The Commonwealth Times; February 20, 2012

BRIEFS

Virginia Republicans’ social agenda gains national attention.

Illustration by Hannah Swann

Local & VCU National & International

Protective order requests explode with new Virginia law

Virginia residents by the hundreds – some frightened, some angry – have flocked to their local courthouse in recent months to get a protective order under a new provision of state law.

The volume of applications for protective orders in Virginia has soared since the new law that makes them much easier to get – removing obstacles that formerly existed for non-family members – went into effect July 1.

Statewide, the number of protective orders and emergency protective orders granted through general district courts increased more than 15 fold during the last six months of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010, before the law went into effect, according to data compiled by the Virginia Supreme Court at the request of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A total of 2,015 full protective orders and 4,941 emergency proCourts in Richmond and Chesterfield and Henrico counties – and to a lesser degree Hanover County – have been hit hard by the surge of requests. Collectively, the number of full protective orders in the four localities jumped from 13 in the last half of 2010 to 538 during the same period in 2011. Emergency protective orders spiked from 50 to 441.

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Va. leads nation in interracial marriages

Interracial marriages in the U.S. have climbed to 4.8 million – a record 1 in 12 – as a steady flow of new Asian and Hispanic immigrants expands the pool of prospective spouses. Blacks are now substantially more likely than before to marry whites.

A Pew Research Center study, released today, details a diversifying America where interracial unions and the mixedrace children they produce are challenging typical notions of race.

“The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century,” said Daniel Lichter, a sociology professor at Cornell University. “Mixed-race children have blurred America’s color line. They often interact with others on either side of the racial divide and frequently serve as brokers between friends and family members of different racial backgrounds,” he said. “But America still has a long way to go.”

The top three states for white-black married couples are Virginia, North Carolina and Kansas, all with rates of about 3 percent.

In all, more than 15 percent of new marriages in 2010 were interracial.

Brief by the Associated Press

Pay raises sought for Virginia workers

The Virginia General Assembly will propose a 2 percent raise in the second year of the proposed 2012-2014 budget for state employees, faculty and classified staff in higher education as well as local constitutional officers and their staffs, according to legislative leaders.

The raise will depend on the state meeting its revenue targets in mid-2013 under the budget proposal that the House Appropriations Committee released Sunday, but the Senate Finance Committee is not linking its proposed pay increase to revenue forecasts.

The Senate budget also will propose savings for local governments to help them pay their share of big increases in contributions to the teacher retirement plan administered by the Virginia Retirement System.

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Serious Facebook hack lands UK student in prison

A British student who stole sensitive information from Facebook’s internal network was sentenced to eight months in prison Friday in what prosecutors described as the most serious case of social media hacking ever brought before the country’s courts.

Prosecutor Sandip Patel said that Glenn Mangham, 26, had hacked into the social networking giant’s computers from his bedroom in the northern England city of York and stole what was described as “invaluable” intellectual property.

“He acted with determination, undoubted ingenuity and it was sophisticated, it was calculating,” Patel told London’s Southwark Crown Court ahead of sentencing Friday. He added later: “This represents the most extensive and grave incident of social media hacking to be brought before the British courts.”

London Chief Prosecutor Alison Saunders echoed Patel’s description, saying in a statement that Mangham’s actions were “extensive and flagrant.” It was not immediately clear exactly what he stole, although Saunders said that no personal user data had been compromised.

The police statement said that Facebook Inc. discovered the breach in May and alerted the FBI, who traced the source of the attack back to Britain. Scotland Yard’s e-crimes unit raided Mangham’s home on June 2.

Brief by the Associated Press

U.S. sites hacked as objections grow to piracy deal

Opponents of a controversial global copyright treaty counted three victories Friday as American government websites were hacked and the Eastern European nations of Poland and Slovenia distanced themselves from the deal.

Sites belonging to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the National Consumer Protection Week were vandalized by Anonymous, a loose collection of cyber rebels who have helped lead the charge against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA.

The hackers replaced the sites with profanity-laced statements and a violent German-language video satirizing the treaty.

At the same time, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday the country was abandoning plans to ratify the deal. He said he now sees his earlier support for ACTA as a mistake. “I was wrong,” he said at a news conference.

His announcement came after Slovenia’s government also said Friday that it is halting the ratification of ACTA.

Brief by the Associated Press

Charges against some NY Occupy protesters dropped

New York City prosecutors have been dropping criminal charges against many of the Occupy Wall Street protesters who were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge last October in a demonstration that helped bring national attention to the movement.

Police hit 686 people with criminal charges after halting the march on the landmark span.

The New York Times reports that so far, 174 of those cases have been dismissed outright. Another 250 people have agreed to conditional dismissals.

A Manhattan judge dismissed 14 cases Friday at the request of prosecutors. Most of the prosecutions were abandoned due to a lack of evidence.

