature crepes on the menu. The signature crepes are all named after French icons such as the Napoleon (made with Nutella and your choice of strawberries or bananas) or the Rochambeau (made with a biscoff spread and bananas or strawberries). They’re put together so well and taste even better. You’ll wish you had more to eat.

In total they had over 200 responses for their nominations. Alot of those were repeats but it was a record amount of response for SGA. Not only does the nomination matter, but SGA also looks at all comments students make on the nomination. In total they handed out over 20 awards during the event.

For Rosario, her favorite part of the event was, “Giving the certificates and plaques to staff. Seeing their faces light up with joy for being appreciated by the students they serve. So many staff work hard across the campus and although we could not mention all the hard-working staff here at CNU, we were able to highlight the special moments students have observed for staff who have gone above and beyond.”

Domingue loved it when, “We took a picture of all the winners on the stage and everyone’s clapping.”

Overall Domingue thought, “This event was so great and I’m really happy with the event and how it turned out”

Aux Delices also have a variety of other things to enjoy if crepes aren’t your cup of tea. You have delicious and rich waffles that you can put fruit and syrup on, a variety of ice cream flavors,unique macaron flavors (the Lucky Charms and Irish Cream macarons were fantastic), and imported French soda to name a few things. The “sparkling pink lemonade” soft drink has an incredible taste. They also have options of teas and coffees for you to enjoy as well. Aux Delices truly has something for everyone to enjoy.

Aux Delices is a phenomenal place to eat and definitely a top ten establishment within Newport News. You can visit them at 129 Herman Melville Ave. (check their website for their hours) or if you get lucky, catch their food truck around town.

CNU Staff poses together after winning their awards, taken by Connor Butterworth

Photo of crepe from Aux Delices taken by Jarrett Connolly

ALEX NOTH ALEXANDER.NOTH.22@CNU.EDU

Interim President Adeliah Thompson and SGA President Celine Rosario pose with Erin Harbula, Associate Director of OSI, taken by Connor Butterworth

Challenges For Transfer Students and How to Overcome

CAMERON TOMAINO CAMERON.TOMAINO.22@CNU.EDU

1. Making new connections: A transfer student may find it difficult to make friends and socialize with peers who have already formed social groups. To overcome this, a transfer student can join clubs and organizations, participate in campus events, and connect with other transfer students to build new social connections.

2. Balancing responsibilities: A transfer student may struggle to balance their academic workload with personal responsibilities such as work or family obligations. To overcome this, a transfer student can prioritize their tasks, create a schedule that balances academic and personal responsibilities, and seek support from family, friends, or academic advisors.

3. Navigating financial aid and scholarships: A transfer student may find it challenging to navigate the financial aid and scholarship processes at a new school. To overcome this, a transfer student can connect with the school’s financial aid office, research scholarship opportunities, and apply for financial aid and scholarships as early as possible.

4. Adjusting to a new environment: A transfer student may find it challenging to adjust to a new living environment, such as dormitories or offcampus housing. To overcome this, a transfer student can connect with their roommates or friends, explore the local area, and seek support from the school’s housing office.

Time Management Tips

A list of 5 time management tips to help you through finals season

SAVANNAH DUNN SAVANNAH.DUNN.21@CNU.EDU

5. Transferring credits and fulfilling degree requirements: A transfer student may face challenges in transferring credits and fulfilling degree requirements at a new school. For CNU specifically, transferring with an associates degree will eliminate the Liberal Learning that most other students take, leaving the transfer student to make the choice of a major rather quickly. To overcome this, a transfer student can meet with academic advisors regularly, review degree requirements, and explore transfer credit policies to ensure they are on track to graduate.

6. Adapting to the new academic environment: A transfer student may face challenges in adapting to a new school’s academic rigour, course offerings, and disciplinary policies. To overcome this, a transfer student can attend orientation sessions, meet with academic advisors, and connect with other students to learn about the school’s academic environment.

