Volume 54, Issue 22

The Captain’s Log

STUDENTS

In response to recent events on campus, Dean Hughes speaks on CNU’s Threat Assessment Team

SAVANNAH.DUNN SAVANNAH.DUNN.21@CNU.EDU

With rumors spreading around campus, The Captain’s Log spoke with Dean of Student Affairs, Kevin Hughes, to get an idea of what university protocol is for situations such as this.

“Whenever we get any sort of report that could be concerning [or] threatening behavior, there is a group of folks on campus that would convene,” Hughes said. “The Threat Assessment team is actually listed in a policy and includes people from student affairs, academic affairs, Title IX, campus police, etcetera.”

According to The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Virginia was the first state to require all public school divisions (both higher education and pre-k-12) to establish a threat assessment team, “With the goal of preventing violence on campus by assessing behaviors and intervening with individuals who may pose a threat to campus safety,” the website states.

Although unable to get into specifics regarding what unfolded earlier this week, Hughes wanted to be transparent about how the university responds to these types of situations and threats to campus safety.

Hughes said, “We gather all

Behind the Players

Photo of The Great Lawn by Savannah Dunn, Phtography and Lifestyle Editor

the information that we have and then we determine: do we have an active threat or not, what’s going on with the situation, what do we need to do to respond to the community, and what do we need to do to respond to the particular individual.”

When a potential threat is reported, it is the job of the threat assessment team to “drop everything…we need to talk,” Hughes said. “Generally what a threat assessment team does is they say okay we are looking at this situation, what is our level of concern.

If it rises to a higher level of concern, what are the actions we are going to take.”

While the investigation is taking place by the threat assessment team, the indi-

vidual in question (whether it be a student, a faculty or staff member, etc.) is no longer permitted on campus for the time being. This is for the safety of everyone involved in or affected by the situation.

“We are generally going to tell that person that they can’t be here until certain other pieces of information have been acquired from them [or] from other resources,” Hughes said. Those ‘other resources’ could include other police departments, mental health records if applicable, and/or interviews from other people who might’ve been involved or know the person of interest.

After the individual is told that they are no longer allowed on campus, there are steps that they must take to be given per-

mission to come back. Hughes said, “That happens immediately, once we get notice we tell somebody they can’t be here.”

Part of the reentry process is evaluating whether or not this campus is a good environment for the individual.

There was speculation that some of the student body was upset that the university did not send out an email responding to this week’s specific situation. While the Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts department sent an email to its students directly addressing the situation, most of the campus was still confused and concerned about their safety.

(Story continued on page 6)

This past Saturday on March 31st the Captains went to Dallas, Texas for the Women’s NCAA Division III National Championship Game. With a 31-0 undefeated record heading into Saturday’s game, it came as a shock to all of CNU that they lost by five points. However, runner-up in a National Championship is nothing to sneeze at.

Players Camille Malagar and Lauren Fortescue sat down for an interview before the National Championship to discuss how far basketball has taken them.

Malagar has been playing since she was in kindergarten. “Both of my older brothers have been playing their whole life, and I look up to them a lot so that inspired me,” Malagar said.

Fortescue has a multiple sports background and explained that her parents put her and her siblings in multiple sports as a kid. “I probably started rec league at six or seven years old just because they wanted us to try everything,” Fortescue said. Fortescue came close to not being a college basketball player at all. “I played soccer in highschool. I was thinking about playing that too, but something about basketball is really fast paced. I think there is more energy in the game compared to the other sports,” Fortescue said.

(Story continued on page 8)

On Tuesday, March 28th at approximately 2:30 p.m. The CNU Police Department detained a student as a result of threatening social media posts made earlier in the day.

Interviews with the national championship runner-ups

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

Fiona Sullivan

Fiona Sullivan has been with The Captain’s Log since fall 2021. Since then she has grown leaps in bounds in her writing ability and layout design. This week she is dubbed editor of the week for not being mad at me when I forgot to write a story for her section and for writing three stories this week. Keep up the good work Sullivan! Only two weeks left!

Staff Writer of the Week

Lindsay Deyton

Lindsay Deyton has been with The Captain’s Log since the beginning fo ehr career as a Captain in fall 2021. Since then Deyton has wrote rather charming and fun opinion pieces about her favorite shows as well as venturing to almost every other section. The Captain’s Log is thankful for her constant dedication to content and imporvment. Good going Deyton! Keep it up!

Broadway Fun Facts

Answers will be posted on our Instagram @cnucaptainslog!

(all past crossword answers are in our Instagram highlights)

Outer Banks Season 3

Staff Writer shares their thoughts on the latest Netflix hit

LINDSAY DEYTON LINDSAY.DEYTON.21

For starters, Outer Banks season 3 was one for the books. From the many character developments to the deaths of many of them. Let’s dive into that.

JJ and Kie being a thing will always be my favorite. The tension they have had all of season 2 and even 1, and then them finally sharing a passionate kiss in season 3 had me screaming at my laptop out of excitement for that long awaited moment.

Speaking of a ‘thing,’ Cleo and Pope share a moment in one of the last episodes after lots of time spent together and life risking for each other? Absolutely. The chemistry between the two was very tense throughout the season and the final kissing scene was like a ‘finally’ moment.

Now to character deaths. I admit, I never really knew how to feel about Ward. He was a killer and a liar, but he loved his daughter and would do anything to gain her trust again in the final episodes. When his death was teased in the 2nd season, I thought it was a slap in the face in the best way possible. But when he returned later on, that was also a slap in the face because while the death wasn’t for sure, I was convinced he died. But in the 3rd season when his cause of death came from him saving his daughter and her friends, the ultimate sacrifice, that’s when I decided that even though Ward was a terrible character in many aspects, he did still have a burning father-daughter love for Sarah.

