The Commonwealth Times; Nov. 7, 2018

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VOL. 60, NO. 12 | NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Blue wave Spanberger’s victory in traditionally-Republican 7th District is one of 26 seats flipped by Democrats

Rep. Spanberger, 39, is a former CIA operative and Girl Scout leader. Photo by Erin Edgerton

By the numbers: a breakdown of key Central Va. elections

U.S. House of Representatives: 4th District DONALD MCEACHIN (D)

RYAN MCADAMS (R)

PETE WELLS (L)

Infographic by Ryan Rich and Zach Joachim

U.S. Senate: Virginia TIM KAINE (D)

COREY STEWART (R)

Incumbent Donald McEachin (D) took down contender Ryan McAdams (R) in a landslide victory.

McEachin won the seat in 2016, the first Democrat to do so since 2000.

62.70%

35.82%

1.40%

183,752

104,992

4,108

U.S. House of Representatives: 7th District ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D)

DAVE BRAT (R)

JOE WALTON (L) In Virginia’s most hotly contested congressional race, challenger Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated incumbent Dave Brat (R) by a narrow margin.

MATT WATERS (L) Incumbent Tim Kaine (D) retained his seat on the U.S. Senate, defeating challenger Corey Stewart (R) by a wide margin. Kaine was sworn in as Virginia senator in 2013.

56.89%

41.11%

1.86%

1,882,304

1,360,218

61,467

Election results current as of Wednesday morning Images of Kaine, Stewart, Waters, McEachin, Brat, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons All other images courtesy of respective candidates

NEWS Commencement 4

SPORTS Men’s Basketball 6

50.08%

48.66%

1.21%

170,737

165,899

4,135

Richmond School Board: 7th District CHERYL BURKE

GARY BRODERICK

BRYCE ROBERTSON Former Chimborazo Elementary School Principal Cheryl Burke retained her seat on the 7th District School Board.

55.33%

21.14%

23.13%

3,196

1,221

1,336

SPECTRUM Hernán Diaz 10

OPINIONS Bryan DeVasher 13

2 The Commonwealth Times

Stories of the week

national: Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women elected to Congress. international: The Chinese government granted 18 trademarks to companies associated with President Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, over the last two months.

Republicans defend Senate, Democrats reclaim House

House and Senate breakdown by party following 2018 midterms

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FADEL ALLASSAN Special Projects Director Republicans maintained control of the U.S. Senate while Democrats regained the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives — flipping three Virginia seats — for the first time in eight years in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

The shift in Congress sets up a divided government until at least the 2020 elections.

It will give Democrats a new platform on which to challenge President Donald Trump on a number of hot-button issues.

These include the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the president was involved in it.

The GOP’s poor run of results in Virginia’s elections continued Tuesday night.

The Republican challenger for the Senate seat was easily defeated, meaning the party will go 11 years without a statewide victory.

Democrats flipped three Republican-held House seats in Virginia and will hold seven of the state’s 11 total seats.

House

REPUBLICAN

229 206

DEMOCRATIC Results according to New York Times projection as of Wednesday morning

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Hillary Clinton’s running-mate in 2016, cruised to re-election despite a challenge from Prince William County Board of Supervisors chairman, Republican candidate Corey Stewart.

Stewart, who chaired the Trump 2016 campaign in Virginia, allied himself politically with the president during his candidacy.

Senate SENATE

53 47 Infographic by Ryan Rich

Virginia will send two Democrats to the Senate for the fifth election in a row.

In one of Virginia’s most hotly contested congressional races, Democrat Abigail Spanberger unseated GOP Rep. Dave Brat by a razor-thin margin of less than 5,000 votes to become the first Democrat to win the 7th District in 50 years. Brat made a

Spanberger was joined by her family and members of her Girl Scout Troop at the campaign watch party Tuesday night.

Photo by Erin Edgerton

name for himself in 2014 when he unseated then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

“When we launched this campaign, conventional wisdom dictated that this race was unwinnable, that it was impossible to win a seat in a district that hasn’t been won by a Democrat since 1968,” Spanberger said Tuesday night. “We won an unwinnable district by doing exactly what every campaign should do. We focused on the needs of the people, the voters.”

Brat, who did not appear at his Short Pump watch party, is yet to concede the election as of early Wednesday morning.

In northern Virginia, Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va. 10th District) lost to Democratic challenger Jennifer Wexton by more than 12 percent of the vote. Comstock’s effort to defend a district that voted for Hillary Clinton by a wide margin in 2016 was largely derailed by Wexton’s 18-point margin of victory in the suburbs of Loudoun County.

“I’ve been saying since the beginning of this campaign that change is coming to America and change is coming to Virginia 10 — and that change came tonight,” Wexton said at her victory party, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror. “But that kind of change doesn’t just happen. It happened because of all of you and many others like you.”

In Virginia’s 2nd District, Democrat Elaine Luria edged past GOP Rep. Scott Taylor, whose former district encompassed Virginia Beach. In her victory speech, Luria said her win was a victory for those who reject partisanship in Washington.

“For a while now, we’ve had leaders in Washington who don’t share the values of coastal Virginia, values of decency, community and service the country over all else,” Luria said, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

A victory by Republican Denver Riggleman in the 5th District — which encompasses Charlottesville as well as some central and southern parts of the state — means the area will remain red after Rep. Tom Garrett chose to not seek re-election.

Wed. November 7, 2018 3

10

Virginia 2018 results for U.S. House of Representatives

11 8

REPUBLICAN DEMOCRATIC FLIPPED DEMOCRATIC

7

6

5

9

1

4

2 3 Infographic by Ryan Rich

Students vote on identity, future in Trump era HANNAH EASON Contributing Writer

nal district that most political observers thought would remain conservative for a long, long time,” Aughenbaugh said. “It’s VCU students shared their political a district that was gerrymandered by the opinions and reasons for leaning left in Republicans in the Virginia legislature to Tuesday’s election as Virginia flipped in be a safe Republican seat.” favor of Democrats in the House and reTyra Hedgepeth, VCU senior, said she mained blue in the Senate. voted to “exercise her rights.” Gun laws “I think everyone wants to rush to the were of particular importance to her and, presidential elections, but we have to start as a health science major, affordable health small,” said sophomore Tevin Davis. “I vot- care was also a key topic. ed for everything blue … because Donald “I’ll be working in [career] fields where Trump said that a vote for a Republican was I see how expensive it is,” Hedgepeth said. a vote for him.”

Incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will remain in the Senate after defeating chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Corey Stewart (R-Va.).

Incumbent Donald McEachin (D-Va., 4th District) also secured another term in the House after a victory over Republican Ryan McAdams of Charles City County.

In the hotly contested 7th District race, Democrat and former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger beat incumbent Republican 25% 24% Dave Brat by a narrow margin.

22% 22% VCU political science professor John Aughenbaugh linked Spanberger’s victory to the national stage.

1998 2002 2006 2010 “With a Spanberger win, you see a huge shift in the representation of a congressio-

“Making sure everyone is able to be covered is important to me.”

Sophomore Jennifer Carranza said she connected her vote to her race and family.

“As a Latino woman, it was really important to get my voice heard,” Carranza said, describing the current political climate as placing a target on her back. “I’m voting with my brother in mind — I vote so that [my family] can have a better future. I knew I needed to come out here and vote democratic and make sure we shift things in the right direction.”

50%

Percentage of 18 to 29-year-olds who voted in midterm elections

POLLS HAVE INDICATED

⅓—½

33%

20% 2014

Former Rep. Dave Brat has not conceded the race as of Wednesday morning. Photo by Caitlin Barbieri

2018

OF YOUNG VOTERS WERE “ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN” THEY WOULD VOTE IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS.

Source: U.S. Bureau Source: U.S.Census Census Bureau Infographic by Jeffrey Pohanka

Student Government Association President Vivek Kuruvilla also expressed his concern regarding minority representation in Congress.

“I [want to have] legislatures that care about my demographic as someone that’s a minority and a young voter,” Kuruvilla said.

NextGen America is a political action committee that endorsed Kaine for the Senate and canvassed extensively on campus for voter registration. Stationed between the Compass and the University Student Commons on Tuesday, the group provided voting information to passersby.

“We are by far the most progressive and most diverse generation yet,” said Isabella Dickens-Bowman, VCU campus organizer for NextGen. “It’s so exciting to see us coming out to vote in big numbers so we can elect progressive, diverse and younger candidates [who] represent us.”

Dickens-Bowman said the involvement of youth in politics is inherent.

“Are you paying too much for school? Do you want access to affordable health care for yourself and your family in the future?

Do you want an environment that’s going to be clean?” Dickens-Bowman asked. “All of these things impact us, but folks don’t always see them as political.”

4 The Commonwealth Times

VCU reverses announcement of spring commencement cancellation LOGAN REARDON Staff Writer

Student Tanyqua Williams said commencement being cancelled would have taken some of the excitement out of graduating. Photo by Erin Edgerton

VCU will hold a university-wide May 2019 commencement, though details on the location have not been announced, according to the VCU Office of the President.

This update comes one week after the university announced a cancellation of the event — which drew the ire of a number of seniors planning to graduate in the spring — due to the planned closure of the Richmond Coliseum after December 2018.

“Many of you expressed your desires to proceed with a ceremony while the city re-develops the area that includes The Richmond Coliseum,” VCU president Michael Rao wrote in a mass email to the student body. “Fortunately, some venues across the region that were previously unavailable may now be options for us.”

Students held a small protest in front of the President’s Hall Oct. 31, a day after the initial cancellation announcement. Tanyqua Williams, a senior in the School of Social Work, said she attended the protest because of the “hard work, dedication, time and money” put into students’ majors.

“At the end of the day, everybody’s story is different. And the only thing that could have gotten somebody to this point is the excitement for our graduation day,” Williams said.

