September 22, 2020

collegiatetimes.com

September 22, 2020

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

GET READY

ALEX NAGELI / COLLEGIATE TIMES

PAGE 2 September 22, 2020

opinions collegiatetimes.com

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com/opinion

column

For the outdoors to be ‘great,’ they must be equally accessible to everyone, regardless of social status

I

Though the United States prides itself on its beautiful landscapes, the picturesque scenery hides an elitist reality.

remember the first true hike I ever went on. It was a hot day last summer when my friends and I got the idea late one afternoon to hike Old Rag. We left around 1 p.m. and reached the trailhead around 4 p.m. From there, we began the hike. Pushing through hundreds of feet of elevation gain, dozens of switchbacks and the overwhelming August heat, we finally reached the summit. I remember looking out as far as the eye could see, so high up the temperature dropped by about 20 degrees, and I suddenly became chilly in my sweaty clothes. I couldn’t help but recognize the beauty of it all. The tranquility of the top is unparalleled.

America’s national parks are a shining triumph of the American conservation movement. All across the United States, wildlands, historical monuments and other areas provide opportunities for Americans to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors while also protecting vast swaths of land for unique North American wildlife to flourish. Due to having one of the most expansive park systems in the world, a cult of recreational followers has sprung up all across the country, owning expensive equipment and gear from wellknown brands such as L.L. Bean or Patagonia and spending every second they can enjoying all that America’s parks have to offer.

Despite being designed as an egalitarian place, the outdoors have become a quasi-elitist institution. Toxic ideas are perverse within the community. There is, in many ways, an idea that you cannot be a true outdoors enthusiast without the latest gear, something many Americans cannot afford.

“I’m Black, I don’t go outside,” was one of my favorite phrases growing up. I had always

seen the outdoors as something for people who didn’t look like me. In my head, the only thing that was outdoors was heat and disgusting amounts of insects. I hadn’t yet seen the beauty in hiking.

Second among many issues is that minorities, especially Black people, have traditionally been excluded from outdoor spaces. The Sierra Club is one of the most well known environmental groups in the country.

It has also recently come into focus that their founder, John Muir, also known as the “Father of America’s National Parks,” made racist statements.

“The Sierra Club was basically a mountaineering club for middle and upper-class white people who worked to preserve the wilderness they hiked through — wilderness that had begun to need protection only a few decades earlier, when white settlers violently displaced the Indigenous peoples who had lived on and taken care of the land for thousands of years,” said current Sierra Club President Michael Brune about its early years.

More than anything, I know that I’m fortunate. I’m able to afford a $60-plus hiking backpack and $100-plus shoes. I can afford expensive socks that will wick moisture and ensure I don’t get blisters. I can afford 5.11 tactical pants that I know will not rip no matter the stress I put them under. I also know that I’ll probably always be able to afford the National Park pass that will gain me entry to hundreds of places across the country. And yet I must remind myself that so many people are nowhere near as privileged as me.

I recognize more than anything the need for reform of the outdoor community and the places we love to explore. America’s National

Voice your opinion. Send letters to the Collegiate Times.

All letters must include a name and phone number. Students 365 Squires Student Center must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include Blacksburg, VA, 24061 position and department. Other submissions must include opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com city of residence and relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

Letters, commentaries and editorial cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times.

Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board, which is composed of the opinions editors, editor in chief and managing editors.

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES The sun sets on the Duck Pond on Virginia Tech’s campus, Oct. 11, 2018.

Park Service was created to be a refuge for everyone, a place where Americans from all walks of life can congregate and enjoy the beauty of nature that is so often far removed from their lives. For so many years, it has not functioned as such. We must fight for these spaces and be a voice for the marginalized, for

those who have had such opportunities taken from them.

