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March 16, 2021
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President Biden can accomplish many campaign promises with one ‘flick of a pen’ Joe Biden should use his power to change the lives of millions of people and elevate the economy in a significant way.
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e are now two months into Joe Biden’s presidency and his campaign promise of student loan debt relief is at the forefront of many college students’ and graduates’ minds this spring. President Biden presented himself as the candidate who believed in science, advocating for COVID-19 to be taken seriously, for action to be taken to control its spread and to limit the economic damage it has caused in the United States. The Biden campaign also advocated for college student debt relief, which became a political rallying cry for younger, often first-time voters. He promised $10,000 in government student loan forgiveness while campaigning in 2020. The president has received pressure early on from Democratic members of the Senate, such as Elizabeth Warren and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, on the topic. The question being asked among college students revolves around the amount of loan forgiveness that will be put forward by the President. More liberal Democrats in Congress are pushing for $50,000 in loan forgiveness, others are suggesting the originally-promised $10,000, while Republicans have been uninterested in offering any loan support for months. Through the power of executive orders, President Biden can waive student debt without Congressional approval. “You don’t need Congress,” said Senator Chuck Schumer. “All you need is the flick
of a pen.” It seems, however, that Biden is not ready, or maybe not willing, to flick his pen for everybody he promised relief to. This pandemic has been detrimental to many families and small businesses, but also to many college students. Unemployment, compounded with the lack of quality education after courses moved online, all while colleges and universities in the U.S. are still charging full price tuition, has created an expensive and unfair situation for students. “(Student debt forgiveness) would make a big difference in my living situation,” said Max Waldman, a junior majoring in multimedia journalism. “After college, I hope to move to a new area of the country eventually, so alleviating that debt would greatly help me out in that aspect.” Waldman had to take out loans to help pay for his tuition, so he understands how debt can be extremely crushing for many young adults. “I think that there should be large-scale loan forgiveness so that young Americans are actually able to enter the workplace without having to drown in debt first,” Waldman said. “Especially after how the pandemic has affected the economy.” Almost 70% of students in the U.S. take out student loans. In 2019, the average debt for a college graduate was $29,900. Cur rently 44.7 m illion Amer icans owe a collective $1.7 trillion dollars. Researchers say that this debt level is resulting in many people delaying buying homes, having children or changing jobs.
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This is then compounded with the stress of having to worry about finances, which means people spend less money, ultimately creating a strain on the economy. Relieving student debt will bolster the economy and save students and their families money, but it would also help Biden to tackle another one of his huge campaign promises: helping out the Black community. 2020 was a historic year as social justice movements became an important discussion in households across the United States. Biden made a determined effort to establish himself as the candidate who had a plan for police reform and dealing with institutionalized racism. Debt forgiveness is an easy way for Biden to show he meant what he said on the campaign trail. However, merely squashing $10,000 of student debt will not suffice. The National Center for Education Statistics found that Black college graduates owe on
average $25,000 more in student loan debt than white college graduates. Racial inequality is a major issue in our country, and in order to make significant changes and right our institutional wrongs, student debt relief is a prerequisite. Voter turnout in the 2020 election was the largest of any election in the history of the United States because of new voters. It is estimated that roughly 55% of eligible youth voters turned out to vote in 2020, with an almost 2-1 ratio in favor of Biden. The Black youth vote was even more staggering: roughly 87% of young Black Americans voted for the former Vice President. Joe Biden made numerous campaign promises that he now has 4 years to build upon, and his early achievements such as re-joining the Paris Climate Agreement and ending the ban on majority-Muslim countries to enter the U.S. have given me
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hope for the future of his term. However, in order to retain these new young voters, trust must be established. In other words, campaign promises
have to be fulfilled. Midterm elections are not that far away and if Democrats want to see the youth turn out as they did in 2020, this is not the time for Congress to be impotent. Despite the fact that the average age
of a member of Congress is about 57 years old, and that both of the presidential candidates this past year were almost 80 years old, young people are the future. It’s time for our new president to make an investment in that
future and relieve some of this overwhelming debt. RORY AILOR • junior • multimedia journalism
Let’s take the shame out of menstruation this Women’s History Month –– period.
