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112th YEAR, ISSUE 213

March 13, 2017

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

HEY HOKIES, YOU’VE BEEN

SELECTED AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams shouts at the officials after a foul called on the Hokies as they tried to push to beat Florida State, March 9, 2017.

Hokies go dancing for the first time in a decade Tech will take on Wisconsin in Buffalo, New York, in the first round of the NCAA tournament this Thursday. FAIZAN HASNANY sports editor

Virginia Tech is going dancing for the first time in a decade. The Hokies hosted a Selection Sunday watch party in Cassell Coliseum to celebrate the tournament berth, where it was announced that they would be the 9th seed and play

Wisconsin in the first round on Thursday in Buffalo, New York. Much of the time before the selection show began was spent by Williams and the players praising the fans who have stuck around through the ups and downs of the program. “When Buzz was first hired in my sophomore year,

I remember thinking that making the tournament by my senior year was a realistic goal that I thought we could get. Every step along the way I don’t think I actually ever believed in it myself even as I was saying it…,” said senior business student and Tech fan Tyler Grossberndt right before the Hokies selection. “Can’t believe this

is happening.” The d r a st ic turnaround under head coach Buzz Williams happened quicker than most people could have imagined. After Tech’s 2015–2016 season’s historical improvement, which marked the greatest single season turnaround in ACC history for a team that finished in last place in the

prior year, the Hokies established a winning culture. While they were happy with the progress made in 2016, the Hokies were still unsatisfied with last year’s end result. “No sir, I’m just not satisfied with the NIT,” said redshirt-senior Seth Allen after last season’s ACC tournament semifinal

loss against Miami. “I don’t mean to come off negative, but we had goals … If you ask a fan, they’re going to be happy of course because you know this program hasn’t had much success in history, but if you ask anyone in this locker room, it’s a blessing to play in the postseason, don’t see DANCING / page 5

Women unite in demanding Outside GameStop for 16.5 workplace respect, equality hours: Buying the new Zelda In celebration of International Women’s Day, protestors stage “A Day Without Women” to show female importance. ALY DE ANGELUS news editor

Ac c o r d i ng to the A mer ica n Association of University Women (AAUW), the gender gap is incredibly persistent and does not exhibit signs of closing for another couple of years — 135 years to be exact. On March 8, womanly figures all over the world have taken measures into their own hands, cloaking themselves with red and requesting leave from work to demonstrate “A Day Without Women.” On the eve of International Women’s Day, New York experienced a power outage that cast the Statue of Liberty in an ominous darkness, and many protesters declared the unlit f lame as her commitment to the resistance movement. Although this incident was purely coincidental, women around the world entertained the thought of her participation, and the state of Virginia was highly responsive to the fundamental values of the movement. “A lot of us have been told to be nice girls, to be polite, and it’s time for us to know that we can do more than that,” said event organizer Alyssa Short to WDBJ News. Short attracted over 30 people to engage in a lunchtime strike in Blacksburg. Short emphasized that this event was for everyone,

regardless of their decision to strike and was just thrilled to see women stand in solidarity for one another. Virginia was so heavily involved in “A Day Without Women” that officials in Alexandria were forced to shut down school systems after more than 300 staff members disclosed plans to take the day off. Considering the history of education as a primarily womanrun profession, Brandie Provenzano, a ninth grade

“

Part of this movement is trying to get people to look at women and say, ‘Wow, they do contribute.’”

Brandie Provenzano English teacher

gifted English teacher at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Virginia, prominently advocates for equality among men and women. “Part of this movement is trying to get people to look at women and say, ‘Wow, they do contribute,’” Provenzano said. “Most teachers are women, so if we shut down a school system, my thought is that you are looking at it going, ‘We have a lot of women educating our

“KONG: SKULL ISLAND” New King Kong movie is easily forgettable, but satisfies viewers. page 6

children. That’s important,’ but they are having the opposite reaction.” Dozens of office workers and teachers at Battlefield High School were courteous to the movement, including Principal Ryan Ferrera, who allowed teachers to wear jeans, paying gratitude to those who chose to come into work despite their strong desires of fully engaging in all three of the movement’s facets: wearing the color red, avoiding daily duties such as professional work or wifely chores and withholding money unless it is investing in minorityrun or local businesses. Unfortunately, most students seemed to be less enthusiastic about this month’s movement compared to the March on Washington a few months back. “I heard a couple of students com ment on teachers wearing red, but they didn’t ask me, so I didn’t say anything and they seemed to be largely unawa re,” P roven za no said. “I have girls who are ninth graders who went to the Women’s March (on Washington), and they wore the shirts after they came back, so I was expecting them to wear red. I don’t think they even knew this was happening.” Although many retail stores in the Northern Virginia area refused to see FEMINISM / page 3

The Nintendo Switch came out on March 3 and with it, “Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” LEWIS MILLHOLLAND managing editor