MARCUS LEWIS • junior • national security and foreign affairs

COLLEGIATE TIMES NEWSROOM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

231-9865

Photo editors: Ethan Candelario and Anisha Kohli

Editor-in-Chief: Ashley Long (editor@collegiatetimes.com)

Multimedia editor: Katie Dillon

Managing editors: Emily Hannah and Tori Walker Design editors: Celina Ng and Heather Trobridge Assistant design editor: Sydney Johnson Copy editors: Abby Evans and John McBride News editors: Adiah Gholston and Ben Walls Lifestyles editor: Emily Carter Sports editors: Claire Castagno and Devin Shepard Assistant sports editor: Amber Williams Opinions editors: Donya Momenian and Lexi Solomon

Social media editor: Emily Logue (Twitter)

Have a news tip? newstips@collegiatetimes.com BUSINESS STAFF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

231-9860 Business manager: Taylor Gerrells (business@collegemedia.com) MEDIAMATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

888-897-7711 collegiatetimes.com/media_kit/ orders@mymediamate.com

The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. The Collegiate Times is a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to provide educational experience in business and production of mass media for Virginia Tech students. © Collegiate Times, 2020. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

editor@collegiatetimes.com

news collegiatetimes.com

September 22, 2020 PAGE 3

collegiatetimes.com/news

University relocates 70 East Eggleston Hall residents to increase COVID-19 isolation spaces East Eggleston Hall was chosen for its low occupancy. Residents will receive a 20% return on their bills.

KATIE SMITH news writer

Virginia Tech relocated residents of East Eggleston Hall in efforts to expand isolation space for students who test positive for COVID-19.

Residents moved out of East Eggleston from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13 to other residence halls across campus where they will stay for the remainder of the year.

Virginia Tech began the fall semester with 172 isolation spaces where on-campus students will be able to complete their 14-day quarantine.

With an increase to more than 500 on-campus positive COVID-19 cases, Virginia Tech decided to increase the number of rooms available for isolation space by filling rooms across campus and clearing East Eggleston entirely.

“It was an opportunity to increase a resource that we hopefully don’t have to use, but if we need to use it is available to us,” said Assistant Vice President for University Relations Mark Owczarski.

According to Owczarski, Virginia Tech provides on-campus housing for approximately 9,300 students; however, because of students deferring or remaining virtual for

the fall semester, there are only 8,400 students currently living in the on-campus residence halls.

“Residence life brought forth the information that we had a number of vacant rooms throughout campus and that if we consolidated that space this could help us increase the resource and capacity of quarantine and isolation spaces,” Owczarski said.

East Eggleston was chosen as the dorm for isolation space because of its low occupancy.

This required the fewest number of students to move into different dorms.

“There are approximately 70 total students being moved, and they will be given a 20% return on their bill to compensate for the inconvenience of moving,” Owczarski said.

Although the move was stressful, freshman business major Katya Acton appreciates the resources provided to make the move as easy as possible.

“We had an excused absence where they emailed all our professors saying that we have a reason not to be in class,” Acton said. “They had these guys that came with the trucks and they pretty much did it for us.”

Freshmen are not the only students in East Eggleston being impacted by the move. Since residents of East Eggleston are now in different dorms throughout campus, there is no longer a

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Virginia Tech’s East Eggleston Hall, April 21, 2012.

need for the resident advisors in East Eggleston.

“I was upset about having to leave because I felt that I had missed out on opportunities as an RA, but now that I’ve moved into my new room, I’m quite happy,” said Kaden Migdal, a sophomore majoring in animal and poultry sciences and an RA in East Eggleston. “I’m still disappointed that I don’t get to be an RA, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that.”

Migdal and other RA’s received news of the move in a meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, while other residents received an email Wednesday, Sept. 9.

“They emailed us Wednesday morning and said, ‘Hope you had a great weekend. By the way you’re moving to another dorm,’” Acton said.

Although the move was not expected, it is hoped that by creating this additional isolation space, students will be able to remain on campus at Virginia Tech through the remainder of the fall semester.

“Overall it does help us to remain here in Blacksburg for the fall semester because that is our goal. We want to complete the semester here in Blacksburg,” Owczarski said.

@CollegiateTimes

President Sands announces random COVID-19 prevalence testing for undergraduate students Two thousand additional testing appointments will open for selected students who reside in Blacksburg.

