The Commonwealth Times; September 6, 2023

‘PRESERVE AND PROTECT’ Art flows in James River celebration

ANNA LOPACINSKI

Contributing

Writer

The James River is historically regarded as the United States’ founding river, and between Sept. 9 - 16, the James River Week at Maymont will celebrate its legacy through an artistic lens focusing on the beauty of the river.

“Maymont is proud to be a collaborator for James River Week,” said Krista Weatherford, director of programming and community engagement for Maymont.

Maymont will not just offer their own programming this year at the event, but it will host community partners as well, Weatherword said.

One of this year’s activities that showcase the beauty of the James River Watershed will be the “Inspired Art of the James River” exhibition.

Wildlife photographer Bill Draper is one of the many artists who has been invited to showcase his work in this exhibit.

“Amazingly we have wildlife within the city limits, it’s just absolutely unbelievable,” Draper said. “I had no

idea until I started getting up early in the morning and running around the park, and times when the park is quiet when there are not a lot of people around the wildlife is more prevalent.”

The wildlife needs to continue to be conserved and learned about, Draper said. The use of art at the James River Week will show people the wildlife in Richmond’s own backyard, according to Draper.

“James River is really a treasure, as far as I’m concerned, for the City of Richmond, the surrounding areas,” Draper said. “It is something that we need to continue to preserve and protect.”

Janit Llewllyn, James River Advisory Council co-chair, shares a similar sentiment.

“The fact that art is coming into the environmental picture is so exciting for me,” Llewllyn said. “It will attract a different group of people and it will open people’s eyes”

Llewllyn believes the most successful efforts towards conservation rely on a balance of the harsh truth of science and the beauty of art, she said.

“A lot of times when people focus on

the science, it’s all negative, but when you focus on the art, people become more positive.” Llewllyn said.

and that’s really a strong driver for a lot of people,” Llewllyn said. “It’s art and beauty that really makes them want to go to a place. That’s what drives them to a place, and that’s what creates a love within them of whatever the resource is.”

The art in this exhibit will be shown over the span of the week and consists of dance performances from the Latin Ballet of Virginia, photography presentations and a screening of the “A Sturgeon Story” by the Headwaters Down team. All pieces are inspired by the James River and the nature surrounding it.

Bill Draper wildlife photographer

The hope for the event is that the art will shed light on the importance of the James River, and encourage people to both celebrate and protect it, Llewllyn said.

“Art brings in your heart and is a way for people to express themselves

“Right now where we are in our culture, just in general, I feel like we just need art, we need poetry, we need art, we need that kindness of softness,” Llewllyn said. “It’s just something that we all need, and I think the James River Week is a good time to bring that in.”

Tickets can be purchased at James River Association’s website, accompanied by more information on each event.

The James River

Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore

James River is really a treasure, as far as I’m concerned, for the City of Richmond, the surrounding areas. It is something that we need to continue to preserve and protect.”

Stories of the week

national: Enrique Tarrio, Proud Boys leader, sentenced to 22 years for Jan. 6 attack.

international: South Korean holding mass protests after a teacher’s suicide highlights the country’s high pressure work environment.

Richmond GRTC plans on expanding bus routes, services

HISHAM VOHRA Contributing Writer SELNA SHI News Editor

“I don’t have a car on campus, so I’m pretty reliant on public transportation,” said political science student Samantha Mendoza-Hernandez.

Mendoza-Hernandez said she takes the VCU/VUU Eastbound bus route to get to where she needs. VCU/VUU bus route is one of the two buses that goes through the Monroe Park campus.

“I take the bus two to three times a week. It is really useful to get groceries and go to Target,” Mendoza-Hernandez said.

Mendoza-Hernandez said the app is useful, but needs some changes because arrival times on the app are often inaccurate.

“The bus stops need a couple of upgrades like more benches, maybe a better sheltering system because I know sometimes when it rains, that thin bar doesn’t do enough or do what it is supposed to,” MendozaHernandez said.

Fashion design student Franchesca

Claros said she used to ride the bus when

underlines the needs of public transit riders, stakeholders and infrastructure.

“Only 26% of bus stops out of 1,600+ have a bench or shelter,” according to the report.

The group advocates for more frequent and expanding routes following the blueprint of the Greater RVA Transit Vision Plan to reach communities in Henrico, Chesterfield and surrounding areas, according to the report.

relationship with localities and government entities is encouraging to Hankins, he said.

“I think in so many ways they see us as an arm that we can speak up and provide a voice from a rider’s perspective,” Hankins said. “We can provide energy and momentum in a way that maybe a governmental organization cannot, highlighting the fervent need for more public transportation across our region.”