7:30 a.m. My girlfriend dropped me off at GameStop with only a sliver of the sun showing over the trees on March 2. The store did not open for two and a half more hours. About a month before this, pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch went live. Later that same day, they were sold out (for all stores near Virginia Tech, at least), meaning the only way to get one was to be first in line for the midnight release — I wasn’t sure when the line would start to form, so I played it safe and got there 16 and a half hours early. I failed to bring a chair or a coat or water or food or things to entertain me for 16.5 hours, but it was OK. I was getting Zelda. Flash forward: The game My first death came after less than 15 minutes of gameplay. In “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (or BOTW), all of Link’s items break after extended use. When my rusty sword broke while raiding a Bokoblin camp (typically the easiest enemies in any Zelda entry), I was left with only a tree branch to use as a makeshift weapon. I died

HOKIES DROP TWO AGAINST DUKE The Hokies will look to pick up their play next week. page 5

fast. My next approach was more st rat egic. I crouched down to stealthily approach one of the pig-like Bokoblins from behind and stabbed him, chopping off threequarters of his health in just one slice. The others noticed a nd quick ly approached me with their wooden clubs, fanning out so that only two were on-screen at a time. I managed to kill just one before they took me down. It wasn’t until my fourth try that I was able to beat three of the easiest enemies in the Zelda series. I’ve been playing video games for 15 years and Zelda games for nine — dying this early and this frequently is something that just doesn’t happen to me anymore. Seventy hours and who knows how many “Game Overs” later, I knew this was the best video game I have ever played. 10 a.m. By now there were three other people in line, and only four Switches for sale. The clerk came outside in his long-sleeve shirt to walk us through the day, shivering. “It’s cold out here, isn’t it?” he said, before telling us we were not allowed inside the store. In another

hour, the stoop would be completely in shadow. The bank next door had a bright orange display for the time and temperature, mocking us.

“

I failed to bring a chair or a coat or water or food or things to entertain me for 16.5 hours, but it was OK. I was getting Zelda.”

He told us we had to wait outside until 6 p.m., and then we would be kicked out again from 9 to 10 p.m. while the staff prepped the store for the people who had pre-ordered. We could run to the bathroom in the Kroger throughout the day, but if we were gone for too long, then our spot was lost. Fourteen hours to go. The clerk told us that once during an Xbox release two men arrived at the same time for the last spot in line and started punching each other in the face. GameStop had to call the police, hence why we had to sit on the stoop. In spite of this, it wasn’t all bad. We developed a see SWITCH / page 6

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PAGE 2 March 13, 2017

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Legalization is logical: The science behind pot

the many controversial issues affecting public health and science policy, the legal standing of recreational and medical marijuana remains among the most contentious of all. This ongoing debate has become grossly politicized, and misinformation continues to circulate through both sides of the spectrum. Instead, I write this column from a scientific perspective to argue my case: we need to promptly and effectively legalize the use of recreational and medical marijuana nationwide. Psychological theory states that we are more likely to have an aversion to something that we perceive as novel or different. So it is reasonable to infer that the stigma around marijuana stems from society’s misunderstanding of the drug. Yet in order to truly grasp the physiological impact of marijuana, it is important to understand what drugs are and how they work. Bear with me as I give a crash course on the mechanics of drugs and how they affect the brain. The entire process begins with nerve cells (neurons), which “talk” to each other by exchanging chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. These are basically drugs that the body naturally produces, such as endorphins. Neurotransmitters go into effect when they bind to structures called receptors, which is analogous to how a key fits a lock: neurotransmitters are like keys and receptors are like locks. The main purpose of drugs is to either block or mimic neurotransmitters. Drugs that imitate the effects of neurotransmitters are called agonists, for example, cocaine mimics dopamine, creating feelings of pleasure and euphoria. Drugs that block the effects of neurotransmitters are called antagonists, for example, antipsychotic drugs limit the release of dopamine in schizophrenics. Hopefully you are with me so far. Let’s narrow in on the three major classes of psychoactive drugs, which are substances that alter conscious experience. They are comprised of stimulants, hallucinogens and of course marijuana. For the purpose of this piece, I will focus on marijuana, which delivers over 400 chemicals into the bloodstream and brain. The active ingredient is THC, a type of cannabinoid. When smoked, it travels through the bloodstream before being absorbed into tissues and organs. Like endorphins, endocannabinoids are great examples of drugs that the body naturally produces. Take note of the root word “cannabis” — the brain essentially produces its own form of the drug. Receptors in the brain regulate the effects of THC. Anandamide is the substance that binds to these cannabinoid receptors, producing the characteristic high upon smoking a joint: a pleasant meditative state, distorted perceptions and a case of the “munchies” are among some of the effects produced. Though frequently labeled an opiate because of its pain-relieving properties — for instance, it is known to ease nausea in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy — marijuana can also be considered a hallucinogen. For example, we all know people who claim to “see” sounds or “taste” colors when they’re stoned. Marijuana also slows down communication between neurons — this accounts for the distracted and unfocused state that many users find themselves in. It also explains why virtually every thought you have when you’re high seems profound. More puzzling is the fact that even though marijuana is generally associated with relaxation, it can instead act as a stimulant and cause paranoia in some users, temporarily inducing tachycardia (very rapid heartbeat). Upon learning the somewhat contradictory properties of the drug, it is easy to see why people are so misinformed about it. Pot has a slew of benefits and, of course, some drawbacks — as we will soon explore. But before making judgments about the drug, and especially before using it, people need to know the facts. One of the most common misconceptions regarding marijuana is the belief that it is physically addictive; behavioral scientists have long debunked this myth. However, some people may develop a psychological dependence on the drug. Insomnia, restlessness and irritability may result when they can’t get their fix. It is unclear, though, whether this dependence is caused by the drug itself or by other factors — for instance, genetic susceptibility or environment.

