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February 18, 2020
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International Hokies face effects of Coronavirus
O
As the Coronavirus continues its course, Chinese international students deal with repercussions at home and on campus. n Dec. 30, 2019, Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, grew concerned he was witnessing the resurgence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which ravaged China’s population in 2003. Wenliang feared the worst. Wenliang has become a hero amongst the Chinese people for his efforts to bring to light the emergence of a disease now known as Coronavirus; he has become a symbol for frustration towards authorities who stifled the emergence of information in the early days of the outbreak and responded poorly to the initial outbreak in Wuhan. “There is anger towards the government,” said Jianuo Huang, President of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars, a senior mechanical engineering major. I first interviewed Jianuo about the Hong Kong protests back in October. In an interview that spanned almost two hours, he told me about his background growing up in a city in China called Wuhan. When the “mysterious respiratory disease” was first being reported on andWuhan became the epicenter for the disease, I knew it was time I followed up with Huang. “I didn’t go over break, don’t be afraid,” Huang said. Despite the disease most heavily impacting his home city, Huang is still pretty congenial when talking about the issue. “It’s not a peaceful New Year,” he said. He feels everything going on right now is very surreal: the shutdown of the entire city of Wuhan, the growing anti-government sentiment, the mismanagement
of NGOs such as the Chinese Red Cross in response to these crises. “You could not write a story like this because it’s so unrealistic,” Huang said. But another aspect that shocks him is the amount of cooperation that has taken place in response to the crisis. “All Chinese people around the world are helping,” Huang said, “sending goods and masks. That’s one thing that people are surprised about; how much power we have all around the world. All of the sudden shelves are empty because everyone is buying things and sending it back to China.” Huang and the organization he heads are joining in on the contributions. According to Huang, through contacting various Chinese students and faculty at universities around the state, the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars has raised $10,000.
nCoV
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans,” but the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) which is currently afflicting China is a new strain never before seen in humans. A lot of the uncertainty creates panic as the victim count keeps rising. In an effort to combat the spread of the disease, the Trump administration recently enforced restrictions on travel to China, a move that has left several of our fellow Hokies stuck on the other side of the world. “One student landed in Los Angeles and I think someone in front of him had a fever or cough, so all the passengers on
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the plane got sent to the hospital for eight hours, and customs bought everyone a ticket and sent them back to China,” Huang said. When asked, Huang still thought the policy was reasonable; it’s part of what needs to be done in order to contain the spread of the disease, he said. Another precaution being taken to stop the disease in its tracks is the closure of the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease. “It’s kinda terrifying; an 11 million person city, closed down entirely,” Huang said. “Almost no one can get in; no one can get out.” Huang’s parents both worked in the city before the epidemic and are now working remotely from home. “(My dad is) kinda enjoying it,” Huang said. “He’s getting more time in his garden. But for some of my friends my age, especially with teenagers, it’s frustrating to be in the house all the time.”
Ripples felt around the world
The question stands: is all this panic necessary for a disease purported to
only be dangerous to those with already compromised immune systems? Huang thinks so. “I think that (panic) should happen,” Huang said. “I think sometimes the U.S. is underplaying the risk.” Huang thinks the virus will follow a similar course to SARS, which ended up dying off as the winter ended and the weather began to warm. Scores of students have been marooned in China, uncertain to when they can resume their studies. Millions hide within the confines of their own homes, afraid of the world outside once familiar to them. Bustling cities slowed to a standstill. It’s as if Wuhan had frozen over; one can only hope the warm weather thaws it out.