The death of Big John definitely stung me hard as I am a big fan of John B. I’m team JJ, but John B is a close second. The dev-

astation that fell over John B’s face when he realized his dad didn’t make it actually brought waterworks to my eyes. I’ve never cried over that show before, so that was really new for me. The gut-wrenching part is that he was only there for one season. Just as John B had rediscovered his dad alive, he was ripped away from him just as quickly.

The ending of Outer Banks season 3 has a lot of controversy, and here’s what I think about it. I’ve talked to a lot of my friends who also watch it and there’s a big debate about there being another season. Some of my friends have said that the ending was perfect and that they couldn’t wait for season 4. Others, however, said they should’ve left it as is and that another season wasn’t necessary. One of my friends even went as far as to say that the only reason they keep popping out more seasons is because the actors are hot and there’s not much thought behind the plot! I, however, think that whether they made a season 4 or not, I would be satisfied. But I agree, the actors are very hot and I am not complaining about another season in 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

JJ and Kie being a thing will always be my favorite. The tension they have had all of season 2 and even 1, and then them finally sharing a passionate kiss in season 3 had me screaming at my laptop out of excitement for that long awaited moment.

When his death was teased in the 2nd season, I thought it was a slap in the face in the best way possible. When he returned later on, that was also a slap in the face because death wasn’t for sure, I was convinced he died.

Screenshot taken from Refinery29

Screenshot taken from Collider

Screenshot taken from @obxonnetflix on Twitter

Campus Threat Assessment Team

Story continued from cover

Mental Health Culture at CNU An interview with Dr. Michelle Lange

EVELYN DAVIDSON EVELYN.DAVIDSON.20@CNU.EDU

In February of 2022, The Captain’s Log interviewed CNU psychology professor, Dr. Michelle Lange, a practicing clinical psychologist. In this interview, Lange shared her online mental health resource, Wellness at CNU, a website in which students can find supportive resources and services that suit their area of concern.

there, understanding it’s not the whole truth – it’s one perspective or one angle… But if it’s going to be helpful for people, they’ve got to be able to come to it with a critical eye,” says Lange.

Hughes said, “There are basically two times when the university sends a message out.” One of these times would be if there is an active threat on campus. “Then we say, hey stay away from this area or shelter in place, or something like that.”

The other instance in which students would receive notice is if a crime had occurred. “We want people to be aware of this so they can take reasonable action steps and keep in mind that it may not be happening right now, but these kinds of things happen,” Hughes said.

“Absent those [reasons], we are not sending out messages to the campus community. So in [this] specific example, there wasn’t a message about that.”

Hughes wanted to reassure readers that those involved in handling potentially threatening situations have received extensive training on campus and through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.

He urges that if you hear about something that could be potentially dangerous or threatening to campus safety, don’t assume that campus authorities already know. “We’d rather you keep telling us. Even if it’s 24 hours later. I’d rather people just report it to us,” Hughes said.

They can click various options, such as “test anxiety,” “financial worries,” “eating concerns,” or “concern about discrimination.” Once the student selects a topic of concern, the website directs them to resources, both within CNU and outside the university. CNU resources include the Office of Counseling Services or the Center for Academic Success. Depending on the issue, outside resources vary, but examples include The National Eating Disorder Association and The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Captain’s Log recently conducted another interview with Lange in which she shared her thoughts about the current mental health climate at CNU and how students can find the right support.

The pandemic is another factor that has greatly affected the mental health of college students. As campuses across the country return to some level of normalcy, the question remains, will mental health amongst students ever fully recover or bounce back?

Lange explains that social isolation and remote learning is not something that people should just expect to ‘bounce back from.” She says, “I think there’s such thing as recovery, but I don’t think that just because a public health crisis ends, that the mental health effects of that immediately end with it.”

Remote learning, in particular, has left many students ill prepared to move forward in their educational careers because they did not have a sufficient learning environment.

Lange says, “I think people are playing a lot of catch up while also trying to simultaneously learn the things they’re supposed to be learning right now. That just creates more stress.”

seling services suit certain mental health needs, CNU offers other oncampus services that provide preventive and proactive measures to help students. She describes how things like developing effective study methods, managing time, or learning how to have tough conversations with others can prevent bigger stressors from occurring.

Students can find resources outside of campus as well, says Lange. One example she gives is the HamptonNewport News Community Services Board, which offers reduced fees on mental health support for lower-income people.

CNU has under 5,000 undergraduate students, but Lange says its small size is a benefit, “I think that CNU’s community size is a protective factor for mental health, because it is a community where people don’t fall into the cracks so easily… You are a part of it. People care about you, they notice when you’re missing, when you’re absent. You’re not nameless here.”

When asked if she thinks there is still a mental health stigma on campus, Lange explains that every place has stigmatization to some extent, but she says, “the generation who are currently college students have less stigma towards mental health issues and towards seeking treatment for mental health issues than prior generations. I think college students as well, by definition, are learning how to be critical consumers of information.”

Being “critical consumers” is especially important in the age of social media, Lange says, where people only share certain aspects of their life, skewing reality.

“I think there’s still some potential for good on social media if you really are mindful of looking at it as, this is what someone selectively put out

Lange also talks about CNU faculty’s role in helping students with their mental health. For the 20222023 academic year, faculty were invited to attend a panel at CNU that included author, Dr. Angela Stowe. Stowe talked about her article, “Getting to the Sandbar: Understanding the Emotional Phases of COVID-19 Among College and University Students.” A Q&A for faculty to openly discuss the topic followed the panel presentation.

Lange says, “The goal is not to make professors junior counselors. It is for the professors to be able to express their care and concern and then refer anyone who they have concerns about to appropriate resources.”

Lange believes there needs to be more outreach so that students know these resources are available to them. Her Wellness at CNU website is part of her initiative to raise awareness of the resources being offered.

In previous years, CNU had a program called The Wellness Action Team for Captain’s Health (WATCH), which consisted of faculty, staff, and student representatives who aimed to promote wellness initiatives on campus. CNU Watch has been inactive since the pandemic, but Lange hopes to see the program revived at some point.