The huge number of arrests brought attention to the marchers, two weeks into their occupation of a New York City park.

Brief by the Associated Press

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Controversial personhood bill passes House Va. Republicans say agenda not focused on social issues

Brad Fulton and Claire Porter Capital News Service

Midway through the legislative session, House Republicans say they’re still focused on jobs, education, government reform and public safety – and they dispute Democratic charges that they’re pushing a “social issues” agenda.

Members of the House Republican Caucus discussed their priorities after “crossover day,” the deadline for each legislative chamber to act on its own bills.

“Of 603 bills passed in the House, over 42 percent have dealt with issues of jobs, education, government reform and safety,” said House Speaker William Howell of Fredericksburg. “These are the four main points of the Republican Party.”

Democrats have accused Republicans of being obsessed with social issues such as restricting abortion and gay rights and expanding gun rights. They point to measures such as House Bill 1, which would grant “personhood” rights to a fertilized egg at the moment of conception. Some critics say HB 1 could outlaw abortion and even some contraceptive methods, but the bill’s proponents disagree.

No state has passed such a law. Since 2008, Republicans in Colorado and Mississippi have pushed for similar “personhood” bills, but they failed.

HB 1, sponsored by Delegate Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, now heads to the Senate. If the personhood bill becomes law, it would essentially criminalize all abortions in Virginia, opponents say. They worry that the law also would affect women’s access to regular contraceptive measures such as intrauterine devices and the morning-after pill.

Sen. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, said at a press conference Thursday that he believes the personhood bill is “absolutely an attack on contraceptives.”

“Republicans want to reserve the right to decide what should be considered a contraceptive in Virginia,” said McEachin, who chairs the Senate Democratic Caucus.

“It makes me wonder if the Republicans’ real intent is to prevent access to contraceptives, to continue to blur lines and eventually for them to make all family decisions for Virginians.”

Speakers at the press conference also criticized House Bill 462, which would require every woman undergoing an abortion to first submit to an

ultrasound. The bill says the woman must be given an opportunity to view the ultrasound image of her fetus before the abortion.

Under the legislation, if the heartbeat cannot be detected, as is often the case early in a pregnancy, the woman would be subjected to a trans-vaginal probe.

“House Bill 462 basically puts government inside a woman’s body, and government has absolutely no business there,” said Delegate Charnielle Herring, D-Alexandria.

“These two bills (HB 1 and HB 462) represent an attack on women the likes of which we have never seen in our modern era, telling women what they must do with their bodies and forcing an invasive medical procedure onto a person who is exercising their constitutional right, is the epitome of big government,” she said.

The House passed HB 462 on a 63-36 vote on Tuesday.

By a similar margin, delegates also have passed HB 62, which would prohibit state-funded abortions for low-income women even if the child they are carrying would have totally incapacitating deformities or impairments.

Katherine Grennier, a spokesperson for the local chapter of the ACLU, said HB 62 discriminates against impoverished Virginians.

“It would restrict access for very poor women, resulting in a system where only

wealthy women can access the full range of health care services in the face of a devastating pre-natal diagnosis,” Grennier said.

She said this is “absolutely no way to treat a woman who is facing a medical crisis. No woman plans to have an abortion, but if she needs one, every woman deserves the chance to make the best decision for her circumstances.”

At a press conference Wednesday, House Republicans acknowledged that bills involving social issues have received a lot of press coverage and commentary. But they said those bills are a small part of the GOP agenda.

“I think the proof in the pudding is in the fact that less than 2.5 percent of bills introduced by Republicans have been social issues,” Howell said.

GOP leaders displayed a pie chart showing that only 2.2 percent of the bills approved by the House concerned social issues. In contrast:

• 42.3 percent concerned education, government reform, public safety and jobs.

• 12.3 percent involved judicial issues.

• 10.8 percent address local matters.

• The rest concerned transportation, energy, the environment, health care, veterans and other issues.

“We have approved important measures that will spur economic growth, streamline our government and improve the quality of education in Virginia. And

we have accomplished this by administering the legislative process fairly and transparently, allowing bills to be presented and discussed by the senators in full committee,” said Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment of Williamsburg.

The Senate approved several components of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s agenda, including his call to reduce and streamline the state’s boards and commissions. It also passed measures aimed at spurring economic development and creating jobs.

“The wide range of bills that were considered and approved is particularly impressive,” said Sen. Ryan McDougle of Mechanicsville, who chairs the Senate Republican Caucus.

“Bills on jobs and economic development, education, public safety, government reform, health care and veterans’ affairs have all been approved by the Senate and are headed to the House. We are on track to have one of the most productive sessions in recent memory.”

Each house now will take up legislation passed by the other chamber. Moreover, the General Assembly must turn its attention to crafting a state budget for the 2012-14 biennium. CT

This year’s General Assembly session is scheduled to end March 10.

