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collegiatetimes.com

112th YEAR, ISSUE 209

February 20, 2017

COLLEGIATETIMES An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

“This is not a test run. calories burned shot speed

THIS IS INVENTING THE FUTURE.”

UN goals inspire new RLC service requirements Virginia Tech’s RLC mirrors service initiatives set forth by the United Nations. ANNA DAVIS

- head coach Jim Thompson

news reporter

spin rate

distance traveled AUSTIN SCHERBARTH AND JINA RO / COLLEGIATE TIMES George Cartledge of the Virginia Tech tennis team prepares to serve against St. Bonaventure, Feb. 11, 2017.

Hokies debut tennis tech Virginia Tech tennis is changing the game This Tuesday, the Virginia Tech men’s tennis team will be the first college to implement live electronic line-calling technology, a system long used in the pros. FAIZAN HASNANY sports editor

Athletics and analytic technology have become increasingly intertwined in recent years, in nearly every sport at both the professional and collegiate levels. It’s no secret that Virginia Tech, a school that prides itself on innovation, has been a leader in this trend. There has been a lot of talk about the men’s basketball team’s unique use of

technology and data analytics, but the men’s tennis team has flown under the radar with its innovative practices. This Tuesday, when Virginia Tech faces off against the College of Charleston at Bur rows-Burleson Tennis Center, it will be the first college ever to implement a live line-call review and challenge system. “The challenge system is through this technology called PlaySight, which we had

installed in 2015. This system is used for statistic tracking and also can call the balls in and out,” said junior Freddy Mesmer. “In the match, we will get two challenges per set. If you get your challenge right, you get to keep it and if you’re wrong, you lose one.” PlaySight was founded in 2011 and has since gained an incredible amount of support from the tennis community, drawing investments from nu mer ous t en n is ic on s

Students in the RLC have completed service initiatives in the past, but previous events lacked the structure of the praxis projects. “Initially our projects involved having us just go out and find an organization ... These projects would be unorganized and people would have these events that ended up falling through the cracks because they needed more volunteers,” said junior Michael Haller, the RLC’s

see TENNIS / page 5

see RLC / page 3

In new head coach John Sung’s ACC debut, the Virginia Tech women’s lacrosse team earned its first conference win in nearly five years, defeating Boston College 18–12. lacrosse beat reporter

The Virginia Tech Hokies upset the Boston College Eagles, 18–12, in John Sung’s inaugural ACC game. This win marks the first ACC win for the Hokies since April 7, 2012, when Tech beat in-state rival Virginia 10–9 in overtime. “No one on this team knows what it feels like (to win an ACC game),” Sung said. “We just keep working and pushing ourselves. We had to take that JMU loss to get this win, and I’ll tell you Boston College is a good team.” Kristine Loscalzo and Tristan McGinley led the way for the

Hokies, each scoring four goals in the win over Boston College. Emma Harden and Taylor Caskey helped Tech a great deal off of the bench with three goals a piece. Zan Biedenharn and Marissa Davey also knocked home two goals each. Goalie Meagh Graham has had a phenomenal week against JMU and Boston College, with 12 saves against JMU and nine against Boston College. “Meagh Graham is amazing, she’s doing an awesome job. I tell our kids, if we practice well, we will play well, and Friday was our best practice since I’ve been here. I had that good feeling that we had worked really hard and knew it was

coming,” Sung said. In attendance at today’s game was Baltimore Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s daughter Alison is being recruited to play lacrosse at Virginia Tech. “It’s been great, we’ve had a chance to get on campus,” Harbaugh said. “My wife and daughter had been here another time, so they had been bragging about Tech. It’s my first time here on campus, well, actually we were here in 1989, I was coaching for Cincinnati, so I didn’t exactly get a tour back then.” Along with Tech, Alison is also being recruited to Boston College, Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins.

“

While students are required to contribute to a specific project that aligns with an SDG, they are encouraged to pick a topic that they are truly passionate about.”

including Novak Djokovic, Billie Jean King and Pete Sampras. The company’s SmartCourt technology has become exceedingly popular, not just within tennis but also other sports, including basketball. The Golden State Warriors were actually the first professional basketball team to implement the technology, doing so in their practice facility.

Lacrosse lands first ACC win since 2012 JORDAN HUTCHINSON

Beginning this semester, all 170 of the freshmen who live in the Residential Leadership Community (RLC) are required to complete a “praxis project,” or a service initiative that aligns with one of the United Nations’ (U.N.) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The RLC is a living-learning community centered around enhancing students’ leadership and interpersonal skills. Freshmen in the RLC take two academic courses together, one during the fall semester and one in the spring. The praxis projects are conducted as part of the spring class.

“It’s just beautiful, it’s a beautiful campus and a beautiful town. The facilities are ridiculously nice. Coach Sung has been amazing, he’s a great recruiter and a great guy,” Harbaugh said. Next on the schedule for Tech is Liberty, next Wednesday. The first road game of the year should be a good test for the Hokies. Sung will look to have his team primed and ready for another out of conference opponent. Virginia Tech is 6–0 in its career against Liberty. The game will start at 4 p.m. @JHutchinsonVT

Conference combats opioid use in rural Virginia Last week’s conference expressed concerns on Virginia’s opioid use. ANDREW SHEDLOCK news reporter

Opioid abuse has become an epidemic throughout rural America in the past decade. In 2015, over 20,000 Americans died due to overdosing on prescription pain relievers out of the 50,000 who died due to drug overdose (via data provided by the Centers for Disease Control). Toward the end of November 2016, Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared that the opioid addiction crisis in Virginia had become a public health emergency.