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February 18, 2020 PAGE 3
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The future of Tech student centers, study spaces The 50-year campus plan includes building a new student center, which will be located in the North Academic District. BEN WALLS news staff writer
Spaces for student collaboration, meeting rooms and cultural centers will change for future Hokies as Virginia Tech focuses on developing the Creativity and Innovation District (CID). By summer 2021, when the CID project is complete, Squires Student Center will be reassigned as a place for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and serve as a staple in the CID vision. A new student center will be located in a region known as the North Academic District (NAD), highlighted in November 2018’s strategic plan, “Beyond Boundaries 2047: The Campus Plan,” where Cowgill and Burchard Halls currently stand. The goal of The Campus Plan is to significantly improve campus life by 2047, Virginia Tech’s 175th anniversary. The CID will include Squires, Newman Library, the Graduate Life Center, the Media Building and the Media Building Annex, in addition to keeping the Moss Arts Center, the School of Visual Arts, the School of Performing Arts, and the Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT) in close proximity with each other. “The whole Creativity and Innovation District is becoming something quite incredible,” said Dr. Benjamin Knapp, founding director of ICAT. “I don’t really know of any other university district across the country that is merging town, gown and live-learn communities that span the arts, design, the sciences and engineering.” The Campus Plan also illustrated that the NAD will be “a vibrant campus life hub in the center of daytime activity” designed for student collaboration, informal and formal meetings, and social events while creating an inviting environment through the development of “Tech Square” in Burchard Hall’s space as a “town square” for Tech’s expansive campus. While Tech Square will be a place for outdoor study, there will be designated study spaces for other students inside the
NAD, tailored toward students who like to study inside Squires. “(Virginia Tech art programs) don’t have a lot of buildings, and it’s good for them,” said junior electrical engineering major Jessica Orefice, who studies at Squires and knows plenty of art students who are excited for the CID. “I believe moving building to building isn’t going to change student life.” Study spaces will also be located in some student residence halls, like Eggleston Hall, according to the housing renovation strategies section of The Campus Plan. In addition to Tech Square, the NAD will feature dining services to accommodate 1,000 students at one time, classrooms and research facilities through partnerships, student living, improvements in campus infrastructure, centers to improve campus transportation, and improvements to campus parking. Located inside the NAD, the North Academic Commons (NAC) will host the study and collaboration spaces with Tech Square and a multi-leveled building that will house collaboration for student groups and cultural centers as Squires Student Center houses today. Student Engagement and Campus Life stated they did not have the authority to comment on future university plans about student spaces.
AMBER WILLIAMS / COLLEGIATE TIMES The Asian Cultural Engagement Center in Squires, Feb. 14, 2020.
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lifestyles Grad Guide
PAGE 4 February 18, 2020
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Financially responsible Hokies: Doing grad school on a budget Reduce the overall cost of graduate school by taking advantage of all financial aid available.
KYLE BASSETT
lifestyles staff writer
While many undergrads are busy worrying about making it to their morning classes on time or getting their assignments done before the weekend, a number of people are also worrying about grad school. To some, grad school is the final stretch before true adulthood comes into play. To others, it’s extra years of college that are quite the challenge to get in and get out of. For those looking to do grad school, but want to keep it as cost-friendly as they possibly can, below are some of the ways to help offset the expenses that those extra years of college can have on you. Similar to how tuition assistance is offered to incoming and existing college
students, financial aid is available for those who meet the eligibility requirements. Completion of paperwork and other documentation for FAFSA (Federal Application for Free Student Aid) is necessary in order to start, as well as other university-specified requirements. An option that you may be familiar with is an assistantship, which is a paid position within the university that allows grad students to gain resume-worthy work experience before they leave college. Like a regular job application process, one must meet a set of standards and typically do an interview in order to be considered for such a position. For those interested, information can be found on the graduate school’s website as to how to go about the process.