BEN WALLS news editor

T h rough a P residential Policy Memorandum, President Tim Sands announced mandatory random COVID-19 testing for all on-campus and off-campus undergraduate students residing in Blacksburg Friday. The mandate is effective immediately and remains in effect until rescinded by Sands.

Beginning Monday, Sept. 21, an additional

2,000 COVID-19 testing appointments will open throughout the week to accommodate the new mandatory tests.

Selected students will receive a notification by Wednesday, asking for the student to get tested no later than 4 p.m. Friday of the following week. Students who fail to test will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.

The Virginia Department of Health will be notified when a student tests positive, and the student will be asked to follow the VDH’s recommendations on public health.

No further action is required when a student tests negative.

“Mandatory random prevalence testing is just one tool that we are employing to monitor and manage COVID-19 on our Blacksburg campus,” Sands said. “There is much more work to be done to suppress the spread of COVID-19 so that we can incrementally advance toward a more normal semester.”

Sands also mentioned that employees are being tested regularly.

Since university-wide tests began Aug. 3, 799 students and employees tested through Schiffert Health Center have tested positive for COVID-19, 166 of which tested positive between Sept. 11 and Sept. 17. One hundred and fifty on-campus students have been designated to Virginia Tech’s quarantine space.

@CollegiateTimes

PAGE 4 September 22, 2020

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

Dr. Birx made Virginia Tech the last stop on her university tour, praised university’s testing efforts Birx praised Virginia Tech for allocating resources to help conduct COVID-19 testing.

ADIAH GHOLSTON news editor

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, praised Virginia Tech for its research efforts during her visit to campus Sept. 16.

“Beginning in March we really called on research institutions to turn on their research equipment to bring additional testing to the United States,” Birx said. “There’s only a handful of institutions that have done this, and I really want to applaud Virginia Tech.”

Her visit to Virginia Tech was her last stop on a tour of mostly southern universities that have reopened in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Through the tour, Dr. Birx

aimed to gather insight and offer advice to university leaders.

During this visit, she had a discussion with various university leaders, such as President Sands, and also talked to students about Virginia Tech’s research and efforts to combat COVID-19.

“We decided that when we saw colleges opening and some of them closing that it was really important to get to college campuses to understand the student, the faculty and the administrators’ approach to this,” Birx said.

Birx praised Virginia Tech’s asymptomatic testing efforts, citing Virginia Tech’s testing of campus wastewater that will help identify if there is asymptomatic spread to and respond to any positive indicators.

She also acknowledged how Virginia Tech’s expertise in droplet movement could help the research field figure out the appropriate distance required to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Virginia Tech’s testing efforts also caught Birx’s eye as she praised the transformation of campus labs to support COVID-19 testing.

“This is a university that understood the need, understood the gap and was willing to self-sacrifice their own research opportunities to bring additional testing solutions to the people of this community and this university campus,” Birx said. “I’m really proud of what they’ve done.”

However, Birx did express a desire for Virginia Tech to get to a place where it is able

to test students every two weeks. Virginia Tech’s ability to do this will partially depend on how much of its testing is being allocated to the community.

@CollegiateTimes

COURTESY OF VT NEWS Deborah Birx (right), White House Coronavirus Response coordinator and world renowned medical expert, visited Virginia Tech on Sept. 16 to discuss the university’s management of COVID-19 with leaders, including Virginia Tech President Tim Sands (left).

editor@collegiatetimes.com

September 22, 2020 PAGE 5

collegiatetimes.com

Virginia Tech students and community members volunteer at polls to fill in for vulnerable workers An abundance of volunteers are signing up to work in person and fill the spots of those more susceptible to COVID-19.

MACKENZIE WILLIAMS news reporter

An array of unconventional volunteers prepare to work at in-person voting sites to alleviate the elderly and additional workers susceptible to the coronavirus.

“I am a little concerned, with our Montgomery County COVID-19 numbers increasing, what that means for the elderly population that has given me an ‘OK’ to put them on our calendar to work the full 45 days at the satellite locations ahead of election day,” said Connie Viar, general registrar and director of elections for Montgomery County.