RVA Rapid Transit wants "every green

RVA Rapid Transit has outreach and education programs, including Mobility University, a free, five-week course to “educate and empower bus riders to selfadvocate for better public transportation,” according to Hankins. Sessions include free dinner and begin Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the

“I used to work at Jimmy John’s downtown, it [the bus] was an easier way for me to transport there,” Claros said. “The bus was comfortable, it got me to work and back home, I felt safe taking it.”

Claros also said the bus shelters need to be improved.

“There would be a lot of people at the medical [MCV] stop, where people would be waiting in pouring rain and there would not be enough room,” Claros said.

Claros said many of her friends do not know that the GRTC is free nor do they have information on how to take the bus.

“I found out [bus route information] from a friend that taught me. I also learned searching for arrival times on my phone,” Claros said.

The nonprofit RVA Rapid Transit released its annual State of Transit report, which

Photos by Arrick Wilson

Photo Illustration by Victor Romanko

The VCU women’s volleyball team defeated Iona University 3-0 on Friday morning at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. This was the team’s first win during the VCU invitational.

VCU head coach Tim Doyle said he was excited to come back home and coach the women’s volleyball team again. He coached at the College of William & Mary prior and has been with the Rams for a year now.

“I was an assistant here from 2014 to 2018,” Doyle said. “So to come back home, which VCU feels like — it’s been incredible.”

The first set was a high energy match

VCU DEFEATED IONA, 3-0 DURING INVITATIONAL

with both teams playing hard.

Iona started the game with possession, only scoring two points within the first couple minutes of the game. VCU was trailing Iona with a kill and ace back to back.

VCU red shirt middle blocker senior Sarah Stratton hit a kill with an assist from VCU junior setter Taylor Aguano, followed by a service ace from Aguano, leading the Rams up by four points.

Aguano said she started to feel the pressure and started to get points on the board. The first set was a back and forth match.

The VCU Rams came back from a timeout and closed out the first match.

Middle hitter Stratton and Akire Jones, along with opposite hitter MaKenzie Chambers, had a block party towards the end of the set.

There was a solo block by Stratton, a block assist by Jones and solo block by Chambers which helped the Rams trail Iona 19-15.

The three big hitters were prepared to shut the opponent down, according to Stratton.

“We just gotta be strong, we got to be aggressive at the net, we know our skills and what we’re capable of,” Stratton said.

VCU came out with the win of 25-20 after a kill by VCU junior Parker Hartzell and an assist from VCU graduate student AnnaBelle Tomei.

The second set had high momentum with both teams eager to close out the set.

The Rams set the game off with their first point with a kill by opposite hitter Hartzell and an assist from freshman libero Anja Kujundzic.

However, the Rams got disorganized in the middle of the set and were not playing like they do at practice, according to Doyle.

“Each individual was just trying to do too much and just not playing within our system,” Doyle said.

This led to Iona taking their first lead of the game with 15-14 by an attack error from Stratton.

VCU regained the lead back with a block assist by senior middle blocker Jasmine Knight.

The fight for the lead was back and forth between the two teams, raising the intensity.

The Gaels started to catch back up to the Rams, and Doyle reminded

his team to stay focused during a timeout.

The VCU Rams did just what coach Doyle instructed them to do and closed out the set with a 26-24 victory by a solo block from VCU graduate right side MaKenzie Chambers.

VCU was on the final stretch and had to win the third set to seal the win.

The Rams were given a first point by a service error from the opposing team.

This set was a closed out match. VCU maintained dominance and owned the court with leadership from the upperclassmen.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for the season opener. My mindset is just to protect Siegel and protect our home court,” said senior outside hitter Ana Brangioni.

Brangioni was a key contributor to the win by being a lead scorer with 12.5 points, according to StatBroadcast.

The VCU women’s volleyball team won the set 25-18 with a kill by freshman outside hitter Sydney Houchens and

an assist from Aguano.

The team worked together and cheered for each other, on and off the court.

The atmosphere in the arena was through the roof.The fans at the game really impacted and cheered on the team. This was the most fans that the women’s volleyball team played for, according to senior Brangionio.

“I cannot wait to have more students and more athletes supporting us supporting women’s sports,” Branginonio said. “Today we had a bigger crowd than we’ve ever had and that made a difference.”