“

Once you got the plague you weren’t likely to get it again, but with addiction you need multiple attempts to break the cycle.”

William Rea vice chair and doctor at Carilion Clinic

BILLY CLARKE / COLLEGIATE TIMES The Virginia Tech Hokies raise their sticks in unison during their bout against Boston College, Feb. 18, 2017.

FUTURE’S NEW ALBUM DOES NOT SURPRISE Does consistency in sound hurt or help a musician?

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS 63–55 TO UVA This loss extends Tech’s losing streak to 10 games.

page 6

page 4

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the Virginia Rural Health Association at Virginia Tech held a conference focused on the growing opioid epidemic in rural Virginia. The conference began with a personal anecdote written by a Virginia Tech student describing the pain and damage her family experienced caused by her father’s opioid addiction. see ABUSE / page 3

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PAGE 2 February 20, 2017

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opinions: crossfire collegiatetimes.com/opinion

ANDREA PAPPAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

column

Awards show not a place for political expression

nnual award shows have increasingly become an avenue for those wishing to display their political discontent in the most inappropriate of ways. In light of the recent election it seems as though these celebrities have found it especially within their power to voice their opinions on one of the most public of stages. While supporters of these uber public political outpourings cling to the First Amendment, the rest of us would sincerely appreciate if politics was promptly booed off the stage. The most recent of these outbursts, although certainly not the last, occurred at the Grammys which aired on Feb. 12. Host James Corden initiated the sensory abuse with his opening, including a gag about President Trump. From there, the night only became more controversial. Rapper Busta Rhymes, ranting, mentioned the unlawfulness of the Muslim ban as “President Agent Orange perpetuating all the evil.” Along with the obnoxious displays made by presenters, there were various other overt slogans, signs and symbols. Among the most noticeable was when Paris Jackson promoted #NoDAPL as a protest to the Dakota Access Pipeline, and even Katy Perry’s performance was littered with symbolic resistances to Sen. Jeff Sessions’ confirmation as attorney general. While 2017 was by far the most political Grammys yet, past years’ shows have also contained their fair share of political sprinklings. In 2016, rapper Kendrick Lamar’s freestyle centered around the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. Pharrell Williams also made a similar stance, performing a “hands up don’t shoot” gesture during his set. Even in 2006, artists were beginning to dole out their opinions, such as Bruce Springsteen’s shouting of “Bring ‘em home” in response to former President Bush’s actions in the Middle East. As can be seen from award shows of both the past and the present, those who should not be sharing political opinions using that platform are increasingly willing to do so. Why these celebrities believe they have the right or the power to get onto such a large soapbox and preach their truths, I will never know. Regardless of the side of ideological spectrum one agrees with, political outcries at award shows are uncalled for and inappropriate for various reasons. Although many are acting as sorts of private contractors, celebrities are like any other employee in that they represent both themselves and whomever they are working for; this could be their label, motion picture company, movie, album, etc. Just as someone would not openly display his or her political affiliations at the office, celebrities should not use the time dedicated to the acknowledgment of their work to parade their favorite political causes across our televisions. While it can immediately label the celebrity as following a particular ideology in the eyes of millions of Americans, these outbursts can also

taint their work. These political martyrs would not even be up on the stage had they not been nominated entirely for their outstanding work — the word “entirely” being the most important word in that sentence. They are not nominated and do not win a Grammy, for example, because of how they feel about global warming or race relations; they are recognized solely for their entertainment work and, therefore, should focus on such during various award ceremonies. When cast in this light, it seems disrespectful for celebrities to take the stage, nominated by executives and fans for their entertainment achievements, and, instead of thanking those who supported and helped them get to this moment, they take that time to spread their political opinion among the crowd and the millions of viewers. Besides the disrespect to the nominating agent, these eruptions of opinion are, more recently, blatantly and disgustingly rude to our president. While I can see the purpose of openly protesting certain ideas or actions that have the ability to be changed, verbally abusing the legitimate president is both useless and unnecessary. It should not be acceptable for people, even highly regarded celebrities, to openly bash and reject the president. If this were done with the same intensity and maliciousness in response to other executives, it would not be allowed; the difference between Trump’s criticisms and other executives’ criticisms being the extent to which they are taken. Candidly, the severe taunting of the president brings even more criticism and ridicule to the practice of politicizing events than it brings change. Celebrities, an already unreliable source of political information, are regarded by many as beacons for those without a voice and, therefore, should not be able to say whatever they please about politics using public platforms like award shows. These same supporters often claim the First Amendment as a means to defend their idols’ actions. This argument traces back to what we were all taught in elementary school: the First Amendment protects free speech, but you still cannot yell fire in a crowded theater. In this case, celebrities should not spout incendiary political opinions in an arena containing millions of people, both watching in person and at home. Just as in the theater example, a political outburst of current proportions will only cause everyone to rush either to aid or to eradicate the cause, incurring more damage than good. Even amid support by those citing the First Amendment and those that reinforce the aforementioned causes, the practice of celebrities turning award shows into a demonstration of political ideals is superfluous and should become an archaic means of promoting change. LINDSEY SLUSHER opinions contributor freshman/political science

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The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Monday and Thursday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. The Collegiate Times is a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to provide educational experience in business and production of mass media for Virginia Tech students. © Collegiate Times, 2017. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times

Celebrities have a duty to share political views Celebrities often politicize award shows, but their right to speak their minds should not hinge upon their occupations.