Attendees of the protest debated with vice president of university relations Pamela Lepley — whose office is in charge of planning commencements — in front of the president’s building during the protest.

She attributed the initial cancellation to a “wide range of issues all put together,” including cost and accessibility.

“We just didn’t have a place where we could have a ceremony to the standards a commencement should be,” Lepley said.

Lepley said Monday she understood “how disappointing it was” to hear the spring commencement ceremony had been cancelled, but hopes students are happy the event is back on.

“We’re very pleased now that we’ll be able to provide [a commencement ceremony],” Lepley said. “As soon as we have a venue finalized, we will let the university community know.”

Evandra Catherine, a senior in the School of Education, said although she was disappointed with the university’s initial decision, the disapproval expressed during the protest was aimed at the wrong people.

“It’s not our fault here at VCU, it clearly is the city of Richmond’s fault,” Catherine said. “I think the city of Richmond needs to be held accountable for that, hands down.

It’s a 46-year tradition and you’re gonna take it away from us? It’s not fair.”

VCU has held its spring commencement ceremony at the Richmond Coliseum since 1972, making May 2019 the first time since then the location will not host the event.

Kaylin Cecchini, a VCU junior who created the Facebook event for the Oct. 31 protest, said she is happy seniors will get to have a commencement ceremony in the spring “regardless of what motivated them” to hold the event in May. “They very well may have been motivated by the outcry of the student population,” Cecchini said. “But it would be naive to think they weren’t also motivated by the way this would impact their reputation and the contributions future alumni may or may not make to the university.”

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Nov. 1 that proposals for redeveloping the Richmond Coliseum area will be brought before the city council. Plans for the downtown area include a new arena, a hotel, a large apartment building, low-income housing, a new GRTC transfer station and space for stores and restaurants.

Lepley said the office of university affairs hopes the new arena will be ready to hold VCU’s spring commencement ceremonies as soon as possible, but until it is complete, a new location will have to be used for the event.

“In the meantime, we’ll continue to find a place for our central ceremony until that building is complete,” Lepley said.

Teaching while black:

White professor calls security on black adjunct instructor SARAH ELSON Contributing Writer Caitlin Cherry, a black VCUarts visiting professor, said a colleague called campus security on her while she was eating breakfast in her assigned classroom more than two weeks ago.

Cherry said Javier Tapia, a white-hispanic professor, walked into the room and did not respond to her greeting before leaving.

Minutes later, a security guard entered the room and asked her if she was a faculty member, and to see her identification.

The event has since prompted outrage among students, and an apology from the arts department. It comes amid a string of incidents — some of which have gone viral on social media — in which white people called the police on black people for ordinary activities like sleeping in their university dorm and holding a barbecue in a public park.

Cherry said she told Shawn Brixey, the school’s dean, what happened. She said Brixey apologized and promised an investigation. VCUarts then turned the investigation over to VCU Equity and Access Services, a university spokesperson confirmed — the investigation is ongoing. Tapia declined comment on the situation.

“Had I not have had my ID … I don’t know what could have happened,” Cherry said. “I feel a lot of different ways about this, particularly as a black woman, because now the situation escalates to the point of people dying.”

Students angered by Tapia’s actions took to Facebook to express their disappointment in the department.

“Caitlin is a talented painter and VCUarts doesn’t deserve her,” wrote recent graduate Amanda Austin. “Regardless, no one should be threatened by someone’s mere existence. This is not surprising to come from VCU despite how much lip

A security guard at the Fine Arts Building responded to professor Javier Tapia’s grievance. Photo by Michel Maulding service they give to diversity. Ultimately they still privilege their racist tenured faculty even after numerous complaints from students.”

Gilbert Wilkerson commented on Austin’s post, hoping VCU Equity will investigate the situation thoroughly.

“I really hope this is not the conclusion of this incident,” Wilkerson wrote. “[Tapia] needs to be held accountable.”

On Oct. 30, five days after the incidents, VCUarts apologized on its Instagram story and website.

“VCU and the School of the Arts value and celebrate diversity in all of its forms; support thoughtful, informed and inclusive action; and are committed to empowering community values in which individuals of different perspectives, life experiences, cultural backgrounds, and social identities feel safe and are welcomed.”

The department also sent out a department-wide email to students and faculty apologizing and providing links for reporting incidents and providing support resources.

Wed. November 7, 2018 5

Local groups honor Jewish community after 11 die in synagogue shooting RACHEL RICHARDSON Contributing Writer In addition to commemorating the 11 victims of the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, a number of Richmond groups are uplifting members of the Jewish community in various ways following the event.

In “A Night of Unity,” synagogues from around Richmond came together at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center Oct. 30. In addition, a vigil was held on campus the night before, organized by Jewish Life at VCU Executive Director Rabbi Matisyahu Friedman.

“It was a call for hope and action,” Friedman said of the vigil. “In the face of darkness we can choose to dwell in the darkness, or we can choose to expel the darkness through action, through good deeds, through light.”

VCU senior Nina Dater is a member of the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh.

She knew most of the victims, and her family lives in Pittsburgh. Dater said her family frequents the synagogue, but did not attend the Saturday the shooting took place.

“I remember seeing all 11 of these people throughout my life,” Dater wrote in a Facebook status. “Cecil Rosenthal made me laugh at my bat mitzvah when I was nervous. That is a memory that will last forever.

I still have no words about last Saturday, I’m still in awe with the amount of hate in this world. Stop spreading hate and start spreading love, at least do it for the people who suffered at the hands of hate.”

The message of the VCU vigil was to come together and spread light.

A memorial with the names of the 11 victims written on Stars of David was set up outside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Photo by Nina Dater “Solidarity and support is everything in this world,” said VCU freshman Vidhi Phadumdea, an attendee of the VCU vigil.

“I’m not Jewish, but it doesn’t matter who you are or who you worship, it matters that you’re there for people who need you at the time.”

Elan Radbil, who attended the VCU vigil, said after one candle was lit, the others were also lit from that candle, symbolizing unity. The vigil focused on coming together after tragedy, instead of turning to anger.

“That’s what they want,” Radbil said.

“The hatred in the world just wants you

to be sad and to be scared for your life … you’ve got to keep living your life, and live it more fully, for all the tragedies, not just this tragedy.”

The massacre was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the U.S. Supporters across the nation have gathered in solidarity of Jewish communities affected by the massacre. Other local organizations have released statements condemning the attack and offering support services.

“The mission of the Jewish people is to be a “Light unto the Nations,” Congregation

Beth Ahabah posted in a Facebook statement Oct. 27, the day of the shooting. “That is, it is our obligation to act and react in way that shows the world the morality that we wish for all.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League — an international Jewish non-governmental organization that works to fight anti-Semitism — anti-Semitic incidents rose nearly 60 percent in frequency in 2017.

David Weinfeld, assistant professor of Judaic Studies at VCU, blames the current political climate for this increase.

“Things have gotten worse since the candidacy and election of the president,” Weinfeld said. “There has been an increase of vandalism and anti-Semitic rhetoric online, and now we’re seeing the worst act of anti-Semitic violence in American history.”

President Donald Trump spoke of the shooting at a Missouri rally last week, accusing the Pittsburgh massacre suspect Robert Bowers — as well as the recent pipe bomb mailer suspect Cesar Sayoc — of distracting from the Republicans running in midterm elections.

“We did have two maniacs stop a momentum that was incredible, because for seven days nobody talked about the elections,” Trump said. “It stopped a tremendous momentum.”

This is not the first time the president has neglected to directly condemn a violent hate crime. On the heels of last year’s deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, President Trump described the white supremacists — who shouted “Jews will not replace us” while marching past Charlottesville’s only synagogue — and their counter-protesters as having “very fine people on both sides.”

Richmond organization provides advice after leaked transgender memo Side by Side, a local organization dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA youth, is offering services to those who need it in light of the Trump administration’s plan to ostensibly erase transgender identification.

“What we’ll be doing at Side by Side is coordinating with our many community partners to provide a space for education,” said Ted Lewis, executive director of Side

by Side. “To really learn what the potential implications of the administration’s shift in defining sex and gender are.”

The organization held a “Trans/ Non-Binary RVA Community Forum,” Oct. 28 at Diversity Richmond. The event — which Lewis moderated — allowed members of the LGBTQIA community to express their feelings about the recently leaked memo that explained the administration’s plans and receive advice and support from panel members.

“Every day I wonder what challenges the transgender community will face because it feels as though there is something new everyday making it harder,” said Caleb Lopez, a transgender VCU student. “We have been declaring our existence for years and we will not let this administration erase that.”

The leaked memo exposed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ plans to explore changing the legal definition of an individual’s gender to be based on genitalia at birth. Current Title IX laws protect individuals from sex-based discrimination in federally-funded education programs.

If the plans were to become law, people identifying as anything other than their gender assigned at birth would be affected. Panelist and attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center Kim Rolla addressed questions about whether the federal gov-

ernment possesses the power to define gender, since state law controls the information on birth certificates and driver’s licenses.

“One of the ironic things about the rhetoric coming from this administration is that they want to supposedly return these decisions to the rightful place of the state,” Rolla said. “But it is state law when you can amend what is on your birth certificate to reflect your gender identity.”

As a measure to further protect their rights, Rolla urged attendees to update their legal documents promptly.

“I absolutely recommend people changing their name and gender marker on passports and other federal documents because the rules are the same as they were under Obama,” Rolla said.

Other panelists at Sunday’s forum included Associate Director for LGBTQIA Campus Life at the University of Richmond Lee Dyer, Executive Director of the ACLU of Virginia Claire Gastañaga and Program Coordinator at Equality Virginia Trace Hernandez.

Jenkins acknowledged further inequalities the transgender and non-binary community could face — including future travel, employment and educational opportunities — if the changes were implemented.