Blacksburg, Virginia, has 1,554 confirmed cases as of Sept. 17 according to Johns Hopkins University. The county holds a 0.30 fatality rate compared to the state’s 2.05%. Virginia Tech has uncovered 777 positive cases according to the Virginia Tech COVID-19 Dashboard.

“Seeing as a majority of poll workers are over a certain age — statistically over 60 plus because a lot of them are retired individuals, I felt particularly obligated to step up and take that alleviation away from them,” said Jimmy Heagerty, a junior majoring in economics and political science at Virginia Tech.

An estimated 58% of U.S. poll workers were between ages 61 and older in the 2018 general election according to the Pew Research Center.

Similarly, in the 2016 general election 61 and older composed 56% of total poll workers.

Coronavirus has disproportionately affected elderly populations and those with preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes and serious heart complications. Their vulnerability forces them to decide between civil service or health, which has posed difficulty for adequate poll staffing.

“Even in the June Republican primary election, Carroll Williams — the secretary of the electoral board — had issues with staffing enough people at the June election,” Viar said about the most recent election. “People were still fearful and did not know enough about it.

We had a lot of people drop out and had the bare minimum of people for that election.”

“We can alleviate the pressure from a lot of 60 plus workers,” said Steven Baca, a junior studying Spanish and business at Virginia Tech.

Viar notes there has been an abundance of people signing up, which has totaled up to 309 volunteers to select from and staff the 25 on-site voting locations, including the central

absentee precinct.

“I wanted to try to pull my resources together as much as possible and to recruit, not just myself, but to recruit as many people as I could, to go take that position away from a lot of at-risk individuals,” Heagerty said. He estimates they have recruited 15 young volunteers.

Young volunteers share similar motives to participate in the electoral process while also filling in the gap for eligible volunteers in the time of the coronavirus. Additionally, part of their inspiration to become more involved is to provide more representation of minority communities in elections.

“It is a way for me to represent the Latino race,” Baca said. “I can make people feel more secure if they see a Latino worker there. They will be more encouraged to keep voting, not only just in this presidential election, but in the future. As a Latin person, I wanted to make my other Latin community welcome. If they are able to see me, that can encourage them to keep voting in the future as well.”

Blacksburg is called home to 3,110 Hispanic or Latino-origin individuals which accounts for 3.2% of the population.

In order to become an officer of election, individuals must complete the Officer of Elections Oath of Affirmation and the Response to Appointment. Paperwork signatures must be witnessed by a clerk of the court, notary or a member of either the Electoral Board or registrar’s staff. All forms can be found on Montgomery County’s website.

Montgomery County will be hosting two satellite locations for early in-person voting: the first floor of the County Government Center located in Christiansburg and the New River Valley Mall – recently renamed Uptown Christiansburg – in the Wonder Universe: A Children’s Museum storefront. These satellite locations will be open for voting Sept. 18 to Oct. 31. Montgomery County approved additional locations taking into account the health of both voters and poll workers to minimize the potential spread of the coronavirus.

“We are staffing six people per day until the last two weeks when we are staffing seven people per day. That is the full 45 days,” Viar said about the schedule poll workers will follow.

As the pandemic lingers, democratic duties weigh upon voters and poll workers alike. The need for large voter turn-out similarly demands the need for eligible poll staff. “If we do not have enough poll workers than more polling sites are

ETHAN CANDELARIO / COLLEGIATE TIMES A sign for the voting location inside Squires Student Center, March 3, 2020.

going to have to close. That is an unnecessary aspect of voter suppression that we do not need atop of all the other factors working to suppress votes across the country,” Heagerty said.

Early in-person voting and absentee voting by-mail are alternative routes to exercising citizens’ right to vote. Virginia permits anyone

who is a registered voter within the commonwealth to volunteer at the polls, but preferably, registered within the precinct they plan to serve. @CollegiateTimes

750 Hethwood Blvd. #100 G • Blacksburg, VA 24060 877-746-1676 • www.HethwoodLiving.com 800-828-1140 (TTY)

• Spacious 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartment homes!