She also suggests having listening sessions, like an open town hall centering on mental health, “That way people who feel concerned or passionate or have something to say about the topic can show up and talk to the people who have the ability to make decisions for the campus and who have the ability to make resources more well known.”

Lange says, “A big part of how we can, as a campus, best address mental health concerns is [by doing] less topdown, ‘here’s how we’re going to help.’ Do way more listening, ‘what help do you need?’”

In addition, she emphasizes that CNU’s on-campus counseling services are not always the answer, “I just worry that we as a campus tend to present the counseling center as the be-all, end-all of mental health on campus, and it’s not and shouldn’t be presented that way.”

Lange explains that, while coun-

SAVANNAH.DUNN SAVANNAH.DUNN.21@CNU.EDU

Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services logo, from vrsa.usa

“People care about you, they notice when you’re absent. You’re not nameless here.”

“I just worry that we as a campus tend to present the counseling center as the beall, end-all of mental health on campus...”

Lange believes there needs to be more outreach so that students know these resources are available to them.

International News Updates

Aiden Fucci Sentenced to Life in Prison

Richneck Teacher Files Lawsuit

LINDSAY.DEYTON

LINDSAY.DEYTON.22@CNU.EDU

Following the shooting of 25-year-old Richneck Elementary School teacher, Abby Zwerner, by her 6-year-old student on Jan. 6th, Swerner has filed a 40 million dollar lawsuit against the former Assistant Principal Ebony Parker, the Newport News School Board, former Superintendent George Parker III, and Former Principal Briana Foster Newton, NBC News reports. Zwerner, who was shot in the hand and chest, alleges that administration knew about the student’s past violent behavioral issues and were aware of concerns that he had a gun.

The 6-year-old boy was reported to have a history of aggressive behavior, which includes strangling and choking a teacher, inappropriate touching of another child, chasing students around the playground with a belt, and cursing at teachers and other staff, according to Campus Safety Magazine.

Many officials have expressed that this may have been a targeted attack. ABC News reports that Hale had a map of the school with a planned route for the shooting, and officers found writings in Hale’s home shortly after the shooting.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has called for prayers in the wake of the shooting, and a candlelit vigil was held in Nashville last Wednesday evening in honor of the victims, first lady Jill Biden was in attendance.

39 Migrants killed in Fire at Immigration Detention Center

JARRETT CONNOLLY

JARRETT.CONOLLY.20@CNU.EDU

Finland on Joins NATO Alliance

CAMERON TOMAINO CAMERON.TOMAINO.22@CNU.EDU

On Monday, April 3rd, NATO General-Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said in a press conference before a meeting of NATO’s foreign ministers, that Finland will join the American-led defensive alliance on Tuesday, after the last physical documents are delivered to Washington. This statement comes after Turkey, the last of the NATO member-states still considering the Finnish entry into the alliance, had finally accepted their application on Friday, March 31.

KATHERINE ZICKEL KATHERINE.ZICKEL.22@CNU.EDU

After almost two years, 16-year-old Aiden Fucci was finally sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey on May 9, 2021.

Aiden Fucci, 14 years old at the time, pleaded guilty for stabbing his classmate 114 times. According to First Coast News, Bailey was last seen walking with Fucci in their neighborhood a little before 2 a.m., picked up by a neighbor’s surveillance camera. She was reported missing at 10 a.m., and found in the woods around 6 p.m.. Fucci was arrested the next day.

News 4 Jax reported that since Fucci is still a minor, he is not eligible for the death penalty in the state of Florida. However, he is being tried as an adult, and is being charged with premeditated first degree murder, according to The Florida Times Union. He faces a minimum sentence of 40 years with a review of his sentence in 25 years, as required by law.

The attorney general for Newport News has confirmed to WTKR that the boy who shot Zwerner will not be charged with aggravated assault, but did indicate that other charges are possible and that the shooting is still being investigated.

On March 27 around 10 p.m., a fire broke out at an immigration detention center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Rescue workers in Mexico reported that 39 migrants, mostly from South and Central America, were killed and 27 were left with serious injuries.

The center was used by Mexican authorities to temporarily house migrants who were trying to illegally cross into the United States. According to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in a press conference with the Mexican media the next day, the fire was started by some of the migrants who lit their mattresses on fire to protest their encroaching deportation; however this has not been officially confirmed by investigators.

Video surveillance obtained by Mexican media shows several uniformed guards leaving the scene as the fire gets closer, leaving behind several men in a locked cell. Mexican authorities have launched an investigation and have arrested three immigration officers, two private security guards, and one of the migrants who started the fire, The Associated Press reported.

According to El Comercio, protests

Update on Nashville Shooting

ALYSSA

ALYSSA.TILLMAN.22@CNU.EDU

Video... shows several uniformed guards leaving the scene as

The U.S Sun reported that Fucci’s mother, Crystal Lane Smith, is currently out on bond and awaiting trial for tampering with evidence, a third degree felony. She was caught on camera washing blood off her son’s jeans in the bathroom sink.

Many of Bailey’s family and friends gave testimonies during the trial. News 4 Jax reported that Tristyn Bailey’s older sister, Alexis Bailey, started her testimony by dropping 114 heart shaped, aqua colored stones into a jar, saying that each one represented a stab wound her sister had to endure.

Tristyn Bailey’s family asked for the maximum sentence for her killer, saying, “He is beyond saving.”

Nashville mourns the loss of three students and three faculty members after the shooting that took place at The Covenant School, a private Catholic school, last Monday morning, March 27. According to CBS News, the faculty members have been identified as Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak, and Mike Hill. The 3 children have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

AP News reports that the shooter has been identified as 28 year old Audrey Hale, who was a former student at The Covenant School. The shooter was killed within 14 minutes of the first report of the shooting, an action that police expressed likely saved many lives.

locked cell

have since erupted against the mistreatment of migrants and against President Obrador, who blamed solely the migrants for the tragedy.

