Upcoming WoW events H

There is now a return of a sense of normalcy this session since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of the variety of event options and the number of VCU offices participating in the events, Patterson said.

“We are excited to be back pretty much at full force this session, and we hope that everyone feels welcomed and spirited,” Patterson said.

Most of the students were unmasked at the events on Monday, following the university enacting a new policy of voluntary masking indoors and outdoors on campus, with the exception of clinical settings and health ystem facilities, according to the VCU One Together website.

Marketing freshman Jenna Stevens said she loves VCU already based on community and academic opportunities she has already seen.

Friday, Aug. 26, 3-6 p.m. Monroe Park

International Beach Party

Saturday, Aug. 27, 3-7 p.m., Cary Street Field

MCV Campus Block Party

Thursday, Sept. 8, 3-6 p.m., Larrick Student Center

RecWell Passport to Well-Being

Assistant Director for Student Organizations, Leadership and Civic Engagement and Weeks of Welcome Co-Chair Nicole Patterson said the Weeks of Welcome’s purpose is to help new and returning students make “vital connections” the first couple weeks they are on campus.

“We know it’s very important based on research for students to make those connections early so they feel like they have a place at VCU,” Patterson said.

“I love the diversity. It’s not just diverse in race, it’s diverse in abilities, talents and personalities,” Stevens said.

Stevens said she is planning on attending more of the Weeks of Welcome events in the next couple weeks in order to meet new people.

“I am already setting up my calendar and writing stuff down,” Stevens said.

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m., James Branch Cabell Libary

Go Beyond the Compass Fair

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., The Compass Plaza

Stories of the week

national: The Food and Drug Administration is intending to authorize updated versions of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 boosters around Labor Day. international: Russian troops are holding a nuclear plant and its workers hostage in Kyiv, Ukraine amidst the six-month long war between the two countries.

ANNA CHEN Audience Editor KATRINA LEE News Editor

The individual being charged with defrauding VCU of nearly half a million dollars in a 2018 email scam is being detained in custody until the start of his trial.

The Department of Justice announced on Aug. 10 the scam, run by three individuals who hold dual citizenship in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, defrauded the university and attempted the same with other universities around the U.S.

Olabanji Egbinola and his co-conspirators were extradited from the U.K. after his extradition appeal was rejected on July 12, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. Olabanji is the main focus in the case of VCU and is now facing charges in the United States.

“The scams allegedly perpetrated by the defendants and their co-conspirators targeted unsuspecting victims including universities in North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, and attempted to cause more than $5 million in losses,” the DOJ press release stated.

Egbinola first reached out to VCU on Sept. 26, 2018, according to the DOJ press release. He used the name “Rachel Moore” and pretended to be an employee from Kjellstrom and Lee, Inc., a Richmond-based construction company with an ongoing contract with the university.

The scammer then requested an Automated Clearing House wire transfer for payment on a construction project, according to an affidavit issued in support of extraditing Egbinola. The scammer conspired to launder the money and transfer it overseas.

The university traded emails back and forth from October through December of 2021 with “Rachel Moore,” who eventually convinced a university employee to wire the money to a Bank of Hope account, according to the DOJ press release.

VCU was contacted in January by their bank, informing the university of the wire transfer being fraudulent. The university found there was no Rachel Moore at Kjellstrom and Lee, Inc., and the company never received the wire payment, according to the press release from the DOJ.

VCU recovered a “significant amount of funds” through insurance, university spokesperson Mary Kate Brogan stated in an email.

Brogan also stated there are now “additional safeguards put into place” to help protect the university from these types of fraud in the future. Brogan declined to comment any further and refused to connect The Commonwealth Times to another spokesperson.

Egbinola was charged with four counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his attempt at defrauding VCU.

A preliminary and detention hearing was held on Friday at 11:00 a.m. for Egbinola in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where evidence was presented prior to the upcoming trial.

A U.S District Judge said there are no conditions which would ensure Egbinola’s presence in the United States and maintain the “safety of the community.” He stated his decision may be appealed later.

“There’s no dispute he has minimal ties to the United States and has ties to two other countries. I have to go on the information I have here today,” said Judge Mark Colombell. “Due to the nature of the offense and lack of verifiable information, the court finds you need to be held in custody.”

Benjamin Beliles, trial attorney for Egbinola, said the case is mostly “guilt by association,” as there’s no direct evidence that shows his client defrauded VCU.

“The evidence is circumstantial … There is no smoking gun,” Beliles said. “Someone committed a fraud against VCU. The question is who was it?”

VARSHA VASUDEVAN Staff Writer

VCU, Virginia Tech and James Madison University students now have access to additional mental health services because of a partnership formed in January with TimelyMD, according to VCU Associate Director of Clinical Services Caroline Coffill.

Coffill said the universities’ partnership with the virtual medical care company, TimelyMD, is a “necessary addition” to university counseling services, because it provides “greater flexibility” in accessing services for students.

The universities’ combined efforts aspire to identify similar mental health concerns and patterns among students across campuses, according to Coffill.

Coffill said the pandemic worsened stress among individuals regarding mental health. A 2020 study found that a statistically significant number of college students experienced increased stress and anxiety due to the pandemic.

Students do not have to get referrals from University Counseling Services in order to access TimelyCare and can do so independently, Coffill said.

Senior VCU communication arts major Audrey Hale said prior to the partnership, there were a lot of “hoops to jump through” in terms of the number of emails and forms they had to send to be able to receive mental health service on campus.

“It took almost a month, eight emails and a phone call and some forms before I actually got to see any counselors,” Hale said. “It was fine. I got through it all. But I feel like if you’re in a bad place, that’s so much to get through, if you even get to talk to somebody.”

Hale said the partnership between

VCU, VT and JMU with TimelyMD sounds promising because it may focus more on individual needs.

A primary benefit to TimelyCare is its immediate care and attention to students at no cost, even when counseling centers on campuses may be closed, according to Director of Mental Health Operations at TimelyMD Seli Fakorzi.

“We’ve also gotten our system to the space where students are only waiting less than five minutes to connect with a provider on TalkNow,” Fakorzi said.

Fakorzi said TimelyMD’s “diverse provider network” of therapists allow students to have more choices when selecting a therapist with whom to work.

“60% of all of our providers identify as BIPOC [Black, Indeginous and people of color] providers and LGBTQ+ informed, faith-based, varying languages,” Fakorzi said. “Students can talk to a provider from various different backgrounds that may help them match better with a provider.”

TimelyMD senior success manager

Abby Waldron said TimelyCare offers resources such as TalkNow, an on-demand service where students may speak with a licensed therapist, as part of the partnership.

Other offered services are health literacy, scheduled counseling, personal health coaching and MedicalNow, an unlimited service for mental health services that don’t qualify as emergencies. They are available to all enrolled students, even those studying abroad or in a different state, according to Waldron.

TimelyCare services are currently available to students through either the TimelyCare mobile app or website.

Stat of the week

VCU field hockey players graduate student Litiana Field, junior Bridget McCormick and graduate student Janne Wetzel were all named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 teams, according to VCU Athletics.