“One of the issues that we haven’t dealt with yet is that these rules do not affect all of us equally,” Jenkins said. “When we’re looking at the people who are most going to be affected by these kinds of changes, it’s going to be the black and brown people who are living in our communities.”

Side by Side has served Richmond LGBTQIA youth and young adults for 25 years through support groups, counseling services and safe zone trainings. More resources for the LGBTQIA community and its allies can be found on Side by Side’s website at sidebysideva.org.

The “Trans/Non-Binary RVA Community Forum” was held at queer advocacy group Diversity Richmond’s headquarters. Photo by Bryauna Kralik ADVERTISEMENT

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6 The Commonwealth Times

Stat of the week

For the first time in NFL history, three different tight ends on the same team — including VCU’s Mo Alie-Cox — caught touchdown passes in the Colts’ 42-28 win over the Raiders Oct. 28.

Lucky No. 13

Men’s Basketball wins 13th consecutive season-opener NOAH FLEISCHMAN Staff Writer

this game for sure.”

Evans swiped a steal soon after but had the ball Men’s Basketball ran poked away as he attemptthrough Gardner-Webb ed a dunk on a fast break. in the season opener at Vann turned up the decithe Siegel Center 69-57 bel level in the Siegel CenTuesday night, led by redter with a big dunk over a shirt-junior forward Isaac Runnin’ Bulldog with less Vann’s 16 points. The win than 10 minutes left in the marked VCU’s 13th straight first half. home opening victory.

The Rams used another Sophomore for ward run to extend their firstMarcus Santos-Silva half lead, taking off on a brought fans to their feet 7-0 spurt. early as he blocked a RunRedshirt-junior guard nin’ Bulldogs shot less than Mike’L Simms led the Rams three minutes into the game. in the first half with 12 The first five minutes of points, all from beyond the the contest were sloppy as arc. Simms shot 4-5 from both teams combined for three in the first 20 minutes. seven fouls. “[Simms] is in the best Gardner-Webb took a shape of his life, he’s done 7-3 lead early in the first a great job with his body half, but the Rams stormed this offseason with all the back after the slow start running that we’ve done,” with a 9-0 run. The Runnin’ said coach Mike Rhoades.

Bulldogs never regained the “He can make shots and lead.

I thought he had some Redshirt-junior guard great defensive possessions, Marcus Evans made his some good rebounds. He’s VCU debut when he Redshirt-junior guard Marcus Evans made his VCU debut after sitting going to do that stuff for checked into the game to out last season in accordance with NCAA transfer regulations. Photo by us all year long and that’s a a raucous cheer midway Shayla Bailey huge strength.” through the first half. Evans VCU opened up the secreturned from an Achilles tear that side- court],” Evans said. “Finally being able to be ond half on a 7-3 run to extend its lead to 20. lined him for a majority of the preseason. a part of it and on the court with these guys Evans inbound the ball from under the “It’s just a great feeling [to be back on the is an unreal feeling. I am going to remember hoop off the back of a Runnin’ Bulldog

and layed it up to catch Gardner-Webb off guard with just under seven minutes left. He also drew a foul, but missed the free throw.

Evans logged nine points in less than 10 minutes in his first game with the Rams, splitting time with freshman guard P.J. Byrd and junior guard Malik Crowfield at the point. Evans also recorded one assist and two steals.

“It always helps to see one go in, so when I saw the first one go in I got a good rhythm going,” Evans said. “These guys did a good job at finishing the game out and Malik did a good job at playing point and [Byrd] too.”

The Runnin’ Bulldogs made only two of their last 10 shots in the second half. VCU turned the ball over 20 times in the opener, while Gardner-Webb logged 21 turnovers.

Vann secured a team-high eight rebounds to go along with three assists.

“This is the first time you all saw [Vann] not injured,” Rhoades said. “His activity today on defense was huge and that really got us going … He’s been finding different ways to score too.”

Rhoades said Vann took it upon himself to guard Preseason First-team Big South guard David Efianayi.

Junior guard De’Riante Jenkins, redshirt-senior forward Michael Gilmore and Santos-Silva all recorded six points each for the Black and Gold.

“We’ve been grinding all summer and spring, so to come out here and show what we’ve been doing and how hard we’ve been working ... it finally [paid] off,” Simms said.

“But we not done yet.”

Men’s Soccer advances to Atlantic 10 semifinals JARON NUTTER Contributing Writer

keeper Marvyn Dorchin. er Eli Lockaby. Pearson came The Rams won the shootout back 20 minutes later to score 5-4. Sophomore midfielder off an assist by Ryo Shimazaki, Men’s Soccer kept its season alive in Oquin Robinson converted the his fifth goal of the season. thrilling fashion as the Rams tied UMass final shootout to send VCU on to VCU outshot the Bonnies 1-1 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarter- the semifinal.

18-9 overall and 6-4 on goal, as finals Nov. 4 in Richmond. After two scoreVCU out shot UMass 21-14. nine different Rams took a shot less overtime periods, sophomore goalkeep- Coach Dave Giffard praised his in the match. Sequeira finished er Mario Sequeira made two saves during side’s tenacity in the grueling win. with three saves. the penalty shootout to lead VCU on to “I’m very proud of the guys “Two big-time goals from the semifinals. tonight for grinding out the re[Pearson] and a great effort from sult against a really well coached everyone else. It was a fitting way UMass team that’s incredibly to finally capture that elusive conUMASS difficult to play against,” Giffard ference title,” Giffard told VCU Sophomore forward Jared Greene scored told VCU Athletics. “Now it’s Athletics. “So we check that box the first goal of the game for the Rams in about recovery and preparation.” and now prepare for the start of the 17th minute with a rebounded shot the postseason on Sunday.” made possible by an assist from junior midThe Rams improved to 10ST. BONAVENTURE fielder Siad Haji. This was Haji’s team-lead5-1, as the Bonnies fell to 7-9-1. ing 10th assist of the season.

The R ams def eated S t.

The win clinched the A-10 reguThe Minutemen answered back with a Bonaventure 2-1 Oct. 31 in Richlar season title for the Rams and goal in the second half from senior defender mond, earning the top seed in the Junior midfielder Siad Haji leads the Rams with 10 assists this earned them the No. 1 seed in Clement Benhaddouche in the 52nd min- A-10 Tournament as well as the season. Photo by Michael Mickle the A-10 Tournament. ute. Benhaddouche led UMass with five A-10 regular season title. shots in the game.

St. Bonaventure broke the ice with soph- scored both goals for the Rams including The Rams move on to the A-10 semifinals, VCU freshman forward Martin Ngoh omore defender Nicola Bonso scoring off an the game winner in the 72nd minute. At traveling to St. Louis to face four-seeded attempted a shot in the 96th minute in ex- assist from freshman forward Ethan Yeung. the 53rd minute, Pearson scored off an as- Rhode Island on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. tra time, but it was saved by UMass goalRedshirt-senior midfielder Peter Pearson sist from Haji and redshirt-senior midfield-

Wed. November 7, 2018 7

Press Box

Athlete activism puts criticism to rest In light of the midterm elections, it is more necessary now than ever to cease political criticism of athletes and acknowledge what they do for others, focusing on the good they do for the community.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s now infamous action of kneeling came as a compromise between him and Nate Boyer, a former Marine and long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks. While the criticism surrounding the protest has died down, it is important to recognize what good Kaepernick and his foundation, as well as numerous other athletes, have done for those less fortunate.

This specific reform reaches far beyond vitriolic debate — the on-field protests, while symbolically powerful, pale in comparison to what certain players do with their paychecks and contracts.

One of the most prevalent examples of this activism-beyond-symbolism came in the form of LeBron James opening his “I Promise School” just prior to his move to the Los Angeles Lakers. James, having criticized President Donald Trump in the past, was slammed by some out of spite for what he had previously done — as opening a school for at-risk youth is a very hard action to slander.

James’ school is a public elementary school located in Akron, Ohio. Brought to fruition by the LeBron James Family

Illustration by Steck Von

ADAM CHEEK Staff Writer

Foundation, the initiative provides services including bikes for every student, food for the families, transportation and free tuition to The University of Akron.

The reactions to James’ opening were mostly positive, especially given the aim of the school itself. However, due to James’ racial identity and past criticisms of the president, some felt it necessary to put down his generosity and blast him without much backup.

This criticism presents a double standard. Criticizing someone due to their political stance is one thing. Anyone can find fault in politics. Everyone has a different viewpoint and to disagree is to express your inalienable rights, as Kaepernick did.

However, almost anyone can agree that providing services to at-risk youth is an important cause. It is difficult to fathom anyone being critical of someone helping those children. But someone hating James’

school just because of political views is, unfortunately, not surprising in this social climate.

Numerous NFL players also penned an op-ed in mid-2018 requesting the president institute prison reform. They referenced the conditions facing minorities in prison and the disproportionate amount of minorities imprisoned for petty crimes — which stand as foundational examples of the institutionalized racism Kaepernick and other NFL players initially knelt to protest. Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and his teammate, defensive end Michael Bennett, are among the NFL players who continue to carry the flag for Kaepernick, who has been blackballed from the league.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized James months ago for his political comments, telling him to “shut up and dribble.” However, when paralleled side by side with what some professional athletes – especially James – have done to help communities, underprivileged children, or any other group in need in between, this vitriol is left in the dust of their actions.

Athletes can do much more than dribble, pitch or run the ball – when they utilize their societal presence for good, it shows just how influential the sports world can be.

What those individuals do is for the good of the general populace — the outcome is a positive one, and drawing needless criticism further veils the positive impact.

Ram in Action: Emily McNamara ADAM CHEEK Staff Writer

team’s leading threats on the field.