7. Overcoming feelings of isolation: A transfer student may experience feelings of isolation and loneliness as they adjust to a new school and social environment. To overcome this, a transfer student can seek support from their family and friends, connect with campus resources such as counseling services or student organizations, and participate in social activities to build new connections.

With finals quickly approaching, it is time to start thinking about how you plan to structure your time for the remainder of the semester. Here are just a few tips to help you improve your time management:

1. Google Calendar is your best friend

Google Calendar is a central time management tool used around the CNU campus. From the beginning of freshman year students are encouraged to utilize all that google calendar has to offer. From scheduling meetings with professors or advisors to planning a lunch with friends, Google Calendar is your go-to tool to stay organized. There is an option to create different calendars that can be turned on or off depending on what you want to see on your schedule. As well as sending an email invite to people you are planning to meet with. To make sure you don’t get lost in the craziness of the back end of the Spring semester, Google Calendar is the way to go.

2. A Physical Calendar/ Planner

Not everyone has found that Google Calendar is beneficial to their time management strategies, and that is okay. A physical calendar can work just as well as long as you are keeping up with it. I know I am not the only one who buys a planner at the beginning of the year, only to ditch it by February, but for some people, a physical calendar is a lifesaver. Whether you choose Google Calendar or a physical planner, having a place to write down everything happening will help you stay on top of everything and organized.

3. A Google Sheets list of assignments

One strategy that has definitely helped me stay organized this semester is keeping a google sheets list of all of my assignments. This is a tip learned from TikTok and has been the best way I have had to keep myself on track with assignments. You start off by going through each syllabus and

listing out the due date, class, assignment, and then a check box. Then you can pick a different color for each class and fill in the rows accordingly. After you have all of the assignments listed, select all of the rows starting at the top and going to the bottom, click on ‘data,’ then ‘sort range,’ and finally click ‘Sort range by column (A to Z).’

As you complete assignments, just check off the box to the right, and it will be easy to track your progress through the rest of the semester. I like this tool because not only does it keep me on top of my assignments, but it also is essentially a countdown to the end of the semester.

4. Preparing for final papers now

Another tool to help you stay on top of your time management for the remainder of the semester is to start preparing for final papers now. If you have already been assigned a paper that isn’t due until the end of April, don’t push it off and procrastinate. If you start the outlines of the paper now with the information you already have and plan on what you want to say, it will be easier to complete the paper closer to its due date (and may even give you more time later to procrastinate). This tip will help you take a load off closer to finals and give you more time to focus on other things later.

5. Setting alarms for breaks

The fifth and final tip I have is a reminder to set alarms for breaks. During this time,

it can be easy to stress yourself out over studying till the last minute, but it is also important to take time for yourself. Setting alarms to structure your study time will definitely help you stay focused on your studying while also reminding you that it is okay to take a break. While getting good grades on finals is important, so is your mental health. During these last few weeks of the semester, make sure to prioritize not only your grades but you too. Obviously, there are many more time management strategies that would benefit many people, but these are just a few to help get you prepared for the stressful weeks ahead.

Example of Google Sheets assignemnents spreadsheet, by Savannah Dunn

CNU students relaxing on The Great Lawn, taken by Savannah Dunn

Example of Google Calendar, by Savannah Dunn

SNAPSHOT Gamma Phi Beta Presents Best Dance Crew

Top: Alpha Phi celebrates their first place win

Bottom: The brothers of FIJI during the song “Breaking Free” from High School Musical

Top: Alpha Phi’s performance

Middle: Members of Alpha Phi cheering on their sisters

Bottom: Phi Mu’s performance

All photos taken by Savannah Dunn, Snapshot Editor

Alpha Sigma Alpha’s routine, placing second

Brothers of SigEp pose at the end of their routine with muscle tanks saying “I heart GPhi

Delta Gamma’s Performance

Sisters of Alpha Delta Pi celebrate their third place win

ZTA poses for the opening of their routine

Kappa Sigma’s Performance

grace.griles.20@cnu.edu