As the world watched Russian tanks roll across the Ukrainian border, starting the first war between two independent states in Europe since World War II, Russia’s other neighbors grew concerned at the displayed aggression. Not long after the invasion, Finland placed an application to NATO at the same time as neighboring Sweden, the two seeking the protection of the alliance to deter this new period of Russian Aggression. Before, the two countries had taken to a policy of strict neutrality.

Though the application process is rigorous, Finland met every requirement, but to get the entire alliance on board, every single member state within the bloc needs to approve of the application. In Sweden’s case, disputes over the extradition of suspected Kurdish terrorists have alienated Turkey from their approval. Among NATO nations, Turkey and Hungary specifically have a history of obstruction and relatively warm relations with Russia, which calls into question their motive to drag out this process over the last year.

Still, Finland has avoided controversy among NATO nations, and the two holdouts have accepted their ascension to the alliance. Outside of NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the arrangement of thirty flagpoles, each bearing the flag of a member state, will be joined by one more – the Finnish Flag on Tuesday.

... he is being tried as an adult, and is being charged with premediated first degree murder...

... Hale had a map of the school with a planned route for the shooting...

TILLMAN

the fire gets closer, leaving behind several men in a

Gavel, photo from Unsplash

School bus, photo from Unsplash

Flag of Finland, photo from publicdomainpictures.net

NATO Headquarters in Brussels, photo from Flickr

Captains Season Ends in Heartbreak

A Fantastic Season Falls One Game Short of History

TREY GREENWELL TRAJAN.GREENWELL.21@CNU.EDU

On Saturday afternoon, the Captains faced second-ranked Transylvania University in the NCAA Division III National Championship Game. The game was played at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the second time in Division III history that one school had both a Men’s and Women’s team appear in National Championship Games.

Unfortunately, both teams could not come home victorious. While the Captains were able to keep the game close, they fell just short with a 57-52 defeat that ended their perfect season.

The Captains built a nine-point lead early on in the game due to stellar defense early on. However,

GRACE GRILES GRACE.GRILES.20@CNU.EDU

Malaga and Fortescue explained that when picking CNU, they never expected that making it to the National Championship would be on their list of to-do’s. For both of them this was not even a goal they considered when picking colleges. “It was always one of my goals to play at the collegiate level. I think it just happened to be at CNU,” Malagar said. Malaga was asked how it felt to be at CNU knowing that you are about to play in a National Championship, and she responded, “I am just super grateful to be in this position. When discussing playing basketball at CNU Fortescue agreed that it was something of a chance. “I just feel really blessed, and it doesn’t feel real. As a transfer I didn’t know I was going to come here right away. Luckily Coach B let me play, and I got along really well with the team. I’m just really thankful for the opportunity to play in a National Championship. It’s just crazy to think about

Transylvania was able to trim the lead to three by the end of the quarter. At around the seven minute mark of the second quarter, Transylvania took the lead. After a very defensive first half, Transylvania had a narrow 23-21 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, Transylvania gained momentum. A 13-0 run gave them a double digit lead with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. However, the Captains defense began to take over. A pair of turnovers led to two quick baskets from the Captains which cut the lead to seven. A layup from Sophomore Hannah Orloff made it a four point game but a made three-pointer from Transylvania brought the lead to seven at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter started out as a back and forth contest. A series of missed three-

pointers from Transylvania and three consecutive made jump shots from the Captains made it a one point game. A pair of made free throws from Graduate Student Lauren Fortescue tied the game at 47. A pair of made free throws from Transylvania allowed them to regain the lead with 90 seconds left but a made jumper from Junior Gabbi San Diego tied the game again. A made layup from Transylvania gave them the lead. After a Captains timeout, the potential game-tying shot fell short and the Captains bid at a National Championship ended with a 57-52 defeat.

The Captains mostly outplayed Transylvania, shooting 36 percent from the field to Transylvania’s 30 as well as

Behind the Players

Interviews with the national championship runner ups

how long I have been playing the game, and we get to play in such a big game this weekend.” Fortescue was previously enrolled at Salisbury University. The irony in this is Salisbury has been referred to as CNU’s rival. “Sorry I didn’t know I was always going to come here, but I’m glad I did,” Fortescue said when talking about transferring from Salisbury. What made this game particularly difficult for the whole team was two of the star players, Anaya Simmons and Katy Rader, were out with torn ACLs. When talking about the reason behind their success Fortescue claimed that the team’s chemistry was behind their success and reassured her that the team would perform well in the National Championship.

“From the freshman to the grads I feel like we all get along well. Even with Anaya and Katy out, that gives us so much more reason to want it more. I think there are just a lot of deserving

people on this team, and we all are on the same page like we know we want it,” Fortescue said.

Even though they lost, the entire CNU community appears to be proud. On cnusports.com a quote from the head coach, Coach Broderick, says it all, “They played a great game today ... I also just want to say that I’m extremely proud of my group. I think we fought and competed through a lot of adversity this year, and we didn’t stop fighting until the final buzzer went off.”

outrebounding them 4442. However, Transylvania was able to get to the free throw line more often than the Captains, attempting 17 free throws compared to the Captains four.

The Captains perfect season came to an end in this game, making them 31-1 on the season. This was the program’s first ever NCAA National Championship Game appearance and only their second defeat in their last 76 games.

Christopher Newport University logo taken from Pinterest.

“I think there are just a lot of deserving people on this team, and we all are on the same page like we know we want it.”

Christopher

Newport Women’s Basketball photo taken from WAVY.

“This was the program’s first ever NCAA National Championship Game Appearance .”

March Madness Ends with Unlikely Champion

A Tournament of Upsets Comes to an end

RJ JONES RAYMOND.JONES.22@CNU.EDU

This year’s Final Four broke the tradition of blue blood programs playing for a National Championship. The final four teams in this year’s tournament were the Florida Atlantic Owls, the Miami Hurricanes, the San Diego State Aztecs, and the Uconn Huskies.