Women’s Volleyball huddles up after a rally

VCU libero Anja Kujundzic hits a serve to begin a rally

Photo by Arrick Wilson

ALEXIS WASHINGTON

Contributing Writer

Photo by Arrick Wilson

The aftermath of the World Cup exemplifies misogyny is still prevalent in sports

THAILON WILSON

Sports Editor

After Spain won their first ever Women’s World Cup, Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales unsolicitedly kissed Spanish forward Jennifer Hermoso Fuentes. Many people are supportive of Rubiales which shows how backwards this situation is being viewed.

England and Spain went down to decide who will be the champions of the world during the women’s World Cup Final on Aug. 20.

Spain defender Olga Carmona scored the first goal of the game at the 29-minute mark which would ultimately seal the game for the Spanish national team.

After the final whistle blew, Spain celebrated their win by hugging and cheering for the championship they got for themselves and for their country.

Rubiales was among the people celebrating when he kissed Hermoso without consent.

This should’ve been a simple investigation considering the video footage of the assault happening, but in reality it was the beginning of something else. Rubiales walked up to Hermoso, grabbed her face and kissed her.

Uproar from Spanish players and football fans everywhere poured through the airwaves, timelines and feeds.

However, Rubiales announced on Aug. 25 during the federation’s general assembly that he will not be stepping down from the position and that the kiss was consensual, according to CNN.

“I will not resign” and “Fake Feminism” were amongst the quotes that Rubiales would shout during his 30-minute speech, according to CNN.

His speech garnered support from fellow members of the Spanish Football Federation, to the point that the SFF threatened to sue Hermoso over “lies” about the kiss, according to the Guardian. Rubiales has also been criticized for his actions by football players across the world.

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who is an international teammate of Hermoso, expressed that Rubiales’ speech at the assembly was unacceptable, according to CNN.

Spain’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz said that Rubiales should resign immediately, according to CNN.

FIFA suspended Rubiales for 90 days on Aug. 26 so that they can investigate and come to a ruling on a full termination, according to ESPN.

Tension is building in the legal world, as well as the social media world, between those who are standing with Rubiales and those who are standing with Hermoso.

This incident brought into light a nasty side of sports that has been under the veil because of the entertainment of the games.

Hermoso was a victim in a situation that would be typically seen as a time for celebration, and many watchers aren’t grasping the severity of the incident.

On Instagram, commenters labeled the situation as “not serious” and “absolutely ok” because Spain had just one their first women’s World Cup.

Sexual harassment is still a serious problem in the United States. Women made up 78.2% of sexual harassment charges filed between 2018-2021 in the workplace, according to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

This is only accounting for cases that are reported to Human Resources and filed to police stations, so the data could be skewed.

This is eerily similar to the backlash USA women’s gymnast Simone Biles faced when she stepped away from the sport to focus on her mental health.

Comments flooded news outlets’ posts about Biles calling her “exaggeratory” and “not patriotic” due to her decision to step

away.

These instances of downright awful behavior remind me that even though progress has been made for women’s empowerment within sports, many people still hold misogynistic views in their heads and see women as a commodity of entertainment.

Rubiales might face consequences for his actions, as he is currently under investigation by the Spanish High Court, according to Reuters, but his tirade during the federation assembly already did damage. Women are seen in sports all over the world. Many fans love them when they are representing their country like Hermoso, or when they show dominance in their sports and win the World Cup like Alex Morgan. However, when female athletes bring up issues like mental health, abuse or they simply stop winning, many fans stop seeing them as people they love watching and instead start feeling a sort of hate.

Rubiales is the most recent glaring example of a theme that many fans, sports teams and the sports world sees: Women athletes are objects of enjoyment, but are never seen as people.

VCU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE LOOKS TO BE A COMPETITIVE SEASON

ANDREW MCGHAN

Contributing Writer

The VCU women’s basketball team is excited about the competition in their non-conference schedule, according to head coach Beth O’Boyle.

VCU released the non-conference schedule for the women’s basketball team on Aug. 24, according to VCU Athletics.

The schedule contains four teams who made an appearance in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, according to VCU Athletics. Those teams are James Madison University, Sacred Heart University, East Carolina University and St. John’s University.

The schedule will be a great experience for the team to go up against very talented teams, according to O’Boyle.

“When you look at it, it’s challenging, we have some teams on the schedule that have been very successful last year, and will be a great test for us,” O’Boyle said.

VCU sophomore guard Timaya LewisEutsey said she feels great about competing against talented teams.

“I feel like it gives us a chance to really step up and every time we do play teams that went far in the tournament I find that we’ve always performed very well,” LewisEutsey said. “It’s going to definitely prepare us for our conference season playing against some really, really high level competition.”

VCU will face teams with different styles of play during their non-conference to help them make adjustments for when the conference season would start, according to O’Boyle.