Casual use of the drug, though, is completely harmless among those age 25 and older. This is because the brain is fully developed by this age — specifically, the cerebral cortex, which is the outer layer covering the two hemispheres of the brain. This layer is composed largely of gray matter, in other words, your smarts. The large volume of gray matter in our brains is what makes humans the most advanced among animals. It is also the reason why frequently smoking marijuana is inadvisable to those who are not yet 25. Heavy use is linked with decreased amounts of gray matter in the brains of adolescents and young adults, which results in cognitive decline. In simple terms, constantly getting high while your brain is still developing eventually makes you dumber. Another negative outcome is that frequent and prolonged use of the drug may cause respiratory issues, as smoke of any kind acts as a potential irritant to the lungs. This is why it is best for people with decreased lung function — like those who have asthma — to avoid smoking marijuana. However, research has yielded inconclusive results regarding marijuana and any association with lung cancer. As a matter of fact, many studies have repeatedly tried and failed to find a direct link between long-term marijuana use and any adverse pulmonary conditions — especially compared to those that result from smoking tobacco. Speaking of tobacco, this brings me to another point worth making. Far from having any health benefits, cigarettes and other tobacco products are known carcinogens. They also have a number of detrimental effects on the body, such as hypertension and reduced function of the circulatory system. Furthermore, tobacco products contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive stimulant. Yet, anyone over the age of 18 can walk into a drugstore and legally buy a pack of cigarettes. It is ironic that the government heavily regulates supposedly illicit substances like marijuana — which is neither toxic nor addictive, with no documented cases of overdose — so much so that it is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This means that it is held to the same caliber as truly dangerous and readily abused substances such as heroin. It is held to an even higher caliber than cocaine, an addictive stimulant that can cause strokes, psychosis and severe mood disturbances. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) justifies this Schedule I classification under the claim that marijuana is a highly addictive substance with no accepted medical uses. On the contrary, research has shown that marijuana may be used to treat a number of psychiatric issues such as depression, anxiety and mood disorders. This is because cannabinoids play a major role in regulating emotions and stress. Marijuana can also treat physiological conditions: THC is an anti-inflammatory, making it a useful treatment for joint pain and swelling. Because cannabinoids play a role in controlling movement, the drug may also treat disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s chorea. As I mentioned earlier, marijuana helps to relieve the nausea that accompanies chemotherapy. It thereby increases appetite; for this reason, it may also be useful in treating the severe weight loss suffered by AIDS patients. Clearly, there are many benefits to smoking marijuana, and they vastly outnumber the potentially harmful effects. The bottom line here is to enjoy everything in moderation. Take alcohol, for example — just because you can go to the store and buy a case of beer doesn’t mean you should drink the entire thing in one night. That said, it is also true that having a drink on occasion won’t hurt you; the same goes for smoking a joint every now and then. Once again, you can’t be for or against something without first understanding it. Further, a bureaucracy has no business meddling in the sciences; Washington should put politics aside and let scientists do their jobs. Researchers need more opportunities for grand-scale investigation that will allow them to glean more conclusive and generalizable findings; only then will we truly understand the drug and its full potential. NEHA OGALE • assistant opinions editor • freshman/psychology

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‘The Bachelor’ views driven by need for social comparison Psychologists suggest people watch relationship-oriented reality television in order to evaluate their relationships.