In 2018, McNamara started all 19 games for the Rams. She had 109 shots over the Field Hockey senior forward Emily course of the schedule, 69 on goal, while McNamara concluded a standout tenure averaging a .248 shooting percentage. Mcwith the Rams this season prior to her De- Namara said the team really came together cember graduation, racking up 75 goals in before the season and that carried over into 74 games while tallying 422 shots and 177 the performance throughout the campaign. points. McNamara is the nation’s leading “In preseason we hung out all the time, scorer this season with 27 goals. trying to build that chemistry and translate Field Hockey’s season ended Nov. 3 with it into field hockey,” she said. “I think we a 1-0 loss to Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic did really well with it.”

10 Championship game.

That chemistry shined through with “I had to play a part in the team if we the team’s 12-6 record. Field Hockey went wanted to be successful,” the Centreville, through evolutions over the course of Virginia native, Mcnamara said. “I just told McNamara’s career — including a coachmyself that I need to get better every year ing change — but numerous players have for the other people out on the field. I put stepped up to round out the roster. all my devotion into it.”

McNamara says she met one of her best McNamara became VCU’s all-time friends through the team, sophomore midleading scorer in the 2018 season. fielder Maite Sturm, who hails from Waltrop, Germany.

“She’s one of the greatest field hockey players I have ever seen and I have learned so much from her,” McNamara said. “One of the most fun things is playing alongside I really hope that, for at her and learning from her.” least the teammates McNamara, a broadcast journalism maI played with … of all jor, hopes to stay in the sports world after graduating. Having been involved or conages, they remember nected with sports in one way or another me as being one of the her entire life, McNamara is an avid basebest at what I do.” ball and basketball fan. She aims to pursue a career in the athletic world, whether in Emily McNamara, senior front of or behind the camera, online or forward even in a coaching role.

“It’s kind of amazing, actually,” McWith only four seniors and one graduate Namara said of her accomplishments. “After student on the team, McNamara stressed this, field hockey is over for me, so I won’t the importance of supporting each other be able to enjoy this anymore. But when I and relying on one another during the ups was recruited here, they wanted me to have and downs of the season. a prominent role.”

“None of us would be here if it wasn’t for That role expanded gradually over the each other,” she said. years until the forward was one of the McNamara also elaborated on the team’s

McNamara is the nation’s leading scorer with 1.42 goals per game. CT file photo peaks and valleys throughout the season, emphasizing how crucial each game is and the importance of mental preparation.

“We started off strong.. Then we hit kind of a plateau that went down, and then we got back up,” McNamara said. “If we were there that day and we were on, we dominated. But if we weren’t there mentally, you could tell.”

The win over UMass in the A-10 Tournament semifinal on Friday proved her point, as the Rams improved to 8-1 in conference play, including postseason.

“We saw things were getting tight in the conference, so we turned it up a notch,” McNamara said. “We hit a stride, and we’re in it right now.”

McNamara reflected on what the sport

has meant to her during her time at VCU, both as motivation for and a getaway from everyday life.

“Field hockey has literally been my escape from everything. Whether I’m mad at anything … I always had field hockey,” she said. “That was always going to be there. I love the sport, I love it. I don’t think anything will ever match up like that.”

The forward also hopes to leave a lasting legacy as a role model and inspiration.

“I really hope that, for at least the teammates I played with … of all ages, they remember me as being one of the best at what I do,” McNamara said. “I understand that next year someone’s going to come in, but I hope I cross their minds when they need a goal, and they’re like ‘I wish Emily was here.’”

8 The Commonwealth Times

Women’s Soccer advances to Atlantic 10 Championship, falls to Billikens ADAM CHEEK Staff Writer

ever, as her second scoring effort of Grace Young made eight saves. the season came just over 73 minutes The Black and Gold closed out into the match. its season with a 9-1 record in the Women’s Soccer took down the Saint Saint Louis responded with an conference, averaging 2.25 goals per Joseph’s Hawks Nov. 2 in the Atlantic 10 aggressive volley of offensive pushes game. VCU averaged 15.7 shots per semifinal, edging out its Philadelphian op- that Billiken senior forward/midgame, only allowed 1.13 goals per ponent 2-1. But the Rams fell to the Saint fielder Maddie Pokorny took advangame and ended the season with an Louis Billikens by a 5-1 in the conference tage of, knocking down three goals .800 winning percentage. championship Nov. 4, closing out the sea- for a hat trick.

Jerabek led the team with 11 son with a 16-4 record and 45 goals.

The onslaught gave the Billikgoals on the season, while senior ens all they needed to close out the forward Kelly Graves and junior match, as the three goals — all withmidfielder Alyssa Tallent followed SAINT LOUIS in 15 minutes — were the final nail close behind with seven and four Sunday’s A-10 matchup with the Billik- in the coffin for the Rams. goals, respectively. Jerabek recorded ens saw the Black and Gold fall 5-1 to a VCU put up its best record of the 29 points and 71 shots, playing all powerful Saint Louis team in Ohio, with decade in 2018. but one game. the lone VCU goal coming from junior Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Aumidfielder Ingrid Brouwer. Redshirt-junior drey Sanderson concluded the year SAINT JOSEPH’S defender Amanda Tredway tallied two shots. with a 13-2 record, making 50 saves Redshirt-sophomore midfielder Emma Friday’s victory over the Saint and only allowing 15 goals while Kershner had the only assist of the day.

Joseph’s Hawks saw Brouwer notch playing more than 1,500 minutes in Saint Louis came out of the gates strong her first goal of the season, while front of the net. Sanderson also reas it racked up two goals in the first 20 min- sophomore midfielder Samantha corded a .769 save percentage, with utes. The Billikens’ senior forward Lindsay Jerabek scored her 11th goal, assist- Freshman defender Lana Golob earned Second Team team racking up seven shutouts on Sands kicked off the scoring with a goal just ed by redshirt-junior defender Me- All-Conference honors. Photo by Teresa Bricker the season. four minutes into the match, and VCU con- gan Enos. Jerabek ignited the Rams’ tributed an own goal to go down 2-0. offense early with that score, which came Rams a 2-1 lead and just what they needed The Rams conclude their 2018 campaign The remainder of the first half, and most in the third minute of play, and the Rams to edge out the Hawks. Her 76th-minute with the best record of the decade. VCU of the second, passed with little scoring and outlasted the Hawks. shot made the difference for the Black and graduates six seniors this offseason. heavy defensive work by both teams. BrouwBrouwer’s goal broke a 1-1 tie past the Gold, giving the Rams their sixth consecuer’s goal brought the Rams within one, how- midpoint of the second half, giving the tive victory. Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper

Field Hockey season ends at Atlantic 10 Championship ANDY RIDDLER Contributing Writer

Junior outside hitter Vicky Giommarini recorded 269 kills this season. Photo by Jon Mirador

Volleyball winning streak snapped during two-game road trip NILE MCNAIR Contributing Writer Volleyball clinched the A-10 regular season title Nov. 2 with a 3-0 victory over George Washington. But the Rams’ 13-game-winning streak ended Nov. 3 in a conference game versus George Mason — the Patriots swept the Black and Gold in straight sets.

also gave the Black and Gold its first conference defeat on the season.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

In their first match of a two-game road trip, the Rams looked to extend their win streak to 13 games. They did just that in a dominant fashion against the Colonials of George Washington.

VCU came out explosive in the first set, and led 4-1 after five serves. Later on in the GEORGE MASON set VCU faced some adversity after surrenIn the first set, VCU and George Mason dering its lead. Trailing 22-21, sophomore went back and forth, trading leads as both outside hitter Paula Neciporuka made two sides grappled for initial control of the match. kills, leading the way to a 25-23 set win At one point, VCU trailed 15-10 before go- for VCU. ing on a scoring run to tie the set at 22-22.

In the second set, VCU once again had George Mason proceeded to win three out of to go on a late run to take the win. They did the next four points, to win 25-23. just that with a 3-0 spurt to win the second For the second set, VCU came out fast set 26-24. A kill from junior middle blocker and took an early 10-7 lead. The Patriots Jasmin Sneed, followed by a block and kill responded as the Rams surrendered four by Baldwin, led VCU to a set victory. consecutive points, allowing George Mason VCU completely dominated the third to take the lead. set. The Rams quickly jumped out to a 20Once again the teams sat tied at a score 10 lead over George Washington. With a of 22-22. George Mason finished on a 4-1 comfortable lead, VCU coasted to a 25-14 run to take the set 26-24. set victory to close out the match.

In the third and final set it seemed VCU lost energy, allowing George Mason to sep- VCU will be back in action Nov. 7 to finish arate and win the set 25-17. off the regular season, with a home match Middle blocker Tori Baldwin led the against High Point, followed by senior day way for the Rams with 11 points. The 3-0 against Davidson Nov. 10. loss not only ended VCU’s win streak, it

Field Hockey defeated UMass 3-2 on its way to the program’s first Atlantic 10 Championship final, but ultimately fell short of the title in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of No. 10 Saint Joseph’s.

SAINT JOSEPH’S Senior forward Emily McNamara led the Rams with two shots on goal in the final match of her illustrious Nine field hockey players earned A-10 honors VCU career. The only other shot on over the weekend. Photo by Shayla Bailey goal for the Rams came from junior midfielder Bentley Zabicki. two goals in the game to give her 27 on Senior defender Joely Helder scored the season, the highest total in the nation. the game winning goal for Saint Joseph’s McNamara finished with a game-high 10 in the 29th minute off a penalty corner. shots, six of which were on goal.

VCU had opportunities to score in the Pereira got the assist on McNamara’s 44th minute, with McNamara getting two first goal on a pass to the top of the circle shots saved off a penalty corner. The Rams’ in the ninth minute, putting the Rams on last golden opportunity came in the 60th the board early. minute after Helder received a yellow card Field assisted on McNamara’s second for Saint Joseph’s, but VCU was unable to goal following a penalty corner in the capitalize late in the game.