“One of the things that we look at when putting the schedule together is playing against a variety of styles of play,” O’Boyle said. “We really tried to mix up the style of play, so that it exposes our players to it and we can build confidence and learn from it and then take it into the A-10 conference.”

Lewis-Eutsey hopes to have a great year for herself individually and for the team as a whole to have a great year.

“Honestly, I’m just excited to play the entire season,” Lewis-Eutsey said. “This is my sophomore year, It’s a big year for me. It’s a big year for us as a team and we have a chance to make a really big statement, and I have very high hopes that we will.”

VCU women’s basketball will participate in the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving break, according to VCU Athletics. The teams VCU will face are St. John’s, Sacred Heart and the University of Puerto Rico.

VCU senior guard Sarah Te-Biasu said she is excited to go to the San Juan Shootout, not only to see San Juan, but to compete and show how good VCU women’s basketball is.

“I know it’s a beautiful city and to enjoy times there but I know we’re gonna play St. John’s and that’s an opportunity for us to show them how we play and how good a team we are,” Te-Biasu said. “So I’m excited.”

One of the positives of going to the San Juan Shootout is that it allows the players and coaches to build bonds, according to O’Boyle. It also helps that players and staff can bring their families on this trip.

“When you get to be outside of the day to day of a home game or an away game that the travel isn’t as far, there’s so many things that we can do with the team that helped build relationships and connections,”

O’Boyle said.

The Puerto Rico trip is also a time where players and coaches can be thankful because of the Thanksgiving spirit, according to O’Boyle.

“That’s probably the highlight of the non conference is that Thanksgiving tournament and spending that time with our staff and our players and being grateful for the opportunities that we have at VCU and getting to do it in a beautiful place like Puerto Rico,” O’Boyle said.

Sarah Te Biasu, Taya Robinson and Samantha Robinson

CT SPORTS’ PICK OF THE WEEK

Washington Commanders will be too much for the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will face off against the Washington Commanders the first week of the NFL season on Sept. 10.

Winning this game would be a huge confidence boost to start the season for either team. Washington will win this game as they have a much more talented roster with more experience and chemistry under their belt.

This will be the Commanders’ first official game without former Commanders owner Dan Snyder, who recently sold the team to an investment group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion.

Washington is uncertain that their star receiver Terry McLaurin will play week one due to a toe sprain that occurred during a week two preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Second-year player Sam Howell was named the starting quarterback for the Commanders, and he hopes to make a strong impression within the NFL after being benched in all but one game his rookie year.

This will also be Eric Bieniemy’s first game as Washington’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, who had previously won two super bowls in his four years as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator.

The Cardinals are not likely to win this game as they are currently undergoing a brand new coaching regime under Jonathan Gannon. Gannon was a massive part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ success, reaching the Super Bowl and turning the Eagles defense into a powerhouse as a defensive coordinator.

Their star quarterback Kyler Murray is out with a torn ACL and will continue to be out for at least the first four weeks as he was added on to the PUP list, or Physically Unable to Play list, according to the Arizona Cardinals website.

The Cardinals have the option of starting either Joshua Dobbs, a newly acquired journeyman in the league or Clayton Tune, a fifth-round rookie who’s had a decent run during the preseason.

GAME RESULTS

SEPTEMBER 1

WOMEN’S FIELD HOCKEY VS. GEORGETOWN WON 4-2

MEN’S SOCCER AT AMERICAN TIED 2-2

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL VS. IONA WON 3-0

SEPTEMBER 2

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY VS. SPIDER ALUMNI OPEN FINISHED 7TH

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY VS. SPIDER ALUMNI OPEN FINISHED 7TH

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL VS. RADFORD WON 3-1

SEPTEMBER 3

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL VS. GEORGETOWN LOSS 0-3

WOMEN’S SOCCER AT VIRGINIA LOSS 1-4

SEPTEMBER 4

MEN’S SOCCER VS. NORTH CAROLINA LOSS 1-4

NATHANIEL SEMUNEGUS

Contributing Writer

On this day September 6: Princess Diana’s funeral occurred in 1997, and an estimated 2 to 2.5 billion people watched the event worldwide, making it one of the largest televised events in history.

Event at gallery shines light on sustainability, food justice

OLIVIA JAZWICK

Contributing

Writer

Marshall Street was buzzing with activity this past First Friday when Gallery5 opened its doors on Sept. 1 to present Sustainable Richmond 2 for the first time in 13 years.

The event is a collaboration with markets and merchants that specialize in sustainable living to support local, mutual aid food justice initiatives and promote climate awareness.