ost roses wither after a kiss from wintry weather, but ABC’s reality television show “The Bachelor” has eternally blossomed throughout its 15-year existence. As the 21st season of the series climaxes, citizens of the Bachelor Nation and clandestine viewers alike will soon find themselves pacing in endless circles until the next season’s bachelorette commences her own televised journey toward true love. Are these viewers simply seeking escape from the monotony of their lives? Research has only begun to unearth the taut force tethering viewers to reality television, and its subsequent effects on society as a whole. “The Bachelor” provides a momentary glimpse into the lives of 25 to 30 eligible women who are filtered through an intense audition process — bound by rigid contracts — and prompted to spill private secrets with the aid of a little wine. The franchise alternates the gender of the contestants every other season, selecting a female bachelorette on alternate years. With contestants sharing an extravagant home and boyfriend/girlfriend concurrently, drama frequently flashes its canines and the contestant’s claws are bound to come out on more than one occasion. Many critics surmise that these participants merely seek to satisfy their insatiable hunger for 15 minutes of fame. However, more optimistic viewers endorse the notion that participants are sincerely in search of true love. Whatever their motive, contestants pursue their desired partner relentlessly, with some going to extravagant lengths in exchange for camera time and the bachelor/bachelorette’s attention. Cameras trail the bachelor/bachelorette and contestants along a sequence of oneon-one and group dates. At the end of each episode, the bachelor or bachelorette is granted a number of crimson roses to offer to the men or women with whom the deepest connections have formed. The total number of roses presented at each ceremony sums to less than the total number of remaining contestants, leaving the bachelor or bachelorette with some tough decisions as to which contestants will be eliminated. In the last episode of the season, the pursued man or woman is charged with either proposing to one of the remaining contestants or walking away single. A 2014 research article authored by Dr. Cynthia M. Frisby, assistant professor of advertising at the University of MissouriColumbia, found that viewers watch television shows to simultaneously make comparisons with the guests and to “feel better about themselves and their personal circumstances.” Her observation aligns with social psychologist

Leon Festinger’s Social Comparison Theory, which postulates that “humans have a drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities,” prompting them to compare their faculties and feelings to those of other individuals. Thus, reality television serves as a source of social comparison by portraying the actions of ordinary people engaged in extraordinary experiences, allowing viewers to make social comparisons with contestants as they evaluate how they may have responded differently to certain situations. People compare themselves for several purposes, ranging from helping them to establish “relative standing on an issue or related ability” to “determining social norms.” Comparison can also aid in either artificially degrading or inflating an individual’s sense of self-worth. Social comparisons made in contrast to others “who are superior to or better off than oneself” are referred to as upward comparisons, whereas those involving “a target who is inferior, incompetent and/or less fortunate” are known as downward comparisons. In regard to reality competition television, individuals harness the idealized individuals depicted on-screen as a source of motivation, aiming to overcome problems analogous to those the contestants have found challenging. Thus, the sense of satisfaction derived from upward comparisons is best described as a desire for self-improvement. This drive for self-improvement manifests through the conquering of obstacles that the contestants themselves have yet to overcome. While critics may surmise that individuals must engage in deliberate thought in order to invoke a comparison, research has exposed that “social comparisons do not require conscious or direct personal contact.” In fact, this “automatic, spontaneous social comparison” often results in elevated mood and influences other subconscious facets of wellness. Thus, it is evident that more research is required to “identify whether or not respondents use images to engage in downward or upward comparisons,” as well as to measure how often these type of comparisons occur subconsciously. While life as a contestant on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” may be no bed of roses, it is the viewer’s ability to assess how they would act in the thorny situations depicted on-screen that ultimately keeps viewers tuned into the television every Monday night.

ALEXA WILLIAMS • assistant opinions editor • freshman/political science

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FEMINISM: Balancing the movement and workplace from page 1

comment, such as H&M, Victor ia’s Secret and Walmart, Macy’s administrative support team adviser Evelynne Schafer was transparent with her thoughts of the campaign. With recent budget cuts, Schafer’s human resource team is comprised of only three women, one of whom was recently pregnant and the other at home caring for her

children. Schafer says she was left as the “default,” although she had strongly considered staying home for the cause. “I have been with the company a long time, and I know that basically women are everything here, so I was thinking about that,” Schafer said. “But we can’t let our company suffer just because of a movement.” American Eagle worker Akaeda Mark also believes that this kind of commitment leaves too much at stake for

workers with low-income families and single mothers who do not have the liberty of taking days off from work. She suggests that there are more achievable goals that can encompass a great majority of women while avoiding fiscal responsibilities that women have on consumerism. “Maybe silence?” Mark said. “That would be a hard task. We would be fighting it all day, like ‘Don’t say nothing to nobody, just keep it moving.’”

Despite the divisiveness I don’t really support women’s caused in the United States rights kind of puts you in a bad and political controversy, P rovenzano com mends companies like Fannie Mae Basically women for recognizing that their are everything here woman workers have just as much value as men, which she ... but we can’t let believes should set a preceour company suffer dence for companies to follow in its footsteps, if for no other just because of a reason than to avoid largemovement.” scale backlash. Evelynne Schafer “I wouldn’t want someone administrative support to feel like they have to team at Macy’s support something, but to say

“

position when you are hiring women,” Provenzano said. “If you are an employer and you’re like, ‘No, I’m not allowing you to take this day’ or ‘I don’t agree with this,’ you are kind of saying, ‘I don’t value you as an employee,’ so I think it’s wise for the companies who made it open policy if you took the day off.’”