VCU construction continues on Monroe Park campus • 4

More construction underway on Monroe Park Campus

Mark Robinson Assistant News Editor

With the West Grace Street South residence hall nearing completion, VCU is set to break ground on the West Grace Street North dorm in the next few weeks.

The design, construction and cost for the dorm were approved by the board of visitors last week. The project will add an additional 379 beds for on-campus housing and have a global education focus on the first floor, Brian Ohlinger, assistant director of Facilities Management, said.

Like West Grace Street South, West Grace Street North is a design-build, which means a contractor and an architect are hired as a team by the university to save money. The new project will have a different contractor than West Grace Street South, Ohlinger said.

West Grace Street South is expected

to be finished in July and be ready for occupancy by Aug. 1, Ohlinger said. The 162,000-square-foot apartmentstyle dorm for sophomores will host the ASPiRE program and could be expanded in the future.

“We’ve designed the current buildings in a way that would allow us to expand should we ever acquire the Sahara restaurant,” Ohlinger said. “We’ve thought about the future, and if we do (acquire it), we can add on to either the deck or the housing.”

The university was not willing to pay what Ohlinger called a “ridiculous amount” of money to buy the property prior to the building of West Grace Street South and the Laurel Street Parking Deck. It would have been “irresponsible” to buy it at the owner’s asking price, he said.

After West Grace Street South is completed, the 300 block of Shafer Street will reopen, and half of the 200

block will be closed until West Grace Street North is completed, Ohlinger said. Both the alley by Barnes and Noble and the parking garage entrance will still be accessible.

Across campus, the growing steel skeleton of the University Learning Center looms over Floyd and Linden streets.

The first floor of the academic building will be the site of the largest lecture hall on campus, designed to seat 400 students. The second floor will have a number of smaller lecture halls that are designed for class sizes of 80 or more students, Ohlinger said.

The School of Social Work will move from the Raleigh Building to occupy the third floor. The top floor will be the Center for Teaching Excellence, which is a part of the University College. The University Learning Center is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2013, according to the Master

Site Plan.

Associate vice provost and dean of students Reuban Rodriguez said the $44 million academic building will be equipped with the latest technology.

“A lot of in-class learning experiences are focused on or driven by technology,” Rodriguez said. “We’re making sure the new building has what’s needed and available to continue to enhance the classroom experience.”

Despite the construction site’s close proximity to Cabell Library and Harris Hall, Rodriguez and Ohlinger said there have not been any complaints about noise or pollution.

“With the erection of the steel, there really won’t be lots of noise … that’s really disruptive,” Ohlinger said. “There will always be some background noise going on, but it will be pretty minimal.” CT

New library loan program offers iPads, Nooks, Kindles

Eileen Mellon Contributing Writer

As technology continues to play a vital role in education, VCU Libraries are taking another step to link the two together with the introduction of an experimental loan program of iPads, Nooks and Kindles.

Currently, laptops are the number one item that patrons borrow from VCU Libraries, but now there are 27 Nook Color e-readers, 24 Kindles and 20 iPads available for rental through the new program.

The loan program is part of VCU

Libraries' ongoing and constant work to improve public services and better meet the needs of its students.

The program is designed to expose students to different popular technologies. The popularity of e-books has evolved, and e-books are becoming more and more of a focus of the collection of titles at Cabell, with currently about half a million available.

Through the new e-readers, students will have access to materials that are not currently available in the print collection.

Popular fiction novels like Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy and

Stieg Larsson's “Millennium” trilogy will be available, but there is also an extensive amount of works including essays from philosophers, political documents like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and religious texts.

Teresa Doherty, head circulation and information services and access librarian, expects that students will soon have their own mobile-reading devices and the library will concentrate on providing content to the students which can be accessed by these devices. CT

The University Learning Center (left) will be completed by summer 2013 and will house the university's largest lecture hall, the School of Social Work and The Center for Teaching Excellence. The West Grace Street South dorms (right) are scheduled to open by Aug. 1.

VCU Police take conversational Spanish classes

Mason Brown Staff Writer

For some VCU police officers, breaking language barriers is all in a day’s work.

Ten members of the VCU Police Department are taking a conversational Spanish-speaking course that aims to help them in their communication with the VCU area’s Spanish-speaking residents.

“I think it is great for the officers that are taking the class because it gives them the ability to communicate better with Spanish-speaking people that they may come in contact with," police Chief John Venuti said. "Taking the course was a lot of fun, it was interesting."

According to the 2010 Census, about 6.4 percent, or 469,303 of Virginians, speak Spanish at home. In Richmond, the 2010 Census reported 6.3 percent of the population was Hispanic, though surrounding counties, like Henrico, have experienced a large increase in their Hispanic population in the past few years. In Richmond, about 9.6 percent of people reported speaking a language other than English at home.