While similar to assistantships, fellowships differ in that they are viewed as a financial aid award rather than a salary position within the university. Regardless, they are a viable option for many students seeking to go to grad school at a lower cost. For those interested in potentially applying for a fellowship position, it is recommended that they contact their major department for particular information as to what their major requires of fellowship applicants. Additionally, search option site Funding Institutional allows for one to seek out further information about fellowships and other related options. For those looking to minimize graduate school living and educational costs, a unique option to consider is doing a work
study. For more information as to what a work study would entail, take a look on the student employment page as to what the option has to offer. Scholarships are arguably a common option that students tend to look at when trying to cover the cost of their tuition. Scholarships are out there for a variety of departments and positions for those seeking to do grad school. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, a department at Virginia Tech, offers a variety of information and opportunities on how to apply for scholarships throughout the year. Check out its website for more info on how to apply. @CollegiateTimes
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What comes next? Graduate school applications will be due before you know it
February 18, 2020 PAGE 5
Helpful hints on applying to graduate school, because it has been a while since you’ve typed a personal statement. SAMEERA SUNKARA lifestyles staff writer
As your undergraduate college career comes to end, it is time to figure out the next step in life. While some people begin to search for a job, there are a number of students who plan on continuing their educational career by applying to graduate school. There are many different graduate programs ranging from M.D. and Ph.D. programs that are seven or eight years long to special master’s programs that last less than a single year. No matter what type of program you choose to apply to, the graduate school application process is long, grueling and stressful. Luckily, there are several techniques and tricks that can make the entire process much easier and pain free. For starters, make sure that you completely understand why you intend to apply to graduate school in the first place. Graduate school is not cheap, and it is not for everyone. So, consider the advantages and disadvantages of graduate school as you decide whether or not it is the right step to take. At Virginia Tech, every program provides academic advising, so be sure to talk to your advisor. More often than not, an advisor can provide an outside opinion that can provide students with more clarity when making the decision. If you are a pre-health student, there is an additional Health Professions Advising department as well; the staff is extremely well-informed and prepared to help with these types of things. Consider making an appointment to meet with them before making any major decisions. If you eventually decide that graduate school is the next step for you, decide which graduate school programs you want to apply to. It is important to do research beforehand in order to ensure that you meet all the requirements. Organization is also important when applying to graduate schools. You do not need to do anything fancy like creating complex color-coded Excel spreadsheets. All you really need is a list of programs that you are applying to along with due
dates and the requirements for each one. This is a great way to ensure that you do not forget anything because missing a single element of an application can be catastrophic. Additionally, time management is key; it is absolutely crucial to make sure that you do not leave everything to the last minute. It is important to get everything done a couple weeks early, which gives you time in case anything goes wrong. Especially when asking professors and other mentors for letters of recommendation, it is important to ask them several months in advance. Make sure you provide them with all the necessary information beforehand, and, if possible, it is much more helpful to ask them in person as opposed to sending an email. Some graduate programs require exams such as the MCAT, GMAT, GRE, etc., and it is important to get these things done ahead of time as well. It is especially beneficial to take these types of exams over the summer, as it gives you more time to study so that you only have to take exam once. Of course, the most important thing is to be unafraid to ask for help. Nobody is perfect, and it is very important to understand that. When writing a personal statement, be sure to reach out to friends and family and have them read over it because they tend to know you better than you may know yourself. Professors and mentors provide great sounding boards as well because, in many cases, they have been where you are. In addition, be sure to take advantage of the resources at Virginia Tech. The Writing Center, located on the second floor of Newman Library, provides help to students working on essays and personal statements, and it is completely free of charge. Overall, the entire process is essentially what you make of it, and it provides you with a chance to grow and learn. So, as long as you just take a breath and have a little faith, the application process will be a breeze. @CollegiateTimes
Graduate Life Center, Nov. 19, 2017.
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AHMED MUSTAFA / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech veterinary school students celebrate their graduation at the 2019 commencement at Lane Stadium, May 17, 2019.
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February 18, 2020 PAGE 7
Calling all future doctors: Ins and outs of applying to med school
ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES Graduating seniors file back into Lane Stadium after the thunderstorm all clear is given at the 2019 commencement, May 17, 2019.