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We have progressed past the need for tiptoeing around the topic of periods.
appy Women’s History Month, Hokies! These next few weeks are dedicated to celebrating all the incredible women in our lives and their contributions to society. While there is much to celebrate, we must also use this time to reflect on women’s equality and how much work is yet to be done. We have come a long way over the past century, but women still face challenges because of their gender to this day, the gender pay gap being one of them. On average, women earn 82% of what men make. Furthermore, Black women and women of color face discrimination in the workplace not just for their gender, but for their race as well: in 2019, the U.S. census determined that Black women made 63% of what white men made. Beyond wage discrimination, women are held to ridiculous and stereotypical standards of what it means to be a socially acceptable woman. Women are supposed to be poised and presentable and are expected to keep private matters to themselves. This includes sexuality, body image and even menstruation. While great strides still need to be made to secure female equality in society, let’s use this Women’s History Month to make a small, yet monumental impact. Let’s normalize menstruation. Before we normalize menstruation, we first have to look at the root of the problem: what makes women’s periods so controversial? Collegiate Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies Dr. Suchitra Samanta described the controversy surrounding menstruation throughout history. “Historically, between the 18th and 19th centuries, when political, social and economic models changed in the west with the Industrial Revolution, the perception of a specifically female bodily function changed along with those social, economic and political changes,” said Samanta. Some of the negative associations our society has with menstruation today can
be traced back to the first U.S. Industrial Revolution. Women were regarded as less productive than their male coworkers because they had to balance caring for their children with work, while men did not. If a woman decided to join the workforce, it meant they were either abandoning motherhood altogether (which was highly frowned upon) or it meant that they would be unproductive workers because they would have to leave work to care for their children and home. Therefore, it was more efficient to hire men for the workforce and for women to stay home and care for their children. In this way, menstruation helped set the precedent for gender-based discrimination over the following centuries. “Our bodies are not blank slates of our societies,” Samanta said. “They write meanings on our bodies. ‘This is beauty, this is not beauty. This is too big, this is too small. Hair is all wrong.’ Menstruation is one of those central processes that carry so much meaning.” Now, in the 21st century, negative attitudes toward menstruation still exist. This can have a major impact on the confidence of young girls as they begin puberty. I conducted a survey in Samanta’s class to better understand how menstruation affects the self-confidence of young girls. Out of the students surveyed, 75% of students surveyed felt some level of embarrassment as they began to menstruate and 87% have been in a situation where they felt uncomfortable seeking help when menstruating. They used words such as “horrifying,” “stressful” and “annoying” to describe their experiences menstruating as a teen. In middle and high school, my experience was not that different from those words described above. I was so embarrassed to have a period, let alone discuss it with my friends. I was told by society that it was shameful, gross and taboo. I would walk around the hallway anxious
that I had bled through my pants and that I would have to ask someone for a sanitary product. Instead of worrying about menstruation, young girls should have the freedom to focus on school, spend time with friends and enjoy adolescence. Menstruation should not be hidden because of societal pressures. In some countries, menstr uation prevents young girls from attending school. Sanitary supplies can be either inaccessible or too expensive in some rural areas, so young girls, instead of enduring hours of discomfort and embarrassment at school, decide to stay home. “This has been a huge issue in the developing and poorer parts of the world,” Samanta said. This has been a reason why girls don’t go to or drop out of school. This is because they have no access to sanitary supplies. So it’s very much a gender equity issue as far as girls and education goes.” No child should be robbed of their education because of a natural bodily function. Fortunately, this is not a pervasive problem in the U.S. Poverty is, however, which is why the pink tax is so problematic. Not only do women spend thousands of dollars on sanitary products throughout their lifetimes, in more than half of U.S. states, these products are subject to sales tax. This is a huge financial burden for many women and families. In order for menstruation to be normalized, all women must have access to feminine and hygiene products. In the U.S., this includes addressing the pink tax and the way it disproportionately harms lower-income families. “Normalizing menstruation is a step towards female equality,” Samanta said. “In perception, absolutely, but also in terms of access to affordable supplies. Whether it’s in the poorer parts of the world or whether it’s here without that tax rate.” In addition to abolishing the sales tax on feminine hygiene products in every
state, society must also place a greater emphasis on reproductive education and having difficult conversations if menstruation is to become normalized. “I would start with the family, and not just Mom, but Dad and siblings of all sexes should be open to conversation,” Samanta said. “Kids ought to be informed. So there really needs to be adequate education at all levels — openness and transparency.” Samanta acknowledges that equality is a multi-layered issue. The controversy sur rounding menstr uation is rooted in centuries worth of prejudice toward women. To address this prejudice, it is important that we consider all of the intersecting identities of women that contribute to their marginalization in society, such as race, class and sexuality. To progress toward the ultimate goal of achieving gender equality, we have to consider the ways in which Black women face gender discrimination differently from white women, for example. We also have to consider how lowerincome families might be affected more by the stigma surrounding menstruation because of the financial burden it can present. Girls should not have to hide their periods simply because it makes others uncomfortable. To hide menstruation would be to conceal the biology and science that created the body we live in and breathe out of today. How will we achieve full equality for women if we can’t have open and honest conversations about our biology — the basic foundation of all human beings? This Women’s History Month, biology must be normalized. Menstruation must be normalized.