The class meets every Tuesday and is

offered as a one-credit course through the VCU Division of Community Engagement. Anita Nadal, a Spanish professor in the School of World Studies who also works for the division, said the class is specialized for the officers in it.

“These classes are for people who already have a profession,” Nadal said. “They just need some basic phrases to better serve their profession.”

The class is taught in a manner that encourages involvement and recreating situations officers may run into on the job. Nadal said she emphasizes on role-play and conversation. She said that it is “never a class where writing on the board and paper is the focus.”

Sgt. Nicole Dailey, who took the course last spring and pushed for it to happen again this semester, said she would like to see the entire force take a course like this.

“The course is designed to give the everyday police officer a working knowledge of Spanish," Dailey said. "The material is presented in such a way that you walk out on day one with the ability to at least say ‘Hello,’ “‘Good Afternoon’ and ‘Do you need help?’ Those sayings are almost always how we start our conversations in the police world,”

Dailey said.

The program has been used several times in the past at multiple agencies. Currently, Nadal is teaching a similar course with the Richmond Fire Department. In the past she has taught the Virginia Eye Institute, Wachovia (now Wells Fargo), and the Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

Dailey said she would like to see other languages pursued by the department in the school because of the diversity that exists on campus.

"As everyone knows, VCU is a very diverse environment," Dailey said. "In order to serve the community to the best of its potential, VCUPD must make sure it has people on staff who can communicate with the faculty, student (and) staff.”

However, some officers are finding the course useful even out of police scenarios.

“I signed up to take the class because (the) lady that helps keep our building clean speaks only Spanish,” Venuti said. “I took the class so that I could communicate a little better and easier with her each day as I would ask her if she wanted a cup of coffee and how she was doing.” CT

Two VCU police officers participate in a Spanish class taught by Spanish professor Anita Nadal (not pictured). Nadal said she focuses on role-playing exercises to help teach conversational Spanish.

SPORTS

In this section:

Men's basketball focused on the task at hand • 7 Teddy Okereafor adjusting in his freshman year • 8 Women's basketball picks up win at ODU • 9

Rams state case for NCAA Tournament with win over Northern Iowa

Quinn Casteel

Assistant Sports Editor

VCU (23-6 overall, 13-3 CAA) added another quality win to its resume on Friday night with a 77-68 win over Northern Iowa (17-12 overall, 7-9 MVC), further stating its case for another NCAA Tournament bid.

Bradford Burgess led VCU with 17 points and Juvonte Reddic notched his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Darius Theus came through in the clutch once again, getting an and-one and another layup in the final two minutes to give VCU a permanent advantage. The game was played in front of a national audience as part of ESPN’s Bracketbusters schedule and the Rams, along with another sellout Siegel Center crowd, stole the show.

“It’s great to play on national television and to showcase what you do,” said VCU coach Shaka Smart. “The fact that we can take teams out of their style of play, and what they’re trying to do, I think that is impressive for people watching.”

VCU undoubtedly turned a few heads with their wreak-havoc style of play, forcing 19 UNI turnovers, 12 of

which came off steals. Smart said he thought last year’s Bracketbusters win over Wichita State got them over the edge on Selection Sunday last season, and that Friday’s game could do the same thing this year.

“There are a handful of teams, or even two handfuls of teams playing this weekend in this event that could easily make runs in the NCAA Tournament: but you’ve got to get there first,” added Smart.

Like VCU, UNI is as dangerous a mid-major as there is when it comes to doing damage in the Big Dance. The Panthers made the Sweet Sixteen in 2010 thanks to a win over Kansas, and are in a similar position fighting to get on the inside of the bubble this year. That being the case, it was no surprise UNI came out ready to play. The Panthers shot 61 percent in the first half and 55 percent for the game. However, because of the turnovers they took nine less shots than the Rams and scored just 24 points in the second half.

“If you shoot that good of a percentage, you’re giving yourself a really good chance to win,” said UNI coach Ben Jacobsen. “But you’ve got to do some other things as well.”

Even though VCU won by nine points in the end, the game was close until the final minute when the Rams broke things open. There were 13 lead changes and 9 ties throughout the course of the night, but VCU was ready for closing time.

“It’s just important to stay aggressive even when you have a lead,” said Burgess. “You don’t want to be scared to foul and play lax defense and have them do what George Mason did last time.”

Smart said after the game that the margin of error for mid-majors hoping to make the NCAA Tournament is close to zero, but he remains confident that VCU’s impressive record gives them a viable shot at another at-large bid.

“Hopefully we caught their eye,” said a confident Burgess on the NCAA selection committee.

Bottom right: VCU's student section contributed to what several members of the media called the loudest they have ever heard the Siegel Center on Friday night.

Top right: Briante Weber (16 minutes, four rebounds) shoots a closerange jumper against Northern Iowa.