28th minute to give VCU the 2-0 lead as Freshman goalkeeper Sasha Elliott re- the sides headed to halftime. corded six saves for VCU. She was named UMass came storming back following to the All-Championship team for her play the halftime intermission, with its first over the weekend. Elliott was joined by strike scored by sophomore forward Lucy McNamara, graduate midfielder Shannon Cooper after she intercepted a VCU pass.

Pereira, freshman defender Litiana Field The Minutewomen tied the game in the and sophomore midfielder Maite Sturm.

52nd minute on a rebound by senior forSaint Joseph’s outshot VCU 9-5 overall ward Courtney Ocasal. and 6-3 on goal.

Field sent VCU to the A-10 final with a goal off a penalty corner — assisted by Sturm — in the 82nd minute.

UMASS Elliott made six saves for VCU, includVCU defeated UMass 3-2 in double ing one in overtime. Field Hockey ended overtime as the Rams advanced to their its season with a 12-7 record, scoring 55 first A-10 Championship match in pro- goals on a shot percentage of .632. gram history.

McNamara added to her legacy with

Wed. November 7, 2018 9

On this day

Danica Roem became the first transgender person to be elected to a state legislature in the U.S. on Nov. 7, 2017.

UPCOMING EVENTS See something

FRI. 11/9 Bad Reputation: The Joan Jett Story

Hosted by the James River Film Society, this movie chronicles the life of rock icon Joan Jett. Jett is most famous for being a founding member of the band The Runaways, the hit song “Cherry Bomb” and the Joan Jett & the Blackhearts frontwoman. There will be a viewing of the film and a cash bar.

8-10 p.m., Visual Arts Center of Richmond (1812 W. Main St.), $7

SAT. 11/10 King of Pops Popchella with Spooky Cool, The Wimps and Kenneka!

Help King of Pops celebrate another year with this party featuring live music and a space art show. Performances include Richmond artists and bands Spooky Cool, The Wimps and Kenneka Cook.

The event is free and open to all ages.

1-5 p.m., Gallery5 (200 W. Marshall St.)

Do something Artist Trish Gibson’s displays images depicting sites of trauma from her family history.

Photo by Raelyn Fines

“Embedded Within These Walls”: Anderson exhibit encompasses domestic abuse, trauma ANDREW RINGLE Contributing Writer The door still hangs in her grandmother’s home today. It’s as simple as any other of its kind. But about two inches from the small brass knob, the wood is snapped and shattered, framing a dent the size of a fist. It’s a haunting image, resonating with memories of another violent occasion.

Memories like the door are what drove Trish Gibson to create “Embedded Within These Walls,” a series of images depicting sites of trauma from her family history. Gibson is a VCU student pursuing a Master’s degree in photography and film. She also teaches undergraduate classes, balancing two other jobs on the side.

The photographs are accompanied by a short book of poems, which caption excerpts from her family photo albums.

Although the story is specific to Gibson’s memories, the details are familiar to many. The installation at the Anderson gallery retells a history of domestic violence experienced by millions every year.

“There are 11 women on the maternal side of my family who have all had really large punctuated marks of abuse in their lives, and the majority of men in my family are abusers,” Gibson said. “Because so many of the women in my life were affected by this, I became fascinated with the statistics of this epidemic thing that wasn’t being properly addressed.”

Gibson started the project before the

issue gained political attention during the 2016 election and subsequent #MeToo movement. She said the groundwork really began when her aunt was taken to the hospital last year.

“She had been beaten up so badly that she had almost died,” Gibson said. “She had most of the hair ripped out of her head, two broken bones in her face, her eyelid was ripped almost completely off of her.”

Gibson spent the next week recording stories from her aunt to show detectives.

Her family intended to press charges against her aunt’s partner for attempted murder. Barely cognisant, her aunt retold the violence she experienced. But when she was fully awake, she denied everything she had said and wished to drop all charges and return home to her partner.

“The more she started to heal, the more she would deny,” Gibson said.

“But these things kept occurring rapidly. There’d sometimes be a moment of silence, but then she would be admitted back into the hospital for another attack.”

Gibson started weaving her aunt’s story into the larger history behind the abuse that has affected her family for generations. She collected photographs and interviews with other members of her family, analyzing the duality of stories from the past and present.

“I became really interested in the shared consciousness that might exist between people who have gone through a similar type of suffering together,” Gibson said. “I started going into a meditative state and writing poem-like

pieces from the perspectives of different members of my family.”

With poems and large-format photographs, “Embedded Within These Walls” narrates a curated version of her family’s history. The details behind each image are not needed to understand the story, because the cacophony is almost instantly recognizable.

“The concept behind this gallery is that a place can hold trauma in the same way that a body can hold trauma,” Gibson said. “A space can be littered with the memories of past events.”

By arranging the pictures according to height, Gibson transforms the exhibition at the Anderson into a real home scarred with abuse. For instance, one image of a dresser is hung from the view of her mother’s childhood bed, transporting the viewer into another perspective.

In many images, there’s a small sliver of another space visible beyond the site of trauma. In the picture of her grandmother’s door, the edge of the shot hints at a different room basking in brighter light.

“I think that speaks to the entrapment of knowing the way out, but not being able to fully access that point,” Gibson said. “It replicates the feeling of how the women in my family have had to continue to exist within this cycle without being able to access a reasonable way out.”

“Embedded Within These Walls” will be showing at the Anderson gallery until Nov. 16.

WED. 11/7 QTPOC Gathering: Game Night!

This event is hosted by the Queer & Trans People of Color Collective, an identity based group focusing on creating a safe and welcoming space for QTPOC. There will be games, cards, pizza and drinks. The group asks that attendees do not wear scented lotions, perfumes, colognes, etc. in order to accomodate people sensitive to scents.

7-9 p.m., VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (907 Floyd Ave., Suite 215)

FRI. 11/9 Homecoming Tailgate Block Party

Enjoy food from several vendors and fun homecoming activities with the VCU community in celebration of homecoming week.

4-7 p.m., along Harrison and Marshall streets

Learn something LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WED. 11/7

Frack Off!: A pipeline teach-in

The Virginia Student Environmental Coalition will discuss the ongoing resistance to the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines in Virginia. The discussion will explore what other communities are doing to protest and brainstorm what kind of actions opponents of the pipeline should take in Virginia.

7-9 p.m., HI Richmond Hostel (7 N. 2nd St.)

THURS. 11/8 Old School Skills Series — Bread Baking 101 with Sub Rosa Bakery

Librarian and amatuer baker Adam Zimmerli will lead a class on yeasted breads. Participants will have hands-on instruction and will get to taste samples throughout the course. Call (804)-6464474 to register as class size is limited. A second workshop will be held Nov. 13.

6-7 p.m., Richmond Public Library (1200 N. 25th St.)

SUN. 11/11 Black Minds Matter at WRIR’s Local Voices Live

Hosted by the Black Minds Matter Project and WRIR 97.3 FM, Richmond Independent Radio, this event will include a discussion focusing on self-care from mental health advocates and creatives in front of a live audience. The event will be broadcasted live on the radio station.

4:30-5 p.m., Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU (601 W. Broad St.)

Gibson’s aunt, who experienced domestic violence, is the primary inspiration behind her gallery. Photo by Raelyn Fines

10 The Commonwealth Times

Cabell First Novelist speaks about novel’s themes of isolation, immigration KATIE BASHISTA Spectrum Editor Hernán Diaz remembers his first poem as “horrible.” But, he said, it helped him understand that words can be useful beyond everyday communication. Diaz, who is now a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/ Faulkner Award for fiction for his novel “In the Distance,”is also the winner of the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award.

His experience with language has been unique. Born in Argentina, his family moved to Sweden when he was two years old because of the military coup, meaning Swedish is his first language. Diaz’s family later moved back to Argentina where he stayed for a few years before moving to London. He’s lived in New York for the last 20 years.

“In the Distance” captures what Diaz describes as a triangle of absolute disorientation, foreignness and loneliness. The plot takes place in the American West in the 1850s during Manifest Destiny. When Håkan, a Swedish immigrant, is separated from his brother, he finds himself lost on the West Coast trying to make his way to the East, fighting the current of Western migration.

Diaz was living in London when he started writing the novel. By coincidence, he read a variety of novels that took place in the western U.S., but were from different canons of literature: Russian, Argentinian, American and Italian.

“I started thinking, if we usually define the desert as a void, can there be different kinds of voids?” Diaz said. “Also, since I’ve been a foreigner in one way or another my entire life, the desert seemed very productive in that regard. Can one be a foreigner in a totally context-deprived situation such as the desert?”

Although the book takes place in the West, Diaz does not define it as a western, and he took steps to differentiate it from definitive aspects of that genre. Diaz describes westerns as a “glamorized version of the worst aspects of our history.”

“The genocidal violence, misogyny, the obsession with private property, exploitation, it goes on and on and on,” he said.

“At the same time, it’s kind of a tragedy genre, nobody really pays attention to westerns. If they do … the good ones are all anti-westerns.”

He said in appreciating the genre, there is an element of denial, which Diaz considers an “interesting scaffolding to walk on.”

The most obvious difference between “In the Distance” and typical westerns is that the character is traveling East during a time in which western migration was taking place.

If we usually define the desert as a void, can there be different kinds of voids? Also, since I’ve been a foreigner in one way or another my entire life, the desert seemed very productive in that regard. Can one be a foreigner in a totally context-deprived situation such as the desert?”

Hernán Diaz, Novelist “He’s going against the tidal wave of history,” Diaz said. “Then I also took sort of most of the elements in the genre and inverted them or messed with them.”