OLIVIA NELSON • freshman • biochemistry
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Virginia Tech’s Student Government Association transitions into a student senate The new senate structure hopes to increase diversity, accessibility, accountability and cohesion in student representation. ADIAH GHOLSTON news editor
The Virginia Tech Student Government Association (SGA) has started their transition process into a new senate structure in efforts to increase diversity, accessibility, accountability and cohesion. This transition process began in 2019 when President Sands formed the governance committee, the President’s Committee on Governance, tasking it to establish guidelines and structure for effective governance among “the collective voice of the faculty, student, and staff constituencies.” “We have been told President Sands, as well as a bunch of people who were in charge of student government, were trying to make it a cohesive structure instead of having these different things (all) over the place,” said SGA Vice President and current transition team member Sara Wynkoop. Under SGA, student organizations such as the Student Budget Board and Commission on Student Affairs were separate from student government. Moving forward, these groups will be integrated into the Undergraduate Student Senate (USS) to make student representation more cohesive. The Undergraduate Student Senate will be one of five senates at Virginia Tech, as there will also be a graduate, professional faculty, faculty and board of visitors senate. The revamp of the SGA organization will come five months after allegations of various forms of dysfunction, such as sexism, power struggles and a lack of diversity, that occurred in the organization over the past few years. “Partially as a result of (the allegations) and as a result of the university restructuring at-large, a task force was established by Dr. Shushok,” said SGA President and member of the student transition team Miles Guth. “The idea was that they were exploring the current SGA model and seeing how to improve it and better it for the future and what we could do to make sure that student governance is truly doing their job to the fullest.”
Wynkoop laid out three pillars that the USS aims to fix: diversity, accountability and approachability. “Student government association is predominantly white males,” Wynkoop said. “I’m the only female elected official currently in the structure of it all, and I’m white. It shouldn’t be that way.” Wynkoop hopes that implementing groups involved in Commission on Student Affairs, such as the Black Student Organization, Latin Link and HokiePRIDE, will help bring more diversity and noticeability to new groups of students and potential candidates. Fixing the approachability and student outreach of SGA is crucial to Wynkoop. “A lot of the time, people don’t know you can come to a public forum for student government,” Wynkoop said. “People don’t come, so we don’t know all of the different opinions and problems that students have. We’re all supposed to be representatives of the students, but if we can’t have students come to us, how representative are we?” To Wynkoop, having different student organizations involved is developing a “cohesion web.” USS is providing an opportunity for these organizations to stay in the know of each other allowing a deeper understanding and accountability. “We are hoping that with a new team of leaders and more involvement from the university itself, we’ll get more support that will allow us to advertise, and outreach and publish things that will reach the greater VT community and that will bring more interests from the students,” Guth said. The new undergraduate student senate will feature senators who will represent cultural groups, senators representing Virginia Tech’s individual colleges and at-large senators that represent the entire student body. Additionally, there will be a president and five vice presidents with specific focuses, such as finance. The recently formed student governance transition team will be working over the course of this spring semester and summer to build the constitution, by-laws, election
codes and the specifics of the different senator’s role. Within the 13-person transition team there will be subcommittees led by Guth, Wynkoop and SGA Secretary Sherlock Banks. The remaining members will be appointed to these various committees by their interests and skills. A faculty advisor will also be involved with each subcommittee. Over the past few months, a committee has interviewed and selected students to fill the remaining spots on the team. The newly selected members of the transition team met six desirable traits the committee was looking for: hard working, accountable, creative, a team player, inclusive and understanding and a servant leader. Guth was proud to point out the student transition team is an accurate reflection of
the demographics of Virginia Tech. “Virginia Tech is approximately 58% male, 42% female, we were at those exact numbers,” Guth said. “We had 66% white, 33% people of color, which is exactly the representation of the university, and that was something I really think shows strongly. We had candidates that were qualified, but we also achieved what we were hoping to achieve, which is that all of the teams in this process (are) a representative body that chose and carried out the actions of the larger student body.” USS is planning to have elections in October of 2021 where all positions are up for election.