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COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Women sing along as thousands pack the streets for the Women’s March on Washington rally outside the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. (Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

New bike sharing program provides additional option MIKE LIU news reporter

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The Town of Blacksburg is preparing to launch a new bike sharing program by the end of 2017, which will provide a short duration travel option for users. Jeri Baker, director of parking and transportation at Virginia Tech, says that depending on the selected contractor that will set up the program, users may get either a card or a code as proof of their membership. With the card or the code, users would be able to rent a bike from the station and use it for a certain amount of time without additional charge. After users reach their destinations, they can return the bikes to the station that is closest to them. “The bike sharing program, in my opinion, is a great new innovation that we bring to Blacksburg to promote just one more form of transportation up in town,” said Ron Rordam, mayor of Blacksburg. According to Tom Fox, transit director of Blacksburg Transit, bike sharing programs are a growing interest around the country. There are hundreds of bike sharing programs that already exist in the nation. Fox believes that a bike sharing program is the answer they have been looking for to further mobilize

members of the community in the region. “The whole idea is to try to provide an option for very short-distance trips for people to make it convenient to pick up a bike, and take it for a short distance, and drop it off,” Fox said. “Not necessarily taking it back to the original place, but just take it from point A to point B.” Local entities including Bla ck sbu rg Tr a n s i t , Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Montgomery County will oversee the program. They will serve as the advisory committee that will make sure the program is being operated the way it’s intended. These local entities are actively searching for a company to work on the bike sharing program in the region and aspire for this company set up the bikes, stations and oversee the general maintenance of the project. The town is working on finalizing the requests for proposals and will accept and review proposals from different companies soon. “As part of the request for propose process that the companies had to submit, they would have to submit a kind of propose plan that they think is best, because they are really the experts,” Fox said. “We have some ideas about where

JAMES FUNE / COLLEGIATE TIMES Bikes are chained to racks in between Burruss Hall and Pamplin Hall.

would be the best strategic locations, but we’ll work with whoever is selected to kind of define those, and then that would help us figure out how we share the cost among all the different parties as well.” According to Baker, the selected company will likely collaborate with local bike shops in order to maintain the bikes and stations. The Blacksburg Transit submitted an application for a grant, which will cover the start-up cost of the program, to the state department of rail and public transportation. The grant will cover the cost for bikes, stations and the associated technology. According to Fox, the future cost of the bike sharing program will be a combination of grants, memberships and ongoing contributions from the local entities. The program is also likely to attract a decent amount of sponsorships in the future. “One of the ways the system can be paid for besides memberships is sponsorships. A great thing for the Blacksburg area would be to get a sponsorship from one of the local housing areas, apartment complexes, something like that,” Baker said. “They may be interested in having a pod of racks at their location for their attendants to be able to use as well.” In order to use the bike sharing program, one must apply for a membership. Depending on the time a user will be using the bike, there are different types of memberships, such as a daily membership and a monthly membership. This program will start by adding 10 to 20 stations to the program, most of which will be in Blacksburg with a few located in Christiansburg and Montgomery County.

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Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Your shared investments gain value this year, especially after May. Put your heart into your work, and it flowers. Peaceful introspection this August leads to renewed vigor and motivation. Explorations entice after October. Teamwork reaps satisfying results over the next few years, beginning in December. Pull together.

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Baseball drops two out of three against Blue Devils

While you were away: A spring break sports recap

The Virginia Tech baseball team secured its first conference win during the weekend series at English Field.

While you were on the beach, the Hokies were hard at work on the diamond, the mat and the hardwood.

NATHAN LOPRETE baseball beat reporter

Game One Virginia Tech opened ACC play in Durham over the weekend. After losing to William and Mary on Wednesday and dropping five of their last six, the Hokies were trying to right the ship and get back to their winning ways. Sloppy play on Friday didn’t help their cause and Duke cruised to a 10–1 victory. The Blue Devils got to Hokies starter Packy Naughton early and often. A two-run homer in the first from Griffin Conine was all Duke starter Mitch Stallings needed. He shut the Tech offense down for six innings and got the win. The game was broken open in the second inning when Duke sent eight men to the plate and scored three times to make it 5–0. Virginia Tech’s lone run came in the eighth inning when Tom Stoffel grounded out to second, and Jack Owens, who had walked to lead the inning off, came in to score. Tech managed only four hits against four Duke pitchers. The Blue Devils pounded out 17 against the four Hokie pitchers they faced. Naughton struck out nine but fell to 1–2 on the year. Game Two Virginia Tech played a better game of baseball on Saturday and tied the game late to force extra innings. However, it left 15 men on base and Duke used a walk-off single in the 10th to take game two of the series by the score of 6–5. For the second straight day, Duke jumped out to an early lead. Four hits resulted in four runs off Tech starter Andrew McDonald. The redshirt junior from Cincinnati bore down after that and turned in