The horses in the book are sick, slow and dying, rather than fast and strong. The characters are not good at shooting and the guns are rusty and broken. The role of women is also questioned in the book.

Diaz’s novel contains inverted elements of the Western genre. Photo by Michel Maulding “In the genre women appear almost as private property, right? I mean they’re either prostitutes or housewives,” Diaz said. “So I also inverted that and I have an extremely powerful, strong woman who actually turns the hero into a sex slave.”

Diaz wrote a significant portion of the book so that the reader would be equally as confused and disoriented as Håkan by writing from his perspective. For two-thirds of the book, Håkan does not understand anything that is being said around him.

“Sticking to his point of view was a way for me to explore his utter disorientation — linguistic disorientation, temporal disorientation, spatial disorientation and solitude,” Diaz said.

Diaz began writing the novel during President Obama’s first term and he finished it in July of his last year in office. The book deals heavily with immigration and foreignness, and had Diaz written the book during the political climate we now find ourselves in, he is not certain how it would have changed the novel.

“If you’re awake and attuned to what’s going on, you’re influenced by reality,” he said.

“And what’s going on and everything that’s

going on is so intense right now so I’m sure, I don’t know to what extent, but I’m sure it would have been different. On the other hand it’s a very self-contained world as well.”

When it came to choosing the name for the main character, Diaz said he wanted something that would not bring too much attention to itself as Håkan is a fairly common name in Sweden. However, it is still confusing.

“I wanted a name that people would struggle to pronounce because that’s also my experience with my first name,” he said. “It’s such a big part of my day everyday, people dealing with my name, so I wanted that to be in the book.”

Diaz’s unconventional writing process allowed him to create a piece of literature that is completely unique to his own experience and, as a result, Håkan’s.

“I’ve been writing my entire life. It’s not like one day I woke up and said ‘oh I’m going to write this book,’” he said. “I’ve had rejection in great, great doses. I’m well acquainted with that so I was expecting more of that rather than what happened.”

Poetry in the streets: The True Commonwealth’s prime performers QUENTIN RICE Contributing Writer Spoken word slam poetry and hip-hop collided at Gallery5 Nov. 1 for The True Commonwealth, a showcase put on by RVA Magazine and Association of Great Minds.

The show featured some of Richmond’s premiere hip-hop artists including Michael Millions, Radio B and VCU alumnus Nickelus F. The evening started with Roscoe Burnems from Rise Up, a collection of oppositional poetry. He delivered his poem “Metaphysics 101 for White Privilege,” which begged the question, “if a tree falls in the forest and the people in the forest pretend not to hear it, did it make a sound?” The performance set the tone of challenging norms and celebrating blackness that dominated the night.

Local rapper Cole Hicks then took the stage, performing a few tracks from her new record “MAY DAY.” She opened up with the brief but addictive “5188,” and her soulful and smooth “Chocolate Perfection” was perhaps her most memorable song. Lenny Bones took the throne behind a drum set to provide additional percussion for Hicks, as well as every subsequent musician. Hicks closed with “Southside,” dedicating the tune to everyone in the room who hailed from the titular Richmond locale.

Michael Millions then treated the venue to some atmospheric urban beats from his new release “Hard to Be King.”

T-shirts sporting the album title crowded the room as Millions opened with “Sirens,” which features a hook many Richmond natives can relate to:

“I hear those sirens outside, I think it’s goin’ down.”

Nickelus F, Radio B and producer Name Brand provided backup vocals for Millions’ title track “Hard to Be King.” Millions’ sound takes cues from J Dilla and MF Doom, with lo-fi LP scratches, jazzy keys and horns

Nickelus F is a local rapper and VCU alumnus. Photo by Quentin Rice

sampled from various artists.

Nickelus F soon took the stage and, while he was not advertised as a “headliner,” he was a clear favorite among the audience. He opened with “Sleazie Wonder” from his new album “STUCK.” Any fatigue the crowd might have been feeling at that point immediately dispelled at the command of F’s impassioned and angry vocal delivery, a striking departure from his calmer, sleepier delivery on the studio track.

F then moved on to the sinister “Walls of Jericho,” providing the most animated performance of the night, headbanging and growling into the mic with a rasp not unlike that of MC Ride. “Tanqueray,” a track from 2013’s “Vices,” proved to be the favorite, with nearly everybody bouncing and singing along. One particularly thrilled fan even hopped on stage and danced with the performers for a few bars.

The much-loved rapper closed his set with “Mids” from “STUCK,” which brought back the soul vibe with its funky sampled guitars and ‘70s-esque midi strings.

The True Commonwealth was an easy going and supportive celebration of black lyrical talent in Richmond and should have plenty of performers to book for years to come.

Wed. November 7, 2018 11

LANDON’S OUTLOOK

The Virginia Film Festival delivers relevance and quality.

LANDON ROBERTS Contributing Writer

“WIDOWS”

The 2018 Virginia Film Festival was nestled in the heart of Charlottesville and, along with the beauty of the bronzing leaves, this year’s festival brought many heartwarming and breathtaking films.

Of the 150 films scheduled on this years program, many stood out — these are just some to get excited about when they finally reach theaters.

“ROMA” Alfonso Cuarón’s newest film is a personal story chronicling his mother’s life in Mexico City. The emotion is palpable through Cuarón’s meticulous framing, and the wide sprawling “Roma” tells the story of the director’s mother’s life in Mexico City. Photo courtesy of Virginia Film Festival landscapes capture every detail, creating frames that feel like they by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. It “SHOPLIFTERS” belong in an art museum. The black-and- contains every aspect of a definitive period white palette also lends to a family photo piece, but the hilarious dialogue and exDirector Hirokazu Kore-eda pulled off album aesthetic which creates a sense of ceptional direction turn the genre on its a challenging and heartwarming film with reflection on faded memories. While the head. These aspects play exceptionally well “Shoplifters.” The film follows social misfits beauty alone makes “Roma” worth seeing, into the plot of two servants competing and outcasts in urban Japan, creating a famthe performances create a true masterpiece. over the affection of the queen. The three ily-like dynamic while thieving to survive.

Most of the actors are first-timers, but their main roles are played by Olivia Colman, The familial dynamic in “Shoplifters” is inemotion is so realistic it almost feels like a Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. They all credibly entertaining to watch. The lively endocumentary. “Roma” releases on Netflix bring a sort of sadism and carefree attitude, ergy of the characters that range from young as an exclusive Dec. 14. However, viewers creating both hilarious and tense scenes. to old allows viewers to see themselves in should take advantage of the limited theat- However, behind all these moments of at least one of the characters, making them rical release in order to experience the full ferocity and hilarity lies a subtle touch of part of the family. This deep connection potential of its elegance. admiration that becomes more noticeable makes realizations hurt even more, leadas the film goes on, leading to a gut-punch- ing to heartbreak and distrust. Everything ing finale that will leave audience members builds up to a thought-provoking question of “THE FAVOURITE” talking long after the credits roll. “The Fa- “what makes someone good or bad?” as well Sex, power and love encompass this vourite” hits theaters Nov. 23. as the true definition of family. “Shoplifters” quirky Victorian England period piece will have a limited release starting Nov. 23.

The recent trend of heist films has created formulaic and predictable plotlines, but Ste ve Mc Q ueen’s “Widows” breaks this trend.

After a team of criminals participates in a job gone terribly wrong, their wives must finish what the men started in order to pay off debts. The brutal motives are well executed, leading to magnetic and intriguing action set pieces. Almost every action scene is done in a one-take format that allows the viewer to experience the build-up and the inevitable payoff, leaving them with the same shock or excitement the characters are experiencing.

Challenging gender roles is a prevalent yet subtle theme, creating a nuanced take on the subject. “Widows” will be released worldwide Nov. 13.

“VIRGINIA 12TH” With Election Day past us, this documentary takes a look at the work politicians and student organizers put into campaigning. The subject is Chris Hurst who is running for the 12th District in the state’s House of Representatives. The film gives a transparent look into his fears, decision-making and campaign tactics. The true power of the documentary is found within this transparency. The idea of a politician being the sole voice for a community is broken by showing how a connection between the community and politicians is the most vital point to our democracy. The film is now available to stream on NowThis News.

Día de los Muertos celebration honors pre-colonial traditions ADA ROMANO Contributing Writer As one of many U.S. cities with a prominent Latin American community, Richmond’s Día de los Muertos festivities included a cultural celebration put on by the Latin Ballet of Virginia (LBV), complete with traditional altars and Aztec costumes.

Día de los Muertos — or Day of the Dead — is a Mexican tradition dating back to pre-Columbian civilizations that honors and celebrates the lives of deceased relatives.

The celebration of life has spread to countries in Central and South America, in addition to the U.S. The annual LBV Día de los Muertos celebration took place at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, featuring food, arts and crafts, dancing and vendors.

K Alferio, president of The Cultural Arts Center, has been part of the festival since she started her role at the center almost 10 years ago. The festival’s goal is to keep the traditions of the holiday as culturally accurate as possible.

“We have the authentic dancers and keepers of the culture,” Alferio said. “The important thing is that we stay true to what the culture is.”

The event featured an Aztec ceremony

with a native dance and incense burning to honor the dead. Alters were set up and decorated throughout the building, complete with photos of the dancer’s relatives. Attendees were also encouraged to bring photos of anyone they want to be remembered.

The dancers dressed in traditional Aztec costumes chosen to resemble original rituals.

The activities set up for kids and their parents during the festival included coloring masks, a piñata, face painting and making maracas. Attendees were also encouraged to wear their own costumes.

“It’s a different way to look at what we call Halloween,” Alferio said.

Ana Ines King is the founder and artistic director of LBV and was also a faculty member in the department of dance and choreography at VCU for several years. Her passion has driven her to formulate events such as the Día de los Muertos festival to help familiarize Virginians with Latin culture.