• Animal friendly (restrictions apply)

• Private balcony or patio

• Private laundry facilities in each building

• Majority of utilities in monthly value rate

• Optional washer/dryer in apartment home

• Wired for high-speed internet access • Optional furniture and all-inclusive packages • Large Walk-in Closets

PAGE 6 September 22, 2020

editor@collegiatetimes.com

lifestyles collegiatetimes.com/lifestyles

No rush to rush: Revisions made to this fall’s Greek life recruitment Fraternities are making changes to be sure rushing is as safe as possible this semester.

KYLE BASSETT lifestyles staff writer

Under normal circumstances, fall Greek life recruitment would be right around the corner. Early September was the time where fraternities on and off campus would be hosting a variety of events known by most as “rush events,” where those interested in joining Greek life could get to know the brothers of each organization. Like many other aspects of college life, the coronavirus pandemic has changed plans.

Traditionally, the fall recruitment period for formal rush would last about two weeks, but this year it will be extended to two and a half weeks to compensate for the lack of spaces available to distance. The start date has been pushed back to Sept. 21, with the final day of rush being Oct. 12.

As for recruitment events, the Virginia

Tech Interfraternity Council, the advisory board for the 24 recognized fraternities on campus (commonly referred to as the IFC) is allowing for activities to take place between Sept. 21 and Oct. 6.

“We have made several major adjustments to our fall recruitment plan since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Spencer Hamilton, president of the IFC at Virginia Tech. “The most recent step of moving to an entirely virtual format, while difficult, was the best thing we could do to keep our campus safe and open.”

The main push by the IFC is for recruitment events and related activities to be hosted virtually. Fear of potentially spreading the coronavirus if people were to meet in person has been of high concern, and as a result, many traditional aspects of rushing are either discouraged or outright prohibited. Some of the discouraged

The Beta Theta Pi house on Turner Street, Feb. 16, 2020.

activities include carpooling with potential new members, serving food and drinks unless prepackaged, and group hangouts.

“I think contactless recruitment poses somewhat of a challenge for us because you can learn a lot about someone from how they greet you for the first time. I also worry that fewer people will be rushing overall, which reduces the likelihood of each fraternity finding the kind of people they are looking for,” said Nicholas Gardella, a senior member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Virginia Tech studying computer science.

For those familiar with any Greek life recruitment, potential new members may receive bids from the organizations they “rush,” which can be viewed as an invitation to join, oftentimes followed by a pledging process. This fall, the IFC is mandating that bid handouts be done in a contactless manner, with the date of handouts being Oct.

ANISHA KOHLI / COLLEGIATE TIMES

7.

Traditionally, bid handouts would be large-group affairs, where numerous members of each fraternity visit the dorms or off-campus housing spots of potential new members to present people with their bids. The IFC is allowing handouts to take place in person, but they are to wear face masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines, with the recommendation of not traveling in groups larger than five. However, the IFC recommends a virtual bid handout as it is ideal and the most practical.

These provisions and recommendations for how fall recruitment should be carried out will no doubt result in a different rush experience, both for those hosting and those interested in joining. However, bearing in mind the importance of keeping all those involved safe from exposure to the coronavirus, some sacrifices will have to be made for the sake of having a good, pandemic-friendly rush.

“We are excited to test the waters of a virtual recruitment process and we think it will prove to be a great way to bring returning and new students together in a safe way,” Hamilton said.

Those interested in joining an IFC organization should register on HokieSpa under the Student Organizations Menu, with more information available to be found on the IFC Instagram page @vtifc, or at www.vtifc.org/ Recruitment-Hub. Any further questions or inquiries can be addressed via emailing virginiatechifc@gmail.com.

@CollegiateTimes

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

September 22, 2020 PAGE 7

album review

American Heads-up: ‘American Head’ by The Flaming Lips less than sizzles The Flaming Lips’ most recent album isn’t bad, but it may be time for rock stars to go back to the drawing board.