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COURTESY OF SARA WYNKOOP Sara Wynkoop and Miles Guth, the recently elected vice president and president of SGA (left to right), March 15, 2021.
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at that time to be the truth and reveal only that to their readers, but rather to report as completely and impartially as possible all verifiable facts so that readers can, based on their own knowledge and experience, determine what they believe to be the truth. When a news organization delivers both news and opinions, the impartiality and credibility of the news organization can be questioned. To minimize this as much as possible there needs to be a sharp and clear distinction between news and opinion, both to those providing and consuming the news.
Today’s birthday horoscope (March 16): Imagine, articulate and plan this year. Follow organization with consistent, disciplined efforts to win. Change directions with a professional project this spring, before a fun family summer. Clarifying winter miscommunications or mistakes leads to a lucky career break. Contribution to others feeds your own spirit.
Bliss by Harry Bliss
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Promotes on TV, say 6 Elitist sort 10 Great Salt Lake state 14 Kayak kin 15 Skating medalist Lipinski 16 Corn bread 17 *Embezzled 19 Dirt road grooves 20 Arrange, as a shawl 21 Acts with passion 23 Starfish’s five, usually 26 Call from the rear? 28 “Groovy!” 30 Mom-and-pop org. 31 Slunk 34 Forensic tech’s tool 36 66-Down pro 38 Sea, in Spain 39 Result of too many six-packs? 41 Prestigious broadcasting award 44 Answer to “Who’s hungry?” 45 Turndowns 47 Makes right 48 Messy roommates 51 ’Neath opposite 53 Military academy student 54 Decade in which many Gen Zers were born 57 Cincinnati MLB team 58 Snoopy is one 60 Poker-faced 62 Slips up 63 Fish dish garnish, or a hidden feature of the answers to starred clues 68 Tall hiking socks can protect against one 69 Qatari leader 70 Sickeningly sweet 71 Hurting after exercise 72 Tape type 73 Hardly in the dark DOWN 1 Mac alternatives 2 Back muscle, briefly
By Rebecca Goldstein
3 Card game cry 4 “Well done” award 5 One having visions 6 Visit at the penthouse 7 Comedy special for which Hannah Gadsby won a 2019 Emmy 8 Mother lode stuff 9 Howled 10 Commotion 11 *Everyone in Paris? 12 Pay to play 13 Company with toy trucks 18 Shakespeare’s fairy queen 22 Word after hot or before drop 23 Egyptian god of the afterlife 24 Disclose 25 *King or prince 27 Pack (down) 29 Texter’s “Wow!” 32 Like an exaggerated résumé 33 Secret meetings
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35 Groaner, maybe 37 Bubble __: Taiwanese drink 40 Quick honk 42 “Better Call Saul” channel 43 Pastry with an ursine name 46 Earthquakecaused 49 Montana resort area 50 NBC skit show
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52 “Are so!” or “Am not!” 55 Sought morays 56 Cain, to Eve 58 Alpha follower 59 Stonestreet of “Modern Family” 61 “Insecure” star Rae 64 Australian avian 65 Brew initials 66 Life-saving proc. 67 Watch closely
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COURTESY OF ASHLEY CRUZ
COURTESY OF JUSTIN VITA
COURTESY OF CHRIS CERNE
Assisting from home: How TAs have adjusted to online learning Undergraduate Teaching Assistants must adapt to both professors’ and students’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATTHEW HARRIS lifestyles staff writer
Undergraduate teaching assistants, otherwise known as TAs, form the backbone of many classes at Virginia Tech. They take on a variety of roles, from grading assignments to helping their fellow students pass their classes. Along with everyone else, for this past year, TAs have been doing their jobs almost exclusively online. This move has resulted in a number of changes to how their work is done, but TAs continue to do the best job possible. However, the adaptation to online classes hasn’t been completely smooth. One major omission from online assistance is faceto-face interaction between TAs and students. “In-person office hours have a lot more personality. In my opinion, it could be more effective to teach students certain concepts if we were in person,” said Christopher Cerne, a senior majoring in computer science who is a TA for CS 3214, Computer Systems. “It was much easier for the TAs to articulate certain pieces of information and maybe even type out some debugger commands or help out with coding.” While face-to-face communication has been lost, TAs have been able to continue their jobs through various platforms, including Zoom, Discord and other online