King said celebrating death as it is portrayed in Día de los Muertos is seen as taboo in some Latin American nations, including her native country of Colombia. Since Catholicism is the predominant religion in these areas, celebrating death can be seen as sacrilegious.

“The Spaniards somewhat obligated the indigenous people to celebrate what they

celebrated,” King said. “But the Mexicans the lives of the dead. continued their traditions.”

King recently lost two people close to In many cultures, including in the U.S., her — a dance teacher and a dancer. King discussing death is taboo. remembers them by doing what they loved “It has been difficult to convince people to do the most: dancing. She dedicated the to accept and welcome death rather than performances to them. to fear it,” King said.

Dance classes are held at the Cultural With celebrations like Día de los Arts Center. For more information visit artsMuertos, King hopes to get people to glenallen.com. For more information on the open up about the subject and celebrate Latin Ballet of Virginia visit latinballet.com.

Día de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased. Photo by Dakota Trimm

12 The Commonwealth Times SAM’S TAKE

Illustration by Karly Andersen

“Bohemian Rhapsody”: all noise and no melody

SAMUEL GOODRICH Staff Writer What do you feel when you hear a Queen song? While none are quite alike, they all seem to have an epic, larger-than-life quality. They reach the deepest parts of your soul, awakening a primal love of loud sounds and beautiful voices. The lyrics can be nonsense, the sounds can be bizarre, but it’s all unquestionably Queen.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” aims to do the impossible, condensing the rise of the band and its captivating lead singer Freddie Mercury into two hours. While not a complete failure, the biopic comes off more like a “greatest hits” album — capturing moments of those powerful emotions but never giving the audience a full picture of the legendary band and the equally legendary man.

Beginning in the late 1970s, the film charts the rise of Queen from its humble beginnings in England to the smashing concerts known worldwide. The film also sheds light on Mercury, looking into his struggles with fame, identity and sexuality.

While I say it shows these two sides of Queen — the fun concerts and Mercury’s difficult life — “Bohemian Rhapsody” doesn’t do either particularly well.

As a biography about the band, the film moves too quickly past their development and success, only focusing on individual songs rather than whole albums or tours.

Because of this, the recording sessions feel forced and unrealistic, leading to repetitive scenes of the band arguing about what a song should be before choosing the right sound, then switching to a montage of the group performing on stage.

The concerts are a highlight, showing off Rami Malek’s uncanny ability to emulate Mercury. He naturally performs Mercury’s iconic style and mannerisms, leading to some exciting and hilarious moments on stage.

In general, Malek ’s performance is consistently incredible. He not only looks the part but can also play Mercury’s layered complexities. Malek conveys so much in the way he speaks or moves — he is the emotional core of the film. It’s an award-worthy performance that is sadly

buried within a middling product.

The other side of “Bohemian Rhapsody” is Mercury’s story, which aims to be emotional and uplifting, but is cheesy overall. This side of the film feels very disingenuous, because it only dives into Mercury at surface level. The writing and plotting do not match Malek’s sincere performance, which tries to expose Mercury’s heart and soul. The film itself is only trying to be entertaining.

There is a distinct lack of focus and depth.

Rather than making an honest and definitive biography of Mercury, the filmmakers also try to make a crowd-pleasing run down memory lane. It wants us to care about Mercury and the band, but we only know Mercury and his struggles, seeing the other members in quick flashes of song recordings and concert performances.

There’s nothing technically wrong with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” either. It’s well shot, the editing is solid and there are even some beautiful moments of acting and composition.

Overall, it is an entertaining movie — but it’s just that, nothing more. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a standard music biopic, doing the bare

minimum with a story and person that were all about going the extra mile.

The highlight of the entire movie is the finale at the iconic Live Aid benefit concert.

This 15-20 minute sequence finally captures the raw power and emotional impact of Queen. It also realizes the theme of family and inclusiveness that the movie was avidly spouting for the past two hours.

On paper, it’s a beautiful moment that will bring everyone to tears, but I was left unsatisfied. On a logical level, I could see the greatness within “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I knew I had never been bored, but I still had this empty feeling when the credits began to roll.

This movie may be a celebration of Queen and Freddie Mercury. It may also be an entertaining movie for fans of the band and for general audiences. However, it is not a passionate and thoughtful look into a complex man and a revolutionary band. It’s the compilation album, missing the context and depth of the full LP.

“Empire Records”: a reflection of the cool and not-so-cool aspects of the ‘90s

Illustration by Liz McCown

but neither were the ‘90s. Instead, “Empire Records” is a goofy, angsty, over-the-top ride through a day in the goofiest, angstiest, most over-the-top decade. Looking at it that way, the film works.

The loose plot of the 1995 film that currently resides on Netf lix follows a group of teenagers — typical misfits in a post-“Breakfast Club” world — attempting to save the record store they all work at from being purchased by a chain called Music Town. But the film isn’t exactly focused on the story. Instead, it throws a wide variety of shenanigans at the viewer.

JON PARKER The à-la-carte plot maintains interest with all the nonsense. It’s when the film starts to Contributing Writer get serious — thankfully not an often oc“Empire Records” is what the ‘90s would be currence — when the bombastic nature, the if the decade was distilled into a single film. ‘90s-ness of the film, subsides and it becomes That is not to say “Empire Records” is excep- a run-of-the-mill coming-of-age story. tional, because it isn’t by any measurement, Luckily, the films leans pretty hard

into its nonsense side. From a delightfully overdramatic shoplifter chase scene to an impromptu dance party, “Empire Records” knows what it is — a ‘90s-themed house party. Packed to the brim with awful fashion choices, bad haircuts and great music, the film keeps you engaged.

Speaking of great music, the soundtrack is the lifeblood of the film. Tracks by the likes of Dire Straits and AC/DC lead the way for a diverse set of songs which provide the film with an energy to match its nature. Inarguably, the music serves as the only truly great thing about the film. Not great as in “so bad it’s good” like the rest of the film — truly great.

If you came to “Empire Records” in search of good acting, you’ll leave empty handed, with a young Renée Zellweger as the lone exception. But, if you came for the best bad acting has to offer, you’d find

it in spades. The standout in that regard is Ethan Embry, who portrays a stoner named Mark. Embry seemingly did not realize he was in a film, and instead did his best impression of Sonny the Cuckoo Bird. The hilarious over-acting is assisted by frequent looks directly into camera, often coinciding with delightfully absurd camera zooms. Rest assured, director Allan Moyle definitely knew what type of film he was making.

“Empire Records” did not win any awards when it hit theaters in 1995, nor did it deserve any. But when you can’t sleep on a Thursday night, have had a bad week or just need to laugh, you can do far worse than streaming “Empire Records.” It is nothing more than an over-the-top, not particularly good, absurd 90-minute misadventure — and there’s value in that.

Wed. November 7, 2018 13

Quote of the week

“The mythology is that political change happens only in election years. The truth is you build from election to election.”

— Jill stein, former green party presidential candidate

Illustration by Steck Von

Bryan DeVasher leaves lasting legacy with students STAFF EDITORIAL

R

obertson School instructor Bryan DeVasher died Oct. 30 at the age of 54. The thoughts and prayers of the CT Staff, many of whom are his former students, are with his wife, daughter and son. DeVasher left a heartfelt imprint on his students, never failing to bring a jovial, sincere love for his pupils and subject to the classroom.

Robertson School professor Jeff South is raising money on GoFundMe for a scholarship to memorialize DeVasher.

“An endowment of $20,000 would allow the Robertson School to award an annual scholarship of at least $1,000 to a student who embodies the traits Bryan lived: a commitment to fair, accurate and compelling journalism,” South wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Here are some of our cherished memories of Bryan DeVasher.

W

hen I took Bryan’s class, it was held late on Thursday nights — not necessarily the best time to discuss the passive voice. But his jokes and realistic insight on the past, present and future of print media animated the class into lively discussions. He was always kind, personable and accommodating of his students, especially when they had to dip out of the room to make a phone call or attend an event for a story. I remember how he talked about his family, and that caring nature reflected onto his relationships with students. One night, a classmate brought in pizza to share — given the course’s overlap with dinnertime — and for a few moments, it felt like a group of close friends and family, facilitated by the professor’s ability to create community.

– GEORGIA GEEN, Managing Editor

I

took Bryan’s class this time last year and it’s hard to believe it’s been that long. His lessons in copy editing and his genuinely kind and caring attitude toward his students have stuck with me.

I remember calling him “professor DeVasher” on

several occasions and each time he would tell me to please, just call him Bryan. He respected and valued each of his students, which made for the most productive and beneficial classroom environment. He provided us great advice, telling stories from his first hand experience in the field. He shared stories about his family, too, which gave us more insight into his gracious and compassionate personality. He was the type of professor you hope to have in college — fair, interesting and enjoyable to be around — and I’m grateful to have been taught by him.

He shared memories of his family and gave his class a personal tone that made students want to show up. I was always touched by how kind and understanding he was. One day in class, every student seemed exhausted and burnt out. He saw that and let us out of class early so we could go home and get some sleep. Even though his class was not one that involved a lot of student-professor interaction, he cared about all of us and we could tell when we interacted with him. While I was in his class, I went to California with the Society of Professional Journalists and had to miss a session. When I – KATIE BASHISTA, Spectrum Editor got back, he made a point to ask me about my trip, the journalists I met and how much fun I ryan’s class traditionally began with 15-20 had roaming around Los Angeles. His thoughtminutes of discussion. But we didn’t talk fulness and unwavering devotion to his students about the difference between “lay” and “lie” or was what made him an incredible professor and whether there’s an “s” at the end of “toward.” exceptional man. He will be missed dearly.