BRYCE NOLAN lifestyles staff writer

With a name like The Flaming Lips, it’s hard to imagine this band spitting anything other than absolute fire. And with that obvious joke out of the way, we may begin.

The Flaming Lips has, amazingly, been around since the mid-1980s, however its stardom only rose in the early 2000s thanks to the glorious one-two punch of 1999’s “The Soft Bulletin” and 2002’s “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” the latter of which is arguably its greatest work to date.

Since then, The Flaming Lips has released a decent armload of records at a fairly conventional pace for an experimental rock band. Its offering for 2020 titled “American

Head,” released Sept. 11, is certainly not in the same ballpark as “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” Few modern records are, but it nonetheless reminds listeners exactly why The Flaming Lips deserve to retain your attention in this day and age.

Any act that bills itself as experimental or innovative must walk a delicate balance between its desire to be original and the demands placed upon it as professional musicians. The Flaming Lips’ discography is an expansive one, and as such it is more than likely it will end up treading water in some places. There’s nothing inherently wrong or dubious about this practice; it simply means that whatever you put out as a placeholder has different ambitions than your traditional work. See also Willie

Nelson putting out an entire album just to pay his taxes, or Prince making four albums in a single year to get out of his contract, or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard doing the exact same thing for no apparent reason, but that’s another story. “American Head” is not trying to one-up the Lips’ past work, not by any means. What it is, however, is a low-stakes exercise in creativity that ought to draw the listener back into the world of The Flaming Lips.

The album opens with the soft and smooth motions of “Will You Return/When You Come Down,” which sets the mood for the rest of the record: slow, contemplative, consistent. The whole album has a dreamlike feeling not entirely dissimilar to some of their other work. There’s a lot of

quiet acoustic guitar, whispery and distorted vocals, and murky piano lines serving as the connective tissue of this album, which is one of the reasons I say that it might not exactly be reaching for the stars, as this trifecta of elements tend to be the standard operating point for a lot of alternative music.

However, the Lips do an admirable job making something special out of it.

“Dinosaurs on the Mountain” displays the album at its most wistful, utilizing the keyboard to great effect. “At the Movies on Quaaludes” is probably the closest the album comes to intensity, having some fairly prominent drum work. A close second is “Mother I’ve Taken LSD,” which will probably be regarded as the album’s best track.

“American Head” is hardly revolutionary, but that doesn’t make this record bad by any stretch. The listener’s opinion on the album will vary depending on what exactly they wanted out of it. Anyone expecting this album to change their life, like “Yoshimi” might have at one point, are sure to be disappointed. But others who just wanted more out of the Flaming Lips will be elated that their favorite band is still kicking.

Whatever its subjective merits, “American Head” is concerned primarily with reminding the listeners that The Flaming Lips can still expertly put a list of songs together like a band with a nearly 40-year long career ought to be able to.

Its critical flaw may also be its only reason for existing, that the band doesn’t really have anything better to release. One could argue that a band like The Flaming Lips ought to have something more on its mind, and that such an album does a disservice to itself and its fanbase. But for what it’s worth, it’s a half-decent Flaming Lips album that will hopefully lead into something more satisfying down the road. And in that sense, one must suppose, the album is a success. I give “American Head” 3/5 stars.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, performing In the Morning of the Magicians at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre.

@CollegiateTimes

PAGE 8 September 22, 2020

sports

editor@collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com

collegiatetimes.com/sports

Devon Hunter suspended by Virginia Tech football The safety was suspended indefinitely after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a family member.

WYATT KRUEGER sports staff writer

The Virginia Tech football team announced on Twitter that starting safety Devon Hunter “has been suspended indefinitely from all football activities effective immediately for not upholding the high standards we have for our student-athletes.”

Andy Bitter, who covers Virginia Tech football for the Athletic, reported Monday afternoon that Hunter was arrested Sunday and charged with “strangling another causing wounding or injury and simple assault on a family member.”

The felony charge leads to an automatic suspension until the case is resolved, which is Virginia Tech athletics policy.