formats. These platforms may not provide the same interface as in-person office hours, but they may make up for this loss by making TAs more accessible for students. “(TAs) have a great advantage for online office hours in that hours are very accessible for students,” Cerne said. “(Students) can join the queue from the comfort of (their) own home and get instant TA access.” The move to online formats has also made life easier for TAs reporting to work. As with most other students, TAs can do their jobs from their homes. “I enjoy (being a TA) a lot because it’s online. It’s very flexible and I can do it from wherever I am,” said Ashley Cruz, a senior majoring in business information technology and management who is a TA for MGT 3324, Organization Behavior. Easy access to work isn’t always a good thing, however. When reporting to work is as easy as opening Discord, a site where one may also converse with friends, work-life balance may be harder to achieve. “(My job) could end up being more work at times,” said Justin Vita, a junior majoring in computer science who also works as a TA for Computer Systems. “If (I am) looking at the Discord and (don’t) have anything better to do, sometimes I get students direct messaging me questions and I do my best to respond to that.” All of this is contingent on the fact that
Zoom, Discord and the other apps that run our lives are functional. Technical issues that weren’t a problem before have become an issue for some TAs. “My account happened to be one of the accounts (Discord) flagged (to suspend during a massive false flag). So, while I was helping a student, I disconnected,” Vita said. “It’s odd how much my job is determined by the services of another platform.” Although the move to online classes has created a myriad of unique challenges, TAs are optimistic about their work’s impact. Consistent access to assistance from TAs has helped students do the best they can this semester. “We do our best. I feel like I have been able to help students finish their projects, which is the main goal for all of the TAs in this class,” Vita said. The constant access to assistance and the social nature of many of the tools TAs offer has helped students not only get help from TAs, but has also helped students communicate with each other. In an era devoid of physical study lounges, efforts to recreate study spaces online are valuable. “(Students) can look up questions that have already been asked,” Vita said. “I think that leads to less time spent answering questions, and it’s also nice that other students can communicate during this online time.” Efforts from TAs are only worthwhile
if students work with them, however. With the variety of tools and availability of help, students should not hesitate to ask for any help that they need. “TA office hours are not as heavily utilized as people think,” Cerne said. “I always went to TA office hours before becoming a Systems TA. That was one of the reasons why I decided to be a TA; I wanted to put that knowledge back into circulation.” Like any other job, being a TA has been much different this past year. However, many TAs have seen a silver lining in this new format and are using their new tools to their best ability to help as many students as possible. Virginia Tech students would be wise to consult these assistants in the future as we continue to power through quarantine, as they are always happy to help. “I met some truly phenomenal people while being a TA,” Cerne said. “Honestly, I could only say good things about this job.”
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‘You can’t stop the beat’: How the Blacksburg music scene is surviving the pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic may prohibit live performances, but it is not stopping local musicians from making their music. ELISE MCCUE lifestyles contributor
It’s been a year since everyone’s lives flipped upside down in unimaginable ways. No corner of life was immune to drastic changes, and the music scene was no exception. From big ticket acts like Harry Styles and Pitbull, who postponed and cancelled world tours, all the way down to local artists who had to miss out on coffee shop gigs, no artist was unsusceptible from halting changes. In an industry that relies so heavily on live shows and in-person connections, musicians, especially those local to the Blacksburg area, have been making adjustments to their way of life. Typically, the local music scene in our little corner of Virginia is vibrant with bands and solo artists across all genres. Most of these acts are Virginia Tech students, so they have the special task of keeping up with their school work and other obligations while still writing and producing songs. In addition to producing music, local artists also perform their music live at venues like the Lyric Theatre downtown. The monumental shift these musicians had to make in their routines once the COVID-19 pandemic hit was a feat that no one had ever dealt with before, but musicians across the scene took advantage of their time off in different ways. For Julian Santos, a junior majoring in business information technology, his tasks in local music rely heavily on connections. Being both a musician and producer, his niche in the scene depends upon being able to make himself visible, not only to an audience, but also to other artists and future collaborators. “I have been mainly just trying to find other artists at this point in time. Due to (the novel) coronavirus, it’s really hard to connect with artists, especially since I am not a music major,” said Santos. “For the most part, I’ve been getting in contact with event handlers as well other musicians. My main interactions with artists have been kind of indirect. I actually met one of the acts I’m collaborating with, Friend of the Three, through a job with another organization.” While COVID-19 has definitely halted the rapid production of music he releases on behalf of himself and his collaborators, Santos has found ways to keep himself busy and avoid a sort of musical lull. He has taken this as an opportunity to start projects he’s