Gallery5 owner Amanda Robinson is working with some of Richmond’s most beloved mutual aid organizations like Seasonal Roots, RVA Community Fridges, Richmond Food not Bombs, Shalom Farms and Richmond Moon Market to “rebuild on the collaborations and relationships” with local nonprofits, she said.

Instead of these organizations sitting behind tables and handing out pamphlets, Robinson wanted it to be an immersive experience for attendees, she said.

“I wanted to display them alongside visual artists, so you’re actually looking at their organization almost as though it is displayed like a piece of artwork,” Robinson said.

Inside the gallery were exhibitions for some of the local food resource organizations and a large venue area where musicians played to a crowd of onlookers. Outdoors, the streets were sectioned off and filled with various sustainable and local vendors selling products from clothes, tarot readings and food.

“It’s to show what we’re here for,” Robinson said. “We’re a visual arts center, but it’s all about building relationships and giving a space and voice to local artists and non-profits that need better representation.”

Taylor Scott, the founder of RVA Community Fridges, stood in front of an art exhibit displaying the 13 decorated and fully functional fridges that are spread throughout Richmond to provide food to those in need.

Scott said their organization’s mission was making sure that they could provide free and accessible food

fridges, so that people could have access to fresh, local produce because food is a right and not a privilege.

RVA Community Fridges has been active in the Richmond area since 2020 and has firsthand experience with the way that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the community’s access to consumable and affordable food, Scott said.

Scott said she didn’t know what was happening in the mutual aid field or the food scene before starting the fridges and COVID-19.

“It wasn’t until she put that first fridge out and COVID was in full swing that people were spreading the word and asking for more,” Scott said. “You can really see the heightening difference and lasting effects.”

Seasonal Roots, a local food organization, was another group featured at the event. Isabella Clouse, their social media strategist, explained that over the course of the year, Seasonal Roots works with around 70 to 100 different farms to harvest produce for the community.

People can sign up to be Seasonal Roots members and get fresh produce delivered right to their house, Amanda Robinson said. The annual membership fee is typically $50, but for the event, the organization reduced the price to $25 and donated $20 to Gallery5.

Seasonal Roots donates produce that isn’t suitable for their members to communities like RVA Community Fridge, Clouse said.

Everyone at Sustainable Richmond 2 had a “powerful” mission to help the city and shed a light on what these organizations do, Clouse said.

“These events are really great because it brings all of the Richmond people together and it helps all of these smaller organizations make a name,” Clouse said.

Inside Farm Bus at Sustainable Richmond 2.

Photo by Olivia Jazwick

These events are really great because it brings all of the Richmond people together and it helps all of these smaller organizations make a name.”

Isabella Clouse

social media strategist at Seasonal Roots

I wanted to display them alongside visual artists, so you’re actually looking at their organization almost as though it is displayed like a piece of artwork”

It’s to show what we’re here for. We’re a visual arts center, but it’s all about building relationships and giving a space and voice to local artists and nonprofits that need better representation.”

Amanda Robinson

Gallery5

owner

Amanda Robinson Gallery5 owner

Sustainable Richmond 2 exhibition inside Gallery5.

Photo by Olivia Jazwick

Exhibition for Sustainable Richmond 2 inside Gallery5.

Photo by Olivia Jazwick

Sustainable Richmond 2 on Marshall Street

Photo by Olivia Jazwick

The Farm Bus at Sustainable Richmond 2.

Photo by Olivia Jazwick

A clean slate: Group art exhibition opens at The Anderson Gallery

MACKENZIE MELESKI

Contributing

Writer

Tabula rasa translates from Latin to “an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate.”

Fourteen VCUarts students presented “Tabula Rasa,” their interpretation of this Latin phrase through film, performance art and sculpture. Chynia Harris, Lareina Allred and Teairrah Green led the project after receiving a VCUarts Collaborative Research Grant during the fall of 2022, according to Allred and Harris. The exhibition opened on Sept. 1 at the Anderson and will be open for viewing until Sept. 15.

this idea of consciousness. And then that’s where we found tabula rasa.”

The art exhibition explores what happens when a clean slate — tabula rasa — is created. The exhibition also focuses on the idea of biocentrism and how consciousness relates to the physical form, according to Allred.

“We kind of wanted to have something that explored human consciousness and the idea of like, the mind as an experience outside of one’s body, because art is such,” Allred said.