a career day. McDonald struck out the side in the second, and from there he went into cruise control. He struck out two more in the third, fourth and fifth innings to finish with a career high 11 strikeouts. Virginia Tech’s offense was held in check by Adam Laskey until the fifth inning. Stoffel singled with the bases loaded, scoring Mac Caples and Jack Owens. A Sam Fragale sac fly cut the Duke lead to 4–3. That would be all Tech could manage as they left the bases loaded. In the seventh, with Fragale at third, the Hokies went to their bench. Pinch hitter Garrett Hudson lined out to center, and Fragale tagged up to tie the game. Jimmy Herron gave Duke the lead back with a solo home run in the seventh but a Stoffel RBI double in the eighth scored Ryan Tufts and the game was tied. Virginia Tech left the go-ahead run in scoring position in the eighth, ninth and tenth which opened the door for Duke. Chris Proctor led off with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt. A groundout moved him to third and with two outs, Michael Smiciklas singled up the middle to win the game. Joey Sullivan took the loss out of the bullpen, and Tech saw its record fall to 9–8. Game Three Virginia Tech got off to a better start in game three and took its first lead of the series in the first inning. Singles by Owens, Stoffel and eventually JD Mundy plated two runs for Tech. The early lead was short lived as Duke scored a run in the first two innings off of starting pitcher Nick Anderson. Virginia Tech responded in the third by loading the bases with no outs. Fragale was grounded into a double play, but gave

Tech the 3–2 lead. Anderson got into a rhythm after that and carried the lead into the sixth before Duke tied it up with a couple of hits. The Hokies’ redshirt junior went six innings while allowing three runs on six hits and striking out seven. Rahiem Cooper provided a spark plug for the offense in the seventh with a leadoff single. He later scored on a fielder’s choice from Tufts. Following a pitching change, Stoffel, who had been swinging a hot bat all day, stepped in and deposited a 3–1 pitch over the right field wall, giving Tech a 6–3 lead. Stoffel went 7–9 on Saturday with three hits in game two. Caples added an RBI single later in the inning, and Tech led 7–3 as Mason went to his bullpen. Connor Coward tossed a scoreless seventh and worked into the eighth before being relieved by Aaron McGarity. McGarity struggled with his control in the eighth and gave up a two-run single. Later, with the bases loaded again, Conine hit a ball to deep center that Cooper raced down and caught as he fell down to end the inning. Conine slammed his helmet in frustration. McGarity found his control in the ninth and retired the Blue Devils in order to end the game. With the 7–5 win, Anderson improved to 3–1 on the year and Virginia Tech won its 10th game of the season. The Hokies host Canisius on Monday at 2 p.m. and again on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The busy week continues this weekend when Florida State comes to town. While Tech has struggled as of late, this can be the week that gets it back on the right track.

@natejloprete

KYLE COOKE assistant sports editor

At the very beginning of spring break, while you were unpacking your overcrowded suitcase, googling the nearest liquor store or checking your Airbnb’s linens for unbecoming stains, Hokie athletes traveled all over the country to grind through some of the toughest parts of their schedules. The Hokie wrestling team won its sixth ACC Championship after six wrestlers won individual titles. Despite former head coach Kevin Dresser’s departure at the end of the regular season, the Hokies racked up 93 points, 29 more than runner-up NC State. Senior Joey Dance (125 pounds) won his third conference title, the fifth Hokie to do so in school history. Zack Zavatsky (184) won his second. Ty Walz (heavyweight) made up for his early season loss to Duke’s Jacob Kasper and won 8–2. Walz is now 22–2 on the season and is the No. 4 heavyweight in the country. The Hokies will travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for the NCAA Cha mpionsh ip Ma rch 16–18. Unless you went under a rock for spring break, you probably have a pretty good idea of how the men’s basketball team did in the ACC tournament. After securing a first-round bye, the Hokies got revenge against Wake Forest, which handed Tech its last regular season loss. Led by Zach LeDay’s 31 points and 15 rebounds, the Hokies’ big second half put them on top of the Demon Deacons, 99–90. In the quarterfinals against No. 16 Florida State, LeDay’s 22 points weren’t enough, and Tech exited the tournament after

a 74–68 loss. After almost a month of playing on the road, the Virginia Tech softball team finally had a game in Blacksburg, but home field advantage didn’t seem to help Scot Thomas and his crew. After losses to South Carolina and Coastal Carolina on the road, the Hokies returned to Tech Softball Park for a weekend series against Florida State. The Seminoles, who are the No. 1 team in the country, outscored the Hokies 25–5 in Friday’s doubleheader, winning both games by slaughter rule. On Saturday,

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Unless you went under a rock for spring break, you probably have a pretty good idea of how the men’s basketball team did in the ACC tournament.”

the Hokies lasted a full game against FSU, but still lost 5–2. The Hokie pitchers struggled mightily all weekend. In game one, Aysha Richardson lasted only one out in the circle after giving up five runs on five hits, and freshman Carrie Eberle and sophomore Olivia Lattin stumbled in relief. In game two, Thomas sent another freshman — Taylor Barnes — to the rubber. Like Richardson, Barnes recorded only one out before exiting the game. She surrendered eight runs on five hits. The Seminoles got the best of Eberle when she came in for relief, scoring five more runs and ending the game via slaughter. The