been hoping to get around to for a while, such as producing a music video for one of the bands he is working with. Santos says that “(he’s) been wanting to make a music video for a long time now,” and via connection through an organization Santos is part of, the band Friend of the Three reached out, asking to make a music video. “We got together, we churned out the music video, and they realized I also produce music, so from then on I’ve been collaborating with them,” Santos said. His time away from live performances and scouting out new acts to collaborate with has granted him the time to start projects he’s always wanted to do, but never had the time to do. Attacking projects that artists have always wanted to create is just one way local musicians have been filling their time during the loss of live gigs, and the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity-based band Chimpanzees and Cigarettes, composed of Drew Robinson, Nick Richards, Neel Kaloji, Luke Rutigliano, Grant Mayo and Daniel “McLovin” Majikes, has been taking full advantage of their time off. For the neo-alternative band, down time has given them the opportunity to find and solidify their sound as a group and participate in the numerous virtual performance opportunities Virginia Tech has to offer. “I think we’re way (more) productive when we don’t have gigs coming up, when we’re just recording for fun,” Majikes said when speaking on what has been filling the band’s time over the past two semesters. Future plans for Chimpanzees and Cigarettes have not slowed down due to the pandemic. Rutigliano says that, for their fraternity, they’re “trying to put together a philanthropy event in which (they would) get an artist to come, and (they would) probably open for the artist, and after that (they are) hoping in a few weeks to release an EP.” As Rutigliano finished his sentence, the rest of the band started overlapping each other with ideas that they have for future projects and performances during COVID-19, making it obvious that they are itching to share their music with live audiences again. “Everybody’s looking for something normal to go and do, so if we’re providing something like that, everyone wants to be a part of that while being as safe as possible,” Mayo said. Taking the time off to work on music, though it has been productive for the band,
COURTESY OF CHIMPANZEES AND CIGARETTES
cannot replace the rush of playing music for people to enjoy in person. “As an athlete, I used to get nervous before games, but performing live just feels so different, and I can’t wait to get back out there,” Richards said. The boys all nodded in agreement, and it was obvious the sentiments were shared. “Being in a fraternity has been such a vehicle for (us) as a band. When we release our music or we have events, we have full support,” Kaloji said. The band’s first event back is sure to be one to remember, not just for them, but for the music scene in Blacksburg. Despite the loss of live performances, the virtual Blacksburg music scene has been hot. Nick Robinson of Chimpanzees and Cigarettes said that, most recently, “(they have) been trying to work on their act for Bandslam.” Bandslam is a virtual battle-of-the-bands hosted by VT Union, in which viewers would log onto YouTube to watch acts perform and, at the end of the concert, vote on their favorite act. The winner of Bandslam will book the gig of performing live on the Drillfield. Many Virginia Tech organizations have hosted virtual events to listen to and enjoy the music from our local artists. Last semester, some events included acapella live stream showcases, such as the Soulstice Fall 2020: Girls Night In concert, and the VT Union hosted a Homecoming Concert featuring student music acts and pop/R&B star Jason Derulo. Virginia Tech’s annual Relay for Life fundraiser is on April 9. Typically, a number
of local artists would perform for participants of the event with one big ticket artist as the headliner. This year, local artists will still have the opportunity to perform for Relay, only this time their performance will be live streamed throughout the week for Relayers to enjoy their music. With the hard work and cooperation of music organizations, artists and the music community, students are never more than a few clicks away from enjoying “live” music from the comforts of their couch. In the midst of a pandemic, everyone was forced to prioritize the essentials in their lives while sacrificing the joys that luxuries brought. While live music is considered a luxury for most, it is an essential part of the lives of local musicians here in Blacksburg, and no pandemic was about to stop them from going forth with perfecting their craft and planning for a great comeback once live music gets the green light to happen.
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PAGE 8 March 16, 2021
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Hokies fall in first game of ACC Tournament The Tar Heels’ momentum proves to be too much for Virginia Tech.