Guests entered the top floor exhibition space and into a darkened room. Projectors cast videos of nature and modern dancers onto sheets. Surrounding the videos were sculptures made from real tree branches and leaves. Dancers will fill the exhibition space for a live performance choreographed by Chynia Harris on Sept. 8.

Allred said that the exhibition explores how viewers experience reality, the senses and the people and world around them.

“Collaboration is something that’s really big at VCUarts, so having the show will hopefully inspire other people to collaborate more and just be open to things that aren’t in your field,” Harris said.

VCUarts dance student Eliza Seaton joined the project as a dancer after reaching out to Harris to express her interest in participating, she said. The dancers have been rehearsing for the performance since July.

“Being a part of this process I have seen what a cohesive project looks like, and I will take that with me through my own projects,” Seaton said.

Stella Tessarollo, a VCUarts graphic design student, attended the opening of the exhibition. She said she enjoys attending student art shows with her friends for inspiration.

The live dance performance will take place at the Anderson on Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. The exhibition is open to viewing until Sept. 15.

The collaboration started with hours spent in the library brainstorming, Harris said. The students drew rough sketches and wrote drafts of their ideas, eventually focusing on ideas of creating a clean slate and biocentrism. They each contributed ways to interpret this idea through their own specialties and majors in art: dance, sculpture and film.

“Movement is a way that I translate my thoughts and my feelings,” Harris, who is a dance major, said, “So all of us used our own art mediums to explore

“We wanted to have an installation that is not just something that you put on a wall and you look at,” Allred said, “It’s something that you can walk around and you can experience.”

Chynia Harris said she hopes the project can be the start of something new for VCUarts students.

The “Tabula Rasa” exhibition presented at The Anderson.

Photos by Kobi McCray

Movement is a way that I translate my thoughts and my feelings. So all of us used our own art mediums to explore this idea of consciousness. And then that’s where we found tabula rasa.”

Chynia Harris dance major at VCUarts

Film display presented at ‘Tabula Rasa.’

Photos by Kobi McCray

Nearly half of collegeaged people

don’t read for pleasure

EMILY RICHARDSON

Staff Writer

ollege-aged people read for pleasure less than any other age group, according to a study from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The NEA’s study found that 48.2% of 18 to 24-year-olds identified themselves as non-readers. Among those that do read, 30.4% identified as digital or audio-only readers.

The obvious competitor to reading is social media, according to Lou Friedmann, content strategist at Pangobooks, a platform for buying and selling second-hand books.

The platform hosts about a million users, most of which were self-selected by Pangobooks from online communities about reading, such as specific SubReddits and “BookTok.” The majority of users on the platform are in the 18 to 29-year-old age bracket, but tend to have a particularly special interest in reading, Friedmann said.

“An enormous chunk of the time that students are spending when they’re not having to do homework or their own thing, they’re on their phones,” Friedmann said. “You have the whole season of a show on your phone. Why would you read a book?”

The VCU Student Literary Association started last year as a place for students who enjoy reading or would like to read more to come together, according to SLA secretary Ashley Baldwin. The group has already grown to nearly 400 members, Baldwin said.

“This book club focuses more so on stuff that’s typically overlooked,” Baldwin said. “There’s fantasy, women’s fiction, romance, just to get more people into reading again.”

The SLA votes on genres and books to read as a group and hosts events like reading in the park and an annual gala, Baldwin said.

Baldwin enjoyed reading when they were younger but gradually fell out of the habit as they got older. Joining SLA helped them return to their old hobby, Baldwin said.

“A big part of the reason it had declined so much for me is just because of social media and the instant feedback,” Baldwin said. “It lowers your attention span. You have to train yourself back into being able to focus.”

Baldwin has read 50 books so far this year. Reading in their free time helps with emotional regulation and thinking, they said.

“I’m able to think a little bit more slowly and clearly, and I don’t get as

An enormous chunk of the time that students are spending when they’re not having to do homework or their own thing, they’re on their phones. You have the whole season of a show on your phone.

Why would you read a book?”

Lou Friedmann content strategist at Pangobooks

frustrated with stuff either just because my attention span is way, way better,” Baldwin said. “I used to be a TikTok baby, three-second video type thing, but now I can sit still reading for an hour or two.”

An informal survey by The Commonwealth Times found that 82% of 67 survey participants read in their free time. The survey was conducted through

Instagram stories on Sept. 3.

Reading for pleasure also gives readers a chance to connect with people whose experiences might be the same or different from your own, according to John Glover, VCU Libraries’ humanities research librarian.

“CGI is great, but there’s always going to be some aspects of the human experience, or the experience of animals, of all sorts of things, that you are not able to connect with other than through the imagination,” Glover said. “Words on a page can bring things directly to you, mind to mind with an author, that are hard to get any other way.”