Miami and UConn faced off with a National Championship berth on the line. From the word go, the Huskies outmatched the Hurricanes. Miami’s lack of height was evident as UConn Center Adama Sanogo had a big game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as they took down Miami 72-59.

The San Diego State Aztecs faced the Florida Atlantic Owls in their Final Four matchup. This was a compelling game as both teams were very evenly matched.

This game was close the entire time in large part

because of Florida Atlantics Alijah Martin. Martin Had 26 points along with seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play to aid in the Owls effort to make it to the National Championship Game. Unfortunately for Florida Atlantic fans, The Aztecs created a moment for the ages.

On the final possession of the game, Aztec Guard Lamont Butler attempted to drive the baseline until he snatched the ball back barely staying inbounds before rising up to sink the game-winning shot to send San Diego State to their first National Championship Game.

The National Championship Game was between the UConn Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs. Unfortunately for the viewers, the game appeared one-sided.

UConn got out to an incredibly strong start while San Diego State struggled from the field. The Huskies

played through their star big man Adama Sanogo. He scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Huskies to the National Championship.

In the second half, it was more of the same. UConns sharpshooter Jordan Hawkins caught fire as he finished with 16 points and shot 55 percent from the field.

San Diego State was never able to get any momentum as they had in the games prior. Their leading scorer was forward Keshad Johnson with 14 points followed by Final Four hero Lamont Butler. The Aztecs will likely struggle to replicate this special run as they are losing two of their star players in Keshad Johnson and Adam Seiko.

This was UConn’s fifth National Championship since 1999, the most in that time. UConn could bring back their three leading scorers for next year, making them poised to make a championship run next year. If this happens, the Huskies have a good chance of winning their sixth National Championship.

Coming soon in CNU Sports:

*Games listed are happening at CNU

April 5th

*Men’s Tennis

CNU v. Mary Washington

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 3:30 PM

*Women’s Tennis

CNU v. Mary Washington

Location: Newport News, VA Time: TBD

Here’s What You Missed!

Headlines from the Wacky World of Sports....

*Women’s Softball

CNU v. Bridgewater College

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 4:00 and 6:00 PM

April 8th

*Men’s Baseball

CNU v. Salisbury

University

Location: Newport News, VA

Time: 1:00 PM

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

1) Golden State Warriors Forward Andrew Wiggins Expected to Return After Missing 22 Games

2) LSU Wins Women’s Basketball National Championship, Defeating Iowa 102-85

3) The Boston Bruins Clinch the Presidents’ Trophy Following a 2-1 Overtime Victory Over the Columbus Blue Jackets

NCAA logo taken from Wikimedia Commons.

“This year’s Final Four broke the tradition of blue blood programs playing for a National Championship.”

Aurora the Album

Rating the songs from Daisy Jones and the Six

FIONA SULLIVAN FIONA.SULLIVAN.20@CNU.EDU

Daisy Jones and the Six was released on Amazon Prime on March 3. Since then, the show has united readers of the book and newcomers who adore the show. It’s gathered such a cult following that many are hoping that the fictional band will actually go on tour with their album Aurora.

The band is led Sam Claflin who plays Billy Dunne, the lead male singer and Riley Keough who plays Daisy Jones, the lead female singer. Josh Whitehouse plays Eddie Roundtree, the bassist, Suki Waterhouse plays Karen, the keyboardist, Will Harrison plays Graham Dunne, the guitarist, and Sebastian Chacon plays Warren Rhodes, the drummer.

While this is technically a fictional band, the actors all learned how to play their respective instruments to make the performing real and they ended up recording a cast album that is incredible and garnering so much attention.

As someone who has been listening to the album practically every day, my ranking of the songs feels very accurate though it was difficult to decide. I highly recomend everyone to go listen to the the 11 songs on the album and form their own opinions.

11. Please: This song is sung soley by Billy Dunne and if you’ve seen the show and understand the context of the song, then you understand why I dislike this song so much. Beyond that, though, the melody is just annoying and too repetitive and the lyrics don’t send a good message to listeners

SAVANNAH DUNN SAVANNAH.DUNN.21@CNU.EDU

10. You Were Gone: There’s nothing inherently bad about this song but I just don’t like the intro and the melody isn’t fast or slow so it’s kind of strange to listen to. Ultimately, it’s pretty boring of a song

9. The Words: This is one of the few slow songs on the album and the last one on the album as well. It has a beautiful, reflective melody and Daisy and Billy’s harmonies are very crisp but I don’t think it should be the last song on the album since it ends on somewhat of a sad note.

8. Kill You to Try: The vibes in this song are immaculate and the guitar riffs are so strong alongside Billy and Daisy’s rough and smooth voices. It also has one of my favorite bridges that starts off quiet and then builds up to the final chorus.

7. Two Against Three: This is the other slow song on the album but it’s only Daisy singing and the song has such a simple melody with only the guitar and keyboard but that’s what makes it so great to listen to. Hearing Daisy sing softly and clearly instead of loud belting is also a nice change. The lyrics also tell a beautiful story and can be relatable to many.

6. More Fun to Miss: The context of this song is definitely intense within the show but the song by itself is super fun and sexy and the use of echos and levels are super effective and keep the listener on edge with not knowing what will happen next.

5. Aurora: Some might think that the title song of the album should be ranked higher and while i love this song, I’m confident in this ranking. It serves as the perfect opening to the album and the melody is a great mood booster but the ending is just so repetive and I dislike how the melody turns minor towards the end as Billy and Daisy’s voices overlap each other.

4. Regret Me: This was the song that originally got me hooked to the show since it was played in the teaser trailer. The opening instantly throws you into the song and Billy and Daisy’s voices along with the lyrics perfectly display their complicated relationship . I especially love how the bridge slows down and it seems like the two will reconcile until the song intensifies again and they just keep repeating “go ahead and regret me” while the guitar riffs in the background.