any people have taken to attacking celebrities for using their platforms to promote their political agendas, reasoning that mere entertainers have no place in discussing politics. My opponent claims that celebrities are using award shows to “display their political discontent in the most inappropriate of ways.” But what exactly is the “right” way to express this vexation? Historically, progressive social change has occurred largely through mass protest and public display of political dissent. If everybody had kept mum and refrained from raising their voices, these advances would never have been made. The author — who writes from a conservative perspective — uses words like “obnoxious” and “ranting” to describe these people’s political commentary. When liberals point out injustices or simply express their political views, it is equivalent to throwing a tantrum; when conservatives do so, it is a considered a civil, well-informed debate. Why is this the case, especially when the right boasts their fair share of emotively triggered people like talk show host Tomi Lahren? The woman essentially makes a living screeching at a teleprompter, complaining about liberals complaining. Another questionable point my opponent makes is the following: she compares celebrities to private contractors. I concede that there may be some truth to this — that celebrities represent, for lack of a better word, their own “brands.” However, this is not 1950; celebrities no longer represent motion picture companies or the like. They are their own people, representative of only themselves. Thus, they are entitled to express their views as they see fit. The author’s reasoning here is flawed in several ways. For instance, one can be up for a promotion at work while maintaining and expressing one’s political views — say, in the break room — and still efficiently do one’s job. Also, as the author states, people get promoted because they are good at their jobs, not because of their politics. This is analogous to an actor being nominated for an Academy Award; they put in the work, draw critical acclaim and are rewarded for it with a nomination. In no way does this relate to their right to discuss politics after the fact, unless the author can somehow prove that the actor was incessantly discussing politics while, say, filming. By reiterating the above point, the author contradicts herself and undermines her argument. In sum, it is possible to carry out what one’s job entails and still manage to discuss current issues — the two are not mutually exclusive. One of the most problematic claims my opponent makes is that “it should not be acceptable for people, even highly regarded celebrities, to openly bash and reject the president.” Simply put, why exactly is this unacceptable? As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “To announce that there should be no criticism of the president ... is not only unpatriotic and servile, but it is morally

treasonable to the American public.” As so many of our friends on the right like to say, respect is earned; it is not an entitlement. The fact that Donald Trump now occupies the Oval Office and is the face of America does not automatically warrant reverence. If celebrities feel that he has done nothing to earn such a favorable sentiment, then they are at perfect liberty to say so. One might also take this opportunity to point out the blatant hypocrisy of this claim: many congressional Republicans (who are also considered notable public figures) spent the better part of eight years trying to discredit former President Obama with right-wing censure. For instance, Mitch McConnell publicly vowed to make Obama a one-term president. If it is acceptable for conservatives to criticize a liberal president, then it is only fair for liberals to do the same. Judging someone’s right to publicly speak about politics based on what they do for a living raises another question and is a classic example of the ad hominem fallacy, as it attacks the person instead of the argument. It also opens doors to a slippery slope of rebuttals. If entertainers “can’t” talk about politics, would the same rule be applicable to all public figures — for example, famous authors or CEOs? This raises another query: What kind of job makes someone inherently qualified — or disqualified — to discuss civic matters? Chances are, one wouldn’t tell coal miners, firefighters, doctors or lawyers to “do their job” and not talk about politics. The overarching theme here is that there is no credible or objective way to determine who gets to express their political opinions and who does not. And using a criterion as trivial as someone’s profession as the ultimate deciding factor is not only fallacious — it is downright foolish. Notwithstanding, credit must be given where it is due — one would be fooling themselves if they didn’t think that people have grown tired of politics. And at the end of the day, one just wants to be entertained when one watches these shows. Still, that a simple concept like the right to freedom of speech has become a public spectacle open to debate is simply outrageous. People who attack the “Hollywood elite” for having the audacity to speak their minds would do well to remember that freedom of speech is not a privilege given only to those who agree with them; it is a fundamental civil liberty guaranteed to all American citizens, whether they earn a living by mining coal or making movies. Attempting to silence one’s political opposition — whether on the right or left — is a dangerous and inefficient means of resolving conflict; it will only worsen the tumultuous political unease that we face as a nation. Everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard, and it is imperative that we keep talking. NEHA OGALE assistant opinions editor freshman/psychology

Voice your opinion. Send letters to the Collegiate Times. All letters must include a name and phone number. Students must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include Blacksburg, VA, 24061 position and department. Other submissions must include opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com city of residence and relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Letters, commentaries and editorial cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times. Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board, which is composed of the opinions editors, editor-in-chief and the managing editors. 365 Squires Student Center

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February 20, 2017 PAGE 3

news collegiatetimes.com/news

ABUSE: Attendee says consoling is ineffective from page 1

COURTESY OF PERRY MARTIN Students visit a community garden at 3 Birds Berry Farm, Feb. 10, 2017.

RLC: Praxis team strives

for woman empowerment from page 1

academic enrichment intern. The praxis projects were proposed by Perry Martin, the director of the RLC, during the fall 2016 semester. Martin partnered with local organizations to outline initiatives that would directly benefit the New River Valley and its surrounding areas, and he had the idea of structuring the projects around the SDGs. The SDGs were adopted by the U.N. in September 2015. All 17 goals fall under three general categories: ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all. While students are required to contribute to a specific project that aligns with an SDG, they are encouraged to pick a topic that they are truly passionate about. For instance, there was a lack of interest for a praxis project centered around SDG 15 (sust a i nable management of forests), so the RLC elected to forgo this project rather than force students into it. “Lack of motivation was an issue in the past, and we believed part of (this)