In terms of encouraging people to read, a good place to start is to emphasize that reading is possible through a larger number of modalities than people may think, Glover said.

“Most students have spent some time on social media, they’ve been on Wikipedia, they’ve been reading on AO3,” Glover said. “They’ve been doing all sorts of stuff, right? And it’s all reading, it just doesn’t necessarily look like you’re sitting there with a 500-page novel in your hand, and that’s okay.”

Illustration by Olivia McCabe

Support Groups

at University Counseling Services

UCS offers identity-based support groups where students can build a community with fellow students who hold shared identities and/or experiences.

Current group offerings:

Black Voices (in partnership with OMSA)

Rainbow Group - open to all students identifying as LGBTQIA+ (in partnership with OMSA)

Latine Voices

International Student Discussion Hour

Asian Voices

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Quote of the week

The first GOP debate was a clown show

KOFI MFRAMA Opinions Editor

From the onset, the word “democracy” being placed under “Fox News” is oxymoronic at best, but what more is to be expected from a Republican Party debate?

Eight republican presidential hopefuls gathered in Milwaukee on Aug. 23 to interrupt the moderators and ignore the questions asked. It made for an interesting and entertaining debate but ultimately withered away the modicum of hope I had for the future of democracy in this country.

The debate opened with a discussion about the country’s economic struggles as of late, citing that more than 65% of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction. They blame “Bidenomics” and included footage of locals complaining about inflation, but Biden doesn’t even have control over inflation like that.

For some reason, the moderators used the song “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony as a jumping off point.

The song, which sits at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, is being heralded as an anthem for the working class even though it punches down on those receiving welfare and is weirdly fatphobic.

“God, if you’re 5 foot 3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.” No wonder republicans love it so much.

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis received the first question, and he gave his response like he was reading it for the first time. He said something about sending Joe Biden to a basement and the struggles of middle America working hard and still not being able to afford basic necessities — fair — but he undercut this by making jabs at

KOFI MFRAMA

Opinions Editor

With a face carved by the hands of Michelangelo himself, Cillian Murphy’s film presence seldom goes unneeded. The Irish actor isn’t Hollywood’s most recognizable leading man. He’s spent most of his career traversing from underrated role to underrated role, giving him an incredibly diverse filmography.

Now, as his titular role in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” garners critical acclaim, I wanted to take a look at some of his previous projects.

Red Eye (2005)

Starting off strong with this airplane-set thriller, “Red Eye” follows two strangers, Lisa Reisert, played by Rachel McAdams, and Jackson Rippner, played by Murphy, on a flight to Miami. Jackson’s charm entices Lisa at first, but things take an unexpected turn for the worst when his true intentions are revealed.

Murphy deserved an Academy Award solely for his sassy line delivery in one particular scene — if you know, you know. The fact that he served face doing it makes it so much better.

Watching the Detectives (2007)

This rom-com follows a film nerd and video rental store owner whose life is turned upside down when a manic pixie dream girl type, played by the incomparable Lucy Liu, shows him life can be just as exciting and unpredictable as the films he obsesses over.

Violet, Liu’s character, thrusts Neil,

Hunter Biden’s spending habits.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie finally left the beach to join the political race. Sounds like he should probably go back given the boos he got from the audience. After boasting about New Jersey’s tax cuts, he was quickly reminded of his state’s second lowest credit rating in the nation under his governance.

Some random guy from North Dakota was there. Apparently he’s the state’s governor and goes by the name Doug Burgum. I’m not alone in being unfamiliar with his existence as 90% of voters don’t know who he is either, according to NBC News.

Mike Pence tried to jump in when he wasn’t even mentioned — like girl, mind your business.

Political newcomer, Vivek Ramaswamy, the obvious “winner” of this ordeal, introduced himself with his best Joel Osteen impression. I will admit, I was slightly moved, not by the content but by the delivery.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who positioned herself as a pragmatist throughout the debate, threw the blame for overspending back on the Republicans — as she should.

When Pence finally got a chance to answer a question about government

overspending he just didn’t answer it; which seemed to be a common occurrence throughout the debate.

Ramaswamy’s answer to the government’s money issue was to “drill, frack, burn coal and embrace nuclear,” so it’s obvious he has a deep concern for the climate.

This concern is proven even further when he claimed that more people are dying of climate change policies than actual climate change, which is so false I can’t even begin to explain it or rationalize how anyone could come to such a preposterous conclusion.