COURTESY OF HOKIESPORTS Virginia Tech’s Justyn Mutts (25) passes UNC’s Walker Kessler (13) during the second half of UNC’s 81-73 victory over Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, Thursday, March 11, 2021. AMBER WILLIAMS sports editor
Virginia Tech fell to UNC in the quarterfinals after a Tar Heel surge in the second half after a heavily back-and-forth game. The Hokies were the 3-seed in the tournament, and UNC was seeded No. 6. Tech hadn’t played since Feb. 27 heading into the matchup due to issues with COVID-19. The game started with a 2-pointer from the Tar Heels and Tech answered with Tyrece Radford downing another two. Tech started playing decent defense early, but was unable to find the same consistent success on offensive play. The game started to tilt in
favor of the Tar Heels toward the end of the first half. The crowd, although not an excuse for Tech as a seasoned team, was certainly in favor of UNC. Head coach Mike Young was visibly frustrated with the referee going into halftime. Despite the difficulties the Hokies were facing, Tech led 35-32 at the half. The statistics were close, but still in favor of the Hokies at the end of the first. Tech was shooting free throws at 100% and had a field goal percentage of 47 to the Tar Heels’ 44. At the opening of the second half, the same narrative of back-and-forth play continued. The momentum continued to build for the Tar Heels and they eventually
took the lead. The Hokies began to struggle; they were unable to capitalize on UNC’s fouls at the free throw line. UNC outplayed Tech offensively in the latter of the second to seal Tech’s fate. Playing defense is essential to any team’s game, but Tech found out that alone is not enough to win a tournament. The Hokies struggled to capitalize on the Tar Heels fouls at the free throw line and UNC’s momentum continued. With 5:48 left in the second, UNC held a 10-point lead of 66 – 56 and there was not enough time for Tech to come back. The final from Greensboro was 81 – 73 in favor of the Tar Heels. Justyn Mutts was the star for the Hokies on the court, seemingly the only player with energy for the entirety of the game. Mutts was the top point scorer for the Hokies with 38, was strong on rebounds and downed a couple of dunks for the Hokies. He was the main player holding the team together. Keve Aluma, who has been the main headline for Tech this season, was not present on the court for the Hokies. His low scoring undoubtedly affected the outcome for the Hokies, as they needed their entire team to be available against UNC, who had a strong performance in the second round of the ACC tournament against Notre Dame. Coach Young was not entirely unhappy with the performance of his team. “We didn’t play bad tonight,” Young said. “We did not play a poor basketball game. Just not quite good enough against a North Carolina team that’s playing well.”
Neither Wabissa Bede or Mutts pointed to the teams break in play as a source of their inability to take down the Tar Heels. “I don’t want to blame the loss on the pause,” Bede said. “I think we were very capable of winning the game.” “I think we were able to stay in good shape throughout the break . . . I feel like everybody had their legs out there,” Mutts said. “I don’t really know what happened.” Although the Hokies saw their ACC tournament run end much earlier than they had hoped, they are looking ahead to the promising possibility of playing in March Madness. “Our sadness will be replaced with sheer joy here real soon when I find out what we’re doing on Sunday,” Young said. It’s disappointing to see Tech’s tournament run end abruptly after what was such a strong season for the team. Although UNC was the more skilled team during the matchup, the Hokies put up a fight and kept up with the Tar Heels for a majority of the game. Tech’s loss can be partially attributed to its low stamina during play, allowing UNC to take advantage of the momentum they garnered during the second.
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Hokies stay undefeated against Clemson at home Donato and Kros dominate in doubles play. KATIE SMITH sports staff writer
The No. 36 Hokies defeated Clemson 4 – 0 Friday for their third straight win. The Hokies were dominant on the court in doubles, with seniors Carlo Donato and Ryan Kros winning 6 – 0 followed by sophomore Jordan Chrysostom and freshman Ryan Fishback defeating the tigers 6 – 4.
For singles, Alvaro Saez-Royuela Ariza contributed to the Hokies’ score winning 6 – 1, 6 – 2. Hugo Maia also won his match, winning 6 – 4, 6 – 2. It was sophomore Matthis Ross who secured the match for Virginia Tech, winning 6 – 3, 6 – 2. The win moves Tech to 7 – 0 at home for the season. @CTSportsTalk
ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team huddles before a match against Clemson, March 13, 2021.