was because people were not passionate about their projects,” said Haller, a BIT and hospitality and tourism management double major. Students work in praxis project teams of up to 13 members and are guided by a sophomore who serves as peer leader in the RLC. Freshman and electrical engineering major Gregory Klatt is a part of a praxis project group that is helping expand the local presence of Girls on the Run, a program that aims to instill self-confidence in elementary and middle school girls through physical fitness. This project falls in line with SDG 5: achieving gender e qu a l it y a nd empowering all women and girls. “I chose this because both of my sisters had done Girls on the Run when they were younger. I thought that of all the projects that I could have chosen, this one made a difference,” Klatt said. “It was close to home.” Other praxis projects include working with Craig County Public Schools to revitalize an unused greenhouse and collaborating with the Blacksburgbased 3 Birds Berry Farm

to design a community garden. All of the praxis projects will be completed by the end of the semester. Haller expects that the RLC will continue with some of the same initiatives next year, but will pass select projects off to other campus organizations that could be better equipped to running them.

“

Lack of motivation was an issue in the past, and we believed part of (this) was because people were not passionate about their projects.”

Michael Haller RLC academic enrichment intern

“We hope that we can pursue a lot of our projects later on, but we understand that there are already some organizations on campus that deal with (these topics),” Haller said. @AnnnaDavis

William Rea led an opening lecture in an attempt to answer two questions: why opioid abuse is an epidemic and why rural areas are affected the most. Rea spent most of h is op en i ng le ct u re comparing the opioid abuse epidemic to the Black Plague to enforce his point that opioid abuse is an epidemic and that it causes pain for those that it comes in contact with. Additionally, Rea highlighted the problems that individuals face when trying to end their abuse of opioids including the legal obstacles of prosecution for possession and the recurrent problems of addiction. “Once you got the plague you weren’t likely to get it again, but with addiction you need to take multiple attempts to break the cycle,” Rea said. In the second part of his lecture, Rea dissected why he believed rural areas were so vulnerable to opioid abuse. Rea identified that farmers had the highest successful suicide rate of any subgroup because of both economic collapse and the way in which society has disparaged farmers as “stupid people.” Rea ended his lecture by showing potential solutions to the opioid epidemic, including what work is currently being done to counter the opioid epidemic. Treatment was the center of the focus, with particular emphasis placed on Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT). MAT is a form of treatment in which patients will use drugs such as buprenorphine to assist their recovery and treatment. Buprenorphine helps pat ient s re cover by reducing the positive effect that opioids have on individual’s brains, reducing c r avi ngs, reducing the impact of withdrawal and helping to shift patients from drug abusing behavior to normal life activities again. Rea also emphasized

how education task forces are working to help educate people on all of the dangers of opioids, in addition to the research that is being done on designing more effective ways to treat opioid abuse. Further research into acute detox, where an individual stops the use of drugs immediately under me d ica l sup er vision, and intensive outpatient therapy, where an individual undergoes detox without direct medical supervision, are currently in progress.

“

Rock bottom for most people will be death.” Circe Cooke child and adolescent psychiatrist

Following the opening lecture by Rea, the conference held breakout sessions with pre-health students working with Rea, community advocates receiving REVIVE! training to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses and to administer naloxone. Dr. Circe Cooke held a presentation and roundtable discussion on the proper uses of MAT with psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and researchers who operate in southwestern Virginia. At the beginning of her presentation, Cooke made it clear that not every treatment option will work for every patient by reiterating the saying, “All treatments work for some people/patients,” and, “No one treatment works for all people/patients,” by Dr. Alan Leshner. Cooke’s presentation focused on the key advantages of using MAT as opposed to non-MAT, such as abstinence treatment, which advocates for a total withdrawal from drug use during rehabilitation. Central to Cooke’s presentation was ident i f y i ng a nd u nd e rstanding the clinical definition of addiction in order to combat stigma around using buprenorphine to combat opioid

abuse. Cooke declared the clinical definition of addiction as “the use of something which interferes with someone’s ability to perform their normal tasks.” Co oke st a r t e d by addressing effectiveness. “About 80–90 percent of people relapse without MAT as opposed to the 40–50 percent who relapse with MAT. We are not substituting one drug for another — with buprenorph i ne p eople a ren’t affected by cravings and withdrawal,” Cooke said, wanting to emphasize that MAT was helping people. Medicaid will begin covering substance abuse rehabilitation on April 1. Cooke and Rea are both very hopeful that this will help clinics cut down on the size of the waiting lists to get into the clinics to receive help. Fol lowi ng Co oke’s p r es ent at ion wa s a roundtable discussion, add ressi ng bot h t he stigma of opioid abuse and the stigma around usi ng bup r enor ph i ne and other medication to combat opioid abuse, as well as clarifying information presented in the presentation. The discussion focused in many ways on how stigma reinforces the victim blaming, and how outsiders looking down on those harmed by opioid abuse contribute to the opioid epidemic. “Areas that hold a strong sense of kinship and have been torn apart by opioid abuse will always be affected by the stigma of any drug. The solution needs to come from within the community, those within the community must decide what is best for our community,” said one attendee, based on her own experience. One of the last things that Cooke addressed was the common belief that a person needs to hit rock bottom before they can receive help. “Rock bottom for most people will be death,” Cooke said.