Troy Daniels (12 points, two steals) and Darius Theus (six assists, four steals) celebrate VCU's win over Northern Iowa Friday night.

Rams refuse to speculate on NCAA Tournament chances

Jim Swing Sports Editor

When it comes to prognosticating bid amounts and other things related to the NCAA Tournament, Shaka Smart can be downright dismissive.

The same VCU men’s basketball head coach that received what some would call a miraculous at-large bid to the Big Dance a season ago admits that he’s become less and less of an RPI guy and more and more. For the past couple of weeks, Smart has been fielding questions about whether the Colonial Athletic Association can receive more than one bid by the dozens.

“As a coach you're so locked in on your own team,” Smart said. “I haven't really studied many other teams around the country. I check the scores; that's about it.”

You get the sense that the Rams are never concerned about what the Selection Committee might be thinking. But a win over a Northern Iowa team ranked 62nd in the RPI rankings certainly helps their cause.

“It was important. We just thought about last year's game and how we were at Wichita, and we won a tight game out there, and that was the difference between us and them getting into the tournament last year,” VCU senior Bradford Burgess said. “So we thought we were in a similar position this year with a great Northern Iowa team trying to battle to have the guys see what we're capable of and what they're capable of, and hopefully we caught their eye.”

The Rams currently stand 81st in the RPI standings, the best in the CAA.

Burgess said he pays no attention to the numbers.

“The coaches do but we just come in and work hard and play,” he said.

While it’s arguable what BracketBusters matchups actually do for teams, there’s always the proverbial “eye test” that leaves the numbers out of the equation. Perhaps that’s what earned VCU an at-large bid last season. And with the high-powered – and unique – Havoc defense the Rams boast, this year’s Selection Sunday could turn out much like the last.

“I think the fact that we can take teams out of their style of play and what they're trying to do is impressive for people watching,” Smart said.

And that’s exactly what VCU did to Northern Iowa Friday night. Wore the Panthers down, smelt blood and attacked in the closing minutes in front of a national audience on ESPN2. The Rams turned Northern Iowa over nearly nine times more than their season average and gave the country an inside look on one of the nation’s best kept defensive secrets.

“I think they're very good and I think they're very good for a couple of reasons because of how they're coached,” Panthers coach Ben Jacobson said. “How well prepared they are and how hard they play and I think that's a result of coaching.”

With two games remaining in the regular season including a crucial final tilt with George Mason carrying major CAA Tournament implications, VCU is focused on the here and now.

“At the end of the day all you can do is control what you can control,” Smart said. “And for us that's two more regular season games and the conference tournament.” CT

Rob Brandenberg found his shooting touch once again on Friday, dropping 13 points in 26 minutes.

Photos by chris conway

Juvonte Reddic (15 points, 11 rebounds) poured it on with two late dunks as VCU closed out Northern Iowa.

Bradford Burgess led the Rams with 17 points on Friday night.

Okereafor gradually progressing in freshman season

Adam Stern Executive Editor

Around a year and a half ago, in the fall of 2010, Shaka Smart moseyed over to Benedictine High School on the outskirts of VCU’s campus one night to scout a player on Benedictine who turned out to be a future Ram commit in Jordan Burgess.

Burgess – current VCU forward Brad Burgess’ younger brother – had a good game that night, but there was somebody on the opposing team who caught Smart's eyes as much if not more. The team was Christchurch School, and the player was a junior point guard who had a slow first half in the scoring department – only two points – but picked it up considerably in the second by dropping 15 more.

That player was Teddy Okereafor.

Intrigued and impressed by the crafty point guard, Smart approached Okereafor after the game and – just like that –began recruiting him to VCU.

At the time, Okereafor was considering graduating a year early from high school because he already had the requisite amount of credits needed. The only other school recruiting the guard then beside VCU was William & Mary – specifically then-Tribe assistant coach Jamion Christian, who has since come to VCU to serve in the same position.

Ultimately determined to graduate a year early and feeling most comfortable with VCU’s style of play, Okereafor chose to come to VCU – even though he picked up additional interest from schools like UVa, Georgetown and Clemson in the meantime.

Fast forward from that moment all the way to two weeks ago, in the end of the first half of last week’s 66-43 win over Towson. It was then that the other Burgess brother, Brad, helped make another impact on Okereafor's fledgling career.

After a made layup by Towson cut the Rams lead to 11, the Tigers were slow to get back in their defensive set, and Okereafor, in the game and on the ball at the time, took advantage by eating up the oodles of open space in front of him and steamrolling toward the basket. As he got toward the top of the arc, Burgess set a drag screen for him, which granted Okereafor room to squeak by his defender and make a strong drive to the basket where he was fouled hard on his layup attempt and hurled to the ground.

Burgess, impressed by the tenacity he saw out of his freshman teammate on the previous play, quickly ran over to Okereafor, picked him up and then gave him a swift pat on the back of the head as he whispered words of encouragement.