3. Let Me Down Easy: These next three songs were extremely difficult to rank and if they could all be #1, I would do that. Let Me Down Easy combines all the instruments to create an amazing rock song with a powerful guitar music break. Watching them perform this song for the first time in the show also just makes it that more fun to listen to.

2. Look At Us Now (Honeycomb): This is the first song that Daisy Jones and the Six ever wrote together and there’s a reason it became a huge hit. It starts off sweet and slow as Billy and Daisy harmonize and then it builds up to an intense, catchy melody that just makes you want to dance. It also has the best guitar and drum solo out of the album.

1. The River: If you look go on BookTok, almost everyone will agree that this is the best song out of the album. It’s reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, has some incredible guitar moments, has Daisy going insane on the bridge, and is just pure 70s rock.

JonathanArrestedMajors

The actor was charged for assault and harassment

FIONA SULLIVAN FIONA.SULLIVAN.20@CNU.EDU

On March 25, actor Jonathan Majors was arrested on charges of assault, strangulation, and harassment. However, his attorney stated the next day that Major’s is completely innocent based on the evidence available.

Majors has recently been praised in the news because of his starring roles in the new movies “Creed III” and “Antman and The Wasp: Quantummania” which is why it was a huge surprise to the general public to see these allegations.

New York Police stated that Majors was involved in a domestic dispute with a woman around 11am on Saturday when police responded to a 911 call in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

“The victim informed police she was assaulted,” a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. “Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.”

According to AP News, Major’s attorney Priya Chaudhry said there was evidence clearing Majors, including “video footage from the vehicle where this episode took place, witness testimony from the driver and others who both saw and heard the episode, and most importantly, two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations.”

Majors was arraigned that Sunday but was released with a limited order of protection. He will have his official court hearing on May 8. In the meantime, Majors’ career is already experiecing some blows and no one knows if he will be able to return to a successful career if proven innocent.

The US. Army stopped playing its ad campaign featuring Majors until the investigation is complete since the ad is specifically targeted towards younger audiences.

Marvel is also reportedly discussing options with Majors and his agent going forward which means he might not be reprising his role as the supervillain Kang in future Marvel movies.

Majors has already filmed his second MCU appearance since he will be returning as Kang

season two of Loki. While this incident happened over a week ago, the investigation is still ongoing and no clear asnwers will be available

The US Sun

Photo of Jonathan Majors from

The Trouble with Actor’s Equity

The union issues a strike threat for Broadway National Tours

FIONA SULLIVAN FIONA.SULLIVAN.20@CNU.EDU

Actor’s Equity, which is a union that represents more than 50,000 actors, stage managers, and other crew members, has been attempting to create a new touring contract with The Broadway League which is a similar union that represents producers and general managers, etc.

The problem is that Actor’s Equity’s executive director Al Vincent Jr. is now allowed to call a strike on all Broadway tours if necessary since the union has dealt with several issues during these tours.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Actor’s Equity’s current needs for the touring contract include increasing members’ per diem rates to cover the rising cost of food and housing on the road and also wage increases.

They are also asking for more coverage for actors and tech crew on tour since many don’t have any resources if they’re sick or injured. In the arts, there has always been the mentality of ‘the show must go on’ but illnesses must be taken seriously.

These are all actions that must be taken; however, for producers in The Broadway League, this would drastically increase their costs which is why they aren’t thrilled to negotiate and witness a strike.

The president of Actor’s Equity, Kate Shindle, spoke to Hollywood Reporter and gave progress on the deal with The Broadway League.

“We thought we were making progress. We believed that we would reach a deal last week, but ultimately, we just were nowhere close in terms of what we know our members need and what The Broadway League was willing to offer.”

The two unions have two more meetings scheduled for April 11 and 12 so the hope is that both parties can come to a resolution. However, the possibility of actors having to take a negative job action is becoming more and more real.

Hollywood Reporter stated that as of April 3, 89 percent of tour members had signed a strike pledge and the Actor’s Equity’s national council already voted to approve a strike.

An open letter to the Broadway

league that was signed by more than 1000 past and present touring members was presented to the public in March where Equity members requested that the League to give a healthier, longlasting approach to touring.

“We are not asking to tour at an unreasonable level of luxury,” the letter stated. “We merely want conditions that enable us to do our work successfully without struggle.”

Actor’s Equity and The Broadway League have actually reached several agreements beforehand, the most recent being in December 2022 where they agreed on a new three year production contract that would govern Broadway shows and touring producitions. However, it was only approved by 57 percent of Equity members.

Ultimately, no one knows what might happen but the health and safety of performers and the technical crew comes first when it comes to staging Broadway productions.

“We don’t want to strike,” Shindle told Hollywood Reporter. “We want a deal. Everybody wants to continue working, especially after having so much time with no work at all. But we have to prepare for that, so that if we need to, we need to.”

The instagram @actorsequity will post updates in the following weeks as well as their website. In the meantime, Broadway professionals continue to speak out and advocate for their rights.

Sarah and the Safe Word

A Rock group for the ages

JARRETT CONNOLLY JARRETT.CONNOLLY.20@CNU.EDU

It’s hard to define what Sarah and The Safe Word is. The Atlanta based band blends a variety of sounds, self described as “queer, dark, cabaret rock” but also incorporating jazz, bluegrass,punk and other sounds.

This band transports their fans into a menagerie of euphonious music, gothic storytelling and social advocacy.

Sarah and The Safe Word was formed in 2015 by vocalist Sarah Rose and guitarist Kienan Dietrich, where both had been active in the Atlanta music scene. After recruiting some more members the band got to work making music.

The band’s 2017 debut album, Strange Doings In The Night, was shown to Van Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, who subsequently invited the band to play at the Atlanta stop of the 2017 Warped Tour. The band has seen numerous successes since then, with four albums, two EPs, multiple festivals and tours, and a record deal with Take This to Heart Records.