@CollegiateTimes

Leadership turnaround sparks changes within college The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences is dealing with the aftermath of Elizabeth Spiller’s resignation as dean. MIKE LIU news reporter

The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (CLAHS) is facing major changes in fall 2017. Associate Dean Robert Stephens of the college has left his position, and Dean Elizabeth Spiller is preparing to leave on March 6 as well. Dan Thorp took over Stephens’ position as the associate dean of undergraduate academic affairs in the CLAHS. Thorp’s appointment off icia lly began on Dec. 25, 2016, and he had been an interim for six months last year, from January to July, while Stephens was on leave. The

associate dean is responsible for general oversight of undergraduate teaching and the undergraduate students within the department. According to Thorp, the history department is stringent in its hiring because promotion of professors requi res a second scholarly monograph. Stephens decided to return to the Department of History to make more progress on his second scholarly monograph. “Dr. Stevens took a semester leave a year ago to try and make progress on getting his second book written. It just wasn’t enough time. Books take — having just done it myself — years to write,” Thorp

said. “He decided this fall that he simply could not do this job properly and finish a second monograph, so he stepped down from this position to return to the Department of History to make more progress and eventually finish the book manuscript.” T ho r p r e c a l l s t h e CLAHS going through transitions in the past and stays positive for the future of its respective college at Virginia Tech. “We’ve been through a transition process before. I’m sure things will go fine. I’ve not participated, because I just came on board myself, but there are three other associate deans. They’ve all been

through this before, when Professor Ott Rowlands left and Professor Spiller began as dean,” Thorp said. “There was a period of six months or so that we had an interim.”

“

I’m deeply grateful not just to Virginia Tech’s leadership, but to the faculty of our college as well.” Elizabeth Spiller former dean for College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Along with Thor p’s transition, Spiller was

formally named the dean of the College of Letters and Science at University of California, Davis just weeks ago. Rosema r y Blieszner has been chosen to serve as the interim dean for the CLAHS on March 6, following Spiller’s departure. “I’m deeply grateful not just to Virginia Tech’s leadership, but to the faculty of our college as well,” Spiller said in a Virginia Tech News article. “They represent a wealth of talent and a spirit of intellectual generosity. Their creativity in scholarship and teaching enriches our students and, ultimately, the world.” Spi l ler’s ca re er at Virginia Tech began on

July 1, 2014, when she was named as the dean for the CLAHS. During her time at Virginia Tech, Spiller created Destiny Scholars Program, a four-year scholarship program for underrepresented and underserved students. According to a VT News press release, Spiller also expanded the college’s curricular and helped create majors such as multimedia journalism, national secu r ity a nd criminology. There will be an international search for the new dean beginning this fall.

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sports collegiatetimes.com/sports

Hokies extend losing streak in 63–55 loss to rival UVA The Hokies were unable to recover from a 18–9 deficit in the first quarter, extending their losing streak to 10 games. JORDAN HUTCHINSON sports staff writer

Virginia Tech suffered its 10th straight loss on Sunday to in-state rival Virginia, 63–55. After starting the season 15–0, the Hokies are currently standing at 16–11 on the year. Tech had not lost 10 straight games since 2012. Also, 10 straight losses ties the school record for most consecutive losses. Virginia Tech struggled to come back from its first quarter deficit and never took the lead in the game. “Obviously, we’re very disappointed,” said head coach Kenny Brooks. “I thought we played hard enough in spurts to win, but I thought we just didn’t play a complete game.”

“

Virginia’s style is very reminiscent of their men’s team, where they try to limit possessions.”

Kenny Brooks head coach

Forward Sidney Cook led the way for the Hokies, recording her 11th double-double on the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Chanette Hicks recorded her 100th steal of the season on Sunday, a mark that no Hokie has ever hit in a single season. Forward Tara Nahodil made her first start of the season on Sunday, but was held scoreless by Virginia’s stifling defense. Vanessa Panousis and Regan Magarity each scored eight points against the Cavaliers. Tech shot a dismal 13 percent from beyond the arc against the Cavaliers, going 4–29 from the

three-point line. The low threepoint percentage hurt the Hokies as they faced a zone defense the entire game, which enabled Tech to get open looks behind the arc. “Virginia’s style is very reminiscent of their men’s team, where they try to limit possessions,” Brooks said. The Cavaliers were also able to control the interior on both ends of the floor. Virginia scored nearly twice as many points in the paint as the Hokies, outscoring them 34 to 18 down low. Additionally, when UVA got to the free throw line, it was extremely efficient. The Cavaliers made 14 of their 16 attempts which were vital to holding off the Hokies late in the game. With this win, Virginia sweeps BEN WEIDLICH / COLLEGIATE TIMES the season series of the matchup. In Sidney Cook (2) attempts a short jumper defended by UVA’s Jocelyn Willoughby (13) and Lisa Jablonowski the previous meeting, the Cavaliers (14) during the first half against UVA in Cassell Coliseum, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. won by a blistering 49 points. The Hokies swept the Cavaliers last year in the matchup. The ACC schedule has been absolutely brutal for the Hokies, who are 3–11 in conference play for the year. Compare that to Tech’s perfect 15–0 nonconference schedule and it shows how tough the ACC really is. With two games remaining against Miami and Boston College, the Hokies only have a couple more chances to pick up a conference win. Next up for Tech is 16th ranked Miami on Thursday. Tech lost 82–75 in Coral Gables earlier this season, but the Hokies will look to pick up a win in Blacksburg. Miami is 19–7 on the year and 8–6 in the ACC. Tip is at 7:00 p.m. Thursday’s game will be Senior Day to honor the four seniors on the Virginia Tech roster: Sidney Cook, Samantha Hill, Nahodil and Panousis. @JHutchinsonVT

BEN WEIDLICH / COLLEGIATE TIMES Cavalier forward Lauren Moses (21) defends Tech guard Chanette Hicks (12) under the rim during the first half against UVA in Cassell Coliseum, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017.