One of our writers met with Sydney Pickering, a Hokie alum, to get the low down on becoming a medical professional. CAREY OAKES
lifestyles staff writer
As many of us find our undergraduate careers coming to a close, some of us begin to shift our sights toward grad schools and med schools. The thought of having to undergo a second, more rigorous round of “college” applications might be even more daunting than the very application process that led us to Tech in the first place. Sydney Pickering, a Virginia Tech alumna, graduated in the spring of 2019 as a biochemistry major with minors in medicine and society and chemistry and is currently applying to various medical schools. According to Pickerin, here’s what you might be able to expect from test scores to interviews in your search for the perfect med school. For starters, in terms of the differences between postgrad applications and the initial applications to get into college, the applicant pool is significantly smaller. “It is extremely important to start building a network within the program’s community; go to open houses, shadow medical school associated physicians, ask professors about their research and take advantage of any extra public events,” Pickering said. When applying to medical schools, there are two degree options to apply for in the U.S. Pickering applied to six programs
in the doctor of medicine degree and seven in the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree. In doing so, she began her search for the right school based on their curriculum styles, residency match rates and attention to medical humanities. She suggests looking on the “applicant” section of the schools’ websites to find most of the relevant information. The medical school application system has three main phases: the primary application, secondary application and the interview. “The primary application includes Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, undergraduate grades, personal statement, background information and resume,” Pickering said. Following this primary application, you can expect medical schools to send you a secondary application that consists of short essays regarding your goals and experience. The final portion of the application is the interview phase in which you interview with multiple physicians or professors in addition to a variety of mini scenario-based interviews (MMI’s). During the final portion of said application cycle, Pickering notes just how difficult it is for many students to talk about themselves and flaunt their successes or perhaps lack thereof. “My advice is to use your connections
(like your) family, friends, professors, advisors and roommates to get practice communicating your personal qualities before the actual application cycle,” Pickering said. “Find your voice in both your writing and interview skills so you’re able to express your authentic and genuine self.” The application cycle as a whole, however, is extremely time consuming. Pickering took a gap year to work hands-on in the Blacksburg area as a nurse aide in Highland Ridge rehabilitation hospital while she applied to schools. “For a couple months, (it) feels like a full-time job,” Pickering said. “It was difficult balancing work, writing essays and studying for interviews.” Taking a year off from school has not only allowed her the time to work on her applications but a quick insight into adulthood. She was also able to gain vast experience in the medical field prior to school. It’s allowed her to comprehend just how important human compassion and connection are in terms of caring for and working with others. Despite how laborious applying to medical school has been, Pickering notes how resourceful Virginia Tech’s Health Professions Advising (HPA) has been. She recalls how HPA provided her with a timeline of the process and guided her through a mock application scenario.
“If anything, I was surprised by how crucial the on-site interactions with medical school professors and students were to my decision-making process,” Pickering said. In terms of the best advice she’s received so far, however, Pickering advises everyone to find what makes you unique whether it’s your attitude, your experiences, your goals or just your personality in general. Nearly everyone finds difficulty when having to describe themselves. It forces you to ask the especially difficult existential question: Who are you? After working introspectively on med or grad school applications, it’s nice to know that you aren’t alone in your anxieties regarding the workload, the future or about finding who you are/who you want to be. Having others help you through the process can be a big help in managing that stress. Whether you revel in her experiences or want to know what to expect during your next chapter, it’s people like Sydney Pickering who know just how demanding these applications can be.
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Hokies show their true mettle in crucial ACC win A strong 17-point effort and clutch 3-pointer from Aisha Sheppard propelled Virginia Tech past Wake Forest in overtime. ROBBY FLETCHER sports editor
It wasn’t pretty. It hardly ever is against a team like Georgia Tech (16-9, 7-7 ACC), whose scoring defense is the best in the ACC and third best in the country, but Virginia Tech (18-6, 8-5 ACC) managed to step up when it mattered and added arguably one of its biggest wins of the season to its already impressive resume. Now sitting a game back from third place in the conference standings, it’s safe to say that head coach Kenny Brooks has a resilient and downright explosive team on his hands thanks to a deft blend of veterans and promising underclassmen that are well on their way to producing one of the best seasons in school history. “Chemistry will show, and this group has chemistry,” coach Brooks said. “They really care about each other. They play for each other.” What looked to be a frustrating, ugly affair in the first half ended up turning into one of the best finishes of the season thanks to a superb second-half effort from guard Aisha Sheppard.
