THE
EXTRA POINT COLLEGIATETIMES
The Hokies face the University of Delaware in the first home game of the season on Sept. 9. page 6
collegiatetimes.com
September 5, 2017
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903
Hokies defeat Mountaineers
PRESIDENT SANDS ASKS FOR REVIEW
Black Diamond Trophy lives in Blacksburg after 31–24 win. CHASE PARKER assistant sports editor
An ad-hoc committee will review the historical names of spaces and buildings across the university. MATT JONES editor in chief
After the events of August in Charlottesville, colleges and universities across the country have wondered what to do about monuments and memorials to those who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Virginia Tech is no exception — and now President Tim Sands has initiated an effort to examine the legacy of Confederates at Virginia Tech. Tracy Vosburgh, senior associate vice president for university relations, told the Collegiate Times in an email that Sands has directed Menah Pratt-Clarke, vice president for strategic affairs and vice provost for inclusion and diversity, to look into the matter. Pratt-Clarke will “convene a committee to review the historical naming of buildings and spaces where questions have been raised,” according to Vosburgh. “After review and consideration, Dr. Pratt-Clarke will bring recommendations to the president to determine any appropriate next steps,” Vosburgh wrote. Tech lacks a memorial
like the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Silent Sam, dedicated to alumni who fought for the Confederacy. The university does have several buildings — McBryde, Vawter and Lane halls — named for people who fought against the Union in the Civil War and later went on to contribute to the university. McBryde Hall is named for John McLaren McBryde, sometimes called the “Father of VPI,” who was president from 1891 until 1907. McBryde helped expand course offerings and introduced the university’s current motto: Ut Prosim. According to University Libraries, McBryde enlisted in a Confederate volunteer company in 1861. He watched the bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina, the attack that started the Civil War. Later, McBryde fought in a Virginia Cavalry unit before working for the Confederate Treasury Department and War Tax Office. Vawter Hall is named for Charles Erastus Vawter Sr., rector of the Board of Visitors and a member from 1886 until 1900. He also helped found the influential
TUAN TRAN / COLLEGIATE TIMES Exterior of Lane Hall, June 20, 2017.
Miller School in Albemarle County, Virginia. While on the Board of Visitors, he helped reorganize the college and set the school on an upward track. In 1861, Vawter dropped out of Emory & Henry College to fight for the Confederacy, rising to the rank of captain in the Stonewall Brigade. He was later captured and held as a prisoner of war. Vawter Hall was named for him in 1966. Lane Hall was named in the 1950s for James Henry Lane, the first commandant of cadets at the university. He may be best known for his fistfight with the university’s first president during a faculty meeting, creating a PR debacle that nearly sunk
the school. The building, one of the oldest on campus, is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register. During the Civil War, Lane was a Confederate brigadier general in the 28th North Carolina Infantry, according to a history of North Carolina Confederate soldiers. Lane fought in Gettysburg, where half of his men were killed or wounded and his horse was shot out from under him. At the Battle of Cold Harbor, he was shot in the groin but returned to fight with his brigade in the final battles of the war near Appomattox, Virginia. The online university see HISTORY / page 3
This is not quite home. Not yet.
Heading into Sunday night’s matchup between the No. 21 Hokies and No. 22 Mountaineers, Virginia Tech had held uncontested possession of the Black Diamond Trophy for 4,719 days. On the eve of Labor Day, however, West Virginia had a chance to take the trophy back to Morgantown. From the start, it was a good old-fashioned brawl reminiscent of the teams’ meetings at the height of the rivalry in the 90s. Hard hits, deafening chants from the crowd and a clear disdain for one another set the stage for what became a battle for the ages. “It wasn’t Morgantown, but it felt that way kind of when we rolled in there,” said defensive coordinator Bud Foster. “There was a lot of the, you know, ‘hello, hello’ signs. But it kind of made that rivalry feel like we were back in it again.” The first quarter was filled with superb defensive play from both teams, but perhaps that was circumstantial. Virginia Tech quarterback Josh Jackson was making his first career start, and West Virginia’s signal-caller Will Grier was making his first start in nearly two years. Inevitably, it took Jackson a little time to get his feet wet, and it took
Grier some time to knock the rust off. It wasn’t until the first quarter was nearly over when Virginia Tech kicker Joey Slye booted the first points of the season onto the board, which gave the Hokies a 3–0 lead. Early in the second quarter, West Virginia r u n n i ng back Just i n Crawford jump-star ted the Mountaineers’ offense by busting off a 42-yard run straight up the middle, putting his team within scoring range. Eight plays later, Grier delivered an 11-yard strike to wide receiver David Sills V to put West Virginia up 7–3. Later on in the second, Josh Jackson started to show why he was named the starting quarterback. On the third play of the drive, Jackson threw up a jump ball to Tech receiver Cam Phillips for a 28-yard gain. The QB later took it into the end zone himself from five yards out, which gave the Hokies a 10–3 lead at the half. “We have great chemistry,” Phillips said of his relationship with Jackson. “Not just on the field, but off the field. We joke and laugh, you know. And on the field we communicate with each other every series.” Once the first half was see RECAP / page 6
Being on your own can be exciting — and terrifying. Here are some tips to make you feel at home in Blacksburg. KATIE RICE lifestyles staff writer
Anyone can experience homesickness at any point in life. Freshmen are expected to miss home more, but even seniors can find themselves wishing for the comfort of their own bed and the convenience of free laundry at the beginning of a new school year. For Tanvee Badheka, a senior majoring in industrial
systems engineering, home is farther from Blacksburg t ha n ma ny st udents. Badheka grew up in Indonesia where her parents and brother currently reside. “I miss certain things,” Badheka said. “I miss the food at home. I miss the comfort of being in a familiar space, especially the first year here, but it’s gotten a lot easier over the years.” Scheduling weekly times
ECLIPSE RESEARCH Nature’s phenomenon presents opportunity for engineers to collect data. page 3
to talk to parents and friends from home can help alleviate the sadness of missing them, while allowing for plenty of time to become familiar with this new home away from home. “I do get homesick sometimes, especially if I see Indonesia on the news,” Badheka said. “I definitely remember being homesick when I found out that my dad was really sick and my parents didn’t tell me,
because they didn’t want me to get worried. I can’t do anything sitting over here, so it sucked. I was still in the dorm and felt kind of alone.” For most, feelings of missing out on life back home can be remedied by immersing oneself in activities this campus offers. Luckily, Virginia Tech has hundreds of organizations eager for more people to see HOMESICK / page 4
WEEK TWO FOOTBALL Virginia Tech prepares for Delaware. page 6
FILE 2014 Gobblerfest 2014
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