“He said ‘good look,’” Okereafor later recountedabout the words Burgess whispered after that play. “And I just said, ‘you did it.”

It only takes one conversation with Teddy Okereafor to realize he has a very noticeable and wholly unique characteristic unshared by any other player on the VCU basketball team: Okereafor is British.

Hailing from London, England, Okereafor grew up always knowing he wanted to come over to America to try and play competitive basketball. His club coach at the time helped him establish ties with Christchurch School – an Episcopal college prep school in Christchurch about 60 miles east of Richmond – and the rest is history.

Even though Okereafor was anxious to make it to America because of basketball, his home country still streams through his blood. Okereafor keeps up constantly with the English Premier League – England's illustrious soccer league – and stays in regular contact with his family, including his brother, sister, parents and grandmother. His family has yet to make it to a VCU game, but he hopes that will change soon.

And, in the meantime, the 6-foot-3inch guard is soaking up everything and learning to enjoy his time as a British athlete in America.

"The girls, yeah they like it," Okereafor jokingly said of his accent. "Everyone else thinks it's cool; they don't make fun of me."

The point guard position has turned into something of a holy cow at VCU in the last decade; it's certainly not a spot for the faint-hearted. And, in the limited amount of playing time Okereafor has gotten thus far in his freshman campaign, the Londoner has shown that, if nothing else, he's not afraid to try and run the show.

Yet the pace of the college game as compared to the high school game is so much quicker that Okereafor has, at times, appeared flustered and confused when running a play. The good news, though, is that's to be expected out of a freshman point guard, at least according to Smart.

"His progression is very similar to that of a lot of freshman: slow," Smart said. "It just takes time.

Teddy has phenomenal ability: As a point guard, he has the most natural point guard skills of anybody on our team," Smart said. "It may well be the light turns on and he turns into the player we know he can be and that can happen very soon or it can happen in the off-season. But we're going to keep getting him better and keep making him work." CT

Top: Teddy Okereafor has appeared in 21 of VCU's games this season, averaging 5.6 minutes in those contests.

Tottom: Okereafor, originally from London, is VCU's first international player since Kirill Pishchalnikov's departure in 2010.

Women's basketball trounces ODU

The VCU women's basketball team (15-11, 8-7) traveled to Norfolk and defeated Old Dominion (9-18, 6-9) 67-56 Sunday afternoon.

Courtney Hurt recorded a doubledouble with 21 points and 20 rebounds to go with three blocks. Andrea Barbour added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Rams.

Jackie Cook led the Monarchs with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Chelsea Snyder provided a force down low for VCU, picking up 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 28 minutes of play.

The Rams will travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia State Thursday. CT

VCU women's basketball snapped a twogame losing streak Sunday afternoon in its win over Old Dominion.

Photos by chris conway

SPECTRUM

In this section:

VCUarts graduates’ art space making an imprint

Samantha Foster Staff Writer

In an open garage on Main Street, a contingent of artists has come together to provide a workspace for other artists in the area.

Founded by two VCU graduates and two Alfred University graduates, Studio Two Three was created for artists who needed studio space but were no longer able to use school facilities.

“After college, there is really nowhere to work,” said founder and VCU graduate Ashley Hawkins. “At first, it was just to have a space, but now we have a community.”

Studio Two Three started four years ago as an entirely volunteer-run organization. They achieved nonprofit status one year ago and are currently pursuing donations and grants.

“Even though we are nonprofit, we need to make ends meet and we want to encourage growth and invite the public,” said co-founder and VCU graduate Sarah Watson-Moore.

Studio Two Three offers studio space and equipment for artists working in screen printing, relief printing, etching and plate lithography.

Studio space can be rented on an hourly or monthly basis. Renters are given 24-hour access to the studio.

“We need renters who are motivated individuals,” Watson-Moore said.

Storage lockers and flat files are provided for those renting on a monthly

basis. Chemicals, like the emulsions needed for etching, are also provided by Studio Two Three, but the artist must bring all other supplies that they may need, such as paints and screens. Screens can also be stored in the studio.

Studio Two Three offers free workshops for the public the second Saturday of every month. Most recently, the workshops have included salt etching, T-shirt silk screening and printing Valentine’s Day cards.

“We’re trying to focus more on education,” Watson-Moore said.

“We all have our own mediums that we are fluent in, so we teach each other and help each other out,” said fellow founder Tyler Dawkins.

Studio Two Three held an open house this past Friday. The goal was to invite the public in to see the studio and to show off their newly finished gallery.

“The open house gave us a small goal to get the space ready,” Watson-Moore said.

Studio Two Three’s gallery space in the back of the studio has openings the first Friday of every month. They hope to focus the gallery primarily on print makers but are open to other mediums.

Currently, Studio Two Three is in what they referred to as “a rebranding period.” They are creating a logo and typeface for the studio that will be used for their own advertising.