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Today’s Birthday Horoscope: This could be an exceptionally profitable year. Your influence rises with discipline. Take extra care with your health this month, for surging confidence and strength. Introspection and review in September show you a new path, leading to an energetic flowering in your work. Nurture passion.

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February 20, 2017 PAGE 5

Baseball sweeps USC Upstate 3–0 Virginia Tech baseball hit the road for its first games this season, beating USC Upstate 11–3, 9–8 and 8–2. The Hokies will host Marshall on Tuesday, Feb. 21. NATHAN LOPRETE baseball beat reporter

Game One

Virginia Tech opened its season on Friday in South Carolina against the University of South Carolina Upstate Spartans. The Spartans had never defeated the Hokies coming into the series. Virginia Tech was also 62–59–2 all time on opening day. The Hokies got things started fast against the Spartans’ pitcher Brian Boocock. In the first inning, Nick Anderson’s R BI double scored Ryan Tufts. Sam Fragale followed with a two-run shot, making it 3–0 Tech. Joe Freiday Jr. opened the second inning with his fourth home run of his career, starting the power surge. Fragale hit a solo shot in the third and Rahiem Cooper got in on the action in the fourth with his second career home run. The star of the day wasn’t done yet. In the fifth inning with a man on, Fragale launched his third home run of the day off of the scoreboard in left field, giving Tech a 8– 0 lead. He is the first Hokie since Chris Kay in 2009 to hit three home runs in a game. In 2016, Fragale hit seven home runs over the course of 55 games. Fragale added a double and a two-run triple in the ninth, giving him seven RBIs and a 5–5 day. Stevie Mangrum added a run scoring single in the ninth as well. Virginia Tech sent Packy Naughton to the mound for the second straight year. He became the first pitcher since David Cross in 2006–07 to be the opening

day starter in back to back years. The lefty worked 4.1 innings and struck out six, while allowing one earned run. Naughton gave way to Anderson in the fifth and he put it in cruise control. After not pitching much last season, Anderson had said prior to the season that he was looking forward to an expanded role out of the bullpen. He took advantage of the opportunity and tossed 2.2 scoreless innings before being relieved by freshman Graham Seitz. The freshman got a scoreless inning in and Chris Monaco finished off the 11–3 win, after allowing a couple of runs to cross.

Game Two

Virginia Tech kept the offense rolling on Saturday and got another win in the books. In the first inning Fragale singled in two runs, giving him a 6–6 start to 2017.

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This was the first road sweep and 3–0 start for Virginia Tech since 2013. Tech returns home on Tuesday for their home opener against Marshall.”

Tufts raced in to score, making it 4–1. An error in center field allowed two more runs to score and Mangrum followed with an RBI double. Tech led 7–1, but the Spartans came back with a four-run second inning. Sullivan only lasted three innings after the Spartans took an 8–7 lead. Sullivan gave up eight unearned runs but struck out four. Head coach Patrick Mason was going to his bullpen early for the second straight day. Connor Coward worked the fourth inning and kept the Spartans off the board. In the fifth inning Jack Owens singled in Mangrum to tie the game. That set up Kit Scheetz who has a role in the bullpen after starting last year. He struck out four over 3.1 innings, which gave Tech time to respond on offense. In the eighth inning Owens, who already had two hits, led off with a triple to right field. Later in the inning Stoffel dropped a bunt down that allowed Owens to score the go-ahead run. The Hokies went to closer Aaron McGarity in the eighth for the save. With runners on first and third for the Spartans, McGarity induced a double play ball that was turned by Matt Dauby and Tufts. McGarity struck out two in the ninth, giving Tech the 9–8 win. Sheetz picked up his 14th career win and McGarity got his first save since coming back from a season ending injury last season.

Joey Sullivan made his eighth career start for Tech. The Spartans got a run back in the first, but Sullivan stranded two with a strikeout to end the frame. With the bases loaded in the second, Cooper Game Three knocked in Freiday with a Vi rgi n ia Tech sent sacrifice fly. Tom Stoffel Andrew McDonald to the grounded out to third, but mound as the Hokies were

LOREN SKINKER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Junior Shanel Burr wins the first heat of the 60m hurdles at the Virginia Tech Challenge, Feb. 17, 2017.

trying to complete the sweep of the Spartans. The redshirt junior got off to a good start and it lasted over the course of 7.2 innings. McDonald struck out the side in the third inning and finished with nine for the game. Tech’s offense put it on the board in the third inning. An Anderson single to left field scored Stoffel and gave the Hokies a 1–0 lead. In the fourth inning the Spartans tied the game at one with a couple of hits, but McDonald was able to limit the damage. The Hokies got the run back in the fifth when Stoffel doubled in Owens, who had reached with a single. The Spartans responded with a run in the fifth, but that was all McDonald would allow for the day. In the sixth inning, Freiday launched his second home run of the year over the left field wall. Tech never looked back after that. Another Stoffel RBI in the seventh made it 4–2. Anderson followed with a home run, to make it 5–2. The Hokies hit seven home runs in the first three games after hitting only 34 last year. Tech put three more across in the ninth, making it 8–2. Paul Hall Jr. closed the game with a perfect frame to finish the sweep. This was the first road sweep and 3–0 start for Virginia Tech since 2013. Virginia Tech returns home on Tuesday for its home opener against Marshall University. The first pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m. @natejloprete

TENNIS: Hokies to unveil new in-game linecalling system from page 1

“PlaySight was invented in Israel by some jet fighters who loved tennis. After every flight, they did a debriefing on their mission and they applied that idea to tennis,” said head coach Jim Thompson in text messages sent to the Collegiate Times. “In the debrief they wanted to measure their

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The machines provide all types of information: spin rate of the ball, speed of every shot, calories burned.”