Head coach Justin Fuente said on Monday morning that he will have no further comment on the matter.

TROY CLARK / COLLEGIATE TIMES Devon Hunter (7) walks back to the sideline after a scoring play in the Hokies’ victory against Furman, 24–17, Lane Stadium, Sep. 14, 2019.

Fuente mentioned redshirt freshman J.R. Walker, redshirt senior Tyree Rodgers and freshman Keonta Jenkins as potential replacements for Hunter at the safety position.

Blacksburg area. “[I] could see the disappointment in our players and our program when the Virginia game was postponed,” Fuente said Monday. “I know our fans are disappointed.”

The loss of Hunter could loom large for the Hokies’ secondary, who already had cornerback Caleb Farley opt out in July due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hunter played in all 13 games in 2019, recording two starts and 16 total tackles, and was projected to be a breakout player in 2020.

As of now, Virginia Tech is scheduled to start its season at N.C. State on Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network, but it is too early to be certain about that contest being played.

The news serves as yet another blow to the Hokies, who were disappointed on Sept. 12 after the Commonwealth Cup was postponed due to increasing COVID-19 concerns in the

@CTSportsTalk

No. 20 Virginia Tech, N.C. State eager to establish early momentum in Sept. 26 matchup Despite player departures, talent still remains on both sides of the ball for the Hokies.

RIDGE WILSON sports staff writer

After an offseason turned upside down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the No. 20 Hokies will finally take the field when they open their 2020 season against the N.C. State Wolfpack on Saturday night at Lane Stadium. With longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster no longer roaming the sidelines, many eyes will be on Justin Hamilton as he looks to carry on Foster’s legacy.

This will mark the teams’ first meeting since 2015, with the Hokies notching a 28-13 victory against the Wolfpack as part of Frank Beamer’s final season as head coach. The game is a make-up from Sept. 12, when N.C. State had to postpone due to numerous positive tests for COVID-19 within its team. Conversely, the Hokies had to postpone their Sept. 19 matchup

against UVA due to virus-related issues in the school community.

Head coach Justin Fuente enters his fifth season, and this proves to be a pivotal one for the Hokies. After a lackluster 2-2 start last season, Fuente made a switch at quarterback, inserting Hendon Hooker, and the move paid dividends. The Hokies went 6-1 after that, winning every game that Hooker started, up until their 39-30 loss to Virginia, the team’s first defeat to its in-state rival since 2003. The Hokies followed that up with a heartbreaking 37-30 loss to Kentucky in the Belk Bowl, ending the season on a sour note.

Offensively, Fuente says the team plans to start Hendon Hooker at quarterback, but is still finding a role for both Quincy Patterson II and Oregon transfer Braxton Burmeister. Despite the departures of playmakers like Deshawn McClease, Hezekiah Grimsley and Damon

Hazelton, the Hokies should still have plenty of weapons, led by receivers Tré Turner and Tayvion Robinson, along with new running backs Raheem Blackshear and Khalil Herbert.

Defensively, most contributors from last season remain, except for suspended safety Devon Hunter and cornerback Caleb Farley, a potential first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, who chose to opt out due to concerns about COVID-19. Impact players like Divine Deablo, Rayshard Ashby and Dax Hollifield remain in the lineup.

Head coach Dave Doeren has built a respectable program at N.C. State, but the Wolfpack slipped to a 4-8 record last season behind an inexperienced, injury-ravaged team. It struggled mightily offensively, but it possessed a solid duo of running backs in Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. Doeren brought in Tim Beck to be the team’s offensive

coordinator, so they are counting on quarterback Devin Leary and his young playmakers to take steps forward this season.

Defensively, senior linebacker Louis Acceus announced that his football career is over due to numerous concussions; he will stay on as a student-coach, hoping that the experience this young defense got last year will carry over into this season.

The Hokies look ready to take a step forward in the ACC this season with all the returning production on both sides of the ball, while the Wolfpack remain a very young team across the board. Virginia Tech should get it done to start the season.

@CTSportsTalk