“We’re the only place in town that does this,” Watson-Moore said. CT

Student choreographers commemorate VCU Dance’s 30th anniversary • 11

Studio Two Three offers studio space and workshops for the community at little to no cost.

Upstart comedy group breaks new ground: Shafer jokes • 12

Student choreographers celebrate VCU dance department’s 30th anniversary

Michael Todd Staff Writer

This past Thursday through Saturday, the VCU Department of Dance and Choreography celebrated its 30th anniversary season with its annual VCU Dance NOW event at Grace Street Theatre.

With a nearly full house in the already-compact theatre, the event featured seven new pieces choreographed by VCU Dance faculty, as well as one piece by a guest choreographer.

Performed by VCU Dance majors from freshman through senior level, each piece brought something different but equally powerful to the show, resulting in a cumulative layering of intensity as the evening advanced.

The night opened with “A Particularity of Place,” choreographed by Scott Putman, which explored the ideas of growth through the confrontation of the fear that results from major life changes, rather than becoming trapped in the more welcome comfort of familiar routines.

“It was a great experience to be in a show like this,” said sophomore Molly Rae Pearl, who was the first performer on stage in “Particularity.”

“For a while you just work on your own piece,” Pearl said. “Then you get to see how hard everyone else has worked, and how beautiful each piece is when they all come together, and you feel really honored to be a part of the whole show.”

A collaboration of video and dance filmed in different locations around Richmond, “Quorum” sought a syncretism between the opposing forces of humanity and nature against those of the mechanical and digital. The piece was choreographed by Robbie Kinter with the help of the featured performers, with film and original sound by kinetic imaging major John Dombroski.

“Bog Stories,” a six-dancer ensemble piece choreographed by Judith Steel, draws inspiration from and eerily reflects the poetry of W. B. Yeats, adapted and composed by Donnacha Dennehy with contemporary music group Crash Ensemble and the haunting soprano of Dawn Upsha.

Performers in Autumn Proctor’s contemplative “enLight” used an ambiguous powder, released at surprise intervals at the beginning of the piece, to create a mesmerizingly charged and mysterious atmosphere. After the powder settled on the floor, it became a canvas as performers danced patterns into its surface.

After the intermission, choreographer Martha Curtis addressed the idea of life changing events in

her piece “Ephemera… we are forever changing,” in which a leader figure initiates a medley of different dances that ranged from playful to almost aggressive as the piece progressed. By the end of the performance, all the dancers had discarded an article of clothing that is perhaps a representation of things lost as a result of experiences gained.

This year VCU featured guest choreographer Rick McCullough, emphasizing the joint program between VCU Dance and the Richmond Ballet in which participants earn their degree by splitting their time between two years at the Richmond Ballet and two years completing their BFA at VCU.

Preceding “of this moment,” the closing piece of the show, was McCullough’s “The Clarity of Absence,” an eight-person dance conceived this past fall during his residency at VCU, including both VCU Dance Majors and Richmond Ballet trainees.

In Christian von Howard’s “of this moment,” a two-paneled wall set at an obtuse angle became integral to the choreography as dancers rebounded off of it and, in some cases, each other. The performers writhed under the effects of harsh lighting like bugs under a magnifying glass, setting an uncomfortable tone for the piece that would only intensify to the point of hostility as the piece played out. By the end of the performance, the dancers interactions with one another were verging on hostile in their manifestation of the emotional extremes of each performer. CT

For more information on the VCU Department of Dance and Choreography, including a calendar of this season’s performances and events, visit the department’s website at http://arts.vcu.edu/ dance/.

CT Timewarp

In addition to strikingly clean-looking versions of beloved VCU structures, this CT feature from August 1992 showcases a remarkable increase in CT design standards over the decade and a profoundly ‘90s activity list.

Student-made comedy website shoots for web stardom, launches first short

Nick Bonadies Spectrum Editor

A group of VCU students hoping to take the Internet by storm made their official debut this past Sunday, Feb. 19, with a string of less than flattering shots of Shafer Dining Court lasagna and pineapple chunks.

The video, titled “Welcome to Chafer Dining Hall,” goes on to feature sophomore journalism major Sam Roots in perhaps even less flattering extreme close-ups – stuffing his face, laughing with mouth agape and, later, both at once.

“Chafer Dining Hall,” the spoofadvertisement's spokesman, played by cinema major Daniel Ardura, concludes: “If you’re here, you’re probably high,”

“Chafer” is the premiere production of Commonwealth Comedy, or “ComCom,” which makes its online home at CommonwealthComedy.com and which works in conjunction with the VCU Student Media Center. The group of VCU students that write, act and produce for Commonwealth Comedy include majors ranging from cinema, film and creative writing to journalism and public relations.