Hokies’ next home series starts March 17 against the UNC Tar Heels. On the other diamond, Tech baseball also began conference play, this time against Duke. The Hokies lost Friday’s opener 10–1. Tech only mustered up four hits against the Blue Devils, including a double from Sam Fragale, who is hitting a scorching .394 this season. In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, Tech right fielder Tom Stoffel’s double tied the game at five and sent the game to extra innings. However, Duke, which was the home team in game one, won the game on a two-out, walk-off single from Michael Smiciklas. Tech won its first conference game of the season in the second half of the doubleheader. Thanks to a four-run seventh inning, the Hokies pulled ahead and beat the Blue Devils 7–5. The win could also be attributed to Tech’s defense. Center fielder Rahiem Cooper made a diving catch in center field with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning. If the ball dropped, the Blue Devils would have almost certainly taken the lead. Fortunately for the Hokies, it didn’t, and Aaron McGarity closed out the game for Tech and secured the Hokies’ first ACC victory of the season. So, Hokies, welcome back to Blacksburg. If you still need to shake some sand out of your shoes, walk on over to English Field for the Hokies’ game against Canisius College on March 13 and 14. Or, you can join the men’s basketball team and go da ncing.

@kcboomstick23

DANCING: Men’s hoops to face Wisconsin in Buffalo from page 1

get me wrong, but you just want more.” Tech’s vision this year was clear, as an NCAA tournament appearance was not only a goal, but an expectation. “It’s an incredible feeling. It’s pretty exciting. I mean

every positive word that you could think of, that’s how I’m feeling,” said junior Justin Bibbs. “With what we had done last year we thought we could’ve been in it, but now that we’re in it, it feels even more amazing.” Allen, who has been a leader for the Hokies all year, particularly in late-game situations, reinforced that Tech’s

work was not complete just yet and they wanted to make the tournament for a reason: To win. “It just means a lot with all your hard work and getting to go where you want to go, but I’m still not satisfied,” Allen said. “I want to win some games first in the tournament before I start smiling.” Tech will enter the

tournament with very little experience, with none of the players and very few member of the staff having been a part of the tournament. “Nearly everyone in our organization, regardless of title, this is their first,” said head coach Buzz Williams. Williams himself does have a lot of experience however, having made it to

the NCAA Tournament five times at Marquette, including two Sweet-Sixteens and an Elite Eight appearance. “In a positive way I think that’s one of the better things about it. To be able to be a part of anything that’s first, I think is always special,” said Williams. “It’s really neat. I probably should be able to articulate it better

than that but you know those are kids that have dreamed their whole life of having this opportunity and along the path of pushing them further than they’re typically willing to be pushed, you’re trying to explain that this is why.” @FaizanCT

LOREN SKINKER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Head coach Buzz Williams, who spoke after the announcement (LEFT), along with players on the men’s basketball team, celebrated during Selection Sunday (RIGHT), March 12, 2017.

PAGE 6 March 13, 2017

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SWITCH: ‘Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ reinvents series from page 1

com munistic society there on the steps of GameStop. One of us brought a box of Carol Lee donuts to share, and another brought strangely spicy chips. My girlfriend even took pity on us and brought hot chocolate for me and all my new friends. L at er, a D om i no’s delivery car pulled into the

lot around noon. “Pizza for Jack?” the delivery guy asked. The last person in line was named Jack, but he said that he did not order a pizza. The delivery guy said a woman (for the life of me I can’t remember her name) had ordered it and asked Jack if he knew her. “Oh. That’s my mom,” Jack said. Throughout the day, several people stopped

by GameStop and left right away without buying anything. A clerk told us they were trying to buy a Switch and he had to turn them all away — he told us that one guy even offered him $100 to kick one of us out of line. Unfortunately for him, the staff had taken a shine to us. They had even dubbed us “the four OGs.” Flash Forward: The game

“Breath of the Wild” broke the record for most perfect review scores in Metacritic’s history. The game’s map is massive, estimated to be 224 square miles. One of the first games to launch for the Switch, “Breath of the Wild” helped the console to sma sh Ni nt endo’s two-day sales record for all Nintendo systems in the Americas. The game differentiates

itself from traditional RPGs (or “role-playing game,” which has come to mean a system of upgrading weapons, exploration and other elements of gameplay), partially because the 31-year-old Zelda series has built up so many of its own unique core game mechanics. The first m ajor difference I noticed is that BOTW retains the traditional Zelda health system (a series of hearts that must be replenished by collecting items). In other RPGs you only need to escape combat or duck behind a wall for a moment while your health replenishes. This makes every battle in BOTW critical — wounds taken in one fight carry over to the next. Another is the need for climbing towers. In several notable RPGs — “Assassin’s Creed” is a prime example — you climb a central tower not just for the higher vantage point, but also to automatically populate the map with the locations of treasure chests and side missions. In BOTW, all you get is the vantage point. I found myself climbing everything I came across to scan the area for my next destination, and never got bored. The map is just that majestic. The creator of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, ANDREA PAPPAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES was so taken by the game’s