Bryan taught us about much more than copy editing, he painted a picture of his life as a – CAITLIN BARBIERI , Opinions Editor journalist and illustrated what we could expect in the field. Many college classes and curricuhen I think about where I was a year lums have a strictly academic agenda, but not ago, I can still hear Bryan opening up Bryan’s. He did so much more than feed us in- his class with a discussion about his day while formation in a class that caters to that approach. popping a new bottle of diet soda he got from He taught us how to be professionals, because the vending machine down the hall. Bryan was he cared for us not just as his students, but as well aware that teaching a copy editing class human beings whose futures were in his hands. would not be entertaining, but he always made Bryan asked about our lives outside the class- the best of it. He was a caring person who alroom, professional and personal pursuits alike. ways put someone’s well-being before attendHe was one of those professors who sticks with ing a class, and he provided me assurance that you. He will always stick with me. He loved his I would be okay after missing a week’s worth of students, and we heard very much about how notes due to health issues. He put his students dearly he loved his family. The VCU and Vir- first. I owe part of the journalist I am today to ginia journalism communities lost a great one. Bryan. It is because of him I always scream internally when I think of the difference be– ZACH JOACHIM, Executive Editor tween “lay” and “lie” or writing an address in AP style. A year ago today, I would not have remember signing up for copy editing with imagined writing this in his memory, but his Bryan and thinking to myself “this class is warm smile and the knowledge he left behind going to be so boring,” and then I met him. is unforgettable.

His class was the best way to end my day every Tuesday and Thursday last fall semester. Beyond – JESSICA WETZLER, Sports Editor the subject of copy editing, Bryan was eager to share with us his experiences in journalism and gave us the opportunity to learn from his stories.

B

W

I

14 The Commonwealth Times

Illustration by Adam Goodman

Blue wave signals call for change CAITLIN BARBIERI Opinions Editor Democrats took the U.S. House of Representatives last night and, even though Republicans retained the U.S. Senate, the results revealed the country’s overwhelming discontent for the Trump administration.

For the first time since 2011, Democrats have control of the House and the power to block a Republican agenda.

The Democratic House will pause current efforts to make cuts to Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare. All bills start in the House; after going through a series of committees and being voted on and amended multiple times, the bill heads to the Senate to undergo the same process.

So, for any bill to become law — meaning passing through both houses of Congress to make it to the president — it would involve bipartisanship.

While many Americans might have

SHAUN JACKSON Staff Writer

Recommended listening while reading:

“APPLE JUICE” Jessie Reyez

I am not an atheist per se, but as a member of the LGBT community it feels hard to explore any sort of relationship with a higher power due to how most marginalized groups are treated in a religious context. What the hell do I do?

breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday night knowing the Republican agenda has been slightly derailed, opposing majorities in Congress will also create a gridlock.

One of the first challenges this Congress will face is coming up with a budget for the next fiscal year. In 2013, the House and Senate refused to compromise over the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 — legislation that guides the allocation of funding for the fiscal year — resulted in a government shutdown that lasted 16 days.

The shutdown was outrageous and affected the lives of approximately 2 million Americans who either couldn’t go to work or were forced to work without knowing when they would be paid. Under Trump, political parties are more polarized than in 2013. So we can only hope we don’t have a repeat of the government shutdown.

However, this gridlock does not necessarily mean Republicans will not be able to

accomplish anything. Remaining the Senate majority, Republicans will still be able to approve Trump’s appointments to the Cabinet and the Supreme Court of the U.S., if a seat opens. During Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation and trials, the Senate ultimately voted to approve his nomination.

With Kavanaugh’s appointment, SCOTUS now leans conservative — and a huge concern for Democrats is losing another advocate. If a spot on the court became available, the Republican Senate could streamline the approval of a new justice to solidify the establishment of a strongly conservative Supreme Court.

Not all hope is lost for Democrats in this gridlock either — at least the Democratic House can investigate the Trump administration more aggressively. Democrats in the House will now have the power to subpoena documents and compel witnesses to testify against Trump.

The “blue wave” made a crash that car-

An Ode to Self Care Granted I can’t give you anything close to a spiritual awakening, I do think that if this is something you truly desire, you should look into inclusive places of worship.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find there are quite a few, even right here in Richmond. Like most members of the LGBT community, you’ve probably had a negative experience with religion, so I can see how this whole thing is not only confusing, but off-putting to you. Finding a way to marry your spiritual and sexual identities is easier said than done. And even though most people don’t get the opportunity to do so, it isn’t impossible.

In my day-to-day life, I think I’m way too dependent on people. I don’t really feel my day is complete unless I’ve had a certain amount of social interactions, and I can’t stand to be alone most of the time except for when I’m sleeping. How do I get used to being alone?

It starts with knowing the difference between being alone and being lonely. After that, you have to take steps to be confident in being alone. Introvert into yourself, indulge in yourself and get to know your-

self — which can be a rather difficult task when there are people around all the time.

No matter your nature, whether you’re extroverted or introverted, there will be times in life when you’ll be by yourself. Knowing how to function in those instances is going to make them just a bit more bearable.

ried a message of disdain for the Trump administration and the Republican Party.

Trump was elected because the American people wanted someone different — but it turns out he wasn’t “Mr. Right.” This Election Day, far-right-leaning candidates lost all over the country as the American people continue to search for a government they can believe in.

Whether you follow politics, politics follows you, and Tuesday’s midterms affected every single person in this country. As I covered the polls this Election Day and spoke to supporters of both parties, I found that — overwhelmingly — the American people are tired of the hate that is pelted across party lines. And now as we prepare to face two years of gridlock, it is imperative to continue to question the government until you find a candidate who actually listens and cares.

least not in this situation. Time is too fleeting and precious to waste on “never’s” and “maybe’s.” I say continue to do you. Don’t deny yourself new pleasures, intimacies and experiences for someone you essentially cannot have.

I’m kinda stuck in a love triangle. There’s this girl we met, but I wasn’t anywhere near ready for a relationship. Fast forward two years and she’s in a long-term committed relationship, but its foundation is shaky and they are possibly considering ending things. I really like this girl and I am waiting to see how things pan out. Is there any sense in waiting?

This is never fun because someone is going to get hurt, period. I get it. Things didn’t work out before, but now you’ve built yourself up. You’re better. You’re ready for a relationship. But as fate would have it, that person is already with someone else. The whole thing blows. I encourage you to take a step back; be sure you’re not still carrying around this romanticized idea of who she was and letting that cloud your judgement.

I don’t think waiting is ever the answer, at

Illustration by Alex Hwee

Wed. November 7, 2018 15 THE CT STAFF EXECUTIVE EDITOR Zach Joachim joachimz@commonwealthtimes.org MANAGING EDITOR Georgia Geen geengr@commonwealthtimes.org NEWS EDITOR Nia Tariq news@commonwealthtimes.org

Left at the Aisle by Erin Joo

SPORTS EDITOR Jessica Wetzler sports@commonwealthtimes.org SPECTRUM EDITOR Katie Bashista spectrum@commonwealthtimes.org OPINIONS EDITOR Caitlin Barbieri opinions@commonwealthtimes.org COPY EDITOR Saffeya Ahmed ahmeds@commonwealthtimes.org MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Erin Edgerton photography@commonwealthtimes.org ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR Steck Von illustrations@commonwealthtimes.org ONLINE EDITOR Kayleigh Fitzpatrick fitzpatrickk@commonwealthtimes.org SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR Fadel Allassan allassanfg@commonwealthtimes.org STAFF WRITERS Logan Reardon, News reardonlj@vcu.edu Adam Cheek, Sports cheekan@vcu.edu

Revisions by Ellie Erhart

Sam Goodrich, Spectrum goodrichs@commonwealthtimes.org STAFF COLUMNISTS Shaun Jackson, Opinions jacksonsk@commonwealthtimes.org STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Shayla Bailey baileysl4@vcu.edu STAFF ILLUSTRATORS Summer McClure mccluresl@vcu.edu Sammy Newman ymmas97@gmail.com

VCU STUDENT MEDIA CENTER GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Ryan Rich Mai-Phuong Bui Jeffrey Pohanka Andy Caress designers@vcustudentmedia.com ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Gabbi Bernardo Dana Cantor Miles S. Hicks advertising@vcustudentmedia.com (804) 828-6629 WEBMASTER Chrislin Hearn webmaster@vcustudentmedia.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Caroline Banchoff distribution@vcustudentmedia.com

Exams by Madeline De-Michele

DIRECTOR Allison Bennett Dyche abdyche@vcu.edu (804) 827-1975 CREATIVE MEDIA MANAGER Mark Jeffries mjeffries@vcu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER Jacob McFadden mcfaddenjc@vcu.edu ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER Andrew Salsbury smc_assistant@vcustudentmedia.com

ABOUT THE CT The Commonwealth Times is the award-winning independent student newspaper at VCU, since 1969. The CT staff maintains all editorial and operations discretion. There is absolutely no prior review by the public, university or VCU Student Media Center administration or staff. The Executive Editor writes and manages the Operations Budget.

ADD YOUR VOICE The opinions pages of the CT are a forum open to the public. Contributions are welcome by email to Caitlin Barbieri, by mail or in-person at 817 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220. Opinions expressed are those of individual columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times.

Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The CT staff.

The Commonwealth Times strives for accuracy in gathering news. If you think we have made an error, please email the appropriate section editor.

Corrections will appear on the news pages and/or online. One CT per person. Additional copies can be purchased at the Student Media Center for $1 each.

16 The Commonwealth Times

For answers to this week’s puzzles, check commonwealthtimes.org/puzzles every Friday at Noon.

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Edited byORDER Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ALPHABETICAL

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Complete the grid so each row, column, and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains Solution to Last Week’s puzzle every digit, 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

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sudoku.org.uk

11/4/18

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Solution to Last Week’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

© 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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