Junior print journalism major Trey McMillan, a Commonwealth Comedy member, said that the idea for their own online sketch-comedy series followed in the vein of such websites as CollegeHumor.com. Their creative process – working from a rough outline from which comedic material is improvised and “repackaged a hundred different ways,” according to McMillan – reflects some of the group’s cited influences, such as “Curb Your Enthusiasm" and “Arrested Development.”

“We really have so many ideas floating around (that) we really would hope to reach a bigger audience than just VCU,” McMillan said. “But they probably are our main demographic.”

“People are going to see things that are familiar to them,” he said, referring to locations and situations in future Commonwealth Comedy productions that reflect a Richmond/VCU backdrop.

As of Sunday’s release, Commonwealth Comedy’s only other publicly available video is a promotional short, which reimagines the group’s formation as a team-builder montage from an action movie. It concludes with an unflattering close-up of sophomore Roots engaging shirtless in intimate acts with himself.

McMillan said that at their outset, Commonwealth Comedy collectively preferred to advertise chiefly through word of mouth, as opposed to a moreinvolved Facebook or Twitter campaign, although the group maintains pages on both sites.

“The videos are going to tell us how people feel about us,” he said. “We don’t care if people come up to us and are like, �Hey man, that was really funny.’ Like, if we have a million views, then ... who cares, we have a million views. That’s how we judge our performance.”

As of press time Sunday night, the group’s two videos had nearly collected 400 views between them.

“Oh man, these guys are awesome!” one online comment read. “This made me so sad for all humans,” read another.

“We’re gonna be on Ellen by Monday," McMillan predicted. CT

For more information and links to each of their videos, visit Commonwealth Comedy at CommonwealthComedy.com.

OPINION

In this section:

Cross-dressing ban makes schools the bully • 14 Comic: ‘Trying too hard’ • 15

School’s cross-dressing ban crosses line

Shane Wade Opinion Editor

Social conservatism is alive and well in the state of Virginia, and we’ve got a General Assembly to prove it.

Between the reprehensible cuts to education being made in the General Assembly and a newly passed law that would force women seeking abortions to go through an invasive vaginal probing, it’s hard to imagine how much more backwards we can go.

And then this happens.

Suffolk school district administrators are considering a ban on wearing clothes “not in keeping with a student’s gender” because they fear it “causes a disruption and/or distracts others from the education process or poses a health or safety concern.” It’s similar to Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would restrict teachers from teaching about or mentioning homosexuality before high school.

The justification by board members

is that the ban will act as an anti-bullying measure.

That’s right – an anti-bullying measure that forces students to conform to social norms and prevents them

from self-expression.

With policies like these, there’s no need for bullies.

Apparently, the current school policies that punish bullies are too

oppressive, or district administrators feel those students that cross dress do so because they seek to be bullied. But whatever the reason, we do ourselves a great disservice if we allow this policy

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH SWANN

to slip by unchallenged.

Policy proposals like this distract from the issues that matter. They take away from the issues that actually cause a disruption or distract from the education process, like having enough money to fund art and music electives or having teachers that aren’t overworked because they need a second job to make ends meet.

It’s backwards logic like this ban that erroneously targets the victim as the root of the problem. It’s backwards logic like this that leads to oppression and social atmospheres that condemn those that choose to follow their own paths. Social atmospheres and conditions that, left unchecked, fester and grow with students that will eventually enter college.

If you think that angry preacher that

COMICS

by Andy Kay

shows up on the Compass every once in a while is bad, imagine in 10 years from now when there’s twice as many of him, out there everyday.

Socially conservative and arguably oppressive policy moves like this and the new personhood law make Virginia an uncomfortable and unattractive place to live. I don’t want Virginia to be known and stereotyped for being socially conservative. I don’t want Virginia to be in the league of states that are great places to visit but weird places to live. Despite what such legislation might indicate, our country and our generation is slowly progressing into an accepting society. It would be a great shame for us to become associated with laws and policies that don’t accurately reflect our nature. Last week, VCU students rallied to

protest legislation that would violate the rights of Americans. It’s important that we display our opposition to what comes out of the General Assembly, but it’s also important that we display our opposition to such extreme backwardness.

Suffolk may seem like a small, far-off place, but with such controversial legislation flying by without much notice by the public, I wouldn’t be surprised if similar legislation broached the General Assembly floor.

Let’s not forget where the stump of our issues lie, where the backwards attitudes that pervade our legislative houses begin, the place where we form our foundations: our school systems. CT

Opinions expressed are those of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times or Virginia Commonwealth University. Unsigned editorials represent the institutional opinion of The CT.

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ADAM STERN Executive Editor SHANE WADE Opinion Editor

"Trying too hard"

CT Elections

Elections will be taking place for the positions of managing editor and executive editor between March 4 and March 10. If you are interested in running, contact executive editor Adam Stern at editor@commonweathtimes.org by March 1 for more information.