Jim Thompson head coach

performance in order to improve, and that is exactly what PlaySight has done for our team.” The SmartCourt technology is a setup of multiple HD cameras that track practices and the data in real time, while also serving as a tool for players and coaches to go back and analyze footage instantaneously from various devices. “We mainly use the PlaySight technology for statistics,” Thompson said. “The machines provide all types of information: spin rate of the ball, speed of every shot,

calories burned, distance traveled and location where balls are landing. We certainly use this as much as possible, but we are always trying to improve. It is the same with our strength program, nutrition and even sports psychology. Every edge helps!” T he players have really enjoyed using the new technology and are intrigued by the prospect of electronic live linecalling being used more widely in the future. “I t h i n k it’l l be ext remely benef icia l for college tennis if this becomes a trend,” Mesmer sa id. “ T he players are extremely excited about it. Anytime you get to be a part of the first of anything it is an awesome opportunity, and it’s so cool Virginia Tech gets to be a part of it.” Thompson has high expectations for the technology’s future and is certain that this is the beginning of a new development in the sport. “This is the first time ever for college tennis to use the technology for challenges, but I think this is not a test run. This is inventing the future,” Thompson said. “Who knows what it will look like in years to come but I feel certain this will be more the norm in 10 years.” @FaizanCT

LOREN SKINKER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech’s Aaron Simpson wins gold in the 60m hurdles with a personal best of 8.05 seconds, Feb. 17, 2017.

Four school records broken at Virginia Tech Challenge Tech earned 10 first place finishes this weekend and will look to continue their success at the ACC indoor championships. PETER BEDROSIAN sports staff writer

The Hokies had a big weekend in Rector Field House for the annual Virginia Tech Challenge. The weekend ended with 10 first place finishes and four school records. The Hokies started strong in the short distance events notching four golds and two silvers between the men’s and women’s 60m hurdles, 200m and 600m. The 600m saw two Hokie seniors take the gold in Drew Piazza and Hanna Green, and both set school records in the event even though it is not their main event. Piazza is a middle distance runner who rarely runs the 600m and Green is top five in the country on a 200m

indoor track. The other golds won in these events were won by sophomore Jared Bane in the 200m and senior Aaron Simpson in the 60m hurdles. The Hokies also had a strong showing from the middle and long distance runners, where another school record was set in the 1000m by Neil Gourley. The senior ran a 2:20.54 to break a 30-year-old school record. The Hokies took eight of the top nine spots in the event and although Gourley holds the new record, the old record was also beaten by junior Vincent Ciattei. Com ing onto the scene strong in the distance events was freshman Peter Seufer who won the men’s mile with a time of 4:07.11. The six-time high

school state champion is making a name for himself early as a top performer on the track as well as on the cross country team.

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Overall, it was an incredible weekend for the Hokies, who set multiple records and even more personal bests.”

On the women’s side, Jennifer F lem ing, Tessa Riley and freshman Arlicia Bush grabbed gold medals in the mile, 1000m and 400m respectively. Bush

has had an impressive indoor season so far this year notching a personal best in the 400m this weekend with a time of 54.68. The time, which is just better than a personal best set earlier this year, is good enough for the eighth best time in program history. The field did not see as much action from the Hokies as the track did this weekend as the program’s historic strength throwers were not participating. There were some bright spots however as sophomore James Carver cleared 6 feet and 6 inches to earn first place in the high jump and Deakin Volz recorded a career best in the pole vault at 18 feet and 7 inches. Volz, a sophomore from Bloomington, Indiana, was an

All-American last year and won gold at the IAAF U-20 World Championships. The young pole vaulter is already listed as the second best pole vaulter in the country and is off to a strong start to the 2017 season. Overall, it was an incredible weekend for the Hokies, who set multiple school records and even more personal bests. As the season starts rolling, more and more athletes will start hitting marks they have not since the last outdoor season and with the young talent this team has, it could make a run at the ACC championship. @peter_bedrosian

PAGE 6 February 20, 2017

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REVIEW: FIST FIGHT Ice Cube and Charlie Day star in the new comedy as quarrelsome teachers, released in theaters Friday, Feb. 17. BRADY TICKLE movie columnist

“Fist Fight” has been almost universally panned by film critics everywhere, and for the life of me, I cannot quite comprehend why. Going in with low expectations based on the dismal reviews, I found myself pleasantly surprised at this coherently structured, consistently funny, brilliantly cast and occasionally intelligent comedy. Usually, raunchy comedic films that are released this early in the year are of the low quality “Dirty Grandpa” or (Ice Cube’s other recent comedy outlet) “Ride Along” variety. Fortunately, “Fist Fight” is a delight thanks to some stellar improvisation from a game cast and a story that is actually heartwarming and inspirational. If you have seen the trailer for this movie, you know the general storyline. The pitiful high school English teacher Andy Campbell (played by the always hilarious Charlie Day) is challenged to a fight by the frighteningly intense history teacher Ron Strickland (played by the multitalented Ice Cube) after Campbell rats out Strickland for violently intimidating a student, losing Strickland his job. Not knowing how to handle this challenge, Campbell resorts to a whole bunch of crazy methods to try to avoid the fist fight, but before he knows it the news has spread like wildfire among the student body, forcing him to face his