The band’s current lineup includes Rose, Dietrich, violinist Susy Reyes, keyboardist Beth Ballinger, bassist Maddox Reksten, and percussionist Carlos Gonzalez.

Sarah and The Safe Word has incorporated almost every genre under the sun and with unmatched theatricality. It would be almost limiting to compare them to other theatrical bands like Panic! At The Disco.

They’ve cited a variety of influences including Fleetwood Mac,Linkin Park, NOFX, and the film The Nightmare Before Christmas. There is literally a song for every type of music fan in their discography. The band’s lyrical range is wide too, from tragic stories to science fiction to rodeos to murder mysteries to the world around them.

They have elaborate song titles like “You’re All Scotch, No Soda”, “The Last Great Sweetheart of the Grand Electric Rodeo”, and “Something is Afoot on Old Man McGrady’s River”.

Sarah and The Safe Word is also known for its advocacy, The band has promoted multiple charities such as National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Trevor Project, and Everytown. The band has also taken a stand against racism and other forms of hate within America and in music. The band is most well known in its advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, of which all of its members are a part of.

Vocalist Sarah Rose, who uses they/ them pronouns, expressed a desire to make their band a visible space for LGBTQ+ persons and advocate for LGBTQ+ causes, they also work as a journalist and activist with Care2 outside of music.

If you ever feel that music has become bland, Try listening to Sarah and The Safe Word. They offer a blend of music that is so much fun to listen to and is incomparable to anything else out there right now. The band’s next album, The Book of Broken Glass, releases on April 7th of this year.

Album cover from Spotify

Photo of Sarah and the Safe Word from Spotify

Actor’s Equity Logo from Actorsequity.org

Hour 2 Empower

Students pack after-care kits for survivors of sexual violence

The Hour 2 Empower event, held on March 29, featured students packing over 200 after-care kits that have supplies to help survivors of sexual violence. Not only was this event about creating kits for people who have suffered sexual violence, but it was also about learing.

The event was opened by Paul Trible and then followed Rosemary Trible; they both talked about the horrors of sexual violence. After they finished speaking, a video was shown and the students were taught how to pack the kits.

Each kit has a size. To start, grab a bag and put sweatpants in it first, label side up. Then, they would put underwear and shirt in the bag. Next, a freedom stone for adults and a children’s coloring book for the kids’ bags. Then one item of toothpaste and toothbrush, a journal and pen, a resource card, and a card that explains how to use the freedom bear, a handwritten note and finally put the freedom bear on top. Then take the bag to the checkout table.

The students would also write notes to the people receiving these kits that would be put into the kits.

The orginization Fear2Freedom, has distributed 30,000 of these kits over the past ten or more years.

Due to the sheer amount of people there it took about 30 minutes or less to make all the kits and write all the notes.

Students came to the event for many different reasons

Nick Thomas said that he came to the event because “This is just something that’s important to have the knowledge of that you can carry yourself with confidence while also knowing how to be mindful of things that people are going through.”

As for Hannah Goldman, she came to the event and said “I think it’s something really important that we can do to give back because a lot of us can’t relate to this personal trauma, but we can help to make a difference in someone’s life.”

For Elise Brook, this event was important. She said, “It’s very meaningful because I’ve had lots of people in my life especially girlfriends that have been through this. So just helping others that have been through this situation is meaningful.”

Ryan Castle said “I think it’s extremely important to raise awareness on campus and to make this an issue that we’re talking about.”

There was a record number of participants this year, with over 100 students showing up.

With this amount of people at the event, Paul Trible said, “By bringing the Christopher Newport family together with large numbers of students that are active and participate across this campus, that we can underscore the seriousness of the problem, but more

importantly commit to each other that we’re going to be there to look out for each other, to be vigilant to keep people safe. And so nights like this are so encouraging.”

For Rosemary Trible, seeing all these people at the event was great. She said “It was just incredible for me. In fact, I just got emotional that all these students would take the time, especially so many men that would care enough to come. And our hope is not only to care for those that have been sexually assaulted, but to bring education, as young people college can change the world. And if you can get them to understand this issue, they’re so much more likely to really respect women respect each other, and also to be willing to do something like this. …and so it meant the world to me.”

Virginia Woodard said, “It does something to my heart to see students being committed to being the change, so that gives me joy. It gives me joy because as a survivor myself, the more that we can get the word out and the more that students are aware of what can happen and what can happen to their friend and how to support

them.”

This is a personal for Rosemary Trible as she said, “Having been a victim myself. I’ve been someone very trusting and hugging and suddenly I had this ice wall around me and it is the most stealing of your joy. I’d always been a very joyful person. I had this fear. And it was call my husband and friends that helped me get through that time. But I wanted to devote the rest of my life to making a difference in the lives of others and encouraging them that they too can get over this. Whatever it is. And I think one of the things that’s hardest for me is so many of these are children, and it’s child abuse by men and women. That is just so destructive to their future.

So yes, this is my heart.”

However this event would not be possible without students volunteering, specifically the club, Where is the Line?

Ryan Bocompani, a member, said he chooses to volunteer because, “I know so many people who have been affected by sexual assault and domestic violence. And

I know how painful this is for them. And I’ve been told by people who have gotten these eye care kits, how helpful they can be in the recovery process. Just the smallest little gesture can mean the most to somebody when they’re at their lowest. So doing whatever we can to help them out and just give them that little extra boost when they need it most is probably the most important thing we can do to support survivors.”

Bocompani also said, “I’m really proud of everybody for showing up. I’m really happy to just see how many people are here caring about the plight of the survivors and how difficult their lives have been and how they can work to make a meaningful impact and change to help them. It’s just really inspiring to see so many people willing to help others even if they don’t know them.”

A big part of the kits is the bear that they put on the top of bag. The bear is something soft that can serve as a counsling tool.