Sheppard struggled finding her shot in the first half, failing to hit a shot in three tries, but she came out firing in the third quarter and finished with 17 points and the game-tying three to end regulation. “We just didn’t have any rhythm on offense because they’re just so long; they try to make the game ugly in a sense,” Sheppard said. “In the second half we really just settled down and did what we know we’re capable of doing which is scoring in tempo and in rhythm.” It wasn’t the first time this season that the Hokies have needed Sheppard’s sharpshooting to open up the rest of the offense. Shooting 38% from three this year, Sheppard has blossomed into a star player capable of putting the team on her back, and it showed against the Yellow Jackets. And while Sheppard’s shooting touch was needed to pull out the victory, she was far from the only reason the team was able to pull out this win. Point guard Taja Cole has been instrumental to this team’s success with her elite basketball IQ, her vision on the court and her surprisingly strong effort on the glass. It was no different in this game, as she contributed a
balanced eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists. While this team could easily look past the last five games of the season toward a potential double-bye in the ACC Tournament or even the NCAA Tournament where they’re currently projected as a seven-seed, coach Brooks doesn’t think it’s time to look at the bigger picture just yet. “It’s not about the NCAA Tournament; it’s not about anything other than controlling our own destiny,” he said. “Our thought process is if we just take care of business one game at a time to try to get that (double-bye), everything else will take care of itself.” The big picture of this team’s progression is something to look at, however. For a team that struggled to finish in close contests with ACC foes Syracuse and Duke earlier in the season, a conference win like this shows just how far they’ve come to get where they are. “It was totally different than the Duke game; the Duke game we felt like we let a lead slip away, but this time we had to come back and make a shot,” coach
Brooks said. “The mood was really good, and we took that and used the momentum to get a nice lead to start the overtime.” Though there’s still a lot of basketball to be played before the Hokies can start to focus on postseason play, it appears that this team has evolved into a true contender in the conference.
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Men’s basketball defeats Pittsburgh by 10 points The Hokies were able to snap a five-game losing streak thanks to P.J. Horne’s career high 18 points and crucial 3-pointers. AMBER WILLIAMS sports staff writer
The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team (15-10, 6-8) defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers (15-11, 6-9) with a final score of 67-57. Pitt opened the scoring with a 3-pointer early in the first half, but Wabissa Bede answered with an almost immediate two-pointer. Tyrece Radford dunked the ball early, energizing the supportive crowd, to tie the game 5-5. Radford played 36:28 for the Hokies during the game, leading the team in minutes. “He’s too valuable to our team and our level of play to take him out,” said coach Mike Young about Radford.
Near the middle of the first half, the Hokies’ No. 15 Jalen Cone tied it up, making the score 13-13. John Ojiako also electrified the crowd toward the end of
the momentum scoring five points early in the second half and proving to be instrumental in the team’s success in the second half.
“[They] looked great from the start. Everybody made a contribution to the win. ”
Mike Young Head Coach
the half with a dunk. Tech ended the half leading 32-23 against the Panthers. The second half was intense as Tech battled to maintain the lead over Pittsburgh. Nahiem Alleyne opened the scoring for the Hokies; Cone continued
P.J. Horne scored multiple clutch 3-pointers nearing the end of regulation, ensuring the Panthers had no opportunity to make a comeback. Horne was one of the many players who shot successful 3-pointers; the team overall ended the
game having scored 12 3-pointers. The Hokies successfully overpowered Pittsburgh, ending the game with a 10 point lead over the Panthers and snapping a five-game losing streak. “[They] looked great from the start. Everybody made a contribution to the win,” Young said. Tech looks to carry its energy into its next game against Miami Feb. 19 at home at 9 p.m.
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