design when the BOTW team showed him their demo, he rep or t e d ly climbed trees for an hour, and didn’t go more than 50 meters from the starting point until the team nudged him to explore more. T h i s emph a si s on climbing to scout the area rather than simply tracking one map icon after another offers more difficulty from a completionist’s standpoint, but after the first 40 hours or so, I decided that I loved it. 11:30 p.m. I had been at GameStop for 16 hours. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to spend it with — we discussed games and theories and developed atrocious inside jokes that I hope are never repeated (something about Jigglypuff actually being an egg for Hitmonlee). We got delirious on that stoop — but by midnight all I wanted was to go home. Eight days and 70 hours of gameplay later, I have finally managed to put my thoughts on paper. Met ac r it ic, i f you’re reading, I give this game a perfect score. One hundred percent, 17/17 hours, three out of three hearts, 10 out of 10.

@WithTheFancyGuy

REVIEW: KONG: SKULL ISLAND The newest movie in the King Kong franchise caters to its audience — even if that audience is only made up of people that are looking to see animals fighting. BRADY TICKLE movie columnist

Every summer before we went to the beach, my cousin and I would break out the cheap, portable DVD player for the long six-hour drive ahead of us. It became a tradition to watch Peter Jackson’s “King Kong,” not only because it was a great way to kill three hours of the drive, but because it was a thrilling adventure filled with all of the things that a couple of boys could want: action, giant bugs, dinosaurs and guns. The older me can also appreciate the excellent writing, pacing and dramatic depth of Jackson’s take on the classic movie monster. Does the new “Kong: Skull Island” live up to either its lofty predecessor or the original films of the big ape? Not really, but it’s still a pretty fun ride. One of the best qualities of “Skull Island” is that it knows exactly what it is, and it doesn’t try to be anything else. It’s a B-movie, a popcorn thriller — “Skull Island” exists solely to

entertain for a couple of hours and nothing more. There’s no introspection, no real social commentary; rather, it is just a movie with some big animals punching each other — and that is perfectly fine. The story of “Skull Island” is cookie-cutter: people go to uncharted island, uncharted island has monsters, monsters eat people. However, this template has worked time and time again to make for a fun movie, and it works again here. Bill Randa is the essential crackpot scientist who gathers the troops to head to Skull Island, wanting proof that monsters exist. The year is 1973, and Randa uses the Cold War to his advantage, claiming that if the government doesn’t fund his venture, the Russians will uncover the mysteries of the island first, taking all the credit. This fearmongering ultimately gets a senator to pay for the trip, even if he does not believe in Randa’s monster stories. Though it turns out that Randa is not a crackpot after

all, for as soon as his handpicked group of scientists and soldiers land on the island, all hell breaks loose. Kong himself begins destroying their helicopters and equipment. With limited supplies and very little knowledge of the horrific, creature-filled island they have wandered into, the group must head to the faraway extraction point within three days; otherwise, the perpetual storm surrounding the island will make it impossible for them to get home. Randa is played by the always superb John Goodman, who once again puts on the crazy eyes that worked so good for him in “10 Cloverfield Lane.” Samuel L. Jackson plays Preston Packard, the leader of the military squad designated to protect the researchers. This role is tailor-made for Jackson, as the character delivers angry one-liners and electric monologues almost constantly. However, John C. Reilly steals the show as Hank Marlow, a World War II pilot who became stranded on the island and has

been surviving ever since. The film is incessantly delivering jokes, and most of them barely elicit a chuckle — however, when Reilly is on screen, the comedy almost always works. Unfortunately, some performances are not as good, but this is due more to the poor writing of the film than the actors themselves. Tom Hiddleston, who usually owns every movie that he is in, is merely fine as James Conrad, the mercenary that Randa hires as a tracker. Hiddleston is there solely to be the macho man, and he delivers — there is simply not enough depth to the character for him to work with. The same goes for Brie Larson, an immensely talented actress who is forced to simply make surprised faces and look pretty in this film. While she does both really well, it is a bit of a disappointment. “Kong” movies typically break the mold and don’t follow the whole “girl gets kidnapped” storyline, but Larson is given so little to work with as the group’s photographer. All

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other performances are forgettable — most of the people in the movie are there to get either eaten or brutally murdered (well, as brutal as a PG-13 rating allows). Overall, “Kong: Skull Island” provides enough jawdropping monster action to warrant a trip to the theater. It’s a fun way to kill a couple of hours, even if you won’t remember it for very long afterwards. The monsters are cool, the story is fast-paced, and the actors are likable. Although some of the editing of the human scenes are a bit choppy, we are really only here for the monkey anyway.

In this respect, it’s definitely a step above the pretentious “Godzilla” reboot of 2014 — unlike that film, this movie knows that its audience wants to see the monsters. Considering that this is a tie-in to that film (in order to set up a Marvel-esque cinematic universe that will culminate in the two beasts fighting), I’m definitely rooting for Kong based on what I’ve seen. I give “Kong: Skull Island” three and a half out of five stars.

@BradyTickle

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