fears. In addition to his more physically threatening obstacle, Campbell also has to deal with senior pranks, try to keep his job and get to his daughter’s talent show in time to help her with a daddy-daughter dance. Look, there is no denying that we have seen similar storylines before. What “Fist Fight” lacks in originality, however, it makes up for in its constant stream of excellent comedy. Every raunchy joke in the book is made, along with a few jokes that are genuinely intelligent. I was laughing throughout, not bored for one single moment. Of course, the aforementioned brilliant cast helps out quite a bit in this respect. Charlie Day is playing Charlie Day, but his highpitched mania and pathetic nice guy shtick never fails to make me laugh. Ice Cube is playing Ice Cube, but his icy (pun intended) demeanor and intensity are a perfect counter to Day’s raw energy, and the two play incredibly well off of each other. Jillian Bell, as usual, almost steals the whole movie as a drug-addicted guidance counselor longing for an inappropriate relationship with one of the school’s seniors. Tracy Morgan is in top form as the school’s athletic coach, spouting off side-splitting nonsense whenever he is onscreen. Dean Norris of “Breaking Bad” fame is also great as the school’s angry principal, who has to deal with the majority of the senior pranks. Kumail

Nanjiani of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” owns nearly every scene he is in as the school’s role-conscious security guard. The only cast member who feels a bit out of place is Christina Hendricks. She does a fine enough job as the psychotic French teacher who is rooting for Strickland to win the fight, but alongside the rest of the cast, her comedic timing pales somewhat. All things considered, her character seems unnecessary to the proceedings, and she has a feeling of being shoehorned in for the sake of adding another impressive name to the list of actors. The story is simple and implausible, but “Fist Fight” is a comedy — as long as it makes me laugh (which it did), I can overlook some narrative flaws. Honestly, regardless of its simplicity, it still has moments that are heartfelt, particularly when Campbell is dealing with his daughter and pregnant wife. It also provides an i nspi rat iona l message about not being a pushover and standing up for yourself when necessary. Overall, “Fist Fight” will not win any awards, but it is highly entertaining for fans of R-rated humor. Oh, and the titular fist fight? Far from being a basic plot device, it is actually a sight to behold, and will probably find itself popular on YouTube in the coming months. I give “Fist Fight” four out of five stars.

@BradyTickle

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COURTESY OF NEW POWER SOUL

Future’s self-titled album does not surprise listeners Future’s latest 17-song album features the same trap-esque sound from his old music, but is the predictability bad? PAULINA FARLEY-KUZMINA lifestyles staff writer

On Friday, an uncannily wa r m Febr ua r y day, Future released his selftitled album on Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes and other online streaming sites. Future has been pretty active in the studio, releasing two albums in 2016 (“EVOL” and “Beast Mode”) and one in 2015 (“DS2”). There was much anticipation in the rap community for this album because these past three albums have consecutively climbed Billboard’s top 200 list. What struck me first about the album before I even listened to it was its length, 17 songs long to be exact, and the fact that it had no other artists featured in any of the songs. Although I am impressed with the number of songs, this is common for artists like Future and Fetty Wap who sometimes have up to 20 songs on their albums. However, I felt that having no features was bold, but seemed like Future was trying to copy J. Cole who, in both of his most recent albums “4 Your Eyez Only” and “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” did not have any featured artists, but still reached millions of listeners and won numerous awards. I’m unsure exactly where to categor ize Future’s genre beyond the basic umbrella of rap music, but it is becoming more and more evident that Future is shooting for the sub-genre of trap music. The presence of hard beats and snares throughout his album along with ex t r e m e ly glor if ied themes of drugs, women

and money (more so than regular hip-hop and rap) truly pushes him over the edge into trap. Beyond hard beats and snares, there were a few common aspects in each track. When Future was singing rather than rapping, he used plenty of Auto-Tune. While this was somewhat off-putting at first, it grew on me about halfway through the album and was actually a nice contrast to the strong drum in the background. At the intro to some of his songs, for example “Good Dope,” “Draco” and “I’m so Groovy,” he name drops “Pluto,” which is a reference to the title of his debut and chart-topping album in 2012. D e spit e t h e n ic e Auto-Tune and Easter egg references, I found the album to be lyric heavy to the point where it was almost overwhelming and very repetitive overall. I was hoping for the variation I found in “DS2,” but instead was met with the same flow and intonation for over an hour. The only variation was in the first 30 seconds of each song, which would start out as a promising, fresh take on the trap genre but would then fade away and fold into the same beats. Often times, the chorus of Future’s songs were the same line repeated five or six times. What struck me the most, perhaps because I am not as familiar with trap music as I am with hip-hop and rap music, were the lyrics. Not only were they repetitive, but they were also extremely explicit and almost exclusively related to drugs and violence. While I know that these themes are to be expected when listening to this

genre, I was not expecting a constant barrage of different slang terms for different prescription or street drugs. I was most caught off guard at the chorus of “Mask Off,” which was just a repetition of “Percocets, molly, Percocets” over and over again. Some of the stand-out songs of the album were “High Demand” and “When I Was Broke.” In “High Demand,” Future flaunts his success in the music industry through his lyrics, proclaiming “Future high demand.” This combined with the fast beats lends to one of the more upbeat and pump up songs on the album. “When I Was Broke” was by far my favorite because he departs from the same beats and blends piano chords, electronic pulses and Auto-Tune into a slower but more put together song. Compared to albums like Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” or J. Cole’s “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” both of which had more meaningful lyrics and diverse tones and beats, Future’s album does not measure up. However, looking at the album in the context of just trap specifically and not rap, the album hits all of the expected markers. If you are just now dipping your toes into the rap or hip-hop genre, I don’t recommend you start with this album. But if you are a longtime Future or trap fan, this album won’t disappoint, but it won’t exceed expectations like some of his previous albums have. @CollegiateTimes

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