For the duration of the debate, Ramaswamy received licks left and right for being a political outsider but it seldom slowed him down from spouting the most ridiculous, baseless malarkey like shutting down the FBI.

Gov. Christie dragged Ramaswamy for his ardent defense of former President Donald Trump, but he lost me with the comparisons of Ramaswamy to former President Barack Obama. According to Christie, both Obama and Ramaswamy introduced themselves as “skinny guys with odd last names” at their first respective presidential debates. The latter part of that statement is lowkey giving racist and I

certainly wouldn’t put that past the New Jersey governor.

Trump was too busy serving face in his recent mugshot to attend the debate but his absence certainly didn’t go unnoticed. There was a question asking if candidates would still support Trump as the party’s choice even if he were to be convicted in a court of law.

Christie was booed heavily for denouncing Trump’s conduct. Ramaswamy, who was first to show their support for Trump, claimed that he “was the best president of the 21st century” which…I don’t even have the words for that.

Regardless of the off-kilter things said, this debate was a litany of lies and falsehoods.

Desantis’ claim that crime is at a 50 year low in Florida is based on incomplete data. according to the Washington Post. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that President Biden is “pushing for a Democrat proposal which is in essence abortion on demand through the term.”

The proposal he’s referring to, the Women’s Health Protection Act, failed to pass the Senate. Similar to Roe v. Wade, the act would have abortion restrictions after viability, except when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life, according to the New York Times.

There’s so much more that occurred that I don’t have the emotional energy to get into. It’s sad that half of the country is going to vote for one of these people and the thought of one of them possibly becoming president makes me more depressed and hopeless than I already am.

God help us all.

campy throughout as he buoys the hardships of the trans experience with Kitten’s whimsy and aversion to taking anything seriously.

The costuming is also absolutely scrumptious. From a certain leather ensemble to the myriad of furs, this is certainly Murphy’s most glamorous role to date.

In Time (2011)

This dystopian quasi-thriller takes place in a society where time is currency. Citizens are genetically-engineered to not age past 25, and when they do reach that age, they are given one more year to live. Time is exchanged from person to person and is stored in capsules; citizens can gain time by working, bartering, stealing or fighting for it.

Murphy’s character, from crazy scenario to crazy scenario. For example, after the duo vandalize another local video store under Violet’s suggestion, she pranks Neil by getting two “detectives” to scare him into thinking he’s been caught.

Throughout the film, Violet tells Neil stories in which fact and fiction are hard to discern. One in particular includes a big, bald musician she once dated who stalks her. She ends up pulling another ruse on the now paranoid Neil, faking an abduction by this bald ex that leads to a violent resolution.

I hope this movie inspires film bros to go outside and experience the world beyond the screen — though, hopefully not to the same extent as Neil did.

Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

In this drama, our blue-eyed beauty plays a transgender woman named Patrick “Kitten” Braden. After her mother abandoned her on the steps of a priest’s home, she leaves her small town in Ireland for London in search of her mother and a freer place to fully live her trans identity.

Her journey through London finds her falling in love with the lead singer of a glam rock band and singing and dancing as a member of the children’s entertainment group, The Wombles. She becomes a magician’s assistant and is ultimately forced into prostitution where she narrowly escapes a violent attack by iconically spraying her assailant in the eyes with Chanel No. 5. Murphy’s performance is striking and

Though the concept is interesting, the execution leaves much to be desired. Even though the cast is full of familiar faces: Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Johnny Galecki and Justin Timberlake — yes, it’s from that weird era where they tried to make Timberlake a movie star, it seems like everyone here forgot how to act.

With the exception of Murphy, of course. Here, he plays a so-called “Timekeeper,” a select group of individuals tasked with keeping the peace and investigating “time crimes.” Murphy portrays his character, Raymond Leon, with a cold suaveness and a certain sassiness that’s innate to Murphy. The leather jacket and dark, slicked back hair is just a cherry on top.

“Politics is deliberately making things better for some people by deliberately making them worse for others.”

— Cillian Murphy

Illustration by Michele Hicks

Cillian Murphy’s early filmography is just as interesting as his face

Illustration by Bailey Wood

Not an Outside Person by Anthony Duong

A Classic by Killian Goodale-Porter

Video Games by Allison Bilbey

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CORRECTION

In the Aug. 23 “Body hostility wins on the internet yet again,” illustrator Lily Robinette’s name was misspelled.

The full version of the story is available online at commonwealthtimes.org

DO THE MATH

By Jill Rafaloff & Michelle Sontarp

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

DO THE MATH

By Jill Rafaloff & Michelle Sontarp

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

The Mepham Group

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

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