For Rosemary Trible, founder of Fear2Freedom and creator of the after-care kits, she said that “The first thing that I came up with was the bear. Trying to find something that would be sensitive and caring and yet not overwhelming to someone who’s a victim. And I’ve always loved magic and these dissolving pieces of paper. There’s something that is so personal, for them to read a note from the student, caring about them, but then putting that little note from the bear in the bears heart and then taking it out and watching it disappear. It gives them a chance to believe that I can live through this I can ge on the other side.”

Students packing aftercare kits taken by Alex Noth

Intercultural Fesitval

EVELYN DAVIDSON EVELYN.DAVIDSON.20@CNU.EDU

CNU’s Student Diversity and Equality Council (SDEC) and the Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted their annual Intercultural Festival on The Great Lawn last Friday afternoon.

The event featured arts and crafts representing different cultures around the world. Participants could design Mardi Gras masks or decorate coloring pages patterned to look like Kitenge, traditional African clothing used for celebratory occasions. Students who participated in any one of these activities received a free tie dye shirt with the Intercultural Festival logo on it. The event also included samples of food from various cultures, such as butter chicken and naan, king cake and pad thai.

Sophomore Jasmine Batth, the Vice President of Programming for SDEC, shared with The Captain’s Log why she thinks the Intercultural Festival is an important event for the CNU community.

She said, “I am a person of color at a predominately white institution. I love our university and I love what we’ve done in order to embody the spirit of diversity, but I think that putting on events like this helps to showcase it more to the student body. I think it helps celebrate cultures outside of

Relay For Life

CNU supports the American Cancer Society

FIONA SULLIVAN FIONA.SULLIVAN.20@CNU.EDU

what can be seen here in Newport News or that are more widely celebrated in the United States.”

Batth talked about Holi, one of the celebrations being represented at the Intercultural Festival this year. Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu festival in which people dance and throw colored powder at each other.

Batth said “One of my cultures is being celebrated. So for me, getting to listen to my music, getting to play my games, that’s special to me in a way that most other festivities aren’t”

Junior Alyssa Itinger, a member of CAB’s executive board who serves as the Culture and Lecture Chair, also helped organize the event. She emphasized the importance of respecting other cultures while also educating people, “I grew up overseas in many different countries and one of the things I loved was celebrating other cultures.”

Itinger, who has lived in Thailand before, expressed her excitement in bringing Songkran to the Intercultural Festival. Songkran, or the Water Splashing Festival, is part of the Thai New Years celebration.

To find more information on upcoming events or activities, follow @cnucab and @cnusdec on Instagram.

On April 1, Christopher Newport University held their annual Relay for Life in support of the American Cancer Society and every individual who has ever been affected by the destructive disease.

Held in the Fieldhouse in the Freeman Center from 5-10pm, students had the opportunity to come and participate in the relay by walking around the track and also play all sorts of games from Just Dance to cornhole. Many organizations tabled and had their own creative ways to raise money such as bake sales and ‘guess how much candy is in a jar’ and even a polaroid photo booth.

For many students, it was their first relay and they had only come because they had heard of it from a friend or were bored on a Saturday night. However, they soon realized that there is so much more to the event than what meets the eye and though CNU can be considered a small school, it still brought attention to the worldwide fight against cancer.

To show a bigger picture, Relay for Life is the signature event of the American Cancer Society that occurs every year all over America in order to save lives while also recognizing and honoring those who have suffered and/ or passed away from the disease. It is a movement that brings communities together from all different walks of life.

Though cancer is a disease that has been around forever, Relay for Life was not formed until 1985 when Dr. Gordon Klatt walked and ran for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. According to the Relay for Life website, he thought of how others could do the same and pictured a 24-hour fundraising event that different teams could participate in.

Now there are more than 2500 Relay events around the country whether it be in a neighborhood, a school, or a business. All funds go directly to the American

Cancer Society’s four pillars of research, education, advocacy, and health equity, all ways to combat cancer. Cancer is the second most common cause of death after heart disease, states the American Cancer Society. With this harsh truth, it is easy to feel like no one can make a difference; however, Relay for Life proves that’s simply not true.

“It serves as a celebration for all the fundraising students and organizations have been doing for months in addition to recognizing the importance of why we’re fighting this disease in the first place,” sophomore Hannah Gee explained who also serves as the president of the event.

Gee was first introduced to the Relay in middle school when she participated for the first time in middle school in honor of her grandparents who both passed away before she could really get to know them. “As strange as it sounds, I felt their presence with me the entire time, especially during Luminaria, and so when I saw that CNU has a committee that puts on the event, I knew I had to get involved.”

Gee and her committee had been planning the fundraiser since the beginning of the school year and it turned out to be a huge success. Many organizations registered as teams to see who would raise the most money and they collected almost $10,000 to support the American Cancer Society.

There were many fun activities on the schedule such as a cake walk where students could win a miniBundt cake and two acapella groups performed as well. In the middle of the event, the night became more solemn with what is known as Luminaria. The lights dimmed as the Fieldhouse was surrounded by paper lanterns, each with a name written on it who had lost their life to cancer.

Speeches were given by

students about the impact cancer has had on their lives and why they decided to Relay and then everyone was given a glowstick. “Break the glowstick if it’s been a grandparent, a friend, a neighbor,” Gee stated as she listed all the ways a person could know someone affected by the disease. All that could be heard on the track field were the cracks of the plastic bending and soon enough, purple light lit up the room. Students walked around the track several times in silence as they reflected on the harrowing impact that cancer has but that society should never give up on finding a cure.

It was an emotional time but incredibly important to raise awareness to about why everyone was there in the first place. Eventually, the lights turned back on, and the fun resumed for hours but the paper lanterns remained as a reminder that the lives lost to cancer can never be replaced or forgotten.

Students playing Just Dance at Relay for Life taken by Fiona Sullivan

Intercultural Festival t-shirt taken by Evelyn Davidson

SNAPSHOT Suicide Prevention Walk

Students make their way around campus in the Suicide Prevention Walk

All photos taken by Will Nelson (@_willnelson)

grace.